A few years ago I was lucky enough to cover the launch of the 30th Anniversary edition of the Mazda MX-5 which took place in the Cotswolds at Caffeine & Machine, a motoring themed cafe that turns the car park into one of the main attractions thanks to the number of quality machines that attend. The Motorist mines a similar vein, with my Volvo family car not drawing much attention as we arrive and park near a Ferrari and a well preserved MK1 Toyota MR2. The Arnage has a large expanse of glass along the side that had been opened up as we arrived, letting in the sun and allowing you to inspect the car park more easily. Regardless of the bifolds being open it’s an expansive and light space, with a vintage car parked by the welcome desk of course. As always I’d made a thorough traverse of the menu before arriving so we were able to quickly focus on taking in the timber framed building and enjoying a cold drink.

Wood pigeon doesn’t appear on menus nearly enough so was an obvious candidate which was joined by an olive and tomato tian with lovage which piqued my interest. The pigeon paired nicely with rhubarb and a few bitter chicory leaves which took a knife to the gamey tang in the tender pigeon. Further balance in the dish was given by honey granola which took on a dual role, balancing bitterness while also adding texture. The tian, topped with crisps of bread, was augmented with a pea and spinach sauce at the table for freshness and made for a light and enjoyable dish that would bear re-ordering.

Little Fork’s chicken and chips arrived with pragmatic speed to keep her occupied while our mains were quick to arrive too, with lamb and sea bream winning the competition from the centre section of the menu. The fillet of sea bream topped a fine shallot and tomato tart and was in turn topped with a generous quenelle of black olive tapenade which seasoned the other elements of the dish well. Lamb was served rather rare, maybe worth noting if that’s something you might struggle with, and alongside a spiced lamb pressing, roasted apricot and okra to form a relatively unusual dish in these parts. Shot through with with zingy spices, the pressed lamb and the rare rump were quite the contrast and transacted neatly with the okra and apricot to make up a dish redolent of the middle east but not too challenging for our English palates. My habit for dessert recently has been increasingly toward creme brûlée and the example served up at The Arnage at The Motorist did its job in bringing the meal to a sweet conclusion, throwing in some raspberries as well as a bit of sorrel for an original note.

The Motorist is an impressively broad operation, equally able to sell you some pick n’ mix or a bacon butty while you admire the metal in the car park or turn out an impressive seasonal dinner such as this one, which also kept the junior member of the party happy too. It’s a little out of the way but completely justifies the short hop from York to check out what it has to offer; I’m thinking Sunday lunch would be a good excuse even if my Volvo is never going to be the pick of the car park.

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I’d been vaguely on the lookout for something wafty and comfy to take on a road trip I had planned. My 1998 Saab would have been perfectly tolerable but not an ‘event’, so when the Jag popped up, I jumped at the chance. £800 passed over and I was the proud owner of a 179k mile 3.2 V8 Sport. This engine and gearbox combo have a bit of a reputation for expensive failures, but the checking carried out by the previous keeper was reassuring, with all the potential sticking points covered off to one degree or another.

The car, having just returned from a 1,300 mile road trip to Le Mans, seemed to have proved its wafting credentials, so it was with great confidence that I pointed it down the A1 ready to attend the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Following that would be a trip back north via Stonehenge, Pendine Sands, St Davids and Portmeirion.

As with any car of this age there were a few foibles to adjust to, the only one of which to really annoy was broken air conditioning. Not always a problem, but we were uncharacteristically lucky with the weather and therefore obligated to spend huge portions of the journey necking bottles of water and peeling ourselves off the leather, not necessarily a huge surprise in a vehicle this age.

Jaguar’s slightly quaint mantra of “Space, Pace and Grace” perhaps lacks the modern dynamism the brand now strives for, but is still deserving of application to a car of this vintage. I’m happy to argue that those retro lines go part of the way to fulfilling the grace part of that promise, but it’s brought fully to fruition by the well insulated cabin that does a great job of isolating you from both your surroundings and the speed at which you’re passing through them.

