Two weeks from Firefly @ Alicante areodrome. I didn’t like it from the start, so that tainted my subsequent views. Or the fact that Firefly, despite no queues at the office, really went for the hard sell re insurance etc, which they have never done on several recent occasions. And I found three significant dings on my walkaround, plus several minor scuffs, which were all retro marked on the hire agreement when I forcefully pointed them out.
Paid €80 in total...Golf or similar.
Cons.
Cheap nasty interior despite it being the latest model with supposedly improved interior quality. No support from seat bolsters as my front seat passenger pointed out, so on twisty coast and mountain roads, even travelling slowly, he needed use of the grab handle. Turbo on the 900cc petrol unit was all or nothing. Roly poly handling, overlight steering, vague gearchange, shallow not fit for purpose cup holders, awful shallow & deep A pillars creating blind spots I never got used to.
Pros.
Cannot complain about the performance from that tiny engine, averaged 37mpg over 600+ kms. Useful deep boot with removable base, had a spare wheel, back seat could be moved forward using a handle in the boot. Efficient air con. Reasonably quiet at speed on the motorway, absorbed bumps adequately, front & rear sensors showing proximity on the screen, decent reversing camera ( not that you needed one).
Glad I don’t have one but many thousands disagree with me.
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That's disappointing LL. The Captur is one of those cars I'd always thought I could probably live with if I ever find myself not needing a big car. I've never driven one, or indeed ever been in one so I'm more than prepared to listen to your view.
Perhaps it'd have to be a Panda after all. Pandas used to be sort of cool you know, back in the day, but somehow they're not now. Capturs are cool now though. A bit, maybe.
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Definitely cool. As stated, very effective air con.
Mini SUVs don’t appeal...give me an estate car any day.
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Panamera estate next time then? ;-)
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Quite
A base model 4S Sport Turismo, complemented with a 911 Targa 4 GTS would be a most acceptable pair of chariots.
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Yep, I still maintain that my "money no object" car ( if I was only having one ) would definitely be a large powerful estate of some kind rather than any form of supercar. Even my large, not all that powerful one does everything I want a car to do and more.
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I do like a big estate too.
A mate of mine has recently picked up a 2005 Volvo V70 with the 185 bhp D5 engine and a manual gearbox. It's immaculate, done 130k with a full Volvo main dealer service history, has recently had the belts done and a new clutch, and he paid just £2k for it. Being an SE it has climate control, the Dolby Pro Logic hifi (which puts the Harman Kardon optional setup in my M140i to shame) and big comfy leather armchairs that move about electrically.
I borrowed it a couple of weeks ago to take a washing machine to the tip. I liked it so much, I'm seriously thinking of getting myself one. More than enough performance for what it is, and just so smooth, comfy and long legged. It feels like it's barely run in.
Everything works, the interior and suspension are silent over our third world roads, and its just a thoroughly nice car.
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Sounds just like our old one DP. Did you notice the *roar* when you floor the accelerator with the 5 post engine?
The only thing that sounds better is a V8 Scania!
Pat
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>> Sounds just like our old one DP. Did you notice the *roar* when you floor
>> the accelerator with the 5 post engine?
Yes, it really is one of the few truly decent sounding diesel passenger car engines.
I must admit, I do have a lot of love for these P2 Volvos, having had a petrol S60 some time ago. They aren't exciting, but they really are superbly engineered, beautifully built cars that are supremely comfortable, reliable and refined, and they stay that way well into ridiculous mileages.
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>> Yep, I still maintain that my "money no object" car ( if I was only
>> having one ) would definitely be a large powerful estate of some kind
Well at least one of us got there then.
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>> Well at least one of us got there then.
Sort of, I suppose, but you'd have to turn a blind eye to the lack of sunroof, the silly wee undersized wheels, the slightly too soft suspension and the funny colour...
;-)
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Barbiemobile...
Pano sunroof with blind, ✅
Standard 20†rims with 265/45 Michelins Front, 295/40 Rear, which fill wheel arches nicely ✅
Fully adjustable suspension. ✅
Volcano gey. Half ✅
Unfortunately it isn’t an estate, only 500/1500L volumes
Zeddo still wins
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Oversized wheels are the biggest pile of poop on a car.
You can imagine my lack of sympathy when my mate's 3 series needed 3 replacement 19" wheels a few years ago.
Engineers usually want smaller wheels, design guys and under-endowed drivers want bigger rims (oo er).
