Be Excellent To Each Other

I see loads of Morgans, working quarter of a mile from the factory.

I was driving a lwb transit and one tried to overtake me going around a small roundabout. Almost crushed it. Not a chance of seeimg it. Stupid knobber.

Awesome! I love 'em, even the slow old 4/4.
Quintessentially English (even though Ford or BMW powered). Ash frame, watch out for woodworm lol.

Finished at 2pm today to collect the car, then went for a three hour drive around the island, with a decent mix of town driving, B road driving, TT course driving etc at a variety of speeds (in normal speed limit zones and on derestricted roads).

It's a fabulously good fun car to drive 'properly', but also perfectly tolerable and tame around town. Obviously I didn't push it too far as I'm still learning it and the conditions weren't ideal either.

The turbo changes things a lot, with loads of pulling power from 2500-3000rpm upwards, and there's none of the 'power stages' that you got with the old VTECs, just a solid wall of power all the way out to 6500rpm (it redlines at 7000rpm but you want to be changing before then).

The gearbox is superb (many reviewers cite it as one of the best manual boxes going, the Top Gear site's review said if all manuals were this good no one would want DSGs), with really quick, accurate changes, and just 40mm of throw. (I've seen the phrase 'bolt action rifle' used more than once to describe it.)

The handing is quite a bit different to the S4, FWD versus AWD for starters, it's a smaller car, it's a lot stiffer sprung, and so on. In a straight line with the power right down it definitely feels a bit more skittery than the S4 (Honda have massively reduced torque steer but not eliminated it), but through the corners it's far tighter and more composed. (There's a diff in the front axle that does all sorts of clever shit, so everyone says.)

The R+ mode is an absolute hoot, not least because it makes all the instruments and screens go blood red which looks cool, but then you have sharper throttle response, the suspension becomes 30% stiffer, the steering firms up, it eases off on the traction control and stuff like that. Many reviewers say it's useless unless you're on a race track, but whilst the TT course is not a race track when it's open as a public road, it's still maintained as if it were a race track, and the entire mountain section (some 10 miles) is derestricted

Cabin wise it's solidly put together with decent materials and a good fit and finish, I didn't particularly feel like I was 'trading down' coming from the S4. The main touchscreen is splendid, you can swipe and drag like on an iPad, and pinch in and out to change the satnav range, that sort of thing. As mine is the GT it has all the extra toys, including the Garmin satnav, reversing camera + front and rear sensors, upgraded speaker system (which sounds excellent), it reads road signs as you go past and displays what the speed limit is, it does collision/lane detection etc and will apparently brake for you if you're about to read-end someone in town.

The Bluetooth audio streaming from Spotify on my phone worked flawlessly, it's got dual-USB, HDMI (!?!?) and iPod inputs as well. Most things can be controlled from the steering wheel controls, there are a few 'hard' buttons next to the touchscreen and then you've got the touchscreen itself.

My average MPG for the trip was 30.5mpg, and it saw the high side of 100mph and 6000-7000rpm on several occasions.

The looks are entirely subjective, personally I think it looks aweseome, as detailed earlier in this thread the first time I clamped eyes on it I wanted one (when the Honda dealer here got their demonstrator in), and vowed that once the price came down a bit I'd have one - and so it has come to pass.

As it is mine is less than two years old (it's a Dec 2015), it's had one owner, and it's only done 15000 miles. 16 months of warranty left to run and over three years of the Honda Care Plan.

So initial impressions are most definitely that I like it a lot.

Now it is time for Buckfast.

I had a sit in an m140i shadow today. Very nice interior indeed.

Might be allowed a go at some point.

Love the Type R! If I wanted to spunk away cash like we're just about to die in a nuclear holocaust I would consider one of those.

It's a marmite car for sure; no doubting its prowess and impeccable calibre as a seriously fast, well-sorted, well-engineered piece of kit whose quality doubtless puts many to shame, but I just could not live with those looks! (But of course, I'm a bald 50 year old twat, hardly Honda's target audience for this car lol)

Genuinely chuffed you love it Hearthly, best feeling in the world mate. Well done you.

