Loan car during the X5 airbag recall

[sapphireblack]

Setting aside my bias for most things BMW, i was advised i would be loaned a Ford Capri for 48 hours by Enterprise as BMW no longer have loan cars.

I was quite excited until i laid eyes on the Ford Capri in the parking area. It's a travesty to call this ugly vehicle by an iconic name, when it is so far removed from its predecessor. Add to that a version of British Leylands Austin Allegro, Quadoptic steering wheel, and its a double disappointment.

I gather its range is just 300 miles. I was also obliged to cough up £16 to negate the £700 accident excess regardless of blame. So even if rear ended I'd have to pay £700 and fight my own corner to get it back.

Its parked outside my home where it will stay until my car is sorted, hopefully by tomorrow afternoon.

20250522_102353.jpg (152 KiB) Viewed 984 times

20250522_102335.jpg (123.43 KiB) Viewed 984 times

20250522_102405.jpg (158.65 KiB) Viewed 984 times

[X5Sport]

I don’t get the obsession with square steering wheels that seems to be ‘in’ at present. Flat bottomed maybe, but square?

At least my i4 has a ‘normal’ cockpit.

IMG_1432.jpeg (181.79 KiB) Viewed 773 times

I honestly thought it was Polestar 2 at first glance.

I remember driving ‘Cr@ppi’s back in the day. Our fleet had a number of 2.0 litre models. Used by the unmarked squads they had a nasty habit of overheating at exactly the wrong moment! The solution was to buy a number of Cavalier Sportshatch 2.0L. They would go all day. It’s one of the reasons I bought my Manta GT/E. That and the Manta was a little less ‘tail happy’, something the Capri suffered from unless a couple of bags of sand were put in the boot - or a load of kit the squads had to carry with them.

[sapphireblack]

My flat mate back in the day (70s) had 2.0l Capri, gold with a satin black bonnet and wing tops iirc?. I was driving it when it wasn't very old, and the clutch pedal hit the floor and stayed there. The cable had snapped, no grommet throught the bulkhead if memory serves

[sapphireblack]

Gear selection on this Capri is via a steering column stalk, twist forward to go forward, etc. Enterprise guy said much of it is a VW under the skin!

I don't like its styling at all. Though, as my first full electric experience, aside from an Express Dairy milk float many, many years ago, its pretty rapid, albeit in very unfamiliar way.

[sapphireblack]

Oh, i also had a Cavalier Sportshatch in a vile peppermint green with dark blue velour interior. I inherited it from the guy i replaced as a regional manager.

I assume he was sacked based on his poor colour choice, he had it from new i hated it but the remuneration compensated for a while.

[sapphireblack]

FWIW, my favourite all-time company car from brand new (these are screen grabs) was a Fiat 131 Supermirafiori Sport Racing. It came only in three colours, Orange, Grey Metallic, and Silver Metallic. All came with black crushed velour upholstery. Those were the days

Screenshot_20250522_194937_Google.jpg (149.37 KiB) Viewed 690 times

Mine was CMY412T, registered in 1979, and which seems to have departed the motoring world.

[X5Sport]

I’m glad to say my own 1978 Cav1600 Sportshatch was white with a darkish red velour interior (ex-Avis car). My 1985 Manta was white with black leather Recaros. Both were really simple to work on.

[sapphireblack]

I was always envious of the Opel version of the Vauxhall i had inerited. It was way more sporty looking, and had better colours. Plus the decal badging made it look 'racy'.