The pre-refresh design looked better...but it still looks pretty sharp. That sound is incredible.
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AutomotiveEra |OT| Four are better than two
- Thread starter JakeG4
- Start date
Pot holes are pretty much always going to give a sudden and annoying jerk, but in terms of ordinary driving, it took me by surprise too. I was anticipating being rocked all over the place, but honestly it's far more compliant than I ever imagined. Perhaps it's the double wishbone suspension, or the Michelin tires, I have no idea, but it's far more comfortable than I expected and more stable than both the X5 and my previous 3GT.
I do however notice that a small difference in psi in the tires can make a huge difference in comfort. 35psi to 37psi and things stay pretty easy going and supple, but 38psi and above and I can genuinely feel the difference in ride and bumpiness, even on motorways etc where at high speed my car is bouncing a lot more, and my wheel is giving far more micro movements that I'm having to tame. For that reason, unless I know I'm going to have heavy load, I'm sticking with 37psi or lower on all my tires.
I know for sure that jag has to have pretty good dampers. Could be other factors in the suspension but for sure you have much nicer dampers than a typical compact.
On the tire pressure... It's totally like that. There's a range of pressure that is usable and you can trade off a little back and forth in that range. But go out of the range and boom you get symptoms.
It's pretty tech savvy and features a lovely looking big screen, but it's still not exactly super responsive, nor are the UI graphics particularly great. Similar to Tesla and Jaguar, they're increasing screen sizes but not adequately improving the processing speed and/or ram inside to make things super responsive and slick to actually navigate, like a high end mobile phone or tablet.
Personally my fave infotainment system is still the ones in the latest BMW's. They might not look as snazzy, but I prefer the tactility and speed associated with having the iDrive system, the large physical jog dial and surrounding buttons, plus the actual visuals and fluidity of the UI which in my experience is instantaneous and really easy to navigate in general use (when using the physical jog dial, not the touch screen). Granted older BMW's had pretty poor iDrive systems, but the new ones are a huge improvement.
Here's the 2019 Ram 1500 Infotainment system in action for those that are curious.
https://www.theverge.com/2018/1/15/16892836/ram-1500-carplay-android-auto-detroit-show-2018
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I don't mean to toot my own intake tract, but I find the sound of my engine intoxicating.
It has a big horrible sard cone filter, and a big ol throttle.
And that plenum is thin wall steel. So are the runners.
The exhaust is factory quiet but the induction noise is loud af and I love it. It's like driving with a giant sport bike motor.
It has a big horrible sard cone filter, and a big ol throttle.
And that plenum is thin wall steel. So are the runners.
The exhaust is factory quiet but the induction noise is loud af and I love it. It's like driving with a giant sport bike motor.
I don't mean to toot my own intake tract, but I find the sound of my engine intoxicating.
It has a big horrible sard cone filter, and a big ol throttle.
And that plenum is thin wall steel. So are the runners.
The exhaust is factory quiet but the induction noise is loud af and I love it. It's like driving with a giant sport bike motor.
Upload a video to YT so we can hear it!
Damn I should have known someone would say that. :o okay I'll try to get one.
I'm assuming they do. The guide (http://www.forms.ssb.gov.on.ca/mbs/...tFileAttach/023-2096E~3/$File/2096E_Guide.pdf) doesn't say "cheques" or "EFTs" or anything like that when they make reference to the payment. Just a singular term.
Thanks for posting. Great video with very nice production and beautiful cinematography. God that car looks and sounds incredible.
The Giulia QV looks like an incredible car, and the reviews have been exceptional, but poor Alfa reliability is a common subject that props up around the brand, though I have no idea how the Giulia actually fares in that regard.
In this long term test, at around the two month mark they had this warning light issue indicating a failure, but nothing else came of it.
https://www.carmagazine.co.uk/car-r...ulia-quadrifoglio-2017-long-term-test-review/
Edit: Googling some more, the car gave up some issues in this long term test in just a couple of months too. Maybe that famous Alfa reliability really is a cause for a little concern?
https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-revie...ives/alfa-romeo-giulia-quadrifoglio-long-term
There's this too.
https://jalopnik.com/here-are-all-the-problems-that-fca-has-attempted-to-fix-1797069082
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/20...oglio-didnt-break-sure-wasnt-exactly-perfect/
Sounds like an incredible car marred by potential reliability issues.
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So I've got this cheap ass Exxon Gas right down the street from my place. Like 50 or $0.60 under the going rate for high-octane. And I just ran two tanks of that s***, and I swear my car was acting up. It was almost running like the engine was getting heat soaked after an hour or so. You know, a little soggy feeling. My mind didnt jump straight to the cheap gas, but I did an experiment and paid a precious $3.36 a gallon for some Chevron high octane and half a tank later, car is purring like a kitten.
I always get the premium fuel option in UK petrol pumps out of the two. Eg Diesel or Unleaded Supreme instead of Standard. I think you actually get a smidgen more bhp and performance as well, but yea, you do end up paying like 10% to 15% more. No where near the difference you've mentioned though.
