Car File: Season 1, Ep. 11

Men and Motors

In this episode of Car File, we feature the family people movers or how they are more widely known MPV's.  From the Mitsubishi Spacewagon to the Renault Espace we have it all. Plus, later in the show Mike Rutherford tells us why he hates them and believes they are a con.  Don't forget to subscribe to our channel and hit the notification bell so you never miss a video!  ------------------ Enjoyed this video? Don't forget to LIKE and SHARE the video and get involved with our community by leaving a COMMENT below the video!   Check out what else our channel has to offer and don't forget to SUBSCRIBE to Men & Motors for more classic car and motorbike content! Why not? It is free after all!  Our website: http://menandmotors.com/  ---- Social Media ----  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/menandmotors/ Instagram: @menandmotorstv Twitter: @menandmotorstv  If you have any questions, e-mail us at talk@menandmotors.com  © Men and Motors - One Media iP 2023

Transcript

00:00 [MUSIC PLAYING]

00:23 Hello, and welcome to a Carphile special

00:26 highlighting MPVs.

00:27 Now, you may have actually thought about buying an MPV.

00:30 It's ideal maybe if you're starting a family.

00:32 Or say if there's two families who want to go on holiday

00:34 together, you want to travel together, but you don't want

00:37 the hassle of taking two separate cars, a large MPV is

00:40 ideal.

00:41 But what about the rest of the time, commuting to work?

00:44 You don't want a big MPV.

00:46 People movers, such as the Galaxy, Espace, or Voyager, can

00:50 cost up to 300 pounds to hire just for a long weekend.

00:53 So if you do this sort of group family outing a lot, why

00:56 not think about buying?

00:58 The problem there is that maybe you don't want to be

01:00 lumbered with such a huge beast when it's just you

01:02 commuting to work.

01:03 This is why mini MPVs, such as the Renault Scenic, were

01:06 developed.

01:07 But they aren't people movers.

01:08 The Scenic is only a five-seater.

01:10 But there is a vehicle which is more compact than the

01:13 average MPV, but will still seat seven.

01:17 And this is it, the Mitsubishi Space Wagon.

01:20 Sure, it's been around a long time, in fact, since 1991 in

01:24 its current version.

01:26 But it's a car that's really been forgotten in the world of

01:28 MPVs, the likes of the Galaxy, the Espace, the Previa, all a

01:32 lot bigger.

01:33 But this car is worth considering, particularly on

01:35 the price and also the fact that it's not as large as the

01:38 other ones and unwieldy and difficult to drive.

01:41 But it still has the ability to carry seven people.

01:44 Now, one obvious disadvantage of this car, because of its

01:47 size, is the fact that in the back, it doesn't have the sort

01:50 of load-carrying capacity of other MPVs.

01:52 But there is plenty of space, although the rear seats are

01:55 probably for small kids only.

01:57 The styling is nothing special.

01:58 Yet for a car designed over 10 years ago, it doesn't look

02:01 obviously dated.

02:03 The switch gear is typical Japanese styling, functional

02:06 with no flair.

02:07 And the Space Wagon is made in Japan, so the indicators and

02:11 wipers are annoyingly on different sides from the

02:14 standard European spec.

02:15 Turn right, and you'll switch on the windscreen wipers.

02:19 Now, out on the road, the Mitsubishi Space Wagon behaves

02:22 like a normal car with minimal body roll and easy-to-drive

02:25 characteristics.

02:26 It has a peppy 2.0-litre 16-valve engine, which is

02:29 perfect for tootling around town.

02:31 However, it lacks a bit of oomph on the motorway.

02:34 And one other annoying thing is the dreadful turning circle

02:36 on the car.

02:38 The Space Wagon could be a sensible choice for you if you

02:40 don't mind about the latest MPV fashion.

02:43 The back seats only give room for children

02:45 or very small adults.

02:46 But if that's the load you'll be carrying, you'll discover

02:49 not only less prices of this model lower than other MPVs in

02:52 the class, starting at only 16,700 pounds, but there are

02:56 now special additions on offer, such as the Ovation

02:59 that give even better value for money.

03:01 Bristling with equipment, electric everything, air

03:04 conditioning, and gear that even the Galaxy can't offer,

03:08 such as rear electric windows and headlight washers, the

03:11 Mitsubishi Space Wagon has to be looked at

03:13 very seriously indeed.

