Jeep Buyer

The Auto Channel’s ROAD TRIP talks with Bosch’s Christopher Qualters about the new diesel technology and its use in a Jeep Cherokee. For more info about alternative fuel vehicles visit theautochannel.com.

Run to Venlo,Place Blerick,Netherlands.

At any one time, in any city of the United Kingdom you care to choose, at least one hundred thousand drivers will be slightly irritated by the intermittent beep of the Ford Focus’ ‘the door is open’ / ’you haven’t done up your seat belt’ / ‘it’s a bit cold outside’ tone. They may also be bored to tears with the plain interior, the uninspiring plastics and the general feeling of ennui that envelops any Focus owner. So why do people keep buying them?

Ford’s tradition for outselling the competition has slipped slightly on an international scale. The Ford dynasty now sits 4^th in the table of highest selling car manufacturers behind Toyota, General Motors and Volkswagen despite holding second place for something close to a million years. This has probably got more to do with globalisation, out-sourcing and recession as opposed to Ford making a colossal mistake. Nevertheless, it’s an interesting statistic considering that the Ford Focus is abundant on every street in the entire country!

If you stand on any high street during an average Saturday afternoon, you will be passed by a variation on the Focus theme roughly twice every second. I use the term ‘variation on the Focus theme’ as Ford have pulled the oldest car engineering trick out of the bag; by adding a couple of letters to the Focus badge, you can release a new edition and extend the car’s lifespan limitlessly. Does anybody know what Zetec, ST or C-MAX actually mean, probably not…but the public keep buying the Focus. Their only minor concern is the £12 ashtray and fag lighter.

The reason why Used Ford Focus’ outnumbers people by at least nine to one in this country is a relatively simple twofold paradigm; the Focus provides quality and value for money. In many ways it is the automotive equivalent of Tesco; popping up here and there in a stealthy manner, hoping no one will notice that it is slowly taking over the entire planet.

In these economically dire times, the public demand value for money. The days of affluence, reckless spending and an insistence on remaining de rigeur at all times are long gone. Here to stay are the days of huddling round a solitary burning coal for warmth, eating cold beans to save on energy bills and wearing your grandmother’s hand-me-downs because you can no longer afford a decent pair of jeans.

So while we’re irretrievably sinking beneath the gloomy waters of a global recession, why not drive a car that is great quality for money, cheap to maintain and the best performer for its class? It may not be exciting…or fashionable, but it’s the Focus and it might just be the best you can afford. The 1.8 Petrol & 2.0 Diesel also better 50 mpg so it’s an ecologically sound vehicle as well.

For me, however, the Focus is at its best when you put it to the test. I was happy to frighten my family during a road trip around the leafier parts of cheshire in a Focus.6 Zetec (a relatively standard model). I was extremely surprised by how the Focus hugged the corners as my mother screamed in the back. I laughed as the engine roared from 0-60 in less than ten seconds, whilst my father put his hand over his eyes and wept. I simply laughed as the Focus slalomed round the wooded scenery whilst my dog howled in terror. The point is; as the driver I never once felt like I was not completely in control. My passengers were in fear of their lives, but I was as calm and collected as could be.

For less than £10,000 you will easily be able to find a used Focus, with great spec and much better performance than its closest competitors (Citroen C4, Vauxhall Astra and the Volkswagen Golf). So in true form, Ford have manufactured a car that won’t ever be considered ‘cool’, ‘hip’ or any other trendy adjective you choose to bandy about, but what they have done is create a car for the masses. The Ford Focus is a triumph.

Most people know that the word Scirocco derives from the Mediterranean wind that comes from the Sahara desert you did know that didn’t you?  Did you also know that the last Scirocco’s finally rolled off the production line as far back as 1989?

Well after a nineteen year or so absence the Scirocco is back some say by popular demand others say that car manufacturers’ attempts at recycling has started with just the names! Whatever your view on the matter I think the consensus of opinion is that the return of this sporty hatchback is all together a welcome one.

The origins of the Scirocco go back to the early seventies when VW realised they would have to replace the beautiful but rather ageing Karmann Ghia. For this they enlisted the help of the Italian styling guru Giorgetto Giugiaro and so the Scirocco or Type 53 as it was affectionately referred to internally was born.

First appearing in 1974 the Scirocco was a three door sports hatch and was fairly popular selling around 500,000 units by 1981. A few subtle changes were made during the first years of production but it was not until the second generation model arrived in 1982 that the car improved significantly with engine power output and torque up rated and a revised interior. The unique at the time spoiler mounted to the rear window became synonymous with the Scirocco appearance.

Production continued until around 1989 by which time a further 290,000 were produced whilst sales continued to around 1992 until the Scirocco had been replaced by the Corrado. Many Scirocco enthusiasts remain however and there is a thriving owner’s network especially in the UK.

