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casspurrjoybell · 5 years ago

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2018 Kia Soul Review

Used car dealership Omaha

Intro

" But he's got a great personality!" When it comes to arranged dates, this is the default description for somebody who may be doing not have in the looks department.

The Kia Soul, a compact multi-purpose lorry type thing that's not quite a subcompact crossover because of its absence of four-wheel drive, and not rather a hatchback since of its towering height, is not only a car with character brimming from every crevice, however likewise has looks covering the range from cute to dreadful, depending upon whom you ask. And simply in 2015, Kia gave the Soul a lot more wit by slapping a turbocharger on the engine to make it much more personable.

What Owners Say

2018 Kia Soul front quarter left photoThat last change, offered solely in the leading trim level, fixed a significant complaint with this spunky little automobile. For that reason, for this evaluation, J.D. Power examined a 2018 Kia Soul Exclaim geared up with optional floor mats. The price came to $23,820, consisting of the $895 location charge.

Before we talk about the results of our examination of the Kia Soul, it is useful to understand who purchases this automobile, and what they like most and least about their Souls.

More ladies than males own Kia Souls, with 52% of Soul owners recognizing as female. Compared to the Compact Multi-Purpose Vehicle section, 46% of owners are ladies.

Soul owners are about the exact same age as compact MPV owners (60 years vs. 61 years for the segment), however they enjoy considerably lower median annual home income at $59,286 (vs. $78,682). This drastic difference might be discussed by the automobiles in the competitive set, which include the Ford C-Max and Toyota Prius v, devoted hybrids that might attract more upscale buyers.

Approximately the same variety of Soul owners and compact MPV owners identify as Price Buyers, appearing to verify that lower mean annual household earnings among Kia buyers is not, within the section, dictating their choice in an automobile. Compact MPV owners are more worried about fuel economy and environmentally friendly cars than Soul owners are, reflecting the existence of dedicated hybrid designs in the competitive set.

In other respects, Soul owners and compact MPV owners are aligned with 2 exceptions. Soul owners are most likely to agree that they like a vehicle that stands apart from the crowd (72% vs. 60%) and that they like a vehicle that uses responsive handling and powerful acceleration (82% vs. 76%).

Owners report that their favorite features of the Soul are (in descending order) the exterior styling, interior decoration, driving dynamics, seats, and storage and space. Owners suggest that their least preferred features of the Soul are (in descending order) exposure and safety, the infotainment system, the climate system, the engine/transmission, and fuel economy.

What Our Expert Says

In the areas that follow, our specialist supplies her own perceptions about how the Kia Soul determines up in each of the 10 classifications that comprise the 2017 APEAL Study.

Outside

The Soul is a lorry of cartoonish proportions, all created to set it apart from its rivals. It's boxy from the beltline up and a little lumpy down, with the wheel arches and the front headlamps adding blobby aspects to an otherwise squared-off lorry. The front grille (which isn't one, actually) looks too little and the lower air intake looks too huge.

Kia jazzes up the Soul Exclaim's currently extroverted exterior with red accent lines to denote the engine's additional boost and bigger 18-inch wheels to provide it a more assertive position. The Soul is one of those automobiles that you either like or dislike, but even haters might grow keen on it after driving it for a while.

Interior

Consider the base Soul. It has a tiny beginning rate of $16,995 (with $895 location), however it features a much better interior than you 'd think a vehicle of that rate may include. The quality level easily makes sense in my more expensive test car, or even a vehicle priced closer to $30,000.

When compared to compact crossovers like the Chevrolet Trax or the Toyota C-HR, which have lots of inexpensive products, the Soul's interior quality stands apart even more. The cabin is made up of appealing soft-touch materials and durable, nicely finished plastics, and collectively they provide the vehicle a surprising quantity of refinement.

The Exclaim's unique cloth seats with leather boosts and red contrast stitching are also mighty trendy.

Seats

For motorists, the Kia Soul is rather comfy, and I always value it when small, low-cost vehicles include a center console armrest, like many versions of the Soul do. Seriously, who does not require an armrest? Nobody keeps his/her hands on the wheel at all times.

For guests, comfort is fine other than that the front right chair is mounted too low and is not geared up with a seat height adjustment unless you choose the package that consists of power change. Without this upgrade, the guest is dealt with to the equivalent of a dunce chair for a small time out. This, combined with an absence of thigh assistance, means pain.

Rear-seat travelers fare better, since the seat is mounted higher. Foot room is plentiful, however tough plastic front seatback panels might show uncomfortable for taller individuals. Shoulder area is great for 2, however three will find it tight.

Climate Control System

The climate control system is fairly basic, however in the Exclaim trim it is a single-zone automated system. A single knob changes temperature, and due to the fact that the vehicle does not have a temperature display you merely make it hotter or cooler than you are when you dial in change.

Remarkably, however, the Soul has a Clean Air ionizer, which supposedly cleans up the cabin's air and keeps the interior smelling great. If it's working with my grade-school-age daughters in the automobile, it's simply hard to inform.

Infotainment System

I was a little bummed to see that my test vehicle did not include the Technology Package, that includes speaker that pulse with light to the thumping beat of what's playing on the audio system. They're extremely entertaining, and along with all the other goodies that it features, like a navigation system and heating for the seats and steering wheel, the Technology Package is a bargain.

However, the Soul Exclaim's basic infotainment system includes Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone forecast, so it was simple to get directions to locations.

In addition to smartphone forecast, Kia offers Soul owners open door to UVO eServices telematics functions for the duration of ownership. This includes services such as automated collision notice; speed, curfew and geographical boundary alerts for teenaged drivers; an app that keeps an eye on where you last parked the Soul; and a lot more.

Storage and Space

The Soul's rectangular shape provides itself to bring a lot more than you would think for such a little automobile, and storage is among things that Soul owners like about their Kias. This is not unexpected, due to the fact that in the cabin, storage space is plentiful. There is a big glove box, thoughtful little bins and trays around the transmission shifter, and big door panel bins to make arranging your things easier.

Behind the rear seats, an 18.8 cu.-ft. trunk avails itself to you. That measurement consists of a covered, separated tray under the freight floor that organizes your things. Take that out and get rid of the freight floor, and this little automobile materials access to 24.2 cu.-ft. of area.

Without rear guests, you can fold the seats to produce 49.5 cu.-ft. These numbers extend beyond subcompact crossover SUV area and into the realm of bigger compacts, but just if you take the difficulty of getting rid of the useful tray.

Exposure and Safety

Motorists enjoy excellent forward exposure, but the view to the rear quarters is pretty abysmal due to the shape of the car and the width of the rearmost roof pillars. Thankfully, large side mirrors and a standard reversing cam do their finest to alleviate this problem.

While Kia makes a blind spot caution system with rear cross-traffic alert offered in both of the Soul's higher trim levels, the turbocharged Exclaim can't be geared up with functions like adaptive cruise control, forward crash warning, automated emergency situation braking, or lane departure warning. That's a disappointment.

The Soul does a great job of safeguarding occupants in a collision. The NHTSA awards the Soul a 5-star general rating for crashworthiness, while the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety offers it "Good" rankings all around.

Engine/Transmission

Soul owners point out the powertrain as one of their least preferred elements of the cars and truck. Hopefully, they'll give the turbocharged Soul Exclaim a try, as it alters the character of the car, and for the much better.

With 201 horses on tap from the 1.6-liter 4-cylinder engine, the Soul Exclaim is not exactly a rocket, but it's much livelier than it used to be. Enthusiast publications claim it will accelerate from zero to 60 miles per hour in about 7.6 seconds, which suffices to instill your commute with some additional zip. Power shipment is fairly linear, although there is some turbo lag straight off the line.

Charged with sending out the power to the front wheels, a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission shifts correctly however gracelessly. A little more smoothness and improvement would be great, as would a manual transmission that, undoubtedly, almost no one would choose. Likewise missing is any sort of all-wheel-drive system, which would secure the Soul's membership in the popular crossover SUV sector.

Fuel Economy

The EPA estimates that you must get 28 mpg in combined driving (26 city/31 highway mpg) with a Soul Exclaim. My testing produced a return of 25.5 mpg, which isn't remarkable. The turbocharged Soul, despite making much more power than the naturally aspirated versions of the automobile, is actually a little bit more fuel effective than the engines that go into the base Soul and the Soul Plus trim.

Driving Dynamics

To assist make the most of driving enjoyment, Kia somewhat changes the Exclaim's suspension tuning, sets up larger front brakes, and includes bigger tires and wheels.

