Old Gold Top Gear
Nissan’s crazy Juke-R
Real World Review: Fiat Panda 100HP
Electric Shatchback: Renault Fluence Z.E Dynamique
The 14th of February 2012 was the day I finally got to drive an electric car. Yes, PetrolBlog has propelled itself into the 21st century by experiencing what some people predict is the future of motoring.
That point is debatable of course. There are alternative fuels in development and electric cars have some way to go before they can be considered a realistic alternative to the internal combustion engine. Not only are the cars costly to buy, but there just isn’t the infrastructure to support a nation of electric cars. What’s more, the charging time and the anticipated range of an average electric car just isn’t enough to satisfy most drivers.
But like it or not, electric cars are becoming more common place and can now be seen as just another model in a manufacturer’s range of vehicles. In a relatively short space of time, they’ve gone from being the slightly eccentric uncle in the corner to the perfect dinner party guest. Read more 
Old Gold Top Gear
Nothing divides opinion quite like Top Gear. There are those who cherish the hour of entertainment on Sunday night and there are those who would rather shoot themselves in the knee caps in front of their family than watch the show. Then there’s another group who will watch it and then mutter a few grumbling words as the closing credits roll up the screen. Normally the mutterings will be bemoaning the fact that Top Gear is no longer a car show, merely an entertainment show. Some will go as far as calling for a return to the days when Top Gear occupied the 8.30 slot on a Thursday evening. The days of William Woollard, Sue Baker, Chris Goffey and Tony Mason. Or perhaps more recently, the days of Tiff Needell, Quentin Willson, Vicki Butler-Henderson and Mr Clarkson himself. Read more
Nissan’s crazy Juke-R
There’s a lot of waffle and bunk on the internet surrounding the Nissan Juke-R. For example, there’s a rumour that the bigwigs at Nissan HQ knew nothing about the concept and weren’t best pleased when news of its existence emerged from Europe. I suspect the story is the stuff of internet legend, but I rather hope that parts of it are true.
There’s something delightfully old school about the story. I have visions of a couple of chaps meeting in the bar after a work and, following a few of pints of Old Thumper, somebody makes the point that “we’re not using the GT-R enough”. A direct quote from Nissan. Read more
In defence of Shatchbacks
Antony Ingram is clearly growing quite attached to Chez PetrolBlog. Only last week he was waxing lyrical about his Fiat Panda 100HP, which he just happens to be selling. A week later and he’s back, but this time he’s not writing about talented Italian pocket rockets. Oh no. Mr Ingram is here to do the unthinkable – defend the Shatchback. He’s been threatening it for a while now and, much as it pains me to admit it, he does make some valid points. Heck, I even find some of the cars he mentions quite desirable. I think I need to go for a lie down, so I’ll hand you over to Mr Ingram.
I have a terrible, terrible confession to make.
I’m no murderer. Nor do I secretly like Justin Bieber. And I’ve not been cheating on anyone.
No, my confession is that – much as it pains me to say it – I quite like Shatchbacks. Read more
So you want to drive in the snow?
In a welcome change for PetrolBlog, resident guest blogger, Rob Griggs-Taylor has provided some genuinely useful content. Here he draws on his time in the north of Scotland to offer some sensible advice for driving in snow. It’s good stuff. But if you miss the inane waffle and bunk, don’t worry, normal service will be resumed soon.
It snowed today and so lots of you are going to try and drive through the snow to accomplish journeys like you do every day. This is not always a great idea so I thought it was time to pass on some advice gleaned from years of driving in the north of Scotland.
PetrolBlog’s New Year’s resolutions
If one of my new year’s resolutions was to be a little more structured with my blog scheduling, then I’m afraid I’ve failed miserably. If early January was a drought, then the last week could best be described as a flood. If you subscribe to PetrolBlog via email or RSS, then you have my apologies for the barrage of waffle.
But hopefully you’ll forgive me for this blog. I started writing it on December 31st and seeing as it’s now February 2012, I felt it was about time it had an airing. Especially when you consider the subject matter. Read more
Charlie Johnson’s Real World Dream Barn
Another Real World Dream Barn and I’m delighted to say that it’s the turn of none other than Charlie Johnson of Retro & Classic Cars fame. If you’re into old cars, I suggest you take a look at his site, but not before you’ve checked out the ten cars that will be fighting for space in his barn. It’s a rather eclectic mix. Nice one, Charlie.
