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Inside TrackThe online diary by the people behind MSN Cars
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October 15 Project Gotham Racing 4-RealBy Nick Eaton, contributor Ian and I got talking about our Xbox 360s, and what we thought were the best driving games. Naturally Forza 2, Test Drive Unlimited, and Project Gotham were all featured in our musings. Then we recalled that one of the race tracks used in Project Gotham is a London circuit made up of various roads around Hyde Park corner, Marble Arch, and Park Lane. We also recalled that the Mazda MX-5 is one of the cars featured in Project Gotham, which just so happens to be Ian’s current long-termer.
Our mission was clear: take out Ian’s MX-5 and drive the Project Gotham circuit for real. So that’s what we did. Sadly we couldn’t tear it up quite like in the game; it might not have been rush hour but if you’re going to drive through some of the busiest streets in the capital you have to be prepared to encounter some traffic.
Yet we persevered nonetheless, and the results (which we’ll hope you agree) were pretty good. The procedure was as follows: Ian dropped me off at our location and proceeded to drive round Hyde Park corner about 17 times while I got various different shots with the camera.
As you can see we’ve now placed the best pictures next to some screen grabs from the Xbox version to see how the two compare. The real-life version was certainly an adrenaline rush, but more because it meant dodging in-between angry cabbies and Ken Livingston’s bendy-buses, as opposed to screeching round bends and flooring the accelerator on Park Lane. Still, it was a good laugh.
October 14 Live from the Ferrari California launchPeter Burgess writes...
After months of waiting and increasing speculation, the time has finally arrived. The alarm sounded at 2.30am, and I was in my long-term Citroen C5 by 3am for Stansted and the 6am Ryanair flight to Palermo in Sicily. There are better ways to travel, but maybe Ferrari feels some affinity with Mr O’Leary, the world’s most profitable airline operator. Maybe. We are staying at the Kempinski in Giardino de Costanza, and there’s absolutely no feeling of being short-changed here. This is real 5-star Ferrari luxury. But there are no cars for us today, which is probably just as well because a few hours additional sleep is what’s really called for.
We’ve already caught sight of a California from the coach, a light blue example that howled past with its roof down. For a first sighting on the road I’m still not certain about the styling. We all saw the static reveal at the Paris show a couple of weeks ago and there’s another on display outside the hotel entrance. Kempinski must be thrilled to have the launch here. There are a couple of armed guards around too. But more mysterious is this tent tucked around the side of the hotel. Inside is a car under wraps; I managed to sneak a picture while backs were turned but I guess we’ll find out more tonight.
There’s not much more to tell at the moment, save for the fact that it will cost £143,320 in the UK and comes with powered heated seats as standard. How about that! More info very soon after I get behind the wheel on Wednesday.
Skoda's new Superb is... you guessed it!By Matt Ball, MSN UK editor-in-chief
To Cornwall for a week’s family holiday and a chance to try out the new Skoda Superb. The car’s official press launch was the day before I got my hands on it. Indeed, the 2.0 diesel model used at the launch was the one that duly turned up at my house. And very impressive it was too. And very long. Very, very long.
You don’t feel you’re driving a long car when the Superb is on the road; it’s a pleasure to cruise along the motorway in it but try fitting it in a small town’s car parking bays and you soon appreciate the (£350 optional extra) parking sensors. The Superb’s official dimensions suggest its length is little different from that of, say, a Ford Mondeo but it certainly felt like the longest car I have ever driven. Of course, a long car should have plenty of leg room. And the Superb does. My wife sat in the back with our 18-month old daughter and she appreciated all the space. And the boot easily accommodated all our luggage including the bulky baby buggy. So space-wise the new Superb offers what I would need from a family car. Other features I liked included the child safety lock on the door that was so simple to set up (stick a key in the slot, turn it, done) and the in-built sat-nav that automatically re-routed us away from traffic congestion although the female voice had a little less personality than I tend to prefer (perhaps the sat-nav in the Citroen C4 Grand I drove at Easter spoilt me in this regard). We easily reached Cornwall from our home in Hertfordhsire on one tank of diesel and I could find no major fault with anything about the Superb. My only gripe was that I spent far too long looking for the button or lever to get the back windscreen wiper going. Eventually, I realised that the car didn’t have a back windscreen wiper. You’ll love the boot thing, probably
Lastly, the Superb’s door lock/unlock function on the key works at a greater distance away from the vehicle than on any other car I’ve ever driven. Now I know that’s not of much use but I always like to test it out. Shame on my motoring journalist colleagues for failing to notice that, eh?