That Classic Jaguar XJ cabin is, of course, coated in wood veneer on surfaces where leather would look strange and is a comfy place to be. Aided by an electrically adjustable driver seat, it’s easy to make yourself comfortable, so the 270 mile journey to Goodwood, the longest leg of our journey, passed without significant effort.

Space is a little more arguable. At five foot ten, I don’t struggle too much for headroom, but the cabin is pretty unexceptionally proportioned. Comfortably big enough for four with average rear legroom, there’s no space for TARDIS comparing rhetoric here. Thankfully Pace is rather more agreeable.

The 3.2 V8 under the bonnet is the smallest capacity offered of this engine, making that Sport badge feel a touch cynical, but it has plentiful firepower for making respectable progress. This example still felt strong enough to lay claim to all 240bhp originally quoted and made a delightfully smooth V8 burble at idle (possibly aided by the slight blow in the exhaust) that gives way to full-on NASCAR-hooligan when thrashed.

One clear oversight was the failure to include any sporting pretensions in the gearbox. Happy enough when blurring ratios around town or idling at speed on the motorway, it takes a hefty shove of the strangely long throttle pedal to initiate kick-down. Thankfully if you value niceties such as throttle response you can lock it in gear and sacrifice even more fuel economy. 25.6mpg average, since you ask.

So does that space, pace and grace mantra deserve its place here? More or less. Surprisingly good steering feel and turn-in mated to a V8 locked in second gear is a real pleasure but, while the pace part is acceptable, for a car that could accommodate a runway on the bonnet you deserve more room. I’ll forgive a lot of things for that shape though, ease of parking included.

As I mentioned earlier there’s a perfectly good (well, reliable but tatty) Saab outside so, without a commute to be bothered with thanks to the office that’s almost next-door, I really don’t need two cars. I’d never intended to keep the Classic Jaguar XJ long and it eventually sold on eBay to earn £21 more than its £600 reserve price. I took a loss of £179 over a few months’ ownership which, compared to the finance costs on an anonymous modern hatchback, seems pretty fair to me.

The obvious downside to running something like this as a daily driver is that constant nagging concern that it’ll not start, burst into flames, or deposit you somewhere precarious or inconvenient, and there’s not any way round that. I’ve known plenty of new cars sully their ownership experience with minor or significant teething problems but, on balance, I think you’re taking more of a risk with something like this. That said, I’ve just done a thousand mile road trip in a 3.2 litre Jaguar V8 around some stunning parts of the country and survived.

Take a punt, keep the V5 with you, and scrap it if it lets you down somewhere awkward. You can always buy something else for the run home…

Update: This piece first appeared on http://www.frontseatdriver.co.uk. I’ve since sold the tatty Saab mentioned in this, though I do miss it (turbo lag and all).

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1) Keep your car properly lubricated. Drying up can happen as you are not driving anymore. This can have serious implications later, so the best advice is to keep your car parts lubricated. You can take your car out for a really small drive so fluid reaches all the right places. 

2) Do not over-look your tyres. This is a golden time to check the quality of your tyres. Keep them clean and look for any signs of faults or damages to make a mental note of to save some money getting new tyres later. Luckily, for localities like Wakefield, there are reliable tyre companies serving the area. For example the team at Ossett Tyre House can help you find the right tyres in Wakefield (you can call on 01924271081)

3) Charge the batteries up. You can make use of a trickle charger in order to sustain your batteries. If you don’t pay attention to the batteries, you will have to get new ones later and this will just be an added expense.

4) Clean/disinfect your car. Although this seems pretty basic, try to have discipline in your car care routine. Disinfect it from the inside and de-clutter where it is needed. 

