Tim_M
1465
People have been saying this forever....
Retro-grouches have bemoaned the passing of "real cars" since the Stutz Bearcat went out of production. Oldtimers in the 60's complained that GTOs, Shelby Mustangs, and Lincoln Continental convertibles were pale shadows of the grand Duesenbergs and Cords they knew in their youth. And auto journalists of the period frequently lamented how poorly American cars were made at the time -- we forget that today, but it's in many period magazine road tests. Now all you hear about is how the cars of the 60's have "soul" and were "built to last" and how sterile today's cars are.
Today's cars will be harder -- impossible? -- to restore down the line, but we have 150,000 mile tune-ups, cylinder heads that never need to be de-coked, and bodies that won't rust even in New England winters. They're far better built to hold up for at least their first decade on the road, and they don't fold like a New York slice in a 10-mph collisions.
Best,
Tim
Best,
Tim
Test Drove the Mercedes EQS - Disappointed
I test drove the Mercedes EQS 450+ yesterday. And wow, I was really disappointed. I was so disappointed with the first car I drove, I insisted on driving a second one just in case the first EQS I drove was defective. I ended driving a silver version and a...
Sometimes I want something even more emotional sounding...
Something that has a higher revving and more sonorous engine. The 5.5 liter V8 has pistons that are too big (both bore and stroke) for high revving behavior. Something with a 8000 RPM red line would be nice...
Not available here (yet?). But judging from reviews, I won‘t like it as well. I need a driver‘s car.
Thinking about it again, my favorite electric car actually was an electrified 1970s VW beetle cabriolet. Bad range, bad performance, no tech, worst price/performance ratio ever, but so much fun to drive!
I live in the town next door to Lucid's Headquarters...
The problem with Lucid is while they may have great motor technology, the interior, and the practicality of the car leaves something to be desired. The trunk is oddly shaped. The interior still has that rear seat problem if you get the larger battery, the...
Oops. Correction.
The Lucid is not wide. The Tesla Model S is unusually wide for a car of its length, it's the length of a BMW 5 series and almost as wide as a Lamborghini. The Model 3 is the length of a BMW 3 series, but wider than a BMW 5 series.
Now, that's an interesting fact!
Had no clue about these odd proportions. Surely due to the battery compartment design....
Hard to say...
If you look at other non-Tesla electric cars, they're not unusually wide. So hard to say if it's a battery compartment design or other.
I stopped with mercedes in 1999...
Pre-1999 Mercedes are the reall mercedes for me, such as the Porsche built 500E. From the current catalogue, i would only choose, if at all, the G500! So, i am not surprised that you were dissapointed with the EQS. Cheers A.
I can't disagree with you...
The G500 is a desirable car. Although I even have to say, I miss the charm of the old platform. This new G class is too... modern.
Oh! Funny!
Block of buildings! And I thought you called them "Gelandenwagens" or something like that.
The Interior designer TEAM should be...
..immediately fired. Hire a single creative artist. That uninspiring design might lead to uninspiring build quality. I can't imagine looking at that daily if I was on the production line. Here's a pic of a Hyundai. ...
The head designer of Hyundai is one of our members...
And yes, Hyundai has been very design forward for the past decade. They've made good looking cars that drive much better than their Japanese counterparts.
I LOVE what Hyundai is doing ❤️
A cohesive design with a unified 'theme' that looks spacious and clean. Yet that Mercedes is a visual stinker! Even the chosen materials don't 'converge' artistically in a complimentary way imho. Disclaimer: We own a Hyundai (and a couple of BMWs, had Ben...
Hyundai had a design first strategy...
I've worked in the automotive industry, so I might have a somewhat valid opinion here, I'd say Hyundai was very clever. They knew ten years ago that their products didn't have the reliability reputation of a Toyota or Honda product, so they decided not to...
Surprising impressions....
I was certainly curious about this vehicle, not that I was planning to buy an electric car anytime soon, and have read a wide variety of reviews.... I did have the privilege of driving the brand new S-Class and it's an absolutely amazing marvel of modern-...
Die Neu Sonderklasse is too technologically advanced...
The new S Class is too technologically advanced. And I have a great fear that half of these technologies are "half-baked" which will mean the car will become a "throw away car" after a few years as the car is plagued with reliability problems. Yes. The ca...
100%
But then, the typical buyer of an S-Class (or other alternatives from BMW, Audi etc.) simply switch over to the next generation as soon as it arrives. They are deliberately designed not to be kept long-term, no?
Depends. You have the typical lessor, who constantly switches every three years...
You also have long-term buyers who buy and keep the car several years. Obviously, Mercedes-Benz wants to cater to the ones who switch more often. But a lot of these new features are designed for short term impressions and "shock value" rather than real lo...
They're all like that
My rule-of-thumb is that any car with a screen in the dashboard will be disposable. You can't preserve what you can't service or remanufacture. All gas and electric cars of the modern era are beyond the capacity of even large indie shops to restore once O...
I'm searching my mind for one redeeming positive...
It's probably safe. And the car knows when you're trying to mark the car and when it senses you're parking it automatically turns on the surround cameras and sensors to assist you.