While the Soul still preferred knocking about in the city, with its diminutive footprint, active handling, and ability to absorb the ruts and bumps of disregarded public roads, it nonetheless held its own on twisty back roadways threading through local mountain ranges. The steering had a fair amount of heft to it, specifically in Sport mode, however I wanted a bit more feel, feedback and accuracy to make the vehicle more enjoyable to drive. The brakes successfully withstood fade throughout aggressive driving, too, and managed everyday driving tasks without grabbing or bringing the vehicle to a jostling stop.

No, the Kia Soul Exclaim will not be completing in autocross rallies with the Volkswagen GTI or Mazda 3 anytime soon. Its happy-go-lucky character and newfound virility makes it a lot more pleasurable to drive than the tiny crossover lorries versus which it will most likely be cross-shopped.

Last Impressions

By now, everyone needs to recognize with Kia's generous warranty that covers the whole automobile for 5 years or 60,000 miles, while the powertrain is protected for 10 years or 100,000 miles, along with complimentary roadside support for 5 years with no mileage limitation. That interest the rational side of your brain, along with the quality awards that both this cars and truck and Kia have actually received from J.D. Power recently.

What's more, the Kia Soul has a personality. Yes, it's a little strange. And now, with its available turbocharged engine, it is more appealing than ever previously.

There are a lot of people who drive the same thing everyone else does. With a Kia Soul parked in your driveway, you can proudly be one of the others.

2018 Kia Soul front quarter left photoThat last modification, used entirely in the leading trim level, solved a major grievance with this spunky little cars and truck. For this review, J.D. Power evaluated a 2018 Kia Soul Exclaim equipped with optional flooring mats. For drivers, the Kia Soul is quite comfortable, and I constantly value it when little, low-cost vehicles include a center console armrest, like the majority of versions of the Soul do. The Soul's rectangle-shaped shape provides itself to carrying a lot more than you would think for such a little car, and storage is one of things that Soul owners like about their Kias. The turbocharged Soul, in spite of making much more power than the naturally aspirated versions of the car, is really a little bit more fuel effective than the engines that go into the base Soul and the Soul Plus trim.

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lifenetinsurance · 6 years ago

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Frugal Living Tips for the Whole Family

You are here: Home / House and Home / Frugal Living Tips for the Whole Family

Frugal Living Tips for the Whole Family

December 5, 2017 Leave a Comment

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Welcome friends! I am so glad to have you visiting today. This blog is filled with lots of ideas for a growing family. Sometimes I post affiliate links and, should you purchase any of the products I highlight by clicking through the links, you will be helping me to continue to create fantastic posts and helping to feed my Starbucks addiction. You can read my disclosure policy here.

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Being frugal isn’t just for moms who are looking to stretch the family budget a little further, or people who have a limited income and want to live as well as possible as they can with what they have – it’s for everyone. Kids, grandparents, teenagers – there isn’t anyone who couldn’t benefit from being a bit more frugal with their money. Doing so will make it less likely that they get into debt and increase their chances of living comfortably in the long-term.

With that in mind, here are some frugal living tips for the whole family:

Shop to List

One of the simplest aspects of frugal living, which can be applied to anyone who buys food is to shop to a list. Check your pantry and your fridge etc., before you head off to the store, note down only what you need to see you through the week and just buy that. You’ll eat perfectly well without wasting money.

Become a Scratch Cook

Teaching your children to cook is one of the most important life skills you can impart upon them because, no matter how young or old you are, cooking from scratch is a great way to save money and eat a healthier diet. If your kids can cook, then they’re less likely to put on the dreaded freshman 15 by eating convenience foods all the time.

Extend Health Insurance

Extending your health insurance so that it still covers your kids when they’re an adult is a great way to look after them and ensure that they can get the help they need should they get sick. It’s typically less expensive than them taking out their own policy, which means they might be able to contribute towards your policy when they can’t afford their own, and it will give the rest of the family greater peace of mind.

Get Life Insurance

If you’re thinking that paying out for another insurance policy is the opposite of being frugal, then you obviously haven’t been very frugal in the past. You see, having insurance policies, whether it’s the best senior life insurance policy out there, a policy for parents or even a policy for children, it ensures that other members of the family aren’t burdened financially should the unthinkable happen. When a person dies, there are a lot of expenses to deal with from the funerals, to paying the bills they might have been responsible for. So, if you’re a responsible family member, you will insure yourself and anyone else who warrants it.

Have a Piggy Bank

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If everyone in the family has their own piggy bank or even a communal one, and they learn to put their spare change in there every day instead of squandering it on expensive coffees or a little candy, then you could easily save hundreds of dollars each year and use that money to save for college, repair the roof, or even treat yourself to the occasion family vacation or some other longed-for treat.

Grow Your Own Food

If the cost of keeping your family in food is getting too much to handle, why not start supplementing with some of your own? Depending on where you’re based, there’ll be a whole host of fruits and veggies you can grow at a fraction of the cost of buying them, and gardening is a great family activity, which has also been shown to teach kids about nature and healthy eating, improve symptoms of depression and help seniors to keep physically and mentally fit. If you have the land, it really is one of the best things you can do to be frugal and take good care of your family.

Give the Gift of Time

As a frugal person, take the time to speak to the other members of your family and come to some sort of agreement on gifts whereby it is time, not material possessions that are given. As you will probably know, lots of family members, particularly grandparents, like to spoil younger family members with toys and gadgets. The thought is certainly a good one, but what this does is raise the kids’ expectations about the kind of things they should have and cause much more money to be spent than necessary. Anyway, grandparents, aunts, etc., would probably prefer more quality time doing a simple, frugal activity with the ones they love than simply exchanging extravagant gifts!

Give Crafty Gifts

Alternatively, you could bring in a rule that any gifts given have to be handmade. Hand Making things can be a lot cheaper than buying them from the store, and it encourages the whole family to get their creative juices flowing. Little kids will be particularly happy about this because it will mean that they can give a meaningful gift to gammy or big sister and they’ll feel totally included in the process.

Buy in Bulk

If you have an extended family who live close by and who you’re close to, you can make really huge savings by buying in bulk. Work out all of the foods and supplies that you all buy on a regular basis and then make a big bulk order, which should be significantly more than buying separately. Then, simply pay for your share and decant the goods into your own containers. You’ll be amazed exactly how big the savings can be!

If you don’t have family, getting together to do this with friends and neighbors is also a possibility, and actually, the more people who get involved, the bigger the savings will be at the end of the day.

Reuse Everything

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Whether it’s encouraging your teenager to repurpose her old clothing into some unique outfits that will impress her friends, having your toddler craft with old paper cups or upcycling your old furniture, so it’s as good as new, there are countless ways to reuse the things you already have, so that you don’t have to waste money on new stuff that, probably won’t be as good, and certainly not as much fun, anyway.

Install Smart Thermostats

Smart thermostats can save money by adjusting the settings according to conditions even when you forget to do it yourself. That’s why you should install on in your home, and the home of any seniors, or less tech-savvy members of your family. They’ll appreciate the gesture a whole lot, especially when they see how much smaller their fuel bills are.

Rent Board Games

If you’re looking for a fun, frugal activity that will also bring the whole family together, then you can’t go wrong with board game rentals. There are lots of places, including libraries, that will rent out all of the family favorites for a small fee (sometimes no fee at all) and it’s a great way to spend a few hours that isn’t as expensive as eating out or going to the cinema, and certainly nowhere near as expensive as cable!

Holiday Together

If you have a big family, and you all enjoy an annual vacation, you might find that if you do so together, in one big group, you’ll get a discount if you book a package vacation. Obviously, this will only work out if you all get on, but bear in mind that just because you travel together and stay in the same villa, it doesn’t mean that you need to be in each others’ pockets all the time, and actually, having more family there might mean you get more time to yourselves. Why? Because you can take it in turn to entertain the kids; grandma and grandpa can have them one day, you the next, uncle the day after and so on. It might actually be one of the best vacations you’ve ever had!

Utilize Online Education

Whether your teenage son wants to learn how to code, you want to learn how to make dresses, or your mother wants to take up art to keep her occupied during retirement, you can find all manner of free tutorials and classes online. You can also find some low-cost paid for classes if you want to get really into it, and it’s almost always cheaper than paying for classes in the ‘real’ world.

Create an Emergency Fund

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If you are the main breadwinner in the family, then you should be setting aside a little cash each month with a view to building up an emergency fund that covers at least 12 months’ salary. That way, should you end up out of work, not only will you not have to worry about paying the bills, but you won’t have to worry about asking other members of the family for health. In fact, even if you aren’t the main breadwinner, starting your own emergency fund is probably a good idea because it gives you a little more independence should your financial situation change for the worse.

If you and your family do even a fraction of these things, then you will notice that, not only do you have more money in the bank, but you have a lot more fun together, making memories that will last a lifetime. It just goes to show that being frugal can be fun!