5) Run the engine. This is key, otherwise your car could be badly effected. Just move your car and start the engine from time to time.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post

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It’s hard to think of a more perfect case study to illustrate why a dash cam could potentially save one a great deal of emotional (and financial) hardship, so it’s been a purchase in the forefront of my mind for a while. With that to consider, when I was offered the opportunity to review a market leader I leapt at the chance to kit my car out with one.

The Nextbase 522GW can currently be found for £119.99 from a few different retailers, down thirty quid from its RRP. This separates it from the bottom end of the market, but if the feature list and quality stack up then that would still make it a bargain.

Those headline features include “Emergency SOS” that judges situations in which you may have become unresponsive and alerts the emergency services to your location along with key personal details such as allergies and blood type. Alexa integration also features for those of you inhabiting that smartphone ecosystem while the fundamentals all seem solid with recording at 1440p/30fps or 1080p/60fps and a 140 degree viewing angle as well as a polarising filter to get rid of glare from the windscreen. After getting the app sorted on my phone, it was only a few moments’ work to configure the Emergency SOS (fingers crossed I never have to report on its efficiency). It’s tricky to see the use of live view on a linked smart phone when sat in the car, where the very thing it’s linked to should remain unseen, and it should be noted that grabbing your footage from the memory card is better achieved directly. Downloading clips to the smartphone app felt impractically slow, stymieing my efforts to grab snippets of banal car chat/attempts to soothe Baby Fork.

Everything you need to get up and running comes in the box bar a memory card, which is supported up to 128gb. I couldn’t countenance the idea of cables snaking through my cabin, so quickly got booked into Halfords to get the thing properly installed and avoid sacrificing a USB socket better employed by my phone. This was a painless experience and good value at £30, the only inconvenience being half an hour mooching around Morrisons.

The installation left the Nextbase 522GW hidden behind the rear view mirror and pleasingly easy to forget about. Any intervention required to get the thing working would render it useless in my wife’s hands as would inevitably be skipped. In daily use, it’s completely unobtrusive and, while I’m hopeful to never have to use it, the reassurance it’s there is certainly a help. The video quality is excellent and the interface doesn’t present any barriers to use though does feature a touch of input lag. Getting at the footage on the camera is easy through the app that supports the device.

The mounting itself is extremely solid and while I’ve done little experimentation switching between the suction and adhesive mounts, there’s nothing to suggest any undue irritations here. Note that the magnet holding the unit in place is stronger than you might think. I was looking for something to unfasten it from the bracket before I gave it a hard enough yank to remove it. The box also only includes rudimentary instructions to get you up and running, not a problem with the application of a little common sense to get the appropriate document on-line, but something to be aware of if you’re a stickler for paper manuals.

In 20+ years of driving, I’ve never once crashed a car and I very much hope to continue that streak for years to come. The standard of driving I encounter every day very much makes me that feel like that’s more of a challenge than it should be, so I’m very happy to endorse the use of a device like this to better establish liability should something untoward happen. I’d certainly spend my money on a Nextbase 522GW and will make sure it remains a feature of my motoring life.

Disclaimer: The Nextbase 522GW was sent without charge for review. No demands were made and opinions are impartial.

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Now that Jaguar has finished the important business of separating its current model line up from memories of the X & S Types, rounding out the saloon models with the F-Pace and F-Type, it’s moved its focus to the business of continuous improvement and keeping the line up fresh, which means there’s a new XF in the brochures.

Aggressive frontal styling sets it apart nicely from the previous generation, the grill standing proudly upright. When viewed from anything other than head on there’re rather too many similarities in the XE and XF styling, which is great for brand identity but less so for model differentiation. Even after driving the XF for a week, it wasn’t always possible to identify this generation of XF from the previous, or even the smaller XE.

The UK-built Ingenium 2.0-litre turbodiesel engine fitted to this top ‘Portfolio’ spec car knocks out a modest 180hp, but backs that up with 430Nm of torque, but that doesn’t sound like enough motivation for a car pushing 1,600kg. Once up and running though, that chunky torque figure allows for brisk enough performance when the gearbox can been coerced out of the highest gear that it can maintain. One benefit of sticking in the high ratios is fuel economy, a motorway run returning an impressive 56mpg despite diversions and hold ups. Over a week this dropped to a more realistically attainable 45.3mpg.

