[Traum]

Is this all the beans it's got?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SixfRgFRhjY

I know it isn't a sports car, but the way the speed creeps up seems pretty slow.

[Badhobz]

The sweet spot is the RX350H or if you are a weeabo RX450h+ cause it's made in Japan.
Proven hybrid design and can run on regular gas.

The RX500H sucks as shown by the tanking resale values.

I believe they are all made in Canada now. They haven't made North American RX in Japan since the 350L (which was the last J VIN RX that I know of)

Is this all the beans it's got?

I know it isn't a sports car, but the way the speed creeps up seems pretty slow.

no, this was probably 1/2 throttle.

[bcrdukes]

Badhobz shitting on Lexus? Did he get hacked? :suspicious:

[Gerbs]

Is this all the beans it's got?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SixfRgFRhjY

I know it isn't a sports car, but the way the speed creeps up seems pretty slow.

Wow that looks boring!

Oh wait, I rented this for a week in Hawaii a few months ago. I thought it was as boring as an IS250 / Corolla. It fit 5 adults comfortably and I thought the interior was okay, felt like your standard $50-60K SUV to me.

[radeonboy]

I actually have no idea... is RX also an 100K out the door driving away car now?

Or are they still in the reasonable 80K out the door for a decently loaded one?

The plug-in can reach over $100k out the door if you option it out, otherwise the other versions are all within under $100k tax-in. The TX is there to give the RX a buffer.

[EvoFire]

I actually have no idea... is RX also an 100K out the door driving away car now?

Or are they still in the reasonable 80K out the door for a decently loaded one?

When we were looking at the last gen RX450h+ it was reaching 110k with the options I wanted. They bundled the options in such a way that we had to pretty much get every single package which ballooned the price.

[Edison_Chen]

The current gen 450h+ is built in Japan and the remaining RX’s are built in Canada. I can’t justify paying another 15k before taxes for the 450h+. I’m happy with our 350h but my parents went with the new 450h+ earlier in the year and they had the previous gen Prius Prime

[Badhobz]

Dodge Charger R/T

Im back in Montreal and they offered me an X3 30i. im like take that shit and shove it up your ass, i dont want a boring 4 cylinder. what else you got?

Uhhh we got this murdered out police car / surrey jack special / hick mobile with a big ass v8 and terrible gas mileage????

ILL TAKE IT!!!

https://i.postimg.cc/tgwZ9y23/IMG-6574.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/0QS6Q3BL/IMG-6569.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/rwhRY54Y/IMG-6526.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/vmcxRDL8/IMG-6578.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/bwY2TmZt/IMG-6525.jpg

Pros:

- hilarious sounding car with old school american muscle v8 noises. its loud, its brash, and if you start it up in an underground parking lot, it'll set off alarms
- much torque, much power, big and lazy N/A v8 hemi doing 375hp and 395lbft of twist. Its not fast per say, but it feels fast because its so damn torquey and the chassis is so garbage that everything feels dangerous
- love the front end styling, rear end looks a bit plain, but the front end is pure americanna

cons:
- THIRSTY as fuck. im getting 20L/100km. TROLOOLOLOOL!!!!
- everyone thinks im a cop so they either go super slow in front of me, or get out of the way. I had a guy almost brake check me because he thought i was a cop and i was gonna give him a ticket for speeding so he slammed on his brakes trying to scrub off speed.
- interior is made of plastics that were rejected by playskool. It also smells like unwashed hillbillys (ITS NOT ME I SWEAR!). I dont get why every dodge vehicle always have this weird plasticky smell that never goes away.
- seats are pretty trash. it doesnt hold you in, nor is it that wide and comfortable. weird...
- super optimistic rev gauge. It goes to 7000 yah right...... the fucker hits fuel cutoff at 5800 but it doesnt show that on the gauge (moot gauge?!)

[bcrdukes]

Not the same car but I got a Challenger in Los Angeles a number of years ago and the interior actually wasn't bad, and the seats were actually quite good. Looking at your photos, I was expecting the same quality, but this is true American/domestic interior quality! :D

[headhunt3r]

It's probably personal preference but I never like the infotainment and HVAC control layouts in domestics - Ford, Chevy, doesn't matter. They always look ugly as hell.

[68style]

^ As a former domestic owner, you're just grateful they still work... don't care what they look like, just grateful they work.

[AstulzerRZD]

- interior is made of plastics that were rejected by playskool. It also smells like unwashed hillbillys (ITS NOT ME I SWEAR!). I dont get why every dodge vehicle always have this weird plasticky smell that never goes away.
- seats are pretty trash. it doesnt hold you in, nor is it that wide and comfortable. weird...

What's hilarious is you've already got the Plus pack with the nicer stitched door handles and dash. The base model car is even worse

[AstulzerRZD]

It's probably personal preference but I never like the infotainment and HVAC control layouts in domestics - Ford, Chevy, doesn't matter. They always look ugly as hell.

They keep the nice infotainment to coupes. The Challenger has a much nicer styled center console than the Charger.

https://s3files.core77.com/blog/images/lead_n_spotlight/274921_title__37243_VupboiU99.jpg

https://imagescdn.dealercarsearch.com/Media/22507/20751578/638386513282417094.jpg

[AstulzerRZD]

Dodge Charger R/T

ILL TAKE IT!!!



Memories flood back, my chest tightens and I just about tear up about life after losing the last approachable V8 sedan we'll ever have.
My company car charger wasn't just a car, it made shenanigans feel comfortable, refreshed me on road trips, and felt special every moment with its exhaust no matter my speed.

Now... what are marketers left trying to get us excited about?

- 4 Cylinder AMG 63 that make you wonder if there is a god watching over us
- Laggy turbo 6 and transmissions as confused as I am on Monday morning (W205 C43, B9 S5)
- Luxury cars that creak like the Titanic from the factory (most MBs)
- "Daily driver sporty car" that are as comfy and exciting around town as watching paint dry (G70/Stinger, WRX, V6 Camry, FK8 minus the seats)

So, as I go through life with companions that pale in comparison
I can't help but yearn for easier days surrounded by fisher price plastics, a big V8, and the sound of J Cole shaking the seats.
With the order books closed, everyone deserves to experience the goodness it brought before it fades into memory.

Man, RIP Charger/Challenger twins.

click for audio:
https://i.imgur.com/7bVjWqI.mp4

Ws:
1) MB 5/7/9 speeds in the trash - the ZF8 trans tuning is perfect.

2) Standard dual paned glass & other things, 12 hour solo Banff road trip is relaxing

3) Stock sound system doesn't distort at mid volume the way F80 Harmon Kardon, C class Burmeister, W211 Logic7 all do

4) In the US, the V8 no more expensive than a V6 Camry, which has 60% worse comfort, transmission, chassis, steering, etcetcetc

[Badhobz]

This car makes total sense for North America and zero sense anywhere else.

It’s friggin huge !!! Kinda enjoying the insanity though
Just listening to it start up is a riot. Add in the insane gobs of thrust and it’s hilarious. The unrefined nature is kinda its quirk, and it’s so unapologetic about that

The rental dude told me to come back with bald tires. I said they’re already bald

[AstulzerRZD]

This car makes total sense for North America and zero sense anywhere else.

It’s friggin huge !!! Kinda enjoying the insanity though
Just listening to it start up is a riot. Add in the insane gobs of thrust and it’s hilarious. The unrefined nature is kinda its quirk and it’s so unapologetic that it’s probably the last honest sedan on the market.

The rental dude told me to come back with ba

Could potentially work in parts of Europe where you have your car only for highway runs.
It's basically a W210/211 with American Interior and Engine right? so should work wherever a modern supersedan works too

[headhunt3r]

They keep the nice infotainment to coupes. The Challenger has a much nicer styled center console than the Charger.



The top picture looks okay ish but it's really zoomed in so it's hard to tell. The lower picture looks fugly still. Maybe if I down a bottle of good ol bourbon first, I'll be American enough to enjoy it

[AstulzerRZD]

The top picture looks okay ish but it's really zoomed in so it's hard to tell. The lower picture looks fugly still. Maybe if I down a bottle of good ol bourbon first, I'll be American enough to enjoy it

IMO it would feel weird to daily one in Vancouver where the environment is "calm".
The mountain/water adjacent suburb mind could never comprehend bold styling and a daily driver experience that's exciting.
BUT, majority of V8 Challengers in Seattle are FOB women driven.

[JDMDreams]

Are you there to check up on the shipment of stolen cars? No wonder you guys makes the big union bucks :ahwow::joy::troll:

[AstulzerRZD]

Are you there to check up on the shipment of stolen cars? No wonder you guys makes the big union bucks :ahwow::joy::troll:

Where do u think all the stolen scat pack and hellcats went ��️����️
jk it's Lexus RX and CR-V that are disappearing from Toronto area .... 5k comprehensive deductibles on those now

[Badhobz]

Are you there to check up on the shipment of stolen cars? No wonder you guys makes the big union bucks :ahwow::joy::troll:

im there to "performance manage" the longshore and make sure they are doing their jobs in accordance to "safety" and "performance" targets that the port operators & port authority (in accordance with their collective agreement) has agreed to.

Some schmuck from montreal comes to vancouver and does the same thing, we swap stories, and audit each others ports so there is no conflict of interest.

dem longshore are extremely on edge this time around. Last time when i drove the genesis on the dock, they thought the owner of the port authority was doing a tour, this time they thought the cops were out to recover all the stolen cars or illegal drugs.

Even the CBSA guys rolled up to me and started asking me questions. im like MOVE ALONG PEONS, i outrank you heerreeee!!! yer on my turf nao

p.s. on the back of the terminal there is a big fat 11's that i did when i used that Line Lock + launch control. LAWLS...

[underscore]

I finally went up a tier with the rental company so I'll have to skim this thread to help me pick something decent next time. The Kia whatever that I have at the moment is terrible.

[Badhobz]

Not related, but this is why that aeroplan reserve Amex card is so good. It bumps you up to presidents club at Avis and I always get some interesting rental for the price of an intermediate car. I’ve gotten……

Durango SRT
BMW 330
BMW 530
Genesis G80
Charger R/T

All for the price of a Corolla/camry.

[bcrdukes]

Also, for those of you who have NEXUS, the new fees will be bumped up to $150 or so. The Aeroplan Reserve AMEX covers $100 of the fee as a perk.

[Badhobz]

Oh I forgot the Buick encore I had last time when dukes was in Montreal and we met up…. That was the worst thing I’ve ever driven

[bcrdukes]

Oh I forgot the Buick encore I had last time when dukes was in Montreal and we met up…. That was the worst thing I’ve ever driven

That thing was pretty bad. :lawl:
I don't understand how they portray it as a luxury brand with a specific target demographic in mind when clearly it is nowhere near what they think it is. :noyoudidnt:

[underscore]

Not related, but this is why that aeroplan reserve Amex card is so good. It bumps you up to presidents club at Avis and I always get some interesting rental for the price of an intermediate car. I’ve gotten……

Durango SRT
BMW 330
BMW 530
Genesis G80
Charger R/T

All for the price of a Corolla/camry.

That's the shitty part of my gig, the basic reward points go to me but it's all booked on the company cards so I can't get the really big perks.

I'm usually with National/Enterprise and their Emerald Aisle setup is pretty nice. Just walk up and pick whatever you want from whatever tier you are and go. No screwing around in line at the rental counter.

To stay on topic(ish), I figured out that if you put this Kia Sportage into Sport it has actual throttle response so you're less likely to be killed by the nutty drivers in TO. If I stop posting odds are I forgot to switch it and I've been killed because otherwise it's about as sharp as gouda.

[68style]

No one clapped and stomped their feet for that encore.

[AstulzerRZD]

That's the shitty part of my gig, the basic reward points go to me but it's all booked on the company cards so I can't get the really big perks.

I'm usually with National/Enterprise and their Emerald Aisle setup is pretty nice. Just walk up and pick whatever you want from whatever tier you are and go. No screwing around in line at the rental counter.


My tips for you bro:

1a) Every World Elite car qualifies for National Exec status

1b) If you just ask and they have spare inventory, National aisle concierges are pretty good

1c) National also doesn't track where they park their cars the way that Hertz does; if you're ballsy, pull a car from exec

1d) Check the Flyertalk "National Cars at XXX" thread to see when a good time to go is

2) Hertz PC used to be really good but has become BS after bankruptcy.

3) Avis is awful at everything lol but they've had some bangers for me; CT4, G80, Grand Cherokee and Wrangler 4XEs are super common in the fleet.

[bcrdukes]

My tips for you bro:

1a) Every World Elite car qualifies for National Exec status

I have a World Elite Mastercard. How do you bump up to exec status with National? They are my preferred rental car company for work and personal. Thanks in advance!

[AstulzerRZD]

Tempted to see if this AMEX link for National Exec Elite works. IT says 2015 but worked in 2021. https://legacy.nationalcar.com/en_US/car-rental/partners/partner-details/affinity/AmexExecElite.html

VISA Infinite enrollment link: https://legacy.nationalcar.com/en_US/car-rental/loyalty/corporate-Enrollment.html/keyWord=VISAINF.html?locale=en_US

Can't find the World Elite link anymore

[RabidRat]

I tried the Visa Infinite signup: it worked for me! Thanks! :)

[AstulzerRZD]

Jeep Grand Cherokee 4XE: this is gonna sound crazy ... a commentary on BMW ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐



Jeep Wrangler 4XE: that cheerful brunette next door ⭐⭐⭐⭐ and 1/2

https://i.imgur.com/RF8oaN1.jpeg
https://i.imgur.com/C96UDUX.jpeg
https://i.imgur.com/zUJqdNV.png

Emotionally, ain't life great when u can enjoy all of it - the fast moments, the slow moments, the top of moments, and moments with friends?

1) fast moments: 370hp/470lbft ... but even with the 150hp EV mode you can rip Oak/Granville street right lane passes. Drive over a curb to get to that empty left turn lane? LFG

2) silly moments: send it sideways in the rain, trail brake it into a corner, crank the steering and it turns great when it settles

3) slow moments: 1 pedal drive it in traffic and hyper mile the thing from 30km of range and get 45 instead. hear the birds chirp while you're in traffic with the top off.

4) friends: who doesn't want to ride in a Jeep ... and Toyota/Honda could never produce a factory sound system this good

ok but how bad is the wrangler shit?

A) road noise blah blah blah ... a Camry / RAV4 way louder once you're above 100kmh

B) does this thing skip over the road ... yeah and it's extremely sketch in the rain on mud terrain tires on the Willys, drove it in 4AUTO. Sahara is fine on its Bridgestone Alena's.

C) The 2.0 was silent at 145kmh in the Grand Cherokee but the 33s, brick aero, top off, and 5300 lbs of Wrangler on a hill got that thing sounding like a blender.

D) rear seats don't fold flat at all with a hump

Intellectually, these are leasing at 250 USD A MONTH
https://leasehackr-assets.b-cdn.net/optimized/3X/e/d/edbd5315e7466366077eb95398da3df48c5765d3_2_1380x33 6.png

My stats:
Vancouver Weekend Driving: 168km electric, 69km gas, 5h54, 6.3L/100km
Seattle City Driving (8 days): 270mi electric, 336mi gas, 7.5L/100km
Overall: 1288 km, 426 mi electric, 379 mi on gas, 7.4L/100km

More cheap: $14 in charging for 600km
Free L1/L2 charging at night, paid L2 at gym (2CAD/hr), work (50c/hr), and various paid parking in DT Vancouver ($1.5 more than parking without charging)

You could get a plain jane RAV4 Prime and use half the fuel, a 392 wrangler would make all the right noises, or a Bronco would drive better/offer a stick...
but IMO none of them will be as enjoyable overall and easy to live with as that cheerful brunette next door.

