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AutomotiveEra |OT| Four are better than two
- Thread starter JakeG4
- Start date
Interesting, I think I missed these because the Colorado and Canyon only offer a manual on the 4-cylinder engines in 2WD configurations, what I can tell. We were looking for a six-cylinder with 4WD (we're in Maine). Those configurators are a nightmare, though, maybe some other way to sort it in there. The RAMs as you note are on the big boys with the diesel only, so you're up in $55k+ range at that point, new. Thanks for the info, though, interesting to see.
I'm looking to purchase a sports sedan in the next year or two. Had my sights set on an Audi s5, but recently the Genesis G70 caught my eye. It's getting good reviews, and similarly specced, its $15,000 less than the s5. I mean, I can afford the s5, but $15,000 is still a lot of money. Has anyone driving the G70 yet here?
Or any other suggestions?
Or any other suggestions?
Goddam, that is like my dream car. I desperately want the old R8 V10 with a manual in white.
He took me around in it and it's so awesome! I've never been in an R8, I've driven in a Ferrari 458 Italia and other high end cars before, but not the R8 V10 Plus. The idle sound was even loud as shit. It sounded so good, and I have a 2018 AMG C63S which is a V8TT with 505HP and it was louder than mine.
I have a Giulia Ti Sport in montecarlo blue with red brake calipers.
How are you liking yours?
So far so good. Received a few compliments from random people. Enjoying the quiet ride during my commutes. Couple of issues playing media via Bluetooth, but loving how the car drives.
So I gotta say, when I bought my 10th gen Si I thought i'd miss VTEC but honestly after owning this for a month I think the Turbo is just more fun. Building boost pressure and feeling that kick in is much more satisfying than VTEC. Well I guess it's a different kind of satisfaction. When you're already going for it and VTEC kicks it feels awesome, but I think the difference is with the turbo on the Si you're getting more out of it more often while VTEC really isn't something you get much of a chance to play with during a daily commute.
Old Gaffer checking in, been out of the forum game for awhile.
DD still an E39 M5, wife's current car is a Furious Fuchsia SRT8 Challenger. Family is currently manual only :)
M5 currently riding on winter wheels/tires, Nokians. I don't think I ever really got any good pics of it when I had the summers on with recently refinished wheels, but they're Michelin PS4S, love em. Love the winter tires too, the M5 does surprisingly well in the snow.
DD still an E39 M5, wife's current car is a Furious Fuchsia SRT8 Challenger. Family is currently manual only :)
M5 currently riding on winter wheels/tires, Nokians. I don't think I ever really got any good pics of it when I had the summers on with recently refinished wheels, but they're Michelin PS4S, love em. Love the winter tires too, the M5 does surprisingly well in the snow.
Old Gaffer checking in, been out of the forum game for awhile.
DD still an E39 M5, wife's current car is a Furious Fuchsia SRT8 Challenger. Family is currently manual only :)
M5 currently riding on winter wheels/tires, Nokians. I don't think I ever really got any good pics of it when I had the summers on with recently refinished wheels, but they're Michelin PS4S, love em. Love the winter tires too, the M5 does surprisingly well in the snow.
Shiiiiiiiiiiit that challenger's color is fire. Damn.
my wife said this year i have to buy all the stocking stuffers, including my own. Anyone know where I can find a camaro z1 1le sized stocking before the 25th?
No joke, in the 2.5 years of owning the M5, I've had maybe a handful of people ever say something to me randomly when out and about.
The Challenger elicits a response from someone literally any time we go somewhere in it. People love the pink, lol
Beginning of a new ERA indeed, as the video entails.
Cannot wait for this vehicle to be available for order.
Some nice motors in here! :)
Thought I'd add a few of my British marques to the mix. I bought the 650S Spider new a couple of years back, fully specced. MSO metallic Pearl White/red leather with alcantara headlining. Full carbon fibre interior/exterior kit, Sports exhaust, lifting gear, Meridian sound etc. Love driving the thing and have recently hit the 20k mileage mark, but will probably be chopped in next year for the 720S Spider.
