[dark0821]

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.

Haha, good to know.

I am curious if the Sonata uses the Tucson system or Elantra system.

Tucson hybrid system - paddles at the back of the steering wheel in eco/normal mode = control the level of regen braking there is (4 levels = 0, 1, 2, 3)... then when in sport model... the paddles act like paddle shifters again

Elantra hybrid system - no paddles at all, so the regen is stuck at 2 forever....

[EvoFire]

I wish the X5 let me control regen. It's either on or off, and it's not particularly strong when it's on.

[Badhobz]

So i just tried Donk's c7 corvette yesterday and i cant get over how excellent that car is.

The best thing about it is the MagneRide suspension. You can take corners perfectly flat, without any harshness even over bumpy uneven roads. This GM product is like voodoo magic or something. No wonder ferrari licensed it for their cars. Im totally in love with it! so much so that i looked up the list of cars that has Magneride

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MagneRide

my god is this ever excellent. You get all the comfort and sportiness with absolutely zero drawbacks. The one time it went kinda crazy was going over railroad tracks where it suddenly became insanely stiff and jarring.

its a huge car, but it shrinks around you. That engine has a lot of character. sitting at idle it just buzzes and burbles like a real american V8 would (so much so that you feel it through the shifter). Redlines not bad too at 6500RPM though it doesnt need to be up there, can easily sit comfortably in 3-4 gear doing 2-3k rpm and still fast as hell.

Steering is good, pretty much standard EPS feel like all modern cars. Not too much texture, but accurate and nicely weighted.

Clutch point is VERY VERY high and the effort is heavy. The gears themselves are nicely notchy, but for some reason the shifter felt vague and inaccurate to me. I couldnt go down from 5-6 without it popping back into neutral first. Maybe you gotta just man handle it more. Same with 1->2, it would sometimes pop out of 2nd. Its not a honda unit thats for sure.

What a beautiful car. I dont know why more people dont buy these things. Its a fantastic sports car that can grand tour as well as my LC.

[AstulzerRZD]

Haha, good to know.

I am curious if the Sonata uses the Tucson system or Elantra system.

Tucson hybrid system - paddles at the back of the steering wheel in eco/normal mode = control the level of regen braking there is (4 levels = 0, 1, 2, 3)... then when in sport model... the paddles act like paddle shifters again

Elantra hybrid system - no paddles at all, so the regen is stuck at 2 forever....

Has paddles, I keep it set to Auto, Level 0 because coasting is always the most efficient, but the auto feature brakes if there's a car in front and keeps distance.

[AstulzerRZD]

The best thing about it is the MagneRide suspension. You can take corners perfectly flat, without any harshness even over bumpy uneven roads. This GM product is like voodoo magic or something. No wonder ferrari licensed it for their cars. Im totally in love with it! so much so that i looked up the list of cars that has Magneride

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MagneRide

my god is this ever excellent. You get all the comfort and sportiness with absolutely zero drawbacks. The one time it went kinda crazy was going over railroad tracks where it suddenly became insanely stiff and jarring.

its a huge car, but it shrinks around you.

+1, Magneride is insanely good that the leaks and replacement around ~100k kms is worth it.
In the Escalade, the body control makes it drive smaller than an X5/6 unless you're realllly hustling.
No on center dead zone in the steering is really just a bonus.

[AstulzerRZD]

Almost drove this Hyundai off a fucking cliff.

Was playing Tetris with my girlfriend's family cars so we could get the nephews and nieces to tennis camp or whatever

https://en.mercedesassistance.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/image-118.png

https://gmauthority.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/2024-Chevrolet-Silverado-EV-RST-Interior-004-gear-selector.jpg

We're on an edge of a cliff, I step out of an MB to move the Sonata. I get in the car, nudge the shifter down and HOLY SHIT...

https://i.imgur.com/d9k4b56.jpeg

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

https://www.hyundaimotorgroup.com/image/upload/asset_library/MDA00000000000021647/2de35319d5ed4e80bbab526455730a31.jpg

In their INFINITE wisdom, Hyundai is the only brand where flicking the shifter DOWN puts the car in reverse and not drive. Every MB, pickup truck, GM EV, Tesla, wahtever.

Thing is, I LIKE rotary, push button, and column shifters - there's a benefit in ease of use esp in when driving in traffic without auto hold (looking at you Stellantis).

But THIS shit? This is the first car I've filed an NHTSA complaint on

[Badhobz]

Ugh i still dont know why automakers keep messing with the shifter. Just make the straight line one that EVERYONE knows how to use, P R N D, or use the indented one with the same P R N D.

STOP REINVENTING SHIT THAT DOESNT REQUIRE REVINVENTING !

[AstulzerRZD]

I'm not even mad at the Tesla steering wheel turn signals - there's a cost saving & we won't be touching the turn signals in 5-10 years.

But this shit? it's just stupid and unsafe.

[AstulzerRZD]

So i just tried Donk's c7 corvette yesterday and i cant get over how excellent that car is.
its a huge car, but it shrinks around you. That engine has a lot of character. sitting at idle it just buzzes and burbles like a real american V8 would (so much so that you feel it through the shifter). Redlines not bad too at 6500RPM though it doesnt need to be up there, can easily sit comfortably in 3-4 gear doing 2-3k rpm and still fast as hell.

Interesting you feel this way, the LT1 IMO is kind of boring compared to the really free revving Coyote or the 392/Hellcat motors that have a much more interesting exhaust note.

Clutch point is VERY VERY high and the effort is heavy. The gears themselves are nicely notchy, but for some reason the shifter felt vague and inaccurate to me.

Same story with the Getrag MT82, not sure why the Tremec and Getrag boxes be like this.

[Hondaracer]

Ugh i still dont know why automakers keep messing with the shifter. Just make the straight line one that EVERYONE knows how to use, P R N D, or use the indented one with the same P R N D.

STOP REINVENTING SHIT THAT DOESNT REQUIRE REVINVENTING !

Anyone who’s driven the new EVO Prius will know this but their system has got to be one of the dumbest, not sure if Toyota has done this with all the next gen

You still have the shifter, which at best is awkward and weird as you need to bring it out of the “neutral” position as you would a manual almost

But then to park the stupid car.. it’s a separate button… so you leave it in drive, park, then press the “park” button..

Wife got in an Evo the other day and someone had pushed the park button back into the dash, so you could no longer press it to park.. she pressed the help button and they were just like “oh yea just shut the car off it’s fine” lol ok..

[AstulzerRZD]

I mean Prius been that way since 1st gen

Low key the real issue is if you're trying to do 3 point turn or rock the car, the delay between drive / reverse if you're not on the brakes at the perfect time is kinda dangerous

[bcrdukes]

Interesting you feel this way, the LT1 IMO is kind of boring compared to the really free revving Coyote or the 392/Hellcat motors that have a much more interesting exhaust not.

In fairness to Badhobz, we have to assume he didn't have another Corvette or Challenger to compare with. If I recall, he had a Challenger rental but I don't think it was a Hellcat? (I could be wrong.)

[noclue]

Have you guys tried the touchscreen gear selector on the tesla model x/s? Now that's aggravating.

[Badhobz]

In fairness to Badhobz, we have to assume he didn't have another Corvette or Challenger to compare with. If I recall, he had a Challenger rental but I don't think it was a Hellcat? (I could be wrong.)

i had that charger SRT. I think the hemi engine is a bit more rumbly than the vette, but the vette v8 sounds a bit higher pitch and thus more motorsporty.

[68style]

Hobz didn’t get to rev the Vette, too much traffic… when I drove it o found it to be unusually low in torque in low revs, which I wasn’t expecting given the rep of pushrod V8’s… but you hit 3500rpm and suddenly there’s more than you can handle / the rear tires can barely contain it and that engine screams.

[Badhobz]

Hobz didn’t get to rev the Vette, too much traffic… when I drove it o found it to be unusually low in torque in low revs, which I wasn’t expecting given the rep of pushrod V8’s… but you hit 3500rpm and suddenly there’s more than you can handle / the rear tires can barely contain it and that engine screams.

^same. especially in first gear. You need to step a bit on the gas or else it feels like it'll stall out. Which is weird considering how much torque it has.

I wonder if its artificially limited by the ECU to make it more controllable for the typical geezer demographic.

[bcrdukes]

Does it that that fuel saving option where it only uses half of the cylinders?

[Badhobz]

yes but donk told us to not use it. so i dont think it was activated.

[underscore]

Have you guys tried the touchscreen gear selector on the tesla model x/s? Now that's aggravating.

The fucking what? I thought the stupid individual buttons down on the center console in the Hyundai something or other were bad enough.

[68style]

In their INFINITE wisdom, Hyundai is the only brand where flicking the shifter DOWN puts the car in reverse and not drive. Every MB, pickup truck, GM EV, Tesla, wahtever.

Thing is, I LIKE rotary, push button, and column shifters - there's a benefit in ease of use esp in when driving in traffic without auto hold (looking at you Stellantis).

But THIS shit? This is the first car I've filed an NHTSA complaint on

You know every single column shifter from like 1960-almost 2010 was down for R right?

[AstulzerRZD]

Ya and thing is when ur in a rush and just pull down on the thing, ur going forward

[68style]

I think Korean cars have a habit of this, my gf’s Soul doesn’t have remote locks and I make fun of her endlessly about it because even my 94 MR2 does… but you lock and unlock the doors in the complete opposite direction of literally every other manufacturer, I always turn the key the wrong way every time.

[bcrdukes]

Weird.

I was driving to work the other day and on the highway, I see a Kia Niro (spelling?) that's trying to change lanes to make the exit. I can see on the front passenger side the turn signal flashing to signal he's turning right, but once the car got ahead of me, the driver side rear is only flashing left? :confused:

[underscore]

I think Korean cars have a habit of this, my gf’s Soul doesn’t have remote locks and I make fun of her endlessly about it because even my 94 MR2 does… but you lock and unlock the doors in the complete opposite direction of literally every other manufacturer, I always turn the key the wrong way every time.

Which way is normal? On my Toyotas it's always been turn towards the rear of the car to unlock, but my Jeep is the opposite. The control for the front vs rear wiper are flipped too.

