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Are you a recent EV buyer (past 3 months) as a result of manufacturer incentives and dealer discounts on these vehicles, including year-end deals? Were you convinced to buy an EV after finding a good end-of-year deal, or due to uncertainty around which EVs will no longer qualify for full/partial EV tax credits in 2024? A national business reporter is interested in speaking with you. Please reach out to [email protected] by 12/15 if interested in sharing your story.
Comments
-Frank
Haha, when you put over 25,000 miles a year on a car, I do!
I see the new Escape has side air bags. Tempting. :sick:
The good thing is that there are lots of tempting options to choose from in this market, some are not included in this forum, however. The Subaru Forester is a Top Pick for safety, I think, something that you'd find worthwhile I believe.
The other driver was able to run away, though eventually caught. The police report is not yet available.
I have seen the Forester and I like it. It has virtually the same ground clearance as the Escape, slightly better MPG (4-cylinder AWD), better towing capacity, more horsepower and I can get it a 5-speed manual. I took a test drive, and found the interior to be acceptable and good visibility. I cannot afford a top of the line vehicle (Escape Hybrid or Turbo Forester) so I am looking at the "value" end of the lines.
I am looking for a new exhaust on my libert (3.7L V6), but I am torn between the 40 series flowmaster, and the 60 series flowmaster. If you guys could help with answering which exhaust system would work better in the long run, that'd be great. :]
Escape now gets the 2.3l, right? Is it the PZEV 2.3l that used to go in the Focus?
I just got back from Brazil, and there they sell a Ford EcoSport, a tiny little crossover based on the Fiesta. It looks like an Escape that was left in the dryer too long and shrunk!
Found a pic:
It's like...
Honey, I Shrunk the Escape!
If you are upside down, I would wait, if possible.
Consider keeping the Vue and getting a beater truck, used. Values have plunged with the high gas prices.
The wifes 04 Mazda Tribute ES V6 is approaching 56,000 trouble free miles. We are waiting for the 09/10 Tributes to hit showrooms and then we will test drive a 4cyl model with the 6spd automatic.
I was sort of expecting that with the redesign, but I guess they redid the powertrain a year or so later. Better late than never.
I would have added the hyundai is using the Borg-Warner all wheel drive system
Given high marks by all the reviewers I have researched and read
many reviews claim it equal or better then subaru's drive system
please do your own research don't believe me please .
far more quite, better fit and finish the most.
we have taken the Santa Fe high into the rocky mountains in storm conditions 45+ miles per hours winds, heavy rain hail, 2 +inches of water on the road
it performed perfectly with out a flaw
MY wife had 2 Toyota Prius before the new Hyundai,
gas mileage is exactly what the window sticker claimed
Here's a reference:
http://news.thomasnet.com/companystory/821001
They say it is "designed to meet the growing front-wheel-drive-based crossover, sport-utility and passenger car vehicle markets", which means it's not built from the ground up, but rather made to add on to an existing FWD platform. Compromise from the get-go.
They also say "Born from BorgWarner's experience in producing over 1,000,000 AWD clutches since 1998" yet Subaru has produced many more than that for the US market alone, and the US is not even Subaru's #1 market. So Subaru has much more experience than what they're bragging about.
Lastly, they write:
the NexTrac® system is controlled by an ECU that manages driving torque and is able to detect loss of traction to prevent wheel slippage, assuring instant response in nearly every driving situation
Clearly that is a reactive system. They argue it reacts instantly, but that's still not the same as providing full-time traction 100% of the time, nor can it be proactive if it's waiting for a detection of loss of traction.
Sounds like an improvement over the old system Hyundai used, which could not even use the traction control and AWD systems simultaneously, but this is far from matching Subaru's much greater experience with full-time pro-active systems.
i would like to point out that having an 04 escape v6 and an 09 also, the mileage for the 09 is much better.
over 75+k with the 04, it has averaged 19.2 mpg. the 09 with 40 more horsepower, is averaging 22.7. that translates to about a 15% improvement already!
the 04 is part time 4WD and the 09 is full time AWD.
I'd be interested in hearing how a pro-active traction control system works.
Happy to...
Subaru has several AWD systems, at least 4 I can think of off the top of my head, so let me first specify that I am talking about their VTD (variable torque distribution).
How is it proactive?
VTD takes several inputs, including throttle position, for starters. So when you hit the throttle, the VTD can adjust the torque spread pro-actively, even while the engine revs up, well before tire spin occurs.
Borg Warner's web site stated pretty clearly that after slippage occurs, it can react instantly, but that's still reactive, after you've lost traction.
The coefficient of friction of a slipping tire is much lower than a tire that has not yet slipped. Subaru's VTD can spread power evenly and potentially prevent that traction loss before it ever happens.
