"New cars all look the same..."

Have to agree about the C5 they are superbly comfortable ( even more so with hydraulic suspension models ) and our diesel engines are quieter than the 4 pot jags and many others.
Many 4 cylinder diesel jag owners don't realise they share there engines with Ford transit and Citroen relay vans.:rolleyes:
Mind you the v6 diesel range use Citroen engines as does range rover,
also our 1.6 16v diesel is used by Ford and Volvo.
Clive.
 
Hard riding Germans :confused:.....
I´m driving now my 5th E-Class T-model and it´s a superb long distance car, far away from the BMW 5 or A6. The 320CDI takes 7,5 ltrs/100kms and has massive torque. Always buy 2nd hand cars with approx 130tkm and last one was sold with 560tkm. Have never driven the cars to their max speed (really...), but enjoy the power of an "executive diesel" with a better reliability than a smaller 4-cyl diesel. Never drive the "big one" in town as it will take 11 ltrs/100km which is far away from the official consumption figures. Especially Audi has learned and the current A6 is no hard riding any more, now it´s up to the driver´s tire choose. If you drive 20" rims and 35 series tires, it´s harder....
Although living in Stuttgart, the heart of Daimler and Porsche, it´s clear, that the C6 was a very very good executive car and Citroens with hydropneumatics are better than their steel-damped competitors. But, marketing here always was not the first excellence of Citroen, it´s still the car for the 75 year old ex teacher.
Had a DS21 some 25 years ago, it´s still one of my favourite cars, but at these days I hobbled around like a dead rabbit with a blocked hydropneumatics and no Citroen dealer could fix it. Had to sell it after some weeks and a flat as....
 
mtb_tuli said:
Hard riding Germans :confused:....
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You are right that it sounds like a cliché, and i would like to avoid that, but there you go...
I have driven all around Europe, from Spain to Poland, and From UK to Greece, and i must say that the quality of the road network in Germany is so good that i understand why the German manufacturers don't bother with supple suspensions.
I have no personal experience of the E-class, but a good frient of mine and devoted Mercedes fan and connoiseur says that the later E-class models don't hold a candle to the W124 when it comes to ride quality. But then again, executive cars should be comfortable. When you pay a load of money, it would be stupid to have to put up with harshness. But anyway, i was actually refering to average cars, up to D segment.
 
;) It´s the perfect thread for the Lounge. There are so many reasons loving or hating a car or a class (don´t like big SUVs...) and it´s the greatest field for misunderstandings. The fans of the W123 will tell you the same about the W124 and lot of both parties say, it doesn´t rust :p
I sold a S211 with airmatic and bought one of the last S210, always the Avantgarde ones, on my experience the one with the better driving experience.
Completely nuts, but if you are satisfied....
Had the opportunity to drive an E500 (W124) for 6 weeks, which is one of the most impressive cars in the world, I must say. My Porsche 993 was fast, but this car could do it better with a full relaxed driver.
Today I must say, a Tesla is a real nice thing but 120 tEUR, jesus.
On the other hand, here in Stuttgart are many Cayenne and S500 Hybrid around, perfect engineering with almost 30 kms pure electric drive :confused:. What a shame to Daimler and Porsche. And, we definitely have the most ultraclean Defenders here. All of them completely equipped ready for Africa. None of these poor cars will ever see a muddy road around. Crazy world.
Love my bicycles...
 
dmcsweeney said:
I'm jealous now Chris! I've been hankering after a XE diesel auto since they came out to replace my X-type. The prices in Ireland are silly though, and with one house renovation in progress, and another starting I think I'm going to have to settle for a 13 or 14 reg XF 2.2 instead for the moment. I have a 75 mile round trip to work every day, and have managed 58.3 mpg across a fill in the X-type, so I'd love to see what the XE could do. I'm also firmly in the diesel camp. Even the noisy, unrefined Ford Duratorque in the X-type hasn't put me off. The only petrol that has impressed me in recent years was a Ford Mustang 3.7 V6 I drove last year. But even this, when compared to my brother's 313 bhp 535d felt like a wet sponge.
Regards,
Dave
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Dave,

I had an XFS before, so 275BHP of diesel. That averaged around 36MPG on a good day. I have driven a 2.2, but it was so gutless that I might as well have walked.
 
Micras have always been great cars. Simple, cheap, frugal, reliable and well built. A pretty good combo IMHO....
 
chrisw said:
Dave,

I had an XFS before, so 275BHP of diesel. That averaged around 36MPG on a good day. I have driven a 2.2, but it was so gutless that I might as well have walked.
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I guess it would feel gutless after the 3.0 twin turbo V6!! Also depends on the model as they ranged from 161 - 200bhp. I'd still prefer the XE though!

On the subject of the XE; British built small executive sports saloon, 2 litre, rear wheel drive, very advanced suspension system and use of aluminium. I know I've seen that combination somewhere in the past??
 
Our 'modern' was built in Swindon. And looks totally different to everything else on the road.

I learned to drive on a K11 Micra. Much beloved of the auto-test crowd now :)
 
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These cars were in our office car park when I started this thread. I now hear that the XE owner wondered why his remote key wasn't unlocking his boot....

The XE's boot had opened, but..... you've guessed it - he was standing at the back of the BMW :p:p:p
 
the only other car that my P6 has been confused with was the Triumph 2000 .Otherwise the P6 style really stood out from other manufacturers. Triumph copy catted the P6 years later.
 
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Phil Robson said:
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These cars were in our office car park when I started this thread. I now hear that the XE owner wondered why his remote key wasn't unlocking his boot....

The XE's boot had opened, but..... you've guessed it - he was standing at the back of the BMW :p:p:p
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Its quite a statement !! esp if the cars ar the same colour.
 
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