The Great British Land Rover Show, at Stoneleigh in Warwickshire, took place on Sunday 21 November. And after missing out last year when the second round of lockdown restrictions came into force, the annual indoor event was back with a bang.

Timed perfectly for the pre-Christmas market, the show has become recognised as the final flourish in the annual Land Rover calendar. It has traditionally pulled in bumper crowds – but this year, thanks perhaps to pent-up demand following the restrictions that have blighted all our lives since the start of the pandemic, more visitors than ever made the trip to Stoneleigh.

Once again sponsored by BFGoodrich, with support from Terrafirma, Paddock Spares and the All Wheel Drive Club, for the first time ever the show featured a driving course set out by the Land Rover Experience.  Next to the main entrance to Stoneleigh’s show halls, this featured a man-made hill, side-slope and axle-twister which demonstrated the abilities of the Discoverys and Defenders in which visitors could take passenger rides alongside the Experience’s instructors.

With a best-ever attendance leading to a lengthy queue at the doors, the Driving Experience provided plenty of entertainment for onlookers. And this soon meant another big queue as visitors waited in line to climb aboard and see for themselves what it was all about.

For those bringing their own vehicles, the All Wheel Drive Club was once again running the off-road course in the woods at the edge of the showground site. And this too was busier than ever, with more than 300 vehicles taking the plunge – leading at one point to a long line waiting their turn after a highly modified Defender had suffered a broken steering linkage which left it stranded on the course.

It was also notable how many of the vehicles taking part were ‘new generation’ Land Rovers with independent suspension and Terrain Response. Old-school Defenders and Discoverys were perhaps still just about in the lead in terms of numbers but Disco 3/4s, L322s, Range Rover Sports and new Defenders were a common sight too. Interestingly, the marshals reported that most of these vehicles’ drivers were struggling on hills because of not using enough gas – a sign that they had learned how to drive in traditional Landys and were needing to unlearn their old habits in order to get the best from the new breed.

Inside the halls, meanwhile, big crowds ensured that the traders had a busy time of it. All commented that for business and networking alike, it had been a huge success, with Martin Thompson of BFGoodrich summing it up: ‘The Great British Land Rover Show is always a big success for us, and this year it has been better than ever. We’ve had a very busy day and done great business – and I’m pleased to say that we’ll be continuing as Headline Sponsors again in 2022.’

Speaking for the show’s organisers, Managing Director Sarah Moss said:
‘We were absolutely delighted to see the Land Rover community out in force at the Great British Land Rover Show on Sunday 21 November. It’s been a frustrating two years since the event was last permitted to take place due to the restrictions on indoor events, but it was clear that both exhibitors and visitors alike were raring to get back to it and we hope that the Show will continue to thrive and grow in size going forward.’

The organisers are already working on a new springtime version of the Great British Land Rover Show, which is planned for 1 May at Newark Showground. And the show will be returning to Stoneleigh once again next November – you can keep up to date with all the organisers’ plans at greatbritishlrshow.com.

• Texaco’s average fuel price was 135.1p per litre, more than 5p more than the cheapest supermarket
• The cheapest fuel at the ‘big four’ supermarkets is Sainsbury’s, with an average 131.50p per litre
• The cheapest petrol pump was Costco Birmingham, while Sainsbury’s Enfield (London) has the cheapest diesel

While the long snaking lines of cars desperate for fuel outside petrol stations have dissipated, the panic of the fuel shortage is still fresh in many minds.

To add fuel to the fire, there are also reports of diesel costs hitting record highs in November. For drivers, it is easy to feel helpless as winter arrives. 

But it is not all doom and gloom. Vertu Motorcycles have analysed the fuel price fluctuations across hundreds of pumps to see where you can find the best value fuel in the UK. Prices were analysed on a weekly basis for six weeks in September and October.

Their data shows that the cheapest petrol in the UK can be found at Costco Birmingham, on Watson Road (B7 5SA) near Coventry. The cheapest diesel is found in Sainsbury’s Enfield in London, along the A10. 

The frequency of Costco fuel stations on their cheapest prices lists is most likely due to the supermarket’s member-only policy, allowing them to offer more competitive prices. Both lists are dominated by fuel stations found in Manchester and Coventry, too; 60% of stations in our two 10 cheapest fuel stations list are located in these two cities.

Furthermore, the data by Vertu Motorcycles revealed that the big garage brands, such as Texaco, Esso and BP, are best to be avoided for those looking to dodge the priciest pumps, as they consistently offer the most expensive fuel prices across the country. 

Texaco is especially costly, priced at 2.7p per litre more than the national average.

In contrast, supermarket petrol stations offer the better priced fuel for Brits overall. 

Costco, in particular, has the cheapest fuel prices at 129.9p per litre; most likely due to its member-only policy. 

