Your Chance to Be King of This Castle
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the UK’s best breakdown We’re officially Good Auto Expressrecovery Driver providerPower Survey 2019 motoringThe magazine for members of GEM Motoring Assist Autumn 2019 Win an unforgettable two-night break Your chance to be king of this castle... PLUS: Blue Light Aware we’re making the roads safer New Mazda 3 family hatchback on test What’s in a name: Spellbound on Pendle Hill Eyes right: Roger Crisp’s latest Alan Wakely’s travels require Felicity Gill explores selection of historic places not car but broomstick some driver vision issues A £20 M&S GIFT VOUCHER FOR We want to thank our members who spread the word about GEM, so if you YOU WHEN YOUR recommend your friends to the same award-winning breakdown service FRIENDS JOIN GEM that you enjoy, when they join we will reward you with a £20 M&S voucher. To refer your friends to GEM, simply ask them to call us on 01342 825676 (Monday – Friday, 9am-5pm except bank holidays) to join over the phone, quoting your name and postcode. Terms and conditions: Please note this offer is only open to current GEM Motoring Assist Members at the time of recommending. This offer cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer. GEM Motoring Assist have the right to withdraw or amend this offer at any time and without prior notice. Please only suggest friends who you believe will be interested in GEM Motoring Assist Breakdown Cover. Gift vouchers will be issued 28 days after the new member joins, provided the policy has not been cancelled their policy in the meantime. No cash alternatives available. GEM RAF Ad 2pp_Aug19_r1.indd All Pages 08/08/2019 11:39 Guest contributors >> Dr Felicity Gill is a Russell Higham is Al Suttie is a regular qualified optometrist a writer, journalist, contributor to the who runs a small, copy-editor and road test pages of independent optician photographer living in Good Motoring, where practice in Hay- London and Brighton. he has extensive on-Wye. She has He writes for a wide experience. He is extensive experience range of international also our ‘go-to’ man advising patients on issues relating print and online publications for details of used car prices to eye health and mobility. In this about subjects including: travel, and what to look out for when edition she considers a range of luxury, art, culture, music, considering a pre-owned issues posed by readers, including entertainment, motoring and purchase. A 2CV owner, he driving at night and the problem food and drink. He also finds our volunteered to leap onto two of when to stop driving. competition prize venues! wheels for us in this edition. Mobile phones and driving: p19 The power of posters: p21 Electric motorbike review: p64 42 16 21 Automotive ON THE ROAD: our latest selection of tests and nostalgic posters, tips to 45 reviews starts here with an introduction from banish distractions, electric our road test editor David Motton. technology and eye health on the cover AUTUMN MAZDA 3: An absolutely cracking family 32 46 hatchback we think should give the Ford Focus, Regulars Seat Leon and VW Golf a run for their money. Don’t miss It’s great to drive and packed with kit. YOUR LETTERS: why we should all ‘say what 10 we see’. Plus when it’s right to sound your horn, on the cover out and about AUDI E-TRON: The e-tron is Audi’s first fully and comments on dashboard distractions. COMPETITION: your opportunity to win a on the cover 48 electric car and takes on the likes of the Jaguar two-night break for two at Leeds Castle - the I-Pace and Tesla Model X with its image and 16 SPELLBOUND ON PENDLE HILL: Alan Wakely ‘loveliest in the world...’ Enter now! performance. Al Suttie puts it through its paces EDITOR’S CHOICE: get paid for tracking down 32 continues his exploration of Britain’s lesser- for us. 12 abandoned supercars, make sure you visit a known regions. In this edition he visits the brilliant new exhibition at the V&A, and check on the cover Forest of Bowland and the area around Pendle ASK THE EXPERTS: when a car sustains a bit out our choice of fabulous Autumn gardens. EYES RIGHT: Dr Felicity Gill, a community Hill... wild, beautiful and off the beaten track. of damage, is it OK to opt for an inexpensive optometrist, has assembled a selection of your 19 on the cover 50 paintless dent repair? Or are DIY options worth most frequently-asked questions relating to CHARITY UPDATE: WHAT’S IN A NAME? a look? Also, why do brakes on electric vehicles see the progress we have vision and driving. Roger Crisp slyly 25 made as we prepare for the launch of our new 35 inveigles us onto his historical magic carpet seem to go rusty? And whatever happened to Blue Light Aware resource. and whisks us from the Lake District to the east Green Shield Stamps? CELEBRATING POSTER POWER: join Russell coast, unearthing clues to local dialects, Roman 21 Higham in a line-up of luxurious and exotic and Viking invasions and local geographical USED CAR PROFILE: Al Suttie takes a close THE LAST WORD: Mr Righteous meets Mr sports cars. Not quite on the sun-soaked Côte features. Hang on for dear life! 56 look at the pre-owned Volvo V60. 