Do a lot of people who buy 4x4s in London do so because they hate/are scared of driving?

[Dogsauce]

I don’t know what the fuck we will do when the Cmax dies, we need a six seater for family reasons, plus the boot space is handy for bikes etc when not using seats. Anything with 6/7 seats nowadays is a fucking huge SUV tank that has no chance of getting through the garage door, and on-street parking is like the Wild West round here. Since we only drive approx 4000 miles a year I hope it just keeps going.

 

[kebabking]

I keep wondering whether to buy a 4x4. I think where I live and where our holiday home is a 4x4 would make some sense, and especially for pulling the boat off the beach and over loose surfaces. I've just got accredited marshal status too. I'm inclined towards a Scooby.

I suspect a lot of people are equating 4x4 with things like a Rangey or Disco and are not really thinking about 4x4

Go for the Octavia - either the 4x4 or the Scout 4x4 - much better reviews than the Subaru. I think the Passat Allroad might have a slightly higher towing weight, but it weighs a lot more, and is pretty similar to the Octavia. It only beats it (by the slimmest margin) on high speed motorway trips.

Personally I think the 4x4 estates are the perfect cars - 2wd and efficient as you like for normal driving, far more space than the crossover things, and the 4x4 handles snow/icy roads/wet grass and mud.

 

[dessiato]

Go for the Octavia - either the 4x4 or the Scout 4x4 - much better reviews than the Subaru. I think the Passat Allroad might have a slightly higher towing weight, but it weighs a lot more, and is pretty similar to the Octavia. It only beats it (by the slimmest margin) on high speed motorway trips.

Personally I think the 4x4 estates are the perfect cars - 2wd and efficient as you like for normal driving, far more space than the crossover things, and the 4x4 handles snow/icy roads/wet grass and mud.

I'm really wanting GTE but the attitude of the VW dealership here means I'm looking elsewhere.

 

[Indeliblelink]

 

[nightowl]

View attachment 417407

Some would buy one of those if they could get away with it.

 

[hash tag]

None of those cars are larger than a Ford Focus Estate - and inside a Puma is barely larger than a Fiesta.

Part of it is the outside bulk, which is part safety -airbags, crumple zones etc.. and part noise reduction. The biggest thing is the height, which appears to give it far greater size than it actually has.

None of them has a boot as big as an estate car of similar size.

I drive estates, my Mrs had a Honda HRV - so a bit smaller than a CRV, but not by much - it has a shit engine, a shit gearbox, and a boot that was about the size of a glovebox. All fur coat and no knickers - but they are the cars in the dealerships, and if you want something that isn't one of these shit crossover things, you'll wait months.

This has been discussed elsewhere, probably the range rover thread. Another report on the front of todays paper.

 

[Griff]

That picture I was on about earlier in the thread about the old XJ6 looking small these days.

 

[ska invita]

View attachment 419203

That picture I was on about earlier in the thread about the old XJ6 looking small these days.

services on the m4? that car park looks familiar

 

[Artaxerxes]

Fiat_UK just advertised this lump of shit at me.

 

[T & P]

Lol, surely that can’t be for real?

 

[Shippou-Sensei]

My mum started buying volvos after we all almost died when we got side swiped by uninsured srived. Totaled the peugeot we were driving that was flipped and rolled quite a distance.

I get wanting to have a safe car.

I'd Still pick a volvo estate over an SUV though.

 

[nightowl]

Did Fiat send it on April 1st? Ugh!

 

[Shippou-Sensei]

Fiat_UK just advertised this lump of shit at me.

View attachment 420235

A cyber truck

Except replace the T with an F and the cyber with a 'what the actual'

 

[Elpenor]

Even uglier than the Fiat Multipla

 

[T & P]

Even uglier than the Fiat Multipla

And probably less roomy and practical inside too!

 

[PTK]

Fiat_UK just advertised this lump of shit at me.

View attachment 420235

That looks more like a battle Dalek than a car.
That must be about the ugliest car I have ever seen.

 

[Chz]

My mum started buying volvos after we all almost died when we got side swiped by uninsured srived. Totaled the peugeot we were driving that was flipped and rolled quite a distance.

I get wanting to have a safe car.

I'd Still pick a volvo estate over an SUV though.

Was close to a V60 instead of the CX5 we bought, but for our budget the Mazda had better safety features. You don't get all the safety systems in a base Volvo since they went Chinese. Though it has to be said that they're both very safe cars. The case against the V60 was cost (or, older more mileage at our budget), fuel economy (it's a good 250kg heavier), and perceived reliability. Which was never a Volvo strong suit, less so since they went. Chinese.

 

[pogofish]

A big shiny red Chelsea tractor full of nuns drove into the work car park tonight. That raised some eyebrows. Almost as much as the big mobile crane that drove in, then had to reverse very carefully out this morning!

