www. l i f eonca r s . b l o g spo t . com

Why Skoda’s ruggedfavourite is a real

winter wonder

I s s u E s E V E NI s s u E s E V E N N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 1N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 1

tracking

down

the

yeti

Ormskirk MotorFest

The highlights from theLancashire full throttlespectacular - inside

2 Life On Cars

David Simister

WINTER. IT'S cold, it's

dark, it's wet and - if the

last couple of years are

anything to go by - the

roads are covered with

corrosive grit. Not really a

petrolhead time of year,

then.

As the nights got darker I

got to work creating this,

the latest issue of Life On

Cars, which is a very

reflective issue looking

back at motoring joys

from summers - but also

winters - past.

It seems like an eternity

ago that the sun shone on

the first ever Ormskirk

MotorFest, which

attracted thousands when

it was held in Ormskirk

back on the August Bank

Holiday weekend. After

the success of the event

(helped in no small part,

I've been told, by the last

issue of this very

magazine) now is the

perfect time to look back

at why everything from

Healeys and MGs to

Porsches and Ferraris

captivated a Lancashire

market town, and to

savour some of the great

pictures taken on the day.

Now that it's got a lot

chillier, you're going to

need a car tough enough

to cope with the worst

the weather can throw at

it while your classic's in

the garage. That's when

Skoda's Yeti comes in from

the cold. Last year, it

narrowly lost out to the

wonderful Honda CR-Z for

the title of Life On Cars'

Car of The Year, but with

the winter on the way it's

the perfect time to

rediscover what makes it

such a class act.

Speaking of Car of the

Year, the time to declare

2011's best car, as tested

by The Champion, is fast

approaching. It's been a

year of great contrasts,

and I've been lucky

enough to get behind the

wheel of everything from

the Kia Rio to the new

BMW 6 Series Cabriolet,

with just about every size

and shape in between.

Picking one that stands

out head and shoulders

above the rest is going to

be a tricky task.

But that's a different

story for a very different

issue. See you then...

Editor, Life On Cars

3Life On Cars

Coming soon4How many cars can Volkswagen squeeze out of its tiniest engineering

project yet? At least three, if new models from VW, SEAT and Skoda are

anything to go by. Interesting game of Spot The Difference too...

In this issueIn this issue

Fire up the...6Fiat and Toyota try two very different bits of technology to make their

existing models more eco-friendly, with some surprising results

Skoda Yeti8Can you make a Volkswagen Golf into a rugged mudplugger which just

happens to be cheap, practical and fun to drive? Yes, you can, as Davd

Simister discovers in his bid to find the perfect winter car

MotorFest magic12Life through a lens at the West Lancashire motorsport spectacular, plus

a driver’s perspective from David Simister, who entered his MGB GT

Ormskirk MotorFest:Visitors to the August

28 event check out this very clean MGA at

Coronation Park in Ormskirk, see page 12.

Image courtesy of Martyn Snape

Ormskirk MotorFest: A Ferrari Enzo closes

in on a Ford Anglia in an unlikely pairing at

the parades in Ormskirk on August 28, 2011.

Image courtesy of Martyn Snape

4 Life On Cars

JenSen intercePtS

cLaSSicS reViVaL

Reinvented Seventies supercar set to go on sale in 2014... start saving!

THE biggest British sports

car company you've never

heard of is set to bring

the iconic Jensen Inter-

ceptor back to life.

You might not be famil-

iar with Coventry-based

CPP Global Holdings but

it's already linked to some

of motoring's best known

names and is now vowing

to reinvent the Sixties su-

percar for the 21st cen-

tury.

Brendan O’Toole,

founder and co-owner of

CPP, said:

"I started my career by

restoring bodies and com-

ponents for classic British

sports cars, so for CPP to

take the lead role in re-

viving this iconic brand is

very exciting for the busi-

ness, and for me person-

ally.

