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  • William Maley
    William Maley

    By William Maley •

    Hyundai and Kia Get Served A Class-Action Lawsuit

      Deals with an engine defect that can cause a fire to erupt

    Hyundai and Kia find in themselves in a bit of legal trouble. Last week, the law firm Hagens Berman filed a class-action lawsuit against the Korean automakers over an alleged defect on two engines; the 2.4L four-cylinder and turbocharged 2.0L four-cylinder from the Theta II family. 

    The defect in question is a flaw in the engine design that “restricts or blocks oil flow to the engine’s moving parts, such as connecting rod bearings, prematurely wearing out those parts to the point that the engine parts seize, which stops engine operation while running. Engine seizure often causes internal parts, such as the connecting rods, to break and knock a hole in the engine, permitting fluids to leak and ignite a fire,” according to the lawsuit. More than 350 complaints have been filed on National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) on models equipped with these engines,

    • 2011-2019 Hyundai Sonata
    • 2011-2019 Kia Optima
    • 2011-2019 Kia Sportage
    • 2012-2019 Kia Sorento and Soul
    • 2012-2019 Kia Soul
    • 2013-2019 Hyundai Santa Fe
    • 2013-2019 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport

    Bloomberg reports that NHTSA has opened an investigation into the "timeliness and scope of the carmakers’ recalls related to manufacturing errors in “Theta II” engines." Hyundai has issued two recalls in 2015 and 2017 for certain Sonata and Santa Fe models. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York meanwhile has opened a criminal investigation into this issue.

    When reached for comment, Hyundai Motor declined to say anything about the lawsuit. In a statement, the company said that “nothing is more important than the safety and security of Hyundai customers,” noting that it is 

    cooperating with the U.S. Department of Transportation and the NHTSA.

    “Over the past three years, we have held numerous meetings with DOT and NHTSA representatives, and proactively discussed and identified possible safety items for NHTSA’s evaluation, including the engine recalls. NHTSA has been fully briefed and kept apprised of these recalls and low rates of associated non-collision fires,” said Hyundai Motor.

    Source: Bloomberg

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    ykX
    12 minutes ago, A Horse With No Name said:

    There are reasons Hyundai and KIA rank at the bottom of the American automotive universe for me.

    Name one car manufacture which didn't have class action suit filed against it or major recall issued?

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    regfootball

    it is the sort of thing that reinforces a deserved or undeserved stereotype.  Hyundai wants to be a big boy with a new Genesis G70 and get awards, etc. they have to get by this just like GM would if it were them.

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    oldshurst442
    42 minutes ago, FAPTurbo said:

    lol GM couldn’t even make ignition switches properly and people here say Hyundai is somehow bottom of the barrel...

    Yet Hyundai's leaders, after Toyota, VW, GM and the others, with their respective scandals, still did not learn from past history, and decided to screw the consumer anyway...

    I wouldnt be laughing at these people here...

    In fact, Id invite these people in here to laugh at you in failing to troll them successfully...

    Edited by oldshurst442
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    oldshurst442
    44 minutes ago, frogger said:

     

    tenor.gif

    You just mad because GM is shutting down Oshawa...

    Be mad at GM for shutting down Oshawa, but do not confuse the two things here...

    Actually, be more mad at Unifor for facilitating GM's decision for Oshawa.

    Be mad at Ontario's premier's for not allowing Ontario to be more competitive for factories...

    Be mad at North Americans for choosing CUVs and SUVs instead of buying the Impala, Regal and Cadillac XTS...

    I think the Equinox was built at Oshawa, so there is that, but then again, be mad at Donald Trump and Justin Trudeau and the present political climate and be mad at Mexico for having its factory workers being paid slave wages and the US having trade deficits (not with Canada though but still...) and all that...

    Be mad at GM's decision to put all their eggs in their electric and autonomous basket and because Ontario and Unifor were NEVER kinda fair for GM and its Oshawa plant, this was a long time coming for Oshawa...

    Edited by oldshurst442
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    oldshurst442
    28 minutes ago, A Horse With No Name said:

    Some strong anti GM sentiment here...

