All 7 entries tagged Motoring

Trying to find the thing that's not quite right

I did have a lovely blog entry up my sleeve yesterday all about how the city looks at day and at night. Unfortunately due to multiple Tomcat errors on the Warwick Blogs server… Java ate my pictures. That entry therefore will have to wait until WB resolve the issue so I can upload them all in a nice Zip file.

Something more than not seeing Emma has been bugging me since I’ve been here. I’ve not been able to put my finger on it but something is deeply wrong with how I feel about things and I’m thinking I might have gotten to the bottom of it. It’s motoring in the USA. I can handle the straight roads, I can handle the driving on the wrong side of the road and even the relaxed attitude to traffic lights (amber = keep going, red = think about stopping, green = think about moving off). What I can’t handle is one of the great delights of motoring being no longer sacred.

I’m talking, as if Siggy hadn’t already guessed, about the V8 engine. In the UK a V8 is revered, it’s special, a symbol of the power and excellence in engineering culminating in a glorious sound and a refined smooth delivery of power. It’s the Jaguar XK Convertible (with or without superchargers) wafting along a lane in Yorkshire. It’s the Audi S4 belting down the motorway in silence or the Range Rover wafting the exec to the business meeting one minute and across the fields shooting pheasants the next. It’s a unique experience and it makes you feel special just driving one in a good car. Of all the cars I drove at Audi a few stick out beyond others, and beyond all of those (mostly with the 3.0TDI engine) was the S4. Yes the RS4 is harder and more powerful while the 3.2v6 is nearly as quick but the S4 was polite. It was dignified fast not super fast.

So what has this got to do with America? Well quite simply the V8 is not special over here. How can you see an engine as special when the 5.7v8 Hemi you have in your Corvette is also powering a million GMC Pickup trucks, Chevy Suburbans, Chrysler 300Cs, Dodge Chargers and other assorted GM products. Likewise the Ford 5.3 V8 is found in every second vehicle. The only engines that seem to be around as much as v6s in various GM/Chrysler/Ford products. All lolloping around at low speeds in vehicles that make a Range Rover look like a small hatchback. The question of why have anything other than a V8 here comes to mind when you can buy an F150 V8 for under £10000 new from the Ford dealer without even bargaining. You question it even more when said V8 does less than 2mpg different to the v6 model, there’s little point in the baby engines. The V8s have torque and power but are tuned about as much as much as a drunken rugby team.

I’m not sure how you make the V8 a special thing in the States, it no longer has that uniqueness about it when you’re waiting at the lights with a Chevy Suburban idling on one side, a Pickup on the other and a row of them behind too. Instead all you do is feel slightly superior that you’re driving something that’s not quite as fast, but it is different to theirs. To drive a non-v8 or even a non-American V8 in the USA, that’s more unique and different. Just one reason why I’m glad I really live in the UK – the V8, that most hallowed of piston engines, is still special, and the car it’s in feels special too.

Christopher Hinds : 09 Oct 2007 02:09 |  Tags: America Motoring |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Aston Martin sold!

Writing about web page http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6442101.stm

The British brand is once again British. While on campus the other night I saw a V8 Vantage and decided that I’d have one over an XKR as the Aston is just that bit classier. Mind you I’d still have an XK… Oh dear my taste is wavering towards expensive cars with big V6 and V8 engines. I’m becoming Lord Sig…

Christopher Hinds : 12 Mar 2007 17:27 |  Tags: Aston Martin Cars Motoring |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

The Audi A5

At just over a month before launch now I think I should comment on a shiny new Audi. Everyone who has ever read this blog knows I have a huge Audi passion and there’s a new one on the way. The B8 Platform based A5. Intended to replace the A4 Cabriolet and compete with the 3-Series Coupe/Cabrio, Mercedes CLK/C-Class Coupe et al, the A5 looks to be a great car, like an adult TT. Better still at present it’s coming with only the best engines (yes I mean 6 and 8 cylinders with 3rd Generation Diesels and FSI Petrol engines).

Looking forward to knowing more upon release but for now we have only a couple of taster images…

Christopher Hinds : 11 Feb 2007 16:05 |  Tags: Cars Motoring |  Comments (10) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Concerned about road pricing?

Writing about web page http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/traveltax/

Well if you are, have a look at this link and sign the online petition. Considering it only went up yesterday, and there are near 10,000 signatures already why not add yours to this list? Only if you believe road pricing is a bad idea of course.

