Category: News

There’s snow heading our way – and in some areas it’s already hit. Travelling in snowy conditions can be treacherous, but there are some things you can do to make things a little easier. Here are our five tips for driving in the snow.

Clear all snow from windows and mirrors before setting off

This is a bit of a no-brainer really. It’s imperative that all windows and mirrors are clear from snow to ensure that you’ve got the best visibility possible. It also means making sure that the windscreen is ice-free – though it may appear clear, ice can quickly build up if it hasn’t been de-iced properly.

Choose a higher gear to avoid wheelspin

When temperatures drop and roads get icy, even proper four-wheel-drives can struggle for traction. Keeping your car in a higher gear won’t help the situation, as it increases engine revs and causes the vehicle’s wheels to spin more quickly.

Selecting a higer gear helps keep wheelspin to a minimum, allowing the car to more effectively navigate slippery surfaces.

Drive at an appropriate speed for the conditions

This takes little explanation. Making sure that you’re not travelling too quickly for the conditions should really take priority when driving in poor conditions. Drive too quickly, and there’s a good chance that you could have an accident.

If snow is falling, it’s a better option to take things slowly. It means that should the car begin to slide, it’ll do so slowly – minimising any potential damage.

Put a safe distance between you and the vehicle in front

When snow is on the ground, stopping distances go up. Due to lower traction levels, a car takes a lot longer to come to a halt than when the roads are clear. Should a car brake heavily in front of you and you’re too close to the back of it, the likelihood is that you’ll slide and come into contact with it.

Keep your distance, and it’ll make driving on snow a much safer experience.

Have supplies at the ready in case you get stranded

This is a good idea in case the worst happens. Being stuck by the side of the road – or even on the road in some cases – is a possibility, particularly in northern parts of the country where snowfall is at its heaviest.

Making sure that food supplies, as well as extra clothing and blankets, are well worth keeping in the car should you be heading out on the roads when snow is forecast.

Nissan is to give robo-vehicles a public try-out in Japan next month.

The test will run on a set route between Nissan’s global headquarters in Yokohama and the nearby Yokohama World Porters shopping centre – a distance of some 4.5 kilometres (circa 2.7 miles) – and the service, dubbed ‘Easy Ride’, will provide an autonomous vehicle service to people wanting to get to a destination in that area.

Not only will vehicles be tested but Nissan’s dedicated mobile app will also be put through its paces. Passengers will be able to input where they want to go via text or voice. In addition, an in-car tablet will showcase some 500 nearby points of interest, along with 40 discount vouchers for retailers and restaurants in the vicinity. These can then be downloaded directly to the passenger’s smartphone.

Easy Ride is seen as a mobility service for anyone wanting to travel freely in a robo-vehicle to a destination of their choice. 

The trial, which starts on March 5 and is being conducted by Nissan with mobile and online services operator DeNA, will gauge public reaction. If successful, the aim is to expand on the number of service routes. Though planned to be introduced in a limited area initially, Nissan and DeNA aim to offer a full service ‘in the early 2020s’.

The trial appears to use current Nissan Leaf and e-NV200 vehicles. Both are all-electric, so provide the perfect zero-emissions platform for an autonomous service. The Leaf has a claimed all-electric range of up to 177 miles, meaning it’s capable of travelling far enough on a single charge for numerous short, inner-city trips.

Taking the roof off a car is a fantastic marketing tool that manufacturers love to use.

It usually gives cars a sporty and classier feel – but sometimes that’s just not the case. While we’re not saying that every convertible is bad, there have been some shocking convertibles over the years. It certainly doesn’t help that the cars they are often based on are usually pretty lousy, too.

Here we take you through the worst ten from recent years.

1. Chrysler PT Cruiser

The PT Cruiser Convertible is probably the worst convertible to hit the market ever – an achievement in itself. The PT Cruiser was a vile looking car in itself, but removing the roof made it even worse.

