I think this is the only 1 of 12 special edition guaranteed to make the driver look like he’s on his way to pick someone up from the airport.

Yep the Saab solution to the regular 9-3 turbo’s crazy torque steer was… even more power! Not to mention the awfulness of the vectra platform and the impact on rigidity of lopping off the hardtop. The viggen is one of those thoroughly terrible great cars.

He looks like a diet version of Ron Perlman.

I agree 100%. Most of the comments on BaT are (miraculously in this ear) civil, reasonable and well-informed. They have managed to sustain and grow a real community alongside huge growth.

I’ve actually driven one of these (around 2009, so the one I drove was almost new). The novelty wears off in about 10 minutes, since from what I can remember the clutch is too heavy and the action is clunky. It just does not suit the character of the car. I’ve also driven a similar vintage Turbo S (auto obviously,…

And Germany is also the place where carbon emissions skyrocketed because they banned nuclear and had to rely MORE on coal for grid stability. It’s what happens when we are ruled by what sounds nice rather than how things actually work.

Yes, I’m currently waiting for my Ioniq 5 to arrive, and by all accounts it’s a great car. My wife’s EV is a Taycan, and we’ve charged it away from home twice at a rapid charger and a handful of times at destination chargers (but then only because they were there and free, so why not, not because it really needed a…

I came here to say the same thing. The Model 3 is still a small, cheaply finished and blandly styled thing with a pretty horrible interior, no matter how good its battery pack may be.

I really don’t think the writers have a clue what any of this stuff means, and nor do they care. Just like they don’t care to look at charts like this one (M1 money supply) and wonder how that might impact inflation.

I think some of the writers actually think they can’t even learn about this stuff, because it will be like reading some kind of satanic text that may corrupt them.

First gear: The order now, get it in 2023 thing is maybe the biggest issue I can see killing these new EV brands. Many people who want a discretionary purchase like a Rivian probably want something closer to instant gratification. Large manufacturers with a track record of making lots of cars in multiple locations may…

First Gear: I rented a new Golf when I was in the UK in October. It was actually nice to drive, but the software interface is just horrible, regardless of how speedy (or not) it is. It would 100% stop me from buying the car, it’s that bad. Just so confusing to navigate between the different menus, and the touch…

Maybe, but I think the self-driving thing is so far away from reality that we won’t really be facing it for a while. I’d love to see the numbers on OnStar - how many people are actually renewing their subscription vs. how many are just getting the included subscription for 12 months when they get a new vehicle.

First gear: It just seems so unlikely that automakers will capture the subscription revenue that will exist. Almost certainly it will be Apple, Google and maybe Amazon and Microsoft. The idea that car makers will get this money is a helpful delusion for public company CEOs facing massive existential challenges with…

He has the top spec technik 55, with the largest wheels. Those really low range numbers are probably when the weather is cold, but he says he barely made it from Toronto to Brantford and back on a full charge (about a 230 km round trip). He has a bit of a lead foot, so that likely doesn’t help either.

Yes, if anything the Tesla example validates what he’s saying. Tesla’s investors subsidized loss-making vehicle production for years and years, based on the promise of future profitability. That future profitability, at the scale that would justify the market value of Tesla, seems highly unlikely, and even today Tesla…

Yea, I have a friend who owns one and the range is really terrible. He is saying he’s lucky to get 250 kms, let alone 250 miles.

Yea, this just seems like a lot of noise about nothing at all. Odds of anything remotely resembling these vehicles (Ariya aside) is pretty much zero. Below is Nissan’s EV sports car concept from... 2011. And it’s as close to production now as it was a decade ago. 

Sort of, but Ferrari has been walking a fine line with this strategy, and may now be burning some of these customers by releasing too many new / “special” models too quickly. Likely not the case with this specific model, but they are in the classic conundrum of being a public company needing to show constant growth…

How do you like the 2? What are you seeing for typical range? I’m waiting for an Ioniq 5, but it won’t be here until March and I need a daily driver now. Looks like I can get a polestar 2 as soon as December. I love the looks but haven’t driven one yet.