Member Since: 29 Sep 2006
Location: MIDLANDS
Posts: 8135
It'll be a fast one I am sure Ron.......
9th Jul 2021 1:36 pm
ronp
Member Since: 29 Nov 2006
Location: North Yorkshire
Posts: 15263
Sadly not, the fast one’s being sold (watch this space), something more sedate to replace her. ...... always on the road less travelled 🚧
10th Jul 2021 7:29 am
astonbuilder
Member Since: 29 Sep 2006
Location: MIDLANDS
Posts: 8135
They’re all fast….
10th Jul 2021 8:26 am
Johnny V
Member Since: 15 Mar 2019
Location: Daventry
Posts: 63
I joined the 'club' as well - last year delivering new Tesla's but that one finished during the first lockdown. Have a great one now (for me) doing interbranch transfers of Motorhomes a couple of days a week for a major group with an occasional caravan towing job thrown in - get to drive all sorts but mainly new ones based on Ford, Fiat, Mercedes or Peugeot Chassis.
Always deliver one and bring one back, plus usually don't start until 9.30 'ish - keeps me busy and pays for the repairs to the Disco !
One issue - there is a complete shortage of stock of both Caravans and Motorhomes - demand is outstripping supply - Covid Staycations !
10th Jul 2021 10:12 am
astonbuilder
Member Since: 29 Sep 2006
Location: MIDLANDS
Posts: 8135
More variation of vehicles this week;
- Transit plug-in Hybrid. Unless its mostly local city use it doesn't make sense to me. Pure electric range of 23 miles then 1.0 petrol. Was showing about 250mpg until battery ran out so by end of journey was down to 29mpg overall. The engine was fine, no idea of power output on it.
- Fiesta ST Line. Sweet point of a car I'd say, nice, sporty trim level and 158bhp 3-pot engine is more than adequate, probably better than a full-fat ST version as a daily I'd say. Had mild-hybrid tech and a bit of cross country and 150 mile schlep on the motorway had it showing 52mpg overall
- Toyota Rav-4 Hybrid. Jeez they are BIG now! I'd say about as big as my RRS's but narrower? More rear legroom but smaller boot? Was very 'Lexus' like in its top spec trim. Another mated to a CVT but driving across London it was actually quite nice. It was also nice on the motorway at 75mph cruise but, unfortunately, anything in between and the gearbox was awful. Lot of car for circa £50k if you could live with that gearbox..... On the 140 mile trip it was showing 51mpg, that's good I still think world governments are being too hasty putting hybrids in same category as ICE, they make a good case as a step in the transition to EV for me
- Ford Kuga plug-in hybrid. Was thinking 'uh oh' when I saw a CVT gearbox but certainly the best by far so far, very 'normal automatic' like. Was found wanting on a couple of 'kickdown' moves up hills going cross country but not too bad. However that was until I found out it had a 2.5 litre petrol engine as back-up. Not great considering that and sort of 'misses the point' for me; leccy but with a big old ICE mated to it Did 34 miles on pure electric and was regenerating as I continued on petrol so by end of journey (only about 90 miles) it had done another 12 miles using regenerated electric power.
Seems I was lucky in avoiding the LECV vans (the electric London 'black cab' but as a van variant), the guys hate them. Thought they got good write ups as taxi's but maybe they get given some slack 'considering it's a taxi' maybe I still want to have a go in one
14th Jul 2021 2:46 pm
defector
Member Since: 23 Feb 2009
Location: Greater Manchester
Posts: 1471
LEVC Taxi is great, very smooth and quiet drive, and it is also very comfortable - i suppose it has to be with the drivers in there anywhere from 8-12 hours at a time.
Generally very reliable except for a few software/teething problems but generally well sorted by Volvo garages - Paul Rigby's in Birmingham have got a good reputation with the LEVC.
I suppose the main difference between the van and Taxi will be that the Taxi has a partition and soft furnishings in the rear and 4 doors which will probably make it quieter and less 'boomy'.
