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Volvo promises that this new S60 is the most dynamic and sporting car in its range. It's aiming to appeal to buyers in the premium segment, though it's just as likely to be looked at by people moving up from mainstream cars like Fords and Vauxhalls. Being a Volvo safety is high on the agenda, so the S60 comes with City Safety collision avoidance technology as standard, while it's possible to pay extra for a pedestrian recognition system with auto brake - wh...

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The Nissan Juke, one of the most hotly anticipated cars of 2010, will start at only £12,795 when it hits UK showrooms in September.

When Nissan first revealed the Juke its price was estimated at £16,000, but the Japanese company has managed to bring the starting price right down to £13,000 in a bid to steal sales from the MINI.

The new crossover was one of the stars of the Geneva Motor Show in March, and is now almost certain to be an instant hit. Its styling caused a stir at...

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Used cars have never been in as much demand as they are now. Family budgets are tighter than ever, so getting the best from a car is essential - and that means buying a motor that won't depreciate faster than the Greek economy.

Here is our top ten list of used family cars to suit every need and pocket, all with around 60,000 miles on the clock and in superb condition.

Car: BMW 320d Touring ES
Year/plate: 2005/55
Price: £8,200

It's not the obvious choice for a family wagon, but this BM...

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Petrol prices have not been higher since the late 1910s. What's next?

According to the AA, Petrol prices are unlikely ever to go below 110p a litre again, even though fuel costs are on their way down again.

The reason for this is a combination of increasing fuel duty and measures by Opec (an alliance of oil-producing nations) to control the price of oil, usually by restricting its supply. The AA argues, in fact, that we will never see prices fall below the £1 mark.

What's causing hig...

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The British driving test marks three-quarters of a century of helping keep people safe on the road when it turns 75 on Tuesday 1 June.

The first car and driving licences were introduced in Britain in 1903. But it was not until 1 June 1935 - amid rising numbers of deaths as the popularity of the car increased - that a compulsory driving test was introduced.

The first driver to pass was Mr J Beene and within a year, the number of deaths on the road had fallen by 1,000.

In 1934, ...

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Travellers are advised to check for delays and cancellations before beginning journeys this bank holiday weekend.

As many as 15 million cars are likely to take to the roads this bank holiday weekend.

With schools breaking up for half-term, roads are expected to be particularly busy on Friday 28 May, and again on Saturday.

The AA predict that routes to the south west of England are likely to be the busiest, with congestion also expected on main routes to the coast and national ...

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London Mayor Boris Johnson has made clear his plans to radically change the current Congestion Charge.

This comes shortly after the announcement that the charge itself will rise to £10 but the controversial western extension will be scrapped.

The new rules state that all cars that meet Euro V emissions standards and emit less than 100g/km of CO₂ will be exempt from the charge.

Under the new rules, many small, economical hatchbacks will be no longer be charged.

Hybrids and alternative f...

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I really fel for anyone taking their test today.  Right outside the centre is a mess.  It's down to one lane going from east to west, the right hand lane is out, causing all sorts of issues, specially as there is no information on approach so other road users are all over the place.  Bewars the random drivers and those following their sat navs.

Then just down the road in the dip, there are huge amounts of digging going on.  Not sure what they are doing here but traffic is very thick and cars c...
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Even though these tips are for academic exams, the same logic applies for your practical and theroy test.

1. Make your own revision cards

Using all of the senses helps information stick in the brain and it’s always useful to have an at-a-glance revision tool, so write your own revision cards and notes, using uppercase handwriting and highlighters to emphasise important points.

2. Try some teamwork

Talking and listening helps reinforce facts so talk your revision through with a friend. For ...

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The term 'barn find' couldn't be more appropriate for this classic 1954 Aston Martin DB2/4 that was liberated from a farmer's chicken coop.

After 34 years of laying with the chickens, the rare DB 2/4 Mk1 with a 3.0-litre engine was plucked from its resting place to be restored.

