Lincolnshire Echo

Innovative Tracker Is an 'Angel' to Motorcyclists

IT'S a depressing fact that more than 100 motorcycles are stolen in the UK everyday. Recent statistics also illustrate that a staggering 60 per cent of these bikes are never seen again, much to their owners' frustrations. However, a new innovation by GPS specialist, Road Angel, promises to help combat motorcycle theft and provide added peace of mind for riders and their families when they are on or off their bikes. Bike Trac is a pioneering, Thatcham-approved tracking device, which has been d...

The Way Mpvs Should Be Built ; When Ford Motor Company Launched Its S-Max Model Almost Four Years Ago, to Say That It Was Received Rapturously Would Be an Understatement and Iain Robertson Remains a Confirmed Fan of the Company's Sporting Mpv.

The original Portuguese-built Galaxy was something of a triumph for Ford. Despite not being the first to market, it signposted the MPV sector so successfully that it surged almost directly into the no umber one position in the sales charts, helped by strong sales from its "sister" VW Sharan and Seat Alhambra variants. In fact, diesel versions of all three continue to hold strong second-hand values. Galaxy's replacement last decade had big shoes to fill, but Ford decided to try another tack wi...

Experience Is Deciding Factor When Buying Cars

You can't beat personal experience - it's the deciding factor for the majority of Britons when it comes to buying a used car. Most drivers - 38 per cent - rely on their own knowledge of the vehicle when it comes to doing the deal, research by British Car Auctions (BCA) reveals.

It's the Warranty That Swings It ...

Kia wants presence everywhere, so a compact people-mover sector already chock full of good cars was no deterrent to the Korean firm's desire to produce its own. And the stiff competition has spurred Kia to do better, for its new and smooth Venga has the lowest-in-class drag coefficient, while presenting a strong case as the best-looking small family MPV, too.

Love It? Lock It!

If you've just splashed out your hard-earned cash on a new motorcycle or scooter, investing in a good lock should be your next priority. There would be nothing worse than discovering your pride and joy had disappeared from your drive, from the bike park after a quick shopping trip or even from your workplace.

Get Excited About the Meriva and Its Flexdoors ; Now That Its Innovative Five-Door Meriva has Been Launched, Iain Robertson Believes That the Only Way Is 'Up' for the Brand

When you consider how bare-bones "basic" the first edition Vauxhall Meriva was, based on the same platform as the Fiat Idea, which, in some ways, was the marginally more spacious and better car, it is easy to become exceptionally excited by the latest version, which is no longer linked to any another brand. For a start, its unique (for the moment) rear-hinged rear passenger doors offer a significantly more practical access than almost any car in the compact MPV class.

All Boxed Up Ready to Go ; Entry to the Prestigious Porsche Club Was Made Easier When the Company's Boxster Model First Appeared in October 1996. Iain Robertson, a Long-Time Fan of the Brand, Notes That Prices of Early Models Are Now Within Reach

The Boxster, while cheap for a Porsche, was still priced in excess of Pounds 37,000 in the mid-1990s and a current generation might be stickered at more than Pounds 46,000. So, to be able to pick up an early example of a definite future classic today, for little more than one-fifth of the price, is surely an enchanting proposition.

New Polo Steps Up a Gear ; Looking for Surprises in the Compact Car Sector has Been Surprisingly Difficult of Late, Although Iain Robertson Believes That Volkswagen's Ever-Sosubtle Approach has Worked Wonders for the Well-Resolved Polo.

What has always been a perfectly satisfactory and fairly unflawed little Volkswagen, has grown into a mini-Golf possessing its own unique stance in the compact scene. Having the unenvied task of providing a base platform for the rest of the group's products has often meant that the Polo missed out in the dynamic stakes.

4x4 Runarounds for Pounds 4k ; Buying Second-Hand Can Turn Up a Lot of Rougher-Duffers in the 4x4 Market but, Says Iain Robertson, If You Look Carefully, You Might Obtain a Compact, Purposeful Gem.

Talk about a well-marketed and hyped-up sector of the new car business. It started in earnest in the mid-to-late 1980s, was promised to falter on several occasions since that time but has gone on to create the current fad for "crossover" vehicles that every carmaker and his dog has attempted to satisfy in recent years. Also known as the Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV), the 4x4 craze remains surprisingly vibrant and some bargains can be obtained with early models.

Getting Ix-Cited About Hyundai's Family Car ; Stylish and Well Put Together, Motoring Editor David Hooper Says Hyundai's Latest Model Offers a Lot to Get Ix-Cited About!

The people at Hyundai were quite excited about the arrival of the new ix35 when it went on sale a couple of months ago, and having just spent a few days driving one, I think they had every right to be. The Korean carmaker needed something to keep the momentum it had built up through the Scrappage Scheme, which saw it attract 30,000 new customers to the brand, and this car should fit the bill nicely.