During the programme we heard from Susie Wolff (in the photo), a development driver with Team Williams; Alice Powell one of many up and coming female racing drivers; Claire Williams, Deputy Team Principal at Williams; McLaren Team Principal Martin Whitmarsh; national racing treasure Sir Stirling Moss and F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone.

Sir Stirling suggested that few women have the same derring-do attitude as men in this area. He might be right but one thing is crystal clear to me – you’d be foolhardy to ever say ‘never’ with such female determination to prove the opposite in Formula One. But the odds seem stacked against today’s hopefuls when it comes to sponsorship.

As long as motoring and motorsport is perceived to be a male only industry and UK sponsors are mainly confined to motoring related products, I can’t see this changing much in the short term. Although it’s very different in the US with high profile Danica Patrick and her career in NASCAR and Indycar racing.

Is Sir Stirling right?

I think there is a shared male and female undercurrent that agrees with Sir Stirling’s opinion that women lack that ruthless streak, mental toughness and flat out fearless ability to drive faster than anyone else. After all it’s only speed that counts in racing and all other associated matters pale into relative insignificance…

Yet there’s no problem to do with female hand-eye coordination, today’s racing cars are increasingly intuitive to allow us to concentrate on speed and if multi-tasking was a pre-requisite surely we’d be leading the field? But can women develop the bulging neck muscles and back strength they’d need to cope with the g-forces they’ll experience during a sustained race period?

Much more to the point, should they have to? I’m not so sure.

Gender Issues in F1 racing

Could it be that many of us are confusing equality with the desire to compete in all areas? Women that are naturally ambitious are used to competing and winning at school and University. The only obstacle to ambition in education achievement may well be University fees in the UK today.

And whilst the battle for equality remains to be won in many employment areas competition is a good thing here because it means a better talent pool and higher standards for the future.

But there are still stereotypical male perceptions that could be holding women back in motor racing. You just have to read the uncomplimentary comments made by men whenever the subject of women and our motoring prowess is mentioned. When Maria de Villota had her awful accident at Duxford last year I doubt there were many that troubled to read that this had nothing to do with her being female. And whilst men in the know support Susie, Alice and the other many aspiring female racing drivers, there are still many men out there that think women couldn’t do it no matter how good they get…

I’d also like to see successful women drivers being more assertive about their achievements.

Why do so many say they don’t want their ambition to be confused with any crusade for feminism, that they haven’t been discriminated against and that they want their results to be based on equality merit alone.

That all sounds honourable of course but where has it got them, the many fast females we’ve never heard about in the past and those female racing drivers (like Zoe Wenham in the picture above) who are just as good but mightn’t be as lucky as them in future?

And do the rest of us average women drivers really care just how fast they drive compared to Lewis or Jenson? Wouldn’t we and most men be just as happy to see the pick of the female bunch racing fast and entertaining us all during a female friendly track day out? For a change.

I am sure there’s a time and a place for women racing drivers being generous to men (who’ve had more opportunities than them to date) but that’s particularly female and short sighted in my opinion. let’s get out there and prove our strengths first, not our weaknesses, on a big stage…

F1 Women

If we can have a racing drivers club for women, a motoring club for women, business clubs for women, football and rugby teams for women and separate tennis tournaments for women at Wimbledon why can’t we have our own Female Formula Racing League?

Take Formula Renault for starters where we’ve seen Susie Stoddart (now Wolff), Pippa Mann, Paula Cook, Laura Tillett, Emma Selway, Katherine Legge and Alice Powell to name but a few.
And we’ve had Vicki Butler Henderson, Jo Kramer, Annabel Mead, Amy Chambers and Mel Healey in the full national Clio series. And how many of these names do you recognise now?

I found all this out by accident when I asked Renault why there were no females out of the fourteen contenders in this years Clio Cup Series. Marc Orme explained the reality of racing life to me… ‘If a female driver turns up with the budget, we’d be more than happy to see them on the grid.’