It wasn’t helped by the fact Chrysler had to add a cross bar to help hold up the roof – something that hadn’t been seen for at least a decade before. In short, it was a shocker, and wasn’t helped by the thirsty engines offering mundane performance.

2. Peugeot 308 CC

The 308 CC has to go down as one of the tubbiest convertibles ever made. Wide wheel arches can often make a car look muscular, but in this case it just made the 308 look plain fat, and it wasn’t helped by some lacklustre engines.

For a relatively hefty convertible, it was also impressively impractical, with near-useless rear seats and a poor-sized boot. Its comfort is probably its only redeeming feature.

3. Ford StreetKa

The Ford Ka was a quirky car for Ford, and proved a big hit with first drivers and city dwellers. Ford tried to maximise on the Ka’s success by taking the roof off it, which ultimately just made it look odd.

Time hasn’t been kind to the StreetKa either, with the convertible (and the hatch) renowned for plagued with rust issues. It’s definitely one to avoid unless you can find a rust-free example for pennies – but good luck with that.

4. Range Rover Evoque Convertible

It might be a bit harsh to include the Range Rover Evoque Convertible in this list – it is quite a good car after all – it’s here just because Land Rover decided to fill a niche that didn’t exist, or shouldn’t have existed.

It’s actually not bad to drive, but you just can’t wonder why anyone who bought one just didn’t buy the handsome hard-roofed version. The convertible is slower than the standard car, and also has a stupidly high list price, too.

5. Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet

We would love to tell you that the Range Rover Evoque Convertible was the first SUV convertible, but unfortunately it wasn’t. No, that accolade has to go the Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet.

When a concept of the Murano Convertible was first revealed in 2010, everyone just thought it was another ridiculous concept that would never make production. But it did, somehow. Thankfully it was never officially brought over to the UK, but knowing that it actually exists still makes us shiver inside.

6. Renault Megane CC

We could have realistically included any of the Megane CC generations in this list, but we decided that it had to be the second-generation convertible here. The second-gen hatchback model was famed for its quirky rear end, but even that was lost on the convertible.

Instead, this was replaced by a flat boot and an unnecessarily big aerial. The heavy folding glass roof also had a negative effect on performance, resulting in a mundane convertible. It does serve as a relaxing convertible, if that’s all you’re after, though.

7. Lexus IS Convertible

The fact there is very little to say, neither good or bad, about the Lexus IS Convertible is pretty much all you need to know about it. It’s one of those cars that people ask, “Did Lexus actually make one?”. And yes, it did.

The Lexus IS saloon is a refined and luxurious cruiser, and the convertible version was no different. Unfortunately for Lexus, no one ever really ever bought one which seals its fate in this list.

8. Vauxhall Astra TwinTop

The fifth-generation Vauxhall Astra will probably go down in history as one of the dullest cars ever made. The convertible TwinTop certainly looked better than the hatch – but that doesn’t say much.

The value of a car is usually a good indication of a car’s popularity, and the fact that an Astra TwinTop can now be picked up for pittance shows just how un-loved this Astra convertible really was.

9. Nissan Micra C+C

You may have noticed a theme in this list so far with convertible versions of mid-2000s hatchbacks appearing prominently. It wasn’t a good era for convertibles to say the least, and the Micra C+C is just another one from this period.

Richard Hammond once famously drove a pink one on Top Gear with a paper bag over his head, which is really all that needs to be said for the Micra C+C.

10. Citroen C3 Pluriel

The bubble-shaped Citroen C3 was a pretty poor attempt at a car in itself. You’d like to think that the bosses at Citroen would have had enough sense to leave it at that, but no, a convertible ‘Pluriel’ version was launched.

Featuring the most complex roof design ever fitted to a car, where you have to remove the roof bars before realising there is nowhere to actually store the wretched things, it should have been canned before the first one even drove off the production line.

