Good Motoring - GEM Motoring Assist

GOODMOTORING
Edition 1, 2013
THE ONLINE MAGAZINE
FROM
GEM MOTORING ASSIST
STAY SAFE THIS WINTER
BY B-ROADS TO BRECON
MOBILE PHONE VIDEO
CAR REVIEWS
PORTUGAL’S SECRET COAST
WELCOME
LET ME OFFER you a warm welcome to this, the second edition of our online
magazine.We hope you will enjoy browsing through some of the reviews,
features and interviews on these pages. All members of GEM Motoring Assist
receive our quarterly magazine, Good Motoring, which is packed with stimulating
articles, features, car reviews and interviews.There are also competitions,
discounts and offers.Why not ask for your free trial copy today?
By the way, do take a look at the award-winning vehicle breakdown cover
offered by GEM Motoring Assist.We were placed first for ‘Overall Service’ in
the recent Auto Express Driver Power survey - something we are immensely
proud of. We are also delighted to be one of only three Which?
‘Recommended Providers’ of breakdown cover, as confirmed by the highly
prestigious badge.
GEM’s Road Safety Charity has helped fund the production costs of our latest
video, which focuses on the dangers of using a mobile phone while driving.You
can see details of how the video was made later in this edition. Do also take a
look at the online video itself, and encourage all your friends to do the same.
To view, simply go to motoringassist.com/kill-the-conversation.
Cover pic: treads
left in the snow by
two different kinds
of tyre. See our
winter safety advice
on page 4.
Why not order your free trial copy of Good Motoring - and give the superb
GEM breakdown recovery service a try. Call us on 01342 825676 or visit
motoringassist.com for a great value quote.
GEM Motoring Assist offers FREE road safety
information. Click to read and download advice on any
of these topics - or browse our wider selection online.
DAVID WILLIAMS MBE FIRSO . Chief Executive . GEM Motoring Assist
CONTENTS
04
05
Read now
WINTER SAFETY
“The British winter is notoriously unpredictable, and
it’s pretty well impossible to know exactly what – if any
– adverse weather we may experience, and the extent
of any disruption it may cause.”
07
Read now
SECRETS OF WESTERN ALGARVE
John Sansom motors beyond the country’s
well-known Algarve coast and finds a fabulous and
unspoilt region of high drama and spectacle.
03
06
Read now
EARLY DRIVING PROGRAMME
“In my pre-17 excitement, I jumped at the chance to
attend a driving course in my local area, hoping to
absorb as much information as possible about buying
my first car, road safety, and driving itself.”
11
Read now
CAR REVIEWS
VW Golf, Chevrolet Cruze,Volvo V40, Honda CR-V,
Ford B-Max and many others. Our new-style tests
give a more comprehensive picture of what each car
is like to drive and to own.
Read now
BY B-ROADS TO BRECON
We sent three teams of two for a journey on rural
roads to rendezvous for dinner and a night stop in the
middle of rural Wales.Would they find remote
Woodridge Barn? Would they enjoy the journey?
ALSO IN THIS EDITION:
Road skills: mobile phone dangers.............8
Sensible car buying advice...........................9
GEM’s new mobile app................................10
New car reviews: latest models................11
Hitching a ride with Valerie Singleton.....12
Motoring facts and figure...........................13
Slow routes to the ski slopes....................14
Chef’s new way to scramble.....................15
Weekend in royal Windsor.........................16
GEM BREAKDOWN COVER..................17
GEM’s A to Z of
safe winter motoring
A
nti-freeze is your car engine’s first line of
defence against low temperatures. Don’t
leave it to chance.To be sure of maximum
protection, ensure your anti-freeze is checked each
year, regardless of mileage.
B
atteries can be subjected to severe stress in
winter, in part because of the need to run
lights and heaters. Battery maintenance might
be a thing of the past, but it pays to get the voltage
checked now, especially if you mostly do short
journeys in your car.
C
orners shaded from the sun can be lethal
in cold weather, along with sheltered bends
and bridges. It’s in these places, when
temperatures plunge, that black ice could well catch
you out if you’re not expecting it. A tell-tale sign
that you’re on black ice is the total absence of any
tyre noise.
X
enon headlights, or any other vehicle lights,
need to be kept clean, so check them before
every journey. Sometimes, when the weather’s
really bad, it pays to give them a good wipe during a
journey break.
Y
Z
ou: are you ready for a winter journey? Are you
fit to drive? Have you slept well? Are you taking
any medication that could make it unsafe for
you to drive? Make sure you’re fit before you set off.
ero degree Celsius - or 32 degrees Fahrenheit is the freezing point of water. However, you can
expect the outside temperature display to warn
of ice at four degrees.This is because it measures air
temperature, and road temperature is usually around
four degrees lower.
