Cars

66Mustang
66Mustang Online Community Member Posts: 15,162 Championing
in Coffee lounge
I’m just wondering what people currently drive (or get driven about in) and what your favourite makes and models of car are. Of course motorbikes, trucks, vans etc. are welcome too!!

Mine is of course the Ford Mustang however I would not have one in this country because I mostly drive through the countryside on small roads and it is just too big. It also likes a drink which isn’t too good in the UK! If I lived in America where they have nice wide roads and petrol is more or less free I would have one in a heartbeat.

My favourite car for driving in the UK would be the Lotus Elise. I think it is just the right size for our B roads and it is absolutely fantastic to drive. They are very basic hardly having any “toys” like Bluetooth or heated seats - I believe even a radio is an optional extra. However as a car for driving it is absolutely sublime in my experience. It is also fairly economical for a sports car.

Back in the real world :D I also like Minis (both the old ones and the new BMW ones) and am currently on my 3rd Mini. I genuinely can’t think of a better car (for me) than my Mini as it does everything: comfort, speed and 40MPG fuel economy. Usually you have to compromise with these traits and choose one or two but this car does them all!! Really, all it doesn’t do is carry lots of luggage and people, which I don’t need anyway. 

My next car, if I am still eligible for Motability by then, will be an electric one. Not for any political reason, just because they are so cheap to run and I love the idea of what they are like to drive.

I am looking forward to reading your comments. :)

Comments

  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 64,463 Championing
    Although i'm a woman, i love cars! I drive a Peugeot 3008 motability car at the moment. It does about 48MPG and is big enough to put my grandsons pushchair in the boot and my shopping. It's really comfortable and i like the drive height too. I find it very difficult to get in and out of lower cars. I have this car until November next year and my PIP award has just been renewed for another few years so i can order another 3 months before this one ends.

    I love the Mini Countryman but found the steering a little heavy so decided against that last time. I love the look of the Ford Puma so may look at that next time but i'll keep my options open and of course it will depend on the advance payment. Automatic cars means higher advance payments. :(  I don't have a driveway for my car so an electric one isn't appealing to me. Far too stressful having to keep it charged.
  • 66Mustang
    66Mustang Online Community Member Posts: 15,162 Championing
    @poppy123456 that sounds awesome! 48MPG in a large car is impressive.

    I know what you mean about steering with the Minis. It is very firm.

    If you don’t have a driveway I understand not wanting the stress of an electric car. It would be quite a pain having to charge it at service stations only I think.

    The Puma is a nice car, I quite like the look of them. My parents are considering one when they need to change their car in a few years time but not sure if it’s a little bit big.

    With Motability I believe you get £600 if you hand your car back in good condition don’t you? That could go toward the advance payment on the next car - at least that’s what I’m planning. :)
  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 64,463 Championing
    Yes, i'm very surprised with fuel economy, but it's diesel so that does help. Yes, the good condition bonus is £600 now, it was £500 when i handed my last car in. It will certainly help but you still need to find the AP before you have the bonus back lol. Well, i shall see what's available nearer the time.

    I think i actually remember you getting your Mini, i'm sure you posted a picture at the time or am i thinking of someone else? :D
  • Dragonslayer
    Dragonslayer Online Community Member Posts: 2,164 Pioneering
    For the last two years I have been driving a ford EcoSport. It's an SUV, but smaller than mast others. It good for carrying my walker in the back and is very roomy inside. One good thing about it is getting in and out, it's so easy, my feet are already on the ground when I spin around on the seat. The performance is great, especially considering the small engine capacity. But when the turbo kicks in, it really gets going and it is so easy to drive it almost drives itself. It is both automatic and sport with gear change in sport on the steering wheel. The emission is really small and it does around 40mls per gallon. It does have everything on board, the computer and sync screen has sat nav, phone connection, all settings of the car as does the screen on the dashboard and USB ports for music. I've never been a man who 'loves' cars, but I do love this one.
    I will get electric when I get another, but that won't be for a while yet. 
    When I think back to my first car. A Vauxhall Viva, very basic. Nothing on board at all. Heavy and drove like a tank compared to cars today. It was only £750 though and only 12months old.
  • 66Mustang
    66Mustang Online Community Member Posts: 15,162 Championing
    @poppy123456 ahhh good point about having to find the AP first - seems obvious now but didn’t occur to me ha ha. Yes that was me, I still have the Mini for a while yet and am loving it as much as day 1, just like planning in advance :smiley: 

    @Dragonslayer thanks for sharing :) I’m glad you found a car that suits you and enables you to do what you want out and about. I think you are right, the engines they use in most Fords are great at the moment. As for the turbo I thought on the newer eco type engines the turbo is on almost all the time - it’s not like an old turbo that kicks in at high RPM - maybe I am wrong? I will tag @OverlyAnxious to see if he can answer (hope he doesn’t mind) :D
  • OverlyAnxious
    OverlyAnxious Online Community Member Posts: 4,923 Championing
    66Mustang said:
    As for the turbo I thought on the newer eco type engines the turbo is on almost all the time - it’s not like an old turbo that kicks in at high RPM - maybe I am wrong? I will tag @OverlyAnxious to see if he can answer (hope he doesn’t mind) :D
    Turbo tech is pretty interesting and something that takes a considerable amount of design.  :)

    The main split is between a conventional fixed turbo, and a VNT (variable nozzle turbo).  Many diesels use VNT because of their tiny powerband as standard.  VNT turbos are boosting for most of the time to create a larger useable powerband. 

    Fixed turbos still only boost at higher RPM.  These are what petrol's still use as they have a wide powerband as standard anyway.  However, turbo's are getting smaller and the vane design is getting more effective, meaning that the turbo can boost from a lower RPM, but then you lose some top end boost instead.  It's a tricky balance between getting a fixed turbo that boosts from a low enough RPM to be nippy around town, and also has enough top end to overtake trucks on the motorway.

    Turbo's are electronically controlled nowadays (either by a direct solenoid, or by a vacuum solenoid) so they are not mechanically fixed to the rise of RPM/vacuum as before.  Some engines make use of this, the EcoBoost in particular, by allowing a small period of 'overboost' to give some extra top end pull for overtakes, but not for so long that it could cause mechanical damage.

    I'm guessing the EcoSport is a 1.0 EcoBoost.  Fantastic engine on paper, but not as frugal as you'd expect in the real world!
  • 66Mustang
    66Mustang Online Community Member Posts: 15,162 Championing
    @OverlyAnxious thanks for the explanation, really interesting to know. :)
  • janer1967
    janer1967 Online Community Member Posts: 21,922 Championing
    My bf has some sort of jaguar sport saloon very nice it is 

    When we were out on sat eve 3 different people came up to us and commented on how they thought it looked amazing and 8f only they could have one 

    First time I have been out in it and tbh I don't know much about cars but seems to draw peoples attention 


  • Grinchy
    Grinchy Online Community Member Posts: 1,953 Championing
    very nice cars! we have a grandland x vauxhall, its a bigger car and my wife drives it really well, she loves it needed the space really i'm the size of a house so getting in and out of a smaller car was really getting to me, this new one is great

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