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The Car Thread ... !
- Thread starter D.T.
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A friend of mine recently picked up a new Impreza hatchback with Subarus new CVT. It’s the first CVT I’ve ever driven that actually feels like an automatic. Basically the CVT is meant to emulate an automatic and the result is surprisingly good. It would be nice to see this implemented across their other models if they insist on using CVTs. Despite the lackluster engine, the car felt a lot sportier than you’d expect based on the specs.
The biggest problem with Subarus IMO are how they package their options- for example interior/exterior colors, being able to get leather and and manual transmission, and most notably their weak engine selection.
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In other news Mercedes finally released the E400 sedan in the US. This may change things in my car shopping.
Mustangs? Yes, of course
Er, for now ... Gen I Ford GTs were supercharged 5.4L V8, Gen II (in the photo above), are a 3.5L V6 twin turbo.Wow, hahaha, I started a BYO on a MY18, added some nicer 19" AMG style wheels ($500) which also required the $2500 AMG-look package (+$2500), but _then_, I went to interior, wanted the red option, not only was that $4200, but it also required a Premium 2 (+$6600) or a Premium 3 ($10,200).
So a nice wheel upgrade and red interior costs an additional $13,800 - $17,400
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So my brake boot was a little short, it was almost exactly the same size as the factory one, but with the much thicker leather, without as much give and needing to use a decent about to re-attach (more than the original factory), it really needed another solid inch. Well, I couple of email exchanges and I got a brand new one - this was actually a few weeks ago, just started working on it today - anyway, solid customer service
Almost done, the revised boot is attached to the mounting ring and it looks like it will have plenty of movement slack once everything is back together (again ...)
Skipped the C&C this morning, didn't feel like getting up, car wasn't detailed, it rained all night and still kind of craptacular this morning ... this coffee is delicious though (needed at the least the one C)
Yes, the 'Stang.
Yes, the MBZ Designo costs more, but it's worth it. There's MB Tex, MB leather and then Designo. I got the option on my GL and, to be honest, not only does it wear better, but it looks better overtime provided you don't damage it. The easiest way to get red leather is the SQ5, but, Audi does make it infinitely easier to order a custom vehicle with red or whatever choice of color interior you want. I've seen some great custom choices and the occasional abomination. It's hard to comment on who has the better premium grade leather from all the luxury marques.
Yes, the MBZ Designo costs more, but it's worth it. There's MB Tex, MB leather and then Designo. I got the option on my GL and, to be honest, not only does it wear better, but it looks better overtime provided you don't damage it. The easiest way to get red leather is the SQ5, but, Audi does make it infinitely easier to order a custom vehicle with red or whatever choice of color interior you want. I've seen some great custom choices and the occasional abomination. It's hard to comment on who has the better premium grade leather from all the luxury marques.
Speaking of vehicles, a lot of reviewers complained the new Subaru Crosstrek (known as the Impreza XV in some markets) has a lack of power due to that 152 bhp 2.0-liter "boxer" engine.
MIL got me new license plate frame. Glad my car doesn't look like an ad anymore.
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So, we have a CR-V which has a bit more power than that, and the power is fine for a people carrier. If I didn't have a more powerful car as well, I wouldn't be satisfied with 152 bhp. That's my 2 cents.
The CR-V is also about 200 lb heavier. I looked up the figures this morning after I saw his post but wasn't sure if the previous generation CR-V was as heavy. Speaking for myself, I consider 280-300 HP the minimum I'd want in a vehicle.
Your A4 looks really clean. Even in the sunlit portion, I can't make out any significant swirls. Your front bumper is immaculate. I'd have expected a few stone chips here and there. Did you opt for a clear wrap?
Your A4 looks really clean. Even in the sunlit portion, I can't make out any significant swirls. Your front bumper is immaculate. I'd have expected a few stone chips here and there. Did you opt for a clear wrap?
The swirls are there. It's bad. I made a mistake and had the dealership clean it one time.
The rocks are a lot of luck and a lot of patterned driving. I only drive like 5 miles to work on a clean patch of road. Otherwise, I take it downtown and don't spend a lot of time really driving on rural roads. It's kind of sad, though, because the thing is a little beast.
I appreciate the compliments!
A simple correction should fix that. Doesn't need heavy compounding. Yeah, it's what, a 250 HP in a 4 cyl? That's impressive. Especially how smooth that engine is compared to the competition, not to mention the quattro aiding in sprints. How's the understeer on the B9? It'd be interesting if Audi bumps that power to 300 HP with the B9.5 then again I don't really know much about inter-model updates when it comes to the 'Rings.'
