Classic car owners can cash in on the low value of sterling
March 20th, 2010
A strong euro means there is a ready market for British owners of
good-condition, left-hand drive cars to sell on the continent.
Archive
Archive for the ‘Motoring News’ Category
Used car market continues to fail customers
March 20th, 2010
The used-car trade still has a long way to go to improve its image, according to the Office of Fair Trading.
Daredevil biker caught on camera pulling a wheelie at 70mph
March 20th, 2010
A daredevil biker, James Stoddard, has been pictured pulling a wheelie at 70
mph on a busy main road not realising an unmarked police motorcycle was
recording his every move.
Top ten: Movie chase scenes
March 19th, 2010
The car chase is one of the most commonly used action sequences in movies, but there is a world of difference between good and bad. We've tried to count down ten of the best, but in truth there were another twenty equally worthy of a place on the shortlist. Which ones do you think we missed?
10. Italian Job
10. Italian Job
The notorious Mini chase scene has worn a little thin with repetition, but there's no doubting the impact made by the diminutive British car in its day and no movie chase scene list is complete without the Italian Job's carefully orchestrated anarchy.
Continue reading Top ten: Movie chase scenes
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Euro NCAP to test stability control
March 19th, 2010
Euro NCAP is now publishing data on the effectiveness of cars’ electronic stability control systems for the first time.
The first results on the organisation’s website cover more than 40 cars that were crash-tested in 2009, and all of them passed the test.
The new 'effectiveness' results follow last year’s changes to Euro NCAP’s tests, which now include the fitment of stability control as part of the overall safety rating for any car.
The test
The new stability control tests, which are carried out by Thatcham, include a double lane-change manoeuvre at 50mph under the control of a steering robot. In accordance with the global standard they are based on, they also include multiple runs, increasing the steering angle and input each time; and, on cars where the stability control can be switched off, runs are carried out with the function on and off.
All cars passed – but some are criticised
To rate each car, the operators record whether it is responsive to the steering and whether it is skidding or spinning. Although all cars passed the test, Thatcham criticised the location of the stability control button on the Subaru Impreza, because it thought the system could be knocked off accidentally without the driver realising.
They also noted that, when the Alfa Romeo Mito’s three-mode steering system – DNA – was set to Dynamic mode, the car failed the test.
How stability control works
Stability control operates by comparing the driver’s steering and braking actions to what the car is actually doing. If it detects that the car is veering off the intended course – it is skidding, in other words – it automatically applies the brakes to bring the car back in line and could help to avoid an accident.
Research by Thatcham has revealed that cars with stability control are 25% less likely to be involved in a fatal accident than those without, and that there would be about 380 fewer deaths annually in the UK if every car had such a system.
Currently, only 63% of new cars in the UK have it fitted as standard, but Thatcham is campaigning for it to be installed on every car.
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The first results on the organisation’s website cover more than 40 cars that were crash-tested in 2009, and all of them passed the test.
The new 'effectiveness' results follow last year’s changes to Euro NCAP’s tests, which now include the fitment of stability control as part of the overall safety rating for any car.
The test
The new stability control tests, which are carried out by Thatcham, include a double lane-change manoeuvre at 50mph under the control of a steering robot. In accordance with the global standard they are based on, they also include multiple runs, increasing the steering angle and input each time; and, on cars where the stability control can be switched off, runs are carried out with the function on and off.
All cars passed – but some are criticised
To rate each car, the operators record whether it is responsive to the steering and whether it is skidding or spinning. Although all cars passed the test, Thatcham criticised the location of the stability control button on the Subaru Impreza, because it thought the system could be knocked off accidentally without the driver realising.
They also noted that, when the Alfa Romeo Mito’s three-mode steering system – DNA – was set to Dynamic mode, the car failed the test.
How stability control works
Stability control operates by comparing the driver’s steering and braking actions to what the car is actually doing. If it detects that the car is veering off the intended course – it is skidding, in other words – it automatically applies the brakes to bring the car back in line and could help to avoid an accident.
Research by Thatcham has revealed that cars with stability control are 25% less likely to be involved in a fatal accident than those without, and that there would be about 380 fewer deaths annually in the UK if every car had such a system.
Currently, only 63% of new cars in the UK have it fitted as standard, but Thatcham is campaigning for it to be installed on every car.
Get interactive with whatcar.com...