THEGAYUK

Author: Alan Taylor-Jones

  • TECH REVIEW | Sync or Swim, In car technology with Ford

    The amount of technology packed into a modern hatchback is astounding, features that were the preserve of luxury brands are now within the grasp of anyone able to afford a relatively cheap new car. To demonstrate I borrowed a Ford Focus Titanium X Estate (perfectly timed for me moving house) with all of the option boxes ticked to see how much easier the tech made life over a week. From voice activation to adaptive lights, smartphone integration to park assist, I played with tested everything.

    Cars and phones don’t mix together well. At best a ringing phone is an annoyance, at worst a danger if you decide to pick up. Thankfully systems such as Ford’s Sync, now in its second generation, are available, allowing you to call, hear your texts and even control your music without even taking your hands from the wheel. Based on a Microsoft operating system, it works with both Apple and Android Smartphones, in this case an HTC One M8. There’s also a couple of USB ports that allow you to also connect an iPod or other music devices too.

    It’s a simple process to pair your phone via Bluetooth, giving the car access to your contacts, music and messages. An 8” touchscreen allows you to navigate between phone, music, navigation and climate controls really easily, the four options appearing in the corners of the screen at all times. The menus are clear and not unattractive but lack the Apple like cleanness of similar systems from Audi & Mercedes. It’s certainly intuitive though, after a few hours of driving and precisely no time looking at the instructions I was able to navigate quickly between screens, helped by large icons. I found the satellite navigation easy to follow with handy warnings for fixed speed and traffic light cameras. The option of having the next turning with a mile countdown between the dials was a nice touch too. My only gripe is that entering addresses could be a little slow at times, frustrating if you’re already running late!

    New with Sync 2 is enhanced voice activation, controlled by a button on the face of the right wheel spoke. The computer does an excellent job of hearing your commands making dialling a number both easy and safe. Calls are crystal clear and the inbuilt microphone picks up everything you say seemingly regardless of speed. Whilst dialling and changing audio source were definitely easier though voice control, I still found myself ignoring the voice activation and touch screen to press a good old fashioned button for the climate control. Sometimes the old way is still best.

    From my experience, this is true of parking too. While the Park Assist will spookily steer itself while parking, creeping out any passengers in the process, it isn’t always as accurate as it could be. To be fair though, Ford doesn’t call the system self park for a reason, the technology isn’t quite that far advanced but it sure is impressive. After pressing a button to select either parallel or perpendicular parking, the system scans for a space, pinging to let you know it’s found one. After you come to a halt at the computer’s desired start point, select reverse and start slowly edging backwards (the slower the better) keeping your hands well clear of the wheel. The car will then turn itself getting nail-bitingly close but never hitting the cars around you. If you really don’t trust it, there’s a rear view camera too.

    In fact, the Focus turns out to be very good at avoiding hitting things. Active City Stop detects potential low speed collisions and applies the brakes to prevent an accident. Fortunately, I didn’t have the opportunity to try it, as tempting as it was to stack a few cardboard boxes and aim the car at them. There’s also a blind spot information system (BLIS) that flashes a light in the door mirror to warn you of anything hiding and gives obstruction warnings as you reverse. These and the proximity sensors dotted around the car are handy but can make it sound like someone dying in a hospital drama. Lots of hyperactive beeping followed by a flatline. Great if something’s there, not so great when the computer thinks a sharp incline is a wall. There’s also a lane keeping assist which will subtly adjust the steering. If you can’t keep in lane though, you probably shouldn’t be driving.

    Of all the tech on the car, it was the adaptive headlights that were most impressive. Packing LED daytime running lights and bi-xenon headlights into an attractive and aggressive shape, they could be operated manually or left to their own devices. Even though I’ve previously scoffed at auto headlights (how hard is it to turn them on?) these blew my mind. On top of coming on when it got dark, they turn to illuminate corners with the help of the inner foglight and also adjust their beam depending on how fast you’re going, wide and short at low speed, longer but narrower at high speed. The icing on the cake was their ability to switch between dipped and main beam quickly and without dazzling other drivers all by themselves.

    So is all this kit worth the money? While the latest Focus starts at £13,995, you have to spend at least £17,095 to even option Sync, fine when you consider the cheapest model only comes with the oldest, least efficient engine. To get Sync 2 with the 8” (rather than 4.2”) screen you need to spend another £500 or jump to Titanium spec at £20,095. Compared to other mainly German rivals, that strikes me as pretty good value, just don’t expect it to be quite as well finished as, say, an Audi A3. You can go overboard however, our test car came in at an eye watering £29,615, partially down to metallic paint, some very tasty 18” alloy wheels and tinted rear windows adding nearly a grand to the list price. Pick your options carefully though and your life behind the wheel will be better.

