Hybrids all the way! Love my 2023 Toyota Venza XLE. At my dealership in Wisconsin no market adjustments and no add ons. Did have to pay MSRP at $38830.
oooh loving my 2023 Venza too!! I would have liked a RAV4 Prime but would have nowhere to charge it. my fuel economy in my Venza is regularly over 40mpg; often times with trip averages over 50!
We love our Venza Limited. Averaging 5.7 L/100km. We were at our dealer a couple weeks ago to ask about the possibility of a plug in Venza (not coming for a while, we were told). He said we could sell our 2021 Venza for more than we paid for it - they are in demand and they are difficult to get here in BC.
HUD- I always thought it was overrated, then we got one in our new RDX. Clean and useful. Really use it all the time. So I got it in my Integra too. But I'm with zork on the driving nannies like LKA. I only use it on really LONG road trips to relax my hands and shoulders.
The former dealer sends me emails, offers in the mail and ask me at every oil change about my next purchase and answer the same, never unless the owner apologizes and gives me a blowout deal and Billionaires will not do that so adios! Great show, fact filled and produced in a clear, concise manner and enough banter to entertain.
I completely agree with you on the heads up display. I happen to find it mildly annoying as in an almost “wanting to clean the windshield to get it off there feeling” but of course I would just turn it off!” 😂 I bought a Genesis GV 70, 2.5, Advanced, and since the information screen is way up there on the dash, I find with Waze or other navigation, all the information that you need is right there where you’ll be keeping your eyes on the road anyway and it’s even better when imposed over a map.
You guys need to go for an hour! 30 minutes flies by way too quickly (well, especially at 1.5x playback speed.) Seriously, people absolutely love these C&C videos!
Toyota knows what they are talking about... EVs have a long way to go for mass acceptance... price, range anxiety, infrastructure, etc.... another problem is charge adapters for these cars... it has been suggested that the CCS adapters are going to be replaced by the Tesla-style adapters which will eventually become the standard EV charging adapter... what happens to the EVs that now have the CCS adapters?... are they going to have to bring their cars into their dealership and pay to have them converted?
A couple things…. 1) Range anxiety is real, but the majority of drivers won’t face that challenge if they have a reasonable range EV. 2) infrastructure is also,ethically g that will need to be beefed up, but it’s not magically being changed overnight, and it’s slightly overblown because most charging will occur overnight when power production is idle. It could lead to govern,event mandated requirements that allow grid stabilization that otherwise wouldn’t exist. Infrastructure for fast charging isn’t as required because of the how most charging will take place, but once again, there is time. Gas stations and distribution didn’t exist early on in ice vehicles, and there is already an existing electrical grid to improve instead of starting from scratch. 3) Price is real, and this will be held back by standardization and will be improved by adoption.
The current ADM climate is why we're running our cars out to 10+ years and 150K miles. Two Toyotas and a Porsche so we are solid for many years, even though we'd like to buy a new car but I will not pay thousands over MSRP. The dealership model is broken.
When I first started hearing about the EV cars/trucks being pushed, being ‘mandated’, being essentially forced… I knew that’d hit resistance (power grid, range, cost, convenience), I thought of the words said or rather sung by the legendary philosopher… Mr. Sam Cooke, and his Gand Opus… ‘A change is gonna come’. I believe the people will rise and reject these 2030(?) policies and adoption expectations based on … money. There just is not enough of it around for the average person (like myself) for cars/trucks costing more that houses (in the smaller Canadian cities/towns). It is now acceptable for everyone to have a 72, 84 or even 96 monthly payments. This isn’t acceptable! Everything goes up, I get that. But the automotive industry has disappointedly and consistently been squeezing their customers… the average Canadian/American. And a change is gonna come. That’s my thought on the matter. Great episode. And by the way… thanks for 30(!) years of reviews and impressions. Cheers.
