THEGAYUK

Tag: Four Star Car Review

Our four-star reviews for all motor vehicles, petrol, diesel, hybrid and electric

  • CAR REVIEW | Fiat 124 Spider Lusso Plus 1.4 MultiAir Turbo

    CAR REVIEW | Fiat 124 Spider Lusso Plus 1.4 MultiAir Turbo

    ★★★★ | Fiat 124 Spider Lusso Plus 1.4 MultiAir Turbo

    On Days like these…

    Have you ever bought an album because of a car before? While I understand that he isn’t Italian, he is synonymous with an Anglo-Italian classic movie so having been given the new Fiat 124 Spider I had to get myself a Matt Monro album to go with it.

    Fiat 124 Spider Lusso review

    In a month that saw the shed leak, the garage leak, a roof tile fall off the house narrowly missing my Fiat Tempra and the trusty hatchback take in water quicker than the Titanic, I decided that testing the open-top Spider would be quite fitting. When faced with so much water and chaos what can possibly go wrong with a car that has a fabric roof? I’ll tell you, it snowed!

    Fiat were once makers of great small sports cars. The range was made up of humdrum saloons, estates and coupes topped off with a little something cheeky for the weekend. The last time Fiat tried this was with the Barchetta. It was cheeky alright, just let down by the use of the last generation of Punto chassis.

    Not so anymore with the new Spider. Underneath it is a Mazda MX-5. Now take that with a pinch of salt because the chassis was a joint development between Mazda and Fiat. While that doesn’t sound very exotic I can tell you that it translates into a beautiful chassis that never fails to satisfy.

    What Fiat have given you over the MX-5 is their own 1368cc multiair engine. It’s not as rapid as the MX-5 or as lustful in its revs. The MX-5 we tested last year would scream to 7000rpm, the Fiat is all done by 6000. Once wound up above 2700rpm, it will trounce the MX-5.

    In performance terms that translates into 140bhp at 5000rpm with 240Nm of grunt being delivered at 2250rpm. All this power and fun for over 40 miles to the gallon if you’re good. A little less if you are not. The paper spec to the actual driving feel doesn’t quite come out like that and this is probably not helped by the high gearing in all but first gear. The dashboard gauge will tell you to change up keeping it below 2000rpm. Totally pointless in almost every situation. Even crawling in traffic requires first because second is too high.

    The multiair has 2 modes. Gutless city poser below 2500rpm or manic mayhem over 3000rpm. You can drive it 2 ways, cruise and enjoy the views or allow it full range and have it try and kill you on wet roundabouts. I’ll accept that is a little bit of an exaggeration. It needs to be respected in some situations though you can have some naughty fun with it. The traction control kicking in more readily than in the MX-5. The level of adhesion even in the wet was good. The chassis allows for this however if you are too lead-footed, when the engine comes on tap at 3000rpm it will give you a wake-up call. Thankfully it doesn’t make you too nervous all of the time. A little release of adrenalin over a journey is quite rewarding.

    Get over this little annoyance and the Spider behaves in a civilised way. It’s not your all-out road rocket. The original never was and it’s nice to see this one isn’t either. It’ll take you places with wind-in-the-hair excitement and comfort. It’s a sports car at the end of the day, and not a lazy man car. The joy of a proper sports car is twirling the short throw gearstick back and forth. What it lacks in this department is a little rorty exhaust note.

    As with any car with a removable top, it is easy to fold down manually in seconds and there is almost no buffeting at any speed. I was still able to keep dry in what felt like a monsoon above 45mph. I looked a prat but what the hell. The heating and heated seats doing a fine job on a winter’s weekend in keeping me warm.

    It’s a win lose win situation with the Fiat 124 Spyder. Finally, it is a Fiat product that doesn’t look like a 500. It looks bloody lovely. Sadly the inside is Mazda. Thankfully it has that joint venture chassis so it handles like a dream.


    So only thing that lets the Spider down really is in how Mazda it is inside. The original had a dashboard screwed to the dashboard made of wood with some dials. You wouldn’t want to recreate that however making it look different would have been a bonus. Like the 3 facia dials. The digital one for temperature and fuel look out of place. It needs dials with needles. What it needs are more dials. Changing the dashboard really would make it feel such a different car. Again on the model I had, the tobacco leather strip runs short across the dashboard. For visual pleasure, it needs to run across the entire length.

    The other thing the Spider really needs is Fiat’s own infotainment system. Most certainly on the DAB radio. The one fitted is from Mazda and it is far too fussy and clumsy to select stations. The one I tried in the new Tipo was joyous because it simply worked so well.

    Style wise it is beautiful. Some have bemoaned the size of the overhangs. I like them. It is in keeping with the original lines. What Fiat have managed to do is finally tidy up the rear. Whatever they did to it back in the 60s and 70s always looked like a job your dad did in the shed. If anything they could have exaggerated the upper flicks of the rear wings a bit more. The front is a pleasure to look at. Somehow it also manages to look wider than the MX-5.

    To sum up the Spider over the MX-5 is easy. The Spider isn’t your all out sports car. It’s a touring car with the ability to go very quickly. What it needs is the option of the limited slip rear diff as fitted to the MX-5. If that was fitted it would sharpen an otherwise Bellissimo dressed package.

    If I had the money right now I’d be putting down a deposit for a Lusso Plus in magnetic bronze metallic with tobacco leather and adding historical alloy wheels. In the meantime, I’ll just play with the model I bought in my bed instead.

    Like
    Looks
    Comfort
    Performance

    Dislike
    Infotainment system
    Lack of an exhaust note
    Mazda interior

    The Lowdown
    Car – Fiat 124 Spider Lusso Plus 1.4 MultiAir Turbo
    Price – £23,295 (as tested)
    MPG – 44.6 (combined)
    Power – 140 bhp
    0-62mph – 7.5 seconds
    Top Speed – 134 mph

  • CAR REVIEW | Volvo S90 D4 Inscription

    ★★★★ | Volvo S90 D4 Inscription

    CAR REVIEW | Volvo S90 D4 Inscription

    For the sheer quantity of the steel, this is quite a cheap car but don’t let that put you off. List price for the Inscription starts at £35,555.

    On first acquaintance, I thought “I can’t drive this. The seat is too low” So low that I couldn’t actually see over the bonnet. Thankfully the seat has many adjustments and the £350 premium for this, is, money well spent.

    We have a problem in the UK when it comes to large executive cars. We buy German. The French, Italians, the Japanese – for all the manufacturers there are, don’t send their luxo barges here anymore. We are to blame. So Volvo is hoping to take a slice of the action with their new S90 model. This could be reflective in their very competitive pricing and realistic sales forecast of around 2000 units a year. So don’t expect to see many in the carparks.

    That in itself is a shame. Even in its light metallic blue colour, it is a handsome car. Executive cars tend to look their best in darker shades. The S90 is a well-proportioned design. Something Volvo has done a great job on because the S90 is a big car.

