LETTERS
Goodwin’s Email to the management
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To: Woodhouse, chief executive, RAC Subject: Black boxes
Dear Chris, I’VE JUST BEEN reading about the RAC’s agreement with Ingenie, the company that supplies the telematic equipment or ‘black boxes’ that are fitted to cars to log driving behaviour. These black boxes have traditionally been installed in young drivers’ cars to enable them to save money on their insurance premiums, but your deal with Ingenie will now see these devices offered to drivers of all ages. Although I quite like the idea of paying a bit less for my car insurance, it would be pointless for me to have one of these units fitted. Within days, the insurance company would spot from the telematic feedback that I have done one of my early Sunday morning blasts (leaving home at 5am) down to Brighton for a cuppa. Fitting one of these units would also be totally against my principles. The way to improve people’s driving is through education and further training, not through retrospectively seeing how fast they go and where they’re going fast. My 22-year-old
WEEK INSIDETHEMAGAZINE On sale 23 April Black boxes were originally aimed at young drivers daughter has just graduated from her second Peugeot 206 to a Mk1 Mazda MX-5. I’ve explained how different it is from her 206 and how she needs to drive it accordingly. I might also get in touch with Bernard ‘Tasty’ Aubry and arrange some advanced driving tuition for her. I don’t want a spy in her cab. I want her to use skill and judgement to keep herself safe. It’s disappointing that our motoring organisations are now simply business,
interested only in the bottom line and now more or less totally divorced from the idea of supporting the motorist, let alone the enthusiast. I note from Wikipedia that the American investment group that now owns the RAC also owns Dunkin Donuts. Mine’s a glazed ring, please.
ROAD TEST
BMW M235i The most thorough assessment of the 1-series coupé replacement.
Yours sincerely,
C Goodwin
GOT ANY SUGGESTIONS? Contact Colin at colin.goodwin@autocar.co.uk
Honda has some impressive cars in its back catalogue but rather fewer in today’s one HONDA’S MISSING LINK Is there any surprise at Honda slashing production at its Swindon plant? What has happened to the company? The Prelude, Civic coupé, CRX, HR-V (very relevant to the current market), Integra, S2000, Accord coupé, NSX and others have all gone. This just leaves Honda with a very limited range and trying to compete with the volume manufacturers. I just hope that Honda can regain the title of the ‘Japanese BMW’ that it had in the 1980s before it is consigned to history. Chris Wilkes Wolverhampton
BRIDGE OVER THE RIVER… WHY? The supplement on the Nissan Qashqai (2 April) was interesting. However, I noticed a photograph of the Tyne Bridge on p8. Why did Richard Bremner head north from Sunderland to reach Surrey? And surely, he would have used the A19, not the A1, to get to the M1. There are many references in the supplement to the quality of the improved sat-nav system in the Qashqai, but methinks there must be some mistake… Malcolm Wallace Washington No issue with the sat-nav. We went in search of striking and accessible
GOING SPARE Your Nissan Qashqai supplement came at an opportune time for me, because I recently visited my local dealer with a view to buying one to replace my 1998 Renault Scenic. It’s good to know that you did not experience any difficulties on your jaunt across Europe, because in the past 10 years, I have suffered two punctures that both required a new tyre, and where a can of sealant would have been of no use whatsoever. The new Qashqai does not even offer a space-saver spare, let alone the possibility of buying a full-sized wheel and tyre for use in emergencies. No provision has been made in its design for these items to fit under the boot floor, as confirmed by the salesman to whom I spoke and who demonstrated the clever hidden storage areas. This glaring omission was enough to ensure that I did not even bother to take the Qashqai for a test drive. It has cost Nissan at least one sale and I wonder how many more people will discover this issue at a most inconvenient time after purchase. Christopher Martin Frimley, Surrey
FIRST DRIVE
Merc SLS Final Edition One final hurrah for Merc’s big GT before it heads into retirement.
FEATURE
Porsche Macan Just how capable is the new junior SUV? We go off road in the desert.
INSIGHT
‘New’ Aston DB5 In detail: David Brown Automotive’s modern take on a classic Aston.
16 APRIL 2014 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 69
CONTENTS SUBJECT TO CHANGE
photographic locations. Our entire journey eschewed the direct route for the scenic — MB