    Im not surprised. 

    GM has brought this upon themselves too...

    Starting with, what is good for GM is good for the country.  GM became too big to fail. GM then became complacent and arrogant, much like some Canadian  provincial and federal Premiers and certain American Presidents...and well, you get cutting corners on ignition switches and bailout fallouts and closing factories that really piss off people. 

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    A Horse With No Name
    35 minutes ago, oldshurst442 said:

    Im not surprised. 

    GM has brought this upon themselves too...

    Starting with, what is good for GM is good for the country.  GM became too big to fail. GM then became complacent and arrogant, much like some Canadian  provincial and federal Premiers and certain American Presidents...and well, you get cutting corners on ignition switches and bailout fallouts and closing factories that really piss off people. 

    All I know is what I want to drive....

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    frogger
    2 hours ago, oldshurst442 said:

    You just mad because GM is shutting down Oshawa...

    Be mad at GM for shutting down Oshawa, but do not confuse the two things here...

    Actually, be more mad at Unifor for facilitating GM's decision for Oshawa.

    Be mad at Ontario's premier's for not allowing Ontario to be more competitive for factories...

    Be mad at North Americans for choosing CUVs and SUVs instead of buying the Impala, Regal and Cadillac XTS...

    I think the Equinox was built at Oshawa, so there is that, but then again, be mad at Donald Trump and Justin Trudeau and the present political climate and be mad at Mexico for having its factory workers being paid slave wages and the US having trade deficits (not with Canada though but still...) and all that...

    Be mad at GM's decision to put all their eggs in their electric and autonomous basket and because Ontario and Unifor were NEVER kinda fair for GM and its Oshawa plant, this was a long time coming for Oshawa...

    I'm not mad I just thought the gif was good.  I don't have any sentimentality about plants or any of the models or manufacturers in general.   Still lots of manufacturers and vehicles to choose from.

     

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    riviera74

    Given that this is only one set of engines, Hyundai/KIA could simply engineer a new engine without all those issues and start again with a newer models to replace those bad ones. 

    Two questions: who was in charge of quality control that allowed this to happen?  Also, who will be held responsible for this mess inside the firm?

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    A Horse With No Name
    54 minutes ago, riviera74 said:

    Given that this is only one set of engines, Hyundai/KIA could simply engineer a new engine without all those issues and start again with a newer models to replace those bad ones. 

    Two questions: who was in charge of quality control that allowed this to happen?  Also, who will be held responsible for this mess inside the firm?

    What makes you think their next attempt would be any better than the current one?

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    oldshurst442
    5 hours ago, frogger said:

    I'm not mad I just thought the gif was good.  I don't have any sentimentality about plants or any of the models or manufacturers in general.   Still lots of manufacturers and vehicles to choose from.

     

    Well...Im mad!!!

    Im mad about all those things I mentioned in my post to you!!! 

    Im mad at Justin Trudeau for not actually talking to Mary Barra or any GM CEO about this. Im mad at Justin Trudeau AND Doug Ford for just kissing each other on the cheek and agreeing with each other that nothing can be done instead making a BIG stink about it to General Motors AND Donald Trump. ESPECIALLY not making a BIG stink to Donald Trump. If his tyrades were only targeted at the right subjects...

    Because you just know, that GM closing 5 plants, 4 in the US, is just GM giving the middle finger to Donald Trump for Donald Trump giving several middle fingers to GM since he became POTUS...

    But who pays the price for all these middle fingers?  18 000 North American workers is who!!!

    Im mad at North American consumers for neglecting what made North America the envy of the world. Im mad at ourselves for allowing our politicians selling us off to corporate greed way back in the 1980s when we started this trend of overconsumption...

    But...with Hyundai...I can see that corporate greed on their end is the same as anywhere else that puts money in front of anything else...

    And we got ourselves to blame for that...

    We North Americans, we do overconsume. And corporations feed on our voracious appetite.  

    Despite all these plant closures, and possibly more to come, we havent learned our lesson from the last economic crisis in 2008-2009...

