Full of regret re. new car, I fucking hate it

[Whoknewitcouldbeso]

I traded in my 2007 Fiat Grande Punto for a 2014 Fiat 500L 0.9 twin air thing. I love the styling and the space, no problem, but it is meant to be fuel economic and fuck me it isn't unless you drive it like a total [word removed by MNHQ].

It's manual and suggest gear changes as you drive it. I noticed my average mpg was terrible by comparison to printed estimates. I know what they claim is never what you actually get but we are talking a HUGE difference. So we researched it, put it in ECO mode and the mpg improved somewhat.

My DP drove it yesterday on a pretty long journey and put it into 'instant mpg'. He is an engineer by trade and also a car mechanic having worked in his Dad's garage most of his early life. He comes back telling me 'you need to drive it like a diesel', which seems to translate to keeping it in high gears and not allowing the engine to rev in any low gears. Fine I think. Go out this morning and try and follow the suggest gear shift changes and they are constant. It wants you in 6th gear at 40!!! Then the mpg starts giving you something decent.

If I drove like this in a driving test i swear I would fail. It goes against everything I have been doing for 25 years. DP suggests I just stare at the dash and keep an eye on the instant mpg. I suggested it might be more pertinent to look at the road instead and try not to crash the fucking thing.

Honest to god I wish I'd stuck with my old car.

You lost me when you used a diabalist term in your OP.

ByThePrickingOfMyThumbs - ditto.

Oh god I hate this site so much. I will ask for the thread to be deleted.

Report your post and ask MN to change the last word in your first paragraph. Disgusting word and you will be rightfully flamed for it and will get no advice.

i have asked for the thread to be deleted so you can all back off.

I don't have a 6th gear, but I drive my car in 5th most of the time - even at 30 you shouldn't need to be having the revs high - isn't that just how you are supposed to drive? Obviously if you need to quickly accelerate to keep out of trouble then you do that.

Typical Mumsnet!

Op, that is such a shame that you hate it. Are you able to sell it and test drive some other cars?

Seat Ibiza 1.2 Ecomotive - My first car and I fucking loved it!

I had to hand back after 3 years and I just got a Citreon Cactus 1.6 diesel (I know its not to everyone's taste. I got black with black airbumps and it looks awesome) Also love it but not quite as nippy as the Seat.

Both cars have been diesel though, not sure if that makes a difference. My average MPG is about 70 :)

If you hate this site so much you could always just do one and leave 😊

You sound like you have anger issues.

Did you test-drive it before you bought?

If you're finding it's difficult or counter-intuitive to drive, it may be worth taking a very small financial hit and trading it in for something else. I have had a similar Oh dear god, it sucks the pleasure out of driving reaction to various random rental cars, so I understand what you mean.

Ignoring the points other posters have picked up on for a minute..
I really don't see your problem. I only have 5 gears but I drive pretty much constantly in 5th. You can't not use all available gears and wonder why your estimated mpg is shit?
Just change up a gear

I think OP is frustrated rather than having anger issues. It happens to us all, no?

It's an expensive mistake to make, that's for sure. I can't think of a way round it. It does take me quite a while to get used to a new car. Maybe you'll get used to it in time.

Hi everyone,

As we do consider this to be disablist, we've now edited the OP. If we could all move the thread on - that would be grand.

I have a Fiat 500 & it tells me when to change gear too - it took some getting used to, like being in 5th gear when you're only doing 30, and the mpg seems poor for such a small car - if I didn't like everything else about it then I would have swapped it for something else ages ago! Life is too short to drive a car you don't like - change it for something else.

Thank you Katherine

If the info given about the car is wildly inaccurate, would you not be able to force the garage to refund you? I think you would have to go down a legal route to force it because the garage are not just going to agree, but surely it is not legal to make claims which aren't even close to being true

Maybe people would be happier to "move on" if the OP had proffered an apology for using a term that is often used against those in society who have no voice to stand up for themselves?

If the info given about the car is wildly inaccurate, would you not be able to force the garage to refund you?

But I don't think the OP is saying that the info is that inaccurate, just that it doesn't suit her driving style. I think those who have replied have indicated that it is fairly normal to be driving in a high gear at lower speeds nowadays. In fact the other day my OH was "being helpful" and suggested that I could be in a higher gear......I was going round a mini roundabout at 20ish and was in 4th....he thought I was in 2nd. I drive in 5th most of the time - even for town driving.

I thought part of the problem was that the mpg bore no relation to what was promised. I know those tests take place in optimum conditions and real life driving doesn't, but it shouldn't be massively different. If it is then could she not claim it was misrepresented?

Driving style massively affects mpg though and you are not supposed to be having the car at high revs. OP seems to be saying that she doesn't want to drive in the recommended gears - the test will have been done based on driving the car at optimum fuel conservation. The OP doesn't like driving in that way though.

Im confused as to what problem the OP is having, tbh.

I've been driving over 20 years, and was always taught (average road/weather conditions, nothing extreme or adverse) not to rev too high.

Even back when I had an ancient Nissan, driving in 5th gear (only had 5 back then) at 40mph wasn't unusual. And my rather more modern CRV would be revving high if in under 4th gear at 30, 5th gear from 35ish. So again, if it had had 6 gears I don't think 40'would be unrealistic.

Sounds as though the OP has just got a bit lazy with gear work, tbh. I think I would be now too (currently have an automatic thanks to dh).