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A buddy of min in AZ has 3 Land Cruisers--all bought used w/ high mileage..a mid '70s 2dr FJ40, an '84 FJ 60, and a '90s FJ 80. A few years ago when he was having trouble passing emissions tests w/ the '84 (finicky tuning), he took it to a shop in Seattle that retrofitted it with a GM LS e-rod crate engine... been very happy with it since then, takes it off roading and camping a lot in AZ.

Land Cruisers aren't really overrated... I'm not saying that either. What other SUV can stake you to the country club OR participate in the People's Liberation Army? It's that Land Cruisers are rare, expensive, and have a mystique. The Nissan Patrol/Armada is every bit as capable as the Land Cruiser, but no one collects Armadas. There's not a lot that Nissan gets right, but the 5.6 V8 is rock solid reliable. And as sad as it is, even the Armada/QX80 outsold the Land Cruiser/LX for the entire time it was on the market. Tahoes, when properly equipped with the 2-speed transfer case and G80 rear locker like I have, can also be just as capable. They're build for extreme duty... they make optional special 12-volt batteries for them to handle long periods with the engine off (I have one) and they have a spot for a second battery if desired. The Secret Service and many other law enforcement agencies use them. But no one cares because there's a zillion of them out there. No one collects and restores them because you can just go one car lot over to find a nicer one. The only one remotely collectible is the Avalanche/EXT. But when I say that Land Cruisers are rare, they only sold about 1,600 of them in 2011, and between 2,000 and 3,700 (typically 3k) per year since. Totaling 33,905 units in the eleven years since 2011. GM moves that many Tahoes, Suburbans, and Yukons in seven weeks. GM builds more of those three (and not including the Escalade) in 6 months than all the Land Cruisers sold in the U.S ever. That's why people hang on to them and keep them pretty.

LOL the Enclave is not a bottom feeder. And fancy leather does not a quality interior make... in fact, if that is the only improvement they do, then it's a rather cynical and lazy upgrade to try and make that claim. I mean... This is an official Toyota press photo of the Tundra Capstone and I can see flaws in the fitting of the leather... uneven creases. One seat almost has pleats while the other is flat. If you look up photos of people who did reviews, you can see similar flaws. Just scroll through the interior pics to see them all. I'm also not a big fan of the seat styling... it looks like one designer did 2/3s and another designer did 1/3. Aside from the two-tone, they don't look like anything special. That leather wrap on the a-pillar grab handle is just a cheap cynical addition to lipstick over the cheap plastic underneath. Verses the Silverado High Country. I *really* like this new interior. It harkens back to the broad horizontal dashboards of yesteryear. It has a large screen, but it doesn't look like an iPad slapped on the dash with a holder from Wish like the Tundra does. It is far better integrated into the dash and doesn't look out of place. Oh look... it has Super Cruise too... something no Toyota has. Notice no visible flaws in the leather. Then there is the Sierra Denali. Gone are the days of identical interiors between the GMC and Chevy. The GMC moves the central HVAC vents and gets an extra storage cubby. The dash flows into the center console and the HVAC controls are at more of an angle. It has handsomely stitched leather and engraved open-pore wood. Again the screen looks properly integrated rather than an iPad slapped on the dash. Much more handsome seats with tri-tone colors, and the same engraving pattern on the dash is replicated on the seats. That pattern btw is the topographical map of the summit of Mount Denali. The a-pillar and b-pillar grab handles are fully leather wrapped and there is a microsuede headliner. Then there's the Lexus LX..... That's luxury?? The Palisade and Telluride are better than that... easily. or try a Grand Wagoneer or Yukon Denali The days of bad domestic interiors are very much over. Now... these are all the top zoot luxury barges from their respective brands.... so back to the Hornet. This looks perfectly acceptable for a sub-$30k small crossover with performance intentions. I looks remarkably similar to the Mazda CX-30 which is the most likely closest competitor.

