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Post by Martin on Jul 29, 2018 9:56:42 GMT
No lottery, we booked an X3 with Sixt Croatia and that’s what we got. Its a current model X3 2.0d XDrive M Sport in black, with the standard 19” wheels. Pretty decent spec, in addition to what you’d expect such as leather, auto most things inc boot etc, it has Professional Nav, Panoramic Sunroof, Head up Display, Full Voodoo LEDs, Surround cameras, 3 Zone air con (digital controls in the rear) and the Driver assistance pack (side assist/lane assist/collision protection) and possibly a couple of other things that might not be standard in Croatia. Plenty of space for 4 adults and their luggage, don’t particularly like the driving position but it’s useful on roads you don’t know. The interior is mainly new 5 series, instruments, climate, major and minor controls are all the same. It drives pretty well, the engine is a lot rougher and noisier than I remember so a 6 pot diesel or petrol is unsurprisingly the way to go. Ride is good on smooth roads, too firm on bumpy ones, but it doesn’t have variable dampers. It was really strange to start with because the HUD and instruments are pretty much the same as they are in the 7 (instruments slightly different) but it feels totally different to drive. Tried out the hill descent control on the last bit of the villas drive as it’s pretty steep and had to turn around on a steep gravel drive so also tried out the 4 wheel drive. We won’t be doing a lot of miles so it’s probably more than we really need, the car is a part of the holiday on this type of break imo. I didn’t have the key when I took the pics, which was on a wall back from the local shop with breakfast this morning, hence the picture through the window!      |
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Post by Martin on Jul 29, 2018 9:57:28 GMT
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Post by ChrisM on Jul 29, 2018 20:31:34 GMT
... but is it any good? I Know that in the UK you cannot get a spare wheel/tyre  |
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Post by Martin on Jul 29, 2018 20:36:14 GMT
... but is it any good? I Know that in the UK you cannot get a spare wheel/tyre I remain convinced that the equivalent saloon or estate, in this case the 5 series, is much better to drive. |
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Post by ChrisM on Jul 29, 2018 20:57:12 GMT
Undoubtedly, but practicality and comfort behind the wheel? I was toying with the idea of an X1 or X3 when the Ford dealer was taunting me with offers on a Kuga last year but due to the Guildford dealership not having a showroom at the time and therefore no cars to look around, and also the receptionists ignoring me for a while whilst I stood there waiting to ask if they did have a showroom, salesperson, brochures etc, I left convinced that they weren't really interested in selling to a private customer. I suspect that their discounts and finance rates wouldn't have been a patch on Ford either.
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Jul 29, 2018 21:58:40 GMT
... but is it any good? I Know that in the UK you cannot get a spare wheel/tyre I remain convinced that the equivalent saloon or estate, in this case the 5 series, is much better to drive. Always better to drive, not necessarily better to own. |
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Post by Big Blue on Jul 30, 2018 6:09:37 GMT
Croatia’s fab.
Don’t like X-cars but as hire cars they’re probably the best thing since sliced bread.
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Post by PetrolEd on Jul 30, 2018 9:23:27 GMT
Undoubtedly, but practicality and comfort behind the wheel? I was toying with the idea of an X1 or X3 when the Ford dealer was taunting me with offers on a Kuga last year but due to the Guildford dealership not having a showroom at the time and therefore no cars to look around, and also the receptionists ignoring me for a while whilst I stood there waiting to ask if they did have a showroom, salesperson, brochures etc, I left convinced that they weren't really interested in selling to a private customer. I suspect that their discounts and finance rates wouldn't have been a patch on Ford either. So within half an hour off the top of my head you have dealers in Farnborough, Hook, Hindhead, Bracknell, Sunningdale, Cobham and Reading and you went to the showroom that was in the middle of a refurb rather then the rest and made your buying decision on that basis?
For me Holidays are all about trying out the shittest cars possible and I love it. I remember being given a Polo once as an upgrade and I want happy. I demand a Panda, Punto or Fiat 500 only and then drive the crap out of it for 2 weeks and return it just before it blows up.