It’s taken me a long time to gather these thoughts. And thoughts, even when published, may leave a certain amount of uncertainly in one’s mind once they’re live on PetrolBlog. The Real World Dream Barn involves a lot of thought, or so it would seem to me. Followers of my twitter feed will know that I have a habit of going through a number of cars throughout a day. Why? Well, once I’m distracted by something else that appeals, the first car mentioned is shoved to the back. Read more
The Pentillie Festival of Speed 2012
It isn’t often that my day job overlaps with PetrolBlog. In fact, I’ve deliberately kept the two things separate. The day job is a means that allows PetrolBlog to function, with PetrolBlog itself delivering a nice distraction away from the real world.
But sometimes it’s impossible to draw a definite line between the two. So when I was asked to get involved with the initial planning and marketing of the inaugural Pentillie Festival of Speed, I knew it would be of interest to PetrolBlog readers too. So, obligatory notices of my indirect involvement with the event out of the way, let me tell you more about it. Read more
Nissan Micra: Have you driven one?
It was Craig that came up with the idea for the Real World Reviews, so it’s good to see some more words from him arriving in the PetrolBlog inbox. Here he presents a rather solid defence of the Nissan Micra. Good stuff, Craig.
Have you driven one?
This should, in my opinion, be the first question levelled at a critic of a car’s performance in order to work out if what follows has any substance. Anyone is entitled to comment on the aesthetics and those who’ve sat inside and twiddled all the knobs are justified in critiquing the ergonomics; however, those who would calmly place their pint on the table and state ‘of course, the 458 is a far better drive than the LP670-4′ had better have some miles under their belt in each. Read more
Real World Review: Fiat Panda 100HP
The Fiat 100HP is a car I’ve coveted for some time. I’ve even come close to buying one. Twice. Reading Antony Ingram’s review has done little to dampen my enthusiasm for this brilliant little pocket rocket. Antony’s is in the right colour too. If you’re thinking of buying one, buy his. Go ahead, do it. Do it.
I bought the 100HP somewhat on a whim.
By that I don’t mean that I had a big pile of cash lying about and dropped it all on a Fiat – more that I wasn’t really expecting to see it when I went car shopping back in late 2010, to replace my old Mazda MX5, that had met its maker thanks to the attentions of Mr Sneaky Thieving Bastard. Read more
PetrolBlog looks at: waterless car cleaning
It’s a measure of how far behind I am with fresh content on PetrolBlog that I used this car cleaning product way back in September 2011 when I still had the Honda Accord Type-Shed. It’s also a measure of how different my priorities are these days when I remember that the last time I actually washed one of my cars was back in November. Oh dear.
Once upon a time, washing the car would be weekly chore. Actually no, it wasn’t a chore, it was something I actually enjoyed. Today though, there are too many other things to worry about, meaning the weekly car wash has turned into the quarterly scrub, wash and polish. I guess the days when I reviewed new cars for PetrolBlog have a small part to play in it. A car would arrive spotless and then leave a week later covered in dirt. Read more
Tom’s Real World Dream Barn
I’m delighted to say we’ve received another Real World Dream Barn. This time it’s the turn of Tom Cornish, aka @DrRectalExam on twitter. Don’t let his twitter name put you off, as is demonstrated by his dream list, he clearly knows a thing or two about cars and is well worth a follow. Over to Tom…
The Real World Dream barn is quite a challenge, but not one you’d moan about having. The £30k budget forces you neglect newer exotics, but the big upside is you won’t be hemorrhaging your money to depreciation. In fact it’s more than likely that you’ll find yourself making money on the cars here, not that you’d want to sell them. I’ve tried to approach this with logic, having cars I’d actually see myself using regularly. Read more
James Bond: Licence to park
Last week I was present at the launch of the new Bond in Motion exhibition at the Beaulieu National Motor Museum. It was a lavish affair, complete with champagne, celebrities and people who were generally dressed in much smarter clothes than I. Almost immediately I was greeted by the sight of Britt Ekland sprawled across the bonnet of an Aston Martin. Then, within a matter of minutes, I caught sight of Esther Rantzen, Colin Salmond and Eunice Gayson. I don’t recall Esther Rantzen ever being a Bond girl. Maybe she was in the concept film, Live and That’s Life?