03:16 Now, the Space Wagon is ideal perhaps for the ubiquitous

03:19 school run, if Mr. John Tujag Prescott will allow you to do

03:22 that, of course, in the future, or perhaps going away

03:24 for a weekend break.

03:25 However, if you're traveling fully laden with seven people,

03:29 this is all the space you get in the back for the luggage.

03:31 Maybe enough for a pair of shorts and a t-shirt each to

03:35 enjoy the great British summer, if we ever

03:37 get one, of course.

03:40 [MUSIC PLAYING]

03:54 This is the Renault Espace, the top seller in its class,

03:57 and the vehicle which first defined the people

03:59 mover in Britain.

04:00 So now it's getting just a little long in the tooth.

04:03 So the latest bandwagon.

04:04 To join the bandwagon, well, here's a couple of clues.

04:07 One of the most prestigious of marks, and

04:09 certainly the oldest.

04:11 Daimler-Benz started making cars a century ago, and they

04:14 became Mercedes-Benz, famous for their high quality,

04:17 luxurious, speedy, and very expensive cars.

04:21 Now they've turned to making MPVs, so this is a Merc as

04:25 well, surprised?

04:27 I know a man who was.

04:28 [MUSIC PLAYING]

04:33 So what would you guess this was?

04:36 Well, looking at it, I would say a Ford.

04:40 Maybe like a Plymouth Voyager.

04:42 Probably a Nissan.

04:44 Ford.

04:44 What would you say, first glance?

04:46 Ford.

04:47 Mercedes.

04:49 OK, so it caught a few people out.

04:51 But is that badge any guarantee that the V-Class is

04:54 up to the job?

04:55 Will it become the luxury limo of people carriers?

04:58 Under the bonnet is a petrol-injected 2.3 litre

05:01 engine, which isn't big for a vehicle this size.

05:04 But the brake servo is massive, which hints at its

05:06 origins as a load-toting van.

05:09 The sides are very high, which is accentuated by the total

05:12 lack of curves.

05:13 Now that's almost political incorrectness in today's

05:15 curvy car market.

05:17 Round at the back, this sill is nice and low to the ground,

05:21 which is great for loading and unloading.

05:23 Makes a good spot for a tailgate picnic, too.

05:26 Speaking of which, good head clearance.

05:30 The interior space is really flexible, because all the

05:32 seats are removable.

05:34 However, the snag is that each of them weighs 40 kilos,

05:38 which is about 100 weight in old money.

05:39 So I'm not even going to try and demonstrate

05:41 taking them right out.

05:43 Even doing this, I feel I need a bit of a rest afterwards.

05:48 Let someone else drive for a change.

05:50 Flip out one or both tables, and it becomes a

05:59 playroom or an office.

06:01 Mercedes equates these plush individual seats to business

06:04 class on a 747.

06:06 With a base price of nearly 22,000 pounds, business class

06:09 families are obviously the target market.

06:11 Large ones, too.

06:12 You can opt for a seventh seat here.

06:14 But unfortunately, they all have to be heaved out and

06:16 put back in to turn them round.

06:18 They don't swivel.

06:19 Still, it is the first MPV to offer a rear-facing ride,

06:23 which means that I-Spy is no longer your only relief from

06:26 backseat bickering.

06:27 And with the fashion trim level, you even get a choice

06:30 of in-car games, as well as fatter tyres, colour-coordinated

06:34 trim, back-of-seat coat hangers, and even a brolly with

06:37 its own bracket.

06:38 The base model's called the Trend, and this is the top of

06:40 the range Ambiente, which means alloy wheels, leather

06:44 interior, an under-seat safe, and a drinks cooler, which I

06:47 haven't been able to locate.

06:49 I can only assume it isn't included on models they're

06:51 going to lend to journalists.

06:52 I can't imagine why.

06:58 So what's it like up front?

07:00 Well, it's comfy, and it's high up, which I like, though

07:02 this semi-horizontal wheel gives rather a

07:04 bus-like feeling.

07:06 This is Mercedes' first front-wheel drive.

07:09 It's agile, with a nice self-levelling suspension.

07:12 But it is a bit underpowered.

