G
Gaff
Guest
Hi All,
Collected my ecomobile yesterday and made the 900 km trip home before nightfall. I got a 2001 A2 in a dark blue/almost black colour. Looks cool now, 'fraid it may be a lot less cool in summer. Low mileage with plenty of dents and scratches would suggest that its been used as city transport for the first part of its life. Only noteworthy non-standard feature is the tyres at 165/70R14.
This is my first automatic, past experience was only a test drive in a smart roadster which convinced me that fully auto and sports car are two concepts that don't mix. For the A2, I forgot to use only-one-foot when setting off and created a right spectacle for passers-by as I left the garage. Once on the road, I must admit that I do like this system. Taking a ticket/paying for the autoroutes is a lot less bother when the car manages the clutch. On the mountain roads, there is a distinct lack of progress compared to our other cars, but I blame this on the limited power of the engine rather than sluggush or wrong gear selection.
Impressed with how quiet the car is at speed and how good the concert CD player is. Liked the brakes too. Car feels solid, not at all like the 1980 fiat panda that I was imaging really.
To test the ultra low fuel use, I left the car in eco, lets call that "snail" mode from now on, for the entire journey. It returned more than 60 mpg, despite leaden foot driving and a journey taking me initially over a mountain range and then the remainder was motorway. Snail mode does not mix too well with the French 130 kmh autoroutes. On inclines my progress fell to that of mid-size lorries (105 kmh), and upset a few faster vehicles that had to slow down for me. Stamping down (forcing lower gears) failed to push the speed higher. On down hill stretches, more than 140 kph will show on the speedo, but even then my GPS said top speed was only 133 kmh. Well, at least I won't be triggering the motorway speed cameras with this car. So overall, a bit frustrating for European motorway trips, but quite tolerable for the daily commute.
Some questions for anyone still reading...
Is the 1.2 TDI under-tyred as standard, i.e. do owners find that they lack grip in the dry? Opinions on the tyre fitment, 165/70 instead of 145/80 would be welcome.
What speed will a 1.2 TDI reach easily on a motorway?
GA
Collected my ecomobile yesterday and made the 900 km trip home before nightfall. I got a 2001 A2 in a dark blue/almost black colour. Looks cool now, 'fraid it may be a lot less cool in summer. Low mileage with plenty of dents and scratches would suggest that its been used as city transport for the first part of its life. Only noteworthy non-standard feature is the tyres at 165/70R14.
This is my first automatic, past experience was only a test drive in a smart roadster which convinced me that fully auto and sports car are two concepts that don't mix. For the A2, I forgot to use only-one-foot when setting off and created a right spectacle for passers-by as I left the garage. Once on the road, I must admit that I do like this system. Taking a ticket/paying for the autoroutes is a lot less bother when the car manages the clutch. On the mountain roads, there is a distinct lack of progress compared to our other cars, but I blame this on the limited power of the engine rather than sluggush or wrong gear selection.
Impressed with how quiet the car is at speed and how good the concert CD player is. Liked the brakes too. Car feels solid, not at all like the 1980 fiat panda that I was imaging really.
To test the ultra low fuel use, I left the car in eco, lets call that "snail" mode from now on, for the entire journey. It returned more than 60 mpg, despite leaden foot driving and a journey taking me initially over a mountain range and then the remainder was motorway. Snail mode does not mix too well with the French 130 kmh autoroutes. On inclines my progress fell to that of mid-size lorries (105 kmh), and upset a few faster vehicles that had to slow down for me. Stamping down (forcing lower gears) failed to push the speed higher. On down hill stretches, more than 140 kph will show on the speedo, but even then my GPS said top speed was only 133 kmh. Well, at least I won't be triggering the motorway speed cameras with this car. So overall, a bit frustrating for European motorway trips, but quite tolerable for the daily commute.
Some questions for anyone still reading...
Is the 1.2 TDI under-tyred as standard, i.e. do owners find that they lack grip in the dry? Opinions on the tyre fitment, 165/70 instead of 145/80 would be welcome.
What speed will a 1.2 TDI reach easily on a motorway?
GA
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