Archive for March, 2015
2015 Volkswagen Polo 81TSI Comfortline
Small cars divide opinion; are they safe, are they slow with people in them, are they really that economical?
Volkswagen offers drivers a choice of two small cars, being the up! and the Polo. A Wheel Thing trundled around in the Polo 81TSI Comfortline with these questions being asked. And answered.
Powersource.
It’s a miniscule 1.2L engine, turbocharged but with some impressive numbers: 81kW from 4600 through to 5600 revs and 
plateau flat torque from 1400 to 4000 revs. The twist is 175 Nm between those numbers, offering rapid acceleration and flexibility once on song. It’s bolted next to a 7 ratio DSG gearbox and this is the car’s biggest weakest link. I’ll explain further down.
The Suit.
It’s the now recognisable, across the VW family, squared off and angular front end and neon look style tail lights. A generation or two ago, the corporate look was a slightly blobby, rounded look; it’s been edged off, the headlight clusters have a clear delineation between the main lights and indicators and parkers whilst driving lights are now pushed out to the bottom corners.
In profile it’s clearly a small car; 15 inch alloys sit underneath a compact and unoffensive body. It’s compact, to say the least, at 3972 mm in length, rolling on a 2470 mm wheelbase. It’s 1682 mm wide, whilst standing at 1453 mm it won’t trouble too many people trying to look over the top.
The headlight cluster on the car tested is slightly different from the other (entry level) model by having a chrome look as opposed to black chrome.
Tyres are Continentals, 185/60 in profile, wrapped around 15 inch alloys.
On The Inside.
Naturally, unlike the TARDIS, it’s small on the inside because it’s small on the outside. Rear leg 
room, when the front pews are occupied by normal adults, is almost negligible, even for smaller family members. Entry and exit is easy enough but there’s no way that this car could be considered a five seater.
The overall presence is one of blandness; it’s black upon black, for the most part and nothing 
that stands out as visually exciting or appealing.
It’s cloth trim, with VW’s oddly chosen tartan style weave, coating the snug and reasonably comfortable seats. The driver faces a simple and clear dash, in glorious black and white, bar red needles and the red line for the tacho. Ergonomically it’s pretty spot on.
Two small buttons on the outer lower part of the binnacle offer info options. It’s a left hand 
operated indicator, controls for lights and audio plus aircon are efficient and ergonomically laid out, with the audio quality a touch unbalanced, even after adjusting the levels. The compact body doesn’t allow a lot of rear cargo space, being barely enough to hold a average weekly shop. Cleverly, though, there is a second level, access by simply lifting the visible floor, allowing a bit more storage for squashable or flat items.
.Naturally, there’s plenty of safety, with airbags and electronic aids, including a form of crash avoidance; a small icon lights up on the (black and white) dash screen if the system detects the Polo is getting close to the vehicle ahead and is under acceleration. It’s unintrusive and a simple reminder for the driver not to get too close.
On The Road.
It’s unbalanced in the suspension; the front is too soft, 
scraping on kerbs and the give in the rear isn’t enough. It’s disconcerting, especially with the speed bumps that infest our cities, feeling the front sponge over then the rear jolting. This provides some interesting driving moments in hard roundabout turns, with the nose tucking in whilst the tail feels to slightly ride high.
It’s also an interesting drivetrain combination, with a seven speed DSG (double clutch auto) and the light switch engagement it has; from Reverse to Drive, there’s a noticeable pause as the systems organises itself, then suddenly engages and launches the car forward. It’s the same when you’ve come to a halt at a stop sign or red light, as the transmission takes itself out of Drive, then lunges forward when the accelerator is pressed. A local intersection is a T junction with an almost blind curve coming in from the left, which makes trying to get under way with a transmission like this a touch dangerous as there’s the time lag between asking for go and getting it.
Under way, however, it’s a different and more enjoyable story, as that torque comes into its own and allows the Polo to roll along with alacrity. The number isn’t huge, at “just” 175 Newton metres, but the range at which it’s available 
makes the driving part a doddle, with low revs moving the Polo along just as easily as 4000 revs.
A major positive is its frugality. Being a small car, there’s no room for a big fuel tank with this being 45 litres. Even with four aboard, the engine doesn’t seem to struggle, with economy hovering between five and six litres per 100 kilometres covered. There was still 1/4 of a tank indicated with 565 kilometres driven on handover.
The Wrap.