Dodge took the wraps off a muscular new compact crossover that packs quite the sting. The 2023 Dodge Hornet will be one of the quickest and most powerful entries into the compact crossover segment with even the base model having best in class performance. Based on the same sporty platform as the Alfa-Romeo Tonale, the 2023 Hornet gets the Dodge Brother's take on what a compact crossover should be. Power The Hornet packs two powertrain options. The base Hornet GT comes with a 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder with direct injection and start-stop producing an estimated 265+ horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque running to all wheels, standard, via a 9-speed automatic transmission. Priced under $30k, this makes the Hornet GT the most powerful vehicle available under that price point. In normal driving, the power is dialed back for fuel efficiency and emissions, however, the GT has a Sport Mode button on the steering wheel that unlocks a quicker throttle response, tighter steering feel, and if equipped with Dual Stage shocks a stiffer suspension setting, along with releasing the full horsepower and torque specs. The base GT gets from 0-60 in 6.5 seconds. The Hornet R/T PHEV is the first electrified performance vehicle. (The first electrified Dodge was the 2009-only Dodge Durango Hemi-Hybrid). The R/T features a 1.3-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder with third-generation MultiAir technology and 6-speed automatic combined with a 90-kW electric motor that powers the rear wheels. Combines, the powertrain deploys 285 horsepower and 383 lb-ft of torque. Takeoffs should be brisk with the electric motor alone delivering 184 lb-ft of torque at 0 rpm. The Hornet R/T carries a 15.5-kWh lithium-ion refrigerant cooled battery pack, while a belt starter-generator adds and smooths torque from the internal combustion engine while also providing some battery regeneration capabilities. A 7.4-kW charging inverter allows for the battery to be charged from zero to full in about 2.5 hours from a household Level-2 charging. The battery is capable of delivering up to 30 miles of EV-only range. The same Sport Mode is available on the R/T as the GT, however the R/T PHEV gets an extra "sting" in reserve with its PowerShot feature. The Powershot feature boosts horsepower by 25 and increases torque for 15 seconds which shaves a full second off the 0-60 time, down to 6.1 seconds. Powershot is activated by pulling both steering wheel mounted paddle shifters and stomping the pedal. After 15 seconds, the vehicle enters a 15 second cool down period before the PowerShot can be repeated. When you're not hooning it, the Hornet R/T has several efficiency modes. Hybrid Mode: Provides maximum combined efficiency of the conventional engine and e-Motor, minimizing fuel consumption by setting electric priority until a minimum battery level is met. Electric Mode: Offers an all-electric, zero emission mode, and automatically switches to hybrid when the battery is depleted or when extra power is requested by driver pedal kickdown. E-Save Mode: Gives priority to the conventional engine to preserve battery charge, with a Passive option to maintain the charge and an Active option to help recharge the battery. GLH Concept: Goes Like Hell Dodge also showed the Dodge Hornet GT GLH (Goes Like Hell) Concept that previews additional dealer-added parts via the Dodge Direct Connection pack. Some of the options shown on the GLH Concept are: Stage kit that offers stackable performance upgrades for the GT model Suspension lowering kit drops the Hornet more than an inch, creating a lower center of gravity and enhanced cornering dynamics Unrestricted dual exhaust with black chrome tips provide a throaty performance note Exclusive Direction Connection GLH 20-inch painted and machine-faced wheels Exclusive Direct Connection GLH graphics, including stripes and logos Black-painted lower trim with exhaust cutout rear fascia Horsepower, performance, and pricing numbers for the Direct Connection parts will be available at a later date. Driving What is all that power without the power to control it? The 2023 Hornet leads in this department as well with a hive of class exclusive driving performance features. Koni frequency selective damping shocks - Standard on GT and R/T - Class Exclusive Front Brembo four-piston fixed calipers - Optional on GT / Standard on R/T - Class Exclusive Brake-by-wire - Standard on R/T - Class Exclusive Driver-selectable Dual-Stage-Valve suspension - Optional with Track Pack option on GT and R/T - Class Exclusive Fully Independent suspension with 3-link rear Chapman suspension - Standard on GT and R/T Dynamic Torque Vectoring that can act as an electronic limited-slip differential in Sport Mode - Standard on GT and R/T Best-in-class weight distribution - Standard on GT and R/T Interior Dodge didn't skimp on technology on the Hornet's interior. Coming standard is a 12.3-inch digital cockpit cluster screen and a 10.25-inch Uconnect 5 Infotainment display. The gauge screen is split into three zones that the driver can customize. The Android-based Uconnect 5 system allows for HVAC, seat controls, and more to be customized and linked to driver profiles. Wireless CarPlay and Android Auto is standard, while Amazon Alexa is built in, allowing for control of home devices or using home-based Alexa devices to control the car remotely. Wireless charging is standard on GT and R/T plus. Standard on the GT Plus and R/T Plus is a Harman-Kardon premium sound system with 14 speakers and 465 watts of power. Safety The Hornet gets a honeycomb of advanced safety features including Level 2 autonomous driving with the optional Tech Pack. Standard Advanced Driver-Assistance System features for all models include: Automatic Emergency Braking, which detects pedestrians or cyclists on the road and delivers a visual and acoustic warning, and can bring the vehicle to a full stop to mitigate collision Lane Support System gives a visual and haptic warning when straying from a vehicle lane while driving and performs automatic counter steering Blind Spot Detection with Rear Cross Path alerts drivers via a visual warning through a triangular icon on the side mirrors, chimes with a warning when the turn signal is active, and the system also detects approaching vehicles or objects when backing up Optional with the Tech Pack: Intelligent Speed Assist w/Traffic Sign Recognition detects the speed limit and provides the driver a one-click option to adjust speeds Driver Attention Assist detects signs of fatigue and alerts weary drivers with a visual and acoustic warning on the cluster Intelligent Adaptive Cruise Control (IACC) maintains an appropriate speed and distance with functionality that supports stop and go traffic Lateral Control/Lane Support system combines Lane Control and Traffic Jam Assist to keep the vehicle centered on the lane Check out the 2023 Dodge Hornet photo gallery for more angles on the GT and GLH Concept. The 2023 Dodge Hornet will be built in Stellantis's Giambattista Vico Stellantis plant in Pomigliano d'Arco, Naples, Italy, with the GT available later in 2022 and R/T PHEV arriving in Spring 2023 View full article

