The Official CarSPIN Bad Parking Hall of Shame.

[giant_mtb]

I wonder if he uses that during the winter or if he has a truck/beater.

Why?  The truck next to it probably cost more. lol

[BENZ BOY15]

 Maybe I should have replaced the / with 'or' because what I was getting at is the effectiveness of a Volt in yooper winter conditions. Granted, a good amount of that area is relatively flat but parts of it are decidedly not that flat and just seems like a Volt wouldn't do that great. Same thing with a Prius.

Then again, it could be a spectacular vehicle in snow.

[giant_mtb]

It's a FWD sedan. There are a billion FWD sedans that get driven through the winter.  Naturally, they're not The Best winter vehicles, but if you're not an idiot, totally manageable.

[BENZ BOY15]

Yeah, manageable but not the best sounds about right. They have a rather low (3.5") ground clearance but the air dam is flexible and so that helps mitigate the problem. Not sure I'd like hearing the scraping sound but that's part of the design.

[Soup DeVille]

I was actually wondering more about battery life.

[giant_mtb]

I was actually wondering more about battery life.

Probably junk unless you have a heated garage.  And there are like 4 "charging stations" in the whole county, so you're fucked at work.  Batteries don't like cold.

[ifcar]

Probably junk unless you have a heated garage.  And there are like 4 "charging stations" in the whole county, so you're fucked at work.  Batteries don't like cold.

It's a plug-in hybrid, so you're just getting less EV-only range. Maybe 20 miles instead of 40. Still more efficient than gas, especially considering that gas mileage also declines in the winter.

[BENZ BOY15]

Probably junk unless you have a heated garage.  And there are like 4 "charging stations" in the whole county, so you're fucked at work.  Batteries don't like cold.

Yeah I can't imagine there are that many stations up there.

Looks like the closest one around here is down in Riverside which is a solid 45 minutes away and that's if the weather is good....not very convenient. I see one Volt that the escrow lady drives but other than that, they're non existent. People prefer 4WD trucks, SUVs and Subarus instead.

[giant_mtb]

It's a plug-in hybrid, so you're just getting less EV-only range. Maybe 20 miles instead of 40. Still more efficient than gas, especially considering that gas mileage also declines in the winter.

I wonder how the cold affects battery longevity.

[ifcar]

I wonder how the cold affects battery longevity.

You mean as in long-term wear? Don't you normally hear more about that (like with computers) from heat than from cold?

[AutobahnSHO]

You mean as in long-term wear? Don't you normally hear more about that (like with computers) from heat than from cold?

Batteries don't like cold either. You have to replace them more often in cold climates....

[Soup DeVille]

You mean as in long-term wear? Don't you normally hear more about that (like with computers) from heat than from cold?

Heat affects long term durability, cold affects the static discharge rate.

The Volt uses Lithium Ions, which are less susceptible to this effect than some, but they're still affected.

[ifcar]

Heat affects long term durability, cold affects the static discharge rate.

The Volt uses Lithium Ions, which are less susceptible to this effect than some, but they're still affected.

So that's just a decreased range due to miles peeling off while the car is parked, right? Not an irreversible degradation? If the former, that's not too terrible for a car that does still have a gas fallback.

[AutobahnSHO]

So that's just a decreased range due to miles peeling off while the car is parked, right?

I would guess just more a decreased efficiency. Like bugs moving slow when it's cold out, the battery doesn't work so well..

[giant_mtb]

Similar to how a standard car battery may struggle to start the car on a cold morning, the cold reduces the effective juices of a hybrid's batteries as well.

[BENZ BOY15]

How many Prius (plural....not sure how you say that ) do you see in the UP?

[giant_mtb]

How many Prius (plural....not sure how you say that ) do you see in the UP?

They're not horribly uncommon.  I drove/detailed one last summer.  Obviously, they're not the most popular vehicle, but they don't illicit a double take or a second thought besides "fucking Prius, get outta the way."

I've always wanted to ask a local Prius (or any hybrid) driver how the cold affects their car. 

[BENZ BOY15]

They're not horribly uncommon.  I drove/detailed one last summer.  Obviously, they're not the most popular vehicle, but they don't illicit a double take or a second thought besides "fucking Prius, get outta the way."

I've always wanted to ask a local Prius (or any hybrid) driver how the cold affects their car. 

I feel the same way when I see one.



But yeah, doesn't surprise me that they aren't terribly common, kinda like Arrowhead. I don't recall seeing any when I was there but that was only for ten days-ish. Nor any A4s or Audis more broadly, besides the one you had.

[giant_mtb]

There are definitely more Audis around now than 5 years ago when I first got mine. Decent number of older ones, too, that largely go unnoticed.

[BENZ BOY15]

Definitely good winter cars and unlike my automobile, they have kickass seat heaters.

[giant_mtb]

I'm definitely gonna miss dat Quattro in the winter...but now I have RWD, which is nearly as fun.

[BENZ BOY15]

I'm definitely gonna miss dat Quattro in the winter...but now I have RWD, which is nearly as fun.

Is it as easy to correct sliding around a corner? You sure like to do that and there were a couple times where I thought, hmm, are we gonna go sliding off into a snow bank. But that didn't happen.

[giant_mtb]

With A/4WD, you get the benefit of the front wheels being able to help pull you around a corner or out of a slide a lot easier than with just RWD.  Sliding corners with RWD takes a bit more delicate throttle control...too much and the rear can become the front like *that*.  One nice thing about RWD is it's easier to break the tires loose, so cool moves can be done with much less throttle/speed.  With AWD, you've gotta break all the tires loose and keep em loose, which makes for super fun speed slidey corners.

[Soup DeVille]

So that's just a decreased range due to miles peeling off while the car is parked, right? Not an irreversible degradation? If the former, that's not too terrible for a car that does still have a gas fallback.

Yeah.

Just something I wonder about, as I don't know. 

[CALL_911]

I've always wanted to ask a local Prius (or any hybrid) driver how the cold affects their car.

On that same idea, I've always wanted to ask the owner of a Murano convertible what compelled them to buy it. I can't think of a good reason to buy one.

[giant_mtb]

On that same idea, I've always wanted to ask the owner of a Murano convertible what compelled them to buy it. I can't think of a good reason to buy one.

There's one of those around here...he lives a few blocks away. I ride by his garage through the alley on my bike all the time...same question.

[ifcar]

On that same idea, I've always wanted to ask the owner of a Murano convertible what compelled them to buy it. I can't think of a good reason to buy one.

High seating position, all-wheel-drive, open top, more comfortable than Wrangler.

Obviously a pretty small niche, though.

[CALL_911]

High seating position is a good point, I didn't think of that.

[Madman]

Not a parking space! 

[ifcar]

This Prague driver is clearly an honorary Italian: