Real World Reviews: Audi 80 1.8S
Darren has been a good friend of mine for as long as I can remember and I’ve been on at him for some time to pen a review of his wonderful old Audi 80. I’m pleased to say he has finally caved in and written the following article for PetrolBlog. It really is a peach of a car and a credit to Darren and his father. If he ever contemplates the ridiculous and puts it up for sale, I’ll be at the front of the queue.
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SMMT Day: Speed dating with cars
This week I was invited to the annual SMMT Day at the Millbrook proving ground in Bedfordshire. Put simply, the SMMT Day involves automotive journalists and bloggers getting together in a central place with the primary aim of driving as many cars as possible. Or as I like to call it, speed dating with cars. OK, there’s also the opportunity to mingle with the good folk of the UK press offices, but in truth, the real attraction is the vast selection of cars available to drive. Think ‘kid in a sweet shop’ and you’d have some idea as to how it felt to be there. Read more
Car magazines: Olden but golden?
Being of a certain age, I’ve built up quite a list of things that I like to be ‘just so’. For example, I happen to think that Coke tastes best when chilled and poured into a long glass with ice. It just doesn’t taste as good straight out of a bottle, or worse still, straight from a can. I also like a glass of fresh orange juice with my weekend breakfast. Let it be said that I will also choose a BBC radio station over a commercial equivalent as I cannot stand advertisements interrupting my music. Not to mention the drone and forced jollity of a commercial radio DJ. All insignificant things to the majority of people, but to me they represent a small selection of factors that go towards making the world a happier place.
Rob Griggs-Taylor’s Real World Dream Barn
Last month, following a confession about supercars, I posted the contents of my Real World Dream Barn. It sparked a bit of interest, with other fine petrolheads offering their own list of ten cars. Now, Rob Griggs-Taylor offers his own list of ten cars and in doing so has penned his second article for PetrolBlog. You can read his earlier contribution here. In the meantime, check out his list. There are some real crackers in here.
Over to you Rob… Read more
The real Skoda puzzle?
If you’re a fan of US crime dramas on Channel 5, you’ve probably noticed a couple of things in recent weeks. Firstly, and I’m guessing here, the crime dramas involve lots of dead people, a fair amount of swearing and copious amounts of pretty people going about their business attempting to solve the murders. You may also have noticed that each ad break is topped and tailed by Skoda and their latest campaign, ‘Skoda Puzzle’. Linking a campaign centred on puzzle solving with televisual crime dramas isn’t exactly genius at work, but the actual approach is really rather slick. Read more
Safe sex: Volvo C30 T5 R-Design Polestar
The C30 is Volvo’s attempt at reaching out to a younger audience and winning a few conquest customers. Based on the S40, it is available solely in a 3-door, 4-seat configuration and having been launched in the latter stages of 2006, it is somewhat of a familiar sight on British roads. Having Ford’s C1 platform means it should be dynamically sound and as you’d expect, safety is a key part of the C30′s make-up.
This review follows a week driving the cooking T5 R-Design with Polestar upgrade, a model that shares the same 2.5 litre 5-cylinder engine as the previous generation Focus ST, so I had high hopes for this car. But does it make for a viable alternative to the BMW 1-series or Audi A3? Read more
Real World Reviews: Peugeot 205 GTi
PetrolBlog has followed the progress of FailCar’s Peugeot 205 GTi with great interest. But now, two months in, he’s penned a review. Very good it is too.
I have been driving the Peugeot 205 GTi now as a daily driver for the past two months, (over 2,000 miles), so I figured it was time for a Real Word Review on what it’s like to live with every day. Read more
The PetrolBlog Point #5: Driving with Angry Birds
I’d consider myself to be something of a bird lover. I gladly renew my RSPB membership each year and try to make a point of ensuring the bird feeders in the garden are topped up with seeds. I don’t go as far as wandering around the countryside with a pair of binoculars, but I try to take care of our feathered friends.
So why on God’s earth do they seem intent on sending me to an early grave? There are already enough hazards on the road to contend with, so I could do without adding the little birds to the list. I mean, I can just about cope with the odd tractor emerging from a hedgerow, a slow moving Honda Jazz, a wild animal or the ever increasing number of potholes, but one more hazard might just tip me over the edge. Read more
Simon’s Car Spots: feeding the habit
I’ve got a long held belief that social media was invented for the petrolhead. Take twitter for example, which is essentially just a modern way of sharing dirty photos of cars and classified ads. You spot a car you like on Auto Trader, copy the link and post it to twitter. You’re then greeted with virtual nods of approval, tales of former ownership or encouragement to step away from the situation and stop being so silly. But whatever the situation, it sure beats flicking through the pages of Auto Trader in your downstairs cloakroom. The once lonely act of perusing car ads can now be shared with friends, leaving you safe in the knowledge that although your guilty pleasure may not be a healthy addiction, at least you’re amongst friends. Read more
Volkswagen Amarok: the new Fred Dibnah?
I recently received an email from Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles suggesting that I might be interested in a little PR-stunt they were involved with. I have to admit that I skimmed through the email on my iPhone and on first viewing I thought they were launching a new range of anoraks. Not being known for my sartorial elegance, I figured they’d written down the wrong email address and were instead looking to get hold of MajorGok or MajorGeorge at Asda. Fashion really isn’t my thing.
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Fahrtman Longstroke rants: Porsche 911
Introducing Fahrtman Longstroke, PetrolBlog’s new guest blogger. Longstroke promises to deliver a unique and honest view of the motoring industry, or at least that’s what he promised in his email! If this opening blog is anything to go by, he’s sure to ruffle a few feathers and he’s not afraid of telling it how it is. Needless to say his views are his own and not necessary those of PetrolBlog. Much. Over to you Longstroke… Read more
Whatever happened to…Top Gear challenge cars?
Love it or hate it, Top Gear is a great British success story. Messrs Clarkson, Hammond and May, along with the production team, have taken a little motoring show and turned it into a global brand. If I owned a hat, I’d doff it to them. But I don’t, so I won’t.
For me, Top Gear can blow hot and cold. The show is capable of moments of pure brilliance, but can also deliver periods of decidedly lukewarm output. For example, the ‘Star in a reasonably priced car’ feature is my cue to go and make a cup of tea and grab a Hobnob. Read more
Vorsprung Durch Crisis: Audi Q5 Cross Cabriolet
There’s only one thing I find more depressing than the current line-up of Audi models and that’s the thought of what’s to come in the future. I’ve already had my say about the forthcoming Q3, but this lunchtime I chanced upon the concept cars section of the Audi website. Read more
Here’s one they made earlier: Nissan Micra
Glam metal band Cinderella once sang that you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone. Many a true word spoken by the long haired rockers from Philadelphia, although I’m pretty certain that they weren’t referring to the Nissan Micra. But if they were, hats off to them, as I think they may have a point. Read more
The PetrolBlog Point #4: Think Bike
I’m not a motorcyclist; I much prefer four wheels to two. As much was evident when, as a toddler, I moved from a trike to a kart rather than a bike. My one and only experience on a motorbike is limited to a brief pillion ride on the back of a Swiss-registered Honda Gold Wing at some point in the 1990s, but I’m not entirely sure that actually counts. Were it not for the fact that I was wearing a crash helmet and leathers, I could have sworn I was simply being transported around on a rather salubrious leather rocking chair. In truth, my knowledge of motorcycles could probably fit on the back of a Swiss postage stamp. In fact, I may even struggle to spot the difference between a Honda Gold Wing or a Honda Silver Wing.
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