Fire up the... Toyota Prius

TOYOTA'S Prius at ten years old, is a global icon of the world's biggest car company, beloved of eco warriors and Hollywood actresses alike, and the first car you're likely to think of when it comes to saving the planet or saving at the pumps.

It is the hybrid.

Unfortunately, that means a quick science lesson. Hybrids are, as the name suggests, motors which use a mix of petrol and electricity to get you moving, with the
Toyota's 1.8 litre lump doing the sterling job of not only moving you about, but also helping to charge an electric battery, which in turn helps with the duties of swooshing along silently in traffic and in low speed parking manouveres.

Cast your eyes over the latest version, the third generation of the car, and it's definitely a love or hate job. Some of my passengers were instantly put off by the unusual proportions but to my mind it's the best looking Toyota hybrid to date, ditching the dowdy looks of its predecessor in favour of some crisp detailing, like the edgy headlights and alloy wheels.

It's the same story on the inside, which looks more like the cockpit of a spaceship than a rival to the Golf or Focus. The dials are replaced with a brilliantly bizarre computerised screen in the middle of that deep dashboard, and the gearstick is a minute, translucent blue affair which you'd swear has been nicked straight off a gaming console.

You have to forget the too-light steering and slightly stodgy handling and concentrate instead on learning the low speed coasting this car loves to get anywhere near the 70 miles to the gallon the Prius can and will do. There's even a game you can play to make it more fun; choose the animated display of the car's energy consumption on your car's Starship Enterprise display panel, and see how long you can get it to run on just electricity.

The Prius is also almost certainly a better bet than the rash of electric-only cars coming later this year, because after 100 miles on a longer trip you'll still be saving the planet long after the ‘leccy-driving do-gooders have run out of battery power and ground silently to a halt.

It's not an exciting car, but it is an impressive one.

As published in The Champion on January 26, 2011

When Top Gear used to have facts in it

THE chap at the bar, despite being someone I'd never met before, turned to me and went all car enthusiast on me.

"Where's your Mini, then?" he asked, deducing that as I was in the pub with mates from the local Mini owners' club, my notoriously fickle example would be outside in the car park, rusting quietly.

"Sold it. I've got an MG now," I responded, expecting that to be that, but a glint in his eyes somehow revealed I wasn't getting off that lightly.

"What sort of MG?" he asked.

"An MGB," I said, smug in the knowledge that the MGB, of course, is a proper MG, crafted centuries ago by stout chaps in the actual Morris Garages factory in the good old days. Not for me some Rover 25 with a Halfords bodykit. Unfortunately, I still wasn't going to be let off that lightly.

"What sort of MGB?"

Now usually I'd panic at this point because - as regular readers - will know, I'm a fully committed car enthusiast but not one who actually knows anything about how cars actually work. This could be a proper grilling from someone who actually knows how carburettors work. This could be embarrassing.

Luckily, the night before, I'd watched an old Public Information Film, which usually cover things like the Highway Code and why not to fish next to electricity pylons, but in this case it was an old Top Gear clip I'd found which might as well have been called Things you should know if you're about to get grilled by an MGB enthusiast. For once, I've actually learned something!

I'd like to lie and show you this clip I found on YouTube for the benefit of everyone who has even a vague interest in old sports cars, but really it's for the benefit of my dad, who despite knowing a trillion times more about cars than I do admits even he's got gaps in his knowledge of Britain's best selling roadster.

What's more, it's from an episode of proper Top Gear from ye olden days, so you get the idyllic image of an enthusiastic bumble through the countryside and some facts.

So there you have it, Mr Man at the Bar; I own a '72 GT in Harvest Gold with the 1.8 litre, BMC B-Series engine, four speed box with the desirable Overdrive option, Webasto sunroof and Rostyle steel wheels.

What's more, it's nearly finished and there's a summer of blasting it down country roads in the sunshine just a few months away. I can't wait.

Sorry, Mr Cameron, but £1.30 a litre is just too much

A MAN I interviewed for a piece in last week's Champion was preaching to the converted. His message? That the price you're paying at the pumps has GOT to come down.

I've known for ages that the cost of petrol and diesel has been ridiculous bordering on extortionate, but after a friendly natter with Mike Heybourne, a man whose business is getting people to where they want to go, I can't hold my breath on this one any longer. Something's really got to be done about the price of fuel at the moment.

