The Car Thread ... !

[2298754]

Looks like the new S90 from Volvo incorporates a couple of the tech rollouts BMW revealed at last year's CES. The new Volvo looks quite good on the outside. The rear end needs evolving. The seats look comfortable. Everything is neat and orderly. Not too hot on the car's controls being on one giant screen. Unless that steering controls can work with it and the console dial knob can as well.

Again, what are you talking about? What does BMW have to do with Volvo?

The Volvo S90 is merely a sedan version of the all-new XC90 that came out last year. It uses all the same technology (Sensus touch). It, however, gets the new version of Pilot Assist (2), whereas the XC90 won't get the new autonomous tech until MY17.

The "console dial knob" is nothing more than a volume controller. The steering wheel buttons control the all-LCD gauge cluster.

Bonus shot from the V90. No front seat shot, but a back seat shot. Looks like they're using touch controls for the rear AC/heat. Something I saw in the new 7 series and somewhat in a few new select Audis.

They already showed pictures of the V90. It's a wagon S90.

On the topic of touch-panel AC controls... it's the same part off the new XC90.

BMW (and Audi) still use the traditional knob/button displays. None of them have touch. The G01 7 series has that detachable Samsung tablet, but that's not for climate control.

The big issue is that if you want a new Volvo with the best engine trim, which is the T6 Inscription, your costs go way up. At which point you wonder whether it's a smart purchase. Because you could get a better equipped car/SUV than the Volvo. The X5 and Q5 spring to mind, or even the GX460 Luxury variant. I'd pick the X5 in this case. Hell, even the diesel variant.

That's incorrect. The T6 (Inscription or not) XC90 is significantly cheaper than the equivalent Audi Q7 or BMW X5. (The Q5 competes with the smaller XC60.)

For example, a loaded Inscription XC90 is right under $70k. Q7/X5 would be almost $8-10k more.
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Battle of the fastest SUV. Not going to have spoilers to those who wants to watch it, but I love the Model X vs 4C drag race.

I loved the race with the Model X + 4C versus the 4C.

That being said, with my money, I'm getting a G65 AMG or Holland&Holland RR

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You can feel that way but I've owned several luxury cars. But if you want to go with ad hominem attacks, then be my guest. That says a lot about your moral character. I feel you're behaving this way all because I made a comment on Audi cars months ago. You'll often seek my posts out to criticize them just because I pissed on your precious view of Audi. And I'll say it again. The seats are never comfortable, they don't drive as well as I'd like them to, they're more problematic than BMW or MBZ combined. Plus, the general profile of Audis hasn't changed much in the last 20 years. More sculpting, but still the same body lines. Hopefully that doesn't offend you more than my previous comments about Audis did. Though the TT is something special. It's different. I like it.

It's cute that you've resorted to playing the victim card. This isn't the PRSI section to be debating "moral character"

I'm calling you out because most of your posts make zero sense. (Which is probably why no one bothers to reply to you.) You're out of touch with reality.

"Mercedes-Benz is the "best quality Euro brand" Are we still in 1990? Most recent CR has current Mercedes' reliability rated at "worse than average." BMW is average. So again, you're wrong.

"then BMW, then VW and then Audi" If this was true, why is VW almost always at the bottom of every quality/reliability study (with FCA), whereas Audi is above average?

"98 XJR. Wonderfully quick car and an engine by Mercedes, IIRC, but what a headache." There has never been a Jaguar with a Mercedes engine. Why are you making things up?

"VW doesn't help out Audi much." Uhh, what? Audi (and Porsche) are the only reasons why VW isn't bankrupt right now. They provide the bulk of profits for VWAG.

"Merc and BMW are at the forefront of car tech." Tesla says hello. Or Volvo with their autonomous technology? Mercedes has been playing catchup for over a decade now (post Daimler-Chrysler breakup)

"BMW seem to be doing something very cool with their central navigator. I think that's very cool, but makes me wonder about down the road reliability and loss of sensitivity." COMMAND has the similar touchpad on top of their controller now. Surely, a Mercedes-Benz "owner" would know that!

 

[D.T.]

The new Mustangs are reliable and quite fun to drive. The only issue I've read or heard of the new Mustang was that they look too "European" by certain people, but the only real issue was interior creaking of plastics but the dealers would make good on that issue. Honestly, if I didn't have kids and was going through another mid-life issue, the GT350 would be a daily driver.

