ccap41

Who else is getting blasted by this winter storm? It's currently -1 degrees F with a 20+mph winds, "feels like" -24 degrees F. Yesterday was the big initial hit. I woke up and it was 35 degrees F and it dropped to about 5 degrees F by noon. We only got about 3 inches of snow but the cold and wind are brutal. I believe today's high is 6 degrees F but winds in the 20-30mph range for the next day or so.

Oh yeah, I forgot that was a thing. Yeah, only one needs to be around and I guess the slightly larger one should stay.

The Encore is surprising to me. I always thought that sold really well. Ford shouldn't axe the EcoSport. They need an all-new one but I think they should have something in that small CUV category.

Oh, well then, Happy Birthday @surreal1272!

I've always viewed the SL as a car that people buy who want a Mustang or Corvette convertible but have too much money to spend so they get a slower and lazier SL. Nice car and all, but it has always seemed to sit in a weird position, IMO.

For as much as I've been a fan of Mercedes for awhile now, their interiors are making me dislike Mercedes as a whole. They just need to go back to simplifying the user controls and GET RID OF the capacitive "buttons" crap. I don't think I could serious consider a modern Merc just based on how the driver controls ANYTHING on the inside.

https://www.motortrend.com/reviews/2022-mercedes-amg-sl63-vs-2022-porsche-911-turbo-s-cabriolet-comparison-test-review "Time was when the Mercedes-Benz SL-Class was the segment's benchmark. Its beautiful design, competent handling, and punchy V-8 made it a favorite among a certain group of buyers, a recognizable symbol that told the world they'd made it to the top. Although the previous generation was a departure from its traditional style, the 2022 Mercedes-AMG SL63 retains the SL line's powerful V-8 ethos and a striking design while adding two vestigial rear seats for more perceived practicality. It may not "look" like an old SL, but we applaud Mercedes for giving the famous nameplate another run in an era when SUVs and electric cars make the market's biggest waves. Meanwhile, a certain Porsche 911 claims some of the category's deepest roots. The 2022 Porsche 911 Turbo S Cabriolet is markedly different from the SL—it has two fewer cylinders, more power, and its famous rear-engine architecture, plus it's shorter and lighter than the Mercedes-AMG. But as one of the most popular sports cars on the planet—and with the new SL on hand as part of our Performance Vehicle of the Year evaluations—we snatched the opportunity to find out how these two German-engineered machines match up. We evaluated each car's ride and handling on city streets, freeways, and on Angeles Crest Highway, one of the country's best driving roads. ACH's sweeping curves, tight corners, and light traffic were perfect for getting a feel for these convertibles, and although there was a clear difference between their road manners, both were quite compelling. We preferred the Porsche's overall behavior on ACH, but we enjoyed the Mercedes for its strong engine and transmission combo. With 577 hp and 590 lb-ft of torque, its 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8 delivers a fun experience regardless of how hard you push it, and the nine-speed automatic transmission shifts up or down swiftly and on time. "It has good power, monster torque, great sound, a good gearbox, good throttle response," executive editor Mac Morrison said after his first few runs on the Crest. As punchy and lively as the Mercedes was, the Porsche felt superior. The 911's 3.7-liter flat-six engine delivers 640 hp and the same torque as the SL63, and it easily performed stronger off the line than the AMG, because it weighs 424 pounds less and packs 63 more horsepower. As an overall GT car, "You can't ask for much better as far as responsiveness and directness," Morrison said. As we've often praised in other Porsches, the steering's response and precision is hard to match. Driving the 911 and the SL back to back also demonstrated the Turbo's superior suspension setup. On bumpy sections where the SL felt soft and out of place, the 911 delivered a unique connected experience. Its chassis felt dynamic and happy on the twisty road, with little need for steering corrections; the Mercedes' doesn't offer the same kind of feedback or feel. Away from ACH's challenges, the SL shined on city streets and highways with long sweeps. Somewhat oddly in Comfort mode on less than smooth roads, the car feels stiffer than you likely expect. Its heavy nose, where 54 percent of its weight sits, also notably impacted the way it performed on ACH. It handles well through quick and medium-speed corners, but it's easy to tip the chassis balance into understeer for hairpin turns. However, you won't typically notice that when cruising on city streets and highways. The Porsche, on the other hand, is capable of obliterating any type of road. "It's a rocket ship of grand-touring style, with outrageous performance," Morrison said. "There are lighter and better-handling 911s, but you really only know that if you've driven those other versions. If this Turbo S Cab was your only experience of the lineup, you'd walk away saying it has no weaknesses as a road car." Indeed, whether you cruise with the top up or down, this Porsche feels like as much car as you've ever wanted. As our test numbers show (see chart below), it's on a different performance plane compared to the 2022 Mercedes-AMG SL63. Just like their exterior designs, the Mercedes' and