    We continue to overconsume...

    What does this have to do with Hyundai?

    Well...everything!!!

    If we just keep what we got and we demand as consumers better products...and we vote with our pockets, not with our voracious appetite for junk and overconsumption, but with truly well built stuff when we buy, with cash, not credit, and we dont replace every little thing we own every other month...then and only then corporate greed might come to an end...

    Also, if we go in the streets and riot once in a while, like the French in Paris just did...maybe just maybe, corporate greedy CEOs, lobbyists and crooked politicians might actually listen to us...

    Did we riot in the streets when GM released the news of these plant closures?

    Did we riot in the streets when we heard that Hyundai or GM or VW or whatever corporate thief did something bad to our society whether it be ignition switches or the diesel scandal or whatnot?

    The French had enough with their governments tax hikes...Makron had no choice to retract...

     

     

     

    Edited by oldshurst442
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    FAPTurbo
    1 hour ago, oldshurst442 said:

    Im mad at North American consumers for neglecting what made North America the envy of the world.

    —

    If we just keep what we got and we demand as consumers better products

    america is the envy of the world because it has choice and we chose to not buy gm’s crappy cars precisely because consumers do demand better products...

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    oldshurst442
    6 minutes ago, FAPTurbo said:

    america is the envy of the world because it has choice and we chose to not buy gm’s crappy cars precisely because consumers do demand better products...

    Yet they buy crappy Hyundais and Toyotas and VWs...

    And Mercedes Benzes and Audis (part of VW) and Bimmers...

    And Nissans...

    To my knowledge, all these car companies all had there share of crappy, non-reliable products. Some of them even killed people with their greedy schemes.

    Yeah! Like GM!  

    So...

    Try again! 

     

    Edited by oldshurst442
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    ocnblu
    8 hours ago, dfelt said:

    WOW, No wonder you have to replace your car every year, that mass of prickly steel wears a hole in the seat. ? 

    Not shocked that my point was missed.  THOSE ARE NOT MY KEYS.  :rolleyes:

    8 hours ago, A Horse With No Name said:

    It explains the burr up his butt when it comes to electric cars.

    It has to be something else because those are not my keys.  Gee... I wonder what it could be... hmmm...

    Edited by ocnblu
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    Robert Hall
    20 minutes ago, ocnblu said:

    Not shocked that my point was missed.  THOSE ARE NOT MY KEYS.  :rolleyes:

    It has to be something else because those are not my keys.  Gee... I wonder what it could be... hmmm...

    Looks like a Chevy key with the black head in there...but there a lot of other keys on that chain.    Hmm...maybe all the keys in your pic is a reference to the GM ignition issue? 

    I go for minimal with my keys--only one on mine--my house key.  IMG-0766.JPG

    Edited by Robert Hall
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    Blake Noble
    1 hour ago, oldshurst442 said:

    Im mad as hell and Im not gonna take it anymore!!!

    you are an old man who thinks in terms of nations and peoples. there are no nations. there are no peoples. there are no russians. there are no arabs. there are no third worlds. there is no west. there is only one holistic system of systems; one vast and immane, interwoven, interacting  interwoven, interacting, multi-variate, multi-national dominion of dollars. petro-dollars, electro-dollars, multi-dollars, reichmarks, rins, rubles, pounds, and shekels. it is the international system of currency which determines the totality of life on this planet. that is the natural order of things today. that is the atomic and sub-atomic and galactic structure of things today!

    am I getting through to you, mr. oldshurst442? you get out your laptop, or your smartphone, or your tablet, fire up your keyboard fingers, log into this forum board and screech about america and canada and democracy. there is no america. there is no canada. there is no democracy. there is only GM and ford and FCA and VW, BMW, nissan, and toyota. those are the nations of the world today. what do you think the russians talk about in their councils of state - karl marx? they get out their linear programming charts, statistical decision theories, minimax solutions, and compute the price-cost probabilities of their transactions and investments, just like we do. we no longer live in a world of nations and ideologies, mr. oldshurst442. the world is a collage of corporations, inexorably determined by the immutable by-laws of business. the world is a business, mr. oldshurst442; it has been since man crawled out of the slime. and our children will live, mr. oldshurst442, to see that perfect world in which there's no war or famine, oppression or brutality - one vast and ecumenical holding company, for whom all men will work to serve a common profit, in which all men will hold a share of stock - all necessities provided, all anxieties tranquilized, all boredom amused...

