G. David Felt

Tartarus

I posted this in the Random forum.

Funny that the Acura RDX along with the Mazda CX-5 are both on the DO NOT BUY list by JD Powers and Associate 2020 review.

Very interesting 2020 report by JD Powers and Associates. I know many love Mazda, but the Mazda is not well rated and in fact the CX-5 is rated at the bottom as the One CUV to avoid due to poor quality. QUOTE of the key findings in their report: Following are key findings of the 2020 study: Vehicle dependability improves—but at a slower rate: The industry average in 2020 is 134 PP100, which is an improvement of just 2 PP100 from 2019. (However, in 2019, there was an improvement of 6 PP100 from 2018.) Despite the slowing rate of improvement, 2020 marks automakers’ best performance in the history of the study. Dependability gains driven by crossovers and SUVs: Crossovers and SUVs still have slightly more problems than cars, but the gap is narrowing. On average, owners of crossovers/SUVs experience 134 PP100, compared with 127 PP100 by car owners. This 7 PP100 gap has narrowed considerably from 2019. With crossovers/SUVs now accounting for more than 50% of new vehicle sales annually, it is critical that automakers achieve the same level of quality and dependability as for cars. In-vehicle technology shows greatest improvement: Audio/Communication/Entertainment/ Navigation (ACEN) is the most improved category (by 2.3 PP100), but still accounts for more problems than any other category in the study. Owners continue to cite problems with voice recognition, Bluetooth® connectivity and navigation systems. “Many owners complain about these systems early in the ownership experience and, three years later, they’re still frustrated with them,” Sargent said. “We’re seeing improvement, but automakers still have a long way to go to before they can declare victory in this area.” Most Dependable Model: The Lexus ES is the highest-ranked model in the 2020 study. Its score of 52 PP100 is the best ever recorded in the 31-year history of the study. First all-electric model receives an award: The Nissan LEAF is the first all-electric model to receive a segment-level award, for compact car. Highest-Ranked Brands Genesis ranks highest in overall vehicle dependability among all brands, with a score of 89 PP100. This is the first year Genesis has been included in the study. Lexus ranks second with a score of 100 PP100 (an improvement of 6 PP100 year over year). Buick (103 PP100) ranks third, Porsche (104 PP100) ranks fourth and Toyota (113 PP100) ranks fifth. Cadillac shows considerable improvement with a reduction of 35 PP100 from 2019. Other above-average brands with strong improvement include Mazda (reduction of 29 PP100), Lincoln (by 28 PP100), Ford (by 20 PP100), Buick (by 15 PP100) and Volkswagen (by 15 PP100). Toyota Motor Corporation receives six segment awards for the Lexus ES, Lexus GX, Toyota 4Runner, Toyota Avalon, Toyota Sienna and Toyota Tundra. The Toyota brand receives the highest number of segment awards in the study. General Motors Company receives five segment awards: for the Buick Encore and Buick Regal, and for the Chevrolet Equinox, Chevrolet Silverado HD and Chevrolet Tahoe. The 2020 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study is based on responses from 36,555 original owners of 2017 model-year vehicles after three years of ownership. The study was fielded from July through November 2019. To learn more about the U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study, visit http://www.jdpower.com/resource/us-vehicle-dependability-study. https://www.jdpower.com/business/press-releases/2020-us-vehicle-dependability-study Worth downloading and looking at the details.

Happy Birthday @USA-1 Wishing you a great day of relaxing fun and dreams. Enjoy your special day!

Chinese ?

Hate the Predator mouth grill, aka spindle grill they call it. Over all shape is Meh at best. Agree with @balthazar that the over all design of cars is blah and not going to change much at all. I think way too lazy in comparison to actual functional style. I think CAFE blaming is the easy way out for auto companies rather than putting actual work into designing a good look. Interior says Cheap to me. Nice contrast on the red and black, but still says cheap to me and not luxury. Hard pass on this auto for me.

Spicy

Had a nerve test this morning for carpal tunnel and yup, need surgery. On the way there and back, it was an interesting normal mix of cars with lots of CUVs. What was so interesting was the Minivan segment. Those in Dodge, Chrysler, Ford or GM minivans, new or old drove with the speed limit or faster. Yet those in Asian brands of Minivans drove a good 5 to 10 under the speed limit and in the left hand lane holding up everyone else. The observation by my wife, they are all Asian and look scared to be driving, they give me a bad name. Yes my wife is Korean. Some might say this sounds racist, when in fact it is an interesting observation of a very conservative group of people that get licenses and yet do not seem to understand the law of staying right except when passing. I have yet to understand people that get on the freeway, move all the way over to the left lane and put put along below the posted speed limit in the passing lane. Driving is a privilege earned, not a right and yet we have so many terrible drivers out on the road clogging things up and right now the worst are the Asian mini van drivers. Just an observation. I did see a 70's era GMC pickup that was in pretty nice shape.

Multi-Cultural

I drove by my Acura dealership today on my way to my son's house for dinner with the wife. The one thing we do still during this pandemic is dinner with our kids. The Acura dealership had a few cars in the used lot and there were a few new Acura's at the back of the lot, everything was RDX or MDX. Still there and still surviving on selling just 2 models of a CUV that leaves lots to be considered, but clearly surviving. Interesting that they do not have a bigger stable as the luxury division of Honda, you would think they would have one of every CUV Honda makes as a luxury model. ?

