Cars We Drive!

[nootje]

I’m currently at Schiphol airport and took a look at the waiting taxicabs re: our previous discussions. Since Covid it’s clear the Teslas are on the way out. In a very long line it was 2 model X, a bunch of ford mustang E and everything else was either Mercedes or VAG. I’d say Tesla is now below 10% of the lineups, and will drop further when contracts run out.

As expected.

 

[sugarbutch]

Why deal with Tesla when you can deal with a real car company?

 

[Jr Mouse]

Nice pricing here but disappointing that the MPG isn’t as outstanding as was rumored.

Toyota Land Cruiser 2024 pricing announced - Autoblog

2024 Toyota Land Cruiser pricing starts at $57,345 including destination, a whopping price drop of nearly $30,000 when compared to the previous model.

www.autoblog.com

 

[Piobaire]

Is that on the GX platform? The prior model was clearly off the LX platform.

Really liking what I see about the GX and that's still front runner for my pre-retirement purchase in 2026 of a 2027 model year. Hoping they have a beefy plug-in hybrid based of the current twin turbo V6.

 

[jbarwick]

Is plug-in hybrid better than the standard Toyota hybrid? Aren't the battery only miles like 20-30 then it just kicks over to gas?

 

[brokencycle]

Is plug-in hybrid better than the standard Toyota hybrid? Aren't the battery only miles like 20-30 then it just kicks over to gas?

From what I've read, the prime version of a a Toyota is just a better version of the regular hybrid which is just a better version of the gas only.

 

[otc]

Is plug-in hybrid better than the standard Toyota hybrid? Aren't the battery only miles like 20-30 then it just kicks over to gas?

Other than the cost and weight, it seems like the plug-in versions are strictly better.

Plug in gets you a lot of daily driving without gas (more like 30-40 I think for the Toyota platform--lots of other manufacturers are lagging and closer to 20 though). Then it kicks over to hybrid operation.

More power/faster acceleration than the gas or hybrid versions. Better towing capacity on the Rav4 and arguably better AWD performance. I think the Rav4 Prime also has a better eCVT transmission and the more powerful motors also have a bit better regeneration so hybrid mode simply works better.

Plus you get some extra EV-type features like pre-scheduled climate control, "camping" mode that lets you run A/C and electric stuff while plugged in, etc.

I think it is hard to justify the Rav4 Prime without incentives at the current pricing though. Would love if 85% of my wife's car's driving could be in EV mode, but the payoff just isn't there. And that point there are a lot of full-EV options that probably do a better job for 95% of her driving.

edit: one thing I am curious about is longevity/maintenance/residual value. On one hand you have a big battery pack that can be an issue. But on the other hand, if you aren't running the gas engine for 85% of your trips (especially those short trips that are the hardest on gas engines), can you expect a totally different lifespan out of the car? Especially if you are a new/newish car buyer who typically plans to hold until the car starts acting up.

 

[jbarwick]

I didn't know the cars flipped to hybrid, I thought it was electric OR gas. Thanks for the info.

 

[otc]

I didn't know the cars flipped to hybrid, I thought it was electric OR gas. Thanks for the info.

Yeah, under the surface they are basically just a hybrid with a super-sized battery.

In fact, there used to be people who modded the 1st/2nd gen prius to be a plug-in hyrid. They'd add extra batteries and a charging port to get some amount of electric-only range before the gas engine came on.

It kinda sucked though
1. It was $$$$ and obviously not covered by warranty.
2. You only got like 20mi of range for all your trouble, and were stuck slow-charging at home.
3. The old prius couldn't go more than like 50mph without turning on the gas motor.

So it went away as soon as Toyota started offering it as a factory option and cars like the Leaf and Volt showed up...not sure you can even buy the kits anymore let alone find a company that will do the conversion for you.

 

[venividivicibj]

Nice pricing here but disappointing that the MPG isn’t as outstanding as was rumored.

Toyota Land Cruiser 2024 pricing announced - Autoblog

2024 Toyota Land Cruiser pricing starts at $57,345 including destination, a whopping price drop of nearly $30,000 when compared to the previous model.

www.autoblog.com

I really dislike the ‘chunky’ LandCruiser look.

 

[Jr Mouse]

I really dislike the ‘chunky’ Landrover look.

It’s a breath of fresh air in an industry of similar looking SUV’s. The new Land Cruiser looks great.

 

[brokencycle]

Why is my oil change $100 now?

 

[double00]

Other than the cost and weight, it seems like the plug-in versions are strictly better.

Plug in gets you a lot of daily driving without gas (more like 30-40 I think for the Toyota platform--lots of other manufacturers are lagging and closer to 20 though). Then it kicks over to hybrid operation.

More power/faster acceleration than the gas or hybrid versions. Better towing capacity on the Rav4 and arguably better AWD performance. I think the Rav4 Prime also has a better eCVT transmission and the more powerful motors also have a bit better regeneration so hybrid mode simply works better.

Plus you get some extra EV-type features like pre-scheduled climate control, "camping" mode that lets you run A/C and electric stuff while plugged in, etc.

I think it is hard to justify the Rav4 Prime without incentives at the current pricing though. Would love if 85% of my wife's car's driving could be in EV mode, but the payoff just isn't there. And that point there are a lot of full-EV options that probably do a better job for 95% of her driving.

edit: one thing I am curious about is longevity/maintenance/residual value. On one hand you have a big battery pack that can be an issue. But on the other hand, if you aren't running the gas engine for 85% of your trips (especially those short trips that are the hardest on gas engines), can you expect a totally different lifespan out of the car? Especially if you are a new/newish car buyer who typically plans to hold until the car starts acting up.

lc residual value is pretty robust as is the durability of the model , previous ice iterations routinely show pretty high mileage without issue . and then the prius holds value well too . i'd be pretty surprised if lifespan or residual value is an issue .

we may well go with the new lc in a few years the price is great

 

[sugarbutch]

After almost 9 years, the 12v battery on our i3 packed up last week. The car gave no useful warning, so something I could have done myself for ~$200 cost me nearly $1000 at the stealership. Those crooks even charge a higher hourly rate to work on the EVs!

 

[jcman311]

Why is my oil change $100 now?

Biden.