donk.'s Past Time Car Review Thread

[red kryptonite]

Originally Posted by EvoFire

IIRC these are terrible plastics and coated plastics. The colour rubs off, they get sticky, things crack. I'm also not a fan of the dash design either.

Can't argue the chassis is good though.

Right, forgot all about that. I’ve never encountered the problem under my ownership. when I was cross shopping for my e46 I revisited the idea of having a e92 and discovered it is a common problem.

[AstulzerRZD]

Model 3 LR AWD, MY24 Highland & MY23 Lowland: 1 step forward, 5 steps back

Y'all know me as the EV/self-driving shill cuz I'm cheap and rip 1000km road trips in a day, but I'd really like to not drive a Model 3 again if I don't have to.

1) Drive: The built in route planner & superchargers are super easy; 0 anxiety road tripping round tripping Vancouver in these two. Fast charging cables are also way lighter than the CCS ones.

1) Drive: 3 auto-dimming mirrors, heated steering wheel, and power truck at the price point is nice; frunk should've also been power a la F150 lightning.

2) Neutral: No-stalks is fine except for in roundabouts and 3 point turns. Auto lane signal cancel after you make your lane change is nifty.

3) Neutral: It's very fiddly - autopilot disables itself then doesn't re-enable after a lane change. Even MB/BMW gets this right and their self driving tech sucks.

4) Reverse: So it knows where traffic lights are but regen stops me like 10 feet before the traffic light? Feels dumb.



5) Reverse: Charges really fucking slow - 30 minutes from 10-80 is terrible when the Ioniq does it in like 10. This is MB EQB bad, kinda dumb.

6) Reverse: It's been a while since I drove a car that sent bumps through the seat that I can't see; the gas/brake pedals are constantly shaking from the road texture. Pre-highland was awful and the highland wasn't much better. Actually dumb.

7) Crashing Out: Is there a pole to my right or not? The visualizations are useless in parking lots (Aberdeen here); just give me a 360 camera back. Very dumb.



8) Crashing Out: I exceeded 85mph once and it locked me out of autopilot for the rest of the drive. Autopilot wasn't even on when I went 85+. Hella dumb, many US states cruise at 90.



9) Pre-highland was louder than Civic/Camry/whatever on highway, must wear Airpods for noise cancelling. Mom thought this was really dumb for a new car (highland is much better)

[AstulzerRZD]

Cadillac Escalade: Japan and Germany are so cooked

Rewind to 2021, GM bean counters let engineers loose to take risks and leaps with this to deliver what customers want today and tomorrow.



Until 2030, I can't see anyone launching an SUV with comparable self driving, dynamics, in-car infotainment and sound, and interior quality.



I can't wait to drive the new EV one and try their in-house Android Automotive.

Land Rover/Genesis: The interior is at least as nice as these two with full leather down to the bottom of the door panel and even in the rear row cupholder cover, OLED screen with crisp blacks, etc.

BMW X6: I swapped into the Escalade from a Sixt 40i that had the exact same tires, the Escalade has way better body control, steering directness, and damping. GM's chassis engineers really worked their magic with the mag shocks. iDrive 9 is dope tho.

BMW X7: Escalade drives 2 sizes smaller unless you're really ripping it. B58 lags in the unpredictable Seattle traffic; the 6.2 V8 and 10 speed work way better even if they're dropping lifters in the warranty period.

Model X: The hands free highway self driving in this one actually works, instead of phantom braking twice into the Massey tunnel.

Audi Q7: The infotainment in the Escalade is actually sensical and self-parking and exiting parking spaces actually works.

MB GLE: Burmester can suck deez nuts, let alone BMW H-K that starts distorting mid-bass at mid volume - the base AKG system slaps em silly.

Hyundai: They talk about consumer focus with a new wireless charger in the Santa Fe that accounts for camera bumps. Escalades did this years ago AND holds it in place for hard cornering and braking.

Lexus: LX is puking engines, has gloss black plastic everywhere, and the cheap sounding Toyota beeper. For fucks sake, even the Chevy Equinox has Super Cruise which can be hands free while TOWING while the LX doesn't even have "Advanced Teammate Drive".

Missed Opportunities?

Small ones that they can easily fix:

- Turn signal stalk is Chevy bullshit, feels cheap; they should've spent a few more dollars here.
- Super Cruise doesn't like working in exit lanes and auto-lane change is really violent.
- The giant OLED screen needs better visualizations of what's happening with self driving.
- HUD needs Porsche Macan AR goodness.

With new Escalade, Escalade iQ, Vistiq, CT-5V Blackwing and Lyriq shipping banger interiors, chassis, sound systems, self-driving and infotainment, Cadillac's deserves every bit of praise for taking action and risks to ship real goodness.
VW was so cooked they had to buy Rivian to have a shot at surviving, MB's just cooked, and Lexus/Toyota full sizers aren't in the same conversation.

