Ant

Anton - Hows the Stylus build going? Quite fancied one of these myself, but haven't got round to the trip to Wales yet for a look...

...and we are still waiting...

Very nice. If that had been out a month ago, might not have bought the 320...

I am very wary about playing with things that catch me up at night....

Call me stupid, but I can't see how running one amp at 200watts into 2 subs will produce more volume & better quality than running 2 amps at 100 watts a piece. Running amps into low loads increases the current demands, which increases distortion, thus reducing quality. Also, I very much doubt that halving the load will double the power - the output impedance of the amp & the current demands on the power cable will probably see to that! The quoted specs for the 60.2 bear this out. Also, the impedance of the cable will be higher in relation to the subs - this will reduce the damping factor of the amplifier (i.e. its ability to control the sub), so will reduce the 'punch' from the sub. The only time it is worth mono-ing two subs is when driven by a bridgeable amp - this will often give a near quadrupling of available power, i.e. 2x100 watts 4 ohms, or 1x800watts into 2 ohms bridged. Current limitation would probably mean this is limited to 6=>700 watts in practice... Of course, distortion will be considerably higher than in 'Stereo' mode, and current/power reserves for peaks will be non-existant...

If he was answering a call, then a quick flash of blue lights would have done the trick. Obviously wasn't in a real rush, otherwise he would have done. Believe me, without doing that, he was going nowhere - both lanes were solid. So whats the point of hassling me? Because he can! Would love to see the video if it was rolling - I'd like to see him justify his aggressive driving...

Yeah, like he wanted to get back to the station to go off shift, or an important meeting with a doughnut saleman... If he'd NEEDED to get past, he would have put his blues & twos on.... He was just throwing his weight around, and it wasn't going to wash. Was very tempted to report him for driving without due consideration to other road users....

Got nicely wound up last night by someone tailgating me. Busy dual carriageway, doing 68mph in the overtaking lane, solid line of cars to my left that we are making slow progress past, and the obligatory 2 seconds behind the car in front. Car behind is inching slowly closer, then flashes his lights - obviously wants to come past. My response? Do nothing - where am I supposed to go? He repeated this until the next roundabout, where I turned right. The really annoying thing about this? It was a traffic Police car! If I'd done that to someone while he was watching, I'd have got a ticket. Made me determined not to move! Was tempted to flash my rear fogs at him, but couldn't be *rsed with the ensuing argument on the hard shoulder!

Test drove an A4 130 estate a week ago, and couldn't believe how bad the chassis was. Compared to the new Octy/Golf MK5, its a mess. Very bouncy ride (esp. from the back), zero feedback through the steering. And yes, it was the new model. My test route does include a very uneven, twisty, fast unclassified road which tends to be merciless to chassis. However, the new Octy & Golf were both brilliant on this road - with either Sports or Standard suspension. My choice would be an Octavia 2.0 TDi (140 bhp), in Elegance trim, with a hefty raid of the options list (leather, sat-nav, etc). Would be far better car than the A4 for less dosh....

Zafira has zero luggage space with 6/7 people in it - the Multipla has enough space for all the holiday luggage for the occupants. No other MPV currently available (the Honda FRV may change this!) has the same combination of qualities as the Multipla. Why did I have 2? Because some toe-rag broke into No. 1, and the (immediate) cost of fixing that car was the same as swapping to a newer one with alloys, climate, twin sunroofs, etc. As I said, no problems with either car, and they both had a hard life! Oh, and get a windsurfer into another car - bet you'd struggle, but I used to get mine & a passenger in the multipla! Cars only faults (apart from the looks!) was fuel consumption & noise at high (illegal) motorway speeds

Owned 2 of the 'bug-eyed' ones, and covered over 50k miles between them. Worst thing was a sticky handbrake in freezing weather. Sorted under warranty. One of the most reliable cars I've ever owned. And, yes, I miss the old styling. Liked the strange space-ship on wheels look. But the new shape may be a bit more efficient - fast motorway cruising would reduce the diesel to 28mpg... But you will struggle to find a better, more comfortable car to move 6 people and their luggage. And the handling is good!

..Apart from the fact that the Golf is half the size of the Octy, and I'm not interested in most of the stuff that's 'missing'. Oh, and the only Golf available with the 2.0 TDi engine is the GT, which comes in at

My advice would be to buy the 140tdi. Loads more torque, and chippable to an easy 200bhp. Drives beautifully, too. The 230lb/ft of torque (standard) makes overtaking a breeze, and it revs so quickly & smoothly that you'd be hard pressed to guess that it is a diesel. And don't start me on mk5 Golfs. Don't see how in a logical world they would sell one of them. They drive identically to the Octy, the dash is all but the same, they have half the rear seat/boot space, cost at least 4k more. And for what? A badge the guarantees inferior build quality, snooty dealers and more expensive servicing. Oh, the doors make a slightly nicer 'clunk'. Not worth it, IMHO.

Clutch seems fine with 200bhp, but the chassis is starting to struggle - I noticed torque steer in 4th/5th gear on a bumpy b-road (was with 17" wheels, mind!), but the over-taking potential is amazing! Blasted past 4 cars on a straight I wouldn't normally attempt to overtake one, and there was room to spare... Absolutely mental machine!

Oy! Some of us have to live there - can't afford the over-inflated prices of snooty Shrewsbury :P

Nah, record is around 11 seconds. The bikes get to 100mph VERY quickly, but struggle with the braking....

Would go with the Micra crowd. Bought one for my wife when she passed her test, and she loved it. Didn't mind driving it myself, and that was against a 200bhp turbo-nutter! Completely bullet proof, reliable, and suprisingly quiet & comfortable on a motorway run. Never got more than 38mpg from ours, tho....

erm, I used to have a Cooper, and rejected it after a tail of reliability/build problems, including it dumping all the power steering fluid over my drive.....

ALL vag diesels are Bio-Diesel compatible, as Bio-diesel is quite common on the continent...

Anyone know the specs for the 12 speaker stereo upgrade on the new Octy? My dealer isn't sure. I have read that it includes a digital signal processor for equalisation & time alignment, and amplifiers. Is this true? If so, how powerful are the amps, and where are the 12 speakers - i.e. does it include subs? Any info on this would be very useful!

Was also going to say that they are slow - but compared to a Corsa???

Only engine I can compare it to is the old Rover 2.0 T-series turbo. Did 80k miles in mine, averaged around 32mpg (lots of short trips!), would happily pull away from rest in 3rd, had a power band of 1700-6500 rpm, hit 60mph in 6.5 secs (standard!), and 30-70 in 5.4 (autocar figures). Seriously quick car, hugely under-rated engine!

in gear acceleration (i.e. 40-60 in 3rd/4th) a chipped Furby would leave a standard WRX for dead (this after driving both). My old Rover could keep up with a standard Scooby, as long as it didn't involve a standing start, and the road was dry. My bottle ran out in corners before the car did... And the 200bhp Furby I drove was quicker everywhere than my Rover.... I'll leave you to make your own conclusions!

Only seen one re-map on the 2.0 tdi, and that was Superchips (based in Buckingham). They've been chipping cars longer than most. Seem to recall they got another 30ish BHP from the A3. Made it rather lively... Diesel car did a test - the article can be found on-line! Superchips seem to get less power than others, so am eagerly awaiting Jabba's efforts! If they can get close to 200bhp, then I will be very interested in a new Octy!