"The Jensen design

team has respected and

honoured the great her-

itage and attributes of

the original Interceptor,

while injecting a contem-

porary edge and advanced

technologies that will en-

sure it appeals to the pas-

sionate, discerning

motoring enthusiast of

today."

CPP might not be im-

mediately familiar to

most car enthusiasts but

the brands it owns - off-

roader specialists Bowler

and Dutch supercar mak-

ers Spyker - will be, while

the Browns Lane factory

the firm operates on was

for years synonymous with

Jaguar as that company's

main production site.

Rich car enthusiasts

can get their name down

for the new Interceptor,

expected to arrive in

2014, by going to jensen-

sportscars.com

5Life On Cars

The onlyway is Up

VW gets its small car verve back

with a city slicker more in the

vein of the much-loved Lupo than

the outgoing Fox. Smart styling.

Clever engineering. Stupid name.

As above but brings a slightly less

silly name and Skoda’s famously

aggreesive pricing to the party.

Brings the company’s number of

models to six and set to slot in

beneath the Fabia supermini.

Volkswagen up!

Skoda Citigo

Spain’s first city slicker since the

Arosa of the Nineties is also based

on the up! technology. Styled to

appeal to a younger, slightly

sportier set of buyers but in truth

alll but identical to its two VW

Group siblings.

SEAT Mii

Three new citycars, three verydifferentbadges, sameVW engineeringunder the skin

BMW, Suzuki, Saab and

Land Rover are among the

manufacturers deter-

mined to bring winter

tyres in from the cold this

year.

The manufacturers

have joined the likes of

Roadsafe, the Institute of

Advanced Motorists and

the Driving Instructors As-

sociation in suggesting

more motorists fit winter

tyres - relatively unknown

in this country but com-

pulsory in several EU

states, including Ger-

many, during the colder

months - in a bid to bring

down the number of acci-

dents in icy conditions.

Suzuki's Michael-Le Flay

is one of those keen to

point out the safety bene-

fits of winter tyres, and

said:

“Many people are un-

aware of the fact that

when temperatures drop

below 7°C, the rubber in

standard tyres becomes

harder and less flexible,

which affects braking and

cornering performance.

“It doesn’t matter how

many electronic aids your

car may have, the quality

of its tyres is critical. The

compound used for winter

tyres, and their tread de-

sign are tailored to cope

with adverse conditions,

so that the best levels of

car control can be main-

tained. A survey carried

out in Canada concluded

that they offer an im-

provement in braking per-

formance of up to 25%

and up to 38% less chance

of having a collision.”

For more information

on winter tyres, visit

www.tyresafe.org

the

coLd

warCar companies, road safety groups and tyre giantsjoin forces to urge drivers to adopt winter rubber

Is it a bird? Is it a plane?

NO, it’s the new Renault

Twizy, set to go on sale

next year for a shade

under seven grand.

The two-seater Twizy is

described by the French

firm as “an urban compact

vehicle”, and uses an

electric battery to power

a narrow four-wheeler

which blurs the lines be-

tween an electric car, a

scooter and a quad bike.

fire uP the...

Eco engineaims to bringnew verve toFiat’s city carfavouriteTHE throb of a Subaru

Impreza's flat four. The

howl of a V12 Aston

Martin. With some of

today's most sought after

motors, the engine note's

more of a soundtrack than

a noise.

This Fiat 500 though, has

just added to its own

equally distinctive music

to Britain's highways and

byways - the offbeat

clatter of a twin cylinder

engine, which hasn't been

heard from a new car

since the Citroen 2CV

dissapeared from the

showrooms more than 20

years ago. If that sounds

like a bad thing then don't

worry, because it isn't.

This new TwinAir packs

one of the cleanest petrol

engines you can buy

today.

Even before you fire it

up you're in familiar

territory, because aside

from the badges it's the

same cute ‘n' cuddly Fiat

500 that became enough

of a hit to earn itself the

European Car of The Year

gong back in 2008.