This one's a bit of a rarity. I wanted something to nip about town in and I prefer to drive autos these days, but BMW have never produced a Mini Coupe JCW Auto so....
Bought a fully specced Coupe Cooper S Auto w/leather interior/alcantara headlining with the JCW interior pack then sent it back off to BMW who did the full JCW conversion for us. (Engine, exhaust, suspension, LED DRLs etc) so it's now registered as one of the only JCW Coupe Autos I know of.
Had it wrapped in 3M gloss black, added 18" OZ Superturismos on Pirelli P-Zeros, LED blinkers etc and this is the result.
Got a few small classics but my favourite is our '67 Jag MkII 3.4 with overdrive. It started off as a bare metal resto that looked like this:
But now looks like this:
I do like a Mini and we got this little number a couple of years back at a car show...a Flame Red Checkmate. It was modded by the previous owner and is a bit of a blast to drive.
Cheers for looking!
Thought I'd add a few of my British marques to the mix. I bought the 650S Spider new a couple of years back, fully specced. MSO metallic Pearl White/red leather with alcantara headlining. Full carbon fibre interior/exterior kit, Sports exhaust, lifting gear, Meridian sound etc. Love driving the thing and have recently hit the 20k mileage mark, but will probably be chopped in next year for the 720S Spider.
This one's a bit of a rarity. I wanted something to nip about town in and I prefer to drive autos these days, but BMW have never produced a Mini Coupe JCW Auto so....
Bought a fully specced Coupe Cooper S Auto w/leather interior/alcantara headlining with the JCW interior pack then sent it back off to BMW who did the full JCW conversion for us. (Engine, exhaust, suspension, LED DRLs etc) so it's now registered as one of the only JCW Coupe Autos I know of.
Had it wrapped in 3M gloss black, added 18" OZ Superturismos on Pirelli P-Zeros, LED blinkers etc and this is the result.
Got a few small classics but my favourite is our '67 Jag MkII 3.4 with overdrive. It started off as a bare metal resto that looked like this:
But now looks like this:
I do like a Mini and we got this little number a couple of years back at a car show...a Flame Red Checkmate. It was modded by the previous owner and is a bit of a blast to drive.
Cheers for looking!
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Guys, thinking about adding a small SUV to my garage. Soliciting some thoughts on:
- Porsche Macan (2019)
- BMW X4 (2019)
- MB GLE (would wait for 2020)
- Acura RDX (2019)
- Cadillac XT5 (2019)
- Lincoln MKC (2019)
- Audi Q5 (2019)
If anyone has experience with any of the above, I'd really appreciate the input/experience thoughts. So far I've only had time to test drive the Macan which was quite nice and the rather large dealership near me here in So. Fla is taking like 8k off the sticker which seems pretty good. I also know it's consistently rated among the top 2 or 3 vehicles in the segment. But the RDX is also in the top 3 and at maybe 60% of the asking price of the Porsche, but I've never driven an Acura in my life. The X4 I'll be taking for a spin later today, but the 2020 GLE won't be available until the Spring. I do greatly prefer the interior of the 2020 GLE to the 2019 GLE (significant interior redesign), but it not coming until the spring means a long wait and I'd miss the winter event sales. Butu if I went MB, I'd rather wait than get something and regret it 3 or 4 months from now when the new model is out. As for the Lincoln, I've seen a few out and about and they look pretty nice. Nameplate is associated with older folks I am aware, but if it's good I don't really care about the image. I did have time to sit in the Audi and thought the screens and tech features were quite nice, though the front end was somewhat pedestrian.
Any suggestions here are appreciated.
