A new car. Boy o boy.There's nothing quite like their unique smelling interior, the oh-so deep lustre in the paint and that wonderful feeling you get from being the car's very first driver (ignoring the fact that a whole bunch of people have probably driven it pre-delivery!). Of course, a newie also represents the very latest-and-greatest in automotive technical advancement - so it's only fair to assume you're driving a car with the absolute best of everything. Brakes, suspension, interior room, engine performance - the works. And that pretty much is what you get - most of the time...
It's ironic. With today's heavy focus on road and vehicle occupant safety, it seems we're all getting caught up in the latest-and-greatest technical developments - but forgetting about some of the basic essentials. How many airbags does a car have? Does it have offset crumple zones? Does it have ABS? These are the safety features that most people look for in today's new cars. But, while these are indeed valid considerations, what about some of the primary safety issues that go completely unmentioned - aspects like visibility and the user-friendliness of the equipment? Oh, yeah we forgot about that kinda stuff...
This shift in safety focus struck me the other day while I was at the wheel of a new Alfa Romeo 156 Sports Wagon. We all know this is a pretty trick-looking car - especially for a wagon - however, in its quest for styling supremacy, primary safety has taken a major slide. Rear quarter visibility in this vehicle - like for reversing and lane changing - is 100% genuinely appalling. No question of that. In fact, it's s-o hard to check your blind spot, you have to make your lane changes a sort-of suck-it-and-see exercise - just in case you didn't spot a car hiding next to you! Oh, and try checking who's tailgating you while the rear headrest are lifted up... you might as well try looking through a brick wall!
So - while I'm sure the 156's crumple-zones do work very well - it's just a shame that it's unnecessarily been made into a car that requires them more than it should!
I really hate to say it, but yet another current model Alfa Romeo has proven to be a big-time flop in its level of visibility (and, no, I don't despise Alfas!). The current 166 saloon has dangerously thick A-pillars - like, thicker than any car you can think of, no matter how old! You make a right-hand turn in an Alfa 166 across a dual lane intersection and you fear where the end of the dividing strip lies - coz there's no way on earth you can possibly see it past the fat pillar!
Visibility like this would've been hammered even back in the '80s - today it's inexcusable.
And now we arrive at the indecipherability of the aforementioned Alfa 156's factory controls. While the pretty little Alfa's standard anti-lock braking system will undoubtedly help you in avoiding an accident, I'll bet there'll still be a lot of 156s that end up rear-ending other vehicles. The reason for this is their drivers will probably be trying to work out how the hell to operate the VDO sound system! While this flashy heads-unit does look very impressive, it really is so all-consuming to operate. At one time, I even watched a front passenger hold her head right up to the unit while trying to decipher its functions! Don't try that one while driving or you'll end up making a big mess of the Alfa's beautifully sculpted nose cone!
Nothing like being distracted by an illogical stereo for seconds at a time, eh?
So - bearing all this in mind - primary safety (ie the things that give accident avoidance) is an extremely important safety aspect to look for in a new car. Airbags and seat belt pre-tensioners are only needed when you've gone past the car's levels of primary safety - or someone else has run into you...
I've seen a few, um, interesting body kits running around the place recently. Nah, I don't mean another Hyundai Excel with a seagull perched on the bootlid and a set of side skirts - I'm talkin' much, much worse. Yep, worse! One specific example I've seen is an otherwise-stock looking N13 Nissan Pulsar (the boxy model) fitted up with the curvaceous and round fog light'd Evo 4 front bar (modified to suit, of course). Ooo, now that's a look! If you want a mish-mash of styles, just try to visualise this car - it's got more rampant-running lines than there is on Granny's face!
To be fair though, body kits - especially one-offs - are very hard to get right. It's all-too-easy to end up with something that looks plain ol' stupid...
However, an awful lot can be learnt by looking at the styling that HSV (and other factory-backed tuners) use with their enhanced cars. Every line and contour of their plastic add-ons is absolutely consistent with the proportions and grace of the overall body - even the style of wheels. Everything's made to look 100% integrated so that nothing stands out like, well, dog's balls! In stark contrast to this, though, take a look at some of those aftermarket Japanese body kits that you see in magazines and on some import cars - aren't they putrid?! They've got funny little flares and kick-ups in all kinds of weird places - and it seems like the more fibreglass you can bolt-on, the better. Take note of some of these kits - even some of the top-brand ones - to learn what not to do!
Okay, so you still want to go extreme with a body kit?
Probably the most radical factory body kit you'll recognise is the Lancer Evo 3's - the first of the wild-looking Evos. Its deep, cutout front 'bar, thick sideskirts and towering rear wing are all truly huge by any standards. And the only reason the little Lancer suits it, is because the kit matches the overall proportions and shapes of the car. Again, this is the key factor. Ralliart saw that the standard Lancer had some slight slab-sidedness, a few definite looking panel edges and styled their kit accordingly - while also maintaining an aerodynamic benefit.
So p-l-e-a-s-e, now that you know, don't go for curvy body add-ons when you're car's kind of boxy - or vice-versa. At least, that way, people won't laugh at you. Not like they did when they saw that horrible nose-heavy, stylistically-challenged Pulsar.
Barf...
