Tips and tricks about a new car

Dear gurus,

The lease on my car has economically "timed out" for tax and environmental reasons. You might wonder how those two could possibly be combined in one vehicle plus a new one... but I am currently looking around.

- On average, I do about 50km per day during the week.

- Walldorf is 250 km away (frequency = about once a month) and the autobahn is "open" (subject to traffic jams).

- I live at 700 meters above sea-level, so 4x4 is usefull in winter as we have a lot of snow here at times.

Do any of you have good tips on current cars and the market?

Cheers,

Julius

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Dear gurus,

I want my money back for the pile of junk you guys sold me the last time, so I'm back again...!!!

Just joking: it has been 4 years and the lease will run out so I need to decide what to do. Although I am very happy with the hybrid Cayenne, it is too big and I am now sitting on about 400kg of 4 year old batteries... which makes the resale price rather low and to buy it at the end of the lease means that I sit on the batteries (which cost about 25k EUR to replace if they go fdzzztt...).

One thing is for sure - a hybrid in a mountainous country like Switzerland is virtually useless, bar sneaking around parking lots and waiting in traffic jams.

So I am back with exactly the same question as 4 years ago. Additionally the Geneva Car Show it is a topical topic for some folks who have a better idea than I have.

Please do the needful and reverse back. Agree or disagree. The views please.. 🙂

Cheers,

Julius

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Expensive brands in the automobile industry will always put an expensive hole in your pocket.

I have seen few of my friends who had Mercedes, BMW finding it difficult with the maintenance bills.

If you have money (basically if you are rich) then you can drive any car and pay the bills it brings along.

I am a Honda Civic owner and I find Honda cars more reliable (touch wood).

A friend of mine had an Opel Vectra and a Mercedes E class. I used to see him often driving to the garage than to work. He sold them and bought a Honda Civic Type R. So far the drive to the garage is not happening (for the past one year).

Regards

Agreed. My theory back then was that the car keeps it's value better and the 30k more will pay for itself by running on electric half the time.

Not...

But it definitely is a super car which I am very fond of, it just wasn't a very well thought out decision to be sitting on 400kg of 4 year old batteries down the line. The car was only leased so I can give it back, but don't want to be sitting on it for long enough to find out what happens when the battery guarantee (4 years) times out on me and the things do dzzzzttt.

Hence I am tending toward something less exotic and experimental this time round. For example, something which I after 4 years of leasing as a company car might also want to keep as a private vehicle even.

Cheers,

Julius


Julius von dem Bussche wrote:

But it definitely is a super car which I am very fond of....

Joking aside Julius, no SUV is a super car. Anyway, I think my contribution here would be to redirect you to a real car enthusiast site such as http://www.germancarforum.com/. Last research I have read on the subject is that Toyota Corolla is still the safest bet in the world and something exotic and Italian isn't. It all comes down to what you want, need and don't want. Here in the U.S. Subaru has broken all records lately. Still, I think the German luxury brands hold the best resell value. Coming from a BMW fanatic: I have never had my car leave me stranded on the road. Apart from the regular maintenance the car just works. If you like SUVs, performance and you have become custom to Porsche quality/performance, just go with the Diesel Cayenne or even Mecan.

The Subaru was something I had in mind back in 2010 when this discussion first started. Unfortunately the missus got in the way back then because google found the WRX first (as did I) and as I am not 20 years old anymore I got the "toys" lecture for a few days. Later she caught me watching the Nissan GTR going around Nürburgring on youtube (anything which looks remotely like that is a Subaru...) and I was lucky to be able to avoid a Citroen Berlingo as punishment...

Macan looks cool, but no possibility to test drive it yet (unless I get myself a job as a Top Gear presenter). In favour of it is that it is not available in colour green again. Interesting...

Cheers,

Julius

Regarding Subaru, the Forrester is a very good car if you are into SUVs. In addition to the Porsche SUVs, BMW X5 and X3 are also something you may want to consider. Of course RRs including the Evoque are a good choice too. If you want Hybrid consumption/emissions without the batteries, Diesel is the way to go.

Hello.

I have a tip that is half-SUV only but a great half-way for "optimal" space, consumption and size.

Check the following links about BMW 5 GT:

BMW 5er Gran Turismo : Informieren

BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

BMW 5er Gran Turismo – Wikipedia

It can move the whole family to the Moon (if necessary), but still make sense for one passenger only. It does not have a crazy consumption like the "real SUVs". I would be able to sell it to my wife as a half-SUV (I don't get girls falling in love with SUVs), but it is in fact a sedan I would love to drive too. And she couldn't complain it is so big she can't drive it I hope...

AFAIK it is available as diesel with 4x4 too. Not a Porsche, but not so different.

If you want to see one in real life, check the one that parks every day next to the gas station next to the Metzgerei (grey one). It is difficult to miss it

What is quite crazy about this car is that I am not a BMW fan at all (the contrary!!), but like this one a lot (not based on a test drive though - just the look and reviews).

cheers Otto

I can tell that you are not a BMW fan since the GT is the ugliest BMW out there

The new Porsche Macan: the exhilaration of being alive - YouTube

It has value-for-price for me. Buy me a 6er and convince my wife it is not a blond-catcher and she does not want to drive it and we can carry on with the conversation in this direction

At 2:37 the blonde chick definitely throws an eye at the James Bond type Macan driver...

But girls never turned an eye in the past 4 years at a green Cayenne with kids seats in the back of the car... so I don't see a problem despite Porsche's attempts to raise testosterone levels for potential buyers.

Or am I with my SAP basis dress code and hair doo the problem??

Cheers,

Julius

By "it is a super car" I meant that it is a nice car, as in very nice car. Not super-car as in Ferrari or Veyron.

Getting back closer to reality, does anyone have a 2014 Peugot 308? I see that it won the "car of the year" award at the Geneva Auto Salon.

The missus has her eye on Mercedes GLA. Anyone else looked into that or have one? Can you recommend it for day to day SAP consulting, debugging, workshops, opening OSS notes...?

Hey!

So you're still looking? I just saw the first post and this last one...

In my opinion and in your situation, I would definitely go for a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo. First of all, it's a Mitsubishi, so it's pretty much as reliable as it gets (as any other Japanese car make).