[EvoFire]

Oh boy. I'm surprised Audi sells many of these things

We got a 2024 Audi A4 as a loaner while the X5 was at the dealer for some dumb self inflicted pain.
https://scontent.fyvr1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/497685626_10160928586042032_9107934069970936132_n. jpg?_nc_cat=100&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=f727a1&_nc_ohc=nlFWcxxTHMQQ7kNvwG4FqMl&_nc_oc=AdkL77LNGPz5mEB6C4gjyidqp-ACNp58dr1HCmvZvl5w6iyeBmyxYsW0VPXqN6xmiO4J9S4pVnLN 5saVRMDo6m_H&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent.fyvr1-1.fna&_nc_gid=UD6uKHdCpXxsJRt8GwCjeA&oh=00_AfMxzf5xMQVXnORe4jKqpiRQHtSOQOBXoOEKwP72OLJf rQ&oe=6849BCCE

The goods:
It fits car seats.
https://scontent.fyvr1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/503851670_10160928586012032_792753169315582149_n.j pg?_nc_cat=105&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=f727a1&_nc_ohc=1xamix6xttEQ7kNvwFmo1kd&_nc_oc=Adl_B7oRPxhks5zXg9YdEI5-R2LGP_MrdurbRh6XGm2oMWU5GIUep-DpNiRb9XMKpSa7B8PU7LCh4i59RMIwcDtu&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent.fyvr1-1.fna&_nc_gid=GP0mkAvYjdGrYBtWGfv8yg&oh=00_AfNtngWvEXhsHjEIzdydHYA4LVep4m8qNzriUwh9wycE gg&oe=6849B198

I'm not joking. I genuinely couldn't find anything that was outstanding with this car in the 2 days I drove it.

The neutral:
It is VERY anonymous.
https://scontent.fyvr1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/502938146_10160928586102032_8357834232898115688_n. jpg?_nc_cat=109&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=f727a1&_nc_ohc=eOoJFPZk_dgQ7kNvwGzqqd7&_nc_oc=AdlgFib1P4D48iRx_chgw8AKkpByw31Lv9qL0e-8oJKoYp7qB2nqsMKcF7B6eHJXx-r2Sri7VLHbQxOFFH5ItsvB&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent.fyvr1-1.fna&_nc_gid=UWtiI0pbbcd58-SUm72OPA&oh=00_AfOLg9Nrd-L0SgPio4DXJ_AiD_NtZMr_eAuenOTpLhSGOg&oe=6849B038

The base plain white really didn't help. I couldn't find fault with most of the car, the seats were fine. The EA888 was fine. The S-tronic dual clutch was fine. It burned some gas and we averaged 11l/100km, which was fine. It could very well have been a Camry. Or Accord.

The bad:
Nothing was really bad either, except this
https://scontent.fyvr1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/505366240_10160928585902032_274832822341873597_n.j pg?_nc_cat=110&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=f727a1&_nc_ohc=y0YvrHM-p4QQ7kNvwGCYpKE&_nc_oc=AdmCT_7FGNPiGj9tDSamd3ff4C5bgCnLhBhWRFeMKiw PCpdp_j7j0oTZZE-6PVLg2DJd9CpPJGN5NOI64Hzr4LhZ&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent.fyvr1-1.fna&_nc_gid=w_nINpMhxU-K6F-r2RDHMg&oh=00_AfMcyGGr4LxRQzIG7Wrt5a2z5bLMSgZ0IQFn8P_BuMyL XQ&oe=68499D85

I expect a bit better build quality for a W vin A4 with only 19k on the odometer.

Actually I lied, there's one more bad thing
https://scontent.fyvr1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/504257285_10160928586032032_8687841679807530893_n. jpg?_nc_cat=105&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=f727a1&_nc_ohc=VF0rl9osg88Q7kNvwENlbD7&_nc_oc=AdlaapLadj2kH6jbKIXgV-duj5it4nAqcyO2UnLQBdbE7HhZR_8uYLwe2PduNMWgjAkDq4A3 1taIV1MIvvNbdqfF&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent.fyvr1-1.fna&_nc_gid=Kue35WHuN7xrl0V_wYTqPg&oh=00_AfO3dNaMdVqk5MhMKjEfhB3eAw_9ZeIawuO89caCiUSn Qw&oe=6849AB97

All these nonsensical random holes and nooks in the center console that doesn't fit anything or does anything particularly useful. The square ahead of the shifter? Useless. The rectangle behind the volume knob? Useless. That little tray ahead of the cup holders, useless.

Other complaints.
The design of the car is very form over function. The glass is surprisingly small coming from driving BMWs.

The car itself is not big, but somehow it drove big. Down the streets of Fraserview where it's very tight, zero issues with the X5 from day 1. I was actually uncomfortable and unsure if I was gonna hit something with the Audi.

I haven't driven a MB product in quite a while, but from what I remember the Audi would sit in between BMW and MB. While inoffensive, I feel like BMW has got suspension tuning of their regular cars more downpat than Audi has. BMW manages to be marginally sportier and yet still compliant. MB has the soft everything market cornered.

I'm not a huge fan of the G20 3 series after driving it multiple times, especially after comparing it to my G01 X3. To me, it felt like BMW put all their development monies into the G01 X3 while they phoned in the G20 and it got some crumbs and any material and cabin economies of scale.
Despite that evaluation, the G20 3 series has the A4 beat. It's not leaps and bounds better in any way, but a nose here, and an extra step there, overall the package was just better.

[red kryptonite]

wait... did they give u something from their preowned lot?
a dealer giving a competitors brand for a loaner is unheard of.:seriously::fulloffuck:

[AstulzerRZD]

F30/W205 were terrible in comparison. A4 had the flashy dashboard screen/hands free drive, competent engine, solid interior/build quality - total breath of fresh air.

Keep in mind it launched in 2016, three years before the G20, and drove way sharper than the POS F30 it was up against. N20 engines were shitting timing chains within warranty and even the B58 MPPK 340i had worse body control than Dodge Charger.

W205 creaked from the factory and even the seat plastics were faulty at launch!! How do you fuck up MBTex? The engines were blowing their wrist pins and pistons. Even when the engine did work, it rode rough over bumps and was so BAD that Mercedes publicly admitted they delayed its launch by a year because the MK7 golf was better.

A4 had hands-free traffic jam assist under 70km/h in 2016: huge for my Seattle highway commute. F30 didn’t even have adaptive cruise, and G20’s DAPro was rarely specced and glitchy.

Interior? Way better than the F30 - tighter build, better materials, quieter than Japanese rivals, and didn’t creak like the W205. F30 was so cost-cut the door handles wiggled a full cm vs rock-solid E90. FFS even the steering wheel control paint/soft touch peeled on F30s within warranty period.

That said, it’s not an enthusiast’s car. Sketchy under hard braking, boring engine, and the infotainment? Absolute trash. Five clicks just to get to CarPlay.

Console:
• Big hole: used to hold the MMI dial — now it’s for my phone, AirPods, whatever.
• Small hole: meant for cabrio controls — I use it for keys or a Starburst.
• Cigarette hole: didn’t even know it existed.

[EvoFire]

Ok I can see it being very strong against the F30. I thought it was a new car I can't believe it's bee. in production since 2016, that's a full 10 years. It comes back to, what is Audi doing?

@red - I go to BJ preowned as the SA I go to there is very good. I don't get the newest loaners but that's fine, I know my shit will be fixed and as much as he can, get it done under warranty. I notice the little things with the car and the SA has pushed through something like 20k worth of warranty work on the X5.

[red kryptonite]

i agree, having a good SA is a godsend.
my bmw SA is cool, she pushed through a parking senor replacement under warranty when it was clearly damaged from a rock chip.
my tundra SA was trash. im still bitter about them wanting to charge me $10 to replace a 50cent remote battery that died under a year. plus he kept washing my truck when i specifically ask for no wash.
my dads rolla cross SA is cool. he realigned the exhaust after my dad back it up into a high curb.
gf's kicks SA is the worst. warranty is over in 6months so im getting really nitpicky with everything. without going into all the details, he pretty much fights me on anything. everytime i bring something up hes like "ya these things are normal, i can get the tech to check it but if he cant find anything wrong you will charged the time spent investigating" wtf :fulloffuck:
yayaya.... nissan kicks just burn it to the ground. :fuckthatshit:

[AstulzerRZD]

Ok I can see it being very strong against the F30. I thought it was a new car I can't believe it's bee. in production since 2016, that's a full 10 years. It comes back to, what is Audi doing?

@red - I go to BJ preowned as the SA I go to there is very good. I don't get the newest loaners but that's fine, I know my shit will be fixed and as much as he can, get it done under warranty. I notice the little things with the car and the SA has pushed through something like 20k worth of warranty work on the X5.

Rearchitecting all their cars on Rivian software, firing EU based tech teams, and cutting half their factories is the only way VW will survive.
Their new A5 is their F30 moment.

BMW's is the legacy tech winner: iDrive 9, best auto park, and latest gen of hands free driving and lane change is better than GM/Tesla/Ford.
GM and MB have a shot if they can turn their moonshots and "first" iterations of next-gen infotainment into something polished.

[Badhobz]

i agree, having a good SA is a godsend.
my bmw SA is cool, she pushed through a parking senor replacement under warranty when it was clearly damaged from a rock chip.
my tundra SA was trash. im still bitter about them wanting to charge me $10 to replace a 50cent remote battery that died under a year. plus he kept washing my truck when i specifically ask for no wash.
my dads rolla cross SA is cool. he realigned the exhaust after my dad back it up into a high curb.
gf's kicks SA is the worst. warranty is over in 6months so im getting really nitpicky with everything. without going into all the details, he pretty much fights me on anything. everytime i bring something up hes like "ya these things are normal, i can get the tech to check it but if he cant find anything wrong you will charged the time spent investigating" wtf :fulloffuck:
yayaya.... nissan kicks just burn it to the ground. :fuckthatshit:

to be honest none of these are actually related to the duties of an SA. you guys are just spoiled by their good service. All of these sorts of things are suppose to go through the service department and specifically your service advisor. Thats why ive been with my lexus service advisor for over 15 years.