It seems that large car manufacturers are bringing out innovative pieces of tech every month to prove that they are the most advanced in the industry.

But there are some advancements that will be staying with us longer than others, and although many will take a while to get to the more affordable cars on the market, that technologies will be in them sooner than you might think.

Things like autonomous driving, interactive displays and artificial intelligence will all be coming into play with vehicles soon, but here are some modern-day examples that could be on the way to your budget vehicle in the next few years.

Autonomous driving features

Although it may be quite an unsettling notion for some people, driverless cars will be about in the not-too-distant future, and car companies are already trying to grab the initiative and put it into production cars. Audi and Tesla are two such brands, with both having developed production-ready systems for the premium market.

S, 3, X on a bridge pic.twitter.com/2E57xqkTVY

— Tesla (@Tesla) July 29, 2017

American brand Tesla was the first to fit driverless features to its cars, and although the tech is an optional extra, every vehicle has the required equipment built-in if they later decide to have install the AutoPilot software. Using a series of cameras, sensors, lidars and radars, a Tesla has the capability to see 250 metres down the road and 100 metres behind to ensure that it has a complete view of its surroundings.

With the latest version of AutoPilot, Teslas are able to pretty much drive themselves, as they can move in traffic, steer on more complex roads and be ‘summoned’ from a garage or parking space to the driver if they’re in close proximity.

CEO Elon Musk has predicted that by next year, people will be able to sleep in Teslas on their way to a destination, but people might not be so trusting of the technology just yet.

Excited about the Tesla Autopilot software release rolling out next month. New control algorithm feels as smooth as silk.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 22, 2017

Audi has also been working on its own autonomous setup, which will be more applicable in a short amount of time. The AI Traffic Jam Pilot offers less functions than Tesla’s AutoPilot and offers level 3 functions rather than the level 4 capabilities of the Tesla system. Level 3 autonomy requires the driver to be aware in case the car needs them to take over, whilst level 4 autonomy allows the driver to relax more and allow the car to drive itself for most of the time. It allows drivers to leave the car in control in nose-to-tail traffic at speeds up to 37mph on barrier-edged roads, such as motorways.

Touchscreen surfaces

If you are a fan of the button-riddled dashboard, then that design layout may only have a limited shelf-life as touchscreen technology becomes much cheaper to make and easier to fit into car interiors. You will find it on more high-end vehicles already, with the systems in the Porsche Panamera and Range Rover Velar the highest profiles so far.

The Panamera has button outlines on its central console so you know what you are pressing and when, but there is no rudimentary button as it were – only a smooth surface with white light-up icons for each function. It combines with the 12-inch touchscreen infotainment system at the front, which can be customised, and the touchscreen climate and seat controls in the rear – another forward-looking addition.

The Velar has done away with buttons altogether, with the mid-size luxury SUV coming with two central touchscreen surfaces and only touch-sensitive controls on the leather steering wheel. You can control two elements of the car’s features at once, with the satellite navigation in the top screen, and climate control on the lower one – with multimedia systems also available.

Artificial Intelligence infotainment system

The latest addition to the premium car technology line-up is AI infotainment, and the fresh-faced Mercedes A-Class is the first vehicle to come with such a system. Called Mercedes-Benz User Experience, the software learns to driver’s patterns and habits to help – as Mercedes say – “create an emotional connection between the vehicle, driver and passengers”. With natural speech recognition and augmented reality included in the system, it’s safe to say that this is one of, if not the, most advanced infotainment options currently available.

It works in tandem with the Mercedes Me application, which helps you find your vehicle and transfers all your driving data so you know where you can improve your driving style.

Now you may have used Siri, Google Assistant and Alexa in your vehicle before, but this one is built-in already to be as seamless as possible. It can be paired with the brand’s widescreen cockpit to bring an immersive and incredibly useful infotainment system – all of which can be controlled via the touchscreen itself or touch-sensitive pads on the steering wheel and central console.

