Silent, and Now Subtle Too - Greenfleet Scotland 2017 Roundup

Rather embarrassingly, I haven’t managed to write up my roundup from GreenFleet Scotland 2017 at the Royal Highland Centre. The last couple of months have been hectic, with the house move taking up a lot of my time (and energy), meaning things like this have taken a back seat. No excuse, I know, and I’ll try to be more diligent in future.

Anyone looking for more of my witterings, both motoring and otherwise, follow me on Twitter, or check out these articles I’ve produced for the site Supercars.net.

I’m a big fan of what GreenFleet are doing. Their annual events break down the anxieties of electric and hybrid powertrain sceptics by allowing fleet managers and the general public to get up close and hands on with these vehicles, helping to encourage uptake in a fleet sector that put 1.38 million vehicles on UK roads in 2016.

Sun, Sand and, er... Steel Wheels? - Almost a Week in Spain with a Renault Clio 1.5 dCi

Back in October, I got my first taste of continental driving on a short holiday in Spain. Having contacted our rental company in the run up to the trip, we’d been told by email to expect a Nissan Micra or similar – that last part being the roll of the dice in the lucrative “Class C” market at Tony’s rent-a-car. We’re not talking Mercedes here.

On arrival at Malaga airport, we were met by two representatives of Tony’s (one of whom could have filled out the handover form in his sleep if he’d had to) and, speedy paperwork behind us, we were led outside with our bags to a bustling bank of rental pick-up-and-drop-off activity. Here we were introduced to our car for the week. A car, which, in the bleary, dank darkness looked almost Micra-shaped, but was not itself a Micra.

Hey, that cloud looks like a Clio... kind of... if you squint maybe?

The Green R-EVOLUTION Is Upon Us - EVOLUTION Scotland 2016 Round Up

Visitors to the RHC were greeted by hindsight in the
form of the original Honda Insight.

This year’s EVOLUTION Motor Show, the third held at Ingliston, drew in more people than ever before – and it’s not difficult to see why, with the wealth of progressive metal on show from mainstream manufacturers and smaller-scale independent companies alike. All were focused on breaking down outdated stereotypes about so-called ‘eco-cars’, EVs, and other progressive powertrains, in the pursuit of ultimate efficiency. 

Fiat group impressed once again with their offering, bringing a wide range of cars, each of which with it’s own green tech. Their Fiat 500 and Panda both sported different flavours of TwinAir engine, a small capacity petrol unit turbocharged to increase both power and efficiency in different driving scenarios.  Supremely characterful, this is an engine that loves to be revved. 

Also on show and available to drive, was the Alfa Romeo Giulietta with the company’s JTDM engine, putting out 120hp and returning impressive economy figures of up to 74mpg. Figures like these may not entirely stir the soul the way Alfa Romeos should, but if ever there’s a place where red leather should be fitted in a steely grey car, as in the case of this one, then it’s in a Giulietta. ‘Nuff said.

The mighty Panda Cross was more character than car.

From Fiat’s American wing, Chrysler, came the Jeep Renegade and Grand Cherokee, the later proving a stout and refined contender in the luxury SUV sector, with comfortable leather teamed excellently with rugged useability throughout the cabin and a smooth, 200bhp 2.2 Diesel engine providing waves of power and torque.

Renault arguably had the most varied selection of cars on show, drawing crowds with the nifty Twizy electric car. Closer to a motorbike than a car in a lot of ways (with a notable exception being the two extra wheels), the Twizy aims to solve the issue of inner-city streets clogged with swollen diesels all vying for the same limited parking spaces by being as minimalist as possible. Keep an eye out for our review of this head-turner.

'Look at me, look at me!'
-Twizy, 2016

 

At the other end of the scale, the company’s recently launched Kadjar crossover was on show, which draws on the company’s relationship with Nissan, yet manages to retain a character all of it’s own, adding some French flair to the tough-yet-sleek lines of it’s Japanese counterpart, the Qashqai.

Not to be outdone on the greener side of things, Renault also brought along Zoe, sister car to the popular Nissan Leaf EV. With a serene cabin and near-silent running, it demonstrates the levels of refinement on offer to the EV motorist whilst providing the practicality of a mid-sized hatchback car. 

