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News.com.au
a day ago
- News.com.au
‘Like Tinder': Huge problem with Aussie cars
A test drive is like a first date isn't it? You've seen something that you might like. Maybe on the motoring equivalent of Tinder. You've done a bit of research or backgrounding and you're willing to roll the dice. You just have no idea how it is going to go. And then … it's awkward at first, you're feeling things out, trying to be polite, to get a rhythm happening. Gauging reactions. But at some stage you want to open the throttle, you want to push the limits, to see if this thing has a future. Is 15 minutes really enough to find that out? In (very) short: No. But that's all I was granted to shake out News Corp's Car of the Year, the BYD Shark 6. After waiting for a while simply to start driving the thing, -waiting for other prospective buyers, getting an extended run through of what was what – it was certainly a matter of the foreplay lasting longer than the real thing. WHY OH WHY? It got me thinking; in an industry that is so competitive, that makes so much money (around $200bn a year), that is constantly hitting you up with ads and incentives, why can a test drive be such a deflating experience? One that makes you feel like you're getting in the way of something. Like the saleman's lunch or his shot at a new high score on Candy Crush. Or the fact they just want to tell you how it is. Maybe I'm being a bit harsh. But when you are looking at buying a new car and think you have found something you like, it should be easier and more accommodating. After all it's the second biggest splurge most of us will make after a home and around 80 per cent of Aussie car buyers take out a loan for a new set of wheels. It's like you've finally found that dream match on Tinder or Hinge or Bumble or eHarmony or shock, horror you've actually met someone in the flesh, and you've sat down at the bar together. Before the barman tells you they are closing in five. Where do you go from here? Perhaps it's that customer service has almost completely evaporated in this digital age that we are continually told that doing everything online is so undoubtly wonderful. Just ask ChatGPT if you don't believe me. You can book that test drive online in a minute or two. Then the drive itself doesn't last much longer. When you can gleefully order a $125k car online with a few clicks just like you're ordering Uber Easts maybe it doesn't matter to the car companies so much what the 360 degree in-person test driving experience is like. But it should. TAKE THE LONG ROAD HOME The much-hyped BYD Shark doesn't take a lot of introducing, unlike a Telsa with its 'everything is on the touchscreen approach' but you still have to learn a bit about how to drive it. And while the BYD salesman was a very nice and knowledge guy, I was rather surprised/annoyed when he said after giving me the keys – 'see you in 15-20, that's the usual time'. Luckily it was a slow Saturday afternoon and having once worked in the area where the test drive was I knew the roads well and was able to use that time wisely to work the ute through the suburban streets and give it some on the motorway. But to me 15-20 minutes often means double that, and just as well because as I was returning to the dealer I realised I hadn't toggled across to EV mode to try it out. So that meant, another five to 10 cruising around. To be fair though, it took my seven-year-old son all of three minutes riding high in the back seat to declare: 'we should buy this'. However it only took for me to tell them we were going to test drive the new updated Tesla Model Y for them to translate that into the fact we were already buying one. ALL HAIL THE CYBERTRUCK The halo effect of the Cybertruck on display at the dealership – my 7-year-old and 10-year-old (and dog) climbed all over like it was a kids' playground – further sealed the deal before we even got a look at the Model Y. Tesla is a very slick and very friendly and very accommodating operation, even if their reps seemed somewhat short on product knowledge unlike the BYD blokes I dealt with. I got an hour with my boys (minus the dog) to test out the Model Y. To get a decent feel for how you operate it. How it works in a suburban setting and how it cruises on the highway. Was this really a car I wanted to blow $80K on? (Are you kidding it does 0-100km/h in 4.1 seconds of course I want it.) You shouldn't often listen to that mischievous little voice inside your head. But on this occasion it was commenting in unison with my sensible side and most importantly my wife's point of view. The Tesla blew me away, for ride and comfort and the cutting edge tech. I had to have it and thanks to financing I could and I don't regret the buy for a second. Apart from when I wonder if I should have spent $1600 more and got the white seats. But that's just that little voice again. COMMITMENT ISSUES But even then my time with the Tesla felt like a short stay at the crease. In the end it was recommendations from people I know who know what they are talking about and the endlessly reading and watching of reviews that confirmed it was the car I wanted. But still I wondered, can I know if I want to spend the rest of my life with this car from such a short date? I get that the path to true love is never smooth but it just didn't seem right. That was confirmed for me when my brother relayed his experience in buying his new car. He visited a large dealership, which offered a number of different car brands, – a one-stop car browsing shop if you will. Speed dating kinda thing but with quite a bit more to it. One of those brands was Skoda, a brand he was considering. When he asked the car dealer how long could he have the car for, the dealer replied: 'well we close at six, just make sure you have it back by then'. My brother looked at his watch, it had just gone 2pm. He drove three cars that afternoon for as long and as far as he wanted.