If you're older than, say, ten, you might remember that way back in the year 2000, a band of truckers and cabbies got very cross with the price of diesel, blockaded the nation's fuel depots and swiftly brought the nation to a halt. Their beef was that a litre of diesel cost 85p. Now, a decade on, it's nudging £1.40.

Lots of people I've spoken to reckon it's only a matter of time before the blockades and go-slows are back, but I honestly don't think they'll make much difference ten years later. Those protests, and the ones against the war in Iraq and rises in tuition fees, let Governments know that people were cross. But they still went ahead with their plans anyway.

David Cameron's “fuel stabiliser”, which lowers duty as oil prices go up, and vice versa? I wouldn't hold your breath on this one, especially after Danny Alexander, a fellow member of the Coalition, said the Government wouldn't “sacrifice income willy nilly” to help motorists already being made poorer by a string of cuts they've made elsewhere.

Nor do I think the Government's preferred alternative - the long line of electric cars being launched this year - is any good, partly because the majority of the UK's charging points are in London and partly because electric cars are slow, expensive and stupid. Until I can get in one and drive it to North Wales, like I did with the cars in last week's Champion column, I'll still need a normal car - hybrid or not, they still have to burn things that died millions of years ago - anyway.

A normal car, I'll remind Dave Cameron next time I pass him riding his bike with ministerial Jag in tow, is really expensive to run at £1.30 a litre.

Lexus should be so lucky

SUPPOSE you're a car company renowned for making your motors big. Quiet, endlessly reliable and full of eco-gizmos, naturally, but still big.

You then do something that's been in vogue with big car makers for ages and launch a small one, but you don't want to be embarrassed by it looking so, well, small. Need to make it look a little larger? No problem. Just hire a pintsized popstar to promote it.

That's the impression I got today after looking at the pictures accompanying Lexus' genius idea of getting Kylie Minogue to promote the CT 200h, who in return will get the Japanese company to sponsor her 2011 tour. Nothing wrong with that - Seat is, after all Shakira's latest collaborator - or Kylie herself, whose particular brand of not-at-all-inspired-by-Daft-Punk dance electropop actually sounded brilliant on her last album. But she looks tiny next to that car!

Belinda Poole, Lexus director, explained the tie-up by saying: "Kylie is the perfect ambassador for Lexus and the new Lexus CT 200h."

"Kylie has the energy, style and exceptionally popular public profile that will reach directly to customers new to the Lexus brand."

Readers old enough to remember Kylie in her gold hotpants days will already know she's done this sort of automotive promotion work before, when Ford scored the PR coup of the Noughties by getting her to pose with the StreetKa . To this day I still won't drive a StreetKa because it's the first image that springs to mind when anyone utters the phrase "girly car", but it and Kylie were made for each other, because it's as sprightly, good looking and stylish as she is. More importantly, it was small and actually looked as though Ford had tailor-made it just for her.

Putting Kylie next to the CT-200h doesn't work because the evidence presented above doesn't make it look bigger - it just makes her look smaller, and despite my best efforts I can't help conclude she's still the more stylish of the two. With the StreetKa, it was a partnership of equals.

To this day, I cannot picture Kylie Minogue driving anything else.

The north west's motorsport stars of the future

A LITTLE Lewis Hamilton from Westhead is proving so successful he's now taking part in a tougher series of races designed to help his talent go full-throttle.

Ben Deeming (pictured above, front left) might be just seven years old but he's already tipped to be a motorsport star of the future after grabbing the lap record in the Formula Bambino at the Daytona kart track in Manchester - and to keep up with him and his racing rivals the track's managers have revised the race series to ensure it keeps up to speed with their talent.

“The quality and continual improvement they have shown has surpassed any of our expectations. It is rare to see children this young posses such drive, ambition and dedication,” said Nick Hughes, general manager.

“They are qualities we want to continue to nurture, not put on hold, hence the changes to the Formula Bambino structure.”

Ben Deeming became one of the stars of the Formula Bambino series, which was instigated in 2009 and is aimed at youngsters aged between five and seven years old, after he took a lap record at the circuit and impressed much older and more experienced racers with his pace behind the wheel.