Anyway, while it would be fun to own a high powered muscle car and take it to a track a few times a year, I wouldn't like a company voiding my warranty based on what they "observed" especially if it's explicitly marketed as a track ready car.

If anything, I was drawn to the new design far more than previous generations (never owned one before). The interior is decent, there's a little known option called Premier that provides some improved [soft touch] materials, real stitching, and some nice color options, and it's a steal for the price (in the context of the total price).

I actually chose it _because_ we have a child, and with my previous two-seaters, it meant almost no use (I also don't daily/commute). I don't think I'm going through a mid-life crisis ... I mean, I owned a few Vettes before this car, so maybe I had an early-mid-life.

We've owned three previous BMWs (X5 4.4, 330Ci, Z3), so I did briefly consider the M4 Cab (my GT is a convertible, I was specifically shopping for a drop top), but at 2X the price for the roughly the same options (not hyperbole, right at double), I don't factor in that much value to the badge, plus BMW locations here are very inconvenient for service. I'm actually pretty frugal with cars, especially since mine doesn't get driven that much. I also knocked around the idea of a E9x Cab, but for still _more_ than the GT convertible (as a CPO), I was pretty underwhelmed.

I tracked a number of cars, under warranty, and had warranty work done of them, one was even a lease Also, GM has reversed itself on the warranty concern with track use:

Much as it does with the Corvette, Chevrolet has confirmed that it will honor the warranties on V8 Camaros even if the issue in question was caused by a track day or night at the drag strip. Motor Authority was told about the policy by Camaro Chief Engineer Al Oppenheiser, and Autoblog got an official confirmation from GM. There are, of course, caveats, plus some open questions about the policy.

"If you're not modifying your car and you take your production car to a track day and you have an issue with one of your parts, it's covered under warranty," Oppenheiser told Motor Authority. "That's pride of craftsmanship that we know it will stand up to track use."

http://www.autoblog.com/2016/04/01/2016-chevy-camaro-track-warranty/
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Battle of the fastest SUV. Not going to have spoilers to those who wants to watch it, but I love the Model X vs 4C drag race.

I saw this yesterday, fun video!

Though a few acquaintances were carping about the 1/4 times vs. some of the other cars on the chart (tech/EV dorks), and I pointed out the MPH differences, they didn't get it - it's funny to talk cars with them, their contribution to performance related topics is mostly limited to talk of 0-60 times ...

 

[heehee]

I loved the race with the Model X + 4C versus the 4C.

That being said, with my money, I'm getting a G65 AMG or Holland&Holland RR

I would get a RR or X6M over a Tesla for sure and I'm a Tesla fan. I'm one of those who reserved a Model 3 on the first day and almost bought a used Model S.

I saw this yesterday, fun video!

Though a few acquaintances were carping about the 1/4 times vs. some of the other cars on the chart (tech/EV dorks), and I pointed out the MPH differences, they didn't get it - it's funny to talk cars with them, their contribution to performance related topics is mostly limited to talk of 0-60 times ...

They must love the Accord V6.

 

[quagmire]

I tracked a number of cars, under warranty, and had warranty work done of them, one was even a lease Also, GM has reversed itself on the warranty concern with track use:

Which is of course a good thing, but at the same time any manufacture will look for a way to void the warranty. I remember and one of the members posted about it in the link he provided, if you used launch control 5 times in the GT-R, Nissan would void the warranty.

Bet GM will try to show any broken part was caused by the owner abusing the car on the track. May be track ready, but they'll go, " Well you burned the clutch out, transmission shows wear due to improper shifting, etc".

I don't trust any big corporation to do the right thing.

 

[0388631]

Which is of course a good thing, but at the same time any manufacture will look for a way to void the warranty. I remember and one of the members posted about it in the link he provided, if you used launch control 5 times in the GT-R, Nissan would void the warranty.

Bet GM will try to show any broken part was caused by the owner abusing the car on the track. May be track ready, but they'll go, " Well you burned the clutch out, transmission shows wear due to improper shifting, etc".

I don't trust any big corporation to do the right thing.

I remember that. Not here, but reading it online. But from what I recall, Nissan got into hot water for advertising their launch control but would void the warranty if it was found it was the reason for a nuked transmission. Didn't later GTRs come without launch control baked in? Or with GM, using a catch can and voiding a warranty. It should be up to the manufacture to prove malice on the owner's end, and not point at something and say they're voiding it because of that.

 

[D.T.]

