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Post by rodge on May 15, 2023 9:29:20 GMT
Dropped the Mondeo in to get repaired this morning and was given a T-Cross for the week. Initial thoughts- it’s very traditionally basic, as in it has a 5 speed manual gearbox, very hard plastics including above the arm rests and all over the dashboard and a manual handbrake. It does have lane warning, adaptable cruise and CarPlay/android auto which works as well as expected. For a large car, as a driver it feels exposed- the seats don’t hug you in any way and are quite flat. The engine is some sort of low powered petrol that’s not going to win any races but is perky enough up to 30mph… Space wise, it’s probably big enough for my family of teenagers to fit in but I don’t think the seats would be good for a long journey.
It’ll do for the week.
My insurance company wouldn’t cover me in it either, so the rental company had to get onto the insurers who are paying to sort me out before I left.
Didn’t take any pictures of it. It’s not that exciting!
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Post by rodge on May 15, 2023 10:01:04 GMT
Had to move it so took a photo.
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Post by Big Blue on May 15, 2023 12:02:17 GMT
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Post by Boxer6 on May 15, 2023 12:06:46 GMT
Dropped the Mondeo in to get repaired this morning and was given a T-Cross for the week. Initial thoughts- it’s very traditionally basic, as in it has a 5 speed manual gearbox, very hard plastics including above the arm rests and all over the dashboard and a manual handbrake. It does have lane warning, adaptable cruise and CarPlay/android auto which works as well as expected. For a large car, as a driver it feels exposed- the seats don’t hug you in any way and are quite flat. The engine is some sort of low powered petrol that’s not going to win any races but is perky enough up to 30mph… Space wise, it’s probably big enough for my family of teenagers to fit in but I don’t think the seats would be good for a long journey. It’ll do for the week. My insurance company wouldn’t cover me in it either, so the rental company had to get onto the insurers who are paying to sort me out before I left. Didn’t take any pictures of it. It’s not that exciting! Seems a bit odd - did they give a reason?
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Post by rodge on May 15, 2023 16:27:39 GMT
My insurance company wouldn’t cover me in it either, so the rental company had to get onto the insurers who are paying to sort me out before I left. Didn’t take any pictures of it. It’s not that exciting! Seems a bit odd - did they give a reason? Because it’s rented, my policy doesn’t cover me. I explained that it’s a replacement car while mine is being repaired and they wouldn’t have anything to do with it. The guy from the rental place said he would organise insurance with the paying company instead.
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Post by rodge on May 15, 2023 20:24:16 GMT
I missed that one! Having driven it more this evening, it’s grown on me. The engine note is quite growly and the seats are better than I thought at first- maybe the driving position is more suited to me now that I’ve been in it a few times. The gadgets work well but the hard plastics surprised me. Will try it out a bit more tomorrow and see how it does on my daily commute.
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on May 16, 2023 6:48:18 GMT
I missed that one! Having driven it more this evening, it’s grown on me. The engine note is quite growly and the seats are better than I thought at first- maybe the driving position is more suited to me now that I’ve been in it a few times. The gadgets work well but the hard plastics surprised me. Will try it out a bit more tomorrow and see how it does on my daily commute. I think VW, much like Toyota, is constrained as to how much perceived quality they can put into their interiors before they start to impinge on Audi and Lexus’ territory. Or it could just be the bean counters got their way.
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Post by rodge on May 16, 2023 17:53:09 GMT
Day 2 of T-Cross driving. I actually like the smaller wheelbase it has because it’s ideal for driving where I live and work. The car is a few feet shorter than the Mondeo so parking it is a doddle. Handling and ride are pretty good.
One thing that has pleasantly surprised me about it is the touch controls for the heating/air con. They’re brilliantly done and far better than a screen. Great balance between the need to be able to find a control by finger and not having to look at the same time. I need to top it up with petrol in the next day as the fuel light came on- it arrived to me with about 1/4 of a tank in it so will need to throw 10 litres or so into it.
But the first impressions of it being basic are starting to win me over a bit. The wife is looking for a car and she might like one of them- it’s definitely worth considering.
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Post by rodge on May 19, 2023 16:16:30 GMT
I have the T-Cross till Tuesday. Car wasn’t repaired today so it’s in over the weekend too. Not really surprised as I couldn’t understand how they could do the repairs in 3 days.
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Post by racingteatray on May 25, 2023 21:33:48 GMT
Noticed, walking past the Avis lot at Ancona airport this evening, that at least half of their small fleet consisted of T-Crosses. Evidently a popular model with rental fleets.
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Post by alf on Jun 7, 2023 16:57:20 GMT
One day, I aspire to own something as mighty as the T-Cross.......
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