#2020 Honda CR-V Road Test

[bomberqueen17]

car shopping part 1

ok i had capslock on when i started typing this and i startled myself, lol. i am. a bit tired and punchy. BUT. All hail my lovely middle-little sister, who volunteered to come take me to car dealerships last night.

Here are my extremely scientific notes on how that went, so that I can narrow down my car choices for definitely for sure:

1) Honda: we went to a Honda dealership, and my mom has a CR-V which I've driven and it's... fine, so I tried the HR-V, which is smaller. The sales guy immediately without asking was like "here you want this one" and had me test-drive a used 2020 model-- low mileage, nice car, but used. "Won't be here in a couple days tho, act fast," he said, and gave me his card. I'd told him this was the very first car of my search and I wasn't in a hurry. He didn't show me anything new, or tell me about anything new, but did say there were often quite long waits for new cars. Gotcha. Like, I'm not mad, but I'm also not going to pay $23,9 for a three-year old car when the current year's model is $24k. You know? I don't care how long the warranty is.

2) Subaru: we went because it was right there. Wandered around the parking lot. Crosstreks look... lower now?? somehow?? than mine? Much lower, don't know why. Specs said same ground clearance but. I'd have to look up what the specs were in 2014. Sales guy came out, asked if we wanted to see anything. M-L said I should try the Forester, so I was like sure, why not; one of the farm workers has a 2020 Outback I figured I'd ask his opinion on, and actually the part time veg helper guy has a recent Outback too, so there's no shortage of those around. So I test-drove a Forester. And like. I hadn't even got out of the parking lot and the guy was like, all casual, "so how's the visibility," and I really looked around and was like holy shit okay i can see through time so I really liked it. It was a higher-end package (had a huge sunroof, i actually really liked that, i'm a shallow bitch i guess) and kept trying to nanny me about leaving the lane on the winding back road but the guy reached over and pressed the button that disables that and it stopped yelling at me, which was great. Anyway. I did not expect that. M-L and I theorized about what kind of guy I'd be to be a Forester guy. "A middle-aged wealthy lesbian with a lot of large dogs," M-L said, and I was immediately depressed to realize that only one of those things is actually applicable. I have no wife and no large dogs. These are major failings of my life. But. I mean. We don't always end up the person we thought we'd be when we were nineteen.

3) Then we got to the Ford dealership, and a guy named Joey was like "ay what's up," and i listed the cars I was interested in and he was like "i can't get those or those but I got Broncos, let's go see one" and walked incredibly fast out into the parking lot without looking like he was hurrying, seriously it was eerie how fast he walked while looking like he was just ambling, and he led us to a "cactus gray" Bronco Sport, said "you wanna try this one? aight hang on" and went back into the building. I was like uh sure, we poked around the parking lot, and then he came back, handed me the key, was like "yah you two go for it, you know the roads around here? yah go see if you like it, I'll be here til eight." and off we went, slightly bemused. But yes, we were quite near M-L's house so she led us around a winding path. The Bronco's hood takes up rather a lot of the view out of the windshield. I raised my seat, which helped slightly. I could not find the right edge of the car and kept straying over into the shoulder. It was so boxy. The visibility out of the windows wasn't fantastic. But it had a lot of zoom and handled all right. Not terrible. I'm not a Ford Bronco guy I don't think, but I liked the Ford dealership folks, they were funny.

The sales manager came out and talked to me briefly and was like "well i mean how many cars are you looking for" and i was like "i have a spreadsheet" and he was like "a what now" and i got my phone out and showed him the spreadsheet Dude made and he was like "your guy is something else" and i was like "i mean, he sure is", and I did feel better about not being a wealthy middle-aged lesbian with large dogs if this is what I have instead but like. I mean. The road not taken etc.

"take notes," M-L said as we got home (after i bought her a sushi dinner bc there was a place right by the dealership and also i wanted sushi), and i was like "yah ok" but this is my notes. i'm sure i'll be able to make sense of them later.

[enginerumors]

2020 Honda CR-V Review, Release Date, Price

2020 Honda CR-V Review, Release Date, Price

2020 Honda CR-V Review, Release Date, Price– The fifth producing of Honda’s quite well-liked CR-V crossover, most likely reliant on the emblem-new platform that cash the recently revamped Honda Civic. The latest CR-V is definitely rumored to grow a little bit as compared to the current product, with all the probable advancement of your optionally available thirdly-row destination to help tide…

[orbemnews]

How Mazda Rode Out the Pandemic While Rivals Slipped The pandemic crushed new-vehicle sales last year in the United States, with behemoths like Ford Motor, General Motors and Honda all posting double-digit sales declines. Altogether, the sales slide reached 15 percent, with under 14.5 million new cars hitting American roads, down from a five-year average of around 17 million. But Mazda — the 13th-ranked carmaker in America — was one of just three to increase sales last year. (Tesla and Volvo were the others.) The critical accolades piled up, as well. U.S. News and World Report, for the fifth year, made Mazda its Best Car Brand. Every one of its new models that the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety tested was a Top Safety Pick, more than any other brand. It ranked No. 1 in a Consumer Reports survey on the most reliable new vehicles. And then this year, Mazda received the top spot in that magazine’s coveted Brand Report Card, based on a combined score that measures “road-test performance, predicted reliability, owner satisfaction and safety.” “During the pandemic, a number of brands were able to take some advantage of getting people to take a look at them,” said Alexander Edwards, president of Strategic Vision, an automotive research and consulting firm. “Mazda has had a little bit of an easier time succeeding because, with just 2 percent of the market, they haven’t had a lot to lose.” Mr. Edwards, whose firm conducts hundreds of thousands of in-depth surveys with new car buyers each year, attributed part of Mazda’s appeal during this atypical period to consumer perceptions held by its typical buyers. Just as car shoppers are attracted to Jeeps for the perception of go-anywhere ability, and to BMWs for the idea of being able to drive at top speed on the autobahn — even if these things never actually happen to an ordinary owner — consumers were attracted to Mazda during the pandemic because the brand offered them a fantasy of carefree relief. “Mazda owners tend to be younger, single college graduates. They have an income that’s slightly higher than the general population, and they’re less likely to have kids. They enjoy fine dining. They travel the world,” he said. “So everything that we weren’t able to do this year, this is what Mazda owners love to do. That’s part of the brand imagery.” And driving was the next-best thing. “Mazdas have this image of being an escape,” Mr. Edwards added. In addition, though it has a cadre of loyalists, Mazda relies heavily on “conquest” sales — luring consumers from other brands — to fuel sales growth. During the pandemic, as potential car buyers navigated closed dealerships, dived deeper into online reviews and embraced at-home test drives, the small Japanese marque made its move. “With all of the rules being rewritten, they were able to pick up additional people that were reconsidering what vehicles they were going to consider,” Mr. Edwards said. For years, Mazda sported best-in-class fuel economy across its entire range, but it may be best known for its zippy $26,830 MX-5 Miata roadster. The Miata, one of the few affordable two-seat sports cars still on the market, is an industry benchmark for the cost/fun-to-drive ratio. The $20,650 Mazda 3 compact sedan and hatchback won the 2020 World Car Design of the Year award, for bringing Italianate styling, and driving passion, to a dwindling category; even Volkswagen has quit selling its Golf hatchback, long a core competitor, in the United States. The $24,475 Mazda 6 is a handsome family sedan that competes fiercely with the Honda Accord, even though the Honda sells a dozen Accords for every Mazda 6. It is, however, being discontinued after the 2021 model year, another victim of the shift to S.U.V.s and crossovers. Mazda competes in that bracket, as well. Its top seller in the States, the $25,370 CX-5, is a rival to the best-selling Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4 and occasionally even competes with luxury models like the BMW X3 and Audi Q5. Today in Business Updated  May 26, 2021, 4:06 p.m. ET “When I worked at another auto company, the engineers were taught that value was performance divided by cost,” said Jeff Guyton, president and chief executive of Mazda’s North American operations. “The first day that a Mazda engineer comes to work, he or she is taught that value is performance divided by weight. “That’s a totally different mind-set,” he continued. “And we do that because weight is the enemy of cost. But it’s also the enemy of fun-to-drive, and it’s also the enemy of fuel economy. So if we judge value as performance divided by weight, we should be able to tackle all of those things.” Mazda’s unique perspective has deep roots. The company, which was founded as a cork-maker in 1920 in Hiroshima, has always been something of an outlier. “Historically, Mazda has been pretty small, pretty independent, and geographically they’re not located in the heart of Japan, where most of the big car companies are, so I think that has also afforded them a bit of that independent thinking,” said Dave Yuan, senior editor of Japanese Nostalgic Car, a website for American fans of Japanese cars. “Their very first vehicle was a racing motorcycle, to challenge the dominance of the big British bike brands.” Mr. Yuan credits Mazda’s focus on “courageous” engineering for its distinct perspective. “They tend not to be bound by a lot of the industry conventions,” he said. “They’re always going to try and seek out things that they believe are the right technology.” This includes, most famously, early and current efforts to tame and maximize the Wankel rotary engine, a high-revving, compact engine with a potent power-to-weight ratio — and inherent difficulties with fuel efficiency, oil consumption and tailpipe emissions. Mazda engineers are working on using the rotary as an onboard generator for their first electric car, the MX-30, where low-stress running conditions would allow it to operate quietly and efficiently. This spirit also encompasses Mazda’s dedication to what Mr. Yuan calls “signature philosophies,” such as “what makes a car drive well, and what makes a car enjoyable to drive.” Many resulting adaptations — the placement of gas, brake and clutch pedals; the position of seat backs; the way an engine builds power under a hard turn — don’t show up on spec sheets. But in day-to-day driving, they imbue Mazdas with a sense of refinement and delight. “They really feel like a boutique, artisanal, intricately thought-out product,” Mr. Yuan said. Yet, emerging from the pandemic, small automotive brands like Mazda face significant challenges. The key trends for the future are electrification and advanced driver-assistance technology, two categories that require immense investment. Mazda just doesn’t have this kind of capital, or scale. So one strategy involves a partnership with Toyota, the world’s top-selling automaker. In this deal, Mazda gains access to what Mr. Guyton called “Toyota’s wealth of resources and technology.” But when asked what Toyota acquires, he became a bit more philosophical. “I think the Toyota organization looked at Mazda and said: ‘Hey, you guys are consistently competitive in all these big segments all over the world, and yet you have a tenth of the resources we have. If we could have just a little of that in our organization, think what we could do with all the resources we do have.” The two brands are building a factory in Alabama, a plant that may — along with existing factories from Honda, Mercedes-Benz and Hyundai — help that low-wage, nonunion state become the second-largest auto producer in North America, after Michigan. According to Mr. Guyton, the cars built there will not be “twins separated at birth” — nearly identical vehicles with different badges on the front. Rather, they will be more like children from a blended family: “They’re going to grow up in the same house, but they are totally unique products.” This dedication to keeping Mazda Mazda will be crucial for the automaker’s future. “Subaru has been true to themselves, and they’ve been able to grow every year, even through the 2008 recession,” Mr. Edwards said. “Mazda’s really been true to who they are, and if communicated properly, with their enhancements, they are a competitor coming out of the pandemic.” Source link Orbem News #Mazda #Pandemic #Rivals #rode #slipped

