Ongoing General Automotive Thread 2.0

[calgarygeologist]

Originally Posted by billybob123

I have always hated that most manufacturers have wagons in Europe and Asia but not here. I understand why manufacturers don't do it - no one buys sedans here let alone wagons. I should just be happy I could even buy a sedan instead of the preponderance of SUVs.

Genesis G70 wagon is available in the UK but not here, so I'd suspect they won't make this G90 available here either.

I drive a Kia liftback (Stinger) that I love. And of course no one bought them so they discontinued it. Why would Hyundai/Genesis/Kia sell wagons here when no one would buy them? K5 and K4 both available overseas as wagons too. So disappointing.

Maybe I'm not enough of a car guy to understand why everyone wants SUVs? Other than snowplowing from the low clearance, my Stinger has everything a crossover SUV has - and way more space inside.

I'm a wagon guy and years ago Buick re-introduced the Regal in North America which was based on the European Insignia. I had really hoped they would bring over the wagon version because the Insignia wagon was pretty awesome at the time but no luck here.

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

Originally Posted by Bill Bumface

The old ones, yes. The current V90, while very pretty, is abysmal for cargo space (25 cu. ft.)

The benefit is more with the seats down, with 70 cu ft. Like our Civic hatch feels very practical and that's only 46 cu ft. A small SUV like the Escape has 64 cu ft with the seats down and obviously less floor area since it's taller but not as long.

[cam_wmh]

Agreed, with the seats down 70 cu ft, is quite impressive. That's 10 more than the Audi A6/C7 & BMW 5/G31, 5 more than the MB W213/E.

[TorqueDog]

Originally Posted by billybob123

Maybe I'm not enough of a car guy to understand why everyone wants SUVs? Other than snowplowing from the low clearance, my Stinger has everything a crossover SUV has - and way more space inside.

It's not a 'car guy' thing to want larger vehicles like SUVs and trucks. Several of the car-minded folk in this very thread either own, or have lusted after estate versions of the cars produced abroad but not for the North American market.

It's also not a car guy thing to understand why people have been moving to larger vehicles either. Manufacturers are pushing vehicles to be bigger and bigger -- especially the case with trucks and SUVs -- for all sorts of reasons but mainly gaming the system as it pertains to corporate average fuel economy targets, and a lot of people are buying them. The ones that aren't buying them start to feel unsafe sharing the roadway with massive vehicles while they're in tiny ones, so they start buying larger and larger form factor vehicles to feel safer on the roads.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by billybob123

Maybe I'm not enough of a car guy to understand why everyone wants SUVs? Other than snowplowing from the low clearance, my Stinger has everything a crossover SUV has - and way more space inside.

"Bigger is better" is the American way but there several other factors at play. Lots of drivers (ladies in particular) like the extra visibility and feel more secure sitting higher up. There's also the perception (most of the time the extra space over the car versions are marginal at best) of more cargo space and utility. There's also the image factor as North Americans have been obsessed with conveying the image of being outdoorsy (think Subaru drivers that drive around with cargo boxes on top of their vehicles all the time).

Really with pickup trucks being so massive today, I can understand people driving in say a Civic feeling less safe as your visibility is reduced with when surrounded by these massive trucks and in the case of an accident the odds aren't in favor of the smaller vehicle. Regardless it seems like an irreversible trend and just a matter of time until cars become niche vehicles.

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

It's also that they've become a substitute for minivans for people who don't want to look like a suburban middle aged mom, which is what minivans seem to evoke for people. Personally I have considerably more respect for minivan owners.

That being said, thank God my dad owns an explorer and a Sierra 3500, it's made building my house so much easier to borrow those things on the regular.

[Fuzz]

I think it's low-key hilarious people can have their purchase decisions manipulated by the shame they foist upon themselves about the vehicle they should drive based on their own life choices. You chose to have kids. Maximizing space is the #1 priority. You should probably have a minvan. There are zero reasons to be ashamed of that, and if you are, you should go seek therapy because once dissected, it's clearly all kinds of silly.

[Titan2]

Originally Posted by DownInFlames

Truck Of The Year, bitches!


https://www.motortrend.com/news/ford...ck-of-the-year

Are these legit? The COTY awards? It just feels so pay for play.

[Fuzz]

Mototrend has been putting out "truck of the year" awards for decades. It's almost always the company with the new model out that wins it, or it feels like that anyway.

[Titan2]

Originally Posted by Texas

UPDATE: First, thank you for the advice from the folks on this forum.

