THEGAYUK

Author: Stuart M Bird

  • Haynes Pictures Tell a Thousand Words

    Haynes Pictures Tell a Thousand Words

    …well 958 actually.

    Someone l follow on Twitter recently mentioned about looking at the car pictures in the Haynes manual and it got me thinking. A lot of my misspent youth was spent wasting hours and hours of it reading through the Haynes manual when l should have been studying or doing homework. You see, I started to buy Haynes early in life. I was about 13. My first was a for the 65-75 VW Beetle 1300 and 1500.

    30 years later and I still have it.

    Apart from Terry Davey’s art illustrations on the front, it was always the actual picture inside that l would while away the hours dreaming about. And my addiction for the Haynes didn’t just stop at a few. It didn’t even stop at the cars I owned. Remember I was 13 when I started to buy them. Correction, collect them. I had all sorts. My addiction was fed with a super injection of Haynes workshop manuals that my father’s friend was throwing out.  

    So 30 years later and I hate to admit that I did cut some of them out of my collection but only due to space. Out of the 26 left, how many of the cars have I owned? 9 which now I look at it I don’t think was so bad. 

    OK, it was bad, that’s a third and spread over 3 decades. But what about the ones with the pictures I lusted after. Well, I sat down, pondered, regaled in the joy as I thumbed through a few and put together my top 3.

    3) The Citroën Visa 79-88 652cc – 1580cc

    This is a bit of a cheat because at the time the family had a Visa. It would become my first car. That didn’t, however, stop me from lusting after the picture of the Visa GTi in the supplement section. 

    It sat there on a wet floor in an industrial estate. It wasn’t even registered. There was no need for Haynes to cover the licence plate. This was fresh!

    The crazy headiness of what a Visa with a 1600cc injection engine would feel like over my fathers 954cc 10E almost feels me to this day with an actual squeal and bust blood vessel. Forget all this though as the GTi had 4 headlights! 

    Now in my day, a fast sporty car had extra lights. Those quad lights gave the humble French hatchback as an aggression that belied its humble beginnings. 

    2) Fiat X1/9 74-89 1290cc – 1498cc


    Top off, wind in the hair, mid-engined handling and pop-up headlights all contained in a little package that your hairdresser drove. Actually, ours drove a Golf convertible, same difference really just different car. 

    I did manage to get to touch the inner working of an X1/9 at a young age of 15 when I used a friend’s for an art project. I have to admit it now that I was obsessed with the pop-up headlights. THEY POPPED UP! So I had pictures of it with lights up and lights down. I’d watch them with amazement.

    The picture was of a ‘Series Speciale’ complete with ladder graphics but no alloy wheels that we got in the UK. This was also left-hand drive thought this didn’t worry me one jot.

    The roof was off. The sun was streaming onto the fabrics and it looked the nuts. I would lay on my bed thinking about storming up the lanes near our home and taking sweeping corners that I was only then able to do so on my mountain bike. 

    I’ve owned this car and the reality is quite different. Mine tried to kill me on a corner once. 

    1) Volkswagen Transporter 72-79 1700/1800/2000


    This is a special one. Haynes did 2 for the Transporter and I picked this one by mistake. It had this funny engine that I had not seen on a VW. The pictures were a young boy’s wet dream of fantasy rolled into 2 pages. 

    The cutaway illustration was a mass of details and based on the Microbus deluxe. That extra trim still makes me giddy though I have never been able to work out why there is a bumper bracket when there isn’t one?

    Cut to the picture inside and it wasn’t the camper that I wanted but the 7 seat microbus with US side markers. I said to myself there and then that I would have a bus from the US.

    Now what made this picture all the more dreamlike was the lady in saddles who sat by the open sliding door. The dogtooth tartan print of her slacks did it. I wanted those slacks.  

    Many years one and I have been that sad to track down an original press picture of that, VW 2863-73 and the sales pamphlet that it came from that year. Sadly I haven’t been able to find the slacks but I did recently buy bedding from Dunelm that matched. And that’s good enough for me.

