6 ■


• the-driving’‘force VauxhallZafira


Once, when you thought of this kind of car, you I f you need even more speed, Vauxhall has the thought of a Renault Scenic. These days, Vaux- solution. With the same 190 b.h.p. engine as the hall’s even cleverer seven-seater Zafira is more pop- Astra Coupe Turbo, the Zafua GSi Turbo achieves ular — and it is easy to see why.


W -u top speed of 137 m.p.h. and sprints to 60 in under This Astra-based contender is well and truly eight seconds, looking reasonable value at £20,995.


rocking the French car on its perch. Prices are not So how does the seating system work? Quite sim- much higher than those of the standard Astra ply really. The middle row of seating slides back (ranging between £12,995 and £20,995) and there and forth by up to eight inches, enabling middle is a choice of five engines: a 99 b.h.p. 1.6 16v petrol, a 125 b.h.p. 1.8 16v petrol, a 147 b.h.p. 2.2-litre petrol,a 190 b.h.p. turbo 2.0-litre and a 2.0-litre D T i diesel developing 100 b.h.p. Recent improve­


It has got the get-up-and-go to


ments have seen the addition of an auto­ matic gearbox for the diesel model, a new high-specification trim level option (dubbed Design), a sporty trim level (called SR i ) and a


seat passengers to choose between leg room and luggage space. Behind the wheel,


it is all pretty much carried over from the Astra: which means solid, user-friendly knobs, dials, switch­ es and stalks. There is also the


■ --riji embarrass many a warm hatchback


same wheel-mounted stereo controls. The car has been


designed to accom­ modate a wide vari­ ety of human shapes and sizes: most


useful 40:20:40 split for the second row bench, should be able to get themselves comfortable. White rear indicator lenses are the only external There is height adjustment on the driver’s seat and giveaway to the latest updated variants.


reach and rake adjustment on the steering wheel. The engines, however, are unchanged, with On a practical note, you will find a large glovebox,


arguably the pick of the bunch being the 2.2-litre two cupholders in front of the gearlever and a 16-valve petrol unit. This produces a smooth band drawer under the passenger seat, of torque, and feels relaxed and unstressed even For Vauxhall, the only issue continues to be one when the Zafira is loaded. Capable of reaching 60 of transfer business from Astra hatchbacks and m.p.h. in nine seconds, it has got the get-up-and- estates. But as problems go, that is a nice one to go to embarrass many a warm hatchback on its have.


HETHER or not the days of the family way to a 124 m.p.h. maximum. At the same time, hatchback are really numbered, mini- you should expect to average around 32 m.p.g. M PV people carriers are here to stay, allied to reasonable Group 12E insurance.


T understatement.


PrestonsGroup.G®’'i Vauxhall mieriva


.-Pjestons BMW j ' ' dl2& 726742"‘


^sP.restqn^MINI OT282 72074 www.hillehdale.co.uk


O say that a great deal is expected of the of MPV, the Merivastands or falls on more practi- Vauxhall Meriva has to be something of an cal considerations, such as interior space, the inge-


nuity of its seating system p ^enger access and Its big brother, the Zafira, rewrote the rule book overall comfort. I t is here that the Meriva comes


for mini-MPVs when it was launched back in 1999, up trumps. Just as Vauxhall aced the opposition offering seven seats when everyone else was pack- with the Zafira’s Flex7 seating system, the Meriva ing five. Ford and Volkswagen were forced to head aims to do likewise with its less snappily titled back to the drawing board with their designs, buy- FlexSpace arrangement. With five seats to play ing Vauxhall a few years breathing space. The \vith, the Meriva does not have as many tricks up Meriva looks to do the same for the supermini- its sleeve as the Zafira, but you will still be able to MPV sector.


been the most dynamic, yet shows great potential for growth. While competitors


k To date, this mar jyg| gg Zafira sBOts 36611 opposiUoit et segment has not


still have one foot rooted in the com­ fortable familiarity of the mainstream supermini market, the M e riva is cut from very different cloth. Prices start at


£9,995 and three petrol engines are available, either eight


the Meriva is aiming to do likewise wow your passengers with a few flicks of the wrist.