07:13 And I'm not looking for a hefty 0-60, but I think

07:16 Mercedes should bring out their 2.8-litre V6 as soon as

07:19 possible.

07:21 So it's got some good plus points, but some worrying

07:24 negatives, as well.

07:25 And in a competitive market, everything

07:27 does need to be right.

07:28 Especially now the Americans are coming onto the scene with

07:31 their world-beating Chrysler minivan.

07:34 Van, now there's a word the PR men hate us to use.

07:37 But if we're to buy the V-Class for all the qualities

07:40 associated with the badge, then Mercedes has to banish all

07:43 thoughts that this is just a van in tarty trousers.

07:46 Unconvinced?

07:50 Well, if you're still solvent once the family's fled, you

07:52 can always slide back into what may remain most people's

07:55 idea of what Mercedes really means.

07:58 As for the V-Class, only time and the

08:01 order books will tell.

08:02 This is the Griffith Observatory in the

08:14 hills over Hollywood.

08:16 And when you come to an observatory, you want to look

08:18 at the stars.

08:18 Well, when Chrysler looked at their stars about 10 or 12

08:22 years ago, they were almost out of business.

08:24 Well, they brought a new executive over to run the

08:25 company from Ford.

08:27 His name was Lee Iacocca.

08:28 He had an idea for a vehicle called a minivan.

08:31 Now in Europe, these are called MPVs, like the Renault

08:34 Espace, the Toyota Previa.

08:36 But this is the big one in America.

08:37 Now nobody's ever been accused of falling in

08:48 love with a minivan.

08:49 They're not very sexy.

08:50 They're fairly boring.

08:51 But they do their job well.

08:52 And Chrysler does it as well as just about any

08:54 vehicle in the world.

08:55 I can't imagine anyone 20 or 30 or 50 years from now

08:58 collecting these and restoring them to show at the Concorde.

09:01 It's a good thing this Chrysler minivan has analog

09:08 brakes, because I did not want to end up in

09:10 downtown Los Angeles.

09:12 Now, why is this minivan so popular?

09:14 They sell half a million of them a year in America.

09:16 One of the main reasons is not just this sliding door.

09:19 A lot of minivans have sliding doors.

09:21 But follow me.

09:21 Let me show you something very special about this Chrysler.

09:25 You come through the back, and there is--

09:27 voila--

09:28 another sliding door on the other side.

09:30 It makes it so easy to get in and out of the vehicle, load

09:33 the kids, load the groceries.

09:35 If you need extra room in the back, all the seats in the

09:38 back are easily removed.

09:41 They're a little bit heavier than I would like.

09:43 And they go in a little bit more

09:44 difficultly than they come out.

09:46 But they're easy to get out.

09:48 Now take a look at the dashboard.

09:49 There's a couple of extra special gadgets up here we

09:52 want to show you.

09:54 First right here, there's a power outlet for your cell

09:56 phone or your laptop computer.

09:58 We used to call it a cigarette lighter, but those are

10:00 politically incorrect these days in the United States.

10:03 You have separate controls for the heat and the air

10:05 conditioner for the driver's side and the passenger side.

10:09 This feature has saved several marriages that I know of.

10:11 And finally, the radio.

10:12 It has a control for quadraphonic sound.

10:15 If you remember, quadraphonic from the '70s, well, that

10:17 never took off.

10:18 But Chrysler bought about 5 million of these radios.

10:21 Literally, it's in all their cars and trucks.

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10:30 [MUSIC PLAYING]

10:33 [MUSIC PLAYING]

10:36 [MUSIC PLAYING]

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10:43 [MUSIC PLAYING]

10:52 [MUSIC PLAYING]

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11:25 [MUSIC PLAYING]

11:28 [MUSIC PLAYING]

11:44 Now, like any vehicle, even the Chrysler minivan is not

11:49 perfect.

11:50 It's had its problems.

11:51 Let's be honest about that.

11:52 When it came out in America about a year ago, there were

11:55 some problems with the analog brake system and with the door

11:58 latches.

11:59 But those problems have been fixed, and they should not be a

12:01 problem at all on the British model when it comes out.

12:05 Now, the price of a minivan, a Chrysler minivan, is anywhere

12:08 from about $18,000 to $32,000, or about 12,000 to 20,000

12:13 pounds.