    Ownership has been every bit as joyful as the picture even though mine is a camper model because I like to have somewhere to sleep. What it never told me was the abysmal 18 miles to the gallon you got. How did the hippies run these things?  

    I’ve managed to own two of these dream cars of mine, all three if you include the Visa as a collective of the range. It has taken some time and the odd distraction along the way but don’t ever let your focus be blurred.

    Dreams are achievable, just be realistic and don’t aim for the Lamborghini Countach. Haynes never did a manual for that one any.

  • CAR REVIEW | Jaguar F-Pace S 3.0 V6 AWD

    CAR REVIEW | Jaguar F-Pace S 3.0 V6 AWD

    ★★★★☆ | Jaguar F-Pace S 3.0 V6 AWD – Big and Easy

    Jaguar F-Pace S 3.0 V6 AWD review

    What Have We Got?

    There is a lot to like about the F-Pace S. For a start it is a car of creature comforts and quite honestly meets Jaguars ethos of Space, Grace and Pace. In that I mean it’s got space for five and a boot to accommodate luggage. Grace to carry you effortlessly along from A to B and Pace because when and where you can, it’ll hurtle itself down the road with a phenomenal howl from the superchargers.

    Driving

    Back to the howling. It’s very noticeable and I like that. A shove on the go pedal and the 380 horse of the 2999cc Ingenium will drop down several gears of the 8-speed auto gearbox and slingshot you down the road.

    If this isn’t what you need then you’ll be surprised to discover that you can potter it along like a Honda Jazz on pension collection day. There are novices for this amount of power.

    Ride and handling are also pleasant. The ride is more on the jiggly side and then even more so in Dynamic mode. It’s not however intrusive even with its 22” wheels and thin band Pirelli Zero rubber.

    Climb Inside

    Jaguar F-Pace S 3.0 V6 AWD review

    Here lays my problem. The inside is a mixture of hits and misses. My main gripe is the dashboard layout. While some will like familiarity within their cars from the same brand, I for one do not. If I am to pay out more for a car that sits up the range then I want it to reflect that and be different. The dashboard is identical with that of its saloon sibling the XF.

    This then includes the blue dashboard lighting. This again causes me some issues. The doors and dashboard have neon lighting set within them and on the S they were red. Thankfully someone at Jaguar has designed software that allows you to change the colours. Red with the blue wasn’t easy on my eyes. The white or blue seemed to work better.

    What did work well for me was the driving position and visibility. It was incredibly easy to see out of and this helps with navigating you and the behemoth Jaguar. The SUV style body allowing for even easier parking thanks in part to its cut of the tail.

    Living With It

    Quality wise it isn’t up to the likes of Mercedes or Audi. That said they seem to be stepping down at times with their products so I won’t be losing any sleep over that. The tactility of the inside is ok. Door armrests lack some padding for bony prominences.

    With a combined mpg of 31.7, you’ll also be able to stretch your legs more often than in a Nissan Micra. I say that because you won’t get that. You’ll be having too much fun driving it. At most during my week, I saw 16 – 18 mpg and the tank was empty in 248 miles.

    Is It Any Good?

    I liked the F-Pace. There are few SUV’s that I rave about because it’s a genre that I personally find stunted. They are high sided vehicles with altered dynamics and this results in fussy handling. The F-Pace S seems to have stopped me in my tracks on this.

    The F-Pace is also incredibly easy to drive and for something so powerful, it’s nice to be able to relax if going hell-for-leather isn’t what you want after a day of mind-numbing meetings.

    Now if only I could get more than 248 miles from a tank of fuel I’d be extra smitten with it alas fun comes at a price. A high price too but you can’t take it with you.

