Women and Wheels
women's motoring & cars & car reviews for women
Mitsubishi Outlander
May 28th
To own a Mitsubishi Outlander, you have to get over all those associations with the dreaded letters S.U.V. Or for those who never let it bother them in the first place then this is a great car to suit an active family’s needs. The Outlander has style, space, versatility, presence (whether you like it or not) and can cope with all the grotty weather that the UK can throw at it. It’s also really quite good to drive.
That excellent drive is partly down to the twin-clutch gearbox which essentially makes all the changes smooth and quick whether you’re in automatic or manual mode. You have the option of the paddle shifts which quite frankly leave me cold (always have done, not just on this car). I even noticed that the boys tired of them after their initial childlike enthusiasm.
It’s also partly down to the way the Juro glides over bumps and humps, which it does very well. It feels slightly ungainly in the bends though. I thought the girls were winding me up every time we went round a corner quickly. Their sound effects resembled a very lively fairground ride, although it’s always easier cornering when holding onto the steering wheel – maybe they were being thrown around more than I thought. I would describe it as slightly wobbly, although Mitsubishi describe it as athletic. Somewhere in the middle is probably right. More >
My Honda PXC Scooter Economy Run
May 28th
Honda’s challenge was fuel economy, my challenge was to ride a bike for a whole day without falling off.
I was all worked up for riding a 125 geared bike having passed my CBT a year ago (thank you Honda), and with two recent refresher sessions under my belt I felt as prepared as I could have been.
My second refresher session was up in Derbyshire in what I consider real biking country. Here the roads are notoriously dangerous for bikers with signs all over the place telling people to watch their speed, think Bike etc, but what great roads they are! I was so amazingly thrilled to ride a bike through Matlock Bath – sadly not at the weekend when all the bikers come out to play. But I did it in the rain, even stopping for a cup of tea where I imagined thousands of bikers before me had stood. It made my day.
So kitted out by a small and innocuous looking shop, again in that fabulous town of Matlock Bath (so neat inside, you can tell it’s organised and run by a woman) I felt up to the challenge and was prepared for the forecasted rain. More >
Ford S-Max Automatically Refreshed
May 28th
While I had for some time been secretly looking forward to getting inside a Ford S-Max, the day’s fun was rather overshadowed by a turn of events on the launch of the new-look, new-drive car.
We had a puncture – no that’s not right – a tyre that was beyond repair. In fact it was ripped to shreds on a narrow scenic lane with rather too many stones and sharp rocks for comfort – especially for the car.
We waited rather helplessly to be rescued in a very pretty village (having previously tried an amazing sealant kit which fills the tyre and gets the tyre pressure up to scratch, but which won’t work if the puncture is on the sidewall). We were bored and restless until a vision of loveliness in the form of a burly, hunky man came to our rescue. What is it about a man who knows what he’s doing, while doing what he knows so effortlessly? And what a huge jack it was as well! Even Paul was impressed with the proceedings.
Proton Satria Neo Sport. Boy-Racer Heaven?
May 28th
While the slight embarrassment of being in a red car with white racing stripes never quite left me, I did really enjoy driving the Proton Satria Neo Sport, a nippy little number. It’s so easy to forget what’s on the outside when you’re having fun. Rather like my new hairdo. Feel great walking around in public, it’s just when I catch sight of myself that I recoil slightly.
However, there is a Lotus influence not only in the ride and handling but also in the design, which is perhaps why it was quite a struggle to actually get a drive in the Satria. My husband was adamant about the admiring glances the car received and refused to accept that perhaps people were just looking on in amazement at a very large, grown man driving a young man’s car with his head bent at a peculiar angle in order to fit in it. What work colleagues must have thought about his flattened hairstyle I dread to think.
But then I did begin to wonder as I saw a couple of guys, on different occasions, actually stop and take a better look at it. Perhaps it’s the lure of the Lotus badge, or maybe it’s actually rather a cool looking car? Even my 14 year-old, who doesn’t say much at the moment, did manage to exclaim “wicked” which I took to be quite a positive reaction and the most animated we’ve seen him in a long time.