The Car Thread ... !

[2298754]

I heard you.

How is your father's Ford truck doing?

Have you filed a claim under the Ford No Lemon Policy?

I gotta say.. That new Honda Civic is a sharp looking car... I'm pro American when it comes to cars, I think the Chevy Cruze has a more upscale interior..

Ironically, if you were so "Pro-American," why did you buy a Mexican-made Ford Fusion?

The Camry, Accord, Civic, etc are all more "American" than the Ford.

 

[determined09]

How is your father's Ford truck doing?

Have you filed a claim under the Ford No Lemon Policy?

Thank you for asking. Dad's truck is doing fine. He got the air conditioning fixed.

No he didn't file a claim in the Ford No Lemon Policy. I told him about the Ford No Lemon Policy and he said that he doesn't qualify for that. But thank you for your help.

 

[2298754]

Thank you for asking. Dad's truck is doing fine. He got the air conditioning fixed.

No he didn't file a claim in the Ford No Lemon Policy. I told him about the Ford No Lemon Policy and he said that he doesn't qualify for that. But thank you for your help.

That's unfortunate. At least dad's truck is doing much better though!

I'm happy the AC is finally working again.

 

[Muscle Master]

How is your father's Ford truck doing?

Have you filed a claim under the Ford No Lemon Policy?


Ironically, if you were so "Pro-American," why did you buy a Mexican-made Ford Fusion?

The Camry, Accord, Civic, etc are all more "American" than the Ford.

My Fusion was actually built in America, and by pro American.. The profits stay in the USA instead of going back to Japan.. Thanks for the info

 

[puma1552]

My Fusion was actually built in America, and by pro American.. The profits stay in the USA instead of going back to Japan.. Thanks for the info

Yay corporate executive 1%ers?

 

[D.T.]

So very interesting:

It's the GT350 intake manifold, designed to also fit 5.0 Coyote motors! Retains the CMCVs (unlike the Cobra Jet I/M) , tuned to make power up to 7500rpm, and unlike both the other intake (CJ and BOSS), it clears both the OEM strut tower brace and hood (the others require losing the STB and/or hood liner/trimming the hood).

Pricey, but decent sized discounts. Apparently the GT350 TB is plug-and-play too (and cheap). A guy has one installed, and is just waiting to coordinate with his tuner and get to a dyno, just been a few delays with the holiday season and shops being closed.

 

[2298754]

My Fusion was actually built in America, and by pro American.. The profits stay in the USA instead of going back to Japan.. Thanks for the info

I'm 99.9% sure that's not how economics work. My BMW was made in America. But the profits didn't go back to Germany. They got re-invested into Spartanburg economy.

 

[Muscle Master]

So very interesting:

It's the GT350 intake manifold, designed to also fit 5.0 Coyote motors! Retains the CMCVs (unlike the Cobra Jet I/M) , tuned to make power up to 7500rpm, and unlike both the other intake (CJ and BOSS), it clears both the OEM strut tower brace and hood (the others require losing the STB and/or hood liner/trimming the hood).

Pricey, but decent sized discounts. Apparently the GT350 TB is plug-and-play too (and cheap). A guy has one installed, and is just waiting to coordinate with his tuner and get to a dyno, just been a few delays with the holiday season and shops being closed.

I remember when the 5.0 was still new and when the boss was released, it was discovered that the boss intake was plug and play as well and It didn't respond well.... Something about it losing HP/TQ and that it only responded well in a track environment... Have a good look on the forums about it and do your research... Ford might have designed it with Forced induction In mind ONLY and even with a tune.. It might not respond well as people think.. I figured someone had to try it though

 

[D.T.]

I remember when the 5.0 was still new and when the boss was released, it was discovered that the boss intake was plug and play as well and It didn't respond well.... Something about it losing HP/TQ and that it only responded well in a track environment... Have a good look on the forums about it and do your research... Ford might have designed it with Forced induction In mind ONLY and even with a tune.. It might not respond well as people think.. I figured someone had to try it though

You are correct about the BOSS intake, the runner design is for high[er] RPM power, and there is some gain way up top, but notable losses in low/mid range torque. It's for track use, where you're spending 90% of your time above 5K, or just a "max HP" NA build, not something I'd want for the street. The GT350 intake design looks to be much more attenuated to mid-range, I guess we'll see when the guy gets it dialed in, he said he'd do a before an after graph, so we could see a complete comparison of this vs. the stock Coyote I/M. Even if the power is moved up a little that would still potentially be a killer street setup, especially for the folks running 3:73 gears, the engine winds up so quickly.