[EvoFire]

SA = service advisor lol

[Badhobz]

Fuck I thought you mean sales associate. You know like all the SA’s in luxury boutiques.

[GS8]

SA also means Sexual Assault

No re-read red kryptonite's post with that information

[AstulzerRZD]

Rivian R1T - really annoying ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

It’s annoying how good the steering is, BMW and Porsche had better be benchmarking this.
There’s so much road feel and texture you’d think this was on RE71Rs and hydraulic steering.

https://i.imgur.com/aQ3H92h.jpeg

It’s annoying how nice the interior is, makes you wonder WTF the Tupperware in W206 and B10 A5 is doing there.
The materials are seriously MB Designó level and better than Genesis GV80.
Base stereo makes most Burmester systems sound bad.

https://i.imgur.com/oLCMasW.jpeg
https://i.imgur.com/jJ7ZAb6.jpeg

It’s annoying how beautiful the screen is, makes you wonder WTF Tesla is doing.
Elon’s got shitty blobs to represent cars and the surrounding environment.
Here, you even get the best of Hyundai: insanely good cameras, blind spot cameras in the dashboard.

https://i.imgur.com/5lCN19O.jpeg
https://i.imgur.com/ZhO2pME.jpeg

It’s annoying how good the dynamics are - it uses a variant of the Toyota XREAS but adds air suspension.
There’s really super little body roll except for when trying to stop 8000 lbs.
Drives better than X3 M40i.

It’s annoying how practical this is; makes you wonder wtf Tacoma and Outback owners are glazing.
- 700km highway range
- locking power tonneau cover
- 150psi air compressor in the bed for kayak/bike
- pass through from cabin into gear tunnel
- 120V power everywhere
- locking under seat storage in both rows
- locking gear storage cables in the bed.
Outback and Tacoma owners: discuss.

It’s really annoying how cheap this leases, it’s HALF the cost of a base GLE 350 at the same MRSP.
$750 a month vs. $1300.

Nitpicks?
No rear diff ‘locker’ unless you get a Tri Motor.
The door handles on the demo unit were squeaking … American cars.
The drive doesn’t have the effortless feeling of 5 series, GL or S class - it’s very sharp over smaller bumps and the steering is too twitchy.

This is G37 / E46 / 3G TL good - the kind of benchmark we’ll name-drop decades later.
It’s really annoying to feel like they’re going to sell 10 of them and ultimately fail.

[EvoFire]

Compare it to the Lucid? You make it sound almost god like.

[AstulzerRZD]

Lucid are amazing but their accomplishments have also been achieved by others.

Yes, Lucid seats caress my butt like JAL First class.
Yes, Lucid dynamics remind me of E39.
Yes, Lucid styling is what EQS and Jaguar should be.
Yes, Lucid has insane range.

Lucid didn’t do the impossible…
Lucid didn’t make 14 inch ground clearance drive better than MK7.5R on Ohlins.
Licid didn’t make all terrain tires chatter more than 992 GTS steering.
Lucid didn’t make Tacoma/Ourback look impractical.
Lucid didnt cover EVERY surface in a nice material … look at those seatbacks.
Lucid didn’t make a TRUCK get 420 mile of range
Lucid didn’t make a midsize truck have the cabin space of full size

We aren’t looking at a truck, we’re looking at the automotive equivalent of Van Gogh’s starry night, AP Royal Oak, Picasso type shit

[RabidRat]

Oh damn, you're making me miss mine :(.

[red kryptonite]

u dont have urs anymore??

[68style]

Hehe is gonna be big mad you didn’t compare the cyber truck

[Badhobz]

I think he died after musk vs trump shit happened

[RabidRat]

u dont have urs anymore??

Yeah, new model year of a new model from a new company: it was everything you'd expect from that. It was ok at first, but the rate of new issues cropping up was taking too much time to deal with. And with little kids at home, time's at a premium. An opportunity came up to get all my money back, so I jumped on it.

To be fair, you get what you pay for: I had a preorder discount that knocked tens of thousands off what it would now cost to buy. Given that fixing all those warranty issues is free of charge and simply kind of annoying, if I was at a different stage of my life I would've happily continued on with the arrangement.

I'd buy another if they weren't now so incredibly expensive. Hope one day I can afford to get another Rivian. Maybe when the R2 comes out!

[RabidRat]

They are also actively recruiting for all kinds of positions: somebody should get a job there and hook us all up with staff discounts!

[AstulzerRZD]

I'd buy another if they weren't now so incredibly expensive. Hope one day I can afford to get another Rivian. Maybe when the R2 comes out!

If I didn’t have to move to SoCal to work for them I would.

R2 has a roll down back window like 4Runner! Now with real space, power, and driving dynamics of a real car, not an ox cart with a hamster 4 cylinder.

[dark0821]

They are also actively recruiting for all kinds of positions: somebody should get a job there and hook us all up with staff discounts!

Tell me more.... but I dont have credentials~~~

[RabidRat]

If I didn’t have to move to SoCal to work for them I would.

NorCal (Palo Alto) offices are all the tech-heavy stuff, like user-facing electronics, ADAS, infotainment, etc:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Re35BI-GJKc

Palo Alto, CA - Sr. Machine Learning/AI Engineer in their ADAS team:
https://careers.rivian.com/careers-home/jobs/24165?lang=en-us&previousLocale=en-US

I don't see a PM role for that area open right now - iirc that's what you preferred - but I'm sure it'll eventually come up again.

Their SoCal (Irvine) offices are moreso where they do the traditional vehicle engineering. That might be more fun for you, but the stuff in Palo Alto seems more in keeping with your career interests?

Tell me more.... but I dont have credentials~~~

Vancouver, BC - Sr. Field Sales Guide
https://careers.rivian.com/careers-home/jobs/23639?lang=en-us&previousLocale=en-US

The level of role is beneath you though: hopefully more senior openings come up and then you can actually consider it :p.

Anyway yeah please either one of you take a job there so I can get myself back in a discounted Rivian that I can't afford otherwise!!

[headhunt3r]

I applied to a role there a long while ago but never got a call. Their posted compensation range was also quite below industry average.

[bcrdukes]

I think he died after musk vs trump shit happened

RIP Hehe? :badpokerface:

[Badhobz]

Hehe ? More like haha !

https://media.tenor.com/TywY4EYSTZEAAAAM/ha-ha-the-simpsons.gif

[EvoFire]

NorCal (Palo Alto) offices are all the tech-heavy stuff, like user-facing electronics, ADAS, infotainment, etc:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Re35BI-GJKc

Palo Alto, CA - Sr. Machine Learning/AI Engineer in their ADAS team:
https://careers.rivian.com/careers-home/jobs/24165?lang=en-us&previousLocale=en-US

I don't see a PM role for that area open right now - iirc that's what you preferred - but I'm sure it'll eventually come up again.

Their SoCal (Irvine) offices are moreso where they do the traditional vehicle engineering. That might be more fun for you, but the stuff in Palo Alto seems more in keeping with your career interests?


Vancouver, BC - Sr. Field Sales Guide
https://careers.rivian.com/careers-home/jobs/23639?lang=en-us&previousLocale=en-US

The level of role is beneath you though: hopefully more senior openings come up and then you can actually consider it :p.

Anyway yeah please either one of you take a job there so I can get myself back in a discounted Rivian that I can't afford otherwise!!

I applied to a role there a long while ago but never got a call. Their posted compensation range was also quite below industry average.

Same experience as headhunt3r. No response and below average compensation, even for Vancouver. A lot of the UI is done in Vancouver

[roastpuff]

The B10 A5 is an absolute disaster of an interior and exterior. I don't know what Audi was smoking but the B9/9.5 is way ahead of the 10 - in fit and finish, materials and design.

Mechanicals are mostly the same so not even worth mentioning.

[AstulzerRZD]

Lucid Air: Legend ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Throw an E39 M5, Porsche GT steering hardware, and S class in a blender.
Season it with Porsche’s latest HUD and Rivian’s UX.
Press the button ….

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/lAl28d6tbko/maxresdefault.jpg

Sell it at like 5 dealerships total and wonder why no one has bought one….
Discount the lease to be cheaper than a C class….
Presenting the Lucid Air.

https://cars.usnews.com/static/images/Auto/custom/14829/2022_Lucid_Air_Grand_Touring_31.jpg

Its parts are better than each of those cars, and summing them makes the goodness even greater, no notes.

Real talk: there’s this incredibly empowering comfort and confidence that washes over you every time you do anything in this car …. Not unlike a E46, 39, or W221 S class. If you’re an enthusiast that cares about the finest details in experience, this is the car that breaks the pattern of cost cut shitboxes like the new A5.

Want specifics?

They benchmarked E39 M5 for rear suspension, RS6 for front - steering and dynamics are better than both.

Seats? Foam, massage, and comfort is better than the S class. Immediate relaxing feeling.

Throttle and brakes? Perfectly tuned, this is the only car I’ve ever kept regen on in.

The drive? The steering, brakes, powertrain have a polish that gives old-school v8 sedan in a way that the Ioniq 5N could never match.

The tech? It has the HUD from Porsche Macan, putting all the self driving shit perfectly ON the lane so you can look out of the windshield like you normally would.

The only issue I’ve found is the self driving behaviour is sketchy. BMW’s is super brainless and Lucid needs to get there. They also need to hire the B9 Audi guy to make the buttons more consistently clicky and high quality feeling.

[roastpuff]

C8 Corvette: Don't Meet Your Heroes ★★★★⯨

So as I was being dragged along to Atlanta by the wife and had to kill two days while she was at the conference, I managed to find a neat trick - Enterprise Exotics will rent you a C8 Corvette mid-week for $149USD plus fees and taxes, totaling out to $185USD for 24 hours and unlimited mileage. Friday to Sunday rates are about triple that. They also have stuff like Porsche Caymans and 911s but those are still expensive mid-week, unlike the Corvette. The C8 Corvette has always intrigued me as this is the first time the Corvette has gone to a MR layout, and it has been praised quite a bit by journalists and those that have driven it as being a huge improvement in terms of how the Corvette drives compared to previous generations.

https://i.ibb.co/8gPSK3Jn/image.png

Exterior

The exterior of the Corvette is very angular and almost pointy, evoking fighter jets through the side intakes and perhaps a bit of Lamborghini/Ferrari through an American lens. The rear deck is huge and flat without a wing, almost shapeless - I think something is needed to break up the expanse of flatness here. The rear haunches are huge, the proportions almost comical. Unfortunately I don't think the rental car wash routine has been kind to this Corvette as it has quite a few swirls, water spots and other paint issues, but in general the build quality looked pretty good. Everything seemed solid and well put together, and the panel gaps were all acceptable.

