Cars getting mediocre?

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Inphinity

2780 posts

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#1714930 3-Feb-2017 12:29

MikeB4:

Their 1.4 litre is no slouch. We need to forget engine size these days. These new engines and very efficient and the new gear boxes add to that. The Kodiaq 1.4 TSI 110-kW (150-PS) 4×4, top speed 197 km/h, 0-100 km/h in 9.8 seconds, combined consumption 6.8 l /100 km, 153 g CO2/km.

I've made an assumption, rightly or wrongly, that it's the same 1.4-litre 110kw unit from the Yeti 4x4 version. I'm not saying it's a bad engine, and yes it's turbocharged so it's output is more comparable to 2.0 and 2.4-litre naturally aspirated engines in competitors, I just perhaps foolishly hoped it would have the 2.0-litre 162kw/350Nm engine from the Octavia as standard. Again, it really depends what you're looking for in the car, and Kodiaq may surprise me, but the CX-9 is really, really nice in my opinion, and the Kodiaq will have to do something special to ask for the same money to get me as a buyer. It may yet surprise, though.

MikeAqua

7773 posts

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#1715147 3-Feb-2017 21:08

I have a 2015 Mazda 3 (2.5L petrol). It's a little gem of a car and far from boring. There is very little I would change about it.

But, in the cheap functional end of the market the need to achieve economy and pack safety features safety into a small car within a price point leaves little scope for bells and whistles or performance.

Mike

mudguard

2113 posts

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#1715159 3-Feb-2017 21:20

Linuxluver:
Cars are becoming ever more exciting. Yes...petrol and diesel cars are fading......and so they should

I think they cease to be cars then and become transportation. I like the vagaries of high NA engines and the lag of certain turbo cars.
Shoving a turbo on a little engine to make ordinary power doesn't excite me at all. The same with electric. It's effectively a golf cart. With nothing to differentiate between manufacturers as the power delivery will be linear and efficient.
Of course I realise we can't carry on burning oil, and the number of kms I do for work is killing my interest in driving as any kind of recreation.

Aredwood

3885 posts

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#1715228 4-Feb-2017 02:10

Inphinity:

Aredwood:

If the car was sold with both auto and manual gearbox options available. The failed auto box was often cheaply swapped with a manual gearbox by a backyard mechanic. And the car would be back on the road. No cert needed for auto to manual gearbox swaps assuming it is just a bolt in job.

According to the LVVTA requirements,

Does an auto to manual gearbox conversion require certification?
Yes, all gearbox conversions require certification as the braking system has usually been affected with alteration or modification to the brake pedal-box.

@dickytim in my situation the swap consisted of swapping the brake pedal and the bracket that the pedal pivots on. With the exact ones that were fitted by the factory to the manual version of that car. And interestingly that braking amendment was only introduced on 1/6/2016. So thanks for telling me as I have done manual conversions previous to that.

I also had a look at the braking systems standard to see if it said anything about swapping complete brake pedals, But it only covered modifying a pedal or attaching things to it.

So even murkier - If you can do a manual conversion where you can install the clutch pedal assembly without touching any part of the brake system - do you need a cert? (still assuming complete bolt in of course).

And this adds to the other mods out there which are legal if done before a certain time. But need a cert if done later. A good example of this is early Minis. Some had drum brakes on the front wheels. Disc brakes from later years could be bolted on. The mod was legal if done before the cert system was introduced in 1992. Yet definitely needs a cert if done now. Good luck trying to figure out when that mod was done on a 70s car.

Linuxluver

5828 posts

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#1715355 4-Feb-2017 12:51

mudguard:
Linuxluver:

Cars are becoming ever more exciting. Yes...petrol and diesel cars are fading......and so they should

I think they cease to be cars then and become transportation. I like the vagaries of high NA engines and the lag of certain turbo cars.
Shoving a turbo on a little engine to make ordinary power doesn't excite me at all. The same with electric. It's effectively a golf cart. With nothing to differentiate between manufacturers as the power delivery will be linear and efficient.
Of course I realise we can't carry on burning oil, and the number of kms I do for work is killing my interest in driving as any kind of recreation.

Test drive an EV. Seriously. I took a guy for a drive yesterday....and he said he didn't realise how smooth and powerful they are compared to the petrol cars he's been driving....and the price is about the same....and he won't have to spend $300 every 3months on servicing....or $40 / day on petrol.

There is scope for variability in the several driving modes that are possible, depending on the make and model. There certainly are differences in make / model and performance. A Tesla Model S with Ludicrous Mode is not going to drive like a Nissan LEAF....even if the LEAF has eco turned off. :-)

As for the fun......I know a lot people who were 'over' driving until they bought their EV...and now they just go for drives just because. Like they used to. :-)

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cadman

1014 posts

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Inactive user

#1715602 5-Feb-2017 01:57

Automobiles were at their best in the mid-to-late 90s. Before that they were problematic and since that they've become increasingly complicated and fragile. I don't want 12 airbags or traction control or peak torque and power figures that in real-world driving mean nothing. Give me cruise control and climate air conditioning, space in the cabin and the ability to tow a proper boat and I'm set. I find most newer cars utterly dull and gutless unless you're thrashing them.

kiwirock

685 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1715603 5-Feb-2017 02:10

Geese: What's pretty sad is how manual transmissions are nearly non existant (in entry level new cars). So many cars now I've read all about, see they come in manual, go to dealer, sorry we don't import manuals, or sorry we just discontinued the manual.

Yeah the majority wins, unfortunately most don't mind an auto.

My current Outback's engine has cost me heaps in repairs but I love driving the car, because it makes boring things like towing trailers and a caravan more interesting when you have a full-time dual-range gearbox to play with 10 gears in.

I like auto's too, but I can't keep my hand off the shift lever. It's what makes driving way more fun. I will get a motorbike when they are all self drive!

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Linuxluver

5828 posts

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#1715686 5-Feb-2017 11:26

kiwirock:

Geese: What's pretty sad is how manual transmissions are nearly non existant (in entry level new cars). So many cars now I've read all about, see they come in manual, go to dealer, sorry we don't import manuals, or sorry we just discontinued the manual.

Yeah the majority wins, unfortunately most don't mind an auto.

My current Outback's engine has cost me heaps in repairs but I love driving the car, because it makes boring things like towing trailers and a caravan more interesting when you have a full-time dual-range gearbox to play with 10 gears in.

I like auto's too, but I can't keep my hand off the shift lever. It's what makes driving way more fun. I will get a motorbike when they are all self drive!

The self drive cars are coming, in part, because in large cities overseas there is a serious trend of young people not getting their drivers license at all.....and using public transport instead. A combination of lower wages, lack of affordable parking space and good public transport is killing car use in cities like Toronto. Young people there can't afford to buy a car, run a car or park a car....but they can afford $130 / month for a pass for all public transit modes in an area 100km wide and 60km tall across metro Toronto. Beyond that, there have access to the "GO" trains that serve as public transport between cities, allowing a train ride from Toronto to Hamilton (67km) for $6.80 each way. Much cheaper than the petrol it would take to drive there...and you don't have to pay for parking. So basically, you can get around an area of roughly a 100km radius of Toronto CBD for less than lunch money. People are getting rid of their cars entirely. As time goes on, if the cars can't drive themselves, they will be limited to use as rural conveyances and hobby items.

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richms

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#1715691 5-Feb-2017 11:42

There is also the lack of need for them for socializing like previous generations, mobile and online makes the need to meet up less frequent. Also cheaper ability to go out places vs the past means that going to friends places is much rarer than in the past, everyone can go to events easier than trying to organize it in the bad old days.

Richard rich.ms

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