Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 21, 2017 20:12:35 GMT
My wife's car goes back at the end of this year, a hybrid Auris.
While it has been enlightening, recent driving on untreated Dutch motorways covered in black ice has shown why electric motors with maximum torque from zero revs takes some control when driving the wheels. Combined with electric power steering it's rubbish.
On the plus side 47mpg from a 1.8 petrol automatic on a motorway run and 97mpg around town is not to be sniffed at, though my wife has indicated she wants to go back to an MPV of some sort after 2 C4 Grand Picasso models the first of which was pretty good, the second was a bit of a disaster so no to Citroën. SUVs do not interest her, we've tried them all and for the size of them, the interior space is a joke.
My first hurdle is fuel. Diesel seems to be on a downer at the moment though the engineers are fighting back saying Adblue is the difference between dirty and clean. Going pure petrol for an MPV seems, to my mind, to be a backward step given we were all encouraged towards diesel due to dirty petrol a decade or so back. I know engine tech has moved on but I'm thinking Galaxy with a Focus ST motor so hardly planet saving.
As an alternative to that, a Ford Transit Kombi (8 or 9 seater) with a 170PS diesel motor, auto gearbox and Adblue would be the mother of all MPVs. OK, the seats don't fold into the floor but whip the seats out and I could get my motorbike in there without the need for a trailer and still have a tonne of space for family and luggage. Given that the list price of a Transit is ca. 12k€ less than a Galaxy and the fact my wife's only input is she wants a raised driving position is there a downside to having the Transit as the ultimate run to the tip car ?
We test drove the Galaxy with the 240PS petrol motor. It goes well and I would have one in a heartbeat but at 52k€ before discount I'm inclined towards the Transit as neither are sports cars. The Transit also has sliding doors to the side which the Galaxy does not. I know the Alhambra and Sharan have sliding doors but then they don't have the full fat ST engine.
Views or ideas ?
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 21, 2017 20:21:51 GMT
Main question. On a long journey, how comfortable is this Transit, how noisy? Would it drive you mad? What creature comforts are included? Would you miss the obvious ones included even in a basic Galaxy?
How big does this car need to be? We rented a Fiat 500 L Grande in 2015 (in the UK its the 500 L MPW but without the third row of seats) for a family of five with luggage. It swallowed all of us and was a great car. A 1.6 diesel but really very good. If the Auris fits the bill size wise Whats wrong with a B-Max?
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 21, 2017 20:46:26 GMT
The Auris doesn't really fit the bill. The last time around my wife asked me to suggest some cars smaller as she didn't think she needed an MPV. I went with mid sized estate cars, SEAT Leon, Toyota Auris etc... and she put her green anorak on and went Hybrid. After a couple of months she said this was a mistake for size.
As for creature comforts the Transit has a second set of aircon controls for rows two and three, heated seats, more power sockets than you can shake a stick at. I could use some of the money saved to custom build the interior, add a table for the middle row which can be sited between rows 2 & 3 or brought forward between rows 1 and 2 and row 1 turned through 180 degrees. And it has fixed mounting points to the chassis for strapping my bike down.
The Transit has so many more options than a traditional MPV and is not really that much wider and at 4.9 metres long is only a foot longer than my Volvo S60. It's only the additional height that would force us into the bus and caravan section on the Eurotunnel or a ferry.
My wife's car is mainly used as the family bus. Local runs to the dentist, shopping and for trips to the DIY sheds now we have bought our own house. For longer runs to Scotland I don't think it would be the end of the world as it's a 200 mile hop to the ferry then a 2 or 300 mile hop at the other end.
Occasionally we have need of 6 or 7 seats hence the MPV.
What I'm really looking for is an automotive jack of all trades.
|
|
|
|
Post by Humph on Jan 21, 2017 20:52:50 GMT
S-Max? Supposed to be a nice drive but with huge carrying capacity.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 21, 2017 21:00:24 GMT
We looked the S-MAX and agree, it is a very nice drive however, if you're going down the maxed out MPV route you may as well get the extra space that the Galaxy gives. Which then brings me back to if it's space then why not a Transit ?
The Galaxy we test drove was great, press a button to open the back and press five buttons and all the rear seats disappear but it's all show. The interior will not stand up to real use like a van.