Once the tour of the Bond vehicles was complete, I did my customary wander around the car park. You may remember that I spent a quite delightful couple of hours looking around the car park at the Goodwood Festival of Speed? Read more
Alan’s not converted
Recently, Mr Alan Liddell gave us the lowdown on his Real World Dream Barn. Clearly inspired by the positivity surrounding his top ten list, he’s now written some words on one of his motoring pet hates. I’ll leave the waffling to Alan now, but will say that you can follow him on twitter @aldoliddell.
I have loved following the Shatchback story here on PetrolBlog. It has struck a chord with many petrolheads and has inspired me to write about a type of car that I have a problem with, and that is a car with no roof…
Now, I don’t really mean cars that have been designed to be a roadster/convertible, although i don’t like too many of them either. No, the ones that get me are the everyday family cars that have had a tin opener taken to them. Read more
PetrolBlog looks at Bond in Motion
Yesterday I was invited to the press launch of Bond in Motion, a new exhibition that showcases 50 vehicles in 50 years of James Bond films.
The exhibition, which opens on the 17th January 2012, is the largest of its kind staged anywhere in the world. What’s more, all of the vehicles are the originals.
Now you may be thinking that James Bond and PetrolBlog wouldn’t be the best of bed fellows and to be fair, you’d probably have a point. Indeed, when I arrived at the launch and noticed guests arriving by helicopter and a number of genuine celebrities, I began to wonder what I was doing there. Fortunately the sight of Richard Gunn’s delightful Austin Allegro helped me to feel at ease! Read more
Ask MajorGav and then take a SEAT
Back in November 2011, PetrolBlog was contacted by drummer Sam Jones who was looking for a new car. He wanted some advice and so we helpfully put together a list of ten potential cars that suited his ‘fun for £1,500′ criteria. At PetrolBlog, we’re the last people to blow our own trumpets, but we must say we were rather pleased with the shortlist.
Well clearly Sam prefers the sound of drums to trumpets, as he promptly ignored the advice and bought a SEAT Leon! Sensible chap. Read more
Ton Dumans writes: Petrolheads, Porsche and Police
Ton Dumans is back, so that can only mean two things. First of all, this post is going to be about Porsches. Second of all, despite the previous claim, this post won’t be very much about cars at all. Remember, you can follow Ton on twitter @Tonsty.
Everyone who knows me even just a little bit, knows that I am into Porsches and that I have been for as long as they can remember. Most people accept this as a fact (hey, we all have our limitations, right?), whilst others tend to wonder why. Of all the cars in the world, why Porsche, and how come I already loved them when I was barely out of nappies? Read more
Alan’s Real World Dream Barn
Last year I had an email from a good chap called Alan. He’s a reader of PetrolBlog and does his bit to support the site on a couple of social media sites. He also took the time to drop me an email towards the end of last year, in which he neatly presented his ten cars for a Real World Dream Barn. How did I repay Alan’s loyalty? By not getting around to posting it, that’s how. I’ve offered an apology of course, but have stopped short of sending some Hobnobs up to Scotland.
Instead, without further ado, here’s Alan’s Real World Dream Barn. Once again, sorry for the delay, Alan. Read more
Happy New PetrolBlog Score
PetrolBlog is thundering headlong into 2012 and is fast approaching its second birthday. Of the 243 posts that have been written, there have been a number of reviews, at the end of which I try to reach a conclusive verdict on the car ‘what I’ve driven’. It’s a personal opinion of course, but I believe a conclusion should be drawn.
In 2010, I gave the Suzuki Swift Sport the title of PetrolBlog Car of the Year. This wasn’t based on a scoring system or any kind of scientific measurement, more an emotional attachment to a car that I fell head over heels in love with.
But as I started preparing the shortlist for PetrolBlog Car of the Year 2011, I realised that I perhaps needed something a little more scientific than my gut instinct. It ties in nicely with a piece I’m writing on what exactly is a ‘PetrolBlog car’? Some kind of scoring system would help matters tremendously. Read more
Practical magic: Renaultsport Twingo, Clio & Mégane
I must be the only person in the civilised world not to have seen one of the Harry Potter films. I haven’t even read any of the books.
Until now, this has never caused me any real problems. In fact, it’s only dinner parties where my lack of Potter knowledge has caused any real concern. As the subject invariably comes around to the latest ‘soopa-doopa’ Harry Potter and the Deathly Half-Pint movie, I’m forced to either miss 20 minutes of riveting conversation or nod my head gormlessly in a manner that would do John Redwood proud at a Welsh National Assembly meeting. Read more