The Australian
a day ago
- The Australian
Four killed in landslide as heavy rain drenches northern China
Torrential rain soaking northern China triggered a deadly landslide, burst riverbanks and washed away cars on Monday, with thousands of people forced to evacuate the days-long deluge. In Hebei province, which encircles the capital, a landslide in a village near the city of Chengde killed four people, with eight still missing, state broadcaster CCTV reported. Emergency responders were dispatched to inspect "severe" flooding in the province, where two others died over the weekend. Rescuers plucked flood victims and their pets from an inundated compound in Beijing's Miyun district, where more than 4,000 people have been evacuated. Firefighters also rescued 48 people trapped in an elderly care centre, CCTV reported. The capital is under the highest level warning for floods and second highest for rain, with the storm expected to last into Tuesday morning. "I've never seen so much water before," Cui Xueji, 67, a lifelong resident of Taishitun village, told AFP. "We did some preparations, but we had no idea that there would be this much," he said, wading through water in flip-flops. In Fuping County, more than 4,600 people were evacuated over the weekend while in neighbouring Shanxi province one person was rescued and 13 were missing after a bus accident, state media said. Footage from the state broadcaster showed roads and a field submerged in rushing water. - Gushing floods - A Miyun district resident surnamed Liu said he watched floodwater sweep away vehicles early Monday morning. AFP journalists saw a crawler lift people and a dog out of the 64-year-old's compound as rescuers waded through water up to their knees. Nearby, in the town of Mujiayu, AFP journalists saw a reservoir release a torrent of water. Power lines were swept away by muddy currents while military vehicles and ambulances ploughed flooded streets. A river burst its banks, sweeping away trees, and agricultural fields were swamped. Some roads were badly damaged, with chunks of exposed concrete scattered across lanes and twisted guardrails lining their sides. The low-rise houses in the mountainous area, though mostly intact, were surrounded by gushing floods. China's National Development and Reform Commission has allocated 50 million yuan ($7 million) to assist relief efforts in Hebei, with the funds going to post-disaster emergency recovery and construction of infrastructure, Xinhua news agency said. - Extreme weather - Natural disasters are common across China, particularly in the summer when some regions experience heavy rain while others bake in searing heat waves. China is the world's biggest emitter of the greenhouse gases that scientists say drive climate change and contribute to making extreme weather more frequent and intense. But it is also a global renewable energy powerhouse that aims to make its massive economy carbon-neutral by 2060. Flash floods in eastern China's Shandong province killed two people and left 10 missing this month. A landslide on a highway in Sichuan province this month also killed five people after it swept several cars down a mountainside. bur-oho-mya/lb
ABC News
2 days ago
- ABC News
Flash flooding in southern WA cuts off main road into Gracetown on weekend
Many residents in Western Australia's South West were cut off from their homes at the weekend due to flash flooding, as parts of the region copped more than 100 millimetres of rainfall. The main access road to Gracetown, about 270 kilometres south of Perth, was completely submerged on Sunday, as the South West was hit by harsh conditions for the third time this month. Local photographer Chloe Motzouris raced down to the Cowaramup Bay Road with her drone and children to check out the spectacle. "We had a hell of a lot of rain overnight … a good little adventure with my kids was to go down there and see how high the water had got in our favourite little creek," she said. "To our surprise, the water was over the road." Ms Motzouris said despite the conditions, some people ran the gauntlet and crossed the road. "Me and my little car were not going across there, that's for sure." Ms Motzouris believed it was close to 20 years since the last time flooding closed the road. "The sheer force of the water, I'm surprised it won't cause damage," she said. Shire of Augusta Margaret River president Julia Meldrum said the road was reopened about 10am Monday with reduced speeds. "We had the crew down there this morning, and the water has cleared at the bridge area, but they do need to remove the debris," she said. Councillor Meldrum said there was no major damage to the infrastructure. Margaret River police sergeant Alan Dean said officers had to stop a number of people from putting themselves in danger. "The problem with that obviously is the rocks and the timber and all sorts floating down the river … there are risks there of people being injured or possibly being swept out to sea." Bureau of Meteorology senior meteorologist Jessica Lingard said the heavy rainfall over the past 48 hours had also led to flooding on parts of Caves Road and the Bussell Highway. She urged people to be careful when driving through wet areas. "Remembering it's not just about the water in your car, it's about the road condition underneath those flooded areas, so please drive with caution and obey those road closure signs. "The good news is after three consecutive really wet cold fronts this week … we do now have a little bit of breathing room before our next front is due through later on Friday." According to the Bureau of Meteorology, Wilyabrup, 27km north of Margaret River, received 134mm of rain since Friday morning, while Busselton nearly 60mm and Margaret River 25mm. A DFES spokesperson told the ABC there were 71 call-outs statewide over the weekend, 20 of which were in the South West and Great Southern regions. Busselton SES manager Wayne Credaro said the accumulation of weather events in a short period of time had taken a toll on volunteer emergency services. "Everything has been pretty waterlogged … the rivers are running the highest I've seen for some time," he said. In Perth, a hailstorm pelted much of the central and northern metro area on Sunday afternoon. Almost 50mm of rain fell in Kings Park in the CBD over the past 24 hours.
