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morothar posted:This was my summary on the previous page after driving one in Ireland last year. While I don't think the US get all the current MQB evo variants yet, a golf is a very far cry from a Formentor, one is a low riding hatchback and the other is a high riding soft suspensions suv.
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Apr 17, 2024 07:22
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SlowBloke posted:While I don't think the US get all the current MQB evo variants yet, a golf is a very far cry from a Formentor, one is a low riding hatchback and the other is a high riding soft suspensions suv. I know what you mean, but hence why I said closest: Weight: Formentor and GTI approx 3,100 lbs, Tiguan about 3,600 lbs Clearance: Formentor 16cm, GTI about 12 cm, Tiguan 19cm Height: Formentor 60”, GTI 58”, Tiguan 65” Length: Formentor 175”, GTI 169, Tiguan 186” Interior space: about the same in the Formentor/Golf, the Tiguan is way bigger The Formentor felt like a modern rally-spec Golf Country; the Tiguan is just an SUV.
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Apr 17, 2024 11:52
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Picked up a Mazda 3 AWD Turbo in Newark this week. I was briefly contemplating if a Mazda 3 would make a good 2nd family vehicle, so the opportunity to drive it for a week was a treat. In short, it’s about a 7.5/10? Would recommend, but I suspect a Golf GTI may be a more well-rounded offering. More of a warm than hot hatch, but fun enough to drive. The Mazda 3 is quick, but not fast. Compared to our ID4, it’s… kinda slow, but that’s EVs for you. Significant turbo lag from a stop - you smash the go pedal and it takes a full second for the car to move. The gearbox is unobtrusive; a Porsche PDK / VW Doppelkupplung it ain’t. Hugs the road well, but kind of soft. Definitely tuned for comfort. I was surprised that it weighs in at 3,300 lbs, because it feels lighter. Interior is upmarket, with a e.g. soft-touch middle console. It’s also snug, but I love when a car hugs me as a driver and you sit “in” the car. Rear doors are on the small side, and I’ve had some passengers complain about ingress and egress. The trunk is adequate with a narrow opening. Would drive again.
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Apr 26, 2024 18:24
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morothar posted:Picked up a Mazda 3 AWD Turbo in Newark this week. I was briefly contemplating if a Mazda 3 would make a good 2nd family vehicle, so the opportunity to drive it for a week was a treat. Sedan I assume? I've been considering the hatch for when it's time to replace my 6. Your impression seems to match pretty much what I've heard/read elsewhere. "Warm" but not "hot", "sporty" but still a bit soft, quick but not exactly aggressive. I could definitely live with that as a DD.
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Apr 26, 2024 18:40
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Boaz MacPhereson posted:Sedan I assume? I've been considering the hatch for when it's time to replace my 6. Your impression seems to match pretty much what I've heard/read elsewhere. "Warm" but not "hot", "sporty" but still a bit soft, quick but not exactly aggressive. I could definitely live with that as a DD. No, it was the hatch alright. In some kind of baby diarrhea color. Design-wise, I think it looks way better than the sedan, or the golf.
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Apr 26, 2024 19:25
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morothar posted:No, it was the hatch alright. In some kind of baby diarrhea color. Ah, cool. "Trunk" threw me off. Sounds like it may have been their new 'Zircon Sand' color. Haven't seen it in person, but I kinda dig it based on the website.
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Apr 26, 2024 19:57
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My 2007 BMW 525D was at the dealer to get the airconditioning fixed. They gave me a 2024 330e (4cylinder petrol plug in hybrid with a 12kwh battery). Thoughts on the 330e: 1. HUDs are a pointless gimmic. 2. PHEVs are not great at anything in particular beyond shorter journeys and the ability to do a longer journey once in a while. If you're doing about 100miles a day or more, it needs more refueling and more charging, and therefore more faff, than a regular petrol car. I ran down the battery from 100% in hybrid mode to 0% in a 40 mile drive. 3. Not enough boot space in 3s, particularly not in the e. 4. Not a fan of girth of the M steering wheel. 5. The car's parking sensors go bloody mad when trying to reverse in parallel to tight garage openings, properly screaming at you like you have already hit something. My E60's parking sensors are far better calibrated. 6. Digital dashboards are not as good as clocks. 7. Autopark is bloody amazing. 8. Steering wheel heating is fantastic. 9. Heated seats are nice. 10. X drive is very very planted. I was taking tight corners I know like the back of my hand much quicker than in Brenda. 11. I can see why comfort access results in stolen cars. All in all, I prefer my car significantly more.
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Apr 26, 2024 22:57
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That's not really a problem with PHEVs in general, rather with that particular implementation which has the both worse fuel economy and a much smaller tank than the normal petrol version.