With the opportunity to drive a little more enthusiastically in the Yorkshire Moors than would be wise in a town centre, the sporting nature that’s a key pillar of the brand could be explored. Setting the transmission to Sport and the adaptive chassis controls to Dynamic allows the driver to take full control of shifting duties, confirmed by the rev counter shimmying to the centre of the instrument binnacle. Everything looks the part but, after a few miles, all those reports of good body control and sporting intentions had to be questioned. The ride wasn’t perfect when presented with broken, under-funded Northern town centre roads, but motorways were as deftly dispatched as you’d expect, so it was a bit of a shock to find back road undulations breaking the car’s composure. The XF might have held its line perfectly well, but the car didn’t inspire confidence.

Sure enough, something was amiss. The Dynamic mode had somehow been compromised so that the dampers remained in soft-and-comfortable standard mode, while everything else had tightened and sharpened itself as intended. Suddenly everything fell into place and the superbly upholstered Jaguar began to make progress at significant pace, easily giving life to the cliche of larger sports saloons shrinking around the driver and becoming easy to place on the road.

As far as the interior goes, there’s something of a sense that Jaguar is still trying too hard to shake off the burr walnut image with lots of stark black surfaces and leather, contrasted on this car by grey wood insets. The contrivance of those vents that reveal themselves highlights the swathe of slightly tacky silver plastic that dominates the passenger’s side of the dashboard, while the roller that covers the drinks holders will remain easy to keep out of sight and ignore the multitude of tiny scratches it absorbs.

There’s an abundance of things to press and a large touchscreen that acts as a portal to many, many more toys, some of which might be used more than once (be honest, how much use will anybody get from a G meter in this car?) but the system feels lethargic and dated. The optional InControl Touch Pro system comes with a Meridian audio system that deploys drum n’ bass to such effect as to rattle the change in my pocket and, while largely effective and easy to navigate, would justify the £1,225 price a little better with snappier responses to inputs.

This isn’t a car without faults. Expectations of ride and handling balance from a Jaguar are high, and the XF failed to meet the (perhaps unrealistic) demands; things were too choppy around town (not helped by the 19” wheels fitted to this car) and compromised too much in general to retain the luxury feel. The car only comes into its own when pushing on beyond what could be considered acceptable, or boring one’s way down a motorway.

It’s not even that spacious. Despite being of decidedly average height, headroom was a little tight; repeatedly a bottle of water was bopped against the headliner while maintaining hydration, leading to the inevitable spills. Spillages were also an ever-present fear thanks to the irritatingly small cup holders. It’s easy to dismiss stuff like this as niggles, but this kind of thing is the detail that makes living day to day that much easier, and the kind of detail that should be well resolved on a £38k car.

The XF might be a comfortable and adaptable car to live with that can be pushed into a decent turn of speed when the fancy takes you, but the cabin isn’t flawless, and it’s not as polished as its German rivals. Jaguar represents brand values that stand apart from those offerings though, and those values can, to an extent, make up for some flaws.

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We started exploring the USA in New York where we spent a few days happily exploring and indulging, finding the city to be just as much as an assault on the senses as reputed. We worked our way through plenty of the landmarks, being fortunate enough to be staying just off Times Square. Highlights included a food tour of Greenwich Village, Brooklyn Brewery, The High Line, Central Park and Grand Central Terminus. The 9/11 Museum was an immaculately curated and sobering experience. The food highlight was undoubtedly Katz’s Deli, which was made famous in “When Harry met Sally”. The pastrami on rye here is a thing of legend and even exceeded our expectations. On a side note, it was nice to find New York to be a friendly and welcoming place. Many years ago, I heard tell of someone there asking how to find a particular landmark only to be told “yeah you buy a f*cking map buddy”. Everyone we spoke to was unfailingly polite though.

