Hold strong Rc

[John m]

You in your usual informed questioning did wonder could you fit a large Pizza in a Box into the Frunk .

[Rat Catcher]

I think we should call it the froot... or fruit if you prefer.

[Panel]

RC… yer on the ropessss maaaan

[John m]

You ready the knock on me door was opened The Rodent and his Princess had arrived from the sunny North Dublin Enclave that hosted their 3 story Villa .We were ready for hospitality Fully cooked Breakfast but it was declined .So we headed off the Rodent and the Lab Rat (me) to test drive the MG5 .new version .It disappointed .Boot space is restricted and the Selling Monkey could not guarantee delivery I reviewed the MG 5 before new version has better access for passengers but over all it scores a less than previous 7/10  now scores 6/10 boot space restricted .I did not drive this car acted as passenger monkey sat in back


Before we went for porter with Rodent .Meself .Occi and Rialto Driver .We test drove the bZ4X, a battery-electric SUV .Now personally I dont give either of my two fucks what the passenger thinks the meter shows the same but having said that the MG5 estate 15 months old is showing signs of wear  Steering wheel .Driver seat and door rubbers showing wear .I wouldn't take a Tesla as a Taxi for ten Fifties its a useless piece of crap >i rated it 2/10 .Really disapointed with the New MG 5 doot space if you work the port is a problem if you work the burbs BUY THIS ITS GREAT .But if tou cover a bit of Airpoer work The Toyoya 7 K moe expensive meets all the requirements about 24 K give or take Lovely car to be a passenger in plenty of head room leg room and boot space.I previously said an EV cannot score 10/10 because of price I gave the OLD MG 5 a 7 out of ten I would not give the new one the same 6/10 .The Toyota gets top marks that can be reached on my EV scale based of vehicle and Costs .IM MY HUMBLE OPINION THE BEST VEHICLE TO TAXI .But if you are part time rural not loading the Book you wont beat the MG5 for value .

[John m]

Loading the BOOT .new MG 5 struggle to get 3 american airlines terminal 2 cases on board .

[John m]

Im sure the Rodent will be along later to explain .The issue of finding a car AVAILABLE FOR DELIVERY .Scrapping your old Smoker .getting it registered with a number plate, fitted with a meter and through the Suitability all within 2 months to qualify for the full grant money might take a bit of planning and the choice of vehicle spec and colour might be limited .

Have you ever met a New Car Sales Man ? 3 testdrives nobody actually tried to sell us a car just pointed you in the direction told us what was not available then what MIGHT be available .You hav to get information out of them like Lugs Brannigan in Kevin Street Garda Station in the 1960 .No straight answers to how much coin you had to fork out to drive it out the Door loads of extras like scotchguard the seats shiney stuff for the paint removing dark glass all extras most you dont want or need .One lad said Paint was extra .Im thinking would it not go rusty if its not painted .But he meant you choose a colour its extra fancy paint its extra .Service package its extra .

[mercenary for hire]

One of the reasons there are so many BYDs on the road is the dealers had loads of stock.At the time I bought mine different colours were no extra charge.The "free" service pack includes two pairs of tyres and two years servicing but they'll only change the tyres if they need to be changed.

I got the feeling from them that they didn't need to try too as hard because they knew we had 20k on the way.Don't be afraid to haggle with them as they're likely making 3/5 k on each car depending on the dealer.

One thing we don't talk about is the size of the different EVs.I was behind a 2006 Land cruiser the other day and it looked kinda small by today's standards.I'd say the BZ4x would make it look tiny.

I remember when those BZ4xs came out some reviewers said they couldn't see the Speedo behind the steering wheel perhaps they were too tall?.Do some more test drives until you're happy.I'd be paying the extra for the Toyota but that's just me not wanting to pay a garage for repairs in a few years.

7k is still alot of bread.I believe there's a new BZ4x on the way that looks better and has better range and charging speed.Chances are it will be pricier though.

