Quiz: what the hell has peasant gone and bought now?

peasant

longer term members may remember my sometimes strange choices of personal transportation (Suzuki Jimny, VW T2 Transporter Syncro, Nissan Pathfinder and currently a 8 year old Nissan X-trail) so I thought you might be interested to find out what I've gone bought now :rolleyes:

The car isn't here yet (a towbar has still to be procured and fitted) but contrary to my former convictions I actually went and bought new this time..well almost new, it's a demo.

so...as I've got nothing to show yet, I thought I'd go and let you guess by listing some of its features that were more or less important to me:

- the 10 stone hound fits in the boot
- it has permanent all wheel drive (no low gears or difflocks, but some ESP trickery that should help with spinning wheels)
- it has a mild hybrid (basically a starter/generator with a tiny battery) that pushes the yoke a bit...no fully electric driving
- it's a petrol, no turbo
- has emergency brake assist and lane departure warning
- no auto or (godforbid) CVT, but old fashioned manual gearbox
- proper handbrake, no electric piece of ***
- lots of goodies like full LED lights, infotainment, reversing camera, automatic climate etc
- all of the above (bar the hound) are standard spec, no extra options

now...happy guessing (if you like)

commited

Mazda CX-3?

colm_mcm

Suzuki Vitara

peasant

Mazda CX3...not a bad guess, but nope

Vitara...nope as well (do they still sell the 1.6 non-turbo with 4WD...don't think so)

colm_mcm

It’s hardly a Swift or ignis Allgrip?

commited

Ignis?

peasant

ahh Colm...you're too quick...

which one fits the big dog?

peasant

well...committed wins it...it's indeed an Ignis allgrip

Cosmo K

They still make those Lada Niva?

peasant

They do actually...even as a four door now

Happy motoring :cool:

peasant

thanks !

peasant

that's it for those who want to know

colm_mcm

You have such strange taste in cars

James Bond Junior

peasant wrote: »

that's it for those who want to know

Now I don't want to know!

GustavoFring

I think they're kind of cool, someone at work has one and it stands out in a good way I think.

colm_mcm

The fact that it’s 4wd makes it even cooler!

peasant

colm_mcm wrote: »

You have such strange taste in cars

Don't I just

Perhaps a little explanation is called for.

I need four wheel drive...it's absolutely necessary or I won't get out of my driveway on a rainy day (not without major wheelspin and ruining it further anyway)

The big hound needs to fit into the boot with some space left over (separate from the dog) for odds and ends between dog and front seat passengers

The hound is not only big but also tall, which rules out standard hatchbacks and estates as they are too low in the boot

So my standard choice have been big SUVs with massive boots (7seater sized yokes)

I've noticed recently that I do not enjoy these big things...too cumbersome to drive on narrow roads and in town (where I do most of my driving)

I don't really have the driving profile for a modern diesel (I don't drive enough for dpf's to be happy for starters) so I prefer petrol.

Now...you try and find a small-ish 4x4 with a big boot that doesn't cost the earth...good luck. Anything small doesn't have 4x4 or is only available in diesel or simply doesn't have the right boot size (a petrol yeti 4x4 WITH the movable rear seats would fit the bill...good luck finding one used)

That's when I came across the Ignis.
While it has 4x4 and a frugal petrol engine...surely it couldn't be large enough to fit the bill

Well, a visit to the dealership with hound in tow proved the opposite...the seats move far enough forward and the backs tilt up vertical so that the boot is actually big enough (and tall enough) to fit him. This renders the rear sets pretty much useless as seats, but good enough for storage of shopping, handbags, coats or whatever, easily accessible through the rear doors.

And then there's the fact that most of my driving is just me, on small back roads...and there the Ignis is just delightful. An eager little engine that you can rev the nuts off, lots of grip with the 4WD, weight of < 1 tonne and a size that gets through the narrowest of roads actually makes driving fun again. (as opposed to steering a wallowing heavyweight through the eye of a needle)

I'm sure it's not for everyone, but I think I will be very happy with it.

The fact that the German ADAC (their version of the AA) tested it as the cleanest petrol car currently on sale in their ecotest helps with the environmental smugness too:D

ba_barabus

I love the Ignis. A great choice.

peasant

Well it's here (finally)

Just collected it from Galway and after the first 100 and something kilometers I'm still very happy with my decision to take the plunge and buy this.





