Car Chat

[Galaxy]

It is audacious to be sure but I kinda see their point. I guess Hyundai put the BMW M engineers they poached to good use. Jason Cammisa wrote this a few month back.

Let's be honest: Golf > Veloster in as a car. But N > GTI in the fun department. The N is way more hardcore than a Golf R, and way more fun than anything German. ⁣
⁣The styling? You judge. I love its outspoken dorkiness with the red accents and Lambo tails. I'd like it better if it were a 4-door instead of having only 1 driver-side door. I don't get the benefit. ⁣Here's the short list of things that suck: the one-note, rental-car horn is humiliating. The headlights are LEDs but the high-beams are weaksauce halogens. That's it. ⁣Some of the best steering weighting in the business; path accuracy is also perfection. Zero torque steer, some actual feel. Brakes feel great. Seats are comfy and supportive, great driving position. ⁣Shifter is VW-like in its light weight and ropiness (not a bad thing) and clutch is light and positive. 2nd and 3rd gears are spaced widely (max 60 and 91 mph) leaving a gearing hole right where you need it. ⁣The engine sounds outrageous with the exhaust open. Gunfire! Sounds great in the car, but it's fake "intake" noise from a vibrator on the firewall. Sounds real until high rpm where it turns into a V10. ⁣Far less lag than GTI, way better wastegate control coming off boost smoothly. Only small demerit is what feels like a lot of flywheel weight — revs slowly on a big throttle blip. Power everywhere, runs right into the limiter.⁣
⁣Suspension goes stupidly rock-hard in its Track-Only hardest mode. It's great in either normal or the middle mode, rarely hits the bumpstops and has fantastic body control. Massive grip in the corners; you'll never see 1-tire-fire with this active diff. Superb composure over bumps.⁣ N-Mode button lets you call up your own personal mode, a la BMW M-cars.⁣

This is the most fun I've had in a new car since the Miata. It's everything a GTI should be: it has a sense of humor, a sense of occasion, and it's a little bit obnoxious. The Veloster is an a'ight car, but the N is a hot-hatch dynamic masterclass. I'd love to drive this every day.⁣

[Eye of the Tiger]

I nominate 1998 Dodge Dakota for PTOTY.

[MrH]

It is audacious to be sure but I kinda see their point. I guess Hyundai put the BMW M engineers they poached to good use. Jason Cammisa wrote this a few month back.

Let's be honest: Golf > Veloster in as a car. But N > GTI in the fun department. The N is way more hardcore than a Golf R, and way more fun than anything German. ⁣
⁣The styling? You judge. I love its outspoken dorkiness with the red accents and Lambo tails. I'd like it better if it were a 4-door instead of having only 1 driver-side door. I don't get the benefit. ⁣Here's the short list of things that suck: the one-note, rental-car horn is humiliating. The headlights are LEDs but the high-beams are weaksauce halogens. That's it. ⁣Some of the best steering weighting in the business; path accuracy is also perfection. Zero torque steer, some actual feel. Brakes feel great. Seats are comfy and supportive, great driving position. ⁣Shifter is VW-like in its light weight and ropiness (not a bad thing) and clutch is light and positive. 2nd and 3rd gears are spaced widely (max 60 and 91 mph) leaving a gearing hole right where you need it. ⁣The engine sounds outrageous with the exhaust open. Gunfire! Sounds great in the car, but it's fake "intake" noise from a vibrator on the firewall. Sounds real until high rpm where it turns into a V10. ⁣Far less lag than GTI, way better wastegate control coming off boost smoothly. Only small demerit is what feels like a lot of flywheel weight — revs slowly on a big throttle blip. Power everywhere, runs right into the limiter.⁣
⁣Suspension goes stupidly rock-hard in its Track-Only hardest mode. It's great in either normal or the middle mode, rarely hits the bumpstops and has fantastic body control. Massive grip in the corners; you'll never see 1-tire-fire with this active diff. Superb composure over bumps.⁣ N-Mode button lets you call up your own personal mode, a la BMW M-cars.⁣

This is the most fun I've had in a new car since the Miata. It's everything a GTI should be: it has a sense of humor, a sense of occasion, and it's a little bit obnoxious. The Veloster is an a'ight car, but the N is a hot-hatch dynamic masterclass. I'd love to drive this every day.⁣

I always found Camissa a little annoying in video form sometimes, but I'll be damned if he isn't one of the best car reviewers out there.  Dude is like an encyclopedia of everything he's ever driven and picks up on the subtlest nuances of every car right when he drives it.  I trust his feedback more than just about anyone else.