After much press speculation in 2006 VW unveiled the concept version of the Scirocco known as the Iroc at the 2006 Paris Motor Show and it attracted a huge amount of attention.

The Scirocco went on sale in March 2008 and has already divided opinion but it is too early to say whether the lovers of the old Scirocco will embrace the new model.

The Scirocco GT is a three door sports coupe with a 2 litre turbocharged petrol engine developing 200 PS. Acceleration from 0-62 is 7.5 seconds with a top speed of 146mph for the manual version although the automatic is only a second slower. A six-speed auto or manual gearbox is available.

The Scirocco comes with ACC (Adaptive Chassis Control) this allows the driver to adjust the suspension settings to suit conditions and ESP (Electronic Stability Programme). Safety features include all-round disc brakes with ABS and a multi-point airbag system including driver and passenger plus front seats and also curtain airbags.

Options include cruise control and hill hold control. The Scirocco comes with 18” Alloys as standard but 19” are an available extra should you want to really look the business.

Early reviews of the GT have proclaimed that the handling of the car is exceptional especially at higher speeds with low wind noise and precise cornering. The interior has a high quality feel as you would expect from VW. Fuel economy is better than expected unless you drive the car really hard. 2009 should see the arrival of a less potent 1.4 petrol version together with a diesel.   

Apparently the Vice-President of VW USA announced that he did not want the Scirocco to go on sale in America as it would clash with sales of the Golf GTI a claim that was later disputed by the CEO of VW who said the final decision rested with him!

Overall residual value should be maintained due to the interest in the Scirocco so it just remains to be seen if the new Scirocco is as popular as its predecessor but I have a more than sneaky feeling that it will.             

The Vauxhall Corsa has been about for what seems like an age. Some might say almost as long as Bruce Forsythe who is a British institution, rather like the good old Corsa. The problem is that unlike good old Bruce who is still at the peak of his powers the average British car buyer became bored of the old Corsa with its dated style and were instead tempted away by the sleek, sophisticated look and feel that other European.

The original Corsa which was released back in 1993 was an improvement on the boxy Nova that it replaced but the 2000 model was not much of a revelation despite good sales and the competition was hot on the heals of the Corsa by then. As a result the all-new Corsa launched in 2006 attempted to win back the buyers it had lost to the likes of Peugeot, Toyota, Renault and of course Fiat with the Grande Punto.

The answer was if you can’t beat them join them and so the third Generation Corsa was born. Based on the same platform as the Grande Punto the Corsa was an entirely different proposition to what had gone before and more akin to a baby Astra than anything else.

The car has a far higher quality feel about it .The Corsa name has acquired a reputation for being bland – that was until the newest model was introduced. With sharp styling and a smart interior it's a huge improvement over its predecessor offering more space, comfort and refinement. Like its big brother, the Astra, it has two distinct profiles for three and five-door models – and both variants look good. It’s enjoyable to drive too and thanks to a comfortable ride and decent noise insulation makes a surprisingly smooth motorway cruiser. There is a wide range of engines but it fall to the diesels to truly impress especially the super thrifty 1.3-litre CDTi. There’s also a performance model in the shape of the 1.6T SRi which is just as exciting to bomb around in as the VXR hot hatch.

There’s a good choice of engines in the Corsa range and they all offer decent economy. The entry-level model is the 1.0-litre petrol but with just 60bhp the three-cylinder unit struggles for pace and feels sluggish – the 80bhp 1.2-litre is a better bet if you intend to cover more than town miles. There's also a 1.4-litre unit but it only has 10bhp more than the 1.2-litre and isn’t much quicker – it also needs to be revved hard to achieve decent momentum and will quickly lose interest when faced with hills. For more sporty performance there's a 1.6-litre turbo-charged SRi model which was introduced in mid-2007 – it uses a less powerful version of the engine found in the VXR with 150bhp instead of 192bhp. However it still has a lot of go with a 0-60 mph time of 7.6 seconds it doesn’t hang about either

It’s the diesels that come out the best though. The most powerful is the 1.7 CDTi with 125bhp and plenty of pulling power it makes it ideal for town and motorway driving and it’s a surprisingly relaxed cruiser, sitting at low revs at 70mph. The best of the engine range is the newest 1.3 CDTi available with 75bhp or 90bhp. It is far smoother and much more refined than its bigger counterpart and although it lack a bit of the mid-range power its super economical – the less highly powered version averages 63 mpg. All petrol models have a five-speed gearbox with the exception of the 1.6T which, as well as the diesel engines comes with a six speed gear box. The gearboxes do feel a little notchy and slow to shift but the change is positive enough. An Easytronic (automated manual) system is available on the 1.2-litre models, while a conventional four-speed automatic can be specified on the 1.4-litre

The Corsa may not have the French sophistication of a Renault Clio or the sporty appeal of a Mazda 2 but is a great all rounder and a superb choice if you’re after a good value, small hatchback.

