Register a free account today to become a member!
Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!
Quote: Originally posted by Dredd on 11 July 2005
OK, heres some info on our trip to France/Switzerland/Italy last week (hopefully it will help people to take the plunge if they are thinking about something similar but are undecided).
First off, I love driving my V6 Clio so this was a dream come true and something Ive wanted to do for a long long time. We went to Switzerland about four years ago on an organised tour using trains as the mechanism of transport and absolutely loved the place, so Switzerland was a natural choice of destination. This trip was really a "toe in the water" for future continental driving holidays in the V6, mainly to gauge distances, suitability for luggage, etc etc.
We did a total of 2100 miles in 7 days and the V6 was absolutley solid. Filled up about seven or eight times I think (we were touring and I was taking it very easy most of the time as it was a new experience).
Switzerland was the main destination for mountains and some of the famous mountain passes (of which we drove several including the Grand St Bernard, Furka, and St Gotthard) but travelling through France was awesome in itself. The roads in France are superb IMHO!!! When we hit the M20 on the way back it was SO obvious that the road surface was absolutely crap compared to what we had been driving on even French N roads (equivalent of our A roads) - they are so smooth over there in comparison. Also, virtually NO SPEED CAMERAS!!!! 80 MPH limit on the motorways but 70 MPH when its raining - makes total sense. Hardly anybody seems to speed in France - probably because theyve got the core speed limits right in the first place.
If you think the V6 gets its fair share of attention in the UK, be prepared for a shock in France!!! They were absolutely mad for it over there - people flashing their lights and honking their horns, camera phones twitching, workmen stopping work as we drove past etc etc... my wife was convinced we were going to cause an accident in some of the major towns; every where you looked you could see the double takes followed by intense gazes as we passed by. Pure patriotic appreciation of a fantastic French creation (something which I feel is largely, and sadly missing in the UK these days).
The V6 had to sleep outdoors every night we were abroad, but I can honestly say I was never concerned about its safety - OK I was a bit worried one night in Spiez after clocking some youths supping cans on the street, so I moved the car into an underground car park. Apart from that, never felt worried or threatened about stupid tw*ts keying or otherwise damaging the car as I normally would in the UK (sad state of affairs).
We took two sports bags full of gear which we put on top of the engine bay and rested on the headrests of the front seats - not the safest of places granted but it turned out OK.
The V6 was totally turned out to be totally comfortable with upto nine hours driving in one day (and Im 62").
If anyone is considering a similar blast around Europe, all I can say is just go for it and dont look back. Lifes too short and all that. Well be going back to France at some point in the next couple of months - probably a long weekend in Normandy - then well be going a bit further afield next spring, possibly the Black Forest region of Germany, then into Austria, then Eastern Switzerland, then Italy (Venice, then down to the Ferrari and Lamborghini factories/museums), then Monaco, French Riviera, etc etc.
You can more than likely get cheap flights into Europe, but whats the point when you can go exactly where you like, when you like, in a car like a V6 Clio......
Hey Dredd.............thats exactly what Ive been trying to say time after time...............the only dif is that round here the looks come thick and fast ALL the time aswell..............same as the cameras.
Nice car toooo................rubish colour though
Cya Stu