Indian

Clydesdales

We all fat finger when posting from a smartphone. Thanks for the point, corrected it. HOT AIR

So ya believe the FAKE FOX News and their photoshopped pictures of morons with assualt weapons walking around. Do not my friend as there are idiots with hand guns, the police are doing their best to deal with it, but there are not these military with assualt weapons walking around as Fox Fake News posted and then took down once The Seattle Times called them on it as they photoshopped actual peaceful protest photo's Seattle Times took and posted with military people and assualt weapons. Yes we have had our share of idiots protesting, but not the crazy burning destruction that they had in the mid-west. We are far more peaceful than what has been seen in other cities. Best to just not go to the cities and be a part of it I think. Enjoying my garden and chatting with you folks.

Totally agree, a zoom C&G meeting would be fun to do!

Nope, Adult entertainment video games in the 80's and 90's that I used to sell when I worked at Computer City. Leisure Suit Larry Adult-Themed Video Game Series Leisure Suit Larry is an adult-themed video game series created by Al Lowe. It was published by Sierra from 1987 to 2009, then by Codemasters starting in 2009. The first six Leisure Suit Larry titles, along with Magna Cum Laude and Love for Sail Mobile, were distributed by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment, while Box Office Bust and Reloaded were distributed by Codemasters. Currently the games are being published and distributed by Assemble Entertainment. ADULT VIDEO GAMES

Leisure Suit Larry

Yes @riviera74 is correct, I had that on our CTS that my wife drove. The salesman made sure to point it out and remind us to not cover it as the wife was thinking of putting her cell phone holder right above it at the time, but the cell phone would cover it and that would have affected the internal temp.

We do know that the Virus came from bats. I honestly do not think normal scientist would release upon humanity a virus that can kill, but sadly we have governments both our own, China and Russia plus others that I am sure would not think twice about weaponizing a animal virus to hurt others. Sadly we do have from our current administration on down into many conservative thinking groups that call Social Security a entitlement rather than the real benefit it is since we are taxed as a the process for paying into it and due to both sides of the political spectrum being responsible for allowing Social Security to be taxed and borrowed against, the political elites in DC have destroyed the basic retirement program for hard working Americans. Plenty of other issues but not going to go into the political side but focus on the facts that the social security system will never die as long as their are people working and paying their SS taxes, it will be funded but at a much reduced level and we have had various folks / groups say that if they could reduce the amount of people drawing on it, then it would lengthen out the life of the system without having to reduce benefits, so there is those here in the US that would like to see a reduction in the baby boomer population and a virus like this will have an affect for those that have medical issues. My daughter was born with weak lungs and has had asthma as well, a year and a half ago she joined Orange Theory to improve her health and did great, then as a present her brother bought her a 6 month program of working with a nutritionist and in 18 months she has lost 40 pounds, went from being tired just walking to she can now run a mile in 12 minutes and can actually finally do pushups. She is very excited to try again snowboarding which she did before she did this and with her improved strength and stamina she should do well. She sleeps better, is more aware about the choices she makes on food quality and I honestly think if she gets accidently exposed to Covid-19, that she will do just fine in recovering as the healthier / stronger one is, the more resistant to the virus as well as recovery. Wish you the best in improving your own health. I know pushing oneself to run and workout is never easy, but opening up the lungs, expanding them will make you stronger and have an easier time breathing. I can stay this that my daughter no longer uses any of her drugs or inhaler. She just signed up for another 6 months of nutritional coaching to ensure her new habits stick and even with our current pandemic, she is working out daily at home and running through the neighborhood to insure she stays on target. Still loosing her college weight gain and looking and feeling great. I know you can do it too, stick with it. ?‍♂️

That EV concept had a non production battery pack and they said that it would be up between the frame and not show like that when they did the train pull.

Yes, I think that Buick is one of the best cars GM built in the last decade. Totally agree with you as Toyota style is a disaster IMHO

Meh, just not impressed with the cars GM is building. The Buick Station wagon in the back ground is better looking than this car. Sorry, glad you like it, but MEH to me.

According to COO Jim Farley, blame it on the Pandemic but the redesigned F-150 will finally be unveiled July 25th 2020. and this new truck will have a new electrical architecture that is believed to use what the Mach-e has for over the air updates plus allow both ICE and EV trucks. With that said, Ford COO Jim Farley did say that the EV truck and Van will come to market mid 2022. So will Ford seize the day or will they be late to the party as Tesla, Rivian, Lordstown and GM have all stated they will have their EV Trucks out in 2021 and aimed at Fleet buyers. ? https://chargedevs.com/newswire/ford-coo-says-electric-f-150-pickup-and-transit-van-will-arrive-mid-2022/

Another Truck maker with value surpassing Legacy OEMs with nothing delivered yet and now what was once offered to Tesla as a superior truck to the abomination Tesla truck is now moving forward with reservations to open June 29th 2020 and deliveries to begin in 2022 with an as yet to be announced partner per the CEO interview on Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-nikola-badger/nikola-in-talks-with-automakers-for-badger-pickup-truck-production-founder-idUSKBN23H39S CEO of Nikola says the Badger EV Truck will have a 600 mile range with option of fuel cell hybrid or pure EV compared to the Tesla truck with only a 500 mile range. Nikola has also started building their own Hydrogen fueling network which they say will be open to everyone with plans for 700 stations across the nation.