I think the only color you won't see swirls on easily without a halogen spotlight might be nardo gray. I think it's a nice color, but I know the majority do not like the color.
My car only has 185 horsepower.
I couldn't imagine why I would need 300 bhp for a daily driver? Maybe if I was on the autobahn, or racing people from signal to signal?Why have 185 HP when you can get along with 70 HP Metro? Why buy a P100D when you won't use even 40% of its capabilities in a straight line, which is what they're good for? Why do people buy a 911? Why do people love buying big, hulking SUVs? Why do people buy luxury vehicles when they can get along with a entry level KIA?My car only has 185 horsepower.
Why buy a Mac when you can get any old PC? This is maybe the second time I can recall you asking such a silly question.
My car only has 185 horsepower.
I'm at about 475HP, it's not NEARLY enough, I'm about 300 shy of where I'd like to be ...
Don't get me wrong, I like fast cars too. But in terms of practicality for a "daily driver" if you favor fuel efficiency and follow the laws you're not going to get to your destination much faster than someone with a 130hp Corolla. Yea, you can accelerate to 60, or 80 on the freeway 2, or 3 seconds faster than the 4 cylinders, but that's about it.
People who care about fuel efficiency aren't really going to be into cars. It's a bit like buying a Viper and then hypermiling it all the time. If I'm going down an empty highway in the dead of night, I can, in theory of course, plant my foot down and go from 60 to 100 in a couple of seconds. That brief moment is a lot of fun to me. I've done the highway pulls and the track racing earlier in my life.
I'm sorry you don't feel the same, but most car people feel this way. Each car is different. There are some cars out there set up from the factory to have so much mechanical grip that mere mortal vehicles can't keep up at the same speed and aggressive turn in as that car. I can't speak for the others in here, but I don't really care about fuel efficiency. I was happy paying a bit over $4 a gallon for premium 2-3x a week for a full tank and I'll always be happy to pay so little compared to Europeans.
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Funny you mention this. You should totally get the E wagon in AMG flavor. You can be the local test subject.It's not when, it's _how_.
I daily 455 HP V8 Camaro, and I love it. The car is effortless to drive around on the streets with its excess power. Going up a hill? A 180 HP car will need to downshift and scream at 3000 RPM just to maintain 40 MPH. I can go up the same hill at 1200 RPM and the car will still accelerate going up that hill. Entering the highway? Can get it to highway speeds in no time.And as Zen mentioned about D.T's 5.0 V8, the sound of the Small Block V8 is just music to the ears. Of course that's just talking about its straight line performance. I love throwing it around the corners too. And the kicker is? I am getting the same fuel economy as my old 252 HP V6 Saturn family sedan.
Speaking of my car, put the winter shoes on a few weeks ago. I miss the grip of the summer tires already...
Entering the highway? Can get it to highway speeds in no time.And as Zen mentioned about D.T's 5.0 V8, the sound of the Small Block V8 is just music to the ears. Of course that's just talking about its straight line performance. I love throwing it around the corners too. And the kicker is? I am getting the same fuel economy as my old 252 HP V6 Saturn family sedan.Speaking of my car, put the winter shoes on a few weeks ago. I miss the grip of the summer tires already...
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Yup. 252 hp and about the same torque.
Understeer is not terrible, but it's definitely there. It doesn't understeer anything like my Acura TSX did and the power is biased towards the rear wheels, so I really like it overall. If I were tracking it, it would be trouble, but I have no interest in tracking an A4
From what I've read, based on owner accounts, is that the B9 is an improvement over the B8 in terms of understeer performance. Alas, as I've never driven either long term, I can't quite comment. This is going to be a problem in any AWD vehicle, but I figure anyone with skill can overcome it.
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FWIW, most street cars are going to be dialed in with various degrees of understeer - as you start approaching neutral (and I won't even talk about an oversteering vehicle), you're introducing less recoverability, less control, again, in _street_ driven cars.
Agreed. There's no reason for a street car to oversteer on the street.
As far as the A4, I'm just glad it's glued to the road in non-ideal conditions and it's quite nimble.
From the days before lawyers were in control...
The "Driver's Handbook" for my MG advises different front/rear tire pressures for understeer, "neutral" and oversteer. I normally keep all four the same, which gives just a bit of understeer. As you increase the rear relative to the front, the car tends toward oversteer.
To be fair, the suspension on that car is-all things considered-quite primitive. The front is decent enough(double A arm) but the live axle on leaf springs in the rear was pretty unsophisticated even by 1960s sports car standards.