With regard to sale price, I paid retail for my Acura RDX Elite. No admin fee, free security package, a good (32,5K) trade-in value for my 2019. $1,000 rebate from Acura and $1,000 military rebate. But according to ''Le guide de l'auto'' from Québec, the sales of the RDX are down by close to 40 %... Result for doing away with the two base models? Always fun watching you two!
I'm with Zack on lane keep assist. I rented a car for a round trtip from Connecticut to Florida. On the way down, I didn't really realize that I was drastically fatigued from fighting system. On the way home, I figured out how to turn it off. Ahhhh! So much better. I was able to drive 21 hours straight home without difficulty. I will ALWAYS turn this feature off and never own a car that won't let me.
My buddy has the Silverado 1500 3.0 diesel. He loves the fuel economy and power, but it’s already been in the shop twice for emissions components failure and once for a fuel pump, under 60K miles.
Re availability of Teslas in Canada, here in Qc, Teslas are generally available within a few weeks or immediately if taken from inventory. No dealer mark ups as there are no dealers.
Tesla changes prices daily on their cars and they vary quite a bit from province to province. So while it dealer markup, the same supply v demand forces are at work there. It’s just nice that there’s no guessing. Their prices are on the website.
Fyi. If you want an S7 but dont want to fork out the cash you should buy the a7 and when out of warranty put a cobb or softronic tune and you will have exact same hp and torque numbers! Or tune it on day one if you want to risk voiding your warranty.
I have had several cars with moonroofs and here in Texas it is too dang hot 95 percent of the time to have it open. I think they are cool in the right region of the country but I can live without it. Lane keep assist is nice on long interstate trips Zach.
Just bought a Kia Niro, love the car. I only have 1000 miles on it and am averaging about 57 mpg. My question is what is an hev going to be worth in 8 to 10 years with the original battery?
I live in Calgary, oh yeah, EV's are popular...but, just like you keep saying, we lack the infrastructure to really make it happen. It's not just the cost of the car, its also the cost of rewiring your garage and/or home to be able to charge it.
17:10 I really like having the turn by turn navigation in the head up display, but just a basic one that has speed and one or two other things is just kind of whatever. The newer ones with the augmented reality stuff is amazing though, definitely something I want in the future.
Re Dealer pricing… dealers are separate businesses and buy from the OEM and sells for what the market will tolerate. In the US, state laws exist which protect dealers, so not much to do except start doing business with the OEM directly… like Tesla.
I agree with you regarding lane keep assist however BMW has traffic assist which drives the car for you during stop and go traffic and the radar "sees" the vehicle in front of the vehicle in front of you so the reaction time is faster than a human and will prevent fatigue and accidents. I do love BMW HUD because it has a lot of information such as Navigation, Speed with Speed limit display, infotainment: Channel changing, Communications including phonebook. The new augmented reality in the BMW HUD is a lot of help when you're on a multi-lane highway with multiple exits to guide you to the right exit when you're not familiar with the a area. Great watching you guys. What do you guys think of the new Fisker Ocean. I'm seriously thinking of ordering one (2 years) and I live in Quebec and travel to Lorton, Virginia to the Amtrak Auto train which goes non-stop to Orlando, Florida. That trip takes 9.5 hours through the Thousand Island bridge near Brockville and the i81 in upper NY state. The train is special as it the cars are completely detached and the vehicles including motorcycles and both sleeper cabins and coach which I find very comfortable. It's very inexpensive when you consider gas, time, extra lodging, wear and tear and not having to rent a car or about $500 which includes your vehicle and your coach seat and free water. So driving to Florida is much easier. So the Ocean has great range.
Heads-up display?? I Can't even see it with my polarized sunglasses! Plus, all the same info is actually on my dash, so incredibly redundant. Our local Mercedes Benz dealer just shipped all their EV inventory to California as they weren't selling. The demand in Philadelphia for a pure EV goes to Telsa. I am waiting to take delivery of a GLE 450e. So we will see how it goes!!