I don’t think the Polo Comfortline is a family car; it’s too small to always comfortably deal with two adults, two children and a load of shopping. Two people and an occasional guest? For sure. The DSG issue is one that plagues this kind of transmission; it’s not fun and can be dangerous in certain locations. It’s devilishly cheap to run, though, it can be fun to punt once under way and has that bluff, no compromise interior look that doesn’t confuse with too many buttons or colours. At Just over 22K, it’s unlikely to break the bank as well.
Head here for details: http://volkswagenaustralia.com.au/PassengerVehicleVariants/vehicle/polo
BTCC Proud Proton: Keep Rollin' On The Tarmac
Image Credit: PSP Images
The latest news to come swirling from the dazzling world of the BTCC sees the Welch Motorsport team continuing to use their own engines over the standard TOCA unit. Proton has always been the car of choice for the team, which slots them perfectly into the brief yet determined history of Proton in the British championship. Since their debut into the series in 2002, Proton may not have enjoyed a glittering career, but through their recent resurrection at the hands of the Welch Motorsport Crew the Malaysian manufacturer lives on.
Chances are, when you think back to the big names of the BTCC from the past and present you will hear names such as Honda, MG, Ford, Nissan, Volvo or Toyota to name but a few. For those more extreme fans, they would also mention Peugeot, Alfa or possibly Mazda. However, one name that has often been left out is that of Proton. The Malaysian manufacturer missed out on the glitz and glamour of the Super Touring, first entering the championship in 2002 as part of the revamped BTC Regulations.
It is fair to say that from their inception, lady luck never really sided with Proton. To maximise performance, most teams would take only the body shell of a car and quite literally build their race car from the ground up. For the Proton team this was but a wistful dream just too far to achieve. Due to the difficulties of importing the body shells from Malaysia, the team had to buy road cars from the local dealership and then work to transform them into the BTC spec Proton Impian.
Proton however was not completely void of hope. One arrow in their quiver came in the shape of the Mountune Racing engines, whose strength, performance and abilities were credited throughout testing. Furthermore, they were able to bring on board returning driver Phil Bennett who had previously raced for the Egg Sport Vauxhall team as well as Scottish legend David Leslie. Leslie was a man famous for taking relatively new teams and bringing out the best in their cars, something he had done for the Ecurie Ecosse Vauxhall in 1992, Honda in 1995 and most notably Nissan in 1997 onwards.
The Proton team of the early 2000s never really hit the big time
The 2002 season was arguably quite successful for the Proton team, with Leslie achieving multiple podium finishes and finishing 7th overall in the championship. Phil Bennett on the other hand failed to repeat his successes of 2001 and ended the year well down the order. A full overhaul for 2003 predicted strong results, yet the reality could not have been further from the hopes. The highest position achieved across 2003 was a single 5th at Mondello Park for David Leslie. Phil Bennett once again failed to impress, probably due in the most part to his inherent lack of ability to hack it in the BTCC field.
The final year of Proton as a manufacturer in the BTCC can be described as nothing short of an embarrassment. Leslie and Bennett were replaced by South African Shaun Watson-Smith and Malaysian driver Fariqe Hairuman. Whether it was a stunning absence of talent, an underpowered car or just a team that is not suited to racing, the two drivers finished 14th and 23rd in the standings. To put this into perspective, 2004 was Proton’s 3rd year in the championship yet they still finished stone dead last in the manufacturers championship, a whopping 325 points behind the Seat team (who by the way, were competing in their first ever season in the BTCC). It came as no surprise that Proton pulled out after 2004, probably due to the abject misery that surrounded them throughout the year.
For 7 years, Proton lay dormant having seemingly slipped into the pages of history. But all was not lost, for in 2011 Welch Motorsport announced their plans to rejuvenate the Proton name with an independent entry for Dan Welch. The 2011 part entry in the Gen-2 was more of a sighting season than an intended competitive year. In the penultimate race of the year at Silverstone, Welch gained his first point for the team with a 10th place finish.
It was in 2012 that the Proton wheels truly started turning when they entered the Persona, with the new backing of Sopp and Sopp. The highlight of the year came at Oulton Park when Welch finished 4th following a truly epic battle with the Honda of Matt Neal. That even won him the Champagne Moment of the Year Award. In 2013, Welch Motorsport became a strong midfield runner, finishing 10th at the end of the year.
