Tips on how to cut motoring costs

Just found this article about ways of cutting down motoring costs. Found it really interesting - did you know that if you fill up your tank more frequently, e.g. half a tank at a time, you can improve your fuel economy? Because your car isn't carrying around the extra weight of an additional half tank of fuel it is more efficient. Also, checking the tyre pressure regaularly means that your car will be more fuel efficient and tyres will last longer.

How to change a flat tyre

I'm all for girls getting involved with basic car maintenance. Last week I checked the oil in Stuart's BMW1 Series, put air in the tyres, topped up the screenwash, filled up with diesel and cleaned the car inside and out!

It got me thinking, should I know how to change a tyre incase the necessity ever arises? I have AA membership so have always thought that meant I didn't need to know how to do this. It's not a problem in Stuart's BMW1 Series because it has run-flat tyres. In my Matiz though it might be sensible to know how to use the tyre change kit I have in the boot. (My tyre change kit is insanely girly and even has a mat to kneel on and a pair of gloves so hands don't get dirty!)

Anyway, found this video on youtube and thought it might be useful to anyone else wanting to know how to change a tyre. The comments are all a bit filthy though! Why can't a girl change a tyre without guys making stupid comments?

Ford are making promises...

Ford UK have just unveiled their new marketing campaign. It's based on the Ford standard promise where they claim that thier cars offer more 'as standard' with a good amount of features that you may have to pay more for elsewhere.

Seems like the campaign also hints at 'more as standard' from a customer service point of view from Ford dealers, although I haven't seen any details about this. Could be interesting to see how they develop this though.

From the adverts that they've previewed, looks like the Fiesta and Focus feature quite heavily in the campaign.

Kia Picanto Tops Which? Car magazine’s Reliability Survey

New Kia Picanto

The new Kia Picanto has beaten off fierce competition to top Which? Car magazine’s Reliability Survey for 2010. Owners of the South Korean made supermini gave it a score of 98.1% for reliability.

Kia is the only car firm in the UK which offers a massive seven-year warranty on all their new cars. I’d be pretty tempted with an offer like that; they may not be the sexiest cars in the world but how can you beat seven years of worry-free motoring?

Skoda is the best!

Skoda Fabia

Once seen as a motoring figure of fun, in recent years Skoda has undergone a transformation more dramatic than anything Madonna has ever done to become a respected player in the car industry. Another major achievement came this week when Skoda were named best car manufacturer in an extensive survey by Which? Car magazine.

The Czech company's fortunes turned when it was takeover by Germany's Volkswagen back in 1991 but it’s only in more recent years that Skoda is actually beginning to get the credit it deserves. I had a silver Skoda Fabia a few years ago and really loved it…was devastated when I crashed it into the side of that lorry on the M25. It lived up to its safety rating though, I was fine so would definitely consider another Skoda.

Is Biking Less Stressful than Driving?

Although not a biker myself, I must admit to having a bit of a fascination with Triumph bikes. There's something about these classic British bikes that really grabs my attention but not really sure what it is. Perhaps it's the idea of a bike: less worries about traffic jams and parking, less room to store pointless junk and lower motoring costs.

I'm not entirely convinced, think I would prefer to drive around in a Renault Clio or another small car to avoid the hassle of changing in and out of leathers but still keep the 'easy to park' benefit.

What Car? all set for relaunch but Why?

Apparently, 'What Car?' are relaunching their motoring magazine after a year of customer research. The new look car mag is due to feature more car tests and an A-Z guide to all new cars on sale in the UK. My question is, with all the great information available for free on the internet, will people be fussed about buying a car magazine for advice? Particularly when what car? reviews are available online for free.

Small, sporty and sexy!

The new Abarth 695 Tributo Ferrari is now available. Looks incredibly fun, sporty and cool and promises the true racing performance that Abarth is famous for. Although the new Abarth 695 may look a little like a sportier version of the Fiat 500, it features a whole bunch of performance features not available in the Fiat range.

The 695 Tributo Ferrari perfectly highlights the link between the Abarth brand and it's home town of Maranello, which it shares with Ferrari. With sporty performance any Ferrari engineer would be proud to put his(/her) name to, the new Abarth 695 is undoubtedly a performance vehicle in every respect.

