Drew Dowdell

1995 Buick Riviera Promotional Video VHS that was mailed out to prospective customers. It was accompanied by a model guide book.

the things I do for you my loyal subjects…

Coming up I have the 1995 Riviera, 1999 Eurovan which is... problematic by modern standards, 1998 Firebird, Olds 88 and LSS. 2000 Bonneville. I have one on the Achieva, but it is super boring and doesn't show the car enough. I think there is the second to last Grand Prix also. Dodge Stratus. Let me know which one you want to see next.

I was gifted a large stash of promotional material in April of 2021 and I'm just now getting around to going through it. As I begin to start doing video reviews, I am using these old VHS tapes to learn about video editing software and get practice.

GM does it where it wants, but the latest all-new designs have been getting excellent interiors.

Many billions were spent on Giorgio with little to show for it until the latest Grand Cherokee. All of those you mentioned were just recycled Fiat products.

@David is talking about Marchioni taking revenue from Jeep/Dodge/Chrysler, starving them of product, in order to resurect Alfa-Romeo which was a dead brand... 2012 to 2018 their only models were the MiTo super-mini and the Fiesta sized Guilitta

We're not getting the 160 hp version, so most of their complaints are addressed by that. Minimum hp is 100 hp more.

Again, this is off the shelf, parts-bin stuff we're talking. The Hornet's PHEV engine is in ~200k Jeep Renegades and another 10s of thousands of Fiats in the US. It's not a new engine, having been in production since 2018 The 2.0T has been powering the Cherokee and Wrangler since 2018. It's built both in Italy and in Kokomo, Indiana. The Hornet will obviously be getting the Italian built one, but it's the same design. The 6-speed is developed by BorgWarner and has been used in the Dart, Renegade, 500L, 500X, and Suzuki SX4. The 9-speed has been in every FWD Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep since 2013. It's also been in or currently in the Pathfinder, QX60, Honda CR-V/Pilot/Odyssey/Passport/Ridgeline, Acura TLX / MDX, Land Rover Evoque / Discovery Sport, Jaguar E-Pace, and Fiat 500x. You're talking well over a million vehicles on the road today with that transmission. The interior switch gear looks to be mostly the stuff from the latest Jeep redesigned interiors. The shifter, center console, and door controls are from the Compass, the start button and HVAC controls are from the Grand Wagoneer/Cherokee. uConnect is in everything, and Chrysler has been doing TFT gauge pods for years. The standard @smk4565 rant about parts sharing would normally apply here, except that in this case it is an advantage because nothing is particularly rare or unique. There's no reason to believe that the Hornet would be any less reliable than a Compass or Renegade, and aside from body panels and interior trim, there is nothing particularly unique about it. Sorry you got yourself insulted.... but parts availability for these isn't going to be an issue.

Come on man.... that's from 2016 for an unrelated oddball car from 2012. He's talking about his car having an oddball size tire and complaining about spark plugs. Rock Auto has sparkplug 12 options for his car. Walmart has 11. The O'Reilly's up the street has 5 options in stock that I could pick up in 10 minutes. That 1.4T has been used in a gazillion Renegades since then. His car takes 15" tires which are not going to be a Hornet/Tonale thing... but Tire rack has over 25 options for him. I'm actually surprised that @smk4565 isn't ragging on the Tonale/Hornet for being a Compass rebadge. Let's be intellectually honest here...

We're waaaaay off track here. The Hornet is basically Compass and Renegade mechanicals in an Italian body. There's not going to be long waits from Italy except for possibly body panels if you wreck it. The mechanicals are global engines and transmissions already used in vehicles sold in the US. Uconnect is off the shelf.

Those delays are hitting everyone. My co-worker’s Tesla has spent more time back at Tesla than in her hands. She’s probably going to try and get it lemoned out. It’s got less than 3000 miles on it.

The saving grace for the Tonale/Hornet is that it is a platform mate to the Compass, Renegade, Fiat 500X, and Fiat 500L. It's not like the Giulia and Stelvio which were on the all new Giorgio platform. So they've got some practice building it. Giorgio is what underpins the new Grand Cherokee, btw.

Unless you've heard something I haven't, it isn't the 2-liter that is the problem. That same 2-liter is used in the Wrangler and Cherokee. I've always understood it to be the electronics. They don't have zero history of hybrids. They have the Pacifica PHEV, Wrangler 4xe, Grand Cherokee 4xe, several Citroëns. You're just spreading F.U.D. about the 1.3T. It's been running around in Jeep Renegades and Fiat 500Xes since 2018, and in the Tonale it runs at the exact same output as the 2018 Renegade.

Land Cruisers aren't really overrated... I'm not saying that either. What other SUV can stake you to the country club OR participate in the People's Liberation Army? It's that Land Cruisers are rare, expensive, and have a mystique. The Nissan Patrol/Armada is every bit as capable as the Land Cruiser, but no one collects Armadas. There's not a lot that Nissan gets right, but the 5.6 V8 is rock solid reliable. And as sad as it is, even the Armada/QX80 outsold the Land Cruiser/LX for the entire time it was on the market. Tahoes, when properly equipped with the 2-speed transfer case and G80 rear locker like I have, can also be just as capable. They're build for extreme duty... they make optional special 12-volt batteries for them to handle long periods with the engine off (I have one) and they have a spot for a second battery if desired. The Secret Service and many other law enforcement agencies use them. But no one cares because there's a zillion of them out there. No one collects and restores them because you can just go one car lot over to find a nicer one. The only one remotely collectible is the Avalanche/EXT. But when I say that Land Cruisers are rare, they only sold about 1,600 of them in 2011, and between 2,000 and 3,700 (typically 3k) per year since. Totaling 33,905 units in the eleven years since 2011. GM moves that many Tahoes, Suburbans, and Yukons in seven weeks. GM builds more of those three (and not including the Escalade) in 6 months than all the Land Cruisers sold in the U.S ever. That's why people hang on to them and keep them pretty.