4WD, for your winter needs, almost 300 HP, so you can have some fun at the auto bahn if you want to, and with a fuel efficiency hard to beat (for similar power cars).

After that one, I would maybe go for the Nissan 370Z. Similar in almost everything, except it doesn't have 4WD. Oh and it's a two-seater... if that's a factor.

I hate it when cars break down on me and need to stay in the shop. If you share this sentiment, I would avoid German car makes if I were you...

Good luck!

Best,

Bruno

The first post is 4 years old, but I dug it up again now as the topic popped up again and the old infos are still useful - as are my requirements are approximately the same. Married, 3 kids, 3 cats, 3 hamsters, 2 mice, 1 mother-in-law, home loan, full catastrophe...

So 2 seater is out, but otherwise nothing against the 370Z other than that I am 41 years old. It would also have to be a GTR to fit the kids into the back seats. Unfortunately still, anything which looks like that is a Subaru in the eyes of the missus, so blacklisted.

What do you think of the Korean cars, just out of curiosity?

Cheers,

Julius

Hi Julius,

If you just see your car as "Need-one" the koreans aren't the badest one. Those cars got the 7-years warrenty so there might be not that much invest afterwards.

Of course, the 250 kilometers to walldorf perhaps won't be that comfortable and your kids, cats hamsters and mother-in-law might not be that ammused with it, cause of the noise while sitting in there driving around. Ok, beeing a bit silly, but there is always a part of truth included

Back to serious arguments:

The facts are outstanding. The cars are very cheap and a lot of service is included.

The Crashtest-results are now nearly that good, that other cars got, so safety is not a problem and there is just the gap in the comfort.

My personal statement brings me to an audi, but these are really not cheap.

But in the end everybody has to decide personal.

Good luck finding the correct one for you and your family.

~Florian

I'm reading Cayenne, Macan, GLA, and now you're thinking about Korean cars good gosh almighty??

Thomas

(sipping on Long Island Iced Tea)

I have since the last round and also the previous one been looking into Audis. I had an Audi once before as well in the 90's, but discovered that they don't float very well.

They have great motors and very reliable though. However once you discover something with a bit more leg room (we are all relatively tall here in the Bussche team) you even prefer a VW Golf to any Audi. It is comparable to a Fiat 500 as far as leg space is concerned...

Not sure what Audi is up to there, but you can't sit comfortably in an Audi if you are taller than about 1m70 IMO.

One topic which has not changed at all in the past 4 years is the German Autobahns. Even the same construction sites are still there... Does anyone have reliable success with converting a KIA into a Lamborghini sort of thing so that the Germans (and the Swiss even more so) will not hog the left lane just to be stubborn.

Another tempting option is to only keep the old Landrover for garden work and local errands and do the "public transport thing" for a year or so. For currently planned holidays we only really need to get to the airport. Anyone "gone public" yet although you had gotten used to the convenience of having everything on-board and on-demand with a car? Could be adventurous. Also much more likely to meet girls that way than driving a Porsche! 🙂

Oh... decisions... decisions... 🙂

Cheers,

Julius

I did not talk about Korean cars - I asked Bruno about them. Next I wanted to ask about Spanisch cars but now you have blown my cover...

Cheers,

Julius

Hi Julius!

When you say Korean I guess you mean Kia I see no reason to buy one. Then again, I see no reason not to

However, I see you talking about VW and Audi... those are big "no-nos" in my opinion (because, like I said, I value reliability very much). I don't know why you say they are very reliable... According to pretty much every statistic I've seen, Audis are up there with the most unreliable cars there are. VWs are average. According to personal experience, I've had a VW Golf IV (my first car) and it had problems with the electric windows (like every other VW Golf IV) where the window would just fall into the door and leave the window completely open (so an immediate trip to the garage necessary), and I also had trouble with the MAF unit, like some friends of mine with the same engine block. Since Audis, Seats and Skodas all share the same engine blocks, I would steer away from all these brands.

My parents like BMWs... also problems. My mother with her brand new X5 had trouble with transmission, right after a few weeks with the car. Yeah, they took care of it as it was under warranty, but it's still not very pleasant when you need your car to go to work and they didn't even offer a replacement car.

However, if what's important for you is top interior quality and comfort and security (both active and passive), then yeah, German cars

I drove my mum's X5 and the thing is just unbelievable. I had a 3-series coupé at the time, which was already quite nice in my opinion, but when I tried the X5 I was blown away. The thing will simply stay on track, no matter what dumb things you try to do with it And from what I've read, the Porsche Cayenne is even better, so I can imagine that in terms of safety and performance you couldn't have chosen better! I wonder if you've had any mechanical problems until now though? I'm working in Germany now... when I talk about this most people say "no no, German cars are the best!" Then I ask... ok so what do you have? Usually the answer is Audi or VW. Then I ask... ok so your car never needed repairs/replacement parts? And the answer most of the times is yes, multiple times

So, to sum it up, if you prize reliability, I would go for Japanese, you can't go wrong there. If you prize quality/details, performance, safety (and a little fun), German, but you pay for it, and you should be willing to have the car in the shop every now and then. I see no reason to buy other cars (except Italian for the supercars... I don't think they will ever be for my wallet though , unless I go freelance sometime in the future...)

Cheers!!

Bruno

I can't believe this thread is still active. Looks like you are giving Sas' Cricket thread a run for its money.

No, I have not had any technical problems with the Cayenne. They recalled the cars in 2011 to have some light bulbs changed, and there are a few scratches from parking obstacles (the missus drove it a few times...), that's it.

But the omnipresent risk of the batteries going gddzzzzt will cost the same as a new Japanese car almost. Certainly not a useful thing to by a hybrid in that combination - the hybrid only helps with acceleration and not fuel efficiency, particularly if you live in the mountains.

Currently I am seriously considering public transport with a skateboard or scooter for intracity mobility. Most pavements around here now-a-days are perfectly ok for little wheels.

Cheers,

Julius

Hey Julius,

it seems we're on the same "lease cycle" (although I didn't catch your original post 4 years ago). Given the fact that you have 3 kids, rules out a few.I just decided to lease another beemer after my accountant convinced me that taking over my current car (also a beemer) would be too expensive.

