Her car was booked in for service at the weekend and as she has just had shoulder surgery she could not drive. Loan car booked.
Arrived to be told "the loan car was the white one out there with tinted rear windows, think it is a 1 litre". When asked more the service receptionist checked and said it was a 120hp.
Turns out to be the 3 cylinder 1.0 turbo petrol in a Zetec S Fiesta, unfortunately 3dr. An interesting drive as after 2 1.4 Fiestas she just wants another as a replacement and is annoyed that she can't have one (the 1.4 is dead).
Felt much more spritely than her 1.4 and according to the trip computer much more economical however the three door was a pain having to pass her the seat belt as she could not reach it at all due to the surgery (she manages fine in the Passat) and even I was struggling in reaching the belt from the drivers seat (not being as flexible as I used to be).
Manual A/C was a pain after the auto system in hers and why do people turn the fan off completely . . . Car was steamed up when we collected it. She didn't like the sports seats or the more basic radio. Looks like I won't move her from another Titanium.
Car very easy to drive for someone who hasn't driven a petrol car further than 20 yards in six years, no stalling, no getting caught in too high a gear. Apart from the brochure saying it is 125ps and the version we are considering being the 100ps.
Will need a test drive in a 100ps before we jump but looks a good swop for the 1.4 and the 125 is a very nice drive in the Fiesta - don't know about putting it in a Mondeo though.
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A few weeks ago I had an 80 mile commute in a acquaintances spanking new 5 door Fiesta. He buys new every three years, and it was his third in succession, so he obviously likes them. I thought my A3 1.6 Tdi was slow, but this was painful. Apparently only 60 horses. I had no idea such low powered cars were available in this day & age. And he paid almost £10k for it. As for build quality, my ten yo 330 knocks spots off it, as does the 4 yo A3 with 93k miles. I accept that he is happy to have the warranty accompanying a new vehicle, and the associated depreciation, but ye gods, why oh why would anyone with any interest in cars consider this?
Then I realised he has no interest whatsoever in cars. Thankfully we are all different.
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I am pretty sure the basic 1.2 4 cylinder engine is around 84bhp. My dad nearly bought a mid spec one, but the five door was coming in at around £10,000 even with heavy discounting. In the end 86bhp 1.2 16v Hyundai i10 won the day as the £4000 saving was better spend else where.
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"why oh why would anyone with any interest in cars consider this?"
1. The warranty
2. Its affordable to run a new one to get (1)
The real question is, if he really has no interest whatsoever in cars, why isn't he running a small Mitsubishi instead? In these parts, at least, they have the longest warranty on offer at 8 years.
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"Apparently only 60 horses."
Struth, it's quite correct - according to HJ's reviews, the basic 1.25 is only 60 horses!
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If that guy's truly not interested in cars, perhaps he's at least interested in his bank balance:
He could have bought a Dacia Sandero 1.2 and got 75 bhp (25% extra!), a more spacious car, and saved himself 40% of his outlay.
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Regarding the seat belt issue. Two doors have their B pillar further back. I found that reaching over your right shoulder with your right hand as you would do on a 4 door requires some contortion on a two door. I find that if I reach down and backwards with the right hand towards the bottom seat belt mount I can get hold of the belt and pull it through a whole load easier.
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...reaching over your right shoulder with your right hand...
Left hand, obviously. Or do we have the makings of a big end-little end schism here?
}:---)
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>> ...reaching over your right shoulder with your right hand...
>>
>> Left hand, obviously. Or do we have the makings of a big end-little end schism
>> here?
>> }:---)
Definitely, as driver, reach over right shoulder with right hand, passing clip to left hand to engage in seat clip.
Had to go out to car and do it to be sure though.....
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Well, I've had to go and try now. Definitely reach across body with left hand, grasp seatbelt and insert. ( while reversing and spinning steering wheel with heel of right hand )
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I suppose in your, erm, trade, Humph, you don't generally have to worry about back-seat drivers. Just make sure the box is well anchored.
};---)
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Titter ye not.
;-)
I've been out again, nope, no way do I get hold of the seatbelt with my right hand. Awkwardsville Central man !