The Fors:

• May reduce congestion
• Reduced emissions if less journeys
• Increase car sharing

The Againsts:

• People will stop using trunk routes and use cheaper minor routes = more traffic in towns and rural lanes = more accidents (motorways are the safest roads by some margin)
• People don’t drive in rush hour for fun, so why should pricing make a difference
• Expensive to implement, a tax proportionate to fuel use is already in place on petrol and diesel
• Allows a big brother tracking of your movements
• Won’t have significant real effects due to the inflexibility of UK business…

Christopher Hinds : 02 Dec 2006 18:34 |  Tags: Motoring |  Comments (2) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

A new car at midnight

So I’ve been wondering about replacing my car when it’s 3 years old (March 07) and depending on future company positioning and so on I thought around now was a good time to start looking in order to place an order on a 3-4 month wait list for an 07 plate car. Worringly I had an impressively short list of contenders… The errr Audi A3 Sportback (or my car with 5 doors), the Golf TSI and the Golf GTI. Not a great list really is it? Changing my car for another of the same with more doors. Thing is the Focus ST had to be discounted, it’s too bling for me and Chris has one already. The Civic R has no low down power. If you see me in a (non-company) Vauxhall you’ll know I’ve died while Seat and Skoda just aren’t me. That leaves more or less no competition that is fast (as in faster than my A3) and relatively efficient – I’m fairly sure it will be a petrol next time unless I can afford a 3.0TDI.

So with that in mind I wend to the car dealerships. In Bradford Audi and VW are next to each other and I was able to test drive the three cars I was interested in.

First up, the Golf 1.4TSI 170. It was quicker than my car off the mark, and much much quieter at 70 or so. It also did 34mpg despite being rapidly accelerated several times. Overall quite impressive, but the seats didn’t quite hold me enough in corners. It would be a great car had the A3 not been so fantastic thus far in my motoring world. It’s very very smooth, there’s no shift from Supercharger to Turbo, it sounds good and it’s pretty darn clever technology. If I really tried hard I could feel the turbo really kick around 3500rpm, but it was smooth, well behaved and utterly devoid of engine sounds at 70.

Next up the Golf GTI. They only had one with DSG so I had to bear that in mind. This car has serious serious power. I loved the 2.0T FSI before, and the GTI does handle a little better than an A3. It’s not the huge gap that motoring mags would have you believe, but it is better. A little heavier at higher speeds and it corners so well as anything on that chassis does. I got 27mpg from it driven pretty hard to be honest on a more demanding route, so not up to my normal levels of acceptable, but acceptable for that kind of driving. Had I done it in the A3 it would have been a much less economical trip than normal. Again very quiet but with a nice bark when you rev it.

Last the A3 Sportback 2.0T FSI (non Quattro). I wanted to drive this back to back with the GTI to see if there really was a difference. The steering is a little lighter though there’s about the same amount of feedback. I think the chassis of the car is pretty well sorted to be honest, but they all tend towards understeer. This trip got 35mpg on an urban trip so I was very happy with the prospects. The Audi has the interior edge by a mile and half and it still made me feel special, which the TSI didn’t. The GTI did, but I felt the car was the special thing not me if that makes sense.

Overall though the GTI is a little cheaper, even with Leather, it looks better and it should hold more value. So on balance it looks like a GTI next. Now I just need to know my future for the next 12 months post Barnoldswick to say when….

Edit: Forgot to mention on the way home in my car I may have been zapped by a camera in a hidden police van while doing 80 or so. As Em put it:
so a quicker, more powerful car is clearly what you need

Christopher Hinds : 21 Oct 2006 21:44 |  Tags: Cars Motoring |  Comments (5) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Things that fascinate Part 1 of 3

So this fortnight's Professional Engineer carries an interesting article on Page 29, and one that is strongly in conflict with received wisdom. Traditionally people wish to claim one should drive a hybrid vehicle or some microscopic ultra lightweight car to reduce fuel consumption/energy consumption. CMR Research's Report on Automotive Energy shows that in actual fact hybrid cars are less energy efficient over their lifetime than other cars that you would expect to be lousy like say, a Hummer. Now fair enough the cost of the cars from Europe are distorted slightly as the prices are for cars in the USA and similarly they don't get all the lower power engines we do hwere either, so you'd expect our cars to do better this side of Europe. Not well enough to make the A8 and A6 two of the less impressive cars, though the A4/S4 performs very well generally, being less expensive than the industry average. Still it makes for interesting reading.

