The Car Thread ... !

[quagmire]

I've never cared for either NA over FI or FI over NA. Both have their pros and cons. I care about overall power, performance, handling, looks and longevity than I do fussing over whether a particular engine is FI or not.


At the end of the day, for me at least, it's whether I can appreciate the car or not. Whether it's a 300 HP NA V6 compact luxury vehicle or a 600 HP family wagon. It's all gravy.

Absolutely. I loved the N54 in my dads old E90. I loved the torque it made down low and driving my Camaro reminds me of it because you didn't have to rev the crap out of it to get satisfying acceleration out of it. It was a wonderful driving experience. I have nothing against FI engines( outside really of its hard to make a 4 banger sound good no matter what ) and I do enjoy them. What puts me in the prefer a NA V6 over FI 4 banger with similar performance is the long term ownership costs. That FI 4 banger is going to cost more to maintain in the long run due to the added complexity. But maybe I am a bit of a hypocrite there considering I got the magnetic dampers in my Camaro and those are a bit pricey to replace( ~$300 for the front, $275 for the rear), but that is something I always consider.

But as you said everything has pro's and cons. I would choose the EcoBoost Mustang over the V6 Mustang( if the V6 was still offered). But would choose the V6 Camaro over the 2.0T Camaro.

 

[0388631]

Absolutely. I loved the N54 in my dads old E90. I loved the torque it made down low and driving my Camaro reminds me of it because you didn't have to rev the crap out of it to get satisfying acceleration out of it. It was a wonderful driving experience. I have nothing against FI engines( outside really of its hard to make a 4 banger sound good no matter what ) and I do enjoy them. What puts me in the prefer a NA V6 over FI 4 banger with similar performance is the long term ownership costs. That FI 4 banger is going to cost more to maintain in the long run due to the added complexity. But maybe I am a bit of a hypocrite there considering I got the magnetic dampers in my Camaro and those are a bit pricey to replace( ~$300 for the front, $275 for the rear), but that is something I always consider.

Well the N54 was a twin turbo design whereas the N55 was a twinscroll design. The B58 continues on the success that the N55 had, and is just an improvement overall. I do understand your concerns on factory charged 4 cyl. engines. Historically, with what's been offered, they haven't been the most reliable. In the case of Porsche, I'm more than willing to give them a benefit of the doubt and know they've spent years of research perfecting their solution. If it's FCA or Mitsubishi, I'd be hesitant. I know Lexus/Toyota spent a long time working on their charged four.

Honda's more of a middle ground. This may be the era of glass engines for them. I don't know if you were old enough to remember the era of glass transmissions in their V6 Accords. They call it glass because they'd grenade themselves out of nowhere.

The only two things I don't like in cars now are CVTs and crossovers. There's maybe 2-3 good crossovers, the rest are useless. They are the plain Jane band aid of the car world. They are the new minivans. The G series 3er that'll come out may use the B58 and switchover to a new evolution design a few years into the new platform. The new platform is supposed to bring lightness and more structural rigidity, better vehicle control, etc. It should be neat to see and may see a revival in interest for the 3er, that's currently outshined by competitors due to their better interior and driving dynamics.

But as you said everything has pro's and cons. I would choose the EcoBoost Mustang over the V6 Mustang( if the V6 was still offered). But would choose the V6 Camaro over the 2.0T Camaro.

I'd take the ZL1. It'd be more comfortable for my back given my minor niggles.

 

[D.T.]

DCT's just because the those things are now the cool things to have in a vehicle.....

I will say this about a DCT, it's superior to a conventional automatic, and gives you _most_ of the advantages of a manual - it's really the BOBW in terms of transmission tech.

I'll put it this way, if it was available - and this is coming from a hardcore manual owner/advocate (talking decades of ownership) - I'd opt for one.

Yep. I wonder what that particular engine is capable of. Except Toyota/Lexus do a good job of locking people out from their engines. I'm very curious to see how their upcoming TT V8 will perform for the LC F. Knowing Toyota/Lexus, they're going to build a bulletproof engine, over engineered, and pushing it to the rumored 600+ HP won't hurt it. I've seen a grand total of 2 so far on the road.

