8 arive It, ^re3M it. Jive fti


A Website: ^vww.moto^stoday.co.uk 18th, 2005


F^restonsGroup.Gom


©


Prestons BMW 01282720742


Prestons MINI 01282720741


www.hillendale.co.uk Accidents - can we make


fallen asleep at the wheel. Driving when tired obviously


them a thing of the past? I


N a recent independent survey, an alarming one in 10 motorists admitted to having momentarily


increases the risk of an accident, and according to the DETR (Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions), driver fatigue is the prin­ cipal factor in 10% of all road acci­ dents. Nevertheless, only 17% of motorists in the survey said they take a break on a long journey because they


■ feel tired. It seems that half the drivers ques­


tioned choose to combat tiredness by opening a window, chatting to passen­ gers or turning up the radio. Experts will tell you that stopping to take a short walk Is definitely a better idea. In fact, the DETR recommends driv­ ers take a short break of 15 minutes after every two hours of driving: how many of us do that? However, the best way to ensure you


stay healthy on a long drive is to, first of all, make sure you’re not tired before you set off, take regular breaks on the way and, if you do feel drowsy, stop in a safe place - not the hard shoulder -


,and have a short nap. Another source of driving fatigue is


poorly designed seating. According to a study by the Osteopathic Informa­ tion Service, 80% of motorists suffer from back pain and one in four will suf­ fer at worst, permanent discomfort from driving in a poor position. But the importance being placed by new car buyers on the support the driver’s seat offers is alarmingly low, with as few as 30% of people questioned hav­


ing taken it into consideration when choosing their new car. Correct seating while driving is


imperative to help prevent the spine and muscles from being placed under continuous stress. However, many cars do not provide the support th a t is needed to achieve this, particularly as everybody has different ergonomic needs depending on their physical form. To help prevent the fatigue and back


pain caused by bad posture when driv­ ing, expert advice suggests: ® Don’t slouch, and try to keep your


back straight. O If you are driving on a long jour­


ney stop at regular intervals to stretch your legs and relax - when kept in one position for too long, muscles tend to stiffen up and become strained.


® On long journeys stretch both


arms out over the centre of the steer­ ing wheel and wiggle your fingers to help relax key muscles from time to time. Ensure you are positioned for maximum comfort - your hips and knees should be well flexed, with arms relaxed and bent to the wheel. Alternatively, you could install a


specialist seat in your car. Sports seat makers Recaro has launched some­ thing called the Orthopaed to the British market. This seat has been designed to alleviate problems caused by prolonged sitting and poor posture and works by providing support for the lumbar vertebrae - the curved sections of the lower spine, which needs special support when a driver is in a seated position. You can take all these measures of


course - buy the right seat, take plenty of respite stops, everything - but there’s no accounting for the unexpect­ ed. Or is there? Car maker Nissan reck­ ons new technology could provide extra safeguards on our ever more dan­ gerous roads. It is now developing sys­ tems that can predict when a driver is about to make a dangerous manoeu­ vre, such as overtaking into oncoming traffic. By monitoring behaviour, the car


builds lip a picture of what the driver will do next, and if need be activates warning or override systems to prevent an accident. Driving simulation tests showed the


Nissan system to be nearly 100 per cent accurate at predicting drivers’ , moves for 12 seconds ahead. The predictive sj'stem relies on the


fact that driver behaviour can be bro­ ken down into long chains of simple commands and actions. To make its prediction the car uses £


computer to process information frorr sensors on the steering wheel, accelera­ tor and brake. When a pattern emerges, the systen


predicts the most likely action to fol­ low. The prediction technique is similai


to that used in speech recognition PC software. The system continuous!} updates the probabilities of next actions, so it can adapt to new drivers styles. According to the Department oi


Transport, there were 236,923 roac accidents in the UK last year causec by driver error, which resulted in 3,421 deaths.


.55, /'TfN. FOR a long while there were just 180


thing a little more focused. The 3.2-litre V6 TT that subsequently


arrived was less the tarmac shredder and more an elegant junior GT. Given that it developed just 22 b.h.p. over the 1.8-litre car and had a hefty engine in its nose, it wasn’t the agile back roads weapon many had hoped for. For that, customers have had to be very patient indeed. The TT Coupe Quattro Sport is just that car.