    Love

    Engine noise

    Choice of ambient lighting 

    Easy to drive

    Loathe

    Trim tactility

    Expensive options

    You need the options

    The Lowdown

    Car –  Jaguar F-Pace S 3.0 V6 AWD

    Price – £71,505 (as tested)

    MPG – 31.7 mpg (combined)

    Power – 0-62mph – 5.1 seconds

    Top Speed –  155 mph

    Co2 – 209 (g/km)

  • CAR REVIEW | Jaguar XF R-Sport 250ps Sportbrake

    CAR REVIEW | Jaguar XF R-Sport 250ps Sportbrake

    ★★★★☆ | Jaguar XF R-Sport 250ps Sportbrake

    Jaguar XF R-Sport 250ps Sportbrake review
    Is the Jaguar XF R-Sport 250ps Sportbrake any good?

    In the summer THEGAYUK went to the unveiling of the new XF Sportbrake set in a Wimbledon style setting. Much was to be made of the new Jaguar XF with added room.

    Sadly on the day, the cars were all kept locked so I was only able to look at the outside. It’s easy to say “yes it looks ok” when you haven’t got up close and personal. Thankfully two bridges have been crossed because THEGAYUK has enjoyed time with the XF saloon and now the Sportbrake.

    Running wise the two cars were identical in having the 2-litre petrol turbo Ingenium engine making 250 horses. Oddly the official performance figures are somewhat chalk and cheese for both cars. The Sportbrake will do the 0-60 dash 0.5 seconds slower but will achieve 3 mph more.

    Jaguar XF R-Sport 250ps Sportbrake boot size

    These figures aside, it is the overall package that I was looking briefly at on a Jaguar play day. Now having been able to play with both I can say that I actually prefer the looks of the Sportbrake. There is often a little bit of style lost and extra length added to a saloon when it becomes an estate. However, Jaguar has been clever in keeping the 2 cars on the same platform equating to both being the same length of 4954mm.

    As expected, around 70kg of extra weight has been added to a car capable of carrying extra cargo. This being made up of the hefty tailgate and extra metal required to retain rigidity around the opening. A small price to pay and yet for a car with an aluminium construction, it is anything but light with a kerb weight of 2260kg.

    Load area with the seats up gains an extra 25 litres too. Increasing to a maximum of 1700 litres with the 40:20:40 split folding rear seats down.

    What can become problematic for the estate style body is humming from the wheels reverberating around the cabin because the boot area is left fully exposed to the cabin. As you’d expect in the refinement of the Jaguar, there is no such noise. Being as the car glides effortlessly with little fuss, any noise would be amplified. I’m glad to say it wasn’t.

    What is quite disconcerting is the sheer amount of openness you get when inside. Look over your shoulder and it does feel like the cabin goes on for miles. It’s big and yet no more than the saloon.

    Here though is the big question. Is there room for another estate on the market when the rise of the SUV doesn’t seem to be stopping? It’s a tricky one to answer. As it is, Jaguar has 2 SUV’s in their range and those 2 are evenly matched by their Range Rover counterparts.

    It will have buyers. Not everyone wants an SUV. For one thing, an SUV, no matter whose badge it wears, lacks visual prestige a saloon or in this case, an estate can offer. And with the handling credentials of the saloon being evenly matched to this Sportbrake l can’t see anyone who opts for the XF being remotely upset in having a car that sits lower down. In terms of style, the estate offerings of the XF really do make Jaguars slogan of Grace, Pace and Space come true.

    The Lowdown
    Car – Jaguar XF R-Sport 250ps Sportbrake
    Price – (from) £42,435
    MPG – 41.5 mpg (combined)
    Power – 0-62mph – 6.7 seconds
    Top Speed – 150 mph
    Co2 – 155 (g/km)

  • CAR REVIEW | Jaguar XF R-Sport 240ps AWD

    ★★★★★  | Jaguar XF R-Sport 240ps AWD

    Jaguar XF R-Sport 240ps AWD review
    Jaguar XF R-Sport 240ps AWD

    The Black Cat of the Family

    Jaguar booked out the E-Pace we had set for review and so came up with another XF-R Sport for us to try here at THEGAYUK. I was keen to see if my original views on the petrol version would be mirrored into this diesel model.

