#i even toggled the switch off then backed out to my dash and refreshed and then closed the app

[spocksbedsidemanner]

.

[des8pudels8kern]

I am now switched to tumblr’s new beta, I think. As in, I didn’t actively switch over, but everything is all weird and different. Some things I’ve noticed so far:

The font is changed. I could live with this, but who asked for it?

Suddenly blank sponsored posts everywhere. Now I know I didn’t ask for that.

Images are loading very slowly, which is not at all counterproductive to using a site as image-heavy as tumblr.

The little time stamp I used to see when I hovered over the upper right corner of a post is gone. Booo. Now how will I know how far I’ve scrolled down my dash?

The “menu” (with the dashboard, explore, inbox, message, activity, account, and new post buttons) has vanished and only returns to visibility when I maximize my browser window. At my usual, preferred width it’s hidden and all I have is a useless tumblr-t in the center that changes colour when i hover over it and refreshes my dashboard when I click it. No easy access to my notifications, no seeing if I have a message. Is this what the mobile version looks like? But I am on my laptop and using a browser! As it is, I now need to maximize the browser window to see the buttons. This is the change I find the most inconvenient. @staff, give me my readily visible, easily accessible buttons back! How is this doing anything but make the header a complete waste of space?

No instant notifications on the new dashboard, either. New tumblr apparently wants to strongly discourage me from seeing when people react with my posts.

Tumblr savior isn’t working anymore either. No big surprise, with how drastically they’ve changed the site.

Reblogging or saving a post to my drafts from the beta dash causes the site to reload as the old dashboard. Imo this is a feature, not a bug! I have little doubt they’ll undo even this one mercy, though.

Checking the #tumblr update and #tumblr beta tags, I’ve seen people explain that you can change back to the non-beta version by turning it off. The toggle is under Settings > Dashboard, the last toggle, under Sound. Except I don’t have that toggle. No opting out for me, I guess.

There are now a handful of colour palettes available and I can pick with one I like best. This is the one change I like but I’ll gladly return it if I get back my menu buttons.

[smoothshift]

Rental Reviews - 2017 Sonic Premier & 2016 Frontier SV (Long) via /r/cars

Rental Reviews - 2017 Sonic Premier & 2016 Frontier SV (Long)

I'm currently on a business trip and booked a car through Enterprise. Thought I'd give my thoughts on my rental vehicle(s)! (Yes I have more than one, no fault of mine.) I did have some issues booking with Enterprise (detailed below)

I booked a premium, but ended up in a Chevy Sonic because I'm under 24 and it was the only thing on the lot the guy would let me leave in, not even a mid size Fusion/Maxima/Sonata, etc like the main enterprise site says. Note: I booked through my insurance company, which did not mention an age restriction.

I'm pretty sure a Chevy Sonic is not their "Standard size car"

Despite telling the guy the service light was on, he said it was fine and told my dad and I to ignore it. It was not fine. I got a call halfway though my Ansys training (2 days after I left home!) that I needed to swap cars at a nearby location ASAP -_-

After swapping cars, ended up in a Nissan Frontier, as it was (conveniently) the only thing on the lot in the size class I was booked for. Turns out, pickup trucks/vans are not covered by my credit cards insurance...so now I need to go to another location to try to swap vehicles/politely express displeasure at this whole thing before driving the 3 hours home.

But meanwhile enough complaining and onto the reviews...Keep in mind the vehicle I normally drive is my parents 2015 Grand Cherokee Laredo E, so that's my reference vehicle. Also, I've had much more time with the Sonic, so there is much more written about it.

2017 Chevy Sonic Sedan Premier (9300 miles)

Exterior

I actually liked the look of the pre refresh Sonic, I find the head/tail lamps made the car look decent while still retaining a bit of Chevy design language. The refresh one though, definitely suffers from "Honey, I shrunk the Malibu, but only in length." It almost resembles a cartoon, with a big round greenhouse, yet a much compressed wheelbase. The 17" wheels help, but seem almost too big for how small the car is. The front end is straight off the new Malibu, while the refreshed taillights could be off any car from the past 5 years. Unfortunately, I had the sedan version, while means the belt line rises dramatically, chopping rear visibility to nothing while also creating vast swaths of panel space along the rear quarters.

