I've come to work in our Z4 today. Sunday mornings are great for giving it a blast when it's quiet. I couldn't afford to run this thing every day though, this one is the 3.0 litre straight six and it slurps fuel for fun.
I think, at least for small engined cars....newer, more economical and cleaner designs tend to lack punch or torque which can be noticed going up hills in a more significant drop in speed - compared with a similar spec older model.
Example,
My current car is a 1.4tdi polo. On a run into the next county there is a long run of dual carriage way up a big hill. The original shape ford ka (the teapot design) was able to pass me, but behind that was the new shape ka with the 1.25 engine and it couldn't get passed due to its loss of speed which was quite apparent (it's a very steep hill). But the newer model ka has higher economy, lower emissions, lower tax than the old model.
Whenever you get a weedy little car in front of you on a fast A-road, when it gets to a bank to climb, it drops about 15/20 mph from 70 to 50/55- they are a pain.
Even the FIAT 127 I had in the 1980s, with its 55bhp, could make it to the top of the kind of hill you get on "fast A roads" at 50mph. Granted, Sutton Bank or the Pickering - Whitby road would have slowed it down more, but the bends would do that anyway.
If anything is going to slow me down, it's a group of 3-4 44 tonners nose-to-tail.
The automatic is smooth and does a lot of the pulling at low revs. The fuel economy eco-meter amused me.
Got a manual here, and it spends most of its time north of 3Krpm if I can help it Agreed about the eco meter, it gets 25 MPG which is fine. If I could to afford to run a V8 or V12 engined car, I would Insurance is less than 200 quid, i'm not going to save anything driving a Yaris.
...yea that's what I was thinking. I pay £350 a year for my 1.4tdi hatchback.
I also know younger people paying £200+ a month for driving an "Eco box".
And I have shopped around many times, and this is not a city or high crime area.
...yea that's what I was thinking. I pay £350 a year for my 1.4tdi hatchback.
I also know younger people paying £200+ a month for driving an "Eco box".
And I have shopped around many times, and this is not a city or high crime area.
It's because of their age more than where they live, I would say.
17-25 year old males for example are the highest risk group for insurance purposes.
I remember a work mate paying three times more in insurance than I had to for very similar cars, the difference being I was over 25 and he wasn't. And he lived in a nicer area than I was at the time.
Things might have changed nowadays, but 25 was considered a major cut off point.
Last time I had trouble on a hill was in a 1600cc car, 1:4 after a tight bend, because I was running high lift fast road cam, highest ratio diff and close ratio box, so first was rather high with no low end torque. It could do 40 in first, 60 second and sale on into the red in top despite the tall gearing.
I had to slip the clutch with a good 4000rpm in first
WTF! You must be over 50 and living in a gated community or something. Quaker?
No mate, 35 and live in the west end of Newcastle, as rough as a badgers arse. Yes I'm surprised by the quote, but who am I to complain? Was only £270 last year with 3 points in the last 5 years, which have gone this year. Frankly considering how much I press on out in the wilderness, I'm also surprised to have no points but another story.
Maybe its because the car in question is not a "boy racer" car. I got a quote on an M3 and thats more like £600.
I had the E46 330ci M Sport manual for a while, and it was the only car I never got fed up of, and it was the car I owned the longest (five years)
Lovely power delivery, no dramas with it.
The same engine is in this Z4 I have, but the Z is all over the place in the wet. Lively little bugger it is.
Wouldn't mind a Z4, lovely cars. Even a 330Ci mate but my 328 was half the price of a good one of those, and not exactly a slouch.
My fave car was my tuned 350Z convertible, 300 bhp and the sound with the roof down in a tunnel (or otherwise) was worth the 20 MPG I usually averaged.
Incidentally, the insurance on the Zed was less than the tax (tax was £500, insurance £350!)
Whenever you get a weedy little car in front of you on a fast A-road, when it gets to a bank to climb, it drops about 15/20 mph from 70 to 50/55- they are a pain.
