Driven To Distraction (2009)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''Driven to Distraction'' is a non-fiction book, first published in 2009, written by English journalist and television presenter
Jeremy Clarkson Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson (born 11 April 1960) is an English television presenter, journalist, farmer, and author who specialises in Driving, motoring. He is best known for hosting the television programmes ''Top Gear (2002 TV series), T ...
. The book is a collection of Clarkson's articles for the
Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...
newspaper, all originally published in 2006 and 2007. The articles consist of car reviews combined with rants on current events.


Cars mentioned


Ascari

* Ascari A10 - "daft for sure, and not at all relevant in the modern world"


Alfa Romeo

*
Alfa Romeo Brera The Alfa Romeo Brera and the Alfa Romeo Spider (Type 939) are mid-size sports cars using the GM/Fiat Premium platform, manufactured by Pininfarina and marketed by Alfa Romeo as a 2+2 (car body style), 2+2 coupé and Roadster (automobile), roadste ...
Coupe V6 - "you've bought something for one reason only: because it's beautiful"


Aston Martin

* Aston Martin V8 Vantage Roadster - "it's a car you simply have to buy. Just so you can look at it" *
Aston Martin DB9 The Aston Martin DB9 is a two-door grand tourer car that was produced in Gaydon, Warwickshire, by the British carmaker Aston Martin. It was manufactured as a coupé starting in 2004 and as a convertible known as the Volante from 2005, until th ...
Coupe - "perfect"


Audi

*
Audi R8 The Audi R8 is a mid-engine, 2-seater sports car, which uses Audi's trademark quattro permanent all-wheel drive system. It was introduced by the German car manufacturer Audi AG in 2006. Production ended in the first quarter of 2024. The car is ...
- "one of the truly great cars" * Audi S3 - "woolly and cumbersome" * Audi TT Mk2 V6 Quattro - " the normal 2-litre version offers just as much, for £5,000 less" * Audi S6 Avant - "everything is overshadowed and ruined by the suspension" * Audi RS4 Convertible - "perfect...I'm genuinely struggling to think what might be wrong with it" * Audi TT Mk2 2.0 Turbo - "I did enjoy driving it"


Bentley

* Bentley Continental GTC - "kick back and cruise"


BMW

* BMW 135i coupé - "the best car BMW makes" *
BMW X5 The BMW X5 is a mid-size luxury crossover SUV produced by BMW. The X5 made its debut in 1999 as the E53 model. It was BMW's first SUV. At launch, it featured all-wheel drive and was available with either a manual or automatic gearbox. The secon ...
- "next time the road ahead is closed could you escape up the embankment and across the fields in an X5? I think not. But in a Range Rover you could. I know, because I've done it" * BMW 335i Convertible - "get the big boy (the M3) instead" * BMW M6 Convertible "the speed. Oh my God. The speed. It's hyperspace fast" * BMW 335i Coupe - "as a driver's car, then, this is yet another winner" * BMW Z4 M coupe - "probably the first disappointing BMW M car I've ever driven" * BMW Z4 M convertible - "a fast and comfortable cruiser" * BMW M3 CS - "get a CS? Or go for the Audi RS4?...one of the most delicious choices in any corner of the motoring universe"


Chevrolet


Chrysler

* Chrysler 300C diesel estate - "God it's a wallowy old hector"


Dodge

*
Dodge Grand Caravan The Chrysler minivans are a series of minivans that have been produced and marketed by the American automaker Chrysler since the 1984 model year. Currently in its sixth generation, the model line is marketed worldwide, primarily in North America ...
- this chapter is really an account of an unhappy experience hiring vehicles in Canada.