    I wasn’t particularly kind about the last Jaguar XF R-sport we had on test. I said the handling was a bit safe. Indeed it was. Having tried another example I can honestly say that I more than enjoyed the XF-R Sport. This is how it should be done. 

    For reasons, I cannot explain this other than the diesel engine makes light work of progress through the 8-speed automatic gearbox. And a good job too because it only has a rev range of 750rpm where maximum torque is made. a massive 500 Nm between 1750-2500 rpm. Compared to the petrol engines 269 Nm around 1200-4500 you can see where the magic happens and how quickly it does it. 

    I’m not a fan of the diesel engine. That has now changed to ‘I am a fan of the diesel engine’ and despite the current uncertainty surrounding the black pump at the forecourt, you need to still consider it. For a start in the combined miles to the gallon, the diesel will do another 11 over the petrol.

    Back to the impressive torque of the engine, it is suited to the XF R-Sport script. It lacks overall power compared to the petrol but by the time the petrol version has caught up you are well away to a claimed top speed of 153. That’s 6 more than the petrol. Other than that, performance is identical.

    They say it is anyway on paper. In practice, it really isn’t. And this is where the already awarded four star XF gains an additional star. It’s not a 5-star car yet compared to the last one I have to award it another star simply for being so much more fun to drive. 

    Jaguar XF R-Sport 240ps AWD review
    Jaguar XF R-Sport 240ps AWD Interior

    The low down grunt still doesn’t kick you in the back. It’s still progressive but those 8 cogs in the gearbox keep up and allow for some sporty driving that you associate with Jaguar saloons. It was so much better to drive. Even the steering felt more connected and I know for a fact that there is no difference between the set up of this car to the other. It’s all down to the engine and how it propels you down the road. Very well I might add.

    Another plus though I don’t often comment on is the colour combination. The red with chocolate leather worked better than the last offerings of black on black with more black and white inserts. What I still don’t like and the brown leather only made it all the worse was the blue cabin lights. I do not like them. Interior lighting is so important inside a car. By day you hardly notice it, come night it can make or break a car.

    Last time I also moaned about the clumsy cruise control settings. This model was also fitted with adaptive cruise, it’s a £1460 option and in my book, it should be standard on every car fitted with cruise control. It could be that the adaptive cruise made setting it easier because it was so simple to use and set. 

    One thing, well a couple of things are apparent in the diesel version over the petrol. The firstly is the noise of the engine in the cabin. It’s just a little too vocal. I’d like my Jaguar to be somewhat more suppressed to engine noise. From cold it is quiet and once warm quieter still yet it’s muted clatter is still there. What is absent is the vibration on start-up from the auto stop-start. You could always detect it in the petrol model. 

    Jaguar XF R-Sport 240ps AWD review
    Jaguar XF R-Sport Estate

    There isn’t much more to be said about the XF R-Sport other than this one was £700 cheaper yet it didn’t have the 360-degree camera package. Add that and it would be priced almost matching the petrol model. It’s an option I liked having. Anyway, you need to test the diesel if you are considering the petrol model. Two cars, identical in all but the engine and my word what a difference it is. You may just find yourself, like me totally in awe of the black fuel.

    Love

    Engine flexibility
    Economy
    Handling

    Loathe

    Blue interior lighting
    Trim tactility
    Engine noise

    The Lowdown

    Car –Jaguar XF R-Sport 240ps AWD

    Price – £58,175 (as tested)

    MPG – 51.4 mpg (combined)

    Power – 0-62mph – 6.2 seconds

    Top Speed   153 mph

    Co2 – 144 (g/km)

  • CAR REVIEW | Citroën C4 Cactus Flaire Blue HDi 100

    ★★★☆☆ | Citroën C4 Cactus Flaire Blue HDi 100


    Softer Edged Prickly Character

    The Overview | The Drive | The Cabin |  The Verdict

    Here we have Citroen’s revamped C4 Cactus. Now in its fourth year, Citroën have tamed the design down quite noticeably while making some changes underneath. In short, the Cactus is a sort of hatchback SUV crossover built to a price while saving weight by not including items Citroën deem superfluous for this kind of car like. Gone are the air bumps and bulky patches on the bumper. Instead, we have the new corporate front but still retaining the unusual interior. We take the Flaire Blue HDi 100 diesel for a drive.

