Clitheroe Advertiser & Times, December 13th, 2001 B ine.co.uk


’2331 B T


h l M N E Y S e r v i c e , jo b . T e l .


L 88.


Ie m o v e d , >770879


i^L g flsHESobs line.co.uk by Andy Enright


will ruin your day. If, on the other


I


hand, a rolling wave of slack-jawed stupefac­ tion concerns you not a jot, Vauxhall has something that will moisten your palms in anticipation. Say hello to the


NTROVERTS, please turn the page. This car


Nissan’s prime number


TIE old Nissan Primcra was a


_ _ very good car. It


was reliable, handled superbly,was stuffed with clever details and came well appointed with both kit and caboodle. It was also what could- charitably be described


as a watercolour - the sort of car that was demonstrably no oil


VX220 Lightning Yel­ low Special Edition: At the risk of stating


^ ffer


v?V v * v100*


i j


the bleeding obvious, the VX220 Lightning Yellow is finished in the most eye-catching hue ever to roll from a Vaux­ hall plant.


IliUlUUUm-iiv/*** -


Lotus factory in Hethel, doedso lietstle to distract - ----- TT~*l'“1


Norfolk, alongside the roadster on which this Vauxhall is loosely based — the Lotus Elise. Wacky paintwork


aside, what does the Lightning Yellow have


111DP -N ;v


' v;


to.offer? Vauxhall has gone for


a two-tone black and yellow theme, but


unlike MG, who carried


i • I ‘


it over to the interior of their MGF Trophy edi­ tion, the VX220 sensi­ bly keeps the eyeball- threatening pigments on the outside, the interior instead being trimmed in black leather. Floor m a t s - u s u a l l y


a V X 2 2 0 option- a r e also fitted as standard.


If this makes this car


sound as if it is sold out borrowed from the lat- and gone mainstream “ ^ ^ a n t r e t u n i n g


a s sr ------- “i s s a s r £ £ -—5*“ in a pair of suede


Perhaps that is slight- putting Liam Gallagher andEBD ( ly misleading, as the


VX220 instead emerges brogues. The incongru- hand-built from the


0us touch of refinement im e to


from the fact that this is something of a party animal out for sheer, hedonistic fun.


It would be easy to


dismiss the VX220 as nothing more than re­ bodied Elise. The two


cars were, after all, developed by the same


people. Easy, but incorrect.


In reality, the two cars share only 10% of their parts and are powered by completely different


engines. In place of the l.o-


litre 120 b.h.p. MGF unit found on the stan­ dard Elise, the VX220 is powered by an altogeth­ er more potent 2.2-litre 145 b.h.p. power plant


Brakeforce D.stnbu


uncomfortable and im p r a c t i c a l f o r t h a t . The Lightning Yellow


adds to the standard VX220 equipment list with a colour-coded


hard-top roof and unique anthracite alloy


tion). What has not been


hppn


changed is the basic Lotus concept. This is


still a lightweight, high performance and no compromise sports car for enthusiasts to use on an occasional basis only. Do not go expecting


it to be an everyday roadster, like a Toyota MR2 or Mazda MX-5: it is far too noisy,


wheels, the final touch being a black wind­


screen surround to com­ plete the black and yel­


low ensemble. Despite the additional


equipment, this special


VX220 is still a serious performance proposi­


tion. These rare beasts will accelerate from rest to 60 in 5.8 seconds, which is not much faster than the 118 b.h.p. Elise


(a legacy of the VX220 s extra weight), but it is


the handling that is most astonishing, with go-kart-style responses


making every journey


an experience. If it were not for that


Vauxhall badge, the queue for the 100 Light­


ning Yellow models


would stretch right round the block, with


hawkers inflating the price of potential can­


cellations. As it stands, badge


snobbery is going to ren­ der membership of this club an exclusive experi­


ence.


P re s to n s G ro u p gjgiii" BRAND NEW


$h£ 2: *■ f i


* J


1ES NOT ACCEPTED. K*-S F * '


