I think the increase in vehicle weight is a factor, plus just the sheer increase in the number of vehicles on any given road now. While I’m sure the related fatigue is an issue in a lot of cases, overall I think the general lack of maintenance is costing us a lot more in the long run.

4th Gear: “We call it a TourX. It’s a crossover vehicle with car-like driving characteristics,”

Even more of a possibility now!

See, now I’d prefer the T&C over the Frontier because it has more cupholders to keep a liter of cola in...

Hmm.... I saw them referred to as the “T-115" vans so I mistakenly thought the platform was then a “T” designation. Also, this line: “Voyager and Caravan were clearly based on the Reliant (though they did not share a platform)...” 

Stylin’! That cream/butter yellow color should make a comeback... it looks good on a lot of vehicles without being too bright or flashy.

There’s a guy in Maine who purchased the truck that was once Bigfoot #3 and is restoring it to its former glory. (If you’re on Facebook, look for the page titled “Restoration of Bigfoot 3" to see progress shots...)

So first, The Grand Tour copies Top Gear’s format because they basically invented it...

It’s true... my parents had the ‘84 Caravan, then a ‘92 Voyager, a ‘96 Caravan, a ‘00 Voyager (with a Plymouth badge!), an ‘06 Caravan (which they still have) and a ‘15 Grand Caravan.

I believe they call the technique you used “percussive maintenance”.

Here’s my childhood family car... 1984 Dodge Caravan, purchased new, exactly like this one except ours had a red interior. My parents have had a ChryCo minivan in their driveway ever since. When this one was new we had people coming up to us all over the place asking about it... easy to forget what a game changer they…

It’s not too different in concept from the (fake, forced) Chevy ads or the newer Mazda ads, where people supposedly don’t know what kind of car they’re sitting in until they pull the cover off of the badge... except I think your Uber/Lyft idea would ad a dose of realism to it, which would certainly add to the…

I’m fairly convinced that my wife and I won’t stay in this area long-term... housing prices were in the $100-150k range about twenty years ago, with fancy ones going for over $300-400k (not including the oceanfront monstrosities, which always fetched obscene money...)

Since I think my original image got kinja’d, here’s the beauty I was referring to.

I agree with taking a good vehicle and hacking it (literally) and it bothers me just as much when people take a clean vehicle and try to do mechanical “upgrades” as well when they don’t know what they’re doing...

Man, houses are cheap where you live!

From the inside, yes. I’m sure it’s there, hence the part in the video where he suggests rear seat occupants exit via the trunk in the case of a loss of power. (Which to me implies the trunk release is mechanical...)

I think the need for a 12V battery is there because it was too easy for thieves to open previously. If I recall, on the S and X it’s just a release cable you can pull on, giving nearly anyone instant access to whatever you’re supposedly securely storing in your frunk.

Oh man, was I ever disappointed when I finally got to sit in one at the NY Auto Show last year. Such a pretty car on the outside, but the amount of dollar-store plastic inside was a real let down. The button for the stupid split center console lid rattled... in a car that was immobile!

Sadly I’ve never driven the turbo but I hear it’s a lot of fun!