The Car Thread ... !

[americafirst]

It's a Dodge Durango R/T, AWD. If you read back through my posts you'll see my thought process, research, general gyrations, that led to this purchase decision.

I tend to buy models, not makes, our previous two SUVs were a BMW X5 4.4i, and a 4Runner V8 AWD Limited, so German, Japanese, Domestic, that's not as much of a factor as how we intend to use the car, our current price targets, what's current pushing my buttons, etc. If you're looking for a 3-row, a "real" SUV with stout towing capacity and AWD, that falls into a neat little niche between big options like the Suburban and smaller, less SUV-ish models, the Durango is a very interesting choice.

More info and a pic here:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/picture-of-your-car-2018.2098780/page-4#post-26112171

re: Google Play, it's been there for some time, along with Amazon Music, Spotify, in fact, I was using as an example of Apple being willing to allow Google an app in CP for their music service, so why not their mapping option? Which of course, will now be an option (since it made zero sense as a competitive play).

I can't really attest to the specifics of the implementation, I just installed it, tested it, went, "Yeah, it works" and that was the extent of my experience

Thanks now I just added a Dodge Durango R/T AWD to my list. One of my supervisors had a Durango g ride and it was nice. I didn't know Google Play Music was an option in CarPlay so I have only been looking for Android Auto so thanks for the info

 

[D.T.]

No sweat, and the MY18 and up DDs supports both CP and AA, so you're covered either way

The display/AV system in Jeep/Dodge (uConnect) is pretty fantastic, terrific 8.4" display, well organized, extremely responsive and fast in CP and the native UI - the latter is the best I've seen, we haven't been using CP as much, got a year of XM so that's been our primary music source for the last month

 

[americafirst]

No sweat, and the MY18 and up DDs supports both CP and AA, so you're covered either way

The display/AV system in Jeep/Dodge (uConnect) is pretty fantastic, terrific 8.4" display, well organized, extremely responsive and fast in CP and the native UI - the latter is the best I've seen, we haven't been using CP as much, got a year of XM so that's been our primary music source for the last month

Thanks I will go tomorrow or this weekend and look at them. So far I have the Dodge Durango R/T AWD the Lexus GX 460 and BMW X3 M40i on my list. My current car is getting expensive to maintain and needs to be replaced but having a g ride that I commute to and from work in I don't use my car that often

 

[D.T.]

I think the GX is a bit outgunned in the full[er] sized SUV market, price-to-feature wise, the V8 option is a bit anemic, it's still sporting a 6-speed, the Toyota ICE is pretty _meh_. As a former T4R owner, I of course shopped the 5th Gen, but when you get into the $45K area, it's still pretty lacking in some areas (a 5-speed in 2018 is ridiculous), but it's a real truck, body on frame and it's offroad (with the right package) capabilities are stellar.

The X3 M40i is a little race car, no doubt, it's more like a M3 Wagon I barely classify it as an SUV (BMW parlance is right, it's an SAV ... at best), setting one up how'd I'd like it pushes $65K+.

We originally we're pretty set on a Jeep Grand Cherokee, High Altitude, but got caught up in really wanting more room, 3-rows, seems like the latter isn't a concern if you're considering the BMW X3.

The Ford Explorer Sport is a lot of fun, 365HP TT V6 (easily tuned to another 75-80HP), just a little dated on the transmission, I'd suspect it gets the new Ford 10-speed sometime in the near future. The rather small tank and moderate mileage means a so-so range. My wife much preferred the RT to the Sport just on looks and the RT being a good bit more rare around here (I'll swear, every 3rd SUV is an Explorer).

 

[americafirst]

I think the GX is a bit outgunned in the full[er] sized SUV market, price-to-feature wise, the V8 option is a bit anemic, it's still sporting a 6-speed, the Toyota ICE is pretty _meh_. As a former T4R owner, I of course shopped the 5th Gen, but when you get into the $45K area, it's still pretty lacking in some areas (a 5-speed in 2018 is ridiculous), but it's a real truck, body on frame and it's offroad (with the right package) capabilities are stellar.

The GX is probably in 3rd place right now. My sister likes her Land Cruiser and I might get something else and a Land Cruiser in the future. I don't offroad a lot but there are times I have had my car on trails and that is something that is important but not a requirement

The X3 M40i is a little race car, no doubt, it's more like a M3 Wagon I barely classify it as an SUV (BMW parlance is right, it's an SAV ... at best), setting one up how'd I'd like it pushes $65K+.

