Download - Life On Cars Magazine, Christmas 2010
www. l i f eonca r s . b l o g spo t . com
J A N u A r Y 2 0 1 1J A N u A r Y 2 0 1 1I s s u e T h r e eI s s u e T h r e e
CCAARR OOFF TTHHEE YYEEAARR
The best car from a year of Champion test drives
SPEC
IAL ISSU
E
MMoouunnttaaiinndduueeEvent of the
Year 2010
EVENT: MiniMadMerseyside Lakes Tour 2010
DATE: Sunday, June 13, 2010
LOCATION: Hardknott Pass summit, Cumbria
CAR: Austin Mini Mayfair, 1983
FEELING: Priceless
4 Life On Cars
For events takingplace throughout
2011 go to the LifeOn Cars blog at:
lifeoncars.blogspot.com
EdITOR david Simister
dESIGNER david Simister
www.lifeoncars.blogspot.com
E-MAIL [email protected]
PhOTOGARPhY:
Manufacturer photography courtesy of the Society of Motor
Manufacturers and Traders (as Newspress); all other photography by
david Simister.
Read Life On Cars each Wednesday in The Champion newspaper, on
the web at www.lifeoncars.blogspot.com and on the radio on
www.champradio.co.uk from January 2011
© Life On Cars 2010
Best event2A jaunt over some of Cumbria’s most challenging roads with a bunch of
likeminded car enthusiasts, almost killing the now-gone Life On Cars
Mini in the process
Created by
IT might be icy outside
but none of these cars are
the kind you'd be wise to
give a frosty reception!
Anyone who's read the
last two issues of the Life
On Cars Magazine is going
to be in for a shock;
there's no news, no test
drives and none of the
usual features, although
they will be back early in
2011.
But what you do get is a
festive feast of some of
the very best cars from
the past 12 months, rang-
ing from the strangely
sublime Skoda Yeti, the
ever entertaining Mazda
MX-5, Peugeot's beautiful
RC Z and many more, in a
special issue given over
entirely to the good, the
bad and the ugly of 2010.
What wins? Well you'll
have to read on to find
out, but what I can say is
if the car that has won
isn't a collectable classic
in 25 years' time, some
hat-eating may be on the
menu.
If you’re still not swayed
then head straight to
page 14, for a round up of
the best cars from the
year to come.
There's just time to men-
tion about the next issue,
which looks at the many
events taking place over
2011. If it's anything like
last year, it's going be be
a belter.
Life On Cars wishes bothof its readers a happyChristmas and a full throttle New Year
In this issueIn this issue
The class of 20094The winners and losers from last year’s first-ever Life On Cars awards,
including the Ford Fiesta, which took the overall honours, and the
hideous Skelta sports car, which definitely didn’t
2010’s hopefuls6The quintet of cars which proved particularly impressive and enjoyable
throughout this year this far, picked from a cast of dozens of motors
launched over the past 12 months
Car of the Year8From a electrically-powered MINI Cooper to a 170mph Lexus, this
year’s offered some great motors. So it was no easy decision but the
best car Life On Cars got to drive in 2010 was the [cont. page 8]
Best drive12The fun bit.... trying to work out which of the sports car we got lucky
enough to drive provided the biggest grin for your money. It’s a tough
job, but someone’s got to do it
Special award10Which goes to a car, person or event which has somehow marked itself
out as worthy of extra recognition. Even if in this case the victor is in
fact one of last year’s winners.
Best road13It isn’t the M6 between Preston and Warrington, put it that way. It’s
the best from the challenging corners, swooping straights and hairpin
bends from a year of driving
Best bargain16Not the MGB GT which cost £200 to buy, because it still isn’t finished
yet. Nope, this is the story of a French hatch which impressed right up
until the day it met its maker
Best surprise11Often you can tell whether a car’s going to be great even before you
get behind the wheel. In the case of one particularly manic MPV,
though, you definitely couldn’t
Car of theYear 2010
3Life On Cars
The hits of 201114From the MG 6 to the McLaren MP4-12C, they’re all here in our special
guide to next year’s most exciting arrivals. Except the cracking Toyota
FT-86, which doesn’t arrive until the year after that. Pity really
4 Life On Cars
TThhaatt wwaass jjuusstt ssoo22000099......
