donk.'s Past Time Car Review Thread

[RabidRat]

I wonder what's causing the turbo / throttle weirdness. It's too consistent among newer cars and across manufacturers to be a single stroke of incompetence / not giving a damn.

It must be an emissions thing. Like maybe they want to prevent that thing from spooling until they're damn sure that you want it, and that way they can eke out just a bit more mpg for the window sticker.

Maybe that'll be the next car modding movement: tuning that out, along with fixing rev hang for manuals: MERA: Make Experience of driving Reasonably fun Again. Not very catchy. We'll work on that.

[bcrdukes]

I mean, it took a while for the turbo to kick in, and when it does, it's like an unexpected and unpleasant punch in the face. With all the traffic in Los Angeles, I was barely ever able to really take advantage of the turbo. The engine's torque was enough to keep up with traffic, and to safely get in and out of freeway on/off ramps. If my memory serves me correctly, I was only able to get the turbo to do its magic on the 5 freeway heading in to Anaheim and Irvine.

[Badhobz]

I dont know about this highlander piece of junk... i got a feeling its going to be unreliable in the long run given these aspects

1) USA built,
2) new Toyota engines (fuck your 0w16 and 0w8 oils)
3) cost cutting that toyota has been undergoing for the past few years

It'll all accumulate into a.... meh... kind of car thats disposable and likely garbage in 5-10 years. I wouldnt buy one. But i can see why your average schmoe would buy it. Its cheap (sort of), its roomy, and its perceived as "reliable" because it has a toyota badge on the front.

[AstulzerRZD]

Next time I'm at a rental lot, I've gotta peek under both a small and a large Toyota built on the TNGA platform to see how the front suspension is set up - specifically the angle and mounting height of the front upper control arm.

That angle tells you how much the car resists “nose-dive” when you hit the brakes (engineers call this “anti-dive”).

I bet Toyota kept the exact same mounting points and parts across small and large TNGA models to save costs (shared brackets, subframes, and “hard points”), the bigger/heavier cars might not get enough anti-dive. That would mean extra front-end dive under braking.

[AstulzerRZD]

Originally Posted by Badhobz

I dont know about this highlander piece of junk... i got a feeling its going to be unreliable in the long run given these aspects

1) USA built,
2) new Toyota engines (fuck your 0w16 and 0w8 oils)
3) cost cutting that toyota has been undergoing for the past few years

It'll all accumulate into a.... meh... kind of car thats disposable and likely garbage in 5-10 years. I wouldnt buy one. But i can see why your average schmoe would buy it. Its cheap (sort of), its roomy, and its perceived as "reliable" because it has a toyota badge on the front.

Yeah the other Toyota North American specials had about $5 in development budget.
Tundra seats and engine crack in year one, Sequoia is objectively terrible, Tacoma is mid.

TX and Grand Highlander will be fine for 10 years - they're just TNGA-K with an extra foot of space.

[bcrdukes]

They still make the Sequoia? I thought Toyota killed it off a while ago. (Then again, I don't really follow Toyota.)

[Badhobz]

Originally Posted by Badhobz

2024 Volkswagen Golf GTI Autobahn aka Hitler Box

Its been about 6000kms since mid June so i figure id give it a review.





Pros:
- It really does drive very nice for a FWD hatch. Reminds me a lot of the MK7 sportwagen i had before, but with more power, better handling, and overall compliance. Ive put my foot down through corners and it doesnt seem to wash out or understeer as much (still some) as the old sportwagen (although it was 4motion).
- Im glad i got the 6 speed manual but there are some quirks that go into the cons section with this paticular transmission
- the size is perfect, im able to fit into spaces downtown and around east van without any trouble.
- Tech is great. The autonomous driving is quite good, it can stay in its own lane on the highway and use that adaptive cruise functionality without any real issues. I havent tried it in the rain, but it seems to do okay.
- Infotainment is fine, no issues with it.
- Front seats are comfortable, back seats are meh.
- its pretty quick! especially when you are in boost. it goes like stink

