THE PREMIER PAPER FOR BUYING AND SELLING IN THE KIBBLE VALLEY


Clitheroe Advertiser & Times, November 9th, 2000


M3 provides route to fast, luxury m


tormg MB BffiS


launch, the crowd voted with their feet. The majority gravitated to the latest E46 M3, a significant gaggle clustered round the original bespoil- ered E30 M3, but like the problem second album or the disaffected mid­ dle child, the sober suited E36 M3 received little attention. With the E46 M3 Coupe, BMW have tacitly admitted that subtlety did not work and have returned to wings, whee-


W


larches and wantonness. Dealing a double knockout of more


power and sledgehammer visual impact, the latest generation E46 M3 generated universal approval at its fust showing during the 1999 Frankfurt Motor Show. If you thought that BMW’s M5 was the ultimate driving machine, you are in for a treat. The M5 now has a faded wash of penultimateness about it as the M3 takes the best bits and distills them into a more concentrated bundle of malevolence.


ITH all three generations of BMW’s favourite M-car before us at the BMW M3


By ANDY ENRIGHT Nonetheless, it is not really a car you can


easily lose your heart to. In many respects, it is a Michael Schumacher of a car; extrav­ agantly talented in a swaggering, strutting, self-satisfied manner. "BM W stands for automotive perfection”, claimed one senior suit at the launch Press conference, echoing the car’s massive superiority complex. If one were to pick fault with the M3, the


primary issue would be the car s braking performance. With 343 b.h.p. on tap, the ability to scrub off speed assumes a bigger significance, and the brakes, while improved over the previous model, still fall some way short of the excellence of, for example, a Porsche Boxster or Honda S2000. The gear change is not without its detrac­


tors either. It manages to feel both vague and obstinate when attempting to hook up first and second gear, while the measure to prevent reverse being found is weak and ineffective. Some of the interior trims are decidedly questionable and the thick- rimmed steering wheel sends the driver a heavily edited version of what is going on at the front wheels. Everything else about the


M3, though, touches peril The engine, the interior styling, the handling and all exemplary, but perhap 3


ction. and exterior he packaging are


prising aspect of the M " drivers who are used to th coupes, the M3 will tering; the sugary 3. turns into an insistent the 8,200 r.p.m red line. The recipients of this a ■bull


love the new car’s pit-bu more, with its taut bulges


admii|i ,2-litr dri


i the most sur- 5 the noise. For e silky 3 Series ister a sonic bat-


: engine note lling right up to


ural mauling will posture even


, tarmac-tickling


front air dam and shark-fin roof aerial. But they are not the target audience


that BMW had in mind. And therein lies the rub. The M3 is a spectacular achieve­ ment; a car which makes a Porsche 911 feel lightweight and a Lotus Esprit appear pos­ itively prehistoric. The BMW roundel on the front of the car is supposed to be a sig­ nal of your deep appreciation of engineer- ing excellence, an example of dynamic puri­ ty, but with the M3 it now signifies some­ thing else. A £38,500 bargain for the com­ mitted conspicuous consumer.


By JONATHAN CRO UCH


HE Citroen Xsara 1 advantage is obviou


lift the tailgate; there is 18.2 cuft with the seats with them folded. Not c ly beat the Xsara’s dost but it is also greater tha in more expensive and s station wagons. The cargo bay is easy


estate’s crucial i sassoon as you


acres of space — jp and 53.4 cuft nly does this easi- st estate rivals, n you would find ipposedly larger


to get at too,


thanks to a low 22in. loading lip and a tailgate which opens high enough to allow a six footer plenty of headroom. There is also none of the width-restricting intru­ sion you usually get from suspension tur­ rets, enabling loads of up to 45in. in width


to be accommodated. Space for passengers is equally gener­


ous. For one thing, the rear doors are larg­ er than those fitted to other Xsara models. For another, the estate’s longer roof line means better rear headroom for taller


Turbo-charged power from Skoda H


AD you suggested, just a few years ago, that Skoda would now be


offering a turbo-charged family five- door capable of 136 m.p.h. and built to VW quality standards, you would have been laughed out of the room. But Skoda is and it is called the Octavia 1.8 Turbo Elegance. Nor is this the fastest Octavia you


can buy. That honour falls to the potent new RS Hatchback model, which has the 180 b.h.p. version of the 1.8-litre turbocharged petrol engine which is featured here in less frantic 150 b.h.p.


