Hybrid cars- anyone have one?

[Vidar]

Probably I've said this before, but I'd much prefer that the effort was put into making safer drivers.

I don't see a conflict between making safer drivers and making safer cars? We should be able to improve both. Being human though there is a limit for how good and safe drivers we can become. And there will always be the risk of sudden health issues or similar.

On the technical side I think it is reasonable to require that any new mandatory technology actually works as intended. Or at the very least doesn't make things worse. And I do think some of the technology introduced in cars does that.

[Grant Lamontagne]

I agree, but we aren’t going to make safer drivers- that just isn’t going to happen.  Our modern society thrives on selfishness, drama and instant gratification.  None of these are good qualities behind the wheel.

However, safer drivers using safety features properly would be even better.  But since we aren’t likely to make better people any time soon, we have to make safer cars to compensate for people who can’t drive in a responsible manner.

I’m had to call the police twice last week because of drivers, and the results were astounding.

One was drunk driver who took out a tree in the park across the road from my house, and that is what it is.

The other was a person who had their phone on a windshield mount right by the drivers side A pillar, and they were watching videos online while driving.  I called the police because WTF, right?

The cops didn't even go looking for them because the phone was mounted and therefore it’s legal.  If the phone had been in their hand they would have been charged but if it’s mounted it’s okay to use phone functions- apparently including streaming video.

If I have to share the road with smurfholes like that, then I am sorry, I can’t wait for self driving cars.

Def

[Vidar]

The other was a person who had their phone on a windshield mount right by the drivers side A pillar, and they were watching videos online while driving.  I called the police because WTF, right?

The cops didn't even go looking for them because the phone was mounted and therefore it’s legal.  If the phone had been in their hand they would have been charged but if it’s mounted it’s okay to use phone functions- apparently including streaming video.

It there isn't a law against that then there certainly should be! Over here we have a catch all law which basically states that drivers have to be considerate, focused/ attentive and careful when driving. The threshold for breaking this law is very low - if you go off road due to slippery conditions that might for instance be considered as proof for not driving careful enough under the conditions. Having focus elsewhere, as in watching a movie, is certainly considered breaking this law whether it is a phone or screens of the car itself.

The worst case here I can remember was a bus driver (!) scrolling around and watching clips on his cell phone while driving - and it also being protested against, filmed and documented by his own worried passengers.

[nate j]

The one that's really starting to grind my gears all the wrong ways is the backup camera.

Personally, I think backup cameras are a good safety feature.  They allow the driver to see into what would otherwise be a blind spot on virtually all vehicles, i.e. directly behind the vehicle and below the line of sight of the interior mirror.


I do think it is important to use the backup camera in conjunction with the mirrors (not instead of), to retain the skills and knowledge to back a vehicle that doesn’t have a backup camera, and to be aware of the inherent limitations of back up cameras, including:

- Objects that are up off the ground (e.g. tree branches) may be outside the field of view of most backup cameras, but still be low enough to be contacted by the vehicle.

- Many backup cameras do not do a good job of showing how much clearance there is or will be on the sides of the vehicle.

[Vidar]

I think it is a trend with smaller and smaller back windows, so the backing cameras become more important. Some cars seem to have almost given up on back windows altogether by replacing the cockpit mirror with a screen showing a backwards facing camera. I'm not entirely convinced about that in snow/ ice/ dirt and so on...

The car we got now has a 360 camera system, but while nice I rarely use that. Some of the individual cameras though are nice to use. Apart from the backing camera the front camera are useful to get all the way up to something if tight. And there are cameras pointing down towards and showing the position and surroundings of the steering wheels. Very nice at bad dirt roads or terrain with narrow areas or obstacles like stones and such.

[nate j]

I think it is a trend with smaller and smaller back windows, so the backing cameras become more important. Some cars seem to have almost given up on back windows altogether by replacing the cockpit mirror with a screen showing a backwards facing camera. I'm not entirely convinced about that in snow/ ice/ dirt and so on...

Yea, my backup camera lenses get dirty, I wipe the grime off with a wet wipe.

[Don Pablo]

I do indeed agree that back-up cameras are a critical item if the car has been designed with poor rear visibility - the list of which grows every year.  the police interceptors mentioned and many others, and as Vidar said, some cars don't even a rear window anymore . So there's no way you can even use "skills" in such a case without potentially putting an unseen child etc behind the car at risk.

