Do I have cruise or not?

Chat about your 2018+ AW/BZ model Polos here!
SRGTD
Bling Bling Diamond Member
Posts: 3508
Joined: Sun Oct 11, 2015 9:40 pm
Drives: 2020 AW Polo GTI+, Pure White.
Location: UK

Re: Do I have cruise or not?

Post by SRGTD »

A list is a good idea silverhairs. When considering a new car, I research the model(s) I’m interested in, check what’s included in the standard spec and what, if anything, I’d need to add by way of ‘must have’ options. I know that vehicle manufacturers sometimes change the equipment level of their cars, so the standard spec can change. However, a little time spent doing some initial research reduces the likelihood of ending up with a car that’s missing some feature or other that’s considered important.

It’s no good relying on the salesperson to know the product they’re selling either - on more than one occasion, I’ve had a salesperson try to persuade me to buy certain options or dealer fit accessories, and I’ve had to inform them they’re part of the standard spec of the model I’m interested in.
Andy Beats
Bling Bling Diamond Member
Posts: 2012
Joined: Tue Nov 13, 2018 1:12 pm
Drives: Nissan Leaf 40KW (and Polo United)
Location: aberdeen

Re: Do I have cruise or not?

Post by Andy Beats »

silverhairs wrote: Wed Jan 16, 2019 10:49 am When purchasing a new car, you should have a list of what you want in a car, not take for granted that it's a standard fit on that model,
As I've said before, I didn't seek out or particularly want a Polo.
Apart from the sporty models, which I don't want to spend the money on, I assumed they were all fuddy-duddy cars.
It was only when I saw photos of the beats model that I became interested, because it's affordable and the interior isn't fuddy-duddy like the other affordable models.
If the dealer hadn't had one in stock, I wasn't prepared to wait for one at all and would simply have moved on to Citroen or Nissan.
So, in that respect, I didn't pore over the spec list with a fine toothcomb first.
It just struck me as weird that it has all the controls you'd associate with cruise control, but only has a speed limiter.
I think I scored in other respects though, as I believe the heated seats and mirrors are part of a non-standard pack.
silverhairs
Gold Member
Posts: 686
Joined: Sun May 13, 2018 1:15 pm
Drives: 2018 Polo SEL
Location: Lincolnshire

Re: Do I have cruise or not?

Post by silverhairs »

It's funny what manufacturers feel what the public want in their cars, now I've been driving some 55 years and I've never had heated rear view mirrors. If their iced up in the morning give them a blast with the de-icer that you use on your screen, simple really. Though I ordered folding mirrors it was only a fad.
Another member as said about how noisy his mirrors are when turning in or out, and I especially looked at mine to see if they made any noise, the good thing is they are really quite, and they have heaters in them. The thing is, one cold morning I switched on the heaters, and it was a few days later I realised they were still on, so I don't bother with that now, but they do dip when I reverse.
Andy Beats
Bling Bling Diamond Member
Posts: 2012
Joined: Tue Nov 13, 2018 1:12 pm
Drives: Nissan Leaf 40KW (and Polo United)
Location: aberdeen

Re: Do I have cruise or not?

Post by Andy Beats »

silverhairs wrote: Wed Jan 16, 2019 12:43 pm It's funny what manufacturers feel what the public want in their cars, now I've been driving some 55 years and I've never had heated rear view mirrors. If their iced up in the morning give them a blast with the de-icer that you use on your screen, simple really. Though I ordered folding mirrors it was only a fad.
Another member as said about how noisy his mirrors are when turning in or out, and I especially looked at mine to see if they made any noise, the good thing is they are really quite, and they have heaters in them. The thing is, one cold morning I switched on the heaters, and it was a few days later I realised they were still on, so I don't bother with that now, but they do dip when I reverse.
There's only really three things are an absolute 'must' for me in a car.

Aircon (preferably climate control, but manual aircon minimum).
DAB radio.
Heated mirrors.

