Gaz7

Jon - at the moment it's mainly diesel work (Puma/Lion) as well as petrol Duratec work, but i can't say too much which i'm sure you understand.

Yeah you're right, the range is excellent, and will only get better with a lot of new models coming out - the new Focus is excellent, and the sport variants are great The 1600 TiVCT engine is a good unit too, and should sell well.

Gareth

Jon S.A.C

I hope we have less cal problems than with the current tdci's which i guess you dont get to hear much about.Lots of injector and icu cal issues.I hear the new Focus is sharing alot of the electronics from the awfully unreliable c.max do you know if thats true?Thanks matey.Galaxy is to be renamed aswell so im told with v.w finishing production.

Gaz7

Yeah we do hear some - cal is always a tricky issue. The new Focus shares most major electronics with the CMax but both should be sorted fine for the Focus mk2 launch - current build Cmax's should also be fine.

Injector issues were supplier problems, especially on the earlier cars running Delphi injectors, this has now been rectified, and different batch injectors are used

Yep, the galaxy for us will continue for a while, but it's replacement will go under a different name, possibly EMax or something along those lines - that's not decided yet though, it's just what we call it.

Gareth

Jon S.A.C

Good work,i was dreading the same sort of issues with the new Focus.E.max was what i heard aswell i hope they dont stick with it doesnt sound good to me.Will the new gen Focus st get decent power this time?I know an awfull lot of customers were dissapointed with gen1 especially when i outrun them in my Ł1200 Saab.

Gaz7

The new Focus will be top EMax is possible as it follows the CMax theme so is easily recognisable for the public. The ST170 was only ever really a modern XR3i, and was/is far from slow - ST has always been usable performance with a good spec on a day to day basis. That said, the mk2 Focus ST has a great power unit and will smoke the old one

Gareth

Ross Lavery

Im looking forward to trying the 2.7 twin turbo v6 diesel in the 407,

Ive been working for Peugeot for twenty years, and agree diesels just seem to be getting better and better,

1400 diesel (DV4 Motor) is shite, 1600 Diesel (DV6 Motor) gans alreet in 206s

Ross

Gaz7

Yeah, that's the Lion V6, as PSA are customers for the engine - and in part payment we've been given the DV4, DV6 and DW12.

Lion V6 is a fantastic engine

Gareth

Jon S.A.C

Yes i suppose current st170 is ok,didnt impress us dealers though and not as many customers as youd think.Power is a bit to high up the rev range for the average customer and is easily beaten by most of its competitors,im glad the next one is better as im fed up of all the complaints about this one.

Ross Lavery

Didnt know yous had the DW12,

Whats that going in?

Fuckin shitty rattly hot pieces of horse manure!!

V6 Motors are ok, just expensive when they go wrong, faster in later form

Ross

Ross Lavery

Sorry just realised you meant the diesel V6 Gareth thought you were talking bout the petrol one!!

Gaz7

DW12 is for some Mondeo's and CMax's - i don't like it either, it's not a patch in the Puma engine. V6 Lions are great - you shouldn't have much trouble with them going wrong, we've had some complete obscene mileages on dyno tests

I think the ST170 did the job it was designed for well - a quick car with good equipment levels. Since then, the ST range has changed in it's direction a little - more speed and power from now on, but useable everyday, with excellent equipment levels. The phase 2 ST220's, Fiesta ST and the new Focus ST (when available), will show this RS is then kept back for the full on specialist performance models

Gareth

Jon S.A.C

All sounds like we are going in the right direction,looking forward to giving some of those beauties a caning.

Gaz7

When you get a Fiesta ST in, take it out on some twisty roads and open it up - it's great Will easily keep up with much faster cars, quality chassis

Gareth

Ross Lavery

Looking forward to caning a V6 Diesel 407

Oh and instead of an ST220 Ive bought a Range Rover

Gaz7

Lol, that's quite a difference!!! New shape model?

Yup, the 407 will be all Ford-engined up soon Although PSA insisted on their own dress for the engine - so you still get things like the nasty sqaure drive shallow roundy off sump plugs, instead of the proper ones used on the Ford/Jag/Land Rover variants

Gareth

Ross Lavery

I know all too well of the shitty sump plugs

Its a P38 Shape mate (Medium shape) On a W Plate 4.6 HSE, Paid Ł13,250 for it

Jon S.A.C

Sounds pretty reasonable,hope it goes well for you matey.

Ross Lavery

Cheers mate, bit different from driving the Saph

Gaz7

Unlucky

Nice choice of RR, a friend of a friend just got a T plate black one, and he loves it

Gareth

Ross Lavery

Cheers Gaz,

Them sump plugs = utter wank

Im sure ill love this one, even with 121,000 miles on it, its still immaculate and with Full Land Rover History from P.D.I

Gaz7

And it's only you that has to put up with them Everyone else gets the proper normal ones

When some of the prototypes were built and sent to PSA so they could test them, they went out with the sump plugs already slightly (deliberately) rounded, just to annoy our French friends

Gareth

DazC

iTrader: (1)

PMSL!! It even goes on a development stages too!! So it's not just at workshop level!

DazC

iTrader: (1)

Gaz,

As we are on the topic of the V6 diesel, my director currently uses an E320 Merc and he is due for a replacement. He really wanted a Range Rover diesel but the fuel ecconomy is apparently pants compared to his E class (do they still use the BMW engine?) and that the difference between a petrol RR and a diesel RR in refinement is like going from an old smokey 2.5DI Transit to a V6 Mondeo. He also said that he had seen somewhere that the Jag V6 diesel was not as powerful as even an E270 Merc.

Basically he is looking at getting another Merc cos he is a little dissapointed in the diesel Range Rover and that even if they use the V6 then it still won't be that good.

So to sum it up,

BMW engined RR is unrefined and not fuel efficient enough.
Jag V6 is not as powerful or refined as the Merc E270.

Any thoughts on this about the V6? He isn't biased towards Merc in any way apart from the refinement, power and efficiency.

Gaz7

Daz - the Lion V6 is not going in the Range Rover, it's going in the new Disco, and maybe the new Freelander. It's bigger brother is going in the RR Agreed, the current RR diesel is old and outdated, but will soon be replaced by a cracking engine It depends how soon he's changing, as that engine isn't ready quite yet.

As for the Lion V6 in the Jag - the reviews say it better than i can. It's been called the best diesel in the world, and also the best engine in the world - i can't stress enough how good that V6 is - both merc and BMW have ones with slightly quicker book times, but they both openly admit the engines aren't as good (at business level, they wouldn't say it in public!).

So.....

The RR diesel is admittedly pants at the moment - but it was developed in about 1930 It's soon to be released replacement is powerful enough to pull your house over, and is the big daddy version of the Lion V6. So if he wants a good RR (diesel) he'll need to wait...

As for Merc/BMW/Jag diesel cars - take the S-type diesel out for a test - that'll make your mind up Fast, awesome torque, very very refined, and a great drive

As for the sump plug thing, yeah it happens, but only to the PSA engines, not the Ford ones

Gareth

DazC

iTrader: (1)

Cheers Gaz.

Gaz7

No probs mate

Gareth