[dipulb3]

2021 Nissan Rogue review: Playing it down the middle

New Post has been published on https://appradab.com/2021-nissan-rogue-review-playing-it-down-the-middle/

2021 Nissan Rogue review: Playing it down the middle

The Rogue is currently Nissan’s best-selling vehicle by a long shot, and consumer demand for compact crossovers shows no sign of slowing down. Needless to say, the “don’t screw it up” factor is pretty high with the redesigned 2021 Rogue, which rolls into dealerships later this year.

Like

Quiet, comfortable cabin

Decent fuel economy

Available digital gauge cluster

Enhanced ProPilot driver-assistance tech

Don’t Like

Weak engine performance

Styling isn’t for everyone

Best tech features are only available on the most expensive trim

Smartly, Nissan opted to take a conservative approach to the Rogue’s redux, though you might not think so upon first glance. The boldly styled front end certainly isn’t for everyone — I’m not a fan, personally — but it’s at least expressive, which isn’t something I could say about prior Rogues. The rest of the crossover’s appearance is unsurprisingly conventional, although new two-tone color options are available to give that upright, two-box shape added visual interest. All told, the 2021 Rogue is about an inch shorter in both length and height than its predecessor.

Inside, 2021 Rogue loses half an inch of headroom and 1.5 inches of legroom up front. Rear-seat occupants, on the other hand, enjoy slightly more headroom and legroom than before — 0.7 and 0.6 inches, respectively. A third row of seats isn’t available, and while that might seem like a given considering the Rogue’s small size, keep in mind that Nissan offered a holy-crap-that’s-cramped option from 2014 to 2017. Trust me, the Rogue is better off without it.

The SUV’s back doors now open to a full 90-degree aperture, which makes getting in and out easier and gives you more space when finagling car seats or other bulky items. A similar bit of helpfulness is found in the cargo area, where there’s an adjustable divider in the two-tier load floor. Only available on SL and Platinum grades, this two-piece partition gives you a maximum of 36.5 cubic feet of storage space behind the second-row seats, while the Rogue S and SV make do with 31.6. Regardless of model, folding the back seats flat results in 74.1 cubic feet of room, which puts the Rogue ahead of the Toyota RAV4 (69.8) but behind the Honda CR-V (75.8).

Generally speaking, the Rogue’s interior is perfectly nice. Nissan’s comfy and supportive Zero Gravity seats are standard for both front and rear passengers, came wrapped in leather on my SL tester and is available with quilted, semi-aniline hides on the bougie Platinum. All of the plastics and wood appliqués are nicely grained and none of the vehicle controls feel cheap or flimsy. Well, mostly.

The new electronic gear selector is a particularly lousy part of an otherwise well-built cabin. It looks cheap and feels cheaper. On the other hand, no mechanical linkage to the transmission frees up space beneath the console for added storage, but considering how cavernous the compartment aft of the cup holders is, I don’t imagine needing that extra space all that often.

Most Rogues will roll out with an 8-inch color touchscreen display in the center of the dash, running the newest version of the NissanConnect infotainment system. A larger 9-inch high-definition screen is optional on the SL and standard on the Platinum, with the same NissanConnect software inside. This system isn’t my favorite, with its occasionally laggy response times, but the graphics are nevertheless colorful and crisp — on the HD display, at least — and it’s a step up from the Display Audio and Entune systems offered in the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4, respectively.

If you want the mega-tech experience, go for a Rogue Platinum, which comes with a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and 10.8-inch head-up display, as well as a wireless charging pad. It kind of sucks that you have to spring for the most expensive Rogue — $36,525, including $1,095 for destination — to get these niceties, but so it goes. At least Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard across the board. What’s more, wireless CarPlay is optional on the SL and standard on the Platinum, and every Rogue save for the most basic S has an onboard Wi-Fi hotspot as well as four USB outlets (two A, two C).

The Rogue’s interior is clean and modern.

Steven Ewing/Roadshow

A whole bunch of driver-assistance technologies come standard on every Rogue, including blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, a driver alertness monitor, forward-collision warning, lane-departure warning and automatic emergency braking. Nissan’s excellent ProPilot Assist joins the standard roster on SV trims and higher, combining adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping assist for easy-breezy highway commuting. A newly enhanced version of this tech, ProPilot Assist with Navi-Link, is optional on the SL and standard on the Platinum. It uses navigation data to adjust the Rogue’s speed for things like tight highway curves and busy intersections, and it can even keep the steering assist active on freeway exit ramps. The uplevel ProPilot software also includes speed-limit adaptation, which is something normally reserved for higher-end luxury cars.

Unfortunately, the rest of the Rogue’s driving experience isn’t so techy; you won’t find turbochargers or electric assistance under the hood. Buyers looking for more punch should check out a Mazda CX-5 with the 2.5-liter turbo, and if you’re all about fuel-sippin’, the Ford Escape, Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4 can be had with hybrid powertrains. The Escape and RAV4 even offer plugin options.

The Rogue, meanwhile, uses a reworked version of Nissan’s long-standing 2.5-liter I4, making 181 horsepower and 181 pound-feet of torque, increases of 11 hp and 6 lb-ft over the 2020 model. A continuously variable transmission is mandatory across the board, and buyers can choose between front- and all-wheel drive on every trim level.

The more upright shape results in increased rear-seat headroom.

Steven Ewing/Roadshow

Nissan’s CVT is one of the better transmissions of this type, largely fading into the background without roughness or loud droning during acceleration. But the Rogue definitely isn’t quick, and it occasionally suffers on steep grades. Climbing California’s notorious Grapevine on the I-5 freeway at 75 mph requires a heavy right foot, especially since the 2.5 has a dearth of low-end torque. The experience would be worse with passengers and/or more cargo onboard, too. This is where the low-end torque from a turbocharger or added electrification can really help, but competitors generally also make you pay extra for their more-powerful engines. Nissan offered a Rogue Hybrid previously, so perhaps a more powerful engine option will come along in the future.

Fuel economy ratings of 27 miles per gallon city, 35 mpg highway and 30 mpg combined are on the better side of average for the compact crossover class. Opting for all-wheel drive reduces those figures by one to two mpg depending on trim level, but again, that’s not uncommon for small SUVs. After several days of testing in mixed conditions, my Rogue’s onboard computer shows 28.5 mpg.

