It’s been a busy old week hence the lack of blog action - sorry about that. First up was the BMW 1 series I borrowed from work to go to a photoshoot in Kent last Saturday. The first thing I did was too pull out in front of someone at a roundabaout to a cacophany of beeping horns and no doubt some choice swearing from the driver I cut up. Sorry about that - what is it with Beemers that makes you drive like this?Â
I was quite pleased in a way to perpetuate the popular view of BMW drivers though, but I still maintain that the incident wasn’t my fault. I’m used to driving older cars, and the one thing you can say about older cars is that the vision out of them is usually quite good. Take my Saab for example. That perpendicular windscreen may not do much for aerodynamics, but at least you can see out of it clearly and it doesn’t have massive pillars promoting blind spots like most new cars have.
 The One series is no exception - with such a high waistline and massive A and C pillars, it’s no wonder I cut that poor bloke up - I couldn’t see him. Apart from that, the driving experience was fine, if a bit too competent for my liking - modern cars are so good as to be boring. It was quick, relatively fuel efficient but had a overly firm ride. No more to say about it really, apart from the Kids that hang around our carpark, smoking, taking drugs, smashing the fences and grafittiing the electricity substation (yes where I live is that exclusive..), instead of offering their usual light hearted abuse at my choice of ride - actually gave me a bit of respect because of the Beemer.
This is the reason I’ll be sticking with my older cars - getting respect from idiots for driving a bloody lower-middle management yuppie vagen is not my bag, I’m afraid…
In the middle of the week it was off down to good old Osbourne Road, LU3, otherwise known as Vauxhall’s Luton HQ to pick up one of their heritage fleet - a massive 3.3 litre Vauxhall Viscount. Not my sort of thing it has to be said - too large and too square for my tastes, but nice to look at and very rare - it’s an honour to drive these things as part of my job and I bloody love it!
To get down there I took a brand new Volkswagen Eos which was on test from VW’s press fleet. What an utterly bonkers and ultimately pointless car. Who an earth will pay the thick end of 30 grand (£29,035 RRP) on what is essentially a Golf with a folding metal roof with an engine which is too large? I ask you, does a car like this really need a 3.2 litre V6?
It burns too much fuel and is way too fast for its own good. Okay, so the performance was amazing, and the traction control (which believe me, despite what Top Gear says about these things every week - you definitely DO NOT want to turn off - ever) was not that intrusive and allowed a brief and entertaining amount of wheelspin before reigning it all in and bringing it under control again. So it was fast, very fast, and while this was fun for a short while, it soon became boring - especially at the pumps.
The V6 sounded great though, and the only thing that beat me away from the lights during my brief tenure of the Eos, was its older and more talented brother, the Golf R32 - which with the 4motion four wheel drive system can get the near as dammit 250BHP power down onto the tarmac with much more composure - and gave the Eos a damn good lesson in traction into the process.
But do family sized cars like this really need 250BHP? I have to ask this question. No matter how considered a driver you are, most people will drive up to their machines capabilities - and cars like this are in my opinion, (and at risk of sounding like a boring old prude) dangerous. I don’t care how many Ncaps they have, nor how many dozens of airbags - cars like the Eos V6 are far too fast, make you drive like a dick, and does nothing to make the world a better and more pleasant place to live in.
That sort of performance is fine in exotica like Astons and Ferraris - I can see the point of cars like that. But sticking a big engine in an average car, loading it with electronic gear to help prevent you crashing, throwing in leather seats, sat nav and other toys does not make it anything other than an average car, wearing too much jewellery with far too much power than is nessicery. As an excercise in engineering, the Eos is a sucess, but you just know that the sort of person who will buy the 3.2 version will be an idiot with no taste and too much money.
 
 This car loudly shouts ‘I know nothing about cars’ but I did quite dig the white and black leather seats and paddle gearshift - but is this because it was novel for me to be in a car like this, how would I feel after a month of driving it? Bored I suspect, and with points on my licence. I soon tired of the acceleration and the way it made me drive - I really don’t want to become one of ‘those’ people. Unfortunately, cars like this instantly turn you into one…
The folding roof was clever, and you can hold a conversation with the roof down at 120mph (allegedly - I wouldn’t know honest officer) but I for one cannot see who would buy a car like this - spend a little more cash and buy an XF Jag instead, you’ll have more respect for yourself, a better car, and everyone will like you instead of calling you a twat…   Â
 I can sum up the Volksvagen Eos V6 in two words - Licence loser.
Sunday, July 13th, 2008
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Posted by Neil in Work 