[John m]

Over in Fonthill this morning ran into a Fella I use to get work off years ago .He is now an Estate Manager for a few Shopping Centers .I asked him why there were no EV Chargers in Fonthill .He said when they apply for planning for shopping centers they must provide a certain amount of parking bays .The amount of Parking can set the rent roll its calculated in the Rent .They must also provide a certain amount of UTILITY parking spots Some for Wheelchair but you see some painted off for Mother and baby parking . He said the reason they do not give all the Utility Space over to Wheelchair Vehicles id because they cannot clamp or interfear with a Wheelie .And some people are using the Wheelie parking if they have a badge to park all day .He said most Shopping centers do not want to provide Charging Bays as they add no value to them and cause a nuisance with people loitering to get in to charge .Often wondered why Liffey Valley didnt have banks of Chargers for Customers .Certa have rapid chargers in Liffey Valley along with Petrol and Diesel .Think the two Aldis in Ballyfermot have Chargers in their carparks .

[Rat Catcher]

From a driving perspective the Tesla is the only one that really grabs your attention. There's not a lot of difference to driving any automatic car as far as the others are concerned. Strangely, I found the MG5S marginally more comfortable than the BZ4X but I didn't play around with the seat adjustments. I got an Uber job up above to Dublin this morning so I dropped into Joe Duffy VW, Airside to test drive the ID4. For me it was the most comfortable to drive. The build quality of both the ID4 and BZ4X is significantly better than the MG, IMO. If price wasn't a factor the ID4 would be my first choice with the BZ4X a very close second. The question is how much better are they in terms of pounds, shillings and pence?

MGS5 positives: Price, single pedal driving options, tyre size
MGS5 negatives: piss poor aftersales service, boot space, 1yr/24k kilo service interval (according to main dealer)

ID4 positives: comfort, build quality, 2yr unlimited mileage service interval (according to VW UK www site)
ID4 negatives: tyre size, no single pedal driving options, no heat pump, battery technology?

BZ4X positives: build quality, heat pump included (I think)
BZ4X negatives: tyre size, 1yr/15k kilo service interval (https://www.toyotaownersclub.com/forums/topic/219512-service-plan/), no single pedal driving modes (AFAIK, again I didn't really look for it on the test drive, just drove it as it was)

There's more to be learned in terms of positives and negatives from this post http://intaxi.org/forum/index.php?topic=18135.msg271689#msg271689 - primarily about the BZ4X but some may also apply to the ID4. I don't know if the MG has a heat pump so I couldn't include that as a positive or negative in that case.

Availability could also prove to be a barrier. Joe Duffy only has the higher spec ID4 (Pro Plus) @€45,000 whereas it's the Pro model I'd prefer @€41,000. Toyota have 3 BZ4Xs knocking about with delivery in c.7 days. Frank Keane MG have a few (mostly higher spec "Exclusive" models) on the way with no guarantee that they'll arrive on any defined date.

[mercenary for hire]

I've been in ID4 Taxis with the bigger alloys and (to me anyway) it's quite noticeable how bumpy and noisy the ride was compared to the smaller wheel versions.More tyre profile generally means more comfort unless you go into luxury car models with fancy air suspension.

If my car came with the bigger wheels I'd be getting the smaller ones put on from the dealer.Tyres should be slightly cheaper too.Our roads aren't really made out for big alloys.There are roads in Africa better than some of the roads around Dublin city.

If you still haven't decided in a year RC I could give you a good price on mine if it means I can trade to a BZ4X.I wonder could another driver claim the lower grant on my vehicle after I've decided to flog it?Just a thought really.

[Rat Catcher]

Unfortunately the current last date of operation for my current car is c.20 March 2026. If I'm gonna take the grant offer I have now I'll have to buy a car in the next day or two. Time to piss or get off the pot, I guess. If I wait 'till next year I'll be relying on there being an ESPSV26 grant aid scheme and it opening in mid Feb (as per previous years) at the latest. Probably certain enough but if I wait and there isn't an ESPSV26 scheme I'd probably have to settle for a 5yo hybrid.

[silverbullet]

I think the "fronk" ought to be spelt FRUNK, erm. I did ask you the rhetorical question of when did a north county burd start calling boots trunks... Lucky she didn't accompany us to Next looking for a pair of trunks... or, maybe, unlucky for us?

