Continental has a good set in 315 45R21.  Might end up going with those.  The ride sucks on such thin sidewalls.  The G wagon on its 40 year old suspension soaks up bumps better than a modern GLS with air bags, adaptive dampers, etc.

Quote from: veeman on April 22, 2024, 04:19:41 PMI'd rent the minivans again

They maximize interior space and drivability on-road over any pretentiousness. And sacrifice any off-roadability of course.

I'm not surprised the hybrid Sienna would sound noisy- that 4banger has to work HARD! (and that's a common complaint of the hybrid Maverick as well)

Quote from: GoCougs on April 24, 2024, 07:21:37 AM"Cheetah" launch control is 1000x more drama than the typical performance ICE launch control - it can take (many) minutes to engage. Not sure if this new version of the Model 3 gets it though. Plus, you're only going to get 2-3 minutes of performance driving before any EV throttles back to protect the motors and battery. TBF, that's more duration than what most people use, but overall this new Model 3 is not equivalent to a legit sports sedan like the M3. Still more a parlor trick with ergo that is a 100% deal breaker.

No cheetah mode or anything on the Y or 3.  You don't even need to press the brake to brake torque. Best results are from just flooring the pedal.  I've done it repeatedly on the Y and never noticed any reduction for cooling in my driving.

The X3M is just the opposite.  You have to put the AWD system to MDM to sport, everything on the harshest setting and the transmission to manual fastest setting.  You have to try to push the brake pedal through the firewall or else the motor will overwhelm the brakes.  The system needs a few seconds to build boost, and will only hold it for a few seconds so it is just about impossible to time for a spotlight.  If you even get it a little bit wrong the system doesn't count it as a real launch control.  Only in launch control mode does the transmission shift automatically while in a manual setting, so if you don't get it then you will bounce into the rev limiter in first. Afterwards launch control will be unavailable for about 2 minutes for cool down.  First time I used it it took me about 3 tries to actually make it happen. 

The Y is so much more real world fast than the X3m that it's not even funny. 

True, but what else do you buy at <$50?

Any other sporty sedan at that price range will have a turbo 4 and not be any more track worthy.

"Cheetah" launch control is 1000x more drama than the typical performance ICE launch control - it can take (many) minutes to engage. Not sure if this new version of the Model 3 gets it though. Plus, you're only going to get 2-3 minutes of performance driving before any EV throttles back to protect the motors and battery. TBF, that's more duration than what most people use, but overall this new Model 3 is not equivalent to a legit sports sedan like the M3. Still more a parlor trick with ergo that is a 100% deal breaker.

Quote from: 565 on April 24, 2024, 05:34:00 AMhttps://youtu.be/5xj0R4MyDhE?si=mQsFGTYAHeVQ3Ntp

Sounds like the Model 3 performance is amazing based on his test drive.

Honestly at 52.5K I agree with him that it is absolutely the obvious choice to buy for a sports sedan.  It even qualifies for the 7.5k rebate so if you qualify you are looking at like 46k.  That's almost half the price of a well equip M3 competition.

46k for a 5 passenger sedan that does 0-60 in 2.9 without fussy to engage launch control (wife's X3M comp has the same drivetrain and launch control as the M3 comp, it's not realistic to use on a regular basis), supposedly rides better than a CT4 V blackwing, and now handles well too.

Honestly Tesla just made playing in the performance sedan segment nearly impossible with this....

Well at least if you value speed and value over chassis refinement/weight/emotion/buttons

A friend of mine just got a refreshed Model 3 LR and loves it. IIRC he took the deal to transfer FSD from his 2018. Loves that too.

Do itt

https://youtu.be/5xj0R4MyDhE?si=mQsFGTYAHeVQ3Ntp

Sounds like the Model 3 performance is amazing based on his test drive.

Honestly at 52.5K I agree with him that it is absolutely the obvious choice to buy for a sports sedan.  It even qualifies for the 7.5k rebate so if you qualify you are looking at like 46k.  That's almost half the price of a well equip M3 competition.

46k for a 5 passenger sedan that does 0-60 in 2.9 without fussy to engage launch control (wife's X3M comp has the same drivetrain and launch control as the M3 comp, it's not realistic to use on a regular basis), supposedly rides better than a CT4 V blackwing, and now handles well too.

Part 28: Buick Verano


The Buick Verano was a pretty short-lived model in North America, lasting from 2012 through 2017.  It was essentially a fancy Chevrolet Cruze and distantly related to the Opel/Vauxhall/Holden Astra of the same period.  It was also the first domino to fall when Buick began culling passenger cars from its model range, transforming itself into an all-crossover brand.  After the Verano got the chop in 2017, the LaCrosse was gone by 2019, and the Regal faded away in 2020.  Today, Buick's North American lineup consists of four tediously dull and utterly forgettable CUVs.

Buick's fate in China, however, is a very different story.  Over there, Buick is seen as an aspirational brand and it fields a full model range of cars, crossovers, even minivans and EVs.  The Verano is known as the Excelle GT in China and is now in its third generation.

So, the Verano was a success in China, a flop in America, and nonexistent in...... Italy.

Verano is the English name for a small northern Italian town known as Vöran in the local language.  Fewer than 1,000 people live there, so it make me wonder why Buick chose to name a car after such an obscure place?  And of the small number of people living there, I'm willing to bet not one of them drives a Buick!

So don't expect to see a Verano driving around Verano.  In fact, considering it's such a small town, don't expect to see much of anything or anyone driving around the place.