    Everything is large in the S90. A trip to the Swedish flat-pack store revealed just how big it was. There was no need to fold down the rear seat. I experienced being a passenger in two places. First in the boot. It’s big enough for 2 bodies. The floor is flat and below the floor is the spare wheel and tools.

    Rear seat room is also more than generous. Probably over generous if I am honest. The low-slung body belies the amount of headroom in the rear too. The rear seat is sadly lacking in under-thigh support for long legs. That said, leg room with me as a driver is more than ample.

    The weather turned cold during my test. What did surprise me was the lack of a heated front screen yet the sonar for the car’s secondary safety features within the screen does have a heated element. It is a big screen to scrape on a cold day. Thankfully the S90 comes equipped with heated seats and steering wheel.

    While I enjoyed the auto brakes in traffic, the auto handbrake has one massive annoyance. Unless you clunk click on the seat belt, it won’t let you drive off. This caught me out several times. Just moving the car on the drive resorted in wheel spin and a dragging of rear wheels. It just wouldn’t let go. Switch that system off and it doesn’t bother you.

    The startup was quick if a little noisy. The 1969cc 190bhp diesel made you aware when it was cold. Once warm the usual diesel noises became subdued. Thankfully they became very subdued. Switch the optional £3000 Bowers and Wilkins speakers off and any noise would become apparent. It was eerily quiet, just what you would expect for this type of car. A nice feature for the stereo is where it put the sound. For most of the time, I had it set for driver enjoyment.

    Driving the S90 is a pleasure. I covered quite a few miles during my test and I have to say it is a nice place to be. The ambience has been well thought out. Gentle lights within the doors just add something special to it. The polished aluminium trim is nicely set off by the wood coverings. It’s not over the top. It’s just right. At night time it is rather beautiful.

    The S90 belies its modest 2-litre engine. That 400Nm of torque is available within a short rev range low down from 1750rpm. There is no turbo lag and put into ‘dynamic’ mode it heightens the throttle response making a rapid car feel more wild and feral. On the go this is marvellous, however, it does flag up a problem when stationary. That low down torque arrives quickly meaning pulling out in traffic is safe albeit a little messy with sudden wheelspin which is then curtailed by the traction control system.

    The ride and handling are worlds apart from one another yet they compliment. The ride is supple and soothing. Never too harsh and certainly not Germanic. That in itself is quite refreshing. The handling, however, is not poised or crisp. The S90 is not a sports saloon in the BMW M5 guise. Don’t be fooled into thinking it is despite its ability to cover miles very quickly. What you do get is an overall pleasantness that is like driving with your Zen turned up to the max. I liked it very much.

    Parking the Swedish barge is not a problem. It comes with assisted parking, reverse camera or 360-degree camera. All very easy to operate. The park assist is a clever bit of wizardry. A tight space in my road was child’s play for it both getting in and out. Now for all its techno toys it comes with crash prevention in its various forms, what did surprise me was that it wouldn’t stop during these manoeuvres. You had to hit the brakes.

    The touchscreen infotainment system also adds to the nice feeling. It does pretty much everything from heating, stereo and satnav. The problem some systems have is they are too small for everything they have to cover. The S90 has a screen almost as big as an iPad and very quickly you find yourself navigating it without taking your eyes off the road. If I could award the car five stars I would on this beautifully thought out piece of kit.

    Sadly it all goes wrong with the tactility of one important item. The outer door trims. For this loaded to the max S90 at £47,380 I didn’t expect to feel a harsh moulding line within the door frame trim. Now if only a little bit more time was spent on this trim. Not that this is going to be too much of a problem for the S90. The Swedish police who are very strict about their choice of police cars are about to take delivery. Now if it’s good enough for them, it’s more than good enough for all of us.

    Like

    Ease of system
    Ambience especially at night
    Comfort

    Dislike

    Some trim finish
    Reverse camera angle
    Won’t let you drive off without a seatbelt on when auto handbrake is selected

    The Lowdown

    Car – Volvo S90 D4 Inscription
    Price – £47,380 (as tested)
    MPG – 64.2 (combined)
    Power – 190 bhp
    0-62mph – 8.2 seconds

  • CAR REVIEW | Lexus RX450h F Sport

    ★★★★ | Lexus RX450h F Sport

    For sometime Lexus have been a bit off the mark. The posher brand of Toyota just never managed to make the grade. Their products were too much Toyota. There was nothing special about them. Take the last generation of RX. A competent car in the making with a striking look but let down by an interior no different to a Yaris.

    It’s quite an astounding thing then the new Lexus RX450h. It may have taken them 27 years but finally, they seem to be moving the brand above and beyond parent company Toyota. The inside is special. It feels like a quality product. The fit of the interior has always been one of the key elements of a Lexus. It’s just that they then forgot to add the other elements to make it special. Imagine a Jägerbomb without the Jägermeister. You are left with a plain old energy drink. Gets to the point but that is it.

    Now you get what you should for £53,640 of your hard earned cash. The RX cossets you in grand luxury. The seats are some of the finest I have ever come across. They heat or cool or a bit of both. Set to auto and they will soothe you in a fuss-free way in addition to the climate control making it all very relaxing. Just pay attention when grabbing your phone from the charging area under the dashboard that you don’t catch the button. I did just this and all of sudden the seat was at full heat and that is a lot of heat.

    It was easy to live with. Something I did scoff at when I read the spec sheet was the all-round electric windows that slow down just before they close to reduce noise. Turns out this is no gimmick. It really does work.

    What didn’t quite work for me was the control button on the centre console for the infotainment system. The haptic feedback force is adjustable in 5 increments. It needs 10. On the lowest, it is quite uncontrollable unless you are a whizz playing platform games on the PlayStation. Five was ok but sometimes it was still too loose in my left hand. The infotainment system was easy to use allowing for easy access to the satnav, hi-fi, car info and all manner of settings. The screen is also large. And as if that wasn’t enough you could scroll through options that allowed you to change items displayed on the facia panel. You were always kept up to speed with the Lexus. It told you everything.

    On the RX I can’t quite work out if I liked the CVT (Continuously variable transmission) or not. What that means is that the gearbox is matched to the engine speed. Great in principle when connected to a hybrid system that cuts in and out without any fuss, it’s just that when pressed hard it sounded like you were slipping the clutch of a manual car. It does have a fine override system though where you can change up or down. Quite advanced for a CVT.

    Sound deadening is exceptional in the RX and the V6 24 valve double overhead cam engine sounded great only if you had the windows open. The payoff wasn’t too much of a hardship for most of the time it was all inaudible. That in itself is a great attribute in a hybrid. The quietness adds serenity to the journey. There was next to no noise from the wide tyres fitted emitted into the cabin on any surface.

    Manual inputs into the gearbox amazed me. I hadn’t expected it to be so smooth or adjustable. That gearbox can also take a damn good kicking. The RX won’t sit around idle for long. Unable to actually time it I can vouch that it is indeed quite rapid in its acceleration. What greatly helps this is the impressive figures. The petrol engine alone makes 259bhp at 6000rpm. With the assistance of the electric motors, it adds up to 308bhp and gives an impressive 7.7 seconds 0-60mph time.