I think the Z51 package would have done wonders here to make the car look more special and aggressive but unfortunately the rental Corvette did not come with the performance wing. The wing, splitter, bigger brakes and other bits would have improved the look of the car and made it look less bland. I think that was my general impression of the outside. Besides the red colour, the car kind of looked bland.

https://i.ibb.co/b57mM2dN/image.png

Interior

The interior was actually nicer than I expected - this rental was a 3LT (top trim in GM terms) and had faux-Alcantara(?) trim in a lot of places, not a ton of piano black and some pretty nice switchgear. The driver display screen is nice and crisp, the center infotainment display was a bit small, but both were a bit laggy unfortunately. Switching drive modes took an eternity, and trying to customize the driver display took more time than I would have liked. Climate controls are a bit confusing especially for the heated/vented seats. I was never sure whose seat I was turning on haha. Wireless CarPlay worked well, but the phone holder/charger location is utterly baffling - it is behind your elbow between the seats and very difficult to use. I ended up stashing my phone in the center console box which was a bit shallow but worked for that purpose. The interior does not have a ton of storage space, and more cramped than I was expecting. I have serious doubts about being comfortable with a helmet on which was kind of unfortunate - I do have a long torso which does not help.

https://i.ibb.co/5hbsnvPX/image.png

The steering wheel took some getting used to as it was that weird squircle shape, and the location of the volume/track buttons was pretty much a tacked on afterthought; I was not a huge fan of the wheel controls in general. The paddles were nice and heavy metal ones, but the actuation felt too long and mushy. There was no tactile click at the actuation point, simply a thunk at the end. The digital rear view mirror that can switch between regular and video feed was a godsend as at night the regular view was not very usable. The blind spots were huge as well, and shoulder checking simply netted you a view of the rear buttress/quarter pillar.

The seats were supremely comfortable and a pleasant surprise. They held well, had good padding and bolstering, were vented/cooled and currently one of my favourite performance seats. I put on a total of 475 miles during the time I had the car and I did not feel sore at all after that much driving in a 24 hour span. I believe these were the GT2 seats with the microfiber inserts. Seating position was good in the car, and I had room to spread out during cruise control periods on the highway.

Trunk wise, the rear trunk got surprisingly warm after driving around so I would not stash groceries in there, and the frunk was decently sized. Some wind noise from the targa top.

https://i.ibb.co/xkZG2Vd/image.png

Features (or lack thereof)

Why the hell did GM not put radar cruise control/lane keep assist on this thing? It has collision warning and lane departure alert already. Utterly baffling given the price and the grand touring nature of the car. It has a hilarious distance warning thing that basically says "Hey you're getting too close!" but doesn't do any braking at all.

The Bose Performance or whatever sound system that is in this car utterly sucks. Super disappointing. No highs no lows must be Bose.

Performance/Drive

Ah now we come to the meat of the matter.

The suspension is surprisingly great, has a very supple ride and incredibly comfortable in the city and on the highway. I don't know if this has MagneRide or not but I was blown away by how good this thing is as a highway cruiser over crappy American highways with tons of expansion joints. Managed to get 32-34MPG on the highway averaging 75MPH so that was a pleasant surprise. Eats up the miles very quickly and confidently.

The V8 power delivery is super flat and strong, almost feels supercharged/turbocharged. There's basically a torque plateau when you step on it and it doesn't stop pulling until redline (6500RPM). That much power on tap is intoxicating, and passing on two lane roads are not a problem (looking at you, S2000). However - and this is my big disappointment - it's too damn quiet. You can't hear it inside even in Track mode and stepping on it. With the windows down it doesn't get much better either. This issue is probably solved with the Z51 exhaust, but with a plain-Jane Corvette the sound is very muted.

DCT transmission is a little unrefined, it is definitely no DSG or PDK in terms of smoothness. In Track mode there is a nice aggressive shift shock though not as prominent as a BMW M ZF transmission in M mode. Not great creeping in city traffic, but that's true of most DCTs.

In cornering there is a boatload of front end grip - and rear end grip - in fact grip everywhere. I could not push this car to the limit as that would be suicidal on public roads. The suspension stayed very flat, the chassis communicated clearly what it was doing and how it was doing, the controls felt very linear and crystal clear. Throttle response was excellent, and like mentioned before power on tap at any RPM at any time. Steering was a bit numb and too heavy in track mode, feeling very wooden. The limit is so very high, and the car is very easy to approach/get comfortable driving. In fact it was so competent and so good that it made everything drama free, almost Porsche-like. You would need a track environment to push this car to the limit and truly get to know its personality.

I got to have a fun little encounter with a Turbo S Cabriolet on the highway, we did a few pulls and I got gapped every time - that's what 640 German horses will do to 490 American ones I guess. Not a fair fight but it was a fun five minutes.

Conclusion

The C8 Corvette is an excellent grand tourer, however as a performance car I wish it had more emotional range. The C7 and the preceding Corvettes were loud, raw, brash in your face Americana and the C8 is the polar opposite. It's as if they sent the Corvette to a Swiss boarding school and turned it into a European gentleman. Chevrolet has managed to create their take on a 911, and somehow lost its country roots in the process.

I want to drive one with the Z51 exhaust/performance package to answer whether or not a louder exhaust would help wake the car up.

Perhaps the Z06 is the answer, but until I get to drive one I won't know yet.

Bonus: that flat rear deck makes for a great dining table.

https://i.ibb.co/wFNByHGZ/image.png

[Traum]

C8 Corvette: Don't Meet Your Heroes ★★★★⯨

Other than the exhaust note, it seems to me that the hero you met is almost exactly the hero you wanted to meet!

And now I wanna try it too, but I feel like it'll be too wide a car for me to like. I generally prefer something smaller and narrower.

[roastpuff]

Other than the exhaust note, it seems to me that the hero you met is almost exactly the hero you wanted to meet!

And now I wanna try it too, but I feel like it'll be too wide a car for me to like. I generally prefer something smaller and narrower.

Is it though? I wish it didn't feel as sterile or German, it didn't really have any playfulness to it.

To be fair it handles excellently, and you don't notice the width. The C8 Corvette is one of those that shrinks around you as you drive it.

[noclue]

I wonder if the 2026 Z06 will change your mind. They updated the interior with a new display and faster processor, and no more wall of buttons. I drove behind a Z06 and the flatplane V8 reminded me of the 458. Loud AF too.

Corvettes used to be the sports car for the nascar loving hicks but starting with the C7 they stepped their game up IMO. Still relatively "cheap" to maintain compared to other cars in its class too.

[roastpuff]

Yeah I want to try the Z06 and see if that adds the "drama" back into the Corvette. Will have to try and find one for rent.

[AstulzerRZD]

Outback Onyx 2.5: Special Needs ⭐️⭐️

Seats and materials feel nice, powertrain is strong to 30kmh, space is good, and eyesight feels predictable.
Beauty here, however, is skin deep.

Let's talk about 18L/100km. E63 on the same route around Manhattan then to airport got better mileage.
Outback's boxer shakes car at 5000 RPM trying to merge, like a dropout attempting calculus - embarassing effort, 0 results.

Forums are filled with people like me, wondering why strut mounts/sway bars are clunking at 15k km.
Unibody construction! Independent suspension! This was an open book test and Subaru failed!

Speaking of IRS, the back end wiggles and pushes the front end around... just like a Wrangler.
Someone needs to audit how Subaru is designing these because something is lost in translation.

That Auto Vehicle Hold light blinks like broken smoke detector... it can't remember it's job without reminding itself every second.
The infotainment has 5000 buttons and fonts because it never learned that more shit doesn't equal intelligence...

In 10 years, while the Subaru's back on academic probation waiting for its third CVT, you could be in a Jeep with doors off, nothing between you and fresh air, another V8 upshift fart, and the sound of your own giggling. Or I guess.. 30 miles of EV range and 370hp.

One vehicle admits it's a C-student, threw a a party about it and got kinda smart.
The other flunked out of an undergrad in piston rings, got fat, but still corrects your grammar at Thanksgiving.
Choose wisely.

https://i.imgur.com/JDdduoO.jpeg
https://i.imgur.com/14Pad3g.jpeg
https://i.imgur.com/XwdOHvW.mp4

[EvoFire]

It's been a running joke with my friends, friends don't let friends buy Subarus. They were never all that amazing back in the day but the halo around the STI and an actually sporty Legacy made them cool.

There's no more STI, the Legacy is a boat and doesn't sell, the WRX has got open diffs all around, and the only reason why the BRZ even exists is because of Toyota. This is looking like the last gen of the BRZ if the rumours of the Toyota/Mazda collab is true.

[AstulzerRZD]

subie love is copium from ppl who feel smug about not driving a jeep / audi
but were really just too poor/arrogant to experience a better product

I really wanted Legacy GT or Spec B too but EJ207/257 and the 5MT come with a bento box of issues.
Even 1.8T Audi weren't as bad as those..

[EvoFire]

I really wanted a Spec B as well. The 6sp had no issues, the problem was with the VF42 and the banjo bolt with it getting clogged and then starving the turbo. Common upgrade back in the day was either the VF48 from a STI or a BNR S2.

[AstulzerRZD]

Big part of the unreliability is Subie dealers only doing shortblock for rebuilds.
Old oil pump and shit blows up the new engine.

My buddy had 3 rebuilds on GR STi and they refused to do new longblock still.

[underscore]

I've never tried an STi, but the 3rd gen WRX I test drove was one of the most bland things I've ever driven.

[jing]

7 years and 75k on our Subaru problem free. Testing my luck? :accepted:

[Traum]

HBL Autosport is known to be one of the local shops that are very good with Subarus, and I know the owner quite well. As he has always said -- as long as you take care of your Subie and stay on top of the maintenance, their cars are generally still very reliable.