After all it is in effect a Volvo (LEVC and Volvo have the same Parent, Geely of China)
14th Jul 2021 7:59 pm
astonbuilder
Member Since: 29 Sep 2006
Location: MIDLANDS
Posts: 8135
Had a more varied offering of vehicles of late;
- Kia Picanto - definitely not a 'motorway car' - struggled to maintain an indicated 75mph, slightest incline saw it struggling in 4th at 60mph. Cheap is the only reason to buy one of these....
- Dacia Duster - I was very impressed with this, no way is it any more 'budget' than your typical family lower priced mainstream stuff. I had upper spec LPG/petrol version Only thing that let it down slightly for me was lack of 6th gear for motorway cruising. I'd be surprised if it cost more than the above Kia and I know which one I'd open my wallet for.
- Kia something or other hybrid Focus-sized hatchback, absolutely fine, but to not remember what it was tells you all you need to know
- Alfa Romeo Stelvio. Had 280bhp and was, by the stats, very fast but it didn't feel it at all. Ride very 'jiggly' even on smooth motorways. . Interior style and trim was very nice. The Jag' F-Pace does it all better but very similar cars to each other. This car was delivered to a film crew for use on some kids TV programme
- Various Merc' diesel hybrids - definitely the best hybrid/engine/gearbox combo' I've driven and the one I'd be looking at buying if stepping into 'EV' vehicles but not yet convinced by the re-charging infrastructure. Best one was a GLE, lovely car, 60 miles on electric only and a decent 'real' engine as back up. Was very surprised to find that the ICE wasn't the V6 but the 2.0 litre four pot diesel, has 200bhp, and lugged the car around fine
- Kia Sorrento - top spec 'Grade 4' trim hybrid. Very nice, all the whistles and bells. At around £50k I'd certainly look at one if I was in the market for something like a Disco' Sport. The interior is a bit 'glitzy' and not exactly 'sleek' in the dashboard area though. Petrol 1.6 engine seemed up to the job and the hybrid tech worked seamlessly. Way too many 'nanny' warning lights, bongs and features for me but it did have one, IMO, brilliant safety feature (and other manufacturers will surely follow suit given the propensity for digital dash's?). It is the blind-spot warning. Uses the dash' 'dials' to change to a camera view when you indicate - LH 'clock' shows LH side of car and the RH one the RH side of the car. A really useful safety feature
4th Aug 2021 8:35 am
RRSTDV8
Member Since: 07 Apr 2014
Location: Here
Posts: 13541
That blind spot system looks very nicely thought out.
I'm surprised that the manufacturers haven't brought lane keep assist and blind spot together. Try to change lanes when there's something there and the car refuses the move. I can see some arguments against it, of course, but for many drivers that don't use motorways much it would solve the problem.Visiting from rrsport.co.uk
2012 RRS SDV6
2008 RRS TDV8
"When you fire that first shot, no matter how right you feel, you have no idea who's going to die! You don't know who's children are going to scream and burn. How many hearts will be broken. How many lives shattered. How much blood will spill, until everybody does what they were always going to have to do from the very beginning: SIT DOWN AND TALK!"
4th Aug 2021 8:44 am
astonbuilder
Member Since: 29 Sep 2006
Location: MIDLANDS
Posts: 8135
some of the 'lane assist' functions are almost dangerous in their own right I'm finding on various cars. The force at which they whip the 'wheel back across is not far off an uncontrolled swerve, it can really catch you out at times
New laws will make it harder to turn the feature off and at some point will be locked on and no option to turn off. The current ruling is for it not to be able to be switched off by one press of a button so will be buried in an options menu somewhere rather than, current, simple prod the stalk end (Ford's) or the on-wheel button of LR's
Example of how it can catch you out is when you genuinely, and by taking a decisive and planned action, 'swerve' to avoid/go round something or if on roadworks with filtered lights in your favour you move over to the 'wrong' lane at a normal driving speed (if you haven't been forced to stop by the lights for example), in both these cases a pretty violent jerk of the wheel will break your grip
The lane assist features also fail to take into account narrow country roads that may have a white central marker that is less than a car's width from the verge. We refer to this as "anywhere South West of Salisbury"
First few trips out in Merc and Volvo saw the feature being turned off, as pretty much every road in a 5 mile radius would have this feature driving our cars into the verges/ditches.