Sorry one more … 10 to 15 years ago if you even looked at your cell phone the wrong way you got a ticket …now its cool to take your eyes off the road for 5 minutes trying to y=turn the seat heaters down.. one step forward , two steps back
I've owned a 2014 tiguan, 2019 tiguan, 2019 golf R, all had no issues. My wife also has a 2021 ID4, but that's another issue with the infotainment system.
I have said it before and am so very impressed with all the people walking in your neighborhood. This is not too common for most places. You must live in a truly lovely area. Truly nice to see.....keep up the good work.
Re a stall in BEV sales, I recently heard comments from a few people who were interested and they stated something VERY interesting “So I heard the Tesla charge plug is coming in 2025, so we decided to just wait” many don’t want a big plug when the NACS plug is coming to GM, Ford, Volvo/Polestar, MB, Honda and many, many more. That gets you access to the best and most reliable, massive charging network.
Agree 50% with Zack. With our new vehicle I discovered HUD and LOVE it. Lane Keep Assist? Hard pass for me as well. I hate that feeling of a ‘possessed’ steering wheel. Adaptive cruise - a new ‘must’ for me.
The plugin Crosstrek had a pretty nice (probably toyota derived eCVT, but the rear axle on a full-time AWD car cuts into the battery pack or the trunk space, so it was kind of neither fish nor fowl. I see that our local Subaru lots don't have much stock of anything, but they do have Solterras on the lots. Mind you, it's not been the most well received vehicle, but might be seeing more of them on the road because that's what's in stock.
I think the start/stop feature is the worst feature. I agree on the lane keep assist-its annoying. Screens of course is a distraction; decent sized screen with intuitive user interface is what you need.
One safety feature that our Subies have I wouldn’t want to be without…great channel BTW Subaru Rear/Side Vehicle Detection System (SRVD) Available on the Touring trim and higher, SRVD has three distinct functions. Blind Spot Detection identifies vehicles when they appear in your blind spots. Lane Change Assist detects vehicles approaching quickly from an adjacent lane. Lastly, the Rear Cross Traffic Alert signals when vehicles or pedestrians are approaching from either side while you’re reversing out of a parking space or driveway.
Zac I dislike the radar cruise control. Lexus has it so far from the car in front even at the lowest setting. I prefer to adjust it myself via a toggle. My previous G37 had the most responsive toggle even better than Porsche.
Just purchased a Kia Niro EX (hybrid) 2023 at $1000 OFF msrp. I am in ohio. Found the car at the dealership. So the problem is not everywhere. I think things are worst in Canada ( I have lots of freonds and relatives there) and the problem is people are buying these cars because they "have" to have it.
The company that builds affordable, Hybrids, Plug In Hybrids, and EV's. To be also reliable, and enjoyable. YES Bring in the ID.3!!!!!! Oh and a reliable charging network that works like a gas pump that takes Debit/Credit cards, and doesn't need a QR code or membership.
Great video guys and great information about EV's pricing and plateauing in the US market. The average person cannot afford or have the infrastructure to support an EV. Keep up the good work 👍👍
i once had an a4 when my car was getting serviced and it had ventilated seats and they sucked. literally i think they just sucked air. my wife’s infiniti has cooled seats and they get nice and cold - a must in the summer with hot leather seats IMO. maybe the porsche ventilated seats are like the audi’s and if they are…pass. I also always wanted a HUD but now that i have one i find i rarely look at it.
I buy new cars and keep them for 20 years. (To retire early.) In between, I watch you guys. And when year 20 rolls around, I know exactly what to buy😊.
LOL, that's where I stand right now, retired at 50, still driving my 2003 passat with a bit less than 37,000 miles on it and in pristine condition. I'm tempted to buy a new car but don't know what I want, obviously I don't care about saving money on gas the way I drive so I'm not happy with the crappy engines they're using now just to get better gas mileage. I love my V6.