I have read several reviews on the X3 M40i and they have all been positive. My work partner has an X3 sDrive28i and it is nice

We originally we're pretty set on a Jeep Grand Cherokee, High Altitude, but got caught up in really wanting more room, 3-rows, seems like the latter isn't a concern if you're considering the BMW X3.

It is just me so more room and 3-rows aren't necessary

The Ford Explorer Sport is a lot of fun, 365HP TT V6 (easily tuned to another 75-80HP), just a little dated on the transmission, I'd suspect it gets the new Ford 10-speed sometime in the near future. The rather small tank and moderate mileage means a so-so range. My wife much preferred the RT to the Sport just on looks and the RT being a good bit more rare around here (I'll swear, every 3rd SUV is an Explorer).

I have an Explorer as my g ride and it is OK but it is the base model. You're right it seems like every 3rd SUV is an Explorer. I will look at the RT hopefully soon

 

[bunnspecial]

Okay, real numbers rather than talking in general terms...

Coyote-3.629" bore, 3.649" stroke
LT1-4.060" bore, 3.62" stroke.

Those numbers are actually quite interesting to me, as all else being equal a longer stroke does tend to give across the board higher torque values. I find it interesting that GM chose to bore it out and make it noticeably oversquare while the Coyote is VERY slightly undersquare(with a slightly longer stroke than the LT1). That explains the higher peak torque of the Coyote, but also means that peak horsepower of the LT1 is somewhat disappointing.

 

[Dodgeman]

Anyone ever got put of a car lease before?
What are the penalities usually for breaking a lease?

 

[D.T.]

Anyone ever got put of a car lease before?
What are the penalities usually for breaking a lease?

Depends on the leasing company, but it's usually some variant of remaining payments or a flat rate or a number of payments based on how long you've held the lease.

Optionally, you can sell it, pay off the leasing company, if your vehicle's value is tracking above the lease projection, you could lose a lot less.

There's also services like Swap-a-Lease, where basically someone else takes over the lease, there's a market for shorter term leases at good rates, you'd have to look into any fees associated with this.

 

[0388631]

Damn you, D.T. You got me interested in the GT, which I drove, albeit in auto (not bad!) and now the DDRT has my interest even though we've decided not to get an SUV. I can run my mouth about domestics all day long, but I can respect a quality product from Dodge when they have everything against them. And that GT (the Mustang in case anyone thought I meant THE GT) was impressive as hell. Gets up to eighty plenty fast on an empty street. Maybe I'm easily impressed by new gen cars.

I'll probably go shopping for a trickle charger this weekend for the Lexus. I wish we used it more but even its purchase was pointless in the first place. It gets tiring having to carve out a half hour to an hour every week to drive the damn thing so the battery doesn't die.

 

[D.T.]

Damn you, D.T. You got me interested in the GT, which I drove, albeit in auto (not bad!) and now the DDRT has my interest even though we've decided not to get an SUV. I can run my mouth about domestics all day long, but I can respect a quality product from Dodge when they have everything against them. And that GT (the Mustang in case anyone thought I meant THE GT) was impressive as hell. Gets up to eighty plenty fast on an empty street. Maybe I'm easily impressed by new gen cars.

I'll probably go shopping for a trickle charger this weekend for the Lexus. I wish we used it more but even its purchase was pointless in the first place. It gets tiring having to carve out a half hour to an hour every week to drive the damn thing so the battery doesn't die.

My GT almost didn't start after the DDRT purchase, it was like 10 days between use (2 days before the purchase, then we were at Universal for like 4-5 days), got back, didn't go anywhere for the weekend. It was such a rare case, I don't really need a trickle charger for the most part, but I did go research them again

Was it a MY18 GT? So the new 10-speed auto?

You should go look at a Durango SRT

 

[0388631]

My GT almost didn't start after the DDRT purchase, it was like 10 days between use (2 days before the purchase, then we were at Universal for like 4-5 days), got back, didn't go anywhere for the weekend. It was such a rare case, I don't really need a trickle charger for the most part, but I did go research them again

Was it a MY18 GT? So the new 10-speed auto?

