Total Mileage - 122,318
Mileage This Month - 581
Costs This Month - None
A glorious early summer day meant that the Rallye got its first run up to the Yorkshire Dales. It's been utterly brilliant thus far, but the long jaunt up to Hawes and the surrounding areas would teach me a little more about the car. I've not really pushed it either, so the near deserted roads would give the Rallye a perfect stage on which to shine.
The journey there is mostly motorways and dual carriageways, the former of which isn't a road that the car particularly enjoys. The engine buzzes away at nearly 4000rpm at 70mph, so I've tried to minimise using motorways during my ownership. Now with the added vocals of the Supersprint exhaust, it's not an especially comfortable mile-muncher. The engine's surprisingly torquey though, so fifth gear overtakes are simple.
There are a few nice flowing dual carriageways before you peel off on to the deserted stretches of tarmac, and the Rallye really does feel plenty quick enough on these types of road. Second, third, and fourth gears are very strong, and you're on the naughty side of 100 very quickly.
The B6160 towards Kettlewell is the first Dales road I encountered, and although there were a few dawdling cars in front, the Rallye dispatched them with ease. It's a good road when there's little traffic, and as a first challenge for the Rallye I was very impressed at its ability. It's mainly a second and third gear road if you're driving swiftly, so it's a perfect match for the car. It's narrow in places, but with the dry-stone walls on either side, it gives a perfect opportunity to wind down the windows and marvel at the Supersprint's vocal range.
The famed Buttertubs Pass was the next challenge for R621 KBV. Its engine felt slightly lethargic on the steep climbs, but once you get over that the car was again in its element. This road's very well sighted so you can use the full width, but be wary of sheep who like to trundle along in a world of their own. Again, it's another third gear road mainly, so it's a road that's good for keeping the Rallye in its sweet spot above 4000rpm.
Next up was my favourite road in the Yorkshire Dales; the road from Hawes to the magnificent Ribblehead Viaduct. Now this road's a fast and wide road, suitable for absolutely any car. It's very fast, so preferrably your weapon of choice would be something with north of 300bhp. But once again, the Rallye made full use of its 103bhp and light weight by attacking every single apex. The way it does its business is admirable: the turn in is instant, throttle response similarly so, and the weight of the steering's sublime. It's not power assisted of course, but once you're flowing, it's about as perfect as it could be.
So yet again the little 106 Rallye has delivered on the most difficult of stages.
