tommallett

Monday:
Anticipation is building for the new Clio 172, well bought I hope for just over 2 thousand pounds but only time will tell. In the mean time I had a little play in a car that was well thought of at launch but something that I have always feared might be a touch rough around the edges. Lotus produced the Evora to critical acclaim in some circles a couple of years ago and it is worrying that it has taken me this long to have a thrash in one. It proved to be much like one would expect, beautifully balanced, with direct, well weighted and feelsome steering, it also rides with aplomb. Where it falls down is predictably the gearbox and engine, the former feeling less than direct and the latter suffering from slightly asthmatic tendencies. I am sure that for the right person it could make sense but for now, in this form I would still have a Cayman.

Tuesday:
Today I managed to drive a variant of a car that I have had plenty of experience driving. These always look beautiful and sound sonorous but aren’t always the most reliable. Early experience also suggested that the chassis could do with some fine tuning. This DB9 is a rare one, specified with a manual ‘box. I actually quite liked it but I can understand why the market doesn’t. The clutch is monstrously heavy as is the gearbox throw, which mated with a big V12 feels slightly over awed. I am strange though in that I relish the challenge of these big GT’s and it reminded me of a slightly leggy Ferrari 550 Maranello before the Italians made the controls lighter for the 575. Quite clearly the automatic is the gearbox to go for but I can understand someone wanting the challenge of a clutch, and oh boy does it feel fast…450 bhp felt very conservative.

Wednesday:
This is the day of reckoning. Will my new wheels live up to their promise? I hope so and I have to confess that I haven’t dug out the road test yet so I guess I will have to find out for myself what the small Renault is all about. Getting down to Gatwick is at least done in luxury as I have another Aston Martin at my disposal. I had a nice trip though the Lincolnshire countryside the previous Friday in the Aston and it was interesting to try it in slightly less perfect surroundings in order to get a less biased view. In direct contrast to the DB9 the V8 in the Vantage feels very tight and creates bluster that the speedometer doesn’t replicate. As a Roadster with the semi automatic gearbox it probably isn’t the ultimate drivers car and in less idyllic surroundings this is frustrating when you realize that you could be in a 911 for the same money.

Thursday:
Up bright and early to enjoy the main focus of the week. Honda Gatwick turns out to be a lovely dealership with great staff and fortunately their promises about the Renaults condition are lived up to. My car has optional automatic Xenon headlights and factory fitted satellite navigation. I had built up an image in my head about how crude this would be but I am surprised by how good it is, offering split screen arrow and map view and it is surprisingly easy to operate. The rest of the car is beautiful so as long as it turned out to drive well I am away! Initial thoughts are that the car is quite quick although I am comparing it to the sluggish Aston so maybe my brain needs a recalibration at this point. It also rides quite well, feeling well damped. On the basis I will be using it every day this is great news. On the way home 42 mpg is excellent although 150 miles of motorway driving does not uncover all of its character and this will be done on a country road later.

Friday:
An early start in order to get down to Stoke Park for some golf, plenty of money raised for the Eyeless trust and Guys Hospital kidney patients although it was left to a few others to contribute the bulk in the charity auction. Once again the Clio performed admirably although I am not sure about its street cred at Stoke Park! Frustratingly I have still not attacked a country road with venom but good things come to those who wait.

Tom Mallett