And there you have it. We have the female talent, the glamour to make it a potential spectacle (grid boys were suggested – that’d be equality for you) to address the fact that women drive cars as well as men. I’m confident that there are many FOXY Ladies across the UK who would like to see and be entertained by women driving fast in future.

Being Number One in a female field

I do believe it’s possible to have a very different looking podium for a Women’s Championship of sorts.

We need sponsors that appreciate that men and women aren’t the same; and that few females expect to be treated the same. Sponsors that are ahead of the game and recognise the value of the female pound. Ones that are interested in being associated with an event that supports fast female drivers… knowing that most women aren’t but we’d enjoy seeing our racing sisters doing their thing around a racing circuit. Doing it like men, but differently…

And who knows what the future might bring.

I’d like to see the interested parties getting together, reviewing the perception that equality is the only way and developing a blueprint for a motoring event that shows what fast female racers can do – an event that lost of women will support. What’s wrong with being Number One in a female field after all? Isn’t that be something to be proud of? Why wouldn’t this attract a new female audience in future?

Yes, I’m sure it’s been tried before, it probably didn’t work then and yes women are less likely to achieve the speeds that men in F1 do, but I sense the time is right to have another go. Let’s do something different to recognise our female racing talent and to celebrate our being different from men, as if there is any doubt about that!

FOXY Steph

We thought that young FOXY Lady Drivers in particular would like to know which classics can be cheaper to insure than more modern models.

FOXY footnote

Yes, classic cars like VW Beetles, Minis, Morris Minors and Triumph Heralds CAN be cheaper to insure and yes they’re undoubtedly fun to drive and look amazing… but that isn’t the whole story. Most classic car insurers will look for evidence that you belong to a car club like ours – suggesting you will take better care of your car than if you hadn’t joined a club…

There’s also other financial considerations of course. Be sure to factor in fuel consumption and road tax too – only pre-1973 manufactured cars are tax exempt as is, these cars are rarely environmentally friendly so most score badly on VED-related CO2 ratings AND you may find the new MOT regime somewhat onerous (and expensive to pass)…

But if you’re still determined to buy into that vintage look, we recommend you join FOXY and at least together we’ll be able to help you find a local garage that knows how to take care of an older car – not all appreciate their finer points, believe me!

FOXY Steph

As I went into the smart showrooms of Lifestyle Europe in Brighton I was impressed by the warm and friendly welcome. The service was exceptional and I was shown every gadget and widget the car has to offer. The only teeny issue I had was that the car was to be in the brightest yellow and certainly stood out! I soon learnt that this colour is fantastic when you’ve left the car in a public car park – you certainly can’t miss it!

On the other hand, if you just want a quiet drive and don’t want to be noticed, avoid this colour – as everyone’s eyes are drawn to it! Perfect for lovers of yellow and mini-celebs everywhere!

This model is important as the Clio is the replacement for Renault’s biggest seller.

Good looks

The funky-looking new Clio has a diamond-shaped front grille with a huge Renault badge. The Clio only comes as a 5-door now and the rear door handles are ‘hidden’ in the trim by the window. In fact, it looks like there are only three doors – very sleek!

This is a grown-up version, with new glossy exterior trim and ‘dynamic curves’ as Laurens Van Den Acker, Director of Industrial Design at Renault says in the brochure introduction.

The new Clio certainly takes a leading place along with today’s alternatives, while staying true to its original self.

There are four versions of the car: Expression, Expression+, Dynamique MediaNav (which I drove) and Dynamique S MediaNav. My car had 16” Passion alloy wheels, a new dashboard with 7” touch screen access to the onboard sat nav and media centre. The seats were comfortable but no different from earlier models and the same applies to the gear stick and hand brake position. This model had a leather steering wheel with gloss black insert to match the gloss black surround front speakers; electrically adjustable (manual folding) black gloss door mirrors and rain-sensitive windscreen wipers.