66 Indignant in an altercation that need never d’Azur, he relives the golden age of motoring have happened, says Ian Jones from Powys. on a visit to a London art collection. FOLDING E-BIKE: When we asked our road 38 test editor David Motton to try living without a motor car for a week, he jumped at the BMW 3-SERIES: Paul Barker appraises the 26 SIX TIPS TO BANISH DISTRACTIONS: practical chance... but he did insist on nabbing a 58 achievable goal for any young executive, advice from Sandra Macdonald-Ames to help portable electric bike to keep him mobile. offering excellent dynamics, badge cachet and you get rid of anything that could take your Here’s his diary... plenty of clever technology. mind off your driving... and that could be loud music, a bad mood, checking your phone or POUSADAS OF PORTUGAL: Touring Europe’s even dealing with an unwelcome insect. 42 southwestern-most country is a proper treat, ELECTRIC MOTORBIKE: Al Suttie climbs especially if you plan to stay in its pousadas; 64 aboard the Zero SR/F asnd discovers rapid traditional, luxury properties formerly owned acceleration, low running costs and a potential CURRENT SURGE: where electric power is by the government. Dave Balow volunteered to range approaching 100 miles. But is it worth the 28 concerned, manufacturers are upping their set off and find out more about this ‘affordable £17,990 price tag? game, cities are launching low emission zones... luxury’ holiday option. and there have been some big announcements on improving charging technology and 26 practicality. Neil Barrett reports. 4 Good Motoring Good Motoring 5 Chief Executive’s letter SAFETY MATTERS Once again, we’re the UK’s best breakdown provider! First of all may I say a big ‘thank you’ if you voted for GEM in the recent Auto Express Driver Power Survey. We are all absolutely thrilled to be winners once again. We know you have more options than ever when it comes to choosing a breakdown recovery provider. Every member of the GEM team understands that you want fast, reliable service and the best possible value for money. You want a clear and simple purchasing process without expensive add-ons, and you certainly don’t want cynical price hikes when the times comes to renew your policy. Of course, the quality of GEM’s service goes beyond the roadside, as we are always ready with our friendly, personal service that’s just a phone call away. So whether it’s motoring advice, a technical query or anything else relating to your driving needs, we are here for you. Thanks once again for choosing GEM. In the last edition we asked you to provide your thoughts on the quality and relevance of Good Motoring. Of course, it was great to see that overall you seem very happy with the mix of content, the layout, the ease of navigation and the general tone of each edition. Good Motoring has been published since 1935 – so it has quite a pedigree. But we need to ensure it continues to be relevant and interesting, based on an acceptance that a few things have changed since the first edition went to press 84 years ago! But we didn’t run the survey just to get a pat on the back. We know you want more content relating to road safety and driving skills. You also want a wider array of information on what We have some used cars to buy. You’re not too fussed on celebrity interviews and you think we could make the exciting ideas traditional ‘back page member interview’ a bit more interesting. We have some exciting ideas and “ we look forward to implementing them in forthcoming editions. and we look forward to I mentioned in the Spring edition that our President, Viscount Simon, would be standing down implementing after many years of loyal service. I am pleased that Lord Simon has accepted our invitation to become an honorary Vice President, so our association with him is far from over. Congratulations Road safety: the new national picture them in also to Maureen Emms, whose own involvement with GEM stretches back to the early 1980s and forthcoming who has served as Chairman since 2005.