Toyota had a raft of hybrids on show, alongside their Mirai concept, which shows off their idea of what a mass-produced, hydrogen powered car would be like. Clearly building upon the familiar lines of the Prius, the Miraii shows that hydrogen motoring isn’t as far away as we think.

The absence of diesels from the Toyota lineup is notable, with the Japanese manufacturer and their premium brand, Lexus choosing to focus on petrol/hybrid drivetrains as they aim to drop the average emissions across all their cars to under 70g/km.

The Miraii hints that a Hydrogen future
may not be as far away as we think

This meant that everything they borught to the Royal Highland Centre at the weekend, from Prius and Rav 4, to the littlest Lexus CT 200h, and the big luxo-barges of the IS 300 h and RX series SUVs that were on show was endowed with some kind of hybrid technology. An interesting direction to take, for sure, and we’ll be keeping a close eye on how things progress. 

Jaguar brought along their XE and XF (the preview of the former can be found here) for eager drivers to get behind the wheel of, both sporting the company’s new Ingenium 2.0 diesel engine, presented here in its 160bhp, 280 lb-ft form. Impressively, CO2 emissions for this power point in the XE come in below the 100g/km-mark, and a still-quite-remarkable 104g/km in the larger XF. 

The JLR stand, in 'stealth mode'

On display at the JLR stand was a heavily blacked-out F-Pace, presented alongside a similarly stealthy Range Rover Evoque in the show hall. I wasn’t sure how the F-Pace SUV would wear the family lines of the F-Type in the metal, but I’m pleased to report it’s an altogether handsome, sleek beast, easily comparable to the Porsche Cayenne - and I mean that in a good way.

The baby Range Rover was joined by its cousin, the Land Rover Discovery Sport, which proved itself to be a commanding vehicle, and very smooth on tarmac. Plenty of glass lends a light air to the cabin, something the more upmarket Evoque has to do without.

A Kouple of the Kias at Ingliston on Saturday

Keen to impress were Kia, who brought along a cross-section of their range, spanning the terrified-looking Sportage, the nifty Pro-Cee'd, the Optima -which has the Mondeo firmly in it’s sights - and their own interpretation of what an EV should be, the Soul EV. I was very impressed with the electric Soul, it’s useful, quoted 130-mile-plus range lending it perfect to commuting, while the wide apertures and vast tailgate tick many practicality boxes.

We can’t talk about EVOLUTION without mentioning the stunning BMW i8, which once again proved itself the darling of the show, with queues for drives just about out the door and tensions running high between excited plug-in fans waiting their turn. This purified expression of what a plug-in-hybrid sportscar can be has its sharp and focussed nose pointed straight at the future. McMotors took a closer look at the i8 and it's sister, the i3, after they delighted the crowds at last year's EVOLUTION. Check that out here.

The ever popular i8 in a brief moment of rest at the show

BMW also took the opportunity to show off its hybrid tech in the X5, bringing PHEV ability to it’s op of the range SUV. This may seem like a strange choice of vehicle for pioneering green technology, but when you take into account that it has a CO2 figure of just 77g/km, you realise this may not be such an odd thing after all.

Ludicrous mode proved ludicrously popular

The car which seemed to do the most laps of the track, though, was the remarkable Tesla Model S, which I experienced not long before the EVOLUTION show. You can read about my experience of Elon Musk's super-EV, not to mention what it did to my spine, here.

All of this, and a lot more besides (too much to fit into one post!) was available for the all to see and try up-close, at the EVOLUTION Motor Show at Ingliston this year, and, if things carry on this way, there’ll be a lot more again next year. Record interest in the cars on show, plus the amount of effort and enthusiasm put in by car manufacturers across the globe prove that the wheels of the green revolution are very much in motion.

  
We’ll have more in-depth features and reviews of some of the cars from the  show in the coming weeks. 

Let us know what your highlights of EVOLUTION 2016 were @Jack_McMotors on Twitter.

Spring Clean Motoring Part 3: The Future's Bright With Tesla Lighting The Way

It’s not long to go until the EVOLUTION Motor Show charges once more to Ingliston, whisking countless delighted patrons around the Royal Highland Centre’s on-site test track in all manner of eco-themed vehicles. One of this year’s most exciting cars on display comes from a company that, up until 8 years ago, didn’t even build cars.

