One line thoughts

[Dr Who]

As I am working as a vehicle mover, I thought I would do a one line review for every car I drive, giving a few thoughts. These should not be seen as anything other than thoughts to bear in mind when you test them. You may not agree, but they are my opinions of how they were to live with for 100 miles or more.

I will add each vehicle I drive, when I drive it.

Mercedes GL350 AMG Sport D Auto - Palace on wheels, 4 hour drive felt like sitting at home in the armchair, how do you turn traffic announcements off?

Mercedes A180 1.5d Man - Comfortable but forever changing gear, gutless in Eco, great in sport, very economical in sport, faultless stop start, argh, TA again.

BMW 123d Convertible Auto - Great car, firm ride, tramlines on the big alloys, great economy and power, proper quick diesel!

Fiat 500 Man - Great looks, nasty gutless drive who is overtaking me now?

Ford Galaxy Diesel Auto - Great Kit, good engine pulls hard, good economy, handles remarkably well for a big bus.

Mercedes A180 1.5d Auto - Comfortable, Economical, Great smooth Auto, feels quicker than manual as always in the right gear, right where's the manual, TA is driving me nuts.

Mercedes C250D Auto - Quick, comfortable, huge alloys are hella noisy on the Concrete M25.

Audi A5 Sline Coupe Diesel Man - Quick, Amazing adaptive cruise control. right up until someone pulled across in front of me, stop start wont restart the engine and stopped it while I was rolling 3 times, turning it off. Comfortablish, crap ergonomics, why do I need to reach back for window switches?

BMW Z4 Sdrive M Auto - Not as quick as I thought, Probably the only 2 seater sports car I could fit in, sounds awesome, scary on icy roads, but not as scary as it might have been, a hoot.

BMW 430D Msport Auto - Love the controls, love the way it drives, seat not quite right for me, bolster hurts my thigh, quick, economical, like the red led showing cruise speed, a real pleasure to drive.

Fiat 500x Multiair Manual - Stupid switches for lights, Eco Mode is sloppy and dull, Sport mode is pretty damn good. Electric handbrake works like it should, not like the dumbass Qashqai one and auto releases. Kinda loving this.

Nissan Qashqai 1.5d Manual - A really really accomplished criossover. Not going to set the world on fire but amazing economy, great equipment and very comfortable and relaxing drive, very impressed.

Nissan Juke 1.5d Manual - Ugly from the front, but comfortable and good kit, brisk but not astounding, economical and confidence inspiring handling for such a tall car.

Vauxhall Insignia SE 2.0D 170 - Biggest Surprise ever, VX seem to have shaken off all the dodginess, good grip and handling, very quick for a rep mile muncher, good economy, and actually a very nice place to be for a non-prestige car, tiny rear window.

Vauxhall Corsa 1.2 Man 2011 - Kill me now, how can anyone drive one of these dogs?

Mini one 1.6 Manual - Quite possibly the best FWD small car I have driven. Kart like steering, phenomenal grip on ditchfinder tyres, want a Cooper S to try! Good round town and great in the twisties.

Audi A3 2.0D Sline Man - Same poor ergonomics as the A5, same dodgy Stop Start as the A5, can't get comfortable, good grip and power.

VW Golf 2.0D Auto - How can VW manage to get everything right that the A3 get's wrong? Great comfort and ergonomics, good grip and power, much nicer over a distance, doesn't look as good as the A3 but feels better. Stop Start on the auto works fine.

VW Golf 1.4 TSI DSG Bluemotion - Quite possibly the most accomplished small car I have ever driven. Couple the DSG, ACC and Auto Hold and you can drive a traffic jam with only a touch on the gas when you need to move off

Toyota Prius - Losing the will to live, why is there a huge queue behind me, only 50mpg for this misery? S'ok round town in EV I guess?

Mitsubishi ASX-H 2.2d Manual - Good engine but otherwise dull as dishwater, what idiot specced manual transmission?