Over here, our gas is piss. The highest you can usually get is a 91 octane rating. 91 is borderline low for my engine, as I think it recommends something that would be equivalent to a 96 or 97 in Japanese gas. So I was buying high octane from both stations, but the cheap ones seem to be causing symptoms. The octane rating is regulated, so if there's any real difference here and I'm not imagining it it might be down two different detergents or other additives.
Temperature was OK? Was it knocking? The ECU would have retarded timing to try to compensate which might explain it.
Temp good. (As far as the stock gauge shows and I think it's fairly sensitive) No knock that I could detect. But the ECU would probly pull timing before I heard a knock myself.
It was a mild enough effect that I ran two tanks thinking it was my imagination. What really gave it away was not the two gases back to back, but the fealing at the beginning and end of the commute. The gas from the sketchy Exxon felt just a little different at the end of the drive.
How often and how much do you have to pay for brake maintenance if you don't mind me asking?
Also, Audi USA boss confirmed that a sportback RS5 is being made and it's coming to the US.
Honestly, I couldn't tell ya because I have yet to get any done. It only has 25k miles on it and I've but 14k of those. I don't drive it much since I have a truck as my work car, and just use it as a weekend car.
I have a b8.5 S5 and sometimes look at RS5s when I lose hope of finding a decently optioned 981CS. Supposedly it's ~$2k to get new pads and every 20k or so miles, but you're already over that so maybe it was bogus.
back in my 1st year of college many moons ago, I acquired what was at the time my "dream" regular car - a Nissan 240sx. I drove that fucker for 8 straight years, and then on and off for the next 4. Garaged it at my mom's house, and finally sold it off to someone my family knows when it just got too old and unreliable to bother with. My mom caught up with the guy who bought it, and look what happened to it. ;_; Oh well, at least it still lives and someone is enjoying it 27 years after it rolled off the line.
According to my mom, the guy took out the auto and installed a 5-speed, did the engine swap along with the, ahem, other changes. Apparently the guy drifts it at some local track.
I kind of wish I had hung on to it now and saved it from this drift missile fate
According to my mom, the guy took out the auto and installed a 5-speed, did the engine swap along with the, ahem, other changes. Apparently the guy drifts it at some local track.
I kind of wish I had hung on to it now and saved it from this drift missile fate
Hello Automotive Era. Here is my humble steed:
Beauty. Love S2000s.
back in my 1st year of college many moons ago, I acquired what was at the time my "dream" regular car - a Nissan 240sx. I drove that fucker for 8 straight years, and then on and off for the next 4. Garaged it at my mom's house, and finally sold it off to someone my family knows when it just got too old and unreliable to bother with. My mom caught up with the guy who bought it, and look what happened to it. ;_; Oh well, at least it still lives and someone is enjoying it 27 years after it rolled off the line.
According to my mom, the guy took out the auto and installed a 5-speed, did the engine swap along with the, ahem, other changes. Apparently the guy drifts it at some local track.
I kind of wish I had hung on to it now and saved it from this drift missile fate
imo, it's not a bad looking build! Definitely not drift missile. The wheels are too big for my tastes but it's part of the style.
back in my 1st year of college many moons ago, I acquired what was at the time my "dream" regular car - a Nissan 240sx. I drove that fucker for 8 straight years, and then on and off for the next 4. Garaged it at my mom's house, and finally sold it off to someone my family knows when it just got too old and unreliable to bother with. My mom caught up with the guy who bought it, and look what happened to it. ;_; Oh well, at least it still lives and someone is enjoying it 27 years after it rolled off the line.
According to my mom, the guy took out the auto and installed a 5-speed, did the engine swap along with the, ahem, other changes. Apparently the guy drifts it at some local track.
I kind of wish I had hung on to it now and saved it from this drift missile fate
The two tone is cool referencing the past but damn those wheels don't match
It would look so much better with different wheels, their size and in your face chrome is kinda off putting.
Thanks! S2000's are great! Love mine to death. Gotta disagree with 4 > 2 since I got bikes as well lol
Carspotting jackpot: I saw the 1 of 1 Bugatti Vision Gran Turismo in a glass enclosed trailer on the 405 near LAX this morning.
Nice. Did you manage to get a snap? I saw my first ever McLaren F1 a few months ago!
No, unfortunately. Way too much traffic to risk a camera phone pic. I thought it was a Chiron until I saw the shark fin and rear wing.
back in my 1st year of college many moons ago, I acquired what was at the time my "dream" regular car - a Nissan 240sx. I drove that fucker for 8 straight years, and then on and off for the next 4. Garaged it at my mom's house, and finally sold it off to someone my family knows when it just got too old and unreliable to bother with. My mom caught up with the guy who bought it, and look what happened to it. ;_; Oh well, at least it still lives and someone is enjoying it 27 years after it rolled off the line.
According to my mom, the guy took out the auto and installed a 5-speed, did the engine swap along with the, ahem, other changes. Apparently the guy drifts it at some local track.