Power has risen modestly to 240 b.h.p., but torque is a good deal beefier, rising from ^ONm to 320Nm from as low as 2,300 r.p.m. The result is a TT with an engine that develops power like


,Audl TT Quattro


L^®.Oand 225 b.h.p. versions of the TT coupe, '— ^ leaving many of us yearning for some­


a V6 but with the weight of a four-cylinder unit. This results in the ability to hit 60 m.p.h. in 5.7 seconds and run on to 155 m.p.h. That, however, is not the extent of the


changes. The braking system from the TT 3.2 has


been grafted on to the Quattro Sport with far more feel and modulation in the braking sys­ tem. The suspension system has been fettled for a


more sporting ride and the car runs on 18 in. alloy wheels with an increased rear rim width to help maximise grip. 'The 15-spoke alloys are perhaps a little too


elegant for such a hardcore car but they fill the blistered wheelarches very convincingly.


Hillendale Tel: 01282723731


IS/


and brand design language, desperately striving to identify their product in a teeming market. Audi has realised this and its models have, for some time, replicated each other to a certain degree in look and feel. This design language evolves over time and the current look hinges around a boldly defined front grille. The latest A3 three-door now wears this front end, dubbed the beard by some, giving it a new-found gravi- tas.


C As well as fitting the revised front end to the


Out go the rather pathetic rear seats, and also ditched is the spare tyre, replaced by a can of tyre sealant foam. The rear parcel shelf has also been junked in favour of a cross member that helps rigidity. 'The effect on the car is astonishing. Gone is


the suspicion that the TT is a coupe that’s past its sell-by date. The glorious deep bucket seats and the fascia,


which still looks stunning a full six years after launch, will be enough to sell the car to many before they turn a wheel. The £29,360 asking price is perhaps a little


more than typical Impreza STi/Lancer Evo pricing but the perceived quality gains make the premium appear reasonable.


A3, Audi has taken the opportunity to visit a few more upgrades to the A3 three-door. Sport and S line models benefit from an upgraded sports sus­ pension kit with modified spring and damper set­ tings designed to improve ride comfort without compromising on agility. The ESP stability con­ trol s}'stem has also been updated, now featuring a function that increases or decreases steering weight to help a counter steering response in the event of a skid. The ESP can also be pro­ grammed with Audi hill hold assist, an optional function that prevents the vehicle rolling back­ wards on a slope. Sport customers can pay £1,000 to upgrade to S line specification, and for those who feel the S line pack isn’t overt enough, there’s an additional £950 body styling package. The A3 three-door has always been a great


small car that feels like the concentrated good- ness of a great big car. The latest changes do little to alter its appeal. You’ll still want one as soon as your strides hits


the seat.


Thursday, August 18di,2005 ^riveltMsf^ltJfVe ttl 9 Website: www.motorstoday.co.uk


^ . Audi A3 SFG


ORPORATE identity is big business when it comes to designing cars. Manu­ facturers wax lyrical about family faces


T


h e rise of ‘Car-Jacking’, the kind of smash-and-grab attack motorists are vulnerable to when actually in their cars, is an


unwelcome facet of modern motoring. Recent times have seen some high-


profile victims, including Steve Norris, Edwina Currie and Anthea Turner. In each case, the thieves were targeting valuable items such as mobile phones, expensive watches or laptop comput­ ers. Nearly all cases have taken place when the vehicle has been stationary at traffic lights. Police in the United Kingdom do


not currently collect statistics on car­ jacking attacks or smash-and-grab attacks. Such attacks are normally classed as either robbery or theft from a motor vehicle. However, a number of hotspot


smash-and-grab areas have been iden­ tified in different parts of the country: Salford, Newcastle, Liverpool and


^ parts of West London have all wit- hessed such attacks over the last year. The RAC is advising motorists who


are fearful of becoming victims of car­ jacking to think about having protec­ tive film applied to their car windows. Such protective film prevents people


, outside of the vehicle from seeing inside, reducing the likelihood for


opportunistic thieves attacking cars for their contents. Protective film has in the past large­


ly been used for cosmetic purposes in vehicles, either as a widow tint or to cool the car and its occupants from the • sunlight. Recent improvements in the film, which is largely used in South Africa and North America, mean that it now offers real benefits from exter­ nal attacks.


