Road tests by motoring journalist Tim Saunders
Advanced motorist and journalist Tim Saunders has always been passionate about motoring and regularly reviews cars from the leading manufacturers.
His first report on a BMW 520i was published in the Dorset Echo when he was 17 (just after passing his driving test) in 1995. He went on to become business and motoring editor at the Bournemouth Echo. Now, his engaging and informative reviews are published in newspapers and magazines in the UK and abroad. One newspaper that publishes his articles prints over 500,000 copies a month. In July 2019 Tim launched Travel and motoring magazine.
BMW X5 E53 video, the subject of Tim's book
Honda Civic diesel
By Tim Saunders
“Where’s the gearstick?” I panic as I sit in the driver’s seat of the Honda Civic 1.6 diesel. “You don’t need a gearstick,” says my son Henry (3). He knows about these things. This automatic version has an exceedingly minimalist 9 speed automatic unit that takes a short while to get used to. Honda always seems to develop new and inspired futuristic design features that others follow years later. Of course that design is also extremely aerodynamic, aiding efficiency. Look in the boot and there’s a sliding parcel shelf and there’s lots of digital jiggery pokery on the dashboard, some of which shows it reaching 80mpg during the test, encouraging economical driving.
I’ve just had a week with the considerably wider Jaguar E-Pace that felt quite clumsy in comparison to the smaller Honda. I also found the Jag’s interior to be very dark. Not so in the Civic, where there’s a generous electric tilt/slide glass roof.
Another surprise for me is that the Civic is lower to the ground than my wife’s Vauxhall Corsa, and feels very sporty as a consequence. It certainly doesn’t feel like a five door family hatchback and is completely different to the last Civic model it replaces.
It is finished in eye-catching Rallye Red and while the front certainly demands your attention I cannot help but feel that the angular front bumper could age quite quickly in this fashion conscience world we live in.
Just before I embark on a journey to Kent I must drop my wife off at the library to return a few books. After doing this there’s a persistent bleeping from the sensors alerting me to something that it does not like – it tells me it’s underneath the car but this clearly is not the case - as we make our way out of the car park. I don’t need this aggravation at the best of times and certainly not in a vehicle with which I am unfamiliar. It finally stops as I leave the car park. Perhaps the cars were all too near the sensors and it didn’t like it. I don’t know. Thankfully this experience does not repeat itself during my week with my sporty red friend and things quickly improve. I am determined to stick to the speed limits as we head down the M27 towards the A3 and the intelligent cruise control really helps me as it rigidly adheres to the 50mph limits often in place these days. Just as well too because we count some 17 police vehicles, many unmarked whipping down the outside lane after speeding motorists, providing my back seat passengers with plenty of entertainment.
It is only when I have been driving for a couple of hours that I realise the seat is a little high compared to my wife’s. Lowering the driver’s seat provides a much better driving position. Now it really does feel like a sports car. I begin to like it very much.
Usually when travelling a distance my wife insists on packing the map “because I can’t trust the sat nav”. On this occasion she forgets. And I can report that we get to Ashford, Maidstone and Herne Bay without too much trouble. But there are issues. The main one is that the sat nav does not recognise the address of the new Travelodge in Ashford. It takes us to the old one where the staff explain where the new one is located, telling us that we’re the second perplexed customer to ask that day. It’s not that difficult when we find out. Sometimes there’s a one minute delay with the instructions, which I overcome by slowly going round the roundabout that I typically find myself on - twice. On another occasion the device insists on taking me down a closed road due to gas works. I overcome this by ignoring it and using my brain. I suspect any sat nav would have come up with these problems. It seems that this part of Kent is a bit of a nightmare to drive round. Roadworks, traffic jams and a great many signs to navigate.
It’s a comfortable car, my wife enjoys using her heated front seat but complains that she might have to call 999 for the fire brigade to put out her hot bottom. My bird does enjoy a good roasting…
The position of the seatbelt points in the rear is good allowing us to make light work of installing our little urchins. There’s a good amount of space in the back and the boot is a good size. Addled, as per usual, I forget to engage the childlocks on the rear doors but fortunately the rascals are well behaved and don’t try to open the doors while we’re driving.
The Honda delivers an enjoyable drive. It can be driven as an automatic or the paddle shifts can be used for a more engaging experience.
As we return home an elderly gentleman in a soft top Jaguar F-Type is showing off his car’s performance to his young wife (I presume) and as we pull up beside him, he doesn’t seem at all pleased with the Honda’s low down acceleration as we leave the traffic lights. Yes, the Honda Civic is full of surprises and you cannot help but smile when behind the wheel or indeed outside looking at it.
I’ve just had a week with the considerably wider Jaguar E-Pace that felt quite clumsy in comparison to the smaller Honda. I also found the Jag’s interior to be very dark. Not so in the Civic, where there’s a generous electric tilt/slide glass roof.
Another surprise for me is that the Civic is lower to the ground than my wife’s Vauxhall Corsa, and feels very sporty as a consequence. It certainly doesn’t feel like a five door family hatchback and is completely different to the last Civic model it replaces.
It is finished in eye-catching Rallye Red and while the front certainly demands your attention I cannot help but feel that the angular front bumper could age quite quickly in this fashion conscience world we live in.
Just before I embark on a journey to Kent I must drop my wife off at the library to return a few books. After doing this there’s a persistent bleeping from the sensors alerting me to something that it does not like – it tells me it’s underneath the car but this clearly is not the case - as we make our way out of the car park. I don’t need this aggravation at the best of times and certainly not in a vehicle with which I am unfamiliar. It finally stops as I leave the car park. Perhaps the cars were all too near the sensors and it didn’t like it. I don’t know. Thankfully this experience does not repeat itself during my week with my sporty red friend and things quickly improve. I am determined to stick to the speed limits as we head down the M27 towards the A3 and the intelligent cruise control really helps me as it rigidly adheres to the 50mph limits often in place these days. Just as well too because we count some 17 police vehicles, many unmarked whipping down the outside lane after speeding motorists, providing my back seat passengers with plenty of entertainment.
It is only when I have been driving for a couple of hours that I realise the seat is a little high compared to my wife’s. Lowering the driver’s seat provides a much better driving position. Now it really does feel like a sports car. I begin to like it very much.
Usually when travelling a distance my wife insists on packing the map “because I can’t trust the sat nav”. On this occasion she forgets. And I can report that we get to Ashford, Maidstone and Herne Bay without too much trouble. But there are issues. The main one is that the sat nav does not recognise the address of the new Travelodge in Ashford. It takes us to the old one where the staff explain where the new one is located, telling us that we’re the second perplexed customer to ask that day. It’s not that difficult when we find out. Sometimes there’s a one minute delay with the instructions, which I overcome by slowly going round the roundabout that I typically find myself on - twice. On another occasion the device insists on taking me down a closed road due to gas works. I overcome this by ignoring it and using my brain. I suspect any sat nav would have come up with these problems. It seems that this part of Kent is a bit of a nightmare to drive round. Roadworks, traffic jams and a great many signs to navigate.
It’s a comfortable car, my wife enjoys using her heated front seat but complains that she might have to call 999 for the fire brigade to put out her hot bottom. My bird does enjoy a good roasting…
The position of the seatbelt points in the rear is good allowing us to make light work of installing our little urchins. There’s a good amount of space in the back and the boot is a good size. Addled, as per usual, I forget to engage the childlocks on the rear doors but fortunately the rascals are well behaved and don’t try to open the doors while we’re driving.
The Honda delivers an enjoyable drive. It can be driven as an automatic or the paddle shifts can be used for a more engaging experience.
As we return home an elderly gentleman in a soft top Jaguar F-Type is showing off his car’s performance to his young wife (I presume) and as we pull up beside him, he doesn’t seem at all pleased with the Honda’s low down acceleration as we leave the traffic lights. Yes, the Honda Civic is full of surprises and you cannot help but smile when behind the wheel or indeed outside looking at it.
Facts at a glance
Honda Civic 1.6 i-DTEC EX 9AT
Price £26,620
Top speed: 124mph
0-60mph: 11secs
Economy: 50mpg
Price £26,620
Top speed: 124mph
0-60mph: 11secs
Economy: 50mpg
Jaguar E-Pace
By Tim Saunders
There are three ways to drive the Jaguar E-Pace. As a manual, an automatic or with paddle shifts. So much choice should ensure that the driver never gets bored.
The E-Pace is the F-Pace’s smaller brother. And as with young siblings, I speak from experience, they have to be watched or they get out of hand. And so it is with the chunky 180 Diesel R-Dynamic S Automatic AWD that I am driving.
The motorway is full of speed cameras and police patrol cars. Fortunately, the E-Pace is fitted with both a speed limiter and a cruise control. But as I soon discover the cruise control is not the best system because although the speed might be set at 70mph, go downhill and it’ll exceed it so concentration on that speedometer is paramount. The head-up display that digitally appears above the dashboard in front of the driver, helps in this regards.
The raised height of this SUV is helpful, too because it gives a good view of the road ahead and certainly helps me spot a mobile speed camera van above the motorway some distance ahead. Is this pre-Brexit country in such a state that the enjoyment of driving must be removed along with everything else? While I’m at it, it always ceases to amaze me how when there’s say a 50mph speed limit that so many motorists completely ignore it.
Inside the cabin, my wife has changed the radio station from calming classical to something more funky, which doesn’t help the calm driving atmosphere that I try to foster. Three little urchins in the back all asking questions and the police at every turn is a sure way of driving me ever so slightly mad. But we make our way slowly but surely to a little village called Pease Pottage in West Sussex.
At first I thought I wasn’t going to get on with the sat nav but son Henry (3) quickly shows me the way round it and I must say I agree with him that it is quite easy. In fact it’s a God send, allowing me to almost relax during our travels. I find that I can rely upon it, which is a rarity often only reserved for my wife’s map reading skills.
The leather seats are fine but the quantity of plastic in the cabin is not what I would expect from a Jaguar. I know this is more of a budget vehicle but incorporating some wood would in my opinion make for a more special vehicle – which is what a Jaguar always used to be. On touching the black grille, which does make an impact, I discover that it is plastic. I don’t know how much a chrome grille would cost in comparison but in the overall scheme of things surely a boring accountant can acknowledge that aesthetically one is far more striking and characterful than the other. But perhaps younger more with it motorists aren’t interested in such things preferring gangster black wheels and grille along with all the bling rappers expect such as the garish Caesium blue finish to the £1,550 20 inch gloss black split spoke wheels.
There’s a delayed response from that multi talented 9-speed gearbox, most noticeable when exiting a roundabout from standstill. I get a similar result when I ask eldest daughter Harriett (8) what 9 x 8 is… and from me come to think of it. Kick the accelerator down and it lurches uncomfortably forward. I cannot help but feel that this wide vehicle is better suited to wider foreign roads.
Usually in vehicles fitted with electronic handbrakes there is a separate switch for the parking brake (and there is in the Jag). But the Jaguar incorporates the whole caboodle on its single gear stick, too. Despite this it can still be a time consuming exercise to make the simplest of manoeuvres when compared to a standard manual box. Also the cumbersome nature of this vehicle demands that the driver relies upon the camera when reversing.
Henry (3) enjoys pretending to drive the E-Pace and opening the powered tailgate from the driver’s seat. All these buttons are a child’s delight. In absolute contrast to my Ford Fiesta where he can only turn on the radio and the lights.
Harriett (8) thinks that the speed camera alert is clever. I don’t. So many noises going off at the same time just creates a befuddled motorist. A driver must concentrate and read the road. If they can’t do that then they shouldn’t be on it. Technology is going too far.