Tesla have just taken over 325,000 pre-orders for their newest offering, even though right now it’s little more than a concept. The Model 3 aims to bring technology from Tesla’s current lineup of uber-futuristic swish-mobiles, which includes the Model S and the soon-to-hit-UK-roads Model X SUV, and deliver on a platform closer in size to a BMW 3-series.

The Model 3 brings high-end leccy-tech to a wider market

That’s dangerous territory. The 3-series has been the undisputed king of its segment for 41 years, pretty much carving the template for all mid-size sports saloons since. Buoyed along by the public’s near-absolute trust of German build quality and virtually unwavering brand loyalty, how will the Tesla fare when put up against the distilled and refined Ultimate Driving Machine?

To get a feel for where the company was at just before it’s biggest launch to date, I dropped in to Tesla’s new showroom on Multrees Walk in Edinburgh. Appearing right at home nestled amongst the fashion boutiques and single-brand jewellery stores either side of it, Tesla have shirked the traditional car dealership model of out-of-town industrial estates, instead opting for eyes-on visibility, building a brand in a similar way to Apple, where product exposure is everything.

New approach: Tesla's dealership looks like it might sell shoes

Taking pride of place in the showroom is a bare-bones chassis from the Model S, showing off the innovative, twin-motor drivetrain and battery packs, all very low to the floor. With Elon Musk having declared Tesla’s technology free to the world to use and learn from, secrecy is not an issue here. Also on display are the car’s mighty adaptive air suspension arms,, which help maintain a level ride and pitch the car into corners, or lift the nose – not quite west coast rapper style – to clear bumps.

Seated behind the wheel (of a fully dressed car) the Model S feels like it was designed from the ground-up as a product seated firmly for the 21^st century – and I suppose it was. From little details like the door handles doubling as a pocket for your mobile phone, to the giant, iPad-dwarfing central control screen, incorporating clever sat-nav to help you navigate the car's useful 250 mile range between charges on longer journeys, the interface for which mimics the ease of use of modern smartphones. This car has the future in its sights – and that's all besides the sheer connectivity of the thing.  

 

Tesla have nothing to hide, flaunting their twin-motor setup

Another feature shared by the Model S and today’s raft of super-sleek smartphones is the ability to receive updates and fixes over the air. Using it’s own internet connection, the car feeds data back to Tesla HQ in California, where information from cars all round the world is compiled to see how the various systems, including the car’s auto-pilot mega-brain – more on that later - are coping in real world conditions. From here, system updates can be released, which the car will download and install entirely by itself.

On the road, the mighty tesla feels ethereal.  I’ve felt smoothness in big, executive Jags, Mercs, Audis and BMWs before, but nothing comes close to the way the Tesla glides from place to place. The self-levelling suspension adds an air of floating, untroubled by ancient constructs like the ground. In fact, the only thing that demonstrated the limits of the air suspension’s capabilities on my passenger run in a full-fat P90D was the car’s incredible surge of power, as the combined 762bhp output from the twin-motor set up silently bullys the horizon closer.

It’s not so much the power itself that surprises, rather the delivery – the way it erupts all of a sudden, without noise or any of that calamity. It simply goes. One minute you’re quietly cruising along, the next you’re bending physics. 0-62mph in 2.7 seconds surprises in a car that makes next to no noise at all. You could buy a P90D and offer a sideline as a chiropractor, using the G-forces this car develops off the mark to realign your passengers spine.

 

Sleek lines hint at the Model S's sporting prowess

Power is split between the front and rear electric motors – the front 259bhp for efficiency through the front wheels, with the 503bhp rear motor focused more towards high performance. This gives a rear power bias, the two motors working together to give the Model S astounding levels of grip whilst still handling in a sporty manner.

By no stretch of the imagination is the Model S a stripped-out sports car. Its weight is masked well by the suspension trickery, but it still tips the scales at 2,200kg. Most of this weight is down to the battery pack, an issue faced by all electric cars. Tesla do well to pack the batteries into the floor, keeping the centre of gravity as low as possible, but all that weight is still there, and centrifugal force is a harsh mistress.

