Money Savers

[gsxbarmy]

Can relate to its speed Dave, friend just got PHEV 4wd 358bhp.Ultra silent, ultra amazing quick,very weird feeling giving it the full go. Road safety? Heaps of built in distractions, lots of power for a girls car,not sure I'd want my Wife owning it🤷🏼

The tech on it @grog is amazing - some of it unnecessary in all honesty. Wierd not having an engine, just tyre noise, but put your foot down and it just launches! Wife drives it as well, although I seem to get numerous calls about what this and that doesn't mean and how do I switch this on and off. Biggest drawback with modern cars? Digital handbook, doesn't matter whether its and EV, petrol or diesel, all manuals seem now to be digital - and incomplete as half the tech I can't find reference to in the ID3 manual!!!! 

Taking me a while to work out what tech is useful and what I can ignore. Much of it is just too clever beyond words and in all honesty probably beyond most drivers unless they have a degree in IT. The number of places where its touch this or hold that - you just can't remember it all.

[grog]

Glad it's yours Dave, I just like simple controls. I had a ute with info screen/ controls, drove me insane. I read VW going back to more old skool controls after complaints of too much tech.

[Kiwifruit]

Recently wifey got a Honda HRV Hybrid. She loves it. It's doing 4.5L per 100km. Seems odd sitting silently in traffic. It too has lots of tech, asked for most of it to be turned off when we picked it up. Lane departure is weird, beeps for this and that. Fast enough off the mark, just perfect for her type of driving, heated seats and steering wheel. She can even answer her phone.... whatever next.
First car we've bought from a dealer, usually our cars have been write offs that I've then repaired.
For me, I just love my old 1200 Suzuki Swift, owes me nothing, low or no tech, fill it up about once a fortnight... perfect !!
Last week I registered my late father in laws 1999 Kawasaki W650, registration on hold for 12 years or since we bought the Magic Carpet. Have to say it's nice and nimble to get through the traffic.

[Mick_J]

I'll just keep my diesel merc, does 54mpg just bimbling about and does 73mpg on a long motorway run and it only costs £35 to tax for the year and has a tank range of well over 600 miles, no ev can match that.

What are you driving Mick?  I've got a ML250 & down under we got a long range tank (93L) on a trip mine will show 1500+km range on a full tank, never had that though, had 1400+ though.

Morning Col, I have a 2013 B Class oil burner with a dual clutch auto box, most expensive part of running it is the insurance.

[gsxbarmy]

Glad it's yours Dave, I just like simple controls. I had a ute with info screen/ controls, drove me insane. I read VW going back to more old skool controls after complaints of too much tech.

Once you understand what you need @grog its simple enough - with the digital manual (grrrr!!!) its finding out what you do and don't want!

Indeed I've seen on the latest line-up of VW's like the new ID Polo that you can display a retro dash with a rev counter. Really??? To me that's just plain silly, why would anyone want to do that on an electric car. Trouble is I think, those who now do the design were brought up when Transformers were all the rage so if they just add tech wherever they can, be it useful or not - which just confuses the hell out of the customer (well it confuses me and having worked in IT for my professional life I have a pretty good understanding, but I feel for those that just find it bamboozling.

[Hooli]

This is why I have a rule to only buy vehicles with actual dials, not tablets blutaked to the dash. It rules out most of the bloody stupid tech than means you spend more time fighting the vehicle than driving or riding it.