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    oldshurst442
    4 minutes ago, Blake Noble said:

    you are an old man who thinks in terms of nations and peoples. there are no nations. there are no peoples. there are no russians. there are no arabs. there are no third worlds. there is no west. there is only one holistic system of systems; one vast and immane, interwoven, interacting  interwoven, interacting, multi-variate, multi-national dominion of dollars. petro-dollars, electro-dollars, multi-dollars, reichmarks, rins, rubles, pounds, and shekels. it is the international system of currency which determines the totality of life on this planet. that is the natural order of things today. that is the atomic and sub-atomic and galactic structure of things today!

    am I getting through to you, mr. oldshurst442? you get out your laptop, or your smartphone, or your tablet, fire up your keyboard fingers, log into this forum board and screech about america and canada and democracy. there is no america. there is no canada. there is no democracy. there is only GM and ford and FCA and VW, BMW, nissan, and toyota. those are the nations of the world today. what do you think the russians talk about in their councils of state - karl marx? they get out their linear programming charts, statistical decision theories, minimax solutions, and compute the price-cost probabilities of their transactions and investments, just like we do. we no longer live in a world of nations and ideologies, mr. oldshurst442. the world is a collage of corporations, inexorably determined by the immutable by-laws of business. the world is a business, mr. oldshurst442; it has been since man crawled out of the slime. and our children will live, mr. oldshurst442, to see that perfect world in which there's no war or famine, oppression or brutality - one vast and ecumenical holding company, for whom all men will work to serve a common profit, in which all men will hold a share of stock - all necessities provided, all anxieties tranquilized, all boredom amused...

    Funny!!!

    Your rant starts with this song 

    Since I was born they couldn't hold me down
    Another misfit kid, another burned-out town
    I never played by the rules, I never really cared
    My nasty reputation takes me everywhere
    I look and see it's not only me
    So many others have stood where I stand
    We are the young, so raise your hands
    They call us problem child
    We spend our lives on trial
    We walk an endless mile
    We are the youth gone wild
    We stand and we won't fall
    We're one and one for all
    The writing's on the wall
    We are the youth gone wild
    Boss screamin' in my ear about who I'm supposed to be
    Getcha a 3-piece wall street smile and son you'll look just like me
    I said "hi man, there's something that you oughta know I'll tell ya Park Avenue leads to 
    Skid Row

     

    Then it leads to this song!!!

     

    We're right, We're free, We'll fight, you'll see!!!

     

     

     

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    A Horse With No Name

    Welcome to C and G folks...reality is apparently irrelevant here.

    39 minutes ago, ocnblu said:

    Not shocked that my point was missed.  THOSE ARE NOT MY KEYS.  :rolleyes:

    It has to be something else because those are not my keys.  Gee... I wonder what it could be... hmmm...

    Something in the drinking water in Pennsylvania. Perhaps?

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    • Popular Comment
    frogger
    • Popular Comment

    Heavy key chains break Chevy Cobalts.  It is such a wonderful car aside from that though, after decades of wonderful examples of GM FWD cars that would make anyone a fan.

     

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    Blake Noble
    2 hours ago, oldshurst442 said:

    Yet they buy crappy Hyundais and Toyotas and VWs...

    And Mercedes Benzes and Audis (part of VW) and Bimmers...

    And Nissans...

    To my knowledge, all these car companies all had there share of crappy, non-reliable products. Some of them even killed people with their greedy schemes.

    Yeah! Like GM!  

    So...

    Try again! 

    deaths caused by gm's ignition switches: 124

    deaths caused by hyundai's engines: 0

    hmmmm.... 