12:14 [MUSIC PLAYING]

12:16 Whether you're in Beverly Hills or even in Wilmslow, you

12:19 won't get a lot of high-speed performance from the Chrysler

12:21 minivan, but you'll get great fuel mileage performance.

12:24 In fact, 25 miles per gallon, which is very impressive for a

12:27 vehicle of this size and weight.

12:29 You've got airbags right here for the driver, and there's one

12:32 on the passenger side as well.

12:34 The analog brakes, all-wheel drive is available.

12:37 And as far as security goes, you sit way up high.

12:39 You get a great view of the road around you.

12:41 And comfort and luxury, well, this is as comfortable as any

12:45 limousine I've ever been in.

12:47 And a lot of these attributes sound like they may be

12:50 very attractive to women, to the females in the audience.

12:53 And there's a reason for that.

12:54 Women in America are responsible for making 80% of

12:58 the car purchase decisions.

13:00 I think it's the same way in England, but you just haven't

13:03 admitted it as yet.

13:05 After the break, the Galaxy, the Sintra, and the Picnic on

13:08 our MPB special.

13:10 [MUSIC PLAYING]

13:15 So you have 20,000 to 25,000 pounds of fuel.

13:19 You've got 25,000 pounds to spend on a new vehicle.

13:23 And you fancy the idea of a multipurpose vehicle.

13:26 You've taken a good look around and see what's

13:28 available on the market.

13:29 Your wife likes the idea of one.

13:31 The kids like the idea of one.

13:33 But how practical are these cars in terms of general life?

13:36 Well, we've got two of those today, the world-acclaimed

13:38 Ford Galaxy and the all-new Vauxhall Sintra.

13:42 And we're going to take a close look and drive them and see

13:44 what they're really like.

13:45 First of all, let's take a close look at the Galaxy.

13:49 So first impressions once you get inside the Ford Galaxy are

13:52 fairly good.

13:53 The seats feel OK.

13:54 But we believe that on a long journey, they're not

13:56 tremendously comfortable.

13:57 You get these nice armrests, which I'm particularly fond of.

14:00 And the finish is OK.

14:02 The main worry about the Galaxy, though, is the expanse

14:05 of plastic.

14:06 It's just a huge area of plastic.

14:08 And you can't see the bonnet.

14:10 And the front of the car seems a long way away.

14:13 And that can be very difficult if you're trying to park

14:15 in a tight parking situation.

14:17 You also get rather dinky little cup holders, although

14:20 how long those cup holders will actually last when the kids

14:22 get about them is another matter.

14:24 You get air conditioning as well.

14:26 Now, one thing about the Galaxy is that you can get a very

14:29 good driving position due to the adjustable steering wheel,

14:32 which comes forward and up and down.

14:34 So you can find that perfect position.

14:36 And that's one feature that some of the MPVs don't have on.

14:39 The Sintra we've got here today doesn't have an adjustable

14:41 steering wheel.

14:42 Now, the Vauxhall Sintra does have an adjustable steering

14:44 wheel.

14:45 Neither does the Mercedes V-Class.

14:47 Now, one of the things that concerns us on Men and Motors

14:49 are the controls on the Ford Galaxy.

14:51 They're rather tacky.

14:52 They're very short and stubby.

14:53 And when you're actually driving, we've had difficulty

14:55 in finding the right controls.

14:57 We ended up changing the CD when we wanted to flash

14:59 headlights and vice versa, silly little things like that.

15:02 This one's cruise control and also the indicators.

15:05 This one is the radio down here.

15:07 And you get the windscreen wipers on the right-hand side.

15:10 But they're just that little bit small.

15:12 If you've only got short fingers and you're in a driving

15:14 position, they're not terribly easy to use.

15:17 One of the other main gripes we've found about the Galaxy

15:19 when you're out driving on the motorways particularly

15:21 is the visibility through the back.

15:23 In the driving seat, you're looking through your rear

15:25 view mirror, and all you can see practically is headrest.

15:28 You get the three in the middle, the two at the back,

15:31 and very little visibility through the back seat,

15:34 particularly if there are other cars low down at normal

15:36 level cars coming up behind you.

