The new Formula 1 season is just a few months away and the teams are beginning to choose their driving teams and unveil the new technology that they hope will win them the prestigious competition.
Ferrari, one of the most famous names in motorsport, have not won the F1 title since 2007, but hopes are high among both the team bosses and drivers that the new car which they revealed to the world’s press this week will help to turn around their fortunes.
Admitting that the F2012 is not the most attractive of Ferrari’s Formula 1 cars, team boss Stefano Domenicali was nevertheless hopeful that fans would appreciate the technical changes that have been made, to adhere to new regulations and to give Fernando Alonso the best chance of winning the title.
The most obvious difference from last year’s car is the addition of a small step on the chassis which was included to help the F2012 meet new safety regulations which call for the nose cone units to be lowered.
Ferrari are not only hoping to win their first F1 championship for five years, but first and foremost to improve on a woeful performance in 2011 when Alonso won just one Grand Prix. As well as unveiling their new car, the team also revealed that they have made changes behind the scene, with former technical director Aldo Costa being replaced by Pat Fry.
Domenicali paid tribute to the driving ability of his lead driver, Alonso, thanking him for his decision to extend his contract with the Italian giants until 2016 and pledging that the team would do all in its power to back his bid for the 2012 F1 title.
Researchers using surveillance equipment to monitor car parks inUKhave found that while women drivers may take longer to park than their male counterparts, they are also more likely to leave the vehicle in the centre of the space.
Scientists from Ruhr University Bochum, in Germany used hidden cameras to record the driving habits of both men and women in what is thought to be one of the largest ever studies into the differences between the two genders when it comes to parking.
Watching back over recordings taken in British car parks, the German team were monitoring and rating seven separate parts of the parking process and gave each driver a total score. Overall, women scored an average of 13.4 out of 20, compared to the men’s score of 12.3.
Women were better at taking the time to reverse into a parking space and positioning the vehicle in the middle of a parking bay, as well as finding empty spaces quickly in the first place; men, on the other hand, were found to be more confident when it came to driving forwards into spaces and were also less likely to try and move the car once it was in position.
The study had been devised by driving instructor Neil Beeson on behalf of NCP, and observed over 2,000 drivers in nearly 700 car parks across theUKduring a 30-day period. Beeson himself was surprised at the research team’s findings, adding that although men usually make the better pupils and pick up skills like parking quickly, it appears that women are better at retaining the information in the long term.
Statistics from the Driving Standards Agency back up Beeson’s anecdotal evidence, with last year’s figures indicating that thousands more women than men failed their driving test because of errors in parking manoeuvres.
The new offering from Land Rover is quite possibly one of the most stylish cars that they have ever made and the Range Rover Evoque has already received a huge number of awards and great reviews. The car has proved very popular with almost all reviewers and this is something that Tata Motors, the Indian parent company, will be very pleased with.
The car was released a few months ago in the United States and it is known for having great fuel economy while remaining powerful and stylish. It faces competition in the market from other four-wheel-drive cars such as the BMW X3 and also vehicles by Audi.
One thing that is very different about the offering from Land Rover, when you compare it to those from Audi and BMW, is that it has a much more trendy appearance. It is also very customisable and has plenty of technological add-ins that young consumers will enjoy. The exterior of the car looks very similar to the LRX concept car that was developed by Land Rover three years ago.
It is a vehicle that is designed for an urban setting and is very compact and convenient for the city. The car is offered in two and five door versions and there are currently 12 different colours that you can choose it in. Inside you will also find a large number of distinct choices and various different trims that you can choose.
The image of the vehicle, both inside and out, is something that you will either love or hate but either way it is a very head turning car. As already mentioned, is very fuel-efficient and this is mostly because it is made of very lightweight materials. The roof panels of the car are made out of aluminium and many other parts of the car are made out of various composites and polymers, and all of this weight saving mean that this is the lightest Range Rover to have ever been produced.
The car has a two litre engine which helps with the fuel efficiency, and has 240 brake horsepower and four cylinders. The engine is essentially the same as the EcoBoost engine that can be found in a Ford, and this is no bad thing because this engine is known for being very fast without being greedy on the fuel.