     

     

    Edited by Blake Noble
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    A Horse With No Name
    17 minutes ago, Blake Noble said:

    deaths caused by gm's ignition switches: 124

    deaths caused by hyundai's engines: 0

    hmmmm.... 

     

     

    I am an equal oportunity asshole...I can avoid GM and Hyundai both...

    2 minutes ago, ocnblu said:

    Oh I have stories but I won't tell them.

    What happens in Lancaster stays in Lancaster....does not have the same ring as Vegas. 

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    oldshurst442
    42 minutes ago, Blake Noble said:

    deaths caused by gm's ignition switches: 124

    deaths caused by hyundai's engines: 0

    hmmmm.... 

     

     

    Death caused by Toyota/Lexus unintended acceleration  sticky pedals/wrong floor mats...

    hmmmm....

    I guess things went over your head too?

    Oh well, you cant win them all...

    Edited by oldshurst442
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    oldshurst442
    11 minutes ago, FAPTurbo said:

    i guess GM ignition recalls are a non-starter here...

    Funny!!!

    Here is another song for that...

     

    Maybe Mr Blake could actually see the humour in the previous songs I chose for his rant as well...seeing that he accuses me of the joke going over my head, but apparently he doesnt see the parallels in the lyrics of  both hair metal songs that coincide with his ranting/joking to me...   

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    Blake Noble
    21 minutes ago, oldshurst442 said:

    Funny!!!

    Here is another song for that...

     

    Maybe Mr Blake could actually see the humour in the previous songs I chose for his rant as well...seeing that he accuses me of the joke going over my head, but apparently he doesnt see the parallels in the lyrics of  both hair metal songs that coincide with his ranting/joking to me...   

    how much pot do you have to smoke, how much acid do you have to drop, and how many mushrooms do you have to eat before "network" syncs up with twisted sister?

    you might want to check into your local emergency room

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    Blake Noble
    1 hour ago, oldshurst442 said:

    Death caused by Toyota/Lexus unintended acceleration  sticky pedals/wrong floor mats...

    hmmmm....

    I guess things went over your head too?

    Oh well, you cant win them all...

    lol is that really apples to oranges?

    deaths (out of the 124 total) caused by driver error in gm ignition switch recall: 0

    deaths caused by driver error in toyota's unintended acceleration issue almost ten years ago: probably all of them 

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    A Horse With No Name
    10 minutes ago, Blake Noble said:

    how much pot do you have to smoke, how much acid do you have to drop, and how many mushrooms do you have to eat before "network" syncs up with twisted sister?

    you might want to check into your local emergency room

    The only smoke is coming off the rear wheels of the Trans Am in his sig line. He is that goofy naturally without chemical enhancement. 

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    oldshurst442

     

    11 minutes ago, Blake Noble said:

    lol is that really apples to oranges?

    deaths (out of the 124 total) caused by driver error in gm ignition switch recall: 0

    deaths caused by driver error in toyota's unintended acceleration issue almost ten years ago: probably all of them 

     
    HA!
    Those were not driver error...
    But yeah...
    whatever.
    Listen Blake Lively...
    I already got into trouble with you last year or so, my posts got deleted  because you were trolliing, the same way you are now...
    You told me you were a journalist and I insulted you to the point where Drew erased my posts, gave me warnings...
     
    You are here to seek revenge because I made you look like an idiot the last time...
     
    Drew cares more to protect his posse than actually weed out the shyte that people like you spew...
     
    Im probably going to get another warning and this post is gonna get erased...
    But in short
     
    Image result for Fuck off
     
    If you cant see some parallels with the lyrics of both songs from Twisted sister and Skid Row made in jest to you, then I cant help your that you just may have a stick up your ass!  
     
    Then to boot, you insult me...
    You call me a druggie...lkike why?   What the phoque is your problem?
     
    I was banned the last time I was here about 9 Months ago, for far less than what you just did....that is why I stopped posting...
    Now...its easy for me to stop coming in  here, and you and your posse could rule this kingdom free from me...
     
     
    9 minutes ago, Intrepidation said:

    i liek where this thread is going.jpg

    Ask your phoquing buddy...