This is America's best selling plug-in hybrid for many many good reasons.

[Badhobz]

Boooo!!!!! Booo!!!!!!!! I say

Blonde or get the fuck out

[AstulzerRZD]

Boooo!!!!! Booo!!!!!!!! I say

Blonde or get the fuck out

392 or get outta town 👉🚪

[EvoFire]

Jeep Wrangler 4XE: that cheerful brunette next door ⭐⭐⭐⭐ and 1/2

https://i.imgur.com/RF8oaN1.jpeg
https://i.imgur.com/C96UDUX.jpeg
https://i.imgur.com/zUJqdNV.png

Emotionally, ain't life great when u can enjoy all of it - the fast moments, the slow moments, the top of moments, and moments with friends?

1) fast moments: 370hp/470lbft ... but even with the 150hp EV mode you can rip Oak/Granville street right lane passes. Drive over a curb to get to that empty left turn lane? LFG

2) silly moments: send it sideways in the rain, trail brake it into a corner, crank the steering and it turns great when it settles

3) slow moments: 1 pedal drive it in traffic and hyper mile the thing from 30km of range and get 45 instead. hear the birds chirp while you're in traffic with the top off.

4) friends: who doesn't want to ride in a Jeep ... and Toyota/Honda could never produce a factory sound system this good

ok but how bad is the wrangler shit?

A) road noise blah blah blah ... a Camry / RAV4 way louder once you're above 100kmh

B) does this thing skip over the road ... yeah and it's extremely sketch in the rain on mud terrain tires on the Willys, drove it in 4AUTO. Sahara is fine on its Bridgestone Alena's.

C) The 2.0 was silent at 145kmh in the Grand Cherokee but the 33s, brick aero, top off, and 5300 lbs of Wrangler on a hill got that thing sounding like a blender.

D) rear seats don't fold flat at all with a hump

Intellectually, these are leasing at 250 USD A MONTH
https://leasehackr-assets.b-cdn.net/optimized/3X/e/d/edbd5315e7466366077eb95398da3df48c5765d3_2_1380x33 6.png

My stats:
Vancouver Weekend Driving: 168km electric, 69km gas, 5h54, 6.3L/100km
Seattle City Driving (8 days): 270mi electric, 336mi gas, 7.5L/100km
Overall: 1288 km, 426 mi electric, 379 mi on gas, 7.4L/100km

More cheap: $14 in charging for 600km
Free L1/L2 charging at night, paid L2 at gym (2CAD/hr), work (50c/hr), and various paid parking in DT Vancouver ($1.5 more than parking without charging)

You could get a plain jane RAV4 Prime and use half the fuel, a 392 wrangler would make all the right noises, or a Bronco would drive better/offer a stick...
but IMO none of them will be as enjoyable overall and easy to live with as that cheerful brunette next door.

This is America's best selling plug-in hybrid for many many good reasons.

WTF 473 for a GC 4XE Overland, where do I sign up :yuno:

[AstulzerRZD]

WTF 473 for a GC 4XE Overland, where do I sign up :yuno:

US brokered lease deals are insane.

[Badhobz]

Yeah tell me about it. I saw a Tesla Model 3 for 260 a month and either 0 down, or something stupid like 1000 down. WTF!!!

[Badhobz]

I saw an old Cadillac CTS drive by me today on my way to work and i got me reminiscing about my old CTS.

2005 Cadillac CTS w/ 2.8L V6
https://i.postimg.cc/yNDZm32B/DSC00527.jpg

You guys remember the matrix reloaded? i saw that movie and i fell instantly in love with that CTS
https://i.redd.it/wwacinw925c51.jpg
https://www.motortrend.com/features/matrix-reloaded/

Cadillac just introduced their new "arts and science" design with the release of that movie and i was enthralled. I thought the black one was super menacing looking and it was one of the few domestic cars that i liked.

This was 2005. I just graduated from Super Fuckers University and was working in West Vancouver as a Bank teller for HSBC. Busing to West Van was insane and i wanted a car. My first intuition was to buy a Lexus ES300 but once again toyota ownership slipped through my fingers due to the family being FLAT BROKE. My mom gave me 8000 bucks for a down payment and i leased the CTS for like $650 bucks a month. The caddy wasnt cheap, it was almost 40k and i was only able to afford the base model.

Should i have just taken the 8k and bought a used toyota? hell yes, but this is a 21 year old me and i was trying to get as much ass as possible. Its pretty hard to do that in a jalopy.

The goods:
- The pleather seats are very very comfortable and supportive. I did numerous long drives with the car and it always surprised me at how good it was.
- American Air conditioning was 10000x stronger than the one in my dad's old Sentra XE
- Huge trunk and decent cabin size
- I thought the interior looked really decent! compared to the Sentra that i was coming from, it felt like a spaceship
https://www.netcarshow.com/Cadillac-CTS_Euro-2005-1600-18.jpg
- It had huge cupholders. Big enough to shove my dingdong in it
https://i.postimg.cc/zGthHFt0/DSC00543.jpg

The bad:
- Engine was dog shit. the 2.8L v6 was thirsty, noisy, and overall terrible. I raced my friends mitsu gallant and LOST. such garbage power 210hp out of that 2.8L
- The handling wasnt that great. Very low limits and i had a few moments where i was able to get the ass out (FR car) unexpectedly. Body roll was deadly and it felt like the land yachts of old
- Being the base model, i wasnt able to get the xenons and it always made me self conscious for some reason. The light projection from the halogens were so piss poor that driving at night was seriously dangerous.
- The wheels were super small and goofy looking. Once again being base model, i was always kinda embarrassed with the side profile
https://i.postimg.cc/Kv5Bx2nX/DSC00501.jpg

[Traum]

Should i have just taken the 8k and bought a used toyota? hell yes, but this is a 21 year old me and i was trying to get as much ass as possible. Its pretty hard to do that in a jalopy.

So let's just cut to the chase -- did you at least succeed in this goal? If you did, it couldn't have been any Chinese / Asian chick because no self-respecting Chinese / Asian chick would hope into a Cadillac. Chances are -- it'd have to be a Caucasian chick.

[Badhobz]

O hell yes. I dated a scottish chick who loved... LOVED! the heated seats in the caddy. She got off on the seats and we got busy in the back seat

I actually met spy balloon with this car, so its a dream maker

[Gerbs]

Damn $650/month in 2005!

[68style]

Fake it til you make it... and hobz definitely made it lol

[Badhobz]

Damn $650/month in 2005!

cuz the residual was a joke. 36 month lease and the buy out was less than 10k

I paid most of it during the lease. :failed:

[EvoFire]

Then what's the point of the lease.... You weren't writing anything off either.

[Badhobz]

Yeah tell that to the dumb ass 21 year old me back in 2005. All I saw was that the lease payment was lower than the finance payment. Since my family had horrible experiences with domestics before, I thought it would be better off to lease and return at the end.

I did return at the end of the 3 years but man ole man was that ever an expensive lease for a very broke ass hobz

[red kryptonite]

You guys remember the matrix reloaded? i saw that movie and i fell instantly in love with that CTS


for me it was bad boys 2:fullofwin:

[RabidRat]

Yeah tell that to the dumb ass 21 year old me back in 2005. All I saw was that the lease payment was lower than the finance payment. Since my family had horrible experiences with domestics before, I thought it would be better off to lease and return at the end.

I did return at the end of the 3 years but man ole man was that ever an expensive lease for a very broke ass hobz

They should teach personal finance as part of the standard curriculum in school. Like in Math or something, to make the material more relatable and relevant. What if instead of "uh yeah, it's Chapter 5.7 - Exponential Growth" where the only upside was getting to play games on our TI-83's, it was "How to finance a car and not go broke, own a property to park the car at, and amass yer wealth."

Where would we all be today, if we'd only had Gerbs and lowside67 teaching us shiet through highschool.

You could say our parents should've taught it to us, but you're at the whim of whatever random level of financial education the family has, which is hit-and-miss.

[Badhobz]

Im not listening to financial advice from a fucking guy driving a Geo Metro!

Fuck your 50k a year job; you dont have your shit together you lousy engrish major / high school educator

for me it was bad boys 2:fullofwin:

Badboys 3 is just out. its 3 decades of fun! i skipped a day in university to go watch the 2nd one

[Bender Unit]

Badboys 3 is just out. its 3 decades of fun! i skipped a day in university to go watch the 2nd one, and now ill skip a day of work to go watch the 3rd one (on tuesday! like a cheap hoe)

it is the 4th Bad Boys now :lol

[68style]

Hobz good at math

[AstulzerRZD]

Eager. Rewarding. From 2 star to 4 star, small tweaks make all the difference ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Clock strikes 9AM and you get a Teams message:
The Explorer program fucked up, built more test mules than the F-150 program, CD6 is way too expensive, and you've got half the usual time to launch something using scraps of the old platform.

Behold ... a $20 upgrade from an Altima at National.

https://i.imgur.com/QVfBtl6.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/8XhuoWi.png

I had the last gen Ecoboost and GT as company cars, this is so much better.

The exhaust no longer sounds like a sewing machine.
Now, it has character - blowoff valve whistle, a poppy tone.

The engine no longer has inconsistent power delivery.
Now, it feels fun to just get on it and ride the power band to redline; better than BMW B48

The suspension no longer feels like the car is three pieces: front, center, rear.
It now trail brakes, the front end tucks in eagerly and the rear end is mostly predictable.
It feels 800 lbs lighter than the last gen.

The auto no longer takes 3 seconds to downshift into first while tossing your head forward.
You leave it in L, it's always in the right gear, and it does all the dumb downshifts I would do to hear the pops and bangs.

The interior.... is so chunky and oddly shaped.
At least the headrests are pillow soft and the infotainment's super snappy.

For a convertible where you can still fit a rear facing child seat behind you.
For a convertible where you can still fit 2 medium sized suitcase and carryons.

The Mustang team have spun silver from a stinky heap ...
and IMO they've brought back the spirit of the E46, bravo.

https://i.imgur.com/VNYVsfp.mp4

[Traum]

Which engine does this one have? 4-banger EcoBoost? or the 5L V8?

[AstulzerRZD]

Which engine does this one have? 4-banger EcoBoost? or the 5L V8?

Ecoboost, non performance pack.
The last one had the surge-y power delivery, heat soak, and lag of an EJ25.

New ecoboost is no longer a penalty box and imo way better than the BMW B48…
And that’s on regular gas + without the factory Ford Performance tune.

5.0 is obviously better but it’s not all roses - it’s a lot weaker down low than the other domestic V8s.
Best way to enjoy it is to throw the factory supercharger on, $10kish for 800hp and you keep warranty.

[EvoFire]

The BMW B48 really isn't that great of an engine. It works is all I have to say. Of the current BMW engines, only the B/S58 are good engines, all the others are also rans

Find something better to compare it to, like a EA888 or something.

[AstulzerRZD]

The BMW B48 really isn't that great of an engine. It works is all I have to say. Of the current BMW engines, only the B/S58 are good engines, all the others are also rans

Find something better to compare it to, like a EA888 or something.

Ya the last Ecoboost was an incoherent mess.

The new one is comparable in drivability Mk7.5 Golf GTI/R and A5.
In fact, I think it has less torque delay than the Golf R calibration.

It's stronger down low and up top but it should be when the 2.3L is rated for 310/350lbft.
Waiting on the factory warrantied Ford Performance ECU/TCU tune ...but the last gen gained 100HP at peak with a cold air intake

[Dbone]

Isn't the B48 just a B58 cut down by two?

[AstulzerRZD]

FWIW beyond tunability and reliability, I think the B58 is just fine.

It doesn't lag or drink or sound silent like the Audi/Porsche 2.9T in Macan/RS5.
It doesn't glitchout like the Alfa 2.9T
It doesn't surge like the MB 3.0T
It doesn't run out of breath like the N55

but it doesn't have amazing sound/character like the Alfa/MB motors either.

[EvoFire]

FWIW beyond tunability and reliability, I think the B58 is just fine.

It doesn't lag or drink or sound silent like the Audi/Porsche 2.9T in Macan/RS5.
It doesn't glitchout like the Alfa 2.9T
It doesn't surge like the MB 3.0T
It doesn't run out of breath like the N55

but it doesn't have amazing sound/character like the Alfa/MB motors either.

That already makes it the best out of the bunch as a well rounded package? Nothing else matches it's power, reliability, economy, etc. Some may beat it in a category or two, but not in anyway that matters too much.

And if we talk uber motors you can always graduate to the S58.

I'm not a BMW fanboi (I know we've had a few) but I drink the B58 coolaid. I've had both the B38 and B48 engines and they were just ok, nothing really standout about them.

[Badhobz]

id get a neck tattoo with b58 if I could. but its already full of umaru tattoos

[68style]

B58 in the Supra has lots of personality/character with the manual... automatics probably mutes it a bit... but I can blip the throttle anytime and be treated to some vroom vrooms and pops/gurgles.

[AstulzerRZD]

That already makes it the best out of the bunch as a well rounded package? Nothing else matches it's power, reliability, economy, etc. Some may beat it in a category or two, but not in anyway that matters too much.

And if we talk uber motors you can always graduate to the S58.

I'm not a BMW fanboi (I know we've had a few) but I drink the B58 coolaid. I've had both the B38 and B48 engines and they were just ok, nothing really standout about them.

Logically, yes.

Emotionally, I feel like people do things because of the way it makes them feel.
Going from M340i (summer tire/RWD spec) and G70 3.3 ----> C43 Driver's Pack and Scat Pack spoiled me.
Numbers wise they are 5-10% worse for sure.

But…. It felt like graduating from really fast / nice Accord to wow we're in a sporty car
All options are great and I love how the B58 democratized performance, but I generally choose the more stimulating option

[EvoFire]

I'm surprised you thought the C43 was great. From all 3rd hand accounts, everyone said it's not that great, overly stiff, thirsty, doesn't handle particularly well.

Maybe I should go take it for a spin.

[AstulzerRZD]

I'm surprised you thought the C43 was great. From all 3rd hand accounts, everyone said it's not that great, overly stiff, thirsty, doesn't handle particularly well.

Maybe I should go take it for a spin.

Think of it like the Elantra N; it’s got the theatrical bits down.
The M340i is more like the Tupe R, more competent but all business

C43 Upshifts are intentionally harsh, the exhaust note is playful and kinda savage without being MPPK440i stupid, the rev counter goes in the right direction, and the interior has a way better mix of materials/alcantara/slightly sportier seats.

Highway mileage at 80mph was within 2mph of the M340i.

[roastpuff]

I'm surprised you thought the C43 was great. From all 3rd hand accounts, everyone said it's not that great, overly stiff, thirsty, doesn't handle particularly well.

Maybe I should go take it for a spin.
The interior was noticeably cost cut from an E-class, the ride was harsh, and the back was cramped.

But by god that engine note and exhaust barks, and the dials on the wheel were cool, and the way it wanted to kick the tail out all the time.

