Something that someone said on the Citroen C6 thread made me think - are journos doing us any favours by being over critical if a car is say comfort bias or value bias etc?

Value for money seems to rarely come into it anymore and the expectation is that a car costing five grand should be compared to a ten grand car. A city car should apparently ride and handle like a sportscar/limo and have the performance to match.

This annoys me often because we now have cars which are becoming so similar in what they offer, there is far less choice - if you want an economy based car and dont mind something with a few less frills and a harder ride, not such sharp handling and are willing to do without an airbag coming at you from every corner, there is no real option - why? Because we are told that the car should be good at everything and thats just not possible.

I wish there was an acceptability of a car being average in some ways to enable it to be superb in others.

So the C6 doesnt handle like a go-kart! Big deal, if you wanted that you would buy something else, but if you want to be isolated from the world and have your journey as cosseting as possible, why shouldnt a car maker produce a car that is more comfort biased?
And on that subject, if we are to be spend more time in traffic jams and suffer more and more pot-holed roads, I know id rather be isolated from it then thumping down a pothole every few minutes while I inch home through traffic just because I wanted handling so good that it cannot be legally exploited on the road.

It just seems like car makers are being driven into making cars so generic, they just end up average at everything. How on earth did we end up with 4x4's that look the part but wets its sump guard at the thought of a piece of grass?

Am I the only person who wants to see more cars which have a true talent at the expense of being average ( though acceptable ) at other things? Read more

Your question has been moved over to Technical - where a well equipped audience awaits ! Read more

....electric cars catch on in a big way. By electric cars I mean the sort you can plug in at home. The treasury will lose in a big way, no VED and no fuel tax. You can't tax the electricity more because how can you differentiate between an electric fire and your Wizz plugged in? So the only fair way to tax them (if you think taxing cars is appropriate) is to tax the use of them and the only way to do that is road pricing which has the political advantage as being able to be dressed up as addressing 'congestion', however you define that. VED is just a tax on possession, so I don't think could be morally justified at the level that would be needed to replace fuel duties.
So if battery packs get better, get used to the idea coming to a road near you. Read more

Do try the video.

www.ronsusser.com:80/vehicles.asp?c=a&id=857

The best windows in a pillarless saloon

I wonder why it did not go into production? Read more

`Will a risk/cost gap continue to widen in future diesel engine design, when compared with petrol`

About 15 years ago diesel had it for simplicity and reliability,but how many of us are still buying diesel from the `inertia` of that initial experience?
Its well documented about misfueling, putting petrol in diesel cars. But there is also increasing evidence on the web of concoctions of cooking oil being put in common rail diesels.

Then there is FAME biodiesel at over 5%. I came across one such pump in Calais, it looked (felt) great. from a (psychological perspective)
You know, green, save the planet and all that..... It was the different EN spec that stopped me in my tracks. But how many will know that outside an enthusiasts forum like HJ?
You can bet a *lot* of cars are going to get it. Now add on the petrol misfueling, some getting cooking oil, then increasing complexity and repair cost of diesels.

Is owning diesel, in particular buying used, even less viable from a cost/risk perspective as every year passes?

Even with perfect fueling are diesel complexity and repair costs going to *continue to widen the gap* on petrol?


Regards Read more