Interior

It's a cheap car, but I still expected better. Fields of cheap plastic abound, although the design at least keeps your eyes off any one part for too long. Missing an engine temp gauge, which is annoying. Seats were very obviously vinyl, with perforations that were supposed to make them look "sporty", but the perforations were too large and looked strange. Decent features though, heated seats/wheel, Android Auto/Carplay, backup camera, auto lights, etc. I don;t think I can go back to a vehicle without Android Auto. It's just so useful and convenient, even though the head unit did freeze a few times, and the main display is unreadable in direct sunlight, and the day/night sensor for the car kept putting the screen into night mode at 3PM...But those are Chevy problems. No center armrest, which was annoying, but the drivers seat did have a swing down armrest which worked, except it blocked access to the handbrake and seatbelt buckle. Rising beltline means rear visibility is horrific, necessitating the use of the rear view camera. The cheapest A/C & heating dials I've ever used; I'm pretty sure the hot/cold dial was directly connected to the flaps controlling the air, as it felt like cables turning and had lots of slack.

Drivetrain/Acceleration

I've never met a more recalcitrant drivetrain. The gearbox refused to let the engine rev beyond 3k RPM, always upshifting ASAP. The engine, even when given heavy throttle, never seemed to want to rev, instead preferring to sit around 3.5k and torque its way forward. Revving over 4 grand just turns the blender under the hood from mix to puree. Granted, the gearbox does keep the revs low on the highway, good for cruising fuel economy. However, changing gears manually can only be done via a stupid toggle switch on the side of the shifter, not even a sport mode or paddles. Also, Manual mode is directly back from Drive, meaning it was super easy to overshoot drive from park and end up in"M", only noticeable when I started driving and wondered why it wasn't shifting.

Ride/Handling Surprisingly decent ride, would easily cruise at ~70 MPH on the highway, only the worst expansion joints and potholes would unsettle the car. Steering was very darty and hard to keep on center, requiring lots of small corrections. Easily blown around by crosswinds. Brakes a bit hard to modulate, going from 1" of nothing to sudden hard pedal and lots of stopping.

Toys/Audio

Lots of toys as mentioned above, the biggest being Android Auto/Carplay. Definitely my favorite part of the car. Stereo sounded ok, went from sounding muddy and bloated to shrill and ear piercing after adjusting the tone controls. I never seemed to get the stereo sounding how I wanted it. Music/Phone/Navigation volumes are 3 separate things, only adjustable when each is happening: eg you can only adjust nav volume when the nav is talking, etc. Annoying at first, but useful overall because I could have the nav volume obviously louder than my music. No exhaust note that I noticed, but there is a 1.4L blender under the hood that made lots of noise.

Overall/TL;DR

Not a terrible vehicle, given its size class/price. Decent features, mediocre performance, the hatchback looks miles better.

2016 Nissan Frontier SV (15500 miles)

Exterior

It's...a truck. Obviously not the newest or best looking, but it's functional. Wheels aren't that bad and chunky tires look good. No modern lighting via LEDs/Xenon, not even foglights. Older design, so reasonably low beltline.

Interior

And I thought the Sonic was cheap. This is much worse. This has cheap plastics in more places, without the interesting design to distract your eyes. For the update, Nissan basically threw a bluetooth stereo headunit in a 10 year old dash. No telescoping steering wheel, which means my driving position is more akin to sitting in a desk chair than a car seat, with my legs nearly 90 degrees to my body and the backrest bolt upright. No lumbar support. Feels more like sitting on top of something than in something. Seats are weirdly itchy. Center armrest to too far back and too low to rest arm on while driving. No USB ports to charge a phone, so I had to buy an overpriced car charger from CVS. Tons of visibility, can see everything. Stereo automatically replies to text messages for you, which is annoying and must be turned off every time you get in.

Drivetrain/Acceleration

Wooo actual power! 4.0L V6, sounds like the old Ford 4.0 SOHC V6 on startup, from the starter to fan noise. Stays in high idle for stupidly long. Feels almost like a cable throttle, reacts directly and with no lag. Lots of torque, but also loves to rev. Gearbox is solid, but only 5 speeds means hanging at 2k RPM at 60 MPH, bad for fuel economy. Only 2WD, so I've occasionally gotten wheelspin in the wet or if there's some sand on the road. Idle seems slightly rough, shaking truck.

Ride/Handling

Rides...Ok I guess. Haven't really taken it on the highway, but seems to handle city streets well. Turning radius is HUUUGGGEEE, making parking a chore and occasionally leaving you second guessing ordinary turns. Brakes are easy to modulate and have decent stopping power.

Toys/Audio

It has bluetooth? And a cargo light? And a whip antenna that goes sproinnngggg when you pull it back and let it go. Stereo sounds decent, although there's no option to adjust midrange. No exhaust note that I noticed, but the V6 up front is very vocal when accelerating.

Overall/TL;DR It's a truck. That hasn't been updated in 13 years. Feels very much like it.