V-


1


CHtheroe Advertiser & Times, June 28th, 2001 33 ■■ . ’


331 ' ’ i i t, 1 .


i'! Itel !te'-


9 i P i


.


^ * 1 i f


i t V' •


” aiming ■ ■ ■ by Jonathan Crouch 1 T - _ _ i L — u O m /M i rtTt


HEY have had affordable sports coupes on the Continent for some time, but it is only recently that cars like these have begun to


k m jo w*ui Mercedes set the ball


rolling with a diesel ver­ sion of its C-class sports coupe, encouraging Peu­ geot to follow suit with the 406 Coupe HDi fea­


tured here. Under the bonnet lies the


French company’s latest 2.2-litre common rail turbo diesel, developing some 136 b.h.p. and good enough to see 60 in around 10 seconds on the way to 129m.p.h., almost identical figures to those of the 2.0-litre petrol


model. Which brings us to a cou­


ple of problems facing this particular model, both of


Coupe HDi costs either


which have to do with pnce. First, given that the


£22,295 or £24,995, depending on whether you choose S or SE specifica­ tion, you are looking at a


to around 10 miles on each extra gallon. Expect to average around 40 m.p.g. Problem two has to do


,^****?§s?f appear in Britain.


with the opposition: in fact, there is only one competi­ tor, the aforementioned Mercedes C220 CDI sports coupe, a car that, at £22,825, costs very little more than the Peugeot. The only real advantage


•pndure a lengthy wait lor and the shark’s mouth v


that the French car has is that you will not have to endure a lengthy wait for


your car, as is commonpla.ce . flanked by two elliptical at• - ■


co monp dealerships bearing the


Three-Pointed Star. It is as well to get these


two issues out of the way before considering the 406 Coupe HDi on its merits, for on this there really is not very much wrong with it. To our eyes, it is still the


£2,300 premium over the 2.0-litre petrol variant. That might not matter if


this car was a saloon or an estate, both of which are often bought to cover high


mileages. .


But coupes do not tend to be used as much and,


. •


therefore, it will take much longer to justify the price . premium with fuel savings. These, incidentally, amount


prettiest coupe of any in the sector - including the Mercedes - and it provides a much more rewarding dri­ ving experience than that of


the German car. The 406 Coupe was


styled by the Pininfarina design studio in ltaly head­ ed by Lorenzo Ramciotti, the man already responsible for the Ferrari 456 and 550


Maranello. Certainly, he has brought


the same techniques to bear ’-----headlights.’


with this Peugeot. Take the front of the car, compared by its makers to “the prow of some fantastical ship, with the majestic bonnet, sleek as a propeller blade


The French, as you will - — telephone 012 8 2 4 2 2331’ T IT www.eastohir.online.co.uk tr'P'i-'T?


Y O U R E S S E N T IA L H G U ID E TO T H E • ,\| S


LO C A L m o t o r in g . M A R K E T , . „ i


jPuma set | by Joi


I to pounce bv Jonathan Crouch


create a sporting hero y T


veslike e v e r , y c &. ISm


“even when wearing a nice pair of shoes.” If this curi­ ous description is meant to imply that the 406 Coupe


belongs to the school of softly-sprung grand, tourers


inhabited by cars like the Volvo C70, then it is down­


right wrong. • No, behind the wheel you


s s s s s S s Srtesssss .0,y0“,p


away by this car. It is no , n o ^ ^ as the importereai-eat


o[fer disc0Urage


y01i from steering the thing k « “


cerned, the conventional system in the HDi is prefer­ able to the rather vague speed-sensitive arrange­ ment offered on the flagship petrol 3.0-litre V6. The suspension used is a


retuned version of that found in the 406 saloon, so it is no surprise that the ride and handling mix is superb. The springs and dampers


have also been uprated over those of the 406 saloon and


powerful braking is assured thanks to ABS strength- ened by four-piston Brembo


callipers. Prestons Getting your hands o n a Auto Air C o n d i t io n in g , Burr W a ln u t ir i , DSC 6