Matching feelgood retro

styling with proven Panda

mechanicals, it's still

appealing enough to find

itself at the sharp end of

the UK bestsellers list.

But while the looks will

earn you plenty of friends

it seems the jury's still out

on the new engine, an

85bhp petrol lump which

is also on its way into the

new Panda. On the plus

side it's very rev-happy in

the way all Italian city

slickers should be, it sips

fuel and its got the lowest

CO2 emissions of any

production petrol engine

on offer today, but it's

also louder than most

people would like at

higher speeds. The sound

itself also seems to be

particularly divisive; I

have spoken to fans

smitten with its waspish

buzz, but while I tried my

hardest to think back to

Lambretta scooters and

the original 1957 Fiat 500,

all I could hear was a

sewing machine.

If however, you're

unbothered by the clatter

made by every diesel

engine on a cold morning

than you're unlikely to get

annoyed with the TwinAir's

engine note, meaning you

can enjoy the same sort of

fuel economy without

having to fill up with the

sticky stuff at branches of

Esso. The 500 TwinAir,

then, is a bit like Kate

Bush; it might sound

slightly irritating at first

but there's plenty to like.

It's an impressive and

likeable 500 but it's not

the one for me.

...fiat

500 twinair

Life On Cars6 Life On CarsLife On Cars

7Life On Cars

TRAFFIC JAMS. You hate

them just as much as I do,

but it's where this clever

hybrid hatchback from the

world's biggest car

company starts showing

off.

Slip the hybrid version of

Toyota's mid-sized hatch

into its EV - or Electric

Vehicle - mode and it

suddenly becomes your

very own Coalition

Government, refusing to

let you spend any money

at all by frittering away

precious fuel. Instead it

sidles along in silence,

determining not to restart

its 1.8 litre engine unless

you mash your foot to the

floor. Like its pricier Prius

own right, don't forget -

licked.

If your drive to work

involves lots of twisty

lanes then this probably

isn't the car for you; it's

too woolly and not

communicative enough for

cross-country work, where

the petrol-powered

traditionalists like Ford's

Focus still rule the roost.

If, on the other hand,

your commute seems to

be a never ending series

of traffic jams, the Auris

Hybrid is well worth a

look.

Your wallet will thank

you for it.

sister, crawling through

jams using absolutely no

petrol at all is the Auris

Hybrid's party trick.

Toyota practically

invented the hybrid - the

car which combines petrol

with electric motors in

the quest for eco-friendly

motoring - over a decade

ago with the original

Prius, but I reckon the

Auris is actually the better

buy. It might not come

with the Cameron Diaz

celebrity endorsement its

more iconic sibling gets

but what you do get is a

slightly more resolved

package.

The Auris is, to my mind

at least, not only better

looking than the Prius but

also a better drive, giving

you more confidence once

you leave the jams, stick

it Power Mode and drive it

like, well, like a car. No,

it isn't going to make you

the Jenson Button through

the bends but thanks to

its effortless auto box,

fingertip light steering

and a handy amount of

grunt from its petrol-

burning department it is

startling easy to drive.

Only the slightly fidgety

ride and a lack of all-

round visibility let the

side down but otherwise I

reckon it's got the Prius -

an impressive car in its

Toyota show they’re still the winners in the hybrid gamewith a car that even beats its own Prius for owner appeal

...toyota

auriS hyBrid

Life On Cars8

winter

wondercarForty years ago the Range Rover caught the public imagination with itsability to be four cars in one. David Simister wonders whether Skoda’spulled off the same trick by making its Yeti a rugged and roomy favourite

9Life On Cars

winter

wondercarForty years ago the Range Rover caught the public imagination with itsability to be four cars in one. David Simister wonders whether Skoda’spulled off the same trick by making its Yeti a rugged and roomy favourite

Life On Cars10 Life On Cars

LEGWARMERS, the miners'

strike, East Berlin and

Spandau Ballet. These are

things which, along with

Skoda jokes, belong back

in the dark days of the

early Eighties.

