Cars and that

The Passat is good but for that sort of money you can get a decent Phaeton. That's one hell of a car.

 

Is it not worth getting a Skoda if looking at Passat?

 

I now punt cars about for a job. I've driven the Leon Cupra which is pretty brilliant if you want to press on spiritedly. The Golf is better and better auto hold on the brakes - better than Mercedes IMO. The Octavia has a nicer ride for passengers.

If you get a diesel 2.0 then the DSG gearbox is the one to have if you do mileage and like refinement. Manual if you like to play.

VW/Skoda/Seat media systems and satnav are the same as Bentley and are "different" but okay when you get to know them.

If you get a Skoda, go for Elegance spec, it really does make a difference, as does the improved climate control.

Volvo's new satnav is better still. Theyre pretty refined and have nice touches. (The V60s) They're not quite as economical though.

 

I looked at it, but they're hardly cheaper and they're plasticy and nasty.

I'm still looking at the Passat/BMW/Merc end of the market. Need a nice, largish diesel with a nice spec and reasonable BHP.

 

That's called a Range Rover Sport.

Or a Jaguar Sportbrake S.

 

I wouldn't go RR sport, I had one for a while and the cost of LR service is a joke. Slow as f*** unless you go for the V8 diesel bi-turbo (which is quick but goes through fuel like there's no tomorrow)

If you want a RR go for a used full fat one. Still outrageously expensive to own but miles better.

ML is better value than either though imo, and less plasticky feel. Not driven one but the Toureg V6 in R line spec looks decent value.

Some surprisingly good deals on used CLS's if you want a premium brand

 

What is ML?
What is CLS?

 

Mercedes

 

Wants fast car [x]
Get's diesel [x]

 

New Range Rover Sport is different gravy.

Agree old Range Rover Autobiography is a fantastic motor - nicer to drive than a Rolls Royce Ghost or S Class, for me.

Volvo have features like "BLISS" which make it an almost uncrashable car for a driver like me wife.

The 360 degree "helicopter" view reversing cams in the top BMWs like the X5, 5 series or Rolls amazes every passenger I've had who sees it.

BMW 5 series estate is also a blinding car, especially the petrols.

 

I get your point but there's some bloody fast diesels out there. The 535d M Sport is bonkers.

 

Different strokes I guess, most ordinary people want something fuel efficient that can be used every day that still packs even a bit of punch. I have a complete disregard for fuel consumption

The way diesel engines run means they'll never be as powerful as petrol, but at least they're a lot better than what they were.

 

Agree. LR gave me one once when my sport decided to dump oil all over the driveway.

Probably the best long distance cruiser I've ever driven. Shockingly expensive to own, drive, service, but a masterpiece of engineering (imo)

 

I want fast by my standards, not yours.

130mph and 8 second 0-60 is sufficient. I'm not a petrolhead. I'm just a guy who needs to get to work and back, but needs to be able to zip past the odd 2 lanes of traffic.

 

That's right. There are old drivers and there are bold drivers but there are never ever any old, bold drivers.

 

Don't worry Moog, I get it.

 

Sterling Moss

 

Think I'm gonna go for the new Seat Leon FR 184 2.0l TDI. 0-60 in 7.5 seconds and just over 140mph top speed, whilst still giving an average of about 67mpg. Perfect.

 

And I get your thing too, but that's your passion. For me it's just a car.

 

Lucky man. I've brought one back from Yorkshire, which was a wheeze. If you can afford the Nav and Media plus, get it. Makes nice difference. Black roof etc , meh.

 

Can't say I understand all this too much, but it have found that diesel cars are actually better in most circumstances due, I think, to the much higher torque (pulling power). I have seen comparison reviews, such as petrol v diesel BMW's that clearly make the diesel option a better drive.

Can't get away from that early morning rattle, though.

 

Lies. No one understands Moog.

 

I leased my Leaf for 3yrs. In 3 years, the battery technology will be much better, so I will be ready to get out of it. Also, the incentives (from the manufacturer) and subsidies (from city state and county as well as federal governments) all take a nice bite out of the cost whether purchased or leased. The only issue I've had with leasing in the past is the mileage restriction. I get 36000 miles for the 3 years, and pay 15¢ a mile for anything over and above that.

We bought our Altima though.

 

Sorry ZZ, this is nonsense

The only reason most performance diesels have torque is because diesel engines practically REQUIRE turbos to be drivable but they'll never be of high performance to their petrol likeforlikes

 

I own a diesel and a petrol

The petrol is a variable valve engine and is an absolute hoot to drive on a winding road.... but on the motorway it just annoys the heck out of me.

The diesel is awesome on the motorway, 70 mph at just 1500 rpm and right in the middle of a 400Nm wave of torque.... but on a winding road it bores the heck out of me.

Having one of each is the answer

 

The benefit of diesel is mileage per gallon of fuel (aka fuel efficiency), but rarely is speed noted as a benefit. Don't know about Englerland, but the cost of diesel is now at or above the price for petrol here, when not so long ago, it was noticeably cheaper.

 

Pretty much the same here.

 

Yeah, motorway driving isn't great in my car, sitting at 70MPH in 6th gear at 2k revs and boost sitting there waiting and grinning it's teeth - absolutely flies, even in 6th, mind.

 

Bl**dy racket the thing must be making at 2k... I feel sorry for you. My diesel wafts along silent and serene, you don't hear the slightest sound from the engine at 70mph :naughty:

 

It does, if I go slightly faster it quietens the engine a bit but then you can hear the whirl, whistle of the SC, and air starting to be sucked in harder

 

you've reminded me of an old mitzie turbo I once had

 

In VW's infinite wisdom they've fitted a sound actuator to my car.
It's a little device that is meant to make the engine sound bigger and sportier than the 1.4 it is. Actually it's quite good pootling around town, you get a definite burble inside the car that you'de normally expect from a 6 or 8 cylinder unit, but you wonder why people don't turn round when you rev it, and then you remember they can't hear it outside.
On the motorway at 70 ish in 7th gear it drones like a *******. It's a bit like having a swarm of bees in your dashboard. I keep meaning to disable it but not got round to it yet.

From the outside the car makes a wee woosh parp sound which is very odd. The supercharger sort of whines all the time over the top of the usual engine sound and when you hit 2500 revs or so you get the whoosh of the turbo spinning up and then the car pretty much farts when you release the throttle. The suspension hisses when you go over speed bumps as well, I thought I had a slow puncture the first time I heard it but apparently that's normal. It used to groan going round slow corners and the gearbox makes clanking noises while it untwists it's knickers if you have to abort a quick standing start.

All in all it's a very strange noisy car but it give it personality I suppose.

 

I've had a my motor (a diesel) re-mapped so even on a winding road it's great to drive. The throttle response is so sharp and acceleration improved after 2,000 rpm . I do have to make sure I'm in the right gear still though otherwise I fall off the turbo boost! It's only a 2.4 but she now has 398 torques and 230HP. Biggest downside is she now eats through front tires every 12,000 miles due to a wonderful design by Alfa where the front wheels open slightly too much under hard acceleration and wear away the insides.

 

This is what my last RR session showed, but it's constantly going back in to be finely tuned as it's running a bit lean at the second.

note, the 126MPH on the sheet doesn't indicate top speed, that's how fast it needed to go on the dyno to provide the results

 

Long time since I've looked at one of those. Refresh my memory, what are the curves? Red = flywheel hp, green = wheel hp, blue = drag?

Nice.