I'll start with my opinions of lack of room in Landies. I'm 6ft, built like a rake and I find it a bit claustrophobic in my P38. When I have my seat in a comfortable position there is very little rear leg room for passengers. I have to have the seat on the lowest position, furthest back, and steering wheel as far forwards and high as possible so I can get my legs in without touching the bottom of the wheel all of the time. I found my Escort Van more capacious, but then it had a lot less kit to shoehorn in.
The following most of you will disagree with, but deep down you know it is all true. Even if you won't admit it.
I think the warnings you guys have about 4x4s are misguided, for sure 4x4s handle differently to say a Ford Focus, but that difference is simple enough to overcome if you hear what your car is saying, if you listen it'll speak to you. I'd only ever driven hatchbacks and the odd saloon before I got my first go in a 4x4 to make things worse it was a Toyota Hilux Surf, a vehicle famous for falling over for fun, and as long as you drive smart there is no danger.
Start slow and familiarise yourself with how it handles. You see a lot of drivers who just got behind the wheel of a new car really hooning it and then act surprised when they come off of the road and in a ditch, upside down, on fire, backwards. First find where the grip levels are by gently pushing, you can also quickly learn how much speed in a corner you can get away with before it becomes unstable and how late you can brake into a corner to scrub off the speed.
This applies to all vehicles no matter what it is. People who hoon fresh out of the dock are the sort of people who find out that the worst thing you can do in a car is not roll it but hit a tree.
If you're going to go offroad then it'll pay to have someone experienced next to you and ideally a support vehicle to pull you out when you eventually get stuck. For road use only, you'll rarely get close to the limits on British roads unless you're a monumental div.
They say experience is the most important tool to have when you're driving and I completely agree, but how long you've had your licence doesn't make you an experienced driver. I know people who have been driving for 20+ years who still struggle with basic manoeuvres (such as controlling a slide or reverse parking) but claim to be experienced. Experience is gained by doing what it is you read about. Not the length you've held a sheet of paper.
That hardest skill to learn is reading the road. You can familiarise yourself with a stretch of road quite quickly, but to be able to read a road you've never driven before so you know which corners are cheekier than they look is the skill very few people (especially new drivers) have.
The following most of you will disagree with, but deep down you know it is all true. Even if you won't admit it.
I think the warnings you guys have about 4x4s are misguided, for sure 4x4s handle differently to say a Ford Focus, but that difference is simple enough to overcome if you hear what your car is saying, if you listen it'll speak to you. I'd only ever driven hatchbacks and the odd saloon before I got my first go in a 4x4 to make things worse it was a Toyota Hilux Surf, a vehicle famous for falling over for fun, and as long as you drive smart there is no danger.
Start slow and familiarise yourself with how it handles. You see a lot of drivers who just got behind the wheel of a new car really hooning it and then act surprised when they come off of the road and in a ditch, upside down, on fire, backwards. First find where the grip levels are by gently pushing, you can also quickly learn how much speed in a corner you can get away with before it becomes unstable and how late you can brake into a corner to scrub off the speed.
This applies to all vehicles no matter what it is. People who hoon fresh out of the dock are the sort of people who find out that the worst thing you can do in a car is not roll it but hit a tree.
If you're going to go offroad then it'll pay to have someone experienced next to you and ideally a support vehicle to pull you out when you eventually get stuck. For road use only, you'll rarely get close to the limits on British roads unless you're a monumental div.
They say experience is the most important tool to have when you're driving and I completely agree, but how long you've had your licence doesn't make you an experienced driver. I know people who have been driving for 20+ years who still struggle with basic manoeuvres (such as controlling a slide or reverse parking) but claim to be experienced. Experience is gained by doing what it is you read about. Not the length you've held a sheet of paper.
That hardest skill to learn is reading the road. You can familiarise yourself with a stretch of road quite quickly, but to be able to read a road you've never driven before so you know which corners are cheekier than they look is the skill very few people (especially new drivers) have.
gold rover
Well-Known Member
Bix I don't think any of us will disagree with the major blurb above. You seem to be saying exactly what we have all said but in more detail :lol:
p.s check your pm
p.s check your pm
Thanks for taking my comments in the nature they were intended
The reason clios, fiestas, corsas and the like come in so expensive, in comparison, is that they are popular with boy racer types*. Any of the jobs I've attended that are caused by dangerous driving normally involve that type of vehicle and that group of drivers. Although they are not the only group of cars or drivers who drive dangerously they are in the highest %.
