Dropped the A4 in for installation of a dash cam yesterday - was given a brand new Tiguan as a courtesy car.
It's a nice enough car but very different to the my XC40, certainly the Volvo felt more of a quality product with a higher quality interior. The car felt very jittery compared to the XC40 and certainly noisier and less smooth than both recent Volvo products.
It has a petrol engine, feels like a three cylinder. More Economical than the Volvo.
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>> It has a petrol engine, feels like a three cylinder.
Most new petrol engines are now 3 pot.
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I believe the smallest petrol engines in the Tiguan are the 1.4 TSI in the PHEV and the 1.5 TSI for non-hybrid models. Both are four-pots.
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Yes, it will be a 4 cyl. We have a SEAT Ateca in family which is very slightly smaller and that has 3cyl 1 litre engine, but it drives remarkably well.
Wife has an older diesel mk1 Tiguan and I'd say that does feel wobbly - literally, from side-to-side. Some suggestion that it's common on the 4Motion versions. I had a pretty new 1.5 Petrol, 2WD, as a courtesy car recently and was impressed = thought it was very smooth and quiet.
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I had Skoda Kamiq as a renter a while back. That’s a sort of lefty Tiguan isn’t it?
Maybe it isn’t, maybe it’s something else beginning with a K, but anyway, given that I’m not overly keen on sitty uppy cars, or manual gearboxes, or Skodas, or cars that are too small unless they are meant to be, I actually quite liked it.
So what do I know in the end eh?
As a footnote though, I didn’t like the way it kept scolding me by trying to correct the steering if I didn’t indicate before crossing a white line to change lanes or whatever even if there was no one to indicate to. Maybe they all do that now of course. Makes me sick frankly.
;-)
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They all do that, even the Up ! did it (not in an extreme way) - I took it back today to collect the A4 - it was a more pleasant drive once I sorted the driver's seat out, tuned the radio and switched the heated steering wheel off ! Feels bigger than the my old XC40 and more XC60. I guess it was a 1.5 three cylinder - (miles away from the UP's one litre ball of fire)
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>> the way it kept scolding me by trying to correct the steering if I didn't indicate before crossing a white line to change lanes or whatever
My Octavia's got a button on the steering wheel to toggle that on/off. If the Karoqmiq didn't then it would have been accessed through the right-hand scroll wheel. It stays off as well, rather than default to on at start-up. Anyway, it's gone back now, but you might get it again next time!
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>> My Octavia's got a button on the steering wheel to toggle that on/off.
Strange that with the VW Golf (which is part of the same family as Skoda), you have to go into a menu on the touch screen to disable it every time you start the engine.
I've had various other cars, that when lane departure is turned off, it remains off.
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That's not a driver aid, it's a distraction. Along with much of the other "what's it doing now?" stuff. I'd have to do something about it. Can't it be coded out?
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Yes, that is the system on all VW cars. My understanding is that lane departure systems must be set to default to on. They will will be mandatory on all new cars in 2024. Whilst they can be a little disconcerting the first time you encounter a light tug on the wheel and they do sometimes operate when not appropriate, e.g at approach to roundabouts or at roadworks but by and large I suspect the benefits to overall road safety outway the sometime inconvenience. Stories of the system pulling you across the road etc. are complete exaggeration.
Last edited by: CGNorwich on Tue 30 May 23 at 16:39
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The roads here in west Herts are now so badly potholed and crumbling at the edges that I habitually drive down the middle, moving left only for blind bends and oncoming traffic. Is there a mode for that?
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...yes; set by using the "suicide button".....
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Unless you always drive down the middle of the road at over 40mph lane assist won't operate. If you do I'll stay clear of West Herts.
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Probably wise, I'm far from the only one using the technique and it's getting quite hazardous.
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>> Unless you always drive down the middle of the road at over 40mph lane assist
>> won't operate. If you do I'll stay clear of West Herts.
Do you need to be doing more than 40 for this stuff to kick in?
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Lane assist only operates over 40 mph. Certainly for VWs. Will also automatically not operate if you have used your indicators before crossing the lane markings.