Def, the reason why using a hands-free phone on a mount is not implictly illegal is beause most cars have a big screen that can be used for similar purposes, and some cheaper cars even have a mount for using the phone as the infotainment screen in lieu of providing a screen. So you have to work around that with more general distracted driving laws that cover being unduly distracted by anything in the car, no matter if it's infotainment, phone or passengers.


By the way, I've bought my first car in my name.  20% off market value at the auction, it has some cosmetic damage on the bottom of the bumper but who cares?! 
2022 fiat 500e 42 kWh, for €16k.
They even left it in the freezer to keep it fresh for collection. 

[Vidar]

Congrats! Cutie!

Same glazed treatment as my car currently with -20C outside. 

[old Lefty]

That is a really nice eFiat!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Whoey]

my wife is totally in love with the Fiat 500 series, I wouldn't mind her having one (as a lifelong MOPAR fan), it would be a fun runabout, but at the same time I love my Audi A3 and dread the day I have to give it up...

[Vidar]

Ok, I'm at a loss, and I might be totally missing out of amazing stuff it seems - so what is MOPAR? (I basically live under a rock...)

[powernoodle]

Ok, I'm at a loss, and I might be totally missing out of amazing stuff it seems - so what is MOPAR? (I basically live under a rock...)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mopar      

[Vidar]

Thanks! 

[Grant Lamontagne]

Pabs, I absolutely understand the limitations of laws regarding mounted and unmounted phones, and frankly (at the risk of getting political) I see that distinction as absolute proof that legislation is written by people who have no understanding of the problems, or the desires to rectify them.

To me, regardless of whether the phone is mounted or not, or whether you are using the big tablet manufacturers are building into the dashboards, if you are watching videos while you are driving, you are therefore not watching the road, and that, in my opinion qualifies as Distracted Driving, which is already illegal.

That having been said- I have been known to play movies and the like on long drives as I find it keeps me more alert.  These are usually movies like Star Wars or something I have seen many times so I don't have to see the screen- they keep my mind engaged, but the tablet is always face down or the laptop facing away from me so I am not even tempted to look at Carrie Fisher in a gold bikini.  That way I feel that I could reasonably fight a distracted driving charge, if I were to ever get one, which I likely wouldn't as my eyes are where they belong- on the road and other traffic.

in the end, legislation is meaningless- if you try to make a rule that is general enough to apply to everyone then there will be loopholes for those looking for them, and enforcement that just can't be bothered to try.  I mean, there are laws against drinking and driving and yet 55% of fatal car accidents in Canada are caused by impaired drivers.

They keep tightening the restrictions, and yet there are no less impaired drivers out there.

Def

[Grant Lamontagne]

Stories like this one are idiotic.

https://www.cp24.com/local/toronto/2025/01/09/toronto-man-says-he-had-to-replace-2024-electric-truck-battery-after-3000-kilometres/

There hasn't been a mass produced vehicle or model that hasn't had at least one lemon among it's ranks.  We all know someone who got a bad example of something.  That's why warranties exist.

But, since this is an EV, we had to have a whole story about it and make it seem like EV's are bad.

But, if you read past the headlines, the battery was replaced under warranty and the owner was reimbursed for payments he made while the truck was in the shop.  It has also been my experience that they dealerships provide a car for you while your vehicle is in for a warranty claim, so it's not like he had to Uber everywhere, so he basically got $4,000 taken off the overall price of the vehicle.  I'd say that isn't a bad deal.

Inconvenient maybe, frustrating for sure, but if he'd bought a Hyundai Sonata and had to take it back for significant warranty work, no one would have even considered writing a story about it.

Def

[old Lefty]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mopar      

An alternative explanation would that "mopar" is what GM eats prior producing Fords...

Yup, I'll get me coat...

Lähetetty minun SM-T515 laitteesta Tapatalkilla

[powernoodle]

 

[Don Pablo]

Thanks all. Hopefully in less than a week we'll get sun and maybe some nice pics.

my wife is totally in love with the Fiat 500 series, I wouldn't mind her having one (as a lifelong MOPAR fan), it would be a fun runabout, but at the same time I love my Audi A3 and dread the day I have to give it up...

