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Once upon a time in a united kingdom far, far away, there was a regal bloodline of steeds called “Mini”. The compact and thrifty nature of these beasts found great favour with the masses until, many moons later, they simply couldn’t meet modern demands anymore and successors from Bavaria arrived.
This January, a lot of people will be stomping out cigarettes, power-walking past bottle stores and straight to their nearest gym. I’m not sure what your new year’s resolutions are but one of mine was to be more accepting of change; and what better way to do so than with BMW’s new 1-Series Coupe.
I think I may be getting old. A recent birthday has firmly plunged me into middle age and I’ve decided that I dislike camping, queues, hip hop, clubbing and down-down competitions. With a growing affection for classical music, scenic walks and reading, help couldn’t arrive soon enough.
Cars come in all shapes and sizes but, more importantly, with wildly differing applications or purposes. Some are cheap, some are fast, others are rugged and a handful are fast ‘n flashy. You get few that do it all and even fewer that do it well so I’m always happy to review a car with limited applications.
It’s been a long time coming and I was honestly getting concerned that halfway through the year I hadn’t found any pleasant surprises yet. Sure, thundering AMG’s and seven-figure Jags may apply but it wasn’t until last week that I stumbled across a hidden gem: the Opel Astra GTC.
Last year on a drizzling May morning I was silently praying and denting the passenger foot-well of Nissan’s 370Z Roadster as a seasoned motoring journalist took us through a damp Du Toits Kloof Pass, often sideways and one-handed while merrily chatting about modern advertising standards.
Retro is irrefutably trendy and whereas some may dismiss it as a passing fad, old school remains cool. Exhibit A through C in the automotive world would be the new Mini, Fiat 500 and Beetle. The not-so latest retro attempt is the cool FJ Cruiser made by, sharp intake of breath, Toyota.
After a tad of insomnia and some Google-assisted self diagnosis, it turns out that I have a severe case of withdrawal symptoms. Dilated pupils, dry mouth, extended forearms with clenched fists, restlessness and thundering big block noises in my ears lead me to believe that I yearn for more sixty-three ah emm gee.
The most successful Mercedes-Benz model has long been the C-Class so it was obvious that the Stuttgart brigade would capitalise on its fame. After estate versions, they’ve produced two coupés over the years but, in my humble opinion, this third generation is the first winner.
The BMW One Series was launched in 2004 as a further bid from the jolly Bavarians to fill yet another market gap: the luxury hatchback. We could probably argue about the definition of a luxury hatchback all day and all night, but I wasn’t the only one who disliked the 1-Series.