In a series of changes aimed at nurturing the youngsters' talent further still Daytona has introduced a brand new points-scoring championship with leaderboard and podium presentations included, with racing is conducted solely against each other’s lap times and any overtaking is controlled by track marshalls ensuring optimum safety for the Bambinos on the 450m adult track. Only Bambino drivers who have advanced through all the introductory levels are eligible to take part.

“Daytona has given kids like Ben the opportunity to take part in something that’s exciting and that allows healthy and safe competition at this age,” said Jeff Deeming, Ben's father.

“Ben has grown as an individual as he takes lessons learned on the track into his everyday life. It’s fantastic to see and something we will continue support him and Daytona.”

For more information on Daytona Manchester’s Bambino Karting visit www.daytona.co.uk/venues/manchester/juniors or call 0161 876 0876.

The Life On Cars Radio Show

WHILE I could have used the new MP3 dictaphone in The Champion office for something vaguely useful, I've used it to record a show about cars instead.

As part of a venture for ChampRadio, the paper's new online radio station, I offered to do a recorded version of the banter you're probably used to reading on here and in the back pages of a certain local newspaper. It's essentially a follow up to what I did with Dune FM - the last show was in June last year - but with a more of an emphasis on new cars on their way to a showroom near you.

You can check this week's episode out by clicking on the link below to see what guest Katie Massam and I think of a whole host of cars, and you can check out all the other broadcasts on the "Radio" link on the blog.

You can also get involved, if you've got an opinion about cars and don't mind having a microphone thrust in your face, by getting in touch.

Until then, enjoy...

Prepare to fire up the... Ford Focus

IF you or I got reached the grand old age of 100, chances are we'd probably celebrate with a bottle of bubbly and a telegram from the Queen.

But Ford of Britain's chosen to mark the centenary of launching a massively successful motor car for the people - the Model T - by launching another massively successful motor car for the people. If the third generation of the Focus isn't on every high street in the land by the end of this year, I will do a Champion report on me eating my words.

You only have to look at the sales figures to know why I can confidently predict how fast the new Focus will sell; in 2010, the blue oval sold no less than 77,804 of the old, outgoing model, meaning in terms of new car sales it was only beaten by the Fiesta and Astra, both of which are much newer models.

First launched in 1998, the Focus proved a sales hit after proving you don't have to be a car bore to appreciate a hatchback that's a hoot to drive, as the crisply-engineered first generation definitely was. The second generation might not have had the edgy styling of the original but it moved the game on again in 2004, meaning the all-new Focus has a tough act to follow.

Starting at £15,995 for the 1.6 petrol Edge model, the new Focus is promising to use smart technology in its battle to win back the hatchback sales crown from the Vauxhall Astra, including digital radio (DAB), Bluetooth and USB connectivity, voice control of key convenience features, Thatcham Category 1 alarm, Ford Easy Fuel (to prevent misfuelling), front, side and curtain airbags, ESP, ABS and Isofix child seat attachments.

It'll also include the company's new Torque Vectoring Control, which it says will make the Focus follow in its forebear's fun-to-drive footstesps, and an ST hot hatch version is expected in showrooms soon after the more basic models.

So many happy returns, Ford of Britain, and I look forward to seeing the Focus just about everywhere over the next few months.

Battling the Welsh weather? Choose your weapon...

A FAST Ford, a classic Mini, a regal old Rover and a vivacious Italian supermini. Given the choice and a wet weekend in the wilds of Wales, which would you take?

It's not a question you've ever needed to answer before but - in the noble interests of Life On Cars research - a few friends and I have ventured over the border and battled with flash flooding, high winds and twisty roads strewn with rocks and tree branches, so you won't have to. Oh, and sampled a few of the best roads in Britain while we were at it.

Our mission for the weekend was to head to Llandudno to meet up with an annual parade of old Minis which meet up on the town's promenade for a special display, but given only one of our party was actually in one we decided to give the official route a miss and head over the mountains and through the valleys. If you fancy giving it a go yourself tap some of the following phrases into your computer; Horseshoe Pass, Evo Triangle, Llanberis Pass, accident recovery.

I've always enjoyed a good road as much as a good car, making the route we'd chosen a sort of petrolhead's paradise; twisty, challenging, and blessed with stunning scenery instead of traffic. Thanks to the miracle of Google Street View you can even check out these captivating roads long before you reach them.