Porsche's cabin are drastically different, especially when it comes to the number of hard buttons. Mercedes designers opted to place all virtual buttons—including HVAC controls—at the bottom of the main screen, causing the driver to take their view off the road to adjust fan speed or temperature. The appearance is clean and contemporary, but we found it frustrating. Similarly, the steering wheel's capacitive buttons are easy to activate by mistake when moving your thumbs or hands, and having to swipe a "button" even for things like adjusting stereo volume is an imprecise exercise. "I guess I'm 100 years old now," said Morrison, who's actually in his 40s. "But I never wished for a car to become one giant digital tablet. Instead of getting used to this stuff as the miles rolled by, I instead found it more irritating." The 2022 Porsche 911 Turbo S Cabriolet is far from perfect, but we didn't complain as much about its ergonomics and interior features. Its lack of cubbies to place your belongings or drinks is its main cause of user frustration, along with the fact the shifter partially blocks the HVAC controls. We were happy to find there are still radio tuning and volume knobs, and you don't have to go through the screen to change the cabin temperature. Opening and closing the AMG SL63's roof is another frustration. What should be an extraordinarily easy task is made aggravating by the action of digging through the infotainment screen's menus and, once you find it, swiping and holding yet another virtual button on the display until the top is secured completely. Even though we're based in Southern California, we imagined a scene when it starts raining and you try desperately to put the top up. We massively prefer the two physical buttons located on the Porsche's center console for lowering and raising the roof. These annoyances aside, the SL63's cabin is a nice place to sit. The classic rounded air vents with fancy speakers and tons of carbon-fiber finishes make for a plush and modern vibe. The 11.9-inch touchscreen along with the 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster boost the car's technology game, and the quality of the materials is top notch. The 911 isn't far behind, but between the two cabin's we prefer the SL63's. Although the Turbo S Cabriolet also features premium materials, it lacks the fancy screens and clean look. But neither cabin comes off entirely at a level you expect when playing in the $200,000 range. As for driving with the soft tops in place, neither car was particularly quiet, though the 911 was a tad better at minimizing wind noise coming from the side mirrors. On the other hand, the Mercedes-AMG's trunk is more spacious than the 911's frunk. And similar to the 911, its new rear seats aren't comfortable for adults or even children for very long, but they're a good place to put a suitcase or even a bag of golf clubs. Value Can Still Sorta Apply It's always difficult to talk about value with cars nearing or exceeding $200,000, but it's a big part of MotorTrend comparisons and a huge consideration for buyers. The Mercedes-AMG SL63 we drove carried a base price of $182,250, and our test car added almost every option available, increasing its price to $208,085. The Porsche 911 Turbo S Cabriolet, on the other hand, had a starting price of $231,350 and included more than $20,000 in extras to push its as-tested price to $252,940. Is the Porsche 911 Turbo S Cabriolet $44,855 better than the 2022 Mercedes-AMG SL63? After driving them back to back, we lean toward yes. The price difference is large enough for buyers to think about choosing one over the other, but the gap is unlikely to sway many people willing to spend more than $200,000 on a two-door convertible. And when they sit behind the wheel and head to a twisty road (or even drive briskly to the golf course), they will appreciate the dynamic experience and connected feel the Porsche has over the Mercedes. The 911 is simply faster, more fun, and easier to operate than the Mercedes. Despite the SL63's flashier, more tech-forward interior, it's easy to realize Porsche invested most of its resources on developing the chassis and its handling. That's where the $44,855 difference becomes apparent—it's not in places you can touch or see, but rather where you can feel and enjoy it all behind the wheel. The Final Decision The 911 in general is known for being fun and dynamic on challenging roads while also being comfortable as a daily commuter. Our experience in the 2022 Porsche 911 Turbo S Cabriolet continued that tradition—it excelled no matter where we drove it. It's a car that draws smiles whether you're cornering hard on Angeles Crest or cruising on Pacific Coast Highway with the top down. The 2022 Mercedes-AMG SL63 is a stylish and capable grand tourer that will please a lot of buyers, but its dynamic performance isn't as sharp. It's reasonably comfortable for day-to-day activities and is a little more practical than the Porsche given its longer wheelbase and somewhat bigger back seat. But its heavier weight and longer wheelbase reduce its performance and handling. Both cars are competent and approach the segment in different ways, but the 911 Turbo S Cabriolet is the clear winner. Its direct feel, handsome design, and wild cornering abilities pushed it to the top. The AMG SL63 brings back the old SL charm, but its driving limits held it back in this comparison. The Porsche feels more special in that regard, and when you're spending this kind of money on a niche car, well, you deserve to feel special."

