This week on The Top Ten Auto Show, Dave Lee Travis and Ginny Buckley talk us through the Men & Motors panel of top ten best selling cars in the UK for the year 2000!
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Enjoyed this video? Don't forget to LIKE and SHARE the video and get involved with our community by leaving a COMMENT below the video!
Check out what else our channel has to offer and don't forget to SUBSCRIBE to Men & Motors for more classic car and motorbike content! Why not? It is free after all!
Our website: http://menandmotors.com/
---- Social Media ----
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Instagram: @menandmotorstv
Twitter: @menandmotorstv
If you have any questions, e-mail us at talk@menandmotors.com
© Men and Motors - One Media iP 2023
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MotorTranscript
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00:33 Hello, and welcome to the Top 10 Auto Show.
00:36 DLT here with the chart rundown to end our series.
00:40 We've looked at all sorts of top 10 categories
00:42 from 4x4s to convertibles.
00:44 And this week, from figures supplied by the Society
00:46 of Motor Manufacturers and Traders,
00:48 we present the top 10 best-selling cars in the UK
00:51 for the year 2000.
00:53 Will your car be in our countdown?
00:55 Can you guess which is number one?
00:56 Keep watching.
00:57 [MUSIC PLAYING]
01:01 [MUSIC PLAYING]
01:04 [MUSIC PLAYING]
01:06 At number 10, the solid German prop of the car world,
01:10 the Volkswagen Golf.
01:11 Now in its fourth incarnation, it looks really smart.
01:14 But the car has put some weight on over the years.
01:17 So even in the GTI guise, it hasn't got that much pep
01:20 anymore.
01:21 The Golf is far too sophisticated for that market
01:24 now.
01:24 Just look inside at the sophisticated yet simple
01:27 styling, ergonomic controls.
01:29 Plus, there's a far better quality of materials
01:32 used than in the previous models.
01:34 This is now a mini-exec, for goodness sake.
01:37 Absolutely.
01:38 The Volkswagen Golf is now part of the well-heeled
01:40 establishment, a no-nonsense and predictable car,
01:44 but with a real upmarket presence.
01:47 Upmarket?
01:48 Surely, if you wanted prestige, you'd
01:49 have gone for an Audi A3.
01:51 OK, it's based on the same platform as the Golf,
01:54 and it shares quite a few parts.
01:55 But at least the A3 isn't everywhere on the roads
01:58 like the ubiquitous Golf.
02:00 Volkswagen have revised the existing five-cylinder,
02:03 10-valve unit so that each cylinder now has four valves.
02:07 And this multi-valve technology means
02:09 that the engine revs more smoothly and more freely,
02:11 giving you a lot more power at the top end.
02:14 And you can really feel the benefits to it.
02:16 The engine is absolutely superb.
02:18 Whichever gear you're in now, this thing just pulls.
02:20 It is amazing.
02:22 And the added benefit, as well, is
02:24 that it's a more economic unit than the old 150 brake
02:27 horsepower one.
02:28 So it's a bonus all around, really.
02:30 There's one very good reason for choosing the Golf
02:38 against the rivals.
02:39 It continues to enjoy less depreciation
02:41 than any others in its class.
02:44 Not that you want to sell it, though.
02:45 You'll enjoy long journeys in those supportive front seats,
02:48 though rear seat passengers will be a bit cramped.
02:51 Plus, if power beneath the pedal is what you desire,
02:53 we say, ignore the GTI.
02:57 So the Volkswagen Golf, number 10 in our chart
03:00 of the best-selling cars of the year 2000.
03:03 At number nine, we cross the border from Germany
03:18 into France to greet the Renault Clio,
03:20 one of the first in its class to don the mantle supermini.
03:23 The Clio was originally an astonishing fresh face
03:26 to the class, a face that was made over to its latest
03:29 version back in 1998.
03:41 Though not the class leader it once
03:43 was due to stiff competition from many quarters,
03:46 the latest Clio is still a very popular small car,
03:49 especially with the lady drivers.
03:51 Now, this isn't being sexist.
03:53 These are the statistics.
03:55 Maybe women appreciate the Clio's chic curves,
03:58 as well as the practicality which sometimes
04:00 men seem to put last on their list.
04:03 Ooh, that hurts.