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Post by Tim on Jul 30, 2018 10:21:28 GMT
Discounts and finance rates at BMW will probably be better than Ford, especially if you go along with a printout from Drive The Deal or similar!
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Jul 30, 2018 10:27:57 GMT
Undoubtedly, but practicality and comfort behind the wheel? I was toying with the idea of an X1 or X3 when the Ford dealer was taunting me with offers on a Kuga last year but due to the Guildford dealership not having a showroom at the time and therefore no cars to look around, and also the receptionists ignoring me for a while whilst I stood there waiting to ask if they did have a showroom, salesperson, brochures etc, I left convinced that they weren't really interested in selling to a private customer. I suspect that their discounts and finance rates wouldn't have been a patch on Ford either. They're pretty good at spotting non-serious buyers.  |
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Jul 30, 2018 10:29:49 GMT
For me Holidays are all about trying out the shittest cars possible and I love it. I remember being given a Polo once as an upgrade and I want happy. I demand a Panda, Punto or Fiat 500 only and then drive the crap out of it for 2 weeks and return it just before it blows up.
Me too. Give me the oldest, cheapest Panda they've got and I'm delighted. Drive anywhere, over anything, dump it anywhere without a care. This year I was given a brand new Toyota Aygo and the guy showing me round it couldn't understand my disappointment. |
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Post by Martin on Jul 30, 2018 11:39:40 GMT
For me Holidays are all about trying out the shittest cars possible and I love it. I remember being given a Polo once as an upgrade and I want happy. I demand a Panda, Punto or Fiat 500 only and then drive the crap out of it for 2 weeks and return it just before it blows up.
Me too. Give me the oldest, cheapest Panda they've got and I'm delighted. Drive anywhere, over anything, dump it anywhere without a care. This year I was given a brand new Toyota Aygo and the guy showing me round it couldn't understand my disappointment. I’d have been seriously disappointed by an Aygo as well! Flight was bad enough, too much like public transport and I don’t do queuing....  The rest of the holiday is brilliant so far  |
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Post by ChrisM on Jul 30, 2018 12:32:05 GMT
Undoubtedly, but practicality and comfort behind the wheel? I was toying with the idea of an X1 or X3 when the Ford dealer was taunting me with offers on a Kuga last year but due to the Guildford dealership not having a showroom at the time and therefore no cars to look around, and also the receptionists ignoring me for a while whilst I stood there waiting to ask if they did have a showroom, salesperson, brochures etc, I left convinced that they weren't really interested in selling to a private customer. I suspect that their discounts and finance rates wouldn't have been a patch on Ford either. So within half an hour off the top of my head you have dealers in Farnborough, Hook, Hindhead, Bracknell, Sunningdale, Cobham and Reading and you went to the showroom that was in the middle of a refurb rather then the rest and made your buying decision on that basis?
For me Holidays are all about trying out the shittest cars possible and I love it. I remember being given a Polo once as an upgrade and I want happy. I demand a Panda, Punto or Fiat 500 only and then drive the crap out of it for 2 weeks and return it just before it blows up.
