4 wheel drive saloons ( 4wd / awd )

Spipov

Hi all.

i currently have a bmw 318i e46 2001 and (well, with the weather..) im looking into a four wheel drive saloon. tax march 2011, nct april 2011. has a dent in the driver's car, just havent had time to sort it out (somebody backed into me in a car park).

ive been trawling the net, but the only ones im finding are audi a4 quattros which would be in this class.

ideally, im looking for a 2002-2004 car, worth about 5-6 grand, but id like to trade in the 318 so would put that vs the price.

anybody know of 4wd saloons? id like one with proper climate control and parking sensor (ive been spoilt with the e46!).

thanks

Tabnabs

One word, Subaru.

Matt Simis

You'll prolly only get muck Audi's in that year + price range. Though if you are coming from a BMW, the Audi is on-par or superior pending year build and interior wise, the same cannot be said of the alternatives.

mvpr

+1 on the Subaru. How about something like this:

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/1525349

You can find similar cars cheaper than this. Not sure what the running costs would be like on them though.

You'll find a front wheel drive a huge improvement over the BMW.

uberwolf

Any of the VAG collective had the quattro option. My octavia has variable 4wd

Ferris

Miles are a bit high on this 4motion passat but the type is an option:

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/1493845

Or you could buy a set of winter tyres and put a 25kg bag of grit in the boot of your bmw.

Anan1

uberwolf wrote: »

Any of the VAG collective had the quattro option. My octavia has variable 4wd

True, but most awd VAG cars are extremely thin on the ground here (and even, in many cases, in the UK). Another alternative would be to put good winter tyres on the BMW.

macnab

Spend about €650 on winter tyres for the BMW and you will be fine. I drove a 400bhp M5 last year in the snow with no problems, I even passed a few nervous looking 4x4 drivers. An Audi A4 is not up to BMW standards, I made the mistake of buying one when I sold the M5. I am back in a 5 series now and much happier. I would prefer to drive a rear wheel drive car with the correct tyres above any other options. But even if you do buy an AWD or a 4WD, do still fit winter tyres, the difference is HUGE.

tossy

Dyflin wrote: »

One word, Subaru.

Another word Quattro

Ferris wrote: »

Miles are a bit high on this 4motion passat but the type is an option:

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/1493845

VW never fitted the passat with a 150bhp 1.9 lump (only 150bhp 2.5) so the ad is misleading,call me old fashioned but if a seller tries to mislead you over one thing god knows what else he will be lying about.

4motion would be a great improvement over RWD for this weather but a B5 passat would be a kick in the nuts after owning an E46 a step backwards in my opinion.

If you are willing to higher than 1.9 i.e 2.5 V6 tdi there are bargains to be had,i got a 01 2.5 V6 quattro avant for 6k with a massive spec.

chiefwiggum

what was the running costs on the quattro tossy? tax about 900? what was fuel consumption like? thirsty?

Spipov

id be willing to spend 3-4k cash + whatever i get for the bmw, but seems that there isnt much better options out there.

im going to look into fitting winter tires. since im not the best in terms of time available, can these be used in normal weather/summer or you need to change it? im in an apartment so keeping tires lying around is going to be a problem.

im not going to a passat b5/pre 2006 as i hate that fat round look of it, + it has nothing in terms of options inside. its like a pre 2002 audi inside.

im not the keenest on the audi a4's interior either to be honest. ive come to love the way bmw do things and im sad they are only stuck to rwd.

whats annoying is that new shape 5 series costs as from £5300
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201048374247616/sort/priceasc/usedcars/maximum-age/up_to_7_years_old/model/5_series/make/bmw/page/6/radius/1500/postcode/s350er?logcode=p

and i think some of the 5 series have awd

while 3 series (e90) costs as from £5750
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201042371072382/sort/priceasc/usedcars/maximum-age/up_to_5_years_old/model/3_series/make/bmw/radius/1500/postcode/s350er/page/4?logcode=p

do some new 3 seriesd (e90) have awd?

which is annoying (price wise compared to uk).

but the thing is, the list of AWD saloons is pretty poor for the spend of around 5-8k euros (including trading in the e46,which would only bring in around 3k optimistically - causing a loss of >4k euros in 18 months).

so far

Audi a4 (post 2002 - hate the stuff before)
Subaru impreza (pretty basic inside) and i hate the look of the legacy.
passat motion b5 - No.
passat b6 - maybe - but whats the cost and is it AWD?


iiii !

