Time to change ??

[Eric Bloodaxe]

1 hour ago, iantt said:

I thought the battery was under the seat on the corolla? Must encrouch the boot space as well then. 

Yes, I'd read that. I was poking about in the boot and what was in there just looked like a normal 12v to me, but I couldn't really start taking the cover off to investigate while the salesperson was watching (They were trying to persuade me it was a big boot at the time while I was saying it was scarcely bigger than the Fiesta. I was right, as above.)

It might be that the traction battery is housed under the seat in both versions but the 2.0 engine is physically larger than the 1.8 (which has a larger boot space) and so the 12v battery on the 2.0 is displaced from the engine bay to the boot, similarly to the Polo GTI I was looking at.

[Eric Bloodaxe]

12 hours ago, Eric Bloodaxe said:

It might be that the traction battery is housed under the seat in both versions but the 2.0 engine is physically larger than the 1.8 (which has a larger boot space) and so the 12v battery on the 2.0 is displaced from the engine bay to the boot, similarly to the Polo GTI I was looking at.

Read a couple more Corolla reviews after posting this, and that is indeed the explanation. Traction battery is under the seat in both versions, but 12v battery is in the boot on the 2.0 because it won't fit under the bonnet.

[mburdett555]

Now 5 years into owning my 2013 ecoboost. No problems at all, and have intention of getting my wetbelts changed in June. Overdue yes but never had any problems 

[unofix]

1 hour ago, mburdett555 said:

Overdue yes but never had any problems 

mmmmm...... that's an interesting way of viewing the situation.

I guess all the other unfortunate owners who's engines went boom probably had a couple of weeks notice. 😧

[Hackney]

2 hours ago, unofix said:

mmmmm...... that's an interesting way of viewing the situation.

I guess all the other unfortunate owners who's engines went boom probably had a couple of weeks notice. 😧

Mine is a 2015 model, just under 100,000kms & running like a ‘Swiss watch’.Frequent & on time oil changes are vital to these ‘3 pot’ turbo engines.I have mine changed roughly twice a year.

[iantt]

I'm supprised by the people who buy my old cars that keep them for so long and don't want to change. My focus ecoboost I had has the same owner after 3 + years, car before that Mazda3 MPs still got same owner after 8 years and Suzuki Liana I sold back  back in 2009 had same owner until 2021 when it was scrapped through corrosion. 

[iantt]

I'm venturing out past my 14 mile safe zone( distance to work) tommorow. Got a 200mile journey to Derbyshire and back. Delivering 2 silver top, gold top , loaf of bread and eggs in my milk float Ernie.  Wltp range 193. Looks like I may need a quick 15 min fast charge on the way home. That will be a learning curve. Got 2 charging points to choose from in the area I'm visiting. Fingers crossed they work and aren't being used. 

[Tizer]

I wonder how long it will be before the first "charger rage" case makes the courts. A few years ago when I stopped at some Motorway Services as I was walking back to my car in the car park two people were having a heated argument at the Chargers. I presume one of them left their car on the charger while they had a meal meaning that no one else could use it. 

I was also up north last weekend and there were two chargers on the main road outside the hotel, which was what most people would call in the middle of nowhere. When I arrived on Friday afternoon a car was connected to one of them and when I got up in the morning the same car was still connected to the charger, obviously a hotel guest.

[Hackney]

27 minutes ago, iantt said:

I'm venturing out past my 14 mile safe zone( distance to work) tommorow. Got a 200mile journey to Derbyshire and back. Delivering 2 silver top, gold top , loaf of bread and eggs in my milk float Ernie.  Wltp range 193. Looks like I may need a quick 15 min fast charge on the way home. That will be a learning curve. Got 2 charging points to choose from in the area I'm visiting. Fingers crossed they work and aren't being used. 

‘200’ miles? That’s a ‘country drive’ for us!!

[Hackney]

9 minutes ago, Tizer said:

I wonder how long it will be before the first "charger rage" case makes the courts. A few years ago when I stopped at some Motorway Services as I was walking back to my car in the car park two people were having a heated argument at the Chargers. I presume one of them left their car on the charger while they had a meal meaning that no one else could use it. 

I was also up north last weekend and there were two chargers on the main road outside the hotel, which was what most people would call in the middle of nowhere. When I arrived on Friday afternoon a car was connected to one of them and when I got up in the morning the same car was still connected to the charger, obviously a hotel guest.

That has also happened here in Australia, quite ridiculous really.People need to get a life.EV’s are not the answer atm. This is one reason why I don’t want to jump to an EV.

[TomsFocus]

9 minutes ago, Hackney said:

‘200’ miles? That’s a ‘country drive’ for us!!

Often wondered why they built everything so far apart over there.

Surely it'd have been easier to just choose one corner to build everything in?  Preferably a cool corner without too many spiders.