Cons:
- Build quality is horseshit. Literally the worst built car ive ever owned. Worst than the mk7 sportwagen that was assembled in mexico. This is suppose to be good!!! its built in wolfsburg. The cost cutting is noticeable and significant. No more hood struts, hard plastics everywhere, rattles and squeaks galore. The door jams are so poor aligned that when you go over a bump, it creaks cuz the plastics are rubbing against the body. Its gotten so bad, i had to add this tape to quiet it down. People just think im ricing out my car, but in reality its just to cover up german incompetence

Both door panels needed to be replaced. TWICE. due to the clips rattling behind
Ive taken apart like 3 pieces of the dash already to add additional sound deafening materials. GARBAGE

- Rides a bit harsh, even on the most comfortable setting. Im glad i didnt get a CTR because im pretty sure that'll break my back. I think it could be these low profile 19 inch tires and wheels. Im thinking about putting in 17's with wayyy more sidewall to make it less jarring

- The 1->2 shift on this 6 speed manual is pretty bad. In order to sort of smooth it out, you need to either short shift it like crazy, or rev it up to about 4k and then slowly release the clutch. Neither of this is fast, nor all that smooth. ive basically just bypassed the whole thing and start off in 2nd.

Exit Interview:

Its been 1.5 weeks since i got rid of the hitlerbox and i dont really miss it.
While i drove the nuts off it the first few months in 2024, i drove it less and less as the year wore on. By mid 2025, it sat for sometimes weeks at a time as i try my best to rotate through my fleet.

I think the overall experience was pleasant, and if i only had one car, it would have been an acceptable compromise between sporty and comfy, but as an old man, i found it neither here nor there and resulting in me picking either something more comfortable like the ES, more practical like the RX, or more sporty and drop top like the LC.

The steering was pretty good, but numb (like most modern EPS units). The power was great and the turbo lag was almost a non issue for my application. Plus i guess its sporty enough if you turned it to sport mode. However the stock exhaust note was a joke and the shifter even with mods still isnt up to snuff compared to an OEM Honda unit.

The seats are supremely good and comfortable, plus they held up to wear, after 1.5 years they look brand new even with a million dog hair sticking in them. The tech was fine after a few recalls on the infotainment but the build quality was the one thing that bugged the shit out of me. The creaks and rattles drove me to the dealership 6 times during the 1.5 years. Multiple panels were replaced and the cost cutting were just insane compared to the mk7/7.5. After seeing DJstylez supremely sweet 7.5 GTI, it made mine look like a shitty mess and thats what cemented my decision to sell it.

Auf Wiedersehen HitlerBox
P.s. this is the shortest lease ive ever had. I dont think ive ever given up a car after 1.5 years.

[EvoFire]

Originally Posted by AstulzerRZD

Yeah the other Toyota North American specials had about $5 in development budget.
Tundra seats and engine crack in year one, Sequoia is objectively terrible, Tacoma is mid.

TX and Grand Highlander will be fine for 10 years - they're just TNGA-K with an extra foot of space.

The Sequoia trunk is terribad. How in this day and age, can you have a STEPPED trunk floor after you fold the seats? How did that pass focus groups? how did the engineering team, design team, and marketing team ALL SIGN OFF on such BS design?

Originally Posted by RabidRat

I wonder what's causing the turbo / throttle weirdness. It's too consistent among newer cars and across manufacturers to be a single stroke of incompetence / not giving a damn.

It must be an emissions thing. Like maybe they want to prevent that thing from spooling until they're damn sure that you want it, and that way they can eke out just a bit more mpg for the window sticker.

Maybe that'll be the next car modding movement: tuning that out, along with fixing rev hang for manuals: MERA: Make Experience of driving Reasonably fun Again. Not very catchy. We'll work on that.

Definitely gonna be some fuel economy test gaming and emissions gaming going on. Combine that with a laggy pedal and probably lack of prespooling like BMW does.

One thing I noticed with our X3 is, if you put it in sport mode, it's still burning a small amount of fuel even if you are completely off throttle, so it seems like it's doing some form of "anti-lag" where the turbo is kept spinning to maintain response. Guarantee you Toyota wouldn't do something like that and it's full open wastegate.

Originally Posted by bcrdukes

They still make the Sequoia? I thought Toyota killed it off a while ago. (Then again, I don't really follow Toyota.)

It got a new generation together with the Tundra and Taco. The North American only trucks are really all the same underneath, but a different length sausage.