I remember that. Not here, but reading it online. But from what I recall, Nissan got into hot water for advertising their launch control but would void the warranty if it was found it was the reason for a nuked transmission. Didn't later GTRs come without launch control baked in?

The later models/software revisions allowed for repeat use of launch control, and I believe many of the prior out-of-pocket repair costs were eventually refunded. Nissan even extended the drive train warranty on early models.

I love the GT-R but it was a bit of an exercise in slight of hand by Nissan. First they introduce it at a price way too low (given the eventual, short term price ramp), and they also use performance numbers that's can't be achieved without accessing a limited use, special mode that you _really_ aren't supposed to use

$20K transmission, $35K motor, it was a lesson for the aftermarket crowd too

That's one thing - as someone who loves to mod - with the domestic, shared mass platform options, if you blow something up, it's not a the same level of financial crisis. Even when I was cross shopping the GT500, easily tuned to 750HP (starts at 662!), but if that motor lets go, it's $20K. My Coyote on the other hand I can buy as a crate motor for $4K.

 

[0388631]

The later models/software revisions allowed for repeat use of launch control, and I believe many of the prior out-of-pocket repair costs were eventually refunded. Nissan even extended the drive train warranty on early models.

I love the GT-R but it was a bit of an exercise in slight of hand by Nissan. First they introduce it at a price way too low (given the eventual, short term price ramp), and they also use performance numbers that's can't be achieved without accessing a limited use, special mode that you _really_ aren't supposed to use

$20K transmission, $35K motor, it was a lesson for the aftermarket crowd too

That's one thing - as someone who loves to mod - with the domestic, shared mass platform options, if you blow something up, it's not a the same level of financial crisis. Even when I was cross shopping the GT500, easily tuned to 750HP (starts at 662!), but if that motor lets go, it's $20K. My Coyote on the other hand I can buy as a crate motor for $4K.

How nice of them...

From what I understand of the GTR, which isn't much because I never took an interest to it like I did with its predecessors, it's my understanding that the price ramp up correlates with various factors. The car has been continuously developed as the years have galloped by and instead of taking the hit, Nissan has increased pricing to offset the red. Furthermore, I believe I spotted an article a while back from who knows when that Nissan are trying to get as much performance out of the car before giving it a total refresh. I'd never seen one up close until I saw one at a Morton's several years back, and then saw a few at a car event later on that year. It's not as big as I thought it would be. Question, who buys crate engines other than drag racers and car restorers who want to put a non-original engine in? I only know people using Edelbrock engines and Chevy's crate motors (among other things) which you can order directly.

 

[Alphazoid]

Picking this up on Sat. (Not my pic but same year/trim/colour).

I've always been attracted to the 2nd-gen IS.

Also didn't wanna do German cos;
a) Stretches my budget and comes with less kit
b) EVERYONE here drives a variation of BMW/MB/Audi in black, white or grey.

My first car in my own name. I'm both excited and scared sh*tless. I hope i'm one of the luckier ones and the car proves reliable. Last thing i wanna do, is to end up bleeding money to fix things. Hopefully serves me well for the next 3yrs or more.

 

[D.T.]

Picking this up on Sat. (Not my pic but same year/trim/colour).

I've always been attracted to the 2nd-gen IS.

Also didn't wanna do German cos;
a) Stretches my budget and comes with less kit
b) EVERYONE here drives a variation of BMW/MB/Audi in black, white or grey.

My first car in my own name. I'm both excited and scared sh*tless. I hope i'm one of the luckier ones and the car proves reliable. Last thing i wanna do, is to end up bleeding money to fix things. Hopefully serves me well for the next 3yrs or more.

Nice, my Lexus ownership was one of the best car experiences I had. Is it kind of an ice blue color? That's beautiful, and you're right, a way to stand out against the sea of gray-scale colors.

 

[Alphazoid]

They say its Cerulean Blue. Its sort of silvery blue with a slight green accent depending on lighting.

Blue is my favourite colour, so i was drawn to it as soon as i saw it.

 

[2298754]

Picking this up on Sat. (Not my pic but same year/trim/colour).

I've always been attracted to the 2nd-gen IS.

Also didn't wanna do German cos;
a) Stretches my budget and comes with less kit
b) EVERYONE here drives a variation of BMW/MB/Audi in black, white or grey.

My first car in my own name. I'm both excited and scared sh*tless. I hope i'm one of the luckier ones and the car proves reliable. Last thing i wanna do, is to end up bleeding money to fix things. Hopefully serves me well for the next 3yrs or more.

