Discussion
OK - here is my thoughts of my first 2 whole days with the Noble.
Overall impression
==================
The car is *the* most amazing things I have every driven. I'm fortunate that in the course of many a "hospitality" day I have driven everything from Ferrari's, through Porsches, Clio Cup Sports, Integras, Exiges, S2000's, Integras etc. etc. and the odd "real" FPA / F3000 single seaters, owning Quattro's, Elises, fast BMW's etc, but nothing - that's nothing prepares you for the cacophony of acceleration, induction noise, wastegate dumps, that whilst, are in the true sense of the word, jarring and discourse, somehow once the gear leaver and the accelerator pedal are mastered transform into a pure symphony that you are the conductor of.
The chassis is so well sorted, that the senses being driven through your rear arrive at the correct time to give the overall impression of flexibility and neutrality going to oversteer. Adding to the sensations is the perfectly weighted steering, comfort, and even a little bit of refinement (yes - refinement!) in the interior and road manners on the flat long “M” stuff that marks this car out from the normal pack.
Despite me not being able to find out what the 4500-7000??? range is like in the low gears (running in - sob!) - what's available from 3-4 to 4.5ish is quite outstanding in 3rd, 4th and 5th.
The "Wow - what the Fcuk is that" reactions from people outside means you feel like you are in a goldfish bowl around town - but the sheer delight and joy of the general public ("could you wait whilst I take a picture?” "top mote'r mate - what'll it do?", "err - what is it - nah don't tell me - Italian, err, German..... British? - Oh fantastic" are just some of the comments I have got).
If you are shy and retiring - do NOT buy this car, as you will be averting your eyes from the gaze of the general public so often that you will almost certainly crash.
Faults / Gripes
===============
Kerbs are a problem - particularly if you need to get up them. The "take it at a 45 degree angle" works every time - but remember that going forward and backward are two different things - just because it went over it forward - do NOT assume that it will do the same coming backward. Fortunately the splitter is made so that the noise of it scraping is much much worse than the damage it's doing - meaning as long as you go at 1mph or so, you'll use the sound effects to work out if you are OK with any damage to the splitter itself.
Handbrake
Feels like it's just not going to work, and set a bit too near the gear stick, but when it's up "you aren't going anywhere Mr". Be careful on hill starts - it's easy to start "jumping" against the handbrake unless you get the take up of the engine coupled with releasing the handbrake working. Also, the handbrake light isn't working on mine - and so I'm paranoid that I've left it on.
"tell" Lights
The indicator one you can't see in the daytime, the handbrake one doesn't work.
Gearshift
2nd to 3rd is a knack. Forget trying to use this as a normal "slush" box - you have to be very very precise with the 2nd to 3rd change. You either get it right, miss it, or it'll jump straight back out of 3rd when the clutch comes up.... Practice makes perfect though.
5th to 4th isn't particularly nice either - but I'm sure I'll get used to it.
Air Con
Dam bloody effective, but going from cold to warm is a challenge that should be entered into the "Krypton Challenge". Cold or HOT is the order of the day - with HOT (that's HOT - not just plain old hot) being a mere 3 clicks around on the dial. Personally I've found leaving it on max cold, and just turning the air con part on and off (dead easy to do) gave the most satisfactory results.
Also - the clicking of the air con coming on and off from the rear was a bit worrying when I was trying to park it in the garage - I thought it was the exhaust grounding out every time it when "ping" :-)
View
Couldn't see any cars until I removed the dealer’s sticker from the bottom middle of the window - much better now!
Mirrors
OK - I understand the reason to nick the mirrors off a Rover - but surely the adjusters could actually "stay" where they are put! Also - the mirrors are slightly too far "in" meaning that you can't look as wide as you would like.
Front clam 1/4 turn screws
More practice needed here to get the front clam tightened down me thinks - I still can't get the off side ones done first time. [Hint - always carry around a small Philips - the key ring one is useless and bent first time]
Loves
=====
I love the seats.
Supportive and very comfortable, the only small gripe from the other 'alf is that they don't have headrests that you can rest your head on. However, given there needs to be space for a crash helmet that a minor point!
The noise!
Being brought up on Turbo cars, this is just totally the most wonderful symphony of whooshes and fizzes that is available today without resorting to class A drugs. Once you have found out how the waste gate works, you can start to create your own music with your right foot. My current favourite is to get the waste gates to dump twice - giving you a woooosssshhhhh, dump, whoos, dump, woosh , dump, woosh, dump.