Anything else is take it or leave it.
silverhairs
Gold Member
Posts: 686
Joined: Sun May 13, 2018 1:15 pm
Drives: 2018 Polo SEL
Location: Lincolnshire

Re: Do I have cruise or not?

Post by silverhairs »

Being retired, If I have to go out and when I get up and the roads are icy, we put off going out till about 11.00 once the roads clear a bit and the temperature rises a bit :) . As I said a squirt of de-icer helps. If you think it's going to be really cold the next morning, there is a spray you can use the night before that stops the screen freezing over the next morning. Not sure it the mirrors that fold in would freeze up as much as they are a bit more protected, perhaps other members with fold in mirrors can help out with this question?
Andy Beats
Bling Bling Diamond Member
Posts: 2012
Joined: Tue Nov 13, 2018 1:12 pm
Drives: Nissan Leaf 40KW (and Polo United)
Location: aberdeen

Re: Do I have cruise or not?

Post by Andy Beats »

silverhairs wrote: Wed Jan 16, 2019 7:12 pm Being retired, If I have to go out and when I get up and the roads are icy, we put off going out till about 11.00 once the roads clear a bit and the temperature rises a bit :) . As I said a squirt of de-icer helps. If you think it's going to be really cold the next morning, there is a spray you can use the night before that stops the screen freezing over the next morning. Not sure it the mirrors that fold in would freeze up as much as they are a bit more protected, perhaps other members with fold in mirrors can help out with this question?
Never considered an electric car?
silverhairs
Gold Member
Posts: 686
Joined: Sun May 13, 2018 1:15 pm
Drives: 2018 Polo SEL
Location: Lincolnshire

Re: Do I have cruise or not?

Post by silverhairs »

I'm a bit old school, I would never think of purchasing an electric car, not even one that the engine tops up the batteries. I have a daughter who lives just over 300 miles away, and as for having to work out where I can top-up the batteries, just in case, does not even appeal to me, when a tank full of fuel can get me there easily. Another thing is, I get to my daughters and then have to ask her if I can plug my car into her home electrics. That's a real NO NO! At the moment the infrastructure for charging electric car around the country is not adequate, even though I believe Tesco are talking about installing charging points at there outlets
I'll stick to, as people say today "fossil fuel", funny what the PC people come up with? Until they can get a minimum of 600 miles per charge, and a minimum charging time of 5 minutes to fully charge the batteries.
But at what cost to purchase one, (electric) even the government are taking away the subsidy for purchasing an electric car.

No Andy, I'll stick to either petrol or diesel :)
Andy Beats
Bling Bling Diamond Member
Posts: 2012
Joined: Tue Nov 13, 2018 1:12 pm
Drives: Nissan Leaf 40KW (and Polo United)
Location: aberdeen

Re: Do I have cruise or not?

Post by Andy Beats »

silverhairs wrote: Fri Jan 18, 2019 12:00 pm I'm a bit old school, I would never think of purchasing an electric car, not even one that the engine tops up the batteries. I have a daughter who lives just over 300 miles away, and as for having to work out where I can top-up the batteries, just in case, does not even appeal to me, when a tank full of fuel can get me there easily. Another thing is, I get to my daughters and then have to ask her if I can plug my car into her home electrics. That's a real NO NO! At the moment the infrastructure for charging electric car around the country is not adequate, even though I believe Tesco are talking about installing charging points at there outlets
I'll stick to, as people say today "fossil fuel", funny what the PC people come up with? Until they can get a minimum of 600 miles per charge, and a minimum charging time of 5 minutes to fully charge the batteries.
But at what cost to purchase one, (electric) even the government are taking away the subsidy for purchasing an electric car.

No Andy, I'll stick to either petrol or diesel :)
To be frank, this is all nonsense.
But I'm not going to change someone's views.
Old dogs, new tricks etc.
Carry on.
silverhairs
Gold Member
Posts: 686
Joined: Sun May 13, 2018 1:15 pm
Drives: 2018 Polo SEL
Location: Lincolnshire

Re: Do I have cruise or not?

