chrismgr92-blog

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My first go on a Honda c90 😁 want one now! #hondac90 #Hondacub #classicmoped #betterthanaharley

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Abarth 595 Review

Imagine my surprise when I was greeted by my own mother clutching the keys to a brand new Fiat Abarth 595. This is the same person who used to drive around in the woefully underpowered, and just plain woeful Fiat Grande Punto 1.2. Yes the very same 1.2 lump that first saw service in 1984 under the bonnet of a Fiat Uno.

First Impressions of the 595 are very good. Finished in bright yellow with contrasting black stripe, the Abarth sits on its gloss back alloys with a menacing sense of purpose. Yes I’m well aware that I’m talking about a handbag on wheels, but this thing just looks so juvenile you can’t help but admire it.

Stepping in to the interior was a pleasant surprise. Fiat has recently facelifted the entire 500 range and these changes have now been applied to the Abarth models. You now get an upgraded infotainment system and general fit and finish is much improved over the earlier models. The Abarth models also have some small but effective touches such as the padded leather instrument binnacle and brushed aluminium door handles which really elevate the cabin over and above the basic 500, pushing it into the premium territory of cars such as the Mini Cooper. One minor gripe is the bizarre omission of a CD player. Fiat’s marketing men no doubt call this progress but I’d call it penny pinching. Regardless you get the usual array of Bluetooth and DAB functions so you shouldn’t be left with some awful local radio station to listen to.

Getting behind the wheel initially serves up disappointment. Taller drivers will struggle to get comfortable in the stylish seats as they are mounted sky-high even on the lowest setting, which does seem at odds with the sporting aspirations of the car. Once you set off however these fears are laid to rest. The turbocharged 1.4 litre engine offers outstanding mid-range punch and delivers a raspy soundtrack which suits the cars cheeky character. A quick prod of the sport button sharpens up the throttle response and weights up the steering. As with most modern electric steering setups this feels somewhat artificial but it is nicely geared and well weighted so isn’t a major source of complaint.

A number of other road testers have complained about the cars unforgiving ride but I found it to be rather well damped and arguably an improvement on the regular Fiat 500 which has a tendency to bounce around all over the place. Admittedly it won’t be troubling Jaguar for comfort any time soon but anyone expecting a pillowy ride from a short wheelbase hatch like this is just being unrealistic. Even on a rutted British B-Road the ride remains the right side of acceptable, and considerably more comfortable than my current daily driver, an old MG ZR.

Once the road opens up and you plant the throttle the Abarth 595 really begins to reveal it’s character. Despite the artificial feeling steering, the car is delightfully old-school in the way it skips and bumps down the road. I even detected a bit of torque steer at one point, although thankfully that other 80s throwback, turbo-lag has been all but eliminated from this 1.4 litre unit. Levels of grip from the 195 section tyres are well judged and the front and rear are nicely balanced with the back axle coming into play when you back off the throttle into a sharp bend. I didn’t notice any intrusion from the traction control systems which can only be a good thing, although I’m told that this car is fitted with Fiat’s artificial limited-slip-differential which uses the ABS to mimic the feeling of a proper locking diff.

In terms of rivals this car is quite hard to pigeonhole. The old Renaultsport Twingo was close in terms of power, size and overall cheekiness, but it has been out of production now for a number of years. The aforementioned Mini Cooper is perhaps a little too grown up to be considered a true rival, not to mention that it becomes rather more expensive if you select a few optional extras. This leaves just the Suzuki Swift Sport in the warm hatch category. A very popular car among keen drivers that boasts considerably more practicality than the little Abarth 595 but loses out in terms of overall fun factor and the fashionable image of the 595.

Perhaps, in light of the limited interior space it would be best to think of the 595 as a 2 seater, a cut-price alternative to Fiat’s own 124 spider perhaps. In this regard it makes much more financial sense, and let’s not forget that both cars share the same 143bhp turbocharged engine. Viewed in this light, I can think of no other car that offers such a combination of style and driver appeal at this price point. Also the enduring popularity of the Fiat 500 and its derivatives means that residual values should remain strong for the foreseeable future.

4/5 stars

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Rover 220 Turbo Retrospective Review

I first got behind the wheel of a Rover 220 Turbo Coupe when I was 21 as it was the fastest, most insurable car available on a student budget. However nothing could have prepared me for the car’s hooligan character which burrows deep under your skin. Nothing I have owned since comes close.

This particular example was finished in the delightfully 90s shade of ‘polynesian turquoise’ which took a while to grow on me but when polished up on a sunny Sunday afternoon it used to glisten in a way that today’s identikit grey saloons can only dream of. Styling is of course a subjective thing but I genuinely believe the Coupe’s looks have improved with age. Although obviously based on the standard rover 200 hatch, the unique bodykit and offset bonnet bulge give the car a subtly menacing look that hints at the power lurking beneath.

Stepping inside for the first time is a slightly strange and underwhelming experience. The frameless doors feel somewhat flimsy and they don’t close with the satisfying thunk that you would expect from a car costing £18,000 when new. I also found the driving position slightly odd with the seats mounted extremely high in relation to the low roofline. Once you adjust to the unusual ergonomics however, you will find that the seats themselves are actually very comfortable. No doubt the cars 20 years had helped soften the leather, although the seats were wearing well, serving to highlight that this was indeed a quality product in its day, before Rover’s bean counters got involved.