:awwyeah:

This was the wagon btw.
Think of it like the Elantra N; it’s got the theatrical bits down.
The M340i is more like the Tupe R, more competent but all business

C43 Upshifts are intentionally harsh, the exhaust note is playful and kinda savage without being MPPK440i stupid, the rev counter goes in the right direction, and the interior has a way better mix of materials/alcantara/slightly sportier seats.

Highway mileage at 80mph was within 2mph of the M340i.
The C43 was pure theatrics and I loved it but the wife not so much lmao.

[BIC_BAWS]

It's interesting to see how the perceptions have evolved. Forum went from circle jerking Hondas to circle jerking mediocre BMWs and "AMG"s. AstulzerRZD's perspective on cars is refreshing especially when talking about the non-status quo cars.

That said I can't really agree with your idea of sporty cars. Unless you really mean "sporty" and not sports car.

On that note, it was really disappointing to find out that ///M cars are not good track cars out of the box. ///M cars, aside from G8X, are more street than track. The Type R OTOH, is more track than street. In that regard tho, the Type R is definitely more tin car feeling. I remember years ago AstulzerRZD kept talking about NVH and I never really understood ... mostly because I was in a BMW. Now? I definitely get it.

[AstulzerRZD]

Really hot take but street cars are for fun to me - don’t really care about the sports but care lots about sporty.

FWIW even though the Mustang/Camaro put up better numbers, the Challenger is the easiest & most progressive to slide, so will always be my pick.

Another hot take since Waterloo/USA opened up a lotta opportunities - Any track driving that doesn’t require a SCCA comp license imo is also fun/networking for me

If I were taking this seriously I’d go renew my comp license after formula school at Skippy, then combine a season of karting either arrive and drive with an AER team my friend runs, Lemons teams my tech bros run, or 86 cup/GTA events since my buddy already drives his trailer out for em

[EvoFire]

It's interesting to see how the perceptions have evolved. Forum went from circle jerking Hondas to circle jerking mediocre BMWs and "AMG"s. AstulzerRZD's perspective on cars is refreshing especially when talking about the non-status quo cars.

That said I can't really agree with your idea of sporty cars. Unless you really mean "sporty" and not sports car.

On that note, it was really disappointing to find out that ///M cars are not good track cars out of the box. ///M cars, aside from G8X, are more street than track. The Type R OTOH, is more track than street. In that regard tho, the Type R is definitely more tin car feeling. I remember years ago AstulzerRZD kept talking about NVH and I never really understood ... mostly because I was in a BMW. Now? I definitely get it.

Most M cars are a set of pads away from decent track car. But if by out of the box mean zero changes, then most cars won't survive 20mins of Mission out of the box. The Fk8 will overheat(FL5 is supposed to fix that), all M cars will cook their brakes. Maybe a 86/BRZ or Miata MIGHT survive, but I've never seen those stock lol.

911GT3?

[BIC_BAWS]

Really hot take but street cars are for fun to me - don’t really care about the sports but care lots about sporty.

Not really a hot take. Just a very NPC perspective. And I don't mean that in a bad way. Like for instance, I think they make great fun dailys.. just not track cars. It's a lot of fun to rip up and down streets and go pop pop bang bang. Hell I'm so good at it (add little bit of pedal pressure) I'll pop all the way down Willingdon from Canada Way to Moscrop lol.

As you know, I've done the whole, take a performance spec 3 series and modify it to be track worthy thing. It's not worth it to me, hence just buying an out of the box car and being done with it.

Most M cars are a set of pads away from decent track car. But if by out of the box mean zero changes, then most cars won't survive 20mins of Mission out of the box. The Fk8 will overheat(FL5 is supposed to fix that), all M cars will cook their brakes. Maybe a 86/BRZ or Miata MIGHT survive, but I've never seen those stock lol.

911GT3?

Mission is a really shitty track to draw comparisons from. I ran Mission full stock, just SRF and that's a matter of safety not "mods". I didn't overheat (at all) either.

I didn't overheat (into limp mode) at last VIMC day. I didn't do any CD (having too much fun chasing friend's E46 M3) and temperatures rose to 60% but no limp mode. And honestly, as my underbody was gone, there was no OEM ducting for cooing either + I'm now tuned.

That said CD laps are important, regardless of car or "overheating" issues. I learned that the hard way remember? Crappy NoStop pads blew up lol.

M cars require heavy camber adjustments. I run stock camber specs. Literally just fluid for safety and out on track.

[RabidRat]

We're just getting old, man :D.

The demographic on this forum is creeping up on 40, and NVH matters now. And really, the perception that the car is track-ready is more important than it actually being track ready.

It's about the experience, not about what it actually is. We won't remember our lap times at the end of our lives, but we sure will remember the good times from the drive, and being around good people.

[EvoFire]

As you know, I've done the whole, take a performance spec 3 series and modify it to be track worthy thing. It's not worth it to me, hence just buying an out of the box car and being done with it.


Mission is a really shitty track to draw comparisons from. I ran Mission full stock, just SRF and that's a matter of safety not "mods". I didn't overheat (at all) either.

I didn't overheat (into limp mode) at last VIMC day. I didn't do any CD (having too much fun chasing friend's E46 M3) and temperatures rose to 60% but no limp mode. And honestly, as my underbody was gone, there was no OEM ducting for cooing either + I'm now tuned.

That said CD laps are important, regardless of car or "overheating" issues. I learned that the hard way remember? Crappy NoStop pads blew up lol.

M cars require heavy camber adjustments. I run stock camber specs. Literally just fluid for safety and out on track.

Mission is a shitty track, but it exposes a lot of car weaknesses like no other. You can live with the stock camber on the shitty BMW mac struts, just have no shoulders left after 2 days. Mission also favours FWD cars heavily.

We're just getting old, man :D.

The demographic on this forum is creeping up on 40, and NVH matters now. And really, the perception that the car is track-ready is more important than it actually being track ready.

It's about the experience, not about what it actually is. We won't remember our lap times at the end of our lives, but we sure will remember the good times from the drive, and being around good people.

So hear me out, I'm so enjoying the quiet cushy couch that is the X5. Last night a friend came to code the car for me so I can get more range out of the battery. We sat in the car and just tried out the Bowers system that everyone raves about.

There are some days where I drive the M3 out and I think I'm too tired for this today.

[Badhobz]

shut up you stupid old man.

come join my currently NON EXISTENT geriatric motoring club. we meet at white spots / dimsums in richmond EARLY in the morning. like 7am.

by 9am, you'll be back home yelling at your wives. :pokerface:

p.s. i cant go this week I have gout and hemorids

[radeonboy]

What dim sum places are open that early here?

[RabidRat]

^ Is it fucked up that I got excited reading about your Cars and Dim Sum / White Spot idea?

Geriatric Motoring Club. Shit yeah.

[Badhobz]

What dim sum places are open that early here?

Empire. Next to London drugs. Or there’s that one close to the shoppers on 5 road. Continental something

China town used to have one upstairs. Floata

—— arrrgh none are open at 7am anymore ——
Those days are gone apparently. Even that empire one is open at 9am now

[yray]

Its call MCD seniors coffee

save 10 cents

[Dbone]

There are some days where I drive the M3 out and I think I'm too tired for this today.

Yeah ,I have the same feelings. My M2 makes me love my 4runner so much more. I was so sick of carting the kids around in the 4runner I had to get something else to throw them in. But now that I can switch I just love being able to smash over bumps and railroad tracks, etc. in the 4runner. Equally if I just have one of them I can go M2 and we rip around and not feel like we're about to tip over.

[noclue]

We're just getting old, man :D.

The demographic on this forum is creeping up on 40, and NVH matters now. And really, the perception that the car is track-ready is more important than it actually being track ready.

It's about the experience, not about what it actually is. We won't remember our lap times at the end of our lives, but we sure will remember the good times from the drive, and being around good people.

+1 My criteria for my next car is air suspension, double pane acoustic glass and excellent NVH and audio. I used to scoff why people buy racing version of SUV's (X5M, Cayenne Turbo, GLE63 AMG etc) but now I understand they are super appealing for those that want it all in one car.

[Badhobz]

^thats my biggest complaint about my GTI. It’s quite harsh even on the most comfort setting. The road noise is significant coming from my Lexuseseseses

[AstulzerRZD]

Huhhh I though the Mk7.5 GTI Autobahn I test drove was too quiet / soft, felt like a regular Golf but a little bit more power / slightly sharper.

Big fan of the Mk7R but man that supension gets a little harsh compared to the big RWD cars I'm used to

[EvoFire]

+1 My criteria for my next car is air suspension, double pane acoustic glass and excellent NVH and audio. I used to scoff why people buy racing version of SUV's (X5M, Cayenne Turbo, GLE63 AMG etc) but now I understand they are super appealing for those that want it all in one car.

Hi welcome to my X5 PHEV. No engine noise (not that you can hear it anyways even when it's on), air suspension, Bowers and Wilkins audio. I'll roll out a review once I drive it a bit more.

I did just drop it off at BMW service for a few minor things and came home in a VF8 Uber. The VF8 reminds me of a 2010 Hyundai in terms of NVH, interior materials, and suspension tuning.

^thats my biggest complaint about my GTI. It’s quite harsh even on the most comfort setting. The road noise is significant coming from my Lexuseseseses

It's an economy car with a hot engine, it's supposed to be loud. I think it's not loud enough tbh.

[RabidRat]

Totally! And I think the noise thing is something ppl don't realize about hybrids: it feels that much more premium. The literal silence when stopped at an intersection, and cruising around at low speeds. And by the time the engine does come on at higher speeds, the road noise kinda covering it up.

[radeonboy]

Hi welcome to my X5 PHEV. No engine noise (not that you can hear it anyways even when it's on), air suspension, Bowers and Wilkins audio. I'll roll out a review once I drive it a bit more.

I wonder why they did a PHEV X5 and not a PHEV X7 since it would round out that product line nicely.

[EvoFire]

I wonder why they did a PHEV X5 and not a PHEV X7 since it would round out that product line nicely.

I think the battery in the trunk and the 6th and 7th seats occupy the same space.

[red kryptonite]

There are some days where I drive the M3 out and I think I'm too tired for this today.


Yeah ,I have the same feelings. My M2 makes me love my 4runner so much more. I was so sick of carting the kids around in the 4runner I had to get something else to throw them in. But now that I can switch I just love being able to smash over bumps and railroad tracks, etc. in the 4runner. Equally if I just have one of them I can go M2 and we rip around and not feel like we're about to tip over.

am i the only asshole that thought to himself "fuck this cushy shit i need to get back into something uncomfy and inconvenient"

[EvoFire]

That's why you have both

[Badhobz]

I had my GTI for now 2 weeks and it really made me miss my MK7 Sportwagen.

https://i.postimg.cc/QCmDDPDL/IMG-3088.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/JzvLRZfh/IMG-20170527-154335.jpg

I got her in 2017 from the same dealership and i leased her with 0.99% for 36 months and nothing down. Monthly it was like a hair over 400 bucks. i recall MSRP was 32k for the mid trim. No fancy LED lights, and no leather, but it came with the huge pano roof and pleather.

Me and tiny went car camping a few times (she only went once and then bitched non stop about how stupid that was) and i really loved this wagon. I was able to sleep comfortably inside it, moved a TV console/dresser with it, and it got great gas mileage.

https://i.postimg.cc/XYpWMQDh/IMG-20170701-101038.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/5NPJkZpL/IMG-20170702-134958.jpg

Engine was a bit buzzy and tractor like downlow, but it had plenty of power from the EA888 1.8L engine. Never left like it was lacking power. if anything it felt faster than my current GTI due to 4motion + DSG. 4 motion was great in the snow too. Took that little sucker everywhere.
https://i.postimg.cc/MKZx5W0z/IMG-7692.jpg
Only one time it got stuck when i highsided it on the beach and a Tacoma bro had to pull me out.
https://i.postimg.cc/Xv50qXWk/IMG-5308.jpg

It had some typical VW issues though:

DSG lurched and jerked sometimes. it also would occasionally gear hunt. They said the shifts was suppose to be fast, but it never felt THAT much quicker than a traditional automatic from toyota.

That panoroofed leaked twice. First time they replaced the entire headliner and it was in the shop for 2 weeks. 2nd time they replaced the headliner again and tried to do something about these drain hoses that kept clogging up. Never fully solved it. Im sure it would have leaked some more after the warranty is up. It also failed to close one time too and i had to drive around for 2 day with the roof open.

Otherwise it was a good little car! when i returned her to the dealership i was initially going to buy her out even with the problems (sunroof, dsg) but then they offered me 4k cash to NOT buy it out and sell it to them as the buyout was something like 16k and they could have easily sold the car for 25k at that point.

[radeonboy]

I had both the MK7 in GTI and Alltrack forms and preferred the wagon. I didn't miss the HP difference and preferred the extra cargo capacity and ride height.

[Badhobz]

ugh if they still made the alltrack, i would have bought that instead. Stupid non wagon buying north americans!!! dark's like why dont you just buy the RS6 wagon. im like that bitch is 140k!!!!!!!!! and still no manuel

[Dbone]

Guess you just have to sign up for the M5 touring.FeelsGoodMan

[underscore]

I finally hit Executive status with National, so I got to take a look in the fancy section. Nothing actually looked that great so I grabbed an Audi Q3 thinking it should at least be a little better than the usual stuff I get. My one requirement was nothing with dark paint because it was 90F+ in Utah.

Overall it wasn't a bad vehicle but it had some odd quirks. The paddle shift felt really jerky on downshifts, especially into first, the stereo operation was a bit weird, the volume knob is by the passengers knee, etc. I imagine you'd get used to most of it, or learn to turn it off, if you actually owned one.

In the end it didn't feel noticeably fancier than a Hyundai apart from the stop-start being a little smoother. Audi doesn't have pricing on their website so idk what it costs but I wouldn't buy one. Guessing by the name and puny trunk it's supposed to be an entry level Audi? Not sure.

Hopefully next time I can find something better.

[EvoFire]

I finally hit Executive status with National, so I got to take a look in the fancy section. Nothing actually looked that great so I grabbed an Audi Q3 thinking it should at least be a little better than the usual stuff I get. My one requirement was nothing with dark paint because it was 90F+ in Utah.

Overall it wasn't a bad vehicle but it had some odd quirks. The paddle shift felt really jerky on downshifts, especially into first, the stereo operation was a bit weird, the volume knob is by the passengers knee, etc. I imagine you'd get used to most of it, or learn to turn it off, if you actually owned one.

In the end it didn't feel noticeably fancier than a Hyundai apart from the stop-start being a little smoother. Audi doesn't have pricing on their website so idk what it costs but I wouldn't buy one. Guessing by the name and puny trunk it's supposed to be an entry level Audi? Not sure.

Hopefully next time I can find something better.

It's 50k+ CAD depending on options, inlaws were looking last year so I know how much it costs. Not a very compelling car for the price and hence you don't see a whole lot of them. None of the small SUVs from BMW/MB/Audi/Lexus are particularly good. The least bad amongst them would be the X1, and the Lexus UX stands out for having good fuel economy with the hybrid. I'm not sure why BMW decided to not bring the iX1 or a plugin trim to NA as it would take the one standout for Lexus away from it. I guess there's just not a market for a X1 approaching 70k as the AMG GLA35/A35 also sold very poorly with it's 70k pricetag.