This car is able to gets nearly 30 mpg when travelling on the motorway, and this figure reduces to around 20 mpg when driving in the city. As this is a Land Rover it does have generally better off-roading abilities when compared with other four-wheel-drive vehicles designed for luxury rather than practicality.
The car is capable of handling rocks on the road as well as deep potholes very well and the grip of the car is excellent due to its four-wheel-drive. For most drivers though this information is irrelevant as they are never going to take the vehicle off the road, but it is likely they will drive in winter and then the car performs very well.
Launch of Squash My Car App for iPhone and Android
Thanks to a new smartphone app you can see your wheels in a completely new light. ‘Squash my Car’ on the iPhone and Android lets you pimp your ride into a miniature and then show it off to the world on twitter with the tag #squashmycar. Big kids, fans of toy cars and petrol heads will love this app, which costs 69p, which was released on 23rd January for Android and iPhone devices.
Squash my Car is the brainchild of Chris Kessling and Stephen Holmes, childhood friends and fellow pistonheads. This is a quirky app that takes a photo of any real car and transforms it into a toy racer, squashed version. The resulting images are hysterical and will appeal to both car fans and owners who will instantly recognise the distinctive features of the motors even though they have been squashed into a toy car format.
The app also allows you to easily share the pictures via picture messages, email, Twitter, Facebook and the other social network sites.
No vehicle is safe: from Clarkson’s Mercedes to Jay Kay’s Porsche collection, celebrities can see their prestige cars squashed down to size. Ordinary family cars take on a whole new personality with a pint-sized Squash My Car restyle. Minimise your Mini, shrink your Subaru, condense your Chrysler or abridge your Aston Martin – the app works for any make, model or vintage.
The app uses complex photo manipulation tools to alter the original photo of any car. The joy of the resulting images is that they retain their distinguishing features and are recognisable as the original car… from a whole new perspective.
The app has been brought to life by Speeding Hippo and developed by Masters Allen, a Leicestershire-based creative design and marketing agency. “We’re genuinely proud of Squash My Car because it uses some very advanced photo manipulation techniques,” says Aidan Rooney of Masters Allen who managed the technical development. “But primarily, we’re launching it as a little piece of entertainment for car fans of all ages. It’s easy to use – just snap a picture or select one from your photo library and press a button to let Squash My Car work its magic.”
“We’re looking forward to seeing the pictures that app users come up with,” Chris Kessling adds. They hope to bring some fun to the Twitter community by launching a #squashmycar hashtag so everyone can share their best shots – whether of their own car or a most loved or hated celebrity vehicle or classic marque. Or add your picture to the app’s Facebook page and get access to exclusive updates and giveaways.
Motorists face costs from a variety of different angles nowadays, with road tax, car insurance and MOTs all being legal requirements. On top of this, fuel and maintenance costs will also be incurred. Driving is often considered a necessity by those looking for increased mobility and that means that saving money on these expenses has become even more important.
The truth is saving money on your car insurance can actually be achieved fairly easily. This is because quotes for this product are affected by a number of different factors, meaning that even small changes could have a significant impact on the overall price.
To reduce your car insurance costs, follow these tips:
Compare prices
According to a price comparison site, automatically renewing your car insurance policy costs a collective £2.4billion. With more than 2.5million UK drivers said to renew their policy without consulting other sources this means that you could be one of the many people who are spending money unnecessarily.
It is therefore vital that you compare the prices which are offered by different providers. You should remember that not all insurers offer quotes through comparison sites and therefore you may need to make your enquiries directly. Whilst this may take longer it can give you a more accurate quote and will be well worth the extra time expenditure if it yields positive results.
Park safely
Even small factors like where your car is kept overnight will affect the cost of your policy. This is because cars which are parked in unsecure locations, such as public roads, are more likely to be the targets of theft or damages, increasing the likelihood that you will make a claim.
Where possible you should therefore store your car somewhere secure – such as in the garage or in a secure car park. Never be tempted to lie about where your car is parked or any other part of your insurance, however, as this will cause numerous problems. Not only will it be completely unethical but it will also render your insurance void or invalid, meaning that you may be unable to make a successful claim and you be driving illegally.
Choose your policy
Lastly, as with all insurance products, car insurance will offer you a choice of policies. Fully comprehensive insurance offers you the highest level of protection but will therefore cost the most money. The lowest priced policy is third party fire and theft, although some insurers may offer third party only insurance as well.