Augmented dashboard

Okay this one may take a while to be finessed into an everyday piece of tech, but the basis of the technology is there. Head-up displays are becoming more prevalent amongst vehicles, so the next logical step is to project all the relevant information onto the windscreen instead.

The best example of this is on a concept car called the BMW Next100, which although is unlikely to get anywhere near the road in the foreseeable future, displays some very relevant technology. The augmented dashboard is one such advancement, as it displays all of the important driving information onto the windscreen, such as speed, lanes on the motorway and directions to take when following satellite navigation.

That last feature in particular could be the best use of the tech, as it would mean drivers could have a visualisation of the route while keeping their eyes on the road – something that could prevent a lot of traffic incidents.

Digital instrument displays

This feature is the most likely to be found in everyday cars sooner than the rest of the innovations on this list, as many premium vehicles are fitted with them already. Rather than having conventional dials to tell you your speed, revs and fuel level, manufacturers are developing screens that fit into the instrument binnacle and can flick through all the information you need and with much more clarity.

The first brand to break ground in this area was Audi in conjunction with parent group Volkswagen, and its Virtual Display concept that debuted on the Audi TT back in 2015. Controlled by the multi-functional steering wheel, it comes with two main modes – classic and infotainment. In infotainment mode, the dials shrink into the corners and allow the driver to display a large satellite navigation screen in the middle, as well as search through other features normally displayed on a central screen. The classic mode is more familiar and includes two large dials with the speed and revs, while a small infotainment screen remains in the middle.

Although it isn’t a standard feature yet, Audi is offering it with the majority of its range, with Volkswagen also providing it as an option since 2017. Most other manufacturers now also include them, with Jaguar Land Rover, Mercedes, Lexus, Peugeot, Renault and BMW all having a go at fully digitalising their cockpits.

Aston Martin has an all-new F1 car.

Revealed this week, the latest racer – built in partnership with Red Bull Racing and dubbed RB14 – features a special-edition livery and it’s eye-catching to say the least.

An appetite for disruption in 2018 ?
Introducing the #RB14 ? https://t.co/gdQRXmhHyq pic.twitter.com/qdS2Vy9YwG

— Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) February 19, 2018

Aston Martin has admitted that the livery won’t be exactly the same as the one on the completed version, although it didn’t stop it mocking up this temporary camouflage on a DB11. The racer features all-new systems in F1, such as halo safety protection and additional aerodynamic touches.

Watch this @astonmartin #DB11 get the #RB14 treatment ? pic.twitter.com/OpaaJVhhMJ

— Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) February 22, 2018

And the British sports car manufacturer thought the exterior design would look just as good on its flagship DB11 coupe – so applied the dark blue and black scheme to it.

Starting off in a pearlescent white, the DB11 was transformed entirely thanks to a complete body wrap featuring Aston Martin and Red Bull Racing side logos.

Underneath the bonnet of the Aston sits an AMG-built twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 engine producing 503bhp. It’s enough to get the DB11 to 60mph in under four seconds and on to a top speed of 187mph.

The accelerated footage shows the large sections of wrap being applied to each panel of the car, with little of the original white paint visible once the process was completed.

Travelling long distances in a car with children can be a little tricky. Though the scenery whizzing by may be impressive, a kid’s enthusiasm for the journey can quickly go downhill without anything to keep them entertained. We’ve picked out the best ways to keep little ones happy when out on the open road.

Get a game going

There is, after all, nothing better than a classic in-car game. A round of I-Spy or spot-the-yellow-car can cause the miles to go past pretty quickly, all the while keeping kids engaged and entertained.

A variety of traditional board games are available in smaller, travel-friendly versions too. These could be a good option for then the imagination-based games have run their course.

Guess the song

There’s a good chance that you won’t fancy playing nursery rhymes on repeat for hundreds of miles, but there’s a way of incorporating that music into a game.