the Meriva functions as ^^onifentional five-'&at supermini- MPV, but many of us have tried travel­ ling five up in cars like these and it can feel a bit of a pinch. The Meriva goes some way to alleviat­ ing the problem by offering one of the widest rear passen­ ger shoulder width measurements in its class, but the real benefit comes when' travelling with four


or 16-valve versions of the 1.6-litre four-cylinder rather than five aboard. The centre seat can fold engine that generate 87 and 100 b.h.p. respectively flat into the footwell, leaving the two remaining or a 125 b.h.p. 1.8-litre power plant. A 100 b.h.p. seats at liberty to slide independently, not only 1.7-litre CDTi diesel is also on offer. All of these backwards and forwards, but also on runners from engines are tried and tested Vauxhall units, side to side. although the three trim levels available to Meriva But why stop at four? Vauxhall has equipped buyers are not familiar Vauxhall fare. You will not the Meriva -with the capacity for all of the passen- find LS, Club or SXi models here. Instead we see ger seats to fold flat, freeing up an enormous 1,300 Expression, Life, Enjoy and Design variants.


As with any vehicle that touts itself as some sort in position, there is a creditable 560 litres available. T


'Tel: 01282723731 Hillendale, Toyota RAV 4


o y o t a ’S revised RAV4 range really has tribution, while the top version adds Vehicle Sta- undergone a multitude of improvements, bility Control, Traction Control and Brake Assist. Unwilling to let pretenders eat into the As before, there are two engines to choose from, RAV4’s European Number One sales position, although the 147 b.h.p. 2.0-litre VVT-i petrol


Toyota has treated the car to a comprehensive engine is now Euro4 emissions compliant. The 114 freshening.


b.h.p. D-4D diesel version carries a £1,000 premi- Out go the old - and rather confusing - NV, um which, over the course of three years taking


NRG, GX and V X trim designations and in come into account fuel economy, depreciation and resid- the easier-to-grasp XT2, XT3 and XT4 grades. As ual values, makes it marginally the better buy. well as boosting the safety provision, bumping up Both three-door and five-door body styles are the equipment count and improving the ride qual- available, but the range structure throws up a i ty o f the RAV4, T o y o ta has been unable to resist the inevitable. The latest RAV4 even sports a revised front grille and headlamp clus­ ter.


Far from being a flagging franchise, rather curious Prices are still rea­


sonable - the range opening at £16,245 - and the basic formu­ la that has seen the RAV4 shift over 1.4 million units since its introduction in 1994 prevails. Far from Ijeing a flagging fran­ chise, the RAV4 fam-


anomaly. The petrol- engined car is offered with an automatic gearbox in plusher XT3 and X'T4 guis­ es, which makes the three-door petrol manual X T 2 not only the cheapest car in the entire line-up but also comfortably the quickest. Equipment levels


the RAV4 family is on a relentless up


have been plumped up across the range, with air conditioning fitted to every model as well as an inter-


ily is on a relentless up, with year on year sales mittent/variable wiper system, while five-door cars climbing by around 18%. The latest car will no now get electric rear windows. The materials qual- doubt accelerate that trend.


ity of the RAV4 cabin has also been put under the Safety has,always sold well in this comer of the microscope, with metallic finishes for the dash- litres of available space. Even with the rear seats


market and the RAV4 breaks new ground in being board and classier darker trims being used to con- the first compact 4x4 to offer curtain airbags as trast the brightwork. All versions get chromed standard. These have been introduced to comple- door handles and fabric covered sun visors with ment the twin front and side bags that are stan- courtesy lights. The XT3 and XT4 versions also dard on every variant. All models are equipped feature steering wheel-mounted audio controls and with anti-lock brakes and electronic brakeforce dis- leather trim on the wheel and gear knob.


T


Thursday, August .12th, 2004- t h G d r i v i n g - Toyota Corolla Verso


HE first Corolla Verso was one of the most only being the lightest in class hut also requinng a underrated cars on the UK’s roads, especial- simple one-touch operation to fold each one flat, ly in D4-D diesel guise.


