Though I'm generally happy with my choice of engine (1.2 DSG on order), one slight reservation I do have is how will it get on with our summer holiday.

5 hours on French motorways, loaded with the 2 of us and a toddler, and a roof box and bike on the roof! How do you think it will get on?? Any expereience of a big trip like this?

There has been some negative comment in some reviews about the engine can be a bit laboured at motorway speeds, so I do wonder it will be like adding some roof load into the mix!

It will only be a once a year requirement, so if it is a bit out of its depth, then this really isn't a problem, but I'd like to know what I'm in for!

Thanks

I wouldn't worry.

If you were doing 5 adults, plus a roof load, and bikes on the back, might be a bit different !

Main thing is watch your speed with the roofbox. And remember you have a bike on top when going into height-restricted carparks !

For a 5 hour with a toddler, have you considered a DVD player for the back ? We do 5 hours UK, then 4 hours France. Not a peep from them since we got the DVD players.

We don't have a DVD player in the car but for older children a Nintendo DS each is a blessing on long journeys.

I'm wondering this too as we're going from a 1.9 TDi Octavia Estate to a 1.2 TSi Yeti and heading to France in the summer. The power is similar but the torque is fair bit lower int he Yeti. Hopefully it will be OK though.

We don't have a DVD player in the car but for older children a Nintendo DS each is a blessing on long journeys.

I'm wondering this too as we're going from a 1.9 TDi Octavia Estate to a 1.2 TSi Yeti and heading to France in the summer. The power is similar but the torque is fair bit lower int he Yeti. Hopefully it will be OK though.

According to this test report: http://www2.thule.com/Thule/Page____90595.aspx adding a roof box has virtually no affect on fuel economy!! So a Yeti plus occasional roof box seems to be a good replacement for an Octavia.

Chris

And remember you have a bike on top when going into height-restricted carparks !

Not just bikes!! I remember seeing a 4x4 with a roof box come a cropper at a car park near Calais 2 years ago.

It ripped the box and the roof bars off!!

The driver got out, looked at it, and drive off!!!

(Thats the French for you!!)

Though I'm generally happy with my choice of engine (1.2 DSG on order), one slight reservation I do have is how will it get on with our summer holiday.

5 hours on French motorways, loaded with the 2 of us and a toddler, and a roof box and bike on the roof! How do you think it will get on?? Any expereience of a big trip like this?

There has been some negative comment in some reviews about the engine can be a bit laboured at motorway speeds, so I do wonder it will be like adding some roof load into the mix!

It will only be a once a year requirement, so if it is a bit out of its depth, then this really isn't a problem, but I'd like to know what I'm in for!

Thanks

Longest so far was 4-ish hours of UK 'A' road and motorway with 2 adults + toddler + associated stuff for a week away; the only bit that was mildly laboured for me was keeping down to the relevant speed limits.

According to this test report: http://www2.thule.com/Thule/Page____90595.aspx adding a roof box has virtually no affect on fuel economy!! So a Yeti plus occasional roof box seems to be a good replacement for an Octavia.

Chris

Well from my experience, that isn't true!!

I've done thousands of miles with a roofbox and plenty with both a bike and a roofbox up top - but not in a Yeti.

Performance of Focus suffers with a roofbox, but only really above 70mph (where permitted ). Suffers more with both bike and roofbox.

I've got a Thule Spirit 780 which I chose because it has a smaller frontal area than most boxes. If I were buying a new box now I'd be very tempted by the Kamei Corvara.

Thule recommend keeping your speed under 85mph but the Focus (1.6 petrol, unmodified except using Shell V-power) will cruise fairly happily at just under 100mph, which is the speed I would like to drive at if it were legal...

When I've got both the bike and the roofbox I do keep the speed down to about 85 or so. It takes a while to get up to that speed and it gets a bit noisy.

Fully loaded the car has 2 adults up front, 2 kids in the back. There is a proper full sized spare (as not supplied by Ford - sound familiar to anyone?) under the boot floor along with various other things which might be useful in an emergency. Boot would be full of heavier items needed for a week's self catering holiday, roofbox with the lighter items plus, on occasion, 2 kids bikes (slightly dismantled).

One of my main reasons for thinking that the Kamei Corvara might be a better box is that I believe it would be easier to close when (over)loaded - by which I mean bulging with light things. I do think it is important to check your maximum roof load - probably 75kg - and remember to include the weight of the bars, bike carrier and roofbox as well as the weight of the luggage and bike.

I reckon the car will cope fine. Just keep an eye on the fuel gauge. I generally get less than 30 mpg with the roofbox on and it can get as low as 25mpg. That's a lot of V-power!

One of my main reasons for thinking that the Kamei Corvara might be a better box is that I believe it would be easier to close when (over)loaded - by which I mean bulging with light things. I do think it is important to check your maximum roof load - probably 75kg - and remember to include the weight of the bars, bike carrier and roofbox as well as the weight of the luggage and bike.

Do a You Tube search on Kamei Corvara and check out the ADAC videos. Makes you worry about the other makes tested.

tom