We then took advantage of reasonably priced domestic flights to make the journey to San Francisco and enjoy a rather more relaxed, and steep, city. Alcatraz was fascinating both in terms of its history and current protected status that has led to it being populated by diverse and interesting wildlife. Top tip – stay away from the front of the boat on the way over…Mrs Fork got soaked, but at least the weather cooperated in drying her out quickly. The Cable Car Museum that lets you get up close and personal with the mechanisms keeping the trams running was enlightening to have visited before making use of this charming transport network to save our legs from the hills. On the food front, Ryoko’s Sushi turned out to be a top tip from an old school friend. There were no reservations for this place but the queue was absolutely worth it and we were lucky enough to be seated with a great view of the chefs at work. We also went for a tour of Anchor Brewery, which was captivating and delicious in equal measure; our enthusiasm being driven in part by the morning’s generous sampling.

Before long, it was time to embark on the largest part of our trip and make our way down the Pacific Coast Highway toward Yosemite National Park. I’ve had a thing about Dodge muscle cars ever since I obsessively watched Vanishing Point over and over as a child. If you’re not familiar with the nuances of this cinematic masterpiece, it centres around a man who has to deliver a car with great urgency and immediately degenerates into a surreal chase film featuring a blind DJ, a naked woman on a motorbike and the main protagonist’s death at the beginning of the film. Regardless of your feelings on the merit of the piece, the Dodge Challenger is the real star and has become deservedly iconic. When we had the opportunity to indulge ourselves with a trip to the USA, I seized upon the chance to check out the modern version of this motoring legend.

There’s something perversely appealing about cars that, despite significant bulk, only comfortably accommodate two people. That doesn’t necessarily translate into an immediately comfortable driving experience though so I have to admit to a few feelings of trepidation as I got to grips with the expansive bonnet (sorry, hood) and the American road network. Our first stop was at Santa Cruz for a quick rest, though we took just enough time to admire the beach before hitting the road for our first overnight stop in Monterey, where we were excited about checking out the Aquarium. Hammerhead sharks and jellyfish were amongst the colossal range things to see but the sea otters were absolutely captivating. I could have watched them for hours!

Suitably refreshed, it was time to hit the road again toward our next overnight at Cambria, taking in Pebble Beach on the way and taking in the iconic Bixby Bridge before the breathtaking views all along the Big Sur coastline. The whole of this stretch was just magnificent, and would have justified lingering over for days at a time. Sadly we didn’t have time to do so as we made our way on to our next overnight stop at Paso Robles, being sure to stop at Piedras Blancas to say hi to the numerous elephant seals.

The drive to Paso Robles was a short one we we broke it up with a stop at San Luis Obismo where we were advised by the tourist office that Bubblegum Alley was unmissable. This turned out to be both entirely missable and thoroughly unappetising. If you can picture an alleyway festooned in bubblegum that remains soft in the Californian warmth you can comfortably give it a miss. San Luis Obismo was otherwise a picturesque stop off where we found a very decent lunch in the garden of Novo before sheltering from the heat in The Old Mission. When we arrived at Paso Robles, we popped out for a wine tasting with LXV before grabbing some Mexican food.

For our base at Yosemite, we’d chosen Tenaya Lodge, finding it on a suitably grand scale to reflect the enormity of the park. As we arrived at the entrance to the park we had an immediate illustration of the enormity of the site when we were directed to continue to the visitor centre just another 23 miles up the road. The vistas throughout are scarcely believable as everything seems at least 30% bigger than one would expect. Tunnel view, El Capitan and Half Dome really need to be seen to be believed. By this point we were a fair distance above sea level so found ourselves getting a little more out of breath than usual, but the walk was obviously worth it. It was an unusual experience to be so thoroughly dwarfed by the scenery, but the giant Sequoias certainly put us in a new perspective. The pine cones were almost as big as our heads and root structures well beyond our arm spans. On our walk back to the car we also encountered a, thankfully rather relaxed, young bear who was pleasingly ambivalent to our presence.

