Cars, Driving And All Things Automotive

fucking hell, I was definitely having a blonde moment this morning

Shock Hello GIF by Nigel Ng (Uncle Roger)

I’ve just finished cleaning out my wife’s car. I did this as a favour.

Have you ever wondered what a branch of Greggs would look like if it exploded? Well, now I know. I should have realised the scale of the problem when she issued me with PPE.

I’m just off to take my vacuum cleaner to a therapist.

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Stumbled onto this article which has got me fascinated. I have an old VW van which is a project vehicle. I’ve dismissed an EV conversion in the past given that costs escalate to over £30k.

DIY options could be something to look at.

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https://www.sfgate.com/tech/article/cybertruck-pedal-stuck-recall-tesla-19412074.php

Cyberstuck

https://twitter.com/aaronjcash/status/1781734760215408922?ref_src=twsrc^tfw|twcamp^tweetembed|twterm^1781734760215408922|twgr^0478ef5925bb0f95610b25fed84ce3be3ae52c7a|twcon^s1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fmybroadband.co.za%2Fforum%2Fthreads%2Fnearly-4-000-cybertrucks-recalled-over-stuck-accelerators.1284159%2F

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Just bought a new Lexus Hybrid.

Quite a change from a throaty ball busting hatch.

Wasn’t interested in a EV.

So I was a little apprehensive whether I have made the right decision. Hybrid sales are really growing in Australia.

Goya say I love the car and the Hybrid concept.

Only challenge is working out all the technology on the screen and dash. Nearly ran off the road.

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Maybe try only when you’re not actually driving?

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Maybe try only when you’re not actually driving?
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That’s too sensible. It starts raining so wrong knob twisted to speed up the wipers. Last car was German with blinker on the left now it is on the right. That caused chaos.

Then trying to get Spotify on to play Motörhead and changing from the radio….you are absolutely right.

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I don’t own a car, so when I use one, I rent. This led to a hilarious moment when I rented a Volkswagen Taigo, and it was my first time encountering a six-speed manual. I was stuck in a McDonald’s parking lot trying to figure out how to reverse, but luckily I had my partner there to help me Google it.

But apart from that, I usually check the lights and wipers before I have to use them, saves me a lot of trouble.

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Missus’ cars in the garage (new clutch req’d).

She took my car to work this morning and scraped it against the telegraph pole next to our drive…yet to see the extent of the damage - really hope she’s not done the whole side of the car in. She text me at 9am that this had happened and in meetings all day so no pics or info and wont know till she gets home at 6 - fuck sake.

moan over.

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https://x.com/CarThrottle/status/1854563117847429173?ref_src=twsrc^tfw|twcamp^tweetembed|twterm^1854563117847429173|twgr^8804c20651b2001bf1f733667f14a487cfb12e49|twcon^s1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fmybroadband.co.za%2Fforum%2Fthreads%2Fthe-audi-thread.550775%2Fpage-313

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Don’t know if this has come up elsewhere but Jaguar seem to have just destroyed their brand. I was hoping it was an epic gag and the concept they were going to reveal was going to be a V12 man’s car. Nope, they doubled down and made it pink. They’re actually doing Disney’s trick of pitching at a market that isn’t inteerested. Gillette and Bud Light tried it and lost huge sales. Jag are fucked and it’s heart breaking. Their market is 50+ year old men with money who want to look cool. This is just embarrasing.

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It’s got everyone talking about them, which is probably the idea. I could see some potential in the profile but the rest looked crap. I’m assuming that the finished item will be more in line with their traditional market. Either that, or they will add eyelashes to the pink thing with the tagline: It’s a girls car… It’s for girls…

Anyway, my wife’s car went phut in a rather expensive way yesterday so we will be looking for something new. I think all modern cars look hideous so we will probably go for something bland. Basically, that probably means another Golf or whatever the battery powered equivalent is now.

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Mrs had a Hyundai Tucson for 3 years and loved it. Then a Mitsi Outlander which was great (and cheap) while it worked, now have a Skoda Karoq. I’m usually in a van these days but now need a small manual to teach jnr to drive. Insurance…

As for Jag: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkQs5Daz5xQ

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I think landrover jaguar were struggling a bit anyway. I should now i have a mate that works for them.

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This is the only “alternative” to Jaguar I approve…

Especially this:

Beautiful.

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I mean, if you’re a fan of “traditional Jaguar”, that died in 2008 when the X358 XJ was replaced. There hasn’t been a V12 Jaguar since.

The big question for Jaguar has been for the longest time where its brand identity lies, and as much as I hate to, I’d actually agree with @Klopptimist here, but not because of the overtly sexist tones, but simply because it’s just so confused.

I’m not sure what market it’s actually targeting, because it’s supposed to cost more than what it used to, perhaps at the Ghost/Continental market segment, but targeting millennials won’t really do that because there just isn’t quite the wealth there. There are also plenty of brands angling for the whole futuristic market, which Jaguar has never been associated with.

If it were me, I’d have gone for a traditional spin on the whole EV paradigm. Make it feel like a classic car, style it accordingly while including the necessary design features for modernity/the EV era like the aerodynamic improvements and shape.

Lean into the whole empire-nostalgia that brands like itself, Bentley, and Rolls-Royce are known for, associate itself more closely with tradition and luxury. I think there’s a rather large untapped market there.

But this… It’s just confused. It gives me very much vibes of:

That said, perhaps there is untapped potential in Chinese and Arab markets for which this is exactly the attraction, but not being familiar with those markets, I don’t see the point.

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Ugly. That’s probably going to be the I.D. 3 if you’re sticking with VW. I’m not sure there’s that many options EV-wise though, but I probably am mistaken. You’d also be more likely to find crossover-style options.

I’m really not a fan of cross-overs, but it is primarily for my wife. In terms of EVs they seem to be very expensive or a bit niche - one up from a golf-kart. We have a couple at work. The id.3 is a similar size to the Golf but is quite different. There is also an id.4 which is meant to be a replacement for the Golf Sportsvan but is a bit lumbering. There was also a Tesla (3-series?) which is quite ugly but the interior is tacky. Regardless of the fancy tech, it’s a bit of a put-off on a car that costs as much as a BMW.

i think you’re in Germany, right?

I know the Hyundai ioniq 5 is supposed to be rather good but it’s also much larger than a Golf and probably more expensive in Germany. I’m not sure there are any good options at that market segment really.

I think the European and American manufacturers have been sleeping far too long on the threat from the Chinese manufacturers. The desperate attempts to rollback EV mandates are only going to worsen things for them.

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