Autocar agony uncle Colin Goodwin is returning to the magazine on February 22 - and, as ever, he needs your help.
In a new column, entitled 'A letter to the management', Colin will take up your causes with the bosses who run the car industry, seeking to elicit answers to your queries and right your perceived wrongs in his own indomitable style.
So, if you're struggling to understand the concept of a Lamborghini SUV, there's a design trend that keeps you awake at night or you're just plain angry about a detail of your new car, get in touch with Colin by posting here or emailing colin.goodwin@autocar.co.uk
Please, though, save warranty related queries and the like for another time - Colin has no formal qualifications in problem solving, and he's back to entertain as much as inform.
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colin.goodwin@autocar.co.uk
no longer exists... Another email address I can reach Colin?
Re: Help Colin Goodwin help you
Well so far, the first 2 editions so far have been letters from Goodwin esq. himself. They are long letters, so I can only assume our efforts so far have been too short. Therefore I will make my original letter:
"Could you ask the manager of Seat, or V.W why they aren't expoiting Seat as the sporting brand of VAG. Why did they bring out a chain of MPVs like the Altea, Altea XL and Toldeo, when what they could have done with was a small affordable coupe, a roadster and a proper replacement for the Toledo rather than an ugly MPV wearing the Toldeo name?"
longer (and edit it after the unveiling of a new Toledo!):
Dear Seat,
Why have you let your parent company extract every last bit of 'sportiness' from your cars? All your hard work developing a sporty image was lost when you released a string of MPVs all looking similar to each other (and ugly). Not making the Tango was a crime. Why don't you stand up to your parent, or do a Saab and ignore them? Fair enough, you're seeing record sales, but at what cost? And how long do you see the momentum continuing when the public realise that the Golf or A3 equivalent can be had for the same monthly payment package and the Seat version has no USP? You've even lost the defining curved styling line that you pressed into the sides on your recent models, and the latest toledo could wear a VW badge and no-one would know that this was meant to be a Seat. And speaking of the new Toledo, great that it isn't another MPV, but instead we have a car longer than a Leon, based on an Ibiza, looking like a saloon, but actually a hatch, priced between the Ibiza and Leon if Autocar are correct.. you're doing a Rover with this one - what are its rivals? Which segment does it compete with? Please, Seat, sort it out. You had the image, you can still retrieve it, it isn't too late - yet! Oh, and put that IBE concept out as it is, don't change it one bit.
Yours faithfully,
Señor Adrian Clark (aka Prodigy)
Re: Help Colin Goodwin help you
THE BIG QUESTION FACING EVERY SINGLE NEW CAR BUYER Please please please Colin, can you tell us how we should treat our prized new vehicles in the first few thousand miles order to ensure a long life of faithful service? We receive so many mixed messages and I think you're the man to simply call the head of engines at BMW, Jaguar, and Honda and get the answer for us once and for all. Do we 1) Thrash them? 2) Drive normally? 3) Limit revs the the first half of the dial and not use more than 50% throttle. ... and why ;) Thanks so much! From every new car buying in the UK