I've made no effort to drive particularly economically during this trip (rather the opposite) and still it only shows 5.1l/100 km (55 mpg)...with a bit of effort the claimed 4.7 l (60 mpg) seem entirely achieveable.

Fun little thing to drive and nowhere near as slow as 90 PS sounds these days..you just need to drop a cog or two in the snickety gearbox

4WD works as well and here is kind of an explanation why I need it...my driveway is so rutted and uneven that with a bit of rain any 2WD (short of a big truck) fails miserably at getting out as one wheel just loses traction

colm_mcm

Is see you got the drawing bar. Did they throw in any accessories?

peasant

I like that first one !:pac:


the towbar btw is a very nifty yoke, GDW T36 (sourced by me for half the price of the Suzuki OEM item)

ba_barabus

Can you keep this updated Peasant? Suzuki and these Ignis are a guilty pleasure of mine. I'd love one but for now they're too small due to the mileage I cover. That may of course change

peasant

Your wish is my command... first weekend of ownership update:

Scored major bonus points with the co-driver when I could plonk it into a tiny space right in front of Penny's...a space where the previous yoke wouldn't even have made the entryway, never mind the actual spot.

Town traffic was mad on Sat..the Ignis didn't make it magically go away, but far less stressful. High seating position (just as high as the previous x-trail) and tiny dimensions made it a doddle. Controls are light and responsive, seating position has excellent ergonomics (for me anyway) and the gearbox action is the nicest one I've ever had in any car of mine. You can literally flick it into the next gear.

Some country driving on bendy main and side roads today and it's a story of two different cars. Put it into fifth gear and it feels every way the small eco-box it is...it moves, but just about. Surprisingly (for a small petrol) it does pull (and not stall) from about 1500 rpm or 50 km/h...but unsurprisingly pull is perhaps the wrong word...it increases its speed gradually and eventually.

But when you drop one or two gears, the story changes. 80 - 120 for example can (and imo should) be done in 3rd. Then the engine is on song, gets a bit raspy and actually gets on with it quite briskly. The car still isn't what you would call terribly fast...but it feels and sounds quick ...its great fun and I can see quite a few country jaunts in third/fourth gear coming up in my future (preferably when there are no frowning passengers present)

More bonus points scored with the co-driver for traffic sign recognition...the car remembers speed signs and flashes them at you when you exceed the limit.

Suspension isn't bad for such a light, short and tall car, only the odd crash comes through rather harshly when the short wheelbase gets caught on the hop. Grip on the other hand is impressive despite the skinny 175 tyres...guess the AWD helps here.

ANNOYANCES are the bloody Paddy-spec. This is the top of the range model that should come with everything and then some. Some notable absences are:
No heated seats...no biggy with cloth seats...but the uk get them so ..grrrr
No heated wing mirrors either...that one I'm actually annoyed about, because it's safety relevant (on a misty, cold and wet morning... like they only happen one Island over or what?)
The mirrors don't power-fold either...again...no biggy, never used it even when I had it...but why should they get everything and we don't?

Peugeot system, advanced grip (front wheel drive) seems to be designed for you almost....http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/peugeot/3008/97950/peugeot-advanced-grip-control-winter-testing-in-the-new-3008

ba_barabus

Cheers Peasant. Its sounds like Suzuki has gone back to its roots in terms of handling. Have you done any long trips yet? Is it tiring or comfortable?

peasant

ba_barabus wrote: »

Is it tiring or comfortable?

Weeelll...it is predominantly a city car.
The 2h drive from Galway to Sligo is the longest I've done so far (and the longest I will do in a while)
Engine noise is ok, wind noise is ok, tyre noise (on typical rough roads) is a bit intrusive, seating position is good and roomy...but the ride is a bit more jittery than you might want and the seats would profit from finer adjustments and perhaps some better lumbar support.

So in short...it's no cruiser.
The odd long trip is entirely do-able and not really a problem, but I would not want it as a daily motorway mile muncher. (I didn't buy it for that either)

and in other news...dog guard fitted and the hound fits better than I thought, he's even relaxed enough in there to sit down.

pics show the now pretty much unuseable rear seats and the massive boot they created (with bonus hound)






sorry about the sideways pics...dunno why boards does that

John_Rambo

You've always had interesting cars.