The four machines we'd brought along, I wager, were all brilliant in their own particular way and yet none were really perfect either for the job of providing hours of fun and frolics on narrow, twisty lanes while surviving torrential rain and battering gales.

The Ford Mondeo ST Estate, for instance, was the fastest and comfiest, but more than once it struggled to get round some of the tighter bends on account of it being so big. The Fiat Punto a friend had brought along and the Rover 214 I was travelling in could, but you always got the sense they were designed for stages smaller than the testing terrain of a really, really challenging road in the middle of nowhere.

In fact, the one car I was coveting the entire trip was the Mini in my mirrors, because having owned one I know its pin-sharp steering and bouncy suspension would easily have made up for the shortfall in the engine department. Well, I coveted it right up until it refused to start the following morning, helping me to remember that they don't make 'em like they used to. They make 'em better.

The answer is that doesn't matter which of our unlikely foursome you take to the thrilling mountain passes in this captivating corner of Wales. You'll be enjoying yourself so much, it won't matter.

Fire up the.... Skoda Roomster

IT'S roomy, reliable, really rather nice to drive and a bargain to boot. Yep, the Skoda Yeti's got all the bases covered when it comes to family cars.

So superb is Skoda's chunky off-road crossover that it was one of a select few cars shortlisted for the not-at-all prestigious Life On Cars car of the year award, as you might have read on here last month. It's perfect for lugging things and dogs about from your home to the countryside, and thanks to Skoda still being from the bargain-basement end of the VW Group's range it's surprisingly good value compared to its rivals.

The only problem for the Czech carmaker is that's just the description you would have given less than two years to the Roomster, a similarly-sized Skoda you'd be forgiven for thinking has been completely eclipsed by the younger Yeti.

Sure, the older offering doesn't give you the same feeling of quality you'd get in the Yeti when it comes to the quality of the interior, with the gearknob on the version I tried being particularly plasticky. But it's still something designed under the watch of sturdiness-obsessed Volkswagen, and what you lack in colour coordination and excitement is easily made up by its feeling of unremitting toughness.

Nor it as commanding as the Yeti or as sporty as Peugeot's much newer 3008 to drive, but it still feels like a car - and emphatically not a people carrier, van or off-roader - from behind the wheel. The Roomster's party trick was always to feel Westminster Abbey spacious in the rear and yet cocooned and cosy in the front, and once you've taken one on even the briefest of drives you'll instantly understand the logic behind that initially odd styling.

But here's the killer; while the Roomster's not as good as its newer, similarly-sized sister, it's also a good two grand cheaper across the range, while offering a distinctively different look and even more space inside, where it matters.

Unless you're completely won over by the Yeti it's a Skoda to overlook at your peril.

As published in The Champion on January 12, 2011

UPDATE: Life On Cars is launching the not-at-all tenuously titled Prepare to fire up the... section next week, giving you a glimpse at some of 2011's big hitters long before they hit the showrooms. Watch this space...

The only person who knows whether you'll like a new car is you

AN ADMISSION. I actually know very little about the thorough business of test driving cars.

Every week, provided you actually make it past the news, the entertainment, the classifieds and the dating ads to The Champion's motoring page - and haven't end up there by mistake because you're actually looking for the sport section - you're greeted not only with this column, but on increasing occasions by a road test of something new and flashy I've just driven.

Unfortunately, I think it's given off the impression I actually know a thing or two about new cars.

I was a bit embarrassed when a high-ranking member of Lancashire County Council rang up the other day and asked for advice on which of the current crop of the superminis she should invest her hard-earned into. I suggested Ford's Fiesta (this column's car of the year, 2009) and Suzuki's sprightly Swift (runner up, 2010), with the likes of the Fabia, Panda and Jazz worth looking into. But could I reccomend the Polo, the Yaris or the current Clio? Nope, because I haven't test driven any of them.

Nor is my own patchy record of cars I've actually owned anything to go by, unless you're particularly partial to the more rot-prone motors produced decades ago by the long-gone British Leyland empire. The only car I've ever owned that was totally reliable was a £100 Renault 5, which I had to scrap in the end after discovering its main construction material was rust.