Maybe it's just the small island in me speaking, but it seems competent enough for more than runabout journeys (with two people max of course, adults won't be comfortable in the back unless they're the size of me [or Richard Hammond]). Considering the small size, it seems competent as an EV.
200 km of motorway range is realistically achievable when the weather isn't cold, and the 10-80% charging speed is as low as 30 minutes.
Whatever my commute ends up being when I find a job, I know that the little fiat will be able to get there and back with a third of the battery left in wintertime for any reasonable (my personal definition, will vary depending on the person) commuting distance.

I feel like I need to give a shout out the Tesla Model 3 RWD long range as an opposite example to the 500e, for being the price it is that thing seems like a motorway monster. +500 km realistic motorway range, and charges from 10-80% at 840 km/h (27 minutes). And you can probably find used examples for similar prices as the 500e.... Nothing like paying a premium for smaller car.

I did hear though, that this 500e feels more premium compared to the ICE one, since they made a new generation platform for the 500e and the ICE is still on the older generation platform.

That having been said- I have been known to play movies and the like on long drives as I find it keeps me more alert.  These are usually movies like Star Wars or something I have seen many times so I don't have to see the screen- they keep my mind engaged, but the tablet is always face down or the laptop facing away from me so I am not even tempted to look at Carrie Fisher in a gold bikini.  That way I feel that I could reasonably fight a distracted driving charge, if I were to ever get one, which I likely wouldn't as my eyes are where they belong- on the road and other traffic.

You raise some good points, I just feel I need to say that it sounds like you're just turning movies into audiobooks here. 

Stories like this one are idiotic.

https://www.cp24.com/local/toronto/2025/01/09/toronto-man-says-he-had-to-replace-2024-electric-truck-battery-after-3000-kilometres/

They go for whatever generates clicks, unfortunately. 
Like the hullabaloo when Tesla has a recall and it's just an automatic update over the internet connection to increase the font size of some UI elements by a few points to make them more legible. Doesn't seem newsworthy but it is. 
That's not to say they don't sometimes have notable recalls, but by comparison, how many fewer people have heard that US production of the VW ID.4 has been halted since SEPTEMBER because of faulty door handle design that isn't waterproof enough. They have an issue that if water gets into the handle, it can (obviously infrequently) send a door open command to the computer, even when driving. Or refuse to let the door open when you pull the handle.
Apparently all US ID.4's are affected (going back to 2021), and owners have been waiting since September as well for repairs to START happening. Thankfully looks like the end is in sight, for repairs to happen and production to restart.

[nate j]

They have an issue that if water gets into the handle, it can (obviously infrequently) send a door open command to the computer, even when driving. Or refuse to let the door open when you pull the handle.

It seems like the root issue here is that they have made the doors way more complicated than doors need to be.
 

[Vidar]

It seems like the root issue here is that they have made the doors way more complicated than doors need to be.
 

Or not complicated enough to keep water out?  Either way sounds like an issue that could have been avoided. (As most cars do).

Stories like this one are idiotic.

https://www.cp24.com/local/toronto/2025/01/09/toronto-man-says-he-had-to-replace-2024-electric-truck-battery-after-3000-kilometres/

Yes, too often it seems media quickly generalize from one particular car to all electric cars. And not just media. I know someone who was passenger in an electric car some years ago. That particular car had bad suspension. He has never gotten into another electric car after that because clearly that wasn't an issue with that particular car, or even that brand, but somehow with all electric cars ever made. I've offered to prove him wrong by letting him drive ours, but he is convinced he would suffer too much from a surely horrible suspension... 

[nate j]

I've offered to prove him wrong by letting him drive ours, but he is convinced he would suffer too much from a surely horrible suspension... 

Some people are determined to never let facts get in the way of their opinions.
 

[Vidar]

I suspect it might be a matter of not having to admit being wrong.. (Which is getting increasingly difficult to avoid as a car passenger here. Last year about 90% of all newly registered cars in Norway were fully electric).

Lots of public transport busses are also electric. And I've noticed they have begun using electric excavators and other machinery at building sites. My old excavator use a fair bit of diesel so I guess there might be some savings there overall. If nothing else then it is getting less noisy.

[Grant Lamontagne]

Just to follow up on this, my Jeep went into the shop on November 05 of 2024.