The engine itself may be pretty mediocre, but overall, the Rogue drives with confidence and composure. The redesigned rack-mounted electronic power steering is a lot better than in old Rogues, with improved weight and more natural turn-in that doesn’t feel overboosted. Even so, as far as steering feel is concerned, the Rogue, like most other small SUVs, is as dead as your childhood dreams.

Of all the compact crossovers on sale today, the Nissan Rogue is definitely one of them.

Steven Ewing/Roadshow

A new, stiffer frame gives the Rogue a solid on-road demeanor, and the suspension is nicely tuned to soak up the sort of rough pavement and occasional pothole you’ll experience in everyday driving. The base Rogue S rides on 17-inch wheels, but 18s and 19s, like the ones on my tester, are available. Brake feel is solid and easy to modulate, and if you hustle the Rogue through a corner you’ll find predictable amounts of body roll. But for the key missions of a Nissan Rogue — running errands, commuting to work, taking the kids to the lake — this vehicle is appropriately tuned.

Pricing for the 2021 Nissan Rogue starts at $26,745 including destination and all-wheel drive is a $1,400 upcharge on every trim. Like every other aspect of the Rogue, this puts Nissan’s CUV squarely in the middle of the compact crossover class.

It’s hard to fault Nissan for playing it straight with the 2021 Rogue. The current model is doing really well for the automaker, and it’s the segment’s third best-selling model behind the Toyota and Honda. Frankly, considering Nissan’s big-picture troubles, it’s probably not a good idea to shake up a winning formula. Is the Rogue the most attractive, most fun-to-drive small SUV? No. But it’s comfortable, spacious, economical and priced right, and those are pretty strong laurels on which to rest.

[onwheelsxyz-blog]

SUV Review: 2020 GMC Terrain Denali 2020 GMC AcadiaBrian Harper / Driving OVERVIEW All-wheel-drive premium compact crossover PROSWell contented, plenty of power, quiet cabin CONSMiddling fuel economy, weird shifter controls VALUE FOR MONEYGood WHAT TO CHANGE?Put in a conventional shift lever HOW TO SPEC IT?As is Not generally considered an upscale brand, GMC nonetheless knows how to build luxury into its products. That it does so without betraying its professional grade roots is the tricky part. Yet, courtesy of its Denali sub-brand, GMCs pickups and sport-utes come with an added layer of sophistication and content that separate them from the work-boots reputation of the base models.The $42,798 Terrain Denali is a prime example. The top-level version of GMCs compact crossover, its a solid if not stellar performer within its segment not to mention the corporate twin of the Chevrolet Equinox, itself also a solid if not stellar player within the segment dominated by the Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, Ford Escape, and a few other competitors. The Terrain first appeared in 2009 and the long-overdue second-generation model finally arrived for 2018, bringing with it more refinement than its predecessor and a less over-styled, chunky look.The most noteworthy trait about the Terrain Denali is how it goes about its business with a quiet, assured manner, without fuss or drama. Much of its confident demeanour comes from its powertrain, a properly powerful 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder

[orbemnews]

Three Electric S.U.V.s With Tesla in Their Sights An electric trickle is turning into a flood: As many as 100 new E.V. models are coming to showrooms by 2025. Heavyweights including Volkswagen, General Motors and Ford are floating promises of all-electric lineups within a decade. The end times of gasoline can almost seem a fait accompli, except for one pesky issue: Even given Tesla’s strides, we’re still waiting for the first genuine E.V. sales hit, let alone a mass exodus from unleaded. In 2014, Nissan sold a mere 30,200 Leafs, and that’s still the American record for any non-Tesla model. Ford routinely sells more than 800,000 F-Series pickups. A single gasoline sport utility vehicle, the Toyota RAV4, finds well over 400,000 annual buyers, compared with roughly 250,000 sales last year for all E.V.s combined — 200,000 of which were Teslas. Automakers insist we’re “this close” to a tipping point. E.V. market share is expected to grow to as much as 50 percent by 2032, from just 1.7 percent last year, said Scott Keogh, president and chief executive of Volkswagen of America. While Tesla captured 80 percent of the U.S. market for electric vehicles in 2020, VW and other global giants — with war chests built on internal-combustion engines and unmatched scale and manufacturing know-how — are well positioned to take a piece of Tesla’s pie. “There’s never been a competitive consumer product that sits at 80 percent market share” for long, Mr. Keogh said. Globally, Volkswagen is poised to pass Tesla as the world’s biggest electric vehicle seller as early as next year, according to Deutsche Bank, with Europe and China its key markets. In America, where the brand remains an underdog, VW and other legacy automakers are concentrating fire on the sales fortress of compact S.U.V.s: Models like the RAV4, which deliver roughly four million annual segment sales. The idea, as ever, is to drive down prices and charging times of E.V.s, while bolstering driving range, until consumers see no reason to stick with polluting gasoline models whose energy-and-operating costs exceed the plug-in alternatives. Like the Rolling Stones pushing the Beatles, Mr. Keogh said, healthy competition will ultimately benefit all E.V. fans and creators. And when consumers sees E.V.s proliferate in their neighbors’ driveways, and take their first test drive, there will be no going back. “When you drive one, you’re driving the future, and that’s what people are going to want, no debate,” Mr. Keogh said. The latest electric-S.U.V. hopefuls to reach showrooms are the VW ID.4, Ford Mustang Mach-E and Volvo XC40 Recharge. The Nissan Ariya, BMW iX and Cadillac Lyriq are set to arrive between late 2021 and next March. I drove the VW, Ford and Volvo to see which might knock Tesla’s Model Y S.U.V. down a peg — or at least outsell the 2014 Leaf. Ford Mustang Mach-E Ford has branded its fabled Mustang name on an electric S.U.V., inflaming some boomers in the process. But the Mach-E seems the most straight-up rival yet to Tesla’s Model Y, in not only price and performance but also the Ford’s maximum 300-mile driving range. Consumers have noticed: Ford sold 3,729 Mach-Es in February, the first full month of sales, almost single-handedly chopping Tesla’s dominant E.V. share to 69 percent, from 80 percent. If Ford could maintain that pace for a full year, the Mach-E would easily set a sales record for an E.V. not built by Tesla. Tesla’s 326-mile Model Y Long Range still squeezes a few more miles from each onboard kilowatt-hour, owing to the carmaker’s expertise in aerodynamics, motor and battery efficiency, and to “simple” stuff that’s anything but: Its 4,416-pound curb weight undercuts the Ford by about 400 pounds. And Tesla rules the public charging space, with its Supercharger network that has rivals — now with a potential infrastructure lift from the Biden administration — racing to catch up. The Ford fires back with a sculpted exterior versus the dad-bod Model Y, a tech-savvy interior with superior materials and craftsmanship, and winning performance of its own. With 346 horsepower from dual motors, the Mach-E Premium A.W.D. that I drove shot to 60 miles an hour in 4.8 seconds. Even the new Shelby GT500 — history’s mightiest Mustang, with 760 horsepower — won’t equal the 3.5-second 0-to-60 m.p.h. blast of this summer’s Mach-E GT Performance version. The Shelby would shame the Mach-E or Tesla on any winding road, of course. Yet the Mach-E is reasonably fun through the curvy stuff, and glides with addictive thrust and confidence. A cinema-scale, 15.5-inch touch screen sneaks past the Tesla’s 15-inch unit. Like other E.V.s, the Ford broadcasts its presence below 20 m.p.h., a throat-clearing hum to alert pedestrians. Inside, in its driver-selectable “Whisper” mode, the Ford would please the most persnickety librarian. Dial up “Unbridled” mode and the Mach-E trades glorious silence for an overwrought, faux-engine sound: Think a V-8, remixed by Kraftwerk. The soundtrack is apparently for people who need to be weaned off gasoline’s combustive beat, but it can be shut off with a screen switch. E.V. shoppers can whistle over the Ford’s price, as little as $36,495, or $48,300 for the extended-range A.W.D. model. Those prices include a $7,500 federal tax credit that’s denied to buyers of Tesla (or General Motors) E.V.s, because those automakers have sold too many to qualify. So despite Tesla’s major, defensive price cuts for 2021, the most-affordable, 230-mile-range Mach-E undercuts Tesla’s 244-mile Standard Range by $6,700. A Mach-E Premium A.W.D. saves $2,900 versus a Model Y Long Range. In a surprisingly taut, compelling matchup with the Tesla, credit the government for what may be the Ford’s most alluring advantage: a $7,500 discount. Volkswagen ID.4 No, Volkswagen is not changing its name to Voltswagen, as the company briefly convinced some media and car fans in a marketing stunt gone bad. Regarding historic names, VW calls the ID.4 its most significant model since the original Beetle. But where the Beetle was a revolutionary leader, the ID.4 feels like a follower. Based on my drive, the VW can easily top its 250-mile range rating, with 275 miles within reach. A rear-drive, 201-horsepower model rolls to 60 m.p.h. in 7.6 seconds. That’s on a par with gasoline sport utilities like the Honda CR-V, but pokey by E.V. standards. Dual-motor, all-wheel-drive models arrive later this year, promising 60 m.p.h. in under six seconds. From a company famed for fun-to-drive German cars, the ID.4’s generic performance and styling are letdowns. Its infotainment system is even more disappointing: The clunky, vexing touch screen can’t touch the onscreen wizardry of the Ford, Volvo or Tesla. The VW’s snappiest performance came during a fast-charging session at a Target in New Jersey, replenishing its 77 kilowatt-hour battery from 20 to 80 percent in an impressive 31 minutes. That growing network of Electrify America chargers is funded by VW’s $2 billion, court-ordered penance for its diesel emissions scandal. And VW is offering indulgences to ID.4 buyers, with three years of free public charging. Thrifty virtues include a $41,190 base price, or $33,690 after the $7,500 federal tax break. That’s $2,800 less than the most-affordable Mach-E. It’s also less money, after credits, than a smaller Chevrolet Bolt. The more powerful ID.4 with all-wheel drive will start at $37,370, postcredit. Still, as Tesla’s triumph and Chevy’s lukewarm Bolt have proved, there’s more to electric success than an attractive price. VW is aggressively investing $80 billion to develop E.V.s, but the ID.4 feels less like a market splash and more like a toe in the water. We’ll see if VW erred by not kicking off with a recognizable design that truly connects its nostalgic, weed-hazed past to today’s green virtues: the electric ID.Buzz Microbus, due in 2023. Volvo XC40 Recharge Volvo seems such a natural fit for E.V.s. And the progressive-minded brand brings us the XC40 Recharge, an electrified take on its gasoline XC40. The Recharge is like that perfect dining table in a shelter magazine: You’re not sure why it costs so much, but you want it anyway. The Recharge’s wedgy Scandinavian styling tops every S.U.V. in this group, as does its lovely interior. That includes soft Nappa leather, versus the ascetic “vegan” materials of many E.V.s. The drive is similarly breezy, with 402 horses and a quicksilver, 4.7-second flight to 60 m.p.h. The biggest tech talking point may be Android Automotive OS: The Recharge (and Volvo’s electric Polestar 2) introduces a cloud-based Google operating system that works like a dream, with Google Maps, search, an ultra-capable voice assistant and more. (Don’t confuse this with the ubiquitous Android Auto, which simply mirrors phone apps on a car’s screen.) Several major automakers, including G.M. and Ford, plan to make Android Automotive the nerve centers of coming cars. If only the Volvo itself were as efficient. The Recharge is an electron guzzler, with a 208-mile range that seems optimistic in real-world use. I drove the Recharge in frigid New York weather, which explained some but not all of its hunger for power: No matter how I babied the throttle, the Volvo stayed on a pace for 190 miles, at best, covering about 2.4 miles for each kilowatt-hour in the batteries. I can achieve 3.6 miles per kilowatt-hour with little effort in the Tesla Model Y and above 3.2 in the Ford. Environmental Protection Agency numbers bear that out: Despite having virtually the same-size battery, the Tesla brings 326 miles of maximum range, 118 more than the Volvo. The Recharge is also expensive for its intimate size: $54,985 to start, and nearly $60,000 for the model I drove. That $7,500 federal tax break softens the blow. Yet if the Volvo indulges bourgeois buyers, they’ll also need to indulge its profligate ways. Source link Orbem News #Electric #Sights #SUVs #Tesla

