Ongoing General Automotive Thread 2.0

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by pylon

One of the best interiors ever too, these things were Lexus caliber inside.

It's one of my favourite 90s interiors as well...always loved that dash curving into the door. And now that you mention Lexus, it does kind of look like they were benchmarking the SC from the era.

Spoiler!

I miss these personal luxury cars...sadly a pretty rare (or even dead?) segment these days.

[TorqueDog]

Originally Posted by Table 5

I miss these personal luxury cars...sadly a pretty rare (or even dead?) segment these days.

If Wikipedia is accurate, the segment died with the discontinuation of the Chevrolet Monte Carlo after the 2007 model year.

I think largely everything that would have been considered a 'personal luxury car' has moved to being classified as a grand tourer.

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by TorqueDog

If Wikipedia is accurate, the segment died with the discontinuation of the Chevrolet Monte Carlo after the 2007 model year.

Definitely not missing that Monte Carlo.

I think largely everything that would have been considered a 'personal luxury car' has moved to being classified as a grand tourer.

Yeah, not even sure what would come closest to qualifying these days. Maybe an 8 series or E-class coupe? Although those don't seem to be quite right either...

Even if there is definite overlap, I would say there is still a distinction between a PLC and a GT. While comfortable, GT's tend to come at things more from the sports car angle, whereas the former approached things from a comfort angle first. Sadly, not a huge amount of GT options out there either.

Todays PLC equivalent is probably one of those ugly crossovers with the useless roofs that swoop down. (eg. GLE Coupe).

[you&me]

I always thought the PLC was just American speak for Grand Touring Coupe... As if they needed their own Americanized naming convention.

In any case, there are still some PLC / GT cars out there, but I think economics dictates that they're limited to higher end brands and pricing. These are cars that are less practical than a sedan or SUV counterpart, without the sportiness of a true sports car. It's a really narrow band of buyers these cars appeal to and generally those people can accept the compromises in practicality and ability because they have other cars to fill those roles.

Really it seems like lately you've been limited to the Bentley GT and MB E & S-Class, RR Wraith and maybe the BMW 8 Series, many of which have been or will be cancelled, with almost everything else having a more sporting slant (DBS, 911, 4-series, C-Class, etc).

It's kind of a shame because it really is a cool experience to float around in your own personal luxury coupe.

[Table 5]

I do think there was a certain Americaness to them for sure. I think the one other element of the PLC was that they were relatively accessible to the masses in terms of price point. Not necessarily cheap, but also not priced like top-end German models, Bentleys, RRs, Astons etc.

[TorqueDog]

Originally Posted by you&me

Really it seems like lately you've been limited to the Bentley GT and MB E & S-Class, RR Wraith and maybe the BMW 8 Series, many of which have been or will be cancelled, with almost everything else having a more sporting slant (DBS, 911, 4-series, C-Class, etc).

It's kind of a shame because it really is a cool experience to float around in your own personal luxury coupe.

Rolls replaced the Wraith with the new Spectre, so it isn't cancelled so much as replaced with an EV version. Bentley Continental GT and GTC are going to be around a long time, IMO. E-Class Coupe is still around, but a shame about the S-Coupe going away. I sat in one a few times during service appointments just to see what they were like (and also to dream I had more money than I do), and what a nice place to be.

[DoubleF]

This feels like one of the dumbest questions I've ever asked about a vehicle... But...

Are there actually vehicles produced in the last few years that do not have automatic temperature climate control?


I swear I'm not a moron, but I am almost positive this Chrysler Pacifica rental has manual controls for heat and AC only and has no ability to set a temperature for climate control. Before this vehicle, I would have assumed such a feature was standard on all cars built in the last decade or two.


Online manual: push the automatic button on the temp button on console.... No such button on console.

[photon]

Our Civic is 10 years old and doesn't have automatic climate control, and it's not even the base model.

But maybe some base models?

My dad's truck has automatic climate control but he never uses it. First thing I do when I ride is hit the button, I wonder if it drives him crazy lol.

[timun]

My 13-year-old, mid-level trim Mazda doesn't have ACC. Doesn't bother me in the slightest; I've driven plenty of cars with it and it's a feature that I honestly don't think provides much convenience. I couldn't care less if my next car has it.

[Charcot]

Originally Posted by DoubleF

This feels like one of the dumbest questions I've ever asked about a vehicle... But...

Are there actually vehicles produced in the last few years that do not have automatic temperature climate control?


I swear I'm not a moron, but I am almost positive this Chrysler Pacifica rental has manual controls for heat and AC only and has no ability to set a temperature for climate control. Before this vehicle, I would have assumed such a feature was standard on all cars built in the last decade or two.


Online manual: push the automatic button on the temp button on console.... No such button on console.

Climate control was an option I did not get on my 2017 Cayman S. Not sure if it is still optional.