Hmm, do you drive it enough otherwise? Maybe it sought human blood. Yeah, the 10 speed with OD according to the listing. They didn't have a whole lot of them. Maybe four out of 60 Mustangs GTs on the lot and their nearby park/storage center. Only a few in their inventory came in manual. I asked about that and the response was about the takerate of the autos versus the manuals. No specific age demographic either. One of the managers was nice enough to let me drive one of them despite being clear I wasn't buying. Thumbs up from me, AFAIC.

Sounded good. Ride was nice. View was decent. Comfort was really good for me given my height. Definitely something I'd consider buying for weekend cruising. The price to power/feature ratio is nice. Though like that Doug video, it can climb fast with options. The one I test drove was a little over 42K, IIRC.

From my limited testing, I couldn't notice any hunting between gears while driving at slower speeds. I could be wrong and it may pop up down the line in discussion among owners. I foresee the Mustang improving a lot more in the coming years as Ford focuses on it and SUVs only.

Maybe a future GT 500 will get 900 total system horsepower as a hybrid.

 

[D.T.]

Hmm, do you drive it enough otherwise? Maybe it sought human blood.

I haven't been to a C&C in a while, you might be right

I do, I mean, I usually drive it 3-4 times a week, at least up to workout (< 10 miles), or if the weather is nice and we're playing hooky, out to eat.

 

[0388631]

I haven't been to a C&C in a while, you might be right

I do, I mean, I usually drive it 3-4 times a week, at least up to workout (< 10 miles), or if the weather is nice and we're playing hooky, out to eat.

I haven't been to one in a long time. It isn't very easy for me to go to one because a lot of ones were shut down due to stupid behavior by everyone involved. There's some impromptu ones done near the coast. I think the San Diego shows are still a go but I'm not driving 2 hours or whatever for a group meet on a Sunday morning or whatever.

I keep telling myself I'll take the Lexus out to stretch its legs and then some each weekend, but then I forget and use my car and while I'm in the middle of shopping or halfway somewhere, I'll remember I wanted to drive it instead of my car.

Sounds fun. I can't wait to do that when they're older, too. Just makes you cool parents.

 

[PowerMac G4 MDD]

I suppose the “Sport” in Sport Utility Vehcile has gone from a meaning of utility and off-road ability to more of a on-road performance definition.

I think the market has become more interested in comfort, speed, and economy than things like locking differentials, body on frame designs, low range transfer cases, ground clearance, etc. Consumers are so hungry for SUVs right now it’d be silly for them not to make them- even as ridiculous as a Jaguar or Maserati SUV is in concept.

Are you suggesting the Land Cruiser is a cross over?

My dad owned a couple Land Cruisers when I was young. He regretted selling the first one so he bought a second- and he now regrets selling the second. My girlfriend’s father has one as his spare car/beach fishing car- he bought it new and it has over 200k and still runs perfect. They’re great vehicles. I think one of the best aspects it’s that it’s a luxury car that wears a Toyota badge- it doesn’t need a luxury nameplate to be what it is. In terms of value for money, comfort, utility, build quality, reliability, resale value, longevity, etc they are hard to beat. Sure, there’s some more luxurious or sporty options out there (like the Range Rovers or Cayenne), but they don’t offer most of the afformentioned characteristics.

I suggested that the Landcruiser is a small SUV. In the late 2010s, it seems a crossover is now a inflated sedan—not merely a small SUV. I prefer small SUVs to crossovers, and I don't see why others wouldn't. Small SUVs have been around and are quite a viable choice, and many of them handle like a car... heck, even our 2016 Suburban practically drives itself. Crossovers are silly and shouldn't be confused with small SUVs. It's fine if someone makes a smallish SUV (X5 size, for instance); however, crud, such as that thing coming from Maserati, is pointless.

I agree: Landcruisers are great vehicles. We still have our fully-loaded 1996 Landcruiser.

 

[0388631]

Land Cruiser. Small. Hmm.

Anyway, new spy video of the rumored C8 Corvette. Looks like they went with a dual or multi-clutch setup given the blast between gears.

 

[44267547]

https://www.autoblog.com/amp/2018/06/12/2020-ford-explorer-police-interceptor-utility-hybrid/

Interesting information in the L.E. sector. It’s not clear On the engine base, however; Ford is claiming the 2020 Hybrid P.P. Explorer will be 40% more efficient over the 3.7 L, which is actually the base model for the Police Explorer, but the most commonly used Model is the 3.5 TT for county or highway usage.