    Ford.co.uk

  • Putting The 2015 Ford Focus Through Its Paces

    The common or garden hatchback has had a bit of a rough time of late. With everyone and their dog all after a high-riding SUV like the Nissan Juke or a ‘premium’ hatch like the BMW 1-Series, mass market offerings such as the Focus can be overlooked. The question is, should you ignore the current trends and give one of the old favourites a chance?

    First impressions are very good, the new corporate Ford grille has been criticised for looking a little bit too Aston Martinish (is that really a problem?) but here it’s handsome with just the right amount of aggression.

    Our test car was also painted a striking metallic blue and shod with some tasty 18” alloys wrapped in low profile rubber. Climbing inside this top spec Titanium X model, you are welcomed by a chunky leather steering wheel, half leather seats and Ford’s Sync 2 combined navigation and infotainment system, something you can read more about in June’s tech special issue of The Gay UK Magazine. There’s plenty of nice squishy plastic although premium car fans won’t be impressed by some of the cheaper plastics on the centre console and lower reaches of the dashboard. You can tell the range starts at less than £14k that’s for sure. Nevertheless, there’s plenty of space, everything is clearly laid out and not unattractive either.

    Keyless go means you don’t have to insert a key, just have the fob on you and thumb the starter button.

    The 2.0 diesel fires quickly and settles into a subdued idle, you still know it’s an oil burner but refinement has come a long way even in the last 5 years. Our test car came with Ford’s Powershift dual clutch automatic gearbox, similar to VWs DSG system and promising similar benefits. In almost all situations it smoothly shuffles between ratios with a noticeable shortening of shift speed in sport mode. There’s a built in ‘creep’ mode like an old school auto which makes manoeuvring easy with the car even holding you on the brakes for a hill start. Economy should be as good if not better than the manual too.

    The only fly in the ointment is if you go from pottering about to suddenly needing a burst of acceleration, something that can make the gearbox hesitate for a moment before delivering the performance you need. It never actually caused me an issue but does knock your confidence in pulling out onto a busy roundabout or carrying out an overtake. Sport mode helps but does tend to leave the car in too low a gear while the manual control buttons on the shifter don’t feel particularly intuitive. I get the feeling the optional wheel mounted paddles would be the ideal solution and make you feel like Lewis Hamilton to boot.

    The Focus has always been renowned for its handling so I had high hopes for this latest model even as a diesel estate. As with most new cars these days, the steering is electrically assisted. It’s nicely weighted and gives some feedback of what the road is doing but does feel a little gloopy just off the straight ahead like the wheels are turning in treacle. It’s a minor gripe however and one that most people wouldn’t even notice. In terms of fun and balance, I found the car hampered by having too much grip. This may seem like an odd thing to say but you have to be going seriously quickly to feel the inherent balance of the chassis.

    Once I had found my testicles and chucked it into a bend at speed you could feel the chassis working hard at both ends, resisting the urge to plough straight on and putting a very big grin on my face. I think smaller wheels would not only mean you can have more fun more of the time but you’ll also save a few quid replacing tyres and get a comfier ride. Although the Focus coped well with larger bumps and undulations, sharper ridges could thump through the cabin thanks to those skinny sidewalls. For the majority of people on the majority of journeys though, the Focus would prove to be a safe companion that you’d have to do something very stupid in to get out of shape round a bend.

    Overall the Focus made a compelling case for itself. It looks good, handles well and was very well equipped. It was also incredibly practical with plenty of room for 4 passengers and luggage with even more space if you folded the seats down.

    It did disappoint slightly with regards to economy though, being sensible I averaged around 43 mpg with a mixture of A-road, dual carriageway and town driving. Although this would no doubt improve as the engine loosened up (it was delivered to me with less than 1000 miles), I was still hoping to see better fuel consumption. My biggest complaint however was price. Admittedly I did ask for a fully loaded test car for the tech issue but even still, £29,615 for a Ford Focus diesel did surprise me.

    Personally, I’d be tempted by a lower spec model with a few choice options to bring the price down. At around £20-£22k and optioned with the adaptive headlights, Sync 2 and with less bling the Focus would be very tempting.

    Pros

    Handles well

    Punchy yet refined diesel

    Styling

    Cons

    Low rent interior plastics

    Worse than expected economy

    Price

  • Long Lost Hatches: MG Metro Turbo

    Back in 1983, the affordable sports car was pretty much dead. A once thriving market was at its knees and MG was suffering. The MGB had been axed in 1980 and the Abingdon factory closed. The badge would live on although initially in a very different guise, a 3 door city car.