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dipulb3 · 4 years ago

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2021 Porsche Taycan 4S is a formidable electric sports car

New Post has been published on https://appradab.com/2021-porsche-taycan-4s-is-a-formidable-electric-sports-car-2/

2021 Porsche Taycan 4S is a formidable electric sports car

Crisp air, crisper performance.

Chris Paukert/Roadshow

Porsche’s Taycan EV is ostensibly a Tesla Model S rival — arguably its most direct competitor. Indeed, the Taycan’s all-electric powertrain, prodigious power and four-door design all appear to fall neatly into that mold. But if you’re even passingly familiar with driving Elon Musk’s Dream Machine, it’s quite a surprise to drop all the way down into the bucket of the 2021 Porsche Taycan 4S. The German’s low-slung seating position and view out over the windshield feel infinitely more sports carlike than the more traditional, sedanlike perch found in the Tesla.

Visceral, sports-car-like feel

Effortless acceleration

Endless personalization

Don’t Like

Limited range

Pricy options

No Android Auto

No one-pedal drive mode

In fact, after a week behind the wheel of the Taycan, I’d go so far as to say that were today’s EV market more mature and varied in its number of offerings, many people wouldn’t be tempted to compare these two at all. The Porsche is a 911 that happens to be electric and have an extra set of doors, and the Tesla is arguably more of a sport sedan that happens to be electric (ironic, as the S is a hatchback and the Porsche is a sedan). That’s not a knock on either automakers’ approach to our electric future, as both are wonderfully accomplished machines, but despite these EVs both possessing ludicrous acceleration and handling, they feel totally distinct from each other and live different lives.

It’s evident right from the get-go that Porsche has gone its own way with the Taycan. The whole car sits closer to the ground and its nose and tail are sleeker. As a result, this is a car that requires some practical concessions in return for its more sporting reflexes. I’m not just referring to the 4S’ sports car numbers — the model’s 0-to-60-mph time is 3.8 seconds and its top speed is 155 mph, all of which is well within the bounds of what’s possible from Team Musk.

The 4S is the 482-horsepower (562 hp with launch control) midgrade Taycan, sitting between the recently released 321-hp rear-drive base model and the teleportation-esque 616-hp Turbo. Offering 479 pound-feet of torque, the all-wheel-drive 4S relies on a smaller inverter with the same motor as the Turbo up front, as well as a smaller motor out back. Priced from $105,150 (including a $1,350 destination fee), the Taycan 4S may seem like a relative bargain compared with the $150,000 Turbo, but it’s nevertheless eye-wateringly expensive. A drive in the 4S makes it easy to feel like this model is the Goldilocks of the Taycan family, but the truth is, it’s a stunner from top to bottom, offering amazing all-around driving experiences that are typically coupled with wiltingly high price points.

The Porsche’s difference is in its feel beyond its raw numbers. The 4S’ handling sets it apart, with an immediacy to its steering and braking, paired with a well-sorted air suspension that is everyday-livable, yet capable of making the most out of every corner. It doesn’t even take nine-tenths handling to figure out how special the 4S feels, which is a good thing, because as the photos accompanying this article suggest, the weather isn’t always exactly cooperative. The multimode suspension is compliant enough for everyday comfort, enabling remarkably flat cornering even without selecting stiffer settings. PCCB carbon-ceramic brakes are available, but seem like costly overkill unless you plan to visit racetracks regularly.

Despite not having a hooded binnacle, those digital gauges are visible in all lights.

Chris Paukert/Roadshow

The Taycan’s two-speed transmission continues to be something of a novelty in the EV world — nearly every other production electric goes with a single-speed direct-drive. The Taycan’s two-speed gearbox acts on the rear axle to provide both high-speed cruising efficiency and better low-end acceleration. While you probably won’t even notice the transmission’s operation in everyday driving, it is noticeable under hard acceleration. That’s not a complaint — it’s actually nice to get a subtle thwack in the back as the transmission shifts gears, as it gives the Taycan a reassuringly mechanical quality, even if it doesn’t presently make the 4S materially quicker than models from You Know Who.

Interestingly, you won’t find a full-blown one-pedal driving mode in this Taycan, although you can adjust the amount of lift-off energy recuperation. Porsche says this approach affords more consistent braking feel regardless of the battery’s state of charge, and indeed, the 4S offers the most natural modulation of any EV I’ve ever encountered. Having said all that, this driver would still prefer to have a one-pedal option.

The 4S’ sports carlike demeanor extends to its driving range, which is just 227 miles according to the EPA — and that’s when equipped with the optional dual-layer 93.4-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion pouch Performance Battery Plus, a $6,580 option. The 79.2-kWh standard-battery model taps out at 199 miles, and both range totals are significant improvements over the figures promised for the 2020 model. Both are a pittance compared with what’s available elsewhere, including the Model S Long Range Plus’ EPA-estimated 402 miles.

In profile, the Taycan’s 911-like design characteristics come through best.

Chris Paukert/Roadshow

As we at Roadshow and other outlets have told you in the past, not all range estimates work out the same in the real world, and we’ve found it’s significantly easier to get (or beat) the stated range of Porsche’s Taycan family in more situations than we have been able to in various Teslas. On the downside, Porsche nickels-and-dimes you for the best charging experience — an onboard 150kW/400V DC charger is a $460 option and Mobile Charge Connect (a charge cord with a built-in 5-inch screen) is $1,120. Even Porsche Intelligent Range Manager, a software function that calculates charge stops based on available range and driving style, is a further $300.

Fortunately, even an early spring snow in Michigan didn’t thwart my Carrara White Metallic 4S test car’s range, or its driving fun. In the end, though, there’s little doubt that there’s a significant range deficit here, so this Stuttgart special may be best viewed as a Sunday fun-day indulgence or a daily commuter rather than as a viable interstate grand tourer.

As a consequence of its slightly more compact powertrain componentry, the 4S actually offers a bit more rear trunk space than the Turbo, but that’s not to say that any Taycan offers a particularly generous amount of room. This 4S nets out at 17.2 cubic feet spread between its two cargo holds (14.3 cubes in back and 2.9 in the frunk). Compared with the Tesla, the Taycan is arguably best viewed here as an all-electric sports car with some additional spacial flexibility for two extra people in a pinch. (If you need more cargo room, Porsche now offers the Taycan in a fetching Sport Turismo bodystyle).

20-inch Sport Aero ($2,720) wheels thankfully arrived wrapped in Pirelli P-Zero winter rubber.

Chris Paukert/Roadshow

It isn’t just the hunkered-down seats that ram home the Taycan’s driving-first message, as the rest of the cabin follows suit. The dashboard is low-slung, with its prominent center stack contributing to a pronounced cockpitlike feel. The reconfigurable all-digital instrument panel is ultra-crisp and legible in any light, despite being hoodless. With tons of piano-black trim and plenty of touchscreen real estate, this particular 4S looks at once sleek and high-tech, but those same finishes make the cabin a fingerprint and dust magnet like few other test cars I can remember.

Speaking of high-tech, you can get the Taycan with up to five screens, including the aforementioned 16.8-inch gauge cluster. The central touchscreen measures 10.9 inches, plus there’s an 8.4-inch HVAC touchscreen and an optional 5.9-inch passenger display (not fitted to this vehicle).

Like my fellow Roadshow compatriots, I’ve come to appreciate Porsche’s latest-generation infotainment, though there is a learning curve and some will wish for more physical switchgear — especially for easier manipulation of things like airflow, which is controlled entirely via menus instead of a more intuitive manual approach. If you’re looking for the simplest solution, you can rely on Apple CarPlay for most functions, but Android Auto remains unavailable, at least until the 2022 model year, when Porsche will start filtering the tech into various models in its lineup.

Maybe just a few more miles…

Chris Paukert/Roadshow

My particular test car has comfortable, supportive 18-way power Adaptive Sport Seats ($400) clad in unusual Race-Tex fabric upholstery. With many high-end buyers seeking alternatives to traditional leather seats, this Graphite Blue material could be a welcome alternative, but I find it to be a bit coarse, both to the hand and, at $4,130, to the wallet. All-in, combined with other pricy options like 20-inch Sport Aero wheels ($2,770) and a $7,170 Premium Package (Bose audio, fixed glass roof, 360-degree camera coverage, ventilated seats and other niceties), this model rings up at $136,190 before available federal and state EV incentives. That’s a lot of coin in options, but Porsche’s build-it-your-way configurability is off the charts, and as such, $30,000 in options isn’t an atypical amount for Porsche customers at this end of the spectrum.

In the end, even with four doors, the Taycan 4S absolutely feels like the Porsche sports car of the future. It offers rewardingly self-assured, tactile high performance in a unique formula at a very exclusive price. As the middle child of the most driver-focused EV family available today, the 4S is a formidable and downright lustworthy machine — provided you’re willing to look beyond its spec sheet and price tag.

