Car reviews
Makes in the rail, versions under each name. Ten notes on this page. Photos are color blocks.
Holt · Wagon 1.6
Bought used at 82 000 km. Rear springs were tired, I swapped them in a weekend. The 1.6 pulls a trailer of firewood if you stay off the motorway. Cabin rattles above 110. Dealer service quoted a fortune for a belt; an independent bay did it in a morning. Rust started on the tailgate seam. I treat it every autumn. Seats are cloth and they still look honest.
Nori · City 1.0
City car for a one-way commute. Parks in a space that a Ridge will not even look at. The 1.0 is noisy on a ring road. I keep it because the parts bin is cheap and every bay knows the clutch. After 40 000 km the paint on the mirrors faded. No accidents. Radio is a joke; I use a phone mount.
Ridge · Crew 2.0
Crew cab promised a family truck. Rear seat is a bench with no headroom. Diesel drink is real if you idle on a site. The bed liner peeled in the first summer. Dealer blamed “use”. I will not buy the next model year. Lights are good. The ladder rack they sold bent on the first load of timber.
Nori · Hybrid 1.5
Battery still holds after four winters. Town loop is quiet. Highway at 130 feels busy and the fans come on. Service book is stamped. I had one inverter warning that cleared after a software visit. Tires last if you do not floor it from lights. Boot is smaller than the estate.
Vale · Sedan 2.5
Soft ride, vague steering. Fine for a night drive, poor for a mountain pass. Leather cracked on the driver’s bolster. The 2.5 is smooth until 180 000 km, then the chain talk starts. I sold it before that. Climate control clicks every ten minutes. Cup holders are deep. I miss the seats, not the bills.
Kett · Box 3.0
Work van. Loads a pallet if you are careful with the ramp. Turbo lag on a wet hill. I changed the dual-mass at 160 000 and kept going. Cab is loud. Heater is a furnace. No parking sensors from the factory; I added a cheap camera. Door seals leak in a side wash.
Holt · Hatch 1.2
First car. Insurance was kind. The 1.2 needs a run-up on a bridge. I hit 90 000 without a workshop visit except oil. Clutch is light. Rear wiper died and a used one costs nothing. I would buy another for a student. Paint chips on the nose from gravel.
Nori · Estate
Dogs, bikes, a week of camping gear. Roof rails are useful. The rear springs sagged after a summer of wet firewood. I put heavier ones in. Fuel is honest. Infotainment freezes in January until it warms. I keep a paper map in the door because of that.
Ridge · Single cab
Single cab for a farm. The bed is short. Frame rust showed behind the rear arch at year six. I welded a patch. Gearbox synchro on second is tired. Good low-range. Bad seats. I will keep it until the patch fails again.
Vale · Coupe
Weekend car. Low, wide, thirsty. The clutch is abrupt in town. I do not daily it. Brakes fade on a long descent if you trail them. Looks right in the rain. Parts wait three weeks. I accepted that before I signed.