Congrats man! The 2IS is a fantastic car.

Post some pictures once you get it.

 

[Alphazoid]

Thanks. Will do.

 

[D.T.]

How nice of them...

From what I understand of the GTR, which isn't much because I never took an interest to it like I did with its predecessors, it's my understanding that the price ramp up correlates with various factors. The car has been continuously developed as the years have galloped by and instead of taking the hit, Nissan has increased pricing to offset the red. Furthermore, I believe I spotted an article a while back from who knows when that Nissan are trying to get as much performance out of the car before giving it a total refresh. I'd never seen one up close until I saw one at a Morton's several years back, and then saw a few at a car event later on that year. It's not as big as I thought it would be. Question, who buys crate engines other than drag racers and car restorers who want to put a non-original engine in? I only know people using Edelbrock engines and Chevy's crate motors (among other things) which you can order directly.

Some say Nissan sandbagged the price to create such a significant price-to-performance ratio and keep it under $70K. Then they removed the base package (I believe there was like a $5-6K difference vs. the premium). The price increase is pretty significant, even with the incremental improvements (and a couple of slightly more major bumps in suspension/tech/power):

Yeah, it's a surprisingly small car, there's something about the design that communicates "big", but it's not. The 2017 has even more power, more refinement, improvements in NVH, etc, but to the tune of $101K for the standard model (the black editions have been about $8-10K more and more more track tuned).

It's a beast, its still a "bargain" of sorts, but that's serious cash for a Nissan. If you even get a chance to drive one, I recommend it - it's not the disconnected, the-car-drives-itself that some people carp about. If there's a chance to drive a tuned one, even better

 

[0388631]

Some say Nissan sandbagged the price to create such a significant price-to-performance ratio and keep it under $70K. Then they removed the base package (I believe there was like a $5-6K difference vs. the premium). The price increase is pretty significant, even with the incremental improvements (and a couple of slightly more major bumps in suspension/tech/power):

Yeah, it's a surprisingly small car, there's something about the design that communicates "big", but it's not. The 2017 has even more power, more refinement, improvements in NVH, etc, but to the tune of $101K for the standard model (the black editions have been about $8-10K more and more more track tuned).

It's a beast, its still a "bargain" of sorts, but that's serious cash for a Nissan. If you even get a chance to drive one, I recommend it - it's not the disconnected, the-car-drives-itself that some people carp about. If there's a chance to drive a tuned one, even better

That makes sense as well. Actually a lot more than the theory I brought up. The stock car sounds great in person. Since seeing its IRL size, I've presumed its the angles on the car. The old NSXs were surprisingly small. Smog era Corvettes were also small. They also had pitiful engines by today's standard. I've seen a handful of them at various car shows here and there, but in wild colors - one was similar to the Mexico Blue Porsche has. Are these people putting crate engines in or extracting what they can get out of the small block?

 

[iLog.Genius]

Some say Nissan sandbagged the price to create such a significant price-to-performance ratio and keep it under $70K. Then they removed the base package (I believe there was like a $5-6K difference vs. the premium). The price increase is pretty significant, even with the incremental improvements (and a couple of slightly more major bumps in suspension/tech/power):

Yeah, it's a surprisingly small car, there's something about the design that communicates "big", but it's not. The 2017 has even more power, more refinement, improvements in NVH, etc, but to the tune of $101K for the standard model (the black editions have been about $8-10K more and more more track tuned).

It's a beast, its still a "bargain" of sorts, but that's serious cash for a Nissan. If you even get a chance to drive one, I recommend it - it's not the disconnected, the-car-drives-itself that some people carp about. If there's a chance to drive a tuned one, even better

Wow. How much more kit do you get in the Premium (2013) vs. any base version? Even counting for inflation, that $96,820 is well over the inflation rate from 2008 to 2013 (by approx. $21,000).

 

[D.T.]

Wow. How much more kit do you get in the Premium (2013) vs. any base version? Even counting for inflation, that $96,820 is well over the inflation rate from 2008 to 2013 (by approx. $21,000).

I don't recall the specifics, I want to say it was things like the electronic stack, heated seats, probably memory-something, you know, convenience/comfort type upgrades. It wasn't all that expensive, in the chart its about 2.5K

The crazy thing is that first year bump, the intro year to next year the price increased ~$7000, then another ~$4000, then they dropped the base and only offered the Premium and increased that price by $1K, effectively increasing the minimum price by ~$3.5K. So in 4 model years the lowest price car went from $69K to $84K, that's $15,000 right there.