Whilst the Renault air conditioning and cabin temperature controls haven’t been updated, there are new personalisation features which mean you can create your own exterior and interior trim colour scheme. Apparently there are 30,000 option choices for trims, add-ons and gadgets! The mind boggles.

The new shape includes extended visibility through extra glass next to the side mirrors which is disconcerting at first but a bonus and easy to get used to.

Value for money

Current offers for the basic Clio range at Lifestyle Europe are between £11,995 and £14,995 depending on the type chosen, and there are finance arrangements available through Renault. The colour scheme comprises Glacier White, French Blue and Inca Yellow for solid paints and Oyster Grey, Diamond Black and Mercury for metallics, although there’s an extra cost for anything other than Glacier White.

The Clio range includes many features not always standard elsewhere such as electric windows at the front (the handles at the back let the car down, it has to be said), central locking via a key card, an excellent MediaNav centre including sat nav, radio, Bluetooth, USB and hands free technology, great sound system and fingertip controls on the right-hand steering wheel stem.

The range of Clios (apart from the 1.2 16V 75) has Renault eco² technology which means the vehicles emit less than 120g/km of CO² and is manufactured in a plant that has been certified ISO14001. The car can be 95% recoverable at the end of its life cycle.

My model has CO² emissions of 104 which makes it road tax exempt, a particularly attractive point for environmental and budgetary reasons. The 5-gear speed box gets a fuel consumption of c51.4 for urban driving and a combined consumption of 62.8 which makes it a good economic proposition.

Driving performance

I chose the petrol version rather than diesel simply because that’s what I currently drive so I could equitably compare.

Although this version had an 898cc engine, this wasn’t noticeable once the car was in third gear and above.

I was a little disappointed to see Renault haven’t tackled the problem of sluggish performance while going uphill, but the small engine size certainly didn’t make itself known on the motorway. My Yellow Peril positively purred past other drivers with a happy-go-lucky backward wave!

I found it nimble on a combination of dual carriageways and rural roads in Sussex. The 16 inch alloys meant it was quiet over bumps and it cornered fairly well. As with eco-version cars these days, when the engine was running, you couldn’t hear it. Switching the Eco mode on meant I was using less petrol too.

The practicalities

The back seats fold down easily to allow for extra space when needed and the usual good size Clio boot is still there, although it seemed more basic than on earlier models and you have to pay extra for a 15” spare wheel.

There was plenty of legroom in the front but because the new Clio has a more aerodynamic design, space at the rear seems to have suffered slightly, as has the rear window size.

The MediaNav is simple to use, especially if you’re used to sat navs, computers and technology generally. But – consider the usual disadvantage with touch screens: finger marks which certainly show up in the light.

A slight disappointment is the smaller glove compartment size which is due to a storage shelf above. Also there are two cup holders, one larger than the other, but they’re next to the handbrake which seems really awkward to use. There’s another cup holder for back seat passengers. And once again – no secure handbag storage area!

But I loved the hands free key card and stop/start button; also the useful placing of the hazard light and door locking buttons at the top of the dashboard panel. And the car has that satisfying ‘thunk’ sound when the doors close too!

The seat controls were the same as earlier models, basic but practical and easy to adjust.

Summary

Renault certainly hasn’t lost its Va Va Voom with the new Clio.

There was a certain French quality feel to the car and the thought of 30,000 options is impressive.

As a best seller, I would have expected little things like electric windows at the back, a full size spare tyre and a slightly quirkier dashboard, but the new Clio is still a highly functional, fun and enjoyable drive.

The Renault 4+ package is comforting too – it includes 4 years’ warranty, 4 years’ roadside cover, 4 years’ servicing and 4 years’ finance package if needed (Ts & Cs apply).

So, would I upgrade to the new version?

Mais oui, naturellement!