2007 Mazda MX5 1.8i - I am 6'5" So someone is having a laugh giving me this to drive! 242 miles, back is aching.neck is aching, but worth it, such fun to drive on the A/B roads

2015 BMW X5 4.0D XDrive Auto - 5 hours of driving and a damn nice place to be, started getinng a bit "get outta my bloomin way you moron" Guess that comes with being in a Big Bimmer, christ how do you turn this lane warning haptic feedback off, feels like I have Parkinsons driving through these 50mph roadworks narrow lanes.

2015 Ford Focus 1.0 Ecoboost - Better in every way over the fiesta, better kit, better comfort, and the engine seems much better, 43mpg at *cough* motorway speeds

2011 BMW 640i Cabiolet Auto - If you have to finish your day at midnight, driving on empty roads, this is a great way to do it 31mpg with spirited driving from a 3l Turbo inline 6, really? Why are you trying to race me in your Leon Cupra FR? bubye now!

2016 Skoda Yeti Outdoor 1.2 TSI Manual - Like a Golf only taller and not quite as nice as a result.

2016 Hyundai i30 1.4 Petrol Manual - VERY comfortable for my 6'5" those Koreans have really got it sussed, great equipment, cruise control a little random on the +/- buttons, but otherwise a good car for many people.

2015 Ford Focus 1.5 Diesel Manual - 150 miles so far, 60mpg great ICE and phone integration, good performance, good ride and handling, no wonder the guys on OCUK recommend the Focus so highly! Look forward to seeing how it does on the 400 mile run to East Kilbride on Friday.

2016 Jaguar 2.2td Sportbreak - Not as comfortable as similar vehicles (for me) Lovely Drive, quick when needed, nice ride and handling despite the silly size alloys, the self opening vents, popup gear selecter are nice features, feels a lot more special than other vehicles in it's class, Adaptive Cruise works but not as good as the VAG system.

2016 Ford Fiesta ST Mountune - Holy Crap this is a fun car. Overtaking so easy, gearing, power curve perfect, THAT SOUND! Dash a bit tacky, ditto seats, but what a great way to cross country B-Road! Traction superb, like a limpet, would have one of these over a Focus ST any day of the week!

2016 Ford Focus ST Diesel - All the back shattering ride and none of the performance. Good in gear acceleration but forever up and down the box, gotta be desperate for an economical ST to take this over the petrol version, £26k? Really? I'd have the £20k Petrol Fiesta anyday over this.

2012 BMW 2.0D 3 series Auto - 40k miler drives like new, fast, economical (68mpg indicated), this is a really really good saloon car. Really chuckable and confidence inspiring. A pleasure to drive, seat digs into my thighs, with more time I am sure I could sort that.

2011 Audi A6 SLine Diesel DSG - (this was a trade in going to auction with some accident damage on the offside) Decent car, DSG is a pleasure, quick for a luxobarge, 45mpg not bad, doesn't like this road, weaving all over the place, feels unstable on these uneven roads, different class, but I miss the BMW on this road.

2016 BMW 330E Hybrid Auto - Wow, this is the best Hybrid I have ever driven by a million miles. 60mph on a 70 mile run, Smooth as silk, Electric only to 50 mph, few stints in electric only at 60mph. Motor cut on every downhill with great charging. After driving diesels all the time, this was a breath of fresh air, literally. If your journey is under 7 miles a day around town/under 60 mph, this will use zero fuel guaranteed. Have driven Outlander PHEV, X5 Hybrid (also excellent) Many Prius, and this is soooo much nicer.

2015 Fiesta ST, Corsa VXR, Mini Cooper S, Citroen DS3R. Lucky enough to drive these back to back last week, My Running order would be 1st Fiesta ST, 2nd Mini Cooper S, 3rd Citroen DS3R (due to price) 4th Corsa VXR. So pretty much agreed with Auto Express on that one

That's it for now, will add some more when I can

 

[Dr Who]

I thought you'd trained to be a driving instructor?