[12,000 RPM]

Did they seriously complain about the Corvette's DSG slamming the rev limiter rather than automatically up shifting while in manual mode? 

What the hell has happened to auto journalists these days?  There was a time when they, rightfully, would have panned a car that executed uncommanded shifts while in manual mode, now they've gotten so soft that they pan a car for not doing the driving for them?  Maybe RT should just stick to automatics left in auto mode.

These PCOTY competitions are kind of pointless. How do you compare a hot hatch to a supercar?

[MX793]

These PCOTY competitions are kind of pointless. How do you compare a hot hatch to a supercar?

The complaint was totally irrespective of the article being a COTY comparo.  A few years ago, if a car had a DSG or otherwise automated gearbox with a manual mode and didn't let you ride the rev limiter, that executed a shift without the driver explicitly commanding it via a tug of the shift paddle, it got raked over the coals.  Now these pansies complain that the gearbox doesn't automatically shift for them while in manual mode to cover their driving mistakes or missed upshift?  What's next?  Complaining that the car doesn't auto-brake for corners when the driver is a little late getting on the brakes, or auto-corrects the steering to put the car back on the racing line when the driver has a lapse in skill or judgement?

[r0tor]

Veloster 

I thought you were joking

[Eye of the Tiger]

I thought you were joking

Nope

[CaminoRacer]

These PCOTY competitions are kind of pointless. How do you compare a hot hatch to a supercar?

+1

And I see how they can really like a Veloster. But saying it's better than the others? WTF

[MX793]

+1

And I see how they can really like a Veloster. But saying it's better than the others? WTF

I wouldn't take the win to mean it's objectively or even subjectively better than many of the other cars.  I take it to mean it was the most impressive for what it was (factoring price, etc).  There's some relative scaling happening in the scoring.

[FoMoJo]

I wouldn't take the win to mean it's objectively or even subjectively better than many of the other cars.  I take it to mean it was the most impressive for what it was (factoring price, etc).  There's some relative scaling happening in the scoring.

...or, simply, that it was a Hyundai that didn't suck.

[Galaxy]

I wouldn't take the win to mean it's objectively or even subjectively better than many of the other cars.  I take it to mean it was the most impressive for what it was (factoring price, etc).  There's some relative scaling happening in the scoring.

Correct.

They did point out that they considered it an error that last year they included cars like the McLaren Senna.

[veeman]

Looks like I've found my next car.  What's not to love?  Mainstreamer price, 6 speed manual, hatchback styling and room, Hyundai warranty, doesn't look like a boy racer Honda Civic Type R, sweet light blue color option, 22 mpg city and 29 mpg highway, and doesn't require premium gas.  WTF.

It's basically perfect.  Never even heard of this "N" variant car before. 

[FoMoJo]

Fun, but you might have to be a little bit crazy to drive it...Jay Leno's Shelby GT500-Powered '68 Bronco On Display At SEMA

This former gag gift has been meticulously restored and is powered by the aluminum 5.2-liter V8 found in the all-new 2020 Shelby GT500.

[AutobahnSHO]

Looks like I've found my next car.  What's not to love?  Mainstreamer price, 6 speed manual, hatchback styling and room, Hyundai warranty, doesn't look like a boy racer Honda Civic Type R, sweet light blue color option, 22 mpg city and 29 mpg highway, and doesn't require premium gas.  WTF.

It's basically perfect.  Never even heard of this "N" variant car before. 

It IS quite appealling.

[12,000 RPM]

Looks like I've found my next car.  What's not to love?  Mainstreamer price, 6 speed manual, hatchback styling and room, Hyundai warranty, doesn't look like a boy racer Honda Civic Type R, sweet light blue color option, 22 mpg city and 29 mpg highway, and doesn't require premium gas.  WTF.

It's basically perfect.  Never even heard of this "N" variant car before.

FWD and a turbo 4 popper

But it's damn good for the money

[MX793]

Guy who has won our region's auto-x point championship the past few years switched from his GTI to a Veloster N this season.  He said it's not quite as planted as his GTI was (a little more tail happy), but he really digs being able to set the dampers to "track" stiffness at the event and then back to a more reasonable street stiffness with the push of a button.  And as Turbo 4-poppers go, it's one of the better sounding ones (along with the Focus RS and older WRXs with unequal length headers).  The crackle and pop on over-run definitely grabs your attention.

[giant_mtb]

POS. It'll never win any PCOTY comparisons.

[JWC]

Fun, but you might have to be a little bit crazy to drive it...Jay Leno's Shelby GT500-Powered '68 Bronco On Display At SEMA

This former gag gift has been meticulously restored and is powered by the aluminum 5.2-liter V8 found in the all-new 2020 Shelby GT500.