Jill Woolf

FOXY FACTS

Model tested: Renault Clio Dynamique MediaNav TCe 90 S&S petrol engine, 5 door, 5-speed manual gearbox.
RRP: The new Clio range starts from £10,595. The Clio Dynamique MediaNav TCe 90 S&S petrol engine costs £13,345. Metallic paint adds £495.
Buying discounts: Current Lifestyle Europe offers from £11,995 to £14,995.
Fuel economy: MPG is Urban 51.4, Extra Urban 72.4 and Combined 62.8 which means it’s an economic car to run.
Insurance group: 8 ie should prove fairly cheap to insure.
Road tax/VED: 0
Safety: Scored 4-5 stars on the European New Car Assessment Programme http://www.euroncap.com/tests/renault_clio_2005/220.aspx
Reliability: A mid-range number 101 in the cars chart in the Reliability Index – this is based on claims made under warranty so again, it’s based on older models.
Environmental C02 rating: 104gsm.

Just to remind us, the official upper limit for license points is 12, or six for those who have held a licence for three years or less.

The recent DVLA report confirms that many male drivers with 25-36 points are still allowed to drive on our roads. A male driver from Warrington, for example, has the highest number of points on record at 36.

Currently, there are 20.4m male and 16.8m female licence holders in the UK to give some context to the fact that it’s largely men who fall foul of the law in this regard:

+ Of the top 34 licence point holders, 32 are men.
+ Of the top 99 licence point holders, 85 are women.
+ 2256 men are still driving with more than 12 points on their licence.
+ 351 women are still driving with more than 12 points on their licence.

IAM chief executive Simon Best said: “Law abiding drivers will be shocked that so many drivers are on the road who have more than 12 points. The ‘totting up’ principle is supposed to give a simple four strikes and you are out message. Anything more than this should be a disqualification, unless there are the most exceptional circumstances.

“There must be tighter practice in courts and at the DVLA to take these motorists off the road or ensure they take a driver retraining course to help them break their points habit.”

Steph Savill, managing director of FOXY Lady Drivers Club said: “For most motorists, collecting points is expensive, embarrassing and potentially highly stressful. But they make us more vigilant drivers. The relative few who collect 12 points in a fairly short period of time must be either ignorant or contemptuous of the rules of the road. They are getting away with it because the courts seem unwilling to play the disqualification cards they hold. There may even be a case for making serial point scorers re-sit the theory and practical driving test before their licence is reinstated.”

And the car insurance situation may well be a further cause for concern. Knowing how quick insurers are to refuse claim cover where the insured hasn’t kept their side of their insurance contract, imagine being involved in an accident with one of these high scorers whose insurer then refuses cover because they weren’t informed of these points…

And having turned my thoughts to Georges of note, I am left musing why there aren’t more cars named after men, for that matter…

I can think of several car models named after women today. Alfa’s Giulia, Renault’s Zoe and Clio, Lotus’ Elise, Portia (only joking Porsche) and of course Mercedes the brand. But when it comes to boy’s names used as current car models I’m almost totally stumped, other than SEAT’s Leon.

Yes one wants to steer clear of translation problems like Rolls Royce’s Mist (mild swear word in German) and Vauxhall’s Nova (means ‘it doesn’t go’ in Spanish).

Which is presumably why many use letters or numbers such as BMW’s 1, 3 and 5 series, Citroen’s C1-9 series and Peugeot’s size driven numbering logic (from 107 to 5008).

But I have never wanted to have a relationship with a model number which is presumably why many of us end up naming ours something more personal… Which is why I’d much prefer to drive a car with a quintessentially English name, one built in England if not UK owned of course, a model I could fall in love with.

As I see it, if women buy Zoes and Clios then presumably men would buy Freds and Georges. And bearing in mind the dramatic increase in female buying power, perhaps more women would enjoy drive a car with a male persuasion for a change…

What about the likes of William, Harry, John or George for model names for starters? I can’t see any of these causing translation problems or offence, they must be well known names overseas and any Royal connection would surely be good business for the UK car industry?

