This is a duel beteween the old dCi engine developed by Renault which now has the famous Ad-Blue system so it can lower the CO2 emissions and the all-new 1.3 TCe engine with 150 HP. I drove this engine before, first time when I had the 2019 Renault Kadjar for a weekend test drive then on a 4X2 Duster, for a day and the last time was with the 130 HP Duster in January 2020.
At the exterior there is absolutely no difference between these two cars, even the way the fuel tank door is opened remained the same. On the other 2 Dusters I drove there was a different, more efficient system of locking the fuel tank.
And we set up to do this video in a location I didn’t know, on a Wednesday morning, before I got to work. So we had to move fast. This is one of the reasons I didn’t get the drone up in the sky.
My Duster (the 1.5 dCi) has Nokian WR SUV 3 winter tires on 17 inch Wheels, that are very worn, this is their last use. The other Duster (1.3 TCe) had Riken Suv 3 on 16 inch wheels. The owner bought these tires last september. So there is a big difference between the “shoes” of the cars.
The first trail were the cars had to be forced a little bit was not cover with deep snow. I tried first, with my dCi and even if I went pass the difficult part, the car quickly lost grip. So I had to go in reverse and try again. This time I was succesfull. The petrol Duster went up without any problems, with a lower speed than mine.
Another part that I had to pass it with more than one try was a portion of the trail with a significant inclination to the left side. Again, the petrol Duster went by easier than me. I think the fact that I was first and made tracks in the snow helped the second car.
The most problematic part was at a steep portion of the trail were I tried 3 times without any luck and only after the 1.3 TCe went up, I managed to climb as well. There you can see very easy the difference in grip between the tires.
Last round of comaprison was made on a different road, several days before we went in this nice snow offroad adventure and the results were the same. I had problems going up an rather easy looking hill with defrosted mud while the other Duster went up on its first try.
Even though this article has nothing to do with what is on the site (cars, offroad and related stuff), I considered it necessary to write it.
Danger of the Century
Co-Vid 19 is a global epidemic outbreak that everyone heard about. It had a very rapid spread in Europe and many countries are overwhelmed by the speed and the way the virus passes from a person to another. As I write this article Italy has the number one with 7503 deaths, followed by Spain with 3434 and China with 3163. The biggest problem of the health systems in all the countries of the world, even those that are economically developed is that the medical staff that is in the first line of the battle against the virus is very exposed.
Because of that exposure, many doctors and nurses have been infected and have been sent into isolation at home (if they don’t have any symptoms or they have relatively easy symptoms) and the rest are kept in hospitals alongside the other pacients.
Main problems worldwide
Of course, not many countries can built a hospital in a few days like China but te biggest problem is yet to come. Many countries are not ready with protection materials for all the people involded in this battle (masks, glasses, etc) and enough room in the hospitals for everyone. A scenario that is more likely to happen across the globe is exactly the one happening rigth now in Romania.
In a short period of time, the most important hospital in the Suceava city became the center of the outbreak. Right now the hospital is shut down, all the patients were transfered or sent home and in the next few days it will be transformed into a CoVid-19 hospital.
The main problem is that 34 out of 233 doctors in the hospital have been tested positive to the new virus and 49 medical nurses are also infected with Covid-19. Those without symptoms will go home in isolation for a period of 14 days and the rest will be hospitalized. This is the protocol that it is followed all around the world. The work of these doctors and nurses falls into the hands of their colleagues and in a few days it will be too much for them.
Solution?
So what if the doctors and the nurses that are staying home for 14 days are willing to work in the hospital and also stay in the hospital for that period of 14 days? I think every hospital should find a way to separate the infected doctors and nurses (without symptoms) that can work. This way the crisis of hospital staff won’t be that high plus they won’t need so much protection when working because they can’t be infected. That is untill the person is fully recovered.
Because of the lack of personal protection more and more doctors and medical staff will eventualy be infected. I know most of those heroes of these times would be willing to work even though they are infected. In a 2-3 weeks time, we will have a minimum of 1000 new cases per day. In those moments every hospital will need every man and women with medical training to deal with so many patients.
These decisions will have to be made by those who are in charge of the medical units and, of course, the medical staff as well.
It may seem like a foolish idea, but it might help. Maybe it’s wrong for many reasons unknown to me. But has anyone tried it yet?
This is the perfect place to disconnect with the day-by-day stress and experience a quiet holiday. The place has several cottages, mostly for 2 persons. All have bathroom and are made from wood logs.
The most popular city near Dârmoxa is Vatra Dornei. From there you have to go south, to Șaru Dornei, Panaci, Coverca.
The owner has a big area where the deers live. It’s surounded by a tall fence so the animals won’t escape. We visited the farm in June 2019, the baby deers were already grown, but they still had the white dots on their backs.
On top of the mountain there is an observatory. From there you can see the hole valley, that streches over a few miles in all the directions. It’s the biggest unhabited place in Bukovina.
The most beautiful period to visit this amazing location is winter and begining of June, when the deer females are giving birth. It’s not a certain thingg that you will see the little deers but it’s worth to try. In the first 2 weeks the mother is keeping the baby hidden. We tried to find them but it was impossible. At some point we thought there are no baby deers.