It's quite amazing what has changed in the past 4 years (at least on the beemer front). I have a "smaller" engine (from 3 to 2 liters), but more horsepower (+14), better mileage & less CO2 emissions (important for taxation over here). The (professional) GPS which was already quite good has completely changed (for the better). I went for a "coupe" this time (it's just me driving it by myself and in the weekends the wife joins me - daughter no longer lives with us, so she's only in for an occasional ride back/from her place). In your case you could go for X3, X4 (displayed in Geneve I think), X5 or X6. The 4 & 6 are really only interesting when your kids are still young (and you're "young" at heart).

For a while I was considering hybrids (Volvo V60, Lexus IS, upcoming BMW 3), but after making some calculations that didn't look (financially) interesting... at all (just yet)! Maybe in 4 years that will become interesting... also, my accountant wondered about the "trade in" value (and possible cost of replacing the batteries in case I should take it over after the lease).

The biggest problem with BMW is that (almost) everything is optional... at quite the price, but you could get a sweet deal (as I did actually).

Cheers,

Raf

Yes crashing into obstacles does not count as a mechanical problem

Great, so you're one of the lucky ones that is enjoying all the good things about a German car without suffering from the bad things

Viel Spaß!

Bruno

Little update: I traded in the Volvo of the missus for a GLA 2.5L 4x4 and decided to sit on the 800kg of Cayenne batteries until 2015. If the guarantee is about to expire or has expired seems to make little difference. I will watch the car reviews in the summer for the 2014 models and then decide what to do about it.

ps: If you tell car salesmen from Mercedes, BMW, VW, Porsche, Audi, Skoda, Seat, Lamborgini, Bentley, etc etc that you are a SAP consultant, then you can test drive virtually any car they have for a weekend. Just a little tip for the summer... (they all run SAP).

Cheers,

Julius


julius.vondembussche wrote:

Little update: I will watch the car reviews in the summer for the 2014 models and then decide what to do about it.

Resale values on hybrids is definitely a downside. Only lease them and give them back after the lease (which is also the same time when the guarantee on the batteries expires). Folks seems to be suspect of 4 year old batteries because of iPhones and laptops experiences.... 😉

So I did several test drives (also the Tesla, but 200km is just not enough for me despite the promise to provide super charging centers) and went for the Macan, with turbo motor, in rodium silver, black leather and panorama sun roof. I did 3 test drives and can highly recommend it.

Downside is 8 months production line wait - they seem to be selling very well.

Tip: If you don't take "funny combinations of options" or exclude things folks normally take, then they produce the car faster. I sacrificed the tow bar and delivery date is end October (this year).

Cheers,

Julius

Macan is a good decision. I also like that car and thinking about it.

Have fund with your new car.

~Florian

Just by the way, Tesla build a charging-center right next to my door and it seems that they have a contract with shell, because I see several stations around my place growing at the moment.

Dear gurus,

My Macan arrived a few days ago and is an absolute blast. Wonderful car.

Motor sounds like a Scottish pipeband warming up to welcome the queen - drum rolls and squacks.

Without the batteries it has something similar to the sailing mode of the hybrid even. A hidden 8th gear which if activated drops the revs to idle and tries to keep the speed constant using just that power. When it needs more power then the 7th or lower gear kicks in again. I feel fairly confident that gas saving via this will be more than driving a Hybrid in sport mode.

Great for posting on SCN is also that it has an active drive path assistant. If you give it a destination to go to and activate the tempo-meter and drive assistant, then it knows where to go to and can see cars in front of it as well. You can take your hands off the steering wheel and accelerator and it will follow the road as planned and keep distance from the car in front even if it goes slower than the speed limit.

Downside is that it relies on the white jaggered or closed white lines on the road for the fine tuning of the steering because GPS and mobile positioning is not that accurate, so for the gurus in Bangalore I suggest not using this in combination with posting to SCN. It also sees the car infront when under 65km/h to regulate the speed and not the rickshaw on the left and tuktuk on the right which is trying to push you off the road at the same time... 🙂

But if it detects a dubawallah which is on collision course with you, it will warn you and when you take your foot abruptly off the accelerator it will instinctively start braking and show the brake lights already before you hit the break.

Super car. Can highly recommend it.

Cheers,

Julius

Congrats and good luck mate.

Looking forward to read your blog it forward with some pictures of your new car

Heidi is not much interested in cars (she generally associates all cars with going to the vet), but I might be able to catch a pici of her "marking" the car types if you give me some time... 🙂

Cheers,

Julius

Hmmm... I found a down side.

The Cayenne Hybrid had a long range petrol tank and with the "fairy mode" driving style you can push it out to more than 1000 km on a tank. I used that as a benchmark for only buying cigarettes when I have to fill the tank again, so only smoked about 2 cigarettes per day and often had to wait a week or two. It was a little game I had with the car.

The Macan Turbo guzzles more (but they told me to drive at 4k revs as much as possible for the first 1000km), but only has a 60l tank which at mixed conditions takes you about 500km it seems. The hidden sailing mode is however better than the hybrid version if you want to just cruise on the highway.

So I need to change my policy and /or be more disciplined to avoid crossing the border from hobby smoker to cigarette smuggler. The previous policy was very convenient for me because of the tank size.

Does anyone else use this strategy to only buy cigarettes when you tank your car? For me it works well, but now with the smaller tank I hit a dilemma and need to change my policy. I am thinking of switching to haircut frequency? Any thoughts or experiences?

Cheers,

Julius

I only smoke when I drink, but I doubt that will be helpful to you.

Those, combined with salted peanuts, are a dangerous combination which are unlikely to lead to less smoking.

I'll rather try the haircut frequency first and my goal is to look like by next summer 🙂

Why don't you stop smoking at all? I managed that at that time I asked my wifey to marry me.

So I left that "problem" behind me

~Florian

One smoke per wedding is also an interesting interval, but given that all my previous attempts have ultimately failed I am concerned that this might make the missus a bit nervous... 🙂

LOL!

I guess one easy solution would be to only smoke each 2 tanks?