I'm not saying that any one brand is better or worse when neglected. I'm saying that Toyota gets a lot of free passes, and the Land Cruiser in particular has a near cult like following, so when they enter the used market they are snapped up and given extra care. No one seeks out a 15 year old Explorer to fix up because they're a dime a dozen. But even me... yes, me, has an eye on an old Land Cruiser sitting at a buy here pay here lot nearby that I have the temptation to buy-fix-flip because I know I could get some cultist to pay top dollar for it with a little bit of investment and elbow grease on my part. (the only reason I haven't is time and I haven't looked under the frame yet)

LOL wut? They were literally the subject of a class action and frame recall.

You found southern survivors. And the average LX/Land Cruiser buyer is a special breed of buyer. They have some of the highest average net worth, wealthy but not flashy. They buy for the long haul and use the dealer for service. And while they could afford something new, they have no problem babying it to 200k before giving it to their son to take to Harvard as a legacy. Then once they hit the secondary market, their off-road capabilities and rareness get them scooped up by the Land Cruiser cult and either preserved or turned into overlanders. So they spend more of their life babied than say, an Explorer, because of their rarity and capability. But when they follow the normal aging process without the constant attention of a Toyota dealer, they deteriorate the same as any Camry LE, but with the added perk of frame rot. Tahoes and Suburbans last just as long with more severe duty and more neglect, but no one cares to preserve them because there’s a zillion of them out there.

My Encore's interior was in perfect shape after 7 years and 113k miles, I got compliments on how nice it looked. I think GM has only gotten better since then. My observation of old Toyotas is that people love to overlook the flaws because it still starts and runs, and Toyota has a bad rep for rust, particularly in trucks and BOF SUV. So sure that old LX might run, but the paint has pealed off, the headlight housings are dark yellow, the dash is cracked, and half the electronics don't work... but sure it runs.

LOL the Enclave is not a bottom feeder. And fancy leather does not a quality interior make... in fact, if that is the only improvement they do, then it's a rather cynical and lazy upgrade to try and make that claim. I mean... This is an official Toyota press photo of the Tundra Capstone and I can see flaws in the fitting of the leather... uneven creases. One seat almost has pleats while the other is flat. If you look up photos of people who did reviews, you can see similar flaws. Just scroll through the interior pics to see them all. I'm also not a big fan of the seat styling... it looks like one designer did 2/3s and another designer did 1/3. Aside from the two-tone, they don't look like anything special. That leather wrap on the a-pillar grab handle is just a cheap cynical addition to lipstick over the cheap plastic underneath. Verses the Silverado High Country. I *really* like this new interior. It harkens back to the broad horizontal dashboards of yesteryear. It has a large screen, but it doesn't look like an iPad slapped on the dash with a holder from Wish like the Tundra does. It is far better integrated into the dash and doesn't look out of place. Oh look... it has Super Cruise too... something no Toyota has. Notice no visible flaws in the leather. Then there is the Sierra Denali. Gone are the days of identical interiors between the GMC and Chevy. The GMC moves the central HVAC vents and gets an extra storage cubby. The dash flows into the center console and the HVAC controls are at more of an angle. It has handsomely stitched leather and engraved open-pore wood. Again the screen looks properly integrated rather than an iPad slapped on the dash. Much more handsome seats with tri-tone colors, and the same engraving pattern on the dash is replicated on the seats. That pattern btw is the topographical map of the summit of Mount Denali. The a-pillar and b-pillar grab handles are fully leather wrapped and there is a microsuede headliner. Then there's the Lexus LX..... That's luxury?? The Palisade and Telluride are better than that... easily. or try a Grand Wagoneer or Yukon Denali The days of bad domestic interiors are very much over. Now... these are all the top zoot luxury barges from their respective brands.... so back to the Hornet. This looks perfectly acceptable for a sub-$30k small crossover with performance intentions. I looks remarkably similar to the Mazda CX-30 which is the most likely closest competitor.

Fixed. We've been having significant problems with the file move processor on this software, so please report any other anomalies you see with images.

No, not really anymore. Very plastic and creaky. Feels very cheap. The new Silverado / Sierra can blow away the Tundra. The new Canyon looks like it will do the same to the Tacoma. The RX isn’t even close to Enclave level. Only the LS / LX get decent quality interiors at Toyota these days. Yeah, the tiny motors are what kill the GX for me, but I have to admit they are probably the best use of space verse length you’ll find today.

They’re dull as dishwater and their interiors of the consumer grade (Not LS/LX) models are really cheaped out for the price paid. The Accord has a nicer interior than an ES. Palisade/Telluride is nicer than RX/GX. Etc. Dodge knows this is going to be a niche product, otherwise they would be building them in the US not Italy. They’re not targeting moms with 3 kids who are looking to replace their 11 year old CR-V.

Unless you travel to or interact closely with people from NYC, at this time you don’t need to do anything. But just be aware of it in case it starts spreading nationally. The only reason I’m doing it is because of my NYC interactions. Defenders are my default purchase for any vehicle. The best 3-season tire out there.

There is community spread of polio in NYC and some of the rural counties nearby. There is a large religious community in the rural counties that is anti-vax and that is compounding the situation. Most polio cases are asymptomatic, but there are a slim number of paralytic cases. One man in NY is already paralyzed from it. It is now detectable in the sewer water, which is how they know it is spreading. I have several NY trips coming up both into the city and to the county where it was first detected. Plus a have friends from NYC who visit regularly. it’s time for me to get that booster too.