    Austin had introduced the Mini Metro in 1980 with the intention of replacing the much loved Mini. It was more spacious, safer and had much more contemporary styling, perfect ingredients to compete with Ford’s Fiesta and Renault’s 5. Seeing as there were hot versions of both of these, it made sense for British Leyland to go after them with an MG version of the Metro.

    The MG Metro was launched in 1982 with a worked over version of the venerable 1275cc A-Series. A cam change, head work and a bigger carb saw 71bhp from the 4 cylinder OHV motor. Clearly this wasn’t enough as in October of that year the MG Metro Turbo was introduced with 93bhp thanks to a Garrett T3 turbo. Lotus even had a hand in the uprated suspension and advanced (for the time at least) boost control.

    Metro Turbos were even entered into the British Touring Car Championship in the early 80’s. The race cars had around 200bhp, still from under 1.3 litres, and initially had full works support. Drivers included Tony Pond who would go on to compete in Group B rallying with the bonkers Metro 6R4 and F1 driver Martin Brundle. Although there were no major successes, they often kept up with and beat much larger more powerful machines.

    The Turbo was produced until 1990, with a facelift in 1984, the car suffered from problems throughout its life. The main reason why it needed the complex boost control was to lower torque below 4000rpm by limiting boost to 4psi. Above 4k, a controlled boost leak tricked the turbo’s wastegate into rasing pressure to 7psi, giving the headline power and torque figures. This was supposed to protect the standard 4 speed Metro gearbox from eating itself, something which still happened far too easily. Add poor build quality, frequent rust issues and unsurprisingly low residuals into the mix and they are a very rare sight on UK roads.

    Although technically a failure, British Leyland should be applauded for trying to produce a fairly sophisticated hot hatch with a limited budget at a very troubled time. It’s a fantastic slice of 80’s retro inside and out with its red carpets, red seatbelts, model-specific alloy wheels and subtle bodykit. Besides, handling by Lotus can never be a bad thing.

     

  • Forgotten Fast Cars: Fiat Tipo Sedicivalvole

    Ask anyone to name a hot Italian hatchback and they’ll probably say Lancia Delta Integrale. The Tipo Sedicivalvole shares much with the legendary Lancia. Not the turbo and 4 wheel drive sadly but much of the platform and a normally aspirated version of the 2.0 twin cam. But what does Sedicivalvole mean? Only the most important thing in late eighties/early nineties hot hatch badging; sixteen valves.

    The Tipo had been around since late 1988 and was a big step on from its predecessor the Strada/Ritmo, even if it did share the same basic platform (as did the Delta). The boxy styling gave exceptional room inside, it was 70% galvanised to stop the rust bunnies and even won European car of the year in 1989. Sadly what the car was lacking was a proper Golf GTI rival. Fiat produced a lukewarm 110bhp 1.8 litre 8 valve from 1989 and a warmer 1.8 16v with 138bhp from 1991, unfortunately the Tipo was a bit tubby.

    Although we don’t think of 1180 kilos (2601 lbs) as heavy for a modern car, back in the early 90s it was positively obese for a smallish hatch. Fiat had no choice but to drop in the 2.0 litre 16 valve lump from Lancia, upping power to 148bhp and reducing 0-60 to 8.4 seconds. As with all the best Italian engines, it looked pretty damn good too. Thanks to a slippery drag co-efficient of 0.31 top speed was 128mph, more than the Golf 16v. Handling was improved with 15″ alloy wheels and uprated suspension, braking was dealt with by all round discs that were vented up front.

    To distinguish it from the cooking models, the Sedicivalvole got more aggressive bumpers with a red pin stripe, side skirts, a more open grille and body coloured mirrors. Inside you avoided the questionable digital dash of some models, gaining a smattering of analogue dials instead along with a leather Momo steering wheel and the option of Recaro seats. According to the wonderfully 90’s dealer information video, there was a strong eco push too, the car receiving a 3 way catalytic converter that allowed it to comply with the 1983 American clean air act. Wow.

    So it was roomy, pretty well equipped, didn’t rust and was reasonably fast. So why has it been forgotten? For a start it looked a bit too much like the smaller Uno, for seconds the Italians still had a bit of a reputation when it came to reliability and for thirds it just wasn’t exciting enough. Still, if you do fancy one they can be found cheaply. The last one I saw was only £1450. I am strangely drawn to owning one however I fear it could only end one way, expensively.