  • Don’t Let Mental Health Be The Elephant In The Room

    Ford Shows It Really Is Good To Talk.

    “Everything we do is driven by you” was once Ford’s advertising slogan. Now Ford UK have gone a step further and by joining forces with mental health charities’ Mind and Rethink Mental Illness, they are aiming to reduce the stigma associated with mental health

    One in four people in the UK experiences mental health problems. Young men have been identified as a vulnerable demographic. The statistics are worrying. Around a third of men would talk freely about their feelings while less than a third said they were too embarrassed to seek help with half saying that isolation is worse than the condition itself. It’s clearly time to talk.

    “One in four of us go through mental health issues at some point in our lives, so it really affects us all, be it through personal experience or through the people we know,” said Ford of Britain Chairman and Managing Director, Andy Barratt. “As the market-leading car and van brand in the UK, Ford is an important part of society and we want to use that relationship to reach as many people as possible and encourage them to ask one simple question – ‘is everything OK?’.”

    So what has this got to do with a car manufacturer? Research carried out by Ford UK concluded that 67% of people said they were far more comfortable talking about their problems within a vehicle.

    Ford engineer and employee champion, Matt Loynes, who came through the lowest point of his mental health issues with the support of a friend says “A vehicle is a great place to start talking because it’s like your own private bubble, where you’re on a journey together and you’re shoulder to shoulder,”

    And their research is not wrong. Think of Peter Kay’s “Car Share” in as much as two people, in a car sharing experiences. It’s more than listening to music, going for a drive and talking to yourself. By talking to someone else you can open up. The vehicle is a safe environment to be in. No one else is there with you except you and a mate and if it helps, those moments of silence can be broken up with a song.

    “We’re delighted that Ford is committed to improving attitudes towards mental health,” said Director of Time to Change, Sue Baker OBE. “Their support will help hit home the message that we all have a role to play in looking out for one another’s mental health. As Ford’s public awareness film highlights, talking about mental health doesn’t have to be the elephant in the room.”

    Follow the link to Ford’s simple yet effective national public awareness video:

    Ford and Time to Change have also come together to create five ‘top tips’ as a starting point to help people across Britain to spot the signs and offer the necessary support:
    • Text/Call Reach out – start small
    • Find a good time and place
    • Go for a coffee
    • Ask how they are – listen without judging
    • Treat them the same

    For more information, visit www.ford.co.uk and www.time-to-change.org.uk

  • CAR REVIEW | Peugeot 5008 Allure PureTech 130

    ★★★★☆

    The ‘New’ French Revolution. What Do We Have?

    CAR REVIEW | Peugeot 5008 Allure PureTech 130
    The Peugeot 5008 Allure PureTech 130

    The Overview | The Drive | The Cabin | Owning | The Verdict

    Peugeot has been slow to monopolise the key markets over the last decade. They were late to the 4×4 market and their foray into the MPV market has hardly been headline news. It took them a long time to catch up. Suddenly they are the best thing winning accolade after accolade for their SUV range badged the -008’s

    Here we have the 5008 Allure. And what can I say about it that hasn’t already been said? How about I don’t like it. I joke because there really is a lot to be said about this particular 5008 model. It is the better selling model of the range and it leaves you wanting nothing, give or take a few personal options.

  • CAR REVIEW | Vauxhall Astra Sport Tourer

    ★★★☆☆ |  Vauxhall Astra Sport Tourer

    Vauxhall Astra review
    We put the Vauxhall Astra through its paces

    The Overview | The Drive | The Cabin | The Verdict | The Lowdown

    The Astra sells in big numbers because it does what you want a practical car to do and fleet operators like it. With a market so crowded with fierce competition from VW, Skoda, Fiat and the likes, is the new Astra able to hold its own?

