r j v www.eastlancashireonlinJ www.eastlancashireonline.co.uk| 36 Clitheroe Advertiser & Times, March 8th, 2001 Motorsplus v NIG magic at $g M Winning Formula for Fiat? m i j . 1 WANT a small three-door hatchback . . 1 1 i that really is not small? Want some­


thing that stands out from the crowd? Then maybe you want a Fiat Bravo. And in particular, a £10,752 Fiat Bravo Formu-


edition recipe of more equipment for not a lot more money. In this case, a CD radio, ABS, a passen­


The Formula here is the usual special


ger airbag, remote control central locking, alloy wheels, front foglights, a rear spoiler


and electric door mirrors. Altogether, about £1,300 worth of extra


8 t a I !


kit for about £360 more than the standard price of the 80SX Bravo model on which this car is based. Sadly however, it does not


include the climate-controlled air condi- . tioning fitted to all Bravo and Brava mod­ els above SX level. This car features the 1.2-litre 16v unit used in sporty versions of the Punto super­


:_i_iii.i ..I. m 'i t (i___,.rr I ml 1 (sr 1 air conc.li-


mini, which makes it a lot more fun to drive than most of its 1.4-litre contempo­ raries.


way to 107m.p.h. and you should average over40m.p.g. .


option in the standard Bravo range of a £10,895100SX version with a 100 b.h.p.


If you want more power, there is the


16v 1.6-litre engine Go for the 1.2-htre Formula special edition featured here, how­ ever, and you get a lot more for your cash.


Rest to 60 takes 12.5 seconds on the . ,


, ,,


roadster Even when prices were reduced after the second generation rang w ^ announced7an entry-level 1.8i still cost £17,000. Now a t last, things


have changed. The new base 1.6i


derivative featured here costs £15,500, still a little more than its arch-rival, Mazda’s MX-5 1.6 , but close enough to compete on equal terms. Particu­ larly as the MG is slightly better equipped. Although in this version


the specification of the 1.8i (which continues) has been “simplified” (that means slashed), you still get pret­ ty 15in. eight-spoke alloy wheels, power steering, a driver’s airbag, a rake-


By JONATHAN CROUCH


adjustable steering wheel, an anti-theft alarm and electric windows. Sadly, ABS is one of the items sac­ rificed in the price-slim­ ming programme. What lies under the bon­


net is effectively a shorty stroke version of the 1.8i’s 120PS unit. In 1.6-litre form, this K-Series engine puts out some 112PS. With only 8PS difference, you


a cut price P


RICE has always been a problem for potential MGF buyers with one eye on their bank balance. For a while after its launch. Rover lost sight of the fact th a t this was supposed to be an afforda™e


will not be surprised to hear that the performance figures of the 1.6 are not that much different to those of the 1.8 (which manages rest to 60 in 8.5 seconds on the way to 120 m.p.h.). Still, there is a marginal improvement in- fuel consumption (around 40 m.p.g. should be achiev­


able). That this tightly-priced


derivative exists at all is mainly due to the fact that all MG Rover dealerships can now sell the MGF. The company hopes that the


1.6i (and to a lesser extent the new flagship 160PS Trophy 160SE model) will help absorb some of the expected increase in demand. These two cars join not only the existing 1.8i, but also the 145PS 1.8i WC and the 120PS 1.8i Steptronic in a rejuvenated


line-up. If you have not checked


out an MGF for some time, then you will not appreci­ ate all the changes intro­ duced as part of the most


recent round of revisions. For a start, the driving position has been sorted out, with lower-mounted sports seats and (at last), a rake-adjustable leather- trimmed steering wheel. The required sharpening


of image has come courtesy of a range of subtle changes that collectively give the car a much more dynamic feel. These include a body- coloured windscreen sur­ round, smoked indicator lenses at the front and side, new designs for the stan­ dard alloy wheels and a sil­ ver background for the instrumentation. Other changes include a


revised electronic power steering set-up for more road feel and the no-cost option of a lighter interior for those who do not like the standard dark Ash- coloured affair. Aluminium trim on the


■m i s IM P O R T IN G ? s from Walker Farrimond 4 N is san g e t s , BRAND NEW Saxo Forte List Price £6995 \ s \


S i! I i i


R.I.P Price £5995


CD Player •Sunroof Immobiliser* Airbag • Designer Interior


BRAND NEW Saxo Furio List Price £8995 J9 R.I.P Price £7495


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* APR Cosh price CS995, .