Post by silverhairs »

roywolfey wrote: Tue Jan 15, 2019 1:53 pm Direct lift from Autotrader, From AW Polo S Models, first one listed as having cruise.
Just looked at the left hand stalk on my polo SEL that's got cruise and it don't have the little buttons on top as in the photo, you've posted. The cruise controls are on the steering wheel.
monkeyhanger
Bling Bling Diamond Member
Posts: 2643
Joined: Fri Feb 23, 2018 9:58 pm
Drives: Audi A4 Avant Quattro 40 TDI, Polo GTI+
Location: Newcastle upon Tyne

Re: Do I have cruise or not?

Post by monkeyhanger »

Andy Beats wrote: Fri Jan 18, 2019 12:04 pm
silverhairs wrote: Fri Jan 18, 2019 12:00 pm I'm a bit old school, I would never think of purchasing an electric car, not even one that the engine tops up the batteries. I have a daughter who lives just over 300 miles away, and as for having to work out where I can top-up the batteries, just in case, does not even appeal to me, when a tank full of fuel can get me there easily. Another thing is, I get to my daughters and then have to ask her if I can plug my car into her home electrics. That's a real NO NO! At the moment the infrastructure for charging electric car around the country is not adequate, even though I believe Tesco are talking about installing charging points at there outlets
I'll stick to, as people say today "fossil fuel", funny what the PC people come up with? Until they can get a minimum of 600 miles per charge, and a minimum charging time of 5 minutes to fully charge the batteries.
But at what cost to purchase one, (electric) even the government are taking away the subsidy for purchasing an electric car.

No Andy, I'll stick to either petrol or diesel :)
To be frank, this is all nonsense.
But I'm not going to change someone's views.
Old dogs, new tricks etc.
Carry on.
Electric cars are still pretty impractical as a primary car for long journeys, and the battery tech still needs to get better in terms of size, weight, fast charging, capacity. The ideal battery is a long way off yet. The infrastructure isn't there for more than a few % of the vehicles on the road to be electric and access charging points away from the house either.

With that said, never say never - they will get better with time. For instant refuel, the best way would seem to be a universal battery type that you don't own You exchange empty ones with full ones at the electric car equivalent of a petrol station, one of many in a national network.

Given Silverhair's age, I doubt he'll still be driving if and when electric vehicles are compulsory. If that ever happens, it'll be the end of classic car ownership and usage if petrol/diesel are unobtainable.

Right now, there are more known oil reserves than ever before, with some claims that oil reserves bled dry a decade or 2 ago are full once again.

The environmental issues are being dealt with - now petrol cars have particulate filters and Bosch has new tech coming out that vastly reduces the amount of NOx a diesel puts out. All that's left are proposals to clamp down on particulates from brake pads/discs and electric cars have those too.

I do think there needs to be better tech for recovering kinetic energy when you want to stop, rather than wasting it in braking - like disengaging drive and engaging it to a dynamo that will charge a battery and slow the car down rapidly. There is a recuperation system like this that works in a small way, nothing like the effect of heavy braking though.
Last edited by monkeyhanger on Sat Jan 19, 2019 2:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.
vc-10
Silver Member
Posts: 479
Joined: Tue Apr 05, 2011 9:49 am
Drives: 2019 Seat Ibiza 1.0 TSI Xcellence Lux
Location: Manchester

Re: Do I have cruise or not?

Post by vc-10 »

If you have a multi-function steering wheel, then cruise is on the wheel on VWs. Limiter only is on the stalk, and if you have a Polo without a MFSW, then you can have cruise on the stalk. I believe that ACC requires the MFSW, even on the Fabia where there's a separate stalk (because of steering column gateway modules I guess?).

Regarding EVs- if I could have one, I probably would. The Kona EV with the bigger battery has an official range of 279 miles- this is more than I'd regularly need, and the occasional stop for a fast-charge on the motorway isn't the end of the world. My problem is charging an EV at home- I street park, so unless there were chargers along the street I'd be unable to charge at home. I think that the major breakthrough will be when apartment complexes and councils start to fit chargers. It's easy to charge if you have a driveway and a garage, but millions don't have access to that.

