WDB
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Holidays!
Aug 7, 2024 19:19:07 GMT
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Post by WDB on Aug 7, 2024 19:19:07 GMT
You really are beyond help aren’t you? What sort of help would that be? I genuinely feel so much happier driving with the sky above me… Jolly good. Best place for it. You do you, as the Internet likes to say.
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Post by EspadaIII on Aug 7, 2024 20:16:23 GMT
The Focus my son has temporarily, has a black headliner. I have never been in a car with a black headliner before. I felt like I was driving in a coalmine. I kept looking up to open the sunroof blind but there isn't one. I'm not overly fussed by a glass roof (had one previously - it was OK) or a sunroof, but I would really miss having a light coloured headliner.
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WDB
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Post by WDB on Aug 8, 2024 8:10:06 GMT
Yes, fair enough. And that was a factor in choosing the Sport version of the iX rather than the M-Sport. The glass roof in the demo car did make the black lining less noticeable, but we had to sit in the back to really be aware of it. Not worth three grand, especially when quite a lot of iX owners report mysterious creaks and even cracks. This may not be unique to the iX, of course.
My 325 M-Sport had black roof lining and carpets, but pale seats and doors, which I noticed a lot more. A sunroof would have destroyed the headroom in that car. Anyway, Humph likes ‘em, I don’t; not much left to say.
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Post by EspadaIII on Aug 8, 2024 9:51:26 GMT
Espadrille insists on one in her car. I have no say...
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Holidays!
Aug 8, 2024 13:55:21 GMT
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Post by Humph on Aug 8, 2024 13:55:21 GMT
I think in my case it’s my lifelong love of and preference for being outdoors. When I can’t be, even any minor opportunity to be in direct daylight appeals to me. Today for example, driving back from a biking trip on country roads, roof open and Mozart on the stereo was rather uplifting. Beats working anyway! 😉
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Rob
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Post by Rob on Aug 8, 2024 17:53:03 GMT
The headlining in the Mazda6 is black... doesn't bother me. The interior itself is cream so not dark. Also has a sunroof and the blind is rarely closed.
The headlining in the BMW 330e was black too... with black leatherette seats and all in a black car. That didn't bother me either.
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bpg
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Aug 10, 2024 12:37:38 GMT
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Post by bpg on Aug 10, 2024 12:37:38 GMT
Quite a few manufacturers have removed the option to choose the colour of headlining. You take it or leave it.
Both Focus cars I've had have/had a black headlining which is why both my cars have had the sunroof option. I prefer what Volvo have as an option, dark colours below the window line and light above.
Back on holidays booked a week away in November for a relative milestone wedding anniversary. 20 years. I've had a few stopovers in Dubai on the way to/from India for work. Never stepped outside the airport. It's far enough flight time and hot enough at that time of year.
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Holidays!
Aug 10, 2024 14:03:41 GMT
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Post by Humph on Aug 10, 2024 14:03:41 GMT
Must say, I tend to be primarily looking at what is going on outside the car when I’m driving rather than the interior trim. A dark, preferably wipe clean interior and a sunroof to let light in suits my needs.
Re Dubai, never been, but I’ve heard it can get quite expensive if eating out regularly. Nice for a special treat though you’d think. Hope you enjoy it! Good time of year to escape the onset of winter.
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bpg
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Aug 10, 2024 15:49:51 GMT
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Post by bpg on Aug 10, 2024 15:49:51 GMT
That's the problem with car design, everyone's eyes work differently. My peripheral vision is pretty sharp, the interior of the car is still processed while looking outside.
I worked with someone who was registered blind, had specialist glasses which enabled him to see a screen which he described as what most people have as peripheral vision.
Strange things people.
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Post by Alanović on Aug 19, 2024 8:11:44 GMT
I'm back (sigh, wasn't that quick) and the drive both ways was pretty uneventful. Absolutely zero queue or hassle at Dover and Dunkirk. Arrived at Dover 2 hours before our booked sailing to Dunkirk and got bumped onto a Calais bound earlier sailing, which knocked an hour and a half or so off the whole journey, which was nice. Coming back was from Dunkirk, again arrived and drove straight to the check in window, no delays or waiting anywhere. Dunkirk ferry is bigger and better than the Calais one, and has a proper restaurant with decent and cheap hot food. Gawd bless the Scandinavians. Dead calm both ways so none of my traditional digestive concerns.
The only bad traffic we hit was between Toulouse and Limoges on the way back, and once the traffic started moving Mrs A was desperate for you know what, so we had to pull into the first services. Big mistake. Massive. It wasn't just that everyone who had been in the jam needed the same relief, but it was one of those service areas built on one side of the road and accessible from both. With a hugely complex system of roads in and out, and yes, we were coming from the "wrong" side. Must have taken an hour to get in, find a space to park, do the business, and get out again. Grrrr. We still made our booked ferry but I had been hoping for a bump to an earlier one. Never mind.
The Civic behaved impeccably and economically. But it is quite cramped in the back for Al Jr, the question is how many more times will he travel with us on a journey such as that. The other gripe I have is the one I've mentioned before about the difference between a petrol engine and a big lazy diesel when it comes to long motorway inclines. These 2 factors do make me reassess whether I should change the car, because its main purpose really is those long holiday journeys. And there are better vehicles around for that purpose. Weather on the return leg was appalling from Brive to around Senlis, north of Paris. Absolutely hammered down the whole way, and with the usual Belgians/Dutch/Germans/Locals being totally unconcerned about it and carrying on with their traditional appalling tailgating behaviour it wasn't a very relaxed stretch. It was then strangely warm and sunny through the last schlep to Dunkirk.
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Aug 19, 2024 8:30:05 GMT
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Post by Humph on Aug 19, 2024 8:30:05 GMT
Good to hear you had a slick trip both ways. Did you break the journeys or just one hit them in the end? I know what you mean re car types. We took the petrol manual Jeep in the summer of ‘23 and while it was more than fine, and I wouldn’t hesitate to take that again, the bigger diesel auto really is the tool for the job.
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WDB
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Holidays!
Aug 19, 2024 8:57:39 GMT
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Post by WDB on Aug 19, 2024 8:57:39 GMT
Welcome back, Vić. Glad it went well.
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Post by Alanović on Aug 19, 2024 9:38:49 GMT
Cheers, fellas. We took regular breaks and shared the driving, so made it both ways in single hits.
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Post by EspadaIII on Aug 19, 2024 10:34:24 GMT
Espadrille has made me promise that on our tour of New Zealand, we will share the driving and the catering jobs.
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Holidays!
Aug 19, 2024 10:34:41 GMT
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Post by Humph on Aug 19, 2024 10:34:41 GMT
Apologies in advance for the Twainesque observation, but rumours of the difficulties of long distance driving can often be exaggerated. 😉
Did you strap bikes to the roof this time?
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