Still training, failed my part 3 on 23rd december

This is self employed to fill in the quiet times now my pink has elapsed.

 

[Dr Who]

Fail every exam and opportunity ever presented.

Except driving test, or choose to do it to fill in some time.

 

[Dr Who]

Added Golf 1.4 DSG Bluemotion and video of near self driving.

 

[Dr Who]

In the last three weeks I've driven the 2015 Corsa and Insignia and I have to say they are some of the most uncomfortable rides I've ever had to endure. Whoever designed the lay-out of the dash never had the driver in mind. After a two hour journey in each, my legs, hips and back were hurting.

Interesting, I have driven a few Insignias over the last 2 months and found them all comfortable over quite long journeys, one was over 3 hours and I am 6'5".

Don't get me wrong, up until these Insignias, I have not been a vauxhall fan, but I did manage to get the perfect seating position.

I never use the onboard Nav as they are NEVER as good as using google maps with live traffic, and google maps gets WAY more adventurous with the re-routing to save time. Just bluetooth my Note 4 to the car and have tunes/nav and phone all to hand.

As for why I am doing this, as I explained, I actually really enjoy the job, pull in as much as I was making in my employed role, and where else do you stand to drive a Brand new C63 AMG or Supercharged F-Type for a few hundred miles at someone else's expense, AND get paid for it! (not had either of those yet, but my colleagues have done a few). Okay, this weekend I have 300 miles in a 1.2 Corsa, but rough with the smooth and all that. I worked for 30 years in banking and financial services, made redundant in 2009, setup my own business to train Barclays Financial advisors, Barclays gave up financial advice, closed my business, wife died, went bankrupt, could no longer get a banking job. Trained as chef but hated it, training as driving instructor, pink licence expired so needed to fill in with some paid work til I pass my Part 3.

I have gone from earning £60k a year to closer £15k and I have remained optimistic and worked my ass off. So anyone who thinks they can judge me on what I choose to do now, at 50, when nobody even wants to give you a chance can KMA

 

[Dr Who]

How do you determine a car is economical?
Do you fill it at both ends of your drive to calculate out MPG or are you just relying on the trip computer?

We are limited on what fuel we can use, rely on the trip computer but remaining fuel and how much we put in shows whether it is accurate or not.

Half of these cars you tell us are 'quick' or 'not as quick as I thought' without even saying what engines they had. I mean nobody is surprised if that Z4 SDrive was an 18i are they?

BMW Z4 was a 2.3/5 I believe, can't remember and the font on the side was weird.

Audi A5 was a 2.5D I believe

Like I said, I am writing opinions compared to other vehicles I have driven not aiming to give a decisive review, eg the VX Insignia 2.0 pulled 60mpg which I thought was good for a 170ps car. The Golf pulled 54mpg which is good imho for a 1.4 petrol which is actually pretty darn brisk and smooth as silk.

 

[Dr Who]

Vehicle mover? Do you mean your one if these types sat near motorway junctions holding trade plates hoping a nice trucker will give you a lift?

If so, don't take offence if Eddie Stobart trucks ignore you, we're not allowed passengers.

No Problem, I can do that, but my company pay me expenses for public transport.

 

[Dr Who]

Drove a fiesta 1.0 Ecoboost today, Ford have mastered getting all the worst driving characteristics of a diesel in a petrol car. Endless up and down the box, no power off boost and nasty vibration at low rpm's. Worse still driving it off boost and at 50 mph couldn't get over 47mpg. Will give it a proper run on Monday when I drop it off.

Diesels and low capacity eco engines are so much nicer with an auto box but this country has an unnatural attachment to changing gear in road cars for some weird reason.

 

[Dr Who]

It boggles the mind why everyone got so obsessed with 4wd.

Drive a 350bhp Impreza in the wet and you'll get it

My definition of fun

 

[Dr Who]

Except it wasn't a 350bhp Impreza it was a 2 litre diesel 4 Series. My comment was intended in the context of that particular car, of which there now seem to be quite a lot in XDrive form.