    What I have briefly mentioned so far is that this Lexus is a Hybrid. It’s basically a petrol car that has some assistance from electric motors. It works well in as much as the motors assist the petrol engine in forward propulsion. You could select electric vehicle mode for up to about 30 MPH which was great in stop-start traffic. Over that speed and the system wanted to jump into petrol mode. I couldn’t quite get my head around the battery life. In EV mode it felt it would deplete the battery quickly. Full battery recharge was quickly achieved with little thought about it.

    I’ve not avoided the looks on purpose. It is striking and it was the first thing I was greeted with on first acquaintance. The RX is more than looks alone. The exaggerated family grill makes it look like an angry Darth Vader mask and that is no bad thing. These days when you are paying this sort of money for a car you want it to be striking. The design language is exactly that. It hits you head on. Side on. Rear end. You’ll also find yourself hitting your head on the C-pillar of the rear door when grabbing things from the rear seat. The angle is so sharp it caught me out once or twice.

    I have to say I didn’t push the RX around too much. To me, it just isn’t a gun-ho car. It is so much more than that. That said I wasn’t easy on the go peddle. With my heavy right foot I could average 37 – 41 miles to the gallon. The ride was supple over most surfaces. The payoff for this is a bit too much body roll. Due to the high seating position, it felt more exaggerated than it actually was. Overall the driving experience was nice. It has loads of equipment that was easy to use further adding to the luxury feel that Lexus are finally achieving.

    I liked the RX450h more than I thought I would. I’ve a few niggles that I’d like sorted before I went out to buy one but in this sector, you could do a lot worse for the money. It has plenty of kit and it’s a Lexus that now makes you feel special.

    Love

    Serenity
    Comfort
    Equipment

    Loathe

    Haptic feedback of control button
    Satnav dark colours at night
    Auto boot resistance heavy if caught under it

    The Lowdown
    Car – Lexus RX450h F Sport
    Price – £53,640 (as tested)
    MPG – 51.4 (combined)
    Power – 259 bhp @ 6000 rpm petrol (335 bhp @ 4600 rpm electric)
    0-62mph – 7.7 seconds
    Top Speed – 124 mph
    Co2 – 127 (g/km)

  • CAR REVIEW | Volkswagen’s Golf GTi

    ★★★★ | Volkswagen’s Golf GTi redefined the go faster car in the 70s. With its hatchback styling, it started the Hot Hatch trend that we have seen go from strength to strength. It was then seen as the benchmark for all GTi’s in the 80s and thanks to high insurance premiums and a lack of love GTi’s felt in the 90s, it lost its way.

    © VW

    It tried to bounce back with lacklustre attempts in its Mk4 guise but then love for the GTi returned. Volkswagen saw the errors of their ways and addressed the situation.

    Now in its 7th generation, the Golf has stayed true to form. Its design is simple both inside and out. While some manufactures have opted for garish add-ons and bulges in places, VW have not. Likewise, they have not tried to redesign the hatchback with pointless styling that can date very quickly. Outside they have ironed out a few lines, placed emphasis on simplistic looks and then added some Golf GTi design touches.

    © VW

    The red line along the grill blending into the front lights is a nice touch. Inside it is all very Golf. There is no mistaking that you are in anything else other than a Golf. This Mk7, like my own Mk2, is like slipping into comfy slippers and that is why the Golf is still ahead of the game with a philosophy VW had perfected from the days of the Beetle. Make changes only where needed and do no more other than to make it better.

    Anyway enough of the old and more of the new. On the road, this is one quick car. 0-60 comes up in just over 6 seconds and reaches legal speed limits before you realise. Add to this the almost sumptuous comfort and you soon lose sense of what fast actually feels like. Standing starts feel quick but soon blend into a senseless wonder of how fast you are actually going.

    What aids this is the 5 road settings. There are soft settings, hard settings and mixture settings where you can choose the damping rates, gear changes and steering feel. This Golf doesn’t compromise you in any way. You can have a fast Golf with comfort or a fast Golf with a spine-jarring sporty ride.

     

    © VW

    The economy is a marvel too. Father in the passenger seat, we managed around 40 mpg on the way to Bognor. After l had kicked him out, l managed 17 mpg according to the computer. With fuel figures like these, you could be hard pressed to find a car that has so many life skills. Todays GTi is to all men and women a satisfying car to pilot if you want a Golf that will take you places without fuss or a full on GTi with excitement to match that red stripe in the grill. It doesn’t scream at you that it is can be a flat out fast machine. It’s identity is the GTi badge. Subtle and discreet.

    All this fun from a Golf that now has a faster model in the range coming out soon is to the GTi’s benefit. The GTi has a crossed over identity. It’s not the fast thrills and frills GTi it used to be. Then again it isn’t a GTi that you can’t live with if it is to be your only car. 3 or 5 doors, space for 1 to 5 and luggage space to match. It’s practical. It is put together well.  Above all, it’s a Volkswagen.

    VW’s philosophy just gets better and better. It doesn’t age either. You could be forgiven for having a mind blank when trying to figure out if this is the mk7 or 6 or is it a 5? It’s not a 5. You know it isn’t a 5. However, the shape isn’t too dissimilar to the Golf 2 generations ago. This time they have made it look sharper. Squared off those rounded shapes, flattened a few lines. Golf doesn’t have swoops and curves. It remains crisp and sharp for an entire production run and continues to do so when it is replaced. The major contributing factor is that Golf is so on the money all of the time. Others fail to emulate it. It’s almost like VW’s design team have a crystal ball.

    I still marvel at its on-road ability. I can’t actually place it as an out and out performer because it is everything you could want. So we shall set it to comfort and drive it. You can drive it fast. The DSG auto box changes smoothly. The ride is compliant. It glides along. It’s very Golf.

    © VW

    Change the settings and add a little magic and Golf becomes more GTi. Changes are sharper, steering becomes more communicative requiring increased input. The gliding becomes more ‘Jack Rabbit’ and this time it darts around the road.

    Roundabouts become playgrounds. Entries and exits are now flatter and quicker. Using the steering wheel paddles for gear changing allows you to now choose when the changes happen. This allows full access to the 227bhp available at 4500rpm. Stretch it further and it’ll reward you even though you are well past the peak torque at a lowly 1500rpm.

    Inside it remains Golf. The retro check GTi fabric on the seats is also another nice touch. At night there are red lights that appear within the red strip of the front doors. It’s a shame this doesn’t stretch to the rear doors.

    It’s still expensive and on paper at least, it seems a little behind the times. 40 years on it is still the GTi king. There is no getting away from that fact. You cannot deny the Golf GTi that title.

    In a time where excessive add-ons are the norm, the subtlety of the Golf rewards you with a competent car that to drive is both rewarding or comfortable or both. It’s just that l don’t know which one of the two rewards is the better?

