At work we have a 1.4 tdi Fiesta which is a canny little car but im struggling to drive it how i want.

 

First all i freaked out slightly when the hill assist kicked in, sat on the brakes in gear, wanting to roll down the drive to help someone help get out..the car stayed put. Not a new revelation i know but making worse drivers (say if your first car or whatever)

 

Short shifting, its a very jerky diesel engine if you rev it out so normally change low down-ish to smooth it out (ot try) on bring the clutch back it kangaroo's like it cutting the power to the engine, not sure why it does that but its annoying

 

Hell and toe pretty much impossible, have to hold the accelerator down for a split second to even get it to react, i know diesels are rather numb but this one takes the biscuit.

 

The whole idea of putting the clutch down to start it, im sorry but your not realising your car is in gear then maybe get into the not so hard habit of checking, i know we've all done it once or twice but the shock of lunging forward normally gets you to rethink.

 

Do people write to car manufactures and complain that their car is hard to drive or something? Can you please make the car incredibly numb and make it do the hard work for me..its making very lazy drivers!  

Most people just want a box to get from A to B.

As comfortably and easily as possible.

Give most non-car people a 30 year old car with a manual choke, manual and no power steering and they'd be horrified.

Mycar does that

Start button doesnt work unless clutch is fully and i mean fully depressed! Does my head in!

Actually the feature of having your foot on the clutch to start is a good idea.

 

Everyone should start a vehicle like this. Reduced wear on the starter and flywheel etc as well as the added safety benefit... the stick may be in neutral but there could actually be a problem with the mechanism or box and it could still be actually in gear for all you know.

 

Phil

Edited 22 December, 201312 yr by Phil-E

 

The whole idea of putting the clutch down to start it, im sorry but your not realising your car is in gear then maybe get into the not so hard habit of checking, i know we've all done it once or twice but the shock of lunging forward normally gets you to rethink.

 

 

AFAIK in Germany the test/ code requires you to leave the car in gear when parked, which makes sense IMO

Why heel and toe? In the days of no or poor synchro then yes it was needed, but nowadays even rally drivers don't bother.

Actually the feature of having your foot on the clutch to start is a good idea.

 

Everyone should start a vehicle like this. Reduced wear on the starter and flywheel etc as well as the added safety benefit... the stick may be in neutral but there could actually be a problem with the mechanism or box and it could still be actually in gear for all you know.

 

Phil

+1

Actually the feature of having your foot on the clutch to start is a good idea.

Everyone should start a vehicle like this. Reduced wear on the starter and flywheel etc as well as the added safety benefit... the stick may be in neutral but there could actually be a problem with the mechanism or box and it could still be actually in gear for all you know.

Phil

I always start every car with the clutch down

But these new ones you have to have it in 100% to the floor. You never have the clutch 100% slammed into the floor anyways. Aslong as your below the bite theres no issue

Sister has a new fiesta and that has hill assist and she hates it altho apparently you can switch it off in the menu display though,

I went out in a new volvo v40 at work other day and that did it aswell, i nearly stalled the dam thing with the delay of the release,

I start the car with my foot on the clutch all ways have done. I don't know why though.

I don't like the new driving 'Aids' such as - lane departure - hill assist- adaptive speed control - brake assist but auto lights and auto wipers are great.

I used to always park in gear and start with the clutch in, just natural habit... The Baby Benz won't actually let you take the key out if it's not in P, and if your foot is on the brake too. 

Does anyone know if the Citigo eco model has hill hold ? Had one as a courtesy car briefly and wasnt sure if it did or not. I know it did have the stop/start thing that caught me off guard the first time it cut in..

Mycar does that

Start button doesnt work unless clutch is fully and i mean fully depressed! Does my head in!

Mine too but I've always done it anyway.

Not that I have a button mind you just a normal key startup.

Makes life easier on the starter motor.

Don't get me started on those handbrake electric button things either!!!

Aaaaahhhhhh

Don't get me started on those handbrake electric button things either!!!

Aaaaahhhhhh

 

Agreed there.

 

What's wrong with a good old handbrake lever!?

 

Phil

Most cars have the clutch to start. I40 I rented recently had it along with Hill hold.

Rolling back would be a test failure.

Agreed there.

 

What's wrong with a good old handbrake lever!?

 

Phil

how are chavs supposed to update their Facebooks if they have to use a handbrake as well as steer?

Doing handbrakes at 17 is the path to adulthood

My sister has a Citroen Grand Picasso and the electric handbrake is downright dangerous. On a hill it will release the handbrake if you rev it in gear but before you can get the clutch to bite. So you either roll or stall it by letting the clutch up too quick.