[AstulzerRZD]

That's probably true - I wouldn't expect a Crosstrek or Forester to blow up.

That said, every Subaru my family has looked at would have failed because of a design issue:

1) '04 Forester XT: turbo banjo bolts
2) '10 Outback 2.5: CVT was recalled, EJ25 head gaskets
3) '12 Forester 2.5: FB engine issues
4) '14 BRZ: valve spring, rod bearings
5) '19 Ascent: CVT was recalled

I guess if we got the '10 3.6R outback with 5EAT, that would've been fine.

[headhunt3r]

You'd think after 3 or so bad experiences, your family would want to switch it up.

[bcrdukes]

Subaru folks are deathly loyal to the brand, despite the issues experienced.

[Badhobz]

all the head gasket fumes have put holes in their head.

[AstulzerRZD]

Just pinged my master tech friend...

CVTs are fucked until 2024
- TR580 CVT (4-cyl, non turbo) from 2010-2023 has valve body that will fail in 160-250k km range. 2024+ got updated valve body.
- TR690/SPT CVT (4cyl turbo) got new valve body for 2021+

Engines are now ok

- FA24DI/DIT is good now, the 20s will blow up.
- FB25 is ok except for cam carrier/front plate leak.

Older stuff:
- EZ36 is generally reliable but 6 cyl head gaskets will seep internally, causing misfire and overheat. 2019+ have some sort of a leak.
- EJ257 Turbo had bearing issue until 2017, there's a TSB.

[AstulzerRZD]

You'd think after 3 or so bad experiences, your family would want to switch it up.

Exactly, I'm saying we DIDN'T buy them but if we did, we'd have hella issues.

[EvoFire]

I do not trust any CVTs with Subaru. If you are driving a lowly Crosstrek you might be ok. A big SUV like the Ascent, or anything with a turbo, you are asking for trouble.

The VA WRX auto is a CVT, it's common knowledge you cannot mod the car as even a tune will put the car outside of the CVT's range and you will break the tranny.

[AstulzerRZD]

My opinion is every subaru driver would be better in audi ... they just can't afford double the cost or want something cheap they can beat up.

[headhunt3r]

Exactly, I'm saying we DIDN'T buy them but if we did, we'd have hella issues.

Failed myself for reading comprehension challenges

[Traum]

My opinion is every subaru driver would be better in audi ... they just can't afford double the cost or want something cheap they can beat up.
Given Audi's reliability record, I am really skeptical about whether someone would be better off in an Audi than a Subie lol~

Toyota FTW~! (Except for Hobz. But he is driving the Ratoulla and Camry anyway.)

[Badhobz]

^old Toyotas FTW... new ones are questionable at best.

[roastpuff]

Given Audi's reliability record, I am really skeptical about whether someone would be better off in an Audi than a Subie lol~

Toyota FTW~! (Except for Hobz. But he is driving the Ratoulla and Camry anyway.)

The EA888 Gen 3 and onwards have been very reliable, the 2+ were fine post-ring recall. EA839 has a bunch of issues... that is to be resolved lol.

The DSG and ZF trans aren't the issues - they're stout and can handle a lot of HP.

Both Audi and Subie have their issues but at least Audi interior quality and exterior quality is miles ahead of the Subie lol. Far more comfortable car to cry in at the side of the road waiting for BCAA.

[jing]

CVT.. check
Turbo... check
FA20DIT.... check

Hopefully we're an outlier :pokerface:

[Badhobz]

Both Audi and Subie have their issues but at least Audi interior quality and exterior quality is miles ahead of the Subie lol. Far more comfortable car to cry in at the side of the road waiting for BCAA.
FeelsGoodMan you know whats crazy? the only cars ive seen in tow trucks in richmond are mercedes or bmw... never seen an audi, never seen a range rover

[bcrdukes]

Well, that's confidence inspiring. I just put a deposit down on an stupid BMW M3 you suggested!

(In my dreams)

[djstyles]

The EA888 Gen 3 and onwards have been very reliable, the 2+ were fine post-ring recall. EA839 has a bunch of issues... that is to be resolved lol.



I can attest to the reliability of the EA888 Gen 3, at least in my GTI. It's been tuned most of it's life, now with a larger turbo making around 400hp for over 5 years without a single issue (knock on wood). I'm pretty surprised to be honest but I'll take it.

[AstulzerRZD]

like yeah the turbo actuator, and PCV/rear mail seal might go bad on ea888
but it won't blow up like a FA20.

[BIC_BAWS]

FeelsGoodMan you know whats crazy? the only cars ive seen in tow trucks in richmond are mercedes or bmw... never seen an audi, never seen a range rover

On a RS member's IG story, I watched a range rover's engine blow up while driving down the road lol

[68style]

Hobz never sees dead Rangies cuz he never ventures outside Richmond or Vancouver, aka first owner territory.

Go to Surrey or Langley where the poors masquerading as riches buy them 2nd or 3rd hand at 70% discount and you can play “spot the flatbed” for shots.

[bcrdukes]

I mentioned here on the forums there was an engineer I work with whose Range Rover's turbo blew up on him.

He is on his 12th Range Rover.

[Traum]

His 12th Range Rover?!

Who the heck is this guy? Is he a masochist, or does he just enjoy self-inflicted injuries?

[Badhobz]

^Yray's brother YGAY

[bcrdukes]

His 12th Range Rover?!

Who the heck is this guy? Is he a masochist, or does he just enjoy self-inflicted injuries?

I can't make this up but he claims to be a genius.

[underscore]

Having worked with a lot of them, quite a few of the stereotypes about Engineers exist for good reason lol.

[RabidRat]

I can't make this up but he claims to be a genius.

People who think they're smart are usually the biggest morons lol

[bcrdukes]

I forgot to mention that when I originally posted about this guy's Range Rover blowing up, he was on his 7th Range Rover.

[noclue]

Range Rover buyers are loyal, I can see why the build quality and "presence" is a step above the german competitors.

However when I was in Denver, enterprise gave me a brand new range rover with 9000miles, maybe it's for the Aspen crowd. The car had electrical gremlins already, the blind spot assist failed and how it failed is that the light in the mirror stays on permanently... which is aggravating at night. But the most unforgivable one is that there is a fundamental design error with the side mirror, when you go above 80km/h it starts howling in the cabin like the window is open. Apparently it's fixed in the 2025+ models but how the fuck did it pass QA?

Tata needs to sell JLR back to BMW so they can fix things up.

[yray]

it seems i've been summoned

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRMJIyrIvyWUZrut4vk-rwdhKs7luGr1zywpQ&s

its usually timing chain that fucks up on the later models, and no range rover owner is going to pay 10k to get the chains redone at a mechanic :lol


and RRS, velar or evoque is not a range rover :troll:

[bcrdukes]

Just got back from Los Angeles and rented a 2025 Toyota Grand Highlander for five days.

The original draw to rent from Avis was taking a chance whether they had a Toyota Crown or not. Turns out they do not at LAX. Instead, the rental agent gave us a choice between a Challenger or a Grand Highlander. We had the Challenger before so we decided to get the Grand Highlander. For additional context, the car already had 8350 miles when picking it up from the rental facility.

Exterior - Google photos of it or go to Toyota's website. It's just a stock car in white.

Interior/fit/finish - I generally don't care about these things compared to the rest of you guys. My expectations is that nothing falls apart and I am happy with the exception of Hyundai/Kia because they just aren't good no matter how you package it. For the Grand Highlander, nothing rattled whatsoever. Centre console was neat. USB ports are USB-C, so that was a surprise to us. This is a 7-seater with plenty of space. The front seats were pretty comfortable and no complaints or fatigue experienced by myself or my wife, or any passengers we had. Made in Japan or Canada/US - I'm not sure and I didn't really care. You guys can do your due diligence. It felt like a Japanese-built car.

Sound / Noise - Driving on a combination of local roads and a variety of local and interstate freeways (i.e. 5, 405, 60, 57, 91, 605, 101, and 110 etc.) certain freeways can be really noisy, but you can just drown it out by turning up the volume. Most of you guys have super sensitive ASMR-type hearing so I'm afraid this will annoy you all.

Engine - I think this was the base 2.4L turbo engine with an 8-speed transmission. I didn't really have any complaints with it. I can relate to how some of you folks complained the engine sounds like trash, but only when eco mode is turned on. Once you get going, it's pretty quiet. It has a good amount of torque when you need to enter the freeways from the on-ramps.

My only gripe being that the turbo kicks in and then you have this massive burst of torque and speed, so you need to learn how to modulate the throttle. If you decide to go full retard on the throttle and not watch what's in front of you, I hope you know how to brake as well.

Braking - This thing is massive and it's not something I'm used to driving. I would say that braking is alright given the size of the vehicle. At a full red light, you have to really give some effort into putting your foot down on the pedal. Otherwise, you'll inch up towards the car in front of you. Again, this is a massive car. When coming to sudden stops, you can feel some kind of artificial (?) brake boost to really slow the car down.

Fuel economy - I didn't track fuel economy on this car but we drove a solid high 300 to low 400 miles on a full tank. I had to top up about 4 gallons before returning the vehicle to Avis. I generally don't track or factor in fuel economy when buying or renting a car so your mileage may vary.

Driving nannies - I didn't turn any on like lane assist and all the warning lights so they don't influence my experience. The auto stop/start was pretty good, unlike the Volvo V60 rental we had a few years ago. That was a total POS. The Toyota's auto stop/start was pretty intuitive, so no annoyances there. We connected our phone to the infotainment system and used Apple Carplay which worked flawlessly.

Final remarks - Overall, not a bad car, but having this for the week further emphasizes my decision to not wanting an SUV. I did not particularly enjoy driving it, but having HPDE experience definitely helped manage the nuances of handling, weight shifting, braking, and general driving dynamics etc. I can understand how this vehicle may appeal to people, but for the general RevScene demographic and amount of Toyota hate spewed on this forum, it's par for the course where we can agree it's typical Toyota trash.

