Sorry for posting this again, hopefully in the Ford section now.
I am normally given a Focus 1.8 Zetec for business trips but have had a Mondeo IV TDCi for the last few days. I was pleased to have this as I am looking for a Diesel to replace my own Petrol car, although not Mondeo size.. Is there any way of telling which engine this has? It just has the TDCi badge on the back and nothing else. The reason I ask is that as a motorway cruiser it was superb, but around town, not so. I was forever changing down to get the engine on boost, below 2000 rpm there is nothing, absolutely nothing until 2000 rpm when suddenly there is everything. My own 1.6 Rover will pull happily from 35 mph in 5th if asked to, the Mondeo is uncomfortable at 30mph in 4th and I found myself in 3rd until around 40. I know that this is a trait of Diesels but I would like a little more flexibility in whatever car I choose.
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Last Saturday 26th about 5:30pm I was motorcycling along the A61 between Ripon and Killinghall, some of which is NSL. Most of the traffic seemed happy at 50 - 55 mph so I let the bike stretch its legs a bit while increasing my grin factor yet sticking rigidly to posted speed limits where these were in force. Vehicles were overtaken singly or in queues without any drama that I was aware of. As I approached the turning to Burton Leonard, I became aware of a car making aggressive progress through the traffic behind me. It turned out to be a silver Astra driven by a mature male. The Astra followed me very closely to Killinghall, apparently trying to push up the inside on bends and occupying much of the bike's right mirror on straights. I try to take bends wide for visibility but modified that technique lest I found myself lying on the bonnet of the Astra as I leant over. My grin had shrunk to wry smile at this stage. The Astra failed to take advantage of the few times when I slowed to allow him to pass, driving to within a couple of metres of my number plate instead. I concluded that I must have committed some crime against the Astra driver and that he was trying to spook me. This was confirmed when I turned right in Killinghall opposite the Three Horseshoes pub and the Astra passed to my left with a blast of horn and something shouted through the open driver's window. As an exercise in communication, it failed because the one noise drowned the other. A more volatile spirit might have followed the car and kicked its mirrors off for such behaviour. As I don't set out to deliberately upset other road users, I'm posting this in the rather forlorn hope that the Astra driver might be reading this and care to enlighten me so that I may either learn from my mistake or dismiss his complaint. Any offers? Read more

The independent testing of Thatcham has found that small cars (and some larger ones) are rated very poor when it comes to whiplash protection. Given that whiplash injuries are more likely to occur in town driving, these small cars are not fit for purpose, I think.

www.thatcham.org/ncwr/

"The only two City cars to achieve an ?ACCEPTABLE? rating were the Renault Twingo and the Smart Fortwo. The majority of the other nine City cars were rated as ?MARGINAL?, with the current Ford Ka and Fiat Panda rated as ?POOR?. Even the recently released Fiat 500 ? new for 2008 ? only achieved a ?MARGINAL? rating. "

How can it be right that the government and Red Ken wants to bully us into small cars when these cars can't even protect us from the injury that is most common in city driving?

Still I wouldn't like to drive a BMW of any size: "For the last three years of Thatcham testing, BMW seats have never achieved a ?GOOD? rating." Ooops!! The Ultimate Whiplash Machine? Still, at least the new ones are better...
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Have a Jetta 57 plate, with less than 7000 miles, terrible burning smell when stuck in traffic on Saturday, took to dealers and told there is a problem with clutch, cannot diagnose if warranty or my style of driving (?) until clutch removed to examine!! after less than 7000 miles? Jetta Golf etc. any known problems anyone?
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my car seems to kangaroo(like not a smooth acceleration or deceleration) for a second or so ONLY when i put my foot on or completley off the accelerator, it will do it when going at any speed putting foot on or off the accelerator(noticable when in slow moving traffic), my car is a vectra c 1.8SXi 03 plate it has been on the tec 2 machine and was saying (fuel trim)the engine managment light was on so has had lambda sensor cleaned and throttle body cleaned the light has not come back on.even had the ecu reprogrammed by vauxhall(is now a lot quicker btw), but still no difference.plz help this is the only niggle with my car and it drives me nuts Read more