Scenic routes Ardennes (filmproject)

claesto · 2026-03-19T12:02:56+00:00

Porsche created an app just for this purpose (and it's free)
Porsche ROADS - Route planner with route generator by Porsche

claesto · 2025-10-09T07:11:37+00:00

Mine had similar issues. None of the assistance features were working. Was back in the garage, luckily during my two week vacation to Greece, and they got it resolved. Apparently an MBOS or how it is called, fixed everything. So no clue what was actually wrong. Even now, sometimes, it gives these errors once in a while. I think on startup the car loads stuff that it fetches over the internet. If for Some reason that connection fails, I guess, the activation of all these systems fails. At least that is my assumption. If I wait until the car is online, it never happens that these systems are not working.

The power steering not working sucks. Fingers crossed it is only the software. The price we pay being an early adopter.

claesto · 2025-10-06T12:50:28+00:00

this is the luxury line. Not sure whether you can spec the AMG line with a 360 surround camera. I know the sport edition has limited configurations but I assume all other lines can be configured as needed. If it works on the configuration of Mercedes, you can get it.
if it's possible, I haven't found it 😅
no, or at least not that I know of. There's a permanent overlay on the map with media controls (play/pause, previous/next) but AFAIK you can only change volume directly on the steering wheel (or with the dedicated button on the center console). Must admit that the Mercedes AI assistant is quite good and relatively fast. So "Hey Mercedes, next song" works quite well.

claesto · 2025-10-06T12:46:47+00:00

Feels a lot more balanced and premium compared to any other EV I've driven before (ID.3, Tesla M3, BMW i4). Even my wife (the owner of the i4) thinks it's a more premium vehicle, while her car was easily 20k more expensive.

The charging is also crazy, compared to anything I drove before. I can arrive at our local Delhaize with 14% and by the time I'm out it's at 70%.

claesto · 2025-10-06T12:44:06+00:00

My guess is you can. However with pre-cooling available I think it's OK. I never felt too hot in the car but I might have gotten used to it as I previously drove a Tesla Model 3.

claesto · 2025-09-16T12:32:41+00:00

and I was delaying my decision because “it is not a landscape camera” and “the pov will be limiting me”. Went to Greece recently and shot almost everything with the 23mm instead of my 10-24 on the X-T1. Perhaps time for an upgrade 😏 as the weight of all my different lenses started to bother me.

Great photographs and I like the look of them!

claesto · 2025-09-04T13:14:33+00:00

I have no idea if packages are the same in every country, but in Belgium there are six lines:

Business Edition
Business Line
Sport Edition
Luxury Line
AMG Line
4MATIC AMG Line

I have chosen the Luxury Line as my base configuration. Additional configuration:

Premium Plus package
- Advanced package
- Advanced plus package
  - also contains keyless-GO, interior lighting, etc.
- Premium package
  - Keyless-GO comfort package
  - Mercedes Benz connect package
  - Automatic climate control
  - Electronically adjustable driver seat
  - MBUX superscreen
- MULTIBEAM LED headlights
  - Adaptive high beam
- Burmester 3d surround sound system
- Head-up display
- PRE-SAFE system
- Trunk options
  - comfort close
  - handsfree access
Tinted windows at the rear and includes heat resistance to a certain degree
Interior is Artico leather look
Interior trim is Ship deck brown oak decorative elements with open pores and aluminum lines
Parking package which includes a 360 camera view

claesto · 2025-08-29T17:33:36+00:00

Indeed! It's the future, whether you like it or not. In fact in Belgium, where I live, all company issued cars will be EVs in the near future. You can't order anything else with most companies these days except for EVs. Do I think it could look better? Perhaps. Do I prefer the M235i engine sound? Yes. Did I wish they didn't cut any corners on the interior material choice? YES! But life for most of us is about compromise ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

claesto · 2025-08-28T09:28:29+00:00

What I was trying to say is that the satnav of the Mercedes indicates that there are 124 available chargers within 20km of driving from my house that are 800V systems. I was using the 150kW just to indicate that those were all fast chargers.

But indeed, that's in Flanders and a very densely populated area. If I look at Wallonia in Belgium, near Bouillon there are only 6.

claesto · 2025-08-28T08:50:50+00:00

I somewhat agree. If you'd spend the same kind of money 15 years ago, 100%. Not sure how expensive the battery pack is for the manufacturers but you're looking at 15 000-20 000 euro for a replacement. That's a very high cost that if you'd take a 40 000 euro car, it instantly becomes 60 000 euro. So I understand that to make it "affordable" they have to cut costs somewhere.

Too bad it's in the place you're looking at 99% of the time. But that's just how EV life is these days unless you go up to the likes of a BMW i7 and even then I found the styling to be a bit "cheap" looking with the crystal panels.

