2008 BMW 320d M Sport E90 Video Review

I've owned my BMW 320d M Sport E90 since last June which for me is an eternity! So I thought I'd better get around to filming a video about it.

I've previously written about the car which you can read here and here.

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Jaguar XFR-S 20 Second Review

The Jaguar XFR-S is an £80k, 550bhp, 2 tonne, bright blue, brutal beast of a car. Here's my 20 second video review which focusses on, well...the sheer power of the thing.

The normal review will be about 10 minutes long and will focus on more than the just the brutality of the thing.



The stats are below.

Price - £79,995

Engine - 5 litre, V8, supercharged, petrol 

Transmission - 8-speed automatic 

0-60mph - 4.4 seconds 

Top speed - 186 mph 

Power - 550 bhp 

Torque - 502 lb ft 

Economy - 24.4 mpg 

CO2 - 270 g/km 

Kerb weight - 1,987 kg

By Matt Hubbard

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Rolls Royce Wraith Video Review

You can read my 2014 Rolls Royce Wraith review here. I had the car for an hour so jumped out and recorded a quick video.

It was absolutely hammering down. The BBC forecast a wet morning and dry afternoon. We took the cars out at 1.30pm and the heavens immediately opened, but that couldn't dent the impression the Wraith left on me. It really is a superb car.

The drive was on the roads around the Goodwood factory. I spotted a reasonably quiet spot by the side of the road which is where I filmed this vid.



By Matt Hubbard

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2014 Range Rover Sport On The Road

I'm running a Range Rover SDV6 Autobiography for a week and seeing as I've just bought a GoPro Hero3 thought it was time for an on the road video review

Here are the stats for the test car.

Price - £74,995 

Engine - 3 litre, V6, turbocharged, diesel 

Transmission - 8-speed automatic 

0-60mph - 6.8 seconds 

Top speed - 130 mph 

Power - 288 bhp 

Torque - 443 lb ft 

Economy - 37.7 mpg 

CO2 - 199 g/km 

Kerb weight - 2,144 kg

By Matt Hubbard

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What Makes The Toyota GT86 Such A Good Car?

The Toyota GT86 is acknowledged to be quite a special car. Journalists and petrolheads rave about them, forums chat about them. If you haven't driven one and don't quite understand what all the fuss is about then let me explain.

I had a GT86 for a week in the summer. It's a devastatingly capable machine at an affordable price. But what makes it such a good car? In this video I explain about all the small details that come together to make it one of the classic sports cars of this era.



You can read my written review of the GT86 here and watch my video walkaround/review below.



By Matt Hubbard

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Bernie Ecclestone - F1 Is For Pensioners, Not Youngsters

He's 84 himself and Bernie Ecclestone reckons F1 is only for people who've got lots of money to spend, which doesn't include youngsters

Bernie Ecclestone was interviewed by Campaign Asia-Pacific (nope, never heard of it) and pretty much compounded most fan's belief that he's a geriatric idiot who sold F1 down the river for a few (billion) quid in his pocket.

In the interview he says:

"I’m not interested in tweeting, Facebook and whatever this nonsense is. I tried to find out but in any case I’m too old-fashioned. I couldn’t see any value in it. And, I don’t know what the so-called ‘young generation’ of today really wants. What is it? You ask a 15 or 16-year-old kid, ‘What do you want?’ and they don’t know."

...and...

"If you have a brand that you want to put in front of a few hundred million people, I can do that easily for you on television. Now, you’re telling me I need to find a channel to get this 15-year-old to watch Formula One because somebody wants to put out a new brand in front of them? They are not going to be interested in the slightest bit. Young kids will see the Rolex brand, but are they going to go and buy one? They can’t afford it. Or our other sponsor, UBS—these kids don’t care about banking. They haven’t got enough money to put in the bloody banks anyway. That’s what I think. 

...and...

I don’t know why people want to get to the so-called ‘young generation’. Why do they want to do that? Is it to sell them something? Most of these kids haven’t got any money. I’d rather get to the 70-year-old guy who’s got plenty of cash. So, there’s no point trying to reach these kids because they won’t buy any of the products here and if marketers are aiming at this audience, then maybe they should advertise with Disney."