The high performance machine was taken in exchange for a bad debt by a farmer, who drove it once before storing it in a barn.

For its only drive, the farmer took it to the pub with five friends on board but the p...

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There's nothing better than passing your driving test. Well, actually there is: getting your first set of wheels.

Choosing the right first car can be a minefield of balancing the dream drive against running costs and the price of insurance. You want something stylish but your pockets say otherwise.

We have the solution with five fun and slick starter motors for the just-passed-the-test driver.

Every one we have chosen comes with a realistic price to pay and all should be in very good ...

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Welcome to Tuning World Bodensee 2010! You may not have heard of it, but this three-day event held in Germany features 1,000 unique cars, all tuned or restyled in some manner, from the sublime to the ridiculous. There are sideshows including a drifting exhibition and cars that dance. Yes, you read that correctly. Topping it all off is Miss Tuning 2010

www.messe-friedrichshafen.de.

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Lamborghini is recalling more than 400 of its Murcielago supercars following fears of a fuel leak that could lead to a fire.

The Italian supercar maker has recalled 428 Murcielago coupés and roadsters in the USA that were built between May 2006 and April 2008.

A problem has been identified where the fuel pump can detach from inside the petrol tank, resulting in a leak that could cause the car to catch fire if the engine is hot or if there's a spark from the ignition when the car is st...

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Congratulations to Seb for passing this morning.  he passed with just 3 minors, which is a fantastic drive down in Brislington where the pass rate is far lower than that of Southmead.  Well done Seb, see you on the road.

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Keynsham road, the national speed limit road running by the cadbury factor, is having some road works done right now and is down to one lane.  It gives you 400 yards to check your mirror and get your speed down to something sensible enough for you to deal with a possibly a red light and big change in position.



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Caped crusaders have the chance to bid for their dream car when a Batmobile comes up for auction at the historic Brooklands racing circuit on 2 June.

The winged wonder-car is expected to reach £50,000, which is a bargain for a Batmobile when originals from the 1960s television show cost £250,000.

This Batmobile is one of only three steel-bodied versions ever made and comes complete with television in the dashboard, rear parachute for quick stops and a Batphone.

Based on a Lincoln Cont...

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Picking the best cars of the 20th Century is always going to provoke debate. But like choosing the best albums or movies, a common set generally rises to the top.

We don't claim that this is the definitive list, but each car here is a bona fide classic, and more importantly, each is relatively within reach. No Ferrari 250 GTO or Aston Martin DB5, then, but some genuinely tempting bargain legends.

Original Mini

There's nothing left to say about the car that revolutionised urban mobility...

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Clocking is one of the biggest threats to used car buyers. If you've never heard the term before, it's when a crafty seller tinkers with the odometer to make it look as though a car has covered fewer miles, which increases its value.

What's worse is that it's almost impossible to spot, so you could be paying well over the odds for a car that's a lot more tired than it looks.

A BBC 'Watchdog' investigation recently uncovered serial car clocker, Ashley Singh, who sold such cars from hom...

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Another congratulations, this time to Benson.  He also passed yesterday at Southmead Test Centre with an incredable 2 minors!  Benson was one of the best students I've ever taught and fully deserves his licence.  Well done.

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Congratulations to Jodie first of all.  She passed yesterday morning at Southmead Test Centre first time.  Jodie racked up 8 minors during her exam, most of which could be put down to nerves.  Well done Jodie, see you on the roads.

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Renault could soon find itself facing one of the most bizarre legal challenges in automotive history. A 23-year-old woman from Paris called Zoe Renault has warned the French maker it may face court action if it calls its electric supermini Zoe, as planned.

Ms Renault has hired a law firm to act on her behalf, though the company is also representing a host of other women called Zoe with the same concern.

A formal letter has been drafted to the carmaker by the law firm, petitioning it ...