Select a song that the children know, and play just a small, half a second snippet of it. Going off this time, they then have to guess the track. Though simple, it’s likely to keep them entertained for quite some time.

Add in a quick stop

Though you may be wanting to get to your destination as quickly as possible, a quick pause for some fresh air can do wonders. Even if it just means parking up for ten minutes, a break in the journey can quickly calm children down.

Adding in a stop may put more time on the overall length of the journey, but it does open up the ability to see some new places along the way.

Set up an in-car DVD player

Yes, it may not be the most imaginative solution, but sometimes technology works. An in-car DVD player can quickly keep tantrums at bay – and they don’t have to cost the earth, either. Most can be mounted to the back of the front seat headrests, meaning that there shouldn’t be too many cables trailing around the cabin.

It’s always better to go for a good quality version, as it’ll pay dividends to have a solid, reliable source of entertainment at all times.

The high-tech option

It might be one of the easier options, but you can’t fault the way tablets keep children entertained. However, it does bring in a whole series of other problems. You have, for one, got to make sure that any devices are charged before you drive off.

In addition, it’s best to download anything the night before the trip. You can guarantee that in the morning of the journey, the internet will slow and you’ll be unable to download anything at all.

A rare vintage Porsche worth £500,000 has been stolen from an underground car park in Pimlico, Central London.

The car’s owner, businessman, racing driver and classic car dealer David Clark, discovered on Saturday that his light yellow 1973 Porsche Carrera RS 2.7 Touring, one of just 1,580 ever built, had vanished.

It is unknown exactly when the theft actually took place as Clark had been abroad for several weeks with his Jota Sport racing team, but the police are in possession of CCTV from the car park and are currently searching for footage of the moment the crime was committed.

Clark told MSN Cars: “I don’t know when it went missing. I last saw it several weeks ago, because I’ve been away doing races and other bits around the world.”

Clark estimated that his car is worth upwards of £500,000, though similar examples have sold for more than £600,000 at auctions in recent times.

According to Clark, the Porsche, which he described as ‘‘a really, really lovely car,’’ was purchased for his driving pleasure rather than as an investment.

He believes the thieves knew the significance of the car, after conversations with friends in the industry.

“I’ve asked around, and the consensus is it was likely stolen to order,” he said.

“I think these people are pros. One guy I spoke to knows all about this and he said it was probably a professional thing and that I had no chance. They’re just too good, whether it was an hour, a day, a week or more.”

Clark, a successful businessman in many areas including aviation and motorsport, has owned the Taylor & Crawley classic car dealership for more than 30 years.

Clark is an avid historic racer, with iconic cars such as the (recently sold) McLaren F1 GTR and Aston Martin DP214 in his collection. In addition, he was a director at McLaren from 1994-1998.

The Porsche’s number plate is VOY 356L, with the chassis number 9113601175. As per a Silverstone Auctions listing of the car from a previous ownership, the engine number is 6631147. As the car was initially sold in Germany, it is left-hand drive.

Clark has said that a reward will be granted to anyone who can help him track down his beloved Porsche.

Since launching to the UK in 1993, the Vauxhall Corsa has become a staple of UK roads, with two million examples of the hatch sold since its debut.

The Corsa’s predecessor, the Nova, was one of Britain’s most popular hatches throughout the 1980’s. However, by the end of it’s run, the Nova – sold as the Opel Corsa in Europe – was starting to look decidedly dated against rivals such as the Ford Fiesta.

Fortunately, a replacement was in the pipeline…

Vauxhall Corsa B (1993-2000)

With the introduction of the Corsa in 1993, Vauxhall up-ended the hatchback market, with the cars curving, modern style proving to be a sales hit, and cemented the nameplate’s reputation as a dependable car for small families and young drivers alike.

The Corsa gradually evolved throughout the 90’s with minor facelifts, before being replaced in 2000. However, the design lived on for many years in the Chinese and South American markets.