Christopher Hinds : 13 Apr 2006 19:17 |  Tags: Cars Energy Conservation Motoring |  Comments (3) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

What Car? 2006 or Cars Siggy Hates

I'm insanely bored, avoiding work and feel like posting myself a reminder of how good (or bad) my automotive taste is. Also I know how many petrol heads read here to criticise my taste and I like comment worthy entries so don't disappoint me people. There are some rules to the cars featured though because we couldn't just have anything here…

1. I have to be able to give a reason why for each car
2. CO2 emissions must not be above 300g/km because I've got some morals left
3. Car must currently be on sale in the UK
4. Car must be capable of being 'everyday' transport, that is a hint of being practical must remain, otherwise the shopping don't get home
5. Order is alphabetical

Audi A3
While the motoring press have moaned about the cost of the car, I like the A3 because simply it has by far the classiest interior of any car in the class. It feels like a bigger car than it is and aside from hard ride on the Sport models there isn't really anything that stands out as bad. But I would say that owning one. Having driven all the range I have to say the 2.0T FSI Quattro is the pick of the range, it drives OK without Quattro but the 4wd does bends better. The 3.2v6 is no faster, costs more and frankly the VR6 style block doesn't sound much better than the 2.0T which has a sport tuned exhaust. 2.0TDI is the nicest diesel and second best after T FSI.






Audi A4
Another classy car from Audi and it's the interior that does it again more than anything else. It feels more luxurious than the price tag and the toys are great too. SatNav from here on up is the DVD Plus system which is the best system on the market period. There's everything in the range from el cheapo 1.6 (bleugh: I don't think anyone has EVER ordered one) to the insane (RS4: Get in there!) and everything in between. Whether a Saloon, Avant or Cabriolet the A4 looks good, though I have to say I prefer the S-Line styling on all of them, but especially the Cab. It might not be as fun on the limit as the BMW 3 Series according to the press but I find the BMW 3 Series (E46 at least) to feel a little nose light compared to what I'm used to so don't tend to feel as confident as I do in Audis. Oh yeah, and the Quattro in particular is nailed to the road. Completely. Engines to go for are 2.0T FSI if you're on a budget, it's fast, reasonably economical, and in 2WD Multitronic form it's a snappy automatic too, but avoid the heavier Quattro TFSI Auto, it’s slower and lurches under harsh acceleration as it shifts down gears, though maybe that's just the one I recently drove I can't believe they'd sell them like that. For fancy engines, the 3.2v6 is sublime and has a lovely bassy 'I will serve you' note; the 3.0TDI is more economical, as quick, as quiet and just awesome especially in automatic form. Only problem with it is that it's not got the chrome exhausts of the 3.2v6 so doesn't look so good from the back. The real pick of the range though has to be an S4 Tiptronic. At 298g/km it's hitting its head on my emissions ceiling, denying me a Manual version or the RS4, but boy is it fun, powerful and stinking quick. With a noise to die for to, that 4.2v8 is an amazing engine.



Audi A8
The A8 is a special car, because it's light for the size and it is simply the most understated large exec you can buy. That might not agree with everyone but for someone who loves a Q car that means a lot. All the toys you'd expect are standard and you can even have it customise the car and only start with your finger print, real James Bond technology. It's the nearest thing to silent I've known in a cabin, the quietest by far is the 4.2v8 Petrol, though the 3.0TDI and 4.2TDI are very close. And as it happens I'm allowed any of those engines too. If I had to pick though it would be the uber fast 4.2TDI because it can out drag the petrol, and still get 40mpg without trying. It sounds good and whistles like an IC125 train with the windows down. The 3.0TDI is hardly slow and plenty for the car, but it's not quite as smooth and needs to be worked a bit harder. My favourite option on the list has to be Adaptive Cruise control: Guided by Radar to keep your distance, impressive stuff.



