Makes and Models

by

Thursday – Fun Behind The Wheel

mazda8

Jeremy The Mazda2 is one of those city cars that rather blends in with the crowd. It’s well styled and almost cute but you aren’t going to turn heads like you would driving a Citroen DS3 or an Alfa Romeo Mito.

Never mind because it still has more about it than the bland Ford Fiesta and is something of a revelation once you slip behind the steering wheel. Why? Because just like the Suzuki Swift, this is a car that loves to be driven hard and rewards you with a thoroughly entertaining drive.

The 2 has such a short wheelbase that it is very controllable at speed. I found it very easy to turn in hard to a corner and come out the other side on exactly the right driving line.

If it all goes horribly wrong, then the good news is that this Sport version has Dynamic Stability Control to get you out of a fix. The 16-inch alloys add to the grip and the sporty seats keep you and your front seat passenger firmly in place.

Good things come in small packages and the Mazda2 is no exception.

by

Wednesday – Granny Would Have Liked It

cropped-cr-v-25.jpg

Jessica Honda is not a name I associate with the family car. My grandmother had a Honda Civic years ago purely because front seats could lie completely flat – she had a bad back.

She would persuade gullible grandchildren to drive whilst she lay prone on the passeger seat. From there she would conduct conversations about her advanced driving skills and remind us about her JAM driving rules, Judgment, Anticipation and Manners.

The Honda CR-V is a serviceable, reliable and yes, a comfy-seated car. It is intuitive and drives without you having to spend time working out how to manage clutch or steering. A four-wheel drive that doesn’t feel as large as some of the other SUV‘s on the market.

The Honda is certainly not flash, although it has an intriguing speedo design. There is also a little channel for your iPod wire under the central armrest, a feature which is often forgotten in more expensive rivals.

You get exactly what you are prepared to pay for but you could not go wrong with this SUV. Family, pets and friends with luggage are all easily accommodated in the CR-V.

by

Saturday – The Sensible Choice

aud

Jeremy – A chap at the newsagents this morning asked me what word would best sum up the Sportback. He had driven Audis since 2002 and was thinking about downsizing from his company A6.

Not an easy question to answer because at first glance, this latest Sportback appears very similar to the last model – and not that unlike the three-door A3. On closer inspection, it has more angular lines and looks more dynamic from the rear but is otherwise, very much a standard issue Audi.

I told him the steering is light and very accurate, it sits well on the road, both at motorway speed and around corners. He was impressed that I’ve also been averaging 51mpg without even trying – in all manner of conditions. It has lowly emissions of 108 k/km too, meaning low road tax.

The A3 reminds me in so many ways of the VW Golf. It’s not the most exciting car to look at but the Sportback is proficient at just about everything you ask it to do. It’s even roomy inside, with a decent boot and quality fittings.

Standing on the road with my weekend FT in hand, I finally come up with the answer. Sensible.

by

Wednesday – Beetle Drive

bug2

Jeremy – It’s our last day with the Beetle, VW‘s answer to the retro Mini. But while the Mini has morphed into a variety of oddities, the Bug now looks better than ever.

The masculine, squat shape make the VW more purposeful than ever and there’s an exceptional interior that’s not only a pleasure to sit in but fairly practical too.

Sitting on the latest Golf platform, the Beetle is a better drive than the previous model, even though I would opt for the more refined 2.0-litre engine rather than the 1.4 we tried, which has to be worked exceptionally hard to prove enjoyable.

There’s just enough performance to make the high revving 1.4 fun. The steering is more precise and there is a surprising amount of grip on twisty roads. That said, somehow it doesn’t have the precision of the Golf through the bends.

If you want a roomy, practical hatchback for the family buy a Golf. For those who want something that turns a few heads and stands out from the crowd, the Beetle remains almost as cool as it was 40 years ago.

by

Monday – Cabin Fever

bug4

Jeremy Another sunshiny day – just wish the sunroof in the Beetle would open a little bit further! At least when it gets too hot there is an electric blind to keep the heat down in the cabin.

For anybody who remembers sitting in the rear of the last generation Beetle, this one does seem to have more leg and headroom, despite the lower roof line. You can also lower the two back seats for a bigger boot space.

The Beetle cabin is very lovely place to be. There’s a neat centre armrest that just seems to sit at the right height, lots of cubbyholes and a trendy, drop down glovebox that looks very retro indeed.

I’m off to London today – tomorrow’s report will reveal how well the VW copes with the hustle and bustle of the Kings Road….

by

Wednesday – Summer Bug

bug1

Jeremy  Owning a Beetle was a right of passage back in the 1970s. Jessica drove hers from the family home in Cornwall to the south of France to ‘study French‘ – my blue convertible was a complete disaster and ended up in a court case!