Tea 1000

A6 also available as quattro, so not only A4's. I like the look of the Legacy, think this looks at least as good as a dated E46 : http://www.carzone.ie/search/Subaru/Legacy/2.0-AUTO/201010197208376/advert?channel=CARS
and they're well spec'd with dual zone climate control etc. But if you don't like it then you don't like it.
I'd agree that the Impreza is not great on interior. Other than the Octavia which is rare in 4x4 or Superb which would be even rarer in 4x4 there isn't a lot left. No 4x4 in 3-series, and I think any 5-series with 4x4 was only sold in the US, not UK.
So that leaves a Mitsubishi Evo, which even has a snow setting(!), or a Mazda 6 MPS, which is an excellent car, although the 4WD in the Mazda isn't really set up like the Subaru or Audi Quattro system.
Can't think of any other 4x4 saloon in recent years.

tossy

Spipov wrote: »

im not going to a passat b5/pre 2006 as i hate that fat round look of it, + it has nothing in terms of options inside. its like a pre 2002 audi inside.

Audi a4 (post 2002 - hate the stuff before)

so every audi before 2002 was poverty spec ? lolol don't confuse Irish spec Audis as being the spec of all audis ever,.also the B6 came out in 2001 so is identical to the 2002 model and is available with a good spec.

I really have to laugh at the pre 2002 audi comment,i'd take a certain model of B5 A4 over every BMW model apart from maybe 3 or 4.

chiefwiggum wrote: »

what was the running costs on the quattro tossy? tax about 900? what was fuel consumption like? thirsty?

Tax is 935euro running,thirsty compared to a 1.9 but the 2 extra cylinders are invaluable when it comes to getting a decent driving experience from a diesel and a power band longer than a few thousand revs.i would guess fuel consumption averages out at around 35mpg,if you push it on it will drink it surprisingly quick for a diesel but with cruise control on the motorway you can easily see 50mpg,but my average would be 35,my last car was a 2.8 supercharged V6 petrol so the 2.5TDI seems miserly

2.5 v6 is like a four letter word to your average Irish motorist who worship the 1.9/2.0 lumps hence the reason you can pick them up cheap.

Personally quattro is must for me,its my second 4wd car and i'd never go 2wd for a daily driver again,also i went for the avant as the saloon B6 A4 seems to be the car of choice for maturing civic and GT TDI drivers (see my sig lol)

Atlantic Dawn

I'd go with a Subaru too.

For what it's worth in Ireland we get a tiny percentage of the year perhaps 4% or 5% where there are serious issues with driving because of snow and ice, it's not really worth the extra expense in running costs to justify this unless you live on the side of a mountain.

Matt Simis

Spipov wrote: »

i
im not the keenest on the audi a4's interior either to be honest. ive come to love the way bmw do things and im sad they are only stuck to rwd.

I think its sad a BMW driver makes that statement, you clearly never fit with the BMW ideal at all.

As noted, a FWD car would likely suit you better. Have you ever even driven an AWD? An AWD on Summers is just as useless IMO as every other drivetrain, sure you get going much easier, but taking a corner or you know, stopping will be as useless as what you have... worse as it will likely understeer massively (you will be facing the wall as opposed in the BMW where the ass of the car will be).

So you will have an AWD then have to get Winter tyres anyhow..

Personally, if I were you and looking for the most sensible option, get a set of part-worn Winters from Autodepot and run then through out the year on what you have. They wont disintegrate in Summer but wont be quite as good as Summers, though in my experience the difference is fairly minimal.

