We at DriverVIBE absolutely love BBC2’s Top Gear, not because it offers an accurate representation of the motoring world for your average Joe but for the sheer entertainment it provides. Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May travel the globe to bring viewers the most outrageous reviews and group tests of both new cars and models they have purchase themselves.
One of the most interesting parts of the show has to be the “Star in a Reasonably Priced Car” segment which sees all manner of celebrities clamber behind the wheel of the show’s cheap and cheerful motor tearing around the Top Gear test track at Dunsfold Aerodrome in Surrey. At approximately 1.75 miles long the track is a real challenge even for The Stig with corners aptly named "Crooner Curves", "Willson Bend","Hammerhead" and "Bacharach Bend"
All manner of celebrities have rocketing around the track since the shows successful relaunch in 2002 all gunning to beat each other to be crowned the fastest celeb. Stars have included Jamie Oliver, Terry Wogan, Stephen Fry, Simon Cowell and John Prescott. The fourteenth series in 2009 saw an influx of A-list celebrities getting in on the action such as Ryan Reynolds, Will.i.am. Cameron Diaz, Matt Le Blanc and Tom Cruise
A pivotal part of the feature has been the cars chosen by the show that receive a serious thrashing every time they are taken out on the track. Sometimes with hilarious results as many celebrities struggle to stay on the track veering off onto the grass, into the tyres and even managing to damage the car in the process.
The first “Reasonably Priced Car” was a £9,995 Suzuki Liana saloon. Hardly known for its decent handling it saw Ellen MacArthur crowned the reigning champion at the end of the first seven series’ that it featured with a lap time of 1:14.7. The slowest person to cross the finish line was Richard Whiteley who took a leisurely 2:06.00.
The second car to be used by the show was a Chevrolet Lacetti which was used from 2006 to 2010 and saw Jay Kay crowned the fastest around the track with a lap time of just 1:45.83. The slowest celebrity was Jimmy Carr who spun off during the timed lap earning him a lap time of 2:08.9. At the end of the car’s time with Top Gear it was decided by the team that it would be unsafe to allow the car to be sold on or driven on public roads so it was decided that it had to be destroyed. In true Top Gear tradition crushing the car in the usual way just wouldn't be entertaining enough so the team took the car to the demolition site of the two 550 ft chimneys at Lafarge Cement's Northfleet Works. The Lacetti was placed in the path of the falling towers and was partially crushed rendering it undriveable.
The most recent “Reasonably Priced Car” was Kia’s very decent Cee’d five door hatchback which was referred to by the team as the "See Apostrophe Dee" during it’s time on the show. It was the first car to be driven around the track by more high profile celebrities and saw the Friends star Matt LeBlanc post the fastest lap time of just 1:42.1. At the bottom of the pile was the well known Damian Lewis who returned a time of 2:09.1 which is the slowest time ever recorded by a celebrity. However the track was covered in snow at the time.
Last week it was announced that when Series 20 begins in the Summer Clarkson, Hammond and May will reveal a new “Reasonably Priced Car” to replace the Kia currently used. We thought that we see if we could guess what the new car would be before the big reveal. With new car prices creeping up all the time there are very few cars out there that could be described as reasonably priced. We are hoping that it isn't left up to the trio to decide what the car will be. Their skewed view of what is affordable to the average Joe would most likely see a car such as a Porsche 911 join the popular feature. Below are the three cars that we think would make an ideal “Reasonably Priced Car”.
Dacia Sandero £5,995
Dacia - Renault’s bargain sub brand - recently launched their cheapest model the Sandero in the UK with a starting price of just £5,995. It is officially the cheapest new car in Britain by a fair margin mainly because of a number of cost-cutting measures. Firstly the base spec model has black bumpers, steel wheels, wind-up windows and doesn't even come with a stereo. It comes fitted with a 75 bhp 1.2-litre petrol engine that propels the Sandero from 0-62 mph in 14.5 seconds. More importantly it is a firm favourite of James May who often disrupts Top Gear’s news segment with the latest Sandero news. The little Dacia is our top choice for the next “Reasonably Priced Car”
Suzuki Alto £7,199
Suzuki’s smallest car the Alto costs £7,199 in basic SZ trim and comes with an equally tiny 1.0-litre 68 bhp petrol engine which sees it reach 60 mph in 13.5 seconds. With it’s narrow tyres and low kerb weight it should be very entertaining to see hurtling around the Top Gear test track at higher speeds. In comparison to the Dacia Sandero it has plenty of standard equipment including body coloured bumpers, electric windows and a CD player. It should also prove to be very reliable as Suzuki really have no idea how to produce an unreliable motor. It may be that the Alto is a little too small but we think it could well feature on the new series of Top Gear.
Skoda Rapid £12,905
Saloons have always proved popular with the Top Gear team as two of the previous three cars have been saloons despite the UK’s lack of enthusiasm for them. Recent Skodas have shrugged off their bargain image and prices have also crept up too but the recently launched Rapid changes that. At a shade under £13,000 it seems expensive compared to the Dacia and Suzuki but it is a much bigger car. It straddles the supermini and compact hatch segments but it still undercuts the latter on price. For your hard-earned cash you get a 1.2-litre 75 bhp petrol engine that results in a 0-62 mph time of 13.9 seconds but can return up to 61 mpg.
If you think you have a better idea of what the next "Reasonably Priced Car" will be we would love to hear from you.
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Essentially a shorter version of the already launched Rapid Liftback the new model is 180 mm shorter with a more upright rear window line and additional rear quarter window for improved visibility. Described as a Skoda’s “young compact car” the Spaceback is all-new from the B-pillar rearwards with larger rear light units. Buyers will have the option of a prolonged rear window in conjunction with a panoramic roof that extends all the way down to the rear number plate recess adding a dash of individuality.
Prices have yet to be announced but the Spaceback is likely to command a small premium over it’s already established sister-car so expect the range to start from around £13,500 when it hits UK roads. Engine and trim options are likely to mirror the Liftback but the Spaceback will buyers the choice of a range of personalisation options which will help increase appeal to younger buyers.