I drove a 420d Gran Coupe Auto on Thursday, brand new out of the docks, was fine with 2wd so I get your point on that car if it saps the power, but you didn't say "I don't get the obsession with X-Drive" you said 4wd so maybe take the time to post clearer next time

 

[Dr Who]

I assume you haven't driven a N/A 1.25 Fiesta then? It has no power any of the time and barely manages more than 40mpg.

The Ecoboost is leagues ahead (at least the 125/6spd version in my Focus is).

I have driven an old 1.25 fiesta, not the new shape. Only new shape up until this one was a turbo diesel which I took my ADI Part 2 in, that was leagues ahead in every way compared to the 1.0 ecoboost. Comparing it to my 1.5 Mitsubishi Colt, it is a pile of crap. The Mitsubishi is faster and I get better MPG.

Not driven a C4 cactus, but I cannot imagine the 82ps one is much fun lol.

Bloomin spell check corrected my Juke spelling haha, will edit it in a mo when I add in the Toyota Prius.....

 

[Dr Who]

Added 2007 MX5 and Mitsi ASX 2.2 Diesel

 

[Dr Who]

Just picked up a 15 plate 1.0 Ecoboost Focus and it seems a completely different beast to the fiesta, Pulled in 43mpg on a run back from Widnes to Somerset (250 miles) and doesn't have the vibration like the fiesta did, and it doesn't sound like a 2cv. Still would MUCH rather be driving the Bluemotion Golf 1.4 TFSI which managed 54mpg and was a much nice place to be (same class as the Focus, just a much better car in every way cept price I guess). The golf weighs 50kg more than the Focus and has a larger engine as well.

Actually didn't mind driving it at all, so it seems that fiesta may have been in dire need of a service or something.

Mind you I drove there in a 65 plate BMW X5 4.0D and that was a bloomin nice place to be for 4 hours I can tell you! Like I said to the BMW garage I dropped it off to, a nice way to spend 4 hours, he replied, a nice way to spend 70 grand as well

Bloody quick for a big ole auto diesel 4x4, I would say nicer to drive than the Merc GL, but not quite as good for driver fatigue/comfort.

Will add these 2 to my list

 

[Dr Who]

Seems there are several different versions of the Fox 1.0 Ecoboost. The version in the Fiesta was the 99ps and the Focus has the 125ps.

So my opinion of the Fiesta still holds with the 99ps Ecoboost engine.

I am sure both would be better with the 140ps version

 

[Dr Who]

123bhp I think, no idea how good it is on a manual box but with the DSG it is very impressive.

 

[Dr Who]

4 newuns added, Yeti, i30, 640i and Focus.

 

[Dr Who]

Oh the 640i 4.0 V8 edition, a rare beast indeed

Struggling to understand how a turbocharged 6 engine could be mistaken for an N/A V8

My Bad, I was thinking about the older 4.0 V8 assumed it was the same motah...

Duh, but I am not a BMW expert, assume makes an ass of u and me, or just me in this case haha.

Still it was ****** fast and sounded great if quiet at full chat

 

[Dr Who]

Surely you can tell a six from an eight!?

Yeah, when I was tearassing down the road at midnight maxxing out the onboard stored CD's, the first thing I thought was, oooh this is a turbo 6 auto not a v8. I drive cars not read brochures.

 

[Dr Who]

Picked up a Fiat 500X 1.4 Multiair bound for Dunfermline on Monday, took it from Croydon to Somerset (home) and have to say, whilst it is not great fun in Eco mode, in Sport mode, I kinda fell in love with it. Completely changed my view from my first post.

Added Jaguar XF 2.2 Sportbreak and Fiesta ST Mountune.

 

[Dr Who]

Really? I had a 500X as a hire car a few months ago and found it pretty terrible. The steering feel was awful/non-existant and thats coming from a Audi driver.

Not my cup of tea but better than the 500L.

Sounds like you were driving it in auto mode, how I had it originally, sticking it in sport mode changed the steering significantly.