[AstulzerRZD]

It's 50k+ CAD depending on options, inlaws were looking last year so I know how much it costs. Not a very compelling car for the price and hence you don't see a whole lot of them. None of the small SUVs from BMW/MB/Audi/Lexus are particularly good. The least bad amongst them would be the X1, and the Lexus UX stands out for having good fuel economy with the hybrid. I'm not sure why BMW decided to not bring the iX1 or a plugin trim to NA as it would take the one standout for Lexus away from it. I guess there's just not a market for a X1 approaching 70k as the AMG GLA35/A35 also sold very poorly with it's 70k pricetag.

Yeah the Q3 is really bad - the CX5 Turbo Signature is a lot better.
X1 drives like a proper car, GLC is ok too.

[roastpuff]

Q3 is an upbadged Taos, so it's pretty horrible tbh. Worst product in the Audi lineup.

[Badhobz]

I rather have the Kona N lawl. That thing is hilarious

[AstulzerRZD]

Q3 is an upbadged Taos, so it's pretty horrible tbh. Worst product in the Audi lineup.

Is it a Tiguan or a Taos?

[AstulzerRZD]

I had my GTI for now 2 weeks and it really made me miss my MK7 Sportwagen.

Engine was a bit buzzy and tractor like downlow, but it had plenty of power from the EA888 1.8L engine. Never left like it was lacking power.

They said the shifts was suppose to be fast, but it never felt THAT much quicker than a traditional automatic from toyota.

That panoroofed leaked twice.


Yepppp had a Mk7 base model - the 1.8T feels like a V6 Accord in the smaller one. I thought it was just adequate in the large Sportwagen.

The cheaper non performance 6 speed DSG is slow yes

and yeah, early Mexico builds had endless roof leak issues

[roastpuff]

Is it a Tiguan or a Taos?

Closer to Taos, Tiguan is larger.

[Klondike]

Family had a FWD Comfortline trim Taos from Enterprise while our Tiguan was at the body shop.

I didn't know VW was capable of making something that bad. My Mk7.5 Golf has been excellent these past 7 years.

[AstulzerRZD]

Family had a FWD Comfortline trim Taos from Enterprise while our Tiguan was at the body shop.

I didn't know VW was capable of making something that bad. My Mk7.5 Golf has been excellent these past 7 years.

FWD is already the better one, the AWD has endless complaint about DCT jerkiness

[AstulzerRZD]

F150 5.0 XLT - Harder, Stronger, Better, Faster ⭐⭐⭐

Than what? Remember than X6 I gave 2 stars to a while ago?

- 5.7s 5-60, same as X6 40i
- 103mph quarter mile, faster than X6 40i
- .87g skidpad on all terrain tires is same as X5 on better tires
- $10k supercharger for 700hp and full factory warranty available
- All of these stats are also better than IS350 F Sport and G37.
- 925 pounds lighter than the new BMW M5

and gas?
- 14.7L/100km NYC hella urban cycle
- 11.3L/100km highway, same as X6
- and that's without stop start/mild hybrid

and driving dynamics?
I swear the off center feel is better on the F150.

What about the interior?
Quieter than the X6 at highway speeds for sure.
Front seats fold completely flat for sleeping.
Shifter is awful, cheapest I've used in 15 years, burn it with fire.

Parking
It's a box, easy to park ... especially with active park assist that does the parallel parking thing.
When you're parked, whip out the grill for a lil July 4th tailgate.

Why 3 stars?
1) Just get the hybrid/EV version lol
2) The RAM has S-class ride quality, E class+ interior materials, ZF 8 speed and sweet new Turbo 6 that's begging for a tune.

Sound on:
https://i.imgur.com/YPrxAG1.mp4
https://i.imgur.com/En2hV9a.mp4

[AstulzerRZD]

MY25 Camry Hybrid LE: If I wanted to be annoyed and figure out non sensical screens for 40k, I'd go buy a Model 3 instead. ⭐⭐⭐

https://i.redd.it/st654xy0fjdd1.jpeg

✅ Toyota City said make it fun
- Even on ecotires, quick steering and turn-in is better than Civic Si and Integra A-Spec
- Control weights and response is perfect - brakes have a little marshmellow on tip in to keep braking smooth for passengers but gets stiff quickly after.
- Damping is excellent; well controlled when you're digging deep into the tires and more stable on the brakes than A4
- 5L/100km even with feral driving.

✅ Plano said make it work for American buyers
- Throttle is finally linear and responsive; Japanese drivers never leave the "eco" part of the pedal. No more mash and wait a second for power like in the old Prius
- Way quieter & mirrors no longer shake at highway speeds
- Standard hybrid for our distances and optional AWD
- Sensical infotainment now that North American team built it

❓ but who is responsible for annoying the uncles and clais?
- C-lai is gonna plug in USB-C iPhone cable and wonder why CarPlay isn't working. (Wired carplay is USB-A only???)
- Dad thinks steering wheel buttons are 'ho ma fan' ... and I agree. Why are there two mode buttons?
- New screen is really confusing - why does lane assist disengaging beep/flash three icons but doesn't actually tell me to take control? Why are there 50 icons on the dash and why is the cruise control speed nowhere near the speedometer?
- Scared the shit out of me backing up because it distorts the far edges of camera, did anyone try backing up in this car before approving it?
- Blinding lights: turn signals, shifter, auto high beam, ready, all don't dim with the rest of the cabin lights. The blue and yellow lights are searing at night when the road is kinda dark. Did no one drive this at night during testing?
- Why does predictive driving assist (maintains safe distance with car in front of you) only work down to 10kmh? The car brakes down that speed then stops braking.

https://i.imgur.com/fo853hx.png
https://i.imgur.com/MmfVmhG.png
https://i.imgur.com/8FTRHTu.png

Instead of looking at 4 different spots to get info:
1) Orange: Ready, Hold, and Gearshift indicator should be together.
2) Blue: Coolant, Trip, Odo, and Gas should be together. No reason a this info should take up this much space
3) Red: Speed info should be together - what is my cruise set to, what speed am I going, am I exceeding the speed limit?
4) Purple: Driver assist should be descriptive and should not repeat itself. Should be LARGER than the drive mode/charge/eco/power font since this is safety cricial

[AstulzerRZD]

Redesigned the dashboard and steering wheel:

https://i.imgur.com/QRmSwZk.png

LE has one small inner screen
https://i.imgur.com/97psPhT.png

XLE/XSE have more driving assist and such and bigger dash
https://i.imgur.com/MVlClCs.png

[EvoFire]

Redesigned the dashboard and steering wheel:

https://i.imgur.com/QRmSwZk.png

LE has one small inner screen
https://i.imgur.com/97psPhT.png

XLE/XSE have more driving assist and such and bigger dash
https://i.imgur.com/MVlClCs.png

Those gauge icons are pretty universal at this point, cruise control, lane keep, and lane departure warning are the same on BMW.

I've done one course in UI design, and icons are much much much better than text in a glance environment like a dashboard. That's why basic gauges were around for so damn long because it works. Once you use it you know where the needles are supposed to be at and unless the speed text is GINORMOUS, the gauges will always tell you much more info when you only give it a quick glance.

But other than the Safety Sense text, your dashboard design makes sense. Too much sense, get out of here :badpokerface:

[AstulzerRZD]

Those gauge icons are pretty universal at this point, cruise control, lane keep, and lane departure warning are the same on BMW.

I've done one course in UI design, and icons are much much much better than text in a glance environment like a dashboard. That's why basic gauges were around for so damn long because it works.

But other than the Safety Sense text, your dashboard design makes sense. Too much sense, get out of here :badpokerface:

Interesting on the icons becoming universal ... we were taught icon + label in our UX course

I've also still yet to try the BMW hands free / MB / GM ones where the status is on the steering wheel

[headhunt3r]

Regarding the cruise and lane centering, I think its the other way around. I toggle lane centering while I'm not using cruise sometimes and disable it, then enable it later.

[AstulzerRZD]

Regarding the cruise and lane centering, I think its the other way around. I toggle lane centering while I'm not using cruise sometimes and disable it, then enable it later.

Oh interesting, so your car keeps lane centering enabled even if/when cruise is off?
I remember Hyunda/Kia/Honda did this, wasn't aware of others

[EvoFire]

Oh interesting, so your car keeps lane centering enabled even if/when cruise is off?
I remember Hyunda/Kia/Honda did this, wasn't aware of others

BMW had it on as default all the time for a bit. Had it on a G20 330 loaner. Holy fuck it was a shit show and that was with me expecting it to do something cause I was trying it out deliberately. I was on Kingsway and let the car drift out of it's lane, it self corrected and over corrected and did not correct the second time as it crossed out on the other side. It was poor. It also did not like that I occasionally would change lanes without signalling because I was the only car on the road. The steering wheel would fight back and stay centered. It was a shit show.

It's no longer on in the X5 unless you are in smart cruise or whatever BMW calls it.

[AstulzerRZD]

BMW had it on as default all the time for a bit. Had it on a G20 330 loaner. Holy fuck it was a shit show and that was with me expecting it to do something cause I was trying it out deliberately. I was on Kingsway and let the car drift out of it's lane, it self corrected and over corrected and did not correct the second time as it crossed out on the other side. It was poor. It also did not like that I occasionally would change lanes without signalling because I was the only car on the road. The steering wheel would fight back and stay centered. It was a shit show.

It's no longer on in the X5 unless you are in smart cruise or whatever BMW calls it.

Did this one have the lights on the steering wheel and the infrared camera?

I shopped for a G20 and had a really hard time finding one with Driving Assistant Pro (hands free under 70kmh on highways only).

The rest only have the useless lane departure warning best case scenario ping pongs you around in a lane, and worst case scenario does'nt even beep at you when you've left the lane entirely

[headhunt3r]

Yes, my Lexus UX will warn me if I'm going over the lane and try and correct itself. I flip back and forth between wanting it on or off.

[EvoFire]

Did this one have the lights on the steering wheel and the infrared camera?

I shopped for a G20 and had a really hard time finding one with Driving Assistant Pro (hands free under 70kmh on highways only).

The rest only have the useless lane departure warning best case scenario ping pongs you around in a lane, and worst case scenario does'nt even beep at you when you've left the lane entirely

Our X5 has it, the G20 didn't, just lane correction and nothing else. It would at best pingpong you down the road when it works, and you would hit something if it doesn't.

The X5 I tried on the S2S. Not a great place to try lol. It doesn't know to drive smoothly through the corners, and can't handle the merge lanes. Best left on the middle lane on the I5.

[AstulzerRZD]

Yeah the autonomous driving stuff really needs maps awareness to be able to do curvey roads (Porsche Innodrive, Super Cruise, Blue Cruise)

They’ll know where the merge lanes are, how much to slow down for a corner coming up, etc

[68style]

My Supra was pretty aggressive about bumping the steering back if you touched any lines.. I was okay with it until some spirited driving and cutting the apex of corners involved going over some solid white lines... nothing like going into a bend at like 140kmh and having the steering wheel push you away from the apex and fight you from taking the turn at those speeds... like holy shit fuck the hell right off stupid car.

Turned that feature off next stop and have not missed it since lol

[AstulzerRZD]

YEah tbh I usually turn lane departure warning off.

If I'm driving, I'm driving.

If I'm in traffic / sleepy / distracted, I expect the car's Lane Keep Assist (if so equipped) to automatically steer and center itself in stop and go (which they can do now)

[68style]

I had a lovely little 1987 BMW 325e that I bought during the pandemic, the original owner was living in Brazil at that point and hadn't been back to Canada for quite a few years and his Mom was selling it on his behalf. The power steering rack was leaking quite a bit and the fuel gauge only worked when you tapped on the instrument cluster plastic above it (??) but I thought it was quite charming.

It came on some awful 17" chrome wheels which I immediately set upon ditching, picking up a set of 14" bottlecaps from another E30 enthusiast which he had just put new tires on for a fantastic price. It ended up parked at my friend's shop while I got distracted with a myriad of other projects and languished for a few years.

Fast forward to about 4-5 months ago and I got around to replacing the power steering pump and doing some other maintenance on it and started driving it again... around this time of course decided to move to Calgary and this car became expendable. I really did feel like this car has a certain amount of statehood to it. Yes the 2.7 eta motor revs out to only 4,500rpm and it's generally slow, but dammit if it isn't the most charming thing to drive. You can cruise along on the highway take your hands off the wheel and even at nearly 40 years old with 250,000kms+ on the odometer it just tracks straight sipping away at 5L/100km according to the built in fuel usage gauge. The hand crank windows and hand crank sunroof just add to the charm as does the incredibly sloppy shifter that somehow just goes into the right gear no matter how vague it might feel.

I enjoyed this car and I understand why some people call the E30 "God's chariot" it just gives you a feeling of genuine purpose to operate it. My original intentions when I got the car were to do a weird swap, throwing a 3SGE Toyota BEAMS motor into it, there's even a mount kit I got for it and everything... turn it into a race/drift car... but somehow I just couldn't bear to tear apart this cohesively functioning and smooth running little guy.

I sold it today to a kid from the USA, came up with his Dad who very well could have been my age or slightly older and his friend, both of them probably about 22 years old and that kid told me he has an E30 318i already. I was pretty happy to know that these kids even at this age have such an interest in cars this old. Gave me some satisfaction in that "the kids are alright" sense of things. He had his friend drive it for him because he doesn't know manual yet and the kid with the 318 even commented how much he loves the gold colour more than his blue... which was odd because most everyone I know hates BMW gold lol! Maybe I'll see it at Radwood this weekend, who knows! Adios little E30, may you roll forth stately for many years to come.

https://i.imgur.com/1sUpb4H.jpeg

[EvoFire]

2023? 2024?? BMW 228xi Gran Coupe: Honey I brought a Kia home.

https://i.imgur.com/zpaoeyx.jpg

Welcome to your entry level BMW, which is actually a Mini underneath. I got the pleasure of having this in my hands for 3 days because the X5 was in for service and warranty work and we need a car for school bus duty. I asked for a BMW SUV or 3 series, and they gave me a 2GC.

What is it?
B48 2.0t AWD that puts out ~230hp, 4 door coupe thing.

Driving
It actually drives decently well. BMW still does have the whole driving dynamic thing more figured out than MB/Audi/Lexus imo. All the entry level luxury things are FWD based now so you can no longer get away. Being in my 30s and coming off of a slew of hot hatches or named performance/icon cars (MS3, DC5S, F56 Mini, NC1 Miata, F80 M3), this actually slots right in. The suspension is firm but not too firm. There's a big lane wide pothole that is extremely harsh in the M3 but this soaked it up no problem.

https://i.imgur.com/tAlCk09.jpg

Around town, what used to be a low profile 225/40/18 tire is now a standard tire, it never showed any poor behaviour and did what I asked of it..... until I pushed it around a right turn rather quickly and while the car did what it was asked, it understeered through the whole thing. It's drives well, just don't ask it to do anything crazy.

While I liked the suspension tuning, I can see how some one who's less inclined on a sport ride may find it a little busy around town. The steering is typical of most BMWs nowadays, heavier and not much feel.

Day-to-day
Most of the car was fine, what you'd expect from an entry BMW, much nicer than a Corolla and really no complaints in the driver's seat.
With that said, the trunk is really dumb.

https://i.imgur.com/kfFtRve.jpg

With the stubby rear end, the trunk isn't so much a trunk but rather a door that swings upward. It's actually decently deep but if your groceries are loose and rolls all the way in, you are going to have to bend and reach.

