Our "own" car reviews

Yank the handbrake while you're driving. It's hilarious. :D
 
Sounds like this is another case of "KIA does it better" - the Rio is surprisingly upscale especially in loaded SX with Nav trim.
 
Sounds like this is another case of "KIA does it better" - the Rio is surprisingly upscale especially in loaded SX with Nav trim.
"Doesn't feel like a budget-derived shitbox on the inside", sure. "Upscale", oh hell no. And I happen to think Hyundai/Kia are making fantastic strides, but even the Genesis sedan still betrays some Korean budget minded-ness (not much, mind).

Rick, have you not climbed inside all the properly upscale cars when car shows hit your area?
 
"Doesn't feel like a budget-derived shitbox on the inside", sure. "Upscale", oh hell no. And I happen to think Hyundai/Kia are making fantastic strides, but even the Genesis sedan still betrays some Korean budget minded-ness (not much, mind).

Rick, have you not climbed inside all the properly upscale cars when car shows hit your area?

Compared to it's twinned Accent, in EX and above trim the Rio is more upscale in feel with better plastics and higher quality trim. To me, this is the second car in their twinned lineups (the other one being the 2011-15 Sonata vs 2011 to 2015 Optima) where the Kia feels substantially better than the equivalent Hyundai.

Now are the Koreans perfect? Nope, a Mazda 6 walks all over the Optima I'm in at the moment. An Accord, 200 or Fusion's "feel" when pulling out on the exterior door handle is more polished, less "hollow." Road noise is a bit higher than I'd like. Door closures sound expensive right until the door is slammed just so.

It just feels like a Skodaesque thing is going on, again, at least between these two cars.
 
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Returned the no very bugged Audi 2000 miles later... After getting it used to proper petrol the little TFSI picked up nicely. Got around 35mpg (6.7l/100km) according to the car, will do the numbers when I get home... And assuming I can get all the fuel together, don't have by-the-gallon receipts for all fillups.

The roof is stupid slow because of the extra flap, but it lets the topless car look very nice indeed with no leftover roof sticking out. However, for a softtop t intrudes too much into the otherwise nicely spacious boot.
The wind deflector works epicly well at interstate speeds.
Some coastforever syndrome in D, decent engine braking in M... No paddles :mad:
 
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The car almost got to feel as if it were back in Bavaria...



...only to get a big reminder about being in 'Murica right after :lol:

 
Today I drove an absolute beauty! - Hell yes, a fast paced, low, and nimble supercar! - Hard to get in, but once inside the unobtrusive and superbly elegant interior was just awesome!












Oh, no, wait a minute... strike what I just said, because it was actually the other way round: ;)
33__1_.JPG


Yes, a Peugeot 1007...
33__4_.JPG


That dashboard. Ouch! Massive distracting dash-carpet reflections on the windshield included. Bravo to les designers! :lol:
33__2_.JPG



Granted, this was the top-spec 1.6L 109hp version, and hence it was actually not as slow as I was expecting, having seen that decade-old Top Gear "Moms-are-testing-cars" episode way too many times (they had the 75hp version). - The gearchange reaction time to my pulls on the flappy paddles wasn't that bad either. And anyway, the doors are still cool. - Silly, but cool.

Everything else, not much: Harsh ride to hide the top boxy heavy-ness, and in automatic the gearbox jumped between 2nd and 3th like a metronome, on even the slightest incline. - That massive red-eyed clown-face on the center console spices up everybodys nightmares too, for sure. :lol:

Would I buy it? No, hell no! :lol:
 
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Today I drove an absolute beauty! - Hell yes, a fast paced, low, and nimble supercar! - Hard to get in, but once inside the unobtrusive and superbly elegant interior was just awesome!












Oh, no, wait a minute... strike what I just said, because it was actually the other way round: ;)
33__1_.JPG


Yes, a Peugeot 1007...
33__4_.JPG


That dashboard. Ouch! Massive distracting dash-carpet reflections on the windshield included. Bravo to les designers! :lol:
33__2_.JPG



Granted, this was the top-spec 1.6L 109hp version, and hence it was actually not as slow as I was expecting, having seen that decade-old Top Gear "Moms-are-testing-cars" espisode way too many times (they had the 75hp version). - The gearchange reaction time to my pulls on the flappy paddles wasn't that bad either. And anyway, the doors are still cool. - Silly, but cool.