We’d left our last few days intentionally blank with the intention of finding an Airbnb somewhere between Yosemite and our return flight from San Francisco. Sonoma fitted the bill nicely and we were lucky enough to be hosted by a lovely friendly host who even fed us one night. This was a perfect low key way to round off our trip, I also appreciated the motorsport connection as we passed Sonoma raceway.

By now I was well acquainted with our Dodge Challenger, which sadly didn’t feature a V8 but rather a V6 that at least turned out just over 300bhp. It would be hard to describe it as a refined, delicate driving experience but that’s missing the point. Muscle cars (I’m not going to bother debating if a muscle car with a V6 can really be a muscle car) like this should look dramatic, produce enough torque to feel like the engine isn’t breaking a sweat and make you feel cooler than you really are when on a road trip. On our way back to the airport, we crossed the Golden Gate bridge and took a detour down Lombard street, where we became the star of many tourists holiday snaps. I think that ticks all those boxes.

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Hitting the streets with a bunch of equipment as standard (including bluetooth phone connectivity, spanky alloys, flared arches, tinted windows and climate control) for under ten grand got the motoring press quickly gushing over it. Evo in particular didn’t take long to brand the Fiat Panda 100hp as “the cheapest way into true Evoness.” I was hooked. I was also skint, but I kept hold of that road test for years while carefully waiting for the residuals to slip into my range. A few years ago that finally happened and I found an example close by to test drive. One slightly shocked salesperson later (“but… it’s a Panda.”) and I was arranging collection and discussing trade-in values.

Four and a half grand for a 2007 car with 40,000 miles on the clock wasn’t a complete rip-off, and there was a full history so a deal was done and I set about getting to know my new motor. Sport mode engaged and I was on my way, quickly finding out that the quoted 0-60 time of 9.5 seconds feels pessimistic when coupled with lots of road noise and a distinct lack of suspension. My first thoughts were that the handling was as engaging as its reputation suggested, with sharp and accurate steering. It wasn’t exactly the most natural motorway cruiser of course, but day-to-day life presented no problems within its diminutive constraints.

As a place to be it was entirely serviceable and it was more robust than one might expect, although bear in mind that those expectations are for a small Fiat. Cheap plastic and shiny fabric let things down, but everything felt sturdy and there were certainly no ergonomic howlers. The faux carbon fibre dash was pretty naff though, and I defy anyone to find an example without a torn gearstick gaiter.

All that standard equipment may have been operated with somewhat basic controls but it all functioned perfectly, comedy bluetooth excepted. Following the instructions to the letter lets the car tell you if it’s been successfully paired with your device, but sadly my inability to differentiate between mumbled Italian phrase one and mumbled Italian phrase two rendered the system useless to me.

So far, so as expected. Quick enough, pleasingly lacking in inertia, not horrible to sit in and not shedding any bits. It was perfect for nipping through traffic, and funky looking without being too ostentatious. I could have done without the blacked out windows after it was dubbed ‘a bit sinister’ by colleagues though.

The suspension was the headline though. There’s no getting away from the simple fact that it was far too hard for our roads. It didn’t take long until you were painfully aware of the locale’s most vicious speed bumps and planning routes to avoid them. Even motorway journeys weren’t immune – my partner’s failure to stay awake as a passenger rendered her vulnerable to a jarred neck when hitting motorway expansion joints. However, when I had the opportunity to chuck it around Millbrook’s city handling circuit everything fell into place in a way that the Yorkshire Dales roads simply wouldn’t allow with their broken surfaces.

Fuel consumption stuck around 37mpg at all times, unless sport mode was engaged. That was certainly a cool button to have but in real terms all it did was knock down the steering assistance and alter the engine map slightly for a bit more torque, while slicing 5mpg from your fuel consumption. That wasn’t a good alternative to holding each gear a few hundred revs longer.