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There are 3 way traffic lights in place on Canford Lane/Dingle Road/Combe Lane.  3 way traffic lights take a while so be patient.  It's pretty staright forward on Canfor Lane, bt coming from Combe Lane might be a little harder.  The problem is the traffic lights are hidden around the corner, so pay attention to the make shift warning triangles on approach.  There is a "wait here when lights are red" sign, so don't over shoot your mark.  It's also the end of the road here and if you fail to se...
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Chris Evans has spent a staggering £12 million on a 1963 Ferrari 250 GTO at a private treaty sale.

The huge sum doesn't top the record £15.7m paid for a 250 GTO in 2008 by a UK businessman, though.

The 250 GTO is considered to be the world's most coveted car by many. Only 36 of the V12-powered sports cars were ever produced between 1962 and 1964.

Evans is currently celebrating, having attracted an extra million visitors to BBC Radio 2 after he took over the coveted breakfast slot fr...

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McLaren F1 designer Gordon Murray's T.25 city car is no secret, but an electric version called the T.27 could hit the roads by next year.

Should the rumours have substance, the word is that the T.27 will be the 'world's most efficient electric car'.

Thanks to £4.5m of Government money from the Technology Strategy Board, the T.27 could be in production before Christmas.

That money enables Murray to kick-start the so-called iStream manufacturing process he devised. He claims it is the ...

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Used car buyers in the UK could lose their car and their cash if they buy an illegally cloned car says the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO).

As part of ACPO's Car Crime Awareness Week that runs from 17-23 May, the police are highlighting the problem of cars that have a false identity stolen from another similar vehicle.

More than £13 million worth of cloned vehicles have been recovered since 2006, but ACPO says the problem is much larger after the theft of 100,000 blank V5 ...

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If you're worried about getting to work safe and sound, the Knight XV is the luxury car for you.

This £325,000 armoured SUV dwarfs a Range Rover and comes with bullet-proof bodywork.

It's based on a massive Ford F550 pick-up truck, uses a whopping 6.8-litre V10 engine with 400bhp that can be started remotely before reaching the car, and it weighs in at 5.5-tonnes.

The company that builds the Knight XV, Conquest, says it will tailor the armour plating to each customers requirements, but...

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From 1 May it became illegal to act as an accompanying driver in a category C1 (medium size lorry), C1+E, D1 (minibus) or D1+E vehicle unless you've passed a driving test for the category of vehicle concerned.

From now, the supervising driver in category C1 or D1 Vehicles (including vehicle plus trailer combinations) must:

• hold a full (post 1997) licence for the same category of vehicle as that being driven by the learner
• have held that entitlement for the relevant period of time...

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The process for disabled people to get an exemption from vehicle tax is being made easier. From Monday 24 May 2010, rather than having to apply you will automatically be sent a Certificate of Entitlement. You can then use this to get a free vehicle tax disc.

Getting a free vehicle tax disc
At the moment you need to apply for a Certificate of Entitlement to get a free vehicle tax disc.

However, from Monday 24 May 2010 you will automatically be sent...

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In the wake of high-profile car recalls by Toyota and Honda, Mercedes-Benz is now also being hit by demands to issue a recall. Owners of some Mercedes C and E-class BlueEfficiency diesels have reported that their cars suddenly lose power, sometimes when driving at high speed.

The trouble has been attributed to faulty fuel injectors made by Delphi, an outside supplier. Mercedes said it was aware of the problem, which first came to light last November, but that it would not be issui...

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A garage worker wrecked a client's £200,000 Ferrari after he took the supercar for a spin on the road to "put it through its paces" following an MOT.

The Ferrari 612 Scaglietti, which has a top speed of 196mph, was being driven by a road tester from a local MOT centre when it smashed into a lamppost and flew over a two-foot wall into the middle of a roundabout.

The dark blue vehicle, one of only a handful of models in Britain, was seriously damaged after the crash in New Malden, Surr...

