Author: carcoutureblog

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The sound of silence? How can silent electric cars warn pedestrians of their approach…

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I imagine the court case has already happened – man run over by silent electric car. If not, it’s going to soon. As I pulled out of a hotel car park this afternoon a kindly old chap walked straight out of the foyer and in front of the PHEV.

Should electric cars have a ‘sound’ added to their drivetrain to warn pedestrians? What if somebody steps out in front of an electric car and then claims they simply didn’t hear the vehicle approaching?

Of course, noise pollution can be damaging too. So quite how we get around this issue as more and more electric cars like the Mitsubishi appear on our roads is one that’s open for debate.

Fortunately, the Outlander has exceptionally good brakes. That didn’t stop an angry man waving two fingers in my direction…

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For the love of God, can somebody turn off the alarm bells in my Mitsubishi PHEV!

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More beeping noises with the PHEV! This time it’s when I leave the key in the ignition. But it’s not a gentle ‘ping’ a la BMW. No, the Mitsubishi goes into an insistent rant which makes heads turn at the filling station (I’m topping up again. Remember the PHEV only has a 45 litre capacity).

Now I know that in America cars have every kind of safety device to ensure manufacturers aren’t sued under crazy public liability laws but this is England. May I suggest we simply don’t need such vulgarities?

I’m becoming a little paranoid by the Outlander’s warning devices and alarms. Using the PHEV on a daily basis is not a joyous experience because I’m constantly being told what I can and can’t do with dull monotony.

I would just like to get in, shut the door, press the start button and drive away with no fuss, no stress. Sadly, I think I’m more likely to see petrol at 50p a litre and a Labour government come May 8…

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So the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV plug-in hybrid does 148mpg? Oh no it doesn’t! Welcome to the real world

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You might think your fuel bill is going to be slashed driving a plug-in hybrid like the Outlander PHEV. The headline figure of 148mpg sounds astounding – although common sense suggests you will never achieve anything like that in the real world.

So, what can you expect from Mitsubishi’s much-praised PHEV – 100mpg, 80mpg or a more realistic 65mpg perhaps? I’ve just driven the Outlander on two high-speed motorway trips of around 180 miles each way and the depressing news is 28.1mpg and 31.2mpg!

I was totally gobsmacked. There wasn’t even Easter Bank Holiday traffic to contend with, yet the PHEV was actually far worse than many premium band SUVs. Even the BMW X5 xDrive 25d managed 40+mpg.

And the problem is compounded by the fact that the PHEV only has a 45 litre capacity fuel tank because space is lost to accommodate the batteries. So you can forget Mitsubishi’s claimed 500 miles plus range – it just isn’t going to happen however carefully you drive.

The PHEV is competitively priced but I’m afraid that despite the hype, I’d still opt for a diesel version and enjoy much better, more practical economy…

 

 

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Why do I need three loud beeps from the Mitsubishi to tell me that the auto-boot closure is operating?

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It may be the Easter Saturday traffic but I’m in a moody of unequalled grumpiness. Just why the British have nothing better to do than shop on the weekend is beyond me. That and reality TV is turning our brains to mush.

It’s the kind of day when I want to step out of my house and drive a car that rubs happiness onto my troubled brow. Instead, I’m being audibly assaulted by the Mitsubishi Outlander’s annoying array of warning sounds every time I go near the fecking thing.

For example, why do I need three loud beeps to tell me that the auto-boot closure is operating, when I have just pressed the button myself to operate it? One gently ping would be more than sufficient. There are warning bells for lane departure, door left open, gear select – all the things I actually know anyway.

But what really takes the biscuit is the fact the infotainment system on the Outlander is incredibly s-l-o-w. So when I slip the incredible gearlever into reverse and look at the rear-parking camera, the image doesn’t immediately show me the distance lines I would expect – or sound a distance alert!

The one bloody safety system I want to use is fast asleep. Frankly, I’m not impressed Mitsubishi…

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The Mitsubishi PHEV is a plug-in vehicle that removes that worrying feeling you are just about to run out of juice

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You’ve read all the fluff about the brave new world of electric cars. However, even the stylish, beautifully-proportioned Tesla (tested elsewhere on this site) falls foul of the lack of plug-in infrastructure in the UK.

What we need is a plug-in vehicle that removes that worrying feeling you are just about to run out battery life in the middle of nowhere. So, until there are plug-in points on every street corner, the Outlander PHEV is the perfect solution.

PHEV is the first plug-in vehicle that has the reassuring back up of a hybrid petrol-electric system – so you will never have the stress of searching for a plug-in point miles from home.