I'm super fortunate that my personal route only consumes about 9% more time than driving, 5 minutes. I think it's funny they mention the St Louis Loop Trolley and that's been a pretty big joke around here because it was suuuuuch a failure. I think the route was really bad, had too long of gaps between trollies, it wasn't super cheap, and there was plenty of places to park publicly(for free) along the route so there just wasn't much of a benefit of that whole system. It looked "cute" to have a trolley in that area but the functionality was piss poor. I believe they're in a battle over the funding now though because there was a huge chunk of government money put into it and it's not running right now. (now that I'm Googling things, I think it may be running now but it was shut down for gobbling money with little to no use.) One of the biggest things that pissed people off about the whole thing was they tore up a lot of road to put this in the middle of the road so there were road closures for a long time for something that just failed. "The answers can be found in the fact that the federal government has threatened to take the money it sank into the project back, a development that would also imperil St. Louis' ability to receive federal grants in the future. As reported by KSDK, the Federal Trade Commission said in December that it would demand that some of the federal grants used for construction of the trolley — a sum totaling $37 million — be repaid if it did not resume operation by this summer. Mayor Jones has reportedly said that getting it running again could cost an additional $22 million." This is why it is back running but on a compressed schedule and, I believe, now run by the local MetroLink system.

The whole United States, in general, is not known to have good public transportation systems. Obviously some cities are better than others but that's also assuming all of these migrants/immigrants are moving to cities. There are plenty of towns/small cities that don't have public transportation at all. I think you're also assuming that everybody that doesn't currently know the English language, isn't trying to learn either. Just because they are driving and don't currently know the language doesn't mean they're not trying to learn it or aren't currently learning. Boy-o-boy do I love dealerships.

I take the bus to work but that's only because it only adds abuot 5 minutes to my commute. It's an "express" route so there are only a dozen total stops but I get off on the first stop in Missouri and the route it takes is exactly what I would be taking with two stops in the middle, not out of the way at all. If I was one of the later stops, there's no way I'd waste an extra 30 minutes each way for the bus. I'm not sure how the attachment will work here but I get on at Highland and off at the first stop across the river in MO. MCT_Route_14X.pdf

That only works if they're in a city. Nowhere near everybody that comes from another country moves to a city. 100%. The colors and shapes are there for this exact reason. You do not need to be able to read English to be able to safely navigate our roadways. Also, not having an official language of the US is kind of a major part of what the US is about, diversity. We're a melting pot of nationalities from all over the globe.

