The New Renault Clio Sport Tourer

The Renault Clio is a small hatchback perfect for the city but, what if you need that little bit more boot space? Well, now you can have the Renault Clio Sport Tourer. The tourer is by no means huge but it has more space than the standard Clio.

The little tourer has a choice of engines but industry pundits recommend the 1.2 TCe petrol, it is turbo charged and has a surprising amount of grunt to it. There is also the 1.5 84bhp diesel which is smooth and economical.

In the transformation from small hatch back to a tourer the Clio has not lost its enjoyable drive, it has superb composure and grip and excellent body control. The light and pin point accurate steering makes the Clio tourer a breeze to drive and park around the city.

The most impressively area of the Clio Tourer is its refinement; it is quiet and refined and suppresses road and wind noise. Even the diesels are very quiet.

Prices start from £12,575 but, the top of the range diesel 1.5 dCi 86 Dynamique will set you back £16,085. I caught a glimpse of one at a Renault Sussex dealer and I must say it does look as good as the Clio hatchback.

Renault Laguna Coupe

The new Renault Laguna Coupe has super-handling and sporty styling, with punchy performance from the diesel engines and the GT models have four-wheel steering.

As with most Renaults these days the Laguna Coupe comes in various engine variations, most notably the thumping 3.0 litre diesel V6 which produces 232 bhp, the torque and grunt on that must be pretty impressive too.

With such power from the diesel lump I would be surprised if anyone went for the 2.0 petrol turbo or even the 3.5 V6 petrol versions.

Being a sports coupe the steering is weighted to aid low speed manoeuvrability, but it is a little lost in corners. The stiff suspension keeps body roll to a minimum but that does mean there is a lot of jiggle and thumping on rough services.

As with all Renaults, this coupe shuts out most road and wind noise. As long as you don’t thrash the engines they are pretty quiet too, but when you do thrash them they produce a good noise!

Check out the new Renault Laguna at a New Renault Sussex dealership; make sure you take it for a test drive to truly experience this coupe’s personality.

New Honda Compact Renaissance Zero – CRZ

Who would have guessed that the CRZ on the new Honda CRZ stood for Compact Renaissance Zero.

So the “C” stands for compact and the new Honda CRZ is definitely compact.  Its length is 160.6 inches, which is shorter than a VW Golf which is 166inches.  Even the width is smaller than the likes of the VW Golf which is 69.3inches; where as the Honda CRZ is 68.5inches.  The CRZ is a 2 passengers car, although I reckon they could have put in rear seats if they wanted to.

Next the “R” stands for Renaissance.  As we know the renaissance was a time of art, philosophy, science and many other intellectual subjects.  The Honda CRZ is one car that has almost returned from the past.  The similarities between the New Honda CRZ and the old Honda CRX are very easy to notice and its quiet clear that Honda have modelled the CRZ to bring back some of the past.


Finally the “Z” stands for Zero; no this is not what the price tag of this car is.  The zero represents the cars hybrid engine and nearly zero emissions.  The Hybrid engine in the CRZ is a 1.5 i-VTEC engine, which can produce an outstanding 125bhp, which gives the car 0-60mph times of 8.3 seconds and a top speed of 124mph.  Fuel consumption wise, the Honda CRZ gives 38mpg which is not so great for a hybrid vehicle, but it is one of the first 2 seater sporty hybrids to be released.

On the whole the New Honda Compact Renaissance Zero is a cool car and I’m sure it will do well.  Especially as there are many Honda CRX lovers who will want to be a part of the new coming Honda CRZ.

Mazda MX-5 20th Anniversary Special Edition

Mazda will produce a limited edition version of the MX-5. The limited edition Mazda MX5 is due to hit showrooms in March to celebrate the roadster's 20th anniversary. For us UK customer the OTR price will be £16, 850.

The special anniversary model is based on the 1.8-litre SE trim level.  Even though the special edition model will have 10 pieces of optional equipment, it will only cost £55 more than the SE would normally cost.

Extra equipment on the special model includes body-colour roll bars, and 17-inch 10-spoke alloy wheels painted in silver.  Along with chrome exterior trim, and fog lights, the car comes with a strut brace, body-coloured dashboard, aluminium pedals, and air conditioning.  Special "20th Anniversary" badges can be found on the scuff plates and floor mats.

Mazda plans to produce 1875 units for Europe of the Mazda MX-5 20th Anniversary edition, with 600 headed to UK.  Think I might pop into an Essex Mazda dealer to check one out!

Thinking of buying a Used Volvo S80?

Here is a quick review of the Volvo S80 (06 onwards). The S80 is good value for money now that they have been around for a while. But the driving experience falls short and the diesel engines are comparatively unrefined

The Volvo S80 is a premium saloon, competing with the likes of Audi A6 and the E-Class Mercedes. The S80 may not be as appealing as the Audi A6 or the BMW 5 Series but it is elegant and stylish in a subtle way.

As well as its diesel engines the S80 also comes in an array of petrol variations which may be more attractive to younger drivers or those who want a bit more power under the bonnet.  Volvo recognised this appeal, and in 2009 introduced a new performance chassis which sits lower and has stiffer suspension while the comfort version was more like a limousine, comfort wise.

