Took your Noble on a long drive? Any issues?
Discussion
Hi All,
I realise i'm about to ask an incredibly subjecting question in a very biased forum, but how is the reliability/comfort of these cars for long drives/roadtrips?
The reason i ask is i will be looking for a toy car at some point in the next 6-12months, i had previously discounted Nobles (3R's) as track weapons and overlooked them in favor of the more common choices of Porsche/Nissan GTR etc. However the figures on paper really do make for a second look in.
Me and my friends do occasionally go for a jaunt round Europe, covering roughly 2500miles each time, motoring destinations and themes, so the car and the driving experience is important, but i cant shake the feeling of risk by having a low production vehicle, that far from 'help' for any extended period of time. "What happens if it brakes down in the middle of Switzerland" gives me pause for thought, compared to say a Porsche, which you can drop in at the nearest dealer.
So, am i worrying about nothing or what?
Also, for a very firm, clearly performance based car, how comfortable/practical would it be over that sort of distance. Not looking to go touring or anything, but i will need to sort two peoples worth of gear in it somewhere, and its usually a good 3-4 hours at a time behind the wheel between breaks.
As i understand it, they have no driver aids (ABS, traction control are the two i'm mainly concerned about), i like a spirited drive, but i'm no Hamilton, am i going to get it out of shape and die in one in a week?
Thanks
Matt
I realise i'm about to ask an incredibly subjecting question in a very biased forum, but how is the reliability/comfort of these cars for long drives/roadtrips?
The reason i ask is i will be looking for a toy car at some point in the next 6-12months, i had previously discounted Nobles (3R's) as track weapons and overlooked them in favor of the more common choices of Porsche/Nissan GTR etc. However the figures on paper really do make for a second look in.
Me and my friends do occasionally go for a jaunt round Europe, covering roughly 2500miles each time, motoring destinations and themes, so the car and the driving experience is important, but i cant shake the feeling of risk by having a low production vehicle, that far from 'help' for any extended period of time. "What happens if it brakes down in the middle of Switzerland" gives me pause for thought, compared to say a Porsche, which you can drop in at the nearest dealer.
So, am i worrying about nothing or what?
Also, for a very firm, clearly performance based car, how comfortable/practical would it be over that sort of distance. Not looking to go touring or anything, but i will need to sort two peoples worth of gear in it somewhere, and its usually a good 3-4 hours at a time behind the wheel between breaks.
As i understand it, they have no driver aids (ABS, traction control are the two i'm mainly concerned about), i like a spirited drive, but i'm no Hamilton, am i going to get it out of shape and die in one in a week?
Thanks
Matt
I've only owned mine for a few months and they are a wonderful car. However if I have one criticism for touring,it is that the offset pedals cause me some discomfort In my right knee and ankle after a couple of hours behind the wheel. On the plus I find the much criticised seats comfortable, the cabin is spacious and the ride comfort is astonishing. Lack of luggage space for touring is a shame though. I think once the few well known weak spots are addressed they should be very reliable.
I drove mine to Poland and back last year. It was a thousand miles each way give or take. the drive over took ten hours making F1 style stops at fuel stations. The car was faultless, comfortable and fast. And you can fit a supprising amount of stuff in a noble with some good packing skills
Done a load of these trips to Europe, on one such trip with my eldest daughter of 14yrs at the time we drove non stop from Monaco with only fuel stops, 14 hrs straight and my daughter didn't even get out the car at fuel stops.
The GTs are comfortable cruisers as the suspension is compliment... M400 is more track focused suspension so is harder and not quite as well suited.
I do road trip in the noble rather than my E60 M5
As for breaking down, I have international recovery, but never used it!
The GTs are comfortable cruisers as the suspension is compliment... M400 is more track focused suspension so is harder and not quite as well suited.
I do road trip in the noble rather than my E60 M5
As for breaking down, I have international recovery, but never used it!
Hi Matt , welcome , reliability depends on the car that you buy but generally they are pretty good as long as you have done a few choice upgrades !!! Later M400 cars are very well sorted but harder on the suspension .
Good RAC membership should help with most issues .
Performance in std form is very good , with again some upgrades it can be breathtaking !!!!
If you buy the Noble luggage kit you can pack a surprising amount of stuff , generally I can take Dawn and myself away for a few days with all the stuff needed for that no problem and ever year we go to Le man and manage to find enough space for a tent ect .
Long trips are pretty good , cars cruise well between 80 and 100 no problem and range is about 200 miles between refills ,
Will it kill you ?? Yes if you drive it with no respect !!!! But that is part of the appeal you are in control not a box full of electronics !!
Tux
Good RAC membership should help with most issues .
Performance in std form is very good , with again some upgrades it can be breathtaking !!!!