04:05 Moving on swiftly, value for money is another plus
04:07 in the Clio's favour as well,
04:09 with base prices at about 7.5 grand,
04:11 rising to over 12 grand for the 1.6 Etoile,
04:14 which goes like a rocket.
04:16 One of the most popular Clios, though,
04:18 is the 1.4 16 valve Elise with five doors,
04:21 air conditioning, power steering,
04:22 and electric windows for under 10 grand.
04:26 Now, if you've ever driven a Clio before,
04:27 you'll already know how good it is.
04:29 So the designers and engineers at Renault
04:31 have had to work very hard to make the new Clio
04:33 even better, and they've succeeded
04:36 with a whole new platform, a new body,
04:38 and a new suspension.
04:41 But what's the Clio like to drive?
04:43 Well, it offers tidy handling and is pretty refined
04:46 at cruising, but the manual gear stick is a little
04:49 rubbery and has such a long throw.
04:52 And while we are in niggle land,
04:53 the interior plastics are very, very nasty
04:56 and grey, very, very grey.
05:00 But if this doesn't bother you,
05:01 there are plenty of pluses that the Clio offers.
05:04 So that's why folks are buying it in droves,
05:06 and that's why it's into number nine in our chart.
05:20 Setting up our chart of the top-selling cars
05:22 from the year 2000, and at the number eight position,
05:25 is the Renault Megane.
05:26 A recent facelift has added more purposeful lines
05:29 to the styling of the Renault Megane,
05:31 although some cruel critics have said that the cutouts
05:33 at the front of the bonnet make it look like a sort of
05:35 weird jack-o'-lantern.
05:37 Well, at least the front of any of the Renault range
05:39 now form a distinctive image in your rear-view mirror
05:42 when one's behind you.
05:44 If you're tall, you may find the seats rather uncomfortable,
05:46 and very uncomfortable if you have to sit in the back.
05:49 Now, what is it about these car designers?
05:52 Don't they realise that full-sized adults have to sit
05:55 in the back of cars as well as the front?
05:58 An extra inch, believe me, would make all the difference.
06:02 Now, where have I heard that phrase before?
06:04 But behind the driving seat, once you get used to that position,
06:07 you'll enjoy a perky on-road experience.
06:10 I'd even say it was fun to drive.
06:11 It's a car that loves to be thrown round corners.
06:14 Thrown around responsibly, I hope.
06:17 Though you'll know that if you were involved in an accident,
06:19 caused by somebody else, of course,
06:21 because the revised Megane has had excellent crash-test results.
06:25 The Renault Megane, number eight in the top-selling cars of the year 2000.
06:30 We're at number seven in our charts, ladies and gentlemen,
06:46 and we present the Ford Mondeo.
06:48 Now, the fact that you see these cars everywhere may make you think,
06:51 "Why is it only number seven in the charts?"
06:53 Well, you must remember, these are the best-selling cars for the year 2000,
06:57 so these figures are based on the previous Mondeo model.
07:00 Maybe many buyers were waiting for this, the astonishing new Ford Mondeo,
07:04 which seems to be taking the world by storm.
07:07 Join us next year, and I wonder where the car will be in the sales charts then.
07:11 So let's flip the pictures back to the previous model,
07:14 because I know some people who prefer these curvy lines
07:17 to the rather sharp, new-edge styling that Ford have now forced on their entire model range.
07:23 The Ford Mondeo was designed to be a world car,
07:26 with the same shape, kit and name right across the globe.
07:30 Although, curiously, in the world's biggest car market, America,
07:34 they decided not to call it a Mondeo, but a Contour.
07:38 But what's in a name?
07:39 The fact is that the Ford Mondeo has been, since Mark I, a great seller,
07:43 because it's been so well designed and has been offered at such a good price.
07:47 It has been, and will be for some time, I'm sure,
07:50 a benchmark of the class with superb driver appeal.
07:53 Plenty of space inside, and it's reasonably cheap to run and to service.
07:58 OK, the base models may not exactly inspire the driving enthusiast,
08:02 but for a fleet sales manager with his or her eye on the bottom line,
08:05 the Ford Mondeo is a very sensible business choice.
08:09 Inside the Mondeo cabin, everything falls to hand,
08:12 which makes the car very easy to drive.