Thomas Zloch wrote:

I'm reading Cayenne, Macan, GLA, and now you're thinking about Korean cars good gosh almighty??

Thomas
(sipping on Long Island Iced Tea)

Thank goodness that I did not follow the BMW advice...

In addition to the BMW "online driving module" which was hacked this week to take complete control of the car, researchers discovered a gene which links BMW owners to certain well known driving habits.

Dutch Institute of Science discovers So2 gene.

Cheers,

Julius

This was shared in my FB network as well

Probably applies to other brands as well. For example, I keep seeing Smart's driving very wildly, maybe the owners need to compensate for the small size, or it might be the small size that makes every move look so hectically.

Thomas

Der Postillon: Mann fährt Kleinwagen, um seinen riesigen ... zu kompensieren

(sorry, German only)

Guys there are some poor teammates around who still use company transport or public transport don't make them feel jelous.. lol..

I would prefer a SUV with 4X4... to move me on bumpy path ahead...

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Don't worry Pushkar, some of the richest people in the world still drive old beat-up cars

As long as a car is a "need", you should be able to buy a decent one fairly cheap, once it becomes a "want", you are in an endless loop of buying and selling.

I need a car which takes me from point A to point B safely, but i want a Lamborghini

Just my opinion, no offense intended

Thanks

Aamir

Edited by: Aamir Suhail on Jul 1, 2010 10:24 AM

Hello Aamir,

Well said... totally agree with you...

br,

Pushkar

I had the day off, finished all my chores at home so the missus let me go for the afternoon and I took my old beat up car into town and swapped it for an hour-long testdrive with the new Porsche Hybrid 4x4 which arived recently on the shopfloor... (tip: When making the appointment wear an SDN top contributor t-shirt, because Porsche runs SAP and the marketing folks were impressed by this!

Well... the car is a blast!

Some observations: When you stop at a traffic light and people are watching and waiting for the Porsche sound when you take off, then the E-power motor confuses the hell out of them as you accelerate (up to 120 km/h!) without any noise. Just don't try to give too much "gas" because then big brother kicks in, but you don't notice the switch.

The tiptronic gearbox is not the same as a manual transmission for fun driving, but there are about as many buttons to hit where you can change the drive mode as what there are navigation paths in SPRO. Luckily it also has a SPRO_ADMIN to remember stuff for you and you can override it any time using the paddles in the steering wheel.

What's really cool is when you floor it (tip: drop down one gear first manually so that there is no delay) and then the E-motor kicks in additionally. You hardly notice the gear shifts and it goes forward -

>>>>>>

On request, they even build it with a trailer hook at the back for working in the garden etc, and it is invisible until you change the current settings in SPRO somewhere. Costs as much as a modification

Downsides are the price tag (no surprises there) and the kids are concerned about whether or not they can eat icecream in the car - as has been the case to date...

Do any other SDners drive hybrids? Are there any downsides or things to watch out for with them? Service expenses and frequency, etc? (Porsche told me it is "the same").

Cheers,

Julius

ps: It also has a camera hidden below the numberplate, and when you enter the reverse gear then it displays the rear of the car and depending on the steering wheel alighnment projects your parrellel parking curve on the navigation display. So it is also for "girls"

It also has eight (8) forward gears for "boys"... in 6th gear at 160 km/h it still takes off like a rocket!

(Just joking about the boys and girls thing)

Cheers,

Julius

Did you considered CAT 793F ?

[CATERPILLAR|http://www.google.co.in/images?hl=en&gbv=2&tbs=isch:1&q=caterpillar+truck&revid=1910163864&sa=X&ei=2jZJTP0lgqCxA9LbwUg&ved=0CAkQ1QIoAg]

In person I had seen these gigantic beauties getting manufactured and take out for on-road testing.CAT machines are read beauty man.

Btw,initially I read tricks as trucks.May be I am obsesses with CAT

Thanks,

Kiran.

Hi Julius,

The hook in the back is actually so you can buy and tow what in Europe is called a Caravan and what we in the US called a Recreational Vehicle. Then you could go camping in style like me.

Or, you could take Kiran's suggestion, buy a CAT (one of the monster dumpers like they use at strip mining locations), build a little house on the back, and call it an RV (don't be so dubious - CAT engines are used in a lot of the larger 40 to 45 foot models sold over here). The advantage to this idea is if you are overrun by unwanted guests while on a trip, you just go in to the cab and push a button. All the unwanted folks then go for a little trip out the back door and on to the ground.

@ Kiran: Tempting compared to the Kenworth because it is shorter...

Can you share your experiences with parking please?

@ DB: Caravans without an "NL" (Netherlands) numberplate on the German Autobahn's is a no-no...

I have a relatively small trailer for loading general garden stuff, fire wood in autumn ("Fall" for you, but not against the car in this case which is also something which doesn't fit very well into my modus operandi..), scrap metal and kitchen devices which seem to appear from no-where all the time, various road-kill and miscellaneous Guests ...

All-in-all, the double-cab pickup with hybrid motor is probably still the best allrounder to combine into one vehicle for all these use-cases.

Is there such a thing yet? I have not been able to find one.

Cheers,

Julius

> (one of the monster dumpers like they use at strip mining locations)...

That is similar to what the Swiss vehicle insurance system creates in your backyard and my problem...

> In Switzerland they have a great system which allows you to "load balance" your cars and buy destructable ones, but that does not help you when you are stuck in the middle of nowhere...

> You pay the insurance for the most expensive one only and it covers all the rest on the same insurance, but you only have one set of number plates which you can switch between the cars (the "click" system) and can only drive one of them at one ponit in time on the road.

I am tempted to sell the lot (though it would break my heart for some of the beat up ones) and buy 2 hybrids to replace them.

I am however still a bit sceptical about the hybrid technology and future of possibly better technologies at this point in time. I think major vehicle manufacturers are only marketing hybrids because of the dependency on the combustion engine...

Imagine a car which can "Zen" into the energy of all yogurts in fridges worldwide which have exceeded their expiry date?

Do any SDNers have bad experiences with current Hybrids? Any alternate theories on the most efficient way of getting from A to B a few years down the line?

Cheers,

Julius

Hello Julius,

I rented a Toyota Corola Hybrid in Montreal last year...