The other major complaint was the audio. The car I had was decently loaded with options with a "premium" audio system by HK. When I received the car I was wondering why bass was turned up to max and treble was turned all the way to minimum. As I played with the audio I quickly learned why. This is hands down the WORST upgraded audio system I've ever had the misfortune of using. Most cars I have driven with the base system would sound better than this. On a song that I quite enjoy normally, the vocals came out so shrill on this system I went and turned the treble all the way down as well.

Will it baby?
If push comes to shove, which in our case, shoved.

https://i.imgur.com/t0qIyS8.jpg

My 20 month old didn't want to get in. It was tight and challenging to put her in and to retrieve her after.

Conclusion
I'm not the target buyer, I can see it being a great car for a single bachelor guy who wants the badge. But at the 50k price you are a stones throw away from a 330i, which is an infinitely better car. It explains why there are so little on the road despite being on sale for almost 4 years.

[AstulzerRZD]

Edge case but the 235i I autocrossed was reallllly bad.
Kinda feels like running in ultra boosts.
Had like 0 front end feel, alternated between understeering, catching a bit of grip and even more undeesteer.

Low key the F20 M235/40i also had 0 clutch and steering feel even on the PS4S.

I do like the 330i/340i tho, super easy to place although the static M sport suspension is insanely unforgiving

[Badhobz]

My hilter box is wayyy better than this for practicality reasons. Not to mention you can put a big wing on it and look euro trash. That’s such an excellent perk

[EvoFire]

My F80 has zero clutch feel as well, it too understeers like a bitch stock. PS4S is known to have poor steering and road feel though.

I really like how the G20 330 drives. It drives very similarly to my F80 on the street, more so than the F30 and it feels like they put a lot of the lessons learned in the F80 setup into the G20.

Writing one of these long form reviews is so much work

[red kryptonite]

^ the sound of shit tossing around in the trunk will drive me crazy

[BIC_BAWS]

Writing one of these long form reviews is so much work

My pending reviews that may never come out... includes a courtesy car Nissan Sentra? Altima? It wasn't bad.

[roastpuff]

^ the sound of shit tossing around in the trunk will drive me crazy

The fact that he has them loose and not bagged is criminal. :heckno:

[EvoFire]

^ the sound of shit tossing around in the trunk will drive me crazy

The fact that he has them loose and not bagged is criminal. :heckno:

Courtesy car, we didn't have our shopping bags in the trunk. We didn't buy that much it's fine.

[RabidRat]

Why does predictive driving assist (maintains safe distance with car in front of you) only work down to 10kmh? The car brakes down that speed then stops braking.

This sounds terrible.

This, and much of the rest of what you said, sounds like engineers blindly designing to requirements documentation.

"Oh it says right here that the system only needs to work down to 10kph. Let's not use our brains. Let's not think for ourselves what the full story would be. Let's not even at least bother bubbling up our assessment of the consequences, let's not iterate with the people writing the requirements. Let's not collaborate with any of the other development silos working on this program."

The fact that the controls & instrumentation are a completely disjointed incoherent mess speaks volumes to that.

[underscore]

Low key the F20 M235/40i also had 0 clutch and steering feel even on the PS4S.

I got to drive my brothers F20 M235i briefly and yeah there's not a lot of feedback there. The low end power, especially with a tune, was really nice but overall it felt a bit too refined for my tastes. I was expecting it to be more of a sports car but I think it's more of a grand tourer. I'd have to drive it way too fast for it to feel exciting on the street which is no bueno.

[red kryptonite]

Writing one of these long form reviews is so much work


My pending reviews that may never come out... includes a courtesy car Nissan Sentra? Altima? It wasn't bad.

i need to do a e90 vs f80 review while f80 ownership is still fresh in my head

[EvoFire]

i need to do a e90 vs f80 review while f80 ownership is still fresh in my head

I mean, I have a F80 if we really need to compare....

[Badhobz]

2024 Volkswagen Golf GTI Autobahn aka Hitler Box

Its been about 6000kms since mid June so i figure id give it a review.
https://i.postimg.cc/K8v0JP0m/IMG-2457-Copy.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/jqP35dWY/IMG-2450.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/4NGLhkt7/IMG-8798.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/YqxX6nfX/IMG-2453.jpg

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
https://i.postimg.cc/L5FJ8VJf/IMG-2464.jpg
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.

[bcrdukes]

All problems with this vehicle could have been easily solved if you had only put on Michelin Cross Climate 2s! :seriously:

[EvoFire]

Sounds like 1st is too short then? If you are picking up 2nd then even 2nd is too short? I had hard time shifting 1->2 in the MS3 as well because 1st was way too short for the power.

[bcrdukes]

Just a thought, but perhaps 1st was short (assumption) to build boost for off the line acceleration, and to optimize the shift into second, you'd need to get up higher in the rev range to match when going into second.

Disclaimer: I don't know how to drive manual. :fuckthatshit:

[Badhobz]

i dont know, its probably too short. I read online you're supposed to go even higher, like 5-6000rpms and then shift in order to get it smooth, but the engine doesnt sound very good when its 5-6k, it sounds like some shit will break (given that its a vw, it most likely will).

[bcrdukes]

I think that's part of the charm.

[Hondaracer]

When our car was in the shop had a 2023 Passat, wasn’t a base model but was nothing special

As per Hobz comments it was hard to believe this was a “premium” line of vehicle with the build quality and plastic everywhere.

[BIC_BAWS]

No hood struts?! What is this?! A honda ?!

[AstulzerRZD]

In markets with more demanding driving (Toronto, Boston, NY, SoCal, etc), VWs sell a lot better (even with bad plastics) cuz they feel comfortable at 140kmh.

[EvoFire]

Just a thought, but perhaps 1st was short (assumption) to build boost for off the line acceleration, and to optimize the shift into second, you'd need to get up higher in the rev range to match when going into second.

Disclaimer: I don't know how to drive manual. :fuckthatshit:

That doesn't make a lot of sense though unless you can no lift shift. A short 1st will not allow time to build boost, and you'll lose most of it when you lift off to shift to second.

The only way I think a super short first makes sense is because they have bad turbo lag, and need a really short 1st to let the meagre torque kick in from 0.

The MS3 had nothing below 2200rpms, and to launch off anywhere quickly you need to drop the clutch from 3k. Not really a problem if you are just granny shifting around town, but if you want to pass someone at a light you need to put in some work.

[AstulzerRZD]

1-2 on the Mk7 (and 8?) is a bitch cuz of the gearing, so the rev hang, clutch delay valve, AND synchros will fight you unless you've perfectly timed the shift.

Who tf made 2nd gear go to 70mph?

[bcrdukes]

learn how to drive manual you clowns

[yray]

sounds like you need a porsche

[Traum]

Who tf made 2nd gear go to 70mph?
It's a German car with manual tranny. It is specially made to do that LOL~

sounds like you need a porsche
Same thing applies to most (all?) manual Porsche sports cars since at least the mid 2010's. Second gear is just way too tall, and that takes away some of the fun from shifting an otherwise excellent shifter.

[bcrdukes]

sounds like you need a porsche

What's that?

[Badhobz]

you say porsche, i get triggered.
https://www.bigfooty.com/forum/media/triggered-gif.43076/full

[roastpuff]

So sad to see the build quality go down from Mk6 -> 8. My GTI's interior was still great 12 years in and relatively creak-free.

[trollface]

I've never owned a car with a hood struct and I'm still alive.

AMA

[AstulzerRZD]

Act 0: DC

Me: Amtrak prices from NYC to DC are absolutely ludicrous! At least it'll be us, a nap and a book down the east coast.

Sam: I'll drive us all the way to DC if we have to.

Me: Tolls are $50 but we can get free gas if we rent an EV.

https://i.imgur.com/CAiZv86.png

Mercedes EQB300 - Can we convert a die-hard stick shift track rat? ⭐⭐

https://i.imgur.com/F63NxvL.jpeg

Act 1: Screens

Sam: Right, so I start my day utterly baffled by the screens. I mean, it’s more distracting than the cockpit of a spaceship, isn’t it? And don’t even get me started on the touchpad. It’s like trying to navigate a map with a bar of soap. All I've needed in life is my 86 and a good track day.

Me: Oh come on, this is the only car where you can control car play all from the steering wheel touch pad. Mazda's dial is confusing and you sound like an internet citizen complaining about screens right now.

https://i.imgur.com/lfM5RoX.jpeg

Act 2: Driver Assists

Sam: And then there’s the adaptive cruise control, which decides nudge the steering every time you indicate a lane change. It’s as if the car’s saying, ‘I'm going to help you whether you like it or not mate.’

Me: Yes and Mercedes Drive Pilot lets you take your eyes off the road and assumes insurance liability. You're from LA aren't you? Wouldn't you rather browse the web, watch videos, or play a game during a traffic jam? It’s like having your own personal butler, but without the tea and crumpets. I want the even bigger screen in the EQS.

Sam: Speaking of driving, why does the screen say ‘change lane to the left’? That doesn't seem particularly bright.

Me: Probably because it knows you’re behind the wheel, Sam. It’s trying to save us from your dreadful driving!

Me: Actually, it's good that the car is telling you it's not going to accelerate 30kmh while it waits to lock on to the car in the new lane.

Sam: Not just dreadful, dangerous too.

https://i.imgur.com/bXhHHI1.png

Act 3: The Park Bench

Sam: Is this seat broken? There's something sticking into me like a park bench. And those LED lights! It’s like driving around in a tacky nightclub. Who needs that kind of distraction?

Me: Yes the interior's a POS. Just wait till the girls get in, we'll need em to get the fun car karaoke going. Rebecca will 100% make this thing the rolling club.

Act 4: Fin

Sam: Fine, this is really quiet and nice in traffic.

Me: Bro we would've spent $110 in electricity if it wasn't included; thank god weren't in a GM or Toyota EV - we would've had to wait two hours.

New EV Tier List

If we did the trip in an Ioniq/Silverado I’d have spent 15 minute charging each way, not 59 each way. 0 minutes in a Lucid round trip.

- S tier: GM trucks - flat charge curve at 350kW means 10 minute rest stops. (200kW on superchargers)
- A: Lucid - 500mile range means no charging round trip to Boston or DC.
- A-: Hyundai/Kias/MB EQE and EQS - flat 250kW charge curve (100kW at superchargers).
- C-: Anything else, including Teslas. ~120kW average charging means 40 minute rest stops.
- F: Toyota/Subaru/Chevy Bolt: ~40kW.

[RabidRat]

Me: Yes and Mercedes Drive Pilot lets you take your eyes off the road and assumes insurance liability. You're from LA aren't you? Wouldn't you rather browse the web, watch videos, or play a game during a traffic jam?

The EQB has Mercedes Drive Pilot?! Does it work everywhere?

I was just looking at the EQB. If it's true, this would make it a lot more interesting again.

[AstulzerRZD]

I'm more making the point that giant screens are a part of the future of driving, esp with Drive Pilot coming on th emarket.

EQB doesn't have it - it's a POS that charges slow with terrible range , doesn’t have a pocket for the wife’s purse, and doesn’t have a place to put the phone.

The EQS has drive pilot which is set to expand to 100kmh hands and eyes free. Currently limited to Nevada and California in the daytime, must also have a car in front of you.

[red kryptonite]

finally got around to doing the e90.... f80 coming soon....


Exterior
Thanks to depreciation and internet clout culture these has met the same fate as 350z/g35s. With the majority of them clapped out with super loud exhaust and burble tunes, I still have a soft spot for a clean example whenever I see one.
Interior
Well laid out interior with great fit and finish. I’m not a leather expert but I find the leather in the these to be far superior to the F and G chassis’s. idrive is pretty garbage even for its time.
Power/handling
300hp gets the job done, can easily make more somewhat reliably. Buttery smooth shifts like all BMW’s going forward. I’ve never driven a manual with stock shifter in previous gens before so I can’t compare. Quick turn in, goes where you point it. Great steering feedback unlike all the modern simulated stuff.
All the things I replaced
High pressure fuel pump, thermostat, water pump, window regulator, injectors, ignition coils.
All the things I ignored
Wastegate rattle, headlight leveler will not adjust, nail in the coffin was a restraint system malfunction.

https://tnstatic.net/attachments/thumbnail_dc094008-4b18-4012-a68c-83583854638f-jpg.1047183/

https://tnstatic.net/attachments/thumbnail_1e1250e2-f62d-4b67-aae3-a24498e7c589-jpg.1047184/

[EvoFire]

IIRC these are terrible plastics and coated plastics. The colour rubs off, they get sticky, things crack. I'm also not a fan of the dash design either.

Can't argue the chassis is good though.

[red kryptonite]

IIRC these are terrible plastics and coated plastics. The colour rubs off, they get sticky, things crack. I'm also not a fan of the dash design either.

Can't argue the chassis is good though.

Right, forgot all about that. I’ve never encountered the problem under my ownership. when I was cross shopping for my e46 I revisited the idea of having a e92 and discovered it is a common problem.

[AstulzerRZD]

Model 3 LR AWD, MY24 Highland & MY23 Lowland: 1 step forward, 5 steps back

Y'all know me as the EV/self-driving shill cuz I'm cheap and rip 1000km road trips in a day, but I'd really like to not drive a Model 3 again if I don't have to.

1) Drive: The built in route planner & superchargers are super easy; 0 anxiety road tripping round tripping Vancouver in these two. Fast charging cables are also way lighter than the CCS ones.

1) Drive: 3 auto-dimming mirrors, heated steering wheel, and power truck at the price point is nice; frunk should've also been power a la F150 lightning.

2) Neutral: No-stalks is fine except for in roundabouts and 3 point turns. Auto lane signal cancel after you make your lane change is nifty.

3) Neutral: It's very fiddly - autopilot disables itself then doesn't re-enable after a lane change. Even MB/BMW gets this right and their self driving tech sucks.

4) Reverse: So it knows where traffic lights are but regen stops me like 10 feet before the traffic light? Feels dumb.

https://i.imgur.com/FVJrLPM.jpeg

5) Reverse: Charges really fucking slow - 30 minutes from 10-80 is terrible when the Ioniq does it in like 10. This is MB EQB bad, kinda dumb.

6) Reverse: It's been a while since I drove a car that sent bumps through the seat that I can't see; the gas/brake pedals are constantly shaking from the road texture. Pre-highland was awful and the highland wasn't much better. Actually dumb.

7) Crashing Out: Is there a pole to my right or not? The visualizations are useless in parking lots (Aberdeen here); just give me a 360 camera back. Very dumb.

https://i.imgur.com/G54nknO.jpeg

8) Crashing Out: I exceeded 85mph once and it locked me out of autopilot for the rest of the drive. Autopilot wasn't even on when I went 85+. Hella dumb, many US states cruise at 90.

https://i.imgur.com/kDDq692.jpeg

9) Pre-highland was louder than Civic/Camry/whatever on highway, must wear Airpods for noise cancelling. Mom thought this was really dumb for a new car (highland is much better)

[AstulzerRZD]

Cadillac Escalade: Japan and Germany are so cooked

Rewind to 2021, GM bean counters let engineers loose to take risks and leaps with this to deliver what customers want today and tomorrow.

https://i.imgur.com/FDyq1q4.png

Until 2030, I can't see anyone launching an SUV with comparable self driving, dynamics, in-car infotainment and sound, and interior quality.

https://i.imgur.com/Hna6kXe.png

I can't wait to drive the new EV one and try their in-house Android Automotive.