Great for dual carriageways and motorways, terrible for single carriageway and rural roads.I know it's not considered "kind" to say no these days, but no. Just no, ok? And if it's not ok, still no.
some of the 'lane assist' functions are almost dangerous in their own right I'm finding on various cars.
Do I recall correctly that you also found problems with this or adaptive cruise when between the concrete "central reservations" on an M6 trip ?
4th Aug 2021 5:32 pm
Oxford-boy
Member Since: 07 Sep 2015
Location: Oxford
Posts: 1108
astonbuilder wrote:
Been delivering Rangers twin cab's rest of this week, private leased vehicles. Longest trip was down to Southampton, back to base to collect another and then up to St Helen's. Given the M6 was closed both northwards and southwards meant that one was a late finish....
Rangers are 3.2 bi-turbo. Went OK but not for what the engine bragged it was. Well isolated and mated to auto box suited. Well equipped and quite 'car-like' really. Can understand why people pick these if there is still the big tax perks over normal 4x4's?
Didn't feel that big from the cab but probably because, unless you have a hi-top fitted, you don't see anything past the rear window Definitely needs the rear reverse cam to judge the length.
Had a Toyota Proace MPV thingy on way back from St Helen's. It is literally a Peugeot with a Toyota steering wheel and grille, still has Peugeot infotainment branding (and you can get 'sister' Citroen and Vauxhall derivatives). It was quite a high spec, 180bhp auto with 2+2+2 seating and a fancy fold out table in centre middle row. Great 'captains chair' drivers seat and was nice to drive. That was until I found out the list price was £48k
Not got my job sheets for Monday yet so no idea where I'm going or what I'm driving
Really enjoying your commentary on what you drive AstonBuilder. Keep them coming please...
Jim
2014 Discovery 4 XXV SDV6 Causeway Grey
2016 Discovery 4 HSE Lux SDV6 Loire Blue - now gone
4th Aug 2021 5:49 pm
NikBrown27
Member Since: 09 Feb 2021
Location: Earls Colne
Posts: 174
What he said!! Really enjoying the posts!
4th Aug 2021 5:51 pm
astonbuilder
Member Since: 29 Sep 2006
Location: MIDLANDS
Posts: 8135
Hardware wrote:
astonbuilder wrote:
some of the 'lane assist' functions are almost dangerous in their own right I'm finding on various cars.
Do I recall correctly that you also found problems with this or adaptive cruise when between the concrete "central reservations" on an M6 trip ?
Yes, correct. When the major M6 works going on they had one lane ‘on wrong carriageway’ with solid concrete ‘fencing’ either side. Spoke with engineers and they said this wall either side for long distances can fool the radars so radar cruise defaults to ‘off’ after a couple of miles. Cleared itself as joined all carriageways. I always switch lane control off, don’t find it useful at all TBH.
4th Aug 2021 6:40 pm
dantheman
Member Since: 12 Mar 2010
Location: Essex
Posts: 1737
astonbuilder wrote:
More variation of vehicles this week;
- Transit plug-in Hybrid. Unless its mostly local city use it doesn't make sense to me. Pure electric range of 23 miles then 1.0 petrol. Was showing about 250mpg until battery ran out so by end of journey was down to 29mpg overall. The engine was fine, no idea of power output on it.
I think you'll find the Transit is permanently driven by the electric motor and the 1.0l engine is there just to charge the battery. It certainly wouldn't have enough pulling power for a laden transit. Interesting that the mpg was so low overall though. I think the electric motor is about 125psToday is the oldest you've been and the youngest you'll ever be again.
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Sadly not, the fast one’s being sold (watch this space), something more sedate to replace her. 
I still think world governments are being too hasty putting hybrids in same category as ICE, they make a good case as a step in the transition to EV for me
Did 34 miles on pure electric and was regenerating as I continued on petrol so by end of journey (only about 90 miles) it had done another 12 miles using regenerated electric power.
I still want to have a go in one 