The ride was smooth.. but didnt find any difference between the fuel consumption between Hybrid and the normal Car...

We tried to Race this car on the open highway and surpisinglly we had good results but still will prefer the normal car over the hybrid one.. The humming noice of engine was missing n sometimes we used to think is it engine taking the car forward or just the slope on the road...

May be we are not used to it yet.. but for sure in future the things will be different...

I wonder anyone tried to win the race with one of the Hybrids???

br,

Pushkar

>Imagine a car which can "Zen" into the energy of all yogurts in fridges worldwide which have exceeded their expiry date?

What did you smoke Julius ? Even for the Coffe corner, it must be very strong !

Don't forget the trailer for the ton of yogurt and the YZEEU (yogurt zen energy extracting unit) which is still nowadays the size of a small chemical plant...

Cheers,

Olivier

rented a Toyota Corola Hybrid in Montreal last year...
We tried to Race this car on the open highway and surpisinglly we had good results but still will prefer the normal car over the hybrid one..

yikes! you tried to race on a Montreal highway? You must have destroyed the suspension! (Montreal roads are ugly with many potholes, holes, uneven pavement etc....)

want proof of that?

http://www.montrealgazette.com/Mercierbridgehole+filled/3319307/story.html

Edited by: Julius Bussche on Jul 29, 2010 9:04 PM

code tags converted to quote tags because of the ABAP editor... (the formating was toasted)

> What did you smoke Julius ? Even for the Coffe corner, it must be very strong !

As you can see, Eric has steered well clear of this comment as well.

> Don't forget the trailer for the ton of yogurt and the YZEEU (yogurt zen energy extracting unit) which is still nowadays the size of a small chemical plant...

Each unit comes with it's own small basis team.

What I meant is that if there are only some surmountable technical challenges for such a motor, then it is just a matter of throwing money at the correct direction of the problem and oneday (unknown) the hybrid strategy could become an interim experiment, right?

I spoke to a few taxi drivers in the past days about this as well. They are waiting for it to become stable technology and want to wait to see what happens long term after the effects of the recession last year and what BP is doing in the gulf.

If something cool like a mainstream hydrogen engine (or yoghurt engine) comes out next year then they don't want to be sitting with an electric hybrid.

From the samples I have taken the French taxi drivers seem to be most sporting about current hybrids. I was told that it makes the economy more robust in addition to regularly "testing" the infrastructure - I guess the Greek authorities could learn from this lesson as well..

Thank goodness for basis folks in the SAP world!

Cheers,

Julius

Edited by: Julius Bussche on Jul 29, 2010 9:26 PM

You might be right .. we might have damage suspension after looking at the picture, I think so...

I was staying near small village Saint bruno n roads arong that region were in better condition...

Really didn't got any chance to race near these Famous Bridges as always roads were full of traffic... most of the time single lane operating...

But the experience of watching fire work festival from the bridge was the best, due to the firework works the whole bridge was shaking n cars in the parking lots were making stupid noise as they were reacting to the vibrations from the firework.. (Stupid central locking)

-Pushkar

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Julius, you should definitely buy Skoda Superb:)) The name tells you everything:)) Otto

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YES !!! i really love that look of the car.........

Really SUPERB !!

Hmm.. it comes in a 4x4 variant as well. It also looks more civil than the Subaru but does have a bit of an "accountant" look to it...

Will check it out closer. Thanks for the tip!

Cheers,

Julius

Get a REVA G-Wiz... You'll have to make 3 stops to get to Walldorf and surviving the autobahn will be a miracle but you won't be killing mother earth 😄

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/REVA

In the other hand you can get a Tesla Roadster but you'll want to save a few bob's

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesla_Roadster

On a more serious note... I think a nice diesel 4x4 will be my choice, diesel is greener and cheaper, it goes way longer than petrol, beside that these days diesel engines are really quiet and you won't hear them while cruising around... Check the Santa Fe

Regards

Juan

Volvo XC70, turbo diesel. Or another Porsche.

I must confess that I did test drive with a Cayenne last week, but for me it is not a Porsche. They only had automatics on offer and even the tiptronic shift has a delay.

The advantage in it is only that driving a 911 afterwards, you have a go-cart and 10 years younger feeling...

I like Volvo's, but the service here in Switzerland is "unter alle sau" in my opinion. Long story - I avoid them now and it is a mutual feeling.

I am not sure why you suggested the diesel? It is more expensive here compared to the neighbouring countries. Making 4 year vehicle plans around 3-country access points for gas stations is IMO not optimal, unless you catch the tram anyway.

You have it good Matt!

Cheers,

Julius

> On a more serious note... I think a nice diesel 4x4 will be my choice, diesel is greener and cheaper, it goes way longer than petrol, beside that these days diesel engines are really quiet and you won't hear them while cruising around... Check the Santa Fe

The real bugger here is the German autobahns and folks which hog the left lane. They can go faster than a truck, but once the road is free they only really want to go 140 km/h anyway for the next 50 meters and then back off to block the trucks again.

As another option I heard about "kit cars". Basically, you have a Lamborgini or Ferrari body with a VW engine in it which goes 200 km/h (nothing special) but looks like it has 300 PS more than the accountant in the BMWs and Audis in the rear view mirror, so they make way.

Has anyone tried this strategy and does it work?

Cheers,

Julius

Even though diesel is more expensive, you burn fewer litres per 100km. So, overall, it's cheaper. We tend to do a lot of driving in Europe, and, especially in the East, diesel is more readily available. I remember running low on fuel in Belgrade, and trying to find a garage that had supplies of unleaded was difficult!

And yes, I know your Volvo garage horror story!

I am cracking up reading this. Julius, I started with a Renault Super 5 that my mother gave me. See the [beautiful pic here|http://www.forum-auto.com/uploads/200603/david33_1142589962_renault_super_5_gts_saga_arriere.jpg].

White, 4 doors, 4 speeds (hum) and I never bothered counting horsepower. Definitely not enough. I loved it though, I had a cassette player connected to my iPod Mini, I had to add lead when filling the tank. Yes, add lead, because after some time in France/Germany you could only find unleaded gas. It was a fashion statement. And I didn't care about bumps. And I loved the look the Germans had when I drove my white car that was more often grey than shiny white.