Image Credit: PSP Images
Ten years after a truly woeful season in the BTCC, it seemed history was going to repeat itself in an almost anniversary fashion. Welch announced that they would be running their own engine instead of the standard TOCA unit, which turned out to be a mistake. As soon as they submitted their homologation to TOCA, there was nothing they could change about their power unit. This was a shame, considering their engine was (self-admitted by them) all kinds of awful. For Welch and new boy Ollie Jackson, 2014 was a year spent trailing at the back of the grid struggling to even remain on the same lap as the leaders let alone challenge for position.
It therefore came as a bit of a surprise when Welch Motorsport announced that they would continue with the use of their own engines for Welch and new man Wilmot for the 2015 season. They have announced that they have focused ‘140%’ on the engine across the close season. Now considering that engines are all about balance of power, performance and efficiency, focusing an impossible percentage on their development does cast some doubt over their abilities for this year. But seriously, the team seem optimistic about their chances of advancing through the field. What I am most impressed with is the fact that the Welch boys are sticking with their own power unit. I have a lot of respect for anyone with the determination and perseverance to go against the norm (and the easier option) so as to introduce some variety into the BTCC.
Image Credit: BTCC.net
In the early 2000s I will admit that I did not have that much of an opinion about the Proton team. What I do have however is a piece of broken Proton that I collected from Thruxton from 2004 I believe it was. As soon as Dan Welch entered his independent Proton into the championship, my attention, my respect and my heart was stolen. I will always have a great deal of respect and fondness for the Welch prepared Proton team, hence the inception of my affectionate ‘Squelch’ nickname that I often use.
Proton has never been a front runner in the British Touring Car Championship; they are the true underdog manufacturer whose time will one day come. Proton has enjoyed success in Asian based touring car series, but never in Britain. If anyone can take Proton to the top, it could only be Welch Motorsport. Their persistence even against all adversity put before them is admirable and eventually their hard work will pay off.
I wish them all the best for their 2015 BTCC Season!
Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter for all the updates from BTCC Media Day @lewisglynn69
Keep Driving People!
Peace and Love!
SUV: What Is It?
SUV: Sport Utility Vehicle. Toyota can take the charm or the blame for giving Planet Earth this, thanks to the RAV4. It didn’t take long for other manufacturers to join the queue, even the luxury brands. Nowadays, if you don’t offer a SUV or three, your sales force will take a hit.
But what is a SUV? The way I see it, in simple terms, it’s a crossover between a station wagon and a four wheel drive, with the origin sometimes a sedan style vehicle that became a wagon. The RAV4, the car some call the original SUV (although the Americans will claim it was the Cherokee in 1984 that started the trend), was and remains a wagon in shape, sitting on a raised body style.
Let’s break down where we sit in 2015; there’s no longer a case of one size fits all, so, for the purposes of simplicity, I’ll go small/medium/large.
Australia’s perennial combatants, Ford and Holden, both offer entries in the small SUV size. Based on their small cars, the Fiesta and Barina, they offer up the EcoSport and Trax. They’re tiny, at just under 4300 mm in length and sitting on wheelbases of just 2600 mm. It really is as if the hatch has been perched on top of a mini four wheel drive system. Power comes from, generally, the same kind of engines found in the “donor” vehicle. The Trax offers either a 1.8L or turbo 1.4L whilst Ford has the same 1.0L three cylinder as found in the Fiesta, in its range.
Japanese company, Suzuki, well known for its niche approach, has the Swift based S-Cross in its range, the revamped and renamed SX4. 
Although not strictly a SUV, there’s not enough difference to not include the somewhat odd looking Japanese entry. Another odd looker is the controversially styled Nissan Juke; personally not a favourite of mine it still needs to be included as it fits the criteria I have set. Mitsubishi would have us believe the ASX is gorgeous….I’ll leave that to you (don’t forget the sister models from Peugeot and Citroen)
Next step up the ladder we find the Audi Q5, Porsche Macan, Ford Kuga, Jeep Cherokee, Holden’s Captiva, Kia Sportage, Hyundai ix35/Tucson, Nissan Dualis and the one that started it all, the RAV4 and they’d all be within this medium class. Most are five seaters only, a couple offer seven (albeit) cramped seats, will vary in engine capacity and fuel (diesels start to be more common here, at around the 2.0L size). Subaru’s evergreen Forester would dovetail nicely and has just been updated to slide a diesel into the engine bay as well. Features such as forward collision warning, auto tailgates and the like start to become within reach. Drivetrain options will be primarily automatic and front wheel drive only, with some makers offering some off road ability and electronic controls like Hill Descent Control, however the Cherokee will be a standout with a “proper” off road transfer case and four wheel drive capability.