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resinatingbeauty · 4 years ago

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News & New Stuff October 8th 2020 Update

SALE on Mercari and in the Etsy shop - Spend $30 in the shop for 40% off your order! Free shipping available for US customers and guaranteed free international shipping everywhere else when spending $35 + USD !

Introducing affordable hand crafted & charged 'Crystal Essentials' jewelry sets featuring iconic therapeutic natural crystals crafted into a beautiful beaded bracelet, necklace, and earring set with raw Selenite crystal to charge! Includes detailed information about the featured crystal / gemstone and Selenite / charging. Each set may be Personslized further by choosing your beading color scheme and comes with keepsake box and bags! These sets are priced just at $20-$35.00 (depending on stone) USD to make them affordable for everyone getting into crystal therapy, reiki, or those who just enjoy the natural beauty and colorations of these crystals!

THANK YOU to all my Mercari buyers for helping me reach 100 5 Star reviews this month! There are some special deals for Mercari users on my page that aren't listed anywhere else to celebrate, including 5 piece Crystal Beauty Bundle Boxes which feature natural crystals I have hand picked just for you, at least one of my own color changing / thermogenic creations, Selenite, Black Cleansing Salt, and a stretchy crystal stack Bracelet!

Updated the Etsy shop with new organization, some new listings and featured items including the aforementioned Crystal Essential sets of Malachite and Obsidian. Removed older listings that are still on Mercari for a discounted price.

I am ALWAYS accepting custom orders- the 'place custom order' button should now appear on my Etsy shop in the upper right hand corner of shop home. This was always meant to be, but most of my editing is done on the mobile app which is inconsistent with the website. Sorry for that!

I plan on collaborating with funky amazing artist Meg and doing a swap in the near future. Keep an eye out for photos - I can't wait to see what she designs for me!

It has been a hell of a month, let me tell you (not that anyone reads this, which makes it a great place to vent). Finances have been tight- sales have just BARELY covered my expenses (Etsy shop still in the hole by a literal dollar). Fortunately, I have been able to keep my day job during this pandemic as an essential worker, but I lost my side hustle and hours were cut there so even that hasn't been any help.

I started Resinating Beauty / Blursed Baubles by Samantha in Pursuit of a dream. I pursued that dream at a bad time.

Thankfully, I didn't take out any small business loans or borrow money to manifest my dream. Everything came out of pocket from money I had saved and the small inheritance my grandmother left me when I was 14, or what was left of it after I moved out of my parent's home and purchased a new car, which I am glad I'm not stuck with my dying 20 year old Cavalier and don't have to currently worry about a car payment or this car deciding it has had enough of me.

That money is gone now, and as I continue down this path, I may have gone full force when I should have held back and waited to see what the ultimate impact would be of this global phenomenon would be- between the pandemic and other events that appear to be harbingers of the apocalypse.

Every bit I make goes right back into maintaining my presence and keeping up with my creations when they aren't paying overdue bills, overdraft fees, and the rent.

What does this depressing rant mean for, if you so happen to have taken the time to read this? For one, thanks for that. At least keeping up with social media has somewhat paid off, though the ads brought likes, they never brought much revenue. That's what will ultimately kill this dream of mine, or at least bring everything to a full stop until I can afford to restock and promote. This means a few possibilities in the next few months:

Mercari only sales. Though Mercari has also become more of a pain in the ass and lackluster in the last few months, adding their payment processing fee in addition to their 10% listing fee and raising the cost of their prepaid labels.

I had expected the cost of labels to go up just to match the increase in postage cost, but the payment processing fee snuck right in there amidst everything. It has become very hard as a seller to make ANYTHING from a sale and price your items in a way that people will even stop and look at your listing because you're going to lose at least $5 off the top, more if you don't use your own label service and, God forbid, take your packages to a pack n ship store.

Higher Pricing Than Usual and No More Gratuitous Free Shipping

In exchange, I have had to list items at much higher prices than I would expect anyone to pay just to list them and promote them down to the price I expect, only to sell them at cost if not lower. I'm lucky to make a profit off any of my listings, but I do recognize that the majority of my sales come from Mercari. I've had the Etsy shop for almost as long and have only made a grand total of 5 (or so) sales, only two of which were international, which is really the entire point of running the Etsy shop. If this trend continues, I'll be forced to cut my losses and turn down international sales for the foreseeable future.

Free shipping will continue for now as I have been able to use a commercial shipping label service that provides discounted shipping labels, but if listing price dips below the 10-15% profit margin I need to continue, I will withdraw the offer of free shipping.

Advertising is word of mouth only- if you love it, like it! Share it! Buy it!

If you have purchased any of my handmade items or have seen them advertised when I could afford to do so and thought they were amazing, please help! The casualties of this pandemic are not just human- millions of small businesses, start ups, and solo ventures like myself are struggling just as much as you are (if not more) to keep a roof over their heads, to pay their bills, and to continue providing quality products and services from the USA, from my hands to yours. Corporations from China and other international conglomerates have infiltrated sites like Etsy and Mercari, selling their products as if they were handmade, unique, and just as special as someone who actually sat down and took the time to craft it over days and weeks- pouring their heart and souls into it like I know I do and God knows they mass produce these items, using these platform as just another way to promote their products. There is literally nothing we can do to stop it other than refuse to purchase from them and to invest our money in true homegrown small businesses.

As prices get higher here in the US, I can't blame people for immediately gravitating toward the lowest priced seller that is selling a copy cat item of another at half the cost, or one similar to it, but, damn, does it feel like a knife in the back to every entrepreneur or small business owner watching our dreams crumble at the feet of Chinese mega corps and pandemic/election propaganda.

Custom order cessation on all platforms. If I no longer have the extra materials, I cannot make custom orders. You may find custom or made to order listings have a much more abbreviated menu of options and variations due to cost and those who place custom orders and fail to follow up. Please only make custom order requests when you are ready to purchase them and allow me adequate time to create your item(s), finalize, and ship them to you.

With all that being said, I don't expect any of this to happen until next year. I continue to pull through, I'm still crafting and designing, making social media advertisements whenever I can, and going to sleep at night just praying with hope in my heart that one day it has got to get better. We have nowhere to go now but up. I truly make myself believe this and stay positive with my thoughts.

Some changes have taken effect already on Mercari and Etsy as you have seen my pricing rise and the free shipping go away and I'm truly sorry for that. I'm sorry I have to decline your offer as well if I just can't rationalize it in my head. I can promise you, however, that you will continue to receive quality, handmade, one of a kind creations with extra love and care with customer service to match. I appreciate everyone who has made a purchase as you have supported this dream of mine and those repeat customers who have become more than just buyers to me, you are truly amazing. Thank you again for getting me to 100 5 Star reviews on Mercari!

-Xo Samantha

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justdictatorshipthings · 5 years ago

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Do more

There is a tendency in our society to blame other for problems and to not contribute at all to fixing the problem. In the case of climate change, we actually could do more, even if the government doesn’t want to. Complaining is only going to get you so far. So here is a list of ways to help create a better future, rather than running in to problems and trying to fix them. At that point its already too late.

If everyone did at least one of these things, it wouldn’t matter what the government does or doesn’t do.

- Plant trees, and flowers for our bees. The means that there will be even more plants in the long term as bees and butterflies are responsible for propagating plants..There is a lot to be said about what to plant. Things like spider plants take up little space but can photosynthesize a lot more than plants that are much bigger. Australian native plants have high levels of pollen and require little water.

- Use high octane fuel every once in a while to clean you engine to ensure it runs as efficiently as possible. Car maintenance is important for the environment also. A car that isn’t well looked after is much less efficient then the same car that has been looked after. A car is a privilege and it should be seen as such.

- Take public transport more, use your car only when necessary. If you are going to take an Uber, use the option to share your ride when possible. Otherwise everything from electric scooters to bikes are convenient ways of traveling.I like parking a fair distance from where i have to go and walking. It doesn’t make much of a difference but it is healthier for you.

- Recycle, make sure what goes in to the bin is recycled. You don’t have to worry about cleaning it. Its more efficient to let the people in charge of recycling clean it (obviously don’t be lazy and leave a whole pizza in a box). But this only works if they get only materials that can be recycled. So always be sure to not put trash in your recycling.

- Make compost, its so easy, even if you give it to someone else that has a garden. Biodegradable waste won’t return to nature if it ends up in landfill. It will probably be buried in an airtight container to prevent any leaking of hazardous materials. Because people put too much dangerous stuff in their trash.

- Travel less, its good for the economy to take holidays in your own country, your money won’t go as far as in other countries, but it may make your own country a nicer place to be.