[perksofwifi]

Is the Toyota RAV4 Safe? A Look at our Long-Termer’s Safety Credentials

Now that we’ve explored the Toyota RAV4’s impressive real-world fuel economy and ruminated on our favorite features, it’s time to delve deeper into the most important buying consideration. Because this vehicle is a popular family SUV, that consideration is safety.

The first thing that catches your attention behind the wheel is visibility. Fortunately, the RAV4 excels in this area. A low windshield, boxy proportions, and skillfully placed pillars make it easy to see out the front and side of the vehicle. A rear camera provides a relatively clear view out the rear of our XLE tester. Unfortunately, you must upgrade to a package on the TRD Off-Road or Limited if you want a fancy 360-degree camera.

For 2020, the RAV4 joins the Ford Escape, Honda CR-V, and other key competitors in receiving a Top Safety Pick award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. It earns this distinction with top scores in all crash categories. However, due to its headlight rating, the SUV misses out on the more prestigious Top Safety Pick+ status achieved by the Mazda CX-5 and Subaru Forester. Although the Hybrid Limited model’s headlights are rated Good, the RAV4’s standard headlights get a Marginal rating. Some RAV4 Hybrids’ lights are rated Poor.

In government tests, the RAV4 also performed well, earning five overall stars. This works out to four stars in the front crash test, five stars in the side crash test, and four stars in the rollover test.

All RAV4 models come standard with a full suite of safety features. Among them are a pre-collision system with pedestrian detection, lane departure alert with steering assist, lane tracing assist to read lane markings, and full-speed adaptive cruise control. We appreciate the calm and collected nature of the adaptive cruise control system. Whether suddenly encountering traffic ahead or being cut off by another car, the cruise control brakes smoothly. The SUV reliably keeps a safe distance between itself and other vehicles, even in the closest distance setting.

So is the Toyota RAV4 safe? We can confidently say yes.

Read more about our long-term 2019 Toyota RAV4 XLE:

Arrival

Update 1: Which Trim Level Should You Get?

Update 2: 5 Features We Like and Don’t Like About the Compact SUV

Update 3: Toyota RAV4 Fuel Economy: What Kind of MPG Does it Get in the Real World?

Update 4: Toyota RAV4 vs. RAV4 Hybrid: Which Should You Buy?

The post Is the Toyota RAV4 Safe? A Look at our Long-Termer’s Safety Credentials appeared first on MotorTrend.

https://www.motortrend.com/cars/toyota/rav4/2019/toyota-rav4-long-term-update-5-safety/ visto antes em https://www.motortrend.com

[carsmedd]

Ford Escape 2019: waiting for the next generation

Ford Escape 2019: waiting for the next generation

Ford Escape 2019: waiting for the next generation

If Ford recently launched the towel with its sedans, it is to better focus on the development of its commercial vehicles. Like the Ford Escape, for example.

Unchanged for several years, the Escape remains one of the flagship vehicles of the American manufacturer. Direct competitor with models like the Toyota RAV4 and the Honda CR-V , the American SUV continues to pull skillfully in a saturated category of vehicles.

But why, exactly?

A range of engines

The answer is partially under the hood. Because instead of offering only one or two engines as a good part of its rivals, the Escape offers three.

Unless you have a limited budget, forget the basic engine, a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine that produces 168 horsepower and 170 lb-ft of torque. The power is a little fair and the all-wheel drive is not offered.

Ford Escape 2019: waiting for the next generation

To qualify, you must turn to one of the two optional engines, EcoBoost engines with a cubic capacity of 1.5 and 2.0 liters respectively.

The smallest is also the most energy efficient in the range, which has a combined city / highway fuel consumption of 9.1 L / 100 km with the front wheels and 9.9 L / 100 km with the all-wheel drive.

Then, aboard the Titanium version that we reviewed, the 2.0-liter engine and all-wheel drive are standard. There, we are entitled to 245 horses and a couple of 275 lb-ft. With an optional towing package, the Escape with this powertrain also stands out with a 1,588-kilogram (3,500-pound) towing capacity.

Equipped with this mechanism, the Ford Escape becomes a vehicle with a frankly interesting driving behavior. The six-speed automatic is a bit dated, but it does its job honestly and fuel economy remains reasonable, even if Japanese models remain the champions.

Ford Escape 2019: waiting for the next generation

A cockpit to rework

If the Escape takes a road behavior beyond expectations for an SUV that has not been reviewed for several years, it must be admitted that certain components of its cabin betray its age.

The driving position is good and the space ample for the driver and front passenger. That said, the interior of the Escape is dotted with cheap plastics, even in the Titanium variant.

Ford Escape 2019: waiting for the next generation

On the model tested, an eight-inch touch screen sat in the center of the console, incorporating the honest SYNC 3 system, very easy to maneuver. Only problem, the position of the screen, very far from the driver, makes some maneuvers too little ergonomic.

In the back, the seats are quite limited and of acceptable comfort, nothing more. Fortunately, Ford has taken care to leave a lot of space in the trunk.

With a 964-liter cargo space (1,925 with the rear seats folded down), the Escape has enough room to carry anything from ski gear to camping gear.

Some competitors like the Honda CR-V (1,110 liters) and the Toyota RAV4 (1,064 liters) do better, but the Escape does not have much to blush. The threshold of the chest, rather low, makes besides the easy access.

Ford Escape 2019: waiting for the next generation

Strongly 2020

One of the biggest drawbacks of the 2019 Escape is that we know he lives on borrowed time. Ford has already confirmed that it will introduce a brand new generation of the model for 2020.

