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| Modus Tinnitus: instant irritation at the press of a button |
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A car can be almost perfect, and then some miserable journalist spends a big chunk of his (and it usually is ‘his’) review criticising some tiny detail. Such as the lack of a footrest in the Fiat Stilo. Or the ‘vibrating’ seatbelt when the window is open on the Chevrolet Matiz. I once read a lengthy rant about a ‘bogey’ smeared on the inside of a rev-counter’s transparent cover. Honestly.
Well, here’s mine. I’ve been driving the Renault Modus, an excellent small MPV with all sorts of commendable features but it gives me tinnitus. Or so I thought, till I worked out that the faint, high-pitched ringing is coming from the heater fan. Is it just this car, I wonder, or a standard feature on every Modus? Maybe it’s a selling point of the Modus Tinnitus limited-edition model. I don’t know but it’s spoiling my enjoyment of an otherwise desirable car. Still, at least there’s no bogey.
You could perhaps negate “Renault Modus Tinnitus” either by the use of ear-plugs, or by wrapping up in Modus “Winteris” garb and disabling the heater for the remainder of your tenure with the car.
The miserable journalists who exasperate me the most are those with quite obviously little or no knowledge & experience in the motor trade, particularly where high performance / enthusiast’s vehicles are concerned, who when they find themselves lucky enough to be in a position to road test & report on such cars, proceed to bleat and criticize them for having… stiff suspension; quick/nervous steering; intrusive engine noise which drowns out the radio; minimal luggage space… etc… etc.
AlfaMartini | 29 Jan 08 - 14:45Blame Nissan: it’s probably a Micra fan, which I am not. But I won’t hear a word said against Renaults, which, in my experience, are utterly reliable: any niggling faults they may present are simply caused by the way they’re assembled, nothing else.
Graham Whyte | 29 Jan 08 - 16:59