Ferrari

* 1964
Ferrari 275 The Ferrari 275 is a series of FR layout, front-engined V12-powered Grand tourer, grand touring automobiles with two-seater coupé and Roadster (automobile), spider bodies produced by Ferrari between 1964 and 1968. The first 275 series cars we ...
GTS - "a ton and a half of style, heart and soul" * Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano - "gratifying...sorted...sensational"


Fiat

* Fiat Bravo 1.4 Turbo - "not quite as good as a
Golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various Golf club, clubs to hit a Golf ball, ball into a series of holes on a golf course, course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standa ...
. Except for a couple of things. The way it feels and the way it looks" * Fiat Panda 1.4 - "you're better off with the Suzuki Swift Sport" * Fiat Grande Punto - "the biggest car in its class but... the least powerful"


Ford

*
Ford Mondeo The Ford Mondeo is a Mid-size/large family car, large (D-segment) car manufactured and marketed by Ford Motor Company, Ford since 1993 across five generations for model years 1993-2022. As Ford self-declared world car, the Mondeo was intended to ...
Titanium X - "refined and comfortable. It feels...like a Volvo" * Ford Focus Coupé-Cabriolet 2.0 - a refined, elegant, comfortable and remarkably well priced tool" * Ford S-Max 2.5 Titanium - "it's an MPV you buy because you like it"


Honda

*
Honda Civic Type R The is a series of hot hatchback and sports sedan models based on the Honda Civic, Civic, developed and produced by Honda since September 1997. The first Civic Type R was the third model to receive Honda's Honda Type R, Type R badge (after the ...
- "slower and slightly less economical than the old one"


Jaguar

* Jaguar XJ-R 4.2 V8 Supercharged - "Makes you look a little bit cool. Cool, and when you're stuck at the lights surrounded by a million Mercs, a little bit smug as well" * Jaguar XKR 4.2 litre V8 Supercharged - "wonderfully soft and compliant....a car you can dream about"


Koenigsegg

*
Koenigsegg CCX The Koenigsegg CCX is a Mid-engine design, mid-engine sports car manufactured by Swedish automotive manufacturer Koenigsegg, Koenigsegg Automotive AB. The project began with the aim of making a global car, designed and engineered to comply with ...
- at that time the fastest car to go round the Top Gear track


Lamborghini

* Lamborghini_Murciélago LP640 - "a mad, expensive, preposterous waste of money, the sheer force of its personality knocks the techno-Ferrari into a cocked hat" * Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder "for the first time ever (I think I might) buy a Lamborghini)" (he later did indeed buy one)


Land Rover

* Land Rover Defender Td5 90 station wagon - "it's rubbish: uncomfortable, slow, impractical and ... not that cheap"


Lexus

* Lexus LS 460L - "unbelievably comfortable and quiet" * Lexus GS (Third generation 450 hybrid) - "Does this mean it's saving the planet? hmmm I'm not so sure) * Lexus_IS Second generation - "a pretty car and we know from every single survey undertaken that no other vehicle on the planet is quite so well made"


Maserati

* Maserati Quattroporte Automatica - "The way it drives. It is absolutely horrible" * Maserati Quattroporte V Sports GT - "of course it looks absolutely wonderful"


Mazda

* Mazda CX-7m- "looking good and having fun" *
Mazda 2 is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Fuchū, Hiroshima, Japan. The company was founded on January 30, 1920, as Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd., a cork-making factory, by Jujiro Matsuda. The company then acquired Ab ...
1.3 - "in the cut and thrust of modern driving....it is terrible" * Mazda6 MPS - "when you turn the key and go for a drive it's...it's...it's just amazing" * Mazda MX-5 Third generation - "slightly more practical, slightly better looking version of something you loved anyway" *
Mazda RX-8 The Mazda RX-8 is a sports car manufactured by Japanese automobile manufacturer Mazda between 2003 and 2012. It was first shown in 2001 at the North American International Auto Show#2001, North American International Auto Show. It is the direct s ...
- "jolly good if you don't mind spending as much on oil as you do on petrol...."