These are the winners - and in some caseslosers - from the inaugural awards last year
Life On Cars car of the year 2009 - Ford Fiesta: The award went not to 2009’s best car but
the one I liked the most. It was a toss-up between the IQ and Ford’s Fiesta, and on the basis
that I might have to carry things as well as people, the Ford just snatched it.
Worst reliability -
Vespa PX125: I know
it’s not a car, but any
machine badly built
by someone with no
understanding of
electronics means a
truly scary reliability
record.The Lady Gaga Award for Questionable Style goes jointly to the Aus-
tralian-built Skelta, which has looks to scare small children.
5Life On Cars
The utterly alive sensation from the Morgan
4/4 meant it won the award for Best Drive of
2009, although the sheer speed of BMW’s Z4
and the sprightly handling of Volkswagen’s
Scirocco earn them honourable mentions.
The award for the car I was most looking
forward to - Jaguar XJ: To be honest, I still
am looking forward to the groundbreaking
XJ, because despite getting used to its erm,
challenging looks I still haven’t driven one
yet. The runner up for this award went to
the truly stunning Ferrari 458 Italia, which
predictably I haven’t tried for size either.
Toyota IQ: So chuffed
was I with the tiny
IQ’s packaging and
handling that I had to
invent a special
award just to get it in
last year. On page 10
of this issue, though,
all will be resolved...
The Llanberis Pass, in
North Wales, might
have won the award
for Best Road but
even that wasn’t as
much fun as a cara-
van banger race in
Carnforth, which won
the Best Event award
with ease.
Spectacular and silly
in equal measure, it’s
still a great way to
waste a Bank holiday
weekend, and for
much less than you’d
think.
6 Life On Cars
CCaarr ooff tthheeYYeeaarr:: tthheesshhoorrttlliisstt
These are the five cars which left moreof an impression than any other after
being given the Life On Cars treatmentand exactly what makes them special
“It's an invitation to sample
two extremes of driving
and quite possibly a first in
motoring; a hybrid car
someone interested in driv-
ing might actually want to
buy.”
July 2010
“if the DS3's a sign of
things to come, Citroen
could be onto a winner.
It's that rare thing; a
Citroen that's cool.”.
September 2010
Citroen DS3Citroen DS3
Honda CR-ZHonda CR-Z
Car of theYear 2010
7Life On Cars
“Almost everyone who
came across the Yeti
loved it for exactly the
same reason; if you have
a dog and enjoy going for
walks in the muddy coun-
tryside, you're going to
struggle to better the
Yeti without resorting to
much more expensive ma-
chinery. Buy a Yeti and
your Labrador is going to
love it. Luckily, so will
you.”
August 2010
“On the road the Swift is
far more fun than you'd
ever expect it to be. It's
balletic rather than bal-
listic and relies more on
its finely-balanced sus-
pension than its 1.2 litre
engine to put a smile on
your face, but the charm-
ing rasp from the exhaust
and the wonderfully com-
municative steering egg
you on into every corner.”
October 2010
“A warning: do not buy
this car if you don't like
being looked at!
So stunning is the riot of
curves, dips and lines lav-
ished on the RC Z, the
pretty Peugeot hoping to
take on Audi's TT at its
own game, that you're
going to get other road
users pointing and star-
ing. This isn't a car for
the self-conscious.”
October 2010
Peugeot RC ZPeugeot RC Z
Suzuki SwiftSuzuki Swift
Skoda YetiSkoda Yeti
Green but brilliant
8 Life On Cars
WINNER : Honda CR-ZWINNER : Honda CR-Z
Green but brilliant
9Life On Cars
The Honda CR-Z is
only the second car to
win this award but it
did it because it pulls
off the historic feat of
being the first hybrid
you’d actually want to
buy as a keen driver.
Sure, its clever mix of
petrol and electric
propulsion means it’ll
keep Greenpeace
happy, but the real
smiles are kept for the
one behind the wheel,
because it’s a delight
to drive.