08:14 The quality of the plastics could have been better,
08:17 but of course, these matters have been vastly improved in the 2001 model.
08:21 On the road, the Mondeo is competent,
08:23 and sometimes surprises with its agility and crisp throttle response.
08:28 And of course, if you really wanted performance in your Ford Mondeo,
08:31 you'd plump for the sporting version of the car, the ST200,
08:34 introduced back in 1999,
08:36 which not only have plenty of subtle boy racer styling cues,
08:40 but also has incredible performance and a trackside style engine noise.
08:46 Now that the 2001 model is out,
08:48 the earlier version offers tremendous value for money on the second-hand market.
08:52 Although the new version is a great improvement on the previous,
08:55 there's nothing wrong with this version of the Mondeo,
08:58 and it makes a great, sensible buy.
09:00 The Ford Mondeo, number 7 in the top-selling cars of the year 2000.
09:05 [Music]
09:12 And at number 6 in the chart, here's the Vauxhall Vectra,
09:21 overtaking the Ford Mondeo in the fast lane.
09:24 Remember when the car was first launched,
09:26 and so many people showed anger and indifference to the styling?
09:30 "Oh, it's like the old Cavalier with different mirrors."
09:33 Well, most of those people are eating their words now,
09:35 as the Vectra has become a consistent top-seller for years.
09:38 It's well-built, has reasonable value, and can offer thrilling performance.
09:42 Thrilling. Well, maybe that's a bit too strong a word,
09:45 but considering that this car has been mostly designed for the mass fleet market,
09:49 I'd say that the company Carbrigade has been offered a pretty decent motor for their money.
09:54 Especially now the latest version offers over 2,000 improvements.
09:58 It doesn't look much different from the original model,
10:00 apart from slightly smaller headlights and slightly different rear styling.
10:04 But inside, the dash has been improved to make it more attractive,
10:08 with the use of better materials, and there's more space for those rear passengers.
10:13 At last, someone has listened to the needs of the rear-seaters.
10:16 In that engine compartment, the 1.8 petrol recently introduced has been the real star of the show,
10:21 accounting for most of the sales of the Vauxhall Vectra over 2000.
10:25 It gives reasonable economy with all the pulling power you'd need for average business and family driving.
10:30 If you were doing long mileages, the 2-litre turbo diesel will be your bet here,
10:34 and that engine's been updated as well.
10:36 Oh, you boys with your engines. It's not all about speed and power.
10:41 It's about image, and for some reason the Vauxhall badge doesn't seem to have
10:45 quite the same stylish appeal as any of the German marks.
10:49 Although, of course, the Vauxhall brand in Germany is called Opel,
10:52 where it's actually pretty middle market.
10:54 The upshot of this situation, though, to UK used buyers,
10:57 is that you get a quality car at a cut-down price,
11:00 with incredible depreciation after a year or two.
11:03 Of course, if you're buying new, make sure that you hold on to it,
11:07 so you don't take that hit to your wallet at resale time.
11:11 But no matter how much the press go on about Vauxhall's bland styling and very conservative looks,
11:16 there's no doubting the fact that the Vectra is still a very popular car,
11:19 and that's why it's number six in our top-selling cars for the year of 2000.
11:24 (music)
11:26 Join us after the break when we run down the top five.
11:34 Can you guess what's the number one car?
11:36 See you after the break.
11:38 Hello, and welcome back to the Top Ten Auto Show,
11:49 the last in the series looking at the top ten selling cars in the UK for the year 2000.
11:54 In at number five, it's this car, the distinctive-looking supermini cutie, the Peugeot 206.
12:14 And boy, doesn't this car look for business.
12:16 So far away from the rather square-jawed 205 that it replaced.
12:20 But of course, the Peugeot 206 was designed for a new generation of sophisticated supermini owners,
12:26 people with the kind of style and flair that maybe only the French could really pull off.
12:31 The 206 pulls together a combination of practicality and superb styling,
12:35 so no wonder it's made it into our top five of the best-selling cars of the year.
12:39 The success is no doubt built on the great following the 205 enjoyed
12:43 and has grown in sophistication with the previous owners.
12:46 Yes, those boy racers have grown up, they're now starting families and have smart new jobs,
12:51 so they need smart new motors to match as well.