form. There is no choice of body styles for


RS buyers, however, so if you want a fast estate with a Skoda badge, this 1.8 Turbo Elegance is going to have to be your choice. Of course, if you are happy with a


little less power and do not want to pay in the region of £14,500, there are other options. You might, for example, want to consider either the 2.0 litre 115 b.h.p. petrol engine or the 115 b.h.p. TDI turbo diesel. Alternatively, you can even order this engine in


estate form with four-wheel drive. Whichever Octavia you choose how-


ever, you will find it much improved in latest second generation form. Visual changes over the original car are slight, although make a surprising amount of difference on the street. Octavia experts will notice the intro­ duction of revised rear light clusters and clear optic headlamps that taper away towards the edges. Inside, it is much the same story.


There is a revised instrument binnacle with new dial graphics and there are new interior colours and a nicer choice of fabrics. Finally, at the rear, alter­ ations to the bulkhead have freed up extra leg room, without altering the excellent luggage capacity offered by


both body styles . To meet the mood of the moment,


specification levels have been _ improved and prices reduced, which for this 1.8T 150 b.h.p. model, means £14,500 for the hatchback or £15,200 for the estate (or £16,200 for the 4x4 . estate) based around the top-specifica­ tion Elegance trim level.


Citroen Xsara estate is a real space ace T


occupants. Plus there are stowage places everywhere; seat back pockets, door bins, “cubby” holes in the dashboard and front door armrests and a front glovebox. In terms of small estates, this is proba­


bly one of the better all-rounders you can buy, which makes the latest range’s affordable price span (£10,095-£12,295) all the more welcome. Equipment levels are about average for the class, with just two trim choices in the latest line-up - L


and L X .


More important than all of this howev­


er, is what lies under that reshaped bon­ net. Although the relatively new 2.0-litre HDi diesel engine continues unchanged, the remainder of the petrol line-up has been almost completely overhauled. The entry-level 1.4-litre unit continues,


but much better, if funds allow, to trade up to the new 110 b.h.p. 1.6-litre 16-valve engine that revs happily from rest to60 in 9.9 seconds on the way to 122 m.p.h.


.


v " i ■


■


MITSUBISHI ■MOTORS


Was £4995 Now £3995 iM f lC l f f !


9 8 S C l ioR ioG ra r id e 5D R fji


Was £6495 Now £5495 /?}$\£i7,w,3 £0* :J


T h e g r e a te s t c h o ic e , b e s t v a lu e an g u a ra n te e d q u a l ity f rom y o u r lo c a l ntt


2000X Micra 1.0S 3DR Was £7700 Now £5995


2000X Almera 1.5E 3DR Was £10700 Now £8750


97R Saxo 1. /as £4995 N


id jaler


1IX3DR ow £4195


2000W Picasso 2.0 Was £13495 n


HDi LX taw£11495


2000X Primera 16E 3DR 2000W)gntia1S 16V Fori Was £12995


Was £14000 Now £10995 • , :n


7 ?.}a = cars on site 1


a l l c a r s O Lr■


N PART


e x c h a n g e s welcome


pf * d°r Xta^ fto° ^ aV XlS ^ 0,T^ litany lT \^ war rant i e s


Lomeshaye Motor Park Nelson, June 12 M65


www.walkerfarrimond.co.uk ti5


to sla tu


s’ CITROEN NISSJAN 01282 611911 01282 606606


h a s s l e


All cars avail able to s^ = T r 3 I


y $ bjki '<■>& t i l L i k a s ;


| 0 ^ f t - l x


plus


EUROF Sr hi


EA N Farrimond Walker TORS ON THE INTERNET: WWW.eas I \


N I S S A N NISSAN


01254 249888 , , IT , . 1- t e ggsgr?' Was £9495 Now £7795


|Was £7495 Now £6495 i lb A * ll


C l


le Estate Now £9995


r


...


Was £5995 Now £4995 Was £9495 Now £8295


Whalley New Road Blackburn


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38