15:38 You're probably going to have a lot of difficulty in seeing

15:41 those, so that is a real problem in the Galaxy.

15:44 The headrests get in the way an awful lot.

15:47 This particular Galaxy model is the 2.3, which is a brand

15:52 new engine, and this is the Gear X specification.

15:55 Now in the back, there are three seats for the passengers.

15:58 We've got two in the back here as well.

16:00 And there's a reasonable amount of legroom.

16:02 Passengers get these nice little airline-style picnic

16:05 trays as well to put their drinks on as well.

16:07 But not a lot of areas to put storage.

16:10 Bins are sadly lacking.

16:12 Things like the Scenic have nice bins under the seats

16:15 and under the floor as well.

16:16 I mean, this is a high-floor car, but there seems to be

16:19 a real lack of all-round storage areas in this Galaxy.

16:22 Now the Ford Galaxy is one of the nicer-styled MPVs around.

16:27 You get a nice roof spoiler, nice little bit of chrome

16:30 as well from Ford.

16:31 And in the back, with the two seats that we have fitted here,

16:34 luggage space is not huge.

16:36 We've got all our junk in here.

16:38 Storage bins in the rear, well, we've got a CD changer

16:41 fitted to this model, and that's in there.

16:44 But over the other side, where you thought there might

16:46 be a little area for storage, there is nothing,

16:49 which is rather a mystery.

16:50 You're not going to get a lot of suitcases in the back of this

16:53 when you have all the seats fitted.

16:54 So that's a downside on these particular MPVs.

16:58 Now although we've been critical of one or two aspects

17:01 of the Ford Galaxy, we are very impressed overall by the car.

17:04 And of course, the criticisms that we've made of it

17:06 do apply to the SEAT Alhambra and the Volkswagen Chiron.

17:10 But the one area where the Ford scores over the SEAT

17:13 and the Volkswagen is under the bonnet,

17:15 because this has the new 2.3-litre powerplant,

17:18 and it's a cracker.

17:20 So out on the road is one area where the Ford Galaxy

17:23 really scores over probably most of the other MPVs.

17:26 The handling and ride is tremendously good.

17:28 It corners remarkably well for what is essentially

17:31 a very big car.

17:33 Ford have sold over 16,000 Galaxies since its introduction

17:36 back in 1995, and that's made it Britain's best-selling MPV,

17:40 setting new standards in design, ride, and handling.

17:43 And this new 2.3-litre engine delivers a really exciting

17:47 driving experience, thanks to its class-leading torque,

17:50 which is delivered consistently across a wide range.

17:54 The 2.3-litre engine produces 145 brake horsepower

17:58 and comes with either a five-speed manual

18:00 or adaptive four-speed automatic gearbox.

18:03 And it's available in three different models,

18:05 the GLX, the highly specified gear, and the Gear X models.

18:09 So this is Vauxhall's rather late entry into the MPV market,

18:13 the all-new Sintra, with that distinctive 'V'

18:15 on the front of its grille,

18:17 so you can immediately tell it is a Vauxhall.

18:19 It has a rather bland style to it.

18:21 I've lived with this vehicle for the past week or so now,

18:24 and my impressions are fairly OK.

18:27 There's certainly some gripes about the driving position,

18:29 which I'll tell you about in just a moment.

18:31 But it comes with a choice of two engines.

18:33 You get a 2.2-litre five-speed manual, which is this car,

18:36 or you can go for the top-of-the-range CDX,

18:39 which comes with a 3.0-litre V6.

18:41 The car is actually built in America, in Doraville in Georgia,

18:45 and it's been designed by the Americans,

18:47 but they were given the brief to make sure

18:49 it had certain European styles to it,

18:51 and I think probably GM have come up with that.

18:54 And in America, you can get this badged as a Pontiac

18:57 or as an Oldsmobile.

18:59 So let's take a look at the driving position,

19:01 which is one of my main problems with this car.

19:04 Now, this is one of the main areas that I've had a problem with,

19:09 the driving position of the Sintra.

19:11 Now, you can change the seat into, well, pretty much any different way,

19:15 up and down, forwards and backwards,

19:17 and plenty of rake and adjustment there.

19:19 But the problem I had particularly is with the pedals

19:21 and the accelerator pedal mainly.