Remember that you should always invest in insurance which will give you the cover that you need. Adding an additional named driver could help you to split the cost of your insurance whilst accruing a no claims discount could help you to save money in the future.
Remember that your no claims discount can be taken with you to other insurers and this means you do not have to remain with one insurer year after year.
The latest market research conducted by Creditplus, the leading provider of car finance, has confirmed that the tastes of consumers is very consistent when it comes to choosing their next vehicle. Over the past 5 years, a very strong trend has established itself, with the same makes and models consistently dominating popularity surveys. The only real movement in the top 3 has been the sequence in which they appear.
The most popular used car in 2010 was the Ford Focus, with the Vauxhall Astra second and in third place was the BMW 3-series. The Astra, however, moved up to first place in 2011, and 5.39% of all the cars that were financed through Creditplus during last year were Astras.
In second place, was the BMW 3-series, accounting for 5.39% of cars financed by Creditplus, with the Focus dropping to third, with 4.98% of the used car finance market for used cars.
Looking back 5 years, it appears that the tendency to concentrate on the mainstream German car makes had been historically strong in the UK within the top 20 vehicles. However, in 2006, the Ford Focus was firmly the number one financed used car supplied by Creditplus with the Astra and Land Rover Freelander taking up the remaining spots in the Top3. Ford and Vauxhall can be congratulated on enviable consistency with their evergreen models topping the sales charts since the 1990s when they were introduced.
The Top20 of Creditplus’ most popular used cars is heavily biased towards German manufacturers. Thus, the Audi A3, Audi A4, Volkswagen Golf and BMW 1-Series are all featured in the best-seller list. However, Ford and Vauxhall win overall sharing 7 different models amongst themselves and establishing an inevitable domination, 6 of these models are even within the Top10.
It may come as a surprise to those who are following the reliability surveys as neither Vauxhall nor Ford are known to be enjoying the top spots in independent reliability surveys. It proves that the average consumers are rather conservative in their choice.
Shaun Armstrong, Managing Director of creditplus.co.uk comments: “It is clear to see the ‘family favourites’ are still extremely popular. Many consumers don’t even look past Ford and Vauxhall before making a choice about their next vehicle.
“This is hardly surprising though as these cars have proved to be highly reliable over the last 10 years. They also come well equipped and can be purchased for a reasonable price. All in all they represent a very good choice for consumers.”
New car and used car sectors are still two very different marketplaces and often a statement that is valid for one, proves to be totally irrelevant for the other. Although many new car sales reports are suggesting that drivers are downsizing out of environmental and economical considerations, it seems the used car sector is less concerned about the climate and petrol prices.
Market research carried out by Creditplus in October 2011 reveals that only 13% of buyers are looking for environmentally-friendly and more economical cars with lower CO2 emissions. The same survey showed that only 9% of customers are considering downsizing.
The statistics taken from Creditplus’ used car sales data backs up the presumption that the car finance customers are less concerned about the fuel economy. Five years ago 40% of the 20 best-selling used cars were large vehicles. Not only has this proportion failed to decrease, there’s a steady boost in popularity of large-size vehicles. Five years on, in 2011 as many as 50% of the 20 most popular cars can be classified as large. The recent market research is an invaluable tool for car finance companies like Creditplus, aiding in the understanding of the behaviour and preferences of their potential customers.
Used car sales data provided by Creditplus. The entire Top20 list along with the 2010 results are available on request. The market research and buyer behaviour information was gathered by Redshift Research in October 2011 and is based on a sample of 1000 consumers.
Small cars were once associated with high risk and small profits as it was very easy to lose money on every car a company made if it didn’t get the production of the car exactly right. This problem probably explains why there was such a problem with the industry early on as small cars were unpleasant to drive and many people did not like owning them.
The Fiat Panda was one of the first cars to be produced that didn’t have the problems of these previous cars. It was still a basic vehicle but it was something the people embraced and in the end it ended up gaining something of a cult status.
Fiat released a replacement for the Panda in 2003 but decided to call it something different, unfortunately Renault managed to claim that the car’s name was too similar to one of their vehicles. Therefore Fiat decided to stick with the name Panda and in eight years it has sold over 2 million of the vehicles.