If you want to read the entire alphabet, simply click here to
request your free trial copy of Good Motoring through the post.
04
An early start to my
career on the road
Anyone aged 16 or over
who lives, works or goes to
school or college within the
Bracknell Forest borough is
eligible to take part in this
annual event, which is
offered free of charge.
l The practical aspect is
delivered by Blue School of
Motoring.
l Feedback shows that 91%
of them said it met their
expectations. All bar one
said they would recommend
the experience to others.
As a typical 16-year-old, I often think about the
prospect of learning to drive. In my “pre-seventeen”
excitement, I jumped at the chance to attend a driving
course in my local area, hoping to absorb as much
information as possible about buying my first car, road
safety, and driving itself.
l
05
The ‘Drive Start’ course, organised by the road
safety team at Bracknell Forest Council, was split into
two sections. Day one consisted of structured sessions
geared around different aspects of driving, such as safety,
car maintenance and preparing for the driving test.
Archie Luckhurst reviews
a ‘Drive Start’ course offered
for 16-year-olds in Bracknell
The sun shone on the second day as I sat at the
wheel of a Ford Focus in a large, private car park.This
was it, the real deal. I seemed to pick up the basics
fairly quickly, without stalling or kangarooing.This was
largely down to the instructor, Damien, who proved
himself calm and extremely patient.
There are articles on driving
skills in every edition of Good
Motoring magazine. Order your
FREE trial copy today!
By B-road
to Brecon
DRIVING ISN’T what it was, for driver or for
passenger. Journeys are largely dull and the sat nav
tends to take all the brain work out of getting
from A to B. But it doesn’t have to be this way. At
least, not all the time. On the right road and in
the right car there’s still plenty of fun to
be had, whether driving or navigating.
To prove it, we set ourselves a
‘B-road to Brecon’ challenge.
Three teams, three entertaining
cars, and three routes to devise
to a mystery destination
somewhere in mid Wales,
avoiding main roads wherever
possible. There were bonus
points for crossing cattle grids
or pretty bridges, and marks
deducted for unnecessary use of
main roads. The fundamental
plan was to make the journey as
important as the destination, and to
enjoy every moment along the way.
6
A feast of locally-sourced produce was the prize for all participants.
Perhaps the younger
generation have become too
used to satnavs?
Full reviews of the cars we used,
the food we prepared and where
we stayed are in the Winter
edition of Good Motoring.
West is best...
... on Portugal’s Algarve
Home from home in
a beautiful old
farmhouse.
There is a great choice of
places to eat - with fresh
fish usually taking pride of
place on the menu.
IT’S USUALLY easy to work out what sort of people go
to different holiday destinations by looking at their
luggage. For example, as our group checked in for our
EasyJet flight from Luton there seemed to be two camps;
young families with pushchairs and groups of middle aged
men with golf clubs… which tells you most of what you
need to know about the Portuguese Algarve, that huge
sandy strip at the bottom of the country with its endless
beaches and highly developed series of golf resorts.
Head to some of the nearby coastal towns first and a
good starting point would be Lagos, the nearest main
town to Quinta Bonita. In many ways, Lagos has it all.The
town is beautiful with cobbled streets, good shopping and
Moorish influences. It’s a five-minute drive from Quinta
Bonita down the EN125 and currently features as one of
Trip Advisor’s ‘top 15 destinations on the rise’.
Check out short breaks in this area, staying at the Quinta
Bonita Hotel (boutiquehotelalgarve.com)
07
Safety: kill the
conversation
PHYSICAL: the act of holding a
phone while driving prevents
proper control of the car
08
1
2
MENTAL: the distraction of a
phone conversation will
inevitably reduce your ability to
concentrate on the driving task
3
OFFENCE: the penalty for using
a hand-held phone while driving
is £60 plus three points on
your licence
4
1. The task, faced by video producer Peter
Baker, was to capture as much realism in the
mobile phone video. “Viewers are bound to say
‘So what?’ and we need to give them clear
take-away information,” he told us.
2. Three of our drivers are seen here
attempting one of the tasks set by Sussex
Police.They’re on a private stretch of disused
airfield runway.
3. This driver quickly became aware that he
couldn’t talk and drive effectively at the same
time. “My driving concentration dropped
considerably, which is dangerous, but also I was
not able to focus on the phone call properly,”
he said.
4. However good you may think your
reactions are when driving, they will be
impaired when you’re using a phone. So switch
it off and store it out of reach.
There are articles on driving skills and road safety in every edition
of Good Motoring magazine. Order your FREE trial copy today!
Buy with your head,
not your heart!
