Timely Tip for Motorists

With the clocks going back tonight it’s a reminder daylight hours will rapidly become shorter and winter is near here. Darker days means we’ll be using our car lights more. The cold and damp means we’ll be using our heater and heated screens /mirrors more. All this increases the burden on your car battery.

The car battery has become increasingly important over the years. Cars have more electrical equipment. Many systems once driven by the engine are now battery-powered. The latest advanced fuel saving technology mainly relies on battery power. So it’s not just the time of year increasing battery use.

This all means it’s vital your battery is in good condition for reliability and ultimately your safety.

If you compare small cars today they have electronic engine management systems, electric locking and security, electric in car entertainment, and in a lot of cases electric power steering.

New crossover cars have all of the above plus electronic all-wheel- drive systems many have electronic stop start fuel saving technology.

The tip is to get your battery checked before it causes you problems.

You can find many dealers offer free battery or winter checks. Others offer it for a token £10. These are great offers.

You might feel a bit suspicious of free offers but you will find these are genuine value deals. Car dealers do it simply to keep in touch with customers and show-off their service.

It really is worth getting your battery checked for your own peace of mind and safety.

Regards
Ralph
carbuyersinfo.co.uk. car comparison website revealing differences and similarities to help you find the best car for your purpose and purse

Audi A1 v Citroen DS3 v Nissan Juke

Until recently if you were looking for something special in a small car you were limited to the retro styled Mini, the tiny Fiat 500 again retro or the full 4m hot hatches – RenaultSport Clio or Vauxhall VXR. All great small cars.

Today, the recently launched A1, DS3, and Juke are probably the best small cars to look at if you want something special because they appear very different.

When you give them a quick look over the first thing you might notice is the price. They seem to have expensive entry prices. However they’re not to be confused with tiny town cars like the 500 or the loss leader entry models of the super-size small cars.

The Fiesta and Corsa, for example, may have cheap entry prices but when you inspect the specifications you’ll probably going to want something better. The most desirable cars in this class have alloy wheels, front fogs and touch of silver plastic and leather inside. Now you’re looking at a cost similar to the entry prices for the A1, DS3 and Juke which appear different from the everyday Clio or Polo.

The DS3 has the lowest entry price by about £1,000.

Let’s examine the detail. You can see the complete breakdown and comparisons over on carbuyersinfo.co.uk.

Audi A1 Review
3.95m long, 270/920 min/max load space
1.2, .14 petrol engines, 1.6 diesel engine.
47.9 to 74.3 combined mpg
99 to 139 CO2s, 112 to 141 mph, 6.9 to 11.7 secs to 62 mph.

Citroen DS3 Review
3.95m long, 285 minimum load space
petrol or diesel engines.
42.2 to 70.6 combined mpg
104 to 153 CO2s, 112 to 133 mph, 7.3 to 11.3 secs to 62 mph.

Nissan Juke Review
4.14m long, 251/830 min/max load space
1.6 petrol or 1.5 or 1.6 diesel engines plus AWD
37.2 to 55.4 combined mpg
134 to 175 CO2s, 106 to 134 mph, 8.0 to 11.5 secs to 62 mph.

Fuel consumption is a concern and you can see the A1 and DS3 are highly efficient. The Juke although slightly larger with larger engines and an AWD option is still respectable.

None of the these three are slow off the mark. They’re all spritely with high performance options.

So although their entry prices may look expensive they not only offer something different they are, especially the A1 and DS3, highly efficient cars. So you can see some quality and value for your money.

Other significant factors are modern safety features, green engine ranges and reliability from being built on proven platforms.

They’re difficult cars to fault. I would personally calculate if the diesel engine options are viable and keep an eye on the car insurance groups when comparing different engine and trim options.

Overall these cars offer something different. They’re not as expensive as they appear at first. They rank highly for efficiency. If you like the look of them the important thing is to devote some time to test drives and find out if the driver comfort is to your personal taste. It’ll be a bit of fun. You should enjoy driving all three.

Regards
Ralph