I happened to be in Guildford at the time, on the main industrial estate where many car dealers have their showrooms. I didn't know beforehand that the dealership was being refurbished - and who would choose to have their showroom out of action with about 2 months to go to the new plate? A time, when surely many private buyers would be around, ready to place orders with a 6-8 week wait for the new plate. I have previously tried one of the other dealers that you mention and had a much better experience although at that time, I wasn't looking to buy for myslf (was having a nose around an i3 as it would have made an ideal car for mum to have) |
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Post by PG on Jul 30, 2018 13:38:42 GMT
For me Holidays are all about trying out the shittest cars possible and I love it. I remember being given a Polo once as an upgrade and I want happy. I demand a Panda, Punto or Fiat 500 only and then drive the crap out of it for 2 weeks and return it just before it blows up. The old joke of course is what is the fastest car on the road? Is it a mid engine hyper car? No. It's any hire car. The cheaper the quicker. |
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Jul 30, 2018 14:04:13 GMT
For me Holidays are all about trying out the shittest cars possible and I love it. I remember being given a Polo once as an upgrade and I want happy. I demand a Panda, Punto or Fiat 500 only and then drive the crap out of it for 2 weeks and return it just before it blows up. The old joke of course is what is the fastest car on the road? Is it a mid engine hyper car? No. It's any hire car. The cheaper the quicker. I have many happy memories of a yellow SEAT Marbella hire car that I used as a dune buggy for week in Spain. During some flash floods it also got to do some muddy offroading and water wading. I left it propped up against a large wheelie bin at the far corner of Alicante airport and headed to Departures with an air of genuine sadness. |
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Post by Martin on Jul 30, 2018 15:26:27 GMT
For me Holidays are all about trying out the shittest cars possible and I love it. I remember being given a Polo once as an upgrade and I want happy. I demand a Panda, Punto or Fiat 500 only and then drive the crap out of it for 2 weeks and return it just before it blows up. The old joke of course is what is the fastest car on the road? Is it a mid engine hyper car? No. It's any hire car. The cheaper the quicker. I’ve just successfully completed a 2 car and a motor home overtake, but Lindsay asked “is that really all it’s got?” as we were half way through.... |
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Post by PG on Jul 30, 2018 16:26:54 GMT
The old joke of course is what is the fastest car on the road? Is it a mid engine hyper car? No. It's any hire car. The cheaper the quicker. I’ve just successfully completed a 2 car and a motor home overtake, but Lindsay asked “is that really all it’s got?” as we were half way through.... I had to read that twice. The first time I mis-read it as "Lindsay asked "is that really all you've got" as we were half way through"... way too much information....  |
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Post by Martin on Jul 30, 2018 17:00:29 GMT
I’ve just successfully completed a 2 car and a motor home overtake, but Lindsay asked “is that really all it’s got?” as we were half way through.... I had to read that twice. The first time I mis-read it as "Lindsay asked "is that really all you've got" as we were half way through"... way too much information.... Couldn’t be further from the truth!  |
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Post by Tim on Jul 31, 2018 9:38:11 GMT
I have to say I'm not impressed with BMWs 2 litre diesel.
It never feels like it has as much performance as it should and when I've driven, say, my Bro In Law's Alfa GT I'm surprised how sprightly that feels. Fair enough its lighter but its also 10 years old and a 'mere' 1.9.
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Post by Boxer6 on Jul 31, 2018 18:23:23 GMT
I have to say I'm not impressed with BMWs 2 litre diesel. It never feels like it has as much performance as it should and when I've driven, say, my Bro In Law's Alfa GT I'm surprised how sprightly that feels. Fair enough its lighter but its also 10 years old and a 'mere' 1.9. The sprightliness (to pinch your word) of mine always gave me a pleasant surprise when pressing on. Seen two very recently too, BlackLine like mine and a blue Cloverleaf. Still a good looking car to my eyes. |
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Post by Tim on Aug 1, 2018 10:13:09 GMT
I have to say I'm not impressed with BMWs 2 litre diesel. It never feels like it has as much performance as it should and when I've driven, say, my Bro In Law's Alfa GT I'm surprised how sprightly that feels. Fair enough its lighter but its also 10 years old and a 'mere' 1.9. The sprightliness (to pinch your word) of mine always gave me a pleasant surprise when pressing on. Seen two very recently too, BlackLine like mine and a blue Cloverleaf. Still a good looking car to my eyes. It is and the red Cloverleaf that sits on my driveway is a constant reminder of that. Just off for a browse on Autotrader for a V6.........
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Post by racingteatray on Aug 7, 2018 21:21:18 GMT
Are rental cars particularly cheap in Croatia? In Italy, to get something like that costs easily triple the amount required to rent e.g. a Clio and I can never justify the expense.
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Post by Martin on Aug 7, 2018 23:55:04 GMT
Are rental cars particularly cheap in Croatia? In Italy, to get something like that costs easily triple the amount required to rent e.g. a Clio and I can never justify the expense. No, they’re broadly the same as you’d expect in Europe and it was more than triple a Clio iirc. Best to work out the extra cost a day rather than think of multiples or weekly cost! |
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