*Boy racer types include females and are not limited to the under 25s
I'm here for advice mate and its all gratefully received!
Had pondered an X5 but i just think the Rangie has more character.
Bix i couldn't agree with you more.
I'm not interested in speed. I just want to woft along comfortably!!
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sas1810
New Member
welcome to the world that IS Range Rover! enjoy it, love it, hate it, we are all here to help, take the **** and above all, be friends no matter what
and Bix! i still think everyone should be made to do a motorcycle test as well as a car test. most enlightening experience i ever had was having the instructor call me a **** car driver through the earpiece when i went round an island
2.0_hippo
Well-Known Member
welcome to the world that IS Range Rover! enjoy it, love it, hate it, we are all here to help, take the **** and above all, be friends no matter what
and Bix! i still think everyone should be made to do a motorcycle test as well as a car test. most enlightening experience i ever had was having the instructor call me a **** car driver through the earpiece when i went round an island
Agree with the need for a motorcycle test first, once you have driven a bike you start to respect the roads more, you notice hazards a lot earlier than someone who drives a car. Your looking out for your life and other ****s driving cars that are not looking out for motorbikes !
You really understand how slippery the roads are too when there wet ! Something car drivers won't understand untill they try it ! Lol
Minimum of one year driving a bike before your aloud in a car !
sas1810
New Member
especialy when you have 1000cc of Jap engine wanting to rip your balls off when the back end slips on a wet white line.
i was riding bikes on the road for 2 years before taking my car test, but only took my bike test a few years later. the experience of both worlds does help you understand the roads a lot better, and foresee dangers and hazards ahead of time.
yes, minimum 1 year on a bike before car test.
Datatek
Well-Known Member
gold rover
Well-Known Member
I haven't ridden a bike for years, because I'm not that suicidal any more :hysterically_laughi As per everything else the Army has taught me to do, they have never shown half measures, learned to drive a 'car' in a Series III (military) , learned to ride a bike on a Can-Am. I stick to idea that they used those to instill the idea of 'if I can drive/ride one of these I can drive/ride anything' because neither are exactly easy to master. :hysterically_laughi However being a biker and even more so being a cyclist has made me a better car driver.
sas1810
New Member
+1
last bike i had was a 1000cc fireblade. sold it 3 months ago to help funding for moving back to UK.
riding in the middle of Caracas traffic is no easy feat. nobody indicates, hardly any brake lights, and you ride between the cars in any lane you want. scary but damn good fun
last bike i had was a 1000cc fireblade. sold it 3 months ago to help funding for moving back to UK.
riding in the middle of Caracas traffic is no easy feat. nobody indicates, hardly any brake lights, and you ride between the cars in any lane you want. scary but damn good fun
An easier alternative is to remove safety features from vehicles, the Peltzman effect tells us this time and time again. If we stripped out airbags and replaced them with P4 (it'll be a cheap enough conversion as the detonators are already there from the airbags, we just need the plastic), suddenly our roads will be the safest they have ever been.
Few new drivers have ever driven a car that says to you "when you're not looking I'm going to eat your flesh, rape you, kill you and rape you again... in that order" instead they have been raised on cars that say "come here, let me hug you better, there there, did the mean man give you a booboo?"
You don't just see it on the roads either, all round you people will take more risks, it is most noticeable on the racetrack.
Few new drivers have ever driven a car that says to you "when you're not looking I'm going to eat your flesh, rape you, kill you and rape you again... in that order" instead they have been raised on cars that say "come here, let me hug you better, there there, did the mean man give you a booboo?"
You don't just see it on the roads either, all round you people will take more risks, it is most noticeable on the racetrack.
gold rover
Well-Known Member
I have to agree with your sentiments on that one Bix. Today's new drivers are molly coddled and told the car will protect them if they have an accident. They rely on ABS, airbags, electronic voices or flashing lights and beeps to tell them they have exceeded acceptable conditions of use. Back when Centurion was a rank not a tank and I passed my test, you relied on the 'feel' of the road and veh to know that you'd reached the limit and to pull back a bit. You avoided cars, trees, walls, lamp-posts by looking where you were going and paying attention, not by listening for the car's electronic box. Having said that nothing will save you from aqua-planing or black ice if it's been placed there by the road god for you ............ I know from experience
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