It is now March 16 of 2025 and I still do not have it back yet.

It has gone from my regular repair shop that specializes in Jeeps to the transmission speSmurfpillst and has been sitting at the Dodge dealership for the last two months.

The Dodge transmission speSmurfpillst and the transmission shop both say that my transmission is absolutely perfect inside, with no issues whatsoever.

It seems the problem is the TCM or Transmission Control Module, a little doodad that looks like a Nintendo cartridge.

I have already had it replaced, but apparently the one I received was faulty, after waiting several weeks to get the damned thing in the first place.  The search then began for another one, and supposedly the dealership got that one last week, and hopefully this week they will have a chance to fit it and I can get my Jeep back.   

In the time it has been down I have bought a TCM, a programmer and two new tires all to try and rectify the issue, but so far nothing has changed except my bank account. 

So, I am back to looking at the Mavericks, and I am glad that I have held off as my local Ford dealership is getting some AWD versions of the Hybrid Maverick, something that was announced but hadn't actually made its way to dealerships yet when I was looking at the other one.

The blue one I'd looked at before is still on the lot too. 

Anyways, fingers crossed that my Jeep is finally fixed this week and that the AWD Mavericks arrive before something else happens to my Jeep.   

Def

[Farmer X]

I know that the law varies considerably between jurisdictions, but perhaps you have cause to initiate a manufacturer buyback (AKA "lemon law") claim? Whatever the case, I hope the issue is soon resolved.

[Grant Lamontagne]

After 12 years and over 300,000 Kilometers I think I’d be pretty hard pressed to convince anyone that it’s a lemon.

I just heard from the dealer- the new control module is in and everything is reading right.  Unfortunately somehow the transmission still isn’t shifting.

The good news is that the transmission speSmurfpillst is taking this personally and he’s not clocking in when he is working on it so the labor charges aren’t racking up.  He also refuses to allow a transmission to win, so he’s been racking his brain and running every test he can think of to figure out what’s wrong because it wrong.

I appreciate the effort but in the end, I still don’t have my Jeep back and today I am driving a rented Kia Sportage to work.

Def

[Grant Lamontagne]

It's been a long journey to get here, but I put down a deposit on a black 2025 Ford Maverick Hybrid with AWD today.  It should be at the dealership this week or next.

I'd rather go with a full EV, but that was stretching the budget more than I was comfortable with.  I hate making payments on pretty much anything, but I have been spending so much on rentals and repairs to Megan's car that I might as well have been making payments for the past five months.   

Def

[Farmer X]

Hopefully it's on the way to being sorted out now. And yes, a lemon law claim was a long shot. I guess there are worse things than a vehicle payment, but I'm the wrong person to ask...I haven't had a car loan in over a dozen years.

[powernoodle]

a deposit on a black 2025 Ford Maverick Hybrid with AWD today.

That's a sweet vehicle.  I fantasized about a Maverick when I was in the process of picking out a new vehicle in 2023 - since I do it only about every 13 years.  Ended up with the hybrid Sienna, but the Maverick is still near and dear.

[Grant Lamontagne]

You are on about the same cycle I am then- my Jeep turned 12 in January and still has a lot of life left in it.

But I am a bit excited about the Maverick, if for no other reason than at least 50% savings on fuel costs, and given that I put probably 100 miles a day on it, that is significant.

I’d still rather be in a full EV truck like the Lightning or Silverado/Sierra EV, but at half the cost of either of those I think the Maverick will do nicely.

Def

[Grant Lamontagne]

I am getting a bit antsy for this one to show up soon.  It is across town at an automotive distribution hub that I worked at for many years, and I know how incompetent and slow they can be.

In fact, I worked on the site but as a contractor representing the various manufacturers that had cars distributed through there and my well being was threatened a great many times for pointing out their incompetence.  I am really hoping the dealership has not sent them any information on who purchased the vehicle.   

I have also had ye olde AI draw up this image that I am intending to have made into a decal for the back window.  I feel like it is probably the most appropriate Maverick quote for the vehicle. 

I don't think "I feel the need, the need for speed" is a good quote for a hybrid pickup truck, and I truly hope I never have to use the "I was inverted at the time" quote while driving it.  Being upside down in a car once was enough for me.   

Def