    Likes 
    Retro GTi touches
    Ride
    Performance

    Loathes 
    Generic VW dashboard
    Red lighting not in the rear doors
    Price

    The Lowdown 
    Car – Volkswagen Golf GTi DSG
    Price – £30,925
    MPG – 44.1(combined)
    Power – 227bhp @ 4500rpm
    0-62mph – 6.4 seconds
    Top Speed – 154 mph
    Co2 – 149 (g/km)

  • CAR REVIEW | Nissan Navara NP300 Tekna Double Cab

    ★★★★ |  Nissan Navara NP300 Tekna Double Cab

    You’re Just Too Good To Be True….

    And I can’t take my eyes off of you. That is how the song went as covered by Gloria Gaynor. I was dancing to it in the new Nissan Navara in a well known supermarket carpark. The Navara is a handsome truck. It has those classic rugged good looks I like to see in trucks and real men. This is a truck for men. So what the hell am I doing driving it?

    There is something very indescribable about a truck when you try to describe it. It’s not your usual vehicle that you’d associate gay men driving as a pleasure vehicle. It lacks modern niceties that you would get in a premium 4×4 for people. In that I mean soft touch areas and a compliant ride with the ability to tow the caravan or jet ski.

    What you get in the Navara is a truck with attitude. It might be hardwearing and functional but look beyond its purpose and you find that Nissan have given the modern truck driver softening little touches. In this £27,000 truck you get heated leather seats, climate control, cruise control, one touch entry along with another 62 other items of importance in exterior, safety, audio, interior, comfort and technology. This price also includes sunroof, bedliner and interior touches in mats and kick guards. In total though there is far to much to list. What it all adds up to is in the making of an impressive truck for not a lot of money. Nissan must be doing something right here because the roads are littered with Navara’s.

    It keeps on getting better too. The Navara posses size. A lot of size. It’s big. I did worry about leaving it on the street where l live for it engulfed a little French hatchback. At over 5 meters long it is a bit of a brute. Thankfully it comes fitted with Nissan’s 360 degree camera. I never fully appreciated this. On the Micra it seems excessive. In the Pulsar that we tested I felt it had a use. In the Navara is it epic. Parking was a total breeze. If you see someone struggling to park one then you can be safe in the knowledge that they don’t have this bit of kit.

    On the move there was little to complain about. The engine is fuss free. Vocal when pushed, however there is little gained going too far beyond 4000 rpm. The 2.3 litre 4 cylinder twin turbo will hustle the truck along quietly confusing your senses until you look at the speedometer. Nissan claim 112mph max speed and there is little doubting that it would get there without too much fuss.

    The 7 speed automatic did all that was needed. Manual inputs were never needed in normal driving. I am sure off road it would help. Normal mode is rear wheel drive with four wheel drive high-low available on an easy to reach rotating knob. To select it on the move you just turn the knob only stopping if you need to select low ratios. Thankfully there is a a foolproof catch on the low mode. What I did find was that like most 4×4 trucks, in the wet it is best to drive in 4×4. This is only because the rear is unweighted and 450Nm of torque from a lowly 1500rpm has an easy ability to spin the inner wheel. Traction control kicks in quickly to prevent exciting snaking of the rear like a drag racer.

    On the road its ride was surprisingly jiggle free. For a vehicle with a sole purpose to be a hard working horse capable of taking heavy loads, 5 people, tow something and yet not shake your spleen free from the muscles it attaches to, the ride was more than civilised. You could jump in the Navara and just drive cross country in comfort. With documented economy averaging 40.3mpg it wouldn’t need refuelling too often either. Quite an achievement for a heavy vehicle. The on-board computer registered an average of 35mpg while it was with me. l could live with that.

    I don’t doubt the Navara’s ability to go off road. Over hangs at the front were small, The rears a little longer. There is a handy metal bumper that shouldn’t get ripped off as easily as a plastic one would. That said I did take it off road. Down to the back of the garden in fact to load it up with gardening waste. It felt the right thing to do instead of loading up the trusted hatchback. What wasn’t so good was trying to get it into my local council dump. Even in Crocs I was still seen as a heathen by the authoritarian from the council. Apparently even privately owned pick-ups come under the commercial vehicle nonsense. In the end I returned with the trusted hatchback. And Doc Martins.

    There are a few nice touches abound the Navara. The rear seat squab tilts up allowing for items of a certain size that you want protected from prying eyes and the elements. It opens up the rear amazingly. The rear seat though lacks under thigh support for those with long legs. I couldn’t travel on it for long. Personally I do think the chrome inner door handles a bit out of place. There is no other chrome anywhere.

    When it all ended and the keys were handed back to Nissan I searched for jobs in farming. I listen to the Archers so I obviously understand farming issues. I want to be a farmer and drive around my I and all day in a Navara. Ok l don’t want to be a farmer but I’d happily take the Navara for all its ups and downs. I want a pick-up truck.

    Likes
    360 degree camera
    Civilised to drive
    24 month service intervals

    Loathes
    My local authority
    Lacking door protective strips
    Poor under thigh support on rear seats

    The Lowdown
    Car – Nissan Navara NP300 Tekna Double Cab
    Price – £27,163.17 (as tested)
    MPG – 40.3mpg (combined)
    Power – 190 bhp
    0-62mph – 10.8 seconds
    Top Speed – 112 mph
    Co2 – 183 (g/km)

  • CAR REVIEW | Peugeot 108

    Peugeot 108 Lion Cub of Cuteness.

    In times of obesity where the world is getting fatter it’s quite refreshing to see a manufacture continue to make its small car just that; small. Parked next to the last of the 106 generation it is noticeably smaller. Now in its next incarnation, has the Peugeot 108 retained the same cheeky charm of a shopper express of the old 107 or grown to old before its time?

    To answer this you need to look at the options Peugeot gave me. Smart alloys, huge amounts of front cabin space with supportive seats in a tartan type material and reflective edging around the floor mats that make them look electric. All quite funky and up to date for a city car with good Euro Ncap ratings, low emissions and an zippy little engine. They even give this Allure model a 2 tone laser red and raven black paint job with decals. l don’t like that. For the asking price of £285 I’d rather pay the extra for the sunroof, a single colour and keep the change. The problem the Peugeot has over its platform shared Toyota and Citroen siblings is that it is the best looking of the 3 with a hint of maturity and because of this the 2 tone paint job doesn’t work. Where as the others are all ripped jeans and dossing around the park in dirty shoes, the 108 wouldn’t look out of place parked outside the Waldorf hotel in that swanky part of London.

    So overall l am impressed. More so with the fit and finish and build quality. The French have a wonderful reputation of making even the most solid tin can sound flimsy. The 108 was as tightly put together as a solid oak sideboard. The one touch entry and start system was an added bonus too. It’s quite nice not having to scrabble for keys to get in and get away. Even after stalling it at traffic lights the start up was easy. Clutch, button and away you go. It all goes someway to make the little car very easy to drive. The reverse camera (standard on this model) allowed for tight parking.

