True, but the key is to remain objective. I try not to jizz over the 535d too much because I know there is better, hence 'reasonably effortless'. It's very quick on the motorway but not the be-all-end-all.
mpg with full tank
- Thread starter Mr-White
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A 535d is probably still quicker than 90% of the cars on the road though, I bet. For the average person a 535d is a very quick car. Expectations are higher on Overclockers than in the real world, for most people a 140PS A4 has plenty enough power.
I think you're onto something here. I mean these are the cars i've driven longer than a test drive:
Ford Escort 1.6 Mk.5
VW Golf 1.6 Mk.3
Seat Ibiza 1.4 Mk.2
Skoda Fabia 1.9TDI Mk.1
Seat Ibiza 1.4 Mk.3
Seat Ibiza 1.6 Mk.3
Seat Ibiza 1.4TDI Mk.3
Ford Fiesta 1.6 Mk.5
And the current car, the Leon 2.0TDI. So it's only natural it's going to feel "effortless" to overtake. Plus in Devon, everyone drives really slowly so it's easy to get past.
Oh I'd bet it too. I'd bet it's faster than 99% or more by the vehicle parc. However, being faster than unfortunately doesn't translate in to totally effortless. I think it's actually a case of averagely fast cars being really damn hard to overtake in. I was driving a 140 HP Astra recently, a car with more power than most other cars, and it felt incredibly, painfully, crushingly slow to drive. Overtaking was an event planned with the cooperation of the police and a three minute run-up. The 535d felt like a Saturn V rocket in comparison, but it didn't take long for me to feel like it was, once again, limited.
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This here is my favourite bit of overtaking road. You can be out, past the car in front, and back in before they've even realised what's going on.
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en...d=990eKJqFvP92Z76Ctf_Zfw&cbp=12,308.4,,0,3.27
Maybe it's because "aap norf" they all drive really quickly and leave small margins for overtaking?
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en...d=990eKJqFvP92Z76Ctf_Zfw&cbp=12,308.4,,0,3.27
Maybe it's because "aap norf" they all drive really quickly and leave small margins for overtaking?
This here is my favourite bit of overtaking road. You can be out, past the car in front, and back in before they've even realised what's going on.
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en...d=990eKJqFvP92Z76Ctf_Zfw&cbp=12,308.4,,0,3.27
Maybe it's because "aap norf" they all drive really quickly and leave small margins for overtaking?
Overtaking on arrow straight A roads isn't really a test and not what we are talking about.
Being able to nail overtakes in those rare 100 yard straight stretches of an otherwise twisty road - THAT is where you need overtaking to be effortless, and you just cannot do that in a 2.0TDI A4.
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To get back to the original question i did a few rough calculations a while ago assuming 25kg extra load (to simulate half a tank) taking into account rolling resistance, climbing hills and stop/start traffic and figured it'd cost about an extra 50p for every 1000 miles
A few assumptions there of course, if you live somewhere flat and drive at a constant speed the cost would be even less. Also if the petrol station wasn't pretty much on the way anyway it'd probably end up costing more only filling up half way.
A few assumptions there of course, if you live somewhere flat and drive at a constant speed the cost would be even less. Also if the petrol station wasn't pretty much on the way anyway it'd probably end up costing more only filling up half way.
It is what I was talking about? An overtake is an overtake.
To be fair, if i'm not 100% sure I can overtake without problems, I just don't overtake. So I tend to find the majority, if not all, of my overtakes are effortless.
Not really, no. I can sail past people all day long in the outside lane of a motorway!
An effortless overtake is one that you can make where you do not need hundreds of yards to get past or one where the other car could not significantly impede your safety margin by speeding up (because you have so much in reserve).
Overtaking without having to plan is where the effortlessness is. I found myself either being stuck behind things waiting for a big enough gap or having to take relatively big risks to make progress - which is a symptom of having a car that doesn't make overtaking effortless.
There is something lovely about a planned overtake though. The car in the distance moving slowly, the gap across fields or down a hill showing you that it's clear and then the nicely timed roll on the power to fly past and back in the correct lane. Total time to overtake is quite long but the time exposed to danger is minimal.
Then again jump on the bike and every overtake is an easy overtake, you can jump 3 cars in a 50yd gap!
Then again jump on the bike and every overtake is an easy overtake, you can jump 3 cars in a 50yd gap!
[TW]Fox;19603545 said:
I meant these are the cars I've owned/driven for extended periods of time that I have for comparison.
I think you're onto something here. I mean these are the cars i've driven longer than a test drive:
Ford Escort 1.6 Mk.5
VW Golf 1.6 Mk.3
Seat Ibiza 1.4 Mk.2
Skoda Fabia 1.9TDI Mk.1
Seat Ibiza 1.4 Mk.3
Seat Ibiza 1.6 Mk.3
Seat Ibiza 1.4TDI Mk.3
Ford Fiesta 1.6 Mk.5
And the current car, the Leon 2.0TDI. So it's only natural it's going to feel "effortless" to overtake. Plus in Devon, everyone drives really slowly so it's easy to get past.
Exactly.
MW
Well surely that's a case of picking your fights? If the person in front is going quick enough, there's no need for an overtake, but if they're not, there is?
And generally I tend to win the "races" against cars that try to speed up anyway. Don't forget that most of the stuff on the roads is utter dross, to the point where 170bhp is enough to make mincemeat of it.
I don't find I have to do either?
it is good fun though.
Some of the most fun i had in the vectra was on the way back from courtenay sport in norfolk along the A17.
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=Nor...d=PMV6QmU7s__rLqMhLj6J1A&cbp=12,299.43,,0,1.3
Nice flat landscape, arrow straight roads, very little hedges or other road side furniture to obscure your view. It was a good sunny summers afternoon, the weather was warm and the sun was out. Windows open to listen to the exhaust of the V6 *sighs* Happy times.
And the road was littered with trucks doing 30/40mph along them with big queues of cars behind them.
I made great use of all the Vectra's torque and I went overtaking streams of cars laughing my head off as they trundled along behind trucks doing 30mph in a 60 limit.
I have 195bhp in my diesel barge and its punchy and fairly rapid for the size and weight but I would by no means call it quick. Maybe its a perspective thing if you have never owned anything quicker then it would feel quick I suppose..
Does it matter? It's £3.50 you would be saving, assuming your car does 35mpg and you do 400 miles a months that's 1.9 pence a day
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i have drove his car and its a comfy ride, where my BMW 118D is more harder and a bit faster.
Does it matter? It's £3.50 you would be saving, assuming your car does 35mpg and you do 400 miles a months that's 1.9 pence a day
Precisely. I've seen supermarket petrol stations when they've had such offers on and the amount of people that are willing to queue up for ages to save somewhere in the region of £3 is simply unbelievable. It's just not worth the effort. Just fill up as you normally would unless £3.50 is a big deal which I somehow doubt.