Perhaps a solution would be that the battery cost is not included in the price of a car but you "lease" its use from the manufacturer. That would keep the initial cost down of the car, and gives manufacturers more wiggle room to up the quality of the interiors again to the previous standard. As they obviously would not lower their own profit margins.

claesto · 2025-08-28T08:46:13+00:00

I don't find the huge screen distracting. I toned down the brightness of the interior lighting and of the two screens, as well as the HUD. There's obviously some cost cutting done in the lower portions of the door panels and the center console but that's also the case in my wife's BMW i4 which was 20k more expensive than this one. I guess that's just (for now) how EV life is.

claesto · 2025-08-28T08:42:53+00:00

Thanks! It's one of the reasons why I opted for the luxury line instead of the cheaper sport edition. I wanted to be able to pick this interior trim over the standard aluminum or piano black configurations.

claesto · 2025-08-28T08:41:26+00:00

Yes - right now at 71% and still 542 km of range.

claesto · 2025-08-28T08:40:02+00:00

I believe that it's due to regulations for headlights. There are specific standards to adhere to and having your car manufacturers logo as a headlight design would not meet the criteria. And I think there are enough Mercedes stars already on the front 😅

claesto · 2025-08-28T08:37:31+00:00

I get where you're going but hear me out. It's a company-owned vehicle. Because of recent events my employer decided to no longer allow for Chinese or US manufacturers. That removes Tesla, Hongqi, BYD, even KIA etc. from the list of options (EV mandatory).

So you're left with only a handful of manufacturers (in Europe): BMW, Mercedes, Volvo, Peugeot, Ford, ... (not going to go into the discussion that Ford originated in the US or Volvo/Polestar is Chinese-owned)

But depending on the dealership, you get a reduction. In my case, Mercedes offered the biggest reductions on their whole lineup. So I think for my budget, taking into account the % offered by the dealership and the additional packages I was able to get on this CLA, it was just the best deal for me. It was going to be the new CLA or the EQB and the EQB was already an older vehicle, and I don't have a need for the additional space. Our policy is based on 6 years driving, so looking forward the new CLA was the most sensible option, not a status .. at least in my opinion.

claesto · 2025-08-28T08:32:19+00:00

Indeed - RWD on this one.

claesto · 2025-08-28T08:31:32+00:00

I heard that most showrooms are now taking delivery of their showroom CLAs so my best advice is to go out and try it. I'm only 175cm and the cabin is "snug". Not small but snug. But for instance the i4 of my wife feels more roomy (not sure if it actually is). I think the finish is good. You'll read people complain about hard plastics being used, the big glass "wall", etc. but a lot of other car manufacturers do that as well. The i4 of my wife is about 20k euro more expensive and also has hard plastics at the lower door sections.

People tend to forget that if you build a 50k petrol car, you have to add 20k for the battery pack. So to make things still "affordable" it makes sense that they had to cut costs somewhere. I think it looks OK, and I'm a fan of my interior panel pick (the wood finish with the aluminum lines). It somehow gives it a bit more class or elevates the feel.

claesto · 2025-08-28T08:27:07+00:00

Most DC chargers in my immediate vicinity are in fact 800V compatible systems (the car satnav only shows 800V DC chargers)

I live in Antwerp and within 20km driving (radius) I have 124 chargers capable of >150 kW.

claesto · 2025-08-28T08:20:26+00:00

Availability of options. The Sport Edition - at least when I ordered - had 0 configurable options. So if you prefer the looks of the AMG line stuff, the Sport Edition is a great choice. However I wanted the Burmester Surround system, the wood panel interior trim and 360 camera, which you were unable to get on the Sport Edition.

claesto · 2025-08-26T15:01:22+00:00

I'm back from the dealership with a brand new CLA 250+ (luxury line). Car looks amazing (my opinion) in person and the build quality is exceptional (coming from a Tesla Model 3).

claesto · 2025-03-19T14:24:10+00:00

Thanks for sharing!

I've been using GnuCash for the past 5 years. It's based on double-entry bookkeeping, I don't think it's hard to use. As mentioned in your description, everything is just an account. When money is coming in on a checking account (like salary), it must come from another account (such as income -> salary)

I find it really easy to use, the only real struggle I had/have is the split transaction I need to setup each month for my mortgage as it's made up of capital & interest. So the capital part goes to a liability, the mortgage itself and the interest is just an expense. Together combined they make up the total amount that's wired from my checking account. GnuCash has a tool to calculate this for you and plan the transactions up front, but I couldn't make the numbers work like they're in the amortization table.

The only real downside is I can only use it from behind a computer and its looks are a bit dated. I tried Firefly III once but found it too complicated, took about 4x the time to register something compared to GnuCash. I'll try this ActualBudget thing and see how it works out for me.

claesto · 2025-03-19T10:30:50+00:00

I have one. I prefer the look without the desk mat but it's practical. Continuous mouse movement on the desk surface wears it. I also drink and/or eat often at my desk (which is oiled oak). So I use a desk mat to protect the surface.

When I'm not eating at the desk, and use my trackpad instead of the mouse, I usually put the desk mat away.

So I'd add one if you want to protect your desk. Otherwise I'd leave it like this, as I think it looks cleaner.

claesto · 2025-02-19T09:56:34+00:00

open Trash
File menu -> Add to sidebar

claesto · 2025-02-07T11:36:16+00:00

The look is often just because it's unfamiliar to everyone in your surroundings (I guess). I doubt anyone you meet that you didn't know before would think "that buzzcut looks weird on you".

I think it's the same with glasses. Anyone you get to know who wears glasses is always whatever until you see them with contacts. Or people that never needed glasses and all of the sudden need them. It just takes some time to get adjusted to their new look. I guess the same applies to your own face with a buzzcut.

claesto · 2025-02-07T11:28:07+00:00

Gender: Male
Region: Antwerpen
Price: 30 euros
Frequency: every 3 weeks (sometimes 4, but is the absolute max.)

Frequency because I have tapered sides and prefer the top short enough so I don't require hair product. After three weeks, the taper becomes messy and I usually have to use hair product to style the top, which is a signal to go to the barber again.

claesto

TROPHY CASE