1 hour ago, Alex.S said:

I wonder why back to a gear stick. Jaguar/Land Rover did the same afaik 

Possibly because a lot of people didn't like it? Some did, obviously, but my cousin had a Jag XF with the rising rotary control and he absolutely hated it, particularly when it failed to rise and he was stuck going nowhere!😀

I see VW have replaced the shifter on a lot of their DSG equipped cars with a tiny switch and that doesn't seem to have gone down well either. 

1 hour ago, Eric Bloodaxe said:

Possibly because a lot of people didn't like it? Some did, obviously, but my cousin had a Jag XF with the rising rotary control and he absolutely hated it, particularly when it failed to rise and he was stuck going nowhere!😀

I see VW have replaced the shifter on a lot of their DSG equipped cars with a tiny switch and that doesn't seem to have gone down well either. 

Frees up a lot of space and puts itself in park when u press the ignition button. Cons: got to wait a couple of seconds going from drive to reverse and vice versa . Main thing is how it performs , the 8 speed I really like. 
About VWs , if I could get a Golf Mk7.5 new next year I’d have gone for it. What they’ve done to the mk8 re buttons is a deal breaker. 

39 minutes ago, Alex.S said:

About VWs , if I could get a Golf Mk7.5 new next year I’d have gone for it. What they’ve done to the mk8 re buttons is a deal breaker. 

Yes, it seems to have put a lot of people off, including myself. Pal of mine got one of the run out Mk 7.5s and is very pleased he didn't wait for the Mk 8.

I was going to say we won't have to worry about knobs vs levers for much longer as we go electric, anyway - but then, come to think of it, there seem to be lots of different ideas for switches on those, so maybe we will!😀

2 minutes ago, Eric Bloodaxe said:

Yes, it seems to have put a lot of people off, including myself. Pal of mine got one of the run out Mk 7.5s and is very pleased he didn't wait for the Mk 8.

We won't have to worry about knobs vs levers for much longer as we go electric.

Electric still needs some way to switch between forward, reverse and park.

45 minutes ago, Alex.S said:

About VWs , if I could get a Golf Mk7.5 new next year I’d have gone for it. 

Me too.   

 

3 minutes ago, alexp999 said:

Electric still needs some way to switch between forward, reverse and park.

Lol, I was just about to say that!  The ID3 has a weird thick stalk above the wiper stalk to change 'gear' with...   

22 minutes ago, alexp999 said:

Electric still needs some way to switch between forward, reverse and park.

Thought I'd mentioned switches on EVs?😀

25 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

The ID3 has a weird thick stalk above the wiper stalk to change 'gear' with...   

I was reading a test of the Cupra Born (ID 3 clone) which said it was a rotary switch/knob on the right of the instrument binnacle so that would be above the wiper stalk. 

I happened across an ID 3 Forum the other day - they got off the mark quick! Anyway, there are already a couple of active threads on there on the lines of "Gear selector not working" and "Cannot engage forward or reverse" which it seems is a common issue. 

 

36 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

The ID3 has a weird thick stalk above the wiper stalk to change 'gear' with... 

I spotted that too. The Mercedes AMG Line has a similar set up. 

3 minutes ago, Alex.S said:

I spotted that too. The Mercedes AMG Line has a similar set up. 

I think that’s evolved from American style gear levers behind the steering wheel. 

It seems a logical place to have it on an EV, I suppose. I was interested that the Cupra Born doesn't have an on/off switch or button - apparently just parking the weight of your bum on the drivers seat brings it to life. Don't know if the VW version is the same or if that's a Cupra thing.

Have to say I rather like the look of the Born, but the estimated price of £40k looks a little on the steep side.

17 minutes ago, Eric Bloodaxe said:

It seems a logical place to have it on an EV, I suppose. I was interested that the Cupra Born doesn't have an on/off switch or button - apparently just parking the weight of your bum on the drivers seat brings it to life. Don't know if the VW version is the same or if that's a Cupra thing.

Have to say I rather like the look of the Born, but the estimated price of £40k looks a little on the steep side.

Maybe it could use the owners weight for the immobiliser.  'Unexpected item in seating area'...

The ID3 does use the same system, but there is also a button for if you want to save charge while sat in the car waiting etc.

Just had a quick look at the Born (I hadn't even heard of it!!) but I can't say I'm any more a fan of that than the ID3 at the moment.  If I buy a Golf sized car, I want Golf quality inside...

6 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

  If I buy a Golf sized car, I want Golf quality inside...

Ah.....but we seem to have concluded that even the Golf doesn't have that anymore!😀

That’s Ford investing in Merseyside for manufacturing parts for EVs for Europe. Has to be good news. 

Price list is now available on Ford UK website.

Blooming typical that 1.5 Diesel is now standard 8 speed auto.

I got rid of my mK4 thinking I wouldn't be able to get into another one as they'd got so expensive.

ST now has a lot of previously standard equipment on the options list

On 10/18/2021 at 1:39 PM, Eric Bloodaxe said:

Ah.....but we seem to have concluded that even the Golf doesn't have that anymore!😀

Just to add to that, Autocar's final instalment of their long term Golf GTI test concluded:

 

The truth is that, whether at entry level or in GTI form, the Golf remains among the best in a competitive class and a brilliant all-rounder. It just can’t quite live up to the lofty standards of its predecessor – lack of volume knob notwithstanding.

Another view of the revised Focus......How many differences can you spot ? 

 

Same wheels but inch smaller . As I lease I’m not so bothered but my engine has a cover over it. I know some mk4s don’t have one either. What’s the logic behind that? 

Still not sure on the badge in the front grill tbh. 

Think it looked better where it was originally.

I didn't think it looked too bad on first reveal.

Now all I can see is the transit shape grille. There was a difference before between commercial and passenger vehicles, now it looks like all the transits running around

Well I’m picking up my brand spanking 72 plate focus st line vignale complete with all optionals in 8 hours time so will let you know on my opinion I’ve waited 14 months for this to arrive