Most running costs were reasonable, but that suspension clearly takes a beating and results in periodic bills of a few hundred quid to replace snapped bits. The only other minor irritation was the parcel shelf not being attached to the boot, resulting in an obscured rear view as you drive off, having forgotten to fold the shelf back down. I know other owners resorted to an umbrella kept in the car to prod it down, but I’m just tall enough to reach it from the driver’s seat.

So did the Fiat Panda 100hp deliver on the high hopes I had after that Evo review of days gone by? No. It didn’t. I can see where they were coming from, but that suspension was a fatal flaw. There’s talk on owners forums of third-party replacement dampers, but I’d no interest in going down that route.

In the right place at the right time it was undeniably superb – a cheap, practical and fun way into ‘performance’ motoring but with too many compromises, I can’t see how it matches that original hyperbole.

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Think a Jag is an old man’s car? Jaguar wants to prove you wrong with the Jaguar F-Pace…

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Despite Vauxhall’s insistence, it’s hard to deny that on first sight it does rather resemble a van. The large, top hinged rear door, slab sides with sliding doors and collection of sharp angles are hard to disguise. It’s by no means an ugly thing though and is characterful enough to avoid anonymity, handsome would be pushing it though. Once inside, it’s easy to get lost in the hugely practical interior that’s rammed with storage bins, including an unusual one right in the driver eye-line on top of the dashboard. There are so many cubby-holes it might be worth keeping an inventory to avoid losing anything valuable in here. The fit, finish and materials are in keeping with the car’s pricing and look well up to resisting children’s best attempts at destruction.

Much is made of the Combo Life’s ability to fit three Isofix car seats across the back and this is undoubtedly a compelling feature, even for those who only require two child seats. I recently watched my neighbour’s father squeezing himself into the middle of two Isofix seats in a conventional hatchback and when he extricated himself it was clear this wasn’t something to be easily or comfortably repeated.

The Combo Life interior isn’t the last word in refinement; there were a few bits of fabric I might have expected to be fixed down in more expensive cars and it didn’t take much exploration to find exposed screw heads in that multitude of storage options. It was also a touch surprising to find a vanity mirror in the driver’s sun visor, but not the passenger’s.

The Energy trim level sampled here replaced the entry-level “Design” spec’s radio with an 8-inch touchscreen and optional navigation lifted straight from its Peugeot and Citroen siblings. These functioned perfectly well with tolerable levels of input lag and intuitive enough controls, though happily Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are supported. Equipment is as generous as you’d expect, including in this specification rain-sensitive wipers, parking sensors, cruise control, lane assist and all the airbags you’d wish for in a family vehicle.

Once on the move, impressions remain positive. Wind noise is noticeable rather than invasive and the ride is unlikely to unsettle any of the gaggle of children you can pack into the vehicle, gamely doing its best to tackle the underfunded Northern roads on which I was driving.

Driving dynamics aren’t likely to be the deciding factor for many who choose this car (not van) and are as inoffensive as you’d anticipate. The 1.5-litre turbo diesel engine in this car can be had with either 100hp output that hits 250Nm of torque, or bumped up to 130hp and 300Nm. It goes without saying that I’d always prefer more power, but for everyday life the 100hp is enough. The decent amount of torque precludes one from having to drag too many revs from the engine and remove it from its comfort zone.

Returning to the dreaded V word, those unused to earning their living in a vehicle may find the gearstick a touch further away than expected. Note as well that the manual gearbox attached to this basic turbo diesel only gives up five ratios, something that didn’t occur to me until I established it was happily difficult to engage reverse at 60mph.