19:24 I found it very difficult to get a comfortable driving position

19:27 with the foot there, and after a long journey back from Luton last week,

19:31 my ankle and my knee were aching rather badly after that long drive.

19:36 So I have had a problem trying to get a comfortable driving position.

19:39 But inside, it's fairly comfortable.

19:41 Again, you get these nice armrests.

19:43 Everything is nicely laid out.

19:45 There's a good stereo in it, and you can see the readout of the stereo there.

19:49 There's a temperature and a time on that central control panel.

19:53 Now, standard equipment on the Sintra is very high, as you would expect.

19:57 This is the CD model, the 2.2-liter engine.

19:59 You get ABS brakes as standard.

20:01 You get air conditioning. You get a quality stereo system.

20:04 Some other rather odd little areas, like this thing here,

20:07 don't quite know what it's for.

20:09 Maybe it's for sunglasses, a little extra storage bin up there.

20:13 There's a good-sized glove box as well,

20:15 and, of course, the usual cup holders for the old bottled water and cans of drink,

20:19 and an extra power cord as well for plugging your mobile phone

20:23 or any other accessory you might want to put into there.

20:25 One of the nice aspects on the Sintra is sliding doors,

20:28 which you get both sides on this car, which you don't get, of course, on the Galaxy.

20:32 You get sliding doors as well on some of the other MPVs.

20:35 The Citroen, the Fiat, and the Peugeot have them as standard.

20:38 In the back, legroom is not tremendously good for passengers.

20:42 It's okay for the kids, but taking adults, there's not a huge amount of support,

20:46 and no support for the thighs there either.

20:49 These seats are right the way back.

20:51 As I mentioned before, you don't get any cup holders.

20:53 There are no picnic trays in the back either.

20:56 But the seats are fairly comfortable all in all,

20:58 and I'm sure the kids will be very happy in the back of one of these.

21:00 But hang on a minute. There are even more seats in the back,

21:03 and let's take a look at those.

21:05 Getting into the rear of the Sintra is fairly easy.

21:08 There's a nice little clip there, which is easy to use,

21:11 and climbing in and out of the rear is quite comfortable, really.

21:14 This model is fitted with the extra two seats.

21:17 You can have a row of seats, which would perhaps take passengers

21:20 up to a total of eight in this particular model.

21:23 You also get the cup holders.

21:25 There are other little cubby holes, lights in the back as well.

21:30 Not a lot of room in the rear, but okay for the kids,

21:33 and that's the main point of these MPVs.

21:35 You know, you're not going to carry about eight fully grown adults

21:37 in the back of these things.

21:39 The kids will be fine in the back, and they do love it in the back of these MPVs.

21:43 Now, General Motors engineers were told to come up with an MPV

21:47 that really drives like a car, and I have to say,

21:50 it does drive like a car when you're out on the road.

21:53 If it wasn't for the uncomfortable driving position that I found,

21:55 it would be a very nice car to drive.

21:57 There's plenty of power there, particularly from the 2.2-litre,

22:00 139-brake horsepower car.

22:03 This is the CD, or, of course, you can go for the 3-litre V6

22:07 with 198-brake horsepower, and the size of the Sintra is particularly good.

22:11 It's five inches shorter than an Omega saloon.

22:15 Well, we've had time to assess these MPVs from Ford and from Vauxhall,

22:19 and what are our final impressions?

22:21 Well, we like the Sintra. It's a very solid car.

22:24 Inside, there's plenty of space to take all the family and the luggage.

22:27 The driving position is not tremendously good.

22:30 We're not keen on that, but for style, that probably goes to the Galaxy,

22:34 and particularly if you're going to get a Galaxy,

22:36 make sure you get this new 2.3-litre engine,

22:39 because that's an absolute cracker.

22:41 But make sure, if you are going to buy a multipurpose vehicle,

22:44 to take your time and decide carefully that you buy the right one.

22:48 There are lots of MPVs on the market from all the main manufacturers now,

22:52 and if you want to buy an MPV, why not go into the showroom

22:55 of the one you really fancy and say,

22:57 "Give me one to drive for the weekend so I can test it out

23:00 and see what it's really like with the kids and luggage,

23:03 go away for the weekend in it and see how it feels."

23:05 [Music]

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