But driving on the Autobahn in Germany was a pain. Of course no one in their nice BMW Mercedes etc. respected me and several times I was lucky to avoid an accident with a speeding supermobile. So if I could, I would get one of these, upgrade it discreetly with a 300 PS engine and hit the Autobahn!

Laure

LOL!

The first car I crashed was a Renault 5! I was 2 years old and the tree was about 150 years old. My mother tells me that I owe my life to it.

Since then I luckily only sank two more - a VW passat in a frozen lake and a Honda Accord in a river somewhere in Zimbabwe (AVIS even took it back again, but that is also a long story).

> But driving on the Autobahn in Germany was a pain. Of course no one in their nice BMW Mercedes etc. respected me and several times I was lucky to avoid an accident with a speeding supermobile.

That is why I thought of the "kit-car" simply as an instrument, otherwise I am not convinced. I think the chances are about as good as the points system being mistaken for a real Renault, but we can give it a try?

The other option is with Matt wearing his muppet hat and red pom-pom sowed ontop the top.. I am told that in England this gives you some dignity, and with guru level ABAP OO knowledge onboard you can get away with a pink one and a real sportscar

As the weather is improving, the spec of 4x4 without a roof also turned up? I am personally sceptical because the winter will return again no doubt and I was told that the little windows at the back are not always reliable by design.

Does anyone have experience with Lada Niva's? They seem to handle fine in Switzerland and go fast enough for a German autobahn trip as well, when blocked by BMW's and Audis trying to overtake each other. Not sure about the "noise levels" yet.

Any other tips?

Julius

Lada Niva is a great car. Something like the legendary Ford T (or something like that... the one a farmer was able to fix himself).

Do you know the movies about the Russian Kosmos ("space") program? Like when somebody is not working in your shuttle, you can smash it with something and it starts working? That is Lada, an undestructable car:))

Otto

> That is Lada, an undestructable car:))

In Switzerland they have a great system which allows you to "load balance" your cars and buy destructable ones, but that does not help you when you are stuck in the middle of nowhere...

You pay the insurance for the most expensive one only and it covers all the rest on the same insurance, but you only have one set of number plates which you can switch between the cars (the "click" system) and can only drive one of them at one ponit in time on the road.

It is a real pest when you are lured into changing to yet another car on the road and more junk metal just for tax reasons, when you are actually perfectly happy.

Is there any country which gives tax rebates for being stubborn?

I only want to get to work without paying too much tax along the way when public transport is not an option.

Cheers,

Julius

Edited by: Julius Bussche on Apr 16, 2010 12:51 AM

I only want to get to work without paying too much tax along the way when public transport is not an option.

Then get a Prius and join the celebs.... I think Angelina Jolie has one 😄

As another option I heard about "kit cars". Basically, you have a Lamborgini or Ferrari body with a VW engine in it which goes 200 km/h (nothing special) but looks like it has 300 PS more than the accountant in the BMWs and Audis in the rear view mirror, so they make way.
Has anyone tried this strategy and does it work?

[Dilip Chhabria|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dilip_Chhabria] is the man you are looking for. He can convert [this|http://philip.greenspun.com/images/200103-d1-delhi/ambassador-car.half.jpg] to [this.|http://photos.merinews.com/upload/imageGallery/bigImage/1218088250565.jpg]

That is what I was looking for!

Drove an Audi A5 quattro a couple of months ago in the snow. Worked well and was fun to drive.

I believe that Bentleys are 4WD and the new one runs on some form of Biofuel too :). Pity about the 6+ litre engine burning it up very quickly.

I loved the Bentley in the movie 2012

Super-Luxury

Yes they are very nice. The factory is in the next town to me and they test drive all of the new cars nearby. Pity some of them cost more than my house!

They are very tempting and not that expensive as a base car, but you only get the chassis with motor then.

Porsche is bringing out a hybrid 911 with 4x4. For Coffee Corner theory, has anyone considered this one?

Can only be cheaper than pk's suggestion

Cheers,

Julius

@JB

How can you close the thread without informing us of your choice?!

The reason is, I am also on a similar quest. I am on the lookout for a good SUV/4wd. I was keenly following this thread to hear others' views and your ultimate choice.

Personally, I am tempted to go for the Landcruiser, but I can't make up my mind....

Any thoughts? Or should I start a new thread?

Cheers

Hi Ravi,

I opened it again for you.

I haven't actually made my final choice yet, but at the time liked PK's idea.

In hindsight, probably the best thing to do is to merge my cars all into one [Toyota Double-cab Pickup|http://de.toyota.ch/cars/new_cars/hilux/index.aspx] but don't want to part with them either.

It is really sad actually as I am stuck..

Cheers,

Julius

How is the new FIAT Linea 1.6 T-Jet / Multijet ??

How is the performance/mileage ?

Thanks, JB!

I have a [suggestion|http://www.geekalerts.com/high-tech-sledge-with-shock-absorber/] for you..

LoL

I was thinking that "high tech" implies atleast a usb port, bluetooth and available mobile applications now-a-days?

The doublecab pickup is certainly the best allrounder available. Do you go "outbacking" sometimes or need it to park on high pavements in central Sydney? It can do both, with Mom and the kids in the car and a boat on the back.

Cheers,

Julius

I wish I could do something like [this|http://www.france24.com/en/files/imagecache/aef_ct_article_image/story/India-scooter-m_0.jpg] in Sydney, back home I would ride my scooter with the elder boy in front and wife and younger one behind me... lol!

I saw many of them in Egypt (russian built Ural motorbikes) with whole families on the bike. Cannot imagine that a long trip is much fun though...

BTW: The Porsche Hybrid turns out to be a bit of a "hack". Unlike conventional hybrid motors which use the built up electricity to power the car as an alternate to the combustion motor when more power isn't needed, the Porsche keeps the energy on reserve until the benzin motor has reached it's maximum power and then kicks in with the electric motor providing additional short bursts to accelerate faster.

So the 911 now has 480 PS. If you want a "green car" you can order it in metalic green...