...and...

"They say the kids watch things on [tablets and phones], but it doesn’t mean they’re watching Formula One. And even if they are today, will they still watch it when they are 40? The world has changed so much in the last few years, and I doubt that’s going to stop. But with all the technology out there are limits to what we can do and the amount of time people can watch something."

So, even if you started watching F1 in your teens Bernie doesn't care. It's only when you got much older and had some spending money that he cared about you.

Bernie Ecclestone cares nothing about F1, that is obvious. He doesn't want to grow it, he doesn't want it to appeal to a wider audience, he doesn't want you watching it if you are young.

I'd argue that F1 'belongs' as much to the audience, those of us who've watched it all our lives, than it does to him and his partners in crime, CVC.

What a jerk. Let's all laugh at him failing to walk through a door properly.


By Matt Hubbard

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Speedmonkey's First Video To Hit 100,000 Views!

I've been recording car reviews for just over a year.  The Land Rover Discovery 4 review was one of my first and certainly not one of my best, but it's just surpassed 100,000 views on YouTube.

I had the Discovery for an hour, like quite a lot of the cars I drive. Armed with only my iPhone5 and a heedful of notes (but no script) I parked it up, jumped out and chatted away for 5 minutes whilst pointing the phone at the car.

It's certainly not my best review but for some reason YouTube and Google got a hold of it and it's now achieved 100,000 views - a first for Speedmonkey.

I have a few other videos approaching that figure and the channel itself is nearly at 1 million views. The entire budget for all the videos has been £0. Not bad eh?

Thanks to everyone who's watched this and any of my others.

Here's my written review of the Land Rover Discovery.

Cheers

Matt Hubbard

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2014 Citroën C4 Cactus Video Review And Interior Tour

I recently ran a Citroën C4 Cactus for a week - here are a couple of videos I shot

If you're a regular Speedmonkey reader you'll know my videos are zero budget affairs, but they're honest. I talk about the car in detail and run through its features, and faults.

You can read the written review of the Citroen Cactus here.

Citroen C4 Cactus video review

Citroen C4 Cactus touchscreen and interior tour

By Matt Hubbard

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2014 Rolls Royce Wraith Video Review

I recently had the opportunity to drive a Rolls Royce Wraith for an hour. In the usual Speedmonkey manner I jumped out and recorded a short video review

The Wraith is an amazing car and Rolls Royce a fabulous company but even they can't control the weather - the heavens opened just as we set off.

That notwithstanding I enjoyed the drive and will publish a written review soon. If you've a spare £250k I'd recommend a Wraith.



By Matt Hubbard

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Watch How Morgan Motors Makes Its Cars

Morgan has just released a wonderful video showing how its cars are made

Fresh from my tour around the Rolls Royce factory and drives in their cars this video took me back to when I did the same with Morgan.

Morgan is a much smaller operation of course and its cars are constructed using different technologies and materials but the end result of both is a car handcrafted in England by skilled artisans.

If you haven't yet taken a tour of the Morgan factory you should, it's a treat for any petrolhead.



Morgan 3 Wheeler review
Morgan Plus 8 review

By Matt Hubbard

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2014 Subaru Forester & WRX STI Video Reviews

Matt Hubbard reviews the 2014 Subaru Forester and WRX STI

I recently spent the day with Subaru.  The location was a rather splendid hotel in Hampshire.  My morning was spent driving the Forester, a rather splendid, if not very economical, SUV. It's designed more for general country folk than school run mums. Here's my video review



The afternoon was spent in the WRX STI. It's fast, it's brutal and it looks outrageous.



By Matt Hubbard

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Behind The Scenes At The Red Bull Racing F1 Factory After A Race

This is a great video that shows life in the Red Bull Racing factory in Milton Keynes on the Monday after a race weekend.

It's striking to see how laid back the office seems to be, how deferential everyone is to the guv'nor (Christian Horner) and how Adrian Newey, despite being a genius, is also a luddite.

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Does A Ducati Really Sound Like A Cement Mixer?

