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The Car Thread ... !
- Thread starter D.T.
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Low litre cars will always be a manual because they rely on weight savings in addition to the small engine. Manual transmissions usually weigh 30-50lb less depending on how complex the automatic or DCT system is. The issue is that manuals don't have an advantage in power delivery or efficiency apart from being able to row your own gears.
Anything mid-end and high-end will slowly be offered only in some flavor of automated.
And unless I've got AF confused with someone else, he doesn't purchase new to avoid the depreciation.
Anything mid-end and high-end will slowly be offered only in some flavor of automated.
And unless I've got AF confused with someone else, he doesn't purchase new to avoid the depreciation.
You are correct I don't buy new. In Europe 80% of cars are manual. In the states it's 4%. I think I'm safe for a while!
Yep. Learned standard when I was about six. Though IIRC it was 4 speeds back then. God I loved the smell of diesel and petrol back in the day. Don't recall seeing a 5 speed until we came to the states and that was on very fancy sports cars.
Unless you’re really old, you’ll live to see the day when manual transmissions go extinct (at least in the new car market).
Sucks, but it’ll happen.
Unfortunately, I agree. Manual transmissions have always been something that relates to others as car enthusiasts, because it gives it the true experience of a sports car on so many levels. I think having a manual transmission gives you a sense of more control over the vehicle,especially if it’s a powerful performance/muscle car, that’s an experience an automatic transmission doesn’t deliver in every aspect controlling the gears.
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Right — that’s why I’ve always preferred manuals. Sometimes I’d want a different gear, sometimes it’s just easier to stay in one gear.
My new CVT has a decent compromise by using paddle shifters to choose between seven different ratios, and the rest of the time, it can do the silky-smooth thing that not even a regular automatic can manage.
There goes that burning sensation climbing up through my esophagus again.
Moving onto cars with normal transmissions... Did anyone catch the Polestar concept Volvo did at Geneva? Polestar is being split off into a new company, I believe, by Geely, and they're supposed to performance hybrid sedans. The concept looks pretty rad and probably fairly close to production.
Also, Geely is expressing interesting in buying FCA. Geely have no idea what they're getting into. Though I imagine they could breathe new life into FCA. Though I'd prefer they focus on improving the quality of the electrics system and engine reliability of their new Volvos and existing models before spending billions on FCA.
Though, and I might be wrong since I read this last year, Polestar is planning on offering only leases on their vehicles for 1 year terms or something to that effect. The idea was laughed at by some and applauded by others, but it looks like MBZ will offer a tiered program outside of financing and general leasing to clientele who'd prefer one year terms without the exorbitant price that would come from it. I'm not sure how it works, but I suspect the sub rate would subsidize it and each car will go through 3-4 "owners" before going CPO with a PPI and long warranty. I'm not sure how this will effect the second-hand market and the future economy affecting these programs. Though the second-hand market is still recovering from the cash for cars debacle that saw millions of quality vehicles destroyed for a grand or less.
Moving onto cars with normal transmissions... Did anyone catch the Polestar concept Volvo did at Geneva? Polestar is being split off into a new company, I believe, by Geely, and they're supposed to performance hybrid sedans. The concept looks pretty rad and probably fairly close to production.
Also, Geely is expressing interesting in buying FCA. Geely have no idea what they're getting into. Though I imagine they could breathe new life into FCA. Though I'd prefer they focus on improving the quality of the electrics system and engine reliability of their new Volvos and existing models before spending billions on FCA.
Though, and I might be wrong since I read this last year, Polestar is planning on offering only leases on their vehicles for 1 year terms or something to that effect. The idea was laughed at by some and applauded by others, but it looks like MBZ will offer a tiered program outside of financing and general leasing to clientele who'd prefer one year terms without the exorbitant price that would come from it. I'm not sure how it works, but I suspect the sub rate would subsidize it and each car will go through 3-4 "owners" before going CPO with a PPI and long warranty. I'm not sure how this will effect the second-hand market and the future economy affecting these programs. Though the second-hand market is still recovering from the cash for cars debacle that saw millions of quality vehicles destroyed for a grand or less.