Land Rover/Genesis: The interior is at least as nice as these two with full leather down to the bottom of the door panel and even in the rear row cupholder cover, OLED screen with crisp blacks, etc.

BMW X6: I swapped into the Escalade from a Sixt 40i that had the exact same tires, the Escalade has way better body control, steering directness, and damping. GM's chassis engineers really worked their magic with the mag shocks. iDrive 9 is dope tho.

BMW X7: Escalade drives 2 sizes smaller unless you're really ripping it. B58 lags in the unpredictable Seattle traffic; the 6.2 V8 and 10 speed work way better even if they're dropping lifters in the warranty period.

Model X: The hands free highway self driving in this one actually works, instead of phantom braking twice into the Massey tunnel.

Audi Q7: The infotainment in the Escalade is actually sensical and self-parking and exiting parking spaces actually works.

MB GLE: Burmester can suck deez nuts, let alone BMW H-K that starts distorting mid-bass at mid volume - the base AKG system slaps em silly.

Hyundai: They talk about consumer focus with a new wireless charger in the Santa Fe that accounts for camera bumps. Escalades did this years ago AND holds it in place for hard cornering and braking.

Lexus: LX is puking engines, has gloss black plastic everywhere, and the cheap sounding Toyota beeper. For fucks sake, even the Chevy Equinox has Super Cruise which can be hands free while TOWING while the LX doesn't even have "Advanced Teammate Drive".

Missed Opportunities?

Small ones that they can easily fix:

- Turn signal stalk is Chevy bullshit, feels cheap; they should've spent a few more dollars here.
- Super Cruise doesn't like working in exit lanes and auto-lane change is really violent.
- The giant OLED screen needs better visualizations of what's happening with self driving.
- HUD needs Porsche Macan AR goodness.

With new Escalade, Escalade iQ, Vistiq, CT-5V Blackwing and Lyriq shipping banger interiors, chassis, sound systems, self-driving and infotainment, Cadillac's deserves every bit of praise for taking action and risks to ship real goodness.
VW was so cooked they had to buy Rivian to have a shot at surviving, MB's just cooked, and Lexus/Toyota full sizers aren't in the same conversation.

[AstulzerRZD]

Mini Cooper S DCT - Where have you been all my life? ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

https://i.imgur.com/DibH1fY.png

Even as a MK7 Golf lover, the modded 6MT Golf R on Ohlins I drove to pick this up put me to sleep.

I don't even care that the Mini interior plastics are worse than Fiat 500 / Jeep Compass, the chassis literally puts a smile on my face every drive. On the summer tires, lift off oversteer and trail braking is so rewarding and playful.

While having aggressive turn in, it's still very very stable and neutral overall - I was taking the same onramps 20-30mph faster than in the S2k on RE71R.

DCT is so smooth I didn't think it was one - very responsive and lets me downshift to redline and rip launch control at every stoplight.

Told the new owner of the s2k to order bushings and shocks after I returned the Mini.

Could not be more excited to drive a car again, the Mini feels like a warm cup of 3rd wave siphon coffee - literally stuff that only the weirdest barista you know likes but slaps.

https://i.imgur.com/eKpXgCu.png

[AstulzerRZD]

Mustang Mach-E GT Performance Pack: better than golden era hot hatches.

The steering, oh my god the steering, it has better feel than the old hydraulic Honda racks people rave about.
The mag shocks and chassis tuning is playful, firm, gives just enough road feel without being punishing.
Great pedal feel with the Brembos - pressure, consistency, weight makes trail braking easy.

Shit if Ford's first attempt is this good, there's a lot of room for driving joy in the future.
Dark, I heard the Ioniq 5N's pretty dope ��

The EV stuff works fine I guess, didn't notice it cuz was having too much fun.
Hands free highway self driving is super brainless, even easier than Tesla/Escalade.

https://i.imgur.com/A7zqUhQ.png
https://i.imgur.com/mndta3O.png
https://i.imgur.com/ipdfV5R.png

Ford knows what they need to do here - drive down costs, create compelling infotainment, create more desirable form factors like the Bronco, and make fast charging easier (already has plug & charge + Tesla access).
They have a fair shot at making enough money to still ship cool V8 mustangs and raptors in 2030.

[noclue]

I drove a diesel Escalade ESV from calgary to vancouver and no german full size SUV can compete. City driving is a bit of a problem cause of the size but it is king on the highway. Got to Vancouver with 150km remaining in the tank. Plus the diesel ones dont have lifter problems (heard the cylinder deactivation can be removed via tune) The facelift one coming out fixes all your negatives especially that cheap shifter.

[AstulzerRZD]

Just little things they can easily fix without rearranging their whole company to compete - the way MB, VW, and Toyota are going to have to.

Hope the chassis engineers get a fat bonus for the work they did here - the X5/6/7 and GLE/S are all floaty, sloppy, and harsh to drive unless you're really ripping it.

[EvoFire]

Mini Cooper S DCT - Where have you been all my life? ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

https://i.imgur.com/DibH1fY.png

Even as a MK7 Golf lover, the modded 6MT Golf R on Ohlins I drove to pick this up put me to sleep.

I don't even care that the Mini interior plastics are worse than Fiat 500 / Jeep Compass, the chassis literally puts a smile on my face every drive. On the summer tires, lift off oversteer and trail braking is so rewarding and playful.

While having aggressive turn in, it's still very very stable and neutral overall - I was taking the same onramps 20-30mph faster than in the S2k on RE71R.

DCT is so smooth I didn't think it was one - very responsive and lets me downshift to redline and rip launch control at every stoplight.

Told the new owner of the s2k to order bushings and shocks after I returned the Mini.

Could not be more excited to drive a car again, the Mini feels like a warm cup of 3rd wave siphon coffee - literally stuff that only the weirdest barista you know likes but slaps.

https://i.imgur.com/eKpXgCu.png

Can't really comment on the Highland cause I haven't driven one, nor could I comment on the Escalade.

But the Mini.

We've had a F56 Mini for a few years. Maybe it's changed since we owned our 2016.

The interior is playful. The F56 never really bothered me with plastics as honestly it was a 30k out the door car back then. It was only slightly more expensive than a Civic or Corolla with much more polished features.

And no shit the Golf R is boring.

We liked the Mini despite all the warranty issues we had with it, but it never stood out to be that great. Our's was the 1.5t with DCT and I found the DCT a bit dumb and slow.

I did find the suspension tuning of the car to be neutral towards oversteer. Kind of crazy how they tuned it so they expect the car to be caught by the very active DSC and TC, even on the basic non-S version.

[AstulzerRZD]

Afaik this one’s got the B48 and the DCT

[EvoFire]

I argue the B48 is probably the most boring of the BMW engines. It doesn't sound particularly great, it's unremarkable, and the output is not amazing, and definitely not in a Cooper S (~200hp)

The B38 is a 3cylinder and it's fun, and it sounds hilarious.
The B58 is a B58, nuff said.
The S68 is a V8 earthmover.

[Badhobz]

What do you do again? Why do you have so many rental cars ?

[Dbone]

I argue the B48 is probably the most boring of the BMW engines. It doesn't sound particularly great, it's unremarkable, and the output is not amazing, and definitely not in a Cooper S (~200hp)

The B38 is a 3cylinder and it's fun, and it sounds hilarious.
The B58 is a B58, nuff said.
The S68 is a V8 earthmover.

The JCW Countryman is 300hp, same as the M235 GT, X2M etc. But I agree, the engine does lack character.

[AstulzerRZD]

What do you do again? Why do you have so many rental cars ?

Nothing special - I'm a tech bro who takes a couple trips a year for biz/leisure; skiing, golfing, DC/Boston, etc.

This last batch .. needed to get to Vancouver, move some teammates around Seattle, and friends had some new cars for me to try (Highland / Mach E GT / 6MT Golf R)

[AstulzerRZD]

The JCW Countryman is 300hp, same as the M235 GT, X2M etc. But I agree, the engine does lack character.

It feels a lot more muted and pedestrian in the JCW Countryman because of calibration.

Normal Cooper S with DCT and louder intake/exhaust/BOV noise makes it feel more fun.

[noclue]

Which rental car company you use that have that much variety? Hertz or sixt?

[AstulzerRZD]

It’s location dependent, highlights:

- Avis: Model 3/Y, G70 3.3T, G80 EV, EQB/EQE, EV6/Kona EV/Lightnin/Mach-E,, F150 5.0, Crown, CRV hybrid, Civic Sport Hatch, 540i, Challenger R/T. You either get a shit box or something dope with Avis

- National: Lucid, A5 Sportback, Rivian, RAM 1500 Rebel V8, Escalade. Pretty boring fleet with the occasional highlight.

- Hertz: C63 - low key fleet is a fat L post bankruptcy.

- Sixt: X5/6/7 40i, Escalade, Cooper S. Fleet is pretty consistent.

[AstulzerRZD]

Where are yall getting diesel Escalades?

YVR had 5.0 Mustang, Mach E, Model 3x and Q5 at Avis.
National hooked me up with a new S650 Ecoboosy convertible.

[underscore]

It’s location dependent, highlights:

- National: Lucid, A5 Sportback, Rivian, RAM 1500 Rebel V8, Escalade. Pretty boring fleet with the occasional highlight.

I never seem to see anything that good with National. I used to see V8 Mustangs in the Executive section and now that I've made it to that tier the best thing I can find is a Camry lol.

[AstulzerRZD]

Yeah a lot of National has gotten kinda boring but their staff are really good about upgrading you to a large SUV, luxury sedan, or nice pickup if you just ask.

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/national-emerald-club/2102702-national-s-executive-emerald-aisle-vehicle-selections-location-franchise-list.html?ispreloading=1

[Badhobz]

thats why i always go with avis. Plus i got avis presidents club with that amex credit card perk, so they always give me interesting shit in Montreal

[SSM_DC5]

Driving this 2024 Corolla Cross LE AWD as a courtesy car for a bit. It's so boring, but it gets the job done and it's got some nice features to have when buying a new car.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54409718587_dc9d573f17_c.jpg

For something odd....there are funny L shaped voids in the light output just under the cutoff.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54410967300_4916a22362_b.jpg

A great way to stop people from driving around with just DRL's on at night is to DELETE the OFF function! Only options are Auto, parking lights and low beams. I think this is an awesome change!
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54410967305_eb28d27306_z.jpg

Another awesome feature (if people don't turn them off) are all the Toyota Sense driving nannies! Car brakes for me way earlier than I normally would, but I can just let the car do its thing and tap the brakes at the end for a full stop. Excellent feature for all the crap drivers out there in preventing accidents.

Coming from cars that are 10+ years old, some nice features in "entry level" cars are things like push button start where I can leave the key in my pocket the entire time, Wireless Apple Car Play and Wireless Android Auto, heated front seats, Auto Up/Down windows all around, back up camera, heated steering wheel (only around 3 + 9 position and nothing at 12 + 6). I can see why new entry level cars are so expensive when you throw in all these tech features.

[AstulzerRZD]

Not sure why, but I really hate the "ASD" assist in Toyota Safety Sense. It keeps pace but won't stop the car, and when passing, it releases the brakes too quickly—never smooth.

The Corolla Cross feels downright cynical: cheap plastics, noisy cabin, rough ride—how low do standards have to get for that to be acceptable?

[bcrdukes]

I am curious but when were plastics in a Toyota (not Lexus) ever premium? :confused:

[AstulzerRZD]

Just look at that turn signal stalk & compare to the mid 2000s driving instructor car.
One looks maybe a little shiney but fine, one is 1 year old and looks like it’s been to war

[Jason00S2000]

Coming from cars that are 10+ years old, some nice features in "entry level" cars are things like push button start where I can leave the key in my pocket the entire time, Wireless Apple Car Play and Wireless Android Auto, heated front seats, Auto Up/Down windows all around, back up camera, heated steering wheel (only around 3 + 9 position and nothing at 12 + 6). I can see why new entry level cars are so expensive when you throw in all these tech features.

Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay :drunk:

[Jason00S2000]

The only things a car needs are:

springs
shocks
wheels
brakes
engine
transmission
windshield
wipers
roof(option in some climates)
windows(option in some climates)
gas pedal
brake pedal
clutch pedal
seats
steering wheel
lights
shifter

Everything in addition to the above list is for women, children, and homosexuals

[red kryptonite]

Coming from cars that are 10+ years old, some nice features in "entry level" cars are things like push button start where I can leave the key in my pocket the entire time, Wireless Apple Car Play and Wireless Android Auto, heated front seats, Auto Up/Down windows all around, back up camera, heated steering wheel (only around 3 + 9 position and nothing at 12 + 6). I can see why new entry level cars are so expensive when you throw in all these tech features.

and keep in mind all this is only $30k out the door.
very boring, i agree.

Not sure why, but I really hate the "ASD" assist in Toyota Safety Sense. It keeps pace but won't stop the car, and when passing, it releases the brakes too quickly—never smooth.

The Corolla Cross feels downright cynical: cheap plastics, noisy cabin, rough ride—how low do standards have to get for that to be acceptable?

i have no problem with toyota safety sense, i think its best in its price range.
noisy cabin, yes. rough ride, i think its fine.

[AstulzerRZD]

Yes is better than Honda Sensing and Nissan system for sure.
I just turn off PDA (the auto distance keeping when adaptive cruise isn’t on).
This one really is a nanny.

> Driving Assist (PDA) * provides gentle braking into curves or gentle braking and/or steering to help support driving tasks such as distance control between your vehicle and a preceding vehicle, pedestrian or bicyclist.

[red kryptonite]

i keep all the nannies on for my parents. gives me peace of mind.

[68style]

My sister was buying a small SUV and we test drove the Crosstrek, the Corolla Cross and a RAV-4... Crosstrek was a no based on the droning of the CVT and the Corolla Cross at the time was brand new, hard to find one, but went to drive it and it was just so disappointing. Considering the RAV-4 was not much more $, had way more room and how much nicer the RAV-4 was inside with a bigger engine it was a no brainer, she just immediately bought the RAV-4 instead. I don't know who could consider the 2 and still walk away with the Corolla Cross.

[SSM_DC5]

The only things a car needs are:

springs
shocks
wheels
brakes
engine
transmission
windshield
wipers
roof(option in some climates)
windows(option in some climates)
gas pedal
brake pedal
clutch pedal
seats
steering wheel
lights
shifter

Everything in addition to the above list is for women, children, and homosexuals

If it's only this and no creature comforts, it better cost like 10-15k, not 30k.

[bcrdukes]

Are there any new cars in that price range anymore? :confused:

[AstulzerRZD]

Mitsubishi Mirage? 17k CAD?

Optional roof and windows (in some climates) gonna cost 43k for base wrangler

[dark0821]

My sister was buying a small SUV and we test drove the Crosstrek, the Corolla Cross and a RAV-4... Crosstrek was a no based on the droning of the CVT and the Corolla Cross at the time was brand new, hard to find one, but went to drive it and it was just so disappointing. Considering the RAV-4 was not much more $, had way more room and how much nicer the RAV-4 was inside with a bigger engine it was a no brainer, she just immediately bought the RAV-4 instead. I don't know who could consider the 2 and still walk away with the Corolla Cross.

