Car appreciation... the aesthetics, the engineering, etc

Huh?!?

I thought the whole point of the question was to ignore all of the environmental regulation issues.

Tl;Dr avoid anything pre-'07 and diesel.

As for the Phaeton, I sort of get it as I like low key sleeper type stuff, but it does leave me underwhelmed.... and it looks like a car you'd want to sit in the back, not the front. An A8 or old 7 series long had a lot more class and style.

Didn't someone have an story about them being impossible to insure?

I meant to ignore the environment impact, not the regs...

That's my experience of them. There's a city car club here that has loads of hybrid yaris and corrola /auris, basically just a 1.3 and 1.6 i4 connected to a cvt style gearbox and nothing fancy else. They do if anything less than your average 1.6 golf at like for like speeds as there is loss in the cvt, as soon as there is traffic though you are winning in a hybrid

@n3il My dad had a rental hybrid corolla for two weeks. He's not an enthusiastic driver, doesn't care much for speed or handling.

He absolutely hated the Corolla. Said the controls were floppy, the steering vague and engine and gearbox frustrating often labouring and droning away. On the motorway he said it felt unstable and dangerous. So based on those anecdotes from an average driver I'd avoid if long distances were a common requirement.

So, on a related note, but with boring alert, we have a parking space vacant and are looking at a One Car to Rule Them All family wagon. It needs to be 5dr, auto, decent on fuel especially urban driving, not too cumbersome on the outside but tardis-like inside, natch. Good for 200 mile motorway days too. Bonus points for 4WD capability (we use an unsurfaced road and muddy field), and stuff like coffee holders and reversing camera. Budget £15k tops but the more change I have left over, the more I get to splurge on a man shed and Ford Pop hotrod.

So far the lead contender is a 2013 Peugeot 3008 Hybrid4. It's a diesel/electric hybrid with motor powering rear axle. Selectable 4WD. Fugly, bit heavy and you lose some boot space to the battery... still massive tho. Nice place to be inside. Any thoughts? Can't find many problem stories...

@hoops how's your ASX?
@dancing james how's the Yeti?

Any regrets? Good bits, bad bits?

Oh, and I know it ain't a 'proper' 4x4. Not going to be green laning.

I love the yeti

No regrets. Compared to my Honda CR-V it’s lighter to drive, better acceleration (despite being automatic) better economy, better trim, more comfy, better visibility. Tons of mod cons (Laurin and Klement spec) night time auto tinting of mirrors, assisted parking, parking sensors. Minor quibble - no USB ports but I had a cigarette one for my old car so no biggie.

There is nothing the crv did better.

A CRV and then a Yeti? You are my Auntie Susan AICMFP.

#Burn

And the removable rear seats are really useful

Beelzebub.

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Thanks all for the hybrid tips.

I'd consider a larger, plug-in hybrid for motorway stuff. More efficient charging the battery from the grid, and the IC engine will fire only when you need the extra power.

Is yours a diesel? And is the 4WD selectable or permanent?

French cars are consistently at the bottom of the reliability tables. If you add in the extra complication of a hybrid system and selectable 4wd then let's hope the warranty is good.

'Hybrid selectable 4wd' isn't as complex as it might suggest, as PSA's (quite clever IMO) design adds an electric rear transaxle to a FWD diesel platform. So in normal use its brain decides whether to pootle on electric, cruise on diesel or a combo. Or you can select '4WD.' Which sounds like the ideal scenario for the dozen times a year I need to cross our muddy field.

But yes I am wary of their rep and potential maintenance implications. Extra weight of the hybrid system is like carrying 3 fat people all the time which also must have implications on suspension and braking components.

Diesel 4wd

But the electronics tend to send power where it’s needed so often not actually 4wd.

They only sold 6,241 of those Pugs in the UK... compared with about 300,000 yetis :-S

Cheers.

You realise that this is not really true anymore? Most of these "french" cars share platforms and most components with German and Japanese brands. And the electrics are all sourced from the same supplier. Basically any modern car is only as good as it's warranty coverage and capped price service plan.

Although avoid any pug/cit with al4 autos... And generally any of the 207/307/3007 era cars...

This.
Saw a "dodge pro master" the other day (Washington state), it's actually a Citroën /Peugeot /fiat ducato van from the euro market with a massive dodge sticker on it.
Same with the old Merc sprinter, think it was badged as a chevy over there?

Sounds like the guy needs a yeti. Defo plug in hybrid if you want to do longer distance miles and get any benefit from it. Isn't there a Peugeot 409 estate, electric assist awd job too? Been around since 2012/13 as well (prob same machinery under neath but in a bigger body?). I like the 409/4xx wagon that currently out, huge, comfy, many useful things inside, very limp to drive and panels dent if you lean on them, and depreciated very heavily and I don't think there are any real underlying issues with them (being French lol).

anyone brockley way that can pop over so I can jumpstart the jerry? I have flattened the battery after changer the brake light bulbs and 3 weeks in skippyland...

will pay in coffee/jarrah honey on toast

What should we call this van? Dodge Pro?

Not masculine enough

Dodge Pro MASTERRRRRR!

Nailed it

Is it a vacuum cleaner?