Bugger the petrol.No one 200 years ago cared how I would be living, why should I care how people will be living in 200 years time? There's too much of this guilt inducing eco bollocks today
That is the people driving the cars, no the cars themselves.
I have absolutely no trouble with winding hilly B roads. I just drop a gear or 2 and floor it. My little 3 cylinder flies up hills. When the air-con is in use a little more planning ahead is required.
There are MANY crappy things about having a 'weedy little car' but believe me whizzing up hills is not one of them. They are like go-carts. You just have to rev the bo**ocks off them. It never refuses a request.
most people dont need big cars, certifiably inside most cities you wont be doing much more than 60, even on you city's ring road (if it has one), assuming you need a car at all that is.
most people dont need big cars, certifiably inside most cities you wont be doing much more than 60, even on you city's ring road (if it has one), assuming you need a car at all that is.
"Most people" don't need big houses, or comfy sofas, big TVs, fast internet connections or, erm, the vast majority of stuff they have.
Personally, I reckon there's a lot to be said about having a nice car.
I mean, imagine spending your evenings sitting in a pokey little room with a plastic table and chair and a tiny TV in the corner.
You could do it and you wouldn't be doing without any amenities but it's nicer to lounge about in a room where there's a nice fluffy carpet, a comfy sofa and decent furniture.
Same thing with cars, IMO.
You finish work, or go on some journey, and you can manage it in crappy econo-box but it's much more relaxing and enjoyable in a more up-market car.
I dunno what the difference in cost is but if, say, somebody offered to pay me £5 a day to drive a horrid base-model Ford rather than my lovely, comfy, powerful, quiet, relaxing, bimmer, I'd tell them to f**k off.
"Most people" don't need big houses, or comfy sofas, big TVs, fast internet connections or, erm, the vast majority of stuff they have.
Personally, I reckon there's a lot to be said about having a nice car.
I mean, imagine spending your evenings sitting in a pokey little room with a plastic table and chair and a tiny TV in the corner.
You could do it and you wouldn't be doing without any amenities but it's nicer to lounge about in a room where there's a nice fluffy carpet, a comfy sofa and decent furniture.
Same thing with cars, IMO.
You finish work, or go on some journey, and you can manage it in crappy econo-box but it's much more relaxing and enjoyable in a more up-market car.
I dunno what the difference in cost is but if, say, somebody offered to pay me £5 a day to drive a horrid base-model Ford rather than my lovely, comfy, powerful, quiet, relaxing, bimmer, I'd tell them to f**k off.
different people value things differently I suppose, I would rather have a bigger flat, than a larger car I simply wont get the full use out of. The journey homes from work is just that a journey nothing else, a bigger, smaller, whatever car wont make traffic jams anymore fun.
I hate all the green buzzwords like 'sustainability' but it makes sense to do away with the old high mpg engines, even if it only extends the use of natural resources by a relatively low number of years. People get very defensive about their motors, it's all about the epeen.
I'm sick of all of these eco bollocks cars on sale.They have about as much puff as a hairdryer.
What you want is more pull than Peter Stringfellow in a room full of Viagra.Right?.
Jeremy Clarkson on DS? Isn't that a sign of end of days?
I'm sick of all of these eco bollocks cars on sale.They have about as much puff as a hairdryer.
What you want is more pull than Peter Stringfellow in a room full of Viagra.Right?.
Fiat 500's must be Eco bollocks cause they cannot climb a hill.😃
Wrong. I'm sick of cars, full stop, spoiling my quality of life. If it were down to me, I'd ration cars to one max per household, at least in urban areas. There are too many cars on our roads already.
Every time I cross the road I am putting myself in potential danger and it causes delays for me getting from A to B.
People park inconsiderately, whether too far onto the pavement so it's difficult to walk past or in such a way as to obstruct other traffic.
General traffic noise, including people over revving engines.
Loud music from within cars.
Pollution from car exhausts.
Speeding drivers.
etc.
If DS does secret Santa I'd want you as the recipient ,I'll get you a big massive Chelsea tractor and a boom box. 😂
Comments
What it it's a dual carriageway?