[AstulzerRZD]

Mini Cooper S DCT - Where have you been all my life? ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐



Even as a MK7 Golf lover, the modded 6MT Golf R on Ohlins I drove to pick this up put me to sleep.

I don't even care that the Mini interior plastics are worse than Fiat 500 / Jeep Compass, the chassis literally puts a smile on my face every drive. On the summer tires, lift off oversteer and trail braking is so rewarding and playful.

While having aggressive turn in, it's still very very stable and neutral overall - I was taking the same onramps 20-30mph faster than in the S2k on RE71R.

DCT is so smooth I didn't think it was one - very responsive and lets me downshift to redline and rip launch control at every stoplight.

Told the new owner of the s2k to order bushings and shocks after I returned the Mini.

Could not be more excited to drive a car again, the Mini feels like a warm cup of 3rd wave siphon coffee - literally stuff that only the weirdest barista you know likes but slaps.

[AstulzerRZD]

Mustang Mach-E GT Performance Pack: better than golden era hot hatches.

The steering, oh my god the steering, it has better feel than the old hydraulic Honda racks people rave about.
The mag shocks and chassis tuning is playful, firm, gives just enough road feel without being punishing.
Great pedal feel with the Brembos - pressure, consistency, weight makes trail braking easy.

Shit if Ford's first attempt is this good, there's a lot of room for driving joy in the future.
Dark, I heard the Ioniq 5N's pretty dope ��

The EV stuff works fine I guess, didn't notice it cuz was having too much fun.
Hands free highway self driving is super brainless, even easier than Tesla/Escalade.





Ford knows what they need to do here - drive down costs, create compelling infotainment, create more desirable form factors like the Bronco, and make fast charging easier (already has plug & charge + Tesla access).
They have a fair shot at making enough money to still ship cool V8 mustangs and raptors in 2030.

[noclue]

I drove a diesel Escalade ESV from calgary to vancouver and no german full size SUV can compete. City driving is a bit of a problem cause of the size but it is king on the highway. Got to Vancouver with 150km remaining in the tank. Plus the diesel ones dont have lifter problems (heard the cylinder deactivation can be removed via tune) The facelift one coming out fixes all your negatives especially that cheap shifter.

[AstulzerRZD]

Just little things they can easily fix without rearranging their whole company to compete - the way MB, VW, and Toyota are going to have to.

Hope the chassis engineers get a fat bonus for the work they did here - the X5/6/7 and GLE/S are all floaty, sloppy, and harsh to drive unless you're really ripping it.

[EvoFire]

Originally Posted by AstulzerRZD

Mini Cooper S DCT - Where have you been all my life? ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐



Even as a MK7 Golf lover, the modded 6MT Golf R on Ohlins I drove to pick this up put me to sleep.

I don't even care that the Mini interior plastics are worse than Fiat 500 / Jeep Compass, the chassis literally puts a smile on my face every drive. On the summer tires, lift off oversteer and trail braking is so rewarding and playful.

While having aggressive turn in, it's still very very stable and neutral overall - I was taking the same onramps 20-30mph faster than in the S2k on RE71R.

DCT is so smooth I didn't think it was one - very responsive and lets me downshift to redline and rip launch control at every stoplight.

Told the new owner of the s2k to order bushings and shocks after I returned the Mini.

Could not be more excited to drive a car again, the Mini feels like a warm cup of 3rd wave siphon coffee - literally stuff that only the weirdest barista you know likes but slaps.

Can't really comment on the Highland cause I haven't driven one, nor could I comment on the Escalade.

But the Mini.

We've had a F56 Mini for a few years. Maybe it's changed since we owned our 2016.

The interior is playful. The F56 never really bothered me with plastics as honestly it was a 30k out the door car back then. It was only slightly more expensive than a Civic or Corolla with much more polished features.

And no shit the Golf R is boring.

We liked the Mini despite all the warranty issues we had with it, but it never stood out to be that great. Our's was the 1.5t with DCT and I found the DCT a bit dumb and slow.

I did find the suspension tuning of the car to be neutral towards oversteer. Kind of crazy how they tuned it so they expect the car to be caught by the very active DSC and TC, even on the basic non-S version.

[AstulzerRZD]

Afaik this one’s got the B48 and the DCT

[EvoFire]

I argue the B48 is probably the most boring of the BMW engines. It doesn't sound particularly great, it's unremarkable, and the output is not amazing, and definitely not in a Cooper S (~200hp)

The B38 is a 3cylinder and it's fun, and it sounds hilarious.
The B58 is a B58, nuff said.
The S68 is a V8 earthmover.

[Badhobz]

What do you do again? Why do you have so many rental cars ?