JEREMY BINGHAM used to own a VW
Golf R32, and he loved it. “But it was dear to
run, especially with rising fuel costs and the tax
disc costing £270. My wife had just bought a
brand new Mini Cooper Cabriolet, and I
decided the Mini might be right for me.”
A PHONE CALL broke the golden rule. “I
had seen what seemed a perfect Mini on a
dealer website, but I think I sounded too
interested when I called,” admits Jeremy. “I got
no discount. All they threw in was six months’
tax and a tank of fuel. But I was happy enough.”
09
STATS: My Mini Cooper S is
0.6 seconds slower to
60mph than my previous car,
a Golf R32. It’s also in the
£120 VED bracket compared
with £270 for the Golf, and
fully comprehensive
insurance costs just £216.
It’s worth doing the maths
before buying.
GAP INSURANCE - no thank you, as I
know this is of little value to a buyer and brings
high margins to the dealer (as do those extra
coatings that retain the shine of a car).
I’M HAPPY - OK, so the Mini is smaller but
it’s spectacular to drive and I’m getting 43mpg,
so after 2000 miles I’m absolutely delighted!
GEM’s car-buying advice: do the
maths, get a good test drive and
be prepared to walk away from
any deal. There are always other
cars to consider.
Introducing
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CAR BREAKDOWN?
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JOURNEY PLANNING?
Find out where the delays are
Assist Me: Breakdown/accident
l Select ‘Assist Me’ from the menu.
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l Touch the ‘Call us’ button to organise rapid assistance if you
have broken down or had an accident.
Traffic updates
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My renewals
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10
Our road tests
The Good Motoring road test team
is headed by David Motton, a highly
experienced automotive journalist
who was previously editor of What
Car? magazine. David oversees the
regular appraisal of the latest
models and ensures that we are
represented at the important
launch events throughout the year.
Reviews of all the cars listed on this
page can be found in GEM’s everexpanding library of road tests.
Simply click the link to be taken to
the full review.
Chevrolet Cruze
Hyundai Santa Fe
Price: £30,195
Economy: 46.3mpg
We say: an appealing SUV with
Price: from £15,375
Ford B-Max
powerful engine and roomy cabin.
Economy: 62.7 mpg
We say: a good-looking estate
that’sdefinitely worth a test drive.
Price: from £18,195
VW Golf
Economy: 54.3mpg
We say: an entertaining and
practical MPV, but rather pricey.
Honda CR-V
Price: from £21,960
Price: £26,105
We say: it’s hard to find serious
We say: a roomy, practical and
refined five-seat SUV.
Economy: 68.9mpg
fault with this brilliant new Golf.
Economy: 50.4mpg
Click HERE to view the most up-to-date directory of
Good Motoring road tests
11
We take a ride with
Valerie Singleton
Valerie Singleton, OBE, is best
known as a presenter of the
popular children’s series, Blue
Peter. She joined the BBC in
1961 as a continuity announcer
and in 1962 went to Blue Peter
where she stayed until 1972.
She has also presented
Nationwide, the late night news
programme, Tonight, Radio 4’s
PM and also The Money
Programme on BBC2.
WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CAR?
A soft-top Morris Minor with a split windscreen.
WHAT’S YOUR DREAM CAR?
Probably the Chrysler Sebring. I hired one in Florida once
and thought it was wonderful.
WHAT DO YOU LISTEN TO IN THE CAR?
I recently bought a Lady Gaga album. I love putting the
roof down and playing my music very loud.
WHAT DO OTHER DRIVERS DO THAT
ANNOYS YOU?
I don’t like tractor drivers going too fast.There have been
many occasions when I have almost been forced to drive
up the side of a hedge to avoid a head-on collision.
WHO WOULD BE YOUR DREAM PASSENGER?
I think the Empress Josephine would be an interesting
lady to chat to. She was a true survivor in that she
was born into the aristocracy, spent time in prison
where she very nearly got beheaded and ended up
married to Napoleon. If she wasn’t available, then
either Oliver Reed or Audrey Hepburn would do.
In the Winter edition of Good
Motoring, Valerie Singleton talks to
Ashley Fearon about her driving, her
cars and her ideas for making the
roads safer.
Get your FREE copy today.
12
Motoring
by numbers
19
160
the year Frederick Verbiest invented a
steam-powered car.
the weight loss of an F1 tyre during
a race.
£148m
the length, in metres, of the
world’s longest car, a limousine
built by Jay Ohrberg of California.
It includes a swimming pool.
13.7
the time, in seconds, taken by Joe
Gosschalk, to cover a quarter of a
mile in a turbocharged hearse.
1903
the year of the first windscreen
wiper, developed by Mary Anderson.
19,329
2 hours
the distance, in miles, of the longest ever rally, the
1977 Singapore Airlnes event from London to Sydney.
the average lifespan of an F1 engine.