Well they didn't waste much time.....

I'd guessed it'd get punted back out at £15K.

Thanks Cavey

The looks are definitely divisive, I've not heard anyone say 'Yeah it looks alright I guess', one of the chaps at work hates it and thinks four exhaust pipes for a 4-cylinder engine is borderline offensive - 'It looks like someone trying to smuggle a fucking church organ' was his comment.

I guess I'll get this car in before I tip over to the wrong side of 45, and consider something a bit more gentlemanly for the next one.....

Oh yes the one thing I hated with a passion was the STOP/START 'functionality' the car has, seriously that is some annoying shit.

The first button I found was the one that turns it off.

Who wants their car turning its engine off when you're at traffic lights?

Is it some sort of eco nonsense to make the fuel economy figures look better or something?

Yes.

On Fords, it only switched off if you shift to neutral, engage handbrake and take your foot off the clutch.

Easy to avoid if you don't like it

Yes it's the same on the Type-R, I was trying to drive 'properly' like I was on a test or something as part of my acclimatising back to a manual, and the engine turned itself off, and I'm like, what the fuck?

I don't normally like cars but to be honest, I like the looks of that Honda.

It's very "Gran turismo". It's not what I'd choose, but for a car of that type it looks great.

Whoa whoa whoa. Fallen out of love with the Cube already?

OK here's a thing I'm really not sold on, keyless entry. (The Type-R is the first car I've had that possesses this 'useful' feature.)

So the car unlocks itself when you get close to it, and all you have to do is open the door. Then you don't need to put the key into the ignition when you're in the car, indeed it doesn't even have an ignition, just press the ENGINE START button and vroom vroom off you go.

EXCEPT - You still need to put the keys somewhere, and an ignition just happens to be a dead handy place to put the keys.

So keep the keys in your pocket, people say, but I find that uncomfortable and I don't like doing it, plus they can sit awkwardly in your pocket and dig into you and stuff.

So then I end up having to put the keys somewhere like the cup holders, which is silly, and more of a faff than just putting them in an ignition.

Overall I give keyless entry 474/1000, I don't think it's really any better than just blipping the car open with the remote and then sticking the key in an ignition. (In the S4 the actual fob was the key, and there was a receptacle in the dash to put it into, which I think is a better system.)

Wireless charging fanatic in "prefers plugging stuff in" shocker!

Well the thing is the keys have to go somewhere, so what better place for them than an actual receptacle designed specifically for the job?

Who likes sitting down with keys in their pocket, especially in a car seat?

My keyring is stripped down to the basics so it's car fob, front door key, back door key, and a little 'coin' thing for the trolleys at Shoprite, but I still don't want to sit in a bucket seat with them in my pocket 'cause it's uncomfortable.

Still, we might have a nuclear war tomorrow and then it'll cease to be an issue.

But cars generally have loads of places to dump stuff from your pockets. This is the most bizarre non-issue yet. Nobody except a madman would think that the best place to keep your keys is dangling from a hole in the dashboard if it weren't usually a necessity.

Shove them up your arse.

I have mega bulky keys and I don't think I've been uncomfortable once with them in my pocket in the Leaf.

Either you're putting them in your back pocket or your John Thomas is significantly larger than mine and is impeding on your pocket space.

In other news, the 5GT was super-duper so all is signed and it'll be delivered on Wednesday

Skinny jeans

Nope, I completely agree with him (apart from the fact that he's confusing keyless entry and keyless ignition). The Ford's keys go into the cupholder, but that's stupid.

I've never really thought about this but as a rule my keys go in my bag or in my coat pocket. The only place I could put them in the Cube is in a cup holder and nine times out of ten... It has a cup in in.

I'm all for making light of this situation, a bit of teasing is all well and good within reason (and really, aren't there any other cubby holes in the car?) - but it shows how something so small, trivial - yet tangible - can really make a big difference to the users feelings.

For instance, the interior light switch in Lady T's CX-9 is the cheapest nastiest fucking switch I've ever used and it's a pain just to get it into the centre ('doors') position. Makes me want to roll the car into a ditch and then torch it.

