'4


A , . . .. Website: www.motorstoday.co.uk_


PrestohsGrbupCdim ^ Prestons BMW W 01282 720742 On an economy drive


minded motorist has two avenues to explore: seek out the most fuel-efficient cars - and learn to drive more efficiently to save money and the environment. But how? Martin Holzhofer, the man in


A


charge of General Motors’ European ECO model programme, says modem automobile technology has made great strides in reduc­ ing fuel consumption and C02 emissions, but handling the car correctly is also one of the biggest and often insufficiently explored factors in saving fuel. Martin, based at Vauxhall/Opel International Technical Development Centre in Germany, is con­ vinced of this: “Everyone who puts even a few of these important hints into practice will reap the benefit in hard cash next time the car is filled up. By making sure that their cars are well looked after and by adopting a suitable driving style, it’s easy to squeeze the greatest mileage out of every drop of petrol.” As far as the car itself is concerned, regu­


lar routine maintenance is essential. It is also important to check the tyre pressure because low pressure causes increased rolling resist­ ance and costs more money in two areas - in fuel and tyre wear. Those who are determined to get the max­


imum fuel economy may choose to inflate the tyres up to one or two tenths of a deci­ mal point above the specified pressure in bar. Another useful tip is not to carry unneces­ sary ballast around in the boot. A 100-kilo- gram load can result in increased fuel con­ sumption by more than five mpg in town driving. • For further fuel-saving success, don’t leave


the roof rack on when you don’t need it - everything that worsens the car’s aerody­ namics also causes it to consume more fuel.


s certain as the sun will rise tomor­ row, petrol prices won’t ever see the £3 gallon again. So the economy-


Turning off electrical accessories like air conditioning, rear window demister or addi­ tional lights also results in fuel saving, because they all use some fuel in their opera­ tion. While on the move, the golden rule is to


look well ahead and maintain steady speeds. Unnecessary accelerating and braking not only costs fuel but frayed nerves as well. Accelerate briskly but not aggressively: it’s better to press the accelerator pedal down further in a higher gear than to run the engine up to high revs. Shift up to top gear as soon as you can. Drive in fifth gear from around 30 m.p.h. and keep to low revs (between 2000 and 3000 r.p.m.) whenever possible. Using only 75 per cent of the vehicle’s top


speed is also economical. It results in fuel savings of up to 50 per cent with only a neg­ ligible loss of time. In winter, don’t warm the engine up with the car at a standstill. Instead, drive off immediately after starting the engine and let it warm up to operating temperature while driving within a medium rpm range. Switch off the engine for stops of one


minute or longer. The engine burns fuel even while idling. The automatic fuel intake shut­ down while coasting, while driving down a hill or while braking, provides another means of saving fuel. So don’t use the accelerator while coasting and don’t take the vehicle out of gear. Use of the “sports” option and unneces­


sary manual shifting lead to increased fuel consumption in vehicles with automatic transmissions. The engine operates most frugally in the “D” gear, which can almost always be used. Gentle, even pressure on the accelerator


pedal causes the transmission to shift earli­ er to an energy saving gear.


Most valuable fuel-saving bints in brief.


■ Don’t warm the engine up with the car at a standstill. Drive off right away instead. B Drive at steady speeds, looking well ahead and use fifth gear (or the car’s top gear) for all regular driving. D Don’t step on the fuel pedal while coast­ ing and remain in gear. Switch oft the engine if you have to wait for more than a minute. Accelerate briskly and shift up early. B Use only 75 per cent of the vehicle’s top speed.


D Avoid full acceleration and kickdown with automatic and automated manual transmis­ sions. Apply pressure to the accelerator pedal in a restrained manner. B Check tyre pressures regularly. O Remove the roof rack when not in use. B Remove unwanted objects from the car. B Shut down electricity consumers when not needed. B Service the vehicle regularly.


1) Spend time on your


test drive - ask if you can have the car for the day or the evening: they can only say no. If the answer is negative,


try and at least get a few hours with the vehicle and try and ensure that for some of that time, the sales per­ son leaves you alone. 2) Bring your family or


your partner - after all, they’ll have to live with the car too and they’ll bring a useful extra perspective. 3) Get a thorough run­


down of the controls before you set off - don’t be too proud to do this. You’re not going to be able to properly concentrate on the job in hand and you’re going to be dangerous if you find your­ self trying to figure out the stereo or what various but­ tons are for halfway round your test route. 4) Choose a varied driving


route - you’re not going to learn much about the car if all you do is shoot up and down the local dual car­ riageway. Try and include a mixture both of challenging roads you know - and some you don’t. 5) Get someone else to


drive at some point - there are things about the car you’ll discover from the pas­ senger seat that you’ll never know if you constantly stay behind the wheel. 6) Ask questions - don’t


worry about sounding stu­ pid. Moreover, some of the things th a t irritate you might be distinct to the derivative of the demonstra­ tor you’re driving. Dealerships can’t run


to have once claimed that to make a suc­ cessful film “all you need is a girl and a gun” but he should also have added “a car”. Perhaps the most famous filmcar mar­


