Peugeot Built An Audi TT?

Well, sort of. This is the new Peugeot 308 RC Z. It's got the usual Peugeot coupe styling of a leading front and an extended rear tail. There's a lower spoiler, chrome radiator grille and fresh headlights.

There's a rear diffuser on there, a twin pipe exhaust and that slope will remain as it absolves the car from the need of a fancy (and/or stupid looking) spoiler. As this is still in concept stage at the moment, there are a few things that will change.

One thing that won't change however is the fact that it will remain a 2+2, meaning extremely small back seats suitable for golf clubs but almost certainly not for people. One of the more bizzare features of many coupes, that is.

Stats are probably going to be a 1.6 litre turbocharged engine, 218 BHP and 0-60 of about 6.8 seconds. It'll be placed around the £17,000 mark when released.

Fast Fit/NE Garages

If you're based in the UK - which you should be if you're reading this - I can heartily recommend a garage/used dealership in the North East - Fast Fit Express. I got excellent service and the gentleman on the phone clearly knew his stuff. Top notch.

Dream Garage...

Audi TTS

Well, what do we have here? It looks like a new Audi TT to me... Well not quite. This is the one and only Audi TTS. It's officially the quickest TT that's ever been produced - which is rather interesting given that I like these cars.

This particular model first appeared at the Detroit Motor Show, where many other models also first came to light. It's still not tacky or over the top, but the TT aspects have been toned up. This includes four exhausts, a new front apron, 18 or 19 inch alloys and the now-typical daylight running LED's.

So, what about performance? Well of course it still has the magnetic ride suspension (as standard on the TTS), but it also features a rather unexpected engine. Rather than a monstrous V8 or anything ludicrous, it has a 2.0 litre turbocharged 268bhp. This is good for a 0-60 in 5.5 seconds, or 5.2 in the DSG.

The interior is unusually snazzy for Audi and should be pretty pleasing to most people. I can't wait to see one in the flesh as it were, looks to be an excellent motor...

Parts ARE Guaranteed

Well, what can you say if the parts are guaranteed? I've got a service and MOT due, and I like the idea that everything is guaranteed. On the other hand, I like the idea of sticking some modded parts in the car. This would include the following:

• Uprated brake pads
• A new stainless steel exhaust
• An uprated, new sports performance air filter

All of these should see minor performance increases on my car, but more importantly they are SAFE. Along with my yearly MOT, the car should be pretty well ready for anything, given that it has tyres that are only a month and a half old.

Dakar Rally Cancelled

After the death of four French tourists in Mauritania on Christmas Eve, the French government advised their citizens not to travel there. Furthermore, 9 stages of the Lisbon-Dakar (formerly Paris Dakar) rally drive through Mauritania.

After further terrorist threats, the 6,500 mile event has now been cancelled. Shame on all those responsible for conspiring against the fate of this amazing, historic event. However, I guess the world is just a little different to last year.

Tips For Snow/Poor Weather Driving

Here's a few tips to help you out, whatever car you drive this Winter:

• Make sure your tyres are correctly inflated (or very slightly less than recommended), this should give you maximum grip in adverse conditions
• Try to move off in second when the engine is warm - this will avoid the car scrabbling for grip on a slippery surface
• Make sure to keep a warm jacket, a mobile phone (charged and usable), some biscuits and of course a spare tyre in the car
• If you have a rear wheel drive car, it is imperative that you move to higher gears as soon as possible
• Other road users are suffering the same slippery conditions - be more polite and aware of their driving
  
• Remember, even what looks like snow could be black ice - so take care
• Don't speed - even on a road that has been gritted and cleared. You must might hit that one rogue piece of ice/snow left
• Make sure that you car is an a good condition before you leave the house - it should of course have a full MOT but check the lights, oil, fuel, windscreen wiper fluid, tyres and wipers before setting off

Overall I'd just ask you all to take care on our roads - we're all responsible for each other here and no-one wants to be drifting (oh dear) into an accident do they?

Driving Economically/Green - A Test

I do quite a few miles per week, not least because I live about 18 miles away from work. A good part of the journey is dual carriageway busy road - yet still heading away from the main traffic. I do like to use the power of my car to the full (that doesn't mean speeding mind) but I found that impossible in the recently-poor weather. So, I decided to do a little experiment and drove more in the style of an economical driver. I did the following:

• Slowed my average motorway speed
• Reduced my acceleration to a lower level
• Changed up gears faster
• Checked my tyres for pressure
• Smoothed out my turning
• Looked further ahead to better judge slowing/stopping
• Genuinely tried to minimise the amount of journeys taken

I found, to my absolute horror, that it so far has made very little difference on the fuel consumption of the car. Of course, 18 miles there and then 18 miles back again is a reasonable way to go, but still you'd expect some change. However, a cold engine will always gulp more fuel and so this will have to be a longer term test, especially in the summer. Whether I'll be able to stick to this style of driving when the car actually has something to grip however remains to be seen...