BMW 3 Series
Acclaimed as the best driving small executive on the market, and for having moved on the territory somewhat… also criticised for being '14 foot of car' by JC. The flame styling of the 3 Series isn't as radical as other BMWs and that was necessary in a way to keep the appeal. It seems unwise to consider anything in this class of car without considering the 3 Series. The 330d and 330i are both potent and economical models, while the 320d is the darling of the motoring press. I'd take the 330d though simply because having been in a car with that engine… wow, it shifts and it's very quiet though it's a very different note to the v6 growl of the Audi 3l TDI. The 330i engine is similarly very impressive and more refined obviously, not sure I'd pick it, but it is stupidly fast like heading for S4 territory but about 12mpg more economical.



BMW 5 Series
By now you think I'm on a German car bender. The 5 Series is a love it or hate it car. Some people think it looks hideous, I think it's the most distinctive and modern looking car in this class. All the toys, handles like a smaller car by all accounts and when I have briefly played with iDrive I found it geeky rather than fiddly. Perhaps that says more about me than about iDrive though. Engines it has to be the 530i or 530d, the larger engines are barely faster and use much more fuel. I could be tempted by the 535d though when it gets a power upgrade inline with the one recently done to the 530d. The M5 while an amazing technical feat is just too polluting to feature here.






BMW Z4
It’s small, it’s distinctive and it’s very fun to drive according to the press. I think it would be a great weekend car, but it’s just about got enough space to be considered practical too. It’s the sort of thing you take out and terrorise the back roads of Derbyshire in (hmmm that gives me an idea for Rolls Royce…). It would have to the 3 litre version, simply because it’s a lovely engine, disgustingly potent and still economical in this guise.












BMW X5
Uh oh! Footballers Wives alert, but I’m afraid I think that this is one classy SUV. Drove one briefly around site at Audi (it was a part ex) last year and it drives ok, the controls feel right and the latest models look good to me too. I love the classy interior, the looks from behind and the image of this one. Only the 3 litre diesel is clean enough to be considered but for a vehicle with a dirty image it’s a very clean diesel, being barely more polluting than the 3 Series petrol. The big old petrol engines though, they are all just over 300g/km though not as badly over as you might think. The X5 is a pretty slippery SUV so compared to a Cayenne or a Range Rover Sport it’s a much cleaner proposition.






Jaguar XJ
The classiest saloon Jaguar in my opinion, though it’s not exactly up to German interior quality it’s up there for interior class. The advanced Aluminium based engineering appeals to me too and it’s a very stylish car, though I think the same shape that’s been there since the late 60s is dating a little. The technology is current though. I’d be looking at the 3.0v6 or 2.7TD versions, simply because it’s so light I don’t think it needs more and the style of the car implies wafting rather than hammering, so I don’t think more power is needed or warranted.









Jaguar New XK
How much do I want one of these?! A lot. That’s how much. The Coupe is pretty, the Convertible is stunning. Its light, with modern engineering throughout and it just looks divine. I love the looks, the interior and that finally Jaguar has produced a 21st century car. It doesn’t drink much and it’s still quick. Want one for Christmas please. It’s also gotten rave reviews in the motoring press from all angles so it has to be good to drive and sounds good too.



Land Rover Discovery 3
I like SUVs. I’m sorry Greenpeace but I do, they can go anywhere, do anything and tow a fair amount with it. This one might look like a Transit from behind but it’s very accomplished and having crawled over one lately (again a part ex) they have done a lot better than the old model. The 2.7 diesel is a bit underpowered but is working vehicle as much as a luxury one. I do like the interior and while I haven’t driven it, it has got glowing reports from the press.









Land Rover Range Rover
No, not the Range Rover Sport pretender, but the proper opulent Range Rover that is as much a luxury car as a 4×4. I love the sheer class that this vehicle exudes, and that having driven one you really do feel rather royal, it’s like an A8 but one that handles a bit less well, but lets your survey your territory. It’s heavy though, and drinks badly. That means even the 3.0TD only just makes it through the emissions barrier at 299g/km while the 4.2 supercharged would destroy it at 376g/km. On the plus side Land Rover has their Land_e technology coming which they reckon will cut emissions by about 30%, which can’t be bad for anyone. When that comes I expect the Range Rover to become even more desirable.



Lexus GS450h
Competing with the BMW 5 Series, Audi A6 and E Class Mercedes is no minor task, and the Lexus has the toys in the standard spec that make an A6 options list shiver. The new 450h has a hybrid drive train that lets this big car emit a small fraction of the pollution. While hybrid technology has been shunned as a farce and lets car get unrealistic MPG figures I think it would suit my driving style, as I hate using brakes and coast for long periods on the overrun. It’s also a good looking car and I like the interior dials in luminous white. OK so it’s Japanese and grey but it’s a good car and deserves consideration.






