[Image of Eldorado removed] A 1972 Cadillac Eldorado was a beast of a car. Eighteen-and-a-half feet long, it weighed in at over 2.1 tonnes and was powered by an 8.2 litre V8 engine. Shudder as you imagine the fuel bills. And how much power did this mighty engine generate? A piddling 238 bhp, meaning the… read more
Given that we specialise in servicing, repairing and MOTing VW Group cars, we like to keep an eye on how our favourite manufacturer is doing financially. Here’s our quick, non-technical update. All auto manufacturers, and especially European ones, have faced some real challenges over the last couple of years. Hot on the heels of a… read more
In Part One of this article, we first had a look through the alphabet soup of hybrid types -MHEVs, MEVs, PHEVs – before weighing up one of the big hybrid selling points: their supposed environmental credentials. This time, we’ll look at the economics of hybrid ownership and finish up with some additional considerations. Ready?… read more
The sales figures for hybrid vehicles are going bananas. The June 2022 sales figures for passenger vehicle registrations in the UK were divided up like this: Petrol 44% Diesel 5.7% Battery electric vehicles 16.1% Mild hybrids 28.7% Plug-in hybrids 5.5% Apart from the fact that diesel is now less popular than an infectious disease, what’s… read more
In Part One of this post, we looked at the arguments in favour of a lower speed limit on our motorways. This time, we’ll look at some arguments in favour of keeping things as they are, and try to come to some overall conclusions. Let’s jump straight in. Con 1: Slower journeys waste our time… read more
Permanent speed reductions have already been applied to sections of UK motorways, and now there are calls to widen that. In this two-part article, we’ll look at some of the pros and cons of lowering the 70mph limit. There’s a section of motorway that we regularly use with 50 mph limit, announced by cameras and… read more
[Image removed] It’s a stone-cold fact that electric vehicle sales are booming. From China to the USA, Italy to the UK, EVs are seeing record market shares. No serious commentator thinks the trend is slowing, and our favourite manufacturer is throwing all their resources into an electric future. And along with this has come… read more
The place: a 30mph road leading through a picturesque village. The time: any time before bedtime (8:30pm). You: in your car, mind elsewhere, your speed climbing to 33, 35, 37 mph. The situation: suddenly, a glimpse of hi-vis jacket intrudes upon your daydream, and you’re staring down the barrel of the Speedgun of Doom. It’s… read more
So, you’re driving to an unfamiliar destination in the country, cruising at 60 mph along a nice fast A-road. Suddenly, the satnav throws you a curved ball, directing you along an unnamed road that quickly shrinks to a single track. With blind bends. Now even 25mph is pushing it. You’re probably frustrated that the electronic… read more
In the last few months, second-hand car values have been rocketing up. As manufacturers struggle with continued supply problems, droves of buyers have given up on getting a new car and decided to go the second-hand route. In 2021, used-car transactions rose by over 11%, and there’s no sign the trend is slowing. That’s great… read more