But it lives up to its name. The E-Pace is a quick vehicle and reasonably economical, too.
The E-Pace is the F-Pace’s smaller brother. And as with young siblings, I speak from experience, they have to be watched or they get out of hand. And so it is with the chunky 180 Diesel R-Dynamic S Automatic AWD that I am driving.
The motorway is full of speed cameras and police patrol cars. Fortunately, the E-Pace is fitted with both a speed limiter and a cruise control. But as I soon discover the cruise control is not the best system because although the speed might be set at 70mph, go downhill and it’ll exceed it so concentration on that speedometer is paramount. The head-up display that digitally appears above the dashboard in front of the driver, helps in this regards.
The raised height of this SUV is helpful, too because it gives a good view of the road ahead and certainly helps me spot a mobile speed camera van above the motorway some distance ahead. Is this pre-Brexit country in such a state that the enjoyment of driving must be removed along with everything else? While I’m at it, it always ceases to amaze me how when there’s say a 50mph speed limit that so many motorists completely ignore it.
Inside the cabin, my wife has changed the radio station from calming classical to something more funky, which doesn’t help the calm driving atmosphere that I try to foster. Three little urchins in the back all asking questions and the police at every turn is a sure way of driving me ever so slightly mad. But we make our way slowly but surely to a little village called Pease Pottage in West Sussex.
At first I thought I wasn’t going to get on with the sat nav but son Henry (3) quickly shows me the way round it and I must say I agree with him that it is quite easy. In fact it’s a God send, allowing me to almost relax during our travels. I find that I can rely upon it, which is a rarity often only reserved for my wife’s map reading skills.
The leather seats are fine but the quantity of plastic in the cabin is not what I would expect from a Jaguar. I know this is more of a budget vehicle but incorporating some wood would in my opinion make for a more special vehicle – which is what a Jaguar always used to be. On touching the black grille, which does make an impact, I discover that it is plastic. I don’t know how much a chrome grille would cost in comparison but in the overall scheme of things surely a boring accountant can acknowledge that aesthetically one is far more striking and characterful than the other. But perhaps younger more with it motorists aren’t interested in such things preferring gangster black wheels and grille along with all the bling rappers expect such as the garish Caesium blue finish to the £1,550 20 inch gloss black split spoke wheels.
There’s a delayed response from that multi talented 9-speed gearbox, most noticeable when exiting a roundabout from standstill. I get a similar result when I ask eldest daughter Harriett (8) what 9 x 8 is… and from me come to think of it. Kick the accelerator down and it lurches uncomfortably forward. I cannot help but feel that this wide vehicle is better suited to wider foreign roads.
Usually in vehicles fitted with electronic handbrakes there is a separate switch for the parking brake (and there is in the Jag). But the Jaguar incorporates the whole caboodle on its single gear stick, too. Despite this it can still be a time consuming exercise to make the simplest of manoeuvres when compared to a standard manual box. Also the cumbersome nature of this vehicle demands that the driver relies upon the camera when reversing.
Henry (3) enjoys pretending to drive the E-Pace and opening the powered tailgate from the driver’s seat. All these buttons are a child’s delight. In absolute contrast to my Ford Fiesta where he can only turn on the radio and the lights.
Harriett (8) thinks that the speed camera alert is clever. I don’t. So many noises going off at the same time just creates a befuddled motorist. A driver must concentrate and read the road. If they can’t do that then they shouldn’t be on it. Technology is going too far.
But it lives up to its name. The E-Pace is a quick vehicle and reasonably economical, too.
Facts at a glance
Price: £37,870
Engine: 2-litre
Power: 180bhp
0 to 60mph: 8.6secs
Top speed: 127mph
Economy: 47mpg
Engine: 2-litre
Power: 180bhp
0 to 60mph: 8.6secs
Top speed: 127mph
Economy: 47mpg
