Jessica Ogilvy-Stuart
WHEN I WAS catapulted off my horse, I knocked myself out, fractured my spine and spent the summer lying around, gnashing my teeth and reading reviews of the heavenly cars I'd been able to drive in the past.
So, I was thrilled when the Post's motoring editor Bill Wadsworth invited me back into the driving seat. Imagine the anticipation. Would the car be an Aston Martin V8, the incredibly cute Daihatsu Gino, or even the new Mitsubishi Evo X?
No, indeed. He told me that we'd test the Toyota Alphard, fitted with an optional Mobility seat for disabled or elderly passengers and that I was the perfect candidate for the job. The only spark of joy I could find was that Bill would be my driver, putting me in the perfect position to exact revenge.
The Alphard is the hippo of the car world and Hong Kong is its natural habitat. It can be spotted grazing quietly along the slopes of Arbuthnot Road at lunch or in front of the Prince's Building at 6pm. Herds can be observed lumbering along the Eastern Corridor early in the morning, en route for the border. These animals are particularly prized by Customs. The Alphard needs to be approached with care. They can be timid, particularly in no-stopping zones and they scatter with incredible speed at the approach of the law.
This car is huge. Weighing in at 1,925kg, the Alphard is the equivalent of three Silent Witnesses and you'd still have to throw a couple of jockeys in to make up the weight.