 

 

[Wino]

39 minutes ago, iantt said:

I'm venturing out past my 14 mile safe zone( distance to work) tommorow. Got a 200mile journey to Derbyshire and back. Delivering 2 silver top, gold top , loaf of bread and eggs in my milk float Ernie.  Wltp range 193. Looks like I may need a quick 15 min fast charge on the way home. That will be a learning curve. Got 2 charging points to choose from in the area I'm visiting. Fingers crossed they work and aren't being used. 

I'm back at work tomorrow and taking the Focus, so you are more than welcome to bring your plug and use the external socket on the driveway.

[Hackney]

14 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

Often wondered why they built everything so far apart over there.

Surely it'd have been easier to just choose one corner to build everything in?  Preferably a cool corner without too many spiders.

 

 

I did over 5,000 miles in 2017 in the UK.People couldn’t believe it! Just a ‘country drive’ to us!

[iantt]

2 hours ago, Wino said:

I'm back at work tomorrow and taking the Focus, so you are more than welcome to bring your plug and use the external socket on the driveway.

I would have to camp out overnight on a 3 pin plug🤣🤣

[Eric Bloodaxe]

Having tried out the Corolla and got a fairly positive impression, I thought I ought to have a look at the new Honda Civic, which is getting good reviews.

I've got a test drive tomorrow, so will post my thoughts after that. Just reading the blurb though, noticed how big it has become (like most cars). Had a 2001 Civic which was about 4.1m long, this is over 4.5, about the size an Accord was back then. 

[iantt]

Ernie made it on 200 mile trip , did have to charge up a little ( 10 mins) to ensure I got back with spare. I would had made it without a charge if I hadn't driven so swifty.( Not admitting to breaking the national speed limit. ) 4.5miles/kWh. That's the worst I will get. I'm happy with that. 

[unofix]

1 hour ago, iantt said:

Not admitting to breaking the national speed limit.

Yes that would be 'Trigger' he pulled the fastest milk cart in the west 🤣

[iantt]

3 hours ago, unofix said:

Yes that would be 'Trigger' he pulled the fastest milk cart in the west 🤣

Or not?? 🤣🤣 V8 powered. 

[Eric Bloodaxe]

So, been out for a run in the Civic this morning. Three grades - Elegance, Sport and Advance - no optional extras other than paint. Like the Corolla, the "base" (Elegance) model is very well equipped, also like the Corolla, the Sport gets more bolstered seats and 18" alloys, with no mechanical changes. Advance has pan sunroof, leather, etc, etc. All have the same 2.0 litre engine with a total system output around 180 bhp (again, no surprise, pretty near to the Corolla).

I went out in a Sport so 235/40x18 tyres. I picked my usual rough test roads to see how it would cope and the answer was very well indeed. In many ways the driving experience was eerily similar to the Corolla I drove last week, good ride/handling balance, good steering, excellent brakes, good turn of acceleration when needed. The Honda just felt that little bit "meatier" which is no bad thing from my point of view.

A crucial difference was the way the engine sounded and felt when it was running, because the Civic drives solely from the electric motor with the petrol engine just charging the battery, other than at very high speed when things lock up and the engine drives the car directly (didn't find out how high). Anyway, Honda have played some clever tricks with the software so the revs alter and it sounds to the driver like gearchange points in a normal auto. I thought it was a total gimmick when I read about it in various reviews, but have to confess it does work and makes it feel more "normal."

Interior ambience/quality was very impressive - it reminded me of the B6 series Audi A4 I had some years back, and a cut above the Corolla imo.

I mentioned that boot space was tight on the Corolla but not here - Civic has about 100 litres more.

Slight negatives for me:

- The PRND controls are by separate switches rather than a conventional auto type selector in the Corolla. Not sure how I'd get on with those as I have little feeling in my left hand (as regular readers of my ramblings will know) and find a chunky selector easier to use

- The car does feel quite big but that's usually something you settle into

- The centre console armrest seemed to get in my way a bit during enthusiastic wheel twirling and can't be slid back, as in some cars. Playing about with the seat/wheel position might address that.

And that's about it - very nice car indeed and I was very impressed with it (this from a lifetime fan of manual boxes!).

 

[Eric Bloodaxe]

Just an aside to my test driving this last week or so. We often express concern on here as to how speed limiters will work given problems with road signs, GPS etc.

There's a spot on my usual test drive route where you come out of a 40 into NSL. The nearside NSL sign is buried in a hedge, the offside is so faded its just a white disc. Unsurprisingly, my Fiestas TSR doesn't pick it up.

Went that way in 3 cars - a Hyundai, Toyota, and Honda which all had similar systems though I made sure the limiter was off. All of their TSR systems functioned perfectly, except for this location which they all failed to recognise.

Hyundai and Toyota just kept showing a flashing 40 as does the Fiesta, as it assumes you are driving over the limit. The Honda just went blank - salesman told me that's normal - if it isn't sure, it shows nothing, which (assuming that was correct and not bull*hit) perhaps isn't a bad idea.