Whizzing into town is a breeze as it’s not too big, and then this weekend six of us girls (of varying sizes) are going away for a break. That’ll be the true test, both of the car and of our friendships!

We’re testing the turbo petrol version which is incredibly refined (perhaps we’ve been driving too many diesels recently?) but at first glance seems to enjoy a drink…

Cars are like relationships. Here’s your choice:

Fast and furious: Thrills that run the risk of breaking down pretty quickly, parts strewn along the road and perhaps a long spell in the garage afterwards. Or dull, dependable partners that don’t provide those heights of excitement but who’ll always get you there in the end. And they’ll keep on doing it year after year. Great.

But then there’s the clever bloke that nobody really appreciates when you first meet him at the party.

Quiet, understated and perhaps not the best-looking guy in the room – all too easy to ignore at first glance. But you get chatting and he turns out to be really quite funny, and that cleverness is very useful. You might leave the party with the handsome tyrant, but when you find out later (thoroughly exhausted) from a friend that your clever, interesting acquaintance has left the country for a job abroad you feel more than a pang of heartache. You wish you’d made more of your time together and make a resolution not to squander missed opportunities…

And so it is with the Honda FR-V. We had the chance to spend some quality Christmas time with an EX 2.2 i-CTDi. To you and me this means the posh diesel version with a manual gearbox. It costs £21,476, so it’s not a bargain but then again it’s just so…clever. So clever, in fact, that not many people got on with at the the party and Honda have decided to send it to a premature retirement.

Which is a great shame. The FR-V seats six with no effort (on leather chairs with the EX). Yes, six. Not five or indeed the ubiquitous seven. And therein probably lies the root of its demise. We’ve all come to expect five or seven. “I need a seven-seater!” is the constant war-cry of yummy-mummy parenthood. Even though it’s a rare moment indeed when all seven seats are occupied and woe-betide you if you want to fill the boot as well. Or indeed park. The FR-V, however, seats six people of normal, human, dimensions, and still has a huge boot to boot. It’s a short car too, easy to park and fun to throw around. Quite wide, but manageable nonetheless.

When you don’t need six seats, the middle-front seat folds forward to reveal an incredibly useful table-like armrest with four cupholders. There are two more cupholders under the dash, so nobody will ever go thirsty in an FR-V. And talking of the dash, it provides a home to the gear-stick, handbrake, heater and stereo controls, leaving the space underneath completely free from intrusions and therefore offering your centre passenger all the legroom they need.

Needless to say, kids love it. During our time with the car the driver was the only adult allowed up front. No car sickness and the “best view ever” from the 11 and 6 year-olds. Result.

Downsides? Well, at speed there’s more noise from the tyres than we’d like and the key doesn’t fold up. And it looks quirky. On the other hand you get beautiful, sophisticated materials inside, bullet-proof build quality, space and…those quirky looks.

So two years on from Women and Wheels’ first encounter with the FR-V (the video and stills used here are from that test) it’s even more desirable than before. Perhaps that’s because we know we can’t have one? Personally we can’t even afford a used one (Honda’s second-hand values are the envy of many other manufacturers but a source of frustration for the casual bargain-hunter). Or perhaps it’s because Honda aren’t going to make any more FR-V’s? They’re still available new from dealers though, so…

The moral of the tale? Don’t let the clever one slip away again. Grab him while you can.

What a day full of surprises. Firstly my childen actually behave despite my usual manic behaviour when a trip is imminent. Secondly, I actually arrive on time to the launch of Peugeot’s new 3008, which isn’t a MPV, SUV or a hatch, but seems to have all their good qualities, such as space without being a tank, rugged looks without being offensive and yet still drives like a Peugeot should. This, I’m reliably informed is a ‘crossover’, which I thought was something else entirely…

But the surprises didn’t end there. I was determined not to get carried away with this Peugeot, as I feel I’m too easily seduced by their gorgeous looks. But I needn’t have worried. At first I thought maybe the French had lost their ‘je ne sais quoi’, especially as the last Peugeot we drove was the elegant 308CC. But as every plain Jane knows, it’s what’s on the inside that counts.

Stepping into their top level trim ‘Exclusive’ HDi 150 with an amazing panoramic sunroof, luxuriating in the feel of the leather and enjoying the power of the 2-litre diesel engine, I had to admit that this car was quite something. And over the course of the day, the exterior grew on me too. Bit of plain Jane bonding going on there.

While I didn’t get to experience the car’s impressive-sounding grip control, its pulling-power was very entertainingly demonstrated using the strength of the car to launch a glider. While you wouldn’t necessarily need this particular attribute in your day-to-day life, it just shows how great this car would be at towing a caravan or a trailer full of quad bikes.

But what really sold this car to me was the ‘grip control’ giving you a helping hand in snow, sand, mud or wet grass where the car has the ability to apply torque to a single wheel that needs the grip, and limit it to those that don’t. Here is a 2-wheel-drive that has the ability to get you out of difficulties that, lets face it, we only encounter once in a while and without the added cost, weight and fuel consumption of a 4×4. Love it!

And just when I’d grown accustomed to its glide-like ride, ease of drive, power and comfort I had to glide for real. No car sickness in the 3008 with its dynamic roll control, but my did I feel slightly green around the gills after being flung 2000 feet above the earth……until, I was enveloped by peace, calm and sheer joy at the spectacle of the landscape gently moving past and the most amazing views of the world below.

After feeling so calm and inspired by the gliding experience, I was quite unprepared for the final surprise of the day. A huge Scalextric set and a very serious organiser who had us competing against one another. Needless to say, I was as resourceful as ever and came second. And the prize? Sadly not a lovely new 3008 to drive home, but instead a Peugeot 908 HDi FAP Scalextric car! Now how do I get that past the kids without a fight breaking out?

BMW X1 sDrive 20d SE (6 speed) £24,205

I’m still undecided about the looks of this car. Are they just bold, or is it a disaster? A bit of this and a bit of that all stuck together. If so, then I know how it feels – and that’s on a good day…

However, despite my quandary about its appearance, it still made me feel like a BMW should make you feel. Special. Luxuriating in the quality, style (yes it does have style) and sheer poshness (just shows how un-posh I am) while I was driving it, it certainly makes you feel good about yourself.

And on top of all this, it does have a practical side. It’s comfortable, has a great driving position and a boot that can swallow up huge amounts of goodies! So with that lovely mix of practicality and image, I felt I was using it to the best of its abilities.

As I sped up the M1 for lunch in Woburn with my lover, a huge shopping load discreetly hidden in the boot, with smaller, more expensive purchases carefully hidden in the space beneath the flat loading floor the car and I looked a million dollars. “In your dreams”, I hear you say. So true. However, I didn’t look too bad for a woman of my age and a lunch date was with my husband. Car and driver fitted in well at the country pub, even if it did take my husband a few seconds to realise it was me waving madly at him as I pulled up outside the restauran

But looking through the restaurant’s windows I did have to admit again that it was an odd looking vehicle Although its looks had grown on me with every mile I drove that might have been the lovely driving experience influencing my thoughts. It has a very long bonnet and the roof seems somewhat squashed. I feel as if the whole thing needs to be pumped up a bit and shortened – but then we’d have an X3, or an X5. It’s a problem.

So where does it fit in with BMW’s line up and why is it needed? BMW say it’s their first compact SUV, being more affordable than other BMW models. It’s not an off-roader, although it claims to be able to cope with rougher terrain that your average car. There again, there is nothing average about hits car, with its looks, great fuel economy (over 50 mpg) and low CO2 emission (139 g/km) and the first X model with the fabulous stop/start function which gives a 3% improvement in fuel economy and is such fun to use, frightening friends and family alike.

It will turn heads, but whether due to admiring glances or sheer curiosity it’s hard to know. I was sad to see it go at the end of the week. And one of the advantages to having rather heavy steering (something I only fully discovered when forced to drive back and forward in front of the camera, endlessly doing u-bends and reversing) was that it definitely tightened up my biceps. Not something I would necessarily look for in a car, but hey, got to fight those bat wings somehow!

This review first published September 2008

The Look

I’ve been told (by Paul mainly) that this is a beautiful car because of its proportions, beautiful lines and flowing curves. I can’t see it myself. It does look smart and the look has grown on me especially since I enjoyed driving it so much, but when I first saw one of these cars I thought they were just plain ugly.

The Grand Espace is larger that your average Espace in the boot area which is great when one is incapable of judging just how much stuff is really needed for a weekend away. I chose to remove one of the back seats to allow for the luggage for me, three kids and two cats. This was amazingly easy to do even when being photographed by a man who was quite clearly not going to offer to help even when he had finished snapping.

The seats in our Peugeot 807 are impossible for me to budge and even my giant of a husband struggles. Perhaps that is why the photographer didn’t offer to help – afraid of being ridiculed. But this was an important aspect of the car for me, actually being able to swap things around for myself rather than having to rely upon someone stronger, and often having to make do.

We also had a great colour which did enhance the look. I didn’t really notice that this was a longer vehicle than the average Espace as it didn’t feel particularly large.

I see this car as big with style, being smooth and sleek. I would miss my sliding doors as I do feel they are a must with kids who are not yet sensible enough to open doors slowly and gently for fear of damaging other vehicles. I also felt that with the passenger doors, there wasn’t a great deal of room for the children to easily get in and out, especially when child seats take up so much room.

There is an enormous tow bar at the rear of the car. I found this got in my way as I tried to fill the boot with shopping etc. I also wonder how this interferes with the sensor system – presumable it takes the tow bar into account when you are trying to get into a tight space. Let’s hope so. I didn’t want to put it to the test.

Interior

While this is a special limited edition Espace, it is not a superior model and has cloth seats whereas I feel that leather is the only way to go especially with children around. However, the seats had a good look and were exceptionally comfortable. After a long and painful journey up the MI on a wet Friday night, my back and legs were not aching at all which was a first for me for a long time. The seats feel very supportive and were easy to adjust which is a must when couples are at extreme ends of the spectrum! I found the seats firm and at the right level of comfort so that I was relaxed as I drove but also alert.

The dashboard is very plain and sturdy. There is nothing flash about it but I loved the solid feel and the way the endless cubby holes opened and closed. The steering wheel has a great feel to it and I like the slight indentations which the thumbs find as the wheel is turned. The controls feel good and there is nothing tacky and cheap about them. I especially loved the remote control for the volume to the CD and radio. So effortless to turn up the volume to drown out the sounds of kids at the back. The climate control is easy to use without having to take your eyes off the road. The master one is in the door on the driver’s side, but the passenger also has there own independent control.

Special features

I was slightly unnerved by the apparently lack of need to apply the hand brake. It’s all automatic once the car has stopped and it automatically goes off when the car pulls away. ~I was very concerned about how I would tackle hill starts without a hand brake and even went to test it out on one of the hills Rolls Royce allegedly tested their cars on in Derbyshire. It just didn’t feel right and realised that I must have got my facts wrong. Sure enough the handbook revealed the hand brake to the right of the steering wheel which automatically goes off when you pull away. From then on, my hill starts were perfect apart from the fact that I continued to stall the car at the most inopportune moments. Not the fault of the car, as no one else had this trouble.

This car has a marvellous credit card style key that unlocks the car without leaving your pocket or handbag. It also disables the car once you walk away from it and the doors lock automatically. Fantastic. However, this knowledge was rather late in revealing itself to the point where we couldn’t understand why Renault had gone for this type of ‘key’. We were getting it out of our bags and pressing the open sign and then plugging it in to the little slot before pressing the lovely starter button. It just shows how important it is to read the manual! The fantastic thing about this method of opening the car is that its hands free and immediate. No fiddling about while trying to keep hold of a wriggling child or bags of shopping.

I do love these starter buttons. The engine didn’t roar into life as with the Honda Civic Type S, but it did gently purr to life. The engine is then switched off with a press of the same button. Lovely.

The headlights remain on for two minutes after you have left the vehicle so that you are not plunged into darkness. Another great feature.

This limited edition is called the Grand Espace Tech Run. It is basically an entertainment centre on wheels, with a DVD DivX  player with two 7” screens which are integrated into the headrests, CD, radio, as well as multi-functional TunePoint to enable you to plug in MP3 players such as iPods. But no usable coffee cup holder which I think is more essential.

The Drive

I really enjoyed my first experience of driving this car once I’d got used to the feel of a gear stick again. It was easy to adjust the arm rest so that my arm could relax and change gear effortlessly.

I found it a very responsive car and didn’t feel as if I was driving an extra long vehicle. Perhaps this is because I am used to a Peugeot 807. It is so much more responsive that my diesel automatic and performed really well on the motorway. We were both put through our paces within minutes of starting the engine as my lift to the Renault depot was late for his flying lesson. I had to follow at speed first through country roads and then a very busy M40 and M25. I couldn’t complain as it was my fault we were late, having demanded to stop for a sandwich. The least I could do was to keep up. I felt that both the car and I performed very well, cruising nicely in sixth and accelerating in fifth when needed. Needless to say, we did arrive in time.

In town I found it to be sprightly and manoeuvrable. The brakes are very responsive and being in an elevated position is always great.

The Road Trip

The M1 sends me twitching at the best of times, but never more so than on a wet Friday afternoon, thinking I’ve beaten the traffic only to find that I’m stuck in the middle of it. A two and a half hour journey turns into a five and a half hour journey and I’ve still got to do it all again in reverse on Sunday afternoon. Why do weekends away always seem like such a good idea? It started off well – it always does for the first few junctions and you are lulled into a false sense of security. I felt I was flying along, really enjoying going into sixth gear (haven’t dared use cruise control ever since my father asked what happens if it gets stuck!). I don’t mind having my foot on the accelerator – it’s the clutch I hate having to deal with, which on this particular journey happened to be a lot. This type of car should always be an automatic. Much as I love using gears, to me a car designed to carry so many passengers, who are likely to be children, the driver should not have to worry about changing gear. It’s one less thing to think about as you try to maintain order in the back and have a free hand to dole out treats when it all goes horribly wrong.

However, at the start of this journey I felt confident that all would be calm with the troops. This model comes equipped with two DVD screens and wireless head sets. Everyone was very impressed by this particular feature. Once set up by my eleven year old, we were all sitting comfortably and we were away.

All I could hear were the odd giggle from the boys and the odd mieow from the cats who had been banished to the large boot. There weren’t even demands for sweets after the normal 10 minutes. I put on my music and enjoyed upping the volume with the remote finger controls and thought I’d cracked it. Peace didn’t last long however. After 50 minutes, William felt sick and complained of a headache, shortly followed by Thomas complaining of the same symptoms. Hannah then joined in moaning that the music was making her want to wee her pants. All on board entertainment was switched off, and we then realised just how much the cats were complaining. Short lived answer to my travelling prayers.

Normality was soon restored after a loo stop and the customary demand for snacks, drinks and sweets. I didn’t have the will-power to say no. Good job I didn’t get a take a way coffee as there wouldn’t have been anywhere appropriate to put it.

The whole experience reminded me why I separate my children on any journey, long or short. Having the three of them in a row so that they could watch the DVD was fine when they could watch it, but when it was switched off, all hell broke loose.

What we did work out on the return journey, was to limit the DVD watching to half hour slots. William was banished to the rear seat to stop him from irritating Hannah. While that worked, safety was an issue as William was constantly half way out of his seat so that he could see the screen. You can’t win.

Safety

The Espace has been given the maximum five-star Euro NCAP rating. There is a feeling of safety being in such an elevated driving position which one would hope would allow the diver to be able to identify any potential risks on the road. There is also automatic activation of the window wipers due to the presence of rain sensors and light sensors which automatically turn on the headlamps in poor light.

There are standard features such as brake assist together with ABS, ESP (Electronic Stability Programme) and understeer programme. This enables the driver to maintain control in the event of hard braking and optimises the stopping distances.  In the event of an impact the Espace has a reinforced body structure which can distort to absorb the impact and there are eight airbags.

There are ISOFIX mounting points in the rear seats to enable the installation of  ISOFIX Child safety seats.

Green Issues

Not only does the 6-speed manual gearbox provide smoothness and fluidity which enhances the driving pleasure, it also reduces fuel consumption and CO2 emissions which compare favourably to the Voyager without compromising on power.

Cost

This particular model retails at £24,935 with the slightly smaller Espace coming in at £23,735. I definitely think it’s worth the extra £1,200 for the space you acquire.

How I wish for a simple, yet stylish, utilitarian vehicle that I could actually use myself without the need for some strong arms. The Skoda Roomster instantly popped into my head. I no longer dream of fast, stylish cars that only seat two, but at least with the Roomster I would have some style, and I could single-handedly put the seats in whatever position I wanted.

It’s a great little tool.However, I digress… I had aquired a rather fantastic old chair that was in need of a complete make-over. So off we went to a local upholsterer that I had passed many times but never had the need to venture in. Frankly, it’s in a slightly scary part of town where I’d prefer not to stop.

It was a fascinating experience on so many levels, and afterwards I was rather relieved that John (seat-moving husband) and his strength had had to come along.

Having dropped my prancing daughter at her dance class we proceeded up the ramp of a former multi-story car-park which was now being used to house light industrial units. There seemed to be so much going on first thing on a Staurday morning. What a brilliant use of space.

The chair has been left there – rather it than me – with a very tall, exotic gentleman, whose office looked as if it had come from some old manor house (apart from the fact it was all so fake-looking). It was a bit like time travel – on one side of the door was a dirty, breeze-block industrial unit and on the other, a room with a fire, overstuffed armchairs, bookshelves (with fake books), an elaborate mantle piece and bolts of fabric elegantly lying around.

Not only that, but I was faced with the owner in jodpurs, riding boots, greased back hair and waistcoat! Kilburn if nothing if not suprising… So while dreaming of a flexible, easy-to-use Skoda Roomster, allowing me my independence, in actual fact when I go to collect my chair I’ll be rather pleased to have to have husband on hand to remove the seats for me.

Sometimes it’s rather a relief to give into the stereotypical female role – before I snap out of it and give him a list of chores for the weekend!