It’s brilliantly simple – like most great ideas – and that’s why it’s now the UK’s No. 1 plug in. The PHEV does everything and is also a sports utility vehicle, a booming car sector in Britain.

Add four-wheel drive ability and you start to understand why this five-seater is proving so popular. We also like the way it looks at Car Couture and with a lot of miles to cover this week, I’m looking forward to seeing how the PHEV copes in the real world of Bank Holiday traffic.

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The VW Passat is the M&S of family cars. BMW is Waitrose and Skoda a worthy Tesco…

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Volkswagen sell more Passats than BMW or Audi make cars, a staggering 1.1 million a year. The benchmark family-mobile is bought in huge numbers around the world – especially in the US and China.

After a week in the top spec GT estate, I think I can understand why. The Passat is the M&S of cars. It has a perceived quality in the UK which many people aspire too. BMW and Audi? Well, I guess they would be Waitrose. Skoda and Hyundai equals Tesco.

The British still believe a car says more about you than most of us would care to admit. And over the last 42 years, the Passat has built up an aura around itself that seems to appeal to that vast majority of people.

Our 4Motion GT model might be from M&S’s premium range but there are plenty of diesel-powered gems that cost much less lower down the range.

The bottom line is that the Passat is a class act. That’s especially true of this latest version which somehow manages to be all things to all people. Which I seem to remember is what VW was originally created to be…

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The VW Passat GT estate we have on test this week is far too slick and sporty to gain my late father’s approval.

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I could never persuade my father to buy an exciting car. I grew up in a succession of Datsun 120Ys and Vauxhall Vivas. The most exciting wheels we ever saw on the family driveway was a Citroen CX saloon – the one with the self-centering steering wheel.

The CX with the crazy hydropneumatic suspension was eventually stolen and found burnt out – which only further proved my father’s point that it was pointless buying a flash car.

In desperation I took him to see a secondhand VW Passat. It ticked all the boxes and was suitably dreary enough not to offend him. It didn’t work – possibly because it was built in Germany and he was funny about stuff like that.

Fortunately, he wasn’t looking at the GT estate model we have on test this week. It’s far too slick and sporty to gain his approval. It’s not as bling as the latest Mondeo but at least designers in this day and age built cars that look even more desirable than a Citroen CX saloon.

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You might think that the latest VW Passat is having something of a mid-life crisis to coincide with mine.

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Does my bum look big in this? No, I thought not. The Passat may have a 650-litre boot that swells to 1780-litres with the back seats folded flat but it still manages to contend for the rear of the year in the estate category.

In fact, the changes to this eight generation model are so subtle that it’s only the rear view that gives the games away. Check out those neat, slit-eyed exhaust slots on either side – as pretty as a Jaguar XF estate.

With four-wheel drive and 237bhp of power on tap in the Bi TDI, this may lead you to think that the latest Passat is having something of a mid-life crisis to coincide with mine.

Not so. The car doesn’t have the sporty edge of a BMW 3 Series and still feels like, well, a Passat. It’s a brilliant buy, hugely practical and well screwed together but there’s still a dollop of excitement missing in the driving experience…

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The latest VW Passat is really just a larger Golf with a boot…

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I suppose that if I needed any further proof as to how good the Passat is then I just had to take the word of the judges from the European Car of Year. The Passat won by 92 votes – the largest margin in years.

Dragging along in second place was the Citroen Cactus (reviewed elsewhere on Car Couture), with the Ford Mondeo way back in fourth (we’d love to test Fords but unlike 40 other manufacturers who load us cars they don’t appear to know what a motoring blog is!).

It was the biggest victory margin in years, with the voting team giving VW’s sensible family car all round praise. Notable that British judges opting for the Citroen Cactus instead. Weird.

The biggest accolade I can give the Passat is that it is really a Golf with a boot but in larger form. And perhaps that’s all you need to know because there’s no better hatchback out there than the Golf…

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Should you pay £40,000 for a Volkswagen Passat estate? Our top spec test car has plenty going for it

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Whether or not you’re prepared to for out almost £40,000 for our top spec VW test car is really a no brainer. The sweet spot of the range is much further down the Passat line-up.

However, all Passat models share one common theme – a slick and stylish design that puts the estate up there with premium brand German rivals.

It’s not that long ago that the Passat was regarded as worthy but dull load-lugger that spent most of its life screaming up and down the M1. Not any more – this eighth generation model hasn’t been designed by robots.

My only reservation would be in the cabin. The interior still lacks BMW coolness, Audi chic. I love the ribbed seats and straightforward approach to the lay out of the controls but surely there’s room for a little style too?