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The Government has pledged to set up a charging infrastructure for electric cars. The announcement comes just days after the formation of a historic Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition, with David Cameron the new PM.

A statement by the newly formed Government said: "The parties agree to implement a full programme of measures to fulfil our joint ambitions for a low carbon and eco-friendly economy, including the establishment of a smart grid and the roll-out of smart meters."

Conser...

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Absolute nightmare.  A 4 way traffic light system is in place for god only knows what, and the lights arent working.  Heading from the A4, back towards the test centre the lights are stuck on red.  Everyone is jumping them, doing turns in the road and all sorts of other random things.  The lights going the other way are out completely, so they are essentially jumping them too.  There are lights on ither side too, but I'm unsure as to what is going on with them.

If you're on your test, do what ...
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With global warming now high on everybody's agenda, there has never been a better time to think about eco-driving.

Regardless of the vehicle you are driving, there are techniques you can use to save fuel and to minimise your impact on the environment. These techniques have been an integral part of the advanced driving process, delivering eco-benefits through fuel efficiencies, since the IAM was established in 1956.

1. Ask yourself: "Do I really need to drive?" The shortest journeys - few...

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Electric cars are big news right now. No longer are we confined to the choice of a milk float or a tin box G-Wiz - things are getting serious as the big manufacturers get in on the act.

Last year, MINI launched a series of public trials for its all-electric MINI E in the UK. The few lucky Brits who took part in the scheme signed up to pay £330 a month for the lease and they've reaped the benefits of zero fuel, road tax and congestion charging costs ever since. MINI has even covered ...

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Amazing new car technology that allows a driver to steer just by looking in a certain direction has been developed. The Chrysler Voyager-based Spirit of Berlin could bring new meaning to the hands-free kit on your next car.

Developed by professor Raul Rojas of the Free University of Berlin, the eyeDriver technology uses a combination of groundbreaking software and cameras.

The system works using two cameras, one pointing out towards the road and the other pointing at one of the driver...

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Ford to offer drivers a talking Twitter service

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If asked to turn left at the traffic lights art the moment get into the righthand lane.  As soon as you've come aroudn the corner the lefthand lane is closed due to bus shelter work. 



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Skoda has launched its greenest ever car - the Fabia Estate Greenline II, which emits just 89g/km of CO₂ with average fuel consumption of 83.1mpg.

Along with the new Roomster Greenline II, the pair marks the start of the second generation of eco-friendly Greenline Skodas. The bigger Roomster returns 67.3mpg and emits only 109g/km of CO₂.

Both are powered by a new three-cylinder 1.2-litre diesel engine, which uses a supercharger rather than a conventional turbocharger. It develops 74b...

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Although Europe is unlikely to ever rely solely on natural gas for fuelling vehicles, the use of this abundant resource could in part alleviate the demand on fossil fuels. In other parts of the world, notably Asia, natural gas based fuels are dominant, with the government mandating its use in certain transport sectors.

You may be familiar with LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) or Autogas. It has been around for a while. Many older, large capacity cars have been converted to run on LPG in ...
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Congratulations to Josephine for passing the other day at Southmead driving test centre.

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There are a few goings on in Stoke Bishop on several roads, but all in the same area. 

Firstly Mariners Drive is being completely dug up and resembles something like a ski salom.  Slow and steady with plenty of mirrors. 

Right near by, on several test routes is the giant hole in the ground at the entrance to Old Sneed Road.  This will require caution, both going into and exiting the steet.  You'll potentialy be on the other side of the road, so careful here.



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Extent of potholes revealed

More than one in ten drivers has had an accident after swerving to avoid a pothole, a survey has revealed.

More than half of drivers think the condition of the UK's roads is unacceptable, while 58 percent believe that the next Government should make road repairs a main priority.

Britain's roads descended into pothole chaos during the Christmas 2009 snowstorms. It's only now that the full extent of the damage it's causing is becoming clear.

In February 2010 ...

