Double bill today.
I was curious about the hybrids and I admit that they appeal to the green side of Mrs. Tones and myself. Not to mention the lower road taxes in Swizzieland for low emission vehicles. I was expecting an Auris, but got a Yaris. Well, proof of principle. I sat in the seat and was confronted by expanse of grey plastic that seemed to stretch to the horizon. However, the seat was comfy enough. No key to turn, just a big button marked "Power", which I duly pressed and - nothing. Except for a green light that said "Ready". So I pressed the loud pedal, and the thing crept silently out of the dealer's. I took it on what has become my standard test route. It felt, well, like a normal car - well, I guess it had to, didn't it? It seemed to take everything in its stride. However, accelerate hard and the petrol motor (which does all the work in those circumstances) howls its head off. And then there's the steering. Toyota had traditionally some of the worst steering on the planet. It was as if the far end of the steering column was attached to the front wheels with jelly. There was no indication that there were wheels up front. I'm pleased to report that things have improved (well, the only way was up), and that the steering has much improved weighting and feel. However, it still isn't as good as the others I've tried so far. I must try the Honda hybrids to see how they go.
The Leon I got was something called an FR, which I think is a sporty model. Sporty or not, it is, to my eyes, a rather handsome beast. And great fun to drive! The most entertaining so far. Only a few quibbles - the interior mirror fitting (which presumably holds some device to deflect glaring headlamps) intrudes a long way down the windscreen, the effect being to create two large viewing areas joined by a narrow slit in the middle. Slightly claustrophobic. Another thing (shared with the others admittedly, but seemingly more noticeable on the Seat) is this tendency to switch off automatically when stopped. This is fine at traffic lights, but when making a left turn (right turn in your case) across an oncoming traffic stream, the little lag is disconcerting - the Leon would creep, and then screech its tyres when the urgent loud pedal took effect. What does one do? Even when I pressed the loud pedal prematurely with left foot on the brake to start it up, there still seemed to be some lag. Is this just something one learns to allow for? Anyway, definitely a contender.
Lots coming next year, I see - a new Golf Plus (now called Sportsvan or something like that). A new Yeti. And a Honda Civic Tourer without the daft spoiler across the back window. This is not going to be easy...
I was curious about the hybrids and I admit that they appeal to the green side of Mrs. Tones and myself. Not to mention the lower road taxes in Swizzieland for low emission vehicles. I was expecting an Auris, but got a Yaris. Well, proof of principle. I sat in the seat and was confronted by expanse of grey plastic that seemed to stretch to the horizon. However, the seat was comfy enough. No key to turn, just a big button marked "Power", which I duly pressed and - nothing. Except for a green light that said "Ready". So I pressed the loud pedal, and the thing crept silently out of the dealer's. I took it on what has become my standard test route. It felt, well, like a normal car - well, I guess it had to, didn't it? It seemed to take everything in its stride. However, accelerate hard and the petrol motor (which does all the work in those circumstances) howls its head off. And then there's the steering. Toyota had traditionally some of the worst steering on the planet. It was as if the far end of the steering column was attached to the front wheels with jelly. There was no indication that there were wheels up front. I'm pleased to report that things have improved (well, the only way was up), and that the steering has much improved weighting and feel. However, it still isn't as good as the others I've tried so far. I must try the Honda hybrids to see how they go.
The Leon I got was something called an FR, which I think is a sporty model. Sporty or not, it is, to my eyes, a rather handsome beast. And great fun to drive! The most entertaining so far. Only a few quibbles - the interior mirror fitting (which presumably holds some device to deflect glaring headlamps) intrudes a long way down the windscreen, the effect being to create two large viewing areas joined by a narrow slit in the middle. Slightly claustrophobic. Another thing (shared with the others admittedly, but seemingly more noticeable on the Seat) is this tendency to switch off automatically when stopped. This is fine at traffic lights, but when making a left turn (right turn in your case) across an oncoming traffic stream, the little lag is disconcerting - the Leon would creep, and then screech its tyres when the urgent loud pedal took effect. What does one do? Even when I pressed the loud pedal prematurely with left foot on the brake to start it up, there still seemed to be some lag. Is this just something one learns to allow for? Anyway, definitely a contender.
Lots coming next year, I see - a new Golf Plus (now called Sportsvan or something like that). A new Yeti. And a Honda Civic Tourer without the daft spoiler across the back window. This is not going to be easy...
