Back to basics: Euro NCAP Safety testing

Euro NCAP, backed by the European Commission, organises simulated crash-tests and provides European motoring consumers with independent assessments of the safety performance of some of the most popular cars on sale. Formed in 1997, it is backed by seven European Governments as well as motoring and consumer organisations in every EC country, with the UK’s […]

Back to Basics: Cam Belts and Chains

This is a familiar subject, but one worthy of a fresh review. A key part of any car engine is the drive mechanism that operates the camshaft, which in turn operates the inlet and exhaust valves. With nearly all diesel engines, the high compression ratio, and therefore the relatively small combustion space, means that if […]

Back to Basics: Gear ratios

In past times, road testers often made comments like “there’s something of a gap between third and fourth that maybe makes overtaking 50mph traffic more difficult than it should be”, and we maybe wonder how the designers and manufacturers could arrive at such ill-chosen ratios. Even now, it may sometimes be evident that sixth gear […]

Back to basics: ABS and ESP Systems

In 1985, the Ford Granada and Scorpio were introduced to the European market with a Teves electronic anti-lock braking system (ABS) throughout the range as standard, for which the model was awarded the coveted European Car of the Year award in 1986, after receiving highly favourable praise from motoring journalists. Ford’s bold initiative encouraged other […]

Back to basics: Selective Catalytic Reduction

We’re going to read a lot more about selective catalyst reduction, or SCR for short, in the coming years, as this technique appears likely to become the widely accepted method for meeting the latest, (Euro 6) tougher emissions limits for NOx, or nitrogen oxides, the adverse environmental and health consequences of which are particularly significant […]

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