And if they do need changing, you would have only spent EUR160 or so on them.


PS: Various BMW x1/3/5 are AWD too.

tossy

Matt Simis wrote: »

PS: Various BMW x1/3/5 are AWD too.

So are the 3/5 and 7 when in xi form which is probably a shock to your average Irish BMW driver. sadly/thankfully (depending on your school of thought) not available over here though.

Matt Simis

tossy wrote: »

So are the 3/5 and 7 when in xi form which is probably a shock to your average Irish BMW driver. sadly/thankfully (depending on your school of thought) not available over here though.

Yeah, thats why I didnt mention them! They are mostly sold to all show no go American types in my biased opinion.

chiefwiggum

tossy wrote: »

so every audi before 2002 was poverty spec ? lolol don't confuse Irish spec Audis as being the spec of all audis ever,.also the B6 came out in 2001 so is identical to the 2002 model and is available with a good spec.

I really have to laugh at the pre 2002 audi comment,i'd take a certain model of B5 A4 over every BMW model apart from maybe 3 or 4.



Tax is 935euro running,thirsty compared to a 1.9 but the 2 extra cylinders are invaluable when it comes to getting a decent driving experience from a diesel and a power band longer than a few thousand revs.i would guess fuel consumption averages out at around 35mpg,if you push it on it will drink it surprisingly quick for a diesel but with cruise control on the motorway you can easily see 50mpg,but my average would be 35,my last car was a 2.8 supercharged V6 petrol so the 2.5TDI seems miserly

2.5 v6 is like a four letter word to your average Irish motorist who worship the 1.9/2.0 lumps hence the reason you can pick them up cheap.

Personally quattro is must for me,its my second 4wd car and i'd never go 2wd for a daily driver again,also i went for the avant as the saloon B6 A4 seems to be the car of choice for maturing civic and GT TDI drivers (see my sig lol)

thanks tossy i nearly bought an a6 avant quattro the other day but i do a lot of motorway miles and was worried about fuel consumption but when you say i could get 50mpg on the motorway it has me thinking again

tossy

Matt Simis wrote: »

Yeah, thats why I didnt mention them! They are mostly sold to all show no go American types in my biased opinion.

Ah i know i was just being Anal and nerdy showing i can mix it with the BMW boys

chiefwiggum wrote: »

thanks tossy i nearly bought an a6 avant quattro the other day but i do a lot of motorway miles and was worried about fuel consumption but when you say i could get 50mpg on the motorway it has me thinking again

A6 would be heavier again (but way more interior space,the A4 avant is not a proper avant in that you couldn't put a big dog in the boot as its too small),i would say my average on a long motorway drive would be in the 40s easily you would see 50s in spots on the instast mpg read out.

Do your homework on the 2.5 and insist on a full inspection before buying especially the camshafts (4) alot of UK cars would have been on the long life services intervals and this leads to cam shaft wear,if the fail its an expensive rebuild! You will here reposts of them having soft cams the don't,the just need regular oil changes with correct oil,mine is on 123k and i change the oil every 5k on the button.

If you do get a quattro invest in a set of winter tyres for the winter months..unreal!

Spudzzmurphy

Tea 1000 wrote: »

A6 also available as quattro, so not only A4's. I like the look of the Legacy, think this looks at least as good as a dated E46 : http://www.carzone.ie/search/Subaru/Legacy/2.0-AUTO/201010197208376/advert?channel=CARS
and they're well spec'd with dual zone climate control etc. But if you don't like it then you don't like it.
I'd agree that the Impreza is not great on interior. Other than the Octavia which is rare in 4x4 or Superb which would be even rarer in 4x4 there isn't a lot left. No 4x4 in 3-series, and I think any 5-series with 4x4 was only sold in the US, not UK.
So that leaves a Mitsubishi Evo, which even has a snow setting(!), or a Mazda 6 MPS, which is an excellent car, although the 4WD in the Mazda isn't really set up like the Subaru or Audi Quattro system.
Can't think of any other 4x4 saloon in recent years.