We ended up ordering the Genesis GV70, drove both Lexus and Audi. The Genesis interior and feel and technology is just at another level. I had seen a lot of the reviews talk about how Genesis somehow feels like a $100k+ interior, but was skeptical until we saw it ourselves. Really impressive. Base engine 2.5t at 300hp is plenty. Better sound system than Audi, fully loaded on the technology.

When we started this process I would have guessed that we would have landed on the new Q5. Never thought I would buy a Korean car, but they are certainly bringing the fight to the Germans.

Nice. My wife has the Lexus RX350h. We like it but I am not blown away by it for the price. I have had my eye on Genesisesis' for a while. Interesting to hear you chose it over the Lexus and Audi. So nice. Interested to hear how you like it in a year.

[Titan2]

Originally Posted by Texas

UPDATE: First, thank you for the advice from the folks on this forum.

We ended up ordering the Genesis GV70, drove both Lexus and Audi. The Genesis interior and feel and technology is just at another level. I had seen a lot of the reviews talk about how Genesis somehow feels like a $100k+ interior, but was skeptical until we saw it ourselves. Really impressive. Base engine 2.5t at 300hp is plenty. Better sound system than Audi, fully loaded on the technology.

When we started this process I would have guessed that we would have landed on the new Q5. Never thought I would buy a Korean car, but they are certainly bringing the fight to the Germans.

BTW, awful purdy furrin veehickls for a fella goes by the name uf TEXAS!!

You will get your citizenship revoked. And deported to Canada. So, not all bad I guess!

[photon]

I think I need to replace the battery in my 2021 M440i.

Quick check on BMW's website shows like $800 for an OEM battery which seems high (though looking at the NAPA site they're not that much cheaper).

What brands of batteries do ppl like, or should I go with the OEM one even if it's more?

EDIT: Hm, looks like I need to register the new battery to the car. Looks like there's an app for that kind of thing, seems simple enough but maybe I should let someone else take responsibility for paying if they mess it up...

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

Originally Posted by photon

I think I need to replace the battery in my 2021 M440i.

Quick check on BMW's website shows like $800 for an OEM battery which seems high (though looking at the NAPA site they're not that much cheaper).

What brands of batteries do ppl like, or should I go with the OEM one even if it's more?

No, don't pay for OEM. The Optima yellow top is a solid bet and probably around half the BMW price.

[Bill Bumface]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

Lots of drivers (ladies in particular) like the extra visibility and feel more secure sitting higher up

Which is so temporary, because suddenly EVERYONE is in a high vehicle, and we're back to not being able to see over things again. Except us poor saps in "normal" cars, which just can't see at all now. At least we can see the pedestrians crossing in front of us, I guess.

[TimSJ]

Originally Posted by photon

I think I need to replace the battery in my 2021 M440i.

Quick check on BMW's website shows like $800 for an OEM battery which seems high (though looking at the NAPA site they're not that much cheaper).

What brands of batteries do ppl like, or should I go with the OEM one even if it's more?

EDIT: Hm, looks like I need to register the new battery to the car. Looks like there's an app for that kind of thing, seems simple enough but maybe I should let someone else take responsibility for paying if they mess it up...

i own a shop that works on European vehicles, yes the battery will need to be registered once you put a new one in. You definitely don't need the OEM BMW battery any good quality AGM that matches BMW spec should be fine. We use Diehard and have had good luck and they have a good warranty

[Fuzz]

https://www.theautopian.com/ford-wil...700-mile-erev/


Ford killing the all electric Lightning and going with an EREV (gas range extender). I never thought big pickups made much sense all electric with existing battery tech. I wonder if GM will follow soon.

[FLAME ENVY]

Originally Posted by photon

I think I need to replace the battery in my 2021 M440i.

Quick check on BMW's website shows like $800 for an OEM battery which seems high (though looking at the NAPA site they're not that much cheaper).

What brands of batteries do ppl like, or should I go with the OEM one even if it's more?

EDIT: Hm, looks like I need to register the new battery to the car. Looks like there's an app for that kind of thing, seems simple enough but maybe I should let someone else take responsibility for paying if they mess it up...

I ended up going with an OEM battery replacement in my X3 M40i in May 2024 after pricing out others. I paid about $700 at Motorwerkes and they installed and completed the registration.

[calgarygeologist]

Range extended trucks are the smart and obvious way to go in order to get around the issues associated with decreased range while towing. The EV trucks were a cool experiment and definitely meet the needs of many urban commuters but for people who need a truck for hauling the EVs don't cut it. I'm looking forward to the Ram, Ford and Scout comparisons and tests.