- v


ild like to bo able to | about these offers


BREAK FOR THE BORA


3 B L E L L E Y


■pouts


tried out by time -en and carries a


guarantee. -te call the specialists manufactured ny VER* 82 859317 OVTTOH » tstAXMXtaM-^ S D A U p


s & Valuations ne Buyer Surveys sory Purchase


d|ng Surveys ijzars Vi^X'MA


>r Lane, Burnley Roy Wightman


2 427445


IS ; ‘ ■ scialist


ir ty S e r v ic e s


ntal Income tde Easy ipeities Bought •


(Cash /Chain l i Survey Mortgage iJFuss


877 8388


is a fact worth repeating that the British public


A O O F U N & s


Cu Replacement of: >s* Soffits s • Gutters


generally does not appreciate the Volkswa­


gen Bora. Yes, we will happily


fork out for its Golf sib­ ling, but tack a trunk on instead of a hatch and we become curiously reticent. To these eyes, the


l t h o u g h i risk sounding like a stuck record, it


b y Andy Enright


leveraging another sig­ nificant saving over its


petrol sibling. Those wishing to cre­


ate an urbane impres­ sion will be slightly dis­ appointed by the old- school diesel clatter of the Bora’s engine at


start up. It is not one of those


Bora body shell is a more attractively pro­ portioned piece of pen­ manship than the Golf s stubby lines, but it seems that few agree. Perhaps the new TDi


150 b.h.p. version will have the power to con-


vert them. Certain underlying


factors rail against this, however. Only one in five of new car sales in the UK today is a diesel and the Golf outsells the Bora by three to one.- One drive in the Bora


TDI 150 and you can­ not help but conclude


that it deserves a better -audience.After all, with an


engine as good as this, why bother with the otherwise impressive V5


petrol unit? It makes no logical


sense whatsoever, but resultant sales will still show sales of the diesel version lagging behind its similarly-priced


petrol counterpart. Performance figures


• and sticker prices are remarkably comparable


between the Bora TDI 150 and the V5, except


in terms of mid-range acceleration, where the


diesel car leaves the lusty five-potter trailing


in its wake. Run one for 15,000


miles a year and after three years the fuel bill


'mice (Sr Mi Icndkud rmlTetml ■ toaslrictojifaitononlonybow.


pi ofaJc&ytong orpund m i c dkM&t Crortn/loncs/Yo/ts borders.


s, farmhouses .cottages. superior ients,sern/s, detached, modern, etc.


^ I8BH4/850M 801589 O ffice* at Colne and off AS9 . . .


for the TDI 150 will generate a saving of


around £3,000. It also manages to


edge into the lowest VED tax banding by


cars which prompt you to glance at the red line on the rev counter to establish whether it is petrol or diesel, the insistence of the engine note rendering such sleuthing redundant. Recompense comes in


the form of the Bora s thunderous accelera­ tion. With nearly as


much torque as a Porsche 911, the Bora


TDI 150 has the ability to sweep all before it on


the storm swell of torque welling from about 2,250 r.p.m. It seems hard to


believe that, when all is said and done, this is a


mere 1.9-litre engine that flexes such big mus­


cles. Flog the car off the „ ..


line to 60 m.p.h. and you will dispatch the increment in a mere 8.4 seconds and top speed, for so long the Achilles heel of diesel cars, is a


creditable 134 m.p.h., e a s i ly enough to hold


your own in the cut and thrust of a twin lane derestricted autobahn- Frame the Bora TDI


150 as a car with the mid-range power of a


Porsche backed up by the parsimony of a Per-


odua with resale values that would make Mer­ cedes weep and you have got a beguiling


blend. Management consul­


tants would probably call buying a Bora T D I 150 “thinking outside •


the box”. After all why box


yourself in when you can Bora your way out?


Sorry.


End of M65, Crown Way, Colne, Lancs. Tel: 01282 720720 After Hours: 07880 554702


BMWS WANTED


Best prices paid for; all high spec BMWs


- under 4 years old. ‘ Telephone Mark Powell - direct on 01282 720733 .


• mark@prestons.co.uk •


or mobile 07880 554702 or email'


m ^ t t ^ o r r ^ ^ ^ S ^ 2 3 7 7 8 ,m—,


X. I —1 cuTHenoe


_ HLACKBUAN BARBOWfOBD f [M6 1 | BOLTON I------


ACCRINOTON ^^eURNLeV IM66


i BMW 00X 318Ti SE Compacts £13,995


Or £2555 Deposit & £179.93 Per Month Plus deposit & optional final payment


Specifications Include . Choice of Colours • Air Conditioning • Electric Windows • Drivers Airbag


• Central Locking • Alloy Wheels • Radio Cassette • Electric Do°f Ml" ors ....... ......... .......... -» cc n nnn miles. Cash price £13,995, deposlt/part


BMW 00 X 520i SE only for £18,995


Or £4295 Deposit & £239 Per Month Plus deposit & optional final payment


Specifications Include . Metallic Paint • Air Conditioning • Alloy Wheels * ws


• Multi Functional Steering Wheel • 6 Airbags • Ele m a* 47 mnnthlv navtnents ol El