- Write letters to companies, governments, or any one that will listen about their irresponsible practices. I think in the case of the plastic bag ban, which has made Coles and Woolworths some $71 million in profit. It shows you that even if there is more money in doing good. Unless we push companies to do it, they won’t.

- Dim your TV, computer screens and everything else. Its amazing how much difference to your energy bill this will make over a year.

- Unplug appliances at the power board. Most people don’t realize those plug packs like that on your phone uses, are always on and using energy even when they aren’t charging your phone. The general rule is, if it has a light, it is also using energy.

- Use less air-conditioning, especially when in the car. It is amazing how much energy it uses. You are better off not having anything connected to the cigarette lighters also unless you are actually charging a device. This won’t make as much difference as the air con though. Even in the most efficient of cars (actually especially in efficient cars) it can double your fuel consumption. Sweating is healthy for you, just not practical in every situation. The same goes for stereos and other electronics connected to your car.

- Turn off your phone when you aren’t using it, so many people leave their phones on at night, if you need it to wake up its one thing. but even then you could put it in to airplane mode (or buy a really efficient alarm clock). Some phones will actually turn on for alarms, which should give you an idea of the fact that nothing is really off these days.

- Always make sure your washing machine is full, never do a small load, the older your washing machine is the more true this is. Few washing machines regulate the power going to the motor, so the consumption is the same for a small load as much as a large one.

- Sponsor animals before they become endangered. This ensures that in an emergency, they will be looked after when it matters. Rather than when its too late. Visit wild life parks that help animals, learn about them. Having a connection to the world around you makes it easier to remember why to care about it.

- Avoid anything smart. When you think about it, smart light bulbs are a light, that is connected to a mini computer running an always on server. While convenient, at times this extra functionality uses more electricity than it will ever save.

- Prepare your shopping in advanced, eat before you do it. That way you will be able to make as few trips to the supermarket as possible. While you are there, avoid anything packaged where possible, buy more veggies and less meat.

- If you can afford to, collect rainwater. Its always handy and its not expensive to set up. In fact concessions should be given to people who do collect their own rain water. Otherwise it just gets wasted. Councils should probably sell rain water collection tanks at pumps at cost. More people would have them if they did this. This would reduce the burden on our water system.

- While there has been a big push for solar, consider wind. Modern wind turbines for homes aren’t that bad looking. Efforts are still being made to make them look like works of futurist art. This will continue. If you live in the bottom half of Australia, you will generate more electricity this way than with solar.

- Avoid streaming where possible, any thing cloud related is also bad. This requires ridiculous amounts of energy, and grows every year. The past few years has seen more data stored than all the other years that came before it combined. This is a waste, in any way you can, avoid using these types of services. Peer 2 peer networks are probably more efficient, because they don’t require the peak demand capacity that cloud services do. An example would be to download your favorite Spotify tracks rather than always streaming them. Watch free to air TV first. Store everything on local hard drives.

- Limit how many pets you have. Where possible source sustainable food for them. Kangaroo meat has to be one of the most sustainable meats in the world. Its very healthy and from my experience all pets love it. You can buy it in bulk and in some cases without packaging.

- There is so much inefficiency in our materialist world. For example horizontal fridges are much more efficient than vertical ones. While it may not be practical for everyone, there is always a more efficient alternative if you can afford it and it suits your needs.

- Avoid upgrading technology as much as possible. Buy a product that has a long life to begin with. I usually spend a little extra on my computers, not for performance reasons, they are actually pretty slow (aka efficient) computers. But they are made of quality components that last. I use my computers professionally, they are both 6 years old. An upgrade would be me spoiling myself, but the truth is they still give me everything I need. This is a relatively new thing, which is why so many people believe that technology has a shorter lifespan than it does. Chances are if you have a slow computer, it needs to be serviced, such as putting new thermal compound on the fan, removing the dust, or clean installing the operating system. Speed advancements in technology haven’t been happening as much as they used to, in most cases its smaller and more efficient, but not faster.

- A recent MIT study found that buying online is more efficient. When you think about the amount of energy that goes in to the climate control systems of large stores. Then the driving to and from these places. Where possible, buy online, have it shipped using standard (non express shipping). The amount of times i have paid for express and not needed that quickly is ridiculous.

- Use nature to its best advantage. I always have a lot of plants around where i live to help reduce the strain the weather causes on the internal house temperatures. Its annoying that its not a widely accepted concept, but some councils will issue grants for plants on roofs or walls. They are a really good form of insulation from both hot and cold.

- Old heating and cooking systems are pretty efficient, as they served the purpose of both heat and cooking. you can still buy these systems, they have been modernized a bit. Though if more companies made combined heating and cooking appliances, combined washing and toilet facilities, etc. These save a lot of money over time. Even just in commercial premises where this would be more practical.

- Fuck grass. Seriously, that low level turf is an outdated sign of status. The whole point of it was that you had so much space, you could devote it to nothing, that’s how privileged you are. But its so common here. If you were to replace it with big lush native grasses. It would not only look better (because some of them grow up to two meters and look amazing), but it would make an enormous difference to the environment, both in terms of reducing pollution and in the amount of water it uses.

- If you are terrible with plants, a brown thumb as they call it. Plant succulents. All you have to do, is find someone that has one, ask for them to break you off a piece, and stick it in the ground, preferably where it won’t get sunlight all day if you don’t want to have to water them. That’s it, they will grow, if you water them once a week they will grow faster. Its better than nothing and some of the colours and flowers they grow makes them an attractive alternative.

- I don’t have undercover parking, so i throw a cheap tarp over the car. It looks like i am hiding in the jungle from air raids, but the reality is it keeps the car cool so i don’t need to crank up the air-con when i leave. A tarp is much easier than those annoying reflector thing on your windshield. Though if you have the 150$ spare, its worth getting at least 50% window tinting on your car. It usually comes with a life time warranty. It will pay itself off in terms of the car looking new for longer and all by using less air condition.

- Plan your garden beds. Put a water proof material underneath them, then stones above this material. What this does is create a natural reservoir that stores rain water underneath the roots. You will water more than 50% less which is a great productivity gain. There are also ways to create impressive gardens that need to be watered 3 times a year. This is worth researching.

- Start a harvest collective. If you can grow one vegetable better than others, don’t wast your time growing other plants. Just grow that, then encourage your friends to grow something else. You can then share your harvests rather than having to plant lots of different things. Growing at home is good for so many reasons. Also use organic seaweed fertilizers, they are amazing.

- Its amazing how much energy a Sunday roast uses to cook. Then there is the whole thing that the air quality in your home actually hits toxic levels, because fat is essentially a fuel that is burning while your roast cooks. So even if you eat meat, there is ways to do this in a more sustainable fashion.

- This is why i recommend convection ovens, aka air “fryers”. They are just much smaller and efficient electric ovens. They require no time to heat up, and will usually cook items in less time. In probably 80% of cases, if i need to heat up something or cook it from frozen, i can do it in an air “fryer”.

- Natural pools are the best. This is where you use plants and nature to clean your pool rather than using chemicals. Yes its a little more like swimming in a lake, but if its done the right way its actually healthier than swimming in chlorine. Its also good for the environment. Great advancements have been made in this field, you should google it if you are considering a pool, or would like to stop using chemicals on an existing one.

- Eat seasonally. Its not that hard to look for what is cheap. Supermarkets aren’t great at this but green grocers will have more variety. Its important for biodiversity to grow as many different species as possible. So buying different varieties of your favorites is not only healthy for you, but its good for the environment.

- Its sad that due to the industrialization of our agriculture system, fruit and vegetables are grown to look good and last in storage. What they aren’t grown to be is tasty any more, because there is no way you can fake that. This is why i recommend farmers markets and organic, its a lot easier to finish your vegetables when they taste the way nature intended them to. Trust me on this one, we hate fruit and vegetables so much, we see them as a chore, because over the last 100 years we have systematically killed their taste.

- Then of course there is the whole, plants aren’t going to taste as nice as something made in a lab that is designed to maximize the reaction by your taste receptors.This is why you should avoid process foods because their alter your taste buds, and make it harder to enjoy nature. Just like our phones do to our bodies. Just like air condition does to going outside.

I’m sure there are plenty more, please feel free to add any ideas in to the comments section.

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jimmybechtel · 5 years ago

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Specialist Consultant or Freelancer Vs. Digital Marketing Agency

Let’s explore the topic of specialist consultant vs digital marketing agency; which is best? As an agency, we’re maybe a little biased and we can hardly claim to be impartial, but we wanted to provide some thoughts on what we feel is best for the client.

Here are the key things to consider to ensure you make the right choice.

What’s the Task?

