04-29-2014, 05:10 PM | #1 |
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Wee blast in the Alps with the 430D
Well, not all the way up into the Alps.
I went down to our underground research laboratory deep under the Grimsel pass on Monday. I checked the weather and it looked like I could make it all the way on my summer tyres, but arrived as the snow line plunged. So only managed to get as far as Guttannen to join some other colleagues who gave up trying to get up the road - complete white out just a few Kms up the road. It was good fun to get to Guttannen though. The VSS, adaptive suspension in Sport and the Msport brakes really got a good testing. Very good indeed. Especially the brakes doing hairpin after hairpin - really good feel and no fade. But kept reeling in other traffic and getting stuck behind them - and the locals certainly skelp on with their local knowledge. Falling off the big drop from the side of some of the hairpins would be like something out of a Roadrunner cartoon. Although the car park was pretty clear of snow, left the car, and went up in a 4x4 VW van in winters. Spent 2 days underground and came back to find the snow line had raised and left in a nice, crisp spring day. Another wee blast back down the mountain. It was good to stretch the 430D's legs. D.
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Escort Mk1 RS2000 (2.1 2x44IDFS, BVH, Kent FR32, 5spd, 180 BHP) : M440D ¦ Previously : F32 435D : F32 430D M Sport sDrive, 335D E92 2006
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04-29-2014, 05:32 PM | #2 |
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04-29-2014, 05:56 PM | #3 |
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04-30-2014, 02:22 AM | #4 |
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What a great environment for a drive. Beats the M40 any day.
Glad you are enjoying the car. How many miles now? Are you finding that the engine is loosening up much? I have found the engine a little looser since passing 1,200 miles but cannot be sure that it isn't purely psychological! |
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04-30-2014, 05:10 AM | #5 | |
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I'd love to drive through the Alps, playing 'On Days Like These' by Matt Munro |
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04-30-2014, 10:13 AM | #8 | |
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The thing is it was very quiet and refined even then, and I rarely look at the speedo now with HUD (just see the number changing, no dynamic sweep of dial) - so quite difficult to tell with the seat of the pants. Hit Luzern at rush hour, so drove calmly amongst the throng and then a little Authobahn. Was surprised to see my MPG go way up (several bars in my graph were topped at 80 mpg using 8 min intervals). It can be very economical too, the 3.0D when just kicking back, heated seat on, listening to some tunes and cruising. D.
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Escort Mk1 RS2000 (2.1 2x44IDFS, BVH, Kent FR32, 5spd, 180 BHP) : M440D ¦ Previously : F32 435D : F32 430D M Sport sDrive, 335D E92 2006
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04-30-2014, 10:17 AM | #9 | |
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Quote:
D.
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Escort Mk1 RS2000 (2.1 2x44IDFS, BVH, Kent FR32, 5spd, 180 BHP) : M440D ¦ Previously : F32 435D : F32 430D M Sport sDrive, 335D E92 2006
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