Even so, just like a classic film that should never be reworked by modern day Hollywood, there were plenty around who argued that VW should not have brought the Beetle back 13 years ago in a modernised form.

I owned one of those too, to go with my 1963 VW camper van. But while one of them had bags of charisma and oozed cool, the other didn’t. No prizes for guessing which.

So, the arrival of the new ‘new’ Beetle this morning was greeted with mixed emotions. More butch, better looking and equipped with a much stronger range of engines, how does the latest model fare?

Well, all I can tell you so far after a quick drive to the shops, is that the Beetle is considerably better than the last one. I’m loving the stylish interior, the attention to detail – and that fact the sun started shining the minute it pulled up on the driveway.

More tomorrow when I’ve soaked up the atmosphere a little more…

by

Thursday – Curves In All The Right Places

RCZ_1207JBL026_2

Jeremy I’ve always loved driving the Audi TT and the VW Scirocco looks pretty neat too – apart from a rather odd rear end. So when I saw the Peugeot RCZ for the first time, I was eager to give it a go. Now I have one parked outside and I’m impressed.

There’s no doubt Peugeot’s designer coupe turns heads. It looks fantastic from most angles and I can tell you it is exceptionally well built, with a quality interior and, surprisingly, a huge boot.

I’ve only covered about 20 miles so far but the 156bhp version is livelier than I expected. It feels faster than the 8.3 second 0-60mph time, so I can only imagine the 200bhp petrol is even more fun.

The rear +2 seats are much smaller than the TT, especially leg room, which is non-existent. But up front, it’s a comfortable and refined place to sit, wrapped in an electrically adjustable driver’s seat that’s also heated.

I’m still not sure about the profile of the boot though. The back end seems to extend slightly further than it needs to. I’m turning a blind eye for now but I would have gladly accepted a smaller boot for a more pert bottom!

by

Wednesday – Fun Guaranteed

M_6511_FS_en_jpg72

Jeremy  It’s the last day with our MX-5 – so we need an excuse to get another one quick! Problems have been few and far between and I can even imagine living with the Roadster Coupe during the wicked weather of the winter months.

On the negative side, the 2.0-litre engine isn’t the most powerful around, it’s not that economical and the cabin can be a little noisy at high speed. However, you can overlook these niggles when the drive and handling agility are so good.

So while the MX-5 isn’t as cheap to run as some rival convertibles, the trade off is that is it relatively cheap to buy. Build quality is excellent, the interior is an ergonomic joy for the driver and there’s a decent size boot even when the tin top is folded down.

There’s a new model coming out in 2014 but let’s hope Mazda doesn’t change the MX-5 too much – I suspect they won’t. How can they make a great car even better? Well, a rear screen wiper on the Coupe would be useful, as would rear parking sensors and telescopic adjustment on the steering column.

Otherwise don’t mess with a great little sports car Mazda!

 

 

 

 

by

Monday – Sit Here

suz7

Jeremy For its size, the Suzuki Swift is immensely practical and well-equipped. With the rear seat fold down (no split-fold option), we managed to fit two large dogs in the back on Sunday and a load of shopping.

But it made me smile this morning when I sat in the driver’s seat and spotted a little logo in the door pocket, shaped like a water bottle. Just in case you wondered what the round hole was for in the pocket, Suzuki designers felt it needed a water bottle symbol to remind you.

It made me wonder what else they could do to make driving a car foolproof. Jeep and other American brands often have a rash of ‘reminders’ dotted around the dashboard stating the bleedin’ obvious.

These include ‘objects in the mirror may be closer than they appear’, plus in 4x4s, a graphic of the vehicle about to topple over. It’s supposed to warn you how steep an incline you can drive across before falling sideways…

My favourite though also comes from America but has nothing to do with motoring. It’s a sticker affixed to the top of a step ladder. It simple warns users – ‘stop here’.

I’m now searching the Swift for more timely reminders. There must be one on the seat somewhere reminder me to ‘sit here’.

 

 

by

Saturday – Lesser Spotted Swift

swift4

Jeremy Anybody who remembers the last generation Swift Sport might have feared the change to this current model a couple of years ago would water down the fun. Not a bit of it.

I’ve found it much more fun than the popular Ford Fiesta Zetec S – it also looks that little bit different to the ubiquitous Ford which I’ve seen several of already today.

The six-speed gearbox fitted in the latest version makes for a much more usable drive, quieter motorway speeds and improved performance. It also squeezes out a few more mpg, although you might struggle to achieve the 44mpg claimed because the Suzuki encourages drivers to push along.

On the down side, the boot is tiny! It looks slightly bigger than the Vauxhall Adam but not by much. You can fold down the back seats easily enough and increase the load area to 500 litres but four people and their luggage won’t fit!