[Dbone]

Originally Posted by EvoFire

I argue the B48 is probably the most boring of the BMW engines. It doesn't sound particularly great, it's unremarkable, and the output is not amazing, and definitely not in a Cooper S (~200hp)

The B38 is a 3cylinder and it's fun, and it sounds hilarious.
The B58 is a B58, nuff said.
The S68 is a V8 earthmover.

The JCW Countryman is 300hp, same as the M235 GT, X2M etc. But I agree, the engine does lack character.

[AstulzerRZD]

Originally Posted by Badhobz

What do you do again? Why do you have so many rental cars ?

Nothing special - I'm a tech bro who takes a couple trips a year for biz/leisure; skiing, golfing, DC/Boston, etc.

This last batch .. needed to get to Vancouver, move some teammates around Seattle, and friends had some new cars for me to try (Highland / Mach E GT / 6MT Golf R)

[AstulzerRZD]

Originally Posted by Dbone

The JCW Countryman is 300hp, same as the M235 GT, X2M etc. But I agree, the engine does lack character.

It feels a lot more muted and pedestrian in the JCW Countryman because of calibration.

Normal Cooper S with DCT and louder intake/exhaust/BOV noise makes it feel more fun.

[noclue]

Which rental car company you use that have that much variety? Hertz or sixt?

[AstulzerRZD]

It’s location dependent, highlights:

- Avis: Model 3/Y, G70 3.3T, G80 EV, EQB/EQE, EV6/Kona EV/Lightnin/Mach-E,, F150 5.0, Crown, CRV hybrid, Civic Sport Hatch, 540i, Challenger R/T. You either get a shit box or something dope with Avis

- National: Lucid, A5 Sportback, Rivian, RAM 1500 Rebel V8, Escalade. Pretty boring fleet with the occasional highlight.

- Hertz: C63 - low key fleet is a fat L post bankruptcy.

- Sixt: X5/6/7 40i, Escalade, Cooper S. Fleet is pretty consistent.

[AstulzerRZD]

Where are yall getting diesel Escalades?

YVR had 5.0 Mustang, Mach E, Model 3x and Q5 at Avis.
National hooked me up with a new S650 Ecoboosy convertible.

[underscore]

Originally Posted by AstulzerRZD

It’s location dependent, highlights:

- National: Lucid, A5 Sportback, Rivian, RAM 1500 Rebel V8, Escalade. Pretty boring fleet with the occasional highlight.

I never seem to see anything that good with National. I used to see V8 Mustangs in the Executive section and now that I've made it to that tier the best thing I can find is a Camry lol.

[AstulzerRZD]

Yeah a lot of National has gotten kinda boring but their staff are really good about upgrading you to a large SUV, luxury sedan, or nice pickup if you just ask.

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/nati...ispreloading=1

[Badhobz]

thats why i always go with avis. Plus i got avis presidents club with that amex credit card perk, so they always give me interesting shit in Montreal

[SSM_DC5]

Driving this 2024 Corolla Cross LE AWD as a courtesy car for a bit. It's so boring, but it gets the job done and it's got some nice features to have when buying a new car.


For something odd....there are funny L shaped voids in the light output just under the cutoff.


A great way to stop people from driving around with just DRL's on at night is to DELETE the OFF function! Only options are Auto, parking lights and low beams. I think this is an awesome change!


Another awesome feature (if people don't turn them off) are all the Toyota Sense driving nannies! Car brakes for me way earlier than I normally would, but I can just let the car do its thing and tap the brakes at the end for a full stop. Excellent feature for all the crap drivers out there in preventing accidents.

Coming from cars that are 10+ years old, some nice features in "entry level" cars are things like push button start where I can leave the key in my pocket the entire time, Wireless Apple Car Play and Wireless Android Auto, heated front seats, Auto Up/Down windows all around, back up camera, heated steering wheel (only around 3 + 9 position and nothing at 12 + 6). I can see why new entry level cars are so expensive when you throw in all these tech features.

[AstulzerRZD]

Not sure why, but I really hate the "ASD" assist in Toyota Safety Sense. It keeps pace but won't stop the car, and when passing, it releases the brakes too quickly—never smooth.

The Corolla Cross feels downright cynical: cheap plastics, noisy cabin, rough ride—how low do standards have to get for that to be acceptable?

[bcrdukes]

I am curious but when were plastics in a Toyota (not Lexus) ever premium?

[AstulzerRZD]

Just look at that turn signal stalk & compare to the mid 2000s driving instructor car.
One looks maybe a little shiney but fine, one is 1 year old and looks like it’s been to war

[Jason00S2000]

Originally Posted by SSM_DC5

Coming from cars that are 10+ years old, some nice features in "entry level" cars are things like push button start where I can leave the key in my pocket the entire time, Wireless Apple Car Play and Wireless Android Auto, heated front seats, Auto Up/Down windows all around, back up camera, heated steering wheel (only around 3 + 9 position and nothing at 12 + 6). I can see why new entry level cars are so expensive when you throw in all these tech features.

Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay