Honestjohn Backroom Posts

Subaru XV - LED tail lights (Rerepo)

Rerepo — Wed, 15 May 2024 06:53:21 +0000

Just before Covid struck I had a six month consultancy contract at the design HQ of a company that makes very expensive cars (I'm not going to name them). Now by coincidence I already owned one of these cars and it had a cracked rear light lens (caused by me reversing into a bin on my driveway). The dealer price for a new light unit was well over £1000 and so I had been looking for a secondhand replacement. When I started my contract I asked if they had any used units available (e.g. left over from testing or sc***ped test cars). I was told 'No, but you can buy a new part at cost price'. It turned out that employees could purchase parts at cost price for cars that they owned (on production of a V5 registration document in the employees name). Even though I was a contractor they let me use the scheme. The new light unit cost less than £30 !!

Suzuki SX4 S-Cross - N/A or 3 Cylinder Turbo? (badbusdriver)

badbusdriver — Wed, 15 May 2024 06:29:26 +0000

That's easy. As I said, it's the linear power delivery. The turbo engine in our Twingo, for example, has a very obvious surge when the turbo kicks in. It means that you are quite often on the margin of the boost and need to adjust your right foot quite a lot to keep it calm (if that's what you want). That is a different engine though. If you look up reviews of the turbo versions of the Twingo and Smart Forfour, pretty much all of them are critical of the power delivery and say that the N/A car, while obviously slower, is nicer to drive because of this. I don't recall reading such criticism of other small turbo engined cars, suggesting the unit in the Twingo is the exception rather than the rule. Looking at the figures goes some way towards explaining why, with peak torque in the Twingo's 90bhp 0.9 turbo coming in at a highish 2500rpm (peak torque in the 90bhp version of VAG's 1.0 happens from 1500rpm by comparison). Add in the tendency for most modern cars to have gearing which is too long, along with the fact that the Twingo is surprisingly heavy for a car that size (the much bigger SX4 S-Cross is only around 70kg heavier) and that old school turbo power delivery is only going to feel more noticeable.

Vauxhall Grandland X - What are the facts about 'wet cam belts', Vauxhall and others? (Rerepo)

Rerepo — Wed, 15 May 2024 06:17:01 +0000

You clearly have scant knowledge of wet belt technology. I'm a professional engineer in the motor industry That should mean you have a Mech Eng degree. If not, your opinions will be much the same weight as mine. Unfortunately there were almost immediate problems with wet belts, including fibre shedding, depolymerisation and delamination of the belts etc etc. The solution has been to dispense with the belt.... The solution was to use better spec oil and a better belt, e.g. Continental CT1228 I recently looked at a torn-down Stellantis 1.2 that had covered 92k mi. with the revised belt and the belt was on its last legs.... ...with what history? What sort of oil? How often changed? What exactly was the 'revised belt'? Anecdotes like this are meaningless without detail. Motor forums used to be full of horror stories of perfectly good original belts being replaced by belts of possibly inferior quality and failing a few tens of thousands of miles later. Good quality modern belts designed for oil immersion aren't cheap. John F I'm not going to bore everyone with every detail of my 35+ years in the motor industry - but in brief... Double First in Physics, MSc in Advanced Engineering. PhD in ICE combustion & emissions (sponsored by Ford). Worked for Ford, Rover, Aston Martin, JLR, BMW, plus a few others. SAIC-GM PATAC in Shanghai and GM ATC Shanghai (where I am now). 178+ technical publications and two books published by SAE. You did ask ;-) The PureTech is recognised throughout the industry as a design that looks great on paper but the realisation had been a disaster. Its not just the cambelt. Its oil consumption (piston ring design and poor materials), injector problems etc etc. Almost every component of the engine is sub-par. There were supposed to be manufacturing changes made in late 2020/early 21. We'll see how they pan out. The PureTech does drive well and its a nice engine when running properly. But with so many shortcomings why would you choose to buy one? If you are unfortunate enough to own one of these engines the saving grace is that (unlike EcoBoost) the belt is fairly easy and cheap to replace - rather similar to a dry cambelt in fact. Removing the oil filler cap will enable you to see the belt condition. Tools are available to check belt condition with the belt in situ (belt swelling check) and lock the drive to change the belt (check out Ebay - £30-40). I would suggest a belt change every 50k miles. Change oil at twice the interval recommended by Stellantis (poor piston sealing on these engines means the oil becomes contaminated quickly and the contaminants attack the elastomer in the belt). Dayco are the originator of the BIO drive used by Stellantis (licenced to Gates and Continental). A Peugeot-supplied belt will be re-packaged Dayco. They have gone through at least three revisions in the last few years. Dayco-branded aftermarket belt kits are actually very reasonably priced. Or you could just buy a Toyota and get on with life.....

Suzuki SX4 S-Cross - N/A or 3 Cylinder Turbo? (catsdad)

catsdad — Wed, 15 May 2024 02:57:03 +0000

I don’t know about the 1.0 but the Suzuki 1.4 power delivery is smooth all the way through the rev range. There is no sudden unpredictable kicking in of the turbo. Same with my 1.4 Golf. The car that preceded our Vitara was a 1.6 Mazda 3, normally aspirated of course. Although these are well regarded and nice drive on the flat it was slow up hills, especially if laden. Of course you adapt your driving style accordingly but for relaxed driving our turbo cars are far better.

Mercedes and BMW - Alloy wheels cracking (edlithgow)

edlithgow — Wed, 15 May 2024 01:33:30 +0000

I damaged a left front wheel on the Accord a year or so ago, hit some debris in the dark on a country road, ripped the sidewall out of the tyre and damaged the outer rim. I found a wheel refurb shop here in France about 50 miles away. Excellent one man band shop, an ex machinist like me, he had a huge selection of specialist machines for straightening and trueing wheels. My wheel wasn't bent, the Honda wheels are massively heavy, so the rim was bead blasted, TIG welded and remachined on a CNC lathe, the diamond cut face reworked, two pack paint matched to the colour etc. His shop was full of BMW wheels, they are so skinny and light they crumple up like a coke can if they hit anything, he says his main profit is from BMW wheels. https://atelierskerene.fr/ Going too fast on a mountain road, I clipped a rock wall with the passenger side front wheel. That side of the car went 2-3 feet up in the air. Thought I'd better stop, anticipating fitting the spare, and maybe suspension damage on this fairly lightweight economy box. Dent in the rim, no hissing. Drove on, a bit more sedately. A few months later, fitted replacement used tyres. One man band shop, he had a big hammer, and removed the dent. Steel wheel, so no bead blasting, TIG welding or CNC lathing required. Compare and contrast.

Suzuki SX4 S-Cross - N/A or 3 Cylinder Turbo? (Adampr)

Adampr — Tue, 14 May 2024 23:57:18 +0000

. Not the only curious statement though, I'm baffled as to why Adampr thinks an engine which needs to be revved quite high to get anything out of it will be more relaxing to drive than one which doesn't?. That's easy. As I said, it's the linear power delivery. The turbo engine in our Twingo, for example, has a very obvious surge when the turbo kicks in. It means that you are quite often on the margin of the boost and need to adjust your right foot quite a lot to keep it calm (if that's what you want). The 1.6 in the Vitara is the opposite in that there is no boost so the power delivery is more predictable and therefore more relaxing. If you want to go fast it certainly isn't relaxing, particularly with the auto box I have, but going fast is overrated.

Mercedes and BMW - Alloy wheels cracking (focussed)

focussed — Tue, 14 May 2024 23:41:30 +0000

Suzuki SX4 S-Cross - N/A or 3 Cylinder Turbo? (Big John)

Big John — Tue, 14 May 2024 23:39:40 +0000

I'm not a fan of the power delivery of any turbocharged engines. Even though they are quick, there is always a flat spot just above idle where it isn't boosting and nothing is available. Agreed in a way, but... With a NA petrol power curve is smooth from tickover but the real power comes on at higher revs so if you want to get a move on you need to get the revs up and possibly drop a gear unless you have a large cc engine. However my small cc turbo Superb 1.4tsi manual pulls strongly from 1500rpm all the way through to 6000rpm but is not happy pulling hard at 1000rpm. In real life though that's never an issue and infact you don't need to rev to make surprising progress and it feels relaxed and refined at speed (2400 rpm @ 70)

Vauxhall Grandland X - What are the facts about 'wet cam belts', Vauxhall and others? (Andrew-T)

Andrew-T — Tue, 14 May 2024 23:27:12 +0000

<< I'm a professional engineer in the motor industry and I've yet to meet an engineer who thinks wet belts are anything other than a lousy idea. >> I am (was) a chemist and I wouldn't think it was a clever idea to hope that a rubber belt (however modern) would perform satisfactorily while immersed in hot oil - however much that oil and rubber had been optimised for the job - at least when compared with the same belt in dry conditions.

Interest free (Andrew-T)

Andrew-T — Tue, 14 May 2024 23:19:45 +0000

<< I simply don’t desire anything in current production . >> You aren't expected to, SLO. Cars now are boxes with too many safety and gimmicky features, which will soon (allegedly) take you anywhere with very little input from you.

Suzuki SX4 S-Cross - N/A or 3 Cylinder Turbo? (tim10597)

tim10597 — Tue, 14 May 2024 21:58:48 +0000

Not the same I know, but my daughter has a 1.0 Boosterjet Baleno automatic. It’s a nippy little thing, quick off the mark, but does run out of steam at speeds above the legal limit. I know the SX4 is a bigger car, but we have been very impressed with the 1.0 Suzuki engine, it is very economical and my daughter loves it. In 8 years ( it was my mothers car before my daughter bought it) we’ve had no issues with it mechanically, though it has only covered 17,000 miles in that time ??

Interest free (tim10597)

tim10597 — Tue, 14 May 2024 21:54:37 +0000

I’m exactly same. Grew up around cars, nothing flash, always bread and butter cars. But they interested me and since I’ve been old enough to drive, I’ve gone through a significant number of them. But I’m not excited by them at all any more. Will I change my current car after 2 years, which is what I’ve typically done because I enjoy driving different cars? Maybe. But will I be excited about changing it? Probably not if I’m honest. And nothing really grabs my interest enough to get excited about changing it. And the more I see of electric cars, which I have nothing against, the more I look at their size, bulk and design and think to myself, is that the best design that people can come up with.

Interest free (SLO76)

SLO76 — Tue, 14 May 2024 18:08:35 +0000

Again a brilliant car, one I do like but the list price now is £45-£60k and that makes it a rich persons toy rather than an affordable hot hatch for the masses, even at £38k it was hugely expensive in my opinion. If manufacturers weren’t punished for selling them then a lower spec 2wd model that looked similar but cost under £25k would be popular. If my lottery numbers come in however I’ll make sure there’s room in my garage for one.

Mercedes and BMW - Alloy wheels cracking (Palcouk)

Palcouk — Tue, 14 May 2024 17:21:24 +0000

Low Profile, hardly surprising, also makes for an uncomfortable ride BMW/MB posing status

Mercedes and BMW - Alloy wheels cracking (Steveieb)

Steveieb — Tue, 14 May 2024 16:57:48 +0000

My friend has had two wheels damaged by potholes and one tyre. The tyres are 35 profile and the tyre store reported that he had seen seven similar cases recently. The wheels were welded and reused but a spare wheel is essential according to my friend. So no damage to the suspension but seven similar cases at one tyre store , all MB or BMW

Interest free (Ex Alfa mail)

Ex Alfa mail — Tue, 14 May 2024 15:05:11 +0000

Without wishing to disagree. I bought my GR in December (23) and it was specced with the Circuit Pack, Pearlescent paint, and a few other goodies and it came in around £38,000. That's not an outrageous premium over a well specced Yaris. I'm told by people who know more than I do that the additional parts (especially wheels and underpinnings) are high quality (and expensive). Hence my personal view is that the value is actually there. A financially astute friend reckons it is priced in line with a Golf GTI from its glory days when adjusted for purchasing power. Returning to your original point though, this is a car that does bring back the joy of driving almost irrespective of the journey. Life is short...

Suzuki SX4 S-Cross - N/A or 3 Cylinder Turbo? (bazza)

bazza — Tue, 14 May 2024 14:24:29 +0000

I haven't heard of any major problems with the turbo 1.0 and 1.4 apart from a couple of head gasket failures but these do seem isolated. We have the 1.4 which is extremely pleasant to drive, with plenty of performance available combined with a very lightweight car. But overall, the 1.6 has a great reputation for robustness and economy, I wouldn't mind at all swapping to one as I'm not a fan of the power delivery of any turbocharged engines. Even though they are quick, there is always a flat spot just above idle where it isn't boosting and nothing is available. One doesn't feel that with an atmospheric engine, and in my opinion they are more tolerant of very low revs, lazy driving etc, like me!

Interest free (SLO76)

SLO76 — Tue, 14 May 2024 14:07:04 +0000

May I suggest those who miss the passing of truly exciting small hatchbacks try a Yaris GR. I can honestly say I simply love the performance of this car. Those brought up on 205 GTIs will recognise the experience, albeit brought up to date with modern technology. This is the car that I find excuses to drive, even volunteering to fetch visitors from our local station. And it's a Toyota... A brilliant car, but Toyota have priced it outwith reality in its latest form sadly. They start at £45,000 and go beyond £60,000 depending on specification. This kills the love for me.

Nissan Qashqai - Low miles (little service history) Vs Higher (fsh) (SLO76)

SLO76 — Tue, 14 May 2024 14:03:18 +0000

Nissan essentially build rebadged Renaults, ask yourself if you’d trust a highly complex automated manual twin clutch transmission and an untested 1.3 high pressure turbocharged engine if it had a Renault badge. I wouldn’t touch any of them personally. The gearbox type has a poor reputation for longevity and with this particular one it is still too early to know if they’ve finally got it right. It speaks volumes that the actual Japanese manufacturers Honda, Toyota and Mazda gave up trying to get these types of gearboxes to work years ago. If you want a robust small SUV with an automatic box I’d look instead at a Mazda CX30 or a Toyota CHZ, both will be vastly more reliable and much easier to sell on again afterwards.

Nissan Qashqai - Low miles (little service history) Vs Higher (fsh) (Zazi)

Zazi — Tue, 14 May 2024 13:45:04 +0000

Thank you! That does make sense... One of the higher mileage vehicles (with the best spec) does have 19" wheels, whereas the other has 18"... I think that's the clincher! :-) This forum is excellent; it's helped me focus my mind and make a decision, so thanks again to both of you.

Quarter million pound Impreza? (badbusdriver)

badbusdriver — Tue, 14 May 2024 13:19:38 +0000

OK £240k isn't quite a quarter mill, and yes it is a 22B, but that asking price is still a bit of a shock! C1705341 (carandclassic.com) Makes the dearest Evo on there, a 2001 Tommi Makinen at £80k, seem like an absolute steal!

Ford Fiesta - 12 year old Fiesta worth advisory work if selling? (Andrew-T)

Andrew-T — Tue, 14 May 2024 12:56:21 +0000

If this car change was only about money -is not the cheapest way forward here to get the advisories done and keep the car rather than risking a poor price for the Fiesta and the financial uncertainty of whatever your next vehicle has hiding under its bonnet etc Agree. These days decent used cars can be easily sellable, while finding a better replacement may be tricky. If this Fiesta looks worth preserving, best to do that, as you can be more certain of the way forward - unless it is going to cost a lot to do.

Nissan Qashqai - Low miles (little service history) Vs Higher (fsh) (badbusdriver)

badbusdriver — Tue, 14 May 2024 12:53:34 +0000

Nissan Qashqai's are not regarded as being particularly reliable. DCT transmissions can be reliable if driven with a degree of mechanical sympathy (how would you find that out on a 2nd hand car?), otherwise they can be a bit fragile and don't tolerate abuse very well. So I'm afraid I wouldn't be very keen on any of them. But ignoring that, my first concern would be why the low mileage car has only had one service (at just under 6k miles) in 4 years and 20k miles?. Without a satisfactory answer, i'd leave that one alone. Between the other two, I'd be more concerned with practical differences rather than trim levels and mileage difference. By which I mean, due to the state of UK roads I'd be looking at the wheel and tyre size and if one car had wheels of a smaller diameter (with tyres of a taller profile), that would be my preferred choice (assuming no other negatives show up re condition and how the car drives). A tyre with a taller profile on a smaller diameter wheel is not as vulnerable to damage from potholes and/or kerbing.

Nissan Qashqai - Low miles (little service history) Vs Higher (fsh) (Zazi)

Zazi — Tue, 14 May 2024 12:40:51 +0000

Thank you! Sounds like sensible advice. Cheers!

Nissan Qashqai - Low miles (little service history) Vs Higher (fsh) (FoxyJukebox)

FoxyJukebox — Tue, 14 May 2024 12:36:06 +0000

I’d go for the higher mileage cars-but would want to see evidence of brake pad/discs condition/replacement and also whether the tyres had all been changed. Nothing sinister about this-just sensible maintenance and running costs.

Nissan Qashqai - Low miles (little service history) Vs Higher (fsh) (Zazi)

Zazi — Tue, 14 May 2024 12:10:53 +0000

I know the general advice is to avoid low mileage vehicles, as they could have done a lot of short runs, whereas higher mileage ones have been used consistently and probably for longer journeys... But if there's a significant difference in the mileage, am wondering if there will be less "worn" or "coming to replacement time" parts on the lower mileage vehicle... Looking at a Nissan Qashqai 1.3 DiG-T 160 N-Connecta 5dr DCT [Glass Roof Pack] 2020 with 21595 miles on the clock at £15777; only one service by Nissan at 5,902 miles on 03/12/21 and again by dealer selling the car at 21,592 miles on 19/02/2024 (1 owner car). Vs Nissan Qashqai 1.3 DiG-T 160 Tekna 5dr DCT 2020 at £15,640 with 50012 miles on the clock or Nissan Qashqai 1.3 DiG-T 160 [157] N-Motion 5dr DCT 2021 at £14,957 with 46359 miles on the clock, both with full service histories. The higher mileage vehicles do have nicer spec (leather heated seats, better trim, etc.), but not much difference beyond that... All seem to look in reasonable nick from photos. (Not been to see them yet; there at various Car Stores around the UK.) All automatic transmission, petrol-engines... Cheers!

Suzuki SX4 S-Cross - N/A or 3 Cylinder Turbo? (badbusdriver)

badbusdriver — Tue, 14 May 2024 11:16:07 +0000

Larger engine every time. No replacement for displacement. I'd hate to think what our 1.5 turbo Arona would be like to drive if it had the engine from my previous 1.5 n/a Mazda2 in it :) It is an anachronistic statement originating from across the pond ("ain't no substitute for cubic inches") in reference to the supposed advantage of a larger n/a engine over a smaller n/a engine. So a curious statement to use here comparing n/a to turbo. Not the only curious statement though, I'm baffled as to why Adampr thinks an engine which needs to be revved quite high to get anything out of it will be more relaxing to drive than one which doesn't?. The 1.0 and 1.4 booster jet engines seem to have a few issues with the added technology. Also slightly alarmed by this statement. I (and I don't think I'm alone here) was under the impression Suzuki's Boostejet engines were reliable units, so perhaps the good doctor could expand slightly? The differing opinions won't have done anything to help the OP though!. So I'd just like to add that while I'd prefer the 1.0 turbo given the choice, I wouldn't avoid a nice 1.6.

Suzuki SX4 S-Cross - N/A or 3 Cylinder Turbo? (Adampr)

Adampr — Tue, 14 May 2024 11:13:36 +0000

Suzuki SX4 S-Cross - N/A or 3 Cylinder Turbo? (maz64)

maz64 — Tue, 14 May 2024 09:33:17 +0000

Larger engine every time. No replacement for displacement. I'd hate to think what our 1.5 turbo Arona would be like to drive if it had the engine from my previous 1.5 n/a Mazda2 in it :)

Interest free (Ex Alfa mail)

Ex Alfa mail — Tue, 14 May 2024 05:44:25 +0000

Vauxhall Grandland X - What are the facts about 'wet cam belts', Vauxhall and others? (edlithgow)

edlithgow — Tue, 14 May 2024 04:48:31 +0000

You clearly have scant knowledge of wet belt technology. I'm a professional engineer in the motor industry That should mean you have a Mech Eng degree. If not, your opinions will be much the same weight as mine. Unfortunately there were almost immediate problems with wet belts, including fibre shedding, depolymerisation and delamination of the belts etc etc. The solution has been to dispense with the belt.... The solution was to use better spec oil and a better belt, e.g. Continental CT1228 I recently looked at a torn-down Stellantis 1.2 that had covered 92k mi. with the revised belt and the belt was on its last legs.... ...with what history? What sort of oil? How often changed? What exactly was the 'revised belt'? Anecdotes like this are meaningless without detail. Motor forums used to be full of horror stories of perfectly good original belts being replaced by belts of possibly inferior quality and failing a few tens of thousands of miles later. Good quality modern belts designed for oil immersion aren't cheap. Bit of a "counsels of perfection" vibe about the above. Even IF it were true that IF everything is done perfectly, it will be fine, (and it may well not be true) you have to factor in the significant possibility that everything will NOT be done perfectly. This probably applies especially acutely here in Taiwan, whether you are a (unique) DIYer or get things done by the pros For example, it is impossible to find proper brake greases here, so I'd say there is a very high probability that the pros just use (rubber incompatible) general purpose grease on brakes, though alarmingly I have also experienced this with my 4 ton truck in the UK. I'd say a job requiring a special oil and a special belt is quite likely not to get it from the pros, and these may not be easy to locate as a DIYer either. They also, as you say, wont be cheap. I suppose if the used market price of these cars is discounted to account for their disposable design, they might still make sense as a used purchase, otherwise there seems no reason to volunteer for these costs. I have some Taiwanese friends with one of these engines (Ecobust in a Kuga, IIRC). I havnt bothered being "The voice of doom" since they would not understand, and treat cars as disposable anyway, so probably wont be especially affected.

Interest free (Big John)

Big John — Mon, 13 May 2024 22:23:44 +0000

If I had enough money, I'd happily buy a brand new Morgan Plus 4 as something to enjoy on a nice day rather than buying a car merely as a tool. It wouldn't be particularly practical as day to day transport though. Funnily enough we kind of thought we could just about afford a new Bobby basic one a few years ago when we did the factory tour. At the end there was a new car sat there which was a prize and not for sitting in - we must have shown too much of an interest in it as suddenly we were invited to sit in it. Bubble burst seconds later when I realised I could only push the clutch down on entry and release on exit - my fault I'm tooo big. Actually my favorite car of all time was rather slow - I restored a 1961 Moggy Minor 948cc a few years (er decades) ago. I also had a company car then as well but I loved using "Alf" when not working as I was sick of being in my company car (65k miles a year then!). I did a surprisingly long distances in the Moggy and bar the usual SU electric fuel pump issue it was remarkably reliable. No power steering or servo brakes and drums all round but everything was in good order. Clearly not great on the motorway but it was great fun on country lanes. Rose tinted glasses probably but compared to my bland 1.3 mkIII Escort it was a tonic to the system. Favorite "normal" car was a Saab 9000cs turbo.

Interest free (alan1302)

alan1302 — Mon, 13 May 2024 21:37:26 +0000

Buyers no longer really need to prioritise. A £25k (new) car can deliver all that 98% of motoring public need or are capable of using. Spending 4 times as much buys little more usable functionality - just a few more gizmos and a bit of carbon fibre! It's kind of strange that what makes cars less interesting is that they can be built so well now and do so much for a relatively cost overall.

Replacing my Audi Convertible (Metropolis.)

Metropolis. — Mon, 13 May 2024 21:31:51 +0000

The older types of refrigerant were definitely colder!

Suzuki SX4 S-Cross - N/A or 3 Cylinder Turbo? (catsdad)

catsdad — Mon, 13 May 2024 21:02:18 +0000

We have the 1.4 front wheel drive in a 2020 Vitara. It’s a good car to drive both in acceleration and cruising. Our daughter has a 2017 1.6 Vitara which is noisier and less lively in acceleration. It is only five speed too. The SX4 may have better soundproofing to mitigate the noise but if it’s five speed it’s going to be revving more than a turbo car at speed. Or are they six speed? Certainly test drive one at motorway speed to ensure it suits you from a noise and performance point of view.

Suzuki SX4 S-Cross - N/A or 3 Cylinder Turbo? (paul 1963)

paul 1963 — Mon, 13 May 2024 20:11:01 +0000

Not sure I agree Doc, while the 1.6 is indeed a simple ( ish) engine with a good track record there's nothing to be afraid of with either the 1 litre or 1.4 Boosterjet engines, had a Balino with 1 litre engine and auto box for a week or so a few years ago, the engine was very strong indeed and the gearbox was superb, I kept it in manual for most of the time and used the paddles, great fun. Currently running a vitara with the 1.4 ( mild hybrid), 2 1/2 years in and zero issue's, pulls like a train from low revs onwards and gives 49mpg on average around town. I think that people tend to think modern turbo engines need revs to allow the turbo to spool up like the days of 2002's ( remember them?) But they simply don't, technology has moved on, hybrid turbos ( spooled up by a electric motor) plenum Chambers etc have eliminated turbo lag almost entirely, they only thing they demand is a supply of clean oil, personally I'm not not sure I would ever consider a ' normally ' aspirated engine or indeed a pure ICE again.

Suzuki SX4 S-Cross - N/A or 3 Cylinder Turbo? (Metropolis.)

Metropolis. — Mon, 13 May 2024 20:00:24 +0000

Larger engine every time. No replacement for displacement.

Suzuki SX4 S-Cross - N/A or 3 Cylinder Turbo? (SLO76)

SLO76 — Mon, 13 May 2024 19:43:39 +0000

The wee 3cyl turbo is nicer to drive and a bit more efficient, but I’d personally stick with the less complex and well proven 1.6 petrol for long term durability. Keep it simple.

Suzuki SX4 S-Cross - N/A or 3 Cylinder Turbo? (elekie&a/c doctor)

elekie&a/c doctor — Mon, 13 May 2024 17:45:28 +0000

The 1.6 is a no stress no nonsense engine with very good reliability history. The 1.0 and 1.4 booster jet engines seem to have a few issues with the added technology.

Suzuki SX4 S-Cross - N/A or 3 Cylinder Turbo? (Adampr)

Adampr — Mon, 13 May 2024 17:27:48 +0000

Personally, I'd go for the 1.6. I have a 1.6 Vitara sitting on my drive now. I view it (not having a turbo) as one less thing to go wrong. It's not a bad engine at all, but does need to rev quite high to get anything out of it. Having said that, the power delivery is a lot more gradual than in a turbocharged car so it's a more relaxing drive. It depends what you want really. In all honesty, I wouldn't worry too much either way.

Suzuki SX4 S-Cross - N/A or 3 Cylinder Turbo? (badbusdriver)

badbusdriver — Mon, 13 May 2024 17:25:35 +0000

It isn't just that the 1.0 has more torque, but that peak torque happens much lower in the rev range than the n/a 1.6. 170nm from 2000-3500rpm vs 156nm @ 4400rpm So while some may find the 1.0 a bit lacking overall in the SX4 S-Cross, I find it difficult to believe anyone would find it lacking if being compared directly with the 1.6. I'd go with the 1.0 myself.

Suzuki SX4 S-Cross - N/A or 3 Cylinder Turbo? (chesterfieldhouse)

chesterfieldhouse — Mon, 13 May 2024 17:03:38 +0000

l know it's a case of test driving however, l would be interested in peoples opinion. The SX4 S-Cross is a car, on paper, l like. It's not full of technology & seems to have a overall good reputation. Like others, these days l'm not willing to shell out too much on a car & want to keep things relatively simple. l don't want the complications of the Allgrip 4 wheel drive in the later 1.4, so that leaves the older N/A 1.6 & the 1 litre Boosterjet. Both have similar power, mpg etc with the 3 cylinder having the edge on torques. l've had petrol cars but never driven a small petrol turbo, always had turbo diesels. From what i've read & heard petrol turbos are more in keeping with TD cars, with the torque lower down. Older N/A engines may need more work in the gear stick department. However, in terms of the options with the Suzuki, l've heard some owners who've had both, that though the 1 litre Boosterjet was indeed nippy, but with the addition of a couple of passengers/luggage, it required more changing down & working the engine harder with a loss of mpg. In contrast the N/A 1.6 seemed to maintain it's power output across the board, even laden with the same. Logical l suppose. Would you stick with the 1.6 or go with the 1 litre?

Vauxhall Grandland X - What are the facts about 'wet cam belts', Vauxhall and others? (Lee Power)

Lee Power — Mon, 13 May 2024 16:50:02 +0000

I'm starting to hear via trade contacts of independent mechanics / garages refusing to do service or wet belt replacements on Ecoboost & Puretech powered vehicles as they don't want to risk the liability.

A lot of fog related to buying a hybrid EV (Heidfirst)

Heidfirst — Mon, 13 May 2024 14:54:22 +0000

I don't see it as naive to have a different opinion, we will never know the true intent behind these decisions. Car manufacturers sole aim is to make as much profit as possible, period. They may say that they have ditched the spare wheel and/or reduced the size of the fuel tank to save a little weight and make a (tiny) improvement to economy/emissions, but that is only because it wouldn't make for good PR to say they have done it to increase their profit margins. Have you seen the penalty per vehicle that can be levied against car manufacturers for failing to hit mpg/emissions targets? Not small sums.

Interest free (FP)

FP — Mon, 13 May 2024 13:55:32 +0000

"...motorbikes are the one area where something interesting is still affordable to 'ordinary' people." Maybe not for much longer. "The sale of new petrol-fuelled motorcycles is set to be banned from 2040, under plans due to be announced by ministers as part of the Government’s net zero crackdown." (https://www.msn.com/en-gb/cars/news/sales-of-new-petrol-motorcycles-set-to-be-banned-from-2040/ar-BB1mfY21)

Interest free (corax)

corax — Mon, 13 May 2024 13:48:34 +0000

Much as I find the noise of hundreds of them heading up into dales on a sunny weekend annoying, motorbikes are the one area where something interesting is still affordable to "ordinary" people. Yes, I'm not a biker, but I can see that there is still a lot of interest around motorbikes. Many manufacturers, engine configurations, styles. And all topped by the unbanned TT. Cars just leave me cold these days. And it's not just an age thing. There is nothing to stir the soul. That era of style and individuality is over.

Vauxhall Grandland X - What are the facts about 'wet cam belts', Vauxhall and others? (John F)

John F — Mon, 13 May 2024 12:52:06 +0000

Interest free (John F)

John F — Mon, 13 May 2024 12:11:24 +0000

. If asked today what your favourite current car is what would be your answer? Rolls Royce Spectre. Is there anything better? Very posh taste John. Perhaps you should have asked what's your favourite best value for money car? In which case I would have naturally suggested my own 'poor man's Bentley' (a 2005 Audi W12 SWB sport quattro)

Interest free (Adampr)

Adampr — Mon, 13 May 2024 10:54:33 +0000

I love cars, I own mine outright and I never clean them. What a ridiculous waste of time. I don't pressure wash the bricks.on my house either. Are they a complete tip? No, because.I don't use them as a bin. Anything that goes in comes back out again at the end of a trip. If I get mud in there I'll hoover it out again but otherwise there is nothing that makes it dirty inside and the outside is exposed to the weather anyway.

Interest free (Terry W)

Terry W — Mon, 13 May 2024 10:47:13 +0000

In the good old days cars offered very different qualities - speed, handling, comfort, quality, mpg, etc. Clear national differences influenced design characteristics. None could satisfy all requirements - owners needed to prioritise qualities they valued. An E-type Jag under optimum conditions did 150mph and 0-60 in ~7 secs - a level of performance easily matched by a moderately endowed family hatch today. Buyers no longer really need to prioritise. A £25k (new) car can deliver all that 98% of motoring public need or are capable of using. Spending 4 times as much buys little more usable functionality - just a few more gizmos and a bit of carbon fibre! Cars are designed and manufactured using similar techniques to meet the needs of as many international markets as possible. That the end products are almost indistinguishable is unsurprising. Driving pleasure arises from the belief that ones input into the process makes a real difference. This would only be the case if cars performed less well than they do - and what intelligent manufacturers is going to build cars with known inadequacies.