|
Post by Humph on Sept 16, 2024 8:51:46 GMT
That’s good to hear Al. Glad you’re enjoying the new car.
|
|
|
Post by Alanović on Sept 16, 2024 9:02:14 GMT
Thanks. It's that extra spaciousness which really helps make the journey a more pleasant experience - bit more elbow room between the front seats in particular. Was also nice to use the anchor points in the boot to secure the dog's cage with some bungees, so it's not sliding about in there. There's far more boot space in this car than required for my little dog's accommodation.
I'm getting used to the electric handbrake now, it has already become second nature. The one annoyance is the number of button pushes it takes to get to the speed limiter. I think it's 4 or 5 steps, and sitting here now I can't remember the exact sequence of the 3 or so different buttons involved. It's unnecessarily complex and potentially distracting. Not good. The other thing I don't like is that the digital dashboard doesn't always stay in the display config I've selected. For example, I like it on the "rev counter in the middle with a large digital speed readout in the centre of that", for want of a better more concise description. But when my phone connects with Android Auto and sat nav begins, the car evidently thinks, "Oh I know what will be helpful, I'll change the dashboard display to a pared down satnav thing of arrows and instructions in black and white". No. I do not want you to do that, car. I want you to keep displaying the information I selected myself to be displayed, and don't bloody change it. I don't know if there's a setting deep in a menu somewhere which will lock the display, and I can't find it either in the handbook nor in the menus themselves. So I then have to remember which button it is to cycle through the display options to get back to my chosen one. Annoying.
Oh yeah. And one more thing. The compass doesn't work. There's a little grey arrow and N for north above the speedo, and sometimes, when it's doing its "let's be helpful and change Al's chosen display" routine, a message pops up saying Compass not working. Yeah, I can see that. And the reason the compass isn't working, I imagine, is that the car doesn't have built in satnav, so no GPS signal. So, Skoda boffins, how about removing the notification for something not working which is never going to work because it doesn't have the capacity to work, from the system? Details, lads. Details.
|
|
|
Post by Humph on Sept 16, 2024 9:06:29 GMT
I was totally convinced that I never wanted a car with an epb. Until we did in the form of the Feep. Combined with a manual gearbox it’s just so much more convenient. Don’t really use the handbrakes on automatic cars unless it’s parked on a steep slope. Yes, I know I should, but if there’s a cba option, that’s usually my default choice. 😉
|
|
|
Post by Alanović on Sept 16, 2024 9:11:18 GMT
I'm still doing handbrake on, gear lever to neutral, at all appropriate stops. Didn't you say your Bentley bloke recommended that on a DSG?
|
|
|
Post by Humph on Sept 16, 2024 9:17:08 GMT
Yes indeed.
|
|
|
Post by Alanović on Sept 16, 2024 9:31:11 GMT
Ah yes, page 2 of this topic. I'm still wondering about whether to switch off "hold" and let the car creep.
|
|
bpg
Full Member
Posts: 2,731
|
Post by bpg on Sept 16, 2024 10:07:44 GMT
If your car has automatic brakes/auto hold when it comes to a standstill and stop/start then you don't need to do anything. The car won't creep and there's no wear and tear.
Roads in the SE were surprisingly quiet this weekend. Is it the M329 between Reading and Bagshot ? Well part of the route anyway, last time I drove that route, end of October last year, it was a bumper to bumper crawl to the M3. Yesterday straight through with only a few traffic light stops. Where is everyone ?
|
|
WDB
Full Member
Posts: 7,352
|
Post by WDB on Sept 16, 2024 10:12:51 GMT
A329(M) to Bracknell, then A322 to Bagshot. Not a drive to stiffen the sinews or summon up the blood, but a pretty decent test of a car’s ability to make a grim drive bearable. The i3 doesn’t like it at all, the CLS was much happier. The iX will get its chance to impress next month, when Deutschstunden resume.
|
|
|
Post by Alanović on Sept 16, 2024 10:14:38 GMT
That road is designated A3290 from Reading to Winnersh, then A329(M) from Winnersh to the edge of Bracknell, then A322 to the M3 and beyond to Guildford.
I hope you enjoyed your visit to my glamorous town. Disappointed not to spot the German reg white RHD Volvo.
|
|
WDB
Full Member
Posts: 7,352
|
Post by WDB on Sept 16, 2024 10:47:40 GMT
Ah yes, page 2 of this topic. I'm still wondering about whether to switch off "hold" and let the car creep. In what situation? Auto hold tends to get in the way of smooth parking, and a bit of creep can make crawling traffic less effortful — but, as BPG suggests, modern cars have other ways of managing that.
|
|
|
Post by Alanović on Sept 16, 2024 10:51:32 GMT
I mean switch it off and leave it of as default, rather than have it on as default. With a view to mechanical sympathy. I'm happy driving it in either state. Not finding parking an issue with it on.
|
|
WDB
Full Member
Posts: 7,352
|
Post by WDB on Sept 16, 2024 11:10:36 GMT
If you allow creep, won’t you then be using the brakes to restrain it? Are you looking for a situation (like an EV) where no pedals = no movement?
|
|
bpg
Full Member
Posts: 2,731
|
Post by bpg on Sept 16, 2024 11:31:43 GMT
Actually stayed in Winnersh. Literally an overnighter so no time to create an opinion.
M25 will be a good road when they finish it with a top surface.
Edit: very American style driving adopted in the region, pick a lane and drive in it until the exit is found. If in lane 4 throw the car towards the slip road everyone will get out of your way.
|
|
|
Post by Alanović on Sept 16, 2024 12:20:06 GMT
If you allow creep, won’t you then be using the brakes to restrain it? Are you looking for a situation (like an EV) where no pedals = no movement? The only thing I'm looking for is whether operating the car in 'auto hold' mode or 'let it creep mode' as a default is more mechanically sympathetic to the componetry in the long term. I suspect which ever is better is only marginally so, and not worth worrying about, but I am curious. I don't have a very engineery or mechanicy mind to be able to work out the implications of both approaches, nor any great knowledge of how the function of auto hold works and what internal components of the vehicle it uses. I don't expect to find the answer on here, I'm just chewing the fat and wondered if anyone had any thoughts - because most of you here are far more engineeryish than I.
|
|
|
Post by EspadaIII on Sept 16, 2024 12:46:38 GMT
Actually stayed in Winnersh. Literally an overnighter so no time to create an opinion. M25 will be a good road when they finish it with a top surface. Edit: very American style driving adopted in the region, pick a lane and drive in it until the exit is found. If in lane 4 throw the car towards the slip road everyone will get out of your way. Yes, any motorway south of Blackpool is like that now. Just awful lane discipline. Part of it is the sanction for driving a little over the speed limit. Almost everyone bunches between an indicated 65 - 70mph and just sits there. On my regular Manchester - south Lakes trip I rarely see real speeding; i.e. over 80mph. Perhaps once every 60 miles. I think the bunching makes motorway driving sometimes more dangerous and you certainly have to be very aware, perhaps more so than previously. I have never driven on the autobahns but I assume on an unrestricted two-lane section, it is very stressful trying to overtake a lorry with a Porsche doing 250kph coming up your rear?
|
|