If you buy the Noble luggage kit you can pack a surprising amount of stuff , generally I can take Dawn and myself away for a few days with all the stuff needed for that no problem and ever year we go to Le man and manage to find enough space for a tent ect .
Long trips are pretty good , cars cruise well between 80 and 100 no problem and range is about 200 miles between refills ,
Will it kill you ?? Yes if you drive it with no respect !!!! But that is part of the appeal you are in control not a box full of electronics !!
Tux
I spent 1 week driving round France. Down the Loire Valley round all the Chateaus with my wife. Been down to Spa and am always going round Wales from London during the summer. I have personally done over 12000 miles in my car.
I have never had a problem so far and I have had the car 4-5 years. I find the car very comfortable.
I disagree about the packing space. I find there is plenty of space behind the seats and on the rear parcel shelf.
I've gone camping and two week road trips with everything required packed for both myself and the wife. It is all about what you pack your stuff in.
I have never had a problem so far and I have had the car 4-5 years. I find the car very comfortable.
I disagree about the packing space. I find there is plenty of space behind the seats and on the rear parcel shelf.
I've gone camping and two week road trips with everything required packed for both myself and the wife. It is all about what you pack your stuff in.
Thanks all, this is definately food for thought.
The international break down cover is something i have been bitten with before. They will take you to the nearest garage quite happily, who will happily stand there and look at it, but really for repairs etc you are on your own. And if its really really broken, they will take your car home, some 4-6 weeks later.
Seems a policy like the uk relay one where they will take it to any destination you choose following serious failure doesn't exist. Hence my concern for reliability, obviously anything can go wrong though with any car at any time, its all just a numbers game of odds.
The international break down cover is something i have been bitten with before. They will take you to the nearest garage quite happily, who will happily stand there and look at it, but really for repairs etc you are on your own. And if its really really broken, they will take your car home, some 4-6 weeks later.
Seems a policy like the uk relay one where they will take it to any destination you choose following serious failure doesn't exist. Hence my concern for reliability, obviously anything can go wrong though with any car at any time, its all just a numbers game of odds.
Humm this was the AA that let me down, UK relay with international cover, i assumed it just extended the 'relay' side of things if it couldn't be repaired, but that wasn't the case?
Are you saying that they did do that for you last year, from the nurburgring to Leicester in a single trip, immedaitely after breakdown?
Thanks
Matt
Are you saying that they did do that for you last year, from the nurburgring to Leicester in a single trip, immedaitely after breakdown?
Thanks
Matt
Yes, you just need to tell them the name of the nearest noble garage, tell them they can try and fix it but if they can't at the roadside it must go to a noble garage.
My engine let go on track, they came along and tried to fix it. Lol then agreed to recover it.
I've done the same with TVR's before and to stop them mucking around I also pull the fuel pump relay out, if they can't even start it they just get straight on the phone to recovery truck.
Only problem was I still got caught speeding in the Peugeot hire car, haha
My engine let go on track, they came along and tried to fix it. Lol then agreed to recover it.
I've done the same with TVR's before and to stop them mucking around I also pull the fuel pump relay out, if they can't even start it they just get straight on the phone to recovery truck.
Only problem was I still got caught speeding in the Peugeot hire car, haha
Just to balance this out - I can't do more than 2hrs straight in mine. Lower back pain gets the better of me if I try to do any more so usually a fuel stop (it's never empty but usually a good time to fill) and 5 mins and I'm good to go again. I am 6'2 though and have had issues with my back in the past so you could say I'm more susceptible than others.
Blu3R said:
Just to balance this out - I can't do more than 2hrs straight in mine. Lower back pain gets the better of me if I try to do any more so usually a fuel stop (it's never empty but usually a good time to fill) and 5 mins and I'm good to go again. I am 6'2 though and have had issues with my back in the past so you could say I'm more susceptible than others.
Thanks for thatMatt
I've only done 250+ mile trips, (ie LeMans) and have had no problems. Off to Spa on the 22th May, only thing I have done is a service. At 6ft5" I don't find it too uncomfortable, but after three hours driving I need to stretch my legs, this is with no foam on the base of the seat, an attempt to give me more helmet room (didn't work 
)
)As others have said, there is a surprising amount of space in the car. Myself and Mrs C&C have plenty of room to go away for a few days to a week. When we went to the Ring and Spa, we had enough room for all our clothes etc, plus we fitted in a full socket set plus a load of tools, also SLR camera kit with large lens (Sigma 120-300 f2.8) and a bunch of other stuff. This was with the limitation of also having a sub-woofer behind the driver's seat! The luggage set really helps as in addition to 2 large bags behind the seats, you get 4 smaller bags (which each fit a fair amount of stuff in), 2 fasten on the rear parcel shelf and 2 fasten to the front of the seats and sit on the floor under your legs.
