All change on the car front.

July into August will see some changes on the car front.

Mrs W's Audi A1 is now just over 3 years old, the warranty ran out in March. I've never really liked the car, seemed to be an expensive Polo (as it is basically a Polo with an Audi badge), and the quality of materials are nowhere near as good as her previous gen A1. The MMI is very, very flaky, it reboots at random times, sometimes won't connect to the phone etc. So it is going soon. In its place will be, drum roll please....an EV SUV!! Shock. horror. I've take advantage of the work's salary sacrifice scheme as it really does seem to be a no risk approach to trialing an electric car for the household. The lease deal includes insurance, maintenance, tax (£20!) and consumables. She does 4-5K miles a year, so a no brainer to trial an EV. We've gone for a Honda e-NY1 (don't ask me where that name came from), it is basically a HRV in electric form. Comes with a lot of spec and was very, very sensible financially. It should be delivered in late July or early August. Kind of excited to see how the electric car can be useful for us both, it may be a definite no in terms of a future EV route, but it is a two year experiment. Won't be installing a charger thingy just yet, we will see how the standard 3-pin plug approach works.
The Alfa is also moving on! What a great little car it has been. Serviced it at the weekend, now on 102K miles. My youngest son is having it off me, he wanted a car for his work commute, and his 2005 Micra has finally given up. He is genuinely excited about this, good lad. He will collect the car sometime early/mid July. I will do a final summary report and costings on the car on the Alfa thread I started. Overall a very positive experience, both financially and practically. I will be putting a few miles on it between now and then.
The M440i is still here, and will be for a few months or so. Not made my mind up on this one yet. The car is brilliant, so technically excellent in many ways, but it just doesn't excite me. I've still not gelled with it as a second car, maybe using it a bit more for work may help, I still have many miles in the PCP deal to use. There has been much internet searching for a replacement that is both fun and relatively practical. We shall see where the searching takes me.
A time of change in the W household.

 

Certainly lots of changes or potential ones there - your head must be full to bursting Are you going to try an M240i coupe to see if it pushes the senses a bit more?

We would certainly look at an EV for our "2nd" car as it rarely does anything more than a 60 mile return journey at most. The Fiesta is still currently going strong at 13 years old and with a 19 year old in the house driving it when back from Uni we will drive it until it croaks.

 

Certainly all change and interesting to see what you make of the electric Honda
On the M440i it will be interesting to see if you gel more with it once the Alfa is gone it is certainly a compelling package but I know what you mean on them being not very exciting.
My 640d GC is about to be pressed into action for a two week holiday in France where in theory it should excel but I find myself increasingly looking at a quite diverse replacements such as a lightly used M850i GC or a Porsche 911 - hopefully nothing electric just yet. My wife's new X1 with its MHEV is the nearest I have to get at the minute hopefully..

 

I think EVs make perfect sense as a 2nd vehicle especially if that 2nd vehicle does lots of short journeys or urban work....will be interesting to see how that fits in
The current Audi's have definitely take a step down in quality had a sit in a few lately and there is some nasty quality plastics in places.

Good luck with your search to replace the M440i.

 

I have considered the M240i, but I think it is the xDrive that takes away some of the engagement. It is just too good! The positives are the ability to find traction pretty much regardless of the weather, road surface and grip available, the down sides are that to get some feedback and engagement, I need to be very, very heavy with my right foot.

The not-so-short list has a wide number of possible cars to consider. I need to get out and drive a few to see if there is the "fizz".

 

I think a lot of modern cars have become inert in their feedback. A combination of heavy weight and electric steering nullify the sensation.

Unless you are considering a Lotus, Alpine or Porsche for example or possibly an M car AMG or RS Audi I fear there is not much out there.

 

Wow, why change one when you can change them all…..

I get what your all saying about Audi’s, very bland and lack excitement!
I’m in the throws of making sacrificial changes, that most likely shall not materialise, cars currently, across all marques have little enticement….
Stuttgart has my focus but I can’t share the logic with the misses, having time proven, single car ownership is the way forward but sadly “she” is being oh so very selfish!