It cost me eighty three great British pounds to fill up my old Land Rover Discoverey at the petrol station today. The attendant had to almost prise my hand open to get my debit card to pay for the fuel. As I stood there in shock and close to tears thinking about what else I could buy for that amount of money and more to the point how long it would take me to earn it back it suddenly dawned on me that in the words of the Stranglers (something better change).

In my case I think I need to change my vehicle pretty damn quick before we go broke. Not just because of the Land Rover you understand but we also have a 2001 Ford Mondeo 2.0 Petrol which was hardly considered a “gas guzzler” when we bought it some three years ago but due to the retrospective tax bandings coming out next year it falls into a high polluting bracket. Blimey I feel like I’m solely responsible for the destruction of the planet and in a way I suppose I am or certainly contributing towards it.

I guess we’re in no different a position to a lot of people but by rendering our current vehicles practically worthless it will be quite hard to buy a new low polluting vehicle with effectively nothing to trade-in. The Government which is renowned for countless different “initiatives” usually in response to a crisis could have incentivised a scheme whereby you get discount off the price of a new low polluting car in return for trading in your old vehicle like a sort of amnesty.

Unfortunately it is always the less well off that suffer as a result of new legislation and this is a good case in point. I remember a couple of years ago Government Ministers were smugly parading around in hybrid cars like the Toyota Prius (whilst still having the Ministerial bullet-proof Jaguar waiting around the corner to whisk them away when the cameras had stopped rolling)

When thinking of polluting cars you automatically think of large 4×4’s and such like but surprisingly the newest generation of high performance vehicles, especially the one’s emanating from the USA where they have been working to reduce emissions for a while and as usual are way ahead of us, are much less polluting than you would imagine. It pains me to sit here and defend them but I read about a 5.7 litre V8 Petrol that hardly registered on VOSA’s equipment! Compare that to my Diesel Land Rover which would have them all reaching for their resuscitators! That’s not to say that the V8 won’t still use loads of fuel but those who would buy such a vehicle wouldn’t care.

It always makes me chuckle when people see someone in an expensive car and say stuff like “imagine the insurance costs”. Well I suppose they don’t care as they can afford it in the first place and thus will carry on driving whatever they want to where as the man on the street who could spend a days pay filling up his tank might need to seriously reconsider .

I need to stop ranting on now and turn to what seems to be the future for the car market and the saviour for us all.

Ford has unveiled the Fiesta Econetic at the motor show in London. It comes with a 1.4 litre diesel engine that gives off a mere 98g/KM which puts it top of the league for the lowest polluting four-cylinder car on the market. Its claimed that the fuel economy is over 76 miles per gallon. 

Ford have stated that it is the low emission high economy Diesel engine that will deliver cheap running costs for the masses and not the petrol electric hybrids.

In a statement Mark Ovenden, Ford’s UK Marketing Director puts it “Making available for the many what’s been available for the few”, who points out that the petrol electric hybrids pioneered by Honda and Toyota remain expensive when compared with conventional petrol or diesel engines. Other car makers such as BMW, Mercedes and VW have also acknowledged diesel to be the way forward at least in the short term.

With that in mind Ford’s assembly line in Dagenham is churning out diesel engines at a rate of knots with some 575,000 units expected next year.

With technology moving so fast no-one can predict what we will all be driving in five years time but you can be sure in my case it won’t have an eighty litre fuel tank and will probably be a cheap Ford!               

getting a pre-owned car is always a good decision. If you choose a car that is used rather than new, your cost of ownership over the life of the car will be much lower. Depreciation can cost you more than anything else when it comes to owning a car.

Also, buying a used car can save you money on even newer, trendy cars. It is now possible to find used hybrid cars, and other hot cars, on the pre-owned market. Give it a look, you don’t have to buy new to get something great!

So, how do you go about finding these used cars for sale? Well, it’s pretty simple, actually. In the past, you were pretty much restricted to what you could find at your local dealership, or local newspaper listings.  Now, the internet has changed things. Looking for a pre-owned Ford trucked? Every model or option you could want is available online.

Keep in mind that you won’t just get a great deal without doing a little research first. Do little things, like getting a vehicle history report. Online sites such as eBay Motors have built in mechanisms for fetching these reports. Also, by contacting car owners in your local area, you should be able to test drive most cars before buying.

Read up on your desired models history. Some models and model years will have little quirks that come up often. Be sure that the cars you’re looking at do not exhibit these problems. If you can work it out, it often helps to have a professional mechanic look at your car and see what he can find.

Getting cars used takes a bit more work than you might be used to, but it is worth it, typically. If you go used, you can get the car that you really want, but at a much lower price. Check into pre-owned cars today.