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I'm not sure how relevant this is to anyone else, but I thought I would put some comments together.
I followed the instructions and didn't go too mad straight out of the box.
I kept below 4000rpm and avoided max throttle for the first 500 miles, then kept below 5000 with only a few max throttle attempts when warm for the next 1000 miles.
I know the manual just says to avoid motor sports, sports driving schools (i.e. track days) and high engine speeds, but I thought I would follow the same regime as my previous cars which seems to have served me well.
Anyway, having done 412 miles yesterday, it is now fully run in.
Fuel consumption over 8 hours of mainly motorway driving (plus a bit of traffic jams and city driving) was around 24 mpg, which is pretty good.
Typically at the end of it I got out of the car with no aches or problems even with the sports seats, rather than the comfort ones I had on the previous car. My shoulders did ache at one point, but after a brief stop for 20 mins all was fine.
Judging from the guage I seem to have used about 1 litre of oil in 1700 miles, which is perfectly acceptable.
It still smokes sometimes when starting from cold, but it seems to be something like every 15 or 20 starts. I haven't yet mamaged to figure out what causes it, it doesn't seem to be the angle it is parked at, or how long it idles before you switch it off, or how hard it was driven before stopping.
Having played myself in now, I have been pushing it harder.
It is living up to expectations and the power delivery is exactly what I wanted. While normally aspirated cars may be more immediate with a clearer direct connection between your right foot and the engine, I like turbo cars.
When accelerating hard it is great the way it keeps the boost between gear changes. The most impressive part is the thrust you have available even when doing 60+ mph. Without trying I have been leaving people behind easily. Pulling away from toll booths is fun too.
I have watched the boost guage and have so far seen it get to 0.8 bar. I thought the X50 should allow it to get to 0.9 but perhaps this is right at the top end where the torque is trailing off. Some more experimentation is required.[
]
I was also forced at one point to use 95 octane petrol. The car runs on it OK, although it seems to be a little less urgent (but that might be psychological, since I am not convinced you can easily tell the difference).
When starting from cold I have also noticed it takes a while to settle into a smooth tickover. Also, is the tickover supposed to be 750rpm?
I've also noticed that in general I get more respect from other road users, who seem to be less aggressive towards me. It all makes driving about quite easy and stress free.
The rattle I had from the back was from the relay that controls the rear wiper. It was not fastened properly. Whether it was not put in right, or knocked when the trim was installed I don't know. Anyway having removed the rear trim the OPC fixed it back in, took about 10 mins.
In summary, as a road car, it is fantastic. I also think that I might almost have enough power now.
The only downside it what do I lust after now? I can't think of any road car I can use everyday that could give me more safely usable performance (especially not with sat nav, climate control, integrated phone, 12 speakers - all of which are used regularly).
I followed the instructions and didn't go too mad straight out of the box.
I kept below 4000rpm and avoided max throttle for the first 500 miles, then kept below 5000 with only a few max throttle attempts when warm for the next 1000 miles.
I know the manual just says to avoid motor sports, sports driving schools (i.e. track days) and high engine speeds, but I thought I would follow the same regime as my previous cars which seems to have served me well.
Anyway, having done 412 miles yesterday, it is now fully run in.
Fuel consumption over 8 hours of mainly motorway driving (plus a bit of traffic jams and city driving) was around 24 mpg, which is pretty good.
Typically at the end of it I got out of the car with no aches or problems even with the sports seats, rather than the comfort ones I had on the previous car. My shoulders did ache at one point, but after a brief stop for 20 mins all was fine.
Judging from the guage I seem to have used about 1 litre of oil in 1700 miles, which is perfectly acceptable.
It still smokes sometimes when starting from cold, but it seems to be something like every 15 or 20 starts. I haven't yet mamaged to figure out what causes it, it doesn't seem to be the angle it is parked at, or how long it idles before you switch it off, or how hard it was driven before stopping.
Having played myself in now, I have been pushing it harder.
It is living up to expectations and the power delivery is exactly what I wanted. While normally aspirated cars may be more immediate with a clearer direct connection between your right foot and the engine, I like turbo cars.
When accelerating hard it is great the way it keeps the boost between gear changes. The most impressive part is the thrust you have available even when doing 60+ mph. Without trying I have been leaving people behind easily. Pulling away from toll booths is fun too.
I have watched the boost guage and have so far seen it get to 0.8 bar. I thought the X50 should allow it to get to 0.9 but perhaps this is right at the top end where the torque is trailing off. Some more experimentation is required.[
]I was also forced at one point to use 95 octane petrol. The car runs on it OK, although it seems to be a little less urgent (but that might be psychological, since I am not convinced you can easily tell the difference).
When starting from cold I have also noticed it takes a while to settle into a smooth tickover. Also, is the tickover supposed to be 750rpm?
I've also noticed that in general I get more respect from other road users, who seem to be less aggressive towards me. It all makes driving about quite easy and stress free.
The rattle I had from the back was from the relay that controls the rear wiper. It was not fastened properly. Whether it was not put in right, or knocked when the trim was installed I don't know. Anyway having removed the rear trim the OPC fixed it back in, took about 10 mins.
In summary, as a road car, it is fantastic. I also think that I might almost have enough power now.
The only downside it what do I lust after now? I can't think of any road car I can use everyday that could give me more safely usable performance (especially not with sat nav, climate control, integrated phone, 12 speakers - all of which are used regularly).