    Edited by oldshurst442
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    Cmicasa the Great
    22 hours ago, FAPTurbo said:

    lol GM couldn’t even make ignition switches properly and people here say Hyundai is somehow bottom of the barrel...

    Still dazed and confused at they reasons why the ignition switch thing ever occurred. It was proven that the inclusion of billions of keys and a bunch of bullsh!t on the the key ring was what led to the issue.. I guess in truth GM should have tested their ignition switches to a point that the device could have held the weight of an 3 month old before they released the vehicles. But that's pretty much a moot point.. as they fixed the issue a decade ago and went a step further in equipping a great deal of their line-up with key-less ignition..

    GO FAP ? on that. Preferably with the door locked and a box of Kleenex ready and waiting

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    A Horse With No Name
    5 minutes ago, Cmicasa the Great said:

    Still dazed and confused at they reasons why the ignition switch thing ever occurred. It was proven that the inclusion of billions of keys and a bunch of bullsh!t on the the key ring was what led to the issue.. I guess in truth GM should have tested their ignition switches to a point that the device could have held the weight of an 3 month old before they released the vehicles. But that's pretty much a moot point.. as they fixed the issue a decade ago and went a step further in equipping a great deal of their line-up with key-less ignition..

    GO FAP ? on that. Preferably with the door locked and a box of Kleenex ready and waiting

    In all fairness there is no comparison betwern Hyundai and GM. GM has built tons more remarkable vehicles than Hyundai.

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Its low-slung aspect can present a slight demerit.  The windshield and profile of the front doors is very raked and, as a person of average height, I had to duck a little more than usual to enter the car.  Similarly, the rear backlite borders on almost being horizontal.  This does give the rear storage area a little more usable height. Inside, the front pillars’ rake is mitigated by fixed renditions of what used to be vent windows in older cars.  However, they still seem to block an instinctive sight line compared to more upright vehicles like the current Camry and Corolla.  Inside, the feeling is more cockpit-like.  Similarly, the rear view has the thicker pillars and flatter backlite that require more proactive work – looking over the shoulder attentively and using the amber traffic monitoring warnings in the outside mirrors.  A complementary feature is the chime that assisted lane changes. The Prius has a 4-cylinder engine that seems to spend more time in EV mode than did the hybrid Camry.  That means good fuel economy and, over 3 days, I only added 6 gallons for between 200 and 300 miles of motoring.  In terms of power, handling, and roadability, the Prius gets mixed comments from me.  It does have agility when the pedal is pressed and it moves from eco to power mode.  It also eases upward to higher than anticipated highway speeds if not paying attention!  The transmission is a CVT with a “faux” first gear and it works well.  The Prius has a more noticeable wheezing sound when in reverse gear, which actually advises those inside the car and near it.  However, when pushed, the powertrain gets buzzy, as in noisy.  But at steady speed, any engine noise is not that noticeable.  The vehicle’s handling, smoothness, and quietness vary.  Handling is always nimble and, even at highway speeds, it maneuvers adeptly.  The ride is mostly smooth.  However, noise control could use some improvement.  Some of that can come from the tires they equip the car with, fitted with aluminum wheels that hearken to the ones on Tesla products.  That said, it’s hard to tell if the drone is tire thum or wind.  However, if you prioritize handling among these, I was surprised to see how well the Prius handles … on the highway, on city streets, and even in tight parking spaces, where 3-point attempts are rarely necessary. The cockpit is unusual and very different from yesterday’s Priuses, which I’ve only seen and never driven or been a passenger in one.  I remember how the first model had an oval main instrument pod set up on the cowl in the middle of the dashboard but angled toward the driver.  Today’s Prius has thin and smaller pods, almost set on ledges that seem to staircase down as the cowl approaches the driver.  The main panel looks like a small tablet that is set quite far from the steering wheel.  Depending on how the wheel is titled, there could be some visibility issues seeing all the information.  This required adjusting the wheel and the seating height.  Also, the front seat can be very far from the pedals.  So, while the door is low, taller drivers might like this potential distance.  The infotainment center sits slightly forward of the main instrument screen and is conventionally placed atop the center stack.  Thankfully, it continues with touch operation as opposed to being operated via a remote dial.  Most functions are the ones you’ve known for a while, so setting things up doesn’t take long.  I did struggle a little with the Android Auto, even though the Bluetooth pairing was quick.  Note that, while the Camry has USB-C ports, the Prius does not.  Further down on the center stack, the climate control is easy to work with (not the 3-dial type that so many exports and even domestics have) and the A/C blows colder a little quicker than in the last Camry I drove.  The console deck is about the right height and its overall dimensions, including the box, are generous.  The compactness of the shift lever is sort of fun … think of a small underpowered low-cost EV Corvette! When going into gear, it’s not about moving the selector linearly.  A quick jog to the left and up toward the instrument panel is for reverse while that same quick jog followed by a rearward move puts the vehicle in drive.  It doesn’t take long to get used to this.  Also, the park feature is easy to work with.  Just push in P when stopped and, whether in reserve or drive, the gear selector goes to park.  The only thing is that it is not forgiving when shifting the lever … your foot must be firmly on the brake, so no slipshod maneuvers.  The seating is comfortable and the buckets seem a little high, but this offers support from top to bottom.  The same is true in the rear of the cabin and the headrests do intrude with an already thicker rear sail panel / C-pillar.  Legroom in the rear also seems good and the length of the vehicle allows for that.  Space is sensibly distributed in the 3 volumes from front to back. I always thought a Prius would have something daunting or different about it.  Its look is different in that it lost its first-gen look that looked like an upright Nissan Versa of 2016 … sort of like the runt of the litter that is on the run because it has been kicked in the rump.  This Prius looks planted.  Upon pushing the prominent and easy to use “power” button on the dash, there will be no noise and the dash will literally tell you when it, and you, are “ready” to go. It's a smaller but roomy vehicle where the price isn’t a bargain, but not that steep in today’s terms.  I find there are a few things that I wasn’t crazy about – the height, the main instrument pod sitting in the distance, and not the best noises suppression – but I liked most other things about it.  With so many Priuses going the long haul, this one will probably do the same … and look a lot more presentable while doing it. - - - - - PHOTOS FORTHCOMING  
    • trinacriabob
      Random Thoughts Thread

