Audi, Mercedes, Porsche, BMW Forum

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How do you feel about the future of motoring?

What’s your opinion?

  • I don’t care about the power-train. I wanna go fast!

  • I’ll stick with petrol for as long as possible!


Results are only viewable after voting.

moonstone

Tyre Kicker
Posts
3,129
Likes
1,655
Location
Lanarkshire
Drives
Audi R8 V10+ • Taycan GTS
This started off as a question about electric cars but I suppose it’s broader than that.

Are petrolheads putting off going electric for as long as possible in favour of keeping hold of more traditional machinery or are the number of growing options starting to provide genuinely attractive alternatives? Porsche Taycan, Audi E-Tron GT etc...

I feel that we’re getting to a point where the general populace frown upon loud cars and with increasingly restrictive legislation around noise and emissions, even quieter performance that we lament for their lack of grunt in comparison to NA V8s of old, actually still stand out as loud and anti-social against the washing-machines on wheels that make up the bulk of cars on the road.

Personally, up until recently I’ve always embraced the latest and greatest but I now feel we’re reaching the twilight years of enthusiast motoring. Electric, self-driving, average speed cameras, dash cams and the instant ability to fan desire for people to share everything online....

Then the fact that passing your driving test is no longer the rite of passage for young people that it once was. More and more young people aren’t bothered.

So, are you resisting the electrical tidal wave coming in as a matter of principle or are you happy to embrace it when the right car (at the right budget) becomes available?
 

Parsley

Pit Crew
Posts
251
Likes
179
I'm 48. Thank god I'll see out my motoring years with a petrol car. For me if it doesn't have an engine it doesn't have a heartbeat. Electric cars can do a gazillion miles an hour, I don't care. They look awful (Tesla?????WTF DISGUSTING) The styling is woeful on most electric cars. I'm a Porsche man but don't like the Taycan. Another thing, they are pure fantasists if they think they will only sell electric cars by 2030. The tax on fuel......where will that come from. It will be tax on filling up your car with electric so it won't be cheaper. I'm at work and in a hurry so sorry if this is garbled but electric cars make me go all fizzy, in a bad way. I could go on for hours.
 

Senna11

Racing Driver
Posts
1,088
Likes
324
I’ve not tried an electric car so can’t really compare but having read various articles it seems that EVs will play a large part in transport for most going forward. I don’t think they are the total solution as synthetic fuels is an interesting one with some manufacturers spending quite a lot on this.
ICE will be around for some time although I think it will be hard to form any sort of emotive attachment to EVs.
 

grdaniel

Boy Racer
Posts
63
Likes
67
Drives
French
Being totally honest, i couldn’t care less about the propulsion of my daily drive. Whether it’s ice or elec it doesnt make much difference when going to tesco or the gym or to see friends. I dont drive fast on the roads now anyway, between traffic, cops, dash cams, and the fact i have a bit more safety conscious than when i was a daft 21yr old razzing about all over the place. If we can make transport more efficient with less fumes and still have a bit of poke, thats fine.

BUT i will always have a petrol car for track days. Can actually enjoy a car properly to its fullest and in a fun and safe way. The buzz from speed, braking and handling, sound of a good engine, the smell of petrol, brilliant. But in the right time and place.
 

boba fett

Racing Driver
Posts
3,796
Likes
2,116
Location
Kent
Drives
320d
Being totally honest, i couldn’t care less about the propulsion of my daily drive. Whether it’s ice or elec it doesnt make much difference when going to tesco or the gym or to see friends. I dont drive fast on the roads now anyway, between traffic, cops, dash cams, and the fact i have a bit more safety conscious than when i was a daft 21yr old razzing about all over the place. If we can make transport more efficient with less fumes and still have a bit of poke, thats fine.

BUT i will always have a petrol car for track days. Can actually enjoy a car properly to its fullest and in a fun and safe way. The buzz from speed, braking and handling, sound of a good engine, the smell of petrol, brilliant. But in the right time and place.

Sound in a weekend toy is everything, thats where cars like 911 Turbo's fail, and normally aspirated V8's, V12's and V10's exceed.

Hell even a 1.6 can sound good and right !!
 

Senna11

Racing Driver
Posts
1,088
Likes
324
Can’t see electrical power working for HGVs, probably hydrogen is a better solution.
Quite like the Porsche Taycan though.
 

MrMcG

Boy Racer
Posts
85
Likes
67
Drives
E63 M6
I’ve accepted that I’ll need an electric vehicle which can be the family car.
I hope I have 2 or 3 more silly cars left in me but if it doesn’t happen I can look back and think I did alright with owning cars that I personally wanted.
 

boba fett

Racing Driver
Posts
3,796
Likes
2,116
Location
Kent
Drives
320d
Before all this happens, there must be a significant investment in infrastructure, so worry not !!
 

ste360

Boy Racer
Posts
93
Likes
24
Drives
n/a
I'm 48. Thank god I'll see out my motoring years with a petrol car. For me if it doesn't have an engine it doesn't have a heartbeat. Electric cars can do a gazillion miles an hour, I don't care. They look awful (Tesla?????WTF DISGUSTING) The styling is woeful on most electric cars. I'm a Porsche man but don't like the Taycan. Another thing, they are pure fantasists if they think they will only sell electric cars by 2030. The tax on fuel......where will that come from. It will be tax on filling up your car with electric so it won't be cheaper. I'm at work and in a hurry so sorry if this is garbled but electric cars make me go all fizzy, in a bad way. I could go on for hours.