Lexus RX400h
I like SUVs; I like the hybrid concept so it’s only logical to feature this car. Unashamedly a soft-roader ok, but it’s cleaner than a 2 litre Mondeo. It’s also classier, got more toys and errr costs about twice as much. But that’s a small price to pay for being the first vehicle where hybrid technology actually can make a real impact on our emissions by helping the thirstiest of cars. Until Audi/BMW/Land Rover introduce their hybrid SUVs this is the one you can drive with the clearest conscience.















Mazda RX8
It’s small, nippy and it’s got the most unique engine on the road today. That’s what appeals, a 1.3l engine developing 228Hp, nearly 200 per litre. The clever mini doors to the equally mini rear seats appeal too. Mainly because my principle use for rear seats when on my own is to lay my coat and laptop on. Drinks a fair bit though, which is a shame, because that makes it more polluting than a Z4, a Boxster or a number of quicker cars.






Mercedes S Class
Perhaps this is the most advanced car on the road; perhaps there is another round the corner. However for now it’s classy, silent and good enough to knock the competition sideways. I know how good an A8 is, and if this can eclipse that then this is one heck of a car. Not to mention it’s very slippery so even the 5.5v8 is clean and hits nearly 25mpg. For that reason alone, I think it has to be the ballistic 5.5v8 S-Class. If you are going to drive the most advanced car in the world you might as well do the job properly if it drinks less than a quick small exec.









Mini Cooper S
Small, classy and fun, the standard Mini One I drove last year was exciting, and with the extra power of the supercharged engine I can imagine this is great to drive. It’s compact and couldn’t take much luggage though. I just like this little car, perhaps because it’s classy but at the same time socially acceptable.















Porsche Boxster
The car people say you should buy if you can’t afford a real Porsche. Well I think that’s rubbish. The 911 is an ugly car in my opinion while the Boxster looks modern and up to date (It’s that retro thing again I guess) and that makes it worthy. It’s also remarkably green as well as remarkably quick so it’s a roadster worthy of consideration. Either version is fast, but if you are going to do things you may as well do them right, and therefore the 3.2 is the one to have.












Toyota Prius
One more than any other that I’m sure Siggy will disagree with, but one that I think is highly worthy of being included, because it’s the cleanest car currently on sale in the UK. It’s also the only car in this entire list that emits LESS than the national average emissions rather than more. In actual fact I have no idea how the national average is so low (currently about 180g/km) when so many cars are well over this, without even being excessive. I suspect because relatively S4s and the like sell in small numbers while Fiesta flood out the showrooms somewhere in the UK. The Prius my uncle has run since 2001 continues to satisfy him and while early on it only got about 45mpg on long runs since it started being used more for short town runs it now regularly hits much nearer 55mpg which is more than my A3 does in town I can assure you.



Volkswagen Touareg
Easily the prettiest of the Q7/Touareg/Cayenne trio, the Touareg is a thoroughly nice car from the looks of the one a neighbour drives. The 5.0v10 is a huge engineering lump but it doesn’t half shift. The most my eco budget allows is the 3.0TDI though with the same engine as the Audi A4/A6/A8/Q7 has. It’s a quiet and refined block and the car is a smart vehicle too.









Parting Thoughts
With so many cars to pick from there has never been a better time to select environmentally friendly transport. I’m describing cars that emit a significant amount of pollution here as green and compared to the air of 10 years ago they are. We still have a way to go yet and people like Land Rover are waking up to that fact and quickly, so by the end of the summer we could have Range Rovers than can make 35mpg in hybrid form. That has to be a step forward where technology does indeed save the nation environmentally. Fortunately there are a huge number of highly capable mass market 1.6 litre petrol and diesel cars that are much cleaner than these here. I believe these represent the greenest of the road jewellery available without being excessive. Equally though a rep doing 30k in a Golf diesel each year emits 5 tons more CO2 than a Supercar doing 2500 miles a year. So perhaps we should have carbon budgets not fuel budgets.




Christopher Hinds : 26 Mar 2006 00:39 |  Tags: Cars Motoring |  Comments (22) |  Close comments |  Report a problem