     

    by Alan Taylor-Jones

  • Can Am Spyder F3-S, Best thing out of Canada since Celine Dion

    Is it a car? Not really. Is it a motorbike? Definitely not. So what is it? Only the best thing to come out Canada since Celine Dion, the Can Am Spyder F3-S.

    Beneath the outlandish bodywork sits a grunty 1330cc 3 cylinder engine pushing out 115bhp through a 6 speed gearbox. While 115bhp is a bit underwhelming in a car, the Spyder weighs less than 500kgs complete with this particular rider. That translates to 0-60 mph in 4.8 seconds or about the same as an Aston Martin V8 Vantage, happy days. Cranking the hand operated throttle open fully for the first time confirms there’s some lead in its pencil. Keep it pinned past 4500 rpm and things get plain silly. I’ve never driven or ridden anything that can overtake as quickly as this.

    To keep you safe with all this performance, Can Am have added their Vehicle Stability System (VSS). It knows when you do something stupid and then sorts it out with electronic witchcraft. Don’t get me wrong, you don’t suddenly become impervious to harm but at no point during the test did I feel any sense of impending doom. This included one near brown trouser moment involving a mountain road, a sheep and a hard stop from the far side of 60mph. Even with plenty of bumps the F3-S stopped perfectly straight and with plenty of time to spare. Brake fade was never an issue either. Having two wheels up front also means the Spyder won’t topple over under heavy cornering. 

    One thing you have to get used to quickly is being the centre of attention wherever you go. Sitting in traffic, cars travelling the opposite direction were slowing and stopping just to catch a better look while pedestrian’s heads spin round wherever you go. If the standard looks aren’t individual enough, there are a range of packages to customise the look of your machine. The test vehicle pictured has the ‘Muscle Attitude’ package bringing matt black stripes, Akrapovič silencer (particularly epic in tunnels), a small spoiler, additional lights and a couple of other trinkets.

    To ride/drive/pilot, the F3-S never fully feels like a bike due to the width and the fact you don’t lean it into a corner. It never fully feels like a car either due to the handlebars and riding position. What you do get is the feeling of openness you get on a bike but with a feeling of increased security thanks to the two front wheels and VSS. For cruising this is ideal as the great visibility coupled to the comfortable and fully adjustable riding position means you can ride for hours with surprising ease. Even after a day of riding on a mixture of dual carriageways, country lanes and mountain passes I still felt I could jump back in the saddle and do it all over again.

    Naturally there are some downsides. The VSS is barely noticeable 99% of the time but can be intrusive if you’re really on it. On track the brakes could come on abruptly and almost stop the F3-S if your corner entry was too ambitious. Wannabe drifters will be disappointed too, some wagging of the tail can be felt but never enough to warrant much more than a twitch of opposite lock before the traction control stepped in. If I’m nit-picking, the horn button was also too close to the indicators, causing the odd embarrassing honk in towns. It’s not cheap either, the RRP of the F3 starts at £15,999 while the F3-S model tested was £18,399 including the optional and very good semi-automatic gearbox.

    So, what to make of it then? To compare it directly to a car or bike seems a bit unfair as at the end of the day it is more of a weekend toy than serious transport solution. Take practicality out of it and the Spyder does start to make sense. At £18k, no other new vehicle will turn as many heads or be as crushingly rapid in a package that could be handled by a relative novice. As for the on limit handling and electronic intervention, I think it’s fair to say balls out is not the Spyder’s preferred pace. Back things off a little and it impresses with its combination of acceleration, comfort and stability. As a totally unique, well made, surefooted cruiser that just happens to be mind scrambling fast in a straight line, the Can Am Spyder F3-S is a hell of a machine.

  • The Week In Cars: Geneva Gems

    After weeks of dribbled information and teaser images, the Geneva Motor Show 2015 is now in full swing With major launches from manufacturers across the globe, it’s been tough to call my top 10. From sportscars to 4x4s and even a 6×6, there’s something for everyone here.

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  • Geneva Motor Show Preview: Ten Star Cars

    Between the 5th and 15th of March, Geneva in Switzerland will be home to the first major European auto show of the year. Although we are still a couple of weeks away, there have already been some major announcements. Here’s my top ten.

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  • Valentines Day Land Rover Style

    Jaguar & Land Rover have confirmed the Jaguar C-X75, Range Rover Sport SVR and Defender Big Foot will feature in the new Bond film SPECTRE. The Jag will be the baddies’ wheels for the main car chase against the Aston Martin DB10 in Rome while the Landies have been spotted in Austria. Jaguar’s press site interestingly refers to C-X75s plural rather than singular. Whether the multiple vehicles will be needed for destructive purposes or if there are a couple of C-X75s chasing/being chased by Bond is something we will have to wait to find out.