Another example:
VTD also uses all the inputs from the stability control system, including yaw sensors, steering angle sensors, wheel speed sensor, steering position sensor, lateral G sensor, longitudinal G sensor, and brake pressure sensor.
So let's look at a fairly common occurence: drop-throttle oversteer.
You enter a turn a bit too fast in a reactive AWD crossover, which is in 100% FWD mode because you have traction (for now). Suddenly you let off the gas to slow down, and all of the engine braking is being done by the front wheels alone.
VTD wouldn't be in FWD to begin with, but the throttle position sensor would let it know you let off the gas abruptly. The longitudinal G sensor tells it you are slowing down, and the lateral G sensor tells it your are turning. To top that off, the steering position sensor tells it your intended path, so it would have shifted power to the rear so the engine braking would not compromise your stability.
If all that fails, only then does the stability control kick in and apply the brakes. Subaru's philosophy is that the AWD should act first.
Similarly, if you're going down a steep hill, it would know most of the weight is on the front tires and could shift power bias to the front. Going up that same hill, power would go to the rear axle.
The Borg Warner system would try to climb that hill in FWD first, and once it failed, the rear axle would kick in and try to save it.
The Subaru is smarter and would have known that already.
***
That's VTD, if we look at Viscous Couplings they default to 50/50 and react from there. So while they are reactive, at least the power split starts out balanced. Still better than 100% FWD reacting and sending some power to the rear axle.
Plus you could get a V6+manual trans combination. Very nice.
I test drove one a while back, before they updated the engines. I think back then it was on-demand part-time 4WD, I don't recall.
Bob
Any excuse to go look at new vehicles.
There is another cuv that has a low range. The Patriot can be spec'd with a single low gear on a cvt, plus raised suspension and skidplates. Were it not a generally inferior vehicle, it would make a serious alternative to the GV.
The GV's 2.7L V6 engine may be underrated, or biased more for durability than power. On a recent trip over the major highway with the biggest climbs in North America, and in over an hour's driving over many climbs, it gradually became clear our GV, even with 3 people and full load of cargo, could outclimb a brand new Highlander. Hill after hill, it became obvious they were racing us uphill. On the last big one we left them behind at 120kph, and I still didn't have it floored. That's enough power for me.
On that same highway and similar ones in winter conditions so bad most people are either down to 50kph or stopped, the GV can travel in control far faster than virtually every other type of vehicle. Much of this is due to having a perfect weight distribution of 25% on each tire. The Rav4's, CRV's, and frankly, the Subarus, creep along with the fwd sedans.
No, as far as I know only Acura and BMW do that as of yet.
Acura's SH-AWD does that, but only on the rear axle, and only part-time. The basic system is still FWD-based. So it has pros and cons.
BMW's active differential works on the rear axle but I think it works full-time. It's the front axle that is only engaged part of the time, when needed.
The 185hp V6 felt adequate when I test drove it, but not quick. It may be tuned more for torque than horsepower (edit: 184 lb-ft, so not really), but Toyota's V6 makes 269hp. The Highlander is bigger and heavier, so I woudn't really compare those.
Suzuki updated it, though, right? Isn't it over 200 now? (edit: per Wiki it's 164hp for the 4 banger and 221 for the V6, a little less than each Subaru engine offers)
Plus with the low range the mechanical advantage will let it climb just about anything it's ground clearance will allow it to.
Subaru engines vary a lot. Our PZEV Forester makes 175hp, but it's light for its class. You can get a turbo Forester or an H6 Outback if you want more power, both well over 200hp.
To me the Liberty is too trucky to be considered a CUV, it's a regular SUV IMHO. GV stands alone as a car-like CUV with a low-range.
But for those like us who do use the low range regularly, it allows us to go places where only a low range will get you. In places not quite so difficult, using the low range reduces wear and tear and damage. In some cases, like descending dangerous slippery mountainous logging roads in the winter, using engine braking in low range, as opposed to using the brakes, has proven to be an important safety advantage.
For those who may occasionally find low range useful, like going to cottage country, the low range may be worth having for the small increase in cost and weight to have it.
We used to vacation a lot at the Outer Banks of North Carolina. If I lived there or near there, a low-range equipped SUV or pickup would be a must-have for me, as beach driving is done by the "natives" all the time.
Also remember that the Grand Vitara is a world-car, so in other markets (Australia, Africa, Mid-East, Asia, South America, Polynesia, etc.), where roads are often non-existent or miserable at best, low range is often used.
Bob
it helped me to not look stupid when buried up the axles in the sand at the outer banks with 40+ lbs of air in the tires. i didn't realize the locals drive around with their tires at low pressure all the time.
The problem is where to air up when you leave. Luckily there was a station near by.
I'd still pick the BMW or Audi system over Acura's, both of which are rear-biased.