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I have a 2006 Vauxhall Meriva 1.7 CTDI which reverses up our drive easily. I recently test-drove the new Meriva. But because of its long front overhang it could not reverse up the drive, which has quite a steep gradient. I stopped before I did any damage, but it was quite clear that if I had persisted in my attempt to reverse I would have caused significant damage to the overhang. The same thing happened with the new Ford C-Max.
We tried the Ford Fusion, which was fine, but is now on run-out and its replacement, the B-Max, has a long front overhang. It seems that almost all new cars now have extended front overhangs, for, I understand, aerodynamic reasons.
We will be testing a Nissan Qashqai, but, although it is quite high off the ground, the overhang is nevertheless quite long. Can you think of anything else we should try?
We tried the Ford Fusion, which was fine, but is now on run-out and its replacement, the B-Max, has a long front overhang. It seems that almost all new cars now have extended front overhangs, for, I understand, aerodynamic reasons.
We will be testing a Nissan Qashqai, but, although it is quite high off the ground, the overhang is nevertheless quite long. Can you think of anything else we should try?
Asked on 29 August 2011 by PR, Londonderry
Answered by
Honest John
The answer is a VW Tiguan 'Escape' version that has a different front with the spoiler cut away to eliminate this sort of problem.
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