Car Shopping

[Richard A Thackeray]

Joanne & I have been out looking at new cars............
She's got her eye on one, as a business lease
It's a Hybrid, whilst I appreciate the idea/reasoning, it has 2 factors that I don't like much
1. Petrol engine (big V8s are okay though!)
2 Automatic (work of the devil!)
I sat in the back, out of curiosity;
- there's not much headroom
- the doors are shaped oddly
- due to the doors, the glass area, is miniscule, with it starting almost at ear level.....................
- the rear screen is about the same area as a large tea-tray, no wonder it needs a rear camera & reverse sensors

I did point out a more sensibly shaped alternative (an estate, but still a hybrid)
But............ she's test-driving next week, so I presume it's a foregone conclusion
Yes, I did admit (in front of the Salesman), to being a Luddite, & preferring my 6 year old Octavia estate


On appearances alone, it seems that the Marketing/'Creative Design' bods have taken precedence over the Engineers
Heck, it doesn't seem that long ago, that the Engineers were the department responsible for the vehicle, & the marketeers just sold it

 

[Dave7]

Out of choice I would go petrol/hybrid auto every time. Before I retired I had a diesel auto (Rover 75) and loved it. Dont do the mileage to warrant a diesel now.
Are you going to tell us which car she test drove ?

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

My Octavia is knocking on the door of 130,000 miles
We bought it in March 2012, at 6 months old


It was the Toyota C-HR, the one I pointed out was the Auris estate
We get an Auris hybrid as a courtesy car, when the Octavia is serviced


View: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10213255510854596&set=a.10212123015342916.1073741877.1601508436&type=3&theater

 

[Bonefish Blues]

Out of choice I would go petrol/hybrid auto every time.

Me too.

 

[Bonefish Blues]

It was the Toyota C-HR, the one I pointed out was the Auris estate

You were right, she is wrong. It makes not a jot of difference, as both of us understand only too well!

 

[keithmac]

We went Auto with our latest car (Mk2 Diesel Kuga).

It's a dual clutch Powershift gearbox.

Drives great and honestly don't think I'd go back to a manual now, so much more relaxing to drive (my wife said the same).

Even better when towing!.

 

[Drago]

Hybrids are great. I wish I'd kept Mrs D's old Pious for myself. They're auto, but don't have any gears, and neither are they constantly variable. A very clever epicyclic arrangement, which is a bit crap for pressing on but for normal mooching about are superb.

 

[midlife]

I've seen one in the flesh and it looked like metalwork origami gone wrong.......

 

[oldwheels]

I had a choice of auto or manual Peugeot Partner. Checked with insurance company and they wanted £350 extra for the auto. No reason given and due to my age difficult to get any other company to even quote. Mind made up for me.

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

I've seen one in the flesh and it looked like metalwork origami gone wrong.......

'Art for arts sake'

When she tried to originally explain it to me, she did say "it was like a Transformer partly converted"
I'd probably seen one before, but not paid any attention


With that courtesy car, & our previous XKR, I always missed engine braking with the auto-boxes, & the subsequent extra use of the brakes
Plus, the 'controllability' of being in 3rd gear, in a 30MPH limit,

Granted, with the XKR, you could move down the box, & hold it in 3rd/2nd as required

 

[gbb]

Family up the road from us, know them indirectly, own a garage and she brought / leased an Auris hybrid and couldn't get anything like the stated mpg from it.
My SIL who works in that garage suspected she was driving it wrong, like a normal car if that makes sense.

Do they require a different mindset when driving them?

 

[gavroche]

Most autos have a sequential gearbox giving you the choice to drive like a manual if you want but without the use of clutch pedal.

 

[Bonefish Blues]

Family up the road from us, know them indirectly, own a garage and she brought / leased an Auris hybrid and couldn't get anything like the stated mpg from it.
My SIL who works in that garage suspected she was driving it wrong, like a normal car if that makes sense.

Do they require a different mindset when driving them?

Yes, they do take a little learning to get the best from them.

 

[Levo-Lon]

Out of choice I would go petrol/hybrid auto every time. Before I retired I had a diesel auto (Rover 75) and loved it. Dont do the mileage to warrant a diesel now.
Are you going to tell us which car she test drove ?

a Rover 75 d auto
nice

i think ive cracked a rib.
my first car was a mk3 1.6 auto great car

 

[fossyant]

The C-HR is trendy like the Juke, but its bloody impractical.