Unpopular Motoring Opinion Thread

[Rocket88]

48 minutes ago, Dobloseven said:

Motorist Discount Centres,bloody hell, there's a blast from the past!Remember Emergency Spares as well.

Another ex MDC drone here….

[Dobloseven]

Just now, Rocket88 said:

Another ex MDC drone here….

Didn't Six cylinder have something to do with them in the dark and distant past?Or am I dreaming it?

[Rocket88]

19 hours ago, inconsistant said:

Issigonis wasn’t a very good designer. 

He was also a sadistic bastard…. The idea of “ comfort” was a a complete anathema to him

[Asimo]

32 minutes ago, Rocket88 said:

The idea of “ comfort” was a a complete anathema to him

Wrong.  It was "luxury" that Issigonis abhorred.  Luxury works well in the showroom but comfort is appreciated on the road.

 

[Asimo]

3 hours ago, philibusmo said:

A MK4 golf is more fun to drive than the equivalent MK1 focus. than a kneecapping

 

[GrumpiusMaximus]

Hybrids are a stupid idea and combine two power trains, adding unnecessary weight and complexity.  They are also pointless if most of your driving is above 30MPH or extra-urban.  Plug-in hybrids are even worse because they're usually designed as a way of getting around taxes rather than giving a useful electric range.

[Soundwave]

In most normal driving conditions, RWD doesn't make the slightest bit of difference.
 

[big_al_granvia]

Ford's as a rule were and are shite out of the factory,slow, poorly built and unreliable. To make any Ford decent needs a rebuild with proper parts. The zetec and cvh engines were just crap, the cossie was underpowered and as for modern eco lumps... Just dont

[egg]

15 hours ago, Spiny Norman said:

Also, Jeremy Clarkson is a hugely knowledgeable motoring journalist.

When Stewart Lee says something like 'Clarkson sits down every week and works out what outrageous opinion he's going to pretend he holds before his column deadline, for money'. He nails it really. So much of an act, but he is a good journalist.

Give him 10 minutes to review a new car and he'd come up with a good summary, a pithy headline and a joke. Many Youtubers won't have got past the press release 'design language' in that time.

[egg]

Here's mine. So shoot me.

The Jaguar E-type isn't even in the top 10 'most beautiful' cars ever made. It's basically a clown shoe. The series 3 is actually a bit offensive (especially in 2 + 2 form)

[Asimo]

18 minutes ago, GrumpiusMaximus said:

Hybrids are a stupid idea and combine two power trains, adding unnecessary weight and complexity.

I agree unless they are the Toyota / Lexus sort of hybrid. I don't understand why the genius of the "Hybrid Synergy Drive" is so little appreciated. The battery energy storage part is the least important, least interesting, least innovative part of this system.

Electric transmission, without any of the disadvantages and inefficiencies to be expected, seemlessly matches the road to a petrol engine that has been tuned for thermodynamic efficiency above all else.

Complex? I don't agree.

No gearbox, manual, automatic. No drive belts, accessory belts. No clutch or converter. No starter motor, no alternator. The engine has a very limited rev range so no VVT stuff is necessary. Plenty of electrical power available so pas and coolant pump are electric.

The engine is attached to one motor/generator unit and the final drive is attached to another motor/generator unit. A small set of differential gears combines these. The battery need store very little energy, just a KWh or so is enough.

 

[Rocket88]

1 hour ago, Asimo said:

Wrong.  It was "luxury" that Issigonis abhorred.  Luxury works well in the showroom but comfort is appreciated on the road.

 

After experiencing the driving position of most of his designs, I beg to differ……

[Split_Pin]

Saab 9-5 petrols are lovely but they are flaky, needy, foutery things.

I have also never seen a daily driven one that isn't a complete rot box.

 

[SEATMad]

Another one from me,

The Capri is the most overrated classic. The fact that an average example costs upwards of between 10-15k is absolutely absurd. 

[Bren]

16 hours ago, RoverFolkUs said:

PD engines are dogshite. 

Now, before anyone jumps down my throat, hear me out:

Shit design - injector bore wear and camshaft wear. 

Refinement? Ha! Noisy pieces of shite. At least Ford were coming out with the 1.8 TDCI, and Vauxhall with the 1.7 CDTI ... Oh wait ... 🫣

My point is that they do not deserve being referred to as bulletproof because they really are not.

There are the "good" engine codes, such as the AWX 130, but it still suffers from the normal PD foibles.. 