I love a Bronco from that era. Can't afford'em now. There is one outside of town that is rough. The farmer still uses it to check on his cattle and crops.

[FoMoJo]

I love a Bronco from that era. Can't afford'em now. There is one outside of town that is rough. The farmer still uses it to check on his cattle and crops.

I've coveted them for a long time and regret not getting one when I could afford to, as it never seemed to be the right time.  When we lived outside of the GTA near a small town, an old guy I casually knew, had one that was made for the military using galvanized metal, so he claimed.  It was an olive green and didn't have a spec of rust on it, though the paint was quite faded.  He wanted $17 grand for it and I should've written him a cheque on the spot.

[AutobahnSHO]

I was sitting behind a Sky turbo at a great drag strip light this morning, I got wasted. It's actually a 4 lane curvy 40mph road. But since he was doing 70mph I just followed, enjoying the chance to let him find any potential cops.

[Soup DeVille]

I've coveted them for a long time and regret not getting one when I could afford to, as it never seemed to be the right time.  When we lived outside of the GTA near a small town, an old guy I casually knew, had one that was made for the military using galvanized metal, so he claimed.  It was an olive green and didn't have a spec of rust on it, though the paint was quite faded.  He wanted $17 grand for it and I should've written him a cheque on the spot.

There is no NSN number I can find for any variation of the Bronco. Blazers and Chevy trucks, Dodge trucks, even some Internationals (I assume larger equipment), yes. But nothing in light vehicles category that could be a Bronco.

Even if there was, I doubt it would be galvanized. No other commercial converted military vehicle has had that done.   

Probably best you didn't buy it, dude was full of shit.

edit; apparently it had a U-number, not an M number, which at the time classified it with things like forklifts and tractors. U-180, vehicle light 4x4. About 120 existed, but no mention of being galvanized.

[FoMoJo]

There is no NSN number I can find for any variation of the Bronco. Blazers and Chevy trucks, Dodge trucks, even some Internationals (I assume larger equipment), yes. But nothing in light vehicles category that could be a Bronco.

Even if there was, I doubt it would be galvanized. No other commercial converted military vehicle has had that done.   

Probably best you didn't buy it, dude was full of shit.

edit; apparently it had a U-number, not an M number, which at the time classified it with things like forklifts and tractors. U-180, vehicle light 4x4. About 120 existed, but no mention of being galvanized.

I had some doubts and never really bothered to check.  He claimed he had it since new and I did have a pretty good look at it and spotted no rust in the usual places.  Galvanized sounded a bit sketchy to me but, for the shape it was in...and this was just a few years ago...$17 grand was the pretty good price.

Doing a search just now, I did come across this...That Time Ford Made Broncos for the US Military

If what the guy said was true, maybe I should've got it.  It would likely be worth something if only a few were make.

[FoMoJo]

Interesting story...From Le Mans to Fair Lane, Ford engineer, 90, keeps building

[Soup DeVille]

I had some doubts and never really bothered to check.  He claimed he had it since new and I did have a pretty good look at it and spotted no rust in the usual places.  Galvanized sounded a bit sketchy to me but, for the shape it was in...and this was just a few years ago...$17 grand was the pretty good price.

Doing a search just now, I did come across this...That Time Ford Made Broncos for the US Military

If what the guy said was true, maybe I should've got it.  It would likely be worth something if only a few were make.

Well, if it was ex-military- how could he have had it since new?

[FoMoJo]

Well, if it was ex-military- how could he have had it since new?

That's what he said, but it was really clean, faded, but clean.  He also said that the local Bronco club had made him an offer.

[FoMoJo]

I'm not sure what to think of this thing...The Ferrari Roma Is a Sleek-Looking Front-Engine GT Coupe

It has classic styling lines and looks sleek and fast, but it evokes no emotion, imo.  I think designers have truly run out of new ideas, at least ones that don't look nasty.

[12,000 RPM]

Looks like Ferrari in a big condom

[cawimmer430]

HOLY SH*T!

Spotted this exotic in Nürnberg. A frigging Toyota Camry! Not sure if it was the 4-cylinder or the high performance V6...

[Galaxy]

It has classic styling lines and looks sleek and fast, but it evokes no emotion, imo. 

Yeah, that is basically my view of this thing.

[CaminoRacer]

https://www.hagerty.com/articles-videos/articles/2019/11/14/car-enthusiasm-is-safe-with-the-next-generation?utm_source=SFMC&utm_medium=email&utm_content=19_November_16_Weekend_News

Don't believe the hype, car enthusiasm is safe with the next generation