Another two tricks up the Tesla's sleeve are it's hidden extra row
of seats in the boot - passengers' noses will take a bashing

That being said, you’d be hard pressed to find a more comprehensive car package than a well-specced Model S P90D. All at once it manages to be, a supercar, a sports saloon, a comfortable limousine, a tablet computer, a fashion item, a 7-seat people mover, a twin-booted grand tourer, a personal chauffeur - all whilst still saving the world, one charge at a time.

With the lack of any kind of noise, it would be easy to rest ones foot on the throttle and not register the car gently accelerating until you arrive at a traffic light doing 155mph, but that’s where features like Tesla’s auto-pilot system come in. This combines radar-guided cruise control with lane recognition technology, aided by a whole host of sensors and processors, to effectively allow the car to drive itself. The driver becomes accessory as the computers take over to gently guide you to your destination.

The Model S's giant centre screen serves all manner of purposes

Initial doubts about trusting the system fall by the wayside when you actually try it, as if the sensors latch on to a manual car, the system is so precise that you can feel every little gear change from the leading driver. Of course, the option is always there to take the helm and breeze along some B-roads, but for everyday trips and the tedium of creeping through traffic, the Tesla can pick up the slack.

  

The Model S is the only model Tesla currently sell in the UK, with the Model X joining it later this year. Tesla are bringing it along to the Royal Highland Centre this weekend, where car fans will be able to get up close with this high-end embodiment of what an electric car can be. It’s fascinating to think that, if Tesla sticks to it’s current trajectory, within the decade we could be seeing similar levels of connectivity and electric drivetrain technology in B- and C-segment cars.

The Model 3 is nothing if not a clear statement of intent from Tesla to make this technology more and more available in mass-produced cars. Whilst BMW won't quite be shaking in it's boots yet, Tesla have definitely given them something to think seriously about over the next few years.

It's popularity proves, as Elon Musk elucidates here, that Tesla's business model is working and it's only a matter of time before we're all quietly swooshing around, being excellently productive as our dashboard butlers find and navigate the best route through rush hour traffic, all whilst producing no emissions whatsoever. Come and discover the future of electric car tech at the Evolution motor show, on Saturday 16^th April at the Royal Highland Centre, Ingliston.

The Model S - showing there can be a bright, green future
in electric motoring that doesn't have to mean comprimise

Maximum Car For Your Cash - Dacia Logan 0.9 TCe MCV Review

I've always had a fondness for estate cars. The inherent functionality that comes with all that extra space, to me, embodies a huge bonus of car ownership - I can transport not only myself, but also others with me, and, if we feel like it, some things. For several years I ran my own bargain load-lugger - a Ford Focus estate - which I inherited from my parents following the disintegration of my first car, a teeny, first-gen Vauxhall Corsa. 

The 'big car', now on to pastures new

Not the most fashionable motor for a 20-year-old lad with less street cred than a botched pothole repair by the council? Perhaps. Yet I loved my big bus. Throughout my formative years it ferried me, my friends and an enormous amount of stuff to camping trips and music festivals; with the seats folded down, it became a discreet camper van, a secure place to sleep if I was feeling insociable or simply forgot to bring a tent. It travelled the length and breadth of the country, most of the time simply for the sake of driving. The 1.6 petrol Zetec motor may have seen far better times before it fell into my possession, but the chassis retained the fully independent control blade rear suspension setup, and with it the handling prowess that thrust the original Focus to the top of it's class, become the darling front-drive car of motoring journos the world over.

Being a Scot, I follow the stereotype that I'm an absolute sucker for a bargain. Consider all of this and it was only a matter of time before I was drawn to a Dacia Logan MCV. With prices starting from £6,995, it's the cheapest estate car that can be bought new in Britain, and at first glance it represents terrific value. 

The Logan, badged 'Maximum Capacity Vehicle', as if you couldn't tell

The base 'Access' model comes with a 1.2 petrol motor putting out around 75bhp, steel wheels, fabric interior and black plastic body mouldings, and not a lot else. As a box for moving things and people -the essence of an estate car - it ticks the, ahem, boxes. As a long term family car, not so much.

