"This way out, Mr Brown"

Pressure is mounting on our PM to make another U-turn, but this time (more appropriately) on the issue of the motorist’s hefty tax burden. Fuel costs are spiralling and since the large majority of the price we pay at the pump is duty, it would seem appropriate that the Government lends the motorist a helping hand. Its new road tax plans are going to hit drivers of older cars very hard where it hurts - in the pocket.

The problem is, a second U-turn would seem to add up to a Prime Minister going ’round in circles. Once that happens, it’s surely time for someone to show him the correct exit.

Mazda6 handbrake access is awkward - but fair

OK, so we’ve gotten used to car makers designing primarily for left-hand drive (LHD) markets and then making revisions to accommodate the conversion for right-hand drive (RHD) markets. We don’t like it, but it makes commercial sense so we can understand the logic.

However, I must admit I’m getting fed up with having to make do with some design features which seem to have been carried over from the LHD version without a single consideration or modification for RHD versions.

Apart from MINI’s ‘Club door’ which encourages you to spill your kids into the traffic rather than onto the pavement, I recently found myself reaching across two occupied cupholders to grasp the handbrake on the new Mazda6 - not good.

I’ve since discovered that in the case of the Mazda6, this detail has been mirrored from the LHD versions - which makes it even more baffling.

In any case MINI is by no means the only culprit so let me know if you’d like to name and shame a few more.

Chic and cheerful - the bargain Citroen C2

I am often asked for car buying advice by friends and users of the site.

Today, the conversation turned to a first car for a ‘designer-type’ with a budget of around £2,500. The car needs to be cheap to run and insure, yet not appear so utterly naff as to make the owner an object of ridicule in the company of his friends.

In terms of what’s cool and reasonably sensible, he could do a lot worse than one of his colleagues who’s recently become the proud owner of a Ford Puma. The fact that his friend has just bought one now makes the Puma out of the question so I instead suggested the evergreen Ford Ka, which soldiers on pretty much unchanged until its replacement arrives within the next 12 months or so. An excellent car with a unique style; its ubiquity hasn’t diminished its coolness.

Another car which has just about dropped into the £2.5K price-bracket is the Fiat Panda. Charismatic and practical, this car is a little belter.

Sticking with the practical hatch brigade, but searching for that little extra je ne sais quoi, I would take a long hard look at the Citroen C2. Panache and parsimony go hand in hand with this petite French number.

There’s a nice metallic blue one right now on Auto Trader for £2550. I reckon the private seller would drop a hundred quid or two for a cash buyer.

If you’ve got any tips or suggestions on stylish motoring on a budget, drop me a line.

New Lancia Delta is UK-bound at last

It was way back in 2002 when we began our campaign to get Lancia back into the UK after what was already a lengthy absence of some 8 or 9 years.

Our campaign took the form of a website quite simply titled Bring Back Lancia, and it celebrated the illustrious history of the great Italian marque that had brought us a series of automotive masterpieces over the years such as the Lambda, the Stratos and, of course, the Delta Integrale.

The website was a labour of love for our design team and included some excellent and engaging content including a Lancia Trumps game featuring historical models and a fun Quiz which sorts out the true cognoscenti from the boys.

Graham Whyte wrote a history of the marque while I put my energy into researching the brand’s then current line-up and key concept cars to try to tap into where its future lay.

A return to right-hand drive markets seemed a logical decision, given that Lancia bosses were forecasting massive increases in volumes over the next 5-10 years, but many poo-pooed our suggestion as folly.

In May 2004, Richard Gadeselli, Chairman and CEO of Fiat UK, very politely told me by email “I can confirm that there are no plans whatsoever to manufacture Lancia vehicles in right hand drive format.”

Was he towing the corporate line? Probably. But no matter - what’s important is that Lancia is coming back to the UK with their new Delta and hopefully it will be good enough to convince buyers so that the marque can lay solid foundations for a prosperous future.

Take a look at the BBL website if you have 5 minutes. It’s a bit of a time capsule as it’s never been updated but a few positive comments could push it up the agenda…

Aside from the peanut shaped headlights - Aygo by BYD

One of the less glamorous stands at the recent Geneva Show belonged to the Chinese manufacturer, BYD, which stands for Build Your Dreams.

It would appear that BYD is convinced that car buyers are dreaming of Toyota Aygos since the small silver ‘F1′ city car tucked away at the back of its stand bore quite a striking resemblance to the Japanese original.

What do you think?

Volkswagen Outrage

Whispers of a naming crisis at Volkswagen are doing the rounds. Apparently all the decent range names have gone so they’ve asked Des O’Connor and Carol Vorderman of Channel 4’s Countdown to help them come up with new ones based on anagrams of existing VW cars.

Hence the Routan (from Touran) which has just been launched at the Chicago Show.

Watch out for the forthcoming VW Flog and Loop. I think it’s an outrage….or is that a Touareg?