This is a far future plan for me anyway, I wouldn't even start considering this until some suspension work, tune/LTs/exhaust, etc.

 

[cdcastillo]

Hi guys, just found this thread and wanted to ask what you guys think about the VW Tiguan 2016.

I'll try to keep a long story short: my accountant ran the numbers and convinced me with solid data that leasing a vehicle was the way to go in my financial situation. My first leased vehicle was a Renault Fluence, smooth and trusty vehicle, not a sports car by any means, but really comfortable to drive. 6 months ago I got a new job and now I drive up a small mountain every day. The problem is, when it rains (and in Mexico city the rain season lasts about 8 months a year), the road gets semi-flooded sometimes, and at least once I was about to get swiped away in the Fluence, which seriously scared the creep out of me.

The lease of the Fluence ends in about a month and I started thinking I wanted a small SUV to better withstand semi-flooded roads that flow down the mountain. I have been researching on the local dealers and think I narrowed down to a Duster, the Tiguan or a Hyundai Tucson. The cheapest is the Duster, but I kind of like the Tiguan best. The Tucson is affordable but not-so-slightly above what I need to pay to maximise the tax savings (which is why I needed to lease in the first place). Also, the VW has carplay, which is a nice bonus.

So, what do you guys think?

 

[puma1552]

Tiguan's a nice truck, almost bought a loaded SEL 4MO last week. Good time to buy with incentives.

Decided I like my 5.0 more for the time being.

 

[cdcastillo]

Tiguan's a nice truck, almost bought a loaded SEL 4MO last week. Good time to buy with incentives...

Yes, good time indeed, they offer me a 12% discount on the total price (about 2,800 USD from the $23,500 it usually costs)

 

[iLog.Genius]

Too bad you can't strong-arm discounts on Audi's. I don't like Audi's but if I could get in one with some huge discounts, I would do it.

 

[2298754]

Too bad you can't strong-arm discounts on Audi's. I don't like Audi's but if I could get in one with some huge discounts, I would do it.

That's more up BMW and Mercedes' alley.

Audi doesn't need to throw thousands on the hood to move their cars, especially in my area. Even the outdated Q5/Q7 sell for near MSRP these days.

 

[iLog.Genius]

That's more up BMW and Mercedes' alley.

Audi doesn't need to throw thousands on the hood to move their cars, especially in my area. Even the outdated Q5/Q7 sell for near MSRP these days.

None of the German 3 really need to discount. Mercedes and BMW do it to one-up each other for the sales crown. None of them have a hard time moving cars. I think the 3er and C-Class have become the modern day Honda Civic where I live.

 

[puma1552]

ive said it before, but the 3er is such an overrated turd, at least in this chassis. apparently the upcoming G chassis is going to get even bigger, which is the exact opposite of where it needs to go, so that'll also probably be a turd.

the cars have gotten more bloated, compliant, and have very low rent interiors. the current 3er is also just plain ugly, even post-LCI. Must add the same old played out tired M-sport just for it to look decent, where they jam the same damn bumper on every model from 2 series to X6.

ultimate driving machine my ass. hasnt been that way since the E46 330 ZHP. the reasons are multiple for it being kicked off C&Ds 10 best after like 22 years running or however many. the doors feel like paper mache when you close them, long gone is the bank vault feeling.

more like ultimate marketing machine for an underwhelming ownership experience. honestly BMW needs all new design language across the board, interior and exterior. theyve also diluted the brand so much with every kind of model configuration for every series, instead of focusing on making the core products solid.

but hey more badge whores would rather buy a halogen headlight plain black turd with premium package and nav off the lot than anything optioned halfways decent. those base wheels on the 3 series? oh man......this has got to be one of the ugliest BMWs ever built, this thing doesnt look like it's worth $20k, yet somehow despite never having sport or lighting these turds always end up with $45k sticker prices:

vanity sells, i guess. id take a VW over a BMW all day every day, mainly because i couldnt give a crap what badge is on the hood and the VWs feel like better built cars - sit in a GTI and then sit in a 3er and tell me which car feels more substantial - it's almost absurd what VW can deliver for sub-$30k.

unrelated, the C-class is a nice car.