    Speaking of buttons, the ergonomics of it all but perfect for my lanky frame. Everything fell to hand with ease except the door mirror controls that were too far down on the dashboard and the mirrors themselves were situated too far forward to fold them in without pulling myself far forward from the drivers seat. Being heated, you want to look after them. Door mirrors can be very costly. That said a new unit from Peugeot will cost you £125 plus paint it’s not thee most expensive door mirror to replace if you do get it knocked off.

    Up front there is an abundance of room for you to move around. Despite the dashboards massive intrusion into the cabin there is plenty of leg room around it. Some 9 inches between my knee and the panel. In such a small car that is an impressive figure. What are not so impressive is the sizes for the rear seats. It’s tight in the back. l wouldn’t want to sit behind me. The dash also houses the infotainment system. No satnav on this model which would have been nice. That said it connected to my phone and the music on my android was accessible from the screen. l always thought it was my old phone being the problem however this system worked 100% better than any other. Even those from the Peugeot range have had trouble.

    This small space doesn’t mean a useless boot though. Admittedly it isn’t above the class norm and there is an almighty lip between opening and boot floor. This however is needed to stop items knocking against the all glass tailgate and smashing it to a thousand pieces. Glass tailgates are now quite common. Folding down the rear seat does increase the load some what though you’ll struggle with long items. The sunroof option allows for items to be poked through it. It also opens up the cabin. This model didn’t have the sunroof. My sister has one with it and it is an excellent option. Worth every penny.

    On the move it reveals itself to be a city car with a big attitude. The little 1200cc boasts only 85bhp from 3 cylinders that spin readily until the rev limiter cuts off power abruptly at 6000rpm. Despite that it will give its best to you and its reward you not bad fuel displayed fuel figures for a “spirited” driving style. It doesn’t feel like flogging a dead donkey that is for sure with its wonderful buzzy engine. It won’t win a grand prix but it will make drivers of other cars sweat a little.

    This spirit transfers nicely into a whizzy little car. Push it hard and it’ll over steer when the little 165 section tyres scrabble for traction but the back end won’t let go. Even lifting off mid corner didn’t result in untidy handling. It’s pretty safe and very predictable. And all this is before the traction control has taken over.

    This model was fitted with the crash prevention system. A loud rapid beep emits if it thinks you are going to crash into something in front. Sometimes hit and miss and mostly it alerted me down narrow roads. And if it thinks you really are going to hit something it’ll apply the brakes or even stop. Very handy in a city car at this price. What it does have that is quite useless is lane assist. It does nothing but beep at you. Thankfully you can switch it off permanently.
    As a first car, only car, city car, second car or whatever you want it for, the 108 in its higher spec will fit the bill. Aim high with the 108, have greater aspirations and opt for the highest model as you can like this one. Just add that sunroof to make it a more usable little car. I’d happily have it parked among the Bird fleet of motors.

    Likes
    Road tax exempt
    Nice facia layout
    Keyless entry

    Loathes
    Rear seat space
    2 tone paint theme
    Lane assist

    The Lowdown
    Car – Peugeot 108 Allure 5door
    Price – £11,985 (as tested)
    MPG – 65.7mpg (combined)
    Power – 82 bhp 5750 rpm
    0-62mph – 10.9 seconds
    Top Speed – 106 mph
    Co2 – 99 (g/km)

     

  • CAR REVIEW | Jeep Cherokee M-Jet 11 Limited

    WOW. That’s how I will start the review for the new Jeep Cherokee. It has a lot of visual impact. There are shapes within shapes and then there are questionable things you point at. Then you wonder where the headlights are? They are not quite in the place you would expect them to be. They are thankfully there and present and on the front. They say it has a fresh and aggressive look. It’s not that aggressive. Fact is, the front is pedestrian hitting friendly and slung low. Quite the opposite.

    The LGBT community is known for standing out from the crowd so this car really does feel at home with me. I spent almost 9 hours behind the wheel of this Cherokee in its Limited spec and it was a nice place to be. Those hours ended up feeling quite effortless. It is loaded from bumper to bumper with goodies, it has driver aids and a less wobbly ride than you would expect.

    I don’t think anyone would have thought this would ever be said about an American car but with the help of Fiat, the Americans have finally made a vehicle worthy of Europe and the UK. It’s not brash and it doesn’t beep at you for random to no significant reasons. Always an annoyance in an American car.

    It all sounds good so you’d expect me to keep enthusing about it but I’ll briefly stop here. Some of those driver aids are a bit much. The Cherokee shares platform software as fitted to the Renegade and I don’t know if it was because the Cherokee is a bigger car, but when the lane assist kicks in during lane changes on the motorway it fights with a firm tug. Indicate and the system is switched off. It caught me out several times.

    Don’t get me started on the door mirrors. They are good in their operation. They contain blind spot indicators that proved useful. What they don’t do however is fold in when on the move! Anything more than 10mph and they fold open. A vehicle of this size and with off-road potential needs to have retractable mirrors on the move. Replacements are not cheap.

    That’s my moaning done. The rest of the Jeep works very well. The engine, 2.2 turbo diesel, is smooth. A little harsh in a few places but nothing that makes you wince from feeling you are being mechanically unsympathetic. These noises are only heard with the windows open anyway. Outside the idle is subdued with a muted diesel clatter. It doesn’t sound like a tractor anymore.

    On the move, the 197bhp power unit mated to the 9-speed auto will propel you forward to 60mph in 8.5 seconds. It’s not the quickest I will grant you so you will be happy to know it suffers no turbo lag and that gearbox of 9 cogs will instantly select one to aid your momentum up to the claimed speed of 127mph I am sure.

    I did question if 9 gears were needed at all. Surely 5 or 6 are ample. Those 9 make for a seamless move through the gears. Apart from coming out of first, I struggled to detect the next change up. You soon learn when it will change up. At around 1500-2000rpm is when it happens. Sometimes however when you play with the manual override you discover it’s jumped 2 cogs. It’s best left to the box to do its thing and you concentrate on driving.

    Inside you are greeted by sumptuous leather-covered seats that offer heated or cold air options. The materials chosen are the best Jeep have fitted to almost any of their vehicles to date. Areas that require touching are made to feel like you have spent your money on something very special. The ergonomics felt right once you had learnt where some of the minor controls were. It took me some time to grasp the concept used for the front wipers. A multi-clicked turn on the stalk activated them from about 4 types of intermittent wiper to normal slow and fast. It was almost over 180-degree turn. In a hurry when you want them it’s a bit of a bind.

    Thankfully on board, this model has the advance brake assist. It worked well when a little hatchback decided to stop abruptly for no reason during a left-hand turn. It also has a neat feature to prevent you reversing into things by slamming on the brakes. Marvellous I said. It did make reversing a doodle and the Jeep went back without a scratch on the bumper.

    The infotainment system is one of the best I have used. The DAB radio is by far the easiest I have yet come across. Everything is easy to find and the display shows almost all and everything you could wish for. I just wished it was angled a little more towards the driver. So many manufacturers get this wrong.