I own one of the above mentioned cars,Mazda6MPS,and find the AWD do really make a big difference in the bad weather we have had recently,you do feel a lot safer when driving.

pburns

I have a Legacy and whilst the AWD is great and it flies up gradients that have FWD (never mind RWD!) spinning, tyres have a MASSIVE effect. I currently have Goodyear F1s which are crap in snow. The previous Potenzas were better (although not winter tyres).

A Subaru or Quattro on good all-round tyres would be hard to beat.

TBH, if the OP is sad that BMWs are RWD he totally misses the point... RWD is great most of the time but this time of year it's a pain.

BTW - my friend wants to but a 5 series but doesn't like RWD either. He was thinking about importing a xDrive 530d or similar. Were these ever sold in the UK????

Anan1

pburns wrote: »

BTW - my friend wants to but a 5 series but doesn't like RWD either. He was thinking about importing a xDrive 530d or similar. Were these ever sold in the UK????

The older ones were, but i've a feeling the more recent cars were LHD only.

robtri

never mind the a4 .. you can find older A8's quattro.. for low enough money....

Anan1

robtri wrote: »

never mind the a4 .. you can find older A8's quattro.. for low enough money....

To buy. Running one is a different story.;)

doOh

Another + for Subaru Legacy u can find a nice 2006 2.5/2.0 for 7000.

245

This one's been for sale for a while so I'd imagine that there'd be some movement in price:

http://www.tpwaters.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=200840190274170

I'd be looking for some evidence of service history as well but it'd be a very cheap AWD car if bought right.

I'd put higher profile tyres on it as well for some robustness over the potholes that will inevitably follow the snow & ice. I know that its older than you're looking for but its a lot cheaper too - a cheap AWD trial perhaps

robtri

Anan1 wrote: »

To buy. Running one is a different story.;)

not much in it between one and a large engined 5 series

Matt Simis

robtri wrote: »

not much in it between one and a large engined 5 series

Wouldnt the comparison be to a 7 series? Gadget and toys alot of which are standard on the A8 would be similar to the 7.

Anan1

robtri wrote: »

not much in it between one and a large engined 5 series

If that's the case then I don't think either would be a runner for the OP. An A8 quattro is going to be a minimum of €1500+ to tax, and that's before you even get started on maintenance bills. I ran a 99 4.2 for a while, and you'd want to be budgeting at least €2k pa on maintenance, plus fuel etc. They're great cars, but they're very expensive to run.

robtri

Matt Simis wrote: »

Wouldnt the comparison be to a 7 series? Gadget and toys alot of which are standard on the A8 would be similar to the 7.

a good comparison would be.. but the op was saying 5 series be nice if not RWD..
just throwing oiut another option..

Tea 1000

Was the E60 available in xi spec in the UK? I've never seen one. There was rumers that the F10 was supposed to have the 4wd option, apparently BMW's 4WD system is excellent, but I haven't seen it on the bmw.co.uk site last time I looked.

Spipov

lads

its a pleasure seeing that many inputs in the thread. it seems to me there isnt that much choice in 4wd saloons.

now before we go any further, its important to note, i am not a petrolhead, i am not the most savvy in cars and things like that.

if i like a car's styling,reliability, and if its something i like (by that i mean i can see myself getting on well with it), then i consider it.

when i said the pre 2002 audi a4 lacked things, by that i mean
(and remember, i am using an e46 se, so have most of the perks and options on it) and find that the interior on the a4 is old and not up to what im used to.

to that effect, i am looking at cars that would make me smile when i look at it inside and outside.

i wish i could own a 5 series, i absolutely love the styling and the driving, but its too big for me unfortunately, maybe in a few years time when i get more senior and earn more money. i like the new 3 series, but cannot justify paying that much money at this time. and ive noticed that most of the 3 series on sale in ireland are the lower specs (for example missing the parking sensor/dual climate control) while cars in uk mostly have that. (annoying!).

but getting back to the issue, i apologise if im coming across as not being able to make a distinction between a RWD a FWD and an AWD. to be fair, i think the way ive said it is the problem.