Cheers,

Julius

You can consider TATA NANO as an option

Hi Julius

Been watching this with interest and have some thoughts for you:

1. Should be a diesel as apparently this is green;

2. Should be a 4wd so you do not contribute to the degradation of the road system;

3. Should have a carrying capacity of 4 tonnes so you can minimise your trips; so

The best green vehicle for you is [this Kenworth W900|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenworth_W900]

Glad to help and you know it makes sense

Gareth

I know it makes sense, but have a faint feeling there might be some catch.

Initially parking came to mind, but then you kindly added:

> 3. Should have a carrying capacity of 4 tonnes so you can minimise your trips

It has wheels and not tracks so I am not licensed to drive the beautie. With tracks we can go up to 65 tons but you know it is nonsense...

BTW @ Laure: An Alpha-Romeo Spyder didn't like the fact that I was approaching him and his GF from behind yesterday on the way back from WDF. So he didn't make way - no problem, I am patient. Probably the GF said something because he floored his lawnmower and tried to outrun me. At 230 km/h there just wasn't anything left to add although the car is electronically limited to 240 km/h... I waited patienty for about 5 minutes and then small dark smoke clouds started puffing out of the left-hand exhausts and he started loosing speed.

Judging by the look on his face, this was not voluntary and his engine and ego were both blown. The right-hand exhausts seemed to be fine though...

That is the end of the kit-car idea for me as well - so a double-cab pickup with turbo diesel engine is at the top of the ranks.

Any other ideas?

Cheers,

Julius

Hehe.... I wish I had been there to see that

Good luck on your search for the perfect car! This will be a well-thought decision as I can see.

Laure

Thanks to my input, you reopened the thread and voila! it brought Gareth out from his winter hibenation!

I think you have received some good recommendations since....

I am still confused reg my decision, 6/7 years ago, I used to detest SUVs even last year I was emphatic but I think my younger one has been silently working on me to such an extent that I want one but don't know which to pick.

Like the Toyota brand, they have some good ones Kluger and Prado seem good, but the problem with them is the sterotyping associated with Indians!

Any input please?

Ravi

P.S.: Apologies to JB for attempting to hijack this thread

but the problem with them is the sterotyping associated with Indians!

That is so true... even in the US. You see a brand new Toyoto Camry or a Honda Civic and you know right away theres an Indian behind that wheel

Anyways talking abt SUVs, have you checked out Honda CRV?

I have never observed nor heard of that before?!?!

Similarly, a Volvo + caravan on the German autobahn must be a _________ ?

Anyway, all 4 are great so it is a good stigma

Cheers,

Julius

I guess the [CRV|http://www.hondacarindia.com/crv/index.aspx] never made it to the European markets then.

Its pretty popular in the US and over here in India.

In India you get it in 2 &4 Wheel Drive (though it doesn't really snow much over here )

Now I really have no idea what the demands of the Autobahn are! But it cruises just fine over the Interstates of US.

They have Hondas and the CRV here as well. Nice cars and hybrids available as well - I will take a closer look and possibly reverse back with the same if no doubts

There are no stigmas attached to them nor Indians here in Switzerland, at least not yet and none which I am aware of respectively.

Cheers,

Julius

CRV? Hmm not really but I think it seems to be a bit smaller for my family of four with 2 teens...

Toyota make reliable cars, both my previous cars have been toyota so I have experienced it first hand....

Hi Julius

But seriously folks..... My wife had a CRV for a few years as we have about 5 km of dirt road leading to my place. Over the one hundred and twenty thousand km we owned it, it did OK although the spares prices were interesting. Then when it reached one sixty thousand, it blew a head gasket, and then when fixed it burnt a valve, and then snapped the belt pulley casting on the block. After a bit of analysis, I found that it is common in CRVs to start dying at the 150 thousand mark.

So we replaced the CRV with a RAV4 Toyota. Better build quality, better on and off road handling, and a better fit for me (at 6'3" and 112 kg) in the passenger seat. At the same time our postie also bought a RAV4 and in the next five months put 58000 kms on it with no problems. Based on my own experiences with a Landcruiser 100 series (which I sold having done 450 thousand kms) the Toyotas are a better long term buy.

Having said this, I have just crossed two hundred and twenty thousand km in my 2005 Nissan Navara diesel and it is just bedding in, so perhaps it was just the Honda being a bit on the weak side. Basically, my advice is to check out Australian road tests to ensure the car you buy is not overly fragile - our roads are generally poor and the distances are greater than in Europe so the vehicles have to be tough or they will be found out.

You know it makes sense

Gareth

Hi Julius,

we are happy here with our Volkswagen Passat Station Wagon as a family car. It also brings us up to the mountains for skiing. Maybe this would also be an option for you.

I personally prefer my Audi A5 Cabrio.

regards

Siggi

> How can you close the thread without informing us of your choice?!

> The reason is, I am also on a similar quest...

Hi Ravi,

I am ready to close now (again), but as you forced me to re-open the thread, you get to go first...

Cheers,

Julius

> Of course no one in their nice <removed_by_moderator> etc. respected me and several times I was lucky to avoid an accident with a speeding supermobile.

The trick is to be being polite and respectfull, and drive carefully.

Then they let you pass.

I often see <removed_by_moderator> 's making a show on the autobahn and then someone intentionally blocks them from passing because they flashed their lights and hassled a little Renault 5.

Personally I think it is correct for a minute or two to block them. They will learn. It also makes them feal really stupid when other cars have to wait behind them for which they have not made way.

On the one hand the German autobahns offer a means to cover distances in short spaces of time, but on the other it is not really a healthy social mechanism in my opinion. You dont achieve an average speed much faster than the Swiss or French motorways and create a lot of stress along the way. There are only isolated sections and obscure times of the day when it makes sense.

Also, there are many sections which are "open" where I would not want to hit a known bump or bridge intersection at 200 km/h. I only drive fast on sections which I know well, because the speed limits are not reliable. Very dangerous.

As a nice example: the stretch of road between Karlsruhe and Walldorf is really well built, 3 lanes wide and about 30 km long. 300 km/h hour is possible for most of the stretch. But if there is lots of traffic they should limit it in my opinion (also hardcode it to certain known times of day and days of the week) in the interests of public safety.