      By trinacriabob · Posted

      I'm laughing.   There are always reasons why things are "discounted." With me, it's DFW and Austin that give me heartburn.  San Antonio, too, even though I don't know it as well.  I just don't like the look of the DFW area, whether natural or built.  I don't like Austin for being the governmental engine of a big red place next to a massive university with over 50,000 students that is a big blue place.  I'm more of a moderate and don't want extremes in either element.  I also don't like the "way cool" leanings in Austin. Houston has its negatives, but I'd take it for nearby Galveston, and water in general, the extensive pinewoods, the dark red brick homes, an attractive downtown, and for being America's most ethnically diverse city that has always rolled with that spirit.  There is no "you shouldn't be here" factor.  IIR, I've heard of a saying about Madrid that goes, 'When you're in Madrid, you're from Madrid.'  Having lived in various places, I pay attention to those subleties.
    • G. David Felt
      Random Thoughts Thread

      By G. David Felt · Posted

      Very cool to see This Hyundai Ioniq 5 Owner Managed 413,991 Miles In Under Four Years, With One Big Catch
    • G. David Felt
      Tariff Tuesday - Big Trouble in Little Crossovers

      By G. David Felt · Posted

      Removing tariffs that idiot47 caused so much pain with for getting nothing in return show how stupid a person can be in not understanding true business and how to negotiate.  A real man with Business sense would have put together a package of tariffs to present to China to address specific areas that are an imbalance not just attack everything and see what falls out. As such, incompetence in not understanding the long road map to building greatness shows how foolish the current administration is and now they are going to sign an exception list for the auto industry. Destroy good trading partners just to cause Chaos! Never a sound business strategy. Trump to Sign Order Later Tuesday Easing Auto Tariff Impact

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