Cars, cars, cars...
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Yep, it's a great way to get to see how a car is before parting with spondulix.
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My daughter’s Mini packed up and we needed to find her something pretty decent within a budget she could afford. Ended up with a really low mileage, very clean Skoda Rapide Sportback. It’s a lovely car, not exciting but spacious and comfortable for its size and it’s like new. My next car will probably be a Superb , possibly the PHEV version. They’re about the only company making large estates now, even Volvo has stopped and the new 5 Series is only available as electric I think (and is ridiculously priced).
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I've had my Superb estate from new in 2018 and plan to keep it long term as there isn't really anything I like more on the market. Its been an excellent vehicle, plenty of space for a family of six footers and two spaniels, tows our box trailer well, comfortable and quiet. Because I went for the 280ps 4x4 version its also quite capable of more performance than I will ever need if I feel the urge to go traffic light racing :-)
We have also owned a Skoda Yeti and my wife is currently driving a Karoq, we've been well pleased with those too.
Its a bit of a sweeping generalisation, but my personal opinion the Skoda car in most classes is often better looking then the VW, Seat or Audi equivalent as well as being more economic.
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Odd because Skoda is owned by the VAG group but you are right. Though they do depreciate more than their made in Germany equivalents.
There's a good thread on Piston heads about 'platform sharing'
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=23&t=1564229&i=0
...and a good video too:
seanoconn - gruagach craic!0 -
Indeed - my Superb has the 2.0t 4x4 EA888 engine and running gear from a Golf R/Audi S3 etc, the Karoq shares its 1.5tsi engine with masses of vehicles across the VW/Audi/Skoda/Seat ranges.
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It’s most obvious with a golf vs A3. The size is the same, positioning of the seats etc all looks remarkably similar. Even the materials used inside the interior feel the same. Leon is the same but for some reason it feels more like a polo inside - though the gear stick, wheel, entertainment system etc is literally the same.
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Sounds like a perfectly good reason to buy a 3 year old Superb.
The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
I am not sure. You have no chance.Veronese68 wrote:PB is the most sensible person on here.0 -
Do it. best car I have ever owned.
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Too big for my needs, but good advice.
The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
I am not sure. You have no chance.Veronese68 wrote:PB is the most sensible person on here.0 -
I had a skoda octavia 4wd estate for 12 years from new, great diesel engine, fun to drive and pretty good in the snow and mud.
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That's the one advantage of adblue use in modern diesels you don't have that horrible smell anymore and they're a lot better in terms of pollution. The down side is oil dilution, basically some of the pollution end up in the oil, which means much more frequent oil changes and you've got a tank in the car full of adblue rather than diesel.
When was the last time you smelt diesel from a modern car?
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Can you produce the stats that clearly show the amount of pollution produced by petrol driven cars (which do not return as good fuel economy as diesels), is less? It seems thaturban areas benefit by having less diesel vehicles on the road but in rural reas and for people who drive longer distances, diesel has less impact. But petrol cars do produce higher CO2. Diesels produce more NOx but NOx is not a greenhouse gas.
"Diesel’s advantage lies in its superior fuel economy, allowing it to cover more miles per litre than petrol. This efficiency suggests that, when comparing similar vehicles, diesel cars emit about 20% less CO2 than Petrol[7].
However – Diesel combustion makes a more complex mix of exhaust gases and chemicals, including harmful particulates. These microscopic soot particles can lead to breathing difficulties and health issues, particularly in cities. So, to combat this – modern diesel engines feature particulate filters that aim to capture up to 99% of these particles[8]."
It's swings and roundabouts. Though this is revealing:
Vans and HGV's emit 35% of transport pollution.
In 2023, cars accounted for 52% of all domestic vechicle emissions. The UK's average petrol car produces 164 grams of CO2 per kilometre, equivalent (g CO2e), while a diesel car produces 170 grams of CO2/km [this stat does not take into consideration fuel economy]. The other means are heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) (19% of domestic transport emissions, 18.6 MtCO2e) and vans (16% of emissions, 16 MtCO2e).
seanoconn - gruagach craic!0 -
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Diesels are the work of Satan - why else would the French drive so many of them?
"I spent most of my money on birds, booze and fast cars: the rest of it I just squandered." [George Best]1 -
# convenient.
(Can't edit post)
Sometimes. Maybe. Possibly.
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'There are lots of reasons why we're jacking this show in, but, for me, one of the main ones is I'm simply not interested in electric cars,' he declared.
'They are just white goods, they're washing machines, they're microwave ovens.
'You can't review those, you can't enjoy them. They are just s**t.'
Clarkson doesn't seem entirely convinced about EV's.
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I've never driven one - what's the issue with them ?
[Castle Donington Ladies FC - going up in '22]0 -
From Clarkson's perspective it's got to be the lack of sound and perhaps manual gears. Engine cars aren't being canned fully yet so it's a bit premature. There's a current crop of super cars with Li-ions and electric motors but they've got petrol engines (V6/V8/V12's) also.
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He's got a point about most EVs having as much character as white goods.
The problem with most recent hybrid offerings is that they weigh a ton. Or more accurately, 2 tons and more - like the recent AMG C & GT series offerings and the new M5 Beemer.
"I spent most of my money on birds, booze and fast cars: the rest of it I just squandered." [George Best]0 -
That's a fair point about the weight.
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That puts them on a par with EVs, without the low centre of mass. All you get from hybrids is a muted but somewhat familiar sound track.
I don't see why a 2 ton EV can't be fun. But I'd prefer a 1700kg EV, but one with a decent range and not designed by a juvenile (I know model 3s are quite light, but the also don't have a dashboard, and they are designed by a juvenile).
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Well that's the thing for the general public they just want something that looks good, smooths out potholes and has a good range.
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General public are quite happy with white goods EVs. People wanting driver’s cars are a dying breed what with congestion and all. Glad to have lived when and where I did.
The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
I am not sure. You have no chance.Veronese68 wrote:PB is the most sensible person on here.0 -
Weight tends to spoil the fun.
I have a 1,700kg ICE car with a decent range which goes well and was not designed by a juvenile, so no need to change to something less good.
"I spent most of my money on birds, booze and fast cars: the rest of it I just squandered." [George Best]0 -
Well quite so. But give it 5 years and I think you may have better options.
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Isn't it also psychological with EVs as well that it's *so much more obvious* that driving leaden footed is not energy efficient.
Accelerate really fast and just watch your range plummet.
I do also think the "touchscreenification" of modern cars is also p!ssing people off, and EVs do that a lot.
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"Accelerate really fast and just watch your range plummet."
Ha! I used to play "how low can you get your mpg to go". Hard to be sure as you do have to keep an eye on the road but I think it was 5 mpg, and I can't recall a reading for foot down, first gear.
The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
I am not sure. You have no chance.Veronese68 wrote:PB is the most sensible person on here.0 -
I was given my wife’s bosses old Volvo V70 estate 2.4 and automatic. I drove it up a 4 wheel track to get to a crag and it was hovering around 5 mpg.
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