    What I do question is its off-road ability. Unlike Cherokee’s of the past this one lacks a decent ascent and descent angle. The overhang from the front and rear bumpers being to low. Cherokee once displayed a great advert about the bridge missing so having to use the dried river bed. You’d want to get that bridge fixed with this one.

    If you can come to terms with the looks you would be happy with the Jeep. Some will point and stare, others will run and hide. I would give you the thumbs up. I enjoyed my time with it. For that week I had it, it did everything I wanted in a calm manner and did it effortlessly. And who cares what it looks like, from the driver’s seat you don’t have to look at it anyway.

    Likes

    Driving
    Infotainment system
    Refinement

    Loathes

    Folding mirrors
    Limited off-road by bumper overhangs
    Overly powerful lane assist assistance

    The Lowdown
    Car – Jeep Cherokee M-Jet 11 Limited
    Price – £37,245 (as tested)
    MPG – 49.6mpg (combined)
    Power – 197 bhp
    0-62mph – 8.5 seconds
    Top Speed – 127 mph
    Co2 – 160 (g/km)

  • CAR REVIEW | Renault Twingo

    ★★★★ | Renault Twingo

    It’s always a problem when you give a name to a car on review. It becomes personal and trying to be subjective about it is wholly difficult. Its flaws covered up with candy floss and its better bits celebrated with raptures of delight.

    If I lived in Toy Town I would drive a Twingo. In fact Noddy would have one too. In its third incarnation Renault have returned to a layout last seen in 1971 with their rear engined rear drive 8 and 10 models. This car shares a platform with Smarts For4. It’s just been dressed in prettier clothing.

    Turn the key and the engine giggles into life. Now I know that makes it sound like I have lost the plot somewhat and to be fair I have with this little Renault. It’s such an easy car to love.

    ‘Giggles’ as he became known arrived to me with bright red paint, go faster stripes and pretty polished alloy wheels. The stripes and wheels themselves were reminiscent to those offered by Renault in the 1970’s boutique range of accessories. This car possessed some nice retro touches. The rear was very pretty. The front however had the face only a mother could love. The problem is with the daytime running lights that look like he’s had his top lip pierced twice! You’ll soon grow to accept this.

    While I had the Twingo with me I had a party so parked him in the back garden. There were some picky queens whose car delights ranged from all things Citroen, Alfa Romeo and Maserati. With alcohol flowing the Twingo was subjected to a clinic style review. It was thumbs up on a lot of things. Your friends would approve but choose wisely. Despite the being able to accommodate well within the space available, the Twingo is a strict 4 seater.

    Inside was a pleasant change from austere black that is so the norm these days. The Twingo had the options list ticked and came with the red and white plastic inserts on the doors and contrasting red stitching on the seats. The white plastic will get grubby. You can’t deny that so getting the bucket out on a Sunday for a wash and wipe won’t become a bore because you’ll love the little Twingo. Despite living in the sticks I have never once washed a car I had to return but I just couldn’t return ‘Giggles’ to Renault covered in dirt.

    It was easy to get into a suitable driving position. The high backed seats took a bit of time to get used too but after a day or two  it all felt quite normal. What wasn’t was the position of the window switches. No matter how short or tall you are they are always about 4 inches too far back. Thankfully the ventilation system is up to the job. The pop out windows in the rear doors working well in promoting greater ventilation with minimal wind noise.

    The driving experience of the Twingo is unique. It’s not how you would imagine it to be. A rear engined rear drive layout it might have but thoughts of a tail happy little car are not what you get. The stability program is always on and will always get you out of trouble even if you provoke it wildly with enthusiastic movements. What you will prefer though is to drive it in its manual mode. The auto box will still change up and down but it will do so at a higher rev and for this increase in enthusiasm you won’t pay dearly at the pumps. Chances are you won’t notice a difference at all.

    Stuart_Bird-060215ren3

    The auto gear box does however have a few niggles. In traffic it can become a bit snappy if you are heavy with the right foot. At parking speeds it just won’t engage without a little throttle. Several times I “that’ll do” parked it instead of risking ploughing into the car in front. Strangely enough though is that it works better in reverse. Thankfully the turning circle is small so backing into a space is easier. I went out to find small spaces just to drive round and round. It had me laughing.

    Now for the science part. The 898cc engine will make your mother happy. She’ll be happy you don’t have one of those big engined fast cars. What you don’t need to tell her is the little turbo attached to it propels the Twingo at quite a rate in forward motion. It will startle you at just how nippy this little car is. As is typical with a rear weight bias layout though is susceptibility to side winds. It can get buffeted about a bit. This was noticeable at those great speeds it could travel at. Kept within 70mph and it wasn’t such a problem.

    Living with the Twingo is easy. There are cubby holes where you wouldn’t expect them to be and that high rear boot floor that hides the engine is perfect height for loading. It also turns out it is also the perfect height as a seat. The insulation over the engine so epic in its padding that it makes for a cushiony soft seat to sit on and ponder life. It’s also good at not allowing heat into the boot so your picnic and your chilled prosecco won’t be ruined.

    One innovative trick Renault have missed out on is the centre consoles removable cubby box. Add a snap-on strap and you get yourself a swishy Twingo bag for your oddments while also having a handy place for it to go when on the move.

    What did annoy me the most was getting to the service items. The bonnet pulls forward to reveal the brake fluid, screen wash, coolant and battery. It’s a bit of a faff and all items are accessed by leaning over the bonnet. Chances are the coolant will never get checked and the screen wash will always be empty. Normal bonnet hinges would correct this and probably allow for some extra storage up front. Like wise to check the oil you need to go through the boot floor. Removing the floor isn’t as easy as it could be and makes it a bit of a chore.

    Since its launch I had always wanted to test a Twingo and l am glad I did. As a run around this car gets my thumbs up. It also gets the sides of my mouth up too. l can’t stop giggling.

    Likes

    Fun to drive
    Cute
    Turning circle

    Loathes

    Auto box jerky
    Poor access to service items
    Window switch posistion

    The Lowdown
    Car – Renault Twingo Dynamique TCe
    Price – £ £13,900 (as tested)
    MPG – 58.9mpg (combined)
    Power – 90 bhp 6000 rpm
    Top Speed – 104 mph
    Co2 – 108 (g/km)

  • CAR REVIEW | Citroen C3 Exclusive PureTech 110

    Bettered with Time Like Wine 

    ★★★★

    Citroen came to me and said “take your pick of our current range of motor vehicles” so l opted for the C3. For a start, the C3 has been with us for 14 years and l wondered if during that time the C3 as l remember it, had got better to still justify it as a viable supermini in today’s current crop of little city runners to the buying public.

    The original C3 was frightful. I have driven several over the years and if it did give you feelings they were of gratitude that you got to your destination and were able to walk away from it. It wasn’t that it was a bad car but it was so very cheap in every way and not very engaging. So has it got any better?

