What car do you drive and why?

Darkman · 25 Jan 2009 at 23:49

Since October '06. The guy who they'd imported it for did a runner so I picked it up at ex-demo price without too many miles on the clock

Perforated Nasca black leather with heated and ventilated seats. More fans than my PC! :eek:

P

MikeHunt79 · 26 Jan 2009 at 00:01

InvaderGIR said:
I found the engine in a 1.8D to be horribly noisy and inefficient, especially in a car with lots of...urm...character.

The TD isn't as bad as the D, I have driven both and there's quite a difference. It's similar performance to the XS up to 60 or so, but then you get uber torques and the TD pulls away...

Wilderbeast · 26 Jan 2009 at 09:35

Audi A8 4.0 TDI

Love its features, power/ecconomy, sounds like a petrol and goes even better than a petrol, but the absoulte best thing is the fact that it only needs filling every 700 miles with normal driving.

Next up maybe the 4.2TDI version next year/later this year.

mrk · 26 Jan 2009 at 09:37

4litre diesel ? 700 miles? damn :O pics of car?

[TW]Fox · 26 Jan 2009 at 09:38

mrk said:
4litre diesel ? 700 miles? damn :O pics of car?

It has a 90-100 litre fuel tank IIRC.

mrk · 26 Jan 2009 at 09:41

Was gonna say, just quickly googled it and first result was Clarkson's review. 265 co2s and 29MPG combined - not as amazing as I had first thought!

Massive car though!

Jez · 26 Jan 2009 at 09:41

mrk said:
Was gonna say, just quickly googled it and first result was Clarkson's review. 265 co2s and 29MPG combined - not as amazing as I had first thought but... v8 diesel still

peterattheboro · 26 Jan 2009 at 10:46

Darkman said:
Current car: BMW Alpina B5 saloon

Bought this after I read this article M5 vs B5 review and the following day out of the blue I got a call from the guy at the BMW garage who I'd bought my 330d Sport and 530d Sport off. I told him I wasn't really interested in changing just yet and jokingly said: "unless you've got a B5 in I can drive". He replied: "We have" as they had recently become a Sytner dealership, so I drove it the following day never thinking I would buy anything that expensive. The rest as they say is history. If you've ever driven a car that puts a huge grin on your face you'll know what I'm talking about. Power, poise, presence, superb suspension for such a big car and reasonable mpg for what it is. It'll outdrag an M5, keep your fillings in place and your flexible friend wont be worn out in petrol stations like the M car. I took it and the family down to the med over the Massif Central last summer and it was a joy to drive.

Next car: honestly don't know. Nothing else I'm aware of has as good a blend of performance and practicality. I couldn't live with a car that empties it's bladder before I do, and anything smaller and more nimble just isn't big enough for the family.

If you're hankering after an M5 you should take one of these out for a test drive too

What is it with Alpina badges? They just look like the cheap **** you buy in halfords and stick them on yourself. You'd expect something that looks much higher quality. See here:

It sounds like a fantastic car though

Howard · 26 Jan 2009 at 10:48

mrk said:
Was gonna say, just quickly googled it and first result was Clarkson's review. 265 co2s and 29MPG combined - not as amazing as I had first thought!

Massive car though!

nearly 30mpg is pretty good for a bloody great V8 Diesel engine pulling something the size of France, IMHO

Wilderbeast · 26 Jan 2009 at 10:54

howardcanning said:
nearly 30mpg is pretty good for a bloody great V8 Diesel engine pulling something the size of France, IMHO

lol its all aluminium so despite its huge girth and length, its actually quite light.

Wilderbeast · 26 Jan 2009 at 10:56

mrk said:
Was gonna say, just quickly googled it and first result was Clarkson's review. 265 co2s and 29MPG combined - not as amazing as I had first thought!

Massive car though!

I usually get about 40mpg's as i only ever do M6 and M5 between Manchester and Bristol. Around town it gets horribly low, sometimes into the teens!!

[TW]Fox · 26 Jan 2009 at 11:06

howardcanning said:
nearly 30mpg is pretty good for a bloody great V8 Diesel engine pulling something the size of France, IMHO

Not really, no. It's about what you'd expect. Especially as A6 3.0 TDI's and 530d's, which have an engine only 25% smaller, get around 40mpg under similar usage.

Jez · 26 Jan 2009 at 11:11

[TW]Fox;13359971 said:
Not really, no. It's about what you'd expect. Especially as A6 3.0 TDI's and 530d's, which have an engine only 25% smaller, get around 40mpg under similar usage.

25% larger capacity and pulling large luxury saloons rather than smaller exec's.

30mpg vs 40mpg happens to be 25% too, if anything it is better than expectation.

4T5 · 26 Jan 2009 at 11:12

Suzuki Vitara.
It's a motor that I can go off road with & use for anything else as well, It also climbs my step up onto my drive perfectly.
I bought it for 80 quid & have had it over 14 months, With the Insurance being 129 quid for a year I won't change it until it dies.
I've been through Landys, a Proper off road SJ, Pick ups the lot but nothing suits me or my lifestyle as well as this old Vit. Every time we go out one of the Landys breaks & when they break they cost loads to fix, My old Vit does Everything they do & is reliable, warm & quiet.

[TW]Fox · 26 Jan 2009 at 11:15

Jez said:
25% larger capacity and pulling large luxury saloons rather than smaller exec's.

You say that as if the difference between an A6 and an A8 is like the difference between an S Class and a Mini. It is not. The economy of the A8 TDI is acceptable and not staggering. My point is not that its poor merely that its hardly the stuff of wonders like the entire world seems to think since they watched Clarkson do 700 miles in one and failed to realise it had a huge fuel tank NOT a fuel efficient engine.

z0mbi3 · 26 Jan 2009 at 11:18

Citroen C1.

It gets me from A to B and it's incredibly cheap to run. Nippy enough around town and not bad for the occasional short motorway stint.

peterattheboro · 26 Jan 2009 at 11:19

z0mbi3 said:
Citroen C1.

It gets me from A to B and it's incredibly cheap to run. Nippy enough around town and not bad for the occasional short motorway stint.

Not bad compared to what?

Jez · 26 Jan 2009 at 11:21

The guy is claiming up to 40mpg on a run in a V8 luxury saloon. Its not staggering i agree, but it remains fairly impressive. Comparing to smaller 6 pots in smaller cars isnt fair.

Edit: see your edit, agree wtt the fuel tank issue. Cool feature of the car though and no doubt helps with marketting, i would love to have that kind of range.

Wilderbeast · 26 Jan 2009 at 11:32

cost about £100 to fill the tank, just over 90 litres i can squeeze in, after i've run it dry.

Seeing as I cant stand visiting the petrol station, I think its one of the best features of the car that it can go so long between drinks.

Howard · 26 Jan 2009 at 11:35

[TW]Fox;13359971 said:
Not really, no. It's about what you'd expect. Especially as A6 3.0 TDI's and 530d's, which have an engine only 25% smaller, get around 40mpg under similar usage.

That's what I mean. He seemed surprised it was "only" 29mpg, where a petrol engine in the same situation would get 19