Honda Legend
It's not often that one can say a car is near-perfect! Well, we can, in respect of Honda's Legend which, we feel, is one of the best executive cars around, as well as being one of the safest in its class with its host of innovative safety features to protect occupants and pedestrians alike.

Apart from the many airbags, ABS, etc., we feel the most important new feature (to help prevent the common phenomenon of unintentional lane drift) is the Lane Keeping Assist System designed to correct the steering should the car begin to wander from one lane to another. There is also a Collision Mitigation Braking System that can predict a collision and apply the brakes to lessen the impact; adaptive cruise control; an active front lighting system and other innovative features..

With comfort, quality, trim and specifications to rival the strongest competitors in the E-sector - pitted against the likes of the Lexus GS300 - the Legend immediately displays a strong personality with sleek, yet distinctive, styling; particularly attractive (in our eyes) is the steeply-sloping bonnet, with its bold raised section, leading down to the front bumper.

Inside the car epitomises its position in the prestigious luxury market with a sumptuous interior and host of advanced technical features. Immediately noticeable and stretching across the wrap-round style dashboard is a wood-effect section, while in the centre sits the console housing the controls for the BOSE 10-speaker audio system, air conditioning and the satellite navigation switches. The eight-way adjustable seats are covered in soft leather and both front ones incorporate heating.

On the road, the car more than holds its own in terms of performance, ride and handling, ably assisted by Honda's active torque system which distributes power between front and rear, and left and right rear wheels, to give optimum grip

It is also surprisingly economical for such a large-engined car pushing out some 295 bhp via its lightweight all-aluminium 24-valve VTEC power unit. Prices start at around £36k for the 3.5i V6 EX.

Vauxhall Astra
The sweeping wedge-shape silhouette of the latest generation Astra has become a familiar sight on our roads. We feel it is particularly stylish in three-door hatch guise where such features as the nicely sculptured tailgate sits neatly between 'teardrop' shaped rear lights to blend almost perfectly with the door-free rear flanks.

That said, the five-door model we drove is also pleasing to the eye. Astra's clean lines are influenced by the contours of its wheel arches and flared door sills, resulting in a somewhat athletic - some would say aggressive - stance; all good for sales when pitted against rivals such as the Ford Focus and Citroen's C4.

With probably the longest wheelbase in its class combined with comparatively wide tracking, capable road handling is assured and this was certainly the case with our car. A nicely balanced feel to the steering came via an electro-hydraulic unit.

Inside we found the fit and feel of the trim, seats, switches and such like to be first class with instrumentation and dials neat and easy to read. Personally, I found the driving position a little cramped for my large 6 foot 3 inch frame, but rear seat passengers had stacks of legroom. Boot space is plentiful at 350 litres (1265 litres seats folded), although access for wide articles may be a little restricted due to the shape of the rear hatch door.

The photograph above shows a Sport Hatch model, but standard features on the 5-door 1.6 VVT Design derivative we drove included air conditioning, 16 inch alloys, stereo radio/CD player with MP3 capability and such safety features as curtain air bags, rain sensitive wipers, front fog lights and automatic light control; the latter being priced at around £15,400 on-the-road.

Vauxhall's Astra has enjoyed a dominant presence since the launch of the first cars in the UK in 1980. Now, some 27 years later, the fifth generation line-up continues to feature high in its segment offering more than half-a-dozen different model names and at least as many engine options again, plus a comprehensive trim choice. On-the-road prices start at £13,930 for the 1.4 Sport Hatch.

VW Polo BlueMotion
Showing what can be achieved in the bid to reduce fuel consumption and CO2 output, Volkswagen’s Polo called BlueMotion - we would have thought Greenmotion might have been more appropriate - comes out with an official mpg figure of 74.3. Its CO2 emissions come to 99 g/km, so it is in Band A for annual tax assessment, with nothing to pay. There’s a better-equipped version called BlueMotion 2 but it’s more expensive at £12,845 instead of £11,995, and its slightly higher CO2 figure of 104 g/km means that it is in Band B for annual taxation at £35.

To achieve these results, Volkswagen has smoothened the contours of the body to improve air flow including plastic underbody trim, and weight has been reduced without compromising the high level of impact safety achieved by the Polo. The 1.4-litre diesel engine has only three cylinders and develops 79 bhp. The five-speed gearbox is modified to give higher gearing for third, fourth and fifth. One is aware of a certain amount of engine roughness at the lower revs, but it becomes unobtrusive and pulls well provided the gears are used freely. Comfort is good, and there is no cheese-paring over the specification which includes radio with CD player, alloy wheels and a trip computer.