[AstulzerRZD]

The Sequoia trunk is terribad. How in this day and age, can you have a STEPPED trunk floor after you fold the seats? How did that pass focus groups? how did the engineering team, design team, and marketing team ALL SIGN OFF on such BS design?

Sequoia wasn't supposed to live but Toyota NA begged and got $5 for development budget - so no money to engineer IRS rear suspension.

One thing I noticed with our X3 is, if you put it in sport mode, it's still burning a small amount of fuel even if you are completely off throttle, so it seems like it's doing some form of "anti-lag" where the turbo is kept spinning to maintain response. Guarantee you Toyota wouldn't do something like that and it's full open wastegate.

It's not antilag, it's an emissions thing where they need to burn off the fuel.

[noclue]

I thought the grand highlander had a extremely cheap hard plastic interior along with the lexus version TX, even the regular highlander seemed to be built better. Raising the stereo volume to hide the rattling 4-cylinder and the awful NVH isnt a good excuse IMO.

[EvoFire]

Originally Posted by AstulzerRZD

Sequoia wasn't supposed to live but Toyota NA begged and got $5 for development budget - so no money to engineer IRS rear suspension.



It's not antilag, it's an emissions thing where they need to burn off the fuel.

It will do it the whole time while I was rolling down the hill with engine braking. Doesn't do it in regular mode.

[AstulzerRZD]

Oh interesting, will keep an eye out the next time I'm in one

[AstulzerRZD]

Originally Posted by noclue

I thought the grand highlander had a extremely cheap hard plastic interior along with the lexus version TX, even the regular highlander seemed to be built better. Raising the stereo volume to hide the rattling 4-cylinder and the awful NVH isnt a good excuse IMO.

Plastic interior not necessarily a bad thing on the Grand Highlander since kids are going to abuse it.

The TX however... that's bad.

[BIC_BAWS]

Originally Posted by Badhobz

The steering was pretty good, but numb (like most modern EPS units).

more like deathly numb.. couldn't feel shit if I was about to hydroplane or smt. 5/10 would not recommend driving through a rain storm with it.

[Badhobz]

But that’s like all modern cars. They are all numb. Your scary thing is a death trap with those snow tires !

[EvoFire]

The absolute numbest car I drove was a 2010 Sonata. Rented it going on a road trip to Edmonton. It got great fuel economy but coming down the Coq in a rainstorm was leery

[68style]

haha explains why in the spring I was bombing down the Coq in a monsoon past everyone in my old 2004 IS300 like nothing... they all can't feel what's going on!

..... or I'm just an idiot. High chance of that too.

[EvoFire]

Tires play a big difference. I'm on winters now on the M3, it makes the car extra numb. I feel everything in my hips more than the steering wheel.

[headhunt3r]

Easy there Shakira.

[AstulzerRZD]

AstulzerRZD is a Stellantis Shill - Dodge Hornet PHEV: 0 star



This is what happens when you let the "engineers" do their thing without accountants and management getting involved.

Engineers: Let's make this a sports CUV for Alfa! Standard 4 piston brembo! Standard Koni FSD!
Reality: Brake squeal - it has aggressive semi-metallic pads that never get up to temp cuz of regen braking.

Engineers: Let's give it a geared transmission, we cannot have CVTs in our hybrids because of driving feel
Reality: 23mpg, WORSE than Pacifica Hybrid.

Engineers: Let's give it giant metal paddle shifters
Reality: It has a really shitty 6 speed

Engineers: 288 HP and 383 lb-ft of torque
Reality: the 1.3 turbo SO loud when running as a generator I thought the car was broken/there was construction shit running next to the car

Fuck you Avis for stocking these, it makes a beat up 1st gen GLA car2go look like a rolls royce.

Literally just give me a gas or hybrid CR-V instead.
If I'm plugging in a hybrid, at least the Wrangler/Grand Cherokee 4XE have redeeming qualities... even though they might set my house on fire.

[EvoFire]

Originally Posted by AstulzerRZD

AstulzerRZD is a Stellantis Shill - Dodge Hornet PHEV: 0 star



This is what happens when you let the "engineers" do their thing without accountants and management getting involved.

Engineers: Let's make this a sports CUV for the Alfa brand!
Reality: Brake squeal - it has aggressive semi-metallic pads that never get up to temp cuz of regen braking.