Anyway I digress; this isn’t the time for another retelling of Rover’s inevitable slide into oblivion. This piece is here to celebrate one of Britain’s most underrated performance cars of the 90s. It’s easy to forget that upon this car’s release in 1992, having 200 Horsepower at your disposal was a very big deal, and putting it all through the front wheels was frankly absurd. Rivals at the time included the Escort Cosworth and Vauxhall Calibra Turbo, boasting a similar amount of power to the Rover but applying it to the road via all 4 wheels. Under the wing of British Aerospace, Rover Group didn’t have the money to develop a 4wd system so chose to employ a torsen limited slip differential to the front axle, a first for its time. Unfortunately this conspired to give the car its most infamous handling trait, vicious levels of torque steer that required an alert driver to keep the car pointing in the right direction. To try to quell this issue, Rover’s engineers pioneered an electronic boost controller that limits the engines torque to 174 ft lb between 2100 and 5000rpm. This has also become common practice in recent times with the latest generation of turbocharged hatches. The use of this electronic wastegate gives the engine a smooth tractability and progressiveness that is a world away from the peaky turbocharged engines of the 1980s. It also gives a keen driver reason to keep on revving to the red line as the boost builds to a crescendo in the upper reaches of the rev range.

To drive, the car has a somewhat Jekyll and Hyde character. Driven off boost, nestled in the comfy armchair, looking out over the walnut lined dash you could be forgiven for thinking you were driving something much more sedate. However a quick prod of the throttle pedal confirms that this is not the case. 0-60 is dispatched in 6.2 seconds and the car will keep accelerating until it reaches its 150mph maximum. Impressive figures even today. Torque steer aside, the torsen diff does a fantastic job of reigning in understeer and provides levels of grip that wouldn’t seem possible on a car with tyres considerably skinnier than its modern counterparts. Unfortunately however, Rover’s lack of experience in the performance sector becomes clear when driving quickly. The brakes are shared with the lesser models of the Rover 200 hatch and aren’t really up to the job of slowing a 150mph car to a stop, while the suspension reveals its shortcomings when attempting to corner hard with a ridiculous amount of body roll. Perhaps this car would be better off thought as a gentleman’s express rather than an all out boy racer to match the Escort Cosworth. Certainly the leggy gearing and well-appointed interior make the car an excellent mile muncher, with the rev-needle sitting around 2900 rpm at an indicated 70mph. The low slung shape also provides excellent stability when you start to press on into three-figure speeds.

Part of the charm of the turbocharged coupe is that fact that it even exists at all. In the early 90s Rover was gunning for BMW but these plans were quickly put on ice after Rover’s takeover by the German brand in 1994. They carefully cultivated Rover’s image into that of a sedate, comfort orientated brand that appealed almost exclusively to those eligible for a bus pass. This is the image that seems most ingrained on the public consciousness, and it is such a delight to overtake much newer cars in an old coupe wearing such a fusty badge.

Sadly in 1996 Rover’s 200 range was rationalised by their new Bavarian overlords, and the T-series variants were dropped. The 143bhp VVC K-series version took the turbo’s place as the performance model in the range. Arguably these later models made for a much better car, as the lower power figure and much lighter engine meant that the diff was no longer required. This improved the manners of the performance coupe no end, but also stripped it of the character that made the original so charming. Prices of the turbocharged variants are rising sharply, with unmodified examples becoming increasingly rare. Expect to pay more for an ‘FDH’ model coupe, reimported from Japan in the 90s and kitted out with niceties such as aircon and the all-important leather interior.

Unfortunately I sold my turbo Coupe in April this year, a nice example with good bodywork and reasonably low mileage.  At £1600 I was feeling rather pleased with myself, however in the months since I have seen examples sell for over twice that amount. Get one while you can.

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New sticker for the track day car #britishcars #racecar #mgrover #mgzr

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Welcome  to my Automotive blog...

Hi all. It might surprise you to learn that i’m not a 14 year old girl with a penchant for cat GIFs and questionable boy bands. I am in fact a 24 year old car bore from the UK. I intend to use this page for Car reviews, opinion pieces, event reports and anything else vaguely relevant.

I have been a petrolhead for as long as I can remember. My first love was a 1972 Morris Mini in the delightfully 70s shade of ‘limeflower’ or bogey green to you and me. This car came complete with a brown vinyl roof and furry seat covers and it was my mum’s daily driver right up to the end of the 90s. This old Mini was frankly in a pretty sorry state, rusty and unreliable. I recall many a happy weekend pestering my dad, asking all sorts of questions while he was desperately trying to bodge it back together in time for the school run on Monday.

It’s a wonder I wasn’t put off cars for life, particularly rusty British ones built in Birmingham. However that is where my real passion lies. Since passing my driving test in 2010 I have owned a succession of MGs and Rovers, all in varying states of ruin. Expect to see more blog posts soon!

#cars #classiccars #classicmini #morrismini #longbridge #mgrover #petrolhead #minicooper #mini1000 #carreviews #carblog #lovelystuff