From a review of Hyundai's 2015 Equuis, the car still fall short here and there, especially in the use of hard plastics where soft touch material should have been there.
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The "panel" has give because it is a door that swings up to reveal a hidden cubby. But of course you don't need to be pounding on it because it is capacitive touch.
Agreed. Every Acura should have SH-AWD standard. Some Audis are FWD, but not many.
I'm wondering if @rdowns still has his TLX.
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I see, but I wonder how much force is needed. Older capacitive touch phones/panels had to be pressed quite a bit to register something. I wouldn't be surprised if it's a very cheap panel in the Cadillac. Though I question the cubby placement.
It is responsive for me. Could some things be a bit faster? Sure like him trying to tap through the menu options( but he could have scrolled vs tapping to go faster) The only time the system really lags is with the navigation map and zooming in and out. Again his issue was hitting his desired button off center or too fast so the system thinks it may have been an accidental touch just like the iPhone.
You're thinking of resistive type touch screens where you had to press on the screen for it to register. You don't have to press it hard at all. Same pressure as you would press on your iPhone/iPad screen.
I like the hidden cubby. There is a USB port inside. So if you absolutely wanted to, can place your phone, iPod, etc in there, keep it charged( and of course integrate with the car), etc while you're away from the car, and any would be smash and grab type thiefs won't know about that cubby. Not that I would leave that stuff in the car anyway, but hey it's there.
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That's not surprising at all. It's what? like $30-40k less than a S Class?
But there is a new model coming next year. Hyundai is finally launching their own luxury brand called Genesis. The G90 is the first model.
http://jalopnik.com/2017-genesis-g90-this-is-it-1752439308
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In the rental ATS I had, the powered cubby almost never worked correctly. Pretty pointless design IMO. Just put a USB port in the center storage bin like everyone else. The whole center dash just looks cheap to me.
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Yes! Make it matte finish, so it doesn't look/feel low-rent.
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On paper, a SH-AWD turbo ILX sounds like a good WRX/STI/Evo competitor. Or an upgrade for Civic Si owners who want something more grown-up.
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Simple answer... yes, I liked the 340i better than the ATS, even if you completely ignore the "old fart" factor. Was the old fart factor in the back of my mind a bit... yes it was... but my point is you have a car that is almost as good as the German competition, has the old fart factor and is priced pretty much the same. I just don't see Cadillac being successful with this strategy.
Part of the problem with the ATS, for me anyway, is it is smaller than the 3-series. So to get 3-series interior room I need to move to the CTS. Now we are getting into 5-series pricing territory and I just don't see the value there when comparing the two. I recognize of course much of this is just personal preference as fas as style/design.
The ATS and F30 3 series are within an inch of each other dimensionally. GM just sucks at packaging.
I am comfortable in the backseat of the ATS at 5'8 legroom wise. My issue with it is if I want to lean forward, I run out of headroom because the sunroof takes away headroom space.
But yeah, fair points against the ATS( ignoring image).
The Genesis and Equus names have been around for several years now under Hyundai's ownership. The Equus is the S class/7 Series competitor, I believe, but I'm not sure what the Genesis class is supposed to be. If you look at the first iteration of either mode, there are no Hyundai brandings. Just Genesis or Equus. The latter of which starts at mid $61,000 and goes up with options. It's a bit like when VW made he V8 and W12 Phaeton. The Equus has been around for a few years. It depreciates fast. What you're talking about it a spinoff to a new company, much like Lexus and Toyota. But is it really going to make a difference in the end? Who knows. I doubt it will. The G90 reminds me of Infiniti's G/Q series. And you're looking at a 34,000 difference between the current 2016 Equus which is also the last model year under the Hyuandai namesake. The S550 base will depreciate, but will also hold its value much longer than the Korean car.
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Not sure if you remember, but the exact same was said about Audi when they went from a traditional grill size to their current format roughly 12-14 years ago depending on the model generation.
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In the rental ATS I had, the powered chubby almost never worked correctly. Pretty pointless design IMO. Just put a USB port in the center storage bin like everyone else. The whole center dash just looks cheap to me.
You poor lad. They gave you a Cadillac as a rental? As much as you dinged me on Audi a couple weeks back, I do like their virtual cockpit now that I think about it. The maps are right in front of you, no glancing over. I'm willing to bet they were inspired by Garmin units in aviation. Not the same concept, but the idea of projecting altimeter and GPS data on the same screen to improve pilot awareness has been lauded as a success for about a decade now. My only complaint about it, the E class and the S class is the cost of repairing the costly displays post warranty if you keep it for that long. Though the S class integrated the panels better than the E class, which in videos looks like two giant iPads glued to the dash. I still dislike Audi, but I like their approach on GPS. I wonder if they'll push out an update so that your phone's Google Maps can overtake the internal system.
