Valets' favourite vehicles

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10 April 2012

There are many car of the year awards, including those from venerable magazines such as Auto Express and What Car?, and even European and World Car "gongs". But as we begin a new year here's one with a different slant, exclusively from Meteor meet and greet - the people who brought
American-style valet parking to Britain 30 years ago - for the Standard.

You might even have used its services over the festive season, if you ventured near an airport.

Meteor has concentrated on that most pertinent of subjects for Londoners for whom roadside space - and being able to fit into it comfortably - is such a crucial issue; the cars they most like
to park in 2012.

The star operator is the man they call "Mr Parker", Meteor's Brodie Branch, who claims to have valet-parked a quarter of a million cars in his career. He says: "Spending every day jumping in and out of all sorts of different cars gives us a unique perspective on things like seat comfort, dashboard layouts and gear change quality."

And the valet parkers' Car of the Year 2012? The beautifully-styled Audi R8. Their verdict: "Supercars are usually designed for speed and show, not parking. But the R8 must have been designed by an ex-valet. Low and sexy, but as easy to park as a Fiesta."

So there we have it; how to be stylish and get into that parking space outside the Ivy without embarrassing yourself. But that's not all that's important in a car and again, the meeters and greeters have unique experts on the subject.

Best seats goes to the Bentley Continental: "We who sit down for a living say the Continental's seats deserve a standing ovation. Soft, supportive, lovely."

Best to drive is Audi's A6: "Audi has totally cracked the feelgood factor with its cars' road feel. Solid, precise, satisfying. And the A6 feels best of all, even at parking speed."

Best dashboard goes, of course, to the Jaguar XJ.

"Dashboards have got a bit samey and dull but Jaguar has found a way of daring to be different while still putting most things in the right place," say Meteor.

The easiest to get in and out of is the Range Rover Sport: "Valet parkers tend to be male but if we were mini-skirted the Range Rover Sport would be our pick for a gracious exit."

Clearest dashboard goes to the Ford Focus, and deservedly so: "You need a degree to operate some dashboards but the Focus is more like GCSE standard. Top of the class for clarity."

Brodie's business partner Sarah Anglim and their 150-strong team reckon they park more than three million cars a year for business travellers
and holidaymakers across seven UK airports - hardly surprising with 300 pick-ups and drop-offs each day.

Brodie says: "Like our customers, our parkers come in all shapes and sizes - so seats and controls that are easy to adjust, slick gears and a smooth ride all make for a happy valet."

And happy Londoners, too.

Road test: VW leading the way in green ideology

VW Passat Estate Bluemotion 1.6-litre TDI 105 PS
Top speed: 122mph; 0-62mph:
12.5 secs; Max bhp: 104 at 4,400rpm;
Max torque: 185 lbs/ft;
Emissions: 113 g/km; Price: £21,605

It must be the rocketing cost of fuel, but whereas top speed once seemed important, today it's fuel economy that people talk about.

And it's hard to find a better blend of impressive MPG, load-lugging ability, practicality and comfort than that offered by VW's latest Passat, in particular the Bluemotion version.

Daft name, "Bluemotion", but it refers to cars that emphasise fuel economy. So in this particular car you don't get the two-litre diesel lump you might once have expected but a frugal 1.6 version that does a very fine job indeed, coupled to a nice, smooth six-speed manual gearbox. Still, with
a top speed of 122 mph and capable of 0-62 mph in 12.5 seconds, it nevertheless sips fuel at 65.7mpg - at least according to VW's official figures for the "combined" run.

On a run through heavily traffic-choked London and out to Buckinghamshire, the MPG-ometer hovered around mid-50mpg, and that was without even trying. It's no fireball but it has all the power you need and other benefits too. The ride is OK (could be smoother over low-speed ruts), it steers nicely and the interior is pleasingly finished.

It's light to operate, wide-opening doors make it easy to get in and out of, there's a terrific load area and vision out isn't bad.

The TDI 105 I drove came with ESP, curtain airbags, Stop/Start, semi-automatic air-con, heated door mirrors, hill-hold function, a nice sound system, a good sat-nav screen, and Bluetooth phone connections as standard, among other equipment.

Emissions are, as you'd expect, low, at 113g/km, thanks to good aerodynamics, battery regeneration which recuperates energy under braking and acceleration to boost the alternator, low rolling resistance tyres and lowered suspension, which is what this useful, smart-looking car is all about.

Road test: Major coup for Mini Cooper

MINI Cooper SD Coupé
Top speed: 134mph; Combined fuel consumption: 65.7mpg; Emissions: 114g/km; Price: £20,510

It's 10 years since BMW reinvented the Mini, and the two millionth car was recently driven off the Oxford production line by David Cameron.

To add to the Hatchback, Clubman, Countryman and Convertible, there is now a two-seater version called the Coupé which sits at the top of the range. Definitely the sportiest Mini so far, its sloping roof makes it look a bit squashed but low-set seats and a scooped-out roof lining stop it feeling claustrophobic inside, and it also has the biggest boot of any Mini so far - 280 litres.

Starting with a Cooper version at £16,640, the range rises through Cooper S and SD models to the
top-of-the-range John Cooper Works at £23,795. I tried the Cooper SD, which on a 1,500 km dash across Europe proved surprisingly good at munching motorway miles and was frugal at the pumps. Smooth European motorways flatter the Coupé's ride, which turned choppier and noisier on British roads.

Visibility is also an issue. The shallow rear window and spoiler which activates above 50mph reduces rear view.

The Coupé is 3cm lower and 5cm longer than the normal Mini and has a much more sloping windscreen, but mechanically they are the same as the other cars in the range. The minimal performance advantage is thanks to better aerodynamics. Mike Stone

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