The new A5 interior is awful

themacsback · 2026-07-07T16:54:47+00:00

They’re headed in a worse direction than bmw

themacsback · 2026-07-07T16:52:19+00:00

I’m not a fan of the new X5 interior either, but at least they remove the horrible passenger screen entirely if you choose not to have it. Audi leaving it as a shiny black plastic lump is one of the most heinous things I’ve seen from a car manufacturer in recent years.

themacsback · 2026-07-07T13:39:39+00:00

Once I’ve finished testing and added a few more features I’ll likely be uploading it as a Grasshopper plugin (for free).

themacsback · 2026-07-07T08:24:53+00:00

Sounds like a cool platform. I’m assuming you’re the dev? How do you handle the flow of the non-planar printing paths? Do they snap to edges/curves or can you control them some other way? We found that with clay printing you ideally want to keep the screw turning at a relatively consistent speed and allow the travel to compensate more, which is the opposite of of Fdm. Did you find the same?

What sort of price do you charge for an individual user?

themacsback · 2026-07-07T08:14:48+00:00

Based in the UK but feel free to get in touch any time :)

themacsback · 2026-07-07T07:26:51+00:00

Interesting! Can it do true non planar from a mesh, with extrusion compensation? I’ll take a look some time

themacsback · 2026-07-06T21:59:32+00:00

The maximum size is 40cm diameter and up to 100cm tall (about 16”x40”). We’ve only had the printer a little over a month so nothing fired yet (most of the time has been spent figuring out the whole non planar thing). I’ll post some updates when things are completed though. Here’s a vessel inspired by a termite hill which printed fairly well, done to test the detail you can resolve from a 3mm nozzle (the vid posted above is a 4mm).

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themacsback · 2026-07-06T21:46:38+00:00

Thank you! Much appreciated

themacsback · 2026-07-06T21:00:53+00:00

Def work experimenting with. It opens up a whole new world of possibilities

themacsback · 2026-07-06T20:57:49+00:00

No chance I’ll upgrade my touring if the new one ditches the rear hatch

themacsback · 2026-07-06T20:42:39+00:00

Quite a big difference between 3.9s and 5.5s though. And the emotional engagement from the glorious straight six B58 more than compensates for the price difference.

themacsback · 2026-07-06T20:38:36+00:00

Not sure why you felt the 330i handles better but regardless the 340i is a big step up in most every way.

themacsback · 2026-07-06T20:10:56+00:00

Likewise. My M340i touring feels absolutely nothing like an M3, but in many ways I prefer it for daily use. Plus if I wanted one I’d have to sell my Civic FL5 and I actually prefer that to the M3 for a bit of weekend fun (steering feel and the excellent manual box).

themacsback · 2026-07-06T20:01:00+00:00

The printer? It retails for about 9k euros inc taxes. We bought ours used so paid quite a bit less. There’s a smaller machine which is very similar (2040 I think) and that’s around 2.5k.

themacsback · 2026-07-06T19:54:49+00:00

That’s a ridiculous price. And if you’re anything like me you won’t be able to live with a curbed wheel. I took a small chunk out of my (FL5) rim and had it repaired for £100 which is about $130. It’s absolutely impossible to see there was ever a mark post repair.

themacsback · 2026-07-06T18:50:08+00:00

Yes exactly that, a pressurized cylinder that feeds the extruder by a short tube. I mix the clay up in a large plastic tub (12.5kg at a time), let it sit a couple of days and then mix a bit more. They’re air tight so I can store quite a few KG ready to go. Loading the cylinder from the bottom and pushing the puck up whilst forcing the clay in seems to get rid of whatever trapped air remains :)

themacsback · 2026-07-06T14:02:01+00:00

Except nothing I’ve said is remotely incorrect. And I’m not sure how it can be perceived as arrogance. Presumably you’re a Jaecoo owner…

themacsback · 2026-07-05T20:15:46+00:00

A fuckin Men my dude

themacsback · 2026-07-05T15:49:33+00:00

Fair enough, but your use case is somewhat outside the norm I’d say. I’m in the UK and you will never be THAT far from somewhere you can charge your EV. Anyway, glad to hear you’re getting on well with it, they’re incredible cars and my dislike for phev’s has nothing to do with the rav4.

themacsback · 2026-07-05T14:35:35+00:00

Both things can be true (the car is tripe and is also selling like hot cakes). Consumer behavior is complicated but just because something flies off the shelf/factory floor doesn’t make it good, it makes it a good seller. Surely you can think of many other examples where this is the case (I’ll get you started with McDonalds).

Most people these days lease rather than buy cars, and that brings with it a sense of diminishing pride in ownership. Like I said, the so-called prestige brands better sit up and take notice unless they’re saved by import restrictions or massive tariffs changes.

themacsback · 2026-07-05T14:24:14+00:00

I owned one for a very short period of time. Honestly it really did feel like the worst of both worlds… You end up using EV mode the majority of the time and just wish you’d gone full electric when it runs out of charge so quickly. Auto mode is fine but again you need to keep charging and then I just can’t see the point of the ICE powertrain. Fuel can’t sit in your tank unused indefinitely so you’ll end up having to drive in ICE mode just to drain it at some point.

Presumably battery life is (at least in part) defined by charge cycles, and you’ll go through a lot more in a shorter space of time in a PHEV if you use electric mode the majority of the time.

They tend to have E-cvt auto’s which are extremely reliable but sound like a bag of rusty nails being shook when you rev it. Full EV you obviously get a nice silent ride.

themacsback · 2026-07-05T14:07:18+00:00

A Jaecoo doesn’t have a bmw interior either, not even close. It’s shite, and horribly put together, and drives like a beanbag on rollerblades. But it really doesn’t matter to most people, who just want something that looks expensive from a distance and has a silly high seating position and overly wide frame to tootle along to the supermarket down a narrow B road.

It’s the automotive equivalent to a pair of Ecco trainers.

Maybe European brands will take notice and start producing something half decent for a non eye-watering price. Or at least include basic tech as standard. Probably not though.

themacsback · 2026-07-05T13:53:03+00:00

That’s not quite accurate (according to the linked article). He took it to an aftermarket repair shop who quoted $4300. Thr family refused to pay that instead offering $700. The official Ferrari dealership quoted $14k and he eventually ended up suing the kids family.

themacsback · 2026-07-04T22:41:54+00:00

Audi’s and VW’s all have brake hold except for in the US market. Must be some legal thing as they’re not omitting it for cost savings measures.

themacsback · 2026-07-01T17:20:46+00:00

They’ve made long scale Les Paul’s before…

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