They said the Guilia was going to be reliable and not like Alfa's of the past, and it wasn't, likewise with the Stelvio, likewise with every Maserati currently on sale. I don't believe him for a second, and if they want to put their money where their mouth is, offer a better warranty than Hyundai or on these. They couldn't make a Guilia with a 2 liter turbo 4 reliable, which I think every car company on earth has a 2 liter turbo 4, that is like the most basic and common engine out there. Now they are going to go to a high boost 1.3 liter with an electric drivetrain mixed in, when they have zero history of hybrid powertrains, compared to Toyota who has 25 years of doing it. I don't trust it.

What's overrated about a Land Cruiser? This is the first I'm hearing of it being overrated.

LOL wut? They were literally the subject of a class action and frame recall.

And the general public seems to care less about that. I feel like anytime I'm around people or hear people talking about new vehicles the old phrase of "just get a Toyota XXX, it'll last forever" comes up. They definitely still seem to have that reputation.

I agree that performance details would be nice on the auto. We do know the charging speed as it is an 800V platform, so charging is fast just like Porsche, GM, Kia, Hyundai, etc. Anyone that supports 800V.

Then it'll be nothing special.. They may not mention benchmarking those cars but they probably should do that as both of those SMOKE a Hellcat. So this seems like an awesome vehicle but without knowing some of the details, all I'm getting is a complete gimmick car. I know more details will follow but it would have been nice to know some performance targets, range, charging speed, hp/tq.

I’ve lived here most of my life and those are not “southern survivors”. Those are actually pretty typical around here. If you’re going bring up the rust issues, then it should be noted that those were only on early 2000 model Tacomas and Tundras. The LC and LX twins had no such reported issues and neither did the 4-Runner. It should be further noted that most 20 year trucks from the domestics suffered the same issues so there is that to consider as well. Again, compare them to other makes and models of those years and you’ll see how overblown these claims really are. That’s all I’m going to say about it. I will gladly put a neglected 20 year old 4-Runner against any neglected Explorer or Trailblazer. We can act like it doesn’t exist, Toyota reliability, but that doesn’t make it so. Again, not saying they’re perfect but it is damn near laughable to act like they haven’t earned this reputation for long term reliability.

You found southern survivors. And the average LX/Land Cruiser buyer is a special breed of buyer. They have some of the highest average net worth, wealthy but not flashy. They buy for the long haul and use the dealer for service. And while they could afford something new, they have no problem babying it to 200k before giving it to their son to take to Harvard as a legacy. Then once they hit the secondary market, their off-road capabilities and rareness get them scooped up by the Land Cruiser cult and either preserved or turned into overlanders. So they spend more of their life babied than say, an Explorer, because of their rarity and capability. But when they follow the normal aging process without the constant attention of a Toyota dealer, they deteriorate the same as any Camry LE, but with the added perk of frame rot. Tahoes and Suburbans last just as long with more severe duty and more neglect, but no one cares to preserve them because there’s a zillion of them out there.

Going to have to interject a bit of this one. Are Toyotas perfect? Absolutely not. However, this bunk about old busted models deserve a retort. Here is a 2003 Lexus LX 470 with 203K miles (low for that year) and I see none of the issues that you seem to think they suffer. https://charlotte.craigslist.org/ctd/d/charlotte-2004-lexus-lx470-loaded-best/7523321702.html And try another almost 20 year old LX. No headlight yellowing. No cracked dash and this also has more than 200K miles so it’s not Ike either of these were babied. https://greensboro.craigslist.org/ctd/d/greensboro-2003-lexus-lx-470/7517568006.html I can find quite a few near 20 year 4-Runners that will shame the Trailblazer and Explorers of those years (mostly because you’ll find more left actually running after all this time). I get the criticisms but most are way overblown.

Took me multiple times too, to watch. One messed up movie. LOL

Side impact standards.