The new Escape promises in particular a hybrid variant as well as a redesigned cabin and modernized mechanical elements. We will learn more in the coming months. In the meantime, the 2019 Escape is starting to look like a consolation prize for those who must change vehicles this year.

Marketed in S, SE, SEL and Titanium versions, the current Escape is priced at $ 26,399 before shipping and preparation.

Ford Escape 2019: waiting for the next generation

In addition to the most powerful engine in the lot, the Titanium version features 19-inch rims and a variety of driver assistance systems.

Still, difficult to talk about a reasonable purchase. If you're holding on to the 2.0-liter engine (and you're good at keeping it there), as well choose a SEL version.

And if you are able to wait a few more months for the new generation Escape, our little finger tells us that it's probably worth it ...

Ford Escape 2019: waiting for the next generation

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Porsche Cayenne S and Turbo 2019 - First winter contact

Subaru Ascent 2019 we try to forget the Tribeca

Genesis G70 2.0T Sport 2019 in the teeth

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5 things we learned behind the wheel of the 2020 Ford Escape 2020 Ford EscapeChris Balcerak / Driving Up against stellar competition Honda’s CR-V and the Toyota RAV4, for instance and part of a portfolio that is now almost completely car-free, its important that Fords completely redesigned Escape be a home-run. Compact crossovers are all the rage right now the CR-V, RAV4, and Escape are all among the top-10 sellers in Canada right now so a competitive Escape is absolutely key to Fords continued good fortunes. Here are a few observations are driving a top-line Escape Titanium with the 2.0-litre turbo-four and all-wheel-drive.It’s gasolineThe attribute that really stands out is how powerful the Escapes top-line engine is. Yet another of Fords 2.0-litre EcoBoost four-cylinder engines, this one is good for 250 horsepower and 275 lb.-ft. of torque. Mated to an eight-speed automatic, it should be good from a sub six-second scoot from rest to 100 km/h. More importantly, its got grunt to spare when passing semis on the highway, and its good to tow some 1,587 kilograms. The only downside is that it needs revs. Unusually, especially for a turbocharged engine, is that both horsepower and torque peak at 5,500 rpm, pointing to an engine that might be a tad weedy at low rpm. Indeed, I thought the slight fluffiness I felt at low speeds was due to lethargic transmission, but its more probably the result of this EcoBoosts aggressive tuning. Once moving, however, the Ford Escape is the beast of the compact crossover segment.It’s also

[mobileautorepairpros]

Episodes: Episode 3952

Debut 8.28.2020

Description

Road Test: 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid

Goss' Garage: Let the Sun Shine In

FYI: Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance

Quick Spin: 2021 Subaru Crosstrek | Cadillac LYRIQ

Motor News: TBD

Road Test: 2020 Chevrolet Corvette

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[dipulb3]

2020 Lexus UX 250h review: Space is at a premium

New Post has been published on https://appradab.com/2020-lexus-ux-250h-review-space-is-at-a-premium/

2020 Lexus UX 250h review: Space is at a premium

The UX is quite an attractive little thing.

Antuan Goodwin/Roadshow

The 2020 Lexus UX 250h makes a very strong first impression. The sharply styled exterior design looks amazing — especially in my example’s cadmium orange paint — and the hybrid’s generous fuel economy claims are worth a double take. Yet it’s hard to fall in love with Lexus’ smallest model. 

Like

Stylish design, high-quality interior materials

Excellent suite of standard driver aids

Android Auto joins Apple CarPlay for 2020 model year

Don’t Like

Very little cargo space, even for a compact

Lexus Remote Touch controller isn’t great

While efficient, the powertrain is a bit breathless at speed, and there’s surprisingly little room for cargo, passengers or car seats in the UX’s cramped cabin. And even with the 2020 model year tech updates, the littlest Lexus’ cockpit tech can be a bit confusing to use.

Sharp design

Gorgeous and angular, the UX is probably the best execution of Lexus’ SUV design language and, in my opinion, one of the best-looking vehicles in its class. The sharply creased sheet metal plays better with the UX’s subcompact proportions than those of the larger RX and NX models. I particularly enjoy the chunky, RAV4-esque wheel arches and the three-dimensional design of the taillamps, which protrude a bit from the body like little aerodynamic diffusers.

Measuring 177 inches from nose to tail and standing just 60.6 inches tall, the UX isn’t that much larger than the CT 200h that it technically replaces as the entry point Lexus’ US lineup. The slightly elevated ride height and all-wheel drive are basically the only traits of its design that define the UX as a small SUV rather than hatchback. To be fair, that’s usual in this class. 

That said, even among its Lilliputian peers, the UX’s cabin feels particularly claustrophobic. There’s not much legroom to be found in the cramped second row and precious little volume for cargo. Between the sharply raked roof and the hybrid’s battery pack, which raises the rear hatch floor, the UX 250h only offers 17.1 cubic feet of cargo space, about 4.6 cubes less than the non-hybrid. That’s total cargo space with the seats folded flat. That puts the UX hybrid among the worst in its class, with less cargo capacity even than the liftback Hyundai Ioniq. 

The UX has a lot less cargo capacity than you might think, less even than some similarly sized hybrid sedans.

Antuan Goodwin/Roadshow

What’s more, the high load floor and small hatch opening make it difficult to load bulky items. Squeezing a not-too-big 8.25-cubic-foot box in the back even proves to be a challenge. 

Fortunately, the front row is fairly comfortable with a reasonable amount of head- and legroom, as well as supportive seats. The UX’s dashboard features high-quality materials that are as pleasing to the eye as they are to the hand. Despite a few puzzling design choices for the tech, I really like the Lexus’ cabin aesthetically and ergonomically. 

Lexus Enform with Remote Touch

The dashboard is home to the only real changes for the 2020 model year. The UX now features Android Auto smartphone connectivity via USB. Of course, Apple CarPlay and Amazon Alexa compatibility also carry over from last year. Like the larger Lexus RX, Android Auto makes full use of the UX’s optional 10.25-inch ultrawide screen, filling the display with a split-screen interface that showcases navigation and audio data at the same time.

Beyond the third-party tech, Lexus’ Enform infotainment system with Remote Touch controller is… not great. The console-mounted touchpad is easy enough to understand, but can be imprecise and awkward for fine selections or when driving. That may be one reason why Lexus blocks all but the most basic infotainment interactions when the car is in motion, but it also means you can’t have a passenger input a destination for you.

The addition of Android Auto is a small change that makes a huge improvement to the UX’s tech.

Antuan Goodwin/Roadshow

The UX also boasts what has to be the most awkwardly placed volume dial that I’ve ever seen. You’ll find it — after some searching — slotted into the side of a palm rest aft of the Remote Touch pad along with shortcut buttons for audio source selection and radio tuning. The tiny knob requires multiple swipes for quick volume adjustments and can be hard for passengers to reach without contorting.

It’s a little ironic that a vehicle called UX has such poor user experience (UX) design.

Lexus Safety Suite 2.0

Thankfully, the UX’s advanced driver-assistance tech makes a more solid showing with standard Lexus Safety Suite 2.0 for all models. That means standard forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, adaptive cruise control with traffic jam assist, lane-departure warning and very decent lane-tracing assist — checking all of the boxes out of the box. The UX also features standard automatic high beams and road-sign detection, which showcases posted speed limits in the navigation and instrument cluster displays.

2020 Lexus UX 250h: Efficient style in a very small package

See all photos

My example also features the optional park assist with automatic rear cross-traffic braking ($595), the upgraded triple-beam LED headlamps ($1,660) and a full-color head-up display ($500). Other creature comforts adding to the bottom line: a heated steering wheel, all-weather floormats and a few more odds and ends.

Hybrid Synergy Drive performance

The Lexus UX 250h features a version of Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive with standard all-wheel drive. Matching a 2.0-liter gasoline four-cylinder engine with an electric motor sends a total of 181 horsepower (and an unspecified amount of torque) to the crossover’s front wheels. Meanwhile, a dedicated 7-hp electric motor-generator on the rear axle splits 40 pound-feet of torque between the rear wheels on demand at speeds up to 45 mph. This is basically the same low-drag AWD-e setup you’ll find in the updated Prius.

The UX features Normal, Sport and Eco drive modes, accessible via stubby stalks above the instrument cluster, and a limited EV drive mode button on the center console. Though the hybrid can technically slip into EV operation at up to 71 mph, such speeds are only really attainable when coasting downhill. In practice, the EV mode is for creeping in and out of driveways or around parking lots.

A pair of drive mode selection stalks protruding from the instrument cluster hood is an odd detail, but a nice homage to the exotic Lexus LFA.

Antuan Goodwin/Roadshow

Around town, the UX 250h feels pretty good with decent thrust off the line and a responsive accelerator backed up by electrified torque. The UX’s suspension and steering are taut, which makes the tall hatchback feel fairly nimble around urban obstacles. You’ll need that nimbleness to dodge potholes; the UX’s slightly too-firm suspension can be punishing over rough patches of road.

