The trouble is, most of these moderns have this 'convenience' shit, so they're all unreliable.

The stats are a bit strange - most cars are statistically generally reliable, but one seems to get a few people who wear a groove in the road to the dealer with their example. Chippo's A4, remember that?

Fiesta Popular is the future. Other de-contented misery-boxes are available. There is the added bonus of knowing that, if you buy new, they are sold below cost so are a bargain.

a mate has a T8 Volvo SUV hybrid thing.. it manages about 30mpg, is as big as most trucks and the boot opens so slowly it grind my nuts off

he opened it to put his dog in and 3 of us stood there, watching, waiting.. good god, if i got one of those the dog would take the side entrance :D

i'm a luddite on this stuff, i despise dealers, but if the X proves reliable its just the sheer size which counts against it

Vade retro satanas ! It's French.

i'm sure its great.. but i'm not royalty and I much prefer to open doors myself....

electronic shit should be minimised.. the XSR700 has no electric throtlle, no variable maps, no tc.. just a cable and abs ;)

Older dogs simply cannot use the back entrance - hence the Super Useless Vehicle moniker.

With a CX Safari in depressurised mode, they could've literally walked in off the kerb.

I have decided a tailored seat cover for an Acura RL is probably more of a sensible investment than a get-a-life style estate.

funny you say that, he carries a ramp which is probably 8 foot of folding alluminium and rubber and his dog is about 12 months old, retriever

Clarkson's argument is probably accurate, a car-size arms race.. "if that bastad crashes into me i am fooked.." line of thought

despite being much more likely to be unable to stop or corner..

I've just returned from a California road trip which was done in a Discovery (supercharged petrol version) and it was suprisingly chuckable over some very tight and twisty mountain roads like these:
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@34.09...!3m1!1e3?hl=en

It had all the modern gizmos, including an electric boot door (which we managed to leave open on one occasion - fortunately in 25mph limited Yosemite).

I imagine running one here would be penal in terms of fuel costs, but it was an comfortable, well appointed thing, overall.

It's a stunning place to drive around ( USA in general ) and we hope to see Yosemite this year when we go ( also road tripping ) and there is nothing like 3000 miles over a two week period to test how pleasant a car is to be in. A sports car / B road pocket rocket would be fun for 1/4 of that trip, when you're awake, in the mood and the traffic / heat / weather is being nice.

Hoping for another Sportage SUV type thing this time again.

1968 - VW Beetle. What a miserable, hot, unreliable shitbox that was. I detest them for a reason. Reasons...

The Dodge Dart was a paragon by comparison. Slant-six, windows and thru-flow ventilation. And yes, California is beautiful.

never had the misfortune but we are spoilt these days. last time we had a breakdown where the car stopped was 2004. i remember as we were headed to a flight to Australia at the time.. poxhall Astra, immobiliser issue.

now we have climate control or air con, no points, no distributors, no carbs.. its all pretty good even on crap stuff. our kumkwat never misses a beat and is well specced with his n hers climate, cruise etc despite it being a pov model for the flat seats and tiny wheels (that back)

i remember breaking down a lot as a kid