I mean no disrespect to any car per se, its just not in the league of what i am looking for.

The best option i think is to get the second hand winter tires and put it on. i have an nct in feb/march 2011, and since i think one the current tire's thread is nearly below 1.6mm, i might as well change that. lads, do you know anywhere i could get that done quickly enough or even on saturdays?

Tossy:
4motion would be a great improvement over RWD for this weather but a B5 passat would be a kick in the nuts after owning an E46 a step backwards in my opinion.

Eckjactly

Tea 1000
So that leaves a Mitsubishi Evo, which even has a snow setting(!), or a Mazda 6 MPS, which is an excellent car, although the 4WD in the Mazda isn't really set up like the Subaru or Audi Quattro system.
Can't think of any other 4x4 saloon in recent years.

I like the mazda 6. and it is something i can consider in the future.

Tossy
so every audi before 2002 was poverty spec ? lolol don't confuse Irish spec Audis as being the spec of all audis ever,.also the B6 came out in 2001 so is identical to the 2002 model and is available with a good spec.

I really have to laugh at the pre 2002 audi comment,i'd take a certain model of B5 A4 over every BMW model apart from maybe 3 or 4.

i mean no harm to you or audis. i have driven my friend's 2001 b5 i think, a 1.8t automatic.it had the same centre console as the post 2002. it wasnt the best driving experience but then again i dont think that car was that well maintained. its just that the interior did nothing for me. i like the b6's exterior, i really do, and thats one of the reason i have put up this thread, the a4 b6 (because even tho i LOVE the b7, i cant afford it yet).

Matt Simis
Quoting Spipov
im not the keenest on the audi a4's interior either to be honest. ive come to love the way bmw do things and im sad they are only stuck to rwd.

Let me be clearer. By that statement what i meant was, i LOVE bmw's, do not get me wrong. what i was trying to say about the RWD statement was, that apart from the X1, X3, X5, the only AWD cars that bmw made before it started its later cars with bigger engines (ie post 2002/3/4 ones?i am open to correction here), the only ones they made for the 3 series was the 325xi and the 330xi and the 335xi. they are not available in ireland, at least not easily. those would be the dream cars, a bmw saloon with a size that fits me with 4wd.

Pburns
TBH, if the OP is sad that BMWs are RWD he totally misses the point... RWD is great most of the time but this time of year it's a pain.

I like RWD, im just thinking that they are lethal in the current weather. why i am wary is my brother had an is200 (2003) and he crashed twice on motorways in snow in uk - and he was not going fast as those lanes were being monitored closely and cars were not going fast.

I am not looking to get a car bigger than 2.0. the reason i got the e46 2001 was because it was 1.9 and the engine was a well known one from its previous years that it provided power to the e36 series). now that petrol has gone up and that tax isnt the cheapest in the world, well, you can catch my drift.

I have tried to defend myself in this post but i reiterate, i am not someone who is as savvy in cars as a geek would be with a computer. i like cars, i like certain cars and i try to learn about cars as much as i can.

so i will keep looking and hoping to get more knowledge from you users' experience to know and maybe think what would be the best option for me.

one of the things against me changing cars currently is the fact that my car has lost nearly 4k in value in 18 months and that i dont have the time nor wish to put a lot of money in doing bodywork. i recently put in nearly 2k getting it a once over in AC cars, whose labour rate are 4x my hourly salary!