    There is always some anticipation when getting a new car for review. More often than not I request a model and leave it up to the manufacturer to supply the goods. So there was high anticipation for the new Astra. I hadn’t realised until the day that it was going to be their tourer model. To you and me that means estate. So already I am off to a good start. I like estates.

    It was a simple Astra CDTi with few frills at first glance. This would allow me to review the Astra as a car and not the toys. Now in its 7th generation, I was pleasantly surprised. It’s well put together and tough too.

  • COMMENT | The problem with snowflakes they “reach for Twitter and moan incessantly about the outrage they feel”

    Quick my little snowflakes, reach for your twitter and moan incessantly about the outrage you feel. Or should that be “you think you feel” because as I seem to witness on a daily occurrence, there is a lot of young people moaning with outrage and I’m not sure why?

    geralt / Pixabay

    Wikipedia has the definition sorted for you. “Snowflake as a slang term involves the derogatory usage of the word snowflake to make reference to people. Its meaning has varied, but may include a person who has an inflated sense of their own uniqueness, has an unwarranted sense of entitlement, or is easily offended and unable to deal with opposing opinions”

    I’m not in total agreement with this however. I don’t really think it is derogatory. Obviously, this has been added by a snowflake who was outraged in the first place by what followed afterwards. Let’s look at the main reason for why l am writing this.

    via GIPHY

    I recently became incensed when I read about young people really not understanding the American sitcom Friends from 1994 to 2004 and complaining that it was transphobic, homophobic, fattist, sexist, generally insensitive, no doubt full of animal cruelty because of the song ‘smelly cat’ and Ross once kept a monkey, nudistphobic (no such word but there was a neighbour across the buildings who would walk around naked) clothistphobic etc etc. Looking back and the list could go on forever. And if they think that’s bad then I’d hate to imagine what they would make of US hit comedy The Golden Girls!

    The Twitterati took to social media to vent their outrage. Outrage that quite frankly isn’t there. You see we golden oldies enjoyed it for what it was. Six friends joking about the past, the present and the future. And that is what we have. Friends are often cruel to me for choices made in the past. I am often cruel back. Those friends are there for me in times of need. I am there for them. We laugh, we enjoy we get along and work things out. It seems the snowflakes of today can’t do that.

    You see we never had this social media thing. If we were outraged then we would write to the BBC’s Points of View show. And if we couldn’t be bothered to do that we simply let it go because we simply were not outraged enough to be outraged by trivial stuff and couldn’t be arsed to keep picking at it like a scab.

    I’m not saying people who are at my grand age of the 4th decade are not snowflakes themselves, it’s just that my generation can tell them to sit down, shut up and breathe. Or to use the write acronym STFU! Indeed only recently I told that to a good friend who got caught up in someone else’s drama and made it their own for no reason.

    It is almost like we are now conditioned to be outraged at almost everything. Humans have become more and more angry for no other reason than the fact that we are told to be. Don’t believe me? Grab a coffee at your local cafe, sit outside and take a look at those going past you. I guarantee you that most of them are looking for the next thing to be outraged about. So outraged they vent it on social media and let their followers of varying numbers be aware that they are outraged hoping that it then escalates to others feeling the same. There isn’t much I see about people being happy on social media.

    It seems we are not allowed to be happy these days. And this is where the conditioning comes in. The press has made you angry and outraged. Soap operas that we watch or listen to (I am an avid fan of Radio 4’s The Archers are full of outrage.

    It’s rare to find a storyline that is a happy one.

    There is lots of talk about square eyes and all of us looking at screens. These screens are full of information. Information literally at your finger-tips. You can access this all at the same time as drinking your morning coffee and taking a poo at the same time. It’s always around us.