An admission; I'm not

really old enough to

remember any of those

things, which is why I

never thought the

one about the

Skoda with the

sunroof was

particularly funny. I

haven't got any

Skoda jokes of my

own for you but I'll

instead share with

you one of my motoring

secrets. Leave your

preconceptions at

Checkpoint Charlie,

because I reckon Skoda's

Yeti is the one of the best

cars on sale in Britain

today.

Someone clever within

the Czech car company's

realised that we aren't a

nation of sports car

driving hedonists, zipping

along sun-kissed country

lanes on the way to

somewhere nice. We are

in fact a nation of IKEA

addicts, of school run

mums, of Dad's Taxi

stickers and garden

centre gurus. We are

especially a nation of dog

owners - there are two

million of us, remember -

and there are few

vehicles in any price

bracket as geared up to

the task as the Yeti. The

badge on the bonnet, I

honestly reckon, is

irrelevant.

Having already won

over rough ‘n' rugged

off-roader types with

the Scout four-wheel-

drive version of the

Octavia estate it was

only a matter of time

before Skoda came up

with a real mountain

goat of a motor and

this, a distant relation

to Volkswagen's Golf

and Audi's A3, is the

result. Cute and

challenging at the same

time.

The best way to

approach a Yeti is to think

of it not as a rival for, say,

a small off-roader or a

people carrier, but as a

car crafted especially with

the needs of dog walkers

in mind. A Golden

Retriever, for instance,

might well be man's

best friend, but he's

still a friend who

slobbers a lot and

enjoys nibbling car

upholstery. That's why

the interior's built

sturdily out of lots of

hard wearing but

tastefully chosen plastics

and leathers, which Fido

is going to struggle to

ruin. His home from home

- the Yeti's boot - is also

commendably

commodious, although

thanks to the Skoda's high

Life On Cars

We are a nation of dog owners andthere are few vehicles in any pricebracket as geared up to the task asthe Yeti. The badge is irrelevant

11Life On Cars

sills it might take him a

bit of a leap to get in.

The Volkswagen-based

Yeti's also been designed

to conquer not racetracks

but rutted bridleways and

muddy backroads,

because that's inevitably

the sort of rural backdrop

Fido's owner enjoys. Don't

get me wrong; it's not a

mudplugger in the vein

of, say, Land Rover's

Freelander but it's been

built toughly enough and

given enough ground

clearance to get you

across most obstacles

without objections, and if

you really are heading for

the great outdoors then

four wheel drive is one of

its must-have optional

extras.

Clamber into the

cockpit and you're

definitely not in the

driver's seat of a jacked-

up hatchback or an MPV

with countryside styling

cues; if a Land Rover

Discovery went on the

Atkins diet, chances are

this is what it would feel

like. Even though the

version I drove stuck to

powering just the front

wheels everything about

the commanding driving

position, the view along

the bonnet and the

defiantly diesel noise the

2.0 TDi engine makes

screams pure off-roader.

That's the reason why

you're not going to find

hot hatch handling when

you head into the corners

a tad too quickly, but

both on the backroads

and out on the motorways

the Yeti performs

impressively enough. It's

just a shame that with

some of the sillier options

the version I drove cost

almost £22,000, which I'd

rather spend on the

optional four-wheel-drive

system and make it truly

capable over tricky

terrain.

The Yeti's not only the

best car Skoda makes but

I reckon it's got the

measure of MINI's

Countryman, Nissan's

Qashqai and even the

entry-level Freelanders,

because it's gone for

substance where they've

gone for style. Almost

everyone who came

across the Yeti loved it for

exactly the same reason;

if you have a dog and

enjoy going for walks in

the muddy countryside,

you're going to struggle to

better the Yeti without

resorting to much more

expensive machinery.

