I spotted a NEW (insert make/model) today!

stickguy

that plan is on the list someplace. Probably would not happen right away, so would need to be some interim filler plan!

Would just be a lot easier to send her off on her own and keep what we got. Just less fun!

tjc78

I know I may be banned for this but saw what appeared to be a fully decked out Camry SE in charcoal grey.  I thouhht it looked pretty sharp except for the front. 

I may have to test drive one to see how it is.  

berri

Yep Fintail, that's it

berri

If you don't mind the low to the ground profile and somewhat tight headroom, you should. People may mock Camry's, but they are well made, comfortable riding and durable.

stickguy

tjc78 said:

I know I may be banned for this but saw what appeared to be a fully decked out Camry SE in charcoal grey.  I thouhht it looked pretty sharp except for the front. 

I may have to test drive one to see how it is.  

I agree. There is one like that (I think it is actually very dark blue though) I walk past daily with the dog. It is always pulled nose into a driveway. Side and rear profile are nice.

The nose, depending on model and color, is livable. The part I disliked actually was the interior (dashboard mostly, particularly on the passenger side).

No clue how it drives, but the road test reports were positive. Assuming they are blowing out cheap, certainly worth a look.

kyfdx

I like the new Camry look better than the Accord.

andres3

kyfdx said:

I like the new Camry look better than the Accord.

Have they improved the interior?

I was disappointed in Toyota's Camry interior when looking at mid-size cars for my Mother. The Avalon interior is more along the lines of the New Accord Interior quality.

explorerx4

Somebody find a good review of Entune.
I find the Camry's shift and electronics frustrating.

kyfdx

explorerx4 said:

Somebody find a good review of Entune.
I find the Camry's shift and electronics frustrating.

Our Tacoma has it.. my son hates it.

I don't bother with it.

explorerx4

In the parking lot at work, a black Lincoln Continental.
Then I noticed it had out of state Livery plates.
I guess out parking lot security guard fell asleep.

fintail

I'm noticing a lot more new style Camry on the road lately, including some of the flamboyant 2 tone high models. Looks OK from the side anyway.

berri

They are dealing and looking at Honda lots I think Accord is going to have to dig deeper soon too.

fintail

Saw a couple more Model 3 today, don't think I have seen one with front plates yet - I am sure those will be another one where laws don't apply, like other Teslas (but I pity the fool in a dirty old car who drives without a front plate)

Mr_Shiftright

If you drive without a front plate in Berkeley, CA, they will ticket you right in a parking lot.

fintail

Around here I have little doubt there's an inverse relationship between vehicle price and plate enforcement.

Saw an oddity today, a new GLS63, with a European front plate mount (and no plate). I wonder if people do European delivery on a car built in Alabama, or if Euro delivery cars even have that hardware. Weird.

kyfdx

My first Bentley Bentayga.. and a Lexus LC 500

laurasdada

My first Tesla Model 3, visiting LA. Red, not overly distinctive. Not nearly as handsome as the S.

Mr_Shiftright

The Model 3 certainly doesn't look like $55,000.

texases

Just wait - you'll be able to spend $78,000 on a dual motor Model 3, Musk compares it to an M3...

Michaell

kyfdx said:

My first Bentley Bentayga.. and a Lexus LC 500

You'll always remember your first....

Mr_Shiftright

texases said:

Just wait - you'll be able to spend $78,000 on a dual motor Model 3, Musk compares it to an M3...

I don't think Tesla buyers realize that the faster an EV goes, and the longer it goes fast, the slower it gets.
There's a reason why Formula E races are only about 50 minutes long.

So this Uber Alles Model 3 might very well outdrag an M3, but it's going to be passed soon enough on the road as speeds climb.

berri

Plus, as rechargeable batteries age from use they generally tend to hold less charge over time. Don't know if there is enough history on this with tesla though.

laurasdada

Lotus Evora convertible, Alfa Giulia Qudrafoglio

fintail

I saw a Model 3 too, white. As these early run cars are all apparently loaded in the 55K range, I don't know if it looks or feels the price. Maybe the best case yet of Tesla being one where you buy the powertrain and the rest is considered a free gift.

explorerx4

My wife saw a Bentayga today. She described it as an SUV with a big 'B' on it.

laurasdada

Now I've seen three MOdel 3s, two white. My brother is thinking of an electric, I suggested perhaps a pluging hybrid. He seems intrigued. Living in LA, he believes that there are charging outlets everywhere, and usually in prime parking locations.

kyfdx

explorerx4 said:

My wife saw a Bentayga today. She described it as an SUV with a big 'B' on it.

Exactly

ab348

laurasdada said:

Now I've seen three MOdel 3s, two white. My brother is thinking of an electric, I suggested perhaps a pluging hybrid. He seems intrigued. Living in LA, he believes that there are charging outlets everywhere, and usually in prime parking locations.

That will become interesting as sales of EVs grow. Just like now where on-street parking is highly sought-after in some areas, I can foresee a time where all of those charging spots that are now mostly unused become highly prized and people start pulling shenanigans to obtain/keep access to them. Meanwhile other EV owners who get shut out from charging access are subjects of "victim" stories in the media detailing their tales of woes, with calls for govt to do more to help them.

Mr_Shiftright

Ford is planning to sell a 300 mile EV crossover in 2020, so the heat is on!