While I can tell you fairly confidently that the new Ford Focus will be one of 2011's biggest hits and what a 414bhp Lexus IS-F feels like under full throttle, the only way to make an informed decision about what new car to buy is still to try it out for yourself. It's as much about taste as it is technology, and the only person who knows whether you'll like the revamped Vauxhall Corsa is you.

Don't get me wrong; there's some cracking corkers of cars on sale right now, and as long as I'm allowed to drive them I'll let you know what I think. But the best bet's to ring up your friendly local dealer and ask to have a go.

Phwoar!

NOW that I've got your attention I'd like to talk to you about new laws the Government want to bring in outlawing owning an uninsured vehicle. It won't take a moment. Honest.

I immediately baulked when I read this report in this morning's Telegraph, which says that Road Safety Minister Mike Penning wants to make owning a car that isn't insured - as opposed to just driving one - an offence.

Crumbs. I own a car that isn't insured. Chances are, if you're doing up an old classic and it's been sat solemnly in the garage over the last few months, so do you.

It may have been The Telegraph's exclusive but I was relieved when I read the BBC's slightly more accurate version a couple of hours later; yep, if your car's on a Statutory Off Road Notice, or SORN, you won't be affected.

Naturally, being a journalist myself it's probably not in my interests to point out misleading articles - I've probably written a few in my time - but if you've read The Telegraph's article and got the jitters over the idea of a fine from the DVLA, don't worry.

At present it is illegal to drive a car while uninsured. The penalty for doing so is a maximum fine of £5,000 and six to eight penalty points. The police have the power to seize, and in some cases, destroy the vehicle that is being driven uninsured.

Under the new system, it will be an offence to keep an uninsured car. But - as the Department for Transport are now at pains to point out - owners who have a Statutory Off Road Notification, enabling them to keep their uninsured car, would not be affected.

Anyway; the Porsche 918RSR is the car you see in the pic above and just happens to be a hybrid that puts out 767bhp. I'll have mine with insurance, please.

Reasons to smile if you've got a classic car

SOARING car insurance premiums, petrol that costs £1.30 a gallon, an expensive electric hatchback being crowned European Car of the Year - you'd be forgiven for thinking that, in the dead of winter, there's little to smile about if you're a petrolhead.

But fear not, because a summer of spectacular motoring moments is just a few months away!

There's an astounding array of events already being organised for 2011, and Life On Cars is looking to bring you details of all the best shows not only in Sefton and West Lancashire, but further afield as well.

In all cases it's advised to get in touch with the organisers sooner rather than later, as popular events get fully booked quicker than you might you think!

for just a taster of the many events being planned, take a look at our newly revamped Events page.

Ormskirk Motorfest will be an event to remember

2011, I reckon, is going to be a vintage year for one reason in particular. The sight and sound of Astons and Ferraris burning rubber on Ormskirk's one way system!

If I'd said a year ago that for one sunny Sunday this August the market town's notorious one-way system, best known for cramming most of West Lancashire's traffic into a surprisingly confined space, would be put to better use as a parade route for some mouthwatering motors, you would have laughed. But it's going to happen, and it's got the borough council's backing!

Most of you will already know the venue, because you'll have sat in it in your car on a Friday evening, idling in neutral and desperate to get home. Whether I'm visiting the town itself or passing through it, I don't particularly enjoy having to be part of the traffic problem and - judging by the amount of letters we get on the subject - those of you who actually live in Ormskirk don't particularly like it either. It is, I reckon, a necessary evil of the region's road network.

But even though it snakes around the town centre in a roughley circular route, I've never thought of it as an impromptu circuit in the way Monaco or Spa might be, so my hat goes off to whoever did. It's brilliant: close the roads off for a couple of hours, use it show off some Jags, MGs and old F1 cars, and give the local economy a bit of a boost at the same time.

Ormskirk Motorfest is the one event I'm really looking forward to because it's got all the right ingredients, blending the organisational know-how of the Aintree Circuit Club, the full support of the local authority, the potential for it to be held on one of Britain's four sunny days each summer, and - best of all - a supporting cast of scores of classic cars.

Get it down in your diary for Sunday, August 28 and make sure that old classic in the garage is actually finished in time for the big event, because I reckon it'll be a full-throttle event to remember.

I, for one, can't wait.