Buy one and your

Labrador is going to love

it. Luckily, so will you.

www.lifeoncars.blogspot.com

Previous page: The Yeti, thanks to its high ground clearance and four wheel drive system is

more than capable of being driven in tricky off-road conditions. Clockwise, from left: Boxy

stance makes Yeti a practical load-lugger and a useful family car . Images from Skoda UK

Life On Cars12

ormSkirk motorfeSt:

your SeaL of aPProVaL

Life On Cars

THE sight of Ferraris and

Formula 1 racing cars

roaring around Ormskirk's

streets could happen

again after the local

council hailed Ormskirk's

MotorFest as a boost to

the region.

The local authority said

the MotorFest attracted

around 10,000 visitors to

Ormskirk town centre and

Coronation Park on

Sunday, August 28, and

said that it was looking at

the possibility of holding a

similar event.

Councillor Ian Grant,

leader of West Lancashire

Borough Council, said:

"This was a fantastic

event which really put

Ormskirk - and the whole

of West Lancashire - on

the map. Not only did it

attract thousands of

visitors into the town

during a bank holiday

weekend, but it proved a

bonus for local

businesses, who had a

real boost to their trade.

"It was a great day out

for people of all ages and

the council is incredibly

proud to have supported it

and look forward to the

possibility of another

similar event in the

future."

The Life On Cars-backed

event, which was free to

attend, saw more than

230 cars ranging from a

1915 Model T Ford to a

Ferrari Enzo formerly

owned by Rod Stewart

taking part, with the

highlight of the event

being the closure of the

town's one-way system to

allow a series of parades

along the streets of the

market town.

The event, organised by

Aintree Circuit Club with

the backing of the

borough council, had been

billed as a one-off event,

but entrants, visitors and

West Lancashire

councillors have

overwhelmingly told Life

Life On Cars

ormSkirk motorfeSt:

your SeaL of aPProVaL

David Simister reports on how a fullthrottle spectacular could returnafter proving a hit with petrolheadsof all ages earlier this summer

13Life On Cars

On Cars they would like

to see the event

happening again,

including some who feel it

should become an annual

event.

John Bailie, MotorFest

co-ordinator, said: "This

was a real demonstration

of civic pride at a local

level. With the support of

West Lancashire Borough

Council and the superb

co-operation of the police

and involvement of local

businesses, we were able

to put on an access-all-

areas event which might

normally be expected to

take place at a

conventional motorsport

venue or the grounds of a

stately home...we did it

on the streets of a vibrant

Lancashire market town.

“The feedback we are

receiving from

participants and

spectators is very

positive, and it seems

that we've hit on a

formula that works. The

aim was to bring all

aspects of motor sport

and motoring literally to

the man in the street,

and it proved most

effective. Over 90% of the

participants were from

Lancashire.”

Turn the page for the

best pictures from

the MotorFest...

Life On Cars14

Clockwise, from top left: Classics on display in

Coronation Park; Morgan and Healey among trad

sports car entries; motorsport machinery in the town

centre; Ferraris Enzo and Mondial attracted plenty of

attention; TVR strikes a pose near the historic clock

tower; MGs from decades gone by. Previous page:

David Simister on the parade route in his MGB GT

15Life On Cars

Clockwise, from top left: Classics on display in

Coronation Park; Morgan and Healey among trad

sports car entries; motorsport machinery in the town

centre; Ferraris Enzo and Mondial attracted plenty of

attention; TVR strikes a pose near the historic clock

tower; MGs from decades gone by. Previous page:

David Simister on the parade route in his MGB GT

The best cars, events, anddrives of 2011 revealed in aChristmas special of Life OnCars, available online soon!

in the

neXt iSSue

Check out previous

editions online...

AUGUST 2010

NOVEMBER 2010

JANUARY 2011

APRIL 2011

JULY 2011

MOTORFEST SPECIAL