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Yeah no...
(100 mile radius of Irvine)
731 E Class sedans in stock. 56 with leather.
886 C Class sedans in stock. 336 with leather.
97 GLS in stock. 27 with leather.
776 GLE in stock. 134 with leather.
464 GLC in stock. 16 with leather.
414 GLA in stock. 9 with leather
318 CLA in stock. 11 with leather.
What a load of rubbish. The E300 is the volume model of the lineup.
(100 mile radius of Irvine)
623 E300 sedans in-stock
25 E400 sedans in-stock
~25 times as many!
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Not a concept, production model. The Polestar One was shown at Geneva.
https://www.polestar.com/polestar-1/
https://www.theverge.com/2017/10/17/16487290/polestar-volvo-hybrid-electric-revealed
Little late on this. Exor turned down Geely's $22b offer. The Agnelli family also refused to give up Alfa Romeo and Maserati.
https://jalopnik.com/chinese-automaker-geely-offered-to-buy-fiat-chrysler-fo-1823530854
On our dealer's site it lists E300s, but I'm there every month and I never see them on the lot. They either keep them at a separate complex or they lie about having them in stock. MBZ stock finder like every other manufacturer's stock finder is highly suspect. I've yet to see more than a handful of E300 sedans here. The E400 coupe yes, and now the E400 sedan. Regardless, you missed the point of my post. Dealers in areas that cater to higher income customers tend to not have many cars with less features.
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Our dealer shows 5 sedans, which is a lie because I was there earlier in the week to get something checked out. There were at least 20 sedans, with only two sporting the MB Tex. And about 32 coupes, which is also a lie. They claim they've only got one E400 wagon in stock, which isn't truthful. There were a few more. The site also claims they're out of E AMG vehicles, whether it's the tuned-by E43 or the actual AMG. Horse ****. They had a small fleet of the E63 sedans, and I sincerely doubt they sold all of them plus the four premade wagons they had in stock. Though those are selling like hot cakes.
Likewise, the Audi dealer a stones throw from the MBZ dealer doesn't list any of the PTS color vehicles the dealer ordered themselves with various options. The Porsche dealer lists a small fraction of their stock and Porsche's own site reflects the dealer's.
In other words, trust the sites less and go to the actual dealer. It's akin to a dealer offering a specific car or a few cars for a set price with such and such options, but when you get there, it was just sold.
Anyway, I'm not around Irvine. Typically you live there if you want to fill a stereotype or you're a oil inheriting magnate from the Gulf states and need to hide your money by buying up rows of homes and making it your summer destination. You stand out there as a white person. You're more inclined to see cars with minimal options there since they're purchased for the name rather than any amenities they offer. In other words, you'll see a lot of base vehicles. There are nice toys here and there, but they're rare to see in day to day traffic. Though the city was host to Cars and Coffee for numerous years before incidents involving stupid people and some dangerous driving got it shut down. Surprisingly, Mustangs weren't the only cars at fault here.
Anyway, dealers are specific to the area, but they do divert sometimes. Fletcher Jones is in a high income region but most of their stock is pathetic. They carry mostly low end models. The Calabasas dealer claims they can get me an allocation and build slot for a July delivery and even I know that's bull-****. They've got cars that have been sitting on the lot for months.
Short of these dealers giving you a HJ, they'll lie their asses off. Even mine does and I've spent a lot of money with them and referred people to them. The only benefit my dealer has is they usually order decent cars and an off-the-lot car isn't a bad choice.
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Shame. Geely could do some cool stuff with Maserati in terms of design and reliability. Maybe even bring back the Nieman Marcus edition.