Think its something to do with the roadworks that have closed-off access to the main road north, so they are either using our car park to turn and detour another way, or are trying to find another route because the little road through our site is also currently closed by drainage works.

 

[Spymaster]

A big shiny red Chelsea tractor full of nuns drove into the work car park tonight.

I thought this was going to be a joke.

 

[Elpenor]

I thought this was going to be a joke.

Where’s the stick?

Yes it does

 

[UnderOpenSky]

Go for the Octavia - either the 4x4 or the Scout 4x4 - much better reviews than the Subaru. I think the Passat Allroad might have a slightly higher towing weight, but it weighs a lot more, and is pretty similar to the Octavia. It only beats it (by the slimmest margin) on high speed motorway trips.

Personally I think the 4x4 estates are the perfect cars - 2wd and efficient as you like for normal driving, far more space than the crossover things, and the 4x4 handles snow/icy roads/wet grass and mud.

I question how many people actually even need a 4x4 estate? I did always like the idea of one, but it's another load of stuff to go wrong. I'd be pretty worried about getting an estate with a tow hitch if you're planning on driving over dirt roads and stuff. I had a Mondeo that came with one and the dam thing bottomed out far more then you'd have thought for the

 

[WouldBe]

This has been discussed elsewhere, probably the range rover thread. Another report on the front of todays paper.

View attachment 419200

"Typically 30cm between the side of the car and the edge of the bay" So that leaves 60cm (2 foot) to get in and out of your car. That's not that tight.

 

[PTK]

I have never driven a car, or owned a car.

Going a little off topic: it seems to me odd that people who live in “conservation areas” in towns and cities are not allowed to paint their front door whatever colour they like, yet they are allowed to park a car of whatever colour they like outside. Cars very often mar the look of some beautiful streets, if you ask me.

 

[hash tag]

"Typically 30cm between the side of the car and the edge of the bay" So that leaves 60cm (2 foot) to get in and out of your car. That's not that tight.

Depends on you, your size and the car doors. Some car doors you have to open very wide to get in and out of them.

I have never driven a car, or owned a car.

Going a little off topic: it seems to me odd that people who live in “conservation areas” in towns and cities are not allowed to paint their front door whatever colour they like, yet they are allowed to park a car of whatever colour they like outside. Cars very often mar the look of some beautiful streets, if you ask me.

I can't remember where now, but there was someone who had a very average bright yellow car who was parking it in the street. Neighbours objected to it saying it should be parked elsewhere and/or out of site. The car was vandalised a few times. I'll be thinking on this all night now.

 

[hash tag]

I have never driven a car, or owned a car.

Going a little off topic: it seems to me odd that people who live in “conservation areas” in towns and cities are not allowed to paint their front door whatever colour they like, yet they are allowed to park a car of whatever colour they like outside. Cars very often mar the look of some beautiful streets, if you ask me.

Found it.

Yellow car owners join rally in support of 'ugly' car

Convoy in an act of solidarity with owner of Vauxhall Corsa criticised for "ruining" tourist photos.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Artaxerxes]

Depends on you, your size and the car doors. Some car doors you have to open very wide to get in and out of them.

I can't remember where now, but there was someone who had a very average bright yellow car who was parking it in the street. Neighbours objected to it saying it should be parked elsewhere and/or out of site. The car was vandalised a few times. I'll be thinking on this all night now.

There was a family installed a very subdued dark green bike shed, got told it didn't suit the tone of the Victorian street.

The street had wall to wall cars parked out the front of the houses.

 

[PTK]

There was a family installed a very subdued dark green bike shed, got told it didn't suit the tone of the Victorian street.

The street had wall to wall cars parked out the front of the houses.

Yes, exactly. It is almost as some people do not see the cars.

 

[Chz]

Depends on you, your size and the car doors. Some car doors you have to open very wide to get in and out of them.

Having owned one in the past, it's necessary for a coupe's door to open wider than a sedan's to get out of it. SUVs are actually slightly better in this regard - you need less space to get out the door if you're not sitting on the floor to begin with. The lower the car, the wider you tend to need the door open to squeeze out. It's excruciating to get out of an MX-5 or somesuch in a tight space because of how far up the opening you need to get your foot out of the car. Unless you curl up into a ball first.

That said, the difference is slight. 10cm makes a massive difference.

 

[hash tag]

Having owned one in the past, it's necessary for a coupe's door to open wider than a sedan's to get out of it. SUVs are actually slightly better in this regard - you need less space to get out the door if you're not sitting on the floor to begin with. The lower the car, the wider you tend to need the door open to squeeze out. It's excruciating to get out of an MX-5 or somesuch in a tight space because of how far up the opening you need to get your foot out of the car. Unless you curl up into a ball first.

That said, the difference is slight. 10cm makes a massive difference.

Exactly. I'm over 6ft and this thing is "cosy", but great fun.

 

[Griff]

Yeah, this is pretty 'cosy' too.