Audi needs to quit running body styles for close to a decade because they just dont age that well (A4's interior looks terrible by today's ergonomic standards even if the materials are still first rate), and audi needs to get with the program and start making base configurations RWD instead of that FWD crap IMO. i know people buy audis for the quattro, but they would be more compellig with RWD as a base configuration. its hard to call a car a luxury car when the entire premise of FWD is that it is cheaper to manufacture since the engine/drivetrain are one drop-in unit on the assembly line.

 

[quagmire]

If you want a drivers car in the 3 series segment, the Cadillac ATS is the one to get now. I also believe others rate the IS350 higher than the F30 these days in terms of driving dynamics. Who would have thought you would ever hear that about a Lexus?

 

[2298754]

Audi needs to quit running body styles for close to a decade because they just dont age that well (A4's interior looks terrible by today's ergonomic standards even if the materials are still first rate)

Decade? What? Their models never last that long.

The Q7 was the oldest (since 2007, no MY16), but the MKII Q7 (MY17+) is launching next week.

The oldest cars in their current lineup are the A4/5 and Q5. New A4 is 6 months away from launch and the all-new Q5 will be shown in the Spring.

 

[2298754]

None of them have a hard time moving cars. I think the 3er and C-Class have become the modern day Honda Civic where I live.

Also add in the Q5, X3, X5, Macan, and Cayenne in my neighborhood and you got it.

 

[puma1552]

Decade? What? Their models never last that long.

The Q7 was the oldest (since 2007, no MY16), but the MKII Q7 (MY17+) is launching next week.

The oldest cars in their current lineup are the A4/5 and Q5. New A4 is 6 months away from launch and the all-new Q5 will be shown in the Spring.

Note I said *close* to a decade -

Q7 - 9 model years
A4 - 8 model years which has been painfully long with the long, long, long anticipated release of the B9
A5 - 9 model years
Q5 - 8 model years, but US probably won't see the next one til MY2018, so 9 years

They just don't age well enough to last that long IMO.

 

[2298754]

Note I said *close* to a decade -

Q7 - 9 model years
A4 - 8 model years which has been painfully long with the long, long, long anticipated release of the B9
A5 - 9 model years
Q5 - 8 model years, but US probably won't see the next one til MY2018, so 9 years

They just don't age well enough to last that long IMO.

Again, we're pretending that they're languishing on dealer lots. Audi uses the lowest levels of incentives out of the Germans to sell.

The outdated Q5/Q7 are still selling for near MSRP in the Northeast. Q7 sales have increased over the past few years. If they were truly aging, sales would be decreasing. The Q5 has consistently been one of the top sellers in its class month after month.

If you really want to talk about outdated, VW is the prime example. And this is coming from a huge VW fan. The Jetta and Passat are trash. The CC has been around forever. Tiguan is another one.

 

[puma1552]

Again, we're pretending that they're languishing on dealer lots. Audi uses the lowest levels of incentives out of the Germans to sell.

The outdated Q5/Q7 are still selling for near MSRP in the Northeast. Q7 sales have increased over the past few years. If they were truly aging, sales would be decreasing. The Q5 has consistently been one of the top sellers in its class month after month.

If you really want to talk about outdated, VW is the prime example. And this is coming from a huge VW fan. The Jetta and Passat are trash. The CC has been around forever. Tiguan is another one.

Doesn't matter if they are still selling, they are still old cars that are long in the tooth and boring to look at now and that was my point - I said nothing about sales. Anyone that pays close to MSRP for anything that isn't limited production is foolish IMO. Nobody buys Q7s around here, lots of Q5s though. I would bet sales increase on the old models as more content is put in for the same price. When I looked at A4s in 2014, you got a LOT more car than you did in 2009 for the same price, since manufacturers always add content at a fairly consistent price point as the body style ages.

The Jetta and Passat may be crap compared to prior gens, but they sell in serious numbers to the average American who wants the biggest, cheapest piece of crap for XX dollars. They also aren't as old as any of the Audis I listed. VW has righted a lot of the wrongs in the Jetta though over the years after the heavy criticism they received in 2011, and the 2016 GLI actually looks like a nice car, even if the doorcards are still cheap. Can't speak for the Passat, as I have zero interest, but it's about freaking time they finally gave it a non-halogen headlight option. What was VW thinking waiting until 2016??