As well as preventing thieves from


seeing a vehicle’s contents, it can, in many cases, strengthen widows to such an extent that they become ‘bullet- resistant’, preventing criminals from being able to reach goods or to threat­ en the driver so that they can steal the car. The film also prevents the vehicles glass from shattering. As Edmund King, Executive Direc­ tor of the RAC Foundation, observes.


“The recent rise in horrific car-jacking attacks has highlighted an urgent need for motorists to be-aware of ways to protect themselves from thieves who will, in some cases, use extreme vio­ lence to obtain a vehicle or its con­ tents. Motorists can help prevent such attacks by keeping their vehicle locked and valuables away from the passenger seat or dashboard. Using a good quali­ ty protective film, professionally applied to a window, will also help


motorists to avoid smash-and-grab attacks. While such attacks are still very


rare, they have risen dramatically in some parts of the country. Motorists who use the film will be better able to protect their vehicle windows and ulti­ mately themselves and their cars. Immobilisers and other security meas­ ures have made new vehicles so secure that thieves are now often targeting the car through the driver rather than just valuables. Motorists need to be aware of this danger and ensure that


some general advice: • Ensure that valuables are not left


they keep their car keys with them at all times” The RAC Foundation has issued


on the passenger seat or dashboard when travelling. Thieves will be more


tempted to target the vehicle if goods are visible.


© Make sure that you know the


route you are using to travel to your destination. Car-jacking gangs may be more likely to target motorists who look unsure of where they are going or who are looking at maps at traffic lights.


0 Always ensure that you take your


possible. O Always try to leave a gap between


car keys out of the vehicle if you are going into shops or a petrol station even if there is someone left in the car. ® Similarly, keep windows closed if


your vehicle and the car in front when parked at traffic lights. If you are attacked by a car-jacking gang, being too close to the vehicle in front will prevent you from escaping. 0 If your car is nudged by another


vehicle, which then does not stop, try to take the car details down rather than following the vehicle at length. Some car-jacking gangs use the tactic of nudging a vehicle and then attack­ ing the owner when they have followed them for a period.


® If your vehicle is under attack, dial 999 if you have a mobile phone


and sound your horn to draw attention to your car.


m


Just 1,500kg of Vorsprung durch Technik.


The Limited Edition TT quattro Sport. Stripped-back to the bare performance-essentials, this lightweight Limited Edition Audi TT has been designed and,built with a fundamental principle in mind - minimum weight, maximum power. Just 1,500kg of Vorsprung durch Technik generates an impressive 237bhp and is capable of 0-62mph in 5.9 seconds. A fitting tribute to 25 years of quattro permanent all-wheel drive, the TT quattro Sport is a true driver's car.


-


The Audi TT range starts at just £20,725 ROTR. For more information or to arrange a test drive Blackburn Audi,. please contact us for details below.


The Limited Edition TT quattro Sport from £249 per month


On the road price


£29,360.00 Deposit


35 monthly payments of


£8,808.00 • : , £249.00


First monthly payment of *


£374.00


Amount of Credit


£20,552.00


Optional final payment **


£13,829.00


Total amount payable


£31,477.89 Typical 4.2% APR


•Administration fee of £125 payable with first monthly payment, •* Purchase fee of £95 payable with final payment. Finance e>ample is based on 36 months for an Audi TT Quattro Sport only with annual mileage of 10,000 miles {maximum mileage 30,0001. Model shown IsanAudnTquattrb Sport at £29,355.00 ROTR. Recommended OnThe-Road (ROTR) retail price Includes delivery charge, fulltankof fuel, numberplates, Road Fund licence and first registration fee. Official fuel consumption figures or the Audi TT quattro Sport In mpg (l/IOOkm) from: Urban 21.3113.3), Extra Urban 39.817.1), Combined 30.119.4); C02 emissions 228 g /


k m . y ./ . ‘ - Blackburn Audi


Trident Park Whitebirk Drive Blackburn Lancashire


'


BB1 3HT 01254 668777 www.blackburn.audi.co.uk


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