My own car? He’s called Romeo; a pet name that’s far removed from his 1-series family. Strangely enough he always seems to respond to my tlc and coaxing…more than a female would I suspect.

Would you drive a car named George I wonder? I’d be proud to wave the English flag in this way.

FOXY Steph

One such dealership is Motor Village, a Fiat owned dealership in Croydon that also sells Alfa Romeo, Jeep and Chrysler models.

I called in there recently during a Family Day called ‘Safe and Secure’ and met their friendly reception, sales and service staff.

Female friendly dealership staff

Staff don’t need to be female to be female friendly of course but finding women on the car sales floor is a particular bonus for me.

One such lady is Miriam Spalla who perfectly represents the Italian brand in my mind when it comes to style and flair.

Not only is she evidently Italian but she also lives and breathes engines as a result of her father’s passion for cars. She explained to me that she has a very brief window opportunity to impress male car buyers with her technical knowledge; before meeting Miriam, many think a man is more likely to know the performance facts they are interested in.

She will do well.

During the course of the day The AA put on car maintenance displays, there was plenty on offer to entertain the children, the coffee was particularly good and for those of us with a love for older cars, there were some fabulous and highly stylish Fiat classics on show.

There were holiday-like candyfloss and popcorn stalls and the business was clearly doing well in terms of car servicing bookings on the day as well as more than just a passing interest in new car models on the showroom floor.

All in all, this was called a ‘family day’ but I have no doubt that the actual target audience was really women.

Motor Village is a FOXY Lady Approved garage and their female customers are entitled to claim a gift membership of FOXY Lady Drivers Club via their reception team.

Do call in and collect yours – you’ll be made to feel as welcome as I was I’m sure.

FOXY Steph

And then you see the car in the distance on the next dual carriageway, having reduced his journey by a few mindless minutes… What was all that about eh?

A recent survey carried out by road safety charity Brake and car insurer Direct Line found that a quarter of male drivers risk catastrophic head-on crashes by overtaking blind in this way, whilst nearly half (44%) admit speeding at 60mph+ on rural roads. Apparently men are much more likely to take these deadly risks than women, and more than twice as likely to have been involved in an overtaking near-miss or incident.

To be precise their research found that during the past year…
- Almost one in four men (24%) and one in six women (18%) admitted overtaking when they couldn’t be certain nothing was coming.
- One in five men (20%) and one in 10 women (9%) have been involved in an overtaking near-miss or incident while driving.
- More than half of all drivers (54%) have witnessed an overtaking near-miss or incident by another driver, with one in five (19%) experiencing a vehicle approaching on their side of the road.
- Over half of women (52%) have been afraid when travelling as a passenger when their driver has overtaken another vehicle.
- More than four in 10 men (44%) have broken a 60mph limit on a rural road, compared to one in four women (24%); men are twice as likely to do this monthly or more.

In 2011 six in 10 UK road deaths were on rural roads. Out of every four killed, three are male.
Brake is pressing for government and local authority action to lower speed limits on rural roads to 50mph or lower and implement measures to deter speeding and overtaking, especially on crash black-spots and road that pass through rural communities.

Ellen Booth, senior campaigns officer at Brake, the road safety charity, said: “Some people kid themselves they can get away with excessive speeds and dangerous manoeuvres, because they know the road. Yet driving on rural roads is highly unpredictable, and the consequences of risk-taking often horrendous. Our advice is avoid overtaking unless essential, stay well within limits, and slow right down for bends, brows, in bad conditions and in communities.”

Simon Henrick, spokesperson at Direct Line Car Insurance, said: “More than three people die on rural roads in the UK each and every day and many of these deaths could be prevented. Our own data suggests that young drivers and their passengers are even more likely to die on this type of road. Drivers should remember that patience is a virtue when it comes to deciding to overtake another vehicle, as it could be a life saver.”