F


que of all time is Aston Martin. Its asso­ ciation of course is with the famous Bond films, something that goes back to 1964 for Sean Connery’s DB5,as used in “Goldfinger”. More recently, the marque provided a V12 Vanquish for Pierce Bros- nan in “Die Another Day”, this a 460 b.h.p. beast fitted with grille-mounted machine guns and heat-seeking missiles. Aston’s return to the 007 spotlight


came after the Bond film makers had for several years defected to BMW. The Munich company supplied its then brand new Z3 for Brosnan’s first Bond outing, the 1995 film “Goldeneye”. He was subsequently upgraded to Z8 for “The World Is Not Enough” (1999). I t ’s all great product placement of course - as long as you ignore the fact


ilm makers have always had a close relationship with the motor industry. Jean-Luc Godard is said


that in the original Ian Fleming books. Bond ac tu a lly drove a Bentley. Of course, things aren’t always what they seem. Apparently, the car that Brosnan was seen driving in “Die Another Day” wasn’t technically a V12 Vanquish at all: owing to reported clutch problems with the new model, the one on screen con­ tained a modified gearbox and the V12 engine \yas replaced \vith a Mustang V8 to allow room for the gadgets. Of course, the Bond/Aston deal is just


one of many th a t have lined the film­ makers’ pockets over the years. Remem­ ber the Volvo C70 Turbo Coupe owned by Val Kilmer’s Simon Templar in “The Saint” (1996)? Or the slinky TVR Tus­ can used by John Travolta’s cyber-ter­ rorist in “Swordfish” (2001). Then of course there’s “Gone In 60 Seconds” (2000) where Nicolas Cage has a huge range of mouth-watering machinery to choose from, his character apparently having a soft spot for a 1967 Shelby Mus­ tang GT 500, which he called “Eleanor”. So how does product placement of this kind work? Well, as you’d expect, the


mechanism used varies enormously between films. Sometimes, a manufac­ turer will simply provide a fleet of cars in exchange for cross-promotional advertis­ ing opportunities. 'This can be dangerous. There is, for example, the risk of “nega­ tive” product placement accidentally trashing the brand’s image. Perhaps the car Mil fail at a crucial point of be driven by the evil villain. Of course, with some production com­


panies, it is possible for the car makers to be more aggressive. Production of the video game “Gran Turismo” created a situation where the game maker needed the car makers rather than the other way round. Those car makers chosen were then able to lay down a list of stipula­ tions, one of which was that although their cars would crash into each other at speeds of 200 m.p.h., none of them would be shown to sustain any damage. Of course, the risk involved can often


turn out to be a hugely successful invest­ ment. Going back in time, among the cars immortalised by their starring roles in film history are James Dean’s Mercury


in “Rebel Without A Cause” (1955), Steve McQueen’s Mustang GT in “Bul­ let” (1968), Herbie the VW Beetle in “The Love Bug” (1968) and the fleet of Minis in “The Italian Job” (1969). Nor is automotive product placement


at the movies all about the here and now. Lexus apparently paid ?5 million to design and place two snazzy concept cars in Tom Cruise’s Minority Report - one called the MagLev, which, apparently, can climb the sides of buildings, and another red sports model in which Cruise is almost entombed during a set piece chase in a factory. “We wanted to show the world that Lexus as a brand will be standing tall in 50 years,” says the com­


pany’s marketing vice-president, Mike W%lls. When product placement works, it really works. Take the results of a recent


Yahoo survey into the most popular screen cars of all time. The winner was a car from a movie produced more than 25 years ago -


James Bond’s white Lotus Esprit from ‘the Spy Who Loved Me’.


demonstrators of every derivative in a particular model range and it might be th a t a different engine, transmission or specification choice would solve your irri­ tations. 7) Always drive at least


two comparable cars from different brands - preferably on the same day or over the same weekend. 8) If you like the actual


demonstrator, don’t be afraid to ask if you can buy it - dealers only tend to keep demonstrators for six months and they’re well looked after and relatively lightly used. If the saving’s right, then why not? 9) Never buy there and


then - at the end of the test drive, always walk away and think it through 10) Don’t feel you have to


buy from the dealer that gave you the test drive - just because you like the car, it doesn’t mean you have to buy it from that dealer. All they’ve earned from giving you the test drive is first shot at quoting you on the sale. Don’t feel obligated to


take it further. THE MINI Cooper Park Lane


\A®.y sports “exclusive equipment” and additional standard specification


in a package designed to individually personalise the owner’s car. As with most special editions, the


manufacturer has elected to make this specific model very distinctive in its own right by only allowing customers to choose from one colour - in this case Royal Grey metallic. .Along with this comes Park Lane leather and interior trim as well as Park Lane decals, a silver roof, two-tone sports leather steering wheel, 16in. Bridge spoke alloy wheels and silver bonnet stripes.