As for the "pushing on" noise between gears - I can't *wait* for the full effect at 7000rpm :-)
The "point and squirt"
Point it - it goes there
Bit tight - the tail lifts slightly, the tyres chirp, small opposite lock (or maybe just a slight release of the throttle), carry on - no drama, get to end of corner - press on.
Compared to this the Elise is an under steering nightmare that will either understeer, or, will want to place the rears where the front it. I never thought I would find a car that was better down B roads than my Elise - but this is it. Given this will easily take a corner 10mph more - and probably 15/20 more than I would dare to take the Elise round in - this is serious praise indeed.
Even with my limited rev range, a Scooby just got "lost" on the twisties between Littleborne and Sandwich. Eventually the Scooby caught up and was smiling from ear to ear and was looking intently at the badge.
"Winding in" people is also so much fun - no need to seriously break the speed limit - find a car on the "horizon", push on, and with a few, 10 at most, seconds you'll be lifting off again and gracefully coming to within a respectable distance of it's rear.
Overall I am truly the most happiest I have been with any car. Never before has the combination of noise, acceleration, handling and sheering great refinement come together in such a devastating package!
Joust
[P.S. Piccies at www.lotus-elise.org.uk/m12/ for those interested]
Overall impression
==================
The car is *the* most amazing things I have every driven. I'm fortunate that in the course of many a "hospitality" day I have driven everything from Ferrari's, through Porsches, Clio Cup Sports, Integras, Exiges, S2000's, Integras etc. etc. and the odd "real" FPA / F3000 single seaters, owning Quattro's, Elises, fast BMW's etc, but nothing - that's nothing prepares you for the cacophony of acceleration, induction noise, wastegate dumps, that whilst, are in the true sense of the word, jarring and discourse, somehow once the gear leaver and the accelerator pedal are mastered transform into a pure symphony that you are the conductor of.
The chassis is so well sorted, that the senses being driven through your rear arrive at the correct time to give the overall impression of flexibility and neutrality going to oversteer. Adding to the sensations is the perfectly weighted steering, comfort, and even a little bit of refinement (yes - refinement!) in the interior and road manners on the flat long “M” stuff that marks this car out from the normal pack.
Despite me not being able to find out what the 4500-7000??? range is like in the low gears (running in - sob!) - what's available from 3-4 to 4.5ish is quite outstanding in 3rd, 4th and 5th.
The "Wow - what the Fcuk is that" reactions from people outside means you feel like you are in a goldfish bowl around town - but the sheer delight and joy of the general public ("could you wait whilst I take a picture?” "top mote'r mate - what'll it do?", "err - what is it - nah don't tell me - Italian, err, German..... British? - Oh fantastic" are just some of the comments I have got).
If you are shy and retiring - do NOT buy this car, as you will be averting your eyes from the gaze of the general public so often that you will almost certainly crash.
Faults / Gripes
===============
Kerbs are a problem - particularly if you need to get up them. The "take it at a 45 degree angle" works every time - but remember that going forward and backward are two different things - just because it went over it forward - do NOT assume that it will do the same coming backward. Fortunately the splitter is made so that the noise of it scraping is much much worse than the damage it's doing - meaning as long as you go at 1mph or so, you'll use the sound effects to work out if you are OK with any damage to the splitter itself.
Handbrake
Feels like it's just not going to work, and set a bit too near the gear stick, but when it's up "you aren't going anywhere Mr". Be careful on hill starts - it's easy to start "jumping" against the handbrake unless you get the take up of the engine coupled with releasing the handbrake working. Also, the handbrake light isn't working on mine - and so I'm paranoid that I've left it on.
"tell" Lights
The indicator one you can't see in the daytime, the handbrake one doesn't work.
Gearshift
2nd to 3rd is a knack. Forget trying to use this as a normal "slush" box - you have to be very very precise with the 2nd to 3rd change. You either get it right, miss it, or it'll jump straight back out of 3rd when the clutch comes up.... Practice makes perfect though.
5th to 4th isn't particularly nice either - but I'm sure I'll get used to it.
Air Con
Dam bloody effective, but going from cold to warm is a challenge that should be entered into the "Krypton Challenge". Cold or HOT is the order of the day - with HOT (that's HOT - not just plain old hot) being a mere 3 clicks around on the dial. Personally I've found leaving it on max cold, and just turning the air con part on and off (dead easy to do) gave the most satisfactory results.