Two toners (from top): Granada Ghia, Ford Ka, MINI, Skoda Fabia, Audi TT Quattro Sport, Alfa SZ

As the BBC wheels out another classic car (Audi Quattro) to co-star in yet another retro cop show (Ashes to Ashes), I wanted to take a little look at another trend which has been making a comeback of late - ‘two tone’.

No, I don’t mean the Ska-style of music purveyed by some great bands in the late seventies and early eighties including The Beat and The Specials, I’m referring quite simply to paintwork.

The first applications of contrasting paint colours to automotive bodywork probably date back to the turn of the 20th Century, but I recall that in the late 1970s and early ’80s , Ford was offering the Granada Ghia X in a blue over silver two tone finish. A similar graphic effect was also achieved with a popular extra-cost option of the time - the vinyl roof. Cortinas, Granadas, Capris , Escorts and even Fiestas, were offered with a choice of black or (if memory serves) a fetching speckled brown known as Tobacco. Some of you may even recall that in LWT’s The Professionals, Martin Shaw’s character, ‘Doyle’, drove a white RS2000 fitted with a black vinyl roof.

Recently, the blue oval has been promoting a limited edition Ka known, unashamedly, as the Two Tone, but it’s surely MINI that has really made the contrasting paint finish (and bold stripes) fashionable once again since the launch of the ‘new’ model in 2001.

That car’s tremendous sales figures have clearly inspired others to follow suit: Audi’s first generation TT in Quattro Sport guise featured a special black roof; Skoda offers the new Fabia with a contrasting white one (icing sugar?) while Alfa Romeo’s Limited Edition 147 Collezione may be specified with a gloss black version (prefer my SZ’s personally).

And now the encumbent Car of the Year, the Fiat 500, looks set to continue the trend with a vast array of graphics and stripework available to allow you to customise and personalise the car to your taste.

Have I missed out any of your favourite two tone cars?

Fiat 500 in the rain at the UK press launch

We were invited by Fiat to the UK press launch of the new 500 in London. After hob-knobbing with a few celebs (cast and former cast members of Holby City, The Bill and ‘Allo ‘Allo as well as comedy-writer Barry Crier and Italian Rugby ace Marco Bortolami), we picked up the new ‘bambino’ in Greenwich and took it on a scenic circular test route that included Leeds Castle in Kent.

The new 500 harks back to Fiat’s 1957 model bearing the same name, just as the new MINI and the VW Beetle take design cues from their iconic ancestors.

The retro themes carry through into the interior which is beautifully detailed and elevates the 500’s status from budget compact car to funky fashionable runabout.

On the go the baby Fiat is blessed with the same excellent road manners of the Panda with which it shares its platform. The forthcoming Ford Ka is also to share a version of this chassis and will be built alongside the Fiat in Poland.

Noise levels are well suppressed and we soon forgot we were driving the Multijet diesel variant. The 1.3-litre unit delivers plenty of punch, while emitting an urban-friendly 111g/km of CO2 which equates to Road Tax of just £35 a year.

The Lounge model we tested retails at £10,700, but the entry-level 1.2–litre petrol model in Pop trim comes in at just £7900, so joining the ‘in’ crowd doesn’t mean breaking the bank.

A 1.4-litre petrol engine and a third trim level, ‘Sport’, complete the line up. You can choose any engine and trim combination and spec your car up with a vast range of personalisation options including ‘go-faster’ stripes, spoilers, additional chrome detailing and various alloy wheel designs.

The cute and cheeky styling of the Fiat 500 really is its major selling point. It looks great, inside and out. Yes, rear legroom is a little tight but not much worse than a MINI ‘s and the boot space is also modest at just 185 litres.

No it’s not the most practical car for the money but it’s definitely the coolest.

If you want to see the car on the move, check out our video.

Fiat 500 is a flyer

Just back from the UK press launch of the Fiat 500 (lots more copy, pictures and video to follow), and caught a glimpse of the baby Fiat being inserted into its pod in the London Eye (does that make it an eye-pod?), ready for the public launch on Monday. My lens wasn’t long enough for a pin-sharp shot across a choppy Thames, but I thought I’d share my scoop with you nonetheless.

Unfortunately, only half of the vehicles reported were recovered (not sure which half, though).

The above title is deliberately provocative but is a deduction at which I arrived, having read a press release from the AVCIS (The Association of Chief Police Officers Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service) - which apparently recovered £1.53 million-worth of fraudulently obtained vehicles in four months.

Well why not two Veyrons then? No indication is given as to how many vehicles are involved; they are worth about that amount and are surely desirable enough to be ‘worth nicking’.

Apparently 30 arrests have been made and half of the vehicles reported have so far been recovered - so 2 out of 4 ain’t bad.

Pending further details from the AVCIS - I’m sticking with my Veyron-version of events.