m Bowker The Ultlrnsto Driving Machine i A”


" ® O w l i w O Diesel Sport with Exclusive Bowker Aftercare Kit


i f 1 V r \ . 7, . . . " Q p r i i p © ’’ ’'® In addition, this special edition also


features as standard the .Automatic Sta­ bility Control and Traction system (or ASC+T as BMW like to call it), a rear spoiler, a ‘chrome line'-trimmed interior and exterior, floor mats, passenger seat height adjustment, a storage compart­ ment pack, front fog lights, automatic air-conditioning, an on-board computer, an interior lights pack, chrome mirror caps, front sports seats and white indica­ tor lights. The Park Lane special edition with this specification comes at an on- the-road price of £15,260 - almost £3,000 more than the standard Cooper. Purchasers can further individualise


ijr Prestons mini ’ 01282 720741


www.hiiiendale.cQ.uk


Hillendale Tel: 01282 723731


Thursday, August 18th,2005 A Website: www.moforstoday.co.uk


BNIW llSii / X \ SLOTTING into the 1


(^©.ySeries range between the '— entry-level llGi and the


zesty 120i, BMW’s 118i shares more of its bigger brother’s DNA, the engine being a detuned ver­ sion of the two-litre Valvetronic power plant. It could well prove the pick of the petrol-engined models. Unlike the 150 b.h.p. 120i, the


118i has to make do with 129 b.h.p.. although this is still a rea­ sonable amount of go. The 180Nm of torque isn’t much down on the 120i and on the road there won’t be much to choose


Mini Cooper]


their car from the extensive list of extras available with all MlNIs. Despite its retro appeal, the MINI has


some modern foundations. Clamber underneath and you’ll spot BMW’s Z- axle multi-link rear suspension. There’s a wrap-around glasshouse with glazed in side pillars featuring fully flush panes. This creates a “floating-roof” effect which is emphasised by the Cooper’s options of having the roof painted in black or white. There’s a lot of chrome around the front end, but it’s possible to have the MINI de-chromed, swapping the brightwork around the grille and headlamps for sporty black trim.


- i -


between the two models. Where­ as the 1201 will make 60 m.p.h. from rest'in 8.5 seconds and accel­ erate to a top speed of 135 m.p.h., the 118i isn’t too far behind, notching a 9.2 second sprint and a terminal velocity of 130 m.p.h. The fuel economy figure of 38.7 m.p.g. is a little better than the more powerful car. BMW quotes an on-the road


price of £17,515 for the 1181 but most sensible buyers will add air conditioning, alloy wheels, metal­ lic paint and body-coloured door handles which will add another £2,000 onto that asking figure.


A particularly tempting option


is the aerodynamic pack. Featur­ ing a new front spoiler design, rear valance and additional spoil­ er extending from the top of the tailgate,this pack looks reason­ able value at £895 (excluding fit­ ting). I t’s also offered in conjunc­ tion with four different 18 in. alloy wheel styles complete with run-flat tyres. The run-flat tyres free up a good deal of space in the otherwise modestly sized rear. There’s a lot to like about


BMW’s 118i. offering as it does a decent blend of performance and economy.


< ' ^


fifl r I f ^ n i i i l i


o Alloys » Air Conditioning ® Sports Seats® Electric Windows © Stereo CD Player » Fully Colour Coded • Front Fog Lamps » Tinted Glass » Rear Head Restraints s


IK '


£1000 Deposit £259 per month includes Exclusive Bowker Aftercare Kit


' ■ : £17,750 £1000


£2469.92 ' £125 HaltfajabiJicB 'Balance


I


‘ Deposit {initia! rental) Balance (amount of credit) £16750


V / ’''.Yt AdmIn(ee(payable purc*iasefeepayable ;;' Interest . , .^^jrtni^yrentaO - wfthlln^ rental- ‘ /;


£50 Total pasfable


. £2644.92-. £19394.92 ’ , ^0394.92 23Honttilyrentals. Io0otdlM


paymento(..J... ..porehaselae,. f£259.99.j;,£13290.15 , £50, ' www.bowkerbmw.com ,.UG5NCEPCREPIT.BB0KERSAVRITTEN01K)TESAH£AVAILABLEUP0N r e q u e s t -••VEHICLE SHOWfJ FOR ILLUSTRATION ONlV-- n__


Mfington .0 12 5 4 8 7 2 22 2 ..................... a -


___ .f* N.


Bowker MINI Cooper House, Hyndburn Road, Accrington


2 mins from! 7 M65 01254 304224


for this and more superb.offers availablie . , on the BMW-.Range-calLColih Wilsph- '


LY55NTG


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