- s s t t s s a s t a i s s ® * 1 * 1°^_


BMW A p proved Used Cars


OpeningTimes Monday - Friday


8.30am - 0.30pm S a tu rd ay 9 am -5 pm , S u n d ay I1 am * 4 3 0 pm


The Ultimate . Driving Machine


pres----- BMW 00 X 523i SE 95


Or £4337 Deposit & £249 Per Month Plus deposit & optional final payment


Specifications Include E S S S


r a n g e ro v er 2 .5 DHSE AUTO


RRP


£42,995 OUR PRICE


£37,995 SAVE


£5,000


r a n g e rover 4 .0 HSE AUTO PPP


£42,995 OUR PRICE


£37,995 SAVE


£5,000 RANGE ROVER


WESTMINSTER 2.5 AUTO w\r


£46,495 OUR PRICE


£42,995 SAVE


£ RANGE ROVER


WESTMINSTER 4.0 AUTO PPP


£46,495 OUR PRICE


£42,995 SAVE


£3,500 | £3,500


DISCOVERY TD5 SE . Power Assisted Steering • Alloy Wheels • Anti-Lock Braking System • Privacy Glass • Engine Immobiliser • Remote Central Locking . Electronic Traction Control • Lamp Guards


. ES Style Rubbing Strips • CD Player . Permanent 4 Wheel Drive • Front Fog Lamps


3 YEAR W A R R AN T Y 1 r


RANGE ROVER 4 .6 VOGUE


PPP


£49,995 OUR PRICE


£44,995 SAVE


£5,000


RANGE ROVER VOGUE SE


RRP


£53,995 OUR PRICE _


£47,995 SAVE


£6,000 H i l le n d a le


JP t m


painting. Nissan has rectified


matters with the latest Primcra, the first such model with a modicum of desirability on the standard equipment list. The exterior lines are


pleasantly swoopy, with a very European feel to them. Designed to look like a “proper driver’s car”, the Primcra scores on that crucial first few


seconds. The rear three-quarter


view has that high- haunchcd look of a Skoda Octavia, the curves, bevels and planes being very well judged. Even the corporate


Nissan nose manages to


avoid looking like some­ thing that has melted in the sun, instead inte­


grating between bumper and bonnet without that


suspicion of after­ thought that permeates many earlier Nissan


models. Running counter to


many contemporary designs, the four and five-door cars have been styled to look nigh-on


identical, while the estate version goes for a trendy Sportwagon-stylc


sloping roofline. The interior is even


more adventurous than the voluptuous body shell. Three main dials arc perched inside a central binnacle, below


which is housed an LCD screen with a “key­ board” of various but­ tons on n shelf in front


of it. A less extreme version


of this school of thought was trialed in the X-Trail off-roader, another model which, incidental­ ly, uses the Primera plat­


form. The centrally-mount­


ed instruments and bold use of colour contrasting found favour with X- Trail customers and Nis­ san has developed the


theme here. Three trim levels have


been announced - S, SE and upspecification SVE. All models feature air conditioning, front, side


and curtain airbags, although whether Nissan intends to introduce the reversing camera has jet


to he resolved. The Primera line-up


for the UK initially fea­ tures three engines, the


most popular of which looks set to be the 111 b.h.p. 1.8-litre petrol


variant. The most popular,


mavhc, but not the most interesting. More divert­ ing attractions lay with the 2.0-litrc petrol unit, a power plant that cranks out 133 b.h.p. and which is mated to a six-speed manual transmission or a CVT transmission with sequential manual over­ ride switching between


six artificially mandated gears.


Completing the engine line-up is a 125


b.h.p. common rail turbo-diesel, offered with a six-speed manual


gearbox only. In resolutely abandon­


ing the blandwagon, Nis­ san has put the Primcra onto the shortlists of a whole new type of buyer. Whether it can match the broader appeal of


rivals such as the Renault Laguna II and Ford Mondeo remains to


be seen, but from here things are looking pretty


good. And it is a long time


since we said that of a new Nissan.


'ill* www.eastlancashireonline.co.uk


i 'Y O U R E S S E N T I^ t i i G U ID E T O T H E * v !- L O C A L M O T O R IN G ?


i- market '’i-F ssT i»


"V


,tiS9T - ?V;i


Drive the car of your dreams lllllinHlll.1 i T L ^ £ L i \ \


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