Also - the clicking of the air con coming on and off from the rear was a bit worrying when I was trying to park it in the garage - I thought it was the exhaust grounding out every time it when "ping" :-)
View
Couldn't see any cars until I removed the dealer’s sticker from the bottom middle of the window - much better now!
Mirrors
OK - I understand the reason to nick the mirrors off a Rover - but surely the adjusters could actually "stay" where they are put! Also - the mirrors are slightly too far "in" meaning that you can't look as wide as you would like.
Front clam 1/4 turn screws
More practice needed here to get the front clam tightened down me thinks - I still can't get the off side ones done first time. [Hint - always carry around a small Philips - the key ring one is useless and bent first time]
Loves
=====
I love the seats.
Supportive and very comfortable, the only small gripe from the other 'alf is that they don't have headrests that you can rest your head on. However, given there needs to be space for a crash helmet that a minor point!
The noise!
Being brought up on Turbo cars, this is just totally the most wonderful symphony of whooshes and fizzes that is available today without resorting to class A drugs. Once you have found out how the waste gate works, you can start to create your own music with your right foot. My current favourite is to get the waste gates to dump twice - giving you a woooosssshhhhh, dump, whoos, dump, woosh , dump, woosh, dump.
As for the "pushing on" noise between gears - I can't *wait* for the full effect at 7000rpm :-)
The "point and squirt"
Point it - it goes there
Bit tight - the tail lifts slightly, the tyres chirp, small opposite lock (or maybe just a slight release of the throttle), carry on - no drama, get to end of corner - press on.
Compared to this the Elise is an under steering nightmare that will either understeer, or, will want to place the rears where the front it. I never thought I would find a car that was better down B roads than my Elise - but this is it. Given this will easily take a corner 10mph more - and probably 15/20 more than I would dare to take the Elise round in - this is serious praise indeed.
Even with my limited rev range, a Scooby just got "lost" on the twisties between Littleborne and Sandwich. Eventually the Scooby caught up and was smiling from ear to ear and was looking intently at the badge.
"Winding in" people is also so much fun - no need to seriously break the speed limit - find a car on the "horizon", push on, and with a few, 10 at most, seconds you'll be lifting off again and gracefully coming to within a respectable distance of it's rear.
Overall I am truly the most happiest I have been with any car. Never before has the combination of noise, acceleration, handling and sheering great refinement come together in such a devastating package!
Joust
[P.S. Piccies at www.lotus-elise.org.uk/m12/ for those interested]
I went for Tesco's - funny that the girl that arranged it for me said that was the second that she had done - perhaps that was yours?? If so - spooky - not only did we buy the car from the same place, we got the insurance from the same girl!
Tesco's were slightly cheaper than Direct Line - but they are the same company......
The number plate was chosen pretty much at random - I've been looking at private ones but can't get the one that I want as it's not available yet so I'll probably just leave it at that.
I''ve managed to get 740 miles on it at the weekend, and so next weekend I'll get it to the 1000 and then put it in for it's service then.
You have any pictures of yours?
J
Tesco's were slightly cheaper than Direct Line - but they are the same company......
The number plate was chosen pretty much at random - I've been looking at private ones but can't get the one that I want as it's not available yet so I'll probably just leave it at that.
I''ve managed to get 740 miles on it at the weekend, and so next weekend I'll get it to the 1000 and then put it in for it's service then.
You have any pictures of yours?
J
Oh I'm actually with MSM - 'cause they mentioned your number plate I thought that you would be insured with them, although yes I did speak to a girl at tesco's who where very similar to Privaledge but MSM came in at about 300 pounds cheaper. - Photo's I have yet to get the slides developed ready for scanning but I should have some of my car in the alpes with Val D'Isere in the background (down in the valley) also some of the car infront of the Dam at Tignes etc.
Car has done about 1600 miles. Should get it back on Wednesday or there abouts and the fun will most certainly begin...
>> Edited by guysh on Monday 16th September 11:10
Car has done about 1600 miles. Should get it back on Wednesday or there abouts and the fun will most certainly begin...
>> Edited by guysh on Monday 16th September 11:10
MSM were more expensive by a considerable amount, and didn't offer non-racing track day cover (which although I will probably buy specific cover is certainly useful to have). They also wouldn't cover above 10000 miles per annum, whereas Tesco's were find about either 10,000 or unlimited.
Coupled that with a very cost effective installment plan meant that it just was the best deal for me.
J
Coupled that with a very cost effective installment plan meant that it just was the best deal for me.
J
Joust
I have just seen my first Noble M12 driving down Fenchurch Street in London.