At higher speeds, unfortunately, the UX’s hybrid powertrain seems to run out of juice. Highway passes and merges lack the oomph that you feel around town, while spirited driving — where you’d want to capitalize on the responsive steering and suspension — are met with wheezy, laggy acceleration. The optional F Sport trim may prove to be more fun with its sport-tuned suspension and paddle shifters but, without any extra power, I doubt it. This isn’t a sports car; it’s an eco car with sporty leanings.

The UX hybrid is pretty good at being an eco car, returning an EPA estimated 39 miles per gallon combined, 38 highway mpg and up to 41 mpg in the city. That’s not bad for an all-wheel drive hybrid SUV, essentially matching the Ford Escape AWD Hybrid and Toyota’s own RAV4 Hybrid AWD. Expand your net to include front-driven models, though, and the Kia Niro’s 49 combined and 51 city mpg blow pretty much everything else in this class away before the plug-ins join the fray.

The UX’s hybrid all-wheel drive system is similar to (but more powerful than) the Toyota Prius AWD-e.

Antuan Goodwin/Roadshow

Pricing and competition

The 2020 Lexus UX 250h is available in base ($34,500), F Sport ($36,500) and Luxury ($39,700) trim levels. The base model nets you most of the creature comforts and the Lexus Safety Suite 2.0 technologies; with a few extra options, there isn’t really a need to go beyond that. F Sport models feature some suspension and chassis tweaks, more aggressive styling and paddle shifters. Finally, the top Luxury trim rolls in creature comforts like memory seats, steering wheel and mirrors, a power moonroof and improved audio. As tested, my Luxury model with premium paint, triple-beam LED headlamps, HUD, parking assist and other features rolls out at $44,700 including a $1,025 destination fee.

The UX is an odd little bird. Its precarious balance of style, luxurious appointment and efficiency comes at the expense of any real utility. Toyota’s own RAV4 Hybrid is more powerful, more spacious and equally efficient for much less money. Honda’s CR-V Hybrid, despite its quirks, is a more engaging drive. The frumpy-looking Kia Niro is far and away the most efficient SUV I can think of without a plug. And yet, those aren’t “luxury SUVs” like the UX; none offers the top-end creature comforts or quality of materials that Lexus does. 

Some people with a little extra cash seeking a stylish urban runabout that stands apart from the crowd may find the UX 250h to be exactly what they’re looking for. For most, I think, the tech annoyances, the cargo space compromises and the luxury tax may not be costs they’re willing to pay. 

[drivesuvs1]

Some of the Best SUVs

Not sure if you should buy an SUV? Here are five of the most common reasons people give for buying a sports utility vehicle. Whether are not they are good reasons is for you to decide.

Listed below are some of the Best SUVs of 2020. 

Compact: Volkswagen Tiguan There's such a great amount of similarity in the midst of the huge number of conservative hybrids that it's reviving to discover something—anything—generously extraordinary among them. Yet, the 2020 Tiguan prevails with regards to separating itself in an exceptionally helpful manner: an accessible third column. Between the Tiguan's seven-traveler ability and adaptable inside (the second-column seats slide front and toward the back, and they crease in three segments instead of the run of the mill two), VW's littlest SUV utilizes its bigger outside impression than the fragment standard by conveying outsized common sense. Compact: Honda CR-V It's not hard to perceive any reason why the 2020 CR-V is one of the brand's top-selling items: It's refined, commonsense, and all around planned. Beside offering one of the biggest payload straights in its section, the CR-V additionally offers two eco-friendly powertrains—including a half and half—to assist it with clashing with its primary opponent, the Toyota RAV4. All CR-Vs come well-furnished with common luxuries and innovation includes that SUV purchasers need, in addition to it has earned superb accident test evaluations, which will speak to families. Our grumblings are not many—and for the most part based on the CR-V's unremarkable increasing speed execution—yet it's far-fetched that normal purchasers will locate similar shortcomings. Compact: Toyota RAV4 Perpetually a smash hit SUV, the 2020 RAV4 offers a trim for each spending plan. The value driving LE trim is truly fundamental, yet the top of the line Limited can challenge the Lexus NX with its numerous extravagance highlights. The new TRD Off-Road model guarantees improved ability when hitting the path, and its tough styling makes it take a gander at home nearby the Toyota 4Runner SUV and the Toyota Tacoma pickup truck. The ute's driving elements incline toward the ordinary side of the range, however most buyers will locate the 2020 RAV4's ride agreeable and its dealing with pleasant. On the off chance that it's mileage you're after, think about the RAV4 Hybrid, which we audit independently. Minimal Luxury: Porsche Macan The 2020 Macan sits on the little side of the minimal extravagance SUV portion, however it is a conclusive contrast to the reasoning that every utility vehicle are exhausting to drive. Amazing execution and unflappable balance, without trading off its everyday decency, have earned the Porsche a few correlation test triumphs in our testing throughout the years, just as a spot on our 2020 10Best rundown. While a portion of its rivals are increasingly reasonable and pragmatic, the 2020 Macan stands apart as an appropriate driver's machine the manner by which Porsche exceeds expectations. Smaller Luxury: Porsche Macan Turbo Porsche has effectively sifted drawing in driving qualities into a smaller hybrid, and the 2020 Macan Turbo speaks to the model's presentation zenith. Flaunting an alluring plan, it figures out how to look energetic and refined. Its inside has a brilliant seating position and various personalization choices, however its confined back quarters aren't incredible on long excursions. In like manner, the Turbo is pricier than lesser Macans that convey less excites in the driver's seat. All things considered, the speedier twin-turbocharged model is an encounter that well-to-do fans will appreciate. The Porsche Macan Turbo is effectively one of the most instinctive hybrids available and it earned a spot on our 2020 10Best rundown.

[perksofwifi]

2021 Chevy Trailblazer’s Trailblazing Engines Don’t Deliver Trailblazing Fuel Economy

The 2021 Chevrolet Trailblazer hits the not-compact, not-subcompact crossover scene this year with a stylish design and an impressively low starting price of $19,995. But its most buzzworthy aspect is the all-three-cylinder engine lineup. We haven’t tested the segment-splitting small SUV yet, so we don’t know how those modern, tiny engines will perform on the road. But we did expect the three-cylinder engines to deliver better fuel economy than the figures just released by the EPA.

Why? We figured the Trailblazer’s smaller-than-usual three-cylinder engines—four-cylinders are still typical in most new small cars, with a few exceptions such as Mini’s Hardtop—might net a fuel-economy benefit relative to its rivals. That isn’t the case. The Trailblazer’s entry-level 1.2-liter turbocharged three-cylinder engine makes 137 horsepower and 162 lb-ft of torque, comes paired with a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT), and is only available with front-wheel drive. It is EPA-estimated to deliver 28 mpg in the city, 31 mpg highway, and 29 mpg combined—okay numbers that are matched or exceeded by some one-size-up, four-cylinder compact SUVs such as the more powerful Honda CR-V and even Chevy’s own Equinox.

If you want more power and better efficiency, pick the optional 1.3-liter turbocharged three-cylinder engine. It delivers 155 horsepower and 174 lb-ft of torque, and also comes paired with a CVT and front-drive. In that configuration, the Trailblazer is EPA-estimated to return 29 mpg city, 33 mpg highway, and 31 mpg combined. The bigger engine also unlocks the Trailblazer’s all-wheel drive option, which swaps the CVT for a nine-speed automatic transmission. Unfortunately, AWD knocks the Trailblazer’s fuel economy down two pegs, to less than the entry-level, front-drive 1.2-liter model, or 26 mpg city, 30 mpg highway, and 28 mpg combined.

Amongst its direct competitors, the Trailblazer’s best fuel economy ratings are similar to those of the 2021 Kia Seltos (29 city/34 highway/31 combined mpg) and slightly better than other ‘tweeners sized between the subcompact and compact classes. Those include the  And the sleek and stylish 2020 Mazda CX-30, which tops out at 25 city/33 highway/28 combined mpg, as well as the 2020 Nissan Rogue Sport (25/32/28 mpg) and the 2020 Subaru Crosstrek (27/33/30 mpg, in non-hybrid guise).

Chevrolet’s small crossovers seem to offer increasingly better fuel economy the larger they get (or at least they don’t get worse), which seems backwards. The Trailblazer’s fuel economy only barely exceeds that of the one-size-smaller Trax, which is fully subcompact and comes with a turbocharged 1.4-liter four-cylinder engine and theoretically should be the smallest and lightest of the bunch, and therefore the most efficient. Meanwhile, the one-size-larger Equinox (a compact) offers more or less the same fuel economy as the Trailblazer, despite being bigger and more powerful. In short, we expected better from the Trailblazer’s unconventional three-cylinder engine lineup—although for its class, it delivers entirely conventional fuel economy.