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Now I've tried it too. Sit in car; seatbelt is waiting by point of right shoulder. If I had an itch there I could get barely a thumb on it to scratch it with right hand. No such trouble with left hand.
Pull webbing with left; pull buckle to left hip, hook right thumb under in front of right collarbone to unwind enough webbing, fasten buckle with left hand. Easy.
Alternatively, contort right arm to hook thumb behind webbing and pull out seatbelt. Comes as far as right collarbone. Raise left hand and pull down more webbing. Still not enough, so repeat pull with right hand. Now can finally fasten buckle with left.
So all I've done with the painful twist of the right shoulder is to bring the belt a little closer to the hand that could have reached it easily where it was. It takes an extra move and about twice as long. What is wrong with you people?
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>> So all I've done with the painful twist of the right shoulder is to bring
>> the belt a little closer to the hand that could have reached it easily where
>> it was. It takes an extra move and about twice as long. What is wrong
>> with you people?
In spite of being left handed it requires contortions to get left hand to belt buckle in either Berlingo. Basically, left arm is just too short.
Different cars, different people; YMMV.
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...left handed...too short.
I see. Anyone else?
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>> Basically, left arm is just too short.
So how much longer is the right arm to be able to buckle in after also reaching over? I have visions of one short arm and one very long one.... :-) But then the long one would surely struggle to reach over the right shoulder for the belt.
I think this is a Berlingo specific problem myself. I grab the belt with my left hand.... further to reach when I occasionally drive my wife's 3-door (filling it with petrol).
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I'm left handed ! But my arms are standard length.
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I have visions of one short arm and one very long one.
I'm wondering which feature(s) of the Brompton might have this effect on a long-term user. Exaggerated right-turn signals, perhaps, in that London traffic?
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Well I was starting to doubt myself.
Sportage. Back of hand above outer outer right shoulder, twist towards seatbelt and bingo there it is.
A lot may depend on seat position and its proximity to B pillar.
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Yaris 5-door.
I can easily reach the belt with either hand, but usually use my left, despite advancing years, arthritis, tendinitis..................etc.
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In RHD regions, I think most of us would use the left hand because you can then easily clip the belt into place. But depending on location of the B pillar and the buckle it might be easier with the right hand. I suppose it also depends on where the seat is positioned too.
:-) I still think he's got unusually abnormal arm lengths. And may have contributed to falling off his bike last year :-)
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>> >> Basically, left arm is just too short.
>>
>> So how much longer is the right arm to be able to buckle in after
>> also reaching over?
As I described, the buckle is usually transferred to the left hand while passing belt in front of me.
The whole action though may be learned behaviour. My first cars had static belts with two part buckles and/or only semi rigid stalks into which the belt plugged. Fastening those required both hands with the left holding the short end of belt or the stalk.
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As other have said I resorted to right hand reaching back at the base of the pillar to grab the belt.
Why do people buy these - she likes the visibility, plenty of dealers, parts cheap, small, handles well, reliable (in six years nothing gone wrong on two Fiestas we have had), starts first time, heated screen (wait until you have had one before running them down) etc.
Only an idiot would buy the 1.25 litre - but then there are plenty about, idiots that is.
And who pays full price for a new Ford, my starting point would be about £2.5k below list for what she would like.
As for 80 hp, we used to have a 1.6 Sierra that was reasonably fast for its time that had only 70hp. It was replaced for a 1.8 with IIRC 80hp.
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>> As for 80 hp, we used to have a 1.6 Sierra that was reasonably fast
>> for its time that had only 70hp.
It would be interesting to compare the weights of the Sierra and Fiesta - anyone?
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Kerb weight Sierra 2.0 1128kg
Kerb Weight Fiesta : 1045-1122 kg.
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Unladen weight for my previous car was 1557kg (Passat CC 170PS diesel with manual gearbox). My A3 saloon (1.4TFSi with DSG) is 1250kg. Quite a bit of a difference. I know the CC is a bigger car but it's probably partly related to the MQB platform and but also the petrol engine.
The A3 saloon with 2.0TDi engine and 6-speed DSG (so not the same DSG box) is 1340kg.
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Ford Fiesta - Loan Car at service - 1.0 Ecoboost 125 - legacylad
