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OT: Honda Accord Hybrid

Timely and related:

LOL

US requires a huge investment in infrastructure. EVs have nothing to do with it.
 
Not denying the need for investment, but projected growth of EV's will add additional strain as indicated in the article.
Agreed. But the article should say EVs will finally force much needed infrastructure upgrades. Not that upgrades are needed because of EVs.
 
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@SkilletHead2 how did you and your fellow Kiwis do with the earthquake?
Thanks for asking e5! Quakes were over 1000 miles away from us, so we didn't feel anything.

I'm thinking one of these days a tsunami is going to hit and I'm going to be well-positioned for it. I'm about 1000 feet above sea level, but the ocean is only about 1/3 to 1/2 a mile away, and I can see almost 100 miles up the coastline from my living room!
 
Wrong how?

You're greatly oversimplifying the physics and mechanical engineering involved. The fact that the weight of a battery is placed low and in the center of the mass, while unarguably impactful and important, doesn't entirely eliminate or overcome all impact of a too much additional weight, regardless of where it's located.

Which is why, for example, a Porsche Taycan (at ~5000 lbs) cannot outhandle a Porsche GT3 RS (at ~3100 lbs) or a Porsche GT4 (at ~3200 lbs). The GT3 RS is rear engine. The GT4 is mid-engine. The handling dynamics and characteristics between each of the 3 cars is very different. But the general consensus of any person capable of driving all three cars at even 7/10ths their capability will rank the Taycan's handling, while great, very obviously the worst of the 3.

Different people value different aspects of handling characteristics in different ways. The mid-engined GT4, despite it being far less powerful a car than the rear-engined GT3 RS, is often perceived as more enjoyable due to the more neutral handling characteristics caused by the mid-engine placement. OTOH, someone who values the power highly will likely get more enjoyment from the GT3 RS.

There's no "wrong" answer here. Everything depends on what priorities the buyer/driver has. If your priority is a car that's great for track days or flinging through corners on remote back roads, you would not buy a Taycan. You would opt for one of the GT cars. Even if you are driver who simply values driving engagement and handling precision over everything else, you'll opt for one of the GT cars, quite possibly the cheaper, slower GT4 versus the far more expensive, faster GT3 RS due to handling characteristics.

OTOH, if you prioritize comfort, quietness, the environment (maybe), the ability to carry 4 reasonably sized people, with handling that seems to defy physics (while actually taking advantage of physics, as you said), you'd get a Taycan over the two GT cars. OTOH, if you don't care about the environment, you might get a performance SUV instead. I can tell you from personal experience that it's truly mind-blowing what a Cayenne Turbo (~5100 LBS) w/all the performance options can do on a track.

And the Cayenne Turbo's center of gravity is quite a lot higher, and more forward, than the Taycan.

Since it seems like you are a Porsche person, what do you think of the Smaller SUV Porsche Macan?
I see a 3 yo used Macan for around 40K....
I love the way they look.
 
Since it seems like you are a Porsche person, what do you think of the Smaller SUV Porsche Macan?
I see a 3 yo used Macan for around 40K....
I love the way they look.
I drove a loaner Macan S for a couple days while my car was being serviced. It was great fun, and pretty comfortable up front. The backseat is probably not sufficient for adults or even tall teenagers. So not a great family car unless it’s a young family.

I have been SUv shopping for a couple years now, and haven’t settled on one. But I’m still considering a Macan S or GTS. Just wish they had roomier back seats.

The Macan S would be lowest model I’d consider, personally. The base Macan is underwhelming, engine-wise (a 2.0L 4 cylinder). Stepping up to the S gets you a 3.0L 6 cylinder.

If you’ve never bought a Porsche, you should be aware that most models have a very long list of options that improve appearance, performance, and comfort. If you’re thinking of buying one, even used, it would be a good idea to spend some time on the Porsche configurator, playing with the many options. Ask questions on Rennlist about which options people there recommend.

Just about everyone has a personal idea of must have options. Even of the configurator is set up for a newer generation, it’s worth playing with since most of the options remain consistent across model generations.
 
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Thanks for asking e5! Quakes were over 1000 miles away from us, so we didn't feel anything.

I'm thinking one of these days a tsunami is going to hit and I'm going to be well-positioned for it. I'm about 1000 feet above sea level, but the ocean is only about 1/3 to 1/2 a mile away, and I can see almost 100 miles up the coastline from my living room!