To me, I don't notice any vehicle in particular that does this more than another. Damn near every vehicle that gets on the interstate immediately jumps in the left lane and just hangs out there, regardless of their speed. I notice I seem to pass more people in the middle and right lanes with my cruise control set at ~5mph over because people just jump left and hang out there.

This is may be the single biggest gripe in driving. I feel like more often than not, people don't like to pass and will ride your bumper, even on the interstate. I can't even count how many times on the interstate that I'll be in the right or middle lane and somebody comes up on me fairly quick, gets pretty close to me, and just don't pass when there's waaaay more than enough time to get around me. The same goes for 2-lane roads. I'm in a pretty rural area so I drive a lot of 2-lane roads. I'm not a very quick driver but on 55mph roads I almost always set my cruise at 60mph and people do the same thing, get up on me real quick, stay there when there are miles of road to get around me, and just hang out there. 99% of the time I just stay my course. 1% of the time they get too close and I'll slow down to the speed limit, because they could and should just go around me anyway.

Beautiful car but no handicapped mirror tag or license plate, this person is a prick.

Oh 100%. I'm not a fan of the current dealership model at all but if they can be used to just test drive vehicles and inform customers (skeptical about the latter), then I'd be okay with that dealership model. Keep a couple dozen vehicles on the lots with various options/packages with some available for sale but most are built to order.. Just an idea.

And, I believe a hybrid dealership model will be best for the consumer. Of course a one-size-fits-all never really works so a hybrid dealership model, I believe, would be best overall.

The new one is, the previous one was a G500 or G550. Anybody who knows anything about off-roading knows those aren't much of a real all terrain tire. Just look at it and you'll know.

It also comes with street tires and won't be able to go anywhere close as far as the Bronco/Wrangler/4X4 Squared. You either get the best off road abilities or more of a street vehicle with awesome lockers. I get it. It's a kick@ss vehicle but, as I've mentioned, it's aftermarket tires with some sidewalls away from competing with the others from the factory. As with everything, you get one or the other.

Not necessarily though. When it comes to off-road stuff, an 80k Bronco/Wrangler could 100% keep pace with a 400k 4X4 Squared. Their prices don't compare at all but their abilities certainly do. While I love the G Wagen, it would be ignorant to believe that it's better off-road than a 392 Rubicon Wrangler(with the extreme recon package) or Bronco Raptor. The only real advantage 300k gets you is 13.1 inches of ground clearance for the Bronco Raptor, 12.9 for the above Wrangler, then 17.2 inches for the 4x4 Squared. The Wrangler 392 even has more HP and TQ, to boot(50hp,20tq). The Bronco has 1 more HP and 30 more TQ so that extra 300k isn't getting you more under the hood either.

You mean the one I agreed with? See below.

Oh Gee, those guys tested and compared a Palisade and Seltos off-road to a Wrangler and Bronco and came to the conclusion that the Seltos and Palisade are better? In all seriousness, I forgot about the 4X4(squared). I also have never read/seen a comparison with that and the Bronco/Wrangler. It certainly has all of the necessary hardware to be the best OEM off-roader.

Your point wasn't that the G Wagen wasn't the best? Then WTF was your point? Okay. Please continue telling me what to do here while siting trash-@ss sources.

Maybe you also missed where I agreed with you and said it wasn't the best. I was just saying the list/source was shet. You're better than siting a source of off-roaders where #1 & #2 are AWD CUVs.

I'm not going to try and say the G Wagen is the best off-roader, because Broncos, Wranglers, Raptors, and TRXs exist. But there's no doubting a vehicle with solid axles(Prior to the current gen, now just a solid rear axle), transfer case, and three locking diffs isn't one of the best off roaders. All it REALLY needs from the factory is some off-road tires with some sidewall. What a joke of a list. They site the Palisade as #1 and Seltos as #2 and a Travers as #5. Wrangler is #7 on a best off roaders list behind mostly AWD CUVs.

I would be okay if this passes. "Earlier this year, lawmakers in New Jersey started the process of introducing legislation banning vehicle subscription services. The bill prohibits automakers and dealers from charging fees for the hardware already installed in vehicles."