Cant remember the numberplate and dont know where you are but it looked just like your car, same colour and everything.
Must say very nice, its smaller than it looks in the magazines but absolutely stunning. If only I could afford one I would put my deposit down today.
Paul
I have just seen my first Noble M12 driving down Fenchurch Street in London.
Cant remember the numberplate and dont know where you are but it looked just like your car, same colour and everything.
Must say very nice, its smaller than it looks in the magazines but absolutely stunning. If only I could afford one I would put my deposit down today.
Paul
Joust - looks like a beauty... very green! - best use of the Ford parts bin I've seen for a while! I'd be interested to know what your opinions are on the general cockpit ergonomics, since everything I've read says they are pretty crap, but that most people aren't bothered since the car is such a fantastic thing to drive!
You taking it to Virginia Waters at the weekend?
You taking it to Virginia Waters at the weekend?
quote:
Off topic I know but just out of curiosity - what do you do for a job Joust?
I'm a director of a large UK Business Broadband provider, and work in business development. We are in the big sod off white building at the south end of brick lane.
quote:
- oh and where do you park your car - I normally use White's row which is near brick lane but they about to increase the price by 400%...
The carpark at the rear of the building
quote:
Joust - looks like a beauty... very green! - best use of the Ford parts bin I've seen for a while!
It's all a bit of a missmatch really, lots of things are Ford, but lots are from other weird places (the wing mirrors are Rover...)
quote:
I'd be interested to know what your opinions are on the general cockpit ergonomics, since everything I've read says they are pretty crap, but that most people aren't bothered since the car is such a fantastic thing to drive!
Not sure why people would call them "crap" - they are absolutly fine. The only small gripes I have are that the handbrake is too near the gear leaver (one half the length would have been better), the seat belt buckle part that is fixed to the floor is too long and sticks into the side of you, the mirrors don't stay where you adjust them to, and that the peddles are slightly off set - but apart from that everything else is just fine.
quote:
You taking it to Virginia Waters at the weekend?
Not 100% I can make it at the moment, but if I can - yes.
Joust
quote:
Off topic I know but just out of curiosity - what do you do for a job Joust?
I'm a director of a large UK Business Broadband provider, and work in business development. We are in the big sod off white building at the south end of brick lane.
Hmm, Interesting I think I now a man who might be able to do some business with you guys - in both each others favours regarding call revenue etc. Are you interested in speaking with him? I apologise if i'm speaking out of turn!
- actually it's my brother and a colleage - (he's waiting for a noble too so can't be all bad!) - although rather sad seeing as I have one too.!
>> Edited by guysh on Wednesday 18th September 12:25
quote:
Not sure why people would call them "crap" - they are absolutly fine. The only small gripes I have are that the handbrake is too near the gear leaver (one half the length would have been better), the seat belt buckle part that is fixed to the floor is too long and sticks into the side of you, the mirrors don't stay where you adjust them to, and that the peddles are slightly off set - but apart from that everything else is just fine.
Granted "crap" may have been a little harsh - if not out of line. However, I have read numerous articles that have sited the ergonomics as being poor, hence was curious as to an owners opinion.
You should take a drive to the Alps and back on the main roads rather than the motorway - fantastic way to run it in as you vary the revs and don't stop and start too much. Also you'll be hard pushed to find a french petrol station that does not have SU.
Guy
>> Edited by guysh on Thursday 19th September 16:16
Guy
>> Edited by guysh on Thursday 19th September 16:16
Hmm - given I've just done Monaco via Genevre and the Alps and back again via Toulouse and Le Mans 3 weeks ago - I need a break!
I have a feeling that V. Waters this weekend, plus next weekends trip to Dartmouth, a trip to Watford and Cambridge plus others will just about do it - so only another 7 days or so and then woooooosssshhhhhhh!
One thing though - the running in instructions seem to contradict themselves - on one hand it says not to exceed 4000 even when warm, and then on the other it says on the way to 2000 to increase to full power - what did you do - always keep under 4k - or slowly take it up to 4 then 5 then 6?
Joust
I have a feeling that V. Waters this weekend, plus next weekends trip to Dartmouth, a trip to Watford and Cambridge plus others will just about do it - so only another 7 days or so and then woooooosssshhhhhhh!
One thing though - the running in instructions seem to contradict themselves - on one hand it says not to exceed 4000 even when warm, and then on the other it says on the way to 2000 to increase to full power - what did you do - always keep under 4k - or slowly take it up to 4 then 5 then 6?
Joust
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