MV328ISE Auto Sea Green/UghtB.l.e S


i 01Y M3 Coupe Carbon Black/Black Leaiher, H .


s S t t g s g Alpina


29.000 miles....................... .......= = <4 54702T-r-c MV3J38c?A^rm5l“ i : N e w g h a o e 5 S e r i e s 3, white,


New GSi exception E


NTHUSIASTS tend to steer well clear of the Vauxhall Vcctra -


and to some extent you can


understand why. But for every rule there is


an exception, which in this case is designated by three


letters - GSi. Vou have probably seen


m. Il1am-5pm <4 one of these on the road and


thought it was just an SRi, the sporty Vcctra variant


that accounts for 20% of the model’s UK sales and attracts photocopying reps in


their droves. For a more serious sports


saloon like the GSi, this of course is a major image problem- and one reason why sales have so far been


restricted to those who care even less about popular _ opinion than they do vehicle residuals.


So what about the latest version? Well, for a start, it


'


is faster - although noL much - thanks to the addi­


tion or the 2.6-litre VG intro­ duced to the Vcctra at the


end of 2000. • Power is up from 170 to


180 b.h.p., but it is the improvements in torque, up from 193 lb ft to 2021b ft,


that arc far more significant. The previous version, tuned more for top end power, laboured a bit from low revs,


but this one offers instant acceleration from almost any


speed. Sixty is 7.9 seconds away en route to 145 m.p.h. e • As a result of all that


xtra pulling power, you can


find yourself going decep­ tively quickly into corners, so


Vauxhall has wisely _ improved the GSi’s ABS braking system accordingly.


Pedal feci is much better and the front brake discs are


20mm larger, up from 288 to ; 308mm. The pads arc upgraded too and arc more


easily cooled.


Although the engineers could have worked a bit


_ ‘ those provided arc at least


harder in choosing a more striking set of alloy wheels,


' larger (17in.) and are shod with high performance ,


- Yokohama AVS Sport rub­


' As before, there is a thick­ er front and rear anti-roll bar for better cornering, but


..........


to the ‘Vectra rule’ by Jonathan Crouch


changes have been made to the steering ratios and gear valves to give a more positive feel, improved turn-in and


better feedback. On the move, all this adds


up to a surprisingly enter­ taining drive. Even the gear­ box, a traditional Vcctra bugbear, is quite slick. The extra torque means you do not have to use it quite as often, which helps since the shift action still is not what you would describe as


smooth. Roads that before had you


constantly hunting between second and third - and pray­ ing for a semi-automatic


looks decent value, over £3,000 less than Vauxhall


was asking for the MKII Vcctra GSi that this car replaces when that model


was launched in 1999. Th*3 figure also enables Vauxhall to undercut its arch-rivals at


Ford, since an equivalent Mondeo Zetec-S costs £500


more.Despite that, you get much of the Vauxhall ■ options list as standard. Two useful recent additions include cruise control and Xenon headlights: thcscjiro- vidc up to 40% more light than conventional lamps and have high pressure washers and electronic beam levcl-


lmfn many ways, this GSi is the current Vectra’s last hur­ rah. An all-new model is due next spring, which means that just 500 examples o r this third generation GSi model will be made. That should help residual values - assuming that Vauxhall can


sell them all in lime. . Will this be difficult? Well


yes and no: yes because the top Vcctra has evolved into a


very good, arid extremely under-rated, car. No


because some will still see £18,500 as being an awful lot


of money to spend of a Vauxhall Vcctra, however


- well developed. Get the right price, how­


ever, and you will not be dis­ appointed.


