IF ANYBODY needed reminding of the benefits of choosing a greener, more economical business car – see our Special Report New lease opportunities as company cars go green – then filling up at the fuel station should provide a serious fiscal reminder.

I recently filled the Audi up – some £75 later…Ouch! My wife and business partner Alison, and son Matt, were off to Exeter last week at a special open day at the university. Followed three days later by a trip to Southampton university for the same sort of thing. So it was worth filling up, although there’s still plenty of miles left in the tank yet, thanks to the economical 2.0 TDIe engine.

They had a fairly horrible journey down there, although Alison praised the car’s great feeling of security and comfort, despite the terrible weather. But for one slight hiccup.

The satnav is of the type that only takes the first part of the postcode. Most of the time it’s not too much of a problem because I know the address. But on this occasion, Alison and Matt had to go to a car park on the outskirts of the city – it really needed the full postcode, but instead the satnav just gently guided them towards Exeter centre. Not what you needed at all.

And this is when I find it really infuriating with the satnav. Most of the time it’s a really reliable friend. But just when you really need the gritty detail, it’s not there.

Mind you, Business Car Manager’s web developer, Mark, sent me an interesting link – to a BBC story – Sat-nav devices face big errors as solar activity rises – on how the sun is likely to throw sat-navs into temporary tailspins. Apparently, the level of solar flares is likely to increase – and this solar activity affects sat-nav signals.

So looks like we could all be heading in the wrong direction in the future – but only at moments when the solar activity is at its height! So a sense of direction and a good old fashioned map might still remain handy in the car.

Business Car Manager: Editor’s Blog