I’d like to echo Ellen’s sentiments to “Hang back, slow down and chill out.”

The irony of all this is that the Gender Directive means that women are to pay more for their car insurance to go towards these accidents.

Which women are much less likely to cause than men.

How unfair is that?

FOXY Steph

It was Mothers Day, I got taken out for lunch, the sun shone on the Saturday and then it snowed on the Sunday… Ah yes I remember the weekend I test drove the new Kia Rio very well indeed!

And it’s not just me that the Rio has made a good impression on – since the ‘new’ Rio model arrived in UK showrooms it’s collected a load of best car awards which is always a good thing to consider.

Sadly, unless you’re a female following FIFA or UEFA football games, the Australian Open or cricket at the Oval (that Kia sponsor), you mightn’t know all that much about this particular car brand despite its ‘family friendly’ marketing plans.

So this car review is for women who mightn’t be footie fans or petrolheads even but still want to know about the safety, reliability and practicality of their new car choices when it’s shopping time.

Let’s start by introducing Kia as a Korean brand with a European manufacturing plant in Slovakia and an industry leading 7 year warranty, which will surely reassure you about the reliability you can expect from their cars. And the car model I am writing about here is their Rio ’2′ in the photo below, a 1.4 litre petrol engine with 3 doors and a 6 speed manual gearbox, supplied by Birchwood Group’s West Sussex Motors in Washington.

Good looks

The ‘new’ Rio has had a style makeover, adding a new ‘tiger-nose’ grille giving it a sporty stance and what they call ‘a muscular rear.’ The male equivalent of Pippa Middleton I expected… silly me.

It looks smart, the lines are clean and there are two body-styles depending on whether it’s the 3-door (ie wider front doors for easier back seat access) or the 5-door version.

The car comes in 4 different models – the ’1′, the ’1 Air’, the ’2′ and the top of the range Rio ’3′.

My car was in silver metallic paint with 16 inch alloys, a chrome surround grille and electrically folding and heated wing mirrors (which came in handy when it snowed) with integrated indicator lights. It had an attractive looking dashboard, a leather trimmed steering wheel & gear stick and was nicely upholstered in a quality black cloth. A stylish combination but, having raised my expectations here, I found the car ‘rear’ to be disappointingly ordinary if I’m honest

Value for money

The Rio range includes many features that aren’t always standard elsewhere, such as electric windows, central locking, Bluetooth, USB and AUX ports (all rated as impressive by my gadget loving son) with stereo controls mounted on the steering wheel. I was particularly reassured by the Vehicle Stability Management, Electronic Stability Control and Emergency Stop Signalling safety features across the Rio range.

Granted the diesel models have the lower emissions (starting from 85 g/km) and better fuel consumption as a result but you’re still getting impressive fuel consumption of c50mpg for a combination of city and motorway driving. The 6 speed gearbox makes motorway journeys especially economic.

Driving performance

Petrol engines are usually zippier to drive than diesels and this one comes in 1.25 and 1.4 litre engine options and a 6 speed gearbox. There’s an automatic version as well. I found it agile on a combination of dual carriageways and rural roads in Sussex. The 16 inch alloys meant it was quiet over bumps and it cornered well. Of particular note were the responsive brakes and the fact that when the engine was running, you couldn’t hear it. In fact it was so quiet my husband thought it had a Stop ‘n’ Start gearbox and had switched itself off at the lights. It hadn’t!

The practicalities

The back seats fold down 60:40 to allow for extra space when needed. Even without this the boot seemed quite roomy to me.

I’d choose the 5 door model given the choice but my son still found it easy to get in the back via the front doors.

There was plenty of legroom front and back and the cabin felt a lot more roomy than the exterior of the car might suggest.

If you buy the Rio ’3′ it comes with rear parking sensors which I’d probably opt for.