Bruh... couldnt walk further and checked out the Tucson? LOL, at least drive one... hahahaha, its okay... I know I know... its a Hyundai

[68style]

Don't worry it was before you were working at the big H hahaha

[AstulzerRZD]

Bruh... couldnt walk further and checked out the Tucson? LOL, at least drive one... hahahaha, its okay... I know I know... its a Hyundai

I know you mentioned the Ioniq buyer typically buys it as a run around town kind of car.

For the Tucson, do you find any of the Gas/Hybrid/Plugin variants easier to sell?
Curious how conquests choose and react to the new products and styling

[radeonboy]

Bruh... couldnt walk further and checked out the Tucson? LOL, at least drive one... hahahaha, its okay... I know I know... its a Hyundai

Someone I know picked up a Tuscon PHEV and loves it (he's out in PG) - EV range is great for everyday runs and the gas engine is still there for longer trips.

Do you guys have any Elantra N DCTs to test drive?

[supafamous]

On the topic of cheap cars, what's the cheapest (all-in cash price) car that you'd be ok recommending to someone? I'm going to require that the car has heated seats but anything else goes.

A couple options I could recommend:
- Hyundai Elantra base. $28.5k
- Kia Soul LX. $29.3k (This would be my call as I'm me some hamster cars0

[roastpuff]

I would like to also test drive a DCT Elantra N...

[AstulzerRZD]

I'd probably go Corolla L CVT at 27 pre-tax.
If you have to have heated seats, the Corolla LE or Civic LX at 28 pre-tax.

I avoid the gas Hyundais because I think their engines and trans are unreliable.
Ioniq are having occasional motor and ICCU failures leaving drivers stranded.

[68style]

We are using a 2017 Kia Soul as our winter car that my gf had when I met her... it only has 90,000kms on it and it's using a litre of oil every 2 months and there's no low oil warning light whatsoever, good thing I caught it before the engine seized, I thought it was getting a little thrashy sounding. I think this is common on that era KDM engines.

It's a manual though, I must say the transmission is really nice to use the worst standard driver/learner in the world could drive that thing. No comment on their autos as I haven't driven one.

[68style]

Anyone here have comments/personal experience on a C43 AMG Wagon? I'm watching videos on them and considering one as a daily for Calgary.

Likewise for Q50 RedSport.

[AstulzerRZD]

Close buddy of mine had Q50 RedSport; it was fine.
You want to avoid early ones since they tend to have turbo failures.
Handled kind of like a boat which was shocking because I was driving the Charger at the time.

I REALLY like the C43 though.
It's numb but with the driver's pack, the active exhaust and overall experience is really fun.

[roastpuff]

Anyone here have comments/personal experience on a C43 AMG Wagon? I'm watching videos on them and considering one as a daily for Calgary.

Likewise for Q50 RedSport.

That AMG C43 Wagon is a shit ton of fun but:

Interior is very clearly cost cut - so many blank buttons and build quality/touch points leave much to be desired. COMAND is annoying to use but maybe I just didn't get used to it. Need the fancy steering wheel with the little dial to make it cool.
Boy the ride was rough on 20s. Even in Comfort it is stiff and jarring.
You pay that wagon premium - it is not a cheap car to acquire.


Exhaust and engine are the two best things about that car IMO.

EDIT: Added my impressions from Craigslist Good Buys thread a while back re: C43.

The interior was noticeably cost cut from an E-class, the ride was harsh, and the back was cramped.

But by god that engine note and exhaust barks, and the dials on the wheel were cool, and the way it wanted to kick the tail out all the time.

:awwyeah:

This was the wagon btw.

The C43 was pure theatrics and I loved it but the wife not so much lmao.

[Qmx323]

My sister was buying a small SUV and we test drove the Crosstrek, the Corolla Cross and a RAV-4... Crosstrek was a no based on the droning of the CVT and the Corolla Cross at the time was brand new, hard to find one, but went to drive it and it was just so disappointing. Considering the RAV-4 was not much more $, had way more room and how much nicer the RAV-4 was inside with a bigger engine it was a no brainer, she just immediately bought the RAV-4 instead. I don't know who could consider the 2 and still walk away with the Corolla Cross.

Jesus christ the Corolla Cross drives like a washing machine, its awful. Rarely see them around town.

[68style]

Close buddy of mine had Q50 RedSport; it was fine.
You want to avoid early ones since they tend to have turbo failures.
Handled kind of like a boat which was shocking because I was driving the Charger at the time.

I REALLY like the C43 though.
It's numb but with the driver's pack, the active exhaust and overall experience is really fun.

Yah I had read 2022 was the optimal year and about the turbos and heatsoak issues... heatsoak has solutions... apparently some headgasket problems at higher mileages too but not super common. Apparently the extra active steering option is shit and better off without that. Seen some monster builds on the forums like 650+hp from pretty basic stuff including upgraded (re: slightly bigger and more robust) turbos.

That AMG C43 Wagon is a shit ton of fun but:

Interior is very clearly cost cut - so many blank buttons and build quality/touch points leave much to be desired. COMAND is annoying to use but maybe I just didn't get used to it. Need the fancy steering wheel with the little dial to make it cool.
Boy the ride was rough on 20s. Even in Comfort it is stiff and jarring.
You pay that wagon premium - it is not a cheap car to acquire.


Exhaust and engine are the two best things about that car IMO.

EDIT: Added my impressions from Craigslist Good Buys thread a while back re: C43.

Yah prices are sky high used, Canada only premium... one in West Van is like $68k at a dealer with 23,000kms... there's another one in Kanata ON that only has 9,000kms on it for private sale at $55k but man 4 pictures in an unpainted shed with bad lighting? I don't know what the guy is thinking lol

It also seems like they only came in black, all of them except 1 blue one are black on the market which I can't stand... I've owned too many black cars to want to suffer with that again.

[EvoFire]

Avoid the Redsports, or anything VR30DET in general. They have porous blocks and other physical issues which will cause random coolant loss that's extremely hard to detect and fix and eventually you'll blow the engine. Infiniti/Nissan has been dragging their feet on the issue and only a handful of ppl have successfully gotten them to warranty it.

The wifi steer has zero steering feel so there's absolutely zero reason to go Infiniti unless you like self torture.

[roastpuff]

I tested a white C43, it was a 2019 with 40k(?) km and they were asking 72k CAD for it in early 2021 :pokerface:

[bcrdukes]

Jesus christ the Corolla Cross drives like a washing machine, its awful. Rarely see them around town.

Do the Corolla Cross and Lexus UX share the same chassis? Or are they vastly different?

[Qmx323]

According to Wiki (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_New_Global_Architecture#GA-C) they are the same GA-C platform :okay:

Haven't driven a UX myself, but I imagine/hope the suspension would be different.

[supafamous]

Yah prices are sky high used, Canada only premium... one in West Van is like $68k at a dealer with 23,000kms... there's another one in Kanata ON that only has 9,000kms on it for private sale at $55k but man 4 pictures in an unpainted shed with bad lighting? I don't know what the guy is thinking lol

It also seems like they only came in black, all of them except 1 blue one are black on the market which I can't stand... I've owned too many black cars to want to suffer with that again.

OTOH, the C300 wagon seems pretty cheap now - lots of them in the low-mid 20k range.

Or get the E53 wagon instead at $68k: https://www.autotrader.ca/a/mercedes-benz/e-class/vancouver/british%20columbia/5_65810714_20190108142107948/

[radeonboy]

That AMG C43 Wagon is a shit ton of fun but:

Interior is very clearly cost cut - so many blank buttons and build quality/touch points leave much to be desired. COMAND is annoying to use but maybe I just didn't get used to it. Need the fancy steering wheel with the little dial to make it cool.
Boy the ride was rough on 20s. Even in Comfort it is stiff and jarring.
You pay that wagon premium - it is not a cheap car to acquire.


Exhaust and engine are the two best things about that car IMO.

I test drove one in the past and agree with everything roastpuff wrote. It wasn't a car I wanted to drive in Vancouver traffic with the DCT, but that might not be an issue for you with more space in Calgary.

It also seems like they only came in black, all of them except 1 blue one are black on the market which I can't stand... I've owned too many black cars to want to suffer with that again.

The holy grail is a MY2019 in Emerald Green with a Saddle Brown interior - the green was discontinued for MY2020 and there's at least one out there (in Quebec). Otherwise they were available in the same colors as the other body styles.

[BIC_BAWS]

Anyone here have comments/personal experience on a C43 AMG Wagon? I'm watching videos on them and considering one as a daily for Calgary.

Likewise for Q50 RedSport.

I test drove both, Q60 RedSport and C43 AMG coupe, before buying the Type R. The Q60 was 28K, CTR is 45K and C43 iirc was 59K.

300HP on the 3 platforms does not feel the same whatsoever. The Q60 was so numb and boring. There's no excitement let alone having any perspective on 300HP. Prob bc heavy.

C43 was a lot more exciting. The interior is much nicer than the Q60 (i hate the infiniti tiered displays) and you "feel" a lot more. There's more of everything - drama, lights, noises, etc. Echoing the emotional experience of...

I REALLY like the C43 though.
It's numb but with the driver's pack, the active exhaust and overall experience is really fun.

Funny enough, I think AstulzerRZD was with me when I test drove both - at least the C43.

Close buddy of mine had Q50 RedSport; it was fine.
You want to avoid early ones since they tend to have turbo failures.
Handled kind of like a boat which was shocking because I was driving the Charger at the time.

Our mutual friend quickly learned that spec sheets mean fuck all on a track LOL. But fortunately, it looked like he had a good day out nonetheless.

I think for the money difference, the Red Sport with mods *might* be worthwhile, considering you have many more "engaging" cars to pick from.

[AstulzerRZD]

I was actually worried you’d be bored because the C43 you drove didn’t have the drivers pack that makes it fun. Low key thought it would be standard.

Wasnt Q60 bro on Potenza all seasons for that track day? He later got PS4S but now it’s under spring.

I 100% know this not the mission but V8 charger will forever be my ultimate sporty daily.
Driving feel makes the AMG cars feel demure (W205 C63, W211 E63) and you could get a stick.
The steering and ZF8 way better than W211, combined with goldilocks damping without complicated adaptive/air.

Not only is it super easy and progressive to slide unlike the Mustang, it’s also super easy to rip a Banff road trip in. It has better seats, double pane glass, and sound system than the W211 too. Combine all that with a giant trunk and solid reliability.

It’s a real shame they get stolen as much as they do + make the driver look dumb/poor.

[AstulzerRZD]

I test drove one in the past and agree with everything roastpuff wrote. It wasn't a car I wanted to drive in Vancouver traffic with the DCT, but that might not be an issue for you with more space in Calgary.

C43 has the standard 9GTronic - it can get super jerky in Sport mode with very aggressive TC lockup.

C63 has the MCT wet clutch but imo it’s still not a great trans. Always in thr wrong gear, power deliver is laggy and surges, etc.

I really don’t know why people glaze the C63s. Terrible steering, trans and front end across generations

[dark0821]

And cant see the rev counter for the life of it... steering wheel with that thick spoke and the rev counter being puny on the right... lol...

not even left hand turn, just left lane change and the rev counter is gone lolol

But do I want one? Of course, lolol I just love to trash talk on cars I cant afford =D

[68style]

I test drove both, Q60 RedSport and C43 AMG coupe, before buying the Type R. The Q60 was 28K, CTR is 45K and C43 iirc was 59K.

300HP on the 3 platforms does not feel the same whatsoever. The Q60 was so numb and boring. There's no excitement let alone having any perspective on 300HP. Prob bc heavy.



That's definitely extra alarming because the RedSport is 400hp not 300 lol

I have heard about what EvoFire mentioned with porous blocks... followed various threads on the forums... seems like 2017 is the big year for that issue with intermittent occurrences up to 2019... and 1 in 2021 that I saw. Unsure if it's still an issue in the later model years.

I need to find one locally to test drive. I have read that the ones with really numb steering have the active steering/4ws whatever add-on.

[roastpuff]

OTOH, the C300 wagon seems pretty cheap now - lots of them in the low-mid 20k range.

Or get the E53 wagon instead at $68k: https://www.autotrader.ca/a/mercedes-benz/e-class/vancouver/british%20columbia/5_65810714_20190108142107948/

Ooh yeah - I'd get the E53 over the C43 wagon in a heartbeat. Especially the newer ones with the I6 (are they all the I6?) supposed to be way smoother than the V6 ones from before.

The interior in the E blows the C out of the water too.

Heated armrests sound so bougie but when you have it... :ahwow:

[68style]

Doesn't the E make your Audi look small tho? 193" long... huuuuuuuuge! Such a boat

[AstulzerRZD]

That's definitely extra alarming because the RedSport is 400hp not 300 lol.

I need to find one locally to test drive. I have read that the ones with really numb steering have the active steering/4ws whatever add-on.

Yeah you can get the red sport with the non steer by wire.
The 400 you don’t really feel until your at highway speeds.
The 7AT ain’t that efficient with TC lockup on takeoff either

[EvoFire]

That's definitely extra alarming because the RedSport is 400hp not 300 lol

I have heard about what EvoFire mentioned with porous blocks... followed various threads on the forums... seems like 2017 is the big year for that issue with intermittent occurrences up to 2019... and 1 in 2021 that I saw. Unsure if it's still an issue in the later model years.

I need to find one locally to test drive. I have read that the ones with really numb steering have the active steering/4ws whatever add-on.

Infiniti never really felt like they were at their rated HP. I briefly looked into a G37S cause I was looking for a sporty sedan. Nevermind the driving position was terrible where I felt like I was sitting ON the car instead of in it, but it definitely didn't feel like it actually made 300hp.

Ooh yeah - I'd get the E53 over the C43 wagon in a heartbeat. Especially the newer ones with the I6 (are they all the I6?) supposed to be way smoother than the V6 ones from before.

The interior in the E blows the C out of the water too.

Heated armrests sound so bougie but when you have it... :ahwow:

The jump from C -> E and a BMW 3 level -> 5 level car are going to be pretty substantial.

The heated armrest though I'm not really into. It sounds great in theory but in practice, if you actually need heated seats and armrests, chances are you are wearing a sweater or thick jacket and you won't feel it on your arms at such a small contact point.

What I need is a heated/cooled shiftknob in a manual car :pokerface:

[donk.]

Heated seats arent for heating, they are for making you feel like your rich.

Once you go heated seat, you always want it again. And if you drive a convertible, heated seats are even that much more awesome on late night drives with the roof off :megusta:

[BIC_BAWS]

+1 on jumping for a E or a 5er if you don't hate BMW.

Like EvoFire says, it's a big difference esp in interior quality. Plus if you go up a class, sometimes it's even cheaper.

For example, a 340i is $37K

http://www.autotrader.ca/go/5-65701679

A 540i is 30K with less kms, also msport

http://www.autotrader.ca/go/19-13044917

If you wanted to, since the F30 is in between the LCI F10 and a pre-LCI G20, you could shop for a 535i for 18-22k all day.

This is gonna sound snobby but having experienced the 5er (f10) going back to a F30/F36 (3er/4er) is a significant increase in harshness, road noise and poor interior materials.

Sent from my SM-G781W using Tapatalk

[underscore]

For me heated seats are more for pain management than actual temperature regulation lol.

