The all-new Mazda 3 is the latest car to receive 5-stars!

In the latest range of safety test results released by Euro NCAP the new Mazda3 is the latest car to receive the full five-star rating.

This means that it performed superbly in all of the tests carried out. The tests look at various features of the cars including its ‘pedestrian protection’, ‘child protection’, ‘whiplash protection’, its ’seatbelt system’ and many more.

The Mazda3 is only the second Mazda model to receive the full 5-stars under the new European NCAP Evaluation system – the other is the Mazda6.

Convertible Prices Plummet During Winter Months…

Every winter the price of a used convertible decreases as the demand lowers, however it seems as though this year the price decrease has been bigger than expected.

Audi convertibles have lowered by 10.7 percent, so if you’re after a A4 convertible now is the time to look out for one. Both Peugeot and Renault have seen a bigger decrease than Audi with Peugeot convertible prices falling by 11.5 % and Renault convertibles falling by a significant 15.1%.

Now doubt the prices will pick up during Spring as the ‘convertible season’ hots up again, but if you’re smart you’ll start your hunt now as you’re bound to find yourself a bargain!

Ford Vehicle Prices Increase Once Again…

According to What Car? the price of a new Ford is set to increase yet again.

This is the fourth price increase from Ford in 2009 alone. In fact it’s estimated that the price of a Focus has risen by £2000 this year which is a huge increase in such a short space of time.

Prices are set to increase by 2.7% next month and Ford are blaming it on the weak value of the pound.

The VAT price increase in January will make prices increase even further as well – so if you’re looking to buy a new Ford it’s probably better to get in there sooner rather than later.

Many said that car manufacturers would increase prices to compensate for Scrappage Scheme loss by increasing vehicle prices and it seems to be true in this case!

Fiat Unveil New Van

Fiat have just unveiled their latest commercial vehicle, the Fiat Doblo.

The new Fiat Doblo will be on sale in the UK from early next year in both van and budget people carrier form.

The Doblo van is going to be a rival for the likes of the Citroen Berlingo and the Renault Kangoo – and Fiat are already claiming that it has plenty of space inside – even with the seats up!

There will be a choice of four engines to choose from and the environmentally aware will be pleased to hear that Stop Start comes as standard.  Stop Start is a piece of innovative technology that turns a car’s engine off whilst it is still, i.e. at the traffic lights, thus preserving you some fuel. Stop Start is fast featuring on many vehicles.

Scrappage Success For Ford!

According to figures just released Ford have just sold their 30,000^th scrappage vehicle – the vehicle in question, the good old Ford Transit!

Ford have now sold 1,100 commercial vehicles through the scrappage scheme which has been a fantastic success for them.

Ford lead the scrappage sales in the UK with Vauxhall following closely behind.

The Ford Fiesta in particular has been particularly popular during the scheme – and sales of the Fiesta recently topped the 100,000 mark (both scrappage and non-scrappage sales).

Astra Scoopes Golden Steering Wheel

Ever since the new Vauxhall Astra burst onto the scene it has received nothing but praise and it’s just been announced that the Astra has scooped the Golden Steering Wheel – a very prestigious prize in the automotive world.

The Astra was voted the best vehicle in the compact class – a very competitive sector!

The Golden Steering Wheel has been around since 1975 and is organised by Auto Bild which is the world’s largest automobile magazine.  To help choose this year’s winner Auto Bild magazine used the opinion of readers in over 26 countries – which accounted for more than 40million readers!

Great energy consumption, braking and steering helped the Astra to gain top marks…

Nissan Win Van of the Year!!!

Nissan’s new NV200 has just won an International Van of the Year Award!

The model is only just appearing on dealer’s forecourts…so what a great introduction.

The NV200 is relatively small in size yet has a surprisingly big cargo capacity. This award-winning van already has a 40% market share in Japan so we could soon be seeing a lot more of these little vans. Find out more at Car Dealer Magazine.

Vauxhall Corsa Tipped To Have a Great 2010

Details of the new Vauxhall Corsa have just been released and it’s got automotive experts tipping the popular little hatchback to have a successful 2010!

The engines in the new Corsa are set to become 13% more economical which is welcome news as rumours of fuel price increases surface.  All of the models, except from the sporty VXR will exceed an average of 50mpg when fitted with a manual gearbox – and whats more, they have given the 1.0-litre petrol engine an extra 4bhp!

Changes have also been made to the Corsa’s suspension to improve the ride and handling. Softer springs have been used and the steering has been adjusted.

…another point to note – the trim levels have been changed too:

Life  becomes  S

Club  becomes Exclusiv

Design  becomes SE

 

Operation Stack…

Last night I left work expecting to embark on my usual journey home – and all was going well until I saw signs for a lane closure. I just presumed it was closed so that the Motorway Maintenance people could clear the debris.

A sign then flashed up saying ‘delays between junction 11 and 11a – the space between these junctions is relatively short so I didn’t think it would be too much of a problem and carried on with my journey.

Once I had driven past junction 10 (my last opportunity to leave the motorway before the traffic) a sign then flashed up saying ‘Operation Stack in Progress’. Now, for those of you who don’t know what operation stack is, it’s basically when the M20 gets closed down because of problems at the Dover Ferry Port and is used as a car park for all the cargo lorries.

Now, why didn’t a sign flash up pre-warning me of operation stack when I still has the opportunity to leave the motorway? Instead my journey which usually takes 30 minutes took me 2hours!

I wasn’t a happy bunny when I got home…

Driving Safely in the Wind

This morning as I was driving to work in the heavy gale force winds I started to wonder about safety when driving  in bad weather conditions– so this morning I did a bit of research to bring you the definitive guide!

Obviously the main factors that keep you on the road are the weight of your vehicle – so if you are driving a little city-car along the motorways in the high winds you are setting yourself up for a bumpy ride!

• The shape of your car will also play a role in your drive, obviously the more streamlined your car the better it will handle in the wind.  The larger the surface area of your vehicle that is facing the wind the greater the pushing force will be.

• If you drive too fast in the wind you will have less time to react to any deviations the wind causes, which could be very dangerous.  It is actually safer to drive more slowly in high wind – this isn’t to do with being blown off course and has more to do with the reliability of your tyres.  Being blown off course has a lot to do with how well your tyres grip the road. If you stop your wheels from skidding you won’t slide sideways.

• If the weather forecasts bad weather then you should always plan ahead. As you have to drive more slowly in the bad weather you should expect your journey to take longer than usual and therefore leave extra time. You definitely don’t want to be speeding to make up the time!

• Stopping distances are also more important in the bad weather – rain in particular. You should make sure that you leave a large gap between yourself and the vehicle in front so that if you do have to brake suddenly you won’t go straight into the vehicle in front of you.  Experts in the field recommend leaving double the amount of room that you would usually leave.

• All sorts of weather conditions can cause havoc on the roads, rain, wind, glare and snow. Always reduce your speed and drive within your comfort zone, if you don’t feel safe then you shouldn’t be driving.

Although you should be driving at slower speeds in bad weather conditions you should never slow down too fast or too suddenly.  Be aware of the vehicles around you – particularly lorries and caravans, as the push on their vehicles will be far higher than that on a car. If you drive a motorbike take extra care as they are so light – if it’s really windy it is advisable to take alternative transport as it could be too high a risk to take!