- Porsche Macan (2019)
- BMW X4 (2019)
- MB GLE (would wait for 2020)
- Acura RDX (2019)
- Cadillac XT5 (2019)
- Lincoln MKC (2019)
- Audi Q5 (2019)
If anyone has experience with any of the above, I'd really appreciate the input/experience thoughts. So far I've only had time to test drive the Macan which was quite nice and the rather large dealership near me here in So. Fla is taking like 8k off the sticker which seems pretty good. I also know it's consistently rated among the top 2 or 3 vehicles in the segment. But the RDX is also in the top 3 and at maybe 60% of the asking price of the Porsche, but I've never driven an Acura in my life. The X4 I'll be taking for a spin later today, but the 2020 GLE won't be available until the Spring. I do greatly prefer the interior of the 2020 GLE to the 2019 GLE (significant interior redesign), but it not coming until the spring means a long wait and I'd miss the winter event sales. Butu if I went MB, I'd rather wait than get something and regret it 3 or 4 months from now when the new model is out. As for the Lincoln, I've seen a few out and about and they look pretty nice. Nameplate is associated with older folks I am aware, but if it's good I don't really care about the image. I did have time to sit in the Audi and thought the screens and tech features were quite nice, though the front end was somewhat pedestrian.
Any suggestions here are appreciated.
Either the Porsche or BMW - that's my rule of thumb haha.
lol quite fair.
We'll see about the updated X4. The Macan was nice but in looking at interior pictures, I'm pretty sure I drove the 2018 model. I'll have to see if there are 2019's on the lot, and I'm not sure how they even have 2018 inventory given the 2019's came out in the summer.
Yeah if you go for the macan make sure it's the 2019 model. The updated interior is too good to pass up. I think that also explains the 8k off.
If I ever get it, my next license plate will be 1KVOICE hahaha
I've driven the BMW X3 & X5 but not the X4, the MB GLE, the XT5, and the Q5 all as rentals multiple times except for the MB which was only once but still for several days. My friend is leasing a 2019 MKC I sat in recently but didn't drive myself.
My favorite of what I've driven has been the Audi by far, but the others weren't bad. I enjoyed Audi's interior comfort and their interface as well as driving Dynamics. I enjoyed the BMW's and the Cadillac, I'd honestly give a slight edge to the Cadillac for comfort and how the infotainment interacts with my phone even though I like the buttons and dial on the BMW physically better than the capacitive glossy fingerprint magnet that the Cadillacs have. There were multiple times I'd have to toggle Bluetooth to regain control of song switching on the BMW, and the turn signal wouldn't always turn off when turning. The driving Dynamics we're good though, but I don't know if I'd learn to live with the minor inconveniences or if they'd become even more annoying. Again these weren't the X4 though.
The MB was my least favorite, but the 2020 might as well be a brand new car at least from the interior which is where it needs the most improvement. The MKC seemed really nice but I can't give a fair comparison since I was in the passenger seat. I like the new front end on the RDX, but I don't think the interior is quite on the same level as the others, cost wise though it may be worth it. I've watched a few YouTube videos but haven't driven it.
It would, but there were so many on the lot it's hard to believe. There were like 15 Macans. How could they be all 2018's in December of 2019, some 5 months after the 2019's came out in the states?
And yet they definitely all had the smaller infotainment unit. AFAIK the new ones only have the 10+" unit regardless of trim, so...yea I'm confused. I'll try to go back today or Friday and find out why the fuck he didn't show me the 2019's. I am already unhappy that I would have not been shown the latest models and that it wouldn't have even been mentioned.
epic.
tyvm for the feedback. it is really helpful.
I'll be sure to sync my phone with each car and take it through the bluetooth paces to see how I feel about their OSes and behavior.
Regarding Bluetooth, you may find that you prefer using CarPlay or Android Auto anyway. That's usually how I listen to music from my iPhone. I generally only use Bluetooth if it's a short trip so I don't bother plugging the phone in. BMW's support wireless CarPlay, though, if I remember correctly. My ATS does not.
I've never really thought to test the Bluetooth on a test drive, but it's a good idea. Including calling, having someone call you, and texting. I know some cars have lag that can be annoying.
I've never really thought to test the Bluetooth on a test drive, but it's a good idea. Including calling, having someone call you, and texting. I know some cars have lag that can be annoying.
After not buying the '16 or '19 IS350F last month I went and finally test drove the '19 STI just to see how much of an upgrade the finish is vs my '14 WRX. Random thoughts:
- Seat adjustments are still terrible for a 37k+ car, can't even get seat as low as my WRX.