For non-members, the cheapest prices can be found at Murco and independent fuel stations, but these are much rarer than the big garage brands.

Texaco, for instance, has around 800 stations in the UK, while Esso and BP each have over 1,200 locations to fill up at.

In terms of the ‘big four’ supermarkets (Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Morrisons), it’s Sainsbury’s that offers the cheapest fuel prices on average (131.5p per litre). 

Tesco is the most expensive supermarket for fuel, with prices averaging at 132.7p per litre, while Morrisons and Asda sit in the middle with 132.5p and 132.4p per litre, respectively.

Want to make more everyday fuel savings? Check out these top tips, below:

• Branded fuel station or supermarket? Shop at supermarkets for the lowest fuel prices, but if you have the option of an independent station, it is a good idea to shop local, if you can, to keep them in business.
• Have you checked your tyre pressure? Under inflated tyres require more fuel to maintain movement. Just a five-minute check every two weeks could be all you need to save £££ at the pumps.
• Are you filling your fuel tank to capacity? While it might seem like a time saver to fill your tank right to the top, the extra weight will cause your car to burn through fuel quicker. Look to fill your tank up half-way to stay fuel-efficient. 
• What are your driving habits? Accelerating smoothly and maintaining a constant speed, rather than erratic speeding up and slowing down, consumes much less fuel, netting you noticeable savings.

A Vertu Motorcycles spokesperson commented:

 “With the fuel shortage still fresh in people’s minds, it is critical that everyone reassess how and where they buy their fuel from to avoid paying over the odds.

“Of course, it is not viable for those who live near expensive pumps to drive further afield to find cheaper fuel, but knowing which fuel brands are best to avoid could save you a pretty penny at the pumps if you do have the option. 

“Hopefully, this is the last time we hear of any ‘fuel crisis’, but it always pays to do your research and exercise cautious purchasing habits.”

Terranet AB (TERRNT B), developers of advanced driver-assistance software (ADAS) that specifically addresses safety and comfort through precise, fast, and intelligent sensor technology, has announced teaming up with holoride to explore innovative applications for its VoxelFlow^TM technology – helping to revolutionize in-vehicle experiences for passengers in autonomous vehicles.

Munich-based holoride is building the world’s first immersive in-vehicle media platform by enabling processing motion and location-based data in real-time. Through this new iteration of Terranet’s and holoride’s relationship, holoride will be integrated into NEVS’ revolutionary PONS mobility system focusses on urban areas and is built to reshape mobility in cities. holoride’s content adjusts to the motion and route of the PONS mobility system and other vehicles and perfectly syncs with the passenger’s journey. Through this, holoride creates a new media category made for moving vehicles called Elastic Content, which allows for a novel approach in content creation.   

The integration of Terranet’s super-fast object detection and classification system VoxelFlow^TM will help to enhance real-time, in-car XR experiences by incorporating aspects of this versatile sensor tech software into the holoride developer’s ecosystem, empowering content creators to embed geospatial context and real-world road objects into breathtaking virtual playgrounds. Also, fusing Terranet’s game horizon concept with holoride’s Elastic SDK will significantly reduce the design time and the developer resources required to create virtual environments.

“We are enthusiastic about holoride’s mission to add thrill to every ride. In-vehicle entertainment will become even more important along with a higher penetration of self-driving cars,” said Terranet CTO Nihat Küçük. “Terranet’s contribution to a ride in a virtual world is to stream real-world objects – which we see in VoxelFlow^TM – into the VR platform in real-time. With our partner holoride we will disrupt the in-vehicle gaming experience, injecting static and dynamic objects which we detect and classify using Terranet’s neural network model and machine learning algorithms.”

Users will be able to experience a fully immersive experience, reflective of their surrounding realties. For example, when traveling to a European capital, riders get to experience the city and its history in a city tour in one of NEVS’ self-driving vehicles. The resulting experience combines what riders see through the windows with a VR/AR overlay that incorporates the same places and sites in the historical context of the previous century. The holoride VR headset soaks riders  into an immersive virtual world of gaming, entertainment or information – whatever is preferred. Both static and dynamic objects of a rider’s real local environment are transformed into a visual and auditive historical scenery. A city ride on a NEVS autonomous vehicles can quickly become a thrilling experience e.g., being embedded in an action game that takes place in your very local neighborhood. Beyond cities, theme parks or film studios could stream their 3D entertainment content into a motion aware ride through their facilities.

By the joint agreement the three companies, holoride, Terranet and NEVS, aim to push for establishing a new paradigm of unmatched safety and offering a novel media format through XR experiences for the passengers in an autonomous vehicle. Terranet led holoride’s  Series A funding round earlier this year and joined existing shareholder Audi as strategic investors. The ongoing strategic business collaboration with holoride opens a new vertical for Terranet’s VoxelFlow™ technology by reusing 3D event data for XR applications, like augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR). 