Overall - 10/10. Interpret this review with a grain of salt and however you will. BMW still reigns supreme. Highly (not) recommended. :accepted:

[Traum]

Engine - I think this was the base 2.4L turbo engine with an 8-speed transmission. I didn't really have any complaints with it. I can relate to how some of you folks complained the engine sounds like trash, but only when eco mode is turned on. Once you get going, it's pretty quiet. It has a good amount of torque when you need to enter the freeways from the on-ramps.

My only gripe being that the turbo kicks in and then you have this massive burst of torque and speed, so you need to learn how to modulate the throttle. If you decide to go full retard on the throttle and not watch what's in front of you, I hope you know how to brake as well.

I find it interesting that you view the turbo torque kick in as a negative! Cuz normally, I'd mostly view that as a positive lol~ I certainly hate a massive delay between throttle application and the on-coming of that massive turbo torque surge, and I suspect I wouldn't like it too much either if the turbo torque surge is extreme. But given how this is "just a Toyota 2.4L turbo 4", I can't imagine how the turbo surge would be that big of a surprise.

[AstulzerRZD]

The CX-5 and Toyota turbo have weird throttle / spool calibrations

The Ford 2.3T in Mustang and Explorer doesn’t - drives like a big NA v6 except stronger.

[68style]

Toyota's transmission programming is awful, even the 2013 RX350 I recently inherited with the 2GR in it, you're either not accelerating enough or accelerating too much, there's no "right" acceleration amount, it's super annoying. Same with any of the short lived V6 RAV-4 from that era that I drove.

I know they CAN do it right, the 2012 Camry with a 2GR I never had any issues with and my dad's old Highlander with the 3.0L as well as an ES300 I had, there was zero issues it did exactly what you wanted it to all the time.

Just bizarre decisions.

[EvoFire]

Except for not downshifting on braking, the old 4AT Toyota transmissions were quite good.

My experience is since the 5ATs, Toyota autos have typically been not great. I drove one of the CVT Corollas once and after a rather hard stop, the tranny was stuck in high gear for quite some time before it could transition back to a lower sized pulley and provide some power.

[AstulzerRZD]

I don't mind the super spongy Toyota brake pedal on commuter cars. The first inch of travel doing almost nothing is great for being smooth when I have passengers.

The Grand Highlander drives like a massive boat, the hybrid helps with the weird throttle response, and the TX has a much better suspension.

[bcrdukes]

I find it interesting that you view the turbo torque kick in as a negative! ...*Edited* But given how this is "just a Toyota 2.4L turbo 4", I can't imagine how the turbo surge would be that big of a surprise.

The CX-5 and Toyota turbo have weird throttle / spool calibrations


I think AstulzerRZD was able to better articulate my experience. The throttle and turbo spool calibration perhaps is a bit...unpredictable? When you want turbo to kick in, it doesn't. :pokerface:

Toyota's transmission programming is awful

At first, I wasn't sure if this car had a CVT or a traditional transmission. After say about an hour's worth of driving, the transmission was pretty good and adapted to my style of driving (aka slow and boring.) Shifts were precise and smooth.

I don't mind the super spongy Toyota brake pedal on commuter cars. The first inch of travel doing almost nothing is great for being smooth when I have passengers.

The Grand Highlander drives like a massive boat, the hybrid helps with the weird throttle response, and the TX has a much better suspension.

I think spongy is a good way of describing it. It was pretty smooth overall. When you really needed to come to a hard stop, every passenger can feel the properties of physics.

[RabidRat]

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

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

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

[bcrdukes]

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

[Badhobz]

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

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

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

[AstulzerRZD]

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

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

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

[AstulzerRZD]

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

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

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

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

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

[bcrdukes]

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

[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.
https://i.postimg.cc/4466zpm5/trim-D691FAA4-F457-4EDB-9CF3-EE7FB837F618.gif
Exit Interview:

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

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

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

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

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

[EvoFire]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[AstulzerRZD]

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


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

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


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

[noclue]

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

[EvoFire]

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



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

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

[AstulzerRZD]

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

[AstulzerRZD]

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

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

The TX however... that's bad.

[BIC_BAWS]

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

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

[Badhobz]

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

[EvoFire]

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

[68style]

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

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

[EvoFire]

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

[headhunt3r]

Easy there Shakira.

[AstulzerRZD]

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

https://i.gaw.to/content/photos/63/12/631200-dodge-hornet-phev-2024-un-potentiel-mal-execute.jpeg

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[EvoFire]

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

https://i.gaw.to/content/photos/63/12/631200-dodge-hornet-phev-2024-un-potentiel-mal-execute.jpeg

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[bcrdukes]

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

[RabidRat]

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

https://i.gaw.to/content/photos/63/12/631200-dodge-hornet-phev-2024-un-potentiel-mal-execute.jpeg

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

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

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

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

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

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

Were you at SFO?

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

[AstulzerRZD]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[AstulzerRZD]

Were you at SFO?

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

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

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

[bcrdukes]

Oh, it's an Aisin gearbox? Toyota definitely had a say in this.

"This is how you improve your workflow and improve your cash flows." - Toyota :fuckthatshit:

[EvoFire]

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

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

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

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

I'm surprised it bobs even with FSD, those are universially praised. But even considering those parts, it would maybe have costed them the GDP of Mali for spec them. It would hardly make on dent on the iterative development needed for a good tranny tune and drive modes. And that goes all the way back to not investing in good baseline settings as quite a few of their small car drivetrains or newly released drivetrains suffer. The big stuff is good it seems.

The BMW DCT was slow in my F56 but not to the realm of annoying. It is straight up annoying in the latest rendition I tried in the 24 X1. The 22 wasn't as bad, but BMW does change the tuning yoy. We had a MY19 X3, and a MY20 X3 tranny feels very different.

The Aisin8 I had experience with in the various Minis and old X1, it was slow and couldn't figure out which gear it's supposed to be in and constantly gets caught with it's pants down.

The Acura 10sp was in the RDX, it was mostly fine around town, but it has this HUGE lag if you are just rolling along and then getting on the gas. SG found the same issue with the MDX and he made half a video about it.

[AstulzerRZD]

I'm surprised it bobs even with FSD, those are universially praised. But even considering those parts, it would maybe have costed them the GDP of Mali for spec them. It would hardly make on dent on the iterative development needed for a good tranny tune and drive modes. And that goes all the way back to not investing in good baseline settings as quite a few of their small car drivetrains or newly released drivetrains suffer. The big stuff is good it seems.


It's cuz it's a Jeep Renegade with a big battery and brembos.
4100 lbs (800 more than CRV), 3-4 inch shorter wheelbase than CR-V, geometry is probably a lot less favorable too.

The Aisin8 I had experience with in the various Minis and old X1, it was slow and couldn't figure out which gear it's supposed to be in and constantly gets caught with it's pants down.

Heard. I only drove them in rentals so it was full throttle everywhere.

The Acura 10sp was in the RDX, it was mostly fine around town, but it has this HUGE lag if you are just rolling along and then getting on the gas. SG found the same issue with the MDX and he made half a video about it.

That's terrible. I drove it in Odyssey where I was often mid throttle or higher. The downshifts were pretty aggressive and quick when i rolled onto the gas.

[EvoFire]

The rental car life. Most of my drives were in Richmond inching along in traffic. Very difference use cases.

[AstulzerRZD]

I think the driving pattern is sometimes just really different.
CRV or my mom’s RAV4 will see redline daily in Seattle to keep up with rush hour traffic.

Nothing like an 8 lane merge from 520 to I5 Mercer exit in under a mile… or an uphill onramp followed by 2 lane changes thru exiting traffic to merge onto I5.

[Badhobz]

You should try a base model corolla LE. Best car ever !

[EvoFire]

I think the driving pattern is sometimes just really different.
CRV or my mom’s RAV4 will see redline daily in Seattle to keep up with rush hour traffic.

Nothing like an 8 lane merge from 520 to I5 Mercer exit in under a mile… or an uphill onramp followed by 2 lane changes thru exiting traffic to merge onto I5.

Yeah some of those interchanges and cross overs in and around Seattle and Bellevue are HUGE killers. I had rev the piss out of the X3 to cross 4 lanes of traffic. It was the same in San Diego and the Velar we had was worse. At least San Diego isn't as hectic as Seattle.

[AstulzerRZD]

You should try a base model corolla LE. Best car ever !

The last gen CVT, steering, headlights were a lot better than the 9G Civic.

I've roasted the front brakes on one till the pads were dripping down the hubcaps because my flight was 3 hours earlier than I thought it was.

Markham Road to YYZ was 25 minutes at 4PM that day.

[Badhobz]

YOU LYING SACK OF SHIT. you've never driven a corolla in your life have you!?!? HAVE YOU!?!!!?!?! last gen rolla? heh....

Only true corolla retards know dis.

Question 1!!!

HOW would you rate its seats

1) Paper thin
2) nicely bolstered
3) Plush like a cadillac

Question 2!!!!

How were the LED lighting for incoming traffic

1) nicely calibrated
2) blinding
3) too low, cant see fucking shit

Question 3!!!!

Did the bitch ass ratrolla engine sound

1) droney
2) heavenly
3) like a tin can rattling inside another tin can being pushed down a flight of stairs

RATROLLA BOSS LEVEL QUESTION!!!!

What trim was the only proper trim to buy a corolla in

1) NightShade
2) Apex
3) LE + comfort package

[bcrdukes]

Roasting the brakes in a Corolla? :fuckthatshit:

[AstulzerRZD]

HOW would you rate its seats

1) Paper thin
Spent more time looking for the fucking hubcap I lost in blue mountain than in the seat.
2) nicely bolstered
3) Plush like a cadillac

Question 2!!!!
How were the LED lighting for incoming traffic

1) nicely calibrated
2) blinding
3) too low, cant see fucking shit

Question 3!!!!
Did the bitch ass ratrolla engine sound

1) droney
2) heavenly
3) like a tin can rattling inside another tin can being pushed down a flight of stairs

RATROLLA BOSS LEVEL QUESTION!!!!
What trim was the only proper trim to buy a corolla in

1) NightShade
2) Apex
3) LE + comfort package
Who tf buys the upper trim corolla? It still has the 1.8.
You get all the driver assist in the lower trim and the only thing you're missing is color instrument panel screen.