Not sure about Tesla. They are still losing 60 million dollars A DAY!

qbrozen

I plan on selling a 700-mile EV that does 0-60 in 3.5 secs and seats 7. Who wants to make a deposit?

berri

Saw my first new Continental on the road. Hard to describe the color, kind of beige light mocha maybe. Liked it from the rear the best. I thought the C pillar had maybe a bit of Mercedes styling hints and the trunk lid and rear maybe a bit of BMW in it with some Lincoln unique. The side and front didn't seem as attractive for me at least. As Lincoln goes, I think the new Navigator (of which I've seen several out there) is pretty sharp and it looks like that will extend down to the upcoming Aviator.

Mr_Shiftright

Yeah, but are you going to Mars, too? Bet not!

That's going to be one very expensive EV with that 700 mile range. Tell your engineers to cut that range in half--it's overkill.

laurasdada

qbrozen said:

I plan on selling a 700-mile EV that does 0-60 in 3.5 secs and seats 7. Who wants to make a deposit?

Will you also be selling a bridge in Brooklyn to park said EV under?

qbrozen

laurasdada said:

I plan on selling a 700-mile EV that does 0-60 in 3.5 secs and seats 7. Who wants to make a deposit?

Will you also be selling a bridge in Brooklyn to park said EV under?

You can only lease the bridge. But it includes insurance and you can upgrade to a bigger bridge after just 12 mos.

fintail

All we really need is a 400 mile real world (AC use, 75 mph cruising, etc) range, 0-60 in 8 seconds, seats 5, and normal styling. Maybe the ability to charge in a short time too - charging tech is still a huge stumbling block, when I can replenish my 800 mile diesel range in under 10 minutes.

Mr_Shiftright

Nobody is going to build that. The # of people who need to go 400 miles in a day is microscopic, and the major expense in building an EV is the batteries. I suppose you could build some $250,000 SUV plush monster that would do that for people in Dubai.

Maybe in 10 years that would be possible at an affordable cost, presuming there is an earth left to drive on, of course.

fintail

It's a stumbling block for me. I take some road trips every year, and I don't want to have to stop for half an hour or more every 200 or so miles (range with real world higher speed driving and/or range anxiety).

Battery tech is indeed the issue. That, and I want something with normal styling and build quality. Until then, the diesel hybrid possible in more refined markets is the best answer.

tifighter

A 30 minute stop every 200 miles is fine with me. For the same reason I get an aisle seat on long flights or have a standing desk at work. Just say no to a DVT.

Mr_Shiftright

That's a very tall order, for 400 miles at 75 mph with AC or Heat on full blast. That would probably mean a "marketing range" of 600 miles--that is, optimum miles under ideal conditions (urban, low speed, no hills, no HVAC, mild temperatures).

qbrozen

I'm still accepting deposits.

Mr_Shiftright

What about Mars? Are we all going to Mars?

qbrozen

my lawyers and financial advisors forbid me from talking about that project in the same forum as the electric car project. Go figure.

fintail

I can't imagine driving to Medford or Missoula or something and stopping for a minimum of an hour (if you can get an open space and charge up immediately, real world would probably be 90 minutes or 2 hours). Normally, I will stop every 250 miles or so for a washroom break and/or fuel, if needed. Unless I am on a secondary road and am enjoying the scenery, the destination is important.

Mr_Shiftright

You could probably buy the EV that fits your particular needs, in 5-10 years, but you'll be paying a hefty price for it. Automakers build the cars that they can make a profit on, not the cars that necessarily suit every type of buyer.

For instance, the public didn't demand FWD, it just got it.

And manual transmissions are going away because it doesn't pay to develop a transmission for those 2-3% of buyers.

ab348

Mr_Shiftright said:

What about Mars? Are we all going to Mars?

Do they have better battery tech there?

tjc78

ab348 said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

What about Mars? Are we all going to Mars?

Do they have better battery tech there?

Faster chargers....

fintail

I guess I will have to stick to my liquid fuel vehicle, woe is me, 800 miles on a charge.

I've seen ads from the 70s and 80s with FWD as a selling point, for snowy weather traction.

Mr_Shiftright said:

You could probably buy the EV that fits your particular needs, in 5-10 years, but you'll be paying a hefty price for it. Automakers build the cars that they can make a profit on, not the cars that necessarily suit every type of buyer.

For instance, the public didn't demand FWD, it just got it.

And manual transmissions are going away because it doesn't pay to develop a transmission for those 2-3% of buyers.

Mr_Shiftright

FWD has better traction unless you are going uphill--then, not so much.

A Tesla Model S should be regarded as a full-size Lexus with a 9 gallon gas tank and wider panel gaps and one dealer every 100 miles.

laurasdada

I spotted two Karma Revero's today. Also, Bentayga's, while not common, aren't uncommon here in LA. A couple of DB11s, but don't think I've yet seen an LC500 (or H) here.

bhill2

There has been considerable discussion about overcoming the disadvantages of range limitation and recharge time in electric vehicles. In general, the consensus is that significantly longer range and faster charging is years away and likely to be expensive. Consider also that most electricity is generated using fossil fuels anyway.

Please let me present a half-baked idea for potential further baking. It has already been shown that electric cars can be produced at moderate price that have good performance and adequate range for most driving. Would there be any play in adding, or even replacing some of the battery capacity with, an internal-combustion engine optimized to run at constant speed and drive a generator? That is, a parallel hybrid. It should be a fairly simple addition, and I would think that the optimized engine could be made very low in emissions. It would have to be able to maintain battery charge under normal situations, but in most driving not a lot of power is needed. Under high power requirements the battery would be drawn down a bit, but recharging could take place when the power demand goes back to normal. Discuss among yourselves.