The other issue of course is purchase cost, but that will improve over time.
Andy Beats
Bling Bling Diamond Member
Posts: 2012
Joined: Tue Nov 13, 2018 1:12 pm
Drives: Nissan Leaf 40KW (and Polo United)
Location: aberdeen

Re: Do I have cruise or not?

Post by Andy Beats »

monkeyhanger wrote: Sat Jan 19, 2019 1:32 pm Electric cars are still pretty impractical as a primary car for long journeys,
Define 'long journeys'
200+ miles between charges is perfectly achievable now.
And, according to Kia Niro owners, you don't have to sit at low speeds to get that, you can cruise at perfectly normal M-way speeds.
One said to me "there doesn't seem to be a scenario where the battery will do less than 200 miles"
Of course, you'll always get 'someone' who wants to do ridiculous mileages in one go, but 200+ miles with a 30-40 minute break to fast recharge would suit a huge majority of people.
Andy Beats
Bling Bling Diamond Member
Posts: 2012
Joined: Tue Nov 13, 2018 1:12 pm
Drives: Nissan Leaf 40KW (and Polo United)
Location: aberdeen

Re: Do I have cruise or not?

Post by Andy Beats »

Anyway, back on topic.
First long distance trip in my Polo, Aberdeen to Glasgow.
I don't think I'll bother with the speed limiter again, found it far nicer just to drive the old-fashioned way and just watch the speedo instead.
Set it to the digital speed display in the centre of the dash for ease of reading.
The gearing though....my god the gearing.....it's just way too high for the power of the car.
Makes for relaxed 70-80mph cruising and gives good MPG on the flat, but it doesn't take much of a hill for the car to slow down rapidly.
monkeyhanger
Bling Bling Diamond Member
Posts: 2643
Joined: Fri Feb 23, 2018 9:58 pm
Drives: Audi A4 Avant Quattro 40 TDI, Polo GTI+
Location: Newcastle upon Tyne

Re: Do I have cruise or not?

Post by monkeyhanger »

Andy Beats wrote: Mon Jan 21, 2019 9:12 am
monkeyhanger wrote: Sat Jan 19, 2019 1:32 pm Electric cars are still pretty impractical as a primary car for long journeys,
Define 'long journeys'
200+ miles between charges is perfectly achievable now.
And, according to Kia Niro owners, you don't have to sit at low speeds to get that, you can cruise at perfectly normal M-way speeds.
One said to me "there doesn't seem to be a scenario where the battery will do less than 200 miles"
Of course, you'll always get 'someone' who wants to do ridiculous mileages in one go, but 200+ miles with a 30-40 minute break to fast recharge would suit a huge majority of people.
Well for me, I live in Tyneside and my Dad lives in Southampton - that's about 340 miles. If I had an EV as a primary car, i'd be hiring a fossil fuel car or paying a small fortune to get the train a few times a year to make that journey.

We have neither the non-domestic charging point network nor the national grid capacity to cope with more than 5% of the driving population owning an EV. That's before you consider many people not having access to off-street parking to support domestic charging.

We are not ready for mass EV usage, and the costings of running one are usually massively understated, assuming economy 7 tariff supplies. They're also incredibly overpriced because of subsidies propping the prices up.
Leif
Silver Member
Posts: 498
Joined: Tue Mar 27, 2018 6:21 pm
Drives: SE 95 PS
Location: East Hampshire

Re: Do I have cruise or not?

Post by Leif »

I’ve recently heard several cases of well known people arriving late at an event due to using a dodgem. One or two magazines have done challenges that highlight the issues. The problem is that charging points are scarce, those that exist may have a queue, or they might be out of order.

And once they become common, the government will want to tax their use, at which point they are no longer cheap to run, and yet they cost far far more than a normal car to buy. And as mentioned above, out generating capacity is already stretched, and will be even more so ignoring e-cars.
Post Reply