• Cast your mind back to when people earners, or Sales were sluggish, the car’s rather stodgy MPVs, first appeared. Life w a s ^ y thm. You had


styling not helping, but beneath the unassuming a Renault Espace or a Toyota Previa. Mt'V. 6im- lines was a car that shrugged off the toughest of ple. Toyota then muddied the waters by laimchmg assignments. All it needed was a little more show- the Picnic. We tried to ignore the fact tnat it w ^ room wow factor.


smaller than conventional MPVs. When Renault The latest version, priced from £14,495, adds lamched the Scenic, a new subclass sprung up, the


exactly that. The exterior styling is a good deal mini-MPV. After that, things st^t®d to get a Jit- more dynamic. The rear light cluster is particular- tie sketchy. Toyota cops the cred'W


ly well executed, with a trio of verti­ cally-stacked barrel­ like lights that rise to form a distinctive shoulder that then forms the car’s win­ dow line. The shape is still


reminiscent of the original Gorolla Verso, but every­ thing seems to have been sharpened up. The wheel arches are more defined, and the front grille and bumper are slimmer


All it needed was more wow factor /■


ating the supermini- MPV class with the Yaris


lor cr^ Verso,


although Citroen pioneered the van- based mini-M PV class with the Berlin- go Multispace. Elsewhere in Toy­


the latest version adds exactly that a far more progressive look.


and sleeker. There is also a definite upper and lower body to the car, sive MPV range in the European market, but the helped by those distinctive shoulders which give it Corolla Verso is also expected to account for


around a quarter of all Corolla variant sales. Unlike many similarly sized rivals, the Corolla I f you fancy a small MPV that does not look


Verso can seat seven and, uniquely in its class, all like a bread van, a Popemobile or a skip, and which five rear seats fold down into the floor to create a offers a level of fit and finish that is hard to come totally flat loading surface. This means that you by in this sector, the Corolla Verso is well worth a will not need to haul heavy seats into and out of the look. Is it a mini, a micro or a midi-MPV? When car if ultimate carrying capacity is required. A lot you have a product as well-sorted as this, does it of thought has gone into this system, the seats not really matter?


ota’s line-up is a fully-fledged mini- MPV, the Avensis Verso, so where does that leave the Corol­ la Verso? Letus just dub it a mini-MPV. Not only does it help furnish Toyota with the most comprehen-


GR


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• Metallic paint • Exclusive blue interior trim • ABS and front and side airbags • 4 speaker CD audio • Includes £450 off list price


Total Saving £1,450'"


2004 Corolla T3 £179 a month £1,000 towards your finance deposiU


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Total Saving £1,400"


VANTAGE TOYOTA COLNE North Valley Road, Colne. Telephone: 01282 857760 www.toyota.co.uk/vantage-colne


g lo p,cs> and include VAT, delivery charge, number plater, pne yeadr road lund II


Model and s]d rpecillcation >hr»,n Yari, Blue TO WT-i 3 dr rrranual t 8 ,« S « .................„ , .c e *p o s it . total saving £ 1,450. Subject to


“ r a ^ " ;^ 0 « a “ FitSnJial irv ic e s . between 24th |unc and 30lh September. 2004, at i i ' i : o ^ ° 4 2 2 M C O r E S o n s ^ ls T g lk S rC o r o t e


final payment) APR 14.8%. Based on 30 j';'.°7^ " ? r S ’a


agecJ 4 i- / a , terms _ “nd"condi,l<rn. apply. Mrxiel and rpedlicatio


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71 7 «:"iAm;xAnHfondiiionsaDDlv Model and specification shown 2004 Corolla T3 1.4 WT-i 3 dr manual £11,995 on the road. Metallic paint £300 extra. «CorollaT3 1.4 WT-i manual 3dr, manufacturers list price ' only available on eligible vehicles ordered, registered and financed through


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New Corolla Verso £229 a month £500 towards your finance deposit"


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• Easy flat 7 seating system • ABS and 9 airbags • 16" alloy wheels • Climate control air conditioning » Vehicle stability, traction control and brake assist • 6 speaker CD audio


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, Extra Urban 57.6 (4.9), Combined 50.4 (5.6). CO2 Emissions 134 g/km. Coroiia 1.4 VVT-i Official Fuel Consumption Figures in mpg (tflOOkm), Urban 33.6 (8.4), Extra Urban 49.6 (4/IOOkm); Urtian 28.5 (9.9), Extra Urban 43.5 (6.5), Combined 36.7 (7.7). C 0 2 Emissions 184 g/km.


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