Fear not, as not much further up the range, Logans come with toys like cruise control, Bluetooth and USB connectivity and a multi-function trip computer. It wasn’t so long ago that speccing a B-cum -C-segment estate car with gadgets like these even at the lower end of the range would see the price creep ever-closer to the £20k mark. Dacia are now doing all this for pretty much half that – a diesel, top-spec ‘Laureate’ with all of the above plus sat-nav and rear parking sensors still comes in at just £11,345. Lets not forget, this is a brand new car with a three year/60,000 mile warranty to boot - an equivalent spec in a Volkswagen Polo would be almost £17,000 – and that’s before you buy a roof rack to make up all that extra load space that comes for free with the Logan.

Equipment levels are excellent for
the price; buttons basic yet functional

Admittedly the interior isn’t quite up to the German car’s standard, but it’s not as bad as you might think. Yes, there are hard plastics here and there – those savings to come from somewhere – but the interior of car I drove had been dressed fairly well, with chrome surrounds on the stereo and air-vents and smooth plastic door handle inserts. Since these are the bits that will actually be touched and fiddled with day-to-day (I am making the assumption here that most people don’t spend their time stroking and fondling every inch of their cars dash) the addition of these little details manages to keep the experience from feeling cheap.

The seats, at first glance, appear incredibly skinny, as if they’ve got about as much support to offer as the foundations of the Lamington viaduct. Once seated, they're pleasantly - not to mention surprisingly - comfortable. They're no feather mattress, but long journeys wouldn't be too much of a chore for the buttocks.

I suspect the reasoning behind Dacia’s decision to pare down the car's posterior plinths is as much for cost saving as it is for fitting people in the back. Lo and behold, even with my relatively laid back driving position (car writer trope alert) I managed to fit in behind myself. Now, I’m hardly the lankiest of gents, but in the Dacia there were a good few inches between my knees and the driver’s seat in front – and a good bit more than in my old Focus. This bodes well, as many Logans are likely destined to become minicabs for their first 6 figures of mileage.

Little details help the Laureate spec cars cabin feel un-cheap

Don’t expect any miracles in the driving department. It’s not bad, but Dacia know their target market for this car. People buying this care aren't going to be taking to YouTube to check up its Nürburgring lap GoPro footage. The Clio underpinnings that this car is based on don’t do too bad considering the extra bulk (it’s worth remembering that that car was also offered as a B-segment estate). It’s relatively unflappable in the sort of situ where 99% of this cars journeys will be made – around town with a bit of motorway and A road work thrown in to the mix. There was a bit of body roll on roundabouts – it’s not a Clio Cup chassis. 

Partly, this is down to the slightly raised ride height, which should more than earn it’s keep over slightly tricky terrain like rutted farm tracks. Dacia have designed tand built this car to tackle a variety of terrain, in both developed and developing markets. As such, you can expect the suspension and the chassis to take a bit of a beating before it starts to feel worn and tired, which bodes well, considering the state of many of Scotland's A and B roads, not to mention some absolute craters popping up here and there on the motorway network.

The 0.9 litre petrol engine in the car I drove took a bit of getting used to, this being my first experience of a block of this size backed up by turbo-charging. It’s worth noting at this point that this car can be pretty unforgiving of laziness with the gear lever. At junctions and low speeds, unless you're in exactly the right gear and on revs, the car tends to stutter before doing its very best to stall itself. 
 

It's not sleek, but it does the job.
Fog lights add to the mildly premium feel

The payoff for this extra gear change concentration? Economy, and bundles of it. Be careful with the throttle and pay the gearstick a bit of extra attention and Dacia say you should see economy approaching 56 mpg.  

That's not to say the 0.9 is entirely gutless. Work with the car and you'll find it really quite spritely in traffic, and the 88bhp and 100lb/ft is perfectly ample for town driving and batting along the motorway. Overtaking on country roads will require conscious effort from the driver to lean on that engine but, hey, isn't that kind of why the car has a driver in the first place?

In the Logan though I’d be inclined to opt for the 1.5 litre 90hp diesel. It’s a much torqueier motor than the miniscule petrol, handy if you’ll be carrying large loads on a regular basis. It should also be easier with the diesel to get close to its quoted mpg figure – a far from unimpressive 74mpg. The initial outlay is a little higher outlay for the diesel, but combine that economy with the fact that you’re paying no road tax at all on it and the savings soon mount up. I'd probably avoid the 1.2 petrol unless on a very strict budget - it lags behind the other two units on power and doesn't get near their economy figures.