Sure, the £20,000 GT
is an expensive way
to get just 122bhp,
and it’s a tight
squeeze into the rear
seats, but the slick
styling, revvy V-TEC
engine and crisp cor-
nering ability soon
make up for it.
Impressive as the
DS3, Swift, RC Z and
Yeti all are, they’re
narrowly beaten by
this brilliant blend of
green and mean in a
sporty package.
Car of theYear 2010
WWhhiittee hheeaatt
BLAME the Ford Fiesta.
Because last year's Life On
Cars car of the year award
should have gone to this.
Last Christmas, 2009's
most radical car got
robbed, and it's all my
fault.
You're probably snigger-
ing as you read this, won-
dering how on Earth
someone who's been lucky
enough to drive a Morgan,
a BMW Z4, a 414bhp Lexus
supersaloon and a V8-
powered Cobra replica
could possibly hold Toy-
ota's IQ in such high es-
teem. It is, after all, a lot
more expensive than the
similarly small Aygo. And
it's too tall. And it looks
like it's escaped from the
set of the next Pokemon
movie.
That's what I thought of
Toyota's tiniest offering at
Life On Cars
David Simister needed tobe sure Toyota’s IQ was asgood as he remembered it,
so he took it to its topspeed at the MillbrookProving Ground earlier
this year to find out
10
first, right up until I
opened the door and dis-
covered the world's
biggest car company had
somehow achieved the im-
possible; their ridiculous
two-seater Smart rival
did, in fact, seat four.
What's more, I could even
get into the back!
The IQ is easily the
most ingenious piece of
small car packaging since
the original Mini - a car
I've a known soft spot for -
went out of a production
a decade earlier, but it
managed it while still get-
ting all the things you'd
expect on a much bigger
motor, including a 5 star
Euro NCAP rating, into the
mix. It is engineering
alchemy, and it makes the
Smart look like the class
clown.
What's more, I'd driven
one very briefly in North
Wales last year and fallen
in love with its surprising
steering and handling, but
just to be sure I borrowed
another one at a test
track day in Millbrook ear-
lier this year. despite it
packing a 1.0 litre, three-
cylinder engine it shot all
the way up to 100mph on
the high speed bowl, and
on the twisty Alpine cir-
cuit it never felt anything
less than safe and sure-
footed, if not outwardly
sporty.
But in the end it was
the non-existent boot that
cost the little IQ the ulti-
mate honour to the Ford
Fiesta, which is also bril-
liant but in far more fam-
ily-friendly way. Which is
a shame, because whereas
that car is the best Fiesta
ever and by far away the
best supermini you can
buy, the IQ is so original in
its thinking that nobody
else has caught up with it
yet.
The Toyota IQ isn't the
fastest, the roomiest, the
prettiest or even the most
entertaining car on offer
today. But it is the
smartest, and on that
front there's still nothing
to touch it.
SpecialAward 2010
11Life On Cars
EVERYONE'S switching to
smaller motors at the
moment, and now it
seems even daddy Cool
has downsized.
daddy Cool's old Vaux-
hall Zafira GSI was a
cracking people carrier
but I reckon if he got re-
vived in another slightly
cheesy TV campaign he'd
probably be driving the
new Meriva, which in 1.4
Turbo form is probably
the unlikeliest driving hit
I've ever come across.
Whisper it quietly, but
a car designed for the
North Circular rather
than the Nurburgring is
an absolute joy to drive.
Vauxhall's second ge-
neation of the Meriva
might be an upright MPV
rather than a hot hatch
but, particularly in the
sporty Turbo spec, it has
a manic sense of urgency,
and is beautifully bal-
anced on both the bumpy
and the bendy bits of the
school run.
It's also joined the se-
lect group of cars that
have suicide rear doors,
which sound dramatic but
basically open backwards
rather than forwards to
make getting in a little
easier. Mazda's RX-8 and
the Rolls Phantom have
pulled off the same trick
in a bid to pull off spec-
tacular rather than spa-
cious, but on the Meriva it
means you can get into an
interior that feels very
well screwed together a
few seconds faster.