UPDATE, Friday January 7th:

We at The Champion were innundated with requests from classic car fans for more information on the upcoming Ormskirk Motorfest after it was featured in this week's edition.

The Life On Cars column featured details of the the inaugural classic car parade and show, set to take place in Ormskirk town centre on Sunday, August 28, and following the many responses from readers The Champion is happy to provide more details of how to get in touch to get your car or club involved in the event.

For more information on the event contact John Bailie, the event coordinator of Aintree Circuit Club, on 07860 255485 or get in touch with him by email on jb@aintree.org.uk

If you're getting in touch why not drop a line to The Champion and tell us about it? Let us know by sending an email to david.simister@champnews.com or by calling 01794 392404. Alternatively, leave a comment on the blog.

Fuelling the debate

THIS week my Champion-reading mates have all been asking me the same question, usually in the same startled tone of voice. Petrol costs how much?

Rises in both fuel duty and VAT over the past week have meant fuel prices have soared in parts of Sefton and West Lancashire to as much as £1.30 per litre for petrol and as much as £1.35 per litre for diesel, meaning the cost of filling your car up now easily beats the previous price records, set in the summer of 2008.

“When you combine the 3.5 per cent increases from the fuel duty and VAT rises this week and those when more fuel duty is added in April, it will put 7p on a litre of unleaded petrol,” said AA spokesman Luke Bodset.

“Low-income drivers, youngsters with their first job who live at home, and part-time workers having to drive to work will be hit hard. There will also be a knock-on effect on the leisure industry, hotels and restaurants because motorists will not be able to afford to go out as much.”

It's also worth remembering that if you think fuel prices are bad now, they're going to get worse, with the Coalition Government planning further increases to the cost of fuel in August. The Freight Transport Association has also said it expects hauliers to be among the worst affected, with fuel costs for them on average going up by £3,800 a year compared to 2009.

Do you think drivers are being overcharged for fuel? Or do you think it's a necessary evil in the Government's attempts to balance the books? Let us know by sending an email to david.simister@champnews.com or commenting on this blog post.

Even an unfinished MGB is still a proper sports car

CARBURETTORS, bodywork, master brake cylinders and bonnet release cables. These are just a few of the things I'm no good at repairing.

The chap working for the RAC who I called out to revive my Rover after it temporarily died during a week of being stood in the snow while I was gadding about in Germany will already know what I'm about to tell you; despite everything I say about cars, I am no good at repairing them. Mechanics, like open-heart surgery or trying to explain the cultural appeal of Ant and Dec, is a complicated affair which I cannot hope to understand.

As a result my hat goes off to my dad, who definitely does understand how engines and cars work, ans has - over the past few months - been appointed Project Leader on the restoration of an MGB I bought last year. Nope, it still isn't finished yet, but so far he's done a cracking job.

Since last July, I've watched the '72 GT evolve from a stationary crock in a shed in Cumbria to the fully-functioning beast it is today, and though it's still a long way off from that glorious day in Spring when it'll all be finished, I have finally driven it. It's not as good as I was expecting a sports car designed in the early Sixties to be. It's much better!

I could have bought a MK1 Mazda MX-5, the sports car I actually wanted in the first place, but being an idiot I bought the MG instead for much the same reasons I bought the old Mini; I bought it because it's as smoothly sculpted as the Lakeland countryside it was resting in and because I almost felt duty bound as a petrolhead to get a bit of Britain's illustrious sports car heritage back on the road.

Despite a history of dramatic breakdowns I loved my old Mini because it felt like a sports car, but this rear wheel drive, two-and-a-bit seater with one of motoring's most evocative names actually is one. To quote the Project Leader, the newly-fettled BMC B-Series lump makes the whole car "pull like a train" but to focus on that alone would be to miss out on the beautifully balanced steering you get through the gorgeous Mota Lita wooden wheel and the throaty noise you can when you give it the beans. It's an MX-5 with an understanding of real ales.

I'll be honest; at first I wasn't sure whether the Abingdon old-timer was ever going to live up to my expectations, but now I can't wait to get it to the Buttertubs Pass in North Yorkshire and find out what Britain's best driving road feels like from a proper sports car.

It's just a shame I'll be no good at mending the inevitable mechanical guts that come with the full-throttle glory. Watch this space...