....... m ccoVEB Y SERIES 2 00 X DISCOVERY V8 GS AUTO Black. 7 Seals ABS. ’•»“ milcs-


99 V DISCOVERY V8 GS AUTO Oxford Blue, 7 Seats, 12.600 miles a a v u i ____________di..« e c u 7 Seals. 1 Owner..


C P F F L A N P E R p e t r o l m Y FREELANDER VG ES AUTO Silver, Full Body Styling. 1 Owner, 2,950 mdes. _ ^ ^ 95


ni v niSCOVERY TP5GS 7 Seats. Alveslon Red. Side Steps. Ump Guards, 100 miles----------- ^Sode.urpGuardMOweer.lOO miles--------- « «


01Y FREELANDER 1.8S STATION WAGON Alveslon Red, ES.R. Alloys. l.SOO m'ics UH0 ^pV EB t:i ............


option - are now easily lack- led in the higher gear. The £18,595 price tag


m j J i . U I - H - f l r i i J - u n — ------------


98 R RANGE ROVER Z5 DSE AUTO Rie]a Red. 96 N RANGE ROVER 2.5 PT AUTO Epsom Green.


DISCOVERY SERIES! — “.s s a s s a rm s r - ” " T r!!'NDEr" c0UN^ ™~0N W


d e fen d er AGON Blue. FS.H. 1


DEMONSTRATORS


^^RlW^TOVER 2S B^^^AUX Red, Side ^ v nlhCOVERY V8I ES AUTO Black. Side Steps. A Frame Ar Cond, 3,000 m


I } \~N~ i r ' i ..1 L


01Y 5301 Auto SportTopaz B ue/G^y Lealhen ™ ^ parallel Alloys, 9,000 miles..................... 01Y 5301 Auto


Qjgg^g^Q^Gfee^^reen^eather, Xenon lights, HI-H+DSP, 1000 miles... r0Wa< u rw n «p AutoTitamum Silver/Antnracite cioin.n . _ vllo. II SZ8 , A u , o V p c A ..:.. r « r 77MeeriTiiraS .......... ............. Prestons _______________ ______________________________ __ _ ■


End of M65, Crown Way, Colne, Lancashire.


Tel: 01282 720720 After Hours: 07880 554702


Visit our website at: www.prestons.co.uk bmws wanted


n r i r n s p a id t o r a l l h ig h s p e c B M W s u n c


BMW Approved Used Core


• 8.30am-7pnv , Saturday 9nm -Opm Sunday I1am-5pm


Opening Time s Monday - Friday-


Tho Ultimoto Driving Mochlne


Crown Way, Colne, Lancashire. Tel: 01282 720760


Prestons


BRAND CHOOSE


r H U now and then nothing fdrZ YeaR ; •; . . S V*vtT *


£34995 £35495


.£35495 ..£33995 ..£25495


...£26995 ...£27495 ...£26995 ...£24995


C 1 M o to rcy c le s O th e r M a rq u e s


3 S e r ie s ----- - and Convertible^


„.s. Air Conditioning. Alloys. 9.000 miles .. k. SO,000 miles..


..... ..............-


T h e n e w B M W C1 motorcycle


*,V ’’"r • V • -


- . F u e l C o n s u m p t i o n approx 97mpg^


• 125cc single-cylinder four stroke • 15bhp/11 kW output • Digital fuel injection • Ttiree-way catalytic converter • Safety belt system


\Y*"> - |JS ' . i f ,


j-'.tefc.*. > Th* UMm*t*


VE-’ - L- L ? Nr.


r


_• r*.'u7*.v:', .•/.• - v ’-O-L *


I f brand new


Automatic has never been easier. Features include: M e ta^ c^ w a ln u tT r im ^M ^


js ta n c e C o n t ro l, Wheel, 03586116 f £499 BM W 728i , r\


PER MONTH + VAT BUSINESS USERS ONLY


Ve"MV^Io^,^Hea^^Se^tsrs.0*00*rnlles”*.".E2S995 i ....................“ 6" ,


OU want a small coupe? Well look around; there are


clilv to choose from. If you want one that dri­


ves like a sports car, how­ ever, you will be disap­ pointed. Virtually every car in this growing sector is based on a humble shop­ ping supermini - and it shows behind the wheel. e There is, however, one


a breath of fresh air in almost every respect, not least through its dramatic


new edge design; bold but not brash, striking but


stylish. You could argue that


this alone would be enough


to Set the car apart from the clutch of rival small coupes, but no one at Ford


would listen to you. The Puma was devel­ oped by a young team of


car enthusiasts who, for once, were given a free hand to design the kind of car they would like to drive. The result is “a visible


symbol of all the driver-


orientated strengths that yiQ are now consistently building into our cars.”