1 monthly payment of £169.96 followed by 11 m Sn tb ^ tra ^M followed by 12 months «


If £120.88 followed by 12 month.l05E157.M ?**»**. [A --'*'*


r H i c e test drive


7cSf


3 Y E A R S warranty


1


: Y E A R S assistance


PARTEXCHANGES welcome


F a r r im o n d , W a lk e r CITROEN t,* '' ■L.~*h wUKarranties a?. 3 BRAND NEW Picasso 1.6LX List Price £12795


R.I.P Price! • PAS *4 Airbags


• ABS • Immobiliser


• Remote Central Locking! • Electric Front Windows f • RDS Stereo Cassette


supplied facil i ties courtesy cars


FULL SERVICE AND PARTS


w ty c f m Wnflty £109951 ■•{■■Tni:- i


pro-Activ Mi


heavy bombardment from BRAND NEW Xsara 1 4L List Price £9695


R.I.P Price •PAS *4 Airbags* ABS


• Electric Front Windows ■ Remote Central Locking • RDS Stereo Cassette • ImmoMser


£8495


-EDIUM-RANGE family five-door buyers are under


the major makers. With new versions of the


Ford Mondeo, VW Passat, Renault Laguna and Toyota


Avensis joined by revisions to Vauxhall’s Vectra and Peugeot’s 406, cars like the Nissan Primera featured here are in danger of getting left off potential buyers’


shopping lists. For a marketeer in this


situation, there is nothing for it but to turn to the old- age remedy for falling sales— the extra value special edi­ tion. Enter the Primera


Activ. Activ is Nissan-speak f o r


extra value at the bot­


tom of the range. We have already had a


I premise and it has done ^ rather well. Ditto the Micra supermini variant. For the Primera, however, things are likely to be a bit more diffi­


version of the more compact Almera based on this


cult. For a start, we are talking .


I These are prices that pitch this special model between the entiy-level E


about more money, £12,995 for the 1.6-litre version and £13,495 for the 1.8 (both in five-door form: do not both­ er asking for saloons or estates in this guise - there are not any).


I model and the slightly plusher S variant. Then there is all that tough com­ petition to consider. With the all-new Primera


model still a way away, this car is up against it. Still, for the same money as the most basic Toyota Avensis, the five-door 1.6-litre Activ has | a few things going for it.


These include 15in. alloy j wheels and climate-con- trolled air conditioning. \ Other Activ additions ■


over and above the specifica­ tion of the base E variant go on and on. They include a; front passenger airbag, an , ice conditions warning, chrome door handles, elec­ tric, heated and body- coloured door mirrors, body- coloured bumpers and side sill spoilers, a chrome mesh front grille, front foglampi grey instrument dials, an - alloy-look gear finisher panel (whatever that is), special grey interior trim, chromed entry kick plates, front elec­ tric windows and anti-hijack


keyless entry. Nissan prices this little lot


at around £1,400, so £395 seems a fair premium to pay over the £12,600 being demanded for the entry- level Primera 1.6E. If you are after a 1.8-litre


model, the cheapest stan­ dard Primera (the £13,950 1.8S) is actually £455 more


- and does not offer any­ thing like as much kit. As a guide, this 1.8-litre


Activ will, fully kitted out, will cost you around £1,000 less than the cheapest, most basic versions of Ford’s Mondeo and VW’s Passat. And there is 0% finance over


12 months. The Activ’s 1.8-litre petrol


engine is a 16-valve unit, with variable valve timing and 112 b.h.p. of power on tap to enable 60 to be reached from rest in 11.0 sec­ onds on the way to 112 m.p.h. The average fuel con­ sumption figure of over 38 m.p.g. puts the Nissan among the class leaders. ■


... o di


doors gives the cockpit a sportier feel and there is an upgraded stereo system (with a single CD player on the WC) that is easier to hear with the roof down. Finally, and most impor­ tantly, a three-year/60,000-


mile warranty is at last . included as standard, * speaking volumes for the , extra confidence Rover now has in the product.


