ISSUE 1 APRIL 2013
DRIVE
! t c i d r e V e h T : Z C R t o e g u e P w e N
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Britains broken roads: the pothole scandal
CONTENTS
A preview of what’s covered this month!
The new Vauxhall Adam challenges the Fiat 500.
Welcome to our first issue of Drive, a car magazine that’s focused on all things motoring. This month we take a drive in the face lifted Peugeot RCZ and get our hands on the allnew Vauxhall Adam, which we pit against the class leading Fiat 500. We also take a look at the state of UK roads and the danger of avoiding potholes. Yet as our news section shows, all hope is not lost for us motorists as the fuel price increase has been scrapped. I hope you enjoy this issue, see you next month! Jack, Editor.
7&8 Britains Pothole Scandal
5&6 We drive the new RCZ
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REVIEWS
New Peugeot RCZ I I
N 2010, Peugeot caused a stir when they launched the RCZ. It brought concept car looks, decent engines and lots of standard kit. Now it has been given a mid-life facelift to bring it into line with the rest of the new Peugeot range such as the new 208. The main changes to the RCZ are cosmetic at the front. The original coupe had a large open grill with a black horizontal bar running across it, looking similar to the 308 that it’s based on. This has been replaced by a tauter nose that sees the grill split into two more distinct areas and the addition of led daytime running lights that help refresh the look of the car. The RCZ has always been very French in that it is all
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about the style, and with a prettier face the RCZ has bags of it. The silver roof rails highlight its sleek profile and the unique double bubble glassed rear wouldn’t be out of place on cars from a few classes above. The interior remains mostly unchanged aside from some minor differences to the door switches. This is no bad thing as it still looks modern and luxurious thanks to the full leather cabin that puts more expensive cars to shame. There are also two new wheel designs to choose from along with decal packages that include the option of racing stripes that run the length of the car. The engine line up remains unchanged and we’d still go for the top of the range 200bhp 1.6 petrol unit. It propels
REVIEWS
Impresses the car from 0-60 in just 7.4 seconds and has plenty of mid range punch. The exhaust note has a nice gurgle to it thanks to a butterfly valve that opens up under a good blast of acceleration. It handles pretty well too, thanks to the stiff suspension that keeps body roll to a minimum. But the pay off here is that the RCZ crashes through potholes and never quite settles on Britain’s beaten roads. Equipment levels are generous on the RCZ, even basic ‘Sport’ models come with sports seats, dual-zone climate control, alloy wheels and rear parking sensors. If you upgrade to GT spec you also get a full leather interior, electronically adjustable heated seats, front parking sensors
and automatic lights and wipers. However there are some downsides to the car. For instance, the back seats are basically useless as not even the smallest adult can sit in them comfortably and the RCZ can’t match the dynamic qualities of some of its rivals like the Volkswagen Scirocco. It’s not as prestigious as rivals like the Audi TT which will hold its value better than the RCZ due to the badge on the bonnet. Though in the grand scheme of things these are minor faults, the RCZ was a head turner before and it is even prettier now. Add in strong engines and generous equipment levels and the facelift is really just the icing on the cake.
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Cascada Prices Announced
The new four-seater convertible is arriving in April with attractive prices.
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AUXHALL Cascada prices have been announced. The new four-seater convertible is due to hit showrooms in April and will start at ÂŁ23,995. The Cascada is pitched as a cheaper alternative to the Audi A5 Cabriolet, which is also generously equipped. The entry-level Cascada undercuts the Audi by ÂŁ8,000. The standard equipment list includes 18-inch alloy wheels, LED tail-lamps, plus auxiliary and USB ports for the stereo all as standard. All Cascadas feature Vauxhall's HiPerStrut front suspension system, which is normally reserved for high-
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performance models like the Astra VXR. The car also has a fabric roof that can open electronically in 17 seconds at speeds of up to 30mph. There are two equipment levels to choose from. SE is the standard spec, while the range-topping Elite adds leather upholstery, heated seats and steering wheel, plus front foglamps. The new Cascada has a wide range of engines. The 138bhp 1.4litre turbo petrol will average 44.8.mpg and emits 148g/km of CO2. Next is a 162bhp 2.0-litre diesel, which averages 54.3mpg and emits 138g/km of CO2. Both will be available in SE and Elite cars.
The top-of-the-range engine is a high-performance 193bhp bi-turbo diesel, which will be available shortly after launch on Elite models only. This engine can power the Cascada from 0-60mph in 8.9 seconds while also returning 54.3mpg and emitting 138 g/km of CO2. The final engine option is Vauxhall's all-new 1.6-litre turbo petrol. Available on all Cascadas, it takes the convertible from 0-60mph in 9.2 seconds and has a top speed of 135mph. It will be available with a new low-friction six-speed automatic gearbox, averages 39.2mpg and emits 168g/km of CO2.