Just think of how big a dog or sofa you take everywhere with you

The engines themselves are products of the Renault / Nissan alliance, and so should prove reliable and efficient. Plus, if anything does go pop, availability of parts shouldn’t be an issue since these motors have been used across both brands ranges for years.

All in all, if you’re considering something that can take 5-people-plus-dog, the Logan is definitely worth a look. For the price, the only alternatives are in the second hand market – Qashqais, Golfs, that sort of thing – but they don’t come with the peace of mind of the Dacia’s 3 year/60,000 miles warranty, which can be easily extended. There are some quirks - I smiled when I discovered the boot is opened by a small lever in the drivers-side carpet, akin to bonnet catch releases of old, and the headlight switch knob is hidden away far below the dash. These are small details, and it won't take owners long to commit them to muscle memory. The Logan, in Laureate spec, does everything many other new cars offer for a huge discount.

Spring Clean Motoring Part 2: A Slippery, Frugal Cat

It's little over a month to go until the Evolution Motor Show silently whooshes once more along to the Royal Highland Showground at Ingliston. Amongst the cars on show this year, the one you'll hear coming above the low hum of futuristic electricity is the new Jaguar XE, which will showcase the company's latest green tech.

Sleek lines for both form and function - muscular body work is sleekest Jag ever

Sticking to a more traditional format for a small executive saloon car, the XEs currently on the market are powered by a selection of all-aluminium petrol and diesel units, each of which aim to squeeze as much out of every single drop of fuel as possible. At the sharper end of the range is the supercharged 3.0 V6 from the base F-Type, sure to give XE blistering performance, but return less of a saving at the pumps.

The headline economy figures come with Jaguar's Ingenium diesel engines, which are likely to be the most popular on UK roads. Utilising variable exhaust valve timing alongside aftertreatments for the gases emitted, the 2.0-litre turbodiesel unit manages to give 160 horsepower and 280lb-ft of torque whilst producing only 99g/km of CO2, putting it in the lowest UK tax band with a cost of precisely zero pounds per year. If you fancy a bit more grunt and can stomach handing over 20 of your pounds to the government each year, there's a more powerful 177hp Ingenium diesel, which, despite the power upgrade, still produces just 109g/km.

Jaguar haven't just focused their quest for efficiency on the engines; the whole car has been considered, examined and worked on to make the whole package as clean and green as possible. The bodywork is as sleek as can be, making the XE the most aerodynamic Jaguar ever, with a drag coefficient of just 0.26. On the Ingenium diesels, there's the option of a six-speed manual running with low-viscosity oil and pseudo dry-sump lubrication to assist in putting the power to the rear wheels. Part-time all-wheel-drive is available on the more powerful diesel, but only with the 8-speed ZF box. This improves traction but adds weight and lessens economy, but makes perfect sense for those in colder climes.

In no way does this efficiency come at the expense of performance in the XE - Jaguar would never allow that. The smallest Jaguar is also the lightest and the stiffest, showing that the petrol V6 is not the only thing carried over from the F-Type sports car. The XE showcases more of Jaguar's aluminium monocoque technology, and they claim that this is the first time such a thing has been seen in the mid-size segment. 

The XE surrounds the driver with technology

Inside, the XE draws upon the design of its flagship big brother, the XJ, with a subtle wraparound dash that aligns along the door line giving a very secure feel. Jaguar's new InControl infotainment system dominates the centre of the dash, which should be a welcome improvement over the previous unit, which felt sluggish in a world dominated by smartphones and i-things. 

The XE - incredibly efficient, drives like a Jag should

An expected above-70mpg fuel economy combines with vast service intervals of 21,000 miles makes the Jaguar a strong contender for the ideal mid-size saloon fleet car. On paper alone it appears to dethrone the mighty 3-series in many ways. The proof is in the punch, so to see for yourself if the XE truly is the king of its class, head along to the Evolution Motor Show at the Royal Highland Showground, Ingliston on the 16th April 2016.