RATROLLA BOSS LEVEL QUESTION FOR COROLLA POSEURS!!!!
What OEM tires were offered for CANADIAN market refresh model from 17-19

- Firestone FT140
- Primary MXV4
- Turanza EL400-02
- Dunlop SP5000
- ContiProContact
- Goodyear Eagle LS-2
- Firestone FR710

[roastpuff]

Oh, it's an Aisin gearbox? Toyota definitely had a say in this.

"This is how you improve your workflow and improve your cash flows." - Toyota :fuckthatshit:

You get Kaizen! You get Kaizen! Everyone gets Kaizen!

[AstulzerRZD]

Roasting the brakes in a Corolla? :fuckthatshit:

140kmh braking down to 20kmh a few times in 401 traffic will do that

[Badhobz]

HOW would you rate its seats

1) Paper thin
Spent more time looking for the fucking hubcap I lost in blue mountain than in the seat.
2) nicely bolstered
3) Plush like a cadillac

Question 2!!!!
How were the LED lighting for incoming traffic

1) nicely calibrated
2) blinding
3) too low, cant see fucking shit

Question 3!!!!
Did the bitch ass ratrolla engine sound

1) droney
2) heavenly
3) like a tin can rattling inside another tin can being pushed down a flight of stairs

RATROLLA BOSS LEVEL QUESTION!!!!
What trim was the only proper trim to buy a corolla in

1) NightShade
2) Apex
3) LE + comfort package
Who tf buys the upper trim corolla? It still has the 1.8.
You get all the driver assist in the lower trim and the only thing you're missing is color instrument panel screen.

RATROLLA BOSS LEVEL QUESTION FOR COROLLA POSEURS!!!!
What OEM tires were offered for CANADIAN market refresh model from 17-19

- Firestone FT140
- Primary MXV4
- Turanza EL400-02
- Dunlop SP5000
- ContiProContact
- Goodyear Eagle LS-2
- Firestone FR710

Holy shit!!!! That’s all correct. You are my adopted son now.

Uhhh tire choices….. I had a fucking Corolla during these years and I didn’t even bother looking at the tires. I wanna say the cheapest shit like a Firestone or a turanza Bridgestone

[EvoFire]

EL400-2

[AstulzerRZD]

Canadians got the garbage Bridgestones or the MXV4.
Firestones were US spec.
Dunlop and Goodyears were previous gen tire.

I spent a fair bit of time at TMM-C during those years

[AstulzerRZD]

EL400-2

Yes or the MXV4s.

Northern US distributors and Canadian FRS/BRZ/86s sometimes shipped with EL400-02 instead of the Primacy HP summer tires.

[EvoFire]

They've been using EL400 since before 2010. Garbage tires, worse than Flintstones, no grip when dry, no grip when wet, they do go on forever and ever and ever though

[Badhobz]

I think I drove them during the winter snow and it was okay. The guy who crashed his is300 into a tree borrowed the ratrolla during that winter and didn’t die (or hit a tree)

[roastpuff]

The similar era Civic came with the FT140s. What a garbage tire.

[AstulzerRZD]

It was a good day when your Zipcar Corolla had the MXV4 and the Civic had the Kinergy GTs.
Getting Ecopia EP422s on a Golf or Jetta was like winning the lottery.

[bcrdukes]

Interesting.

When we bought our Corolla, the stock tire was the Ecopia EP422.

[AstulzerRZD]

You have the 17s on iM which were Ecopia or the SP5000

[RabidRat]

The last gen CVT, steering, headlights were a lot better than the 9G Civic.

I've roasted the front brakes on one till the pads were dripping down the hubcaps because my flight was 3 hours earlier than I thought it was.

Markham Road to YYZ was 25 minutes at 4PM that day.

LOL I've done the exact same thing, for the exact same reason, down the exact same highway.

[bcrdukes]

Not exactly my own car, but I just came back from LA with a 4 day rental of a 2024 Kia Forte (trim unknown.)

Basic - 10/10
Boring - 10/10
Handling - 10/10

Throttle control is a bit interesting. I can't tell if this was the GT trim with the turbo, but I highly doubt it. Every movement of the throttle pedal felt like there was a huge lag before the car gets going. That, or there really is no torque. However, when I get going from a highway entry, it picks up speed quickly almost uncontrollably.

Surprisingly, the trunk was massive. It fit two large suitcases and a few extra back packs and other stuff. As for the infotainment system, it works and it has its weird quirks like with Apple CarPlay. The system works but when you use features like navigation, the voice will either be super loud or super quiet. There was no way to adjust it. The other WTF quirk was when you go into Reverse, it shows the rear camera. But once you put it into Drive, it get stuck on it for a while before switching back to CarPlay or the infotainment system.

Otherwise, it's a basic car with basic features and basic build. Would I buy one myself? Absolutely not. But if someone just needed a car and didn't care about anything other than fill it up with gas and drive? Yes. Is it for Revscene? Probably not.

10/10

[RabidRat]

I read "Handling 10/10" as "Hoarding 10/10", but it seems your comment on trunk space validates that anyway.

[bcrdukes]

All you bitches complain about trunk space for your hoarding needs so I felt it was important to review that as part of a community service. :D

e.g.

"I have kids now so I need massive trunk space!" - RS Member 1
"I just got married so I need all the space I can!" - RS Member 2
"Need the space for three strollers but I only have one kid and my mother in law is a pain in the ass" - RS Member 3

You know which one of these categories you each fall into!

Go to hell, die in a fire, and have a Revscene Day! :D

[Badhobz]

stupid geezers and your Guangdong hoarding! :swear:

[AstulzerRZD]

However, when I get going from a highway entry, it picks up speed quickly almost uncontrollably.

at this point, the license is just another item in the Guangdong hoard - kept well past its useful life.

[RabidRat]

"Need the space for three strollers but I only have one kid" - RS Member 3

[...]

Go to hell, die in a fire, and have a Revscene Day! :D

Only three strollers? If we must.

Stroller #1: The Daily Driver

Don't be caught without your standard issue UPPAbaby Cruz V3. Heirloom-grade textiles meets aerospace-spec aluminum frame.

Patented FlexRide suspension is sure to protect your stroller-pushing wrists against any break in the pavement. Magnetic 5-point harness showers your child in apparent safety, with a sleight of hand.

MSRP: $1299


https://cdn11.bigcommerce.com/s-mzugjy007v/images/stencil/1280x1280/attribute_rule_images/31090170_source_1760564248.jpg


Stroller #2: The Jogger

Run, don't walk to the coffee place. You're an athlete god damn it, and you need to let the world know.

The only true choice is the Thule Glide 3.

MSRP: $899

https://www.thule.com/-/p/krxhtcjTPY3cnahG4cpDnMpBw6TUPC_Wlh1umpBOd0I/rs:fit/f:avif/cb:1.6/q:80/h:1200/w:1200/plain/approved/std.lang.all/97/43/1539743.png


Stroller #3: The Vacationer

Travel calls. You need something improbably compact and impossibly lightweight to bring the baby with.

Introducing the Bugaboo Butterfly 2 in Heritage Black.

MSRP: $679

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71oJKToNUZL._AC_SL1500_.jpg

[bcrdukes]

What kind of income would one need to warrant three baby strollers? Disgusting!

[RabidRat]

Revscene ballers: "don't know. ask my private banker."

For the rest of us: FB marketplace / workplace classifieds! if it's something relatively popular and high-durability, the TCO of buying it used and selling it again is pretty good. We settled on just one stroller though: I find that a carrier works way better for the trails.

[radeonboy]

What kind of income would one need to warrant three baby strollers? Disgusting!

Two six-figure incomes. But heaven forbid the in laws touch anything. Not even when you drop off your baby in a stroller and forget to explain how it works. That way you can scold them later when they inevitably maybe damage it while trying to collapse the thing so they can have dim sum without blocking the walkways.

My parents and I no longer touch any of my sister’s strollers. Yet they still leave one of their so called vacationer models at my parents’ house. At this point I am tempted to throw it out.

[bcrdukes]

I see you have lived world experience on this! :D

radeonboy is a bad uncle. :troll:

I think donating it to a charitable cause might inflict more emotional damage.

[RabidRat]

Oh man, the ultra-compact strollers are the worst for that. If you don't do all the steps just right, stuff jams up. And then if you force it, things snap.

But for some steps, you're supposed to shove harder. Or else when you fold it, things snap.

Choose wisely!!

[bcrdukes]

Oh, I forgot to mention. When going over any bumps or braking in the Kia Forte, it would make this squeaky sound as if a rat was in the car. It wouldn't stop until the car settled. :D

[RabidRat]

, it would make this squeaky sound as if a rat was in the car.

how dare you

[Badhobz]

pssh you people and your HU-MON strollers. pathetic....

DOG STROLLER Is where its at. $950 USD clams for this.

https://www.poshpuppyboutique.com/cdn/shop/files/nv-no-zip-pet-stroller-dalmation-262249_720x.jpg?v=1718490348
https://www.poshpuppyboutique.com/collections/strollers/products/nv-no-zip-pet-stroller-dalmation

https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/695a0108c6b5a73bb1d0d44e/cde6e7bf-7063-4df0-9b3f-d1dd0392c071/IMG_0807.jpg?format=1500w

broke ass babies, you cant flex on me you bitches. I GOT A CUSTOM RAIN SCREEN YO. air suspension (uhhh theres air in the tires, not solid rubber like the cheap shit)
also got a 270-degree air pad pet impact protection! (the orange label) and CAMO so nobody can even see me.

https://i.postimg.cc/9MsctKn1/IMG-5587.jpg

[bcrdukes]

That dog looks miserable.

[Badhobz]

^ fuck you !!!!! dont you dare talk to mr jub nub ! he turned into a dog god now.

[bcrdukes]

lol i didn't see the update

I was referring to the stock photo lol

[RabidRat]

^ Don't succumb to his pressure. Be like Carney: stick it to the man. The dog is miserable, you tell him!!

[bcrdukes]

Unlike Trump, Badhobz is a man of his word. If he says he will murder me, I trust that he will murder me. :D

[Traum]

I think he would rather "destroy you" than to "murder you", and we all know what he means by "destorying". :ifyouknow:

[bcrdukes]

:sweetjesus:

[CivicBlues]

pssh you people and your HU-MON strollers. pathetic....