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>> Lane assist only operates over 40 mph. Certainly for VWs. Will also automatically not operate
>> if you have used your indicators before crossing the lane markings.
The 40mph thing is the same for Skoda, unless you have (as I do) an extra “travel assist” button in the wheel. It turns on all the systems in one go, and lane assist/adaptive cruise/odd stuff then work from 1mph.
I imagine it’s an option on VW/Audi products too?
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Do you now if anyone has reported the pot holes? Most (all?) councils have a facility for this yet apparently they are underused.
Here's one for Hertfordshire (may not be yours)
www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/services/highways-roads-and-pavements/report-a-problem/report-a-street-light-or-pothole.aspx
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>> Do you now if anyone has reported the pot holes? Most (all?) councils have a
>> facility for this yet apparently they are underused.
I used to use: www.fixmystreet.com/
My council now refuses to recognise it and makes you jump through hoops to report problems. I suspect because reporting it on something like 'www.fixmystreet.com/' meant anyone could see when it was reported and if damage was caused the council may be more likely to be liable.
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I'm surprised there isn't a straightforward web page to report them on, I thought that was the norm these days.
I can understand that they'd prefer you to use their own portal rather than some third party site. More straightforward for them if all comes through a single source in the format they want.
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www.gov.uk/report-pothole
This Government website will direct you to the appropriate council website and page if you insert the postcode for the pothole.
It also contains a link to the Highways Authority who are responsible for maintaining major roads
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>> This Government website will direct you to the appropriate council website and page if you
>> insert the postcode for the pothole.
Unfortunately, that just directs me to my local council website and adds an extra step before I have to 'jump through hoops'.
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What council, what hoops?
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>> What council, what hoops?
I will say this only once. ;>)
Putting my postcode into that website, directs me to my local council. The holes are in the road where I live.
My local council require me to 'jump through hoops' to report potholes relevant to them. I know, because I've reported the potholes in the road where I live.
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Agree with you BT
I used to regularly use the Fixmystreet app especially when out walking dog. A 20 second process including taking a photo, recording GPS position and that was all sorts of issues reported from potholes to graffiti to overflowing bins.
Now my Council want me to sign up for an account. And then if I want to report an issue I need to navigate my way to the appropriate page on their website, find the “report a problem” and then complete the details. And they insist on a postcode, how do you get a postcode for a pothole 5 miles down an A road??
As mentioned before there is a reason why they are making it so difficult.
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If it’s an A road you need to be talking to the Highways Authority not the council.
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>> If it’s an A road you need to be talking to the Highways Authority not
>> the council.
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It depends on which A road. If its the A1 yes, if its the A123 it'll be the local council.
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>> It depends on which A road. If its the A1 yes, if its the A123
>> it'll be the local council.
That. Exactly.
Most A roads, the vast majority other than main cross country routes, have been 'de-trunked' and are maintained by the local council.
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You are of course correct . Itis only the A roads forming part of the Stragic Road Network that are now managed by National Highways.
Here is a map.
nationalhighways.co.uk/media/qe1cjb2b/nh-srn-simplified-map-2023.pdf
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Stragic = in transition from Strategic to Tragic?
I am so much looking forward to some French D roads.
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Yes but interested in what obstacles they deliberately put in your way when you reported them ?
I have reported a number of road issues including potholes to Norfolk Council via their website. The process was very straightforward and the holes were eventually dealt with.
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I imagine it would also be possible to raise an issue about the website complexity with the Council.
Like the pot holes, they can't fix what they don't know about.
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They do know about it in my case.
They know it’s not as efficient for the reporters as the app was.
They have no plans to change the process.
Thus my comment about them deliberately not making it as easy as they could do.
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I'm an habitual reporter around my streets, in fact one of the council guys often emails me directly on the status of some repairs. Unfortunately the scenario is that once reported I get the standard reply that's being investigated, then 'we've passed this to our contractors', within a few days the ticket is marked as 'fixed'.... of course a drive past and it's no different from when I reported it!
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The front seat belts "pre-tension" soon after driving off in the A4. Imagine Thunderbirds as Virgil sat on his sofa !
The Lane depart can be controlled from the CC stalk on the A4.
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