Yes they have their good points as well, I know, but this is a thread for unpopular opinions so here's mine

Having owned one the good points were outweighed by the shit that came out of the exhaust - I wouldn't even start ours until the doors were closed.

Reminded me of the episode of Space 1999 " Voyager's return" where the voyagers propulsion system offed lots of people.

[egg]

While there are some advantages to rear engined cars, by refusing to change, the Porsche 911 essentially has come to fetishize the idea.

I'm not saying they're not brilliant to drive, striking and well made. I'm sure all that is true. 

Engineering since the 60's has dealt with the tail happy handling.

However, no-one with a blank sheet of paper designs a car like that in 2024.

Now the car seems to be celebrated by it's special editions, inflated values and stitching on the seats.

So whisper it quietly, is it a bit of a parody of itself?

[Rocket88]

11 minutes ago, SEATMad said:

Another one from me,

The Capri is the most overrated classic. The fact that an average example costs upwards of between 10-15k is absolutely absurd. 

A far superior car for half the outlay 

[GeordieInExile]

The Citroën C6 is basically a Peugeot 407 in a fat suit, with a disappointing ride and laughable tech even for the time it was launched. 

You should still buy mine, though.

[Rocket88]

2 minutes ago, Bren said:

Having owned one the good points were outweighed by the shit that came out of the exhaust - I wouldn't even start ours until the doors were closed.

Reminded me of the episode of Space 1999 " Voyager's return" where the voyagers propulsion system offed lots of people.

If the PD was dogshite, the Ford equivalent was excrement of elephantine proportions 

[Bren]

The insignia is shit.

I disagree. There - i've said it. Mine is very leggy but well maintained. Good on fuel with a reasonable turn of pace. Nimble compared to our Mk IV mondeo which for me is somewhat of a pudding and vastly overrated. At ten years old and 184 k nothing squeaks or rattles - the trim on the side of the seat near the switches has broken because of a trapped seat belt buckle.

Like all cars they have their issues but they certainly will have issues when they are treated as white goods.

[Bren]

11 minutes ago, Rocket88 said:

If the PD was dogshite, the Ford equivalent was excrement of elephantine proportions 

The lynx that was fitted to the focus was old hat - the focus deserved better.

[Matty]

8 hours ago, Rust Collector said:

Automatic gearboxes are the best gearbox for 99% of a normal person's driving.

Used to respect your opinion... 😄

[hairnet]

3 hours ago, egg said:

Here's mine. So shoot me.

The Jaguar E-type isn't even in the top 10 'most beautiful' cars ever made. It's basically a clown shoe. The series 3 is actually a bit offensive (especially in 2 + 2 form)

i think i love you

see my comment when i was in nelson at the museum

[egg]

17 minutes ago, hairnet said:

see my comment when i was in nelson at the museum

Ah I see...

[Rust Collector]

24 minutes ago, Matty said:

Used to respect your opinion... 😄

I’m fat and lazy, and most of the time I’m going from A-B in traffic. Why make my life harder by poking the gears around with a stick whilst mashing a pedal, when a mysterious box full of red goo can do it for me.

The 1% is a quiet, winding road in a sporty car; this is when a manual gear box is really good fun. Stop-start rush hour traffic through scenic Newhaven in a family wagon? Not so much.

[hairnet]

2 hours ago, Rocket88 said:

A far superior car for half the outlay 

or stuff with an opel badge on it

[primeradoner]

6 hours ago, twosmoke300 said:

Engine out or head off? Chose your poison

Neither if you cut a hole in the bulkhead and fed it out through the radio aperture. Allegedly

[Erebus]

2 hours ago, Bren said:

The insignia is shit.

I disagree. There - i've said it. Mine is very leggy but well maintained. Good on fuel with a reasonable turn of pace. Nimble compared to our Mk IV mondeo which for me is somewhat of a pudding and vastly overrated. At ten years old and 184 k nothing squeaks or rattles - the trim on the side of the seat near the switches has broken because of a trapped seat belt buckle.

Like all cars they have their issues but they certainly will have issues when they are treated as white goods.

This reminds me; not all Vauxhalls are shit

[Sunny Jim]

Recent advances* in safety tech and driver aids such as traction control, stability control, lane assist, adaptive cruise, etc., are creating a generation of dangerous, unskilled drivers.

[Dj_efk]

9 hours ago, 24vdiamond said:

I owned one for 24 hours, didnt drive it just bought it and sold it on for a tidy profit!

You had a lucky escape.