[btimbit]

My '22 Sentra has it but base models don't

[DoubleF]

Whoa. I just had the most entitled and dumb first world problem feeling ever. Other than taxis in Asia, I honestly believe that the last time I drove or rode in a vehicle without auto climate controls was in the 90s with the 3 sliders... I honestly didn't know it wasn't standard on all cars.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by timun

My 13-year-old, mid-level trim Mazda doesn't have ACC. Doesn't bother me in the slightest; I've driven plenty of cars with it and it's a feature that I honestly don't think provides much convenience. I couldn't care less if my next car has it.

It all depends on if you are a tweaker or a person that likes their interior temperature to remain consistent. Tweakers are the people that constantly change fan speed and temperature while driving either out of habit, because they are overly sensitive to changes in the sunlight, or they are so cheap that they will do anything to ensure AC remains off (my brother for example). Most people set it to a comfortable temperature and forget it. It's why it doesn't overly bother me much that climate controls are being moved to displays. The only controls I would prefer remain buttons is front/rear defrost and heated/cooled seats as those are things I may turn on and off while driving.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Charcot

Climate control was an option I did not get on my 2017 Cayman S. Not sure if it is still optional.

Yes it's still an option as are basic things like steering wheel controls in a Porsche who are the ultimate nickel and dime automaker.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by DoubleF

This feels like one of the dumbest questions I've ever asked about a vehicle... But...

Are there actually vehicles produced in the last few years that do not have automatic temperature climate control?


I swear I'm not a moron, but I am almost positive this Chrysler Pacifica rental has manual controls for heat and AC only and has no ability to set a temperature for climate control. Before this vehicle, I would have assumed such a feature was standard on all cars built in the last decade or two.


Online manual: push the automatic button on the temp button on console.... No such button on console.

My '11 Durango has auto climate control, I hate it and never use it.

[I-Hate-Hulse]

Originally Posted by DoubleF

This feels like one of the dumbest questions I've ever asked about a vehicle... But...

Are there actually vehicles produced in the last few years that do not have automatic temperature climate control?

One of the most common cars out there - a base 2023 Toyota RAV4 LE - doesn't have automatic climate control. In fact most base mainstream Toyotas don't.

Kind of a moot feature to me since my wife doesn't understand what a thermostat is and just cranks it to 30 everytime she gets in "to get warm"...

[Table 5]

Personally, I love basic manual controls. I like having quick and easy control of the speed and heat/cool settings. I don't like setting things according to a Celsius setting...I either want it colder or hotter and want to be able to change it quickly, which the old dials allow you to do easily.

Growing up, we didn't have AC in our cars, and my dad used it sparingly to save on gas, so I'm kind of the same even now. I only use AC when absolutely necessary, and I don't like the idea of automatic climate control using it without me explicitly telling it to. An old-school mindset I know, but it's stuck.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by Table 5

Personally, I love basic manual controls. I like having quick and easy control of the speed and heat/cool settings. I don't like setting things according to a Celsius setting...I either want it colder or hotter and want to be able to change it quickly, which the old dials allow you to do easily.

Growing up, we didn't have AC in our cars, and my dad used it sparingly to save on gas, so I'm kind of the same even now. I only use AC when absolutely necessary, and I don't like the idea of automatic climate control using it without me explicitly telling it to. An old-school mindset I know, but it's stuck.

I sometimes think you were born 30 years later than was meant to be.

Auto climate control rules and using AC costs basically nothing.

That said, I've been mostly driving my work '16 F-150 these days as I've been doing a lot of truck stuff and it has the manual controls. I much prefer the auto setting in my car.

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by Sliver

I sometimes think you were born 30 years later than was meant to be.

Definitely at least 10 or 20. Would've LOVED to grow up in the 70s/80s.

Originally Posted by Sliver

Auto climate control rules and using AC costs basically nothing.

AC can still increase your fuel consumption by 15-20%...that's not nothing. But like I said, when I grew up we didn't have a lot of money, so either didn't have AC or hardly used it, and a lot of those habits to save stuck around. I hate the idea of wasting things....also why needless idling drives me crazy.

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by Table 5

Definitely at least 10 or 20. Would've LOVED to grow up in the 70s/80s.



AC can still increase your fuel consumption by 15-20%...that's not nothing. But like I said, when I grew up we didn't have a lot of money, so either didn't have AC or hardly used it, and a lot of those habits to save stuck around. I hate the idea of wasting things....also why needless idling drives me crazy.

Depends a lot on the vehicle, for instance:

In a test conducted by Consumer Reports, they drove a Honda Accord at 65 mph and found that using the air conditioner reduced fuel mileage by 3% (versus keeping it off). In another test they drove at 65 mph, but this time with the windows down. They found no measurable effect on fuel mileage. In a similar test performed by Edmunds using a Toyota Tundra, they saw a decrease in fuel mileage of almost 10% when using the air conditioner as opposed to driving with the windows down and the air conditioner off.

https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/r/...myths-debunked

At 3% I'm not worrying about it at all. At 10%? Still probably happier to be comfy. Funny though, I would have expected a bigger engine to see less of a drop, where small engine would have to work harder.