The Combo Life is keenly priced, eminently practical and flexible, will please a wide variety of people and should cause few problems for those who settle on it. I’ve mentioned (more than once) that the Combo Life is based on a utility vehicle, but this is something Vauxhall is keen to downplay (something that might be simpler with a bit of a name change).The thing is, that’s maybe trying too hard to distance it from the origins that define one of its best features: its practicality. It may come from a van but it’s true to say that the Combo Life is not a van, it stands on its own two feet as family transport. It’s certainly less exciting than the five-door hatchback I drive on a daily basis, but that didn’t stop me eyeing up the storage, contemplating how easy it’d be to throw a pushchair frame in the boot and not worrying about fitting an extra person in the back.

Vauxhall Combo Life Energy 1.5 Turbo D 100PS
Price: £21,540
Range: £20,510 – £24,060
Top speed: 107 mph
0-62 mph: 12.7 seconds
Power: 100 PS (99 bhp)
Torque: 250 Nm (184 lb ft)
Official fuel economy: 67.3 mpg
Road test economy: N/A
CO2 Emissions: 111 g/km
Car Tax: £140
Insurance group: 9E

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Trabant production started in 1958 and didn’t end until 1991, by which point, approaching four million had been produced. That might sound like a big number, but there was still a waiting list of pushing a decade to get your hands on one of these famously wretched devices that, during that period, were the transportation of choice (or lack thereof) in the former East Germany. You might expect some evolution during such a long production, but changes are surprisingly minimal, save for a notable late-life switch to a VW-derived four-stroke engine to replace the venerable 26bhp two-stroke original.

Intended to provide home-grown mass transport for the East German people, the ‘Trabi’ was the car of choice (and largely the only choice) until reunification gave the opportunity to trade in these two-stroke smoke machines. Despite waiting up to ten years to get hold of their Trabant, thanks to lengthy waiting lists, many were willing to part with their smokily stylish transportation.

While, as with most classic cars, there’re plenty of people happy to maintain and run these things for a hobby, there’s limited use for them as a primary mode of transport these days. Thanks to their iconic shape and association with the former East Germany, one thing they are now is a tourist attraction and thanks to http://www.trabi-safari.de anyone can sample their subjective delights while taking in a tour of Berlin Trabant tour (East & West).

We couldn’t resist a zebra print Trabi and noted a sticker on the dashboard describing the action of the gear shift, which involved pushing, pulling and twisting a lever, in the hope that we might find a gear. “Reverse is here but you will not need that,” we are helpfully told. “In Communism we go only forward!”

A shrug from our Trabi-Safari.de guide is all the help we get as we attempt to coax the windscreen wipers away from vertical. At least the skies look clear. Then, with a clatter of two-stroke revs, a lingering scent of burning oil and a rather distracting smokescreen we are off.

We set out into the traffic to enjoy the carefully considered route that cleverly uses mainly right turns for those less confident driving on the continent. Major sights taken in during this Wild East tour included the East Side Gallery, Reichstag, Brandenburg Gate and Checkpoint Charlie. Viewing the famous mural of a Trabant crashing through the Wall from within the same model was particularly poignant.

After our drive we came to understand people’s willingness to part with these cars. Enormously characterful and providing a sense of occasion they may be, but they’re also catastrophically slow, terribly noisy, hugely uncomfortable and awfully polluting.

An hour touring Berlin in one of these symbols of past divisions gives you a sense of some of communism’s less horrific hardships (it is still functional transportation after all) and a contextually accented view of Berlin. It may well be possible to get a similar view of the city from a tour bus, but why not be the star of your own show and object of hundreds of other people’s tourist snaps?

It should be noted that all this is only made easily possible by the surprisingly light Berlin traffic; the city has one of the lowest levels of car ownership per capita in Europe. To do something similar in our capital would certainly ruin many people’s holidays, not to mention London residents’ days.

The Trabi was a perfectly decent car at the start of its life, undermined by patchy manufacturing processes and a lack of development. Yes, it’s hugely outdated but, for an hour or two as a tourist, it gives a great sense of occasion and fun that I can’t recommend highly enough.

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