From the sporty Abarth seats in Alcantara and leather to the three-spoke steering wheel and the electro-hydraulic "Abarth Competizione" gearbox, the Abarth 695 is a truly impressive small sports car. For even more responsive driving and sporty handling, switch to 'SPORT' mode and experience the driving thrills that Abarth has built its reputation on. Just proves that (fortunately) you don't need to be a millionaire to own a truly impressive sports car. You can test drive the new Abarth 695 at Lipscomb Abarth in Kent.

New Alfa Romeo Giulietta Launched

The all new Alfa Romeo Giulietta is due to be released later this month at Lipscomb Alfa Romeo in Kent. This sporty car looks really attractive and is said to offer sporty Alfa Romeo performance in addition to plenty of space and comfort for five passengers.

According to a press release, the new Alfa Romeo Giulietta is due to be released at Lipscomb in Kent on 31st July 2010.

New 'Naughty' Volvo has Arrived in Kent

The brand new Volvo S60 promises precise handling, new safety features, powerful engines and stunning design.

The name itself isn't new - the first Volvo S60 launched almost a decade ago. Apparently the new ‘naughty Volvo’ is different from its predecessors and is set to rival Audi and BMW to secure a bigger slice of the premium sports saloon sector. We'll have to wait and see...

London's good for a fine...

Apparently London is the UK's road-fine capital with more fines dished out for road offences in the big smoke than anywhere else in the country. The average London driver is likely to pay out an average of £680 in motoring fines over their lifetime.

Drivers in the North-West were the next worst-off with the average fines over their lifetime reaching £352! Drivers in Northern Ireland were the least likely to commit motoring offences (or get caught doing so!) with the lowest number of motoring fines of anywhere in the UK. Motoring law is a tricky subject indeed!

Star in a Reasonably Priced Car - when did it become a Kia Ce'ed?!

Watched Top Gear again the other day and thoroughly enjoyed the escapades of the three motoring musketeers as they attempted to design and build their own 'cool' versions of the motorhome, was hilarious!

Then noticed that the star in a reasonably priced car now has a new car! How have I not yet noticed this? It was the new Kia Ce'ed and actually looked pretty cool! Andy Garcia (despite the awful moustache!) seemed to manage a pretty good lap in it and it looked rather impressive on the top gear track. Perhaps a Kia is the way forward? Haven't heard Jeremy Clarkson say anything bad about it yet which usually means it's good!

Land Rover Gets a Posh Makeover

Wow, apparently Victoria Beckham has developed another set of skills (well, let's face it she couldn't really sing or dance!)

Posh Spice has joined the Land Rover design team to work on their new special edition Baby Land Rover.  Extending her design talents from the world of fashion and perfumes into the world of cars doesn't seem like too much of a leap and I reckon that Mrs Beckham will do a fab job of designing the new Land Rover.

Quite fancy myself in Ibiza...

That is a Seat Ibiza SC, rather than the 'White Isle' after which it is named!

One of my friends bought a new Seat Ibiza last week and took me out for a spin it in at the weekend. I must say, I was very impressed!

It looked great, was really quiet, seemed really well put together, apparently is pretty good with petrol and the boot was even big enough for all our shopping bags after a day out at Bluewater, can't be bad!

Maybe I do still want a convertible...

After all my umming and ahhing between a convertible and a regular car, I thought I'd settled on a regular car, but then read this article and thought again. I do still really want a convertible and would really love to experience the sunshine in an open-top car.

Really love the Audi A4 convertible and also the BMW 1 Series convertible. They're both like proper cars with the added benefit that the roof can come down so are still pretty practical too. Although, Stuart is still banging on about getting a Mini Cooper convertible, not too sure about this...will there be enough room for all my shopping bags?!

Kia aim for global appeal

Kia's Chief Designer, Peter Schreyer, has stated that he wants Kia to have global appeal, starting with the new Kia Sportage.

I think it looks pretty awesome personally, really love the styling and sporty looks of this car - could be pretty cool. Although, couldn't be much further from the 2-seat sports car I've been dreaming about! Hubby says I need a front wheel drive car that can cope in the snow because his BMW 1 Series doesn't do all that well in bad weather.

Might pop into the new Kia Eastbourne showroom while we're down that way this weekend. Quite fancy having a nosy at the new Kia Sportage.