The radio and IPod settings were simple, even for me and particularly important on this Mothers Day – the heater worked quickly and efficiently thank goodness…

Summary

As you can glean from all this and the FOXY Facts below, Kia has a good pedigree and the Rio’s safety and reliability credentials are reassuring. Just as important to many women, this is a car you can probably get into and feel sufficiently confident to drive off in within minutes. It just feels familiar.

This matters because many women aren’t as confident test driving an unfamiliar new car as men – which may explain why many of us stick with the brand we know.

I felt instantly comfortable in the driving position, the seat was easy to adjust, I had excellent all-round visibility and the driving controls felt handy and familiar as well as intuitive.

On the minus side I struggled to get the gear shift into reverse and whilst my husband could do this with ease I wondered if it might be something to do with hand size (or just a wimpy me this time around)?

But apart from this tiny niggle this is an award-winning car I’d happily recommend to women for safe and easy motoring.

Steph Savill

FOXY FACTS
Model tested: Kia Rio ’2′ 1.4 petrol engine, 3 door, 6-speed manual gearbox and ISG (ie Intelligent Stop and Go).
RRP: The new Rio range starts from £9245. The Rio 2 1.4 petrol engine costs £11295. Metallic paint adds £445.
Buying discounts: West Sussex Motors has a scrappage scheme which would be the best offer whilst it lasts. Otherwise Kia savings of £1400 on the ’2′ model apply until 30 June 2013.
Fuel economy: MPG is Urban 39.2, Extra Urban 62.8 and Combined 51.4
Insurance group: 8 ie should prove fairly cheap to insure
Road tax/VED: £100 (nil for entry diesel model)
Safety: 5 Star Euro NCap rating (2011) incorporating Adult, Child, Pedestrian and Safety Assist tests. This is an improvement over the 2009 4 star rating and includes 6 airbags as standard.
Reliability: An above average number 35 in the Top 100 cars chart in the Reliability Index – this is based on claims made under warranty so again, it’s based on older models.
Environmental C02 rating: 128gsm.

To mark this occasion, and ignoring the weather for now, here are our TOP TEN TIPS so FOXY Ladies can combine some ‘catch up’ chores with relaxation to make this a memorable Bank Holiday break for all the right reasons.

1. Read all those newspapers from the last week or two you haven’t had time to look at because life took over.

2. Call friends you promised to see in the New Year but haven’t got round to.

3. De-clutter your home, desk, garden, wardrobe AND your car.

4. If the weather allows, get out in the garden and tidy up ready for what might pass as summer or if you live in a flat, try planting a window box.

5. Go for a walk, clear your head and get back in touch with nature if you live in the country, or your urban surroundings if you’re in a town.

6. Visit somewhere close you’ve always been meaning to go to but never had the time…

7. If you’re able, visit the seaside and walk along the prom with an ice cream (or a hot chocolate depending on the weather)!

8. Treat yourself to a lie-in and don’t feel guilty (unless you have children, in which case, try some of the other ideas…).

9. Take time to read a book, see a movie, pick up a magazine – make a big pot of tea or a mug of steaming coffee perhaps; curling up on the sofa and enjoying what’s left of your Easter eggs this Bank Holiday.

10. Check the oil level and windscreen wash in your car, tyre pressure and tread, and dates for your next service, MOT and insurance renewal. Then take it for a drive somewhere fun…

Finally award yourself a pat on the back and, if there’s any time left this weekend, generally carry on enjoying being a FOXY Lady!

You’re in good company!

FOXY Lady Steph

I love driving, I like cars and I write for a living so when I was offered the chance to do some new car reviews for FOXY Lady Drivers Club, I jumped at the chance.

What could be better than sampling the latest models, designs, shapes and colours the motoring world has to offer?