About Terranet

Terranet AB (Nasdaq: TERRNT-B). With a vision to save lives Terranet designs and develops a new class for vision-based sensor systems, used for road safety. It markets and delivers a software stack with features available across vehicle platforms and car models. The technology was handpicked and showcased twice at the innovation platform STARTUP AUTOBAHN powered by Plug and Play in 2021. The company is located in Lund and Stuttgart. Terranet AB (publ) is listed on the Nasdaq First North Premier Growth Market. Discover more about Terranet: www.terranet.se/en/.

About holoride

holoride creates an entirely new media category for passengers by connecting Extended Reality (XR) content with data points from the vehicle in real time. These data points include physical feedback, like acceleration and steering, traffic data, as well as travel route and time. holoride technology provides a new type of immersion into any kind of VR content, creating a breathtaking, immersive experience, and significantly reducing motion sickness. The tech startup was founded at the end of 2018 in Munich, Germany by Nils Wollny, Marcus Kuehne, Daniel Profendiner and Audi, who holds a minority stake in the startup. In April 2021, holoride raised €10 million in its Series A funding round led by Terranet AB, earning the company a €30 million valuation. That same year, ​​holoride won the prestigious SXSW Pitch and was also named Best in Show. It has been hailed “Best of CES 2019” four times, recognized as one of the “100 Best Inventions of 2019” by TIME Magazine and is part of the global innovation platform “STARTUP AUTOBAHN powered by Plug and Play”. For more information, please visit https://www.holoride.com/.

• 23% of car owners say they have bought their car a Christmas present in the past
• More than four in ten greet their cars when they walk up to it
• 25% of owners have named their cars
• Car personality is the biggest reason Brits name their cars, with Ford owners most likely to name theirs 

A new survey asking 1,000 car owners how they treat their vehicles has found that 23% of car owners have bought Christmas presents for their cars in the past. 

A mixture of maintenance gifts and ‘sprucing up’ products, like new wiper blades and air fresheners, are just some of the Yuletide presents that Brits like to give to their beloved vehicles over the winter period.

A further 23% say they haven’t bought their cars Christmas presents but would like to in the future. 

Interestingly, more than four in ten (42%) of British drivers also say they routinely greet their cars when they walk up it, with Londoners (67%) being the main region of vehicle greeters.

When gender was analysed, the survey by Vertu Motors found that men are most likely to greet their cars. They are also the most likely to buy their cars Christmas presents. 

However, men aren’t always showing affection to their vehicles, with nearly three-quarters (73%) admitting they show anger or resentment towards their car if it performs badly, suggesting men have a strong emotional connection with their cars regardless of circumstance.

Women are more likely to name their car because they think it has a personality, whereas men prefer to name theirs after a person or object, such as a favourite film, music artist, or beloved relative.

The survey further found that young car owners (18-24 years) are the most sentimental towards their cars. Out of all the age groups, they are most likely to name their car, greet their car, and buy it a Christmas present. They are also the age group most likely to name their next vehicle.

When asked about naming conventions, the survey found a quarter of Brits (25%) have named their car in the past and 63% are likely to name their next car. 

Some of the top reasons Brits said they name their car are:

Of all car models, Ford owners are most likely to name their vehicles, with 36% saying they have named their Ford motors at some point.

The most sentimental time for car owners is that fateful first car, with almost two-thirds (61%) of Brits saying they named their first car.

A Vertu Motors spokesperson commented:

“It is wonderful to see so many car owners not only naming their vehicles, but also treating them to special gifts and treating them like one of the family.

“The sentimentality that many of us share with our motors remains strong for the majority of Brits, from the very first car and beyond. 

“More than just being a means of transport, our cars become our closest allies in times of need and often become a focal feature of many car owners’ biggest life events. There is a strong bond there, which we completely understand here at Vertu Motors.”

Millions of motorists are being urged to book MOT’s as the pressure of the COVID backlog starts to mount on mechanics.

The car leasing experts at LeaseCar.co.uk are encouraging drivers to book their MOT’s in as soon as possible to ease the strain on garages.

The DVSA (Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency)  granted a six-month extension for MOT’s at the start of the pandemic which has led to experts predicting an intense surge in bookings this autumn.

This extension will change what was generally an even spread of MOT’s across the year, to a high concentration in the latter months of 2021.

The surge in demand is expected to come not from those who took advantage of the extension but for those who have a MOT due in October, November, and December.

As a result, drivers will need to book their vehicles in order to remain road legal and road safe ahead of the change in season. 

A spokesperson for LeaseCar.co.uk said: “Over the last 18 months garages have felt the pressure from the sheer volume of work that they are receiving.

“We’re encouraging those who haven’t already to book their MOT’s in good time, as to avoid the last minute rush and relieve the pressure on mechanics.