    I now make a point of leaving my phone outside the toilet. The risk of dropping it has come close several times. I don’t want information when I am dropping off last night’s dinner. For me, toilet time is a time to reflect. It’s a skill that has been forgotten. It’s my “me time”. It’s a time for to cut the crap from my body and let me think.

    Don’t get me wrong, there is plenty to be outraged about like the recent shooting in an America school. That is a real problem. It’s just that the young generation, of which I do not envy one bit, don’t really have anything to moan about or at least shouldn’t be moaning but instead be living and enjoying the moment because before you know it, you’ll have real things to moan about.

    I am only scratching the surface of this current crisis the snowflake suffers on an hourly basis. I don’t actually think I have answered the question I was set by my editor. There is a whole book on the subject and I am sure someone is writing it now. So I’ll sign off with the words of Michael Palin from Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life “Try to be nice to people, avoid eating fat, read a good book every now and then, get some walking in and try to live together in peace and harmony with people of all creeds and nations.”

     

    Opinions expressed in this article may not reflect those of THEGAYUK, its management or editorial teams. If you’d like to comment or write a comment, opinion or blog piece, please click here.

  • CAR REVIEW | Seat Arona

    ★★★★☆ | Seat Arona

    From little acorns, grow mighty oaks. Seat is on a roll at the moment, and there doesn’t seem to be any stopping them at the moment. Indeed 2017 saw sales grow by a massive 18%.

     

    Hot on the wheels of last years new SUV the Ateca is their smaller Arona. So confident with their new model, Seat launched it in the showrooms a few months before a UK motoring launch. Their tagline for the Arona is “Do Your Thing” Safe to say Seat have.

    Based on the new MQB A0 platform that is home to the 6th generation of VW Polo, Seat has jacked it up a bit and with their homegrown design, covered it in a body that is in keeping it with the Seat family. A lot has been made of the Arona’s design with it being aimed at the younger spectrum on VAG’s line up.

    In some ways, it works. Looks alone are simple and classy but not packed with as much Spanish flair as you’d first have thought. This also goes for the inside. In some ways, it still has a safe approach that VW is known for. I said some time ago when I tested the Ibiza that Seat is now a stand-alone company and deserve their chance to design their cars. It’s a start but not as ‘wow’ as I’d have hoped. Take that with a pinch of salt and what Seat have given you is a small crossover SUV that is both easy on the pocket and good on the eye.

    Prices start at £16,555 for the base SE model and rise to £24,235 for the Xcellence Lux. Seat has been a bit clever in their model range line up. 24 choices are available in 6 models. To make it easier there are just three engine choices of 1 litre to 1.5-litre petrol and a 1.6 diesel. All turbo’d with a few differences in performance output. All available with manual and automatic gearboxes but no four wheel drive option. This is purely a front wheel drive car.

    Purchasing the car is then made easier. The options list is kept to a minimum and instead of loading up the car, you choose what you want by the trim level. This apparently makes delivery quicker. The only choice you have to make then is the body colour and roof option. Personally, I am not sure if I like this. The purchase of a new car is all about personalising it to suit you.

    THEGAYUK.com tried two different models. First up was the £22,095 115ps TSi Xcellence Lux. This had pretty much all you could want with the only option being the DSG auto box. It was nice to see adaptive cruise control included along with driver profile adaptions for responses to throttle and steering.

    I’m a fan of the 1-litre TSi unit, and I was keen to see how it behaved in the new MQB A0 chassis. I’m happy to report that it was well suited to the chassis with no evidence of wheel tramping from accelerating quickly from a standstill. Performance wise you won’t find many chances to try its top speed of 113mph and its 0-62mph time of 9.8 seconds isn’t going to win any awards. Economy is going to be good with an average of 56.5mpg being achievable. Exhaust emissions are 114g/km. The Arona ranges from 106g/km for the diesel to 115 for the bigger of the petrol engines.