Derby47

haven't seen it mentioned but you can get a 01 onwards jag xtype awd fairly cheap, not to everyone's taste , but get it full spec and they come fitted out really good, otherwise get a fwd, lots more grip than rwd as you know

robtri

Derby47 wrote: »

haven't seen it mentioned but you can get a 01 onwards jag xtype awd fairly cheap, not to everyone's taste , but get it full spec and they come fitted out really good, otherwise get a fwd, lots more grip than rwd as you know

virtually all of the x type jags over here are NOT awd.... it is a very rare jag that here...

Spipov

Derby47 wrote: »

haven't seen it mentioned but you can get a 01 onwards jag xtype awd fairly cheap, not to everyone's taste , but get it full spec and they come fitted out really good, otherwise get a fwd, lots more grip than rwd as you know

I appreciate the input, what do others think about this?

id be asking for trouble driving a jag into work when my supervisor/manager drives an astra!
starts at 2.0 litre
im smiling, i really cant see myself at the wheel of a jag, but thanks for the image!!! its an interesting idea.

are mercs of that price range (c series) awd ?

Matt Simis

You mention a dream car would be an AWD BMW.. in many many ways that car is an Audi. Try grab a well spec'd A6 (or A4 if you must).

Im a bit confused on why you mention that 5series size cars (like the A6) are for when you have more money.. they typically cost less used in Ireland than 3 series cars with smaller engines while being better cars. In terms of size, the 3series and 5 are very similar in the grand scheme of things.

I hop from an Alfa 156 to a Audi S8 (A8 size) these days as my BMW is waiting the weather out, its really not a problem, after 15min your brain will have done its job regarding spacial awareness. Well, for 50% of the population that takes 15min.. :P


PS: Afaik (Im not really a Merc man) all the Merc "cars" are RWD too, only the 4Matic 4x4x and possibly MPVs are AWD. And its worth noting that no one even mentioned them, their AWD system is meant to be appalling even if you could get it in a C-class.

Lex Luthor

I would have to put my hat in for the Subaru aswell. Granted & agreed the saloon legacy is not the best looking but the estate is nicer to look at and there a few to choose from.

Spipov

Matt Simis wrote: »

You mention a dream car would be an AWD BMW.. in many many ways that car is an Audi. Try grab a well spec'd A6 (or A4 if you must).

Im a bit confused on why you mention that 5series size cars (like the A6) are for when you have more money.. they typically cost less used in Ireland than 3 series cars with smaller engines while being better cars. In terms of size, the 3series and 5 are very similar in the grand scheme of things.

I hop from an Alfa 156 to a Audi S8 (A8 size) these days as my BMW is waiting the weather out, its really not a problem, after 15min your brain will have done its job regarding spacial awareness. Well, for 50% of the population that takes 15min.. :P


PS: Afaik (Im not really a Merc man) all the Merc "cars" are RWD too, only the 4Matic 4x4x and possibly MPVs are AWD. And its worth noting that no one even mentioned them, their AWD system is meant to be appalling even if you could get it in a C-class.

Matt are we talking about an e39 or an e60 bmw 5 series? the e39 is nearly the same look as the e46. i was referring to an e60 - i love their look.

u have an s8?in ireland? whats the tax + consumption like?

Matt Simis

Spipov wrote: »

Matt are we talking about an e39 or an e60 bmw 5 series? the e39 is nearly the same look as the e46. i was referring to an e60 - i love their look.

u have an s8?in ireland? whats the tax + consumption like?

Yeah I assumed you would be on for an early model e60. IMO, these 5 series cars are not big or difficult to drive. Its just that buy comparison to driving a Micra it would be. But compare it to a soccer mom Quasqai or something and it doesnt seem big.

Yeah I have 2 cars in the max tax bracket (was 1500, dunno yet what the new figures will be). The S8 is an old model with the 4.2l V8, gets 26mpg on my 40% motorway commute (less in snow) though I can likely improve that with some work on the engine, intake and transmission.

Tea 1000

Spipov wrote: »

I appreciate the input, what do others think about this?

id be asking for trouble driving a jag into work when my supervisor/manager drives an astra!
starts at 2.0 litre
im smiling, i really cant see myself at the wheel of a jag, but thanks for the image!!! its an interesting idea.

are mercs of that price range (c series) awd ?