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  • USED CAR REVIEW: Mini One D: Fun, Ecomonical But Expensive

    For years, if you were after a premium supermini there was only one choice, BMW’s Mini. Launched a barely believable 14 years ago, the ‘New’ Mini was available in 3 main trim levels, One, Cooper and Cooper S.

    The majority of cars would leave the factory with a 1.6 petrol offering between 89 and 170 bhp, giving performance that ranged from reasonable to rapid. Power wasn’t the issue though, fuel economy was. It’s for this reason that I would suggest hunting out the much rarer first generation One D.

    Introduced in 2003 and produced up to 2006, the D came with a 1.4 litre turbocharged diesel engine good for 75 bhp and more importantly, over 50 mpg. This engine actually came from Toyota and was shared with the Yaris. As you would expect, this engine is virtually bulletproof and has the advantage of a chain driven cam. In layman’s terms, this means you avoid costly cambelt changes that are needed for most other cars. If 75bhp isn’t enough for you (0-60 takes almost 13 seconds) then look for a post 2005 car which gained another 20 bhp. The more powerful engine can be identified by a plastic engine cover that the lower powered model does without.

    If there’s one thing to remember, it’s that the Mini is not an overly practical car. There was no option of 5 doors, the boot is tiny and the rear seats are cramped. While long doors help make rear access a little easier, they are heavy and have no protective rubbing strips to save your paint. The interior is funky but the centre speedo is a pain to use and the toggle switches on the centre console easy to confuse.

    Behind the wheel, the One D has almost all of the qualities that make the petrol powered models so appealing. You sit almost sports car low behind a chunky leather steering wheel with the stick to the 6 speed gearbox within easy reach. Although the tractor noises coming from under the bonnet may seem a little out of place, the handling is pure Mini. Turn is excellent thanks to quick steering that provides ample feedback from the front tyres. The gearbox is a delight to use with well judged ratios and a shift action that feels mechanical and direct.

    The car I tested had stability control fitted which does an excellent job of keeping you on the straight and narrow, switch it off and you can feel the rear of the car helping you into and round corners although this never translates into full on oversteer unless you do something very silly. This leads to my main criticism, the chassis is almost too good for the power output of the car. Even on tyres that wouldn’t look out of place on a motorbike, you always get the feeling the car could take another 100 bhp or more. This is no surprise as the brakes and suspension are identical to that on a Cooper S which has another 100 bhp. Admittedly, the test car was the lower powered variant which doesn’t help, I think you’d have the same issue with the 95 bhp version though.

    It is of course running costs where the One D really shines. As mentioned, you can get well over 50 mpg without even trying and over 60 mpg if you have a particularly light right foot. Even someone as lead footed as me struggles to get less than 38 mpg around town which coupled to low(ish) road tax of £110 a year makes for a cheap to run car. Do check insurance quotes though, it’s in a much higher group than you might think. You’ll also find Mini’s are pretty expensive to buy, only high mileage cars dip below £2500 with the best nearing £5000 even at 9 years old. The good news is that Mini’s tend to hold on to this value and even the introduction of a new model doesn’t upset prices too much.

    Things to look out for are electrical gremlins, cars pulling to the left or right, shoddy gearchanges and noisy power steering. These issues seem to affect the older cars more although be wary of them on any test drive you might take. With the Mini being a premium product, they can be expensive to repair although a dealer should offer you a warranty if you are worried. The interior isn’t quite as well screwed together as you might think so expect the odd creak from the dashboard. The One was quite sparsely equipped as standard so look out for the Salt & Pepper packs which add alloy wheels, fog lights, rev counter and trip computer. Many other options were available so check specifications carefully. Find the right car and you’ll have a reliable, fun and stylish runaround that won’t break the bank.

     

    For: Fun to drive, economical & styling.

    Against: Expensive to buy, not overly practical & a bit slow.

  • The Week In Cars – Ferrari or Porsche?

    Porsche have shown us the hottest Cayman yet, the GT4. As suggested by spy shots, it gains a much more aggressive body kit with a fixed rear wing along with 20 inch wheels.

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  • Top Ten Motoring News This Week From Corsas To Teslas

    After complaints were made about an ‘ugly yellow car’, a local resident’s Vauxhall Corsa, ruining photographs of a Cotswolds’ village, Vauxhall have come up with an optional camouflage net for the car. Available in Flaming Yellow, Flame Red, Lime Green and Chilli Orange, they claim the bizarre accessory ‘has been designed specifically for use near National Trust premises and chocolate box Cotswold villages’. I think Vauxhall may be taking the p*ss somewhat.

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