Yeah, that was mostly as another example of a non-German, TT V6 Generally, Lexus is pretty fantastic so I'd assume highly reliable, over-engineered.

 

[senseless]

I have a stick Audi S4 that will pass the 100,000 mile mark this year. I’d like to keep this since they don’t make manuals anymore and trade in value is probably low anyway. The car has been reliable, but expensive repairs are likely, given the mileage I put on it. 20k per year.

I’m thinking of keeping the S4 and getting a 2nd car as a daily driver, work and road trip car. Safety tech, adaptive cruise, heated and ventilated seats, compact or midsize, new or used, 2WD or AWD, decent gas mileage. Not over $40k. Any ideas?

 

[iLog.Genius]

I have a stick Audi S4 that will pass the 100,000 mile mark this year. I’d like to keep this since they don’t make manuals anymore and trade in value is probably low anyway. The car has been reliable, but expensive repairs are likely, given the mileage I put on it. 20k per year.

I’m thinking of keeping the S4 and getting a 2nd car as a daily driver, work and road trip car. Safety tech, adaptive cruise, heated and ventilated seats, compact or midsize, new or used, 2WD or AWD, decent gas mileage. Not over $40k. Any ideas?

I went a similar route. Did not want to give up my E90 with 220,000km on it (no major repairs, just expected maintenance/wear/tear) and wouldn't be worth much private sale or trade-in (no more than $5,000-6,000) so decided to keep it and purchased a F36 440i Gran Coupe.

 

[AustinIllini]

I love the E90 BMW 3. So amazing.

After my lease is up I intend to buy, but I need to know more about the S4, RS3 before I decide on anything. Plus, I want to see what bimmer, merc have when it's time to replace my A4.

 

[0388631]

I will say this about a DCT, it's superior to a conventional automatic, and gives you _most_ of the advantages of a manual - it's really the BOBW in terms of transmission tech.

I'll put it this way, if it was available - and this is coming from a hardcore manual owner/advocate (talking decades of ownership) - I'd opt for one.

Agreed. I wasn't as hardcore as manual buyer as you, but most of my earlier cars were manual and also a few later ones that were only sold in manual. My perception of DCT was that it was either harsh or a gimmick. I based these thoughts on the earlier SMG and the later troublesome Maserati tranny. A good DCT, like Porsche's PDK, is mind blowing. PDK does have a few minor faults, but I believe the car's ECU tunes gear changes over time to your driving style. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. Though traditional autos like the ZF8 are a delight to drive. The MBZ DCTs aren't bad either. Their naming is confusing though. It's based off their old 7G tronic auto, except the new 7G is a newer DCT tranny while the old 7G is the 7G auto. Then you have their 9G tronic auto, and it's a mess when it comes to naming. Having driven the AMG GT, I'd say the DCT in that is close to PDK excellence, but falls short here and there. It's smoother than the BMW DCTs, and I'm basing that off the current lineup of lower end M cars. There's a sense of clunkiness in the current M3 and M4.

Yeah, that was mostly as another example of a non-German, TT V6 Generally, Lexus is pretty fantastic so I'd assume highly reliable, over-engineered.

Yep. I think the only thing keeping me away from buying an LS in the future is the crap infotainment. Toyota really love going against the grain when it comes to certain tech because they want their platform to flourish and not rely on a third party service, which I think is silly. There's a lot of benefits to Android Auto or Apple Car Play that Toyota simply cannot offer. Otherwise, I think the new Lexus are great.

Speaking of new cars, anything tickling your fancy lately other than the GC?

 

[quagmire]

Mustang Bullitt is back. 475 HP out of the Coyote.

http://www.autoverdict.com/ford/ford-brings-back-the-mustang-bullitt-for-2019/

And prepare the pitchforks? Mach 1 to come back as an electric SUV, not as a Mustang.

http://www.autoverdict.com/ford/ford-f-150-hybrid-mach-1-electric-vehicle-coming-in-2020/

 

[0388631]

Might be cool. Tesla started it, but the more established companies can wipe the table once they divert R&D into producing a better car. The next M3 is rumored to use electrically aided turbochargers and some kind of injection system to keep air chilled or cooler, thus better performance and efficiency, blah blah blah.