12:54 And there is plenty of room in the front and rear,
12:57 great for a supermini and certainly better than Peugeot's cramped 106.
13:01 However, inside is where Peugeot's designers get the black marks,
13:05 for the rather ugly, grey, elephant-hide finish around the dashboard,
13:09 which really is pretty depressing.
13:11 However, the ergonomics of the controls are excellent,
13:14 and once you get behind the wheel, it's easy to find the controls you need
13:18 and to get onto the road to enjoy the 206's fantastic road manners.
13:23 The Peugeot 206 has, of course, the superb chassis that all Peugeots enjoy.
13:27 It enjoys the bends as much as the straights.
13:30 Now, of course, there is the GTI model in the range,
13:33 and while this doesn't give the go-kart experience of the 205,
13:36 it certainly gives driving pleasure and wonderful acceleration
13:39 in situations where it's safe to do so.
13:41 Fully laden, however, even the GTI 2.0-litre engine finds it a bit of a struggle,
13:46 but this car is really designed for short hops and city driving,
13:49 and not for the long haul.
13:51 We like the Peugeot 206, and it seems that you do as well,
13:55 so congratulations for making it into the top five.
13:59 But there are four more cars to go in our top ten.
14:01 What do you think they might be?
14:04 [MUSIC]
14:07 At number four, the Vauxhall Corsa.
14:19 Now, this car is a perfect example of a result of harsh market forces,
14:23 which has resulted in Vauxhall having to make dramatic improvements
14:26 to their old boxy Corsa to keep their head above water.
14:29 The very first Corsa was appropriately named.
14:32 Very coarse, very nasty.
14:34 The fact is that all the manufacturers are scrambling to get our business,
14:38 and it's been great for the consumer.
14:40 The Vauxhall Corsa is fresh, far more refined, and it even drives well,
14:45 thanks to Lotus Engineering, who improved the suspension back in 1997.
14:49 However, ask a room of motoring journalists what they think of the Vauxhall Corsa,
14:53 and you may get some rather rude replies.
14:56 But of course, they aren't the people who've been buying this car
14:59 to get it to the number four position.
15:01 The average Corsa owner just needs a reliable, practical vehicle
15:04 that they'll probably keep for about three years
15:06 before deciding to swap it for a newer model.
15:08 Style, prestige, or even fun on the road
15:11 would probably have been minor factors in the purchase decision.
15:14 When you consider that the Vauxhall Corsa has been the choice
15:17 of so many driving schools around the country, it seems obvious
15:20 that the Corsa really has to be regarded as standard transport,
15:23 rather than making any kind of design statement.
15:26 At last, though, Vauxhall have made the interior a classier place to be.
15:30 It's got smart tiles and pleasant fabrics to cover the cabin area.
15:34 Plus, the latest models have the option of coming with the EZtronic system,
15:38 which is yet another variation on the half-manual,
15:41 half-automatic system of gear changing.
15:43 Now, before you buy one of these, though, take it for a long, long test drive,
15:48 as it is a hybrid system, which delights some, but can annoy many
15:52 who have been brought up with the standard manual or automatic Vaux.
15:56 So, at number four, the small but rather popular Vauxhall Corsa.
16:00 If you've just tuned in, you're watching the top ten best-selling cars of 2000,
16:17 with data supplied by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.
16:21 And at number three, it's another Ford,
16:23 and it was last year's biggest seller, the Ford Fiesta.
16:26 If we are to believe statistics, then every adult in the UK
16:30 would have owned a Fiesta at some time in their driving life.
16:33 They seem to have been around forever.
16:36 Things really pick up out on the road in the Fiesta.
16:42 This 1.4 engine is very peppy and zips along at a nice old rate.
16:46 The chassis is well set up and just adds to the enjoyment.
16:49 You could certainly enjoy a cross-country dash in this car.
16:52 It doesn't feel at all out of place away from the metropolis.
16:55 It's maybe in town where perhaps the Fiesta has its biggest drawback,
16:59 because although it's got power-assisted steering,
17:02 it's not particularly light at low speeds,
17:05 which is not what you come to expect from a small car like this.
17:08 In 1999, Ford revised the Fiesta just in the nick of time,
17:12 as the competition in the sector was getting very fierce,
17:15 and the Ford Fiesta was getting very old.