But even more importantly over all the hybrid considerations, is that some of the technology that Ford is including standard with a Blindspot system, which has been *long *requested, which Will be a huge advantage to Highway/county patrols.

Ford is also allegedly adding a detection meter where it senses pedestrians walking around the car, which can lock the doors and roll the windows in case of ‘danger’. I’m not sure exactly how that will work of how the vehicle senses (Or determines) danger, but the idea the vehicle can sense others walking around the car is something that will be welcomed, because when you drive the Explorer model (Or even the Taurus P.I) with all the included equipment/partition, there are so many blind spots and poor visibility, its very difficult to know what is around you. I’m hoping that this detection meter has some sort of audible alert versus a just visual cue in the display [Or both], that way the drivers eyes are still focused on their surroundings versus the dash area for an indicator light.

 

[0388631]

Interesting information in the L.E. sector. It’s not clear On the engine base, however; Ford is claiming the 2020 Hybrid P.P. Explorer will be 40% more efficient over the 3.7 L, which is actually the base model for the Police Explorer, but the most commonly used Model is the 3.5 TT for county or highway usage.

Would be nice if its battery pack powered the car at a low state idle when idling. Possibly incorporate those cell things on the roof, too.

 

[44267547]

Would be nice if its battery pack powered the car at a low state idle when idling. Possibly incorporate those cell things on the roof, too.

Definitely. One of problematic things for squads is idling long hours, and if this helps reduce that, it will produce more longevity. But I question how much weight will be added more to the vehicle with the added batteries, especially given all the onboard equipment will rely on the battery power. I also imagine the cost for service will be substantially higher. But it’s interesting to see the transition over the years where the V8 was priority for squads and now its transitioning to hybrid/electric motors.

 

[0388631]

Definitely. One of problematic things for squads is idling long hours, and if this helps reduce that, it will produce more longevity. But I question how much weight will be added more to the vehicle with the added batteries, especially given all the onboard equipment will rely on the battery power. I also imagine the cost for service will be substantially higher. But it’s interesting to see the transition over the years where the V8 was priority for squads and now its transitioning to hybrid/electric motors.

That's a great question. I think you said you live in a quad-season area, so I suppose a solar roof could come in useful during the spring and summer. That's when you'd be running HVAC all the time. I can't imagine the... what resembles a Tough Book, requiring much power. Total LED lighting should further reduce electrical use. Regenerative braking...

Honestly, I have no idea why Ford or Chevy don't use police cars as test beds. It makes sense.

 

[quagmire]

GM unveiled the 2019 Chevy Blazer.

Very Camaro-esque with the interior( literally with raiding the parts bin using the Camaro screen controls, vent, and HVAC controls.

I dig it. Would consider it for my second vehicle when the time comes. I like the fact the AWD system can be set to be full time. Why I am also considering Subaru's. I don't like the fact most AWD systems in this class need to detect slip in order to send power to the rear and if both front wheels are spinning, the system can't send power to the rear.

 

[0388631]

The wheels look awful.

 

[quagmire]

The wheels look awful.

Wheels are certainly an after thought with me as I focused on the overall body design and the wheels just blended in. But yeah they aren't the best design out there. They aren't stand out ugly as like I said, my eyes never focused on the wheels but wish for a better design certainly. Too many spokes.

 

[bunnspecial]

It's a truck-is a bit of sidewall too much to ask for?

I know what the answer to that is, but it doesn't change that I find the fact that EVERYTHING now has low profile tires a bit bothersome. On a performance oriented car, they're great. On a luxury car, I'll trade performance for a smooth ride, and on a truck I don't want to worry about popping a tire or bending a wheel with every single pothole!

 

[0388631]

Simple, matte coating. Like the Camaro's wheels. Reminds me of Ford/Lincoln's take on the Navigator's wheels. Too much metal. Otherwise, I really like the design and interior. Chevy did what Maserati couldn't.

 

[44267547]

I like it. The model below is the RS. It has some nice design cues and I like the Big Bold Grill, and Black accents. I saw some interior pictures and it looks nicely finished. It makes me think of the Toyota Highlander slightly for some reason.

Power plant is offering 2.5 L four-cylinder/193 HP or 3.6 V6/305 HP. I certainly would opt for the 3.6 L, although; I was expecting _more_ HP from a larger V-6, but I would have to drive it obviously to make a better evaluation.

Its some competition for the Ford Edge and Jeep Grand Cherokee in the least.