I wouldn't consider a Jag x-type any more luxurious or "upmarket" than a 3-series, so not sure why you feel you couldn't land into work in an x-type, but are OK landing in with a BMW!
There's actually also the Volvo S60 R that has AWD I believe. That'd be a bit thirsty, but quite brisk too.

Spipov

are any volvo s40 (2004 - ) 4wd?

Wildly Boaring

Lex Luthor wrote: »

I would have to put my hat in for the Subaru aswell. Granted & agreed the saloon legacy is not the best looking but the estate is nicer to look at and there a few to choose from.

Bought an 04 estate one of these (cus it was cheap) coming from 08 Passat, 03 A4 before that. Kinda between the 2 in terms of interior finish, looks well IMO. Drives very well in the snow. Quite thirsty (but first petrol I've owned in years). I'd recommend it though and am even considering gettin an 08 diesel in 6/9 months. The 04 is similarly speced to the 03 A4, climate contol, 6 CD, e/w all round. Seats are grand.

Very plasticy interior and not a fan of the fact that indicators are on the wrong side . Lighter panels than VAG and all feels a little bit "tinny" Decent space in the boot

wersal gummage

my last car was an XT model forrester AWD. it really was heavy on juice though.

currently driving a RWD 3 series on all weather tyres. i really dont think the extra running cost is worth it for an AWD subaru unless, as someone else mentioned, you live on the side of a mountain. even with the AWD you will still need winter tyres. We have a mild climate by and large, this year (inc. jan) is not the norm.

I honestly haven't had any major issues driving RWD every day for the last few weeks. It is just a case of being very very smooth. Any BMWs/Mercs I've seen stuck on hills look like a case of driver error in that the wheels are spinning furiously and the fact that i've been able to overtake them and make it up the hill......

Anyway, long story short. I'd go for the winter tyres on what you currently have if you are happy with it in other respects.

Lex Luthor

scanlone wrote: »

Very plasticy interior and not a fan of the fact that indicators are on the wrong side . Lighter panels than VAG and all feels a little bit "tinny" Decent space in the boot

Dont follow you about the indicators. Stalk on mine is on left

245

Lex Luthor wrote: »

Dont follow you about the indicators. Stalk on mine is on left

For right hookers the correct indicator location is on the right so that you can indicate while changing down a gear. We're now lumped with the LHD default and no-one notices anymore.

One of the nice things about my Leggy diesel is that the audio volume control is on the right of the unit and not on the left, which is another LHD default position. I've got steering wheel audio control fitted now but I still reach for the dash out of habit.

Wildly Boaring

Mine's a Jap import so maybe that's why indicator's on right. Once you get used to it it does make sense for gear changes alright.

Volume on right too.

Lex Luthor

245 wrote: »

For right hookers the correct indicator location is on the right so that you can indicate while changing down a gear. We're now lumped with the LHD default and no-one notices anymore.

One of the nice things about my Leggy diesel is that the audio volume control is on the right of the unit and not on the left, which is another LHD default position. I've got steering wheel audio control fitted now but I still reach for the dash out of habit.

so used to the indicator on the left

I do remember a mate of mine had a jap import corolla 15yrs ago and the indicator was on the right. Used to confuse the bejaysus out of him when it rained as he was indicating when he wanted wipers and vice versa

It took me a while to get used to the volume control on the legacy...makes so much sense though. I have them on the steering wheel aswell

245

245 wrote: »

For right hookers the correct indicator location is on the right so that you can indicate while changing down a gear. We're now lumped with the LHD default and no-one notices anymore..

Dunno about that to be honest, nice theory though. I would be thinking you should be indicating in advance of slowing down ie in advance of changing down a gear.

Zubeneschamali

RoverJames wrote: »

Dunno about that to be honest, nice theory though.

UK cars used to have the indicators on the right too, back when there were UK cars.