We really need to get a test drive in the Transit and see what "the boss" says. It will be her 'car' after all.
|
|
|
|
Post by Hofmeister on Jan 21, 2017 21:04:20 GMT
We looked the S-MAX and agree, it is a very nice drive however, if you're going down the maxed out MPV route you may as well get the extra space that the Galaxy gives. Which then brings me back to if it's space then why not a Transit ? The Galaxy we test drove was great, press a button to open the back and press five buttons and all the rear seats disappear but it's all show. The interior will not stand up to real use like a van. We really need to get a test drive in the Transit and see what "the boss" says. It will be her 'car' after all. Transit? Its a shed, cant possibly be her idea, she will hate it. |
|
|
|
Post by Humph on Jan 21, 2017 21:10:14 GMT
Does the dash top have a special holder for discarded Macdonalds packaging and tabloid newspapers? 😉
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 21, 2017 21:39:28 GMT
Transit? Its a shed, cant possibly be her idea, she will hate it. I only make suggestions. She did like the Galaxy and how it could shift when provoked. Access to the Transit is not lady like I must admit. My one doubt about the Galaxy is the emissions and how the politicians will change their minds, like their socks, and petrol will be evil again within 5 years. I would like to think whichever car we go for will have a shelf life longer than a tin of beans. |
|
WDB
Full Member
Posts: 7,427 
|
Post by WDB on Jan 21, 2017 23:08:49 GMT
The Transit isn't just based on a van, it is a van. What would this mean in terms of speed limits and (possibly) licence categories? Would it be, say, limited to 60 on UK dual carriageways?
As for full-fat MPVs, the S-Max is nice while the Galaxy is horrible. The extra height destroys its composure and makes it a chore to travel in; I always wince when my taxi firm sends one instead of a ten-year-old E to take me to the airport.
|
|
Avant
Full Member
Posts: 691
|
Post by Avant on Jan 21, 2017 23:12:25 GMT
Without being sexist, I can think of plenty of ladies who on being offered a Transit would say 'Aaarrrggghhh - it's a VAN' - or less polite variations of same. Presumably Frau Backpfeifenwhatsit is altogether more courageous than that....
|
|
|
|
Post by Hofmeister on Jan 21, 2017 23:16:08 GMT
Without being sexist, I can think of plenty of ladies who on being offered a Transit would say 'Aaarrrggghhh - it's a VAN' - or less polite variations of same. Presumably Frau Backpfeifenwhatsit is altogether more courageous than that.... The good Frau may well be less polite and exclaim sich verpissen |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 21, 2017 23:36:29 GMT
Without being sexist, I can think of plenty of ladies who on being offered a Transit would say 'Aaarrrggghhh - it's a VAN' - or less polite variations of same. Presumably Frau Backpfeifenwhatsit is altogether more courageous than that.... The good Frau may well be less polite and exclaim sich verpissenOn the contrary, she actually sat in one today and was coming around to it. While she liked the look of the Galaxy we test drove she seems quite taken by the 7 seater hunchbacked C-Max. Frau bpg wouldn't say sich verpissen, her privately educated Edinburgh brogue does not allow it. |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 22, 2017 6:43:14 GMT
Taking a step back, forgetting about the Transit, what fuel would you be looking for to propel your next car?
The car will cover around 10,000 miles/year. My preference is to buy and run for the next ten years by which time the juniors will be adults after which we can review and replace with something more suitable at the time.
Ideally, I want to get off the treadmill of throwing 5-10k€ deposit + 400€/month rental. I know I will still be paying it in depreciation over the extended period and some may argue if you're paying it then you may aswell have the latest tech.
Just sounding out the folks on here if there is another way or something I've missed?
|
|
|
|
Post by Hofmeister on Jan 22, 2017 10:29:31 GMT
Taking a step back, forgetting about the Transit, what fuel would you be looking for to propel your next car? I think the fuel density argument is the wrong place to start. In the last 12 months I've driven a 1.4 Tsi, a 1.2 litre 3cyl non turbo, and currently driving a 2.4 5 cyl slightly old tech turbo diesel. All of them I would happily live with for 10 years. (tho in these currently arctic like cold mornings, the Volvo is a bugger, taking an absolute age to warm up and provide cabin heat) For my next car, if I choose the V90, it will have to be a 4cyl diesel as its all they do (apart from a promised plug in hybrid thing some time in the next 18 months). All of the premium marks push their 4cyl diesels to the fore, and although I would love a 6cyl 3 litre diesel, the purchase price premium brings a wince of suprise, (even for my laissez faire budget limit) preferring to divert the extra dosh on toys or dynamic usefulls (like 4wd) Your 10 year choice is really not diesel or petrol, but hybrid or not. |
|
|
|
Post by Hofmeister on Jan 22, 2017 10:38:23 GMT
On the contrary, she actually sat in one today and was coming around to it. While she liked the look of the Galaxy we test drove she seems quite taken by the 7 seater hunchbacked C-Max. Frau bpg wouldn't say sich verpissen, her privately educated Edinburgh brogue does not allow it. Sitting in is not driving it, or worse, be seen driving it. Its a van, a van is for humping lots of awkward shape things around, not for personal transport. Take a VW caddy or a Transporter, both of which I have quite a bit of experience of. TBH, for a bloke driving them is OK. Its a bit of a laugh, and the seat and controls are usually very good and comfy. It stops there. As a passenger the seat is bloody awful, akin to an inquisition torture device, they are noisy, they are bouncy, they are awful. Even the most pumped up tricked up luxury van going, the Vito tourer, is shit. |
|
