One thing I will say about SUVs for empty nesters, is that they’re easier to get in and out of with a bad back/knees/whatever.

It’s insane that a car from 2015 is now considered obsolete on the market! Meanwhile the ICE Golfs are still competetive now after being launched in 2012. Of course the Golf 7 is about to disappear, but still. Going and buying a new Golf with a petrol engine is still a rational decision, but buying a new e-Golf kind…

I would imagine that it’s because nobody has pushed them to do so, so Tesla have concentrated on the Model 3 and Y. 

Depends which M5 you’re talking about.

Gas is cheap in America. It’s not in Europe, where the GTE is aimed. There are also serious tax advantages to the GTE. In the UK if you get a company car, the GTE’s tax bill is about half the GTI’s, going off the figures for the Mk.7.5. 

The big advantage the GTE has is in taxes in Europe. Using the figures from the last gen cars, the GTE is taxed on 16% of it’s list price in the UK if you have it as a company car. The GTI, on the other hand, is taxed on 32%.

It is based on the same platform, which might explain some of that. 

Totally agree. Doesn’t need many knobs and buttons, but basic HVAC stuff is vital.

I regularly get those figures in my 2019 Seat Ibiza. Which will not only match the fuel economy, but also isn’t a death trap, is comfortable, is bigger, has much better performance, and far more toys. Got 57.9 mpg driving home from work yesterday, for example.

My grandmother lived in north Wales, and when she was ill in the hospital before she passed away I drove to see her. The hospital is called ‘Ysbyty Gwynedd’.

I get why people would like having Alexa. I use Google Assistant quite a lot in my car, via Android Auto, and it’s great.

My grandparents had a BX Mk.2 (IE, the facelift) when I was a kid. It was a wagon, in white, with the 1.9 diesel. I have very vivid memories of being around 3 years old watching the car go ‘up’ on the hydropneumatic suspension, and squishing into the back seat while my grandmother leaned over to give me a sweet.

My grandparents had a BX Mk.2 (IE, the facelift) when I was a kid. It was a wagon, in white, with the 1.9 diesel. I have very vivid memories of being around 3 years old watching the car go ‘up’ on the hydropneumatic suspension, and squishing into the back seat while my grandmother leaned over to give me a sweet.

Carmakers have a tendency to do this to give laypeople the impression that they are using some advanced new tech.

My Seat also has a reasonable factory nav, but I have used it once. Google Maps is just better. Quicker to react to traffic issues, and because it’s Android Auto, I also have Spotify and Pocket Casts there too. 

The shelf was great! I’ve had Mk.5s (like yours) as rentals, and much preferred it to the Mk.4 I had. 

My old VW Polo with 65PS used to cruise perfectly happily at 85. Probably because Autobahn. Admittedly, it would take quite a while to get up to that speed, but it wasn’t dangerous to do so. 

I had a Polo, the generation before yours. It was like a TARDIS. I got all sorts in it, from a washing machine, a sofa (hanging out the back, but I did it), big Ikea trips, and even once basically an entire 4 piece band (including the band members).

Ditto. I carried a washing machine in my old VW Polo, which is the same size as a Mazda 2. It’s easy.

My friend just bought a Juke. He’s not a car guy, and compared to the absolutely trashed Mk.2 Renault Twingo he had before, it’s a big step up, and he likes it, and TBH that’s all that matters.