VFacts Feb 2024

[jpd80]

From what I’ve seen, anyone who buys a VW based product in Australia
deserves everything they get in spades….

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by jpd80

From what I’ve seen, anyone who buys a VW based product in Australia
deserves everything they get in spades….

I hate VAG more than Oxford Street in Sydney

[kevino]

lol
We have a 21 Polo 2.75 years into a five year lease

Dsg
Three cyl turbo

What could go wrong?

[Sprintey]

Originally Posted by Franco Cozzo

LPG hybrid, or E85 hybrid



https://www.drive.com.au/caradvice/l...e-environment/



https://nebraskacorn.gov/cornstalk/f...e-environment/

Who here remembers in 1985 when suddenly legislation was introduced that we couldn't make cars run on leaded fuel anymore and they all had to be unleaded from that date forward? I don't because I wasn't born yet you old bastards

Maybe from 2029 onwards, no more unleaded, everything becomes E85 and then existing fleet is retrofitted like they did with leaded fuel cars.

85 was a fun year to be a kid. All sorts of sports and C64 games were mint, ride your bike everywhere with not a care in the world. I like your 2029 vision, would be very happy with grunty 6cyl motors in an E85 world.

[Sprintey]

Just want to mention the Suzukis, and in particular their all grip system. You can get it on the Vitara and S-Cross.

So it runs in 'economy' mode in fwd and sends torque back when it detects slip, it has a sports mode with I guess better shifting, it has a snow mode that sends 66/33 front to rear - I think continuously, at all speeds. And it's got a lock mode that goes 50/50 front to back, all with the traction control able to brake the wheels.

Some of the faux AWD systems will disconnect the AWD over 40km/h - so useless.

This Suzuki one seems like a great idea, oh, and you get a 6 speed torque converter auto with your turbo petrol motor. It makes the cars a bit like a cross between the Subies and the AE95 Corolla of the 1990s, which did have a real AWD system. Analog gauges and (be still my heart) buttons to turn off the lane change and auto braking complete the simple, driver in control aspects of the car.

Had no idea this existed in the new car market.

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by vztrt

I don't remember Ford offering fixes on the 10 speed auto changes on the previous ranger. I know that was constantly bagged by the reviewers.

Correct.

My comments were in line with shared development costs between Mazda and Ford. While Mazda is big in Australia, the brand doesn't have the same presence in other markets, the USA in particular. Being a relatively small brand means they have less resources to play with.

This is where the Ford partnership allowed Mazda to share the expensive items like platforms and powertrains, in turn allowing Mazda to spend money on the finer details like chassis prowess and feel, engine tuning and sound, flamboyant styling, quality interiors ect. Without Ford co-development, Mazda have to spend money differently in developing models from scratch.

I'm not saying new Mazda's are crap, their interiors are simply brilliant for the price, and I love that they decided to pursue RWD platforms and inline 6 engines. However, in certain respects Mazda have moved in a different direction or even backwards. Things like chassis and steering tuning, which had previously been their hallmark. The budget constraints and customers wanting less road noise and ride harshness have led Mazda to chase a wider audience, while compromising what made them great.

[XR Martin]

Originally Posted by kevino

lol
We have a 21 Polo 2.75 years into a five year lease

Dsg
Three cyl turbo

What could go wrong?

We have the T-cross at work, and the way it can't wait to shift up a gear to presumably save fuel, causing the engine to lugg and even ping does not give any confidence for engine longevity.

[kevino]

Yeah
There’s two tunes on the one litre
Ones 70 kw and 175nm at 1500 or 1750rpm
Other is 85 kw and 200 nm at 2000rpm

I reckon the lower power engine changes smoother from stop as torque developed lower

Have you tried driving it in sport mode?

[Dr Smith]

Originally Posted by vztrt

I don't remember Ford offering fixes on the 10 speed auto changes on the previous ranger. I know that was constantly bagged by the reviewers.

I thought the early Ford 10 speeds were criticised for constantly shifting up and down or were they clunky/jerky in slow and stop start traffic like all "DSG-type boxes"?

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by Dr Smith

I thought the early Ford 10 speeds were criticised for constantly shifting up and down or were they clunky/jerky in slow and stop start traffic like all "DSG-type boxes"?

The earliest 10-speed's delivered in Australia were on PX MK II Ranger's with the Bi-Turbo. From what I could tell at the time, you would get the occasional poorly timed shift, which would cause the odd clunky up shift.

The earlier gear skipping calibration also caused some weird up shifts, especially the 1st to 3rd and 3rd to 5th under light throttle driving. Future updates smoothed that out.

On the latest Ranger's, the 10-speed now shift sequentially, even on light throttle acceleration. While this means it shifts more often, each change is smoother. To me, this feels more natural.

On 10-speed Mustang's, Ford engineered a pronounced gearshift thump in Sport+ and Track modes, so firm that it will chirp the rears on upshift. If you are used to syrupy smooth torque converter autos, that firmness would be quite disconcerting.

What I find most annoying about the 10-speed, and it seems to be common to all 10-speeds from an Explorer to an F-150 to a Ranger to a Mustang, is that manual inputs have too much delay and that it will automatically upshift at redline. That delay combined with the auto upshift can sometimes cause an accidental double upshift. On a Ranger or Explorer, that is not going to be an issue for most, on a Mustang it's unacceptable.

[vztrt]

Originally Posted by DFB FGXR6

Correct.

My comments were in line with shared development costs between Mazda and Ford. While Mazda is big in Australia, the brand doesn't have the same presence in other markets, the USA in particular. Being a relatively small brand means they have less resources to play with.

This is where the Ford partnership allowed Mazda to share the expensive items like platforms and powertrains, in turn allowing Mazda to spend money on the finer details like chassis prowess and feel, engine tuning and sound, flamboyant styling, quality interiors ect. Without Ford co-development, Mazda have to spend money differently in developing models from scratch.

I'm not saying new Mazda's are crap, their interiors are simply brilliant for the price, and I love that they decided to pursue RWD platforms and inline 6 engines. However, in certain respects Mazda have moved in a different direction or even backwards. Things like chassis and steering tuning, which had previously been their hallmark. The budget constraints and customers wanting less road noise and ride harshness have led Mazda to chase a wider audience, while compromising what made them great.

The two items in question seem to be more hyped up than it seems.
The auto issue is at really low speeds and if you have better pedal control the issue isn't there. But considering it's not a manual vehicle the update is a good idea as pedal control seems difficult for people who have only driven auto's all their life. If you punch this car it's extremely smooth and quick.

The suspension gripe, in all seriousness it's not something I've noticed. Coming from a Falcon with 19's it was nice and it rides better than the Territory. The only thing I could think the issue is that the rear could bounce harder going over speed bumps.

I've got a bigger gripe with the car....but otherwise it's got good power and it's nice to drive.