Also on this trip Reviews of these museums coming very soon to MSN Cars… Roadtest of the Skoda Superb 2.0 TDI 140 All our motoring museum guides
October 13 Danger! It's autumn out there...Dan Trent writes: ‘FOG!’ bellowed the gantries on the M25 as I drove back from a bash on Saturday night in, er, thick fog. Really? Thank goodness the signs were there to tell me. Another example of do-gooding stating the bleedin’ obvious comes this week from the Institute of Advanced Motorists, who warn of earth shattering facts like: “The sun is also lower in the sky at sunrise and sunset at this time of year and motorists should be aware this can have a dangerous blinding effect, particularly around the time motorists are commuting to and from work.” Or how about: “Darker mornings and early evenings also mean that it is harder to spot surface water.” Lordy, it’s just as well we’ve got advice like this on hand or we’d all be crashing into each other all the time. Oh, hang on… CJ has scolded me for my cynicism and, to be fair, he’s got a point. Evidence on the daily commute suggests people are perfectly capable of driving into the back of each other when the conditions are light and dry so chuck in darkness and slippery surfaces and there are bound to be a few more fender benders. And the IAM release does include some genuinely useful pointers, such as: “Fallen leaves tend to accumulate near roadside gutters and, when combined with heavier seasonal rainfall, can block roadside drains causing localised deep water and wet leaves on the road surface increase the danger of skidding.” Reminders about inappropriate foglight usage can never come often enough either – any traffic enforcement types looking to bulk up their points tally for this month need only come down to my manor of south east London and spend an hour booking the hundreds of cars running round with the supposedly cool sidelights’n’fogs combo. Please – be my guest. I’ll bring out a cup of tea if you’re feeling the chill. So there you go, I started off being sarcastic and have come full circle to finger wagging lecturing in the space of 300 words. Stay safe out there, y’hear? Dan Links:
October 10 MPG a marathonRichard Aucock writes: Well, I made it to the end. After 411 miles of eco driving, I reached the finish. And, of course, I was scrabbling for the doorhandle, wasn’t I?
No, actually. That’s the funny thing about driving with an eco hat on. You sometimes find you’re getting into the swing of things. Like stepping into a hot bath, you feel it’s unbearable at first – but, as you ease yourself in, you gradually discover it’s, well, just right. Get used to a fully pre-planned, sedate pace, and as the miles pass, it becomes pretty normal. Mellow. Appealing, even.
Particularly as it doesn’t actually cost all that much time. After two days and those 400-odd miles. I was the tortoise behind the red hare Aveo… by but 20 minutes. Not a massive penalty, considering…
… the fact that, in my hands, the Aveo returned nearly 58mpg, instead of 42.5mpg. And don’t think that the other car was being unrepresentatively hammered, either. It simply being piloted in the way our man does every day. While mine was given the full-on green treatment behind the wheel. Point proven, case closed. Being green, we calculated, officially saves Chevy Aveo drivers 3p per mile. And needn’t send them mad in the process.
Chevrolet’s so pleased, it’s released the performance to the national media. Look out for it in your local newspaper, and know it was your MSN Cars man helping broaden Chevy’s value-led proposition!
Oh, and just so you know how seriously the event’s taken, did you see BBC 6 O’clock News last night? Post-bank bailout, pre-stock market doom and gloom, the MPG Marathon featured! In a two and a half minute slot, following transport editor Tom Symonds as he did just what I’d been doing. He works to a tight schedule, alright – the car was continually stopping for him to field calls, and the final part of the route for him took in BBC’s Bristol studio, to deliver the tapes.
He also had to leave before prizegiving, to file some more reports. But it was nevertheless a real winner to have him take part, said his driving partner. “It’s putting green motoring, and the advances the industry’s making, right into the minds of BBC high-ups.” Here’s hoping MSN Cars’ performance is duly noted… ---
Feedback from September 2008Dear All, Lots of feedback in September so thanks - What about the new zr1? The one that beat Nissan's GT-R‚ and Porsche's GT2‚ round the Nurburgring? surely that should be on a list of the greatest corvettes... Maybe, maybe not. It is a very new car and as such history has not had time to judge it as yet... - Hi you say “The mainstream production car that averages over 70mpg is now a reality” - erm 29 years ago the Peugeot 205 D came out (1979). In my handbook it said 77 mpg in my 1985 one and I got that even in the early 90s when I did 1,000 miles for £25 - proof is in the 80s what car said they got 95mpg from them at best. So all these modern cars are nothing better if fact worse and all the blaming people for o-zone isn’t fair - they had Peugeots from 1979 and Tomorrows World in 80S fitted batteries and got over 100 mpg - I say don’t blame people - blame car makers for not taking that design onward‚ and doubling diesel prices shows it’s a country we should emigrate from and shows what a mean world we live in. Eric Phew! A few things to deal with here. Perhaps the main one to note is that cars are very much better equipped and have to comply with modern crash protection regulations – both factors making them much heavier than older cars. Also, the 205D was something of a curio back then and not what one might call “mainstream”. As for emigration – perhaps – but fuel is expensive in most countries of the world, and those where it isn’t tend to have a whole set of other problems to make up for it...
