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...