The Meriva's a small
MPV and by definition not
the sort of thing to set
your pulse racing, but
whoever made the Astra,
Insignia and Tigra look so
stylish has managed the
same trick with what
should be a be a boxy
shopping wagon.
It's not the kind of car
you want to warm to but
the Meriva's magic stems
from being a hugely prac-
tical and good looking lit-
tle car which just happens
to go like strink when you
least expect it.
daddy Cool, I reckon,
would definitely approve.
Opposite: david Simister took the IQ up to
100mph on the track earlier this year.
Above and below: It really does seat four,
part of the reason Aston Martin are basing
their Cygnet city car on the IQ. Vulgar IQ
for Sports, bottom, not so impressive
Surprise ofthe Year
Vauxhall MerivaVauxhall Meriva1.4 Turbo1.4 Turbo
dESPITE driving all sorts
of deliciously entertain-
ing cars throughout 2010
there was only ever going
to be one winner of this
award. Mazda's MX-5.
Even in the darkest
depths of winter I found
myself, sat snugly inside
my heated, leather-lined
Rover, looking longingly
at a tidily-driven example
of the world's best selling
sports car. Once you've
driven one, you end up
addicted.
The rear-wheel-drive
roadster might be in its
third generation but it's
still proving popular be-
cause it offers you only
the basic thrills you need
to have a ball on Britain's
12 Life On Cars
Why Mazda’sMX-5 is still a
sports carmasterpiece
back roads, meaning that
once you get behind its
cute looks it's still an ab-
solute joy to drive.
I got my first go in one
in May, when I tried one
with the optional folding
metal roof around the
Millbrook Proving Ground,
and ended up hooked on
its sublime steering, deli-
cate handling and revvy
little engine. I needed to
work out a reason to get
another go.
Luckily, 2010 saw the
20th anniversary of the
car's UK arrival, so on that
basis I managed to borrow
one, take it to North
Wales, and spend a week-
end rediscovering the re-
gion's best driving roads.
Out of all the cars I've test
driven this year, I've never
been so reluctant to hand
back the keys!
There are roomier,
comfier cars out there but
if you drive simply be-
cause you enjoy it you
can’t go far wrong with an
MX-5, particularly if
you’re the sort of person
who deliberately takes
the long route just so they
can go over a remote
mountain pass on the way.
If anything I reckon it’s
actually better than the
old British sports cars it's
so often accused of mim-
icking, because unlike
them the MX-5 actually
works and means you can
spend your weekends in
the countryside, rather
than the garage. Just
make sure you share the
driving with whoever you
take along for the ride,
otherwise they’ll forget
it’s a driver’s car and start
going on about the inte-
rior being too cramped,
the boot too small and the
ride too firm.
Put this way; I've also
driven a V8-powered AC
Cobra replica, a Lexus IS-
F, a BMW Z4 and a Peugeot
RC Z coupe, and I'd still
recommend the light little
Mazda over any of them.
But you’ll forget all of
them on a cross-country
blast in an MX-5, because
even when it’s not its
birthday the Mazda’s par-
tying, and you’re always
invited.
Driver’scar 2010
TThhee ffaammoouussffiivvee
13Life On Cars
TRACK down the remote
Yorkshire dales village of
Thwaite and in return
you'll be rewarded with
the start of the Buttertubs
Pass, a rollercoaster ride
which tantalises and
terrifies you in equal
measure.
With a sheer drop of
more than 500 feet and a
weak-looking fence always
on your left hand side, it's
not a drive for the faint-
hearted, but play it sensi-
ble along this route and it
proves an irresistable mix
of powerful landscapes,
driving challenges and oc-
casional geological titbits
(the Buttertub rock for-
mations, about halfway
along the route, are well
worth the stop).
Carry on past the end
of your route along the
Cliff Gate Road towards
Settle and you'll also get
to discover the grandeur
of the Ribblehead
Viaduct, jewel of the Set-
tle to Carlisle Railway.
As roads go, it’s hard to
find a better one.
Buttertubs Pass, Yorkshire: All road images courtesy of Google Earth.
Is this the UK’s most enjoyable road?