Vauxhall Corsa C (2000-2006)

The second UK Corsa was launched in October 2000, and proved to be everything a sequel should be; bigger, sharper and more modern, with more trim and engine options than the previous generation.

The second-generation car proved that the Corsa was here to stay. It was the most popular supermini on the market from 2002-2005, before production stopped in 2006. It was also one of the best-selling cars of any type in the UK, a feat which the Corsa has continually achieved ever since.

This generation of the Corsa, and the early examples of the Corsa D that followed, are still vastly popular with young drivers thanks to their cheap running costs and insurance.

Vauxhall Corsa D (2006-2014)

When the Corsa D arrived on the market in the latter half of 2006, it was clear that the Corsa had evolved. An all-new platform and new, sweeping styling provided a sleeker, sportier edge to the Corsa. This was further accentuated by a facelift in 2010.

The Corsa D was the first to be bestowed with a VXR badge. The hot hatch launched in 2007 with 189bhp on tap and 0-60 in 6.8secs. However, those figures went up with special editions such as the VXR Nürburgring.

The Corsa D was on the market for some eight years, and as such, is the longest-running Corsa thus far, which is a further testament to its design.

Vauxhall Corsa E (2014-Present)

Much like the shift between the first and second-generation, the current Corsa is an evolution of its predecessor, rather than a clean slate.

The styling was altered to be more in line with the other stars of the Vauxhall range, with a larger, more striking grille, and an entirely revised look inside and out.

To this day, the Corsa is still one of the biggest-selling cars in the United Kingdom, and will likely continue to feature prominently on the sales charts for the next 25 years as well.

It’s time to say goodbye to the Ford Focus RS, but not without a bang. Introducing the Heritage Edition – the final version of the high-performance hatchback.

Production of the hot-hatch will end on April 6 this year, having started in 2015. The Heritage Edition is a not only a celebration of the outgoing fast Focus, but of the RS nameplate’s 50th anniversary, too.

It boasts a unique paint finish, high levels of equipment and a 25bhp boost in power to wave the Focus RS off. It’s exclusive to the UK, with the last 50 right-hand-drive models set to be produced in the limited-run guise.

The eye-catching ‘Tief Orange’ paint harks back to one of Ford’s most iconic performance models – the Mk1 Escort Mexico – and is currently only available on Heritage Edition examples of the Focus RS.

This is what happens when you let the @forduk designers have time for free thinking it seems! Anyone else spotted this Essex today? pic.twitter.com/apT5e3B7Xs

— Ford RS Owners Club (@RSOwnersClub) February 7, 2018

Complementing the striking finish is a host of exterior upgrades, including grey brake callipers behind black alloy wheels, with black-painted door mirrors and a rear spoiler topping off the look.

Inside the car, there’s Recaro seats, privacy glass, a sunroof, rear-parking sensors, cruise control and a heated steering wheel all as standard.

The standard Focus RS’ 2.3-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine can still be found under the bonnet, but here it receives a bump in power thanks to Ford-approved tuner Mountune’s FPM375 upgrade.

This results in a jump from 345bhp and 470Nm to 370bhp and 510Nm of torque. Ford hasn’t revealed exact performance figures but expect an improvement on the regular car’s 4.5 second 0-60mph time and 165mph top speed. Power is still sent to all four wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox.

To help put the power to the ground more effectively, the Heritage Edition features a Quaife front differential – as previously introduced on RS Edition models – which Ford says provides a “heightened dynamic sensation for performance driving enthusiasts”.

Andy Barratt, chairman and managing director of Ford of Britain, said: “The RS brand is hugely important to Ford and is recognised across the globe, however it has a special place in the hearts of UK Ford fans. This latest model is the best RS we’ve ever produced, so it seems a fitting tribute as we approach its 50th anniversary.”

The Ford Focus RS Heritage Edition is now on sale, with prices starting at £39,895 – but act fast, as demand is going to be high for the next piece in RS history.