That the MGF is a soft-; i


top makes it extremely * unusual among the ranks fjf mid-engined cars, due to »


the difficulty of packing , the folded hood on top of ;


the engine bay. Not only i have the designers man- J aged this (albeit with the •_ drawback of a perspex rear screen), they have also 1 apparently created so much boot space that there is no) need to carry luggage ; under the bonnet, where it could interfere with safety You will still need to sped* fy the optional boot-


mounted luggage rack if ; you want to take more > than a couple of soft bags,].


, however. In summary then, the , . J


1.6i is a welcome addition; to the MGF line-up. It is s baffling why it took so long for this version to appear, j but now it has this car’s * position as Britain’s best-; selling roadster seems ; assured for the forseeable '.


future. ! I ROVER 101


1997 (R) ROVER 100 SLi , remote central locking, sunroo I


. 1997 (R) ROVER 100 Ascol . sunroof, central locking, 30,001


1997 (R) ROVER 114 GSi f electric windows, alloy wheelsl


1995 (N) ROVER 100 Kcnsil


1995 (M) ROVER 114 GTA j service history, 40,000 miles . . I


1995 (M) ROVER Metro Cl 63,000 miles, central locking |


MINI'S


m in i c l a s s ic c o o p e iB 4 spotlights, alloy dashboard, r


1998 (R) ROVER Mini c l alloy wheels, alarm and imml performance exhaust, halfle.


t li— s'.it-'l < lOTHER 1997 (P) CITROEN Sax!


1995 (M) HONDA Civil power steering, FSH, one j 1995 (M) CITROEN Xtj 1992 (]) PEUGEOT 201 IF T H E C AR T


telephone 01282 422331; ROVER 25s


2000 (W) ROVER 25 1.6 iL J and windows, remote central loc i


2000 (W) ROVER 25 1.6 iL; I electric windows and sunroof, r c |


2000 (W) ROVER 25 1.6 iL; I electric windows and sunroof, rcl


2000 (W) ROVER 25 1.4iL s i remote central locking, electric I


2000 (V) ROVER 25 1.4iL; J electric windows and sunroof, r |


2000 (V) ROVER 25 1.4iL 5 | electric sunroof and windows, r


ROVER 40(


1999 (T) ROVER 416i 5dr; I electric windows and sunroof, >|


ROVER 201


1999 (S) ROVER 216 Si 5dr;l remote central locking, driven al


1997 (R) ROVER 216 Si An] remote central locking, electric f


■ Available in a rani ■ Model range to s t l ■ Special package /!


S8&1


| BRAND NEW YTOYOTAl Hard top, Choice of metallic col I 1 air con, alloys, stunning looks.


u | COLLECTION PAS, choice ( I I metallics. includes colour code |


I bumpers.........*1 1 1 1 1 :


_ BRAND NEW Y FORD K |


S i r iM !


V FORD Mondeo 2.0 LX I of metallics, FSH, 1 owner, 12,000 miles, only 2 left,


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BRAND NEW Y NISsJ V a n e t te 2 .3 Diesel Choice of colours, PAS,


I remote C/L. RDS radio _ l cassette, twin side loadil | rinnrs ........................ f-7'1


| 99 ASTON MARTIN! | Convertible; finishecl l interior, full spec, fully! I 97 P PORSCHE Box* | black leather interior,


| full sp e c ...................| I 00 IN SUBARU ImpiJ


1 OZ Racing alloy wheel


I these vehicles, 1 of oil I unbelieveable perforij 98 R MERCEDES-Bf


I Coupe; metallic silvt j 1 Merc service history, 1 I twin and side airbacp.S I 95 M MERCEDES-H I with magnolia leathe! 1 convertible, full Mercl I owners, 39,000 miie l 1 93 K MERCEDES-Bl I black with leather inti I Mercedes service hisl I 98 R MERCEDES-Bl I Hard top ConvortiiJ I two tone grey and bfl


. .. i i i . M i l it i-ift M » *'l - sW


I traction control, twin I service history, 38,00


OVE * *


■


I •i


I B M


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