New company car

[OG.]

.
Hi Ed,

How you could suggest the Vulva V60 is beyond me.
What a pathetic excuse for a car that is.

Has any one had a ride in the newer diesel Mondeos?

They are amazing, quick and fast for a diesel, is there any thing as quick?
140 plus bhp, and huge torque,
I think the top speed is some thing like 131 mph ! & 9,3 seconds, zero to 60 mph?


Gra.

Not as quick as the Mk2 Volvo S40 - 136bhp, 136 mph and 0-60 9.0 seconds.

If you want a fast oilburner its hard to beat the BMW 335 engined variants. Mate had a chipped X3 with the 335d engine. 400BHP and was as quick as another mates Jaguar S-Type R......

 

[Paddler Ed]

Not as quick as the Mk2 Volvo S40 - 136bhp, 136 mph and 0-60 9.0 seconds.

Used to have a V50 with that engine, yep it was quick!

If you want a fast oilburner its hard to beat the BMW 335 engined variants. Mate had a chipped X3 with the 335d engine. 400BHP and was as quick as another mates Jaguar S-Type R......

GF has a stock E46 320d Touring which I prefer over the V60, even though it has 100,000 more miles on it (compared to ours) and is nearly 8 yrs older.... handles better and only drops (according to the computers) 4mpg on the roads around here.

 

[J66P]

I run a 2010 VW Passat Estate Highline plus 140 Bluemotion, as a car its spot on, done nearly 75k in just over 2 years and no issues whatsoever but this is the least miles I have done on an annual basis, I usually average over 50k a year. I am a VW car man through and through, this is my 6th Passat on the trot but i have to say it may be my last if I can find something to match it. The quality is going backwards more and more with every model but they do have some major benefits as a company car and tow motor

1. Company car tax due to very low emmisions and MRRP
2. Reliability - All the ones I have had apart from the last one have been absolutely superb, the last one had a fortune spent on it at around 140k
3. MPG - I am averaging over 50mpg but did a drive to Euro Disney earlier this year and went all the way there and back on a single tank of Doosel (874 miles)
4. Dealer is absolutely bang on (Hayselden's in Doncaster)
5. Boot is huge
6. Cabin is spacious

Cons

1. Drivers seat is rubbish
2. Quality isn't what they were
4. They eat front tyres due to poor traction control
5. Built in sat Nav is crap

 

[Graham]

Not as quick as the Mk2 Volvo S40 - 136bhp, 136 mph and 0-60 9.0 seconds.

If you want a fast oilburner its hard to beat the BMW 335 engined variants. Mate had a chipped X3 with the 335d engine. 400BHP and was as quick as another mates Jaguar S-Type R......

.
330, 350 BMW are in a different class entirely
Let's compare like for like.

Lets stick to 2 liter,

sure 3,3 and 350 will be quick, they are over 3 liter..

Gra.

 

[Nuclear Chicken]

The quality is going backwards more and more with every model but they do have some major benefits as a company car and tow motor

1. Company car tax due to very low emmisions and MRRP
2. Reliability - All the ones I have had apart from the last one have been absolutely superb, the last one had a fortune spent on it at around 140k
3. MPG - I am averaging over 50mpg but did a drive to Euro Disney earlier this year and went all the way there and back on a single tank of Doosel (874 miles)
4. Dealer is absolutely bang on (Hayselden's in Doncaster)
5. Boot is huge
6. Cabin is spacious

Cons

1. Drivers seat is rubbish
2. Quality isn't what they were
4. They eat front tyres due to poor traction control
5. Built in sat Nav is crap

I have to agree with you about quality but it seems to apply to all brands. I noticed it very much with BMW inthe past and we all know about Merc.

Very useful comments, thanks

 

[sae70]

I chatted to my m8 last night that had hired the VW Passat Blue Motion and it turns out it was a 1.6 Diesel and on a run gave him 72mpg

 

[Nuclear Chicken]

That'll be the deathly gutless 105bhp model. Try overtaking in that with a full load!

 

[Paddler Ed]

That'll be the deathly gutless 105bhp model. Try overtaking in that with a full load!

Reading these bits about the 1.6 engines (either the Volvo D2 or the VW BlueMotion) I'm sure I'm not the only one old enough to remember when things like the BMW 518 existed, or the Ford Sierra 1.6, and a Ford Escort could be had with a 1.3... I know we've got to the point where cars are now so much bigger than their predecessors were (ie the Mondeo is now bigger than a Granada, or the VW Polo is bigger than the Mk 1 Golf) therefore they need the engine from the size above as such... and all that is happening is that we are having a shift back to the same sized engines which were previously fitted to that model (or equivalent) of car.

Alternatively we can strive for the more efficient petrol engines (such as the TFSI from VW) and a bit of down sizing. Years ago IIRC AutoExpress did a comparison of cars such as the Renault Megane Touring vs the Laguna Touring, Astra vs the Insignia etc and in some cases found that the class below had a bigger capacity boot in some cases. Often the larger car had a "Sporty" boot slope which ate into the capacity, whilst the smaller car had a more upright boot which gave more usable space.

Sorry... gone off on a tangent...

 

[Dan W]

Get a Legnum. Because they're awesome

 

[OG.]

Reading these bits about the 1.6 engines (either the Volvo D2 or the VW BlueMotion) I'm sure I'm not the only one old enough to remember when things like the BMW 518 existed, or the Ford Sierra 1.6, and a Ford Escort could be had with a 1.3... .

I remember 1.1 Ford Escorts and 1.3 Cortinas!

 

[chadr]

1.3 Cortinas were rubbish - I believe they were lower geared to compensate for the lack of power. Very slow.....

 

[OG.]

There was also a 1.3 Capri. I could never see the point of something that looked sporty (for the time) that could be out dragged over a 1/4 mile by a bloke with a red flag....

 

[Nuclear Chicken]

I remember that stuff too. Maxis, Avengers, Sunbeams with the permanently rattling tappets! Hillman Hunters with black vinyl roofs. Good golly, how we've progressed from that tripe!

Sent from my Galaxy Note

 

[Paddler Ed]

I remember 1.1 Ford Escorts and 1.3 Cortinas!

I wanted to say there was a 1.3 Sierra... but I couldn't be certain...

 

[froggy Steve]

My first co car was a Talbot Horizon! Next was a 1.1 Escort Pop +, oh how a yearned for a 1.6l Sierra

Steve

 

[Paddler Ed]

My first co car was a Talbot Horizon! Next was a 1.1 Escort Pop +, oh how a yearned for a 1.6l Sierra

Steve

My Dad's first company cars (when he was a bachelor) were Daf 66s or similar; his manager asked him how he was getting on with the ladies to which my Dad responded "How do you expect me to pull when you give me a car like that?!" He then proceeded to try to kill them as quickly as possible in the hope of getting an upgrade...

 

[froggy Steve]

Was that the one that went just as fast backwards as forwards? Belt driven or something?
Steve

 

[Paddler Ed]

Was that the one that went just as fast backwards as forwards? Belt driven or something?
Steve

Yep... and if you changed direction quickly enough (hopefully) the belts snapped!

I know of a couple of American's who have imported them into the US for some reason... God only knows why, they're welcome to them!

 

[ram]

I remember a 2 car team entered by the DAF in 1970 east african safari,1 of them even finished in top 20 but mind you there weren't many finishers in those days
They were daf 66 marathons i think.

 

[Nuclear Chicken]

Just waiting on a draft of the Contract by email so that I can review and sign and then, hopefully, hand in my bomb-shell in this dump.