Posted September 14, 2011 My boring car related thing for today is... I got my car washed and cleaned the inside today. My car looks like a sexy beast again! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted September 14, 2011 My car gets about 36mpg which means I'm spending about £2k a year on petrol. That sucks, so I've been looking into cars with higher fuel economy, as the initial cost could be quickly offset by fuel savings. I've been looking at Audi A2 - don't make them anymore and can be expensive to maintain but have super high mpg. Audi A3 1.9 Diesel - This is very attractive to me. Skoda Fabia Diesel Estate - bit ugly. Any other ideas? I need 5 doors and decent boot space, as we go away a lot. Also, not French, as I have killed two French cars. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted September 15, 2011 Are you talking 7 seats? Ford C-Max or whatever it is called is supposedly quite good on the mpg from a biased Dad who works for Ford :p I get 50mpg out of my fiesta 1.6 which is good because I don't have the money to be wasting on petrol at the moment. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted September 15, 2011 only a concept car... but this 'i8' from BMW looks pretty sexual... apparently they think that lights will soon be 'lasers' rather than led's.. High-end car maker BMW has recently announced that their i8 concept vehicle will feature laser headlights. Citing increased efficency, reduced size, and just because they can, BMW says that the laser is the next logical step after the LED for exterior automobile lighting. BMW will use miniscule 10-micron long laser diodes, which is 100 times smaller than LED units, in the vehicle. Despite their tiny size, the laser diodes have far lower power requirements, able to shoot out 170 lumens per watt, versus a paltry 100 lumens per watt from LEDs. This could potentially increase the range of an electric vehicle, and improve overall efficiency for the conventional vehicles. For those in the audience who are exterior lighting designers in the automotive industry (hi, dad!), the lasers also provide a “coherent” light source and ”a constant phase difference,” which I assume to be a good thing. Of course, where lasers go, safety concerns will follow. In their press release on the subject, BMW emphasizes that the laser lights would be safe for both drivers and wildlife. In their configuration, the laser diodes are not facing forward shining out on the road. Instead, the light would be somehow diffused using a ”fluorescent phosphor material” inside the headlight. In addition to making it safe to look at this also softens the bluish-tinge of the laser light, making it powerful but easy on the eyes. Despite the apparent usefulness of laser headlights, the fact that its coming from a luxury carmaker makes me think that this isn’t exactly going to shake up the auto industry. True, it is certainly brighter and more efficient, but the fact that I can buy 25 white LEDs for $6 makes me wonder how practical lasers would be for low to mid-range consumers. Still, driving with lasers certainly does have a very strong draw. Maybe the best move would be to drop the safety issues, make them incredibly dangerous, and rig up the tail lights to create lasers walls in my wake ala Tron. Then I’d be sold. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted September 15, 2011 Audi A3 1.9 Diesel - This is very attractive to me.Skoda Fabia Diesel Estate - bit ugly. The A3 is essential a Golf underneath (as is a Seat Leon). Both of which are cheaper than the A3, so you might want to have a look at them. I know that the Seat are doing a 1.6 TDI Leon, which has a lot of torque for it's engine size, so you won't be short of power. It has good consumption and CO2 as well. The Volvo S40 (or V50 if you want an estate) also has high mph (over 70). It's a bit more expensive, but it is more reliable, and it won't depreciate as quickly. I think they have high insurance though so you might want to check that. If you want something a bit smaller then there's the Punto 1.3MJ, the Volvo C30 DrivE (or something), The Seat Ibiza ecomotive and the Alfa Mito 1.3JTDM-2. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted September 15, 2011 I got my insurance renewal in.... 429.12!!! Apparently people high up in teh motoring law/gov'ment are trying to get it changed so that they can't price you differently for living in northern Ireland... bout time! i hate those freaking led lights.....someone sitting on their brake in front of you and giving you major eye strain/temp blindness because they are so damn bright. I'm pretty sure lasers will be so much worse >_> Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted September 21, 2011 I think that quite simply this: Is the worse looking car to be mass produced for a very long time. Correction: To name just a few. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