I don't share your reservations regarding the speedo display. I don't think it's any more difficult to see or distracting than the traditional dial and I am in the habit of deploying cruise control to ensure I stay within the speed limit anyway. The aftermarket indicator stalk is non-Tesla but doesn't void the warranty. I don't think I'd consider it myself, I'd expect to get used to ambidextrous button pressing where required quickly enough. 

In any event, they're lovely people to deal with / chat with... anyone interested or even mildly curious would be well advised to pop in or book an appointment on the internet and assess it for themselves.

Locals waving at a Tesla driver:

[silverbullet]

From a driving perspective the Tesla is the only one that really grabs your attention. There's not a lot of difference to driving any automatic car as far as the others are concerned. Strangely, I found the MG5S marginally more comfortable than the BZ4X but I didn't play around with the seat adjustments. I got an Uber job up above to Dublin this morning so I dropped into Joe Duffy VW, Airside to test drive the ID4. For me it was the most comfortable to drive. The build quality of both the ID4 and BZ4X is significantly better than the MG, IMO. If price wasn't a factor the ID4 would be my first choice with the BZ4X a very close second. The question is how much better are they in terms of pounds, shillings and pence?

MGS5 positives: Price, single pedal driving options, tyre size
MGS5 negatives: piss poor aftersales service, boot space, 1yr/24k kilo service interval (according to main dealer)

ID4 positives: comfort, build quality, 2yr unlimited mileage service interval (according to VW UK www site)
ID4 negatives: tyre size, no single pedal driving options, no heat pump, battery technology?

BZ4X positives: build quality, heat pump included (I think)
BZ4X negatives: tyre size, 1yr/15k kilo service interval (https://www.toyotaownersclub.com/forums/topic/219512-service-plan/), no single pedal driving modes (AFAIK, again I didn't really look for it on the test drive, just drove it as it was)

There's more to be learned in terms of positives and negatives from this post http://intaxi.org/forum/index.php?topic=18135.msg271689#msg271689 - primarily about the BZ4X but some may also apply to the ID4. I don't know if the MG has a heat pump so I couldn't include that as a positive or negative in that case.

Availability could also prove to be a barrier. Joe Duffy only has the higher spec ID4 (Pro Plus) @€45,000 whereas it's the Pro model I'd prefer @€41,000. Toyota have 3 BZ4Xs knocking about with delivery in c.7 days. Frank Keane MG have a few (mostly higher spec "Exclusive" models) on the way with no guarantee that they'll arrive on any defined date.

Talk to Jamie O'Callaghan, or Brian Mordaunt in Blackwater Motors.

[Rat Catcher]

I spoke with the lovely Nicole in Blackwater a couple of weeks back and they had a Pro model ready to go. I could've reserved it with a €500 refundable deposit but opted not to. Alas, some cute Cork whore has snapped it up since. After ringing around a few dealers up above in Dublin I decided that if the one in Cork was still available I'd buy it and if not I'll hold out until next year... so, without resorting to a coin toss, my mind is made up. I'm going to wait until next year and if I get a grant offer then I'll know to move a bit quicker.

It's probably the right decision for me. To be honest I'd find it very stressful wondering if I'm going to get the €20,000 back and it'd be €20,000 of someone else's money. By next year I should have a fair bit of it myself. I know once you get the offer the chances of not getting the grant are nil but my OCD doesn't allow me ignore what's written in black and white i.e. the grant is dependent on money still being available.

[Panel]

I spoke with the lovely Nicole in Blackwater a couple of weeks back and they had a Pro model ready to go. I could've reserved it with a €500 refundable deposit but opted not to. Alas, some cute Cork whore has snapped it up since. After ringing around a few dealers up above in Dublin I decided that if the one in Cork was still available I'd buy it and if not I'll hold out until next year... so, without resorting to a coin toss, my mind is made up. I'm going to wait until next year and if I get a grant offer then I'll know to move a bit quicker.

It's probably the right decision for me. To be honest I'd find it very stressful wondering if I'm going to get the €20,000 back and it'd be €20,000 of someone else's money. By next year I should have a fair bit of it myself. I know once you get the offer the chances of not getting the grant are nil but my OCD doesn't allow me ignore what's written in black and white i.e. the grant is dependent on money still being available.

A pragmatic and sage decision to hold off