Edit: Didn't mean this post to offend anyone who lives in Irvine or would want to live there. There's no way to ignore the elephant in the room. I wouldn't live there. Ever. It would be a downgrade and it's way too many people. It's nice here. It's quiet. Even if I have to share the city with some degenerate people. Such as athletes and celebrities. Some are nice and down to earth, most have a pine tree up their rectum.
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So when I purchased my Taurus SHO last summer, one of the features I was excited about was the paddle shifters. When I started using the paddle shifters more, the car won’t allow me to hold gears as long as I would like and it has these temperamental controls will take over the vehicle if you don’t shift fast enough, which is annoying, but understandable. Although using the paddle shifters is entertaining, it’s not as exhilarating as I thought it would be, versus just driving the vehicle in sport mode, which I find it provides a similar experience without using the paddle shifters. Nonetheless, still an option that I like to have with the paddle shifters versus not having them at all.
Drove my CVT Civic home from the airport tonight and had to pop back in —
It’s night-and-day compared to a regular automatic. Getting up to speed onto the highway is just smooth acceleration, with no gasping for breath like the Subaru suffered when it went above its powerband. Give it some gas, the turbo spools up and the revs settle at about 5k, and like magic, the thing gains speed.
I’ve had fun with my manuals. My previous car, a 2002 Civic Si, had the best shifter setup I’ve used for a FWD car — it sprouted right from the dash instead of the floor.
But, man, if I have to own a car that’s not a manual... give me a CVT. (and if it can, give me paddle shifters for it, too)
Fairly impressed with the new VTEC turbo 2018 SI that provides the 205 HP and 192 lb-ft of torque just from a 1.5 litre with an estimated 28 MPG. I do like that Honda only included a six speed manual with the SI, and the price point isn’t unreasonable either at $24,000. For being a stock car, the exhaust sounds good just without any modifications.
Then there is the Civic Type R, which uses a 2.0-liter turbo at 306 hp/295 lb-ft. But the only drawback to the Civic Type R is only offered in a hatchback. Plus, I read some reports that the “R” was having transmission issues, perhaps with earlier models? But my preference lies with the Civic SI.
The high RPM and the drone is what annoys me about a CVT other than its long-term reliability. Honda really hit it out of the park with their engines and their interiors this time around. The Civic 4 door is a... well, it's not small by any means at all. Very nice interior at its price point.
@Relentless Power Some cars are programmed to take over when in M/S (whatever your car's manual mode is when using a paddle assisted auto) when you don't shift at an appropriate time. Sometimes the same model car can behave differently on different trims. A sportier trim of an already sporty car may hold onto the gear for a longer time or indefinitely. Fuel cutoff would occur before any engine damage happens. Modern ECUs can do a lot.
The only thing I don't like about the Civic is its rear end. It's too high in the air. I know next to nothing about car design apart from sketches I did like any other male, but I can't imagine it being beneficial in terms of aerodynamics and rear visibility.
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@Relentless Power Some cars are programmed to take over when in M/S (whatever your car's manual mode is when using a paddle assisted auto) when you don't shift at an appropriate time. Sometimes the same model car can behave differently on different trims. A sportier trim of an already sporty car may hold onto the gear for a longer time or indefinitely. Fuel cutoff would occur before any engine damage happens. Modern ECUs can do a lot.
The only thing I don't like about the Civic is its rear end. It's too high in the air. I know next to nothing about car design apart from sketches I did like any other male, but I can't imagine it being beneficial in terms of aerodynamics and rear visibility.
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Forgot to reply to this. This is great. Bye bye Tesla. Can't wait to see this and the Mission E on the road. I don't know if you caught the press last month, but BMW and VW Group are keen on developing a couple dozen models by 2025. I'm really excited to see what they do. This Polestar 1 looks beautiful and it's going to be fully electric. It might not be a Tesla or as fast as one, but it looks better inside and out. I'm tempted to fill out the application. Though I'm confused. Your post said hybrid as did your links, but the site says three electric motors but no mention of ICE?
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The reason my wife let me buy a Civic instead of an Accord is that it's now a bit bigger than her '05 Camry was. She hated the small size of my '02 hatchback.