Are you looking for the creation and implementation of an organic search strategy for a business with little in-house resource? If so, an SEO agency with a team covering many different skillsets would reign supreme here. As you’d need an SEO expert, content marketing specialist and outreach and digital PR consultant to ensure a well-rounded strategy; and is just not viable to expect one person to posses all of these skills.

On the other hand, if you were seeking a small one-off project that was very niche you may opt to get a quote from a specialist freelancer. In some cases, this may be a good route for you.

Also, bear in mind that many agencies like ourselves also provide one-off project support and troubleshooting for in-house teams on a regular basis with the ability to implement wider projects in future.

Strategy Advice

We don’t believe in cross-skilling and believe for people to be their best they need to focus.

A freelancer may specialise in say paid search on Google Ads. You may think that’s the best channel for you and engage them.

The truth is that there may be a better strategy for you that involves multiple channels. This could be a multi-channel paid media strategy across paid search, shopping, display and paid social.

An agency can look at your goals and challenge your brief so you get the correct strategy advice.

Full Service?

Look – at Koozai – we’re all for specialisms. We ARE NOT a jack of all trades – nor will we ever be. We know what we’re damn good at and we stick to it. That’s SEO, content, PR and paid media.

These are all components of what we’d call an integrated digital marketing strategy. They all work together in harmony to hit our clients target customers at every stage of the funnel in a sophisticated multi-channel strategy using A.I. led intelligence and our predictive purchase process. This requires many skills.

Some specialist freelancers have honed their craft over many years and absolutely know their bag. For example, you may hire an analytics consultant for a very specific analytics-related implementation. But they again know their limits.

What we don’t suggest in most cases is having everything under one roof on a ‘full service’ basis. What we mean by this is everything from branding, to web design, development, digital marketing, ecommerce, hosting, etc. It’s like a GP trying to do brain surgery.

Budget?

Sometimes it comes down to budget. In theory, agencies have more overheads and can be more expensive, but like most things, cost shouldn’t be the primary factor here.

Freelancers can have lower overheads and provide specialist project support, but again they won’t be investing the same amount into staff training and development to stay at the cutting edge like most agencies will.

Think about service over cost in most cases and use the best you can afford to get the job done right.

Many agencies like ourselves have day rates that are extremely competitive, even when compared to specialist consultants.

Communication

With a freelancer you’re hiring one person. If there is any sick or that person is away or on holiday, you have no support.

With an agency you have a structure and a hierarchy of support, from an Account Manager to the specialists working on your project.

Its important to have the backup, redundancies and handover processes in place to ensure key knowledge is always retained on your account.

Economies of Scale

Imagine an agency like Koozai using all the best of breed tools across owned, earned and paid media. As an agency, we invest tens of thousands in the best tools so our team can do their best work for our clients.

A specialist freelancer just won’t have access to the same tools and insights that an agency will and as such this can impact the output.

Bandwidth

For many SMEs and larger businesses, an individual alone is not going to be bogged down with the sheer gravity of the tasks at hand. After all, they are selling their time and they only have so much of it.

Agencies like ourselves plan resource well ahead of time (in fact we plan at least 12 months in advance with roadmaps for all clients) and scale up our resources accordingly.

Quality Control

We complete all work in-house to our award-winning processes and standards; retaining full control of work quality.

Many freelancers may need to outsource to other specialists for certain tasks. For example, an SEO consultant may require a content writer, a PR specialist (the list goes on), and this is where an agency comes in!

Chemistry

Chemistry is everything. We believe that its vital for long-lasting and fulfilling working relationships with our clients, as at the end of the day, we’re going to be speaking a lot! We suggest whether freelancer or agency, really take the time to make sure these are people you’d love to work with.

Flexibility

Whilst you’d think a freelancer may be best for specific in-house team support, you’d be surprised at just how agile and flexible an agency can be. We often work from our client’s offices and tailor packages to our clients needs. This includes looking at collaboration and ensuring the client maximises any internal resources and only procures the precise services they need from us to full any skills gaps and to maximise performance.

We aim to educate, be nimble and grow with our clients as we drive fantastic ROI.

Summary

Look at your requirements and if you’re in a position where you need multiple skills and a team of experts, then it is likely that investing in hiring an agency would be well worth it. This can be especially true for ambitious SME’s that don’t have full in-house marketing teams.

However, for many specialist tasks, depending on your ongoing requirements, consider a freelancer as an option. For example, a large business with a digital marketing department may hire a specialist PR consultant for a campaign as they just need a very precise set of skills in the short term, but always remember that agencies can be just a flexible and agile in quoting for specialist one-off in-house project support too.

The post Specialist Consultant or Freelancer Vs. Digital Marketing Agency appeared first on Koozai.com

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newssplashy · 6 years ago

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Finance: The 2019 Volvo XC40 hits a sweet spot in the compact luxury SUV segment — and it's already bringing a new generation of customers to the Swedish automaker

Volvo's newest and smallest crossover SUV arrives with lots of creature comforts, leading-edge safety technology, and a punchy engine, all wrapped in a right-sized package — and it couldn't have shown up at a better time.

The Volvo XC40 is the newest and smallest addition to the Swedish automaker's SUV lineup.

It arrives at the perfect time for Volvo, as the luxury compact SUV segment evolves in the US.

The XC40 is a tasteful, high-quality and exceptionally well-packaged small SUV for a starting price of around $33,000. It's also available via subscription through the Care by Volvo program, which lumps the car payment, insurance, and scheduled maintenance into one monthly fee.

The Volvo XC40 is the newest addition to the Swedish automaker's SUV lineup and it joins a growing segment of compact sport-utility vehicles and crossovers currently dominating the market.

Now eight years into its relaunch as a luxury brand under the Chinese automotive conglomerate, Geely Holding Group, Volvo has launched seven new models, three of which are SUVs: the XC90, XC60, and now the XC40.

The 40 is built on Volvo's proprietary small-car skeleton, denoted as the Compact Modular Architecture (CMA) platform which was co-developed with Geely.

As automobiles go, being the smallest and least expensive model in a lineup usually means you'll have to make some compromises — the evidence of which might manifest itself in lower-quality materials and fewer options than the pricier models.

That is not the case here. The XC40 feels nearly every bit as premium as a compact luxury four-wheeler should.

From the moment you pull open its hefty doors, plant yourself into the sculpted, leather and Alcantara-wrapped driver's seat, and grip the thick-rimmed steering wheel with the stoic chrome-plated Volvo badge planted dead-center, you realize you're about to pilot a very capable, exceptionally well-built machine.

At the same time, it's also quaint. And comfortable.

Unlike its larger siblings, the XC40 has no plug-in hybrid variant yet. It can only be had with one of two versions of the company's four-cylinder, turbocharged, gas-powered engines — available with 187-horsepower, or a more energetic 248-horsepower variant. An all-electric version is currently in development.

Volvo recently loaned us a fully loaded XC40 R-Design for a weeklong drive in Los Angeles. These are our impressions:

In pictures, the XC40 looks deceptively small. In reality, it's compact enough for city driving but has plenty cargo and passenger room for longer trips.

The Volvo family resemblance here is unmistakable. By now, you've seen what Volvo lovingly calls the "Thor's hammer" effect prominently featured in the automaker's signature headlights. Up front on the XC40, it gives the car a subtle, unique flair that makes it instantly memorable.

The inscribed "VOLVO" badge on the reflector lens is a nice touch.

Our Crystal White metallic test-car came with several panels and trim pieces, including the front grille seen here, painted gloss black.

You're probably seeing a lot of cars with this aesthetic on the road right now: side-view mirrors, roofs, rear decklid spoilers, side and hood vents — both fake and real — and, in some cases, door handles — all painted black. I have mixed, mostly negative, opinions about it.

But here on our R-Design model, it works.

The entire roof, and a portion of the D-pillar, are also painted black. Again, it works for the R-Design, but still feels just a little bit contrived. Call me boring, but I'd prefer the entire car painted one color.

Overall, this is a very handsome package, as equipped.

In keeping with the current mode for modern SUVs, a striking pair of shoes are a must. These are Volvo's 20-inch, 5-double spoke matte black diamond cut alloys.

Current-generation Volvos are some of the few luxury cars that boast a family resemblance from the front and the back. The upswept tail lights are instantly recognizable. Even from a distance, everyone will know you're driving Swedish.

Broadly speaking, the mighty turbocharged four-cylinder engine has become a staple in the modern auto industry. You get a very capable one in the XC40. Our tester was equipped with Volvo's 248-horsepower T5 variant. It's quick, quiet, and efficient.

Gas mileage was as good as I expected: 23 mpg in the city and 31 mpg on the highway, according to Volvo.