CC is an old car. Great looking car in '13+ R-line form, but very, very old as it still sits on the B6 Passat chassis. Too bad it's a pretty face and quiet ride and not much else. Test drove one three times and each time I left disappointed. VW doesn't give a rat's ass about this car, when was the last time you saw a commercial? I understand it's a niche car, but why bother certifying it for the US for 5,000 sales a year and not bother advertising it? Nobody even knows what a CC is. They could advertise it and triple their sales and it would still be the niche car they know it is; pointless to completely neglect it. These cars still don't sell at $6500 off sticker. I've watched this market for three years and they literally sit on lots for 6-12 months. None of my dealers still have '16s, except one. They won't order them until they can finally unload the '15s, which are listed for over $7k off minus loyalty/conquest.

Tiguan dates to 2009 in the US and is being replaced next year with yet another jacked up station wagon hideous crossover. Bye bye small and premium, because again, Americans want big + cheap. While I like the current Tiguan for the most part - a few gripes aside - it's another example of VW asleep at the wheel. This car should be their biggest seller and most competitive model as this is the hottest segment by far, but most small SUV shoppers don't even know the Tiguan exists and have never heard of it.

Anyway 2016 is Year of the Daewoo, I can feel it in my bones.

 

[D.T.]

This is the first real commitment, vs. previous semi-vague statements about existing vehicles

Ford's latest Sync 3 technology may not be perfect, but it's undoubtedly the Blue Oval's best infotainment system yet. Good news: It's about to get a whole lot better. At some point later this year, owners of Sync 3-equipped cars will be able to use Apple CarPlay and Android Auto in their vehicles. In addition, Sync Connect technology will add the ability to remotely start vehicles, unlock doors, check the level of fuel and help drivers find their parked cars.

In addition to Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, several new apps are promised in 2016 to be used with Ford's AppLink tech, including one from AAA (or CAA for Canadian Ford drivers) that will monitor fuel prices and offer directions to nearby gas stations. A Concur app will allow users of the business expense service to track mileage for work trips, after which a prompt to reconcile that trip in Concur will be presented. Eventseeker helps drivers find nearby events, and Cityseeker does the same thing for restaurants and nightlife. Finally, the Tencent Chelian app will tie into QQ, China's most popular social media platform.

http://www.autoblog.com/2016/01/04/ford-sync-3-apple-carplay-android-auto/

 

[puma1552]

This is the first real commitment, vs. previous semi-vague statements about existing vehicles



http://www.autoblog.com/2016/01/04/ford-sync-3-apple-carplay-android-auto/

I'm not really sure what it is that makes people complain so much about SYNC. MyFordTouch, maybe, as I have no experience with that. My dad has it in his '14 Edge but doesn't seem to mind.

But I have the basic SYNC (splurged for the Shaker Pro stereo but just have basic SYNC since I didn't want nav so no MFT) and it works absolutely flawlessly. I hit the voice button, tell it what I want it to do, and it does it without fail, every time. The voice recognition even hears what I say with the windows down at 75 mph without me screaming.

Anyway good to see CarPlay being added.

 

[D.T.]

I'm not really sure what it is that makes people complain so much about SYNC. MyFordTouch, maybe, as I have no experience with that. My dad has it in his '14 Edge but doesn't seem to mind.

But I have the basic SYNC (splurged for the Shaker Pro stereo but just have basic SYNC since I didn't want nav so no MFT) and it works absolutely flawlessly. I hit the voice button, tell it what I want it to do, and it does it without fail, every time. The voice recognition even hears what I say with the windows down at 75 mph without me screaming.

Anyway good to see CarPlay being added.

I think 99% of it for me is just wanting to play with it

(Heck, even the OEM Nav is extremely good)
[doublepost=1451957252,1451929956][/doublepost]

So very interesting:

It's the GT350 intake manifold, designed to also fit 5.0 Coyote motors! Retains the CMCVs (unlike the Cobra Jet I/M) , tuned to make power up to 7500rpm, and unlike both the other intake (CJ and BOSS), it clears both the OEM strut tower brace and hood (the others require losing the STB and/or hood liner/trimming the hood).

Pricey, but decent sized discounts. Apparently the GT350 TB is plug-and-play too (and cheap). A guy has one installed, and is just waiting to coordinate with his tuner and get to a dyno, just been a few delays with the holiday season and shops being closed.

Wow, so the guy with a mild exhaust, stock exhaust manifolds, CAI and a tune picked up like 36rwhp and instead of the power dropping off at ~6800, it just goes and goes up into the mid 7Ks. He's looking into LTs with HFCs, and he's running on a "heartbreaker" dyno, so think something in the 460-470rwhp (~550-ish) with CAI/IM/LT/Exhaust/Tune without touching the heads or cams.

Nice.