Totally agree. When you spend a lot of time with something (or someone), it's the little things that start to get right on your tits.

For me, I can't see what speed I'm going in the Yeti (probably 100+ most of the time, on its 1.2 litre monster), because I'm exactly the wrong height and the steering wheel obscures the speedo. It won't be the reason for us changing cars, but it'll be a reason.

Had a similar wheel / speedo issue with an old car of mine (Mazda 323f I think). Had to dip my head slightly to make sure I was right for speed cameras

That's amazing. How tall are you Findus Fop?

Fixed my rear wash wipe squirter ( ) and fitted a mint Pioneer CD/iPhone player I won on eBay for £19!

Need an adapter for the aerial and a facia plate too, so they're on their way.

The Merc doesn't have a driver's side cup holder!

Fuck, get rid. Crime against humanity, that - same reason I got rid of the 6 Series I had

It's funny though how the little things annoy you. In the 6 it was no cup holder, in the Leaf it's the way I have to tap OK on the head unit to use it every time o start the car (stupid telematics privacy disclaimer thing) and even the Celica isn't immune - I'm just the right height to have the same problem as Findus Fop, and the seats aren't height adjustable.

Does it have a central one?

That does sound really shit, no cup holders, where does the drink go when you need to take a bite from the burger, or grab a handful of chips? Held between the legs? I weep for society

Beer helmet!

But then it might spill as you dip your head to see past the wheel to the speedo

Point

Not really. There's one on the passenger side (although within reach) and fold out ones for the rear passengers in the central bit where the armrest comes down.

Ze Deutsche auto ist bilt vor driving. Kein distraction! Only drive!

That's bobbins. Even the fucking Tomcat had cupholders.

The Cube has 6... all within easy reach. One of them is the small variety too which is ideal for those small cans of energy drink or Gin and Tonic in a tin, if you will.

Actualky, lady T's dad has a Merc of similar age and model. It doesn't have proper cupholders either but the cubby under the centre armrest has a felt-like lining so the coins inside don't slide around as noisily. That's something, right?

You'll have plenty of coins because you won't be using them to buy drinks so yeah, I guess that works?

Heh.
Modern car niggles.... electronic handbrakes. Need I say more?

The Amarok manages to have two big ol' cup holders in the centre console AND a proper old school handbrake. I lurrrve that truck.

Yeah mine has that too. It also has seatbelt extenders that bring the seatbelt to you when the ignition is started. No reaching around for it like some kind of chump!

Huh, the Touareg has a pedal handbrake.

I've never really minded electronic handbrakes, to be honest. I ignore them, and they ignore me.

I think it's because VW assume (quite rightly ) that Amarok drivers are far too hairy-arsed Builder types for electric handbrakes, who might, in fact, rip a girly electronic handbrake switch from the dashboard in frustration at being "bonged" at ceaselessly when attempting start-stop driving around a building site.

But seriously, ignoring 'em ain't an option, is it? True, there's variation between marques; the Range Rover is relatively politely persistent; she'll whine and moan a bit but will at least allow you to pull away [Title btw ], but Porsches are full-on German Dominatrix whereby you can't even do anything without either buckling up or applying the footbrake *and* pushing/pulling (I can never remember) the fucking handbrake button a certain way. I mean, can anything be more annoying than the tell-tale judder and alarm; the car stopping you from driving off and actually you're in a flippin' hurry...? Shit, I hate being told what to do at the best of times, let alone by a bloody *car* that I bastard well paid for to boot. Perhaps it's just me though.

The Ford C-Max I had a turn in that had one basically just turned it off when you started driving and turned it on when you stopped. I don't even know if it had a switch.

I'm sure the Range Rover I tried with one whined at you a bit but then turned it off once you got over 5mph, or something.

I can imagine getting annoyed at it not letting me drive the car until I'd pressed a button, however.

I think, like most things, the safety nags become more onerous and invasive over time.

In 20 years we won't even be able to pull away without entering a destination for the self-drive to lock on to, so I suppose I should just enjoy this stuff whilst I still can.