All the best with your thoughts, keep in mind, realistically, it’s all about the chase, scroll back and read your early post on the 440…

 

The Honda is on its way, there was an identical car at the UK port, so we won’t be needing to wait for a factory build all the way from China.
Looks like it will be here by the end of July into very early August. Mrs W is definitely looking forward to the new car.

 

Didn't realise that even Japanese manufacturers were building cars in China....

 

Honda are building all their electric cars (currently only this one) in Chinese factories. Linked to the BYD facilities I believe.

 

The Honda is at the supplying dealership now, looking for a delivery next week. Once I'm back from annual leave I will get the Audi moved on via Motorway or similar.

 

Honda arrived today. We’ve been for a short drive out, will put a few more miles on it this weekend.
Seems rather complicated, I’ve even had to read the handbook, yes, read it! Goes against my male instinct so it does.
Huge interior space, especially with Mrs W at the wheel. Can’t say I’ve seen that level of rear leg room before.

 

Not sure why the photos aren't showing up as normal?

A little more time in the Honda today, off to pick the FIL up for a coffee. So much easier for him to get in/out of the car compared to the A1, he is 88 and not as mobile as he once was.

A few hugely annoying features:
- 2024 cars all come with the mandatory speed limit warning and triple "bong" when going over the limit, even by 2/3mph. It can be disabled in the system, but then comes straight back on when the car is restarted. Reads the roadsigns and uses the GPS to work out wha the limit is. The speed reading on the dash flashes as well as the triple "bong", all rather distracting.
- No auto lock on drive off. Not a feature on these cars apparently, will have to train the wife to press the lock button each time she sets off.
- Gloss back trim is a magnet for dust and scratches, already has a few marks on it.
A few early positive features:
- A very quiet and conformable car. It has standard shocks/springs and is on 18" wheels, but manages to waft over the road surfaces realty well. Also manages to be vaguely poised in the corners as well.
- Great interior switch gear and materials, feels quite plush. The "leather" is all artificial, but does a decent job of mimicking the look and feel.
- Stereo is good.

Some interior shots (those with a phobia of larger touchscreen displays, look away now....)

 

That looks very nice a certain upgrade from the Audi!
Surprising the leap forward in tech both inside and out
The more EV’s appear on the road the more normalised the futuristic looks appear

 

Nice to see a few physical switches scattered about. Enjoy them while you can!

 

The central controls are all touch screen, the "tablet" runs right down to the climate controls. The controls all stay in the same place, rather than having to scroll through screens or options, so aren't that fiddly to access. However, touch screens are still a bit of a faff. The only physical buttons are on the steering wheel and on the stalks.

 

110 miles into the car now, starting to get a feel for the pros/cons of the experience.

For a larger, and heavier, car on 18" wheels, it is very comfortable, rides over the bumps and ruts really, really well. Seats are comfortable.
Still have to take it to the main dealer to get the tele services switched on, annoying this wasn't done from the factory. Need this so I can finish setting the app up for the car, this will be useful for checking the range, setting the heating etc.
Takes an age to charge on the 13amp hous mains. It was on 20% on Thursday night, so plugged it in at 9pm, came back at 8am on Friday to unplug and it had only got to 72%. The good news is that only cost £6-7 on the electric bill. Thankfully we are only using this as a short range, local car, so not worried about the need for quick recharges. The 72% showed 180 miles, about right for the supposed 258 mile range and 100%.

Not being able to switch the bongs and "safety" features off is a bit annoying, but will get used to this.

About to take it to the tip with two large bags of garden waste, it is a utility vehicle after all......

 

In other news, my youngest son is loving the Alfa life. A massive upgrade from his 2005 Micra that was on the edge of disintegration...

 

Can you not switch the speed limit bongs and safety stuff off at all?

I thought I might have beaten it in the new car based upon build date being a few months ago, but the spend limit warning system and active lane control stuff come on every time the engine has been switched off. It’s around a 20 second process to completely cancel them when starting if I remember. Speed warning stuff is annoying, lane control/steering feels exceedingly aggressive if I forget to switch off.