0.5kg
the number of cars on UK roads
in 2011 - an increase of 0.3 per
cent on 2010.
30.48
the number of cars that could sit side
by side on the world’s largest road,
known as the Monumental Axis, in
Brazil.
13
1672
the percentage of cars that were Model T
Fords on the world’s roads in 1916.
Compiled by
Jack Lewars
the height in inches of the
world’s lowest road-legal
car, known as the
Flatmobile.
31m
55
0.5
the number of
points scored by
female drivers in F1
competition.
the amount raised b the Congestion
Charge in 2010, the last time Transport for
London released figures.
24
1899
The year of the first steering wheel. Prior to this a
‘tiller’ was used.
the number of tanks of fuel required by John
and Helen Taylor to drive a VW Golf FSi
around the world.They used just 344 gallons
to cover 29,717km.
7.44
the average age of a car on
the road in 2011. More than
11 million cars are more
than 9 years old.
12
the rate, in litres per
second, at which an F1
car is refuelled.This
would fill a usual street
car’s tank in 4
seconds.
1
the number of 1983
Corvette prototypes
still in existence. When
chevvy delayed their
usual annual issue of a
new model in
mysterious
circumstances, all
prototypes were
destroyed except for
the white one currently
residing in the National
Corvette Museum in
Kentucky.
80,000
the number of components in an F1 car. This requires
incredible precision of engineering - a 99.9% correct
assembly would result in 80 misplaced parts.
15 million
the approximate number of Model T Fords built and
sold.
Slow routes to the
ski slopes
THE ROAD TO VALLOIRE
Just a smidgen under 600 milles from Calais,Valloire is
my favourite mountain road region. A journey up its
classic, hairpin-bend approach road is one of my vivid
memories. After a very heavy snowfall, I had to obtain
permission to leave Valloire by car.Without snow chains
or tyres fitted, I wasn’t going to be allowed to use the
car until the snow had stopped falling, allowing the
ploughs to do their work.
HEAD FOR GENEVA
If you are planning to stop overnight on the journey to
the Alps, why not be a little more adventurous and
follow the signs for Geneva and Chamonix at Macon?
Take the motorway east to Bourg-en-Bresse and then
the A40. Italy beckons. Champoluc is through the Mont
Blanc Tunnel on the A5 before Chamonix, and the route
that leads eventually to Turin.
You can take the motorway route to the Alps, or you
can be like Roger Crisp and enjoy a more leisurely
journey.Whatever you decide, we have some great
ideas for fabulous winter hideaways that can all be
reached by road from the UK.
14
A BEAUTIFUL VALLEY.
The Aosta Valle is full of castles, churches and villages.
One of my favourite spots is Issogne, just past Verres,
with a charming little chateau that’s small enough to feel
at home in.
Read Roger’s full account in the
Winter edition of Good Motoring
Scramble... and we
don’t mean the eggs!
CHALLENGE: London chef
Henry Harris loves getting
out on his motorbike.We
organised for him to make his
off-road riding debut.
RESULT: Great fun all round,
and a good dinner for his hosts.
PROUD HERITAGE
Wheeldon Farm, where Henry learnt his scrambling,
was once just that - a farm set in magnificent scenery,
close to Totnes in Devon. It started as a motorcycle
venue in 2003 when brothers James and Andrew
Savery decided they wanted to spend more time
motorcycling and less time farming.
HENRY’S PLAN
A mild spill had the effect of increasing my
confidence. I realised that falling off did not need to
be a major issue. Soon, I was even coping with fast
river crossings (see picture). My plan, at the end of
the day, was to visit local suppliers and collect the
ingredients to feed my hosts, and my son, who was
also visiting Wheeldon and getting to grips with the
basics of scramble riding.
GO FOR IT
Don’t miss the chance to visit.Wheeldon (01548
821784, wheeldontwo.co.uk) uses Husqvarna off-road
bikes and a 24-hour experience, inclusive of all riding,
tuition, meals and accommodation, costs from £299.
Half-day sessions run from £150 per person.
Henry quickly found his
confidence off-road, as did his
son Noah. Read their full
accounts in Good Motoring!
15
A right royal weekend
Exploring the ancient royal borough of
Windsor on foot is a great way to leave
the crowds behind, says Alan Jones.
The Castle dominates the town and is
really a small village in its own right,
covering an area of around 13 acres. The
imposing walls that surround it hint at
its medieval past.
The truly beautiful St George’s Chapel is
a must to visit, as is the quirky Queen
Mary’s Dolls House.
Head for the River Thames and hop
aboard for a 40-minute cruise that will
take you past many well-known sites.
16
Read Alan’s full review of his
visit to Windsor in the Winter
edition of Good Motoring...
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