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Ban on petrol and diesel cars from 2030

Of course - so many engines are also just pretty horrid/ offer little more for being stretched like that: esp small, highly-boosted engines past 4k5 or so. And modern diesels, pretty much at all, past about 1/2-2/3rds the red line ( ...however far they have come with engine management in last 20yrs)

That’s down to the small turbochargers that are fitted to many engines, not just the one litre jobbies. With my 1.5 TSI engine it’s out of puff before 6k rpm, rev limiter comes in at 6250.
 
Just arranging to p/x my 3 series 340i for a Lexus NX PHEV. My average daily use is around 40 miles so hoping to be primarily EV for most of the time. Will be sad to see the 6-pot Beemer go but the plug in hybrid makes a lot of sense for my requirements, lots of shortish journeys with typically one long one per week.

We've just got a plug in hybrid (an Outlander in our case) for similar reasons i.e. local trips mostly done as an EV, but no range concerns with the longer trips we do a couple of times a week. We're also finding that on the longer trips, with a mix of petrol and electric use, the fuel consumption is pretty good for a large SUV.
 
I used to think TDs were awful, and they were, years ago, but my own is very good.

The 2.2L twin-turbo diesel that was in my wife's SLK was very decent - no noticeable turbo lag, masses of torque so easy to drive fast - the only downsides were that it's not a nice sounding as say a V6 petrol would have been, plus it doesn't rev all that high. It's twice as good on fuel as an equivalent V6 petrol would have been though (compare to my own V6 C-class Coupe).
 
I think most were V6, only BMW raced a 4 banger I believe. Supposed to be the most powerful as well.
The V6s weren’t turbo though? I seem to recall turbo & non turbo cars competing, non turbo couldn’t keep up.

I massively admire any drivers from that era, took some skill.
 
I nearly bought a Saab estate once - it was a turbo charged 2.8 V6 and some kind of special edition version with even more power than standard. It was a missile but the torque steer was quite extreme and while I liked it my wife hated it on the test drive. I think we bought a non-turbo V6 Mercedes instead in the end.
 
In it's day I had a 9000 turbo. Some years ago I had a 335i. One had character and was fun to drive, the other was much faster but a total dull...

If there was a modern equivalent of a 9000 Aero, I'd buy one in a flash.
 
Had a good test drive of the 330i, pretty sure I will end up with one, just need to right spec to come along.

Salesman was pretty negative about electric cars, apparently his company won’t take them in P/X, massive drops in value.

Porsche Taycan, need £14k of extras to get on the waiting list for a car that’s dropping like a stone. People still want them though.
 
That’s down to the small turbochargers that are fitted to many engines, not just the one litre jobbies. With my 1.5 TSI engine it’s out of puff before 6k rpm, rev limiter comes in at 6250.
Exactly - all such things for fleet-emissions-compliance reasons, are pushed into a near-stall corner where hitting target power delivery is so-curtailed by the emissions & benchmarked-competitor regime - that what the engine is like to 'use/extend/thrash' in old petrolhead parlance - for 95-98+% of market simply is not now, for a long time, any kind of priority 'We hit the torque & BSFC & EU6 targets,' = done, you as a driver get what you get. The headline HP number (10hp more than last model facelift, obvs) will be achieved by any means, but to suggest you might enjoy extracting it is absolutely NOT a priority. Dull, dull, dull - to a shrinking market.

Most people fundamentally do.not.care to 'drive' - it is purely a means to an end/don't want to have to engage/ treat the car like the washing machine - or rank it alongside as a household essential. Since that IS the mass-market - it wholly explains drive to long slow testing of - passive electrification/ self-driving kit, by push to mass-test the acceptance of /demand for, electric HVAC, steering, brake, lane-change, distance - and reactive cruise control and all those other very-essential subsystems for more automation of 'driving' in the long, decade++ of crossover to BEVs that some find ...numbing.

Meanwhile - our little company are a couple of years into having a Nissan Leaf as the local runaround - and on its own terms, it's just great! I like! - within its very limited remit.

But why does every.single.unwanted, un-defeatable, interaction thing. have to fücking bleep, squeak & change display mode: and that's before I criticise what is simply objectively wRong with it. Such as having to decline its info sharing on a GDPR basis , every single time I switch it on (.. & ...gets worse from there)
 
I’ve one of the new FIAT 500 electrics and it is a great little car. I came from an Alfa Romeo, and while I miss the lovely steering and extra space of the Alfa (and the convenience of filling up anywhere), I don’t miss having an engine. Electric drive is like the best petrol car you’ve ever driven - zero throttle-lag, no flat spots, and a steadily-tapering power delivery all the way up to top speed, and the 500’s default drive mode responds to throttle and brake inputs exactly like a traditional car does: there is a “one-pedal” mode, but from the factory it drives like a car, not a golf-cart.
And it’s quiet: despite its small size, the little FIAT is actually pretty good at motorway speeds - not having engine noise in the cabin too makes the road and wind noise of a small car easy enough to live with. Anything over 120km/h (75mph) eats the battery, though.
 
I’ve one of the new FIAT 500 electrics and it is a great little car. I came from an Alfa Romeo, and while I miss the lovely steering and extra space of the Alfa (and the convenience of filling up anywhere), I don’t miss having an engine. Electric drive is like the best petrol car you’ve ever driven - zero throttle-lag, no flat spots, and a steadily-tapering power delivery all the way up to top speed, and the 500’s default drive mode responds to throttle and brake inputs exactly like a traditional car does: there is a “one-pedal” mode, but from the factory it drives like a car, not a golf-cart.
And it’s quiet: despite its small size, the little FIAT is actually pretty good at motorway speeds - not having engine noise in the cabin too makes the road and wind noise of a small car easy enough to live with. Anything over 120km/h (75mph) eats the battery, though.

what's the real life range like. I test drove one a while ago. Quite liked it, possibly a bit small for our use. Also felt a bit sluggish to me
 
I’ve one of the new FIAT 500 electrics and it is a great little car. I came from an Alfa Romeo, and while I miss the lovely steering and extra space of the Alfa (and the convenience of filling up anywhere), I don’t miss having an engine. Electric drive is like the best petrol car you’ve ever driven - zero throttle-lag, no flat spots, and a steadily-tapering power delivery all the way up to top speed, and the 500’s default drive mode responds to throttle and brake inputs exactly like a traditional car does: there is a “one-pedal” mode, but from the factory it drives like a car, not a golf-cart.
And it’s quiet: despite its small size, the little FIAT is actually pretty good at motorway speeds - not having engine noise in the cabin too makes the road and wind noise of a small car easy enough to live with. Anything over 120km/h (75mph) eats the battery, though.

I’ve got a Zoe and this is one of my options shortly. How is the range? 200 miles is easy in the Zoe in summer.
 
It used to be a worry when people put the kettle on during the adverts in the evening,

When you say, 'used to be', it still is, standing in a National Grid control room in the run up to adverts in the middle of Coronation street demonstrates that they still take action!
 
Yeah, I understand why some would snigger at an eTron ;)


6251e8aa-97f7-4580-806b-a795c57fe2e6_Audi+e-tron+GT+Front+%C2%BE+static.jpg
 


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