Mercedes Benz

* Mercedes-Benz CL-Class 600 - "as a car it beats all of them (Porsche, Aston Martin and Maserati)" * Mercedes-Benz C Class - "There was a time, I agree, when Mercedes stopped taking such care, but they're back in business now" *
Mercedes-Benz R-Class The Mercedes-Benz R-Class is a mid-size luxury minivan, MPV introduced by Mercedes-Benz in 2005 for the 2006 model year. Following the success of the smaller A- and B-Class MPVs, Mercedes in collaboration with coachbuilder Stola (automotive comp ...
300CDI - "a 4x4 and not a very good one... the larger-engined R500 at least has a burbling V8 to have some fun with" * Mercedes-Benz S 500 - "the most jaw-dropping piece of technology to be fitted with four wheels" * Mercedes M-Class W164 - "efficient and good fun but... too expensive"


Mini

* Mini Cooper S Clubman - "torque-steers like a wayward horse and has no boot, no rear visibility, a silly door and a ridiculous cruising speed" * Mk II Mini Cooper S - "the biggest drawback is the price"


Mitsubishi

*
Mitsubishi Outlander The is a mid-size crossover SUV manufactured by Japanese automaker Mitsubishi Motors since 2001. It was originally known as the when it was introduced in Japan. The original Airtrek name was chosen to "describe the vehicle's ability to tran ...
- "reliable and practical but unutterably boring that you never feel inclined to open it up anyway" * Mitsubishi Evolution IX FQ 360 - "unbelievable, seamless barrel of torque and power"


Nissan

* Nissan Qashqai 2.0 Tekna - "gives you a sense of wellbeing, a sense that while you may live in a normal house with two normal children, at least the car you drive makes you look a little bit interesting" * Nissan Micra C+C Convertible - "Someone, at some point in this car's development should have had the courage to pull the plug" * Nissan D40 Navara - "not bad....a torquier diesel engine than any of its chief rivals and a bigger load bay"


Overfinch

*
Overfinch Overfinch is a British company that customises Land Rover and Range Rover cars. Based in Leeds, England, it won the 2015 Ford "Special Recognition for Outstanding Achievement in Design" award for the SuperSport styling package. Models Model ...
Supersport (customised Range Rover Sport)- "(the performance enhancement) is worth every penny"


Pagani


Peugeot

* Peugeot 207 GT - "not as much fun as it should be" * Peugeot 207 - "overall I sort of liked it" * Peugeot 407 Coupé - "nothing to make you feel special...big diesel... heavy...smooth and comfortable" * Peugeot 607 - "surely the most dreary and underwhelming device in the history of mechanised transport." * Peugeot 807 - "would be the nastiest car in the world were it not for the aforementioned 607."


Porsche

* Porsche 911 (997 Series Turbo) - "smooth and unruffled...comfortable and controlled"


Renault

* Renault Clio III - "it's actually very good fun to drive" * Mégane Renaultsport 230 Renault F1 Team R26 - "you can't put this much power through the front wheels and hope for the best" * Renault Clio Sport - "fitting a 2 litre hatchback with all this pseudo-F1 stuff is like fitting your washing machine with a front wing"


REVAi

* The REVAi (known as G-Wiz in the UK) - "too small, too dangerous and I'm sorry but it runs on juice from a power station, hardly a flower in the big green scheme of things"


Rolls-Royce

*
Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupé The Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupé is a luxury grand tourer manufactured by Rolls-Royce that debuted at the 2007 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan, on 7 January 2007. It is based on the 2003 Rolls-Royce Phantom a ...
- arriving in a drophead at the Oscars or at the casino in
Monte Carlo Monte Carlo ( ; ; or colloquially ; , ; ) is an official administrative area of Monaco, specifically the Ward (country subdivision), ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino is located. Informally, the name also refers to ...
would be more impressive, I suspect, than arriving in
Keira Knightley Keira Christina Knightley ( ; born 26 March 1985) is an English actress. Known for her work in independent films and Blockbuster (entertainment), blockbusters, particularly Historical drama, period dramas, she has received List of awards and no ...
"


Å koda

*
Å koda Roomster The Å koda Roomster (''Type'' 5J) is a small family car manufactured and marketed by Å koda Auto from 2006 to 2015 over a single generation with a single intermediate facelift. It has a five-door, five passenger, front-engine, front-wheel drive ...
- "Yes it's wobbly and rough but it's extremely clever (and) well-equipped"


Subaru

* Subaru Impreza WRX - "it's no looker either, and the fact of the matter is: the next Evo is"