Edit: That green is gorgeous.

 

[44267547]

Edit: That green is gorgeous.

That green color on the 2019 Ford Bullitt Mustang is actually known as "Highland Green." Will be available for ordering on March 12, build process starts on June 18th.

Other Information about the 2019 Bullitt:

1. Will be offered in black as a second color.
2. Exclusive black gloss honeycomb grill.
3. It has Carbon coated exhaust tips/Will have active exhaust system.
4. Recaro seats are optional
5. Will have 12 inch digital display as standard with "Green gauges" exclusive.
6. White "Q-Ball shifter".
7. Ford is saying it will have at least "475" horse, but no confirmed numbers.
8. Will have an "Open element" Air intake.
9. No pricing released, speculated to be starting at $55,000.
10. Magna-ride is optional.
11. Will incorporate a 'Unique Tune.'
12. Each chassis number will be badged on the dash area.

Observations:

For me, this is a very nice looking Mustang. However I don't think this would be enough to justify this price point to want to purchase a Bullitt, you would have to be somebody that would really want this specific car and or appreciate the history of the Bullitt. I do Not care for the chrome lip that surrounds the grill area and door frame at all. But I understand chrome was popular during that time era, but I prefer it to be all blacked out. Overall, this will be a very niche Mustang. I would rather spend the extra money and purchase a GT 350 instead.

 

[D.T.]

Better photo of the Bullitt from J at 6g (who was at the actual event):

A few folks chatted up the Ford folks, the car is running a GT350 IM and matching 87MM TB (I'd imagine that + associated tuning is the difference in power).

 

[quagmire]

Overall, this will be a very niche Mustang. I would rather spend the extra money and purchase a GT 350 instead.

GT350 is dead after this year supposedly.

 

[D.T.]

Ha! This is pretty fun, just shown at the Detroit Show, it's an ST variant of the Edge, 335 hp and 380 pound-feet of torque from a 2.7L TT V6, big brakes, totally done up "ST" interior, 21" wheel option.

[doublepost=1516027772][/doublepost]

GT350 is dead after this year supposedly.

Yeah, it was even given an extra year over the original intent. I'd _love_ to have seen a DI based Voodoo/5.2 FPC engine, but there's no plans for any further development on that platform.

 

[quagmire]

Yeah, it was even given an extra year over the original intent. I'd _love_ to have seen a DI based Voodoo/5.2 FPC engine, but there's no plans for any further development on that platform.

Yeah it's a shame the Voodoo/GT350 is dead as a platform.

It's always interesting to compare the approach Ford and GM has. GM seems more willing to invest in performance vehicles, but does nothing really exotic/special( ignoring the upcoming C8) and Ford seems more focused on the mainstream vehicles and not willing to expand the S550 platform beyond the Mustang to gain better scale of economics( hello Lincoln.....). Heck even rumors of the S650 being cancelled.... But when Ford does decide to do a performance vehicle.... They knock it out of the park and it feels special. The Ford GT, the GT350/R, etc and it is always a limited production run. It would be curious to see if they ever got a ROI of the R&D that went into the Voodoo given it only had 3 MY run( 2 as originally planned).

 

[bunnspecial]

Call it what you want to call it-it's British Racing Green

 

[D.T.]

Call it what you want to call it-it's British Racing Green

• RGB
  rgb(0, 66, 37)
  
• RGBA
  rgba(0, 66, 37, 1.0)
  
• RYB
  red: 0%, yellow: 16.5848%, blue: 25.8824%
  
• Hex
  #004225

vs.

• RGB
  rgb(0, 56, 38)
  
• RGBA
  rgba(0, 56, 38, 1.0)
  
• RYB
  red: 0%, yellow: 13.083%, blue: 21.9608%
  
• Hex
  #003826
  

Isn't it pretty much census that BRG is also not metallic?

 

[bunnspecial]

Isn't it pretty much census that BRG is also not metallic?

It can be

Whatever you call the color, though, anything in that general shade range just works well on certain cars. I think this is one of them.