Example,
My current car is a 1.4tdi polo. On a run into the next county there is a long run of dual carriage way up a big hill. The original shape ford ka (the teapot design) was able to pass me, but behind that was the new shape ka with the 1.25 engine and it couldn't get passed due to its loss of speed which was quite apparent (it's a very steep hill). But the newer model ka has higher economy, lower emissions, lower tax than the old model.
Even the FIAT 127 I had in the 1980s, with its 55bhp, could make it to the top of the kind of hill you get on "fast A roads" at 50mph. Granted, Sutton Bank or the Pickering - Whitby road would have slowed it down more, but the bends would do that anyway.
If anything is going to slow me down, it's a group of 3-4 44 tonners nose-to-tail.
I've got a 2.8 straight-six (BMW 328). I love the fact its smooth, sounds nice and has plenty of lag free power rather than a spikey, van-like diesel.
Luckily for me though, I only do 5K a year. If I did 20K+ a year, I'd likely have a different opinion
Got a manual here, and it spends most of its time north of 3Krpm if I can help it
I also know younger people paying £200+ a month for driving an "Eco box".
And I have shopped around many times, and this is not a city or high crime area.
It's because of their age more than where they live, I would say.
17-25 year old males for example are the highest risk group for insurance purposes.
I remember a work mate paying three times more in insurance than I had to for very similar cars, the difference being I was over 25 and he wasn't. And he lived in a nicer area than I was at the time.
Things might have changed nowadays, but 25 was considered a major cut off point.
I had to slip the clutch with a good 4000rpm in first
No mate, 35 and live in the west end of Newcastle, as rough as a badgers arse. Yes I'm surprised by the quote, but who am I to complain?
Maybe its because the car in question is not a "boy racer" car. I got a quote on an M3 and thats more like £600.
I had the E46 330ci M Sport manual for a while, and it was the only car I never got fed up of, and it was the car I owned the longest (five years)
Lovely power delivery, no dramas with it.
The same engine is in this Z4 I have, but the Z is all over the place in the wet. Lively little bugger it is.
Wouldn't mind a Z4, lovely cars. Even a 330Ci mate but my 328 was half the price of a good one of those, and not exactly a slouch.
My fave car was my tuned 350Z convertible, 300 bhp and the sound with the roof down in a tunnel (or otherwise) was worth the 20 MPG I usually averaged.
Incidentally, the insurance on the Zed was less than the tax (tax was £500, insurance £350!)
That is the people driving the cars, no the cars themselves.
I have absolutely no trouble with winding hilly B roads. I just drop a gear or 2 and floor it.
There are MANY crappy things about having a 'weedy little car' but believe me whizzing up hills is not one of them. They are like go-carts. You just have to rev the bo**ocks off them. It never refuses a request.
"Most people" don't need big houses, or comfy sofas, big TVs, fast internet connections or, erm, the vast majority of stuff they have.
Personally, I reckon there's a lot to be said about having a nice car.
I mean, imagine spending your evenings sitting in a pokey little room with a plastic table and chair and a tiny TV in the corner.
You could do it and you wouldn't be doing without any amenities but it's nicer to lounge about in a room where there's a nice fluffy carpet, a comfy sofa and decent furniture.
Same thing with cars, IMO.
You finish work, or go on some journey, and you can manage it in crappy econo-box but it's much more relaxing and enjoyable in a more up-market car.
I dunno what the difference in cost is but if, say, somebody offered to pay me £5 a day to drive a horrid base-model Ford rather than my lovely, comfy, powerful, quiet, relaxing, bimmer, I'd tell them to f**k off.
So not 60 like you stated.
Jeremy Clarkson on DS? Isn't that a sign of end of days?
Fiat 500's must be Eco bollocks cause they cannot climb a hill.😃
Thanks for making Monday better.
The only gated community in Geordie land is the prison. 😃
If DS does secret Santa I'd want you as the recipient ,I'll get you a big massive Chelsea tractor and a boom box. 😂