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If going with the 5 series, I'm inclined to say getting the 550i would be the better deal in the long run. The issue with BMW is, is that their interior is "dated" because if you look back even into the 80s, their interior hasn't changed much. It's very much the same flow with sexier lines. And the mid console between driver and FSP hasn't changed a whole lot since the refresh in the mid 2000s.
Just noticed this. The only issue with using typical matte ABS plastic is that it would wear away in time resulting in a polish spot. Whereas a shiny plastic while leaving fingerprints, won't have this issue. VW tried to glorify their ABS plastics in their interiors by applying a rubber coating, which flaked later on. The best example of the issue would be to look at the steering wheel controls of say an old E46 BMW. You've got nice matte and then that shiny spot. It's a mixture of friction and acidic content in our skin oil that claims the life of matte'd ABS.
Yeah probably why they're much more conservative with their designs now.
BMW suffered similar criticism with their E60/E90 designs.
On a sidenote, I've clocked just over 200miles on the IS and i'm still getting 36-36.3mpg which is not bad. More than i was expecting. Suggests to me the engine is in good shape.
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Who knows. Let's see what happens. It seems like Hyundai is trying to do it the right way. Bespoke platforms and powertrains just for the luxury brand (unlike Acura for example)
http://www.automobilemag.com/news/6-things-you-need-to-know-about-the-new-genesis-luxury-brand/
Haha. The car drove great, but that infotainment is trash, especially when you're coming from BMW or Audi.
Audi already uses Google Maps integration across their lineup, but they have also started rolling out Android Auto (Google Maps, Waze) and Apple CarPlay, so you can plug your smartphone in and use that NAV software (or use Audi's own routing logic.)
This is why I wish the new A4's screen folded away. There's no use for it once you have the NAV loaded up on the Virtual Cockpit with the HUD displaying directions onto the glass.
In terms of long-term reliability, the N63-powered BMWs are a huge no-no, like the 550/650i.
http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-cul...710/enginerdy-strange-connections-bmw-n63-v8/
http://www.topspeed.com/cars/car-ne...at-bmw-refuses-to-call-a-recall-ar166918.html
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Toyota/Lexus do touch-controls in some of their models and they work/look great.
Avalon
Lexus IS
Audi's virtual cockpit is cool and all, but I find it almost useless and redundant in the sense that there are other ways to view that information with a more natural sight line.
I'm not the tallest person (about 5'4") and the way my seating position is, I don't have a clear view of the speedometer, I would need to tilt my head and body just to clearly see it. In an era of HUD and infotainment screens, they're placed and mounted where there's little to no movement in the driver's body to actually view the data. Driving a 4er Gran Coupe equipped with HUD, there was little to no reason to even look at the speedometer. Directions (with map) and speed were displayed directly ahead via HUD and if I wanted a larger overview and detailed map, the driver-orientated/angled iDrive display was there with just a turn of my eye the right - all of this without moving my body.
Of course this may differ from person to person depending on their height and driving position but with all the tech packed into cars today, the speedometer almost becomes more unnecessary with each generation of cars.
I'm not the tallest person (about 5'4") and the way my seating position is, I don't have a clear view of the speedometer, I would need to tilt my head and body just to clearly see it. In an era of HUD and infotainment screens, they're placed and mounted where there's little to no movement in the driver's body to actually view the data. Driving a 4er Gran Coupe equipped with HUD, there was little to no reason to even look at the speedometer. Directions (with map) and speed were displayed directly ahead via HUD and if I wanted a larger overview and detailed map, the driver-orientated/angled iDrive display was there with just a turn of my eye the right - all of this without moving my body.
Of course this may differ from person to person depending on their height and driving position but with all the tech packed into cars today, the speedometer almost becomes more unnecessary with each generation of cars.
I was driving home from work today and came to a red light. To the front left of me was a Genesis 3.8 in something close to mineral gray. It looked rather good in real life. But as I said, I'm curious about the long term value of the car. Be as it may, Hyundai have come a long way in 10 years.
Oh. Very cool. I might be thinking of another company, but don't Audi's come with a wifi package now that will draw 3G internet for updates and other stuff? Is that a per month basis or not?
Going back to my Mazda post pages ago, I believe it's to save dash space. Plus, it's one less moving part to fix if it won't come out of its hiding spot. But Audi did it nicely, whereas MBZ....
Well, the BMW battery issues started with the old E46, and have gotten complicated as time goes by. It's not uncommon for engines to burn some oil, even Japanese cars of higher quality do it. German cars are known for it because they're high performance. I hadn't heard of these models having battery issues. I know the X550M or whatever it's called, eats through batteries like a maniac.
