There Are No Such Things As Accurate MPG Figures

Friday, 6. February 2015

Drivers have been complaining for years that the MPG figures provided by car manufacturers are inaccurate and don’t reflect every day driving. Correct, the figures are calculated by applying very strict conditions within a controlled environment to best reflect the conditions, known as Urban, Extra Urban and Combined.

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The fact is that every car is subjected to exactly the same tests so if nothing else the resultant figures provide a fairly accurate way of comparing the results of different models. It can’t be done any other way. If you were to drive the same Ford Fiesta round the same route in the middle of Bath on three separate days I guarantee you will achieve three different results.

Add to that changing weather conditions along with different driving styles and the results become meaningless and can vary massively. So let’s stop whinging on about the manufacturers’ fuel consumption figures and simply use them as a guide as to which cars use more fuel than others. In America the situation is different.

There have been a string of high profile cases involving Kia, Hyundai and Ford after they all admitted leading customers astray over fuel consumption figures. The cases resulted in hefty fines and compensation being paid to car buyers.

But before you start opening Word in order to start your claims process the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) say it is unlikely that any similar claim in the UK would succeed as the EU testing regime does not claim to represent real world driving conditions. Sorry ladies and gentlemen but simply drop the suggested MPG by 15 to 20, that should give you a more accurate figure. By Graham Hill

Leasing A New Car That May Not Be Latest Model

Saturday, 25. October 2014

If I was to sell you my used Vauxhall Astra and it had a badge on the back that suggested that it was a top of the range Elite when in fact it was an entry level Exclusiv, there wouldn’t be much you could do about it unless I had advertised it as a fully spec’d Elite. The same would apply if the car I was selling was a 2010 car but was 2009 model year spec. Exclusiv.

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The fact is that you can inspect the car and see that the car doesn’t have leather seats, electric rear windows or fog lights that were fitted on an Elite as standard when the car was new or the addition of fog lights and sat nav when the car changed from 2009 to 2010. You see exactly what you are getting so the basic rule of Caveat Emptor – buyer beware prevails.

Of course this isn’t the case with a new car that you don’t get to see before you buy it or lease it. With some cars changing model spec at least once if not twice every year you may not receive what you thought you had ordered. Especially as manufacturers will throw a few thousand pounds across the bonnet (that’s dealer speak for bonus) of the outgoing model in order to sell them quickly to make way for the new model coming out.

Whilst this represents great value for money (we currently have deals on top of the range outgoing Focus models) you may not be told that the cars on offer are not the new model cars. Some may be pre-registered whilst others may just be stockpiled so whilst I would be suspicious if the cars are pre-registered, suggesting old model cars, that may not be the case if they are unregistered.

If unregistered you might assume that the car you will receive will be the car advertised on the manufacturer’s web site with at best a different spec. at worst a completely new shape. Manufacturers will also advertise a new model maybe 2 months in advance of launch, again fooling you into thinking that the car you just ordered is the new model. So always check with the supplier that the car you have ordered is the car you want? Don’t simply be tempted by a cheap rate. By Graham Hill

Cost Of Parking Bigger Cars Set To Double

Monday, 9. April 2012

Having a bigger than standard car will cost you more to park in future, if you’re parking in Wyre in Lancashire. If your car is too big to fit into a single car space or if you are a lazy driver taking up more than one space you will now be expected to pay double. If not you will be penalised. Wyre County Council formalised what local wardens have been Read more »

New Technology Becomes Legal Requirement In The US

Thursday, 21. July 2011

Lexus CT200h en el Sal�n de Ginebra 2010.

Image via Wikipedia

The US is making a piece of technology a legal requirement by 2014 and yet there are very few cars fitted with it in the UK as standard or have it available as an option. The technology provides images picked up by reversing cameras to be displayed in your rear view mirror. Will it be the next big thing in the UK and become a legal requirement? Time will Read more »

Is All New Technology Actually Good For Drivers?

Saturday, 7. May 2011

Schematic of in-vehicle system Intelligent Cru...

Image via Wikipedia

Sometimes I feel that technology has gone too far with some safety and comfort features taking over your driving and control of the car. This was illustrated recently when Mercedes had to recall 18,000 Mercedes M Class because the cruise control wouldn’t disengage when you tapped the brake pedal, as it’s meant to. If you’ve driven a car with cruise Read more »

Graham Hill Names The Top Ten Selling Cars Of 2010

Tuesday, 8. February 2011

Nissan Qashqai Facelift

Image via Wikipedia

Who wants to know the best selling cars of 2010? No-one? Well tough I’m going to tell you anyway! The Fiesta tops the chart for the second year but the Nissan Qashqai has popped into the top ten as a result of Nissan’s car sales hike from 77,924 in 2009 to 87,396 in 2010, a jump of 15%. This made Nissan the most popular Japanese car maker in the UK overtaking Toyota who suffered badly with its massive recall dropping sales by 15%. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) who Read more »

Graham Hill’s In Depth Review Of The Mr T Car

Tuesday, 1. February 2011

Mr.T

The Graham Hill review of a new car focuses on the new Mr T, of A Team fame, of the car world. No we’re not talking about a car full of bling or a muscle bound design, we’re talking Mohican style. The new Ford, Focus based, Kuga seems to have taken its styling from Mr T’s head as it has what looks like a Mohican style sunroof running from front to back and of course looking dopey. The style might suit Mr T but not a car. The new lines, like many new designs, look more like the designs film makers Read more »

Top Passers Of MOT Tests Revealed

Sunday, 26. September 2010

LET`S PLAY - SPOT THE CAR - 3
Image by CARLOS62 via Flickr

Halfords owned Nationwide Autocentres has revealed the top ten 3 year old cars and 5 year old cars to pass the MOT amongst the UK’s best selling cars. This information is normally very hard to find so Halfords have pretty much broken ranks by revealing the information that I print out below: 

3 Year Old Cars % Fail
BMW 3 Series 7
VW Golf 11
Ford Mondeo 12
Ford Fiesta 13
Ford Focus 13
Renault Clio 13
Vauxhall Astra 14
Ford KA 15
Vauxhall Corsa 20
Renault Megane 25

 

5 Year Old Cars % Fail
Ford Fiesta 20
VW Golf 21
Vauxhall Astra 21
Ford Focus 22
Peugeot 206 24
Ford Mondeo 27
Peugeot 307 33
Renault Clio 34
Renaukt Megane 35
Vauxhall Corsa 39

The figures were based on the top 10 selling cars during the year of manufacture according to Halfords. One or two surprises there I have to say but it would be interesting to see stats for all cars, not just the top sellers, now that would be revealing! Are you surprised by any of the figures, drop me a note? By Graham Hill

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The Amazing Truth About Electric Cars!

Monday, 5. July 2010

Thinking of getting an electric car? Many are but before you get too excited the institute of Engineering and Technology has calculated that you would need a battery weighing 1.5 tonnes and costing £100,000 fitted to a Ford Focus sized car to match the range of an equivalent diesel version (370 miles). This means that you would need a pack of lithium-ion batteries the weight of a mid sized hatchback to power – well – a mid sized hatchback for this distance. What do you think of electric cars? By Graham Hill

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Another In Depth Car Review, This Week Bentley Mulsanne

Saturday, 15. May 2010

Yet another Graham Hill in depth review of a new car. Following the successful review of the new Ford Focus that many people found of great interest I have gone to the far end of the spectrum and this week chosen for my in depth review the new Bentley Mulsanne. Actually the review of the new Ford Focus was a little light on some of the fine detail so whilst the review of the Mulsanne was to be ‘It’s bloody expensive Read more »