I kind of wish I had hung on to it now and saved it from this drift missile fate
Big wheel disease. :<
"AMG GT4" - looks quite beastly
http://blog.mercedes-benz-passion.com/2018/02/erlkoenig-viertueriger-amg-gt-mit-sehr-wenig-tarnung/
http://blog.mercedes-benz-passion.com/2018/02/erlkoenig-viertueriger-amg-gt-mit-sehr-wenig-tarnung/
"AMG GT4" - looks quite beastly
http://blog.mercedes-benz-passion.com/2018/02/erlkoenig-viertueriger-amg-gt-mit-sehr-wenig-tarnung/
Looks great, plus it actually looks pretty spacious so it'll probably be fairly practical. As long as it doesn't cost the Earth and the mpg isn't insane, could be a good all rounder.
Edit: AMG GT means it's their upper upper tier range? Scrub the above, it's probably going to be an overly expensive super thirsty beast lol.
I agree.
In general, I think the entire "4-door coupe" segment/trend has kind of failed to produce any good looking vehicles. I blame the CLS.
My mother-in-law has me car shopping for her, which is fun, but I could use some ideas.
In my opinion Grandpa should stop driving soon, but his eyesight is decent and he's not senile, just losing some of his instincts. He drives slow as shit too and rarely takes the highway, so he just needs to drive granny to the doctors and the odd errand.
She doesn't care about brands, but she's severely arthritic and needs a car with easy passenger seat access, which for her is higher than a sedan and lower than an SUV. Currently she has a 2017 Forester and finds it a bit too high for her to get in. Five or six inches lower would be perfect. Guess what measurement is never included in car specs? I'm going to have to go to dealers and measure. But this is what she needs in the vehicle.
Budget - anywhere from 20-40k I guess.
1. Automated safety features - pedestrian/obstacle detection, lane assist, lane departure warning, comprehensive camera/radar for parking. Potentially automatic parking, although they'd be too scared to use it.
2. A hatchback or liftgate to put her wheelchair in easily.
3. AWD
What's weird is that Acura's wagon would have been perfect, but bizarrely doesn't have AWD. She also wanted a car without leather, but I explained that with all the comfort and electronics features she wants, that's actually hard to avoid. Nobody is selling loaded vehicles without leather. Honda stopped making that blobby crossover, which would have been perfect if it had up to date drive assist features. So anything I'm just spacing on?
In my opinion Grandpa should stop driving soon, but his eyesight is decent and he's not senile, just losing some of his instincts. He drives slow as shit too and rarely takes the highway, so he just needs to drive granny to the doctors and the odd errand.
She doesn't care about brands, but she's severely arthritic and needs a car with easy passenger seat access, which for her is higher than a sedan and lower than an SUV. Currently she has a 2017 Forester and finds it a bit too high for her to get in. Five or six inches lower would be perfect. Guess what measurement is never included in car specs? I'm going to have to go to dealers and measure. But this is what she needs in the vehicle.
Budget - anywhere from 20-40k I guess.
1. Automated safety features - pedestrian/obstacle detection, lane assist, lane departure warning, comprehensive camera/radar for parking. Potentially automatic parking, although they'd be too scared to use it.
2. A hatchback or liftgate to put her wheelchair in easily.
3. AWD
What's weird is that Acura's wagon would have been perfect, but bizarrely doesn't have AWD. She also wanted a car without leather, but I explained that with all the comfort and electronics features she wants, that's actually hard to avoid. Nobody is selling loaded vehicles without leather. Honda stopped making that blobby crossover, which would have been perfect if it had up to date drive assist features. So anything I'm just spacing on?
Have you tried checking Mazda's? CX3 or CX5 both are AWD
CX5 is a direct competitor of the forester iirc so the right height might be same'ish but best to check it too if you plan to check the CX3
Also have you considered just lowering the ride height of the forester? Seems the car is new'ish and replacing it right away would be ashame if this were to be a option
Regards,
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CX5 is one of the options we're looking at - CX3 is too small to easily stick a wheelchair in the back, but has an easier sill height for her to get in and out. CX5 may be a little high.
With such a specific requirement I think you should just take her to an auto mall and have her try out vehicles until you figure out which ones she can comfortably get in and out of.
Also, just a thought... could you just lower the Forester a bit instead?
Thought so.. too bad america doesnt have wagon selections like EU has..
Try the new bmw x1.. on the expensive side tho but its rides lower than the forester while having the same size
She isn't really up for - or well enough for going around trying them which is obviously unhelpful, but I have driven a couple to her for her to try. But we already figured out that just knowing the sill heights is a pretty good indicator. I keep forgetting models that would fit the bill - yesterday remembered the Volvo V60 has all her requirements - waiting to hear back from their tape measuring salesman!
Looked into getting the Forester lowered too, but I think she's formed an irrational hatred of the car, and gave it to her daughter (who is psyched to get a free car out of nowhere).
Ah gotcha, yeah that's a difficult situation. I hope it works out well.
Lucky daughter! We have a 2017 Forester too and love it.