In terms of comfort, I have no problem driving 4 or 5 hours at a time and find the car to be very comfortable.This in in an M400 which has a firmer suspension than the 3R. Whilst it has a firmer suspension, it is surprisingly good at dealing with bumps and rough bits of road. It also has really comfortable seats - the ones in the 3R are not quite as good.
Reliability-wise, I've never been stranded (touch wood). In fact the only issue we had when we went to the Ring/Spa on the trip I was on was one of the cars had an alternator fault - and that was with a recently fitted alternator, so probably was faulty to start with. The trip involved around 10 Nobles all driven to and around the Ring, then on to Spa for a full day track day, then back home again.
ETA
Also one of the guys on here used to drive very regularly from Southern Spain to the UK and back, only stopping for fuel in his 3R and always said that he arrived feeling absolutely fine.
In terms of comfort, I have no problem driving 4 or 5 hours at a time and find the car to be very comfortable.This in in an M400 which has a firmer suspension than the 3R. Whilst it has a firmer suspension, it is surprisingly good at dealing with bumps and rough bits of road. It also has really comfortable seats - the ones in the 3R are not quite as good.
Reliability-wise, I've never been stranded (touch wood). In fact the only issue we had when we went to the Ring/Spa on the trip I was on was one of the cars had an alternator fault - and that was with a recently fitted alternator, so probably was faulty to start with. The trip involved around 10 Nobles all driven to and around the Ring, then on to Spa for a full day track day, then back home again.
ETA
Also one of the guys on here used to drive very regularly from Southern Spain to the UK and back, only stopping for fuel in his 3R and always said that he arrived feeling absolutely fine.
Edited by C&C on Friday 10th May 15:03
I'd really concur with just about everything that's been said on here already. My M400 (and my 3R before it) are / were at home up here in Aberdeen, meaning to Peter Smith Sportscars (RIP) and latterly Noble Motorsport for service and maintenance has always been a near 800 mile round trip for me - this always consumed with ease and without any major discomfort bar the occasional knee / ankle ache due to the offset pedals, as already mentioned by a few others on here.
In 2006 my M400 took me and my then girlfriend down to Monte Carlo on a 7 day 'Eurohoon' run by Dettaglio - we had all the normal safety paraphernalia in the car as dictated to by French regulations, rough and ready clothes, plus dinner jacket and 'posh frock' for a black tie do in the Principality on arrival! It was tight but we did it. That said I do have the Noble official luggage which should not be underestimated as to how it eases the packing and stowage of your kit.
This September my (by then) 8 year old M400 is heading off on another road trip, this time to the Amalfi Coast, via the Alps, Monte Carlo (again) and Rome - 2 weeks all told and what will be a run of between 4000-5000 miles depending on how much cruising I do around the Amalfi coast. I have absolutely no reservations about the cars capability or indeed reliability (hopefully not famous last words) but I do have European Cover with Direct Line just in case! I maybe need to check the recovery clauses having read a few of the comments on your original post today though.
In general I find the ride superb, the drive ALWAYS engaging and the seat comfort even after a long drive over back to back days is absolutely no problem for me, and I do also suffer from long standing lower back (SI) problems - a long drive in the M400 absolutely helping soothe the pain!
Yes it would be 'nice' to have a boot but if you ask me for marks for a Noble's all round useability for a week or so away, I'd give it a firm nine out of ten.
Hope that helps you make your decision.
ATB.
Shaun+
In 2006 my M400 took me and my then girlfriend down to Monte Carlo on a 7 day 'Eurohoon' run by Dettaglio - we had all the normal safety paraphernalia in the car as dictated to by French regulations, rough and ready clothes, plus dinner jacket and 'posh frock' for a black tie do in the Principality on arrival! It was tight but we did it. That said I do have the Noble official luggage which should not be underestimated as to how it eases the packing and stowage of your kit.
This September my (by then) 8 year old M400 is heading off on another road trip, this time to the Amalfi Coast, via the Alps, Monte Carlo (again) and Rome - 2 weeks all told and what will be a run of between 4000-5000 miles depending on how much cruising I do around the Amalfi coast. I have absolutely no reservations about the cars capability or indeed reliability (hopefully not famous last words) but I do have European Cover with Direct Line just in case! I maybe need to check the recovery clauses having read a few of the comments on your original post today though.
In general I find the ride superb, the drive ALWAYS engaging and the seat comfort even after a long drive over back to back days is absolutely no problem for me, and I do also suffer from long standing lower back (SI) problems - a long drive in the M400 absolutely helping soothe the pain!
Yes it would be 'nice' to have a boot but if you ask me for marks for a Noble's all round useability for a week or so away, I'd give it a firm nine out of ten.
Hope that helps you make your decision.
ATB.
Shaun+
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