NEWS
FUEL DUTY SCRAPPED
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OTORISTS can collectively breathe a sigh of relief as the 1.89p fuel price increase, planned to come into effect on the 1st of September, has been cancelled. The increase has been scrapped which means fuel prices will stay at the same price of 57.95ppl, before tax of course, and will cost the Treasury around £1 billion pounds in lost revenue over the coming year. The decision to stem any further fuel increases has been promised to last until September 2014, but inflation still poses a risk to the price of fuel across the country. Upon delivering the budget, George Osborne discussed the fuel
duty scrap saying: “For a Vauxhall Astra or a Ford Focus that’s £7 less every time you fill up.” Despite the scrap, there is not much respite for motorists as prices are still high after soaring over the past few years. A fuel price match report revealed that the UK average for unleaded and diesel are sitting at 139.9ppl and 1.46.4ppl respectively. Northern Ireland has the highest recorded price for unleaded, its currently 1.41ppl and diesel is most expensive in the South East sitting at 147.1ppl. As prices spike at a near all time high, many people are feeling the
pinch as the price is hitting home for many households. Tracey Steel, aged 42, is one of many people struggling with fuel prices. Living in Kilmarnock, she is a midwife at the Royal Alexandria Hospital in Paisley so commutes forty-two miles 4 days a week: “It’s just ridiculous, the price we pay for petrol and yet the roads are an absolute disgrace. I mean because of rising petrol my daughter, who’s a student, has sold her car and now shares mine. The bottom line is she couldn’t afford to run her own. “ She added: “Five years ago this wasn’t the case, prices need to come down.”
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Britain’
s
ads o R BR OK E N
As the pothole scandal deepens in the UK, Drive investigate the true costs and dangers to motorists.
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f you’re a British motorist, you will know the moment of dread as a crater in the road catches your eye and you know it’s too late to swerve. And according to a recent report by Kwik Fit you now have 23 per cent more chance of hitting a pothole today than you did two years ago. The figures show that there has been a 143 per cent increase in motorists
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hitting potholes in just two years, a sign of continued under investment in to our crumbling roads. The combination of harsh winters and under investment has resulted in the poor state of the UK road network. Drivers are now paying the price as more than £1 million is spent by motorists every day repairing their cars suspension that’s been damaged by the plethora of potholes that plague
British roads. Edmund King, President of the AA, gave his view on the state of public roads: “Some local roads are pothole riddled obstacle courses which could have fatal consequences for those on two wheels and cause expensive damage for those on four.” Car specialist Warranty Direct analysed various
areas of data from more than 50,000 live insurance policies and found that over four years Scotland’s roads were in a worse state of disrepair compared to England’s roads. Within the worst hit regions one in ten drivers will need to make an unwanted trip to the garage for suspension repairs. And its not cheap; the average repair cost of axle and suspension is an eye watering £257 and
FEATURES
Top 5 LEAST affected areas Suspension failure rate:
D O O G
East Sussex - 3.17% Somerset - 3.42% Devon - 3.46% Dorset - 3.75% Hampshire - 3.88%
BAD overall accounts for every one in five visits made to garages in the whole of Britain every year. The news is worse still for Scots as a study by potholes.co.uk reveals that car damage caused by poorly maintained roads is three times more likely up north. Angus is the worst hit area followed by Renfrewshire, Lanarkshire and Ayrshire. Driving within Ayrshire, Rhona Hamilton, aged 20, is one of many to suffer at the hands of poor road conditions. Owning a 2010 Ford Fiesta, she regularly drives around Kilmarnock and was shocked when she discovered her car needed its suspension replaced:
potholes to prevent them from adding unnecessary damage like this to our cars.”
“The suspension cost was £250 per axle, so over six months cost me £500. With all the speed-bumps and other obstacles they already put on the road, councils need to fix
regarding funding; the money is there, it’s just not being diverted to the roads.”
She added: “At the end of the day, considering the taxes we pay on fuel and the roads the government don’t have a leg to stand on
when drivers hit them; they are causing accidents as people try to avoid them. The report by Kwik Fit also found that a quarter of motorists were forced to swerve on to the other side of the road to avoid a pothole – a 12% increase on 2011. Over the same time the number of motorists who have had
“With all the speed-bumps and other obstacles they already put on the road, councils need to fix potholes to prevent them from adding unnecessary damage like this to our cars.”
