tommallett

Monday:

I was delighted to have a whizz out in an Audi A1 today, they have received rave reviews and I like the way they look. This car was a 1.4 tsi petrol and I maintain that small petrol engines suit this type of car far better than their noisy and often flat diesel counterparts. Pleasingly it also represented quite a lot of fun to hustle along little English ‘B’ roads, even the peddle positioning encourages enthusiastic heal ‘n toe action. On the other hand I was disappointed with the return journey in an Alfa Romeo Giullietta, most ‘car’ people want Alfa to make great cars and this effort promised much. Unfortunately for Alfa Romeo this segment of the market is full of talent and the Alfa does not compete at the highest level. The driving position is horrible and I could not get on with the uninspiring steering and gearbox. More worryingly for Alfa Romeo the Guillietta that I drove was feeling distinctly second hand after only 11000 miles, in direct contrast to the solid little Audi.

Tuesday:

I made the trip with the intention of having a look round Lamborghini’s new Aventador (which is fabulous by the way) but ended up being side tracked by a Gallardo. The shape has been out since 2004 and I have covered many miles in them before so this wasn’t necessarily the most exciting prospect. However, I had never driven a rear wheel drive one before, not even a Balboni. It is a car I always hoped they would make, especially upon the introduction of the LP560-4 which I actually prefer to a standard Ferrari 430. I thought the removal of the 4 wheel drive system would make it lighter, more alert and a touch more fun. It is interesting that I came away thinking I would still buy a 4 wheel drive Gallardo if faced with the choice today. What I had failed to understand was that the 4 wheel drive is the Gallardo’s USP. Today a 458 is an infinitely better car but the option of 4 wheel drive is still appealing. The LP550-2 felt better at low speed than its brother and turns in more crisply as you speed up but it fails to give you the confidence on the road of the LP560-4. The other slight disappointment was that the car felt a bit old and it is clear that the game has moved on with the 458 and MP4 12-C. Over to you Lamborghini.

Wednesday:

Jeeps have always been about value for money. In the UK we struggle with the plastic interiors and outdated technologies so they need to be good value to sell. I had a go in a new Grand Cherokee Overland (the fully loaded, top model) and immediately the car feels better made than its predecessor. This is not a cheap car but it undercuts its rivals by a considerable margin in the UK so some failings are to be expected. Once on the road it is immediately noticeable that the gearbox only has 5 ratios, this is interesting to me in 2 ways. Firstly, it demonstrates the cost saving measures that Jeep has taken and where it falls behind its rivals, but secondly it demonstrates how good modern 6 cylinder turbo diesels are, despite only having 5 ratios I didn’t feel too hard done by. The navigation system is a disappointment and feels 2 generations behind the latest European units, which would be an issue for anyone looking to do a high annual mileage. So, without laboring the point what did I think of it? Well, I can see the value for someone wanting to do 5000 miles a year and some towing but for the modern businessman it is worth spending the extra money on an X5, Cayenne or Range Rover.