As it’s a Volvo it is packed with safety features making the Volvo S80 a very safe bet. Safety features include a collision warning system, and a 'personal car communicator' key-fob which can tell if you've left the car unlocked.

The top of the range petrol 4.4-litre V8 is quite a monster and has 315bhp, so it's very quick and muscular, doing 0-62mph in 6.5 seconds!

Used prices for the Volvo S80 varies a fair but due to the model variations but as an example you can pick up a used Volvo S80 in Essex for around £8,000 for the Diesel models. The petrol models are much harder to find and start from around £20k.

RC Planes, are they just Toys?

They’re made out of plastic foam and usually come in an assortment of colours.  You can put them together and spend hours playing with them.  They bring excitement into many, the same excitement felt as a child when walking into a toy shop.  In fact they look a lot like a toy.  So this brings me to the question, RC planes, are they just toys?

Toys are brightly coloured and usually made of some sort of plastic, sometimes you buy them and put them together yourself.  They certainly bring excitement into a child’s eyes and are made with the younger person in mind.  The bright colours, particular shapes and materials are all factors of a toy that are there to be a part of the learning experience for children as well as to entice them to want the product.

Now when an adult or let’s say the older kid walks into a shop a hobbyzone rc planes shop, there are many similarities in the way the RC planes are packaged to the toys.  They are also coloured and designed to entice you to want the product.  I think the idea is to bring out the inner child, flood you with memories of how it felt to be a child and walking into a toy shop.  Then once you’ve bought an RC Plane, just as you do with a toy, you spend time playing with it.  But I think that where the similarities end. 

RC Planes are more than just fun and games, there are real enthusiast out there who go out and take lessons to fly these planes and spend hours on perfecting their flying and not forgetting building these planes to look a certain way.  There are clubs they can join and endless forums to talk about their planes.  It’s actually a pretty cool hobby and it sure beats collecting coins or stamps.  So where toys are for educational use, RC Planes are more passion driven and something enjoyable to pass time with. 

So my conclusion would be that RC Planes are not toys at all, they’re more meaningful and are more to do with enjoying ones free time. 

Could I be a driving Instructor?

Each year thousands of people start out along the road to becoming an Approved Driving Instructor (ADI). This means for most the start of a new career, or in some cases a second.

To be able to become a driving instructor you must:
•    Hold a full British or Northern Ireland unrestricted car driving licence.
•    Have held your full licence for 4 out of the last six years prior to entering the register after qualifying.
•    Not have been disqualified from driving at any time within the 4 years prior to being entered on to the register.
•    Be a fit and proper person to have your name entered on the register.
•    Pass the register qualifying exam.

If you do not meet the above conditions you cannot proceed with any course. I meet all the criteria and could take one of these courses and train to become a driving instructor, I know a few people who have chosen this as their new career after the recession.

Being a driving instructor is hard work, it’s stressful and in some cases dangerous! Characteristics of a driving instructor would have to include patience, ability to remain calm and be able to teach the same techniques to people in different ways.

Now, I’m not the most patient person in the world, I don’t like repeating myself and I would have trouble to remain calm under stressed situations. But, I believe (like everyone else) that I am a good driver and learnt a lot in my 10 years of driving.

I’ve had my fair share of accidents, fines, penalty points and even a ban but, I have learnt from it all. I know what causes an accident and how to best avoid it. I would like to educate people on how to be a safe driver but, don’t think I will be a good driving instructor best leave that to people who are naturally good at teaching.

Return of the Citroen DS

The Citroen DS was a futuristic design when it was first introduces in Paris in 1955. The DS is sculptured by the Italian designer Flaminio Bertoni. It was an executive car, with futuristic body design and new technology such as the hydro pneumatic self-levelling suspension. The DS was very popular through its 20 year production run. It was actually named the most beautiful car of all time by Classic and Sports Car magazine. The name DS comes from the French word Deesse, which means Goddess. To this day the cars eccentric design has people stopping to have a second glance.

2010 sees Citroen resurrect the DS with a new look at design, the new DS is to be released as a part of Citroen’s 90th birthday. Citroen have used the slogan “anti-retro” for the new DS design. The first to be released is the new Citroen DS3 Model which is a small sized car and will rival cars such as the Audi A3, Mini Cooper and Alfa Romeo Mito. The DS is definitely unique compared to other cars in its range and its design may not be to everyone’s taste, saying that the DS is customisable and can be made to suit individual taste.

Followed by the DS3 will come the Citroen DS4, which is hoped to be a 2-door SUV cross-over. It will be like a Citroen C4 coupe basically. This will be on the market challenging such cars as the Astra Coupe, VW Scirrocco and the Seat Leon Cupra R.

Sometime in 2011 Citroen also plan to release the Citroen DS5, which can be viewed at Citroen DS5 Newcastle showroom once it’s been released. It’s alleged that the DS5 will be the first Citroen Diesel Hybrid to hit our roads. But Citroen are keeping it all very hush, so we don’t really know what to expect fully, but with the DS badge we are sure they’ll produce something fantastic.

Compared to the old DS, the new DS3 models don’t look similar but they still have the same thinking behind them. They come with unique futuristic designs and innovative technology and look to become just as iconic as the first ever DS. Also I suppose by calling the new DS Anti Retro, their being pretty bold as to the fact that it’s not just another modernised version of an old car, for example the Mini and VW Beetle.