During my time with the XC40, I took a weekend road trip from Los Angeles to San Francisco. Starting with a full tank on both ends of the journey, I only needed to top off once, roughly halfway between the two metropolises. I'm certain I could've kept driving for a while before the tank got too close to empty.

The interior is really well done, and a pleasant surprise for any compact SUV starting in the $30,000 range.

Granted, our test model was loaded with every option available, but that doesn't negate the consideration Volvo's designers gave to the tactile feel of nearly every interior touch point — from the seating surfaces, to the chunky metal interior door handles, and the knurled center-console knob just below the nine-inch touch screen.

And for maximum practicality, there's a small rubbish bin in front of the center armrest.

And this is probably one of the best steering wheels in the segment.

The XC40's sportier R-Design package equips the seats with a rather typical combination of leather and a suede-like Alcantara. Also typical of Volvo specifically: the seats are a deeply satisfying place to be.

The splash of orange on the interior door panels and carpet help break up the visual monotony of what would otherwise be an all-black-everything interior.

On paper, you'd think a splash of orange would turn an otherwise handsome interior into something rather undignified, but that's not the case here. It livens things up just enough, without feeling cheap or gratuitous.

And, of course, there's a panoramic sunroof for good measure. Full disclosure: I've driven dozens of vehicles with these extra-large openings overhead, but I never drive with the roof open.

I like the aesthetic, though — and sometimes I will retract the sunshade.

Our test XC40 also came with Volvo's Pilot Assist semi-autonomous drive feature. It keeps the car within its own lane on road, and maintains a set speed and distance from the car ahead.

Unlike Tesla's Autopilot, Volvo's almost-but-not-quite-self-driving technology will not let you drive for any length of time with your hands off the steering wheel.

While testing the feature in freeway traffic, we observed that it took the XC40 mere seconds to recognize there was no driver input on the steering wheel, and it gave visual and audio prompts to reengage.

I would argue — as many automotive journalists before me have — that Autopilot is a more advanced semi-autonomous driving system that handles steering, acceleration, braking and lane-change duties in real-world traffic more gracefully than most other systems on the road right now.

But the system is not perfect. And in my personal experience, Autopilot is far more permissive of longer stretches of handsfree drive time. Autopilot does deploy a set of alerts that gradually escalate if drivers go hands-off for more than 30 seconds.

Sensus, Volvo's infotainment interface, is fantastic system. One of the best vehicle UIs in the industry.

It merges the car's systemwide settings and features with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The drawback to that is you get a screen with multiple layers of pages and tabs that require a sizable share of your brain's attention to navigate. It's a fine system nonetheless.

And, as is typical of Volvo, the Swedish automaker always adds just a splash of patriotism

You can see that here, with the rubberized miniature Swedish flag affixed to the front left fender.

THE VERDICT

The Volvo XC40 really hits a sweet-spot among the current crop compact luxury SUVs. It's large enough for cargo and crew, but remains nimble and responsive on the road. The available active safety and driver-assist features are well-executed.

It's an attractive and capable vehicle that's distinctively Volvo, and comes in at a price point that positions the company to reach new customers.

Coincidentally, Volvo says it has already seen such an influx with the XC40, which is available by subscription, via the Care by Volvo program.

Subscribers can order an XC40 and pay a flat monthly fee that includes the car payment, insurance, and scheduled maintenance. "We’re proud that 92% of subscribers are completely new to the Volvo brand," company spokesman Jim Nichols told Business Insider in an emailed statement. As of July 2018, the automaker has sold more than 6,600 XC40s — surpassing all other models in the Volvo lineup.

All that's missing is an electric variant. Given the current obsession for these compact luxury SUVs, and the growing demand for affordable electric vehicles, an all-electric XC40 could conceivably dominate the market once it hits the road.

source http://www.newssplashy.com/2018/08/finance-2019-volvo-xc40-hits-sweet-spot.html

#News

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happyhomedecoration · 6 years ago

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Frugal Living Tips for the Whole Family

You are here: Home / House and Home / Frugal Living Tips for the Whole Family

Frugal Living Tips for the Whole Family

December 5, 2017 Leave a Comment

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With that in mind, here are some frugal living tips for the whole family:

Shop to List

Become a Scratch Cook

Extend Health Insurance

Get Life Insurance

Have a Piggy Bank

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Grow Your Own Food

Give the Gift of Time

Give Crafty Gifts

Buy in Bulk

Reuse Everything

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Install Smart Thermostats

Rent Board Games

Holiday Together

Utilize Online Education

Create an Emergency Fund

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seniors life insurance

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armorroofing · 7 years ago

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Wow! Armor Roofing - Riverside MO Residential Roofing

The article Wow! Armor Roofing - Riverside MO Residential Roofing originally appeared on Armor Roofing Kansas City.

Almost all people underestimate how imperative it's always to have periodic roof examinations. A residence can be viewed as the building block of a man's existence. Your property or home provides shelter for every one of your most remarkable possessions. It is as a consequence important to check that it can potentially suit all the known members of the family unit. It can be therefore required that no unpredictable problems like damage from a ceiling leak cause sorrow in your property. Consequently, it is a must that you take care of your roof structure effectively.

Due to the fact that you live in Riverside, you should really recognize that the extreme weather conditions there could very well significantly damage your shingles if pertinent oversight is not really focused on it. If you currently have defects with your roof, now is the time to start out fixing it. If you are living in Riverside, and are in the market for a roofing service in the area of Riverside, you would be wise to connect with us for an ideal roof repair service you will ever hire.

Armor Roofing LLC has been providing the best service in the Riverside vicinity for well over 23 years and we position buyers demands above all else. This is one of the underlying factors we have a range of enthusiastic ratings and opinions publicized all over the internet and hold an enviable position with the local Better Business Bureau. Most of the roof repair projects are generally compensated by your insurance company, and we will likely help you find your way through the documentation to increase the chances that your roof work agreed to by your adjuster. We offer at least a 5-year guarantee on materials and labor on every single roof undertaking we do, and your total satisfaction is fully guaranteed.

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Volatile weather conditions could be the end of a roof covering in the event that you refuse to take the right tasks to make certain that it is checked on a recurrent basis and reconditioned at the earliest symptom of the wreckage. In the case you must have to swap out the roofing, then simply just know that the task will probably set you back a boatload of money. The total price must not stop you from having it conducted. Someone is just not going to spare dollars via not quickly making sure it is addressed. When water kicks off leaking into the household mainly because you delayed the replacement, restoring water leak problems will likely be somewhat more excessive priced than the first roofing outlay you were evading. Remaining out in the open to hard rains continuously, the roofing materials will after a while require maintenance, it is just a mere matter having to do with when.

Luckily for us, these cases are regularly manageable for many people for a number of very good reasons. To start with, you want to comprehend that the vast majority of damages are typically eliminated with a simple and easy or patch service and that is cost-effective. In case you may have a mortgage on a property or home, you likely are ordered to own full family home insurance policy coverage. You quite likely hold it even if you hold the residence debt free. In both cases, you would be covered by insurance for any roof structure property damage, and so you can certainly relax well at night time if you are lead to believe you have roof structure injury. Just remember insurance companies basically only reimburse for thorough jobs that they will in all probability inspect. For this reason, it will make good sense to find the best-suited roofing contractor to optimize the possibility the service is provided with the important know how, and consequently, your insurance adjuster is appeased.

Just How Do I Search for A Roof covering Catastrophe?

Answer the following things from the beginning:

The Several Greatest Added Benefits Related To A Full-Blown Roof Installation

Are you recognizing the overall look of corrosion around your home's sheet metal roof top? You really would need to converse to a licensed roofer to take a peek and identify just how difficult the problem is. The very last thing you certainly should not prefer is definitely for water to flow thanks to the ruined material.

Underneath a Roof Layer - Is the sarking rotting? Your sarking is, in fact, a covering directly below the roofing which functions as reinforcement, insulation, and a pretty important rainwater barrier. Think about this as a signal that extensive roofing renovations are critical. You really need to remove and redo the sarking and redo the roof covering substance right above it right now.

Have you got wood corrosion towards a wood exterior roof? Should you ascertain the wooden layer, it must be a less than ideal sign. Sadly, a lot roof service will in the near future. It is certainly recommended to cure this straight away.

A repair or substitution may be proper if you answered in the affirmative to any and all of the prior questions. Patently, this ought to ultimately be performed by first getting in contact with a roofer in Riverside. Be aware that you'll find no necessity to attempt to inspect the shingles on your own to find spot trouble. The majority of trustworthy roof repair contractors will furnish full examinations gratis, hence you will not want to be expected to move your way up on your house to have a look for trouble.

Call us at (816) 331-7663 to gain your gratis roof covering examination. There is no risk!