- Cluster is a bit tacky; the green MPG meter in an STI seems completely superfluous and the modifiable differential settings seems a bit overblown with the presence on the cluster HUD. Then on top of the entertainment center touch display there's another display on the center dash that is manipulated by a flipper mechanism that is a bit goofy. Makes everything feel a bit busy.
- Finish is higher quality than WRX but only on about 50% of the surfaces--nicer rubberized plastic in place of hard plastic on top dash, stitched leather in some places like side of center dash, higher quality seat material. However the center console, lower side door panels, etc., are still the typical hard plastic.
- Cabin noise seems reduced vs WRX probably because mine is an open hatch and the STI is a sedan. Average 87db on my phone while driving around at up to 45mph on awful country roads.
- Doors feel a bit more solid but are still not great.
- Faux carbon plastic finish on exterior around bumpers is a bit silly.
Engine, transmission, shifting felt good but very different from the WRX which was interesting. Didn't get a chance to really stress the brakes. Sales guy mentioned they will be offering an automatic option on the STI in 2020, which is sad.
- Seat adjustments are still terrible for a 37k+ car, can't even get seat as low as my WRX.
- Cluster is a bit tacky; the green MPG meter in an STI seems completely superfluous and the modifiable differential settings seems a bit overblown with the presence on the cluster HUD. Then on top of the entertainment center touch display there's another display on the center dash that is manipulated by a flipper mechanism that is a bit goofy. Makes everything feel a bit busy.
- Finish is higher quality than WRX but only on about 50% of the surfaces--nicer rubberized plastic in place of hard plastic on top dash, stitched leather in some places like side of center dash, higher quality seat material. However the center console, lower side door panels, etc., are still the typical hard plastic.
- Cabin noise seems reduced vs WRX probably because mine is an open hatch and the STI is a sedan. Average 87db on my phone while driving around at up to 45mph on awful country roads.
- Doors feel a bit more solid but are still not great.
- Faux carbon plastic finish on exterior around bumpers is a bit silly.
Engine, transmission, shifting felt good but very different from the WRX which was interesting. Didn't get a chance to really stress the brakes. Sales guy mentioned they will be offering an automatic option on the STI in 2020, which is sad.
As always, some great cars and potential car buys here haha. Maybe someday I'll be able to get my holy trifecta - Ferrari, Lamborghini, McLaren
As of now, I have an upgrade bug. I never have thought of getting any type of performance tune/kit as I completely enjoy driving a slow car very fast. Plus I don't race or what not, as I prefer driving hard through the twisty backroads of Western Pennsylvania.
But the other day some BMW 430i Coupe began to egg me on red light to red Light at dawn and naturally ofc that car has more HP then my little Benz, but I actually kept up and was ahead of the guy until 3rd gear which kinda surprised me. Ofc he was not some professional and I'm pretty sure he was super nervous as he would brake hard as soon as he pulled slightly ahead (he had some girl with him, so prob was trying to show off lmao) -but I enjoyed that experience as I thought I had no chance with out 0-60 times being very diff.
I've driven fast cars and I've never cared of upgrading my current car before as I always imagined I would simply trade up. But my Mercedes is my first car (and it's not some throwaway car) so it has me thinking - maybe I should keep it for as long as I can. I'm not in some financial issue and storage isn't any option.
Naturally now I'm looking up the Stage 4 turbo kit and checking the reviews other Mercedes owners have made on various forums lol
As of now, I have an upgrade bug. I never have thought of getting any type of performance tune/kit as I completely enjoy driving a slow car very fast. Plus I don't race or what not, as I prefer driving hard through the twisty backroads of Western Pennsylvania.
But the other day some BMW 430i Coupe began to egg me on red light to red Light at dawn and naturally ofc that car has more HP then my little Benz, but I actually kept up and was ahead of the guy until 3rd gear which kinda surprised me. Ofc he was not some professional and I'm pretty sure he was super nervous as he would brake hard as soon as he pulled slightly ahead (he had some girl with him, so prob was trying to show off lmao) -but I enjoyed that experience as I thought I had no chance with out 0-60 times being very diff.