For those of us who've heard a dry-clutch Ducati up-close the sound of Italian craftsmanship can sound alarmingly like it's going to shake itself to pieces in the next few moments.

It might be unkind but here's a vid comparing a Ducati to a cement mixer.  The similarities are uncanny.  No sound editing was involved.  This is pure Ducati, pure cement mixer.

Matt Hubbard

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The Jaguar F Type Coupe V6 S Sounds Amazing

I recorded a bunch of videos of the Jaguar F Type V6 S last night.  Along the way I put together two short clips of what the engine sounds like.

The first is pulling away, playing with the throttle and listening to the snap, crackle and pop then flooring it.

For the second I inexpertly positioned the camera on a section of private road and recorded the car pulling away.


By Matt Hubbard

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Here's A Great Film About Porsche At This Year's Le Mans

Michelin has produced this film about its exploits at Le Mans this year.  It focusses on Porsche's entry with the 919 Hybrids, the race and eventual disappointment as the cars ground to a halt.

Audi went on to win the 2014 24 Hours of Le Mans, but they were shod in Michelin tyres too as was every car in the LMP1 field.

Matt

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Trucker Pulls Over Cop For Speeding And Talking On His Phone

Trucker sees cop speeding whilst talking on his phone so honks his horn and pulls him over.

In America they still have real police on the roads instead of using glorified parking wardens and cameras to catch motorists out, and as police officers are human beings they are fallible.

This one is particularly fallible. When he realises he's been caught red handed he initially acts like the truck driver has done something wrong and then when he realises he's on camera he comes up with all the excuses in the book.

"I can't remember holding a phone."
"I don't know how fast I was going."

Yeah right.

By Matt Hubbard

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Goodwood Festival Of Speed Live Stream - #Goodwood #FOS

Want to watch the action at the Goodwood Festival of Speed but can't make it? Fear not, here's a live stream of all the action on track and from around the event - direct from the Goodwood media team themselves.

Check out all Speedmonkey's Goodwood FoS coverage here and follow us on twitter live from Goodwood on Saturday.

Matt

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Jaguar F-Type Project 7 Launch Video - #Goodwood #FOS

As we've seen the Jaguar F-Type Project 7 looks damn fine.  Judging by this video it sounds damn fine too.

Mind you Jaguar could hardly have got it wrong. The 5-litre supercharged V8 lump is a fantastic sounding engine in whatever car it's put in but in the F-Type Project 7 it gets, according to Jaguar:

"Active Sports Exhaust system with quad, matt-black ceramic coated, outboard-mounted tailpipes. The system uses electronically-controlled bypass valves in the rear section of the exhaust which are mapped to open according to a range of parameters, effectively altering the exhaust gas routing into a free-flowing straight-through arrangement to both reduce back pressure and enhance sound quality."

So, growly.

By Matt Hubbard

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This Is Why You Shouldn't Leave Your Dog In A Car On A Hot Day

It might be tempting to leave your dog in your car on a warm day for a few minutes but this video shows why you shouldn't

American vet Dr Ernie Ward decided to experience what it would be like for a dog left in a car on a hot day. He opened all the windows an inch or two and shut himself in a Honda for 30 minutes.

Because he's American he uses the wrong system of measuring temperature but happily his thermometer has a tiny celsius scale which you can see in the video.

Dr Ernie is still alive at the end of the 30 minutes but, with its coat and inability to sweat, a dog might not be.  Please watch the video and think twice before leaving your mutt in your motor.

How To Choose A Car For Your Dog

By Matt Hubbard

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Audi RS Q3 Test Drive Review Video

Speedmonkey's Colin has an Audi RS Q3 on loan at the moment. I popped up to see him this weekend and took the opportunity to record this review.

Colin's doing the driving whilst I'm holding the camera and asking him questions. He'll write up a first drive review and a full review in time but for now this video is a flavour of what the car's like.

From the passenger seat it seems a fast, well built car with lots of space everywhere except in the boot where the floor is unnecessarily high - not because it has a spare wheel under there (it doesn't) but has an amplifier for the stereo system.

Matt Hubbard

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