    Inside you are cosseted to a quiet ambience. Something I’ll get to later with the FR. It’s all nicely laid out and well screwed together. Some of the architecture is Seat. It demonstrates a square edge design to things like the door handles in infotainment surround. You can see where the great value in price has perhaps scuppered some material refinement inside. The dashboard top is of hard plastic, and some of the switchgear is directly carried over from the VW group. This again flags up the “not quite there” in design. The layout is simple and VAG. The dashboard on this top model doesn’t have the beauty of VAG adaptive dials. Perhaps an upgrade that will come later.

    I was impressed with the new Arona. Its main attribute will be value for money. Youngsters are struggling to get themselves on the property ladder but getting into an SUV from Seat will not be a problem.

    Next up on test was the 150ps 1.5 TSi Evo FR Sport with a six-speed manual for £22,040. This is Seat’s top of the range sporty model. It certainly feels sprightly over the other models in the range with 150ps available. It’ll whizz you from 0-62mp in 8.3 seconds and take you to 127mph. The new 1.5 petrol engine certainly makes light work of keeping up momentum and is very flexible. It’s fitted with a stiffer suspension set up as you would expect in a sporty derivative. It removes a lot of the body roll you get with the more subdued models. This, however, causes some upset.

    What is apparent in the FR Sport is road noise. At first, we assumed it was from the big 18” alloy wheels. It turned out it wasn’t because the Xcellence Lux also wore the same sized wheels and that was able to carry itself quite serenely along your given route. This then can only be attributed to the dynamic chassis.

    Do I like Arona? Yes, I do. Again I would like the see Seat use some more of that hot Spanish flair the Spaniards are known for. As for my model choice, It would have to be the Xcellence Lux. The extras you get over the normal Xcellence far outstrip the extra £1000 is very much worth it. The SE Technology from £17,545 will probably be the most popular sold model.

    Love

    Price
    Ride in softer sprung models
    Use of space

    Loathe

    Needs more Spanish flair
    Ride noise in FR model
    Some plastics a bit cheap

    The Lowdown
    Car – Seat Arona
    Price from – £16,555 to £24,235
    Available now.

  • CAR REVIEW | Volkswagen Arteon R-Line

    ★★★★☆ | Volkswagen Arteon R-Line

    The Avant-Garde Fastback With A Name To Match.

    I wrote recently about Volkswagens Passat. I said it was a nice car. Indeed it is. Nothing nasty about it. All quite nice.

    I almost mentioned what Passat had done to offend the UK buyer – delete the hatchback option. Unlike our European cousins, we Brits do love a hatchback. So when it was discontinued in 1988 many suburbs of England tutted loudly with disgust. The result was those who wanted a hatchback for tip runs and garden centre expeditions went over to Ford and Vauxhall to get their fill of the lift back.

    VW now want to rectify that by giving us the Arteon. Is that how you say it? Art-e-on? Ar-Teon? Air-ton? It was said to me in as many different ways as there are languages in the world. However you pronounce it, it is a car to puzzle over.

    NEXT: Inside The Car

    Inside the cockpit, it is pretty much pure Passat. The usual three time clocks to look at in the front, none in the rear. Switchgear and controls etc are all pure Passat. Even on the move, it is Passat with that nice feel about it.

    Thankfully it is a little more than Passat nice. For a start, the designers have given it pillar-less doors. For some reason, a pillar-less door adds some sex appeal. And the front has been given a more purposeful look with both upper and lower grills integrated into one massive mouth. Sadly from some angles, it can look a little Audi-ish.

    All the fun for the British buyer is at the back. Forget the massive amounts of legroom you now get over the Passat sibling for the moment. Your prayers have been answered, you have a boot that lifts up high. High up into the sky to reveal a load capacity of epic size and all in a hatchback style body that VW would rather you refer to as an avant-garde fastback saloon style. It is deceptive. Design wise you do expect it to be another saloon. It was only when l went to lift the boot that l realised something was wrong. It’s a big heavy door to lift. It took me by surprise at first. The ‘nice’ was being eroded.

    NEXT: The Drive