UUtttteerrllyyBBuutttteerrllyy
Best roadof 2010
EAT your greens. What
used to be your mother's
teatime message is now
the verdict of a group of
automotive experts from
across Europe.
They've chosen the
Nissan Leaf, an electric
car with a battery range
of 100 miles and a a pric-
etag of nearly £24,000, as
the official 2011 car of
the year because, like
salad, it's good for you.
But why would you want
to eat salad when GR8Life
can lay on a ten-course
feast of the real show-
room stars of what's shap-
ing up to become a
vintage year for great
cars?
The Audi RS3, for in-
stance, is also a practical,
five-door hatchback, but
unlike the Leaf it packs a
Porsche-matching 340bhp
punch, thanks to the same
twin-turbocharged engine
which has already worked
with great effect in the
RS version of the TT
coupe. At a touch under
£40,000, it's most expen-
sive A3 the company has
ever made, but it's an A3
with attitude.
It's the first of a raft of
new models being intro-
duced by the German
motor maker this year,
but the one everyone's
got their eye on is the
cute new A1, being intro-
duced in a bid to steal
sales from BMW's hugely
successful MINI brand.
Spiritual successor to the
long-forgotten Audi 50 of
the 1970s, it's not as
style-conscious as the
MINI and Fiat 500, but it
will introduce the cachet
of the famous four-ringed
logo to a new generation
of drivers.
But the MINI's makers
aren't going to let that
happen without introduc-
ing a little competition,
and hot on the heels of
last year's Countryman
come the Coupe and
Roadster, in yet another
expansion of a model
range originally based on
the reinvention of a small
car classic. This time,
though, the new arrivals
are smaller and sportier
than the base car, and
should prove a hit for any-
one with a love of the
small and sporty in their
cars.
Another British reinven-
tion is also expected to
come to the country later
this year - albeit with a
little help from the Chi-
nese - when MG launches
its first truly new models
in over a decade, in the
form of the MG 3 and MG
6 hatchbacks. Fans of the
traditionalist sports cars
which once wore the
iconic octagon badge
might take a little con-
Life On CarsLife On Cars’ top tips’ top tipsfor a cracking 2011 -for a cracking 2011 -
plus the experts’ picksplus the experts’ picks
Europe’smagnificent
seven
ThESE are the cars a
number of motoring
journalists from across
Europe picked as their
favourites of 2010.
Not that we agree with
their winner...
1) Nissan Leaf
(pictured above)
2) Alfa Giuletta
3) Vauxhall Meriva
4) Ford C-Max
5) Citroen DS3 and C3
6) Volvo S60 and V60
7) Dacia Duster
Life On Cars14
MG revival
Read more
motoring news and
road tests from
David Simister on
the blog online
at www.
lifeoncars.blogspot
.com
15Life On Cars
vincing, but it's hard to
argue with a very modern
take on a famous marque
that's been away from
British showrooms a little
too long.
Italy's MG, you could
argue, is Alfa Romeo, who
after gaining near-univer-
sal praise last year for the
Golf-chasing Giuletta
hatchback are about to
unleash their gorgeous
Giula saloon in Britain
later this year. As the re-
placement for the 159 it's
going to face some very
tough competition, but if
looks were anything to go
by it'd seem the Milan
manufacturer's already
onto a winner.
Certainly it's going to
be exciting in the visual
stakes than BMW's 3-Se-
ries, which the spy shots
seem to suggest follows
the current car's conserva-
tive take on the junior ex-
ecutive saloon. Yet with
the outgoing version now
a regular fixture in the
sharp end of the new car
sales charts, you can bet
it won't be long before
you're seeing the new
2011 model on roads
everywhere.
The company's new 6-
Series is a much better
bet if you want to get no-
ticed, particularly as it'll
arrive first in convertible
form just in time for sum-
mer. Shedding some of its
predecessor's more con-
troversial curves, it's a
poised and elegant propo-
sition, particularly if
you've got the 4.4-litre
eight-cylinder engine in
the new BMW 650i Con-
vertible to power you
along effortlessly.
