New on the shelves
Thule’s latest range of roof boxes revealed
Price: From £300 Contact: www.thule.com
Just in time for the skiing season, as well as the build-up to the festive holiday period, swedish producer thule has launched a new range of roof boxes.
the Force Xt has been designed to carry all shapes and sizes of cargo, with a choice of six models in the range. For bulky cases and bags there are 300 (£300), 400 (£375), 450 (£400) and 500-litre (£425) roof boxes, and the two biggest are also large enough to accommodate skis and snow boards. the 500-litre XL can take seven pairs of skis up to 195cm long.
Meanwhile, the 300-litre sport at £325 can swallow five pairs of 175cm skis, and the slender 420-litre Alpine (£400) copes with a maximum of four sets of 215cm designs.
Each box in the new range has been optimised for safety and ease of use, with a forward-set mounting on bars to avoid clashing with an open tailgate. they also feature the Powerclick quick mount system with integrated torque indicator, and the easy-toclose Lockknob central locking system. they have a 75kg carrying capacity (although your car’s maximum load may be less than this) and dual side opening with synchronised lid lifters.
Joining the boxes is a new range of Evo roof bars (below). these are designed to be easy to use as well, with the clever torque limiter key that clicks when it is properly tightened. Expect to pay from £200 for a full set. Reborn marque Alpine has teamed up with Tissot to create a new watch. The Tissot Alpine on board has an automatic or quartz movement, with a design inspired by the French brand.
It can be removed from the strap and mounted next to an Alpine’s infotainment screen (above) to make a classy dashboard clock.
no pricing has been announced yet, but see www.tissotwatches.com for more details on the timepiece. Halfords and dash cam maker nextbase have joined forces to offer a trade-in and discount scheme on the brand’s latest models.
buyers can trade in any dash cam for a 20 per cent discount off any new nextbase model. This means the entry-level 312GW costs £79, while the range-topping 612GW is discounted by £50 to £199.
The offer runs throughout october. Go to www.nextbase.com/en-gb or www.halfords.com for more details. H&H Auctions is holding its next sale at the Pavilion Gardens in buxton, derbyshire. Viewings can be undertaken the day before the event, Tuesday 27 november, while the auction begins at 1pm on Wednesday 28 november.
This classic car sale is the eighth auction the firm has held this year, and already in the catalogue are a tempting Ford escort Rs2000, a rally-prepared opel Manta and a charming Trojan bubble car. Find out more at www.handh.co.uk.
Know an event coming soon? Contact products@autoexpress.co.uk
Fuel-efficient and user-friendly towbar-mounted bike racks continue to gain popularity. And now there’s a new version from Auxtail designed for premium and electric cycles.
But how does it compare to Maxxraxx, our test winner? To find out, we looked at how easily and quickly bikes could be loaded, security, and the weight and number of cycles each rack supports. extras were rated, such as tilting (for boot access), compatibility with electric and carbon-fibre bikes, whether it’s possible to tow with the rack fitted and if the mandatory lightboard is supplied.
The Maxxraxx is still the best, but Auxtail makes towball racks an option for owners of carbon-fibre and e-bikes. Maxxraxx makes loading bikes simple, plus you can still tow when using this rack
Nick Hull (Veloce Publishing, www.veloce.co.uk)
Price: £50 Rating:
Delving into the history of Britain’s favourite off-roaders, this book has great depth and detail supplemented by a good image library. The early days of land Rover design in particular are very interesting, but it’s up to date, too – right up to the latest Discovery and Velar models. Production values, often an issue with Veloce books, are also great.
SILVERLINE’S power tools sister company, GMC, packs a winning combination with its new, heavy-heavyduty GPW165. Cleaning performance isis solid rather than test leading, but the machine is more than powerful enough for car cleaning tasks, and the turbo nozzle ensures fast progress for tougher jobs. You’re getting a lot of machine for the sub-£200 price, too, when you factor in the reel-mounted eight-metre hose, the generous 10-metre power lead with cast-in storage reel and the low-slung, stable design. Slick click-together couplings are used throughout, too, and flow-through and rotary brushes complete the package.