Kia is one of the worst for marking up vehicles - Kia Canada should be more concerned because these shady dealers are damaging the name. Genesis Canada is one of the few that has total control over their dealerships - you buy the car from Genesis Canada and the dealership is just the facilitator. No haggling, no shady packages - a few offered packages but no pressure to accept those. This is the way I wish all dealerships were run!
A few weeks ago the subject of your unused leather case from Italy came up. I was reminded of this when i saw the luggage that comes with the new alfa romeo 33. Have you seen it?
I don't understand LKS either. Is it too much to ask people to pay attention when they're driving and not depends on the computer to tell you to put the phone down?
Mach E, EV6 and Ioniq 5 look great IMO. EV sales in the US are going great this year. Q2 according to Cox was42% grow year over year and August alone was over 99k EVs sold up 72% from August 2022. . No doubt some MFGs increase production over 50% so yes, there is inventory now. The trend is slowing it is not by much. 9% of the market this year and probably 20% in 2026. PHEV I agree, if you commute 40 miles a day great! If more than that the benefit tails off. I like the lane keep exist on long trips. No reason on the interstates to fight it. Just let it go 98% of the time. I love ventilated seats. Dallas TX.
The way to stop the dealer selling cars above sticker price or at sticker is to walk out the door! My former GMC dealer that I had bought 4 vehicles from, I lease on 39-month terms told me 2 years ago 12,000 over sticker with no discounts and out the door I went and after shopping 7 other dealerships I got the exact truck I wanted, 4wd, GMC crew cab, Black on Black Denali with 3.0 Duramax for 6,000 under MSRP and they Honored my corporate discount of 1850. Twenty Thousand cheaper for shopping 2-3 weeks and the former dealer who still does maintenance and any warranty work, none in 30 months very reliable and 27 MPG in Town and 42 MPG on highway!
Lane keep assist saved my life so many times while doing Uber at night in my Corolla. I was working long hours those days and almost falling asleep. I'm always grateful for that feature
As far as EVs go, I read an article that you could build 45 Niro HEVs from the battery of one Niro EV and those 45 HEVs would reduce emissions more than one EV. So Toyota is actually right.
I find the current Tesla model 3 to be stunning when equipped with the 19" Silver wheels and white interior. The newer model 3 in Ultra red looks even better to me. take another look when you get a chance and the color combinations and wheels make a huge difference. Ugh, you can keep those ugly black wheels!
Personally not a fan of full Evs or SUVs.The mustang Mach E does look quite nice and the Hyundai ioniq 5 does look amazing in a weird way. I don't look away when I see them.
As for dealer markups, selling new as used and dealers being dealers, remember who they are, record it somewhere, and when the market turns, as it surely will, shop where you are respected and treated like a friend. Sounds strange right now but I've seen this before, not as pronounced but still bad behaviour. Loan rates are way up, inflation is not much lower and car prices are stupid. This will change soon. I've already started my list and Toyota dealers are the first entries on it.
I can afford a mustang ev or a tesla or similar but refuse to go that route as they are TOO expensive...i will stick with hybrids. I feel for those with incomes that will not allow for an ev and want a hybrid only to fi d not are available.
feature that are overrated on my car: electric sliding driving seat. slow / ackward. and yea. lane keeping assist is very instrusive. must have backup rear camera and heated steering wheel.
Outstanding perspective on EV vehicles. It is astonishing how expensive these vehicles are, yet the government is pushing them so hard. Gas prices are still outrageous compared to what they were just a few short years ago, so what do you do? The government is not offering enough incentives or tax breaks to people. It's a shame.
Do reviewers refer to vehicle size classes purely based on position in OEM product lines? What’s the point of having EPA size classes that no one quotes?
I wonder if Zack just hates the LKA or if he doesn't like the combination of SCC and lane centering like HDA2 (Hyundai/Kia). For me, I wouldn't buy a car without a good SCC and LKA.