Much the same with me, petrol to the last.

Motoring more generally, not so great.

As already mentioned, cameras of one sort or another, etc.
 

Desperado

Tyre Kicker
Posts
5
Likes
3
Drives
BMW 330e
I drive an 330e.
it has a two litre petrol engine with a turbo plus an electric motor.

superb for short local driving with a car charger on my drive. nice and easy to plug in and charge and charges fully within an hour of switching the app on.

but the petrol engine on motorways and dual carriageways is awesome and the acceleration is very linear but i will try and get it remapped once covid is over.

the car is no m car and lacks the drive factor as it’s too wobbly.

but i would like an m4 as a weekend car when the situation is right.

it’s a good car for your daily drive.

like others, at 47, i am a lot more cautious and slower in how i drive.

the motorways is where car ever goes as high as 80mph.
no more even though the car will handle it.

electric is the way forward but petrol cars for the weekend toy is where i’d like to be for drives around the country.
 

Broncho

Test Pilot
Posts
226
Likes
176
Drives
E Class Cabrio
Before all this happens, there must be a significant investment in infrastructure, so worry not !!
100%

I see a backtrack or policy change coming well before 2030, we‘re broke and nobody knows how long the current C19 will go on for, looks good as a manifesto though, I’ve no doubt at all that it’ll happen but it won’t be 2030.
 

Schmeel

Test Pilot
Posts
151
Likes
40
Drives
997 Hartech
Can’t see electrical power working for HGVs, probably hydrogen is a better solution.
Quite like the Porsche Taycan though.
Hydrogen fuel cell would better for sure.

However I genuinely suspect whilst diesel would be phased out in domestic vehicles. It will long continue to be used in the commerical realm for decades to come.
 

Schmeel

Test Pilot
Posts
151
Likes
40
Drives
997 Hartech
This started off as a question about electric cars but I suppose it’s broader than that.

Are petrolheads putting off going electric for as long as possible in favour of keeping hold of more traditional machinery or are the number of growing options starting to provide genuinely attractive alternatives? Porsche Taycan, Audi E-Tron GT etc...

I feel that we’re getting to a point where the general populace frown upon loud cars and with increasingly restrictive legislation around noise and emissions, even quieter performance that we lament for their lack of grunt in comparison to NA V8s of old, actually still stand out as loud and anti-social against the washing-machines on wheels that make up the bulk of cars on the road.

Personally, up until recently I’ve always embraced the latest and greatest but I now feel we’re reaching the twilight years of enthusiast motoring. Electric, self-driving, average speed cameras, dash cams and the instant ability to fan desire for people to share everything online....

Then the fact that passing your driving test is no longer the rite of passage for young people that it once was. More and more young people aren’t bothered.

So, are you resisting the electrical tidal wave coming in as a matter of principle or are you happy to embrace it when the right car (at the right budget) becomes available?

Great question. Actually think I partially answered this on a another thread. To give a different perspective.

I would be quite happy to have the Mrs car to be an electric variant and then have my car as the more "fun" car with a more traditional power train.

This way I get best of both worlds.

But not yet. I think perhaps in the next 3 years or so, when the next gen electric comes start coming in with faster charging and ranges north of 500 miles.
 

Senna11

Racing Driver
Posts
1,088
Likes
324
Hydrogen fuel cell would better for sure.

However I genuinely suspect whilst diesel would be phased out in domestic vehicles. It will long continue to be used in the commerical realm for decades to come.
Most likely. ICE will be here for a long while yet although I do think the govt are short sighted in thinking EVs are the only answer.
 

Schmeel

Test Pilot
Posts
151
Likes
40
Drives
997 Hartech
Most likely. ICE will be here for a long while yet although I do think the govt are short sighted in thinking EVs are the only answer.
Agreed. This feels more a political decision as oppose to an environmentally lead one.

Read an intresting article the other day re Tesla. They lose money on every car they sell. Yet as a business ate in profitability due to the business of selling climate credit tokens to other manufactures. Who would have to buy Tokens to offset emissions penalties.

Talking billions income. Will try and find the article.
 

Senna11

Racing Driver
Posts
1,088
Likes
324
Agreed. This feels more a political decision as oppose to an environmentally lead one.

Read an intresting article the other day re Tesla. They lose money on every car they sell. Yet as a business ate in profitability due to the business of selling climate credit tokens to other manufactures. Who would have to buy Tokens to offset emissions penalties.

Talking billions income. Will try and find the article.
The valuation of Tesla is staggering given the underlying profit but has had an early advantage on the big car manufacturers who should now be in a position to challenge. The offsetting of credits is madness and another ill thought out idea. Musk is laughing all the way to the bank!
 

Schmeel

Test Pilot
Posts
151
Likes
40
Drives
997 Hartech
The valuation of Tesla is staggering given the underlying profit but has had an early advantage on the big car manufacturers who should now be in a position to challenge. The offsetting of credits is madness and another ill thought out idea. Musk is laughing all the way to the bank!
True. His main golden egg so to speak has to be the charging infrastructure.

The long term potential that he has in generating annual income via lease options to legacy manufacturers for their EV cars.

He is a clever cookie for sure.
 
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