The post 2021 Chevy Trailblazer’s Trailblazing Engines Don’t Deliver Trailblazing Fuel Economy appeared first on MotorTrend.

https://www.motortrend.com/news/2021-chevrolet-trailblazer-fuel-economy-epa-ratings/ visto antes em https://www.motortrend.com

[boldlyelectric]

Road Test: 2020 Honda CR-V AWD Touring https://cleanfleetreport.com/road-test-2020-honda-cr-v-awd-touring/

[actutrends]

Comma.ai launches Comma Two, a $999 kit that imbues cars with assisted driving features

Two years ago, analysts predicted that upwards of 10 million self-driving cars would hit the road by 2020. They weren’t the only ones — in 2015 and 2016, respectively, The Guardian and Business Insider proclaimed that people would become “permanent backseat driver[s],” riding in fully autonomous cars from 2020 “without needing any interaction from [drivers].”

Fast forward to today. Despite assurances that as many as 8 million driverless cars will be added to the road in 2025, even operations like that of Alphabet’s Waymo have yet to expand beyond selected metros. The reasons are regulatory as well as technological in nature, but expense plays a role. Conservative estimates peg the cost of outfitting cars at between $100,000 to 250,000 per car.

So why not go the do-it-yourself route? That’s the question George Hotz posed five years ago — he’s the American hacker best known for developing exploits that targeted Apple’s iOS operating system and reverse-engineering Sony’s PlayStation 3. In September 2015, Hotz founded Comma.ai with the goal of developing a semi-automated system — OpenPilot — that would improve cars’ visual perception and electromechanical motor control. Unlike most full-stack solutions in testing, it’s intended to replace OEM advanced driver-assistance systems, effectively imbuing cars with self-driving capabilities.

For the first time in its history, Comma.ai has an official presence at the Consumer Electronics Show. The company this week invited members of the press (including VentureBeat) to test-drive the latest version of its system — and to show off the Comma Two.

OpenPilot

OpenPilot’s development had a bit of a rocky start. The first version’s reveal in a Bloomberg article and video prompted a cease-and-desist letter from the California Department of Motor Vehicles, which accused Comma.ai of testing a self-driving car in the state without a license. Subsequently, OpenPilot was packaged into a shippable device dubbed the Comma One, which again ran afoul of the authorities because of noncompliance with U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. Under pressure from the National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration, Comma One was canceled, and Comma.ai open-sourced OpenPilot on GitHub.

Much has changed. In the roughly three years since Comma.ai made OpenPilot available to the public, over 1,500 users have racked up more than 14 million autonomous miles collectively, half of which were driven autonomously. (That’s up from 10 million miles as of May 2019.) Moreover, they’ve forked the GitHub repository over 2,300 times, adding features like automatic lane change and support for older Tesla, Chrysler, and Jeep models.

Comma Two

Comma.ai previously sold the Eon Devkit, a self-contained and windshield-mounted modified OnePlus phone. It started at $599, and once OpenPilot was installed to it, it automatically recognized car models by analyzing CAN network traffic. (The presence of certain CAN messages and their lengths is an indication of the model year, car brand, car model, and trim.) Companion devices dubbed the Panda and Giraffe plugged into cars’ OBD-II ports to track RPMs, MPG, cornering G-force, battery life, and more, and to provide access to the communication buses and enable the Eon to interface with the car.

The Comma Two replaces the Eon, but it retains all of the Eon’s features and then some. That said, it ditches the Panda for a single-cord solution, and it’s slightly pricier at $1,000 (though it’s available on a payment plan through Affirm).

The first batch of 300 units are available for purchase today. They’ll begin shipping later in the month, Hotz says.

The Comma Two is powered via OBD-C as opposed to by battery, which Hotz says was a top complaint among current Eon owners, and it has a larger mount as well as a custom fan-based hardware cooling solution. Like the Eon, which used a camera to recognize drivers’ faces and decelerate if it detected those drivers were distracted, the Comma Two performs facial recognition. In point of fact, it’s in improved in that it leverages two infrared sensors as opposed to an RGB sensor, enabling it to work during nighttime.

Other highlights include front and back cameras, as well as a fourth CAN bus to connect the OBD-II port and a low-power mode that automatically shuts off the Comma Two after three days to save car battery.

The Eon was equipped with cellular service and a SIM card supplied by Comma.ai. Data was unlimited (though capped to 512Kbps), and users could spring for Comma Prime if they so chose, a $24 per month service that enables remote access (via T-Mobile) from anywhere and online storage of 14 days’ worth of drive data (compared with the standard three days). The Comma Two also taps cellular for connectivity and plays nicely with new and existing Comma Prime subscriptions, and it comes with a year’s worth of storage.

By default, OpenPilot uploads driving data in real time from the road-facing camera, CAN, GPS, inertial measurement unit, magnetometer, thermal sensors, and operating system to Comma.ai’s servers for machine learning training and development purposes. Much of this data can be accessed locally through the Comma Connect app for iOS and Android or through Explorer, an online dashboard of recent drives from which disengagements (i.e., instances when a driver took control from OpenPilot) can be annotated to help improve the system.

From within the app, Comma Two owners can remotely wake up the Comma Two and snap a picture from either the front- or rear-facing cameras. Additionally, they’re able to switch among multiple units on the fly and to view their real-time geographic locations.

Compatibility

OpenPilot isn’t compatible with every car under the sun. It only works with these models and model years:

Acura ILX (2016-2018) and RDX (2016-2018)

Buick Regal (2018)

Chevrolet Malibu (2017)

Volt (2017-2018)

Cadillac ATS (2018) and Pacifica (2017-2018)

GMC Acadia Denali (2018)

Holden Astra (2018)

Honda Accord (2016-2019), Civic (2017-2019), Civic Hatchback (2017-2019), CR-V (2015-2019), CR-V Hybrid (2017-2019), Fit (2018), Odyssey (2018-2019), Passport (2019), Pilot (2016-2019), and Ridgeline (2017-2019)

Hyundai Elantra (2017-2019), Genesis (2018), and Santa Fe (2019)

Jeep Grand Cherokee (2016-2019)

Kia Optima (2019), Sorento (2018), and Stinger (2018)

Lexus RX Hybrid (2016-2019) and ES Hybrid (2019)

Subaru Crosstek (2018) and Impreza (2019)

Toyota Avalon (2016-2018), Camry (2018-2019), C-HR (2017-2019), Corolla (2017-2020), Corolla Hatchback (2019), Highlander (2017-2018), Highlander Hybrid (2018), Prius (2017-2019), Prius Prime (2017-2020), Rav4 (2016-2019), Rav4 Hybrid (2017-2018), and Sienna (2018)

Equally critically, OpenPilot isn’t capable of fully autonomous driving on all road types in all conditions. It can currently handle lane centering on roads without clear marking thanks to machine learning algorithms trained with user data, and it can maintain a safe follow distance and drive in stop-and-go traffic without supervision.

But it’s complicated. On all supported cars, OpenPilot’s automated lane centering and lane keep assist replace the stock systems. Only on specific supported cars does the system’s adaptive cruise control and forward collision warning slot in for default, however, and on no model does OpenPilot take over things like auto high-beam, blind spot warning, and side collision warning.

Driving experience

So how’s the driving experience with the Comma Two? “Smooth sailing” sums it up. OpenPilot indeed maintains its lane position even when the markings aren’t obvious — or aren’t visible. In a construction site with cones on either side and on an unpaved road without dividing lines, we watched OpenPilot deftly keep centered and maintain a comfortable following distance from the car in front of it.

It doesn’t much matter whether the road ahead is straight or severely curved. OpenPilot used to scrape OpenStreetMap for road curvature and traffic data, but it doesn’t any longer — now, it’s smart enough to calculate the trajectory in real time and to ensure it doesn’t speed along that trajectory too violently.

In this respect, OpenPilot is akin to Nissan’s ProPilot Assist, Volvo’s Pilot Assist, and GM’s Super Cruise, the last of which is one of the few systems that offers hands-free driving thanks to an eye-monitoring infrared camera. But in contrast to Super Cruise, which only engages on about 130,000 miles of U.S. and Canadian highway that GM has mapped, OpenPilot theoretically works anywhere there’s a discernible road.

OpenPilot can change lanes automatically, but it requires signaling from drivers before it does so — they have to first switch on a turn signal and nudge the steering wheel in the direction they’d like to go. It smoothly merging while keeping pace with the traffic ahead in our brief experience. But Hotz noted that OpenPilot won’t prevent lane changes when cars are to the immediate left or right, in the Comma Two’s blind spot.

Of course, Comma Two and OpenPilot can’t anticipate every situation. An SUV rear-ended a hatchback during our driving demo, forcing Hotz — who was behind the wheel — to tap the brake and disengage the system. And OpenPilot doesn’t handle things like red lights or stop signs — at least not yet.