Neat cars, super unique, very quick, it's just a waymore impressive at $75K than $100K+ - though with $100K+ Corvettes, I guess the market has shifted.

 

[iLog.Genius]

I don't recall the specifics, I want to say it was things like the electronic stack, heated seats, probably memory-something, you know, convenience/comfort type upgrades. It wasn't all that expensive, in the chart its about 2.5K

The crazy thing is that first year bump, the intro year to next year the price increased ~$7000, then another ~$4000, then they dropped the base and only offered the Premium and increased that price by $1K, effectively increasing the minimum price by ~$3.5K. So in 4 model years the lowest price car went from $69K to $84K, that's $15,000 right there.

Neat cars, super unique, very quick, it's just a waymore impressive at $75K than $100K+ - though with $100K+ Corvettes, I guess the market has shifted.

Even at $100k, the GT-R still remains a very good car and can still be considered a super car killer of sorts but it can no longer be considered a budget super car. At 75k I would seriously consider it but approaching $100k+, not solely interested in its performance when you could have a M5 or E63 AMG, both of which have more than performance.

 

[D.T.]

Even at $100k, the GT-R still remains a very good car and can still be considered a super car killer of sorts but it can no longer be considered a budget super car. At 75k I would seriously consider it but approaching $100k+, not solely interested in its performance when you could have a M5 or E63 AMG, both of which have more than performance.

Right on, that's exactly my feelings.

 

[0388631]

I guess the market has shifted.

It's always shifting. The old adage of getting more of your money's worth in the past is true.

 

[A.Goldberg]

They say its Cerulean Blue. Its sort of silvery blue with a slight green accent depending on lighting.

Blue is my favourite colour, so i was drawn to it as soon as i saw it.

Please tell me you got the IS350, not the IS250.
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The big issue is that if you want a new Volvo with the best engine trim, which is the T6 Inscription, your costs go way up. At which point you wonder whether it's a smart purchase. Because you could get a better equipped car/SUV than the Volvo. The X5 and Q5 spring to mind, or even the GX460 Luxury variant. I'd pick the X5 in this case. Hell, even the diesel variant.

Given that you can easily spend 80,000+ on an X5 or GL, the T6 inscription AWD (Base= $57,000) is quite a bit cheaper. The T8 Inscription is about $72,000. I think the real problem is spending $60-72,000 on a 4cyl (turbocharged + supercharged engine). The T8 adds a hybrid powertrain to the 4cyl turbo/sc- which sounds like a reliability nightmare.

Volvo has historically put a lot of their controls on the steering wheel- their original pop-up nav had a directional pad on the backside of the steering wheel, the original sensus has a scroll thumbwheel on the steering wheel, and I imagine the Sensus Touch uses a similar system. It's really quite reminiscent of the Tesla Model S interior with the "tablet" configuration. I swear to god, Volvo makes some of the best seats in the business.

 

[lowendlinux]

I think you gentlemen have convinced me never to buy a new car.

 

[LadyX]

Which is more spacious from the inside (specifically the backseats), the Audi Q5 or Mercedes C-class?

 

[2298754]

Which is more spacious from the inside (specifically the backseats), the Audi Q5 or Mercedes C-class?

Probably the Q5, but it is a SUV. The better comparison would be Q5 versus the GLC, which is the SUV version of the C Class.
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Please tell me you got the IS350, not the IS250.

So true.

http://ask.cars.com/2009/03/2009-lexus-is.html

The compact IS sedan is one of Lexus’ sportier cars with the IS 350 offering a much more engaging driving experience compared to the IS 250. Lexus says the IS 350 can accelerate from zero to 60 mph in 5.6 seconds compared to 7.9 seconds for the IS 250. IS 250 models come with a 204-horsepower, 2.5-liter six-cylinder engine; the IS 350 has a 3.5-liter V-6 engine, making 304 hp

 

[heehee]

Which is more spacious from the inside (specifically the backseats), the Audi Q5 or Mercedes C-class?

I have the 2015 C-Class and the leg room at the back is not that roomy, I don't know about the Q5 though.

 

[Alphazoid]

Please tell me you got the IS350, not the IS250.

So true.

http://ask.cars.com/2009/03/2009-lexus-is.html

Unfortunately the IS 350 was never sold in Europe. You get the option of a 220 diesel or the 250.