I've driven fast cars and I've never cared of upgrading my current car before as I always imagined I would simply trade up. But my Mercedes is my first car (and it's not some throwaway car) so it has me thinking - maybe I should keep it for as long as I can. I'm not in some financial issue and storage isn't any option.
Naturally now I'm looking up the Stage 4 turbo kit and checking the reviews other Mercedes owners have made on various forums lol
Anyone have clear tint on their windshield? If so, any downsides? I heard night visibility goes down a bit.
New question, boys.
2018 Macan
- OR -
2016 CPO Macan Turbo
Assume the same price. Turbo mileage is roughly equivalent to ~7,800 mi/year.
WHAT DO.
2018 Macan
- OR -
2016 CPO Macan Turbo
Assume the same price. Turbo mileage is roughly equivalent to ~7,800 mi/year.
WHAT DO.
Yea, the 2019 -- which comes out next summer -- has the updated interior with a larger infotainment screen and some other random stuff.
Hi era - I am currently eyeing a CPO'd 911 GTS
Anyone have one? Anyone wanna talk me out of it? LOL
Anyone have one? Anyone wanna talk me out of it? LOL
Just a follow-up: due to its in-service date, the warranty on the Turbo would be gone in 2-3 years. Giving me pause considering how expensive repairs could get while still paying notes on it.
How long are you planning on keeping the car? If longer than 3 years I'd definitely go with the new one with the longer warranty. You don't want to be stuck with high repair costs out of warranty. Also, depending on where you get the service done, the 20k and 30k service for the turbo will cost you quite a bit.
My wife has a 2018 Q5 and it's very fun to drive. She came from a Kia Sportage so it was quite an upgrade for her lol. We cross shopped it with the new x3 and preferred the audi's Interior much better. If you're looking at a Macan turbo, why not check out the sq5? Obviously you're not against buying used. In my area there's a bunch of 2018 used ones with like 6-7k miles for nearly 10k off original sticker and I'm sure you can get more off.
Just do all your recommended maintenance and you should be good.
also, hatch or sedan?
New contenders:
Land Rover was fairly new to me as they were in the same lot as the Porsche's, I thought I'd walk over and see if they had a competitor in the small luxury SUV segment. As expected, they did and they inside tech seemed good. Actually, it is the exact same infotainment unit and system in the F-Pace. Digital dash and other digital systems were certainly stand-out features, reminding me of the Q5. I didn't get to test drive it or go over the features, but I will do so in the morning.
At the moment, I think this will come down to the Macan, F-Pace, and Q5...though the Velar might beat all of them in the AM. It will be tough to choose between the first 3, as all 3 can be had for roughly the same monthly payments whether financing or leasing. Given the reliability of all of these brands, I am somewhat unlikely to consider financing/purchasing any of them, but if I did for any of them it would be the Macan (that badge holds resale value like Apple products).
Once again, any thoughts, insights and experiences are very welcome. I expect to have something new in my garage by this time tomorrow. Right now I'm like:
F-Pace ~ Macan > Q5
Q5 might be a bit too conservative on the outside for my tastes, but remains in the running because of its reasonable asking price, infotainment, and excellent fit/finish. I don't think I'd ever look out the window and say to myself, "damn, that's a good looking ride." And yea, that factor matters to me. I say, "damnnnn" when I look at the Macan and F-Pace, and I said damn when I looked at the Velar.
Random: Did you guys know that the cool Google Earth shit in the Q5 (I guess all the Audis) is a 6-month trial that's like $400 per 6 months to get? The fuck?
- Jaguar F-Pace
- Land Rover Velar
Land Rover was fairly new to me as they were in the same lot as the Porsche's, I thought I'd walk over and see if they had a competitor in the small luxury SUV segment. As expected, they did and they inside tech seemed good. Actually, it is the exact same infotainment unit and system in the F-Pace. Digital dash and other digital systems were certainly stand-out features, reminding me of the Q5. I didn't get to test drive it or go over the features, but I will do so in the morning.
