Drew Dowdell

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.

We don’t have Discount Tire near me. I just buy through Costco because they don’t mess around with warranty, plus I get 5% cash back via their credit card and executive membership.

I plan on doing the polio booster too since I have travel planned to NYC. Did I post something about that? Lol ! I’ve been waiting for the next Costco Michelin sale for a while now. Both the 300 and Avalanche are in dire need of tires.

The GLA and X1 are also smaller inside than this will be. What CX-3? Mazda canceled it. 2021 was the last model year and it’s already out of production.

I think once it gets around that you can get an Alfa for Dodge money, it’ll sell to that set. All of the options you listed are significantly slower (8s - 10s range) than the base Hornet (6.5s), except the RAV4 PHEV, but that’s a $45k vehicle base if you can find one without markup. This is aimed at people who want more sport.

As if there’s not a crapload of small premium SUVs out there? GLA? X1? X2? Q3? Whatever the Lexus ones are these days? Encore GX? XT4? Tonale of course… I’m actually surprised there isn’t an Acura version of the HR-V yet. How about an Infiniti QX20 based on the Kicks?

The Encore and Encore GX are marvels of modern packaging. I can't think of any (ICE) platform from any other manufacturer that gave that much interior room in such a short space. I genuinely liked my Encore's size when it was just the two of us, but as we now have to transport aging parents, it got too small for 4.

I haven't tried the new Compass yet... it looks very Corsair inside, just a little more "woodsy"

I'm not sure why, but the Compass feels a lot more snug than the Equinox. The Terrain feels downright airy. I know the Nox and Terrain have identical dimensions. I've always considered the Cherokee with its larger cargo capacity to be more of the equivalent to the TerriNox. MotorTrend compares the Tonale to the XC40 and Q3... which is probably about right.

The Hornet will be a little bit smaller than those (cue the roominess complaints in a vehicle intended to be a sports crossover). This isn't a direct replacement for the Journey in that regard and it won't line up against the CR-V/RAV-4/TerriNox directly because it will be more compact. From an interior size perspective, I would expect this to line up more between an Encore GX and a BMW X3.

It's not unprecedented. We're still below the inflation of the 70s and 80s that was in both of our lifetimes.

There’s a bunch of option packages listed in the release already. The engine of the PHEV is tiny. I’m sure they are managing the battery to it never goes to zero just like the Volt does, and there is plenty of Regen possibilities Don’t be so negative

In normal mode, the engine output gets dialed back for efficiency. The bigger Terrain 2.0T with a 9-speed gets into the 30s on the highway, so I would expect similar numbers from this. Not an unreasonable expectation when the bigger/heavier Cherokee with the previous version of this engine does 26 mpg. The Pacifica Hybrid does 83 MPGe, so the PHEV Hornet R/T should easily meet or exceed that. For my household, the Hornet R/T would effectively be a high powered EV in daily commuting. For both of us our daily round trip is less than 30 miles. I dont think fuel economy will be an issue for either model.

This is a huge move up market for Dodge. I’m guessing that the “under $30k” part means $28,995 + $995 destination charge base price. The Journey could be had for as little as $23k and that was a bigger vehicle. That said, I’m pretty intrigued by it.