And after reading up about the new Eco-Boost 1.0l Fiesta that’s so economic to run but without sacrificing engine power, I was keen to find out more. Just don’t ask me how Ford manages to do this but my test drive convinced me I was driving a car with a really powerful engine despite my preconceptions based on the engine size.

But, dear reader, please don’t expect any more than this from me about the internal workings of the engine or those complex on-board computers. Despite being fairly street-savvy, I am still one of those women who benefit from FOXY’s Women in the Driving Seat evenings where the garage or dealer shows you what’s actually under the bonnet and what to do with it!

But how times have moved on for Ford since my first car, a Ford Escort, and the many unhappy hours I seemed to spend in repair shops after silly prangs, where the proprietors seemed to take delight in patronising me. Let’s face it I was young, naive and totally inexperienced at the time. FOXY Lady Drivers Club’s female friendly advice wasn’t even a glint in Steph’s eye back then.

Good looks

So you can imagine my surprise and delight when I collected my new Fiesta 1.0 Eco-Boost Fiesta from Birchwood Ford in Eastbourne and saw how much Ford has improved the exterior design, making this particular model look very sporty and jazzy.

The car I drove was in shiny metallic Panther Black (grrr…), which also helped!

The front grille, alloy wheels and almost coupé-like side and rear view make this new Fiesta a really good-looking super-mini; one to be proud to be seen in.

Value for money

This being a FOXY review, it’s important to look at the finances of course. I was particularly impressed by the Eco-Boost Fiesta’s fuel economy recording an average 65.7 mpg as well as a free VED (road tax) bill because of its remarkably low C02 emissions. The mpg ratings are affected by the Stop Start feature which means the car isn’t using fuel when you’re sitting at traffic lights or in a traffic jam yet the moment you touch the throttle it powers up immediately.

These are all important considerations in today’s economy when looking at the cost of running cars, not just the cost of buying one. I’d also add the reassurance that comes with buying a trusted Ford, as illustrated in the Reliability Index (see below), knowing that low running costs will add to your car’s resale value when the time comes to buy the next new one.

Driving performance

This gem of a car drives beautifully too. The latest in engine technology means it happily and economically purrs along and the Eco-Boost model slips effortlessly into gear to overtake or meet the challenges of a hill, even with a full load of passengers when we visited the ETC exhibition in Brighton.

It really is a delightful ride; the chunky leather sporty steering wheel feels fantastic and the front bucket seats have electric heating, meaning you just don’t want to get out of it on a cold day.

This car handles brilliantly and corners masterfully.

The practicalities

The modern, updated dashboard not only looks good but is actually easy to use once it’s explained. The friendly sales executive at Birchwood went through every button and widget with me (what a contrast to customer service levels I remembered of old) and I found the Bluetooth connection with my mobile phone easy to operate.

The car comes with parking sensors and a rear view camera (always useful), crystal-clear-sounding radio and CD player, power automatically retractable side mirrors (a boon if you have a narrow garage or when you park on a busy street), a mirror which dims when there’s a car with headlights on behind, heated front windscreen, rain sensor lights and a great black leather interior.

There is a full size spare tyre, not one of those slim-line versions, and the tools for dealing with a puncture are all neatly stored under the tyre.

If I had to find faults, I’d say that for an average height person it’s a little short on legroom in the back, the glove compartment could be bigger, the boot didn’t have the storage bins I’m used to and there’s nowhere easily accessible or safe to store a large handbag! Having said that, the back seats are easy to fold down for extra shopping space, to carry a baby buggy or wheelchair, perhaps.

Ford Emergency Assistance is included for my peace of mind and I should add that the older Fiesta came out No 1 out of 100 in the Reliability Index which augurs well in terms of running and servicing costs in future.

I really enjoyed test driving the Fiesta Eco-Boost but it’s flagged something up I wasn’t expecting – a simmering desire to buy a brand new car.

Watch this space for more reviews as I go through my car buying homework with you in the near future.

Jill Woolf