Did you buy next door to Al Gore ?
 
I drove a loaner Macan S for a couple days while my car was being serviced. It was great fun, and pretty comfortable up front. The backseat is probably not sufficient for adults or even tall teenagers. So not a great family car unless it’s a young family.

I have been SUv shopping for a couple years now, and haven’t settled on one. But I’m still considering a Macan S or GTS. Just wish they had roomier back seats.

The Macan S would be lowest model I’d consider, personally. The base Macan is underwhelming, engine-wise (a 2.0L 4 cylinder). Stepping up to the S gets you a 3.0L 6 cylinder.

If you’ve never bought a Porsche, you should be aware that most models have a very long list of options that improve appearance, performance, and comfort. If you’re thinking of buying one, even used, it would be a good idea to spend some time on the Porsche configurator, playing with the many options. Ask questions on Rennlist about which options people there recommend.

Just about everyone has a personal idea of must have options. Even of the configurator is set up for a newer generation, it’s worth playing with since most of the options remain consistent across model generations.
Great information. Thank you. This is my wish list car (next to maybe a Volvo). I am a pretty simple guy (only thing i would love is a back up camera). Truthfully, the first priority is a car for wife.....
 
Great information. Thank you. This is my wish list car (next to maybe a Volvo). I am a pretty simple guy (only thing i would love is a back up camera). Truthfully, the first priority is a car for wife.....
Sister and good friend, also a woman, have the Volvo and they both like it a lot.
 
Great information. Thank you. This is my wish list car (next to maybe a Volvo). I am a pretty simple guy (only thing i would love is a back up camera). Truthfully, the first priority is a car for wife.....
Two things:

(1) It probably has a backup camera if it's only 3 years old, but double-check. It probably isn't great quality, though, because for expensive cars, Porsche sometimes has really odd lapses of quality in certain things they apparently don't prioritize. But it'll be good enough to do the job, especially along with the proximity alert beeps.

Audio systems is another good example of an odd lapse. Most Porsches these days come with a base audio system (that sucks), a Bose upgrade option (which is acceptable, but still kind of sucks), and a ridiculously overpriced Burmester option (the price is somewhat less ridiculous in certain higher model tiers) that is okay, but really still incongruent with such expensive cars. The argument for 911s is that the music coming from the engine behind you is what you're supposed to be listening to, so the audio system quality is irrelevant. For cars that cost $100K+, I disagree. Exclude the entire audio system to save weight, fine. But if including one, make damn sure it's a good one.

Anyway, if you like music, and care at all about sound quality, make sure you get a Porsche with at least the Bose option.

(2) Much more importantly, we need to discuss your priorities.

Instead of worrying over getting the wife a car first, sell the wife (along with any pesky kids, who generally bring higher profits anyway). Then use the profits to get yourself a brand-spanking new Macan Turbo with every possible performance and comfort option. Then, if you have several kids, you'll have plenty left over to pay for hookers and blow. Woo hoo! 😀
 
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Sister and good friend, also a woman, have the Volvo and they both like it a lot.
Plus it's never a problem if an elephant steps on the Volvo. I saw it in a commercial so it must be true.

I've never seen a Porsche commercial demonstrate similar safety capability for their cars. Zuffenhausen Slackers.
 
Go big and step up for an Aston Martin DBX. You can lease one for just $2600 per month.
 
Go big and step up for an Aston Martin DBX. You can lease one for just $2600 per month.
Or just get one of these - Aston Martin's 2021 F1 entry, which is beautiful. Might be a wee bit more than $2600 per month, though...

AstonMartin-Cognizant-FormulaOne%C2%AETeam-F1_AMR21_04-1.jpg
 
Normal America, in other words where 30-50K is a lot for a car.

Median age of cars on American roadways has now hit 11 years old, the oldest in history.

How many of us here, that should be the target economic group, college educated, white collar jobs, own homes own an Electric Vehicle as our primary vehicle ?

How many have Sun powered homes for electric power generation ?

Many places in the World do not have an electric power grid that can provide electricity on a 24 x 7 day/week. EV don't reduce the power grids load/requirement for electricity to be generated, they INCREASE the need.

Cars last a long time now. I have a 2001 Acura and I drive it every day.
 
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