Great article Patrick. I was considering the EQS as an alternative to my Tesla
Your write up has me thinking not yet…
Hopefully Tesla starts to work on their build quality issues...
The Tesla product isn't a bad product. It's just they haven't got the quality, the ergonomics, and a few of the details (like floor hinged pedals and hydrophobic glass). I'm glad to see they're improving braking capacity on the cars (my Tesla's brakes don...
Hi Patrick …
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I can only speak from my personal experience with my Tesla. My car has excellent brakes especially in conjunction with the regen braking and it’s never had a single issue. Not bad considering how hard I drive it given ...
I think my Model 3 has worse brakes than your Tesla... I know this is the car with the worse brakes I've ever owned.
In normal driving in my Model 3, I almost never use my brakes. As the regen supplies 95% of my braking needs. Even with my slightly aggressive driving, I would say I still rarely hit the brakes. Is your Tesla a Model S? Also, one's definition of "hard dri...
I have had similar experience with 4 other cars from different premium brands
The cars felt and looked cheap, no attention to details. A lot of mistakes were made by the onboard computers, I wouldn't rely on any of the techs. Quarter of way into the 21st century and this is the new technology. Everything is becoming more disposable...
You're right!
Also, you've got two generations of technicians out there at these legacy brands who have never been trained on electric car repairs. How many will do a good job? How many will shock themselves from the battery? Retraining this workforce will be a big thi...
The car industry is not losing money on electric cars
They are recouping the lost income from the service by charging more for the electric cars. I am disappointed that in the 21st century the best alternative to the combustion engine has been some batteries and an electric motor. The technology for both hav...
Be careful what you wish for... Wait until you see how Hydrogen is made...
Hydrogen cars make absolutely no sense. A lot of consumers want Hydrogen but they really have no idea how hydrogen is made. Oil companies have falsely advertised that hydrogen comes from water (the vast majority of hydrogen made does not come from this me...
The fake noise
Is a trend that absolutely needs to stop. It’s belittling to customers. It essentially says, “we think you’re too stupid to know what’s under the hood of your car.” It’s a problem for some gasoline cars too (ecoboost Mustang, for instance).
I haven't driven the Ecoboost Mustang, but it's sad that these fake noises are prolific among the industry...
I have to admit, BMW does a better job with their fake sounds. Although still not perfect. I can see the RPMs on the tachometer change about half a second before the sound changes. It wasn't obvious, but if you look at the tach when you drive, you might n...
I HATE the idea of fake noises in cars...
...especially cars that are supposed to be quiet. It defeats the entire purpose. Have you driven the Lucid Air? They look like the ones to beat from what I've been reading...
I haven't driven the Lucid Air. Despite being relatively close to their HQ...
But Lucid has their own problems. They pale in terms of Tesla when it comes to Autopilot technology. They may have a fast motor that might be more efficient than Tesla, but for how long? Also, their interior and their car just doesn't have great ergonomic...
They look far better built than Tesla from photos and reviews...
...if I am going to spend $100k on a car, I'd like it to feel like it is a quality product. And to me, Tesla's Autopilot is vaporware. I don't know that I'd ever use it anyway...
I use my Autopilot. The main thing is that you have to supervise it. It needs a chaperone!
The Tesla isn't exactly known for excellent quality. But overall, despite lots of inadequacies from Tesla compared to what I was accustomed to from driving Mercedes and BMW vehicles, I still don't regret my Tesla purchase. And I'd purchase a Tesla again. ...
Astonishing….
Was just speaking with a friend to arrange a visit to the showroom. After reading this, I will probably take my time😅. For Daimler, an organization so obsessed with engineering, design and quality, this is really unexplainable sloppiness. I will reserve f...
Taycan is definitely the best driving electric car on the market. Tesla Model 3 can be considered a driver's car too.
I've always said a Rolls-Royce isn't exactly a fun to drive car. They're definitely not bad to drive, but they're not fun to drive. They're not "drivers' cars." The Wraith two door is actually pretty nice to drive - except it dives quite a bit under braki...
No soul
Today’s ev have no soul As for build quality, MB BMW and other supposed luxury cars are no longer made to a standard as they used to be and have only gotten worse in recent years. One would buy a MB and have it for 20 years. Now consumers are trading up e...
I'd say you're over-generalizing. But at the same time, I'd also say you're not wrong!
We have a lot of assumptions and impressions that are based off what we think we see, but not always based off of actual statistical fact and data. Furthermore, we tend to see a micro-view of what happens amongst our friends and in our region, but we inco...
People have been saying this forever....
Retro-grouches have bemoaned the passing of "real cars" since the Stutz Bearcat went out of production. Oldtimers in the 60's complained that GTOs, Shelby Mustangs, and Lincoln Continental convertibles were pale shadows of the grand Duesenbergs and Cords ...
And it goes back to the very beginning
In the Iliad, circa 1200 BC, characters lament the incomparable heroes of the past and how poorly "modern" (again, circa 1200BC) figures compare to the glorious "real men" of old. We have the same flawed nostalgia for the assumed superiority of old cars, ...