Of course, the main attraction is the male deers, especially when they have the horns fully grown up.
The rapid global spread of the coronavirus is having a major impact on the car industry.
Monday 23 March: More plant closures, US car manufacturers to start ventilator production
Ford’s Dagenham engine plant will be closed from today onwards, with the Bridgend engine plant in Wales following suit on Wednesday. The break is scheduled for a four-week period, with the firm bringing forward its regular summer closure. The shutdown will be extended across non-business critical Ford UK operations, and workers will receive “payments at least equivalent to their base pay.”
In similar fashion to efforts seen in the UK, leading American car firms are set to step in to assist with ventilator production in the United States. In a tweet, US President Donald Trump said that Ford, GM and Tesla “are being given the go ahead” to make ventilators and other metal products. Few further specifics of what role the cars firms will play have yet to be announced.
Jaguar Land Rover and Bentley have both closed their UK plants, effectively halting mainstream car production in the UK. Both firms are aiming to reopen their facilities on 20 April. Full story here
Volvo will close its plants in its home country of Sweden and Charleston, South Carolina from 26 March until 14 April to protect its workforce. It has already closed its Belgium factory, which will not reopen until at least 5 April. Volvo’s Chinese plant reopened earlier this month.
Honda has suspended production at its UK plant, where the Civic hatch is built, “in light of increasing difficulties with supply chains and considering the wellbeing” or staff. The firm says it intends to restart production on 6 April, dependent on government advice and market conditions.
Both Ford and GM will suspend production at their North American factories until at least 30 March. The two firms say they will take the time to clean and sanitise their plants in the USA, Canada and Mexico, and both are in talks with unions about keeping workers safe when production resumes. Audi has also suspended production in its Mexico plant due to supply chain issues.
Hyundai has suspended production at its US factory in Alabama after a worker tested positive for Covid-19. The firm is working with local officials to sanitise the site and determining when it it safe for production to resume.
Rolls-Royce has confirmed it will suspend production at its Goodwood manufacturing plant from Monda 23 March. The suspension is currently planned for two weeks, and leads into the already scheduled two-week Easter maintenance shutdown. It added that day-to-day operations will be assured by non-production staff at the company’s head office, or working remotely.
Porsche has announced that it will stop production for an initial period of two weeks. The decision will affects its Zuffenhausen and Leipzig plants in Germany, with the suspension starting from Saturday 21 March. The firm cited the protection of its personnel due to coronavirus, but added that bottlenecks in its supply chain no longer enabled “orderly production”. The firm also said it is anticipating a decline in demand.
Toyota is suspending production at all of its European plants, including its two UK facilities in Burnaston, Derbyshire and Deeside, Flintshire. Full story here.
The BMW Group is also in the process of halting production at all of its European factories, along with its site in South Africa. They will all be closed by the end of the week, and is currently scheduled to last until 19 April.
Honda will suspend production at all of its North American plants for six days from 23 March, due to an “anticipated decline in market demand”. It said it will continue to pay staff fully during the suspension, and will also utilise the period to enhance deep cleaning measures. The move will affect plants in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
The Teslafactory in Fremont, California is set to be forced to close, with officials in Alameda County having reportedly determined it is a “non-essential” business.
These are the top 5 cars that you have to avoid no matter what.
Number 5. Audi TT MK2 2.0 TFSI
The Audi TT Mk2 with the 2.0 TSI engine is one of the most unreliable cars that were built by Audi. Many owners had problems with the engine (oil consumption), electrical problems and other mecanichal problems.
Most cars had just 50.000 km or more when he problems began. That is a reason why they are so cheap these days. You can buy one now with around 6.500 Euro.
Number 4. Range Rover Sport
Range Rover Sport is the worst model made by Land Rover. it’s in the top 5 cars to avoid because many have problems with the engine, there are many ads of selling this model cheap, but with the engine that needs replacement. It’s a big, massive car, with expensive parts. Because of the maintenance costs it’s on number 4 on myl list. You can buy a 2006 model with around 5.000 Euro.
3. Volkswagen Phaeton
Not all the Phaeton models are not reliable, just the first generation. They have good engines, but the biggest downside is the losing value over the years. In 2006 a full option VW Phaeton was around 90.000 Euro. You can boy one in 2020 with 5.000 Euro.
2. Volkswagen Scirocco 1.4 TSI
VW Group used this engine (1.4 TSI) on Scirocco, Golf V and Golf VI GTI and took it out of the production because of its inefficiency. Worst model is the one equiped with DSG Gearbox. Many owners didn’t reach 100.000 KM and they had to change important engine components (turbo, engine block, pistons). Plus the oil comsumption and DSG gearbox problems. The 1.4 TSI models are rare and cheap (6.000 Euro)
Number 1. Opel Insignia MK1 2.0 CDTI
The 2.0 CDTI is the worst made by Opel because the oil pump was made from plastic. The pump broke down easy, there was no oil going in the engine and the engine would fail. There are many models that had engines changed because of the faulty oil pump. You can buy an Opel Insignia MK1 now for under 3.000 Euro.
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