“Not only this but as we move into the autumn and winter period it’s important that our vehicles are safe for the roads especially as the conditions begin to change.

“They are simply overrun; there is no other way to put it.”

Concerns not only surround the road safety and legality of British motorists but also the mental and physical strain on the country’s mechanics.  Experts are reminding drivers to show compassion towards the automotive workforce ahead of an extremely busy period.

MOT’s must be renewed every 12 months unless your vehicle is less than three years old, in which case an MOT must be carried out on its third anniversary.

The fine for driving without a valid MOT certificate can be anywhere up to £2,500 and in some cases three points on your license.

According to GOV.uk the maximum charge for a car MOT is £54.85 and £29.65 for a motorcycle.

General Tire Provides Tips for Safe Off-Road Trips

The SUV and pure off-road vehicle segment has been growing in popularity for years. All these vehicles are characterised by their comparatively long wheelbase and generally have a permanent or at least switchable all-wheel drive. That’s the perfect setup for moving forward, even when the paved roads are behind you. But to have control at all times on soft and loose surfaces, such as gravel and loose stone, and even rocky terrain, off-road beginners in particular, should always observe a few basic rules. After all, unlike on public roads, there is no breakdown service in the forest to get damaged vehicles running again within a short period of time.

Off-road operations are traditionally a main focus of General Tire. The tyre brand is regarded as an expert in 4×4. “Automotive manufacturers know that hardly any of their vehicles ever drive off the road,” explains Matthias Bartz, Business Development Manager at General Tire. “ SUVs are increasingly being fitted almost exclusively with purely on-road tyres at the factory, even true for off-road vehicles and pickups. The problem is that these tyres aren’t sufficiently damage-resistant, and they also can’t interlock sufficiently with loose surfaces.” So, if you are also planning off-road driving, you will need to replace your tyres. Well-known manufacturers such as General Tire have all-terrain tyres in their product line that offer balanced performance both on and off the road. “Special off-road products like the Grabber AT3 meet the everyday requirements of modern SUVs, pick-up trucks and off-road vehicles, with the advantage of an excellent drive and braking forces transmission even on loose ground, thanks to the numerous grip edges on the tread pattern design that interlock with all kind of terrains” adds Angélica Cáceres, 4×4 Product Manager at Continental Tyres.

If you want to avoid missing the adventure of driving off-road under extreme conditions, you should consider using specialist off-road tyres. “These tyres are designed primarily for use on unpaved terrain,” says Bartz. “A true mud terrain tyre even delivers performance in deep, muddy ground and, with its stable and solid tread blocks design, protects against damage to the sidewall which occurs when in contact with obstacles on the track.”

To ensure optimum traction off the road, Matthias Bartz recommends adjusting the tyre pressure to the applicable situation: “The information provided by vehicle manufacturers in the operating manuals assume you are driving on the road. In rough terrain, contact with the ground improves when the tyre pressure is reduced by around 10 percent. This will increase the contact area and grip. On sand, a reduction of 25 to 40 percent is well advised. On very soft surfaces, the tyre pressure can even be reduced by up to 50 percent compared with the manufacturer’s specifications.”

General Tire: Know-How Beyond Tyres

Due to their rich history in the off-road industry, General Tire’s expertise goes well beyond the area of tyres. “If your vehicle is stuck in the mud, it’s time to keep calm. Some simple tricks can usually help you continue your journey,” advises Bartz . “Anything that helps the tyres build up traction is useful. For example, you can try to remove the mud in front of the wheels with a shovel. Or you can put car floor mats under your wheels. If absolutely necessary, you can even use sticks. Alternatively, you can try to interlock the side walls of the tyres using careful lateral steering movements.”

In the worst-case scenario, you should always also have salvage equipment in the vehicle. That includes gloves, cable winches, straps, or chains as well as a shovel, axe, and tree protection. “Straps can be fastened to recovery points with cable winches,” says Bartz. “To do this, always make sure that the tree is sufficiently stable and that the strap does not damage the trunk.” For vehicles without a cable winch, Bartz advises against using a jack: “Using a jack can be very dangerous in off-road terrain unless you have experience with it. In addition, a stable baseplate is essential.” Lifting bags are a somewhat unknown alternative – they are large PVC bags filled with air from the exhaust that can lift the vehicle up quickly to get it back on track. They are expensive, but lightweight, easy to stow and easy to handle.

Dave Dineen, Head of the Specialist Division for Micheldever Tyre Services says “For over twenty-five years, we as a business have helped develop product patterns and niche fitments with General Tire. Listening to the needs and requirements of our customers and the end consumer has assisted in creating a range of 4×4 tyres which are market leading”. Dave continues “The partnership between MTS & General Tire has helped develop even more new niche fitments, which will be introduced over the next 12 months, further reinforcing both companies’ dedication to developing this important segment”.

General Tire has published even more tips and tricks for a trip into nature here.