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
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
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
Driven: Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X FQ-300
It might be hard to believe, but the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution was born in 1992, so next year it will celebrate its 20th Birthday. Does that make you feel old? It does me, not least because 1992 was also the year that a mad fool gave me a driving licence and presented me with the freedom of British roads. I can’t remember the name of the chap who uttered the delightful words “you’ve passed”, which is a shame really, because he’s probably one of the most significant people I’ve ever come into contact with. Thank you Mr unknown chap at the Bournemouth test centre. Read more
Winter warmer: Peugeot 308 CC GT THP 200
It’s often reported that here in Britain, we buy more convertible cars than our friends on the continent. Despite having what can best be described as a changeable climate, we like nothing more than the thought of ‘wind-in-the-hair’, topless motoring. Indeed, research earlier in the year by LV= suggested that the number of convertibles on the road has risen by 599% since 1993, making them the fast growing car type in Britain. The total figure is just under one million, which must be music to the ears of hairdressers up and down the country who are tasked with fixing bad cases of ‘convertible hair’. Read more
Back to the future: Audi A1 Sportback
Considering how much I rate the Audi A2, it’s quite a surprise to discover that in PetrolBlog’s 21 months of existence, it hasn’t warranted a single mention. Oh for sure, it’s often a topic of conversation on twitter and it isn’t long before someone tweets that the A2 was ‘ten years ahead of its time’ or it was ‘launched ten years too early’. Thinking about it, it’s often me who says that.
The truth is, when the car was launched in the year 2000, the public wasn’t really ready for the A2. This was a car for the new millennium and yet many people seemed unwilling to embrace the future. Read more
Darren’s Audi 80 1.8S: an update
Darren has been back in touch with PetrolBlog with a quick update on his wonderful Audi 80. It has been totally plain sailing recently…
No sooner had I mentioned in the original review that the car had generally been reliable, when Mr Sod made an unwelcome appearance, complete with legislation. Read more
Recession buster: Jaguar XKR-S
I’ve cracked it. Where countless politicians and economists have failed, I think I may have found a solution to the economic crisis. Forget quantitative easing, interest rates and house building, the one thing that can drag us out of the recession is the Jaguar XKR-S.
You might need to bear with me on this… Read more
Rob’s Vauxhall Insignia: Long term update
Resident PetrolBlogger, Rob Griggs-Taylor is back with an update on his Vauxhall Insignia 2.0 EcoFlex Elite. For the earlier review, have a look here, or to follow Rob on twitter, click here.
In 1973 BMW launched the 2002 Turbo onto an unsuspecting market. It was their first turbocharged car, producing around 170BHP which gave it the ability to accelerate from 0-60mph in a whisker under seven seconds. It became a legend, partly because of the bright reversed ’2002 Turbo’ badging on the front spoiler, the fact that only 1,672 were produced in a two-year production run and because the turbo lag was epic. The power delivery was reputedly all or nothing, leading to some exciting rear-first exits to corners. Read more
Brief encounter: SsangYong Korando EX
Location: Bowood Hotel, Wiltshire
Date: 5th October 2011
Korando. It sounds like the name of a detective in a US cop show from the 1970s. He’d probably drive a Buick Riviera, have a penchant for a glass or two of Scotch and be a complete failure with the ladies. But he would of course be the world’s best detective and have an ability to solve a murder using nothing more than a doughnut and a discarded match. In short, Lieutenant Korando would rock. Read more
Brief encounter: Proton Exora
Location: Bowood Hotel, Wiltshire
Date: 5th October 2011
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) held a regional event in October that allowed motoring writers and journalists to test drive a selection of new cars. I managed to grab the keys to eight cars, one of which was the Proton Exora. Here are some thoughts. Read more
Ralph Hosier’s Rover 75
Evo magazine’s tame engineer is back on PetrolBlog with some words on his Rover 75. For more of Ralph, follow him on twitter at @RalphHosier or check out his brilliant TechnoBlog.
What do you think of when you see a Rover 75? Flat cap, maybe? Or perhaps you see slow progress on roads near old people’s homes? Rover spent millions developing that image, unintentionally of course, but is it deserved?
Like many car enthusiasts I had dismissed the slightly bulbous retro styled granny wagon as being too dull and unreliable, but after a fellow writer waxed lyrical about the 75′s virtues I started looking into it in a bit more detail and found that there was a lot more going for it than I had realised. Read more
Ton’s view on the 2011 MINI Clubman
Ton Dumans, PetrolBlog’s Dutch correspondent, is back with some thoughts on his MINI Clubman. Over to you, Ton.
As luck would have it, I found myself sooner than expected in the position to replace my Honda Civic Hybrid as a daily driver. After having driven a sensible, cheap car for nearly three years, I wanted something a little less dull. A bit more me, rather than another dime-a-dozen chickenbox. Where do you start with this in mind? Honestly, I had no clue. Until a year ago, I had never considered a MINI. It simply had not occurred to me. This was until I had the opportunity to drive a colleague’s MINI Cooper that was being used on loan from a BMW dealer when his 116i was in repair. I was pleasantly surprised by a car that, until then, I had only seen as a nice shopping trolley. The car felt like a go-kart, and perhaps even more importantly, it put a smile on my face. Read more
First Drive: New 2012 Suzuki Swift Sport
Location: Barcelona, Spain
Date: 31st October 2011
I’ll get straight to the point. The new Suzuki Swift Sport is a better car than the old model. There you go, I’ve said it. PetrolBlog’s Car of the Year in 2010 simply wouldn’t stand a chance in a playground game of Top Trumps. The new car is quicker, lighter, faster, bigger and more powerful. It’s also more fuel efficient and produces less CO2 emissions. Job done then? We should be congratulating Suzuki on the new car and asking them to prepare an acceptance speech for PetrolBlog Car of the Year 2012? Well no, not exactly. Read more
Giantkiller: Suzuki Swift 1.2 SZ4
Make no mistake, the small car market is a tough environment in which to exist. Look beyond the cutesy appearance and cheeky persona and you’ll find that the modern supermini is a tough little cookie. I won’t go as far as saying it’s a war out there, but there’s a battle for supremacy being fought and small cars don’t pull their punches.
According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), the best selling car in the UK in 2010 and therefore the biggest selling small car was the Ford Fiesta, with some 103k finding new homes. The Vauxhall Corsa sold over 77k, the Volkswagen Polo notched up nearly 46k with the Mini knocking on the door of 42k. This isn’t to mention the likes of the Fiat 500, Toyota Yaris, Nissan Micra and a plethora of other superminis jockeying for position. Read more
Brief encounter: MINI John Cooper Works Coupé
Social media has revolutionised the business of new car launches. When I were a lad, I had to turn to Autocar & Motor to read all about forthcoming new cars or spy shots. Alternatively, I’d flick through the pages of the local rag or rely on a certain TV programme that used to air at 8.30 on a Thursday night. Well, as Robert Allen Zimmerman may have said, the times they are a changin’. Read more
PetrolBlog takes a SEAT…
“Which one would you take home then?”. That was the question posed as the inaugural ‘#SEATtweetup’ drew to a close earlier this month. Taking a long, hard look up and down the line up of new SEATs, I couldn’t help myself from focusing on the Ibiza. The problem was, this just happened to be the MK1 Ibiza – 1989 vintage. Oh dear. Read more