    It sat parked in the work’s carpark all bright and purple on shiny 17” alloy wheels lost in a myriad of great machinery we had on that day. We called it the Bruise but it gave you anything but a bruise. It bristled with verve on its little 3 cylinder 1.2cc turbo engine. I usually have a problem with 3 pot engines, in that they resonate and jerk around in such a way that I get motion sickness. None of this was evident in the 200 miles I did shooting around the world of Surrey in my purple machine. From low expectations, they rapidly rose with every mile I took to where it excelled itself.

    There is a lot of praise to be thrown at the little Citroen so I’ll start with the negatives first. Firstly the rear door openings are small for that of a car its age. Getting in and out isn’t a problem for anyone small like a child. The more rotund of us will complain and then there is poor headroom. Despite its high sides there is limited height in the back for anyone 6 foot and over. And that is my only real complaint which for a car that has seen developments and 3 facelifts over its 14-year life is quite good.

    Today in Britain want our cars with a Germanic ride, all taught and poised. Sadly this transfers into the cabin as harshness on the ride. True to say this is no roly-poly Citroen from yesteryear but the ride is compliant and smooth giving no cause for bruises on the bottom. And the handling is fun – though sadly hampered by an over sensitive traction system that kicks in too readily even when switched off. However, what it doesn’t take away from you is the fun of torque steer when all that power of 151lb.ft torque is applied to the front wheels from a lowly 1500rpm.

    It’s a hoot to drive. Mind your step though because that little engine will propel it in a forward motion to 60 in 10.6 seconds at a great alacrity that you will get points on your licence!

    The rest of the performance figures are impressive too. It loves to rev and at 5500rpm it is pumping out all of its 110bhp. Used in the way that the C3 allows itself to be motored it will kick you in the nuts at the pumps. The urban cycle of 47.9mpg is impressive but you have to drive like the boot is full of eggs to get it. The higher 30’s is where I got it to while enjoying its rapid ability. l don’t doubt the 60mpg combined figure Citroen state if used at its torque maximum.

    The fit and finish have been greatly improved. It wasn’t the flimsy C3 I remember. On this model, we get handsfree Bluetooth connectivity that once mastered for it will ask for your PIN number first it works quietly away in the background. In operation, it was clear to use and couldn’t have been any simpler. We also get a reverse camera with guiding lines and the stereo will only mute a notch if the sensors go off. It also had leather seats that while not Aston Martin in quality was up to spec for a top of the range supermini.

    The dashboard layout was totally logical and everything fell to hand. What was poor was the glovebox. It is only half the width of the draw. Thankfully you won’t need to put your satnav in there when you park up because it has one built into the infotainment system. Again it isn’t the best out there but l was able to find another route from the garden centre that l didn’t know existed because of the clarity of the screen and colours. I’ve only lived here for a year and it takes a 14-year-old car full of new tricks to show me. And it coped well with that trip to the garden centre. The tall Caprea Kilmarnock fitted nicely laying down and soil spilt was hoovered up without fuss from the hard-wearing carpets.

    And that is that. The C3 like all things French has got better with age. It will never have the lustfulness that the DS3 has but then again it doesn’t carry a £4000 premium for 2 fewer doors. And does it still manage to be a viable proposition to those on the lookout for a city runner? Yes, it does. The range starts at £11000 and rises accordingly. The model I was given was the flagship in the range and its price isn’t cheap. If it was more reflective of its ageing design and in view of the newer crop of little wonders out there I would have given it 5 stars.

    Likes

    Build quality

    Ride

    Specification and equipment

    Loathes

    Limited room in the rear

    Glovebox

    Some quality issues with paint in the door shuts

    The Lowdown

    Car – Citroen C3 Exclusive PureTech 110

    Price – £17,009 (as tested)

    MPG – 60.1 mpg (combined)

    Power – 110 bhp

    0-62mph – 10.6 seconds

    Top Speed – 118 mph

    Co2 – 107 (g/km)

    Find out more from Citroen.co.uk 

  • CAR REVIEW | Jeep Renegade 2.0 Multijet 2 Trailhawk 170bhp

    Chunky Monkey ★★★★

    Love it or hate it, the Jeep Renegade is here for you. And I am glad Jeep have been bold enough to make it this way. The compact Sport Utility Vehicle crossover market is awash with similar looking choices except for the Nissan Juke and now Jeep have entered the market with something different. I was granted a week’s worth of play in the new Renegade 2.0 Trailhawk.

    Jeep have gone out of their way to remind you that you are in a Jeep. Company logos are everywhere. It’s on the speaker grills, boot trim and there is even a little Willy’s Jeep silhouette on the windscreen. They have even made it an integral part of the rearview mirror units sensor housing. It also reads Jeep on the door mirror glass. It’s this attention to detail that stands out on the Jeep and shows the passion Jeep have given into getting it right on this new model.

    Their passion is further evident in the build quality. Everything feels very solid like you should expect in a Jeep but has for sometime been missing. A pleasant surprise is discovered when you realise that the Jeep Renegade is built in Italy. Parent company Fiat have finally taken building cars seriously. The Teutonic class masters had better watch out!

    To some the looks are a bit marmite. You either love it or loathe it. You can’t take away the fact it is quite square in shape despite the designers adding some curves in the panels and giving it a face. Even the wheel arches, clad in handy body protecting plastic, are square in shape. The windows are square. Even the boot opening is large and square. Its rugged looks are magnified by some retro take on the proportions and big exterior trim like the door handles. Choose your colour wisely though. The red mine came in was quickly renamed “The postman Pat Van” at work. And check out the options because there are enhancements available for that face.

    With any compact SUV with the ability to go where you want, there has to be some give and take in the ride or handling areas. Thankfully the ride wasn’t as harsh as you first thought it was. On first acquaintance with the Jeep it wasn’t as squidgy as an old Cherokee. It was as firm as the class leaders in this segment. Once I had covered a few miles I noticed it smoothed out the road quite amiably and no harsh thuds or trim rattles were evident and the heated electric seats are comfortable. What it couldn’t do was live up to the Sport in SUV. The all-weather tyres did scrabble for traction when thrown into sharp corners. The handling is safe and predictable with no bump steer evident and almost no body roll at all.

    There are plenty of 4X4 options available for you to select on the centre console. There is a solution for every surface if you so choose or leave it to work it out itself. With all its heritage there is no doubting that the Jeep would be able to take you as far away as you’d like off the beaten track.

    Sadly the fine build quality is a little lost on engine refinement. It’s not a quiet engine. It gets quieter when it gets warmer and when it is in its stride on the motorway it settles down to an inaudible hum. The smooth-shifting 9 speed automatic gearbox making changes low down keeping the engine revs around peak torque performance for when extra grunt is needed. In traffic and when the stop-start stops it, you know about it. A little more padding on the bulkhead and bonnet would sort this out to great effect. What did surprise me was those all-weather tyres bringing absolutely no road noise into the cabin. Any boxy vehicle with this amount of cabin space is almost always susceptible to a little bit of rumble. You would have to drive with square wheels for it to become an annoyance, especially in the back.