Safety

Whether OpenPilot can be considered truly safe is a semantics question, in part. The driverless car industry lacks an agreed-upon metric for safety — Noah Zych, head of system safety at Uber’s Advanced Technologies Group, told Wired in an interview that miles traveled isn’t a particularly insightful measure without context like location. Derek Kan, U.S. secretary for policy at the U.S. Department of Transportation, echoed that sentiment in remarks at a conference two years ago.

Companies like Intel’s Mobileye and Nvidia have proposed mathematical models that aim to codify good habits like giving other cars the right of way. Essentially, they’re decision-making policies in a motion-planning stack that monitor unsafe actions by analyzing real-time sensor data.

Comma.ai has a safety model of its own, which Hotz said involves several forms of regression testing. Commits aren’t merged to the OpenPilot codebase before they’ve met the test suite’s muster.

This aside, Comma.ai problematically hasn’t committed to regularly publishing any sort of statistics beyond miles driven, like disengagements or accidents. California’s Department of Motor Vehicles mandates that all companies testing autonomous cars report disengagements, but because Comma.ai doesn’t have a permit to test cars, it’s exempt from this requirement.

Hotz for his part asserts that the infrared sensors in Comma Two will improve safety substantially, as will the onboarding video customers are required to watch before they launch OpenPilot for the first time. On the subject of the former, a warning appears on the Comma Two’s screen if a driver diverts their eyes from the road for four seconds, and after six seconds, OpenPilot disengages and begins to slow down. (Unclicking the driver-side seat belt or opening the car door also disengages the system.)

For what it’s worth, we encountered only one disengagement — Hotz’s stop to avoid the accident — over roughly 7 miles and 25 minutes of driving  “We pushed on nuance [with this latest version of OpenPilot],” said Hotz. “Intersections have no lane lines — it’s unclear where you should go. [OpenPilot] follows the path that the human would follow.”

Backend improvements

On the backend side of the OpenPilot equation, new is a simulation environment called the Small Offset Simulator that loads in real-world routes and simulates deviations of them. “You can’t just take a lot of data and train a model to mimic the data, because that model doesn’t realize that if it takes action, the world will change,” said Hotz. “The only way to really do that is to build a simulator.”

Using a technique called projected geometry and generative adversarial networks (GANs), or two-part AI models comprising generators that synthesize data samples and discriminators that attempt to distinguish between the synthesized samples and real data, the simulator redraws scenes meters to the left or right or with curvature and other perturbations. Hotz said that the models within the Small Offset Simulator are now training on 200,000 minutes of driving data collected by Eon users.

It’s similar — but not quite the same — as the simulation environments deployed internally by Uber, Waymo, and others. GM’s Cruise, for instance, leverages a replay approach that involves extracting real-world sensor data, playing it back against the car’s software, and comparing the performance with human-labeled ground truth data. Cruise also engages in planning simulation, which lets the company’s data scientists create up to hundreds of thousands of variations of a scenario by tweaking variables like the speed of oncoming cars and the space between them.

Future developments

Going forward, Comma.ai plans to release new hardware on roughly a yearly cadence — Hotz believes its business model of selling devices at profit and eating the cost of software development is sustainable. (Comma.ai has raised $8.1 million in venture capital to date across two funding rounds, the most recent of which closed in April 2018.) As for OpenPilot, achieving a better end-to-end driving experience remains an acute area of focus for the engineering team.

“What we want to do is move away from [lead car following] and move to an end-to-end longitudinal [model],” he said. “One of the problems we as a company have trying to convey is, when it works well, you don’t even notice it. Our company mission is to solve self-driving cars while shipping intermediaries.”

But Comma.ai isn’t discouraging rivals from cloning its hardware and piggybacking off of OpenPilot. In fact, Hotz encourages it, just as he encourages those with proprietary solutions to compete with Comma.ai.

One such challenger — former Yahoo CTO John Hayes’ Ghost Locomotion — emerged from stealth last November promising an aftermarket self-driving kit to retrofit existing cars. Another — Cambridge, U.K.-based Wayve — claims its driverless cars self-improve by learning from safety driver interventions. Mobileye doesn’t sell a consumer product, but like Comma.ai, its driverless tech leans on cameras for autonomous decision-making. And then there’s Tesla, which recently release a preview of an active guidance system (Navigate on Autopilot) that navigates a car from a highway on-ramp to off-ramp, including interchanges and making lane changes.

Hotz is unconcerned. “Mobileye is the Windows [of autonomous driving] that’s going to do Microsoft-style business development deals with big companies, Tesla’s the Mac that’s going to ship sexy hardware to consumers, and we’re the Linux,” he said. “Everybody should use us for whatever they want.”

The post Comma.ai launches Comma Two, a $999 kit that imbues cars with assisted driving features appeared first on Actu Trends.

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Road Tests: 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid

Vital Statistics

Engine: 2.0 liter

Horsepower: 212

0-60 mph: 7.9 seconds

1/4 mile: 16.3 seconds @ 85 mph

EPA: 40 mpg city / 35 mpg highway

Energy Impact: 8.7 barrels of oil/yr

CO2 Emissions: 3.9 tons/yr

While competition is stout in every crossover segment; but it’s still the compacts that are seeing the most action, with the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV-4 duking it out for the top 2 spots. Now Honda has been looking up at Toyota for a while now and you know they’d love to change that. So enter an updated CR-V with more style, more features, and more MPGs. But, will it be more popular? 

One tried and true way to be more popular is to offer more choices. Still, you have to file this one under the “why didn’t this happen already?” banner. You see, the 2020 Honda CR-V is now available here as a hybrid. While it’s Honda’s first hybrid SUV, it’s been sold in Europe and Asia for a couple of years already.  

The powertrain is lifted from the Accord Hybrid, starting with a 2.0-liter I4, rated at 143-horsepower on its own; now add in a pair of electric motors, for a total of 212-horsepower.  

As in the Accord Hybrid, there’s no conventional transmission, just a clutch system between the electric motor on the back of the engine, and the motor on the differential. That differential motor is actually driving the wheels on most occasions, with the engine providing generator-like power to it. Though the clutch can engage the engine at any time. 

Government Fuel Economy Ratings are 40-City, 35-Highway, and 38-Combined. We averaged 35.3 miles-per-gallon, which is a bit short of the 38.6 we averaged in our long-term Toyota RAV4 Hybrid that we just finished a year with.  

But the CR-V Hybrid still has a much better than average Energy Impact Score, 8.7-barrels of oil consumed, and 3.9-tons of CO2 emitted annually. 

The Hybrid also comes with standard all-wheel-drive; and this is the first time Honda’s 2-motor hybrid system has had to deal with anything other than just the front wheels. But, it’s largely the same arrangement as the regular CR-V. So, unlike some competitors that use a rear electric motor, the CR-V uses a traditional mechanical drive shaft to the rears, with an electronically controlled differential that engages whenever slip is detected.

Some things inside are unique, as a button shifter array similar to the Honda Pilot Elite’s replaces the traditional shifter. 

There are also unique digital readouts with all the usual hybrid power-flow info.

Things are as roomy and family-friendly as ever; with the possible exception of the infotainment system which has never been one of our favorites. All CR-Vs will share this revised center console with more flexible storage. 

It does have an EV mode, but with the small 1.4-kWh battery, it’s only enough to get you about a mile; and it takes very light application of the throttle to keep the gas engine from kicking in.

It does feel very torquey off the line, and throttle response is definitely heightened over the standard CR-V. But, it runs out of steam pretty quickly. It took 7.9–seconds to hit 60 miles-per-hour, which is actually 4-tenths slower than the 1.5 turbo. 

The ¼-mile time was just 3-tenths slower, at 16.3-seconds and 85 miles-per-hour. 

We give this gen CR-V high marks for handling. And, despite a Hybrid weight gain of about 200-lbs., everything remains largely the same. The suspension has been stiffened, not for performance sake, but to deal with that additional weight. Through the cones, it felt quite agile and well-planted. 

Everything is wrapped in newly updated clothing; and not just specific to the Hybrid, as all 20’s get a mid-cycle freshening of the front and rear fascias, plus new wheels. Hybrids gain unique fog lights integrated into a distinctive front bumper; along with special blue accents.

Available in all trim levels, Hybrid pricing starts at $28,870 for a base LX, and of course that’s with all-wheel-drive; $1,200 over an LX trimmed AWD turbo. 

The 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid enters an already crowded small hybrid SUV segment, many with very similar specs. But, the CR-V Hybrid has well documented quality, plus a family-friendly nature with lots of room to roam in the cabin. No wonder the CR-V is the #1 selling compact crossover of all time. And much like the Toyota RAV4, it’s not just a more efficient CR-V, but a better one, and that means more sales. Honda has made a renewed commitment to broaden the battery options in their lineup, and this CR-V Hybrid is certainly a great way to kick that off.

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