17:17 The look of the latest Fiesta has a touch of the new edge,
17:20 but without going totally over the top.
17:22 So into our top two, and have you guessed the number one yet?
17:38 For at two, we welcome another from the General Motors stable,
17:42 the Vauxhall Astra.
17:44 This car, since its launch in 1998, has attracted many new owners,
17:48 who may well have been put off by its rather lacklustre heritage,
17:51 but the latest Vauxhall Astra is a cracker of a machine,
17:54 which offers big car entertainment in a small, manageable package.
17:58 Good to drive and very comfortable,
18:00 the Astra is a solid proposition and holds its value well.
18:12 Well, there's no doubt we're in an Astra.
18:14 You could trace it back probably to the original Mark I.
18:16 There's something immediately recognisable,
18:18 from the stalks behind the steering wheel,
18:20 just to the layout of the fascia.
18:22 It has been tweaked a little bit because this is a coupé,
18:24 but nothing over the top.
18:26 And that's just it.
18:27 Right from the external looks to the internal feel,
18:30 there's absolutely no sense of occasion to the Astra coupé.
18:33 You could just be driving an ordinary Astra hatch.
18:36 There's no drama, darlings.
18:40 Sensible cars will always be in demand,
18:43 and that's where, for the serious driver, the Astra falls behind.
18:47 It's rather too sensible.
18:49 Not a kind of car you could shout about in the pub,
18:52 but maybe just the trustworthy mode of transport
18:54 that simply gets you from A to B.
18:56 But the Vauxhall Astra will get you around in plenty of comfort,
18:59 and if you're thrashing the car around country bends,
19:02 you may even start to enjoy it.
19:04 It's just a shame that Vauxhall didn't spend as long
19:06 looking at the interior as they did on the car's driving ability.
19:10 The interior colours and trim are pretty uninspiring.
19:16 Dull, grey plastics and a basic design
19:19 could have been far better to give this car
19:21 the kind of young flair desperately needed
19:23 to enhance the image of the Vauxhall Astra.
19:25 But nothing can take away the fact
19:28 that the Vauxhall Astra is officially at number two
19:30 in the charts of the top-selling cars in the UK for 2000.
19:34 So, what is number one?
19:36 First of all, let's look at what cars are in the top ten.
19:40 At number ten, the Volkswagen Golf.
19:52 At number nine, France's finest, the stylish Renault Clio.
19:56 At number eight, another Renault in the shape of the revised Megane.
20:00 At number seven, the family favourite, the Mondeo.
20:04 At number six, the Vauxhall Vectra.
20:08 At number five, the sexy Peugeot 206.
20:12 At number four, the fresh-looking Lotus-tweaked Vauxhall Corsa.
20:16 At number three, down from the top slot of last year, the Ford Fiesta.
20:20 At number two, the agile Astra.
20:23 (MUSIC)
20:28 So, at number one, what else could it be but the Ford Focus?
20:35 It's hard to believe now that when this replacement
20:37 for the much-loved Ford Escort was revealed to the world,
20:40 there were many who thought that the world was not ready
20:43 for such a dramatic and astonishing new look.
20:46 But how wrong they were.
20:48 While Vauxhall stayed on the conservative styling route,
20:51 Ford branched off at the junction towards new-edge heaven.
20:54 Sharp angles and weird intersections on the outside of the body,
20:57 themed with the astonishing dashboard design inside.
21:01 Here's a car which has redefined the benchmark in the small-car sector
21:05 and has given other manufacturers a bloody nose
21:08 after they didn't believe that such a poor car as the Ford Escort
21:11 could be dramatically upstaged by its direct replacement.
21:15 Available now in the saloon and estate models,
21:18 there's an RS version coming soon,
21:20 which should promise to try to beat the big sporting car boys at their own game.
21:24 Congratulations, Ford, for all the hard work that has produced the Ford Focus
21:29 and a well-deserved number one bestseller in the year 2000 sales charts.
21:35 So, from Ginny and myself, we'll leave you with shots of the all-conquering Ford Focus.
21:39 And thank you for watching this series.
21:41 We'll be back for the new series of the Top Ten Auto Show soon.
21:45 Meanwhile, happy motoring. Goodbye.
21:47 Goodbye.
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