Fiat has recently designed a second replacement for the Panda and this is going to be produced in Italy at the refurbished manufacturing plant which the company spent nearly £800 million redeveloping. They have purchased a brand-new production line and retrained all of the staff. Before the refurbishment the manufacturing facility was capable of producing just over 30,000 cars a year but after the refit they will be hoping to create 300,000 cars per year.
The Chief Executive of Fait is Sergio Marchionne who has said that his company has an obligation to work in Italy. He has, however, said that production will also be continuing in the company’s Polish plants where cars are being produced more efficiently than they are in Italy. The more efficient workforce that can be utilised in Eastern Europe has also meant that Volkswagen are producing their small cars inSlovakiaandBratislava.
The new Panda doesn’t look very different from the model that was released in 2003. It is tall and jaunty in the same way and hasn’t lost any of its charm. The car is around 12 feet long which is just a touch longer than the 2004 version. It has the same wheelbase as the original car but it has additional plastic on the front to prevent any damage that might happen when parking the car.
The rear suspension has been changed which means the ride has been improved. It feels less abrupt than the original car and road bumps are handled much better. The steering still feels a little bit harsh, is rather unforgiving and at times you may feel as if the car is out of control going round corners. This is not to the extent that you would be worried about it but it is not the feeling of agility that you want.
The question many people are going to be asking themselves is whether this is the best small car for them to buy. The rival offering by Volkswagen is a good car and it is slightly cheaper than the the new Panda. The Volkswagen also has more advanced features but in general the Fiat is more fun to drive and it certainly looks better than the Volkswagen. Many buyers will be happy to pay the small increase in price for this better car.
Overall, the new Subaru XV is a real curiosity. Despite the styling faux pas that has graced the Impreza and Forester of late, there remains a tremendous amount of goodwill towards Subaru and the vehicles they produce. This does, however, add further to the question of why, instead of trying to rekindle the interest of their fan base, they have chosen to bring out a C-SUV and try and compete in a market that is way too overcrowded.
To make any kind of impression in this sector the Subaru XV needs to be something very special. This isn’t their first SUV however, merely the only one that has made it to the UK. The predecessor, quite frankly, resembled an Impreza dressed in a disposable nappy, but the bodywork on this model is, thankfully, much improved, and obviously potty trained as the nappies are happily missing.
It also manages to carry off that trick where you get both a good ground clearance and a low roof line, the lowest in its class in fact, while still offering acceptable headroom in both the front and the back. It is a handsome looking car from the front, has an elegant profile, looks rather too like the Dodge Caliber from the rear, and should cause no offence as long as it is purchased in a suitable colour.
Once inside, the Subaru XV is spacious throughout, and benefits greatly from incredibly slim A-pillars, which in turn offer outstanding forward visibility. It lets itself down badly in the front seat department however, they have very short bases and offer all the support of a trifle. The interior, on the whole, is of vastly differing quality which really should all be off the same good standard.
Even more annoying is the fact that every available surface is sporting an expensive looking, moulded soft touch finish, but everything you actually touch is covered in a hard and scratchy plastic. Even the most over-glamourised of cosmetic surgery addicts know that you should spend the most amount of money on those areas to which your fingers naturally gravitate towards.
The permanent all wheel drive that the XV offers comes in three powers; 144bhp diesel engine, a 2 litre 147bhp and a 1.6 litre 112bhp. The whimsical part about it, and what suggests that even Subaru aren’t quite buying into the predictable ‘urban adventure’ marketing tag that the XV is burdened with, is that all the manual transmissions are accompanied by the low ratio, standard fit transfer box.
This doesn’t greatly benefit the 1.6 litre engine either, and is very much the case of the mind being willing but the body unable. The 2 litre engine gives it a better go of shifting what is in fact a very lightweight version of an all wheel drive SUV, weighing in at 200kg less that the comparable Kuga. Overall, the XV will be pushing their fans goodwill and loyalty, a large price tag is attached, quite frankly, to not a great deal of car.
Motorists in Britainare living in fear of having their cars broken into or stolen according to a new survey, this is despite the fact that in recent years car crime has fallen. Admiral, the Car insurance specialists commissioned the poll from YouGov and questioned 2500 motorists as part of their annual Admiral survey of British motorists.