DOG STROLLER Is where its at. $950 USD clams for this.

https://www.poshpuppyboutique.com/cdn/shop/files/nv-no-zip-pet-stroller-dalmation-262249_720x.jpg?v=1718490348
https://www.poshpuppyboutique.com/collections/strollers/products/nv-no-zip-pet-stroller-dalmation

https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/695a0108c6b5a73bb1d0d44e/cde6e7bf-7063-4df0-9b3f-d1dd0392c071/IMG_0807.jpg?format=1500w

broke ass babies, you cant flex on me you bitches. I GOT A CUSTOM RAIN SCREEN YO. air suspension (uhhh theres air in the tires, not solid rubber like the cheap shit)
also got a 270-degree air pad pet impact protection! (the orange label) and CAMO so nobody can even see me.

https://i.postimg.cc/9MsctKn1/IMG-5587.jpg

Look I'm no breeder either but this is PEAK First-world Western decadence. We need North Korea to nuke us now based solely on this.

[RabidRat]

also got a 270-degree air pad pet impact protection! (the orange label) and CAMO so nobody can even see me.

https://i.postimg.cc/9MsctKn1/IMG-5587.jpg

Isn't that the opposite of safety? Nobody can see the pet stroller, including cars as you're crossing the street?!

I guess you could actively tilt the stroller 270° towards the incoming cars.

[Badhobz]

The camo works so well that people think I have a hu Mon baby ! Ha

[bcrdukes]

This is starting to sound like an insurance scam.

[Badhobz]

Wife told me to get the bright pink one (FOR SAFETY apparently), i said thats gay as fuck, ill get the camo instead.

nothing screams im full-hetero with a tiny dog in a camo stroller being pushed by a 6'2 fat fuck in a costco suit. I think the sheer sight of such a masculine image causes women to instantly cream their pants and lesbians run to conversion therapy.

[RabidRat]

I think the real genius of this post was that I was so confused I had to read and re-read it like five times.

I was baited to read this garbage five times. FML.

[bcrdukes]

How did a review of a Kia Forte turn into this?

[Badhobz]

dog stroller is better than Kia Forte! IT JUST IS !

[RabidRat]

How did a review of a Kia Forte turn into this?

Ahem.

In the immortal words of Donald J Trump: "your topic lives because RS lets it live. Remember that the next time you make your posts. RS could decide to use excessive derailing force. But RS won't use derailing force. Frankly RS thread derailment would be unstoppable."

[bcrdukes]

*Post reported to moderator* :accepted:

[supafamous]

Since we were just trashing the Corolla a couple weeks ago I'll report back that I rented an EVO Corolla Hybrid for a $8 drive and it was....fine?

I wouldn't recommend it to anyone here but if someone just wanted an appliance that'll never break down that's cheap to run it's entirely adequate as transportation. I can't believe it didn't come with a heated steering wheel even on what was the stripper trim I was driving.

It might be the cheapest hybrid on the market I think at $33k all-in - even the cheapest Civic hybrid is $41k. Tough to beat at that price point.

[RabidRat]

Not only that, they come in AWD now.

And because it's done with an electric motor in the rear, that's basically a locking center diff.

If they made that trunk lid open like a hatch, it'd be the GOAT.

[EvoFire]

Not only that, they come in AWD now.

And because it's done with an electric motor in the rear, that's basically a locking center diff.

If they made that trunk lid open like a hatch, it'd be the GOAT.

The preface that, the rear motor makes like 30hp? Not exactly rockclimbing capability there.

[bcrdukes]

Since we were just trashing the Corolla a couple weeks ago I'll report back that I rented an EVO Corolla Hybrid for a $8 drive and it was....fine?

I wouldn't recommend it to anyone here but if someone just wanted an appliance that'll never break down that's cheap to run it's entirely adequate as transportation. I can't believe it didn't come with a heated steering wheel even on what was the stripper trim I was driving.

It might be the cheapest hybrid on the market I think at $33k all-in - even the cheapest Civic hybrid is $41k. Tough to beat at that price point.

I am curious if any Corolla (or Toyota for that matter) offers a heated steering wheel? This should almost be a Canadian-exclusive feature for every model they sell.

[roastpuff]

I am curious if any Corolla (or Toyota for that matter) offers a heated steering wheel? This should almost be a Canadian-exclusive feature for every model they sell.

I believe XSE and above for gas, LE and above for Hybrid

[Badhobz]

Since we were just trashing the Corolla a couple weeks ago I'll report back that I rented an EVO Corolla Hybrid for a $8 drive and it was....fine?

I wouldn't recommend it to anyone here but if someone just wanted an appliance that'll never break down that's cheap to run it's entirely adequate as transportation. I can't believe it didn't come with a heated steering wheel even on what was the stripper trim I was driving.

It might be the cheapest hybrid on the market I think at $33k all-in - even the cheapest Civic hybrid is $41k. Tough to beat at that price point.

Pssshh wasn’t me.

You Honduh fags were the ones saying how excellent that piece of shit is for 32k base model !!!! Then mop head said it was wayyyy bigger than the ratrolla

[bcrdukes]

Toyota is now cheap plastic. Kia Forte is a better car! :fullofwin:

[underscore]

I am curious if any Corolla (or Toyota for that matter) offers a heated steering wheel? This should almost be a Canadian-exclusive feature for every model they sell.

The Corolla has for a while now, I had one as a rental back in early 2023? It only heated up sections of the wheel at 10 and 2 that were smaller than my hands, so my thumbs and pointer fingers were still on the cold part of the wheel. I tried it twice and then just left it off.

[EvoFire]

The Corolla has for a while now, I had one as a rental back in early 2023? It only heated up sections of the wheel at 10 and 2 that were smaller than my hands, so my thumbs and pointer fingers were still on the cold part of the wheel. I tried it twice and then just left it off.

Mazda does that same dumb thing. It was a huge turn off when we shopped the CX5. If you are gonna cost cut to that level why even bother.

[GS8]

Toyota is now cheap plastic. Kia Forte is a better car! :fullofwin:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQ7m857hyCg

Meanwhile in the Philippines...

[bcrdukes]

Badhobz - Will you finally stop complaining about Toyota plastics? Good enough to survive a bazooka attack (third-world spec car) - good enough for you!

[Badhobz]

See that’s the old Land Cruiser. You rpg a new one and it’ll blow up faster than a Porsche gathering when you shit on air cooled beetles

[BIC_BAWS]

Actually that's a newer LC

Sent from my CPH2655 using Tapatalk

[Badhobz]

But not the newest one right? Thats the last gen

[RabidRat]

Right, it's the previous gen. You can tell by the tail lights:
https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/amv-prod-cad-assets/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/2018-Toyota-Land-Cruiser-110.jpg

Hobz's Toyota en-shit-ification theory holds up.

[RabidRat]

In any case, I'd happily buy this mini land cruiser, even if it it'd fall apart on the drive back home. Bringggg it hereeeeeee Akio!!!!!:

https://images.carexpert.com.au/resize/3000/-/cms/v1/media/2025-10-2026toyotalandcruiserfj02.jpg

https://images.carexpert.com.au/resize/3000/-/cms/v1/media/2025-10-2026toyotalandcruiserfj13.jpg

https://images.carexpert.com.au/resize/3000/-/cms/v1/media/2025-10-2026toyotalandcruiserfj25.jpg

[bcrdukes]

Akio:fuckthatshit:

[AstulzerRZD]

MEH i rented a Suzuki Jimny in Mexico - tiny af

[RabidRat]

Was it the new one like this? Or one of the old ones?

Something about these micro off-roaders. They are badass. Like an SD gundam.

https://www.motorbiscuit.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/2019-Suzuki-Jimny-Suzuki-04.png

https://tabletoprenaissance.ca/cdn/shop/files/bans65117_2_1445x.png

[bcrdukes]

I remember seeing the Jimny in HK/Macau and yes, they are very tiny. I'm not sure how this would fare with a North American audience and their preferences.

[radeonboy]

Was it the new one like this? Or one of the old ones?

Something about these micro off-roaders. They are badass. Like an SD gundam.

These Jimnys were tempting to me...until I put some serious thought into one and realized the idea of the car is more appealing than what it actually is.

They are cheap inside-out, ride rough, and have gutless powertrains. Your love for the Jimny needs to outweigh the inevitable wrath your spouse will develop for subjecting him/her with the poor ride quality. People already shit on Hyundai and Kia Fortes here, yet the Jimny is even worse.

[AstulzerRZD]

Was it the new one like this? Or one of the old ones?

Something about these micro off-roaders. They are badass. Like an SD gundam.

https://www.motorbiscuit.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/2019-Suzuki-Jimny-Suzuki-04.png

https://tabletoprenaissance.ca/cdn/shop/files/bans65117_2_1445x.png

That one, Enterprise has a ton of those.

[yray]

body on frame, solid axle

" ride comfort "

I would want a jimmy to fuck around in the woods. Got stuck behind a shitload of broncos last week up west harrison because they fell through the snow. We just floated through.

[RabidRat]

These Jimnys were tempting to me...until I put some serious thought into one and realized the idea of the car is more appealing than what it actually is.

They are cheap inside-out, ride rough, and have gutless powertrains. Your love for the Jimny needs to outweigh the inevitable wrath your spouse will develop for subjecting him/her with the poor ride quality. People already shit on Hyundai and Kia Fortes here, yet the Jimny is even worse.

The Jimny doesn't really strike me as the kind of vehicle you'd expect to be without compromise.

To me, it's a little like the Ariel Atom. Downsides all around, but maybe ultimately worth it for experience highlights that it's so good at. My friend used to have one, he even commuted to work in it most days. I loved driving the thing.

https://bringatrailer.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/2006_ariel_atom_2006_ariel_atom_4e43e840-b150-435e-893c-f62ac1fc2a0d-3xPB9c-96344-96345-scaled.jpg
*not this one. too lazy to dig out actual pictures of his

[bcrdukes]

That'll definitely get Gerbs a 10/10 girlfriend.