spookly

Does the R have a low level warning? I'm assuming so, as someone mentioned waiting for a warning. Because waiting for an oil pressure warning is not good for an engine. By the time an oil pressure warning light shows it is starting to do damage.

Funny, but true. Most people that buy performance cars like to use some of that performance from time to time, sometimes even on the public roads. If you didn't want the performance of an R then you could have bought a GTD instead and got 60mpg.... double win if you like tractors as it sounds like one :-) Not sure I agree that everyone who buys performance cars tries to be a better driver.... I've seen plenty driven very poorly. By that I mean both road manners, following the highway code and car control. Many people with fast cars can't handle them.... how many R's have already been crashed? Quite a few I expect. That's what happens when you can buy a 30k hatchback that is faster than a 90's Porsche 911.

I don't get all the anxiety about changing lanes on the motorway. You should be using your mirrors and making observations all the time, so you should always be aware of what is going on around you. Changing lanes should be as simple as a few quick observations to make sure it's clear, signal and move. If you can't cope with doing that then you are either lazy or not very good at driving. I'm usually one of those people flying along when it is clear, but I'll still be in lane 1 when it is clear. This morning I had to go from lane 1 to 3 several times to overtake oblivious morons in lane 2 with nothing inside them. I did also undertake about 20 cars who were all sat in lanes 3/4 with no cars in lanes 1/2. None of them going over about 75mph. I went by in lane 1 with a whole clear lane between me and the morons following each other in lanes 3/4. After I'd passed none of them twigged and moved over. I didn't encounter any traffic in lane 1 until about a mile later either.

UK registration plates on cars change twice a year. 66 plates are for cars registered after Sept 1st 2016. I tried running mine in for a while, but got bored of that quite quickly and just booted it.

On an empty motorway it won't really matter. On a truly empty road you, assuming you aren't going to stay in the left most lane, then I'd place my car where it gives me the best visibility rather than in the middle lane. I often do that on dual carriageways when they are completely empty. But I would move straight back over as soon as a car is in sight in front or behind. I don't frequently have people behind me if there is any open road in front :-)

I hate middle lane morons. The section of the M5 heading south from Gordano services is 4 lanes. I've gone up there so many times when it is almost empty only to find someone sat in lane 2, 3 or even 4 with nothing inside them for miles. Even had some daft cow in a Zafira doing 65mph in the 4th lane, who then gave me attitude for undertaking her in the 1st lane. F**k the lot of them. OP, if this is how you drive then please go and get some driving lessons.

I have had my R Estate 10 days. Average when dropping kids to school (steep big hill, 1 in 3 descent.... then repeat the other way) 16mpg Average total (lots of running about town & school runs, 300 miles of motorway and A roads)... 21mpg. Better than my S4 was getting, but not by a huge leap. May need to adjust my driving style.

I think it would be a really dumb idea. Insurers agree, which is why they are all so reticent to insure you on the ring, or even on any track/race/competition. It isn't only the cost of paying off the finance company, which may be far higher than the actual value of the car, it is also the third party damage, Armco repair costs, and recovery costs. Have a look online for threads on forums about the costs people have had from crashing at the ring.... Armco isn't cheap at the 'ring, neither is recovery. I'd only do the ring in a ring rental that is insured for third party damage and ring repairs/recovery. Well, at least until I'm a multi millionaire.

I also picked up a Lapiz R Estate on the weekend. And I am equally impressed, other than the lack of a mute button. Having to go to media and then press pause, or reduce volume to zero, is somewhat annoying but a minor gripe. I have no idea how you are getting 38.4mpg. I have been taking it easy (compared to usual) and have so far averaged about 26mpg. Having said that, I achieved 34mpg long term (3 year) average on an E220 diesel that Merc reckoned should do 54+mpg, so I'm probably not a good benchmark.

The reason I don't buy pre-made liners anymore is I've had quite a few OEM and aftermarket ones that weren't that good. The rubber mat can be bought for much less. You can even cover sides/back etc if you buy enough. 2m x 1.5m on Ebay for £18.70 delivered. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/RIBBED-RUBBER-MATTING-1-2M-WIDE-3MM-THICK-ANTI-SLIP-PREMIUM-QUALITY-RUBBER-MAT-/120923812591?var=&hash=item1c279ef2ef:m:mm2m8_TLWsmMlA48ME4fYHQ

I didn't bother with a pre-made boot liner. Just bought 1.5m of 3mm rubber mat which has a fine ribbed pattern. Cut it to fit the boot, job done. Has the advantage of being very grippy and stops things sliding about, and can also be pulled out of the boot and jet washed too. Also bought a VW boot divider.... like this one http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Genuine-Volkswagen-Boot-Divider-Golf-Mk7-New-Passat-est-Tiguan-000061166A-/262578815514?_trksid=p2141725.m3641.l6368 Stops things rattling around.

I have a fairly new (picked up yesterday) R Estate. Performance monitor.... bit hidden but there. Press Car, bottom left corner of screen is a touch button that shows a list of displays.... select the one that says sport. Mine shows Oil temp, coolant temp, boost and power (KW).

Is DSG better than manual? Yes, because I'm lazy and sometimes I use a car to commute. Is an Android Phone better than an iPhone (and do more women prefer iPhones?) Yes, and probably. Are cats better than dogs? No, unless you are a woman with an iPhone. Do you really need 99RON in an R? No, 98 would be fine too. Is a hatchback better than an estate? Depends if you have dogs or cats. Is buying better than leasing? Are you going to change your car after 2/3 years?? Then lease. Planning on keeping it forever? Buy it.

Nice. I just picked up a Lapiz R Estate this morning, then had to drive it 150 miles home.

I can't stand the interface on iPhones. Or the nosebleed pricing. Or the fact that I can't install whatever I want from wherever I want without hacking it. I tend to break several phones a year, so I'm sticking with my plan of buying cheap fast Chinese android handsets, because then I don't get quite so annoyed when I break another.