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Auto wipers

Auto lights

Hill start assist (although I didn't realise I had this until it was pointed out yesterday)

Clutch in to start

Voice control for audio, nav, phone and climate

Cruise control

Stability control

anti lock brakes

Auto dim mirror

Auto stop

Take me home lights

Tyre deflation detectorsdetectors

Parking sensors

Reversing camera

Love anything that makes my journey easier!!!!

Aargh take it all away or at least let me turn it off.

 

One of the thing I like about my VRS is that is doesn't have all this stuff.

ABS/ESP lovely stuff chuck it on but remember the off switch please I drive in snow occasionally and need to spin the wheels.

CC fine I control it.

Stop/Start, meh wife has it and simply on the journeys I make it's just extra weight. It's for city folk.

 

Auto lights , ok I can live with that.

Auto wipers, FO! Hate them, they damn things never go at the speed I want when I want.

Hill start, electronic parking brakes, FO go away. Mechanical things please, less to break easier to fix.

 

Touch screen/voice control ICE, no no no. Tactile interface please. Nice big chunky switches I don't need to look at.

 

Most the 'feature' they put in cars are just extras to differentiate between brands and to justify high price tags.

 

The only features I really would look for in a car now are -

 

ABS/ESP and that's for the family if it was just me I wouldn't be that bothered

Climate control. I like not having to adjust it, 21C and leave it.

Cruise control

Electric windows

 

Umm that's it. Everything else is fluff to me.

 

The stuff on the horizon I would actually like -

 

Radar cruise control

HUD

I thought I had hill start assist until I checked the brakes and found one of the rears was binding!

I quite liked the hill start assist on a Tranny van I hired. The hire place is very awkward to get out of (steep blind turn on to a 40 limit road), so when you've just jumped in its pretty nice to find the van has it! Once you get used to it then you can use it to your advantage.

Obviously with a Superb L&K DSG 4x4 I've got every toy you can think of. My father who would have been 95 next year is spinning in his grave if he knows the complications on my car as he always sealed sunroofs and saw electric widows as something to go wrong. We hid the fact that the wife's Focus has air conditioning from her father as he would have told her off! My dad taught me to drive  after much nagging as a car mad 10 year old in a 1952 A70 Hereford, in a lorry yard where, he worked as coach builder on weekends. He also worked for the local BMC/Jaguar franchise so all our (BMC) cars were part exchanges which were of dubious quality. Part of my learning included use of a starting handle, wheel changing. point gapping and restarting electric fuel pumps.

 

My test was in a fin tail Austin A55 Cambridge with a rarely working right hand side handbrake, no synchro on first and worn out on second and third, The batteries were all second hand (!) and after a night of the car sitting in the street with a single parking lamp on, clipped to the driver's window (a legal requirement) the starting handle was essential from November to March. The rest of the year the clutch was always dipped to give the battery help.

 

Believe it or not I thought it was the dog's doo dahs at 17 driving it alone or with friends - petrol was less than 25p per gallon - affordable on my milk boys wages. Other things I needed to learn was topping up leaky rads, replacing oil with used oil (they were all oil burners - not diesel petrol oil burners) and topping up shock absorbers with engine oil. If push came to shove I could change a tyre too.

 

As a student I drove taxis, contemporary late 60s Zephyrs (dodgy column change, tyre lever under the bonnet to release when jammed) Simcas and BMC cars. They were all similar in that on wet foggy nights strategic decisions were needed, the dynamos were so poor that of the wipers, heater blower and lights you could only use two, so it was often necessary to drive with an open window to ease condensation so you could see. Oh good old days.

 

The old man moved on to a Wolsely 16/60 - the garage could have sold it everything worked and you couldn't see the road through the floor. He adored it, in the 90's a friend acquired an identical immaculate 30 year old one, I borrowed it to pick him up I was aghast it was slow, heavy and cumbersome and the beautiful wooden dash I remembered  was a tacky log - different to the BMW 520 tourer I drove every day.

 

Every time the Skoda headlamps do the dance I think of these old cars and remember why I sold my last classic ten years ago. I've tried to pass on at least a little mechanical knowledge/sympathy to my son as I think it's essential and demonstrated by youngest stepson ringing to tell me his Mini (the big fat BMW one) starter motor had failed - of course it was the battery but he has no idea of anything beyond the drivers seat - sadly.

 

Sorry for the rant, I'm glad I had the experiences i had but modern cars and toys - bring 'em on :-}