They discovered that 74% of respondents are worried about their cars being broken into or stolen. Drivers in Yorkshire and the East Midlands are the most concerned, with 80% sharing these worries, while inScotlandthey are the most relaxed about it with only 63% worrying about this.
It seems, however, that this anxiety regarding their cars is mainly unfounded as Admiral’s claim statistics show that the amount of cars being broken into or stolen has decreased dramatically over the past 10 years. During 2011, 0.16.% of Admiral insured motorists had their cars stolen compared with 0.54% in 2001.
Car break ins are showing a similar pattern, as in 2001 0.61% of drivers insured through Admiral had their cars broken into, compared to 0.16% in 2011. Dave Halliday, Admiral managing director, said: “Our statistics show that car crime has been falling for several years now, so maybe worrying about it is undue. This anxiety could be linked to a general sense of unease about the state of the country and the economy in particular; our cars are after all, one of the most valuable things we own.”
Dave continued: “Modern cars have excellent security features with manufacturers making them more and more difficult to steal, which must have some impact on the number stolen or broken into. However, motorists should always make sure their car isn’t an easy target for thieves by parking it in a well-lit area, not leaving items on show, and making sure their keys are kept in a safe and secure place should someone gain access to their home.”
Even though car crime is decreasing, Admiral thought it would be interesting to see which types of vehicle are the most likely to be targeted by criminals*. It looked at statistics from the last year and found the Nissan Sunny, BMW X6 and Audi RS6 were the three cars most likely to be stolen. The Nissan Figaro is the car most likely to be broken into followed by the Citroen C8 and BMW 730.
Mercedes have long made the claim that they first invented the original performance 4×4 back in 1999 when their ML AMG rolled off the production line. Now we have the ML63 AMG, the third generation of the German giant’s hot off roader, and despite the price tag and eye watering gas guzzling, the previous models have a loyal UK following and over 24,000 were driven out of showrooms.
This newest Mercedes ML63 AMG will be on sale in the UK by July 2012, 3 months after their new M-class, for in the region of £85,000. Yes, that is a lot of money, and it almost twice the price of the turbo diesel version that proved to be a best seller. This has to be something very special to match up to the expectations that kind of price gives the consumer, and it is certainly an acquired taste reserved for those able to afford it.
Under the bonnet you will find the identical 3.3ltr twin turbo V8 engine with 518bhp that is in the AMG versions of the CLS and the E-class. This is powerful enough to project the 2.3 tonnes of car for 0-62mph in an mere 4.8 seconds, and up to a (limited) top speed of 155mph.
There is some good news on the consumption side, where a 28% improvement had been made in fuel economy, although it still carries a hefty average of 23.9mpg. The emission have also been reduced from 392/km to 276/km COS. While neither of these are significant enough to get Friends of the Earth sending you Christmas cards, they are well ahead of the Ranger Rover Sport, that boasts 19mpg and 348/km.
So there is no doubt that the straight speed is present, and you would think that it would handle equally impressively. Surprisingly, it doesn’t, and for this kind of cash you wouldn’t be too expectant to think it would handle like a sports model, which it doesn’t but can still be classed as a drivers car. Cornering is flat, it doesn’t object to being hustled and the ride is respectable.
It will, on the other hand, far exceed expectations when it comes to the interior. This is an area that has been sadly lacking in the previous M-classes but that certainly isn’t the case here. Sure, this is the AMG version, but there has been a notable step up in terms of the materials used, the quality of the build and the overall feel.
The interior is both spacious and cossetting, and those in the rear have ample space. The seats may feel rather firm for some tastes, but with their side supports they do the job. There is an optional Bang &Olufsen stereo and Mercedes are claiming that their Designo personalisation programme is seeing a surge in popularity, suggesting that it’s cost isn’t an issue amongst those who will buy the AMG.
Overall, despite the Mercedes ML63 AMG being designed for family motoring it can outrun most of those classed as sports cars, and offers an extremely tempting package. Amongst the hot 4×4′s currently available, this is one of the best.
The new Formula 1 season is just a few months away and the teams are beginning to choose their driving teams and unveil the new technology that they hope will win them the prestigious competition.
Recent Comments