- It would be nice to add some suitable comparisons‚ for example Honda CBF600SA vs. Suzuki GSX650F. That’s a good idea. I will pass this onto our supplier of motorcycle content. - Hello‚ I like Audi‚ but am sick of those robbing Germans with all their lies about their inventions. Imperia a Belgian car company came out with all these inventions before the First World War. The Belgian car industry got killed by the Germans during the war. It took them all this time to find out so‚ please stop praising them. Visit Imperia-auto.be if you wanna see some real technology !! Erm, OK... Top 10 most economical used cars under £5,000 - Richard Aucock's article is a little poor and misleading. It is a worthy cause in this time of increased costs in motoring to highlight opportunities for making savings. It started off well with the C1/107/Aygo then went into oblivion with the RAV4 & MG - If the title is TOP TEN GREEN cars there is no point in even including anything above 120g/km or below 50mpg . The Megane 1.5 Dci should have been included as the best value car for its age/size under 120g/km . I was however impressed with the link to Dan Trent's article that we are finally going to have the Smart Diesel 88g/km in the UK which I wrote about in my blog over a year ago before fuel prices hiked. Thanks – while I would accept the headline possibly misleading, the idea of the article was to give a sector-by-sector view, since clearly not everyone can buy a supermini, the type which would dominate any straight top 10. But thanks for your useful comment. First Drive: Arden Aj20 Wildcat - It seems the reviewer is basing his image of Jaguar on the chav circles he moves in. No doubt his idea of cool is an old 3 series BMW with smoked windows and a knock off Armani suit. Here in the Middle East and in South America Jaguar has no such image problems and is seen as being very British in a Saville Row way. Good – and as a lifelong big cat lover I am very pleased to hear it. MISCELLANEOUS - Not really sure if this is feedback or not‚ but I couldn't think of anyone else to ask. What do Vauxhall actually do apart from their racing team and marketing initiatives? Well Vauxhall is one of the UK’s best selling car brands and some of its models like the Corsa and Astra do very well indeed. The new Insignia looks quite clever too. It also employs a lot of people in car production here too. So, yes it does do a few things... - I would not have another Ford Motor Car if you gave me one. I think Ford are very over rated‚ and a real **** car‚ but better than a Vauxhall‚ which are very extra ****. You cannot beat a Japanese or Geman car they are just too good. You may think this is odd‚ but one of the best cars I have ever had and really enjoyed was a Lada Riva 1500 which for the money was a very good buy‚ so‚ why did they stop making them? My MGB Roadster with the wire wheels‚ was always a plesure to get into‚ and it pulled some very good looking women for me‚ those were the days. Jack Thanks Jack. Well, we think Ford and indeed Vauxhall build quite a lot of decent cars on the whole. I don’t know why the Lada Riva 1500 stopped being made, but I suspect the collapse of the Soviet Union may have had something to do with it. Finally, I am delighted to hear that the MGB Roadster produced some good results for you!
That’s all for this month – please keep your feedback coming.
Best wishes,
Tom
Sorry CJ, you're taking the FordDan Trent writes: Well, not that sorry really when the Ford in question is a Focus ST Mountune. Full roadtest coming soon but without wishing too give away the punchline too much we like. A lot. Anyway, CJ had designs on the Passat we’d just had delivered. But unfortunately for him I’d had to nip out to the car park to shuffle it out of the way so Peter could get his Citroen long termer out. And even moving this VW 20 metres across the car park had me determined not to give up the keys without a fight. Why the excitement over a Passat? Well, this is the 296bhp R36 version. Which to my mind harks back to the golden age of discreet Autobahn über saloons in the early 1990s. These days the outside lane pecking order is well established, with even relatively discreet ‘S’ Audis and their S line brethren now joining M Sport BMWs and ruded up Mercs in the premiere league of fast lane hustlers. Which gives me (yet another) chance to wheel out my favourite German word: überholprestige – the philosophy of overtaking status! I love the fact they’ve got a specific word for it… It’s a subtle thing though. True überholprestige derives from understated menace, not shouty bodykits and bonnet scoops. Sorry hot hatch whizzkids and you lot in your Imprezas and Evos – you ain’t got it. Think S-Class with xenons ablaze and you’re closer to what it’s all about. But I digress. This R36 Passat is a proper old-skool German performance saloon, in the mould of greats like the Mercedes E500, E34 BMW M5 and Audi RS2. And I think it’s fabulous. CJ’s finally wrestled the keys from my grasp too and disappeared for the weekend so we’ll see what he makes of it when he gets back. Dan 90s German autobahn meisters hall of fame:
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