SOME dub them suicide doors but to my mind anyone of that persuasion could successfully deploy any car door to achieve the desired effect.
But whatever you choose to call them, there’s no doubt the rear hinged back doors on Vauxhall’s latest Meriva make it a real cinch to safely load the kids up in the back. Not to mention it’s now easier for grumbling OAPs to avail themselves of a ride in the back with much more ease – and dignity – than has been the case in the past.
WANT to drive up the side of your house? In a Mercedes-Benz ML you can.
Well, it certainly feels that it’s possible, after tackling the off-road course at Mercedes-Benz World at Brooklands.
EVER wondered what sort of major strides manufacturers are making with engines?
CAME up with an interesting comparison the other day on the launch of the new Mk7 Volkswagen Golf that clearly shows the gap between efficient diesel technology and smaller engines is inexorably closing. Continue reading
THERE aren’t a huge amount of cars that have a long shelf life.
Off the top of my head I can think of four versions of Ford’s best selling Escort, and a Mk5 incarnation of the ubiquitous Cortina. So it’s something of a major achievement when a car hits the roads in its seventh guise, some 38 years after the original set the benchmark for small family cars.
Doff your cloth cap, then, to the Volkswagen Golf Mk7.
IT”s not every road test that starts with a plea to keep your animals under control.
But having endured some 90 minutes of the Volkswagen Tiguan’s stop/start system in frequent use, I feel I must remonstrate with the owner of the pig that caused traffic mayhem on the M1 the other week. The ‘tail’ backs (sorry) had to be seen to be believed.
SUZUKI has announced some minor changes for the Grand Vitara range with the aim of boosting its appeal in the very competitive mid-sized SUV sector.
At the front the bumper and grille have been re-styled with a more angular design and the foglamp styling has been revised. Other changes include inner headlight black accents on 5 door SZ5 models, and new design 17” or 18” alloy wheels.
IF you’re going to spend £85,000 of your hard earned on the very latest Range Rover, then you’re highly unlikely to risk damaging it by taking it into the wilds.
The worst it’s likely to encounter is a particularly nasty kerb as you drop the kids off at school on your way for a hard day of retail theraping.
THERE are some things in life you hope you never have to try out – like the pedestrian-friendly bonnet on the newly revised Mazda MX-5.
Come to think of it any pedestrian with a sense of self preservation will be hoping you never have recourse to try it out.
It’s there, but in all probability you’ll never need it. Unlike the sat nav system and climate control air conditioning that are now standard on the iconic little sportscar, that’s been with us since 1989.
AS large cars go, Chrysler’s 300C fills a fair old parking space.
There’s no denying it’s one big heap of metal, so a bit of judicious rejigging of the parking spaces on our drive was called for when it tacked into view the other day.
THERE’S a choice of just one when your thoughts turn to the Toyota GT86, the Japanese manufacturer’s first sports coupe for yonks.
And to be honest, if you want a light and highly involving car that can take corners better than Robin van Persie, you don’t need much more of a choice.