Yeah. I've seen those. The first looks like a shiny plastic. I believe the process to make those are similar to black piano finished trim. It's a long arduous process that results in something quite pretty. The second image shows the texture I'm familiar with in Lexus. I have no idea what Toyota/Lexus do for that plastics finish, but it's never shined due to friction and skin oil acids. You can probably go see a 1st gen LS 400 and it'll have good plastics. It's also one of the most sound deadening interiors of its time, but I digress.
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I'm around 6'3 myself and don't have an issue. Though I suppose short people will face issues regular height people wouldn't. No offense.
None taken. I figured if someone as short as me who's head and line of vision would be close to the speedometer, I can't imagine those taller than me being able to clearly see it without having to adjust their body. I guess if your seat was pulled further away from the steering wheel, that would somewhat solve that problem.
Regardless, I still stand by my opinion that the speedometer is slowly becoming obsolete. Any relevant data can now be seen via a HUD and/or the infotainment screen granted they're mounted on the dash like the Germans and not a screen low in the centre stack.
http://jalopnik.com/lexus-owners-experiencing-a-nationwide-blackout-of-nav-1781158360
Lexus Owners Experiencing A Nationwide Blackout Of Nav Systems
This is pretty ridiculous. Enform completely killing the entire infotainment system.
Lexus Owners Experiencing A Nationwide Blackout Of Nav Systems
This is pretty ridiculous. Enform completely killing the entire infotainment system.
http://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/navy-gps-jamming-tests/#:edplzZSLmeBXaA
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Well, taller people have longer limbs. Both my wife and I are tall, well she's tall for a woman. Our future cars will likely take leg room into account since our kids will be taller and thus not feel cramped. No 2/3rds life crisis 911 for me. Unless I can layer the kids in the rear buckets...
I'm still not a fan of total digital speedometers myself. This is where @AutoUnion39 feels I'm living in the past. A physical speedo and tachy are more pleasing to me than total digital. I never did quite buy the LFA's reason for using one. Granted I don't believe I've ever seen one. They're garage queened.
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Maybe you didn't stroke it enough? Oh wait did you mean cubby?
Go away.
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Yeah, I agree. It does look rather good. I'd probably get one over an Infiniti or Acura. Has a very euro-vibe to it.
Yeah, they have a built-in LTE modem, but I'm not sure how much the monthly rate is anymore. All new Fords/GMs/Tesla/JLR/Volvo cars have similar "connected" capabilities. But the Google Maps integration seems to be basically Audi (and Tesla) these days.
https://www.att.com/shop/wireless/connected-car.html
The X5M (and X5 50i) uses a derivative of the N63, so yeah, it eats through batteries. Pretty crazy to be swapping them out at every oil chance interval.
Good 'ole Lexus build quality. Can't be beat.
Older BMW/VW/Audi cars look awful with the peeling finish.
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Good 'ole Lexus build quality. Can't be beat.
Older BMW/VW/Audi cars look awful with the peeling finish.
Don't even get me started on this. What's sad is, if you peel the top layer off to reveal the bare plastic, it looks perfectly fine and you wonder why BMW would do this for it to peel and have people mention the quality as the car gets older. I had to peel this on my door handle.
Also, I believe there was a revision of part for the door handle on the E9X LCI 3er so it doesn't peel.
I wouldn't say that. But they are going for various trends and seeing what sticks. Fortunately, it isn't an eyesore.
Here I was thinking it was a one-time fee.
You haven't sat in an early 90s or older MBZ then. They used an odd paint for their buttons and sometimes it looks like a murky puddle of white or creme ink on a black button. VWs had it bad with the rubberized coating.
Friction and acids in your skin's oil eat away at that coating. But they would also shine the bare plastic up. It's one of the drawbacks of ABS plastics. Either Lexus uses a different plastics formulation or does something during manufacturing to prevent that. The old LS 400's had a mixture of semi-shiny and matte plastics that hold up well, even over 20 years later.
It's hard to see in the picture @AutoUnion39 posted but the bare plastic is relatively shiny. But like you said, the oils on your skin is going to make it a bit more shiny but it's no worse than having the coating peel off like that. One looks cheap while the other looks like you just need to wipe it like any surface in the car.
You're talking of a different shiny. In the case of that plastic, what will likely happen is that it'll deteriorate down the road and look as if there's a burn in the plastic. Similar to a paint burn. Here's what I'm talking about. When ABS plastics get to this point, the surface is incredibly level and shiny. It's practically non-porous.
You're talking of a different shiny. In the case of that plastic, what will likely happen is that it'll deteriorate down the road and look as if there's a burn in the plastic. Similar to a paint burn. Here's what I'm talking about. When ABS plastics get to this point, the surface is incredibly level and shiny. It's practically non-porous.
Correct. That's what it pretty much looks like right now. Could it get worse? Maybe? But so far it hasn't got to that stage yet. But even if it does, I'm pretty much done caring at this point. Car has treated me very well, has been extremely reliable. Just not worth putting money into fixing something like that when the car is 9-10 years old.