lV'. sS J'.rC}**. X 32 Clitheroe Advertiser & Times, January 13th, 2000 THE PREMIER PAPER FOR BUYING AND SELLING IN THE RIBBLE VALLEY


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'»'i>'''i .eastlancsnews.co.uk/fish4cars Clitheroe Advertiser & Times, January 13th, 2000 32 j ' j J D ' j ' D J i J j ' J a


Lookers Audi adds CCTV to the service


television cameras so that customers can see their vehi­ cles being serviced. The Lookers Audi building,


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situated in the heart of Black­ burn, was built in 1898 and was originally a wood mill. The extremely unusual fea­ ture of the Audi centre is that the service bay is on the sec­ ond level of the premises. The issue of visibility in the


service bay was raised by customers during a session of focus group meetings run by Lookers Audi. As a result, Lookers Audi


has invested some £5,000 to ease any security worries and give customers the opportuni­ ty to view vehicles in the ser­ vice bay via a television screen in the reception area. It has given the service


experience a more accessible image and feedback has been extremely positive. Toni Buckley, general man­ ager of Lookers Audi, said:


OOKERS Audi in Blackburn has introduced closed circuit


"Lookers Audi provides the Audi Experience by operating a service which is seen as exceptional rather than ordi­ nary. The provision of CCTV demonstrates our commit­ ment to customers and our intention to act, wherever possible, to customer feed­ back." Lookers Audi has the ability


to service up to five vehicles at any one time with provi­ sion to collect, or deliver, throughout the Burnley and Blackburn areas. A courtesy car can be


arranged with prior notifica­ tion. All loan vehicles are insured free of charges and, upon collection, are fuelled for customer convenience. The leading Audi centre has


a combined specialist parts and servicing team, consisting of eight people holding more than 130 years of experience in the motor industry, which ensures a seamless service can be provided to all cus­ tomers.


HUNDREDS of cars for sale inside


P EOPLE who buy convertibles


to preen and be seen and who take the top down only on the best days of the year when the wind is light, the sky is


blue and the birds are twittering. And then there are the hardened top-down


eccentrics who wear gloves, thermal under­ wear, leather pilot caps and goggles. They lose no opportunity to let the wind whistle around their vitals and can be identified by their per­ manently rosy cheeks and pitted teeth. CLK owners, I propose, belong exclusively


to the first group. You do not rough it in this cabriolet and


you do not expose your designer suits to the elements in anything less than perfect posing weather. With the top securely fixed, the fabric top


offers the same level of protection from wind, rain, snow and sleet as a tin-top, leaving occu­ pants snugly cocooned. Mercedes is so confi­ dent in its weatherproofing it advises owners they can put it through a car wash. I have just spent a week with one. It has not been clement - high winds, freezing morn-


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ings, driving rain - and in some lesser rag tops I would now be used to the sound of billowing fabric and swirling air around the tops of the windows. Touches like the all-glass rear screen and


the remarkable fit of the lined roof protect you from the weather and its howling noise. The major reason that you can almost for­


get that this car is a soft-top is that Mercedes has virtually eliminated the traditional side­


ways shake of the cabin over poor road sur­ faces. Conventional wisdom has it that, with­ out the structural strength of a metal roof, the body of convertibles will flex to the point of harming the car’s handling, especially in a big cabrio like the CLK. But the Merc is so rigid and strong that


there is little evidence of such movement. Driving it is a bit like piloting a barge, but that has nothing to do with the roof.


It is a brilliant cruising machine. The


heater has enough power to bake bread and it offered me the opportunity to enjoy a few miles of open-top motoring even though it was spitting with rain and mightily cold out­ side. With a price tag of £41,000, it has the


capacity to treat its occupants to regal levels of comfort.


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take a test drive. All notions that an oil burner would


A great-looking home for the world’s best diesel! I


By ADRIAN TAYLOR


F, like me, you wondered why Alfa Romeo should ever sully its beautiful 156 with a dirty old diesel, you should


ruin the sporting reputation of this famous Italian brand are dispelled in min­ utes. This is a diesel that does not clatter so


much as growl and fizz, just like those bril­ liant Twin Spark petrol engines. And it has the sort of pulling power all through its rev. range that does all Alfas proud. The 2.4 litre, five-cylinder turbodiesel,


featuring an innovative high-pressure direct injection system, is the most stun­ ning engine of the advanced crop of diesels now on offer. The 3.0 litre BMW unit might be quieter, Merc’s is possibly


smoother, but none has the urgency and verve of this brilliant Alfa. When you depress the accelerator, it


bursts to life with an energy no diesel has ever matched and although it will not return the most convincing m.p.g. figures, its economy advantages over equally exciting petrol engines are significant. On the Continent, where diesel is much


cheaper, the figures are compelling, but even here, where we pay far too much for


Derv, its combined cycle average of 42m.p.g. seems unbelievably frugal. By way of comparison, a 2.0 Twin Spark 156 sups petrol at the rate of 31 miles per gal­ lon whilst developing considerably less torque. The JTD does not just imitate its Twin


Spark stablemates though. It has a char­ acter all its own. Stunningly fast once the turbo starts to spin, it is a brilliant over­


taking machine and all that torque means you do not have to play silly tunes on the gearbox when the time comes to pull out and pass. I t can pin you back in the seat at times.


Yet its split personality is evident when you reach the motorway. At 70 m.p.h. it is virtually silent and you will wonder if the rev. counter is working because it barely registers above tickover. Such low-revving flexibility is no doubt


one reason why it can be nursed to deliver more than 50 m.p.g. on an extended out- of-town run. But I like it so much because you can thrash it to the limit day in, day out without making a huge hole in your wallet. Alfa’s engineers must have toiled to get


it to make the rasping noises you normally associate with their high-performance


petrol engines.


tric windows, climate control air condi­ tioning, wood-rimmed steering wheel,


anti-lock brakes (which are extremely powerful), front and side airbags and grabby, supportive sports front seats.


Open-top Merc is magic! SMte


By ADRIAN TAYLOR


fall into two broad categories. There are those who simply want


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So it is the fastest, most responsive and


best sounding diesel engine in the world at the moment, and that is saying something when you consider the advances made by the Germans and French in common rail technology. The 156 gives it a brilliant home. In


return the Mondeo-sized executive family saloon will be helped tremendously. Alfa’s reputation for longevity and reliability remains fragile in the UK - despite enor­ mous quality improvements in recent years - but this model can only help to repair the damage caused by the rust and electrical problems of the 70s and 80s. Standard equipment includes four elec­


n e w / o r t e d X p f o y i e


(C A S H * ’BACK


F R E E IN S U R A N C E on all new Saxo models


fo r t e f i Saloon or Estate, Petrol or Diesel


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. written quotations on request, subject to status. ^Cashback offer applicable until 30/03/00 Is subject to availability end excludes Saxo First Models. Vehicles must be registered before 30/03/00 and the offer appDes to retafl sales only. Cars shown for Illustration purposes only. ‘Insurance subject to status terms and conditions apply ask for do tails.


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