Everything else, not much: Harsh ride to hide the top boxy heavy-ness, and in automatic the gearbox jumped between 2nd and 3th like a metronome, on even the slightest incline. - That massive red-eyed clown-face on the center console spices up everybodys nightmares too, for sure. :lol:

Would I buy it? No, hell no! :lol:

I love these. Like for serious, ever since i saw the TG episode I was like "WANT!" I'm so jealous, geesh! :D
 
That dash is hideous!


I love these. Like for serious, ever since i saw the TG episode I was like "WANT!" I'm so jealous, geesh! :D


Rick, seriously, it is time for you to seek help. There is abosfuckinglutely not a god damned thing about this, eh, c a r, that is appealing to anyone but you. I had golf carts that were more interesting while being less so.

It is so bad even the stereo is gob smacked by where it ended up. :jawdrop:
 
Sliding doors are actually really convenient but I'm not sure I would want them on a *car*. However nice they might be in a tight car park.

I drove the jerk-o-matic box when coupled to a 1.6 HDI in a C4. Apparently you get used to the gear changes pretty fast, and to be fair it doesn't do a worse job of it than you do when you drive a manual. The problem is that the drop in acceleration is so much more noticeable when you aren't the one doing it yourself.

Also, can't un-see the red-eyed clown.
 
Just went through receipts, and arrived at 34-35 +/-1 mpg (6.7-6.9l/100km) for the 2000 A3 miles :notbad: all-in $.29 a mile.
 
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The only thing a 1007 is good for is the sliding doors, and the fact you can open them with a keyfob.
A mate of mine had a blast a couple of years ago when he had one of these as a loaner from the dealer when his car was undergoing service.

The game goes like this :

1) Park it on a busy parking lot or city centre, where lots of people pass close by.
2) When a maximum number of people are nearby, open and close the doors with keyfob.
3) When amazed people stop being amazed and look inside, press the keyfob again, closing the doors
4) Laugh yourself silly.

Repeat.
 
Short drive today:

2015 Skoda Octavia
2015-10-14_Mi__27_.JPG


"Scout" AWD version, 2.0 Diesel, 184hp
2015-10-14_Mi__28_.JPG


Inside: Black interior with Alcantara and some dark decor accents.
2015-10-14_Mi__34_.JPG


Driving:
2015-10-14_Mi__23_.JPG


Pro:
Love the "egdy" styling, especially the mirrors.
Even under acceleration I never saw more than 7L/100km on the display.
I'm not used to any engine Start/Stop function so I'm still awestruck everytime the engine comes on again. :lol:

Contra:
Diesel soundtrack: Meh. (Granted I'm very biased with a V8 petrol as a daily driver)
Acceleration is nonlinear. - Pulls nice for a short moment, but goes flat an instant later. In every gear.

Neutral:
Automatic tailgate, don't understand why you need this.
White car = Never clean. Even right after cleaning.

Would I buy it? - No. Good looks, but not enough power.
 
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I drove the 2015 Superb, didn't bother with any pictures though so I don't think I ever wrote it up for this thread.

It was a white sedan with the 184hp TDI and DSG, no AWD though.

I have a hard time coming up with negatives personally - it's plenty fast enough IMO, although I'm not used to a V8 so I guess it depends on where you're coming from. I also found it comfortable and quiet and surprisingly agile around town considering how big a car it actually is.

It had one option I fell in love with instantly - adaptive cruise control. I hadn't used it before and it's seriously the best gadget I've used in a long time. Most of us know how annoying it is when we're trying to get comfortable behind the wheel and someone in front of you is having a hard time deciding if he wants to go 100 or 105... or 95. I just set the cruise to 160 and the Superb followed a Passat in front doing 115. Changed lanes, the car accelerated smoothly without drama. Changed back into the right lane and the Superb braked by itself... this part was freaky.

They should've spent a bit more time designing a modern instrument cluster though. It looked exactly like on lip's photo above, except that the little trip computer display was in color.
 
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I like the cluster. It's simple and classy IMO.

That could be said for the whole car though. :wub:
 
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