Great buy, best of luck with it.

peasant

Augeo wrote: »

Peugeot system, advanced grip (front wheel drive) seems to be designed for you almost....http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/peugeot/3008/97950/peugeot-advanced-grip-control-winter-testing-in-the-new-3008

Yeah...I did ponder that.
Something like a (passenger) Berlingo or Partner would have done nicely...but none available second hand (too expensive new) with the grip control system.

Plus the system only really starts to work once you have wheelspin. That's exactly what I want to avoid in order not to dig up my drive any further.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0R0GuGyP1hQ
4x4 is just better in that situation...plus I'm now used to permanent 4WD on normal roads as well ...and I like it and don't want to miss it.

John_Rambo

peasant wrote: »

Yeah...I did ponder that.
Something like a (passenger) Berlingo or Partner would have done nicely...but none available second hand (too expensive new) with the grip control system

That's nuts that you posted this. I currently have a Land Rover 4x4 and need the 4x4 aspect of it. We hired a Peugeot Partner tepee on holiday and liked the room/space inside it. We lamented that they don't do a 4x4 version of it.

You're saying they're doing one now?!?!?!? Amazing.

(you also changed my attitude to pure bred dog purchasing & general dog ownership) Set up a blog will you?

peasant

peasant wrote: »

.....

Plus the system only really starts to work once you have wheelspin. That's exactly what I want to avoid in order not to dig up my drive any further.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0R0GuGyP1hQ
4x4 is just better in that situation...plus I'm now used to permanent 4WD on normal roads as well ...and I like it and don't want to miss it.

All grip isn't permanent 4x4 though is it? .....

"A viscous coupling (hydraulic clutch) positioned in front of the rear differential uses high-viscosity silicone oil to transfer drive power. When rotational variance occurs between the front and rear wheels, a shear effect caused by wheel spin heats the silicone oil and causes it to expand. The pressure resulting from the expanded silicone oil engages a multiple-disc clutch, which transfers torque to the rear wheels"

.... not like a landcruiser etc where there's always drive to both axles.

That aside I appreciate the Suzuki awd system is infinitely superior to the Peugeot 2wd set up
I'm after getting very fond of AWD myself TBH.

peasant

Augeo wrote: »

All grip isn't permanent 4x4 though is it? .....

It is...and it isn't.
A viscous coupling is sort of Schroedingers cat of 4x4 systems

(My old Syncro had a viscous coupling too, so I have a bit of experience with this system)

Due to the high viscosity of the fluid in the coupling, the system is never FWD (or RWD) only...at least 2-3% of the force go through the coupling to the other axle at all times.

The higher the speed, the bigger the force becomes (sources vary, but about 10% at higher road speeds seems to be an agreed number)

As soon as you have speed differences between front and rear, the system can go from 2-3% to 50/50 in a split second...the higher the speed at which this happens, the shorter the reaction time.

Hardcore 4x4 enthusiasts aren't fans of viscous couplings as at low speeds the transition sometimes doesn't happen quick enough for them. This is particularly an issue on sand. Driving slowly on sand, all the main driven axle needs sometimes is one or two rotations to become completely dug in, in those situations the viscous coupling may not be quick enough to prevent that from happening and the force is only transferred to the other axle once it's too late and the vehicle is already half stuck...two more rotations and it's all over on both axles.

For normal road usage and light offroading on bad roads a viscous coupling is more than good enough and can really be seen as permanent 4x4...it will be there when you need it. At the same time is more flexible and forgiving than a solid connection and allows usage in sharp turns / on dry roads and other taxing conditions without binding or breaking things in the drivetrain.

Another advantage is that it is a simple and pretty much unbreakable system...no electronics, no complicated gears to go wrong.

Worst case scenario the coupling will go soft or hard over time and you just replace it for a few hundred 10-20 years down the line.

Great explanation, very informative.
Thank you

peasant

So, how slow is a naturally aspirated 1.2 with 90 PS?

10.3s 0- 100 km/h

12.4s 50 - 120 km/h (in 3rd gear)
7.5s 80 - 120 km/h (again in 3rd gear)

plenty fast enough methinks


or you could approach the whole acceleration issue in a more sedate fashion and in higher gears

obviously not my videos nor have I verified the times, but it feels about right



On another note:

I still get startled when I walk up to the little red wonder in a carpark full of other cars how very TINY it is in comparison :eek: ...it feels so much bigger from the inside

alias no.9

Well wear. I like the styling on the Ignis with a blend of retro and modern touches, neither overdone, cleverly concealing the practicality. We all remember the Wagon R which failed miserably on that front.