FAO those of you with large / big cars

FAO those of you with large / big cars

Author
Discussion

TopGear7

Original Poster:

339 posts

175 months

Wednesday 16th April 2014
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i.e big executive cars 7 Series, S Classes, Range Rovers etc

How do you find driving them as everyday city cars? I ask because there have been times, especially in back roads, I've found myself in very tight and tricky situations through which I've just about squeezed and that is me in my Focus.

Do you plan your way / avoid certain tricky roads or do you just get used to manoeuvring such a large car?


mike9009

6,917 posts

242 months

Wednesday 16th April 2014
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I drive a luxurious VW T25. I find on some of the small narrow roads on the Isle of Wight, other drivers suddenly become very courteous and usually get out my way. If they don't a simple shrug of the shoulders usually suffices.

So in this vehicle I don't avoid tight spots and almost relish them.....

HTH

Mike

MGZTV8

591 posts

148 months

Wednesday 16th April 2014
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Personally i don't think twice about it in the Range Rover.

Maybe I'm just used to it.

tali1

5,265 posts

200 months

Wednesday 16th April 2014
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Much as i like these cars anything bigger than a Mondeo is not really suited for this cramped, tiny island.

sparks_E39

12,738 posts

212 months

Wednesday 16th April 2014
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I get along fine in my 5 Series. I don't recall not being able to go somewhere due to the size of my car. I don't really need a car that big though, most of the time it's just me!

A900ss

3,245 posts

151 months

Wednesday 16th April 2014
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I've got an F11 (new shape 5 series estate) and it's only a few inches wider than normal cars. It's width that is the restrict or and what you notice when going through small streets.

It's fine and I can get it and park it anywhere my wife can get her 307 estate but that may be a reflection on her!

goldblum

10,272 posts

166 months

Wednesday 16th April 2014
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Owned an S8 for a couple of years. Narrow lanes weren't too bad - the car's looong, not particularly wide. Multi-storey carparks required a bit off patience though. City driving was fine you just waft and get used to looking for the more distant on street parking slots.

davepoth

29,395 posts

198 months

Wednesday 16th April 2014
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Long takes a bit of getting used to, but is fine. Width is the problem, and new mass market cars are wider than a big executive of two or even one generation ago.

colinc01

178 posts

245 months

Wednesday 16th April 2014
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I find that with the bigger car that has usually more power it gets me through the tightest of situations and I make my own space lol.

4G63T

2,947 posts

171 months

Wednesday 16th April 2014
quotequote all
my cars quite wide, and longish.

i dont 'not' go down any road, apart from one, but thats a very short road and its connecting a industrial estate to a housing estate and it has these god awful traffic calming thing/lorry stopper where there is these massive curbs basically a inch or two both sides of a mitsi galant. I have never been through there mores than once an that was when i was following my brother

4G63T

2,947 posts

171 months

Wednesday 16th April 2014
quotequote all
my cars quite wide, and longish.

i dont 'not' go down any road, apart from one, but thats a very short road and its connecting a industrial estate to a housing estate and it has these god awful traffic calming thing/lorry stopper where there is these massive curbs basically a inch or two both sides of a mitsi galant. I have never been through there mores than once an that was when i was following my brother

anonymous-user

53 months

Wednesday 16th April 2014
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FFRR and A8 here. You get used to it.

Riley Blue

20,912 posts

225 months

Thursday 17th April 2014
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You get used to it, just as you do driving a small car on a four lane motorway next to huge lorries.

jamieduff1981

8,022 posts

139 months

Thursday 17th April 2014
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No problems with an S-Type. Much like power and overtaking, a few extra inches length and width doesn't really make that much difference to what can and can't be achieved. I'd venture that parallel parking in London might not be much fun, but I don't go to London. It's not very cramped in Scotland - that's more of a SE England problem.

Truckosaurus

11,183 posts

283 months

Thursday 17th April 2014
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The problem I find with 'large' cars is that you actually sit lower than some of the taller mid-range cars, they other day a Civic pulled alongside me at a roundabout and all I could see was his door.

Boshly

2,776 posts

235 months

Thursday 17th April 2014
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I drove my Ford Raptor (look it up smile ) everyday for nearly a year. Other than central London parking it was fine. Even did a family holiday to Devon in it. My philosophy was if a transit van can get there, I can

kev b

2,708 posts

165 months

Thursday 17th April 2014
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I have to drive down narrow back lanes regularly in my BMW, I find that the roads are becoming narrower as potholes appear at the edges of the road. This means drivers are unwilling to risk damage by moving over all the way, compounding the problem.

If I see a clean car approaching I hold my breath as IME they are less likely to use all the road thus avoiding splashing through puddles, whilst shed drivers aren't so particular.

The E46 I drive is old enough not to have folding mirrors that actually fold when struck, meaning I risk £425 worth of damage each time someone tries driving down the centre of the road, oblivious to other traffic.My daughters Fiat 500 is a lot less stressful on these roads.

Taxi minibuses use these lanes as shortcuts and don't seem to care about hitting oncoming vehicles.

Rant over, I would avoid using any normal or wider car on narrow lanes if possible.

Fortunately I rarely visit cities but I would think that negotiating residential streets with cars parked carelessly each side might be fairly tricky in something low and wide. The stress when you hold up traffic whilst attempting to thread a Hummer or RollsRoyce through an inner city rat run would probably put me off buying one.


londonbabe

2,044 posts

191 months

Thursday 17th April 2014
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My S124 is the first car I bought after passing my test, and it did seem huge for a few weeks. I got used to it. I can judge the width fairly well, but not the length, and still need to open the door to reverse into a parking space. I'm not so keen on narrow winding lanes and multi-storey car parks have to be judged very carefully. I find city driving a piece of cake though.

The Moose

22,820 posts

208 months

Thursday 17th April 2014
quotequote all
Boshly said:
I drove my Ford Raptor (look it up smile ) everyday for nearly a year. Other than central London parking it was fine. Even did a family holiday to Devon in it. My philosophy was if a transit van can get there, I can
Don't need to look it up. Cool truck.

Hello classifieds!

kambites

67,460 posts

220 months

Thursday 17th April 2014
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In my limited experience, cities are fine as long as you avoid the more moronically designed multi-stories an don't mind passing up the odd on-street parking space because your car wont fit; it tends to be country roads which are a problem in wide cars.