The new car's CVT lets the engine run at a lower RPM on the highway than my old car did, too. I think it's programmed about as well as can be done. I've been reading that it falls flat during performance driving (specifically autocrossing) but it's been great to live with as a daily driver.
Here's what the Sport and Sport Touring Civics do:
"D" mode: Continuously varies the transmission ratio based on throttle input, speed, and sometimes the road's angle of ascent/descent (it'll hold off on upshifts when going downhill, helping with engine braking. Tapping the paddle in "D" can click up or down to other preset ratios as if they were individual gears (7 in all), then when the ECU figures that the selected gear isn't needed, it reverts to full CVT mode. For example, while on a highway ramp (especially a cloverleaf), you can click down a couple gears, accelerate out of the ramp, then it goes back to higher ratios a few seconds after you've let off the throttle.
"S" mode: Before tapping the paddles, it'll do everything the same as in "D" except for keeping the engine at higher RPMs (and, I feel, tighter engagement of the torque convertor). It'll cruise at 3000 rpm instead of 1500. Then, when you use the paddles, it'll hold whatever ratio you've chosen until you either hit redline or drop to a low road speed. The throttle response seems quicker, too, because the transmission isn't trying to change ratios at the same time.
Shifting between "S" and "D" can be done on the move, of course, and you can go back to non-paddle-shifted "S" by holding the upshift paddle for a few seconds.
Isn't that the truth? The first time I saw the new Civics, I had to do make sure it wasn't an Accord I was looking at. It's huge for a Civic. Honda really outdid themselves with the Civic and even the new Accord. They one-upped Toyota where they fell flat. As I said, I just can't trust the long term reliability of a CVT, even if Toyota made it for Honda, and they make some of the best CVT units on the market in cooperation with Aisin.
IMO, it's huge for a Civic, physically speaking. My hatchback's wheelbase is longer than that of my wife's CR-V, and its overall length is just three inches shorter. They (and the new Accord) share the same platform, too (the Fit and HR-V share their own platform, so that's no big deal anyway).
Maybe I should go test drive a new Si or Type-R just to revisit manual transmissions again.
If (when?) I can toss aside that kind of cash without a second thought, maybe my wife won't divorce me.Forbes had an article, "Don't test drive a Type-R, just buy one."
If (when?) I can toss aside that kind of cash without a second thought, maybe my wife won't divorce me.
Hahaha, that's definitely a priority
I would like to test drive one, I bet it's a _hoot_.The Honda's a good deal. Though there is getting a Golf R and slapping an APR tune on it. The only thing that turns me off from the Type R is the over-aggressive styling.
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It looks like the 5 GT was dumped in favor of renaming it the 6 GT. Who buys these cars?
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Yeah, the car is huge and while some of it is due to safety regulations, a large portion is due to consumers wanting more space.
It looks like the 5 GT was dumped in favor of renaming it the 6 GT. Who buys these cars?
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Ha! The Golf-R seems pretty tame to me, well, at least in the "hot hatch" market.
I'll see your Golf R + APR with a Focus RS plus a stage <something-something> tune
Actually the APR stuff is cool because it can be done through dealers, there's some kind of warranty, etc.Wait what? Do you know what the Type-R looks like?
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Didn't use MBZ's stock finder. I used cargurus.com; a website that tends to very accurate in my experience.
Not really. I ran similar searches around Beverley Hills, Palo Alto, and other high-income regions across the Northeast. Less than 20% of in-stock Mercedes-Benzes come with the leather option and other "fancy" features. The majority of E-Classes tend to be MB-Tex with the P1 package. The P3 package is quite rare.
Same can be said about Audis (typically Prem Plus), BMWs, and Porsches. If you want a loaded one, you have to order or get your dealer to find one.
Not the same thing at all.
You just described the average luxury car owner in every market! No need to insult Irvine residents.
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Did you even read the provided links?
Right off the Volvo website
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