Recent content by Paul/

I thought FIAT were only interested in Chrysler as a badge they've been using to sneakily sell Lancias again in the UK market.

Well said, but a perfectly reasonable lack of empathy with someone is no excuse for making callous and scurrilous personal comments about them.

But it's only ironic or fair enough if he really had been trying to kill people.

The "induced coma" bit gives me hope- I've known a few bikers kept in comas for quite a while after brain trauma (resulting from pretty much instant deceleration caused by cars pulling out on them), and making apparently complete recovery. Hang on in there Michael!

Sadly even more visually challenging than its big brother. It's more van than estate.

Circa 30% discount on a new Vauxhall should be (and was) possible for a private buyer using GM Finance (borrowing the minimum amount to qualify for an additional contribution, said amount then paid off as early as possible- after the 1st 3 monthly payments IIRC). Even bigger discount on...

The Insignia (2.0 160bhp Cdi) I p/ex'd for the CLS cost me £161 per month in depreciation over the 3 years I had it. Massive discount when new (surprisingly so for a new model with a 6mth order time). Though the £550 charged for every other annual service was certainly on a par with premium...

Good question- could explain the dyno plot... but not the sense of a flat spot when on the road?

Hopefully someone more knowledgable than me can confirm, but I assume that auto boxes make it harder for the tester to get accurate controlled results. Hard performance data on the different g-tronic modes is thin on the ground, they differ in more than just shift points (e.g. ignition timing...

In case you haven't found this dyno chart of a stock 250cdi (which looks suspiciously smooth), and corresponding manufacturer's graph... Hello from matte black Benz owner - Page 2

Sorry to hear of your experience but good to see someone going to the trouble of getting results measured. I think the manufacturer's figures are a minimum (assuming no faults), so are often exceeded in reality. Same as you seem to be planning- getting before & after figures then comparing it...

I scrapped my York multigym when the plastic/nylon pullies got badly worn, don't know how common an issue that is. I find free weights, bar, dumbells and bench etc much more effective/flexible and take up less space than a multigym. For maximum ease of stowage and portability, I still rate a...

Rally driving at Oulton Park big thrill but not enough time on shorter course to build theory in to practice. Rally course ran close to some substantial trees and easy to imagine hitting one at speed, so insurance (and dark pants) recommended to make the most of it. I couldn't master...

I spent more pocket and gift money on their products than anything else. It's amazing to see the company's resurgence, with many completely new releases. The scale modelling industry overall has recently surpassed its previous boom period of the early 70s, partly thanks to CAD technology...

Same for me- my dad had left the RAF by then, signed up just before the war (so evident that we aren't half-brothers!), it was a passion he'd had from being a young boy (getting a flight in an AVRO biplane when Alan Cobham's Flying Circus visited Southport beach). Sound of Merlin engines always...