Make the maximum speed 180 km/h and at the same time the minimum speed to 130 km/h in the left lane for the whole trip (and fine people for going too slow on 3 laned Autobahns).

I think this will vastly improve the efficiency and safety of the German autobahns.

Rational: It is near impossible to achieve an average speed more than 140 km/h anyway...

Cheers,

Julius

@ JB

Yes please by all means! I got side tracked with some project work so apologies for not reacting sooner.

So have you decided on any new car yet? I haven't yet decided but right now it is off the radar.

Regards

Ravi

Edited by: Ravi Dixit on Sep 14, 2010 3:53 PM

Yeps, but it wasn't easy.

Despite the double-cab pickup being a near perfect combination of all cars in one, there were still two downsides for me:

Travelling faster than 140 km/h with them on the highway for a longer stretch is still bumpy, loud and a gas guzzler compared to a "normal" sedan.

I could not part with my beloved old short-wheel-based Landrover, and it does the trick for working in the garden, chopping wood, etc so the additional open loading area wasn't really necessary.

So, I cleaned up all the scrap metal except for the Landrover and bought a new 2011 model Cayenne S with all-wheel-drive and Hybrid motor. It goes + 1500km far on a tank, 156 km/h on the electroic motor and when I do need some extra power then there is plenty of it as both motors kick in at the same time.

All-round happy chappy

Cheers,

Julius

Congratulations on your latest purchase Julius! I can see you enjoy it already

Laure

Thanks Laure,

What is nice is that when you brake, then the energy is not lost. This alone is cool enough.

When you are just sitting in the queue then you can use "sailing mode" for up to 2000 km on a tank.

And when the road is open then you are free to choose the mode and can drive safely at high speeds as well and accelerate when you need it.

BTW: I have heard that firemen and highway police have a special training which they need to go on in Germany because of the hybrids and danger of high-voltage batteries in accidents (e.g. pouring water on them is not a good idea).

Cheers,

Julius

Edited by: Julius Bussche on Sep 20, 2010 11:59 AM


> .........................
> .........................
> All-round happy chappy 
> 
> Cheers,
> Julius

At the end of the day that's what counts! Congrats!

TRW: I have heard that firemen and highway police have a special training which they need to go on in Germany because of the hybrids and danger of high-voltage batteries in accidents (e.g. pouring water on them is not a good idea).

That made me worried about Hybrid cars.. Here in India in Manson we are driving cars in knee length water sometimes more than that it would be like invitation to get electrocuted..

> Here in India in Manson we are driving cars in knee length water sometimes more than that it would be like invitation to get electrocuted..

I checked with the mechanics.

The e-engine and batteries are isolated, so you can wade 50cm deep into water with it. When the combustion engine "drowns" then the e-engine will keep going; but should not be mistaken for a boat!

This risk is in a heavy accident which damages the battery itself, but such a heavy accident should be sufficient to kill you long before it kills the battery, theoretically. The danger is more for the firemen.

I told them that my friend from India did not want to drive in the car because of this concern (wildcard question) and he said that when on the road you should always be carefulll.

If you see two ears sticking out of the road, then it might be a rabbit sitting on an uneven road surface soaking up the evening sun as an after-sundowner.

However, it might also be a donkey standing in a big pothole and trying to look over the rim!

You need to drive accordingly, regardless of the car and dependent on the road and circumstances.

From my experiences, driving in a dignified way is the best approach always.

Cheers,

Julius

 Despite the double-cab pickup being a near perfect combination of all cars in one, there were still two downsides for me

Hmm... I am obviously not the only person looking into this choice of vehicle: [Toyota Becomes Guerrilla's Choice When It Comes To Trucks|http://www.carzbuzz.com/story/toyota-becomes-guerrillas-choice-when-it-comes-to-trucks] ...

I had some other aspects to consider, otherwise the double-cab pickup would have been it, and the Toyota seems to have found an fanclub who would know what they are talking about "in the wild" ...

At least in Switzerland, and I also compared prices in Germany, they are a notch more expensive than other comparable double-cabs but are very rubust in all respects.

Several engine parts are compatible with motorbikes even, if you are a McGuyver or necessity demands it. I once drove in a Toyota LandCruiser which had a buffalo skin as gasket membraine to hold the engine together..

On the other hand, does anyone out there have a hydrogen engine? My mechanic friend told me that this is the main-stream break-though they are waiting for to hybrid the conventional combustion motor for accelleration only. 30 km/h in the city is not "mainstream".

Imagine:

- 80 PS E-motor "replaced" by braking energy, sailing and solar surphace technology of the car.

- 80 PS Hyrdo-motor to "consume" rain as well.

- 100 PS Auto-Gas engine specifically for a gas only engine..

- 200 PS Normal benzin combustion engine.

- 200 PS Optional Yogurt-Engine booster (available in France only).

Depending on how you variably gear it, depending on acceleration at drive-time, etc.. you could have a 660 PS "small car" which is also fun to drive for Laure, like [this french one|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TshFWSsrn8] ...

Cheers,

Julius

Not sure about Europe but in the US we have a web site called Edmunds (dot-com) where I usually go to for information. Can't say their reviews are completely unbiased, but I think they're OK. Also check out the prices in the US and cry your heart out - ha-ha!

Edited by: Jelena Perfiljeva on Apr 6, 2010 4:51 PM

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I don't know if you are looking for a new or used car, but I'll suggest this anyway:

Rather than buying a new car, look for a low mileage one year old car. The car will be almost new with almost a full warranty. But you will save the first year depreciation.

Rob

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Yep, I was making that calculation as well. The real cost is the loss of value and not what you pay for the car.

Certainly there are cars which retain their value more than others do.

Cheers,

Julius

Not sure if these are available in your area but if I needed a fuel efficient All wheel drive (new) car I would get

2010 Subaru Impreza

WRX 4dr Sedan AWD (2.5L 4cyl Turbo 5M)

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Thanks Arakish. That's an interesting option.

Yes, they have Subaru's here in Switzerland - so there will be no problem with spare parts and service.

Generally they tend to be driven by youngsters, but after one of Amit's recent comments I need to work on that part of my image a bit more so it could be a serious contender.

I will take a closer look into them. Thanks again.

Julius

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