 

[D.T.]

It can be

Whatever you call the color, though, anything in that general shade range just works well on certain cars. I think this is one of them.

Yeah, I'm generally not a fan of green on anything other than classic British cars (MGs, Jags), but I think this is a great color in general, and course, the callback to some of the classic Mustangs (and muscle cars in general).

It would be curious to see if they ever got a ROI of the R&D that went into the Voodoo given it only had 3 MY run( 2 as originally planned).

There's probably a little R&D savings, tech that filtered down into other models (mag shocks for example), I think the GT350 is really one of those "prestige" efforts, so I'd image the revenue metric was a bit different vs. mass produced models. Interesting question!

 

[44267547]

It can be

Whatever you call the color, though, anything in that general shade range just works well on certain cars. I think this is one of them.

I agree. Actually, Ford did make a similar color to the Bullitt Highland Green known as "Guard Green" available on the GT/VG for 2015/2016. And at night it looks completely black. I Actually like the Highland Green color, but I don't prefer the red brake calipers that are photoed with the Bullitt. Otherwise, this particular shade of Green meshes nicely to the Bullitt heritage.

 

[Apple fanboy]

• RGB
  rgb(0, 66, 37)
  
• RGBA
  rgba(0, 66, 37, 1.0)
  
• RYB
  red: 0%, yellow: 16.5848%, blue: 25.8824%
  
• Hex
  #004225

vs.

• RGB
  rgb(0, 56, 38)
  
• RGBA
  rgba(0, 56, 38, 1.0)
  
• RYB
  red: 0%, yellow: 13.083%, blue: 21.9608%
  
• Hex
  #003826

Isn't it pretty much census that BRG is also not metallic?

Lol. Got the Pantone and Ral values too!

 

[0388631]

I'm not terribly impressed with those options. I feel you could do all that on your own except the gauges at a reduced cost, similar to what DT has done with his GT. I can't wait to read about the dealer markup on those.

Ha! This is pretty fun, just shown at the Detroit Show, it's an ST variant of the Edge, 335 hp and 380 pound-feet of torque from a 2.7L TT V6, big brakes, totally done up "ST" interior, 21" wheel option.

View attachment 747024
[doublepost=1516027772][/doublepost]

Yeah, it was even given an extra year over the original intent. I'd _love_ to have seen a DI based Voodoo/5.2 FPC engine, but there's no plans for any further development on that platform.

Was going to ask you if you'd be interested in that monster. The "new" Tahoe isn't bad with the blackout package either. I'd get one if I was still wanting a real full size SUV. With the upgraded suspension.

 

[SactoGuy18]

The thing that really kills fuel economy is going WAY too fast even on limited access expressways (or freeways as they're known in the USA. On my 2015 Honda Fit, I've seen at a steady 65 mph (105 km/h) fuel economy of around 42 miles/US gallon (50.3 miles/Imperial gallon or 5.6 liters/100 km) But bring it up to around a steady 74 mph (120 km/h) and the fuel economy drops to 39 miles/US gallon (46.8 miles/Imperial gallon or 6 liters/100 km). It's a function of aerodynamics in this case.

Indeed, if you drive a Chevrolet Corvette at 65 mph, you'll get surprisingly good fuel economy because the car isn't that heavy considering its awesome power. People have reported over 30 mpg (36 miles/Imperial gallon or 7.8 liters/100 km) driving the Corvette like that.

 

[0388631]

Only if you buy the base Corvette. The higher models weigh more, particularly if you get the automatic (as to why you would...). The Corvette's gearing and aerodynamics play a greater role than its weight. It's funny you mention the Corvette because I was reading up on its highway MPG in and old thread on another site about two days ago. The Corvette is more of an exception than a rule when it comes to "lighter" aerodynamic vehicles.

As an aside, when Lexus swapped out their six speed for their current eight speed in their IS platform, the NA V6 saw an increase in city and highway MPG.

 

[D.T.]

HFS.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10157201400869569

 

[D.T.]

Neat, so one of the 6G members is a designer/3D artist, and he took details from the video (above), and worked them into viz using the S550 as a starting point (I *love* the open vents around the headlights):