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Talk To at Armor today by choosing the button in the next paragraphs. Subsequent to a detailed checking, your roofing expert must be able to advise you with real confidence what precisely your correcting solutions seem to be"look like and what normally any will definitely cost. However, if it looks like your master is biased against a whole roof replacement, afterward you'll discover a lot of things you might want to look at.

A Few Of The Excellent Conveniences Related To A New Installation

The simple edge will be that you end up having a completely new roof structure. If the new structure is established, you will not have to be overly concerned with a lot of really big improvements again. If truth be told, upgrading on to one of the more modern lifetime roof covering products may well be the chief explanation for the course of action. An effective repair service maybe excellent too, presuming the destruction is slight.

In case that you intend to place a dwelling on the market place quite soon, an absolutely new rooftop will obviously be a top notch recommendation. Real estate market specialists understand the fact that a proper roof structure is a selling point which can possibly significantly bump up the selling price of your domicile in the recognition of a buyer.

The Reason To Avoid A Total Roofing Package in Riverside

A new roof structure set up solution usually requires longer in comparison to an ordinary mending. You must not need to panic about this too much in the event that you search for the most desirable qualified roofer that would have the project perfected. In regards to the sticker shock, $six-thousand to $8-thousand is an ordinary budget range concerning a roof structure replacement. A sizable commercial building or expensive shingle is actually noticeably more extravagant while minuscule dwellings should sneak in down below this range. As previously mentioned, the money can be sometimes dealt with by your insurance broker, but solely in the case, the job can be approved in advance and accomplished effectively. We have been satisfying customers in Riverside for years and are accustomed to just about all of the area policies and the terms required to make sure of the insurance claim is paid for.

Preferably this wonderful article has served to answer some of your thoughts about roofing topics inside Riverside. No roofer outshines Armor Roofing Company when ever one compares client reassurance and quality. Click the hotlink in this article to talk to us now!

Call Us Today!Call Us Today! (816) 331-7663

Armor Roofing LLC - Kansas City 6600 NW Tower Dr #104 Kansas City, MO 64151 (816) 935-9312 http://kansascity.roofsareus.com

The post Wow! Armor Roofing - Riverside MO Residential Roofing appeared first on Armor Roofing Kansas City.

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worldtravelerhd-blog · 8 years ago

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Backpacking Tips to Save you Money and Headaches!

While traveling, experience starts to save you both money and headaches abroad. Looking back at our early months traveling we face-in-palm to think of the costly mistakes we made. We share them here to help you avoid stupidity like ours.

book your first two nights -only-

You did it. You found the perfect AirBnb to spend the next four weeks. The place looks spotless, modern, and it's even got free high speed wifi! Hold up two seconds before you commit to 7+ days though.

What you don't know is that the neighboring property is a farm, roosters don't wait until morning to crow, and there is a pig pen built right up next to the wall of your bungalow. Somehow all the reviews seemed to miss these details. That's why, unless you’re dealing with peak season or an exceptional value on a spot, you might be better served by only booking a couple days.

Booking two days gives you two specific advantages:

A great “homebase” to start with that you can count on sleeping at while you see if there is better accommodation or locations nearby.

A cheap start. Book somewhere SUPER cheap for the first 2 nights. It's only 2 nights. Then you can see where you want to be, and you might even stay!

If you do like the place you've booked, AirBnb owners and most small hotel owners are only too happy to deal in cash and cut out the middle man booking site. You can save quite a bit going this route.

walk 100 meters to save 50%

Walking by the beach in Krabi today, I was reminded how true this specific piece of advice is. Prices always seem to tumble after just a two block walk away from the central tourist area. Beers that cost $2.50 fell to $1. Sunscreen that one store was asking $19 for was only $10 a couple hundred feet away.

The most obvious savings come out when its time to eat. Almost without fail, when we find ourselves in a crowded attraction area, we hoof it two blocks away from the masses. Prices on food drop drastically and you will still find locals who speak some English.

An additional bonus is that food tends to be better the further you are from main tourist attractions. Restaurants, street carts and cafes can’t get by alone on tourist traffic so they have to serve up a product of decent quality. Always looks for the restaurant that locals are eating at!

buy expensive tours with caution

Most tour companies are COMPLETELY full of shit since they are working with people that they are never going to see again. The nicer someone selling tours is, the more full of shit they probably are.

To avoid disappointment, you need to be procurement when booking a tour. What is procurement? It’s a fancy word for how businesses buy from other businesses. Procurement sets the business terms of transactions and decides who, how and what they’re buying. (The author of this article may have been a procurement manager at one time as well.) Procurement is as boring as it sounds.

How to buy a tour:

What is the value of the tour? If you’re doing a $30 booze cruise you probably don’t need to be as rigorous with the steps below. If you’re doing a two person Halong Bay cruise that's going to set you back $600 USD, you might want to put more effort into it.

What specifically are you buying? A cabin on the cruise? Is it a shared bathroom or private? Size of bed? Oh, no bed, just a hammock? How big is the hammock? How many meals are included? Are drinks included? Are adult drinks included?

What is specifically NOT included on the tour?

Where does the tour start specifically, who is your contact, and what time should you be there.

Negotiate: once you have all this information, be brave and negotiate. Mention how you saw another tour for $X amount and are going to check them out. Watch the prices fall!

On high priced packages, make sure to look up the tour company on Tripadvisor for reviews first as well. Once again, we’re talking about when you’re dropping some serious coin for something like a multiple night boat cruise or for a week long easy rider trip in Vietnam. Worse than wasting a little bit of money is wasting your time.

More expensive food is rarely better food

As a general rule of thumb, the $5 bowl of Pho Bo you’re buying in a sit down restaurant that caters to foreigners is going to be exactly the same as the $.75 cent bowl you would get from a street vendor (or worse because it sat in the kitchen overnight).

Here are the reasons people often cite for going to more traditional, expensive sit down places:

"Street food is dirty and I don't want to get sick." -If you think that the restaurant kitchen is any cleaner than the street cart you'd be buying from, you're sorely mistaken. If you're worried about food prep, especially in SEA, there is only so much that you can do to limit your risk. At least small restaurants and street food vendors have everything out in the open where you can get good eye at whats going into the sausage.

"I want more than a few choices in what to eat." -Many overpriced restaurants that prey on tourists, especially in SEA, seem to offer a Cheesecake Factory worth of menu options. What that means is that they typically have a lot of old food sitting around frozen or refrigerated in the back. While street food and small restaurants have very few options they also are more reliably serving up fresh food daily. If you're looking for choice, just walk to the next food vendor. It may not all be under the same roof but the same diversity of food choices are there.

"Local food is weird and I don't want to eat it." - Stay home and eat at Applebees.

Start with Europe and work east

You may have heard this tip before: avoid culture shock by starting with "easy" countries first. Before you grab your pitchfork and scream "Lies!", let me tell you all the reasoning behind it:

A.) Things get more interesting the further East you travel. London isn't nearly as interesting after Istanbul. Bangkok will rewrite your definition of what normal can be.

B.) Things also get cheaper the further East you travel (for the most part). If you don't do expensive Nordic/EU countries early on you may find your funds are a bit on the short toward the end of your trip.

C.) You're going to get travel fatigue on a long trip. I would argue that it takes more effort to get the most out of Europe compared to Asia, the Americas, etc. You can always grab a beach-day to rejuvenate in SEA.

Anything you need to buy, you can buy abroad

Believe it or not, outside of your home country there are literally billions of people who carry out their daily lives! When you plan long term or RTW travel, everything you pack into that backpack is not coming home with you, nor will you need it to. Every shirt or pair of pants you bring with you doesn't need to be super fast dry, tactical, nano particle, 150 degrees- 40 rated apocalypse proof garment.

You should have a moderate balance of travel mainstays, but otherwise, lighten up. Your suitcase is going to full of beer brand tank tops from South East Asia soon enough.

Beyond just clothing, you'll be able to get anything else you need almost anywhere you are, even down to prescriptions and medical drugs. You should talk to your doctor ahead of time if you some more complex prescription needs so that you are able to either order enough drugs for your trip or know the generic name of your prescription to ask for at pharmacy.

But there are some things you should buy on your home turf

Namely, expensive electronics should be purchased at home. Laptops, cameras, GoPros, even cheap tablets should all be purchased in your western home country. Why?

You can purchase with your credit card easily and will have credit card protection.

You can easily contact sellers whether they be online like Amazon or a retail chain like Best Buy in your native language.

Won’t have to deal with problems like knock offs. You'd be surprised how close to the real thing knock off Macs and iPhones can be until you use them for a while.

But wait there's more

Sounds like you're getting ready for a trip! Whoo! You might also like these other resources:

#backpackingtipstosavemoney

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newssplashy · 6 years ago

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