One of the finest handling FWD cars of all time ran on 195/55x15
www.evo.co.uk/honda/civic/11448/birth-of-an-icon-honda-integra-type-r
Last edited by: Lygonos on Tue 29 May 18 at 16:56
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Erm, am I getting a vibe that you're not absolutely thrilled with the Macan LL? All joking and leg pulling aside, I'd have thought it was a pretty nice thing to tool about in? ( even if you're not a girl )
;-)
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Absolutely not Runfer
The bar was set incredibly high and it has exceeded those expectations. Without wanting to sound like a makita tool I’ve had the good fortune to own some nice motors in the past 40 years...MK1 Golf Gti, 205 Gti, third hand Audi 80 Sport, 4th hand RS 2000, third hand ur Quattro...
But Barbie is on a whole new level and is marvellous. Simply stunning in its day to day capabilities.Every time I get in it I think ‘wow’
BUT. When I was much younger I got a bigger buzz from the Mk1 Gti
Simply one of the downsides of getting older...I better a bigger buzz from 3 weeks wild camping in the dirt.
Such is life
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I previously gave a review on the Captur I got from Firefly in Malaga airport and the overall service from Firefly there was also similar with the very hard push on insurance.
I think my Honda Civic is probably lower than the equivalent Focus etc but I definitely want to go back into a higher up car next time. I had thought of maybe being able to downsize to Captur / Arona size but when I had the Captur on hire I just felt it was too small. Maybe the vast array of hard plastic highlighted this more so and it certainly lacked smooth edges and comforts around the seats.
I had Merc B Class and BMW 2 series on my list and I saw both of these on a forecourt this morning but on closer inspection they also really dont look too much higher than your Focus etc. In fact the B Class was next to a Golf and the difference was negligible.
Qashqai still ticks most of my boxes, just a pity its auto box isn't too highly recommended, especially in the 1.2 petrol.
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If the Captur and Arona are a size too small there's the next size up - Kadjar and Ateca, or the other VAG models, Karoq, T-Roc and Q2 - or bigger still, Kodiaq, Tiguan and Q3. Or if you don't want to buy new, look for a Skoda Yeti: if you like a high driving position there's quite a climb up into one of these.
I have a new Q2 and like it a lot already. It suits me well as I wanted a highish driving position without having to climb up or down either way.
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B-Class is often referred to as a mini-MPV by journos.
It is not.
It is a Focus/Golf sized hatchback.
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It’s a compact or mini MPV or minivan if you are a living the other side o f the channel.Look at the rather boxy design , amount of rear space and relatively highe ride height. Comparable with something like the Golf SV. A bit of dying breed the MPV but the B Class is definitely one. Quite like it.
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What about the Suzuki Vitara. The Booster Jet? Engine is supposed to be pretty good....
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>>What about the Suzuki Vitara
Dont think I would consider Suzuki - weren't they rumoured to be pulling out of UK a few years ago?
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>>weren't they rumoured to be pulling out of UK a few years ago?
No.
They pulled their car operation out of the US a few years ago but sell quite well in UK/Europe.
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>>A bit of dying breed the MPV but the B Class is definitely one
I have one - I also have an FRV.
The B-Class is a family hatch with an extra inch of headroom (but not Japanese able-to-wear-a-top-hat levels)
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How would you define an MPV then? I would put the B Class in the same category as the Golf SV and the Picasso although it’s a little less practical than either admittedly.
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lygonos. what is the seating position like in the B Class? Is it more upright like in your FRV where your feet are kind of "above the pedals" or or is it just a slightly higher, laid back driving position like in normal cars?
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I have my seat reasonably high so it is more like the FRV - I prefer that to sitting down like a normal saloon (such as the Kizashi - must be an age thing...), with the wheel reasonably close rather than having my arms stretched out.
The seats are basically normal hatch style - they have no trick features other than a 60/40 split fold in the rear.
An MPV should have more focus on cabin flexibility (6 or 7 seats, or seats which adjust/fold individually, or rear seats that slide fore and aft).
Going by the definition that the industry seems to follow, anything with extra headroom is an MPV - so that would mean a Nissan Micra or Daihatsu Sirion.
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Avant, Kadjar is on list in high spec model has lots of toys. Need to look closer - a neighbour has one - to see if it is better quality interior than Captur. But it is a car full of French electrics.....
Re the VAG group, seem to definitely be dearer than the equivalent Qashqai / Kuga / Kadjar. There is no doubt the VAG are solidly built etc but I just find all their interiors just a bit too similar (although just looked at a Q2 dashboard and that is different!)
Its interesting how when you get a want for a particular car and you start to do research then it all goes pear shaped. Was really interested in the auto Qashqai and petrol 1.2 seemed to be the way forward. But looking at forums it would appear that Nissan manged to build an engine where the pistons were too small and thus loads of reports of losing loads of oil and countless engine replacements!
Maybe its time to go back to three year PCP deals where the car is under manufacturer warranty for period of ownership?
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>> although just looked at a Q2 dashboard and that is different!)
Taken from/shared with the Audi A3.
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Renault - Renault Captur rental impression - Runfer D'Hills