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Apr 27, 2024 00:00
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And in this week’s entry: a CX-50. In a vacuum, it’s probably a good CUV. Compared to the Mazda 3 of last week, it felt like a car on stilts. It does CUV things: it’s taller than a car, with longer travel. Do you need the additional travel on NJ highways and interstates? Eh. The potholes you need to watch out for need bigger tires, not more travel. So the end result is easier ingress and egress, and more wallowing. Little has been gained otherwise. Quick enough, but nothing to write home about. Weirdly aggressive mapping and gearbox compared to the Mazda 3. It would hold gears for longer than necessary, and weirdly have rpms hang for a second. Interior is fine, if anonymous. The 3 had an alcantara dash, which stood out and is fun to run your hand over. The CX-50 had soft-touch, and puffy material across the bottom of the dash. Also, no usb-c.
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May 3, 2024 11:01
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My car is in the body shop this week, my rental is a Toyota Tundra. First impression: shockingly large. I know it's a full-sized pickup, but Jesus does it have to be this big?
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May 7, 2024 05:47
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Safety Dance posted:My car is in the body shop this week, my rental is a Toyota Tundra. I like the tiny vestigial "bed" at the rear. You could put a very small amount of something in there.
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May 9, 2024 19:48
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It's a 5.5 foot bed. I can't quite stretch out, but I'm cleaning out my garage this week and I can move a pretty decent amount of junk to the dump. And I don't care about getting it dirty like I would my car.
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May 9, 2024 20:32
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PT6A posted:I like the tiny vestigial "bed" at the rear. You could put a very small amount of something in there. I don't like the teeny bed that they put on crew cabs, either. Every time I've had to use a truck in that configuration, it's been this close to fitting what I need to haul. 6.5ft with a toolbox is still useful, as long as there's some space under the box. 8ft with a toolbox is great, regardless of box depth. Single cab and long bed is somewhat of a dying breed. To me, that's the quintessential pickup truck. Plenty of room in the bed, easy to see out of, a smoother ride while towing (and easier to see around the trailer while backing) than a shorter truck, lighter than a crew cab. You only lose one seat, too, as long as it has a bench.
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May 10, 2024 00:25
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I've rented a lot of cars in the last few months after I sold the taco truck: Honda Accord for a trip from San Diego to Santa Cruz. I'd specified a full size car with Enterprise, and apparently only them and the EPA think the Accord is full sized (  ). The rear seats folded down and the trunk pass-through was sizeable so I was able to fit most of my stuff. The auto-cruise control stuff worked flawlessly, the car got about 28mpg for the trip, and was very comfortable. Visibility was good from the driver's seat. Apple Carplay would crash around every four hours, and the speakers weren't that great. Overall I'd take it as a rental upgrade, but I wouldn't pay extra for it. Jeep Grand Cherokee for a cross country trip to job hunt - San Diego to Morristown NJ. Fantastic SUV for road trips - spacious, comfortable, the full-time 4wd handled the rain/snow on the trip perfectly, and it got about 23mpg. Apple Carplay worked great and the sound system was good. It had domestic car quirks, like surging when re-engaging cruise control, but I dont know if I would have noticed/cared if I hadn't been driving the aforementioned Accord the day before. Visibility from the driver's seat was OK, even with my stuff laying below the rear window I still had to rely on the backup camera considerably. I'd consider buying one for my next car, but I don't really trust Jeeps. Rented a Chevy Sparxx for about 3 months while I was job-hunting in NJ. Surprisingly decent car - combined 30ishmpg, the infotainment and Apple Carplay worked nearly flawlessly, speakers were loud and had great range, and the front passenger seat folds down for even more room. Build quality was domestic econo-car though, also some slight overheating problems on a 75° day. Being a Hertz rental it had some serious wheel/steering vibration issues at 60mph+ but thats how it goes. Would also consider as my next car, but I feel like reliability would be a concern. The car had FL plates so it seemed recent to the tri-state winters (which were very mild this year), but it had some visible surface rust on the undercarriage by the time I returned it. Finally rented a Chevy Malibu for the trip back to CA. This car is a freeway bomber. Very comfortable, fast, and averaged 30mph on the drive. I slept in the driver's seat one night at a rest stop, and I was relatively comfortable and had room to recline the seat to nearly vertical. Also the trunk is huge. Visibility from the driver's seat is poor, and the rear window collects water/snow even while driving. Apple Carplay worked flawlessly throughout the trip, but there was something weird with the soundsystem where anything below 1/2 volume was muted and anything about 1/2 was deafening, also the sound quality wasn't that great. Steering was nimble for a full sized car. It would be a great road trip car, but I have zero interest in owning one
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May 13, 2024 17:27
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