YOUR VIEWS
Motion emotion There’s a lot of noise and excitement in the car world at the moment regarding ‘retro’ design (for example, the Peugeot e-legend based on the 504 coupé), but I want to challenge the definition of ‘retro’. It’s not. It’s just simple, clean design being badged as ‘retro’ to spark emotion.
When will car designers realise that in a market crowded by lookalike boxes, clean, simple design stands out and stirs the human soul? Look at the forthcoming Honda Urban EV, for example, and you will understand why people are getting excited about its arrival. Via email Aero worship
At first glance, the Mclaren Speedtail could be a reincarnation of the Jaguar XJ220. Did Jaguar get it so right all those years ago or are both the XJ220 and the Mclaren simply a result of the inevitability of aerodynamics? St Neots, Cambridgeshire Penning dreadful
Thank goodness for Matt Prior. I was beginning to feel like the small boy in the tale of The Emperor’s New Clothes, with nobody appearing to notice that so many cars on the market today are ugly – an understatement in some cases.
Incidentally, I feel the largest so-called SUV in every manufacturer’s range (think F-pace, Q8, X6) should come in a new classification: ‘Monstrosity’. Ilton, Somerset Greek chic
Just got back from a week’s holiday in Corfu, where I spotted the vehicle pictured below at a Suzuki dealer. Having toured most of the island, it was the best car there.
I think your magazine is having some effect on me as I am now working out how to convince the wife that it’s her next car, to replace her
Duster (purchased following your recommendation).
It will sit well next to my Ariel Nomad. Yes, you guessed it… Derbyshire Sorry, wrong number
Mindful of the Government’s ‘Road to Zero’ plan, which seeks to eliminate conventional petrol and diesel cars by 2040, Matt Prior has written more than once about the impossible challenge of building a huge charging network to satisfy future demand for electric cars.
Matt suggests that a UK car park of 31 million cars will require at least 31 million charging points, so to reach that number by 2040, we need to start building more than 4000 charging points per day – starting yesterday. Given the Government’s track record (especially with anything relating to the motoring industry), I understand Matt’s scepticism, but I think his sums need adjusting. We won’t need 31 million charging points any more than we need 31 million petrol pumps today.
First, the Government’s plan does not exclude hybrids and the non-plugin variety don’t need a charger. More importantly, in your 24 October issue, Steve Cropley shared his experiences of the Hyundai Kona Electric and its “honest range of 270 miles”. No one will be surprised if a 2040 electric car has a real-world range of three times that, or to discover that it can be fully recharged in rather less than an hour (indeed, given the regular advances in this area, my estimates may be conservative).
The Government’s most recently published National Travel Survey tells us the average car owner drives 7390 miles per annum. If an average 2040 motorist can rely on a realworld range of 750 miles, they’ll only need to charge their car for 10 hours per year. How do the sums look then? Terence Larkin Via email Master of the Rolls
How refreshing to read an article about the Rolls-royce Cullinan that actually features the vehicle and no comment about the perceived social status of potential owners.
Matt Prior, in his excellent First Drives feature (31 October), correctly identifies that Rolls-royce is only doing what all good and successful companies do, which is giving the customer what they want. I don’t like Marmite but I wouldn’t criticise anyone who does and so it should be with cars. Philip Taylor Northwich, Cheshire Wanted: the next Brockbank
I’d like, somewhat belatedly, to thank Andrew Frankel and everyone at the magazine for your very interesting article on road tests in the 10 October issue of Autocar.
I’ve had a driving licence now for
69 years and have been a reader of Motor and Autocar for even longer. I had to convince myself that I wasn’t actually around for the 1927 test of an Austin Seven, but I do remember driving a couple in the 1950s and how entertaining they were.
In the 1940s, the family business had a Fordson van (I think of postwar vintage), which had the centre positioning of the accelerator. As the article says, it was already very much an anachronism. I do still very clearly recall sitting in the driver’s seat watching it making for a car park pillar while I wondered why I couldn’t get the brake to respond!
As a rather sad ‘geek’, before the word was even invented, I kept a log of all the cars I drove for about six years after I had my first licence. I reached about 200 before I stopped recording and one of the tiny regrets of my motoring life is that I didn’t continue. I wonder what the total would be by now? I never came across another central accelerator pedal.
I also have another small regret that your magazine no longer publishes a cartoon. I recently came across one by Brockbank and realise that I still miss him.
May I wish you all the best for another century or so – fortunately there are still some places in the UK where driving remains a pleasure. Norman Gerald Via email Watch out, Matt Saunders
My son loves car magazines and after reading many articles and statistics, he wrote this review:
“The Dodge Challenger SRT Demon is the ultimate, it’s slower than a Nissan GTR in top speed but with killer acceleration is faster at 2.3sec. WOW! Rivals Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE and Chevrolet Corvette ZR1. Rated 9/10. I think it’s the ultimate family muscle car. By Alex Thornber, aged 8.”
I hope you find this review useful and consider him for future reviews! Rosemary Thornber Via email