Engineers: Let's give it a geared transmission, we cannot have CVTs in our hybrids because of driving feel
Reality: 23mpg, WORSE than Pacifica Hybrid.

Engineers: Let's give it giant metal paddle shifters
Reality: It has a really shitty 6 speed

Engineers: 288 HP and 383 lb-ft of torque
Reality: the 1.3 turbo SO loud when running as a generator I thought the car was broken/there was construction shit running next to the car

Fuck you Avis for stocking these, literally just give me a gas or hybrid CR-V instead.
If I'm plugging in a hybrid, at least the Wrangler/Grand Cherokee 4XE have redeeming qualities... even though they might set my house on fire.

These probably cost half of a CRV hybrid for Avis to procure though. And as an engineer, wouldn't they have found a better tranny?

Granted I don't think there's any geared FWD trannies that are actually good except maybe the VW fart machine. Aisin8? Garbage, even in BMW's hands. BMW FWD DCT? Mediocre. Acura 10sp? Lags. Mazda? Lags.

Or I'm just spoiled by the ZF8 in the X3 and X5. And even then they aren't completely fault free.

[bcrdukes]

They probably asked Toyota on how to build this so this is the outcome. GG

[RabidRat]

Originally Posted by AstulzerRZD

AstulzerRZD is a Stellantis Shill - Dodge Hornet PHEV: 0 star



This is what happens when you let the "engineers" do their thing without accountants and management getting involved.

Engineers: Let's make this a sports CUV for the Alfa brand!
Reality: Brake squeal - it has aggressive semi-metallic pads that never get up to temp cuz of regen braking.

Engineers: Let's give it a geared transmission, we cannot have CVTs in our hybrids because of driving feel
Reality: 23mpg, WORSE than Pacifica Hybrid.

Engineers: Let's give it giant metal paddle shifters
Reality: It has a really shitty 6 speed

Engineers: 288 HP and 383 lb-ft of torque
Reality: the 1.3 turbo SO loud when running as a generator I thought the car was broken/there was construction shit running next to the car

Fuck you Avis for stocking these, literally just give me a gas or hybrid CR-V instead.
If I'm plugging in a hybrid, at least the Wrangler/Grand Cherokee 4XE have redeeming qualities... even though they might set my house on fire.

Were you at SFO?

I almost grabbed this last week, but it disappeared from my Avis app and I got stuck with an EV6 instead.

[AstulzerRZD]

Originally Posted by EvoFire

These probably cost half of a CRV hybrid for Avis to procure though. And as an engineer, wouldn't they have found a better tranny?

Granted I don't think there's any geared FWD trannies that are actually good except maybe the VW fart machine. Aisin8? Garbage, even in BMW's hands. BMW FWD DCT? Mediocre. Acura 10sp? Lags. Mazda? Lags.

Or I'm just spoiled by the ZF8 in the X3 and X5. And even then they aren't completely fault free.

The engineers blew the GDP of Singapore on standard 4 piston brembos, Koni FSD shocks and EVO X style metal paddle shifters ... leaving $0 on noise insulation and a coffee break worth of suspension, powertrain tuning.

It bobs and dives over every bump and is so slow in normal mode that a 1.8L Corolla would gap it.

The Italian program team picks the worst trannys - dry clutch in 500X was also their fault.
Hard to find a transverse box that can do 400lbft torque - this one uses Aisin F21-250, same as V6 RAV4, Sienna, Jeep Renegade.

FWIW I thought the BMW FWD DCT was reasonable, Aisin 8 in BMW is good if you drive it hard, and the Acura 10 speed is great with the J series V6 but terrible with the turbo 4.

[AstulzerRZD]

Originally Posted by RabidRat

Were you at SFO?

I almost grabbed this last week, but it disappeared from my Avis app and I got stuck with an EV6 instead.

Local rental in NYC.
IMO the EV6 is a much better car - better space, performance, seats, ride, etc but probably the 2nd worst infotainment in an EV.

Even the basic 225HP RWD trim is fast enough for 90mph Jersey traffic - faster than GLC43 and SQ5 for 30-50 and 50-70mph passing.
The only way to enjoy the Hornet is to actually charge the thing, launch every stoplight in power boost and sport mode.