So says Richard Parry-


Jones, architect of the company’s move to better driving dynamics in recent


years.But while the Puma xception-Ford’s Puma is .


shares many of the attrib­ utes of Focus and Mondeo, there is little doubt that it


' takes the road going expe­ rience on offer to a differ­


ent level.The regular production l .


costing £12,980, is capable


of rest to60 in just 8.8 sec­ onds and around 125 m.


team that included no less an expert than former world racing champion Jackie Stewart; if you can imagine what that might mean out on the road, you will not even bother to test drive anything else. Even with so many on


7, with 123 b.h.p. and


the road, your Puma will still get admiring glances, thanks to those fared-in headlamps, kickcd-up tail and distinctive side slashes. The hunched profile is


p.h., while for £12,280


there is also a smaller- engined 1.6-litre Puma which is visually indistin­ guishable from the 1.7. I t reaches 60 m.p.h. is a


still respectable 10.8 sec­ onds, while average fuel


consumption of 38 m.p.g. makes it a car you buy with both your heart and


your head. Whichever model you


choose, it comes with an impeccable pedigree. The handling was refined by a


also surprisingly practical. This is one of the very few small coupes you can buy which can actually seat two adults in the back. I t is more likely, howev­


er, that owners will want to flip the rear seats forward and make use of the gener­ ous 240-litro load capacity. As for equipment, you


will find all the conve­ nience features a quick coupe really needs fitted .is standard; electric windows, remote central locking with security alarm, a dn-


ver’s airbag and a classy hi-fi which can be upgrad­ ed to two higher levels.


There is no provision for ,


a sunroof m any Puma, but in compensation the


optional air conditioning „ system is, at only £360, " ■ ,


one of the most affordable .


on the market. Go for the top 1.7-litre


Puma Black model at £13,995 and you get Pan- thcr Black metallic paint, plus 15in. Fl-style alloy wheels, air conditioning, aluminium-effect scuff plates and a cool black leather interior.


mark car, and a significant . Overall, this is a bench­


one at that. Just as the little Ka


redefined the city car mar- ket and Galaxy set a new standard for MPV people ' carriers, so the Puma has redefined the small coupe market and sent its compe­ tition back to the drawing board. It is as simple as


that. !-? V ^ 8lj§ •ifi!> $


lull OTg


..


1


, n


5M" n i ''uslra“°0 pu"’°,0,‘ 0 *-


01Y FREELANDER 1.8 GS STATION WAGON Silver, b de steps,


9200 miles_£15995 .


00 X FREELANDER 1 .8 G S S 0 F T B A C K ^ "^ ^ ^ i^ m C o n lro l^ l 'sO O m i le s -^ lM O S 99 T FREELANDER 1.8 XB 3 dr. Silver. Air Cond, totlier, n


miles_E16995 I a K i n


rovers wanted . Telephon Visit our website of?


_


J ^ L A N D ^ \ \ * r o v e f ^


^ the BEST 4x4xFAR 1^ ^ ^ — n f n .1%APR www.hiliendale.co.uk u s i i A r i d a l e


2 W LOMESHAYE business park nelson LANCS I X 4 X F A R


_________________0 1 2 8 2 7 2 3 7 7 7 -


P r e s t o n s G r o u p w e b s i t e s d


0 1 2 8 2 ^ 2 3 ^ 3 n AJTER h o u r s


0 Z g 6 g - J ig g ^ g - _


_______________ ^ « ■ c i m n n r t e d b y w w w . r e d m a m m o t f u o m ^ ^ g


d a r k t o c o m p a r k O U R P R IC E S


OPEN MON - r«l 8 JOAM - 7PM 5AJ 9AM - 5PM • SUN 11 AM - 3PM


.....................


1 ii .113 .Is


S S S S S S S S S SX S S SX ^ i


mm


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  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42