The main assets of moving up to BlueMotion 2 are semi-auto air conditioning and remote locking with alarm. Some leather trim is provided for the steering wheel, gear knob and handbrake. Rain sensing wipers are also specified.

With its galvanised body, the Polo gets a 12-year anti-corrosion warranty, and the general quality of construction inside and out is to Volkswagen’s renowned high standards. In cheapest form the car has three doors, but five-door versions with electric rear window lifts are available for 1 and 2 models at £600 extra.

This is a very attractive car for those who want economical and reliable transport with benefit from the various tax concessions, so our choice would be the Polo BlueMotion 1 with five-speed manual gearbox at £11,995.

Streetcar - for the part-time motorist
Many people need a car only occasionally - perhaps at weekends or the occasional day off - and the rest of the time it sits on the drive or parked at the kerb. For such people there is an interesting alternative system called Streetcar. Instead of ownership, it operates as a form of car sharing club. Launched in London in 2004, it now operates also in Brighton, Cambridge, Guildford and Southampton and has some 20,000 members.

Annual membership costs only £49.50, and a car can be booked in advance, by phone or on-line, even as little as 30 seconds before it is needed - but obviously at busy times the risk is that the later the booking is made the greater the risk that all cars may be reserved. The member then pays £3.95 per hour, covering the first 30 miles. After that there is a charge of 19p per mile. The charge for a weekday’s hire is £35, or £49.50 per day at the weekend. There are no petrol charges to pay - fuel is covered by the standard 19p mileage rate, nor are there any parking charges. Cars are kept in dedicated bays.

The only slight problems envisaged are the need to anticipate the time at which you will return the car, but bookings can be extended by phoning at least 15 minutes before the reserved time is due to end. The membership card when held by the sensor on the windscreen opens the central locking, and then the conventional key can be withdrawn from the container in the facia compartment. If a thief breaks in he can get hold of the key, of course, but without the proper booking formality it will not operate the car.

The club has teamed up exclusively with Volkswagen, headed by the new Polo BlueMotion, and has 600 cars across 400 locations in London and the other cities mentioned above.

The limitation of the scheme is the availability of a convenient location for the cars, but obviously it is intended to appeal most to those wanting a car in urban areas.

Chrysler PT Cruiser Cabrio
Regular readers of this magazine will know that we have always raved about the PT Cruiser; now the retro-looking hatchback has been joined by a head-turning soft-top derivative.

Whatever you think of the basic PT Cruiser design, the new variant certainly drew a lot of attention - especially with the roof folded down. Available in two-door guise only, access to the rear seating (often a problem with a cabriolet) is eased by using extra-long front doors than those of its hatch sibling. In most other aspects, however, apart from sitting slightly lower on its suspension and, of course, its stylish convertible design features, the cabrio shares much of its shape and dimensions with its hatchback stable mate.

A genuine four-seater, it is arguably one of the quietest soft-tops around with a body shell that feels unusually solid for a car of this type. Stability, ride and handling are all good, combining to make it a refined and very comfortable motor.

The folding roof can be raised and lowered in a trice from a switch conveniently positioned on the cabin's central stack. The soft-top fit is excellent, with minimal noise level in either the up or down position at normal road speeds; a tonneau cover is supplied as standard. The interior is more-or-less identical to the latest PT Cruiser hatch and is nicely rounded off with a circular clock in true retro 1950s style.

In the UK, the convertible is powered by a 2.4-litre petrol engine producing some 141 bhp. It is available as a Touring model, with a five-speed manual gearbox, or with four-speed auto transmission in the Limited version. Prices start at £16,680 for the manual gearbox cabrio and £17,575 for the automatic.

Classic Meet
On the first Monday of each month something special happens in the grounds of the Cock & Bottle Inn at Morden (a few miles north of Wareham) as from about 7pm onwards owners of dozens of classic cars and motorcycles gather to view the old conveyances and chat about motoring in general.

This gathering of like minded enthusiasts is not of a particular motoring club or grouping, but more a cross-section of clubs and owners with no particular badge affiliation on this occasion - just a like-minded interest in wheeled transport from yesteryear.

     

My visit coincided with a balmy summer evening. With pint in hand I thoroughly enjoyed wandering up and down the ranks of cars chatting to owners and generally reminiscing about vehicles and motoring from days of yore. Old motors on display ranged from AC to Rover, and included Lagonda, Lee Francis, Riley, Triumph, Jaguar, Morris, to name but a few; in fact, representatives from most long-gone British marques as well as from the continent and further afield. A good selection of motorcycles were also on display.

Everything is very informal, so just turn up. If you want further details give the organiser a ring on 01929 459238.

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