Suzuki

* Suzuki Swift Sport - "a great little car"


Vauxhall

* Vauxhall Corsa VXR - "an enjoyable, charismatic car that's fun to drive, reasonably priced"


Volkswagen

* Volkswagen Golf Mk5 GT TSI - "where's the power?" * Volkswagen Polo 1.8 GTI - "if I wanted a fun little car I'd rather have a
Mini The Mini is a very small two-door, four-seat car, produced for four decades over a single generation, with many names and variants, by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and its successors British Leyland and the Rover Group, and finally ...
" *
Volkswagen Phaeton The Volkswagen Phaeton ( ) (''Typ'' 3D) is a full-size sedan/saloon manufactured by the German automobile manufacturer Volkswagen, described by Volkswagen as their "premium class" vehicle. Introduced at the 2002 Geneva Motor Show, the Phaeton ...
- "better than any of its rivals from Mercedes, Audi, BMW, Jaguar and Maserati". However regarding the diesel version Clarkson says "It is a car designed to be as silent and as efficient and as focussed as a contract killer. So putting a diesel under the bonnet is like putting James Bond in a pair of wellingtons" * Volkswagen Transporter TDI 174 Sportline - "bloody hell it's quick"


Volvo

* Volvo C70 Second generation - "well-priced...looks great...weird to drive" *
Volvo S80 The Volvo S80 is an executive car produced by the Swedish manufacturer Volvo Cars from 1998 to 2016 across two generations. It took the place of the rear-wheel-drive S90 as Volvo's flagship sedan. The first generation (1998–2006) was made a ...
V8 - "at £48,150 for the SE Sport model...it is exceptional value for money" * Volvo XC70 - "unless I really needed the Volvo's vast boot I'd save £14,000 and buy a
Subaru Legacy Outback is the automobile manufacturing division of Japanese transportation conglomerate Subaru Corporation (formerly known as Fuji Heavy Industries), the twenty-first largest automaker by production worldwide in 2017. Subaru cars are known for th ...
" *
Volvo XC90 The Volvo XC90 is a Executive car, mid-size luxury SUV manufactured and marketed by Volvo Cars since 2002 and now in its second generation. The first generation was introduced at the North American International Auto Show#2002, 2002 North Ameri ...
V8 Sport - "as a piece of design has always been the best school-run car" One chapter is a wish-list of Jeremy's favourite cars, his "dream garage" as follows: * Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder - "noisy and shouty mid-engined drop-top supercar" * Aston Martin V8 Vantage - "savage" *
BMW M5 The BMW M5 is a super high-performance variant of the BMW 5 Series marketed under the BMW M sub-brand. It is considered an iconic vehicle in the sports saloon category. The M5 has always been produced in the saloon (sedan, US English) body s ...
- "all that power, all that handling, all that comfort" * VW Phaeton 6.0 W12 *
Rolls-Royce Phantom Automaker Rolls-Royce has used the Phantom name on full-sized luxury cars and limousine A limousine ( or ), or limo () for short, is a large, chauffeur-driven luxury vehicle with a partition between the driver compartment and the passenge ...
* Corvette C6 * Vauxhall Monaro *
Porsche Carrera GT The Porsche Carrera GT (Project Code 980) is a mid-engine sports car that was manufactured by German automobile manufacturer Porsche from 2003 to 2006. ''Sports Car International'' named the Carrera GT number one on its list of Sports Car Intern ...
* Pagani Zonda F * Alfa Romeo Brera * Audi RS4 - "astonishing 414BHP V8 motor" *
Bugatti Veyron The Bugatti Veyron EB 16.4 is a mid-engine sports car designed and developed in Germany by the Volkswagen Group and Bugatti, and manufactured in Molsheim, France by French automobile manufacturer Bugatti. It was named after the racing driver Pi ...
- "the engineering summit, man's hobnail boot in the face of nature" Part II of the book consists of a small number of Clarkson's articles other than his regular automobile column on topics including travel, restaurant reviews and an account of his trip to Iraq. {{Jeremy Clarkson 2009 non-fiction books Books about cars