    It doesn’t lack back seat passenger space but it does lack things to do. One passenger I had complained that there was nothing to do except look out of the full-length panoramic sunroof. I’m glad she found enjoyment in this £1100 option. Sadly, in this case, the square shape of the Jeep does make it unbearable to have open over 30mph. Thankfully the driver is not bored. The driving position is commanding in location and all viewpoints were clear, the large windscreen posts were not intrusive into the forward view. The facia layout was very clear and setting up the features as fitted to this model were made easy from its steering wheel buttons and heads up display. The comprehensive infotainment system was simple to use and comprehensive. I don’t know if it was intended as a bit of fun but the poo coloured mud splatter on the rev counters limit area was the butt of endless jokes.

    The £200 LaneSense option is worth having. Unlike some systems, it either over-assisted or stiffened up when driving between lanes unless you indicated first. For a relatively new system to me I have to say that the Jeep’s worked well, however for something that could have the potential to save lives if one was to nod off at the wheel, it automatically switches off if it detects no hands on the wheel.

    Running costs for such a vehicle are quite easy to live with. It arrived to me managing 39.9mpg. I had managed to get that down to 37mpg with my usual mix of driving and then back up to 39.8mpg when it was returned thanks to a trip to Birmingham and back.

    There are a few niggles about the Jeep I would like improved but there was nothing that made me wish I was driving something else. As mentioned the engine noise ruined an otherwise nice driving space and if it wasn’t for the sunroof, the cabin would be a bit dark. Would l have one? Yes but not in red!

    Likes

    Build quality

    Driving position

    Rugged Jeep looks

    Loathes

    Engine noise

    Dark interior

    Noisy alarm on/off activation

    The Lowdown

    Car – Jeep Renegade 2.0 Multijet 2 Trailhawk 170bhp

    Price – £31,765 (as tested)

    MPG – 47.9mpg (combined)

    Power – 170bhp

    0-62mph – 8.9 seconds

    Top Speed – 122mph

    Co2 – 155 (g/km)

    Find out more jeep.co.uk

  • CAR REVIEW | Volvo V40

    ★★★★ | Volvo V40

    Your Personal Volvo Has Arrived.  And it’s almost autonomous!

    I took delivery of Volvo’s latest V40 R-Design Lux Nav and immediately liked what l was seeing. And then I wasn’t. For a V range model it wasn’t exactly versatile in load carrying space if you like to load the boot to the gunnels with flat pack furniture from Sweden’s best export company. The opening is too shallow in height for what is sold as an estate. Add to this the rear seats’ quick folding system with neat folding rear head restraints it still didn’t make the boot as big as you’d expect from Volvo. For those who love a Jack Russell the boot it’s perfect but don’t try and carry a greyhound. It all added up to a boot that was ok but not deep enough in height. Sometimes l feel Volvo should have introduced an H range for hatchback.

    On the road the 1.6 litre turbo is a wonder of smoothness and refinement. For the size of the engine it boasts a modest sounding 120 bhp but the lowdown torque of 280NM available from 1500 to 2250RPM makes driving a breeze. Either way for a lazy driver like l am most of the time or spirited when you need to be, it will satisfy all but the most ardent of boy racers out there. Trouble is the car likes to keep itself at 1500RPM. Not bad l suppose if you like economy but l found keeping it at 2000RPM made for a much better car with power more on tap when you needed extra oomph. This also added another problem to my 21-years of driving. Around town only the first 4 gears were needed. So high is 4th that 5th leaves you with gutless performance and 6th was a no go zone. On the open stretches 5th and 6th were acceptable but 6th was just too tall for use with the two cruise control systems unless you were going very fast.

    That’s right reader l did say two. One keeps you at the set speed regardless of how far the accelerator is pressed which is ideal on the motorways with cameras almost every 200 yards, while the other is called Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC). This fabulous system keeps you at a set distance and applies the brakes to slow you down if the car in front slows for any reason, returning to the set speed when it can. As naughty as it sounds it was brilliant in the fog keeping me at a safe distance from the car infant even when l struggled to see it clearly.

    The mere mention of the word Volvo and you instantly think of safety and acronyms. And there are plenty to be had because the V40 is buzzing like a rampant rabbit and all of its seven settings.

    Along with the aforementioned ACC, there is also DAC (Driver Alert Control) CTA (Cross Traffic Alert) and BLIS (Blind Spot Info System) At first the BLIS system annoyed , however, ts alert did prove handy for when cyclists would come up around you in traffic or motorbikes when on the move. Sadly the passenger’s side alert light was too far out of my peripheral vision. l didn’t quite have the balls to try out the full auto brake system but it did activate when a bus pulled out in front of me on a roundabout.

    It’s disconcerting at first and makes you wonder what else Volvo could do to better this? Well let us look at “lane assist”. It’s a great idea in principle but it does need further work if it is to save lives. While l understand that it is there as a secondary assist system it does get confused when the lines are not clear. When the lines are clearly picked up by the system, it will actively steer the car for you. The autonomous car is almost here!

    My daily commute of 40 miles, taking in some rough country roads, fast A roads and twisting hairpins did nothing to shake the fillings out of my teeth. You couldn’t say the ride was a compromise between sporty or soft because it soothed out the ruts where needed without sending jarring motions through the seat all whilst retaining total composure in the corners. For an everyday car that has to be everything from entertaining to drive to keeping the eggs needed for the soufflé in one piece I’d find it hard to beat. The V40 does handle well. Doing what it needs to, the electronic stability program feels all very non-health and safety or Volvo like for that matter. The ESP doing what it has to without causing a fuss or alerting you to its presence.

    The wellbeing promoted in the cabin is further enhanced by the ambient mood lighting. There were so many choices you get bored after a while trying to find the right one. It has all the colours of the rainbow! For me the eco facia theme and green ambient lights were to my liking giving it a touch of Avantgarde class and a sense of calmness.

    For decades Volvo have always sat just outside the mainstream in the various sectors they enter but the time has come for buyers to look across to Sweden because there is now a real contender to challenge the might of the Golf. At the end of my time with the V40 l still liked it and liked it a lot.

    Its relaxed driving environment promotes calmness that only citalopram can give you in today’s fast paced, high drama, must have it all now now now world that we live in. You wouldn’t mention the V40 in a Facebook status but given the option you would click a “like” for it.

    All this gushing has to have a down side, there were a few things l didn’t like. Save yourself £600 by not opting for the leather and all its trimmings. Personally it didn’t feel that great to the touch and had the look and felt of vinyl. And then there was the exposed front seat mounting bolts. This might sound a bit petty, however in a car costing as much as this and with the attention to detail that Volvo have lavished on its smallest offering, it is a tremendous let down. And then there was having to give it back. Now that was a sad day.

    Loves

    Safety devices

    Ease of driving

    Styling

    Loathes

    Lane assist a bit hit and miss

    Leather upholstery

    Boot opening

    Lowdown

    Car – Volvo V40 D2 Manual R-Design Lux Nav

    Price – £25,970 (£32,595 as tested)

    Combined MPG – &8.5 mpg

    Power – 120 bhp

    0-62mph – 10.5 seconds

    Top Speed – 118mph

    Co2 – 94g/km