[EvoFire]

+1 on jumping for a E or a 5er if you don't hate BMW.

Like EvoFire says, it's a big difference esp in interior quality. Plus if you go up a class, sometimes it's even cheaper.

For example, a 340i is $37K

http://www.autotrader.ca/go/5-65701679

A 540i is 30K with less kms, also msport

http://www.autotrader.ca/go/19-13044917

If you wanted to, since the F30 is in between the LCI F10 and a pre-LCI G20, you could shop for a 535i for 18-22k all day.

This is gonna sound snobby but having experienced the 5er (f10) going back to a F30/F36 (3er/4er) is a significant increase in harshness, road noise and poor interior materials.

Sent from my SM-G781W using Tapatalk

The E class/5 series level cars also depreciates a lot harder, giving that scenario above.

During covid before the whack increases, a friend who had a G30 M550 was thinking of getting rid of his. I looked at the prices. A 2018 G30 M550 costs less than my 2018 F80 M3 on the market, but the M550 MSRP was something like 20k more.

My 2022 X5 was 120k MSRP, I bought it last year and the car was 2 years old and it was worth 75k.
The M50 V8 are hit EVEN HARDER. 70k for a M50 X5 is kind of insane

[roastpuff]

Doesn't the E make your Audi look small tho? 193" long... huuuuuuuuge! Such a boat

10 inches longer (that's what I tell my wife)

[supafamous]

+1 to those saying the diff between the C/3 cars and E/5 cars are big. When I had my rental E350 last year it was WAY nicer than the rental A5 and rental iX3 I had. IMO, the gap is bigger between those levels than it is between an Accord and a A4/330i even though the underlying chassis is the same.

[BIC_BAWS]

That Accord point reminds me. It also works the opposite way, if performance wasn't a consideration.

A 2015 Civic Touring has a way nicer interior than a 2015 320i. Outside of price (and badge), the only glaring difference is the engine (140hp/ vs 180hp/200ftlbs) and I guess transmission (cvt vs ZF8)

Prices (MSRP)
2015 Honda Accord LX CVT - $25,350 (not sure how this comp. to civic touring)
2015 Honda Civic Touring - $25,550
2015 BMW 320i Sedan - $35,990

[dark0821]

so just for shits and giggles..

2015 Honda Accord LX CVT - $25,350 (not sure how this comp. to civic touring)
2015 Honda Civic Touring - $25,550
2015 BMW 320i Sedan - $35,990

2025 Honda Accord SE - $41,262 (base base base trim)
2025 Honda Civic Touring - $41,955 (only avail in hatch)
2025 BMW 330i Sedan - $62,249 (base base base trim)

Maybe it has always been like this, but I still cant believe how much pricing has jumped in a decade, maybe because it feels like my pay didnt double, just feels like cars take more and more of your income ratio wise... or am I just crazy....

[68style]

Dark you should move to cowtown I swear like half the people here are driving Hyundais and Kias lol

[AstulzerRZD]

so just for shits and giggles..

Maybe it has always been like this, but I still cant believe how much pricing has jumped in a decade, maybe because it feels like my pay didnt double, just feels like cars take more and more of your income ratio wise... or am I just crazy....

A lot of this is exchange rate.
USD wise the Camry/Corolla are actually deflationary.

Not to mention LX now has
- Honda Sensing w/ adaptive cruise
- Carplay
- Powertrain is better with K20 and non-drones CVT
- LED headlight

[dark0821]

Dark you should move to cowtown I swear like half the people here are driving Hyundais and Kias lol

You know its funny you say this... I was actually telling my wife this but Ottawa instead of Calgary.

We dont abuse the mountains/oceans/asian food enough to justify a mortgage here.

We should uproot => Ottawa, be mortgage free, make about similar income => invest with a decent amount of capital and live an easier life lolol

Calgary feels like half way, the real estate is still expensive that I am not sure if I can make it mortgage free....

[supafamous]

You know its funny you say this... I was actually telling my wife this but Ottawa instead of Calgary.

We dont abuse the mountains/oceans/asian food enough to justify a mortgage here.

We should uproot => Ottawa, be mortgage free, make about similar income => invest with a decent amount of capital and live an easier life lolol

Calgary feels like half way, the real estate is still expensive that I am not sure if I can make it mortgage free....

Ottawa is a nice city other than the brutal winters. I used to visit quite a lot as a close friend lives there and I always enjoyed visiting.

Would you consider something on the island though? I feel it's so underrated for a young family. Comox, Courtenay, Qualicum, Parksville etc - all lovely places.

I just saw this listing in Victoria that almost ideal for me: https://www.rew.ca/properties/1509-san-juan-avenue-saanich-bc

2 car garage with 12ft ceilings means I can put a stacker in there and still have a home gym/office. I'd be mortgage free if I moved to the island living a great life.

[dark0821]

LOL holy smokes... I 100% do not have 1.7mil in equity hahahaha.

Maybe half that hahaha.

I need to shop around 700 to 750K to be comfortable mortgage free with still a decent amount of savings that can get meaningful returns on investment if I am not an idiot... and well Trump becomes more predictable hahahaha

I will be doing these

https://www.rew.ca/properties/9-merner-avenue-ottawa-on

https://www.rew.ca/properties/79-merner-avenue-ottawa-on

https://www.rew.ca/properties/28-phylis-street-ottawa-on

https://www.rew.ca/properties/13-melville-drive-ottawa-on (my mom will never let me buy this cuz 13, LOL but come on)

But I will chose to live in Barrhaven, you know... the Langley of Ottawa, ok.. maybe not Langley... but you know... Port Coquitlam hahaha.

All good though

[68style]

You can easily buy a house in Calgary for $750k in a really nice area like Tuscany or even my hood

Ottawa is boring as shit to live in

[Traum]

In addition to the brutal winter, I'd also say the summers there are also pretty brutal. Or maybe I'm just soft bcos you know... I'm from Vancouver LOL~

But I agree with Supafamous that I quite like Ottawa. I used to visit there often enough when I was studying in Ontario, and the vibe there is just sooo much nicer than GTA and the surrounding areas.

East Coast life is also very different than west coast life in Metro Van or Calgary / Edmonton. Road trips alone would absolutely blow anything we have here out of the water. During normal times, there are also so many more places you can head down to in the US from there. And Europe is a much shorter trip from there as well.

Had I landed a coop job there in Ottawa, things could have turned out very differently for me...

[underscore]

Road trips alone would absolutely blow anything we have here out of the water.

I'm curious where to. I'd love to tour around the Maritimes but I think that's a fair trek from Ottawa.

[Traum]

By "East Coast", my understanding is that it generally refers to SE Ontario to SW Quebec. And bcos of that, the destination options pretty much go in 360º instead of just either head south or east for us in Vancouver. And within that 360º of travel, the list of places you can get to within a ~10 hr drive is just HUGE compared to where we can go in 10 hrs here.

Assuming Toronto as the base of operation, the places that I can think of going would include, but not limited to:

- Detroit
- Cleveland
- Pittsburgh
- Washington DC
- New York
- Ottawa
- Montreal
- Quebec

Here, we have:

- Seattle
- Portland
- Calgary

If you want to tour around the Maritimes, the simple version is to use Halifax as your base, and just travel around NS, NB, and PEI. I did a trip like that after my university graduation, and it was epic.

[GS8]

I survived 3 Alberta winters in a row. Wasn't that bad.

Ont. / East Coast is next level. Lake Effect / Ice storms / the 401

:heckno:

I'm going to Montreal this May. Hoping to do a full maritime circuit next year :concentrate:

[bcrdukes]

Assuming Toronto as the base of operation, the places that I can think of going would include, but not limited to:

- Detroit
- ***Edited to shorten the list***
- Quebec

I shared this last year on RS, but my wife and I did a road trip across the American Mid-West (Chicago, Cincinnati, Columbus, Detroit, Indianapolis, Lexington, Louiseville, Pittsburgh, etc.) and it was a really nice trip. Likely not on anyone's list of major cities to visit, but we got to see a narrative that you don't see on TV or the media everyday. We really enjoyed our trip there and would encourage anyone to visit...when it's safer to do so...from a political perspective. :badpokerface:

[noclue]

East coast is more city tours due to the population density, if you want epic scenic drives you cant beat the west. Utah, arizona, pacific coast hwy.
I’d like to drive to alaska one way and fly back but $$$$

[bcrdukes]

East coast is more city tours due to the population density, if you want epic scenic drives you cant beat the west. Utah, arizona, pacific coast hwy.
I’d like to drive to alaska one way and fly back but $$$$

Just leave your BMW there, no big deal. :troll:

[stanton]

The holy grail is a MY2019 in Emerald Green with a Saddle Brown interior - the green was discontinued for MY2020 and there's at least one out there (in Quebec). Otherwise they were available in the same colors as the other body styles.

I was looking hard for a green one but never found one. Ended up with a red one. Loved the car but had a hard time with two backward facing car seats in it so moved up a size. Besides the points mentioned already about feeling that the interior had been cost cut, the lack of a lsd in the back and relying on brakes instead meant that I went through two sets of pads and one set of rotors in under 100k kms on the rears only.
https://freeimage.host/i/3AQG3W7

[supafamous]

In addition to the brutal winter, I'd also say the summers there are also pretty brutal. Or maybe I'm just soft bcos you know... I'm from Vancouver LOL~

Oh yeah, the summers can get pretty brutal. I usually went in late April when school was out but I did July once and it was oppressive. Worse than Toronto for sure.



https://www.rew.ca/properties/9-merner-avenue-ottawa-on
https://www.rew.ca/properties/79-merner-avenue-ottawa-on
https://www.rew.ca/properties/28-phylis-street-ottawa-on
https://www.rew.ca/properties/13-melville-drive-ottawa-on (my mom will never let me buy this cuz 13, LOL but come on)

But I will chose to live in Barrhaven, you know... the Langley of Ottawa, ok.. maybe not Langley... but you know... Port Coquitlam hahaha.

All good though

Barrhaven, or as they use to call it, Farrhaven isn't bad at all to live in for families. I have two friends there and they both really like it, traffic isn't bad and all the major amenities are available in Barrhaven so you only need to go into the city if you need a night out at a nice restaurant.

Peak Ottawa was when Smith Falls still had the Hershey's chocolate factory open and you could go by and buy huge quantities of broken chocolate bars for dirt cheap. Also, the poutine is much better there than here.

[Traum]

Oh yeah, the summers can get pretty brutal. I usually went in late April when school was out but I did July once and it was oppressive. Worse than Toronto for sure.
That said, Canada Day celebrations in Ottawa is EPIC! It gets very hot during the day, but partying / concert on the lawn of Parliament Hill is something every Canadian should experience at least once.

(I went twice, so that should be enough for 2 lifetimes?) :badpokerface:

[AstulzerRZD]

2025 Sonata Hybrid - Maiden voyage to the bottom of the sea

https://i.imgur.com/0kBmQz1.jpeg

Driving this car is like helming the Titanic minus the iceberg, lifeboats, or Leo.

Even the bumps you can't see send an “SOS text” from your spine because what the fuck did they do to the suspension?

Its 51-hp electric motor is about as useful as a fidget spinner next to the Camry’s 134 hp. There's no regen, no electric assist.

Fuel economy numbers? Pure bedtime fairy tales.

Wind and road noise so loud its ambience could start signing autographs.

They slapped a hybrid badge on a barge and prayed for the best - the bottom of the ocean is really where it belongs.

Before you defend the 290hp N-line variant, the Prius Prime accelerates 60-80 and 80-110 faster and has the same skidpad grip.

This car's a literal waste of batteries: it's rated for 54MPG highway but got 36MPG averaging 110kmh. This is worse than a 330i which gets 42 mpg at 120kmh.

[AstulzerRZD]

Bro all the Hyundai hybrids have 50hp motors.
Toyota and Honda is 120-220hp.

0% chance Hyundai hybrid will ever have meaningful regen braking / hit the fuel economy target.

[roastpuff]

...are you replying to yourself?

[AstulzerRZD]

Bro I am expressive disbelief like BROOO how is it so bad

[dark0821]

Its so bad that Sonata Hybrid is not even offered in Canada hahaha, but really man?

No complaints from Tucson and Elantra hybrid crowd, they seem to hit their advertised MPG just fine~~

[bcrdukes]

Its so bad that Sonata Hybrid is not even offered in Canada hahaha, but really man?

No complaints from Tucson and Elantra hybrid crowd, they seem to hit their advertised MPG just fine~~

There's something evident here.

Either Tuscon and Elenatra owners are liars, or AstulzerRZD is a liar. Or both. :troll:

[yray]

but why is every young brown fob driving one with the curb cleaners and #haruyana in the back window

[bcrdukes]

but why is every young brown fob driving one with the curb cleaners and #haruyana in the back window

You just described all of Brampton and the GTA. :ahwow:

[AstulzerRZD]

Its so bad that Sonata Hybrid is not even offered in Canada hahaha, but really man?

No complaints from Tucson and Elantra hybrid crowd, they seem to hit their advertised MPG just fine~~

Good to hear the buyers at end of the day are happy.

I'd expect Elantra to do ok - it's a lighter car & lower so should hit city/highway mileage even with the tiny electric motor.

Tucson I'm sus about cuz it's higher and heavier... Car and Driver reported 8.4 highway at 120kmh so that's a 20% miss compared to the rating (6L).

[underscore]

I had a 2025 Rav4 LE for a couple days, I didn't put a ton of mileage on it but with a mix of city and highway it got 7L/100km. That seems pretty good to me but maybe I'm out of the loop. At first I was annoyed that National considered an LE to be an Executive level vehicle but only having a backup camera and never having parking sensors or blind spot thingies yelling at me was wonderful.

I still like my wifes old V6 better though. As long as it's being used on the highway I want at least that much power available and I need the 3500lb towing capacity. It seems like everything now either has <2000lb or is a huge truck which kinda sucks.

[AstulzerRZD]

Ya like low key the regular gas CUVs get better mixed mileage than the Hyundai hybrids because the EV/regen motor is too weak.

I usually grab a Grand Cherokee / RAM / Wagoneer from Exec.

[underscore]

I don't think they've ever had anything good since I got Exec status. Salt Lake was all minivans and a base model Merc, Calgary was all small mid-trim SUVs. When I was just pleb tier I used to see Mustangs and stuff. At least I was curious what a newer Rav was like, so it wasn't a total bust, but still.

[AstulzerRZD]

They're pretty good at pulling something up if you just ask.

Off season, convertibles or Wranglers are an easy ask.

Most of the year, they can never get rid of pickup trucks or 7/8 passenger BOF SUVs (unless there's an event like graduation).

[AstulzerRZD]

I managed to get rated mileage but it was a LOT of work.

1) have to tap the brake a lot to get it into regen and shut the engine off, even when going downhill where it should really be more aggressive with EV mode. Toyota does this automatically

2) HVAC has to be off, else the engine really won’t shut off.

[Badhobz]

I don't think they've ever had anything good since I got Exec status. Salt Lake was all minivans and a base model Merc, Calgary was all small mid-trim SUVs. When I was just pleb tier I used to see Mustangs and stuff. At least I was curious what a newer Rav was like, so it wasn't a total bust, but still.

Depends on how busy they are. In Australia I got the ford Everest , x3 and a shitty outlander. Sometimes you get lucky and they aren’t all booked.