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Bored?  try some of these drivig games to pass the time.

http://www.topgear.com/uk/games

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Chinese manufacturer Geely has unveiled a city car set to be cheaper than the Tata Nano - which could make it the world's cheapest car.

Known as the Geely IG, it has four seats and could cost as little as £1,500 when it goes on sale in China in 2012. The Tata Nano, which has yet to hit the UK but is expected in 2011, costs around £2,500.

Despite the small price tag, the tiny IG is unusually flamboyant - it has top hinged 'gullwing' style doors, just like the Mercedes SLS supercar.

Ge...

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Top auction house RM made its way into the record books yet again when it sold a 1962 Ferrari 400 Superamerica Cabriolet Pininfarina SWB for £2.4 million at a prestigious auction in Monaco in May 1 - the highest recorded price for a Superamerica.

The Sporting Classics of Monaco sale, held at the Grimaldi Forum, was packed with rare and exotic classic cars, five of which sold for over €2 million (£1.7 million). Four of the top five sellers were Ferrari 250s from the 1950s and 1960s...

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Drivers on British roads whose vehicles are registered abroad are evading fines totalling nearly £15m a year because authorities here are failing to enforce them. Figures disclosed under the Freedom of Information Act also reveal that many police forces routinely discard speeding tickets and local councils simply do not bother to issue parking tickets to vehicles with foreign numberplates because tracing the owner is too time-consuming.

Information obtained by The Sunday Times shows th...

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Drivers of two popular people carriers are being warned of a safety defect that means the cars could roll over during a high-speed swerve. The alert follows the release of dramatic footage of a safety test showing a Citroën Nemo Multispace flipping onto its roof when professional testers simulated an accident avoidance manoeuvre — the so-called elk test. The same car is sold by Peugeot as the Bipper Tepee; about 2,500 of the cars have been sold in Britain since their launch in...

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TomTom has unveiled its next generation satnav device, designed to beat congestion and get drivers around quicker.

The GO LIVE 1000 features over 1.2 million more miles of road and will 'continuously scan the road network for the fastest routes.' TomTom believes it sets new standards in accuracy and speed.

This real-time traffic update function is combined with a new high definition touch screen that the maker says is clearer than ever.

In addition, it comes bundled with a 12-month su...

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Fifteen thousand pounds goes a lot further in the used marketplace. Our selection of thoroughbred sports cars wears badges that you'd have paid many multiples of that figure to get near in a new car showroom. You'll be surprised at what you can afford, with a Ferrari even within your reach - just.

Porsche Boxster: 1997 - 2005
From £6,000

The sensible place to put your money, the Boxster isn't just cheap to buy but should be inexpensive to run too.

Selling in big numbers since it was i...

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Almost half a million car crashes are the result of drivers losing control after late goals, according to new research.

Insurance company More Than says research suggests football fans lose control at the wheel when they hear their team score, a problem termed Final Score Syndrome.

"With the Premier League coming to a thrilling conclusion a lot of fans will either be suffering joy or despair this weekend," said Pete Markey, from More Than.

"Sunday in particular could prove a peak da...

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Two special offers running this month.  First off, a 30 hour intensive driving course over either 2, 3 or 4 weeks for just £500.  That works out at just £16.66 per hour!  Intensive courses are by far the best way to learn.  Quicker, cheaper and the student always shows far better driving skills by the time the test comes around.  You'll need to have passed your theory first and then book in your practical, then we can fit in the hours to suit you.

The second special offer is for 2 hour lesso...
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It's a parking manoeuvre 67-year old Ralph Hudson will never forget, when he mistakenly pressed the accelerator instead of the brake pedal and nearly plunged seven stories to the ground through a car park's brick wall.

Luckily for Mr Hudson his Mercedes C-Class was left dangling half out of the wall and he was able to get out of the car. The cars below were not so fortunate and seven were badly damaged by the falling bricks.

Mr Hudson was parking in the Bank of America car park in Tuls...

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