Worryingly potholes are not just causing problems
to come to a complete stop to avoid a pothole has risen by a million to 2.2 million. Worse still, one in 10 young motorists aged 18-24 have been involved in a car acci-
Top 5 MOST affected areas Suspension failure rate: Angus - 9.97% Renfrewshire - 9.76% Lanarkshire - 9.73% Ayrshire - 8.69% Aberdeenshire - 8.46%
dent due to evading a pothole. Other measures that have been taken by drivers to avoid dodgy potholes include; extreme braking, hitting the kerb and mounting the pavement. Roger Griggs, communications Director at Kwik Fit says: “Potholes are a growing problem for motorists, not just through the damage they cause, but the fact that they force drivers to make risky manoeuvres. A motorist, who suddenly veers around a hole, or brakes heavily without warning, will give other road users little time to react. It’s not surprise that more than three million drivers have either been in, or witnessed an accident caused by a driver avoiding a pothole and this recent spell of freezing weather is only going to make the situation worse.”
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CITY CHIC: ADAM VS 500
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ver the last few years, we’ve seen a dramatic shift towards small, customisable cars that allow people to personalise till their hearts content. Back in 2008 Fiat resurrected the 500 and it brought a whole new level of class and customisation to the city
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car market. Others like the Citroen DS3 have followed and now Vauxhall want in on the action with the all new Adam. However the little Fiat isn’t going down without a fight and the Adam has a lot to prove to topple the 500. It’s clear that a lot of thought has been put
into the Adam. After the success of personalisation on other small cars, Vauxhall has ensured that every Adam has the chance to be unique. For instance there are 15 different seat treatments, 18 interchangeable decor panels and 20 different alloy wheel designs. There is even
ambient light options that include a starlight roof that uses 64 LEDs to create a ‘sky at night’ effect. The baby Vauxhall is available in three trim levels; Jam, Glam and Slam all of which are generously equipped. Air con, Bluetooth and 16” alloy wheels are all standard with mid-
REVIEWS spec Glam adding luxuries such as electronic climate control and range topping Slam adding the funky two tone roof. We tested the 1.4 86bhp mid-spec Glam model which featured a unique purple interior that matched the outside and characterises the personalisation well. It seems to have taken some styling cues from both the Audi
but thanks to its cute retro styling still looks fresh and chic darting around city streets. We tested the 0.9 litre twin air Lounge model which comes with Bluetooth, alloy wheels and higher quality chequered seats as standard. Speaking of retro, the twin air engine only has two cylinders which is the same as the original 500 (though they’re now
The Adam’s interior is upmarket with lots of soft touch plastics. A1 and the Citroen DS3, with quality materials and sweeping lines in all the right places. Inside is where the Adam really comes into its own, with a seven inch touch screen infotainment system and chrome touches the interior is bang up to date and is a step up from the 500’s interior, which features too many hard scratchy plastics. The fiat 500 has been with us for five years now
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turbo-charged.) It is a joy to drive, thanks to the turbo the 875cc engine always has plenty of go and has a very addictive exhaust note when it’s revved hard, which you’ll likely do often due to the sheer joy the engine is. The downside to rev happy driving is economy doesn’t go anywhere near the claimed 70.6mpg. That being said, the twin air 500 emits so little co2, 90g/km, that it’s exempt
from road tax and sits in a low insurance group making it cheaper to run than the Adam. There is no way about it; the Adam simply can’t match the 500 when it comes to what’s under the bonnet. The cleanest engine in the range still emits 118g/km meaning no Adam is exempt from paying road tax and our 86bhp 1.4 test model
disappoints when it comes to finances as well. Between our similarly equipped test cars here the Adam costs £790 more to buy yet after three years will depreciate £910 more than the 500. This is a real disappointment because the Adam is an eye catching car that’s moved the interior quality of city cars up a level, while also bringing
The 500’s retro cabin is cool but features too many cheap plastics. disappointed in comparison to the Fiat. Despite having a bigger engine it’s actually less powerful; providing 30nm less torque than the 500. The acceleration can feel lifeless at points and with the Adam weighing in 190kg heavier than the 500 it doesn’t have the same poise that the 500 has when darting about the city, which is essential in a car in this segment. Unfortunately the Adam
more customisation to the segment. It was always going to have a hard time fighting the 500 for victory and it’s had to admit defeat. Higher running costs, outdated engines and heavier depreciation have all kept the Adam from 1st place here. However this is still a good choice if you don’t need to worry about economy as much and would like a car that’s going to be unique.
The Verdict THE Adam put up a good fight with some great customisable options and a modern up market interior but ultimately it wasn’t a strong
enough rival to topple the 500 from 1st place. After five years the little fiat may be beginning to show its age but the twinair engine under the
bonnet suits the car perfectly; providing an ideal balance of poise, agility and economy. For this reason it’s still the most desireable city car.
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