We are a Jeep family / go off-road and ended up with a Highlander Hybrid. We really wanted a PHEV off-road capable eight seater, but there aren’t any, so we ended up with an entry level Highlander Hybrid. Neither of us like it, but it does its job and gets 32 mpg. The Toyota sales rep nearly lost it, when I asked for…

the cockpit almost felt cramped because the field of vision is limited. There’s not much to be done about the massive hood and thick front pillars, but he was particularly put off by the radar and cameras that also vie for windshield space. In his mind, near-luxury pricing should come with more thought paid to…

Strong PHEVs are coming starting in Model Year 2026. 50 miles electric range (window sticker) and a powerful electric motor to move the vehicle in nearly every “punch it, Chewie!” situation.

Strong PHEVs are coming starting in Model Year 2026. 50 miles electric range (window sticker) and a powerful electric motor to move the vehicle in nearly every “punch it, Chewie!” situation.

You’re spot on. All the complexity is lost on them.

So much this. Outward visibility is the new luxury.

Because the safety standards are increasingly strict and solely focus on the occupants surviving crashes, including rollovers. There is nothing in the safety standards about crappy outward visibility leading to more wrecks/hitting folks outside the cars.

VW Harlequin reference for the win!

2nd gear: Plug-in Hybrids:

I interned at the BMW factory in Regensburg in college. Regensburg builds the 3 series, including those customized via the factory “Individual” program. One day, an M3 convertible (333 hp) came down the line. It was blinding. The exterior was the metallic purple shown above. The inside was a mixture of bright yellow…

Cue Wayland Jennings...

This is great. Bring it to California - where toll evasion is the least of their deeds.

The EPA’s footprint rule has entered the chat.

You’re right. I should have been more clear. If someone buys an EV today and keeps it, it gets cleaner over time as the grid gets cleaner (as much due to natural gas trumping coal as the rise in renewables). So eight years later (to pick a number), the EV is cleaner. If someone buys an ICE car today, it - at best -…

Well, now you’re asking us all to be adults and listen more than we talk. This applies to all of us.

Maybe.

3rd gear: It’s a bit more nuanced as to which fuel to use for big trucks. All of them have pros and cons. It’s about how far they need to drive and how often and for how long they are parked, how heavy their intended load is, and how much space the load requires. As the article mentions, it’s getting increasingly…

Put it in on jack stands and run it in reverse to take off some of those miles.

The 1967 Kaiser Jeep M715 lives on as the Kia KM 450. In 2023.

Nice one. And that was 2010.