Talk Morgan Forums Community The Malvern Arms And not just Telegraph readers...

My wife want us to buy a bog standard 4/4 Yeti ……… our Volvo is a computer on wheels. Some days things work, sometimes they don’t.
I mentioned it once stopped suddenly at only a few mph , locked the wheels and in gear . Reboot it the Volvo assist said by opening and closing the doors and boot. Didn’t work .
Thankfully it is a two person driving car…, my wife operates the heating system when the window steams up in seconds, she then operates the info and operating screen because when you aim for the icon as a driver you hit another due to bumpy pot holed roads. Some days lane assist (which in truth I like ) works and then it doesn’t. What I don’t like is overtaking someone fast and having after well clearing them you have to indicate you are changing lane - bit unnecessary when passing at 20mph or more and giving plenty of distance before the manoeuvre. Also it hates it on foreign motorways when there are multiple lines or contraflows and roadworks. Oh and in supermarket car parks it slams on the brakes if I am reversing and someone is yards and yards away…..most disconcerting. Cruise control at 20mph though is great for the nonsense London driving. So many getting tickets speeding at 23 or 24 mph. Sat nav has taken us some really dodgy ways as well.

All in all, far too many computer screen functions.MM

We are in the process of buying a newer Toyota 4Runner tank to replace our trusty 2007 version on which the mountain tracks and weather have taken their toll. Our chosen model is a 2022 4Runner SR5 which is the base but has all the necessary requirements such as 4WD, running boards to aid access with plenty of analogue knob controls and gauges. No need for moonroofs, cramped 7th seats and everything touch screen although a tea maker would be useful, saves $5-6,000 too.

Almost the same issues with our Volvo XC90.. the touch screen functions are stupid...impossible to operate if the road is just a little bumpy... some days the radio works well, other days not ( all in same position ).. some days the air suspension drops when you park, other days not....when you see a parked car in front on the side of the road sometimes it ignores it, sometimes the warning lights come on with the brakes.. We keep the car as it is a mile eater and comfy to drive ( Swedish barge ).. I have to agree with the saying that "less is more " seems the case with half the so called "tech" in modern vehicles..

Nowadays, craftsmen also lack simple, robust and inexpensive vehicles. In Asia, you can buy a simplified Toyota Hilux for just €12,000. Something like that would be needed here too, but unfortunately the regulations prevent this.

Maybe I'm misunderstanding, but the electric handbrake on our F56 Mini SE seems to work perfectly. Want to apply the handbrake? Pull the little lever up. Want to release the handbrake and move off? Press the switch down and drive off when you're ready. Hill hold works until the throttle is depressed. Can't think of anything not to like about that. It's a lot better than trying to do a hill start in the Morgan on a steep slope!

I understand the dislike of touch screens, we're lucky because we have the BMW iDrive system so you don't need to use the touch screen, you can do everything with the twisty joystick thingie.

When it came time to buy a new car, circa 20 months ago, given our mileage since retirement has reduced considerably, and that at the time EV was being promoted as best for the planet, it seemed that an EV could suit. With a bit of research it seemed that Tesla came out best, from the point of view that apparently Musk was starting with a clean sheet, and as the story goes, NASA were laying off much of the workforce, thus Musk hired high quality tecs from the space programme of all types, to design all aspects of his EV`s , perhaps unlike the motor industry in general likely trying to evolve their designs and processes by incorporating as much of that which they had to hand, in terms of manufacturing processes, to create their EV`s...?

I have knowledge of some of the hybrid Volvo issues and more of the issues with the Porsche Taycan.... thus it seems that perhaps even the most trusted names in the motor industry from the past may be having issues with the huge amount of interconnectivity related to all the software required to run systems, many of which seem superfluous to those of us who learned to drive with three pedals a handbrake lever, a few switches for lights, indicators, wiper, horn and heater, whereby we adjusted our braking, acceleration, and cornering to suit prevailing conditions......Perhaps my main frustration is not only that all those extra systems seem to add greatly to the complexity of the vehicle, but also to maintenance and repair costs, and which if not fully functional or indicating an issue, spurious or otherwise, cause a vehicle to fail to "start", or proceed any further... Also dependant on the status reported by such systems can equate to an MOT failure.....?

All that typed... As a basic hands on electromechanical type, it just seems entirely logical (?) that an electric motor would be a more reliable and less complex device than any ICE given the number of moving parts relied upon to create drive..?

I have found the Tesla to be an ideal transportation device for the old man I have become, requiring far less input/concentration from me to get from A to B. For sure the Tesla`s systems seem to be as complex or perhaps more so than some vehicles, and naturally (?) it`s decisions seem overly cautious when using cruise control i.e. to stick to speed limits, but simply bypassed if required...Thus in my short experience of Tesla compared to others I have read/heard of, it CURRENTLY, still gets a thumbs up from me...

Should you have EV/Tesla engineering evolution of interest you might enjoy this hour long vid... you can beam in circa 5 mins 23 sec to miss the usual initial intro babble...

Such is my memory, I can not remember if I may have posted it previously... sorry, but perhaps worth watching again...?

I have a nearly new Volvo V60 PHEV. The touch screen is a PITA to use but otherwise I have found it to be easy to drive, comfortable and economical. I worry a bit about the complexity but as it is in warranty and I will have extended warranty I am not too concerned. I have found the switches to turn off the lane keeping aid and speed limit control. I don't trust the speed limit control as there a couple of places nearby where it says the limit is 20 whereas it is actually 40!

I've had failures of electric handbrakes on two different vehicles LR discovery handbrake actuated at 50 mph locking the wheels and refusing to release, recovery truck.
Vauxhall Insignia seceral police vehicles suffered handbrake failure whilst parked causing vehicles rolling off and causing damage. NEVER again.

my wife has a golf gti this has an automatic electric handbrake, and she thinks it is marvellous , she doesn't have to touch it ,it comes on as soon as you come to a halt with a dab of the brake pedal.

DB

I recently watched a 5th Gear test of some modern Volvo undertaken at Millbrook by the look of the track, it exhibited some strange driver assist when reading the white lines, so much so that all 3 testers reduced the scores by quite a lot and VBH said she'd never risk owning one