At the moment, I think this will come down to the Macan, F-Pace, and Q5...though the Velar might beat all of them in the AM. It will be tough to choose between the first 3, as all 3 can be had for roughly the same monthly payments whether financing or leasing. Given the reliability of all of these brands, I am somewhat unlikely to consider financing/purchasing any of them, but if I did for any of them it would be the Macan (that badge holds resale value like Apple products).
Once again, any thoughts, insights and experiences are very welcome. I expect to have something new in my garage by this time tomorrow. Right now I'm like:
F-Pace ~ Macan > Q5
Q5 might be a bit too conservative on the outside for my tastes, but remains in the running because of its reasonable asking price, infotainment, and excellent fit/finish. I don't think I'd ever look out the window and say to myself, "damn, that's a good looking ride." And yea, that factor matters to me. I say, "damnnnn" when I look at the Macan and F-Pace, and I said damn when I looked at the Velar.
Random: Did you guys know that the cool Google Earth shit in the Q5 (I guess all the Audis) is a 6-month trial that's like $400 per 6 months to get? The fuck?
I know what the consensus is going to be, but presumably you want a Macan because you can live with it, put groceries or a kid in it and maybe go skiing or hammer some twisties in it - is the baseline engine that slow that it's impeding your ability to have fun and throw it into shit? Because if not the very fast very nimble very beautifully balanced normally aspirated engine is going to be much kinder to your wallet and your schedule.
F-Pace is a much better deal but not as refined. But bang for buck and a similar concept. Audi Q5 is the kindest to your family and eardrums.
The Google earth shit reverts to crisp 3 or 2D when the subscription expires and Carplay renders it all irrelevant unless you only want to tweet and navigate with photo overlays.
I have an A4 with virtual cockpit and it's fantastic with or without the subscription. Also remember Carplay usurps almost every MMI feature for safety and UI reasons so you can't use both simultaneously (you do get the Google earth graphics but only on the steering wheel display not the "iPad".)
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That's good to know about CarPlay. I've never really used the feature before. Seems nice and I guess I'll find out soon enough.
As for the Macan, I found the base engine to be fine. I don't mind more power if it's a reasonable price increase, but if I can't have it I won't lose any sleep at all. I test drove a base Macan and it had the getty-up-and-go from a red light that I'm used to having. Also, going with Macan opens up the world of CPOs, as used 2017s and 2018s would get warranties lasting through 2023, and 2024 respectively, with unlimited miles. And of course the prices would be even better. I admit that I am a smidge concerned about the Macan's storage space. It has *so much less* than its competitors and since I want to drive it cross country (3k mi trip), space is going to matter. I'm not sure how much I'll really need, but boy I sure would hate to suddenly not have enough as I'm finishing packing. IDK, but I'll need to have a good idea about it in oh...about 10 hours time.
I agree regarding the F-Pace on all counts. It really is in the same direction, but with *considerably* more storage space. It also has Apple CarPlay so maybe its relatively vanilla default infotainment system doesn't matter at all. After that, the only issue I had with the F-Pace was the finish on some of the plastic bits on the inside. Specifically around the door storage compartments. Along with the aforementioned hood panel alignment which could/should be better and would have to be addressed before I'd accept delivery. I didn't see anything that would stop me from buying this one. Everything was a generally good experience here.
Range Rover remains a wild card. I'll give it a good, honest look and let them see if they can get to a price competitive with the others. If they can and I like the tech just that much, I'll have a harder decision to make than I originally had to make that day.
I'll be at the Land Rover dealership at 8:30am when they open. I'm not wasting any time.
Right now I think the F-Pace is the leader. New and CPO Porsche's might sneak ahead. A new or low-mileage 2017/2018 Macan/S might push me to go Porsche if it has the options I need. Land Rover is idunno.
More feedback is certainly welcome! And the more I think about it, the more I'm glad all of these rather average infotainment systems can be overridden with CarPlay.
Here's mine:Hi era - I am currently eyeing a CPO'd 911 GTS
Anyone have one? Anyone wanna talk me out of it? LOL
I won't talk you out of it :)