Motoring Jargon Jargon - S
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A vehicle with a separate boot. Many hatchback vehicles include a saloon variant. See our A-Z of saloons and our
top ten saloons.Satnav uses a database of maps and satellite tracking of your car's location to direct you to a desired location. Can be bought as an add-on from a shop or built into to your car's dashboard.
As seen on soft-top cabriolets or roadsters, scuttle shake is the result of a lack of structural rigidity which often manifests itself as juddering cabins and poor handling. Less likely to be seen on hard-top convertibles.
A manual gearbox that changes gear automatically without the use of a clutch pedal.
Semi-automatic transmission with a simple 'up' and 'down' mechanism on the gearstick.
Bars built into the side of door panels to prevent injury to the cabin's inhabitants. As seen in Vauxhall's Cavalier advert here.
SOHC stands for Single Overhead Cam Shaft, as opposed to the more common Double OVerhead Cam Shaft (DOHC) seen in most modern engines. SOHCs are lighter, less complicated and have a higher low-end torque, but DOHCs are better for high-end performance and speed, if somewhat heavier. Before the advent of DOHCs, SOHCs were simply referred to as OHCs (Overhead Cam Shafts).
List of a car's main gizmos, including safety equipment, multimedia, fabrics and materials and assorted other gadgets. Usually determined by the trim level.
Device normally fitted by boy racers to their Peugeot 207 GTIs. Designed to increase downforce, and therefore traction, the effectiveness of many spoilers, particularly the more ostentatious variety, is open to debate.
Refers to the way steering communicates the road surface and traction of the wheels. Good feedback will tell the driver how safely he can drive and corner on a particular surface.
Turns off engines when idling, at traffic lights for example. Used most widely in the 'warm hybrids' of European manufacturers often in conjunction with regenerative braking, stop-start technology reduced fuel consumption by up to 10%.
Chrysler-patented seating system that allows the seats to be folded flat into the floor in less than 30 seconds.
Device that forces compressed air into a combustion chamber, thus increasing power output. Often used in place of, or occasionally with, turbochargers.
A supermini is a European classification that describes cars smaller than a hatchback but larger than the likes of a budget or city car. Renault Clio, Vauxhall Corsa, Ford Fiesta, Peugeot 207 and Toyota Yaris are notable examples.
Controversial vehicles styled on traditional off-road vehicles such as Land Rovers and Jeeps, SUVs have recently become fashionable for the moneyed classes to ferry their kids to school in. Beloved of footballers for the supposed prestige, hated by Ken Livingstone for terrible fuel economy and emissions figures, SUVs are increasingly the focal point of battles over car emissions.
SW in the automotive industry generally refers to Sports Wagons - a recent term that generally means small estate. Sports Wagons are intended to combine the functionality of a larger car with the driving dynamics and style of a smaller car, and are generally based on a hatchback chassis. Manufacturers such as Kia, Peugeot and Subaru designate their smaller estates as Sports Wagons. Other manufacturers simply plump for Estate, Avant or Tourer.
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Cow pats, coffee beans, deceased cats and dirty nappies might not sound the sort of stuff you want to fill your car with, but all have been posited as potential alternative fuels to oil. | 05/09/2008
As more drivers turn to all-road estate cars to fill the gap left by a gargantuan 4X4, MT scouts Volvo, Audi and Subaru to see how the leading lights shape up against one another. | 05/09/2008
Gas guzzling manufacturers suffer as high taxes and petrol prices bite, but bad news for manufacturers could be good news for buyers. | 05/09/2008
Toyota has revealed new images of the new ultra-small iQ city car, which will go on sale in the UK in January from around £10,000. | 05/09/2008
England spinner Monty Panesar becomes brand ambassador for Jaguar and collects a brand new XKR sports car from the Big Cat. | 05/09/2008
|05/09/2008
Toyota has revealed new images of the new ultra-small iQ city car, which will go on sale in the UK in January from around £10,000.
|05/09/2008
New-car and van registrations in August drop 20 per cent over the month, used car values are worst since early-90s recession. The recession hits the UK car market.
|04/09/2008
Volkswagen’s new Scirocco coupe arrives in UK showrooms this week, priced from a shade under £21K, yet can be yours for £259 per month courtesy of VW’s personal contract plan.
|05/09/2008
Cow pats, coffee beans, deceased cats and dirty nappies might not sound the sort of stuff you want to fill your car with, but all have been posited as potential alternative fuels to oil.
|04/09/2008
Hyundai rolling up to Paris Motor Show brimming with new models and concepts. Like the world debut-making Hyundai i20 supermini, and all-new Santa Fe petrol-electric hybrid SUV crossover and ix55 SUV.
|20/11/2007
Around 400 people a day risk damaging their car by misfuelling, and filling up with gas is a mistake that could cost thousands. So what do you do if you´ve filled up your diesel car with unleaded petrol?
|06/12/2007
Fuel protests similar to those that brought the UK to a halt in 2000 are being planned by a breakaway group of disaffected hauliers, according to press reports.
|14/03/2008
Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond will take the multi award-winning BBC TV Top Gear show on the road, as the live event goes worldwide.
|28/03/2008
Volkswagen has been forced to issue a statement on the Polo singing dog advert after complaints that the dog was mistreated. VW says the animal was not harmed.
|05/01/2007
Using new ´dust-to-dust´ scales that measure a vehicle´s environmental impact from construction to scarpping the Jeep Wrangler 4x4 surprisingly emerged as the greenest car on the market
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