Up the ladder we find the large SUV; consider the Grand Cherokee, Volvo XC60/90, Mitsubishi Outlander, Hyundai Santa Fe, Kia Sorento, Toyota Kluger, Porsche Cayenne, Audi Q7, Ford Territory and such. Price will vary considerably between makers and individual models with a range, with features such as glass roofs, seven seats, rear seat air conditioning vents and controls. Off road capability increases, with more having a centre locking differential as standard (but not necessarily a transfer case for low range gearing) plus ride height will have increased and diesels will be more prevalent compared to petrol engines (generally around 3.0L and above) and interior trim levels and equipment will have increased to reflect the specification level.
Mazda once had the CX-9; sales decreased due to the viability of the CX-7 hence I include the CX-7 here, with the CX-3 and CX-5 slotting into the small an medium car parks.
Companies such as Nissan and Toyota do provide dedicated off road capable vehicles such as the LandCruiser and Patrol, as does Land Rover and Range Rover. As such, they tend not to come under the SUV umbrella.
This article is also not intended to be a solid and definitive coverage, rather it’s to provide a guideline and paint an idea of what a SUV may entail. For more specific details, please use the various company websites.
A Wee Dram For Your Car
Ok, so it’s St Patrick’s Day, so I’ll put this post in green text and will kick off with a wee story…
Two nuns were driving along a remote rural road in County Mayo in northeastern Ireland when they ran out of fuel. They walked to a nearby farmhouse and explained their plight to the farmer. “To be sure, sisters, I can give you a bit of petrol so it’s off on your good works you can be driving. But I’ve only the one jerry can, so the only thing I can give you to carry it back to your car in is this old whiskey bottle.” “Bless you, Patrick, and thank you,” said the nuns. They walked back to their car clutching their whisky bottle full of petrol. As they were pouring the petrol from the whisky bottle into the fuel tank, Sean O’Reilly drove by. Spotting the whiskey bottle, Sean shook his head and stared. “Begorrah, that’s what I call faith!” he said.
We chuckle about that one (or the alternative version where the farmer lends them a chamber pot) but the story can be killed stone dead if one remembers that alcohol is indeed one of the more common alternative fuels is alcohol – ethanol, methanol, butanol and propanol are good fuels. You’d never bother setting that story about the nuns in Brazil – over there, they have cars (often the locally produced VWs) that are designed for flex fuel – they run on petrol, alcohol or a mixture of the above. And we’re not too bad for the old ethanol in Australia ourselves.
And now the UK and Ireland are getting in on the act. A whisky distillery in Edinburgh, Scotland, has just announced that they have successfully produced a butanol blend that can be used on its own or blended with diesel or (better still from a sustainability perspective) biodiesel. They use waste products from the process of distilling whisky – an industry that’s quite large in Scotland, as you might imagine.
The waste products in question go by names that are anything but long bits of Latin and Greek: draff and pot ale. Draff is the malted barley left over after the initial brewing process (lovers of craft beer and home brewers of beer will know what I’m talking about here). Pot ale, on the other hand, is the leftover liquid after the whisky has been distilled out of the original brew of fermented grain (something that resembles beer or ale but without the hops). These two products are mixed to create a blend given the traditional name “broth” (isn’t it nice to see a scientific product that doesn’t feel compelled to use long and complicated names but just uses something with Anglo-Saxon or Celtic origins?). This broth goes through its own distilling process to produce the biobutanol.
The plant, which has hefty backing from the Scottish government and the UK government (let’s just not go into the politics of Scotland here, OK?), hopes to be up and running fully in 2016. Because butanol delivers plenty of oomph, there’s a chance that it won’t be appearing at British bowsers at this stage: as it’s suitable as jet fuel, the aviation market might snap plenty of it up. However, the potential is there to produce lots of biobutanol, as the UK doesn’t just have whisky distilleries to draw on as a source of draff and pot ale: there’s the beer brewing industry and other sorts of distillery to draw on as well.
Lastly, for the clever readers who’ve spotted the two different spellings of whisky/whiskey: “whiskey” is for the Irish version; “whisky” is the Scottish variety).
Safe and happy driving as well as happy St Patrick’s Day,
Megan
Level 2, 9 Help Street