November 2008 Archives

When I bought my first house the interest rate was 13%, inflation was a scary word and the very idea of owning a new car in the same league as Jacqueline Bisset. Unobtainable.
In showrooms a salesman would approach immediately. To throw you out. It was clear that a man of 20-something was going to be in no position of adequate solvency to afford a shiny new Chevette.

Brentwood , noon, November 26: "Ford Motor Company Limited confirms that the full benefit of the 2.5 per cent reduction in VAT announced in the Chancellor's pre-Budget statement yesterday, will be passed on to its passenger car customers.
Furthermore Ford will action the savings at all its UK dealerships nationwide with immediate effect on car orders, provided payment and legal transfer takes place on or after the December 1 official start date."

Rejoice for the Gordon has saved us all. Mafikeng relieved, thousands rescued from sea of economic turmoil, merry Christmas Tiny Tim!
Conversely, cobblers.

By now, I am sure, those of you who want to will have seen the new James Bond film, either at the cinema or on one of those cut price DVDs that always seem to feature someone walking in front of the opening titles carrying refreshments.
So I have no fear that discussing some of the plot of Quantum of Solace or, if you bought it down the pub, Four Popcorns and a Fanta, will spoil your future enjoyment.

There is a theory that over the last few weeks we are supposed to have had a close encounter of the third kind to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the film of the same name.
Very possibly, because as we know communication will be made through the medium synthesised music, the little green men have reasoned that any visit to Earth may involve meeting BBC light entertainers called Ross or Brand and so decided simply not to bother and wait for the phone call instead.
The question is, if the Martians did come what would they look like?
Well, unless all evolutionary theory is wrong and lizards rule the heavens, any visitors will not even come close to the human form for sheer ugliness.
Its the face that lets us down. Is there, in all honesty, any such thing as an attractive nose? No. It's almost as if God ended up with too much skin and this was a better option than a knot at the back of the head. What about ears? Two flaps of cartilage that carry on growing throughout your life until at around 70 you could glide to the shops. And chins. Why do we need so many?
One thing is certain, no matter what shape or form Klingon-kind takes, they will all look the same to us. Something that is very true of the 4x4 crossover not surprising give the amount of cloning that has gone on in this niche.
Leaving Renault engineers with an ET moment when it came to building the Koleos. They had to phone a friend. Nissan.
Think of the Koleos as a reclothed Nissan X-Trail. And for that reason alone have no doubt that among all-wheel drive crossovers this is one of the more capable off road.
Only two engines are offered, 173bhp and 148bhp 2-litre diesels, in three trim levels including the £24,695 173 Privilege that we shall lift the skirts of today.
Firstly, why the Koleos looks slightly different. Renault say it has blended a hatchback with a 4x4 and an MPV. Added to this is a nose graft from the Scenic. Clumsy? Maybe.
With Nissan's All Mode i hardware the Renault is better than most on and off the Tarmac. It has hill hold and descent control, a cosseting ride and 9.9 seconds to 62mph is about par for the course.
The Koleos is not as loose limbed as the Subaru Forester but is sprightly enough and has plenty of grip. Oh, and 40mpg could be improved upon.
Inside the Renault is a drive you would choose. Seven seat versatility with a great driving position; cosmic levels of equipment through the range - the Privilege has leather seats, sat nav and an electric sunroof over the alloys, air con and alloys fitted across the range- and a quiet ride.
Like humans, the Koleos may look like a rummage in God's parts bin but like humans it works perfectly well, thank you.

The boss of General Motors in Europe says the company will not close any factories on this side of the Atlantic "unless an asteroid hits the earth".
GM Europe president Carl-Peter Forster said "If the world stops tomorrow, no cars are sold and an asteroid hits the Earth and it is dark for the next 10 years. That is the environment where we would have to consider plant shutdowns."

"Friends of mine who own a Q7 report high levels of disaffection from fellow road-users, including the steely, competitive refusal to let them out at junctions that used to be known only by the drivers of box-fresh Ferraris," writes Giles Smith in the Times.
Giles is making the point with regard to the bloated proportions of the Audi 4x4. Wrong. It's the badge.

You must understand that I am not one of those silly people who wanders around, dough-brained, asking why the American presidential election is of any interest this side of the Atlantic.
Be sure that just as the rot started in Uncle Sam's woodshed, any recovery in the world economy will start there, too.

From distant memory when I did my English Lit. A level required reading included Hamlet and Chaucer.
That was, as you would understand from a modern educationalists point of view, what's written on a packet of Hamlet and the passport details of Billy Chaucer who had the chippy on the corner of Frog Lane and Spring Gardens in Wigan.

In a world first, the next model to be produced by Caterham Cars will be created online by the public.