It would be a surefire
contender for the title of
2011's most headturning
convertible - if it wasn't
for the first Porsche
Speedster in a generation,
which provided you can
actually find one of these
limited edition sports cars
is a real treat for the
eyes. The 911 Speedster
might have 402bhp, 3.8-
litre flat-six engine - sat
behind the rear wheels in
true Porsche tradition -
and a very modern type of
gearbox, but style-wise
it's straight out of the
James dean movies of the
1950s. If ever there was a
tip for a coveted classic of
the future, this is it.
That and the spiritual
successor to the fastest
car ever to come out of a
British factory, which fi-
nally goes on sale later
this year. McLaren's snap-
pily titled MP4-12C is the
company's first road car
since the 240mph F1 of
the 1990s, and it's hoped
it can capitalise on its
Lewis hamilton reputation
to steal sales from the
Ferrari 458 Italia. Oh, and
it'll cost just £168,500.
Alternatively, you can
save yourself more than
£100,000 by going instead
for the new Lexus CT200-
h, which isn't anything
like as fast but fights back
by being far more practi-
cal and having the novelty
of being the firm's first
ever small car, pitched as
a Japanese rival to the
BMW 1 Series.
It's also powered by the
company's proven hybrid
engine technology, mean-
ing that as well as promis-
ing up to 68mpg it's also
good for the environment.
It's a car that lets you
eat your greens but - like
all the other star cars of
2011 - will prove a delight
to drive and own as well.
New BMW models
Opposite: The new
McLaren promises
to be one of 2011’s
fastest arrivals.
Right, from top:
The Audi RS3 will
be the company’s
fastest ever hatch;
BMW’s 6-Series is
in UK as a cabrio
first; the stunning
Porsche 911
Speedster is £140K
but already sold
out; a few rungs
down the ladder
sees Audi trying to
take on MINI with
its baby A1; fun
and frugal are
combined in the
CT200-h, a BMW 1-
Series basher from
Lexus; and last but
not least, the MINI
range expands yet
again with the
curvy Coupe and
Roadster
16 Life On Cars
1995 Renault 5:
A SPECIAL prize, then
for the most reliable
car I've ever owned,
which finally reached
the end of the road
earlier this year.
Regular readers
might remember how
excited I got when I
paid just £100 - the
price of a first class
rail ticket - for a
Renault 5 last Janu-
ary, which I initially
gave a reception
frostier than the win-
try weather which
was gripping Britain
at the time. It was,
after all, a boxy
French hatchback
with faded paint-
work, a suspicious
amount of hay in the
footwells and ice ac-
tually frozen into the
rear tyre treads, ef-
fectively blessing it
with racing slicks at a
time of black ice and
snow. I bought it not
only because it was
cheap, but because
its unknown reliabil-
ity record was still
better than my 1983
Mini, which wasn't
working at all.
Since then it's been
as far north as dum-
fries, as far south as
London and along
some of the country's
most challenging
roads in Yorkshire,
Cumbria and North
Wales in between,
and over 11 months
and just two oil
changes it never
broke down.
Icy weather? Jour-
ney across the coun-
try? Minimal
maintenance? Not a
problem for the
seemingly indestruc-
tible little Renault,
which no matter
what you asked of it
always burst into life
at the first opportu-
nity.
Unfortunately, even
two weekends' worth
of welding wasn't
enough to stop it fail-
ing its MOT earlier
this week, and the
news was far worse
than I'd feared. To re-
pair the rot beneath
the front wings would
take weeks and cost
far more than the old
girl's worth, so after
16 years and 123,000
miles it's finally
reached the end of
its working life. As
sad as it seems, she
was off to the scrap-
yard.
I won't miss the
clattery old engine or
spartan interior but I
already miss lots of
things about it, in-
cluding its ridicu-
lously spacious
interior and its sur-
prisingly sporty han-
dling. But most of all
I'll miss it as a bar-
gain buy; £100 for al-
most a year's worth
of malady-free mo-
toring is going to be
hard to beat.
I loved it because it
never let me down.
How one ancient French hatchback wormed its wayinto David Simister’s heart - and then got scrapped
AA llaabbrraaddoorr ooffccaarrssBargain ofthe Year