Drew Dowdell

Oldsmobile Pride!

It's a Porsche, of course it plays at a higher price point. However, once the base models come out, it's supposed to be in the $75k-$80k range.

Heck, most V6es can to that. But I understand your viewpoint is from the shorty onramps that NJ has.

The advantage I see for the Taycan is branding and Porsche's build quality. The disadvantage seems to be interior room. The Model S is a spacious car. If Porsche had to put indents in the floor for your feet just to increase legroom a bit, that tells me it's not really roomy inside.

Why only the first 50,000?

After four years of watching Porsche's Mission E concept go through the stages to production, the final product has finally arrived in the Porsche Taycan. In doing so, Porsche has its sights set directly on Telsa. At launch, the Taycan will be available only in the top trims of Taycan Turbo and Turbo S. Being fully electric, neither of them actually has a turbo of course. Packing a 93.4 kWh battery pack in its floor, the Taycan has a lower center of gravity than a Porsche 911. The top-line Turbo S can generate up to 750 horsepower with overboost mode engage and that will get the 5,100 lb car from 0 to 60 in 2.6 seconds. The standard Turbo makes do with 670 horsepower and a 0 to 60 of 3.0 seconds. Top track speed is limited to 161 mph for both. The Taycan is AWD using a dual motor system with one motor at each axle. Unlike EVs from Tesla and Nissan, Porsche uses a two-speed transmission to gain maximum acceleration and easy highway cruising. The Taycan is the first production EV with an 800 volt system instead of the more common 400 volts for other electric cars. With the fastest charging available on the market, the Taycan can recharge from 5% to 80% in just 22.5 minutes under ideal conditions when connected to a 270 kW charger that will be found at all Porsche dealerships. Home chargers will use a more common 9.6 kW charger. Higher speed charging using Electrify America's network is available for free for the first 3 years. While EPA ratings for range have yet to be released, the Turbo is rated for 236 miles to 279 miles on the EU cycle and the Turbo S is rated for 236 miles to 256 miles on the same cycle. Assume somewhere in the mid-250s once the EPA gets their hands on one. While the Taycan does get a traditional hydraulic braking system, Porsche says that the regenerative system can handle 90 percent of all braking. A standard adaptive air suspension is also there with Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control. On the interior Porsche mounted 5 screens that surround the front occupants with tech. Up front is a 2.8 cubic foot glove box storage space, and out back is a bit more roomy 12.9 cubic foot storage. Porsche put indents into the floor for rear passengers to give more legroom. The Taycan is expected to go on sales towards the end of this year. Launch pricing is $154,660 for the Turbo and the Turbo S starts at $186,350. Cheaper models will come later. View full article

I think the diesel will only go to people who actually take them off-road. The Pentastar is plenty good enough for off-roading as it is.

The diesel engine with so much torque is really ideal for low-range rock climbing. It will even help people who for some reason use a Wrangler solely as a commuter vehicle as they'll get much better fuel economy. The only drawback I see is that Jeep will probably overprice the diesel so that only the most diesel dedicated will buy it.

Ahead of its official debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show, Honda has unveiled the full specs of their Honda E small electric car. Honda developed the E with a focus on design simplicity and usability for the needs of modern urban lifestyles. The clean external lines are helped by the use of exterior cameras replacing the traditional side mirrors. The mirrorless design allows for better aerodynamics. The interior has a full width digital dashboard with dual 12.3 inch LCD touch screens for infotainment and driver information. Owners are able to access the car via a digital key on a smartphone app. The app can also report on things like battery charge control, range monitor, and navigation search results can be sent from the phone to the vehicle or have control of remote climate control. The Honda e makes use of contextual speech recognition to use natural language to provide access to a range of online services. Occupants can activate the system by saying "Okay Honda" The power for the Honda E comes from a choice of two motors driving the rear wheels with either 134 horsepower or 151 horsepower. Torque comes in at 232 lb-ft. The 35.5 kWh battery is among the smallest in its class but still offers a range of about 137 miles. The e can recharge up to 80-percent of its battery in 30 minutes. The 0-62 mph run takes about 8 seconds. Pricing has yet to be announced, but interested buyers in UK, Germany, France, and Norway and reserve their car online. The car remains Forbidden Fruit for the US. View full article

Jeep is finally offering the 3.0-Liter EcoDiesel from the Ram 1500 in the Jeep Wrangler as a late availability option for 2020. For the Wrangler, the engine will produce 260 horsepower and 442 lb-ft of torque. The diesel will be offered on Sport, Sahara, and Rubicon editions, and only on 4 door models. The only transmission available to pair with the diesel is the 8-speed automatic. Electronic Start-Stop (ESS) is standard on the diesel and all other engine options. Other changes for the Wrangler include the addition of the mild-hybrid 48 volt eTorque system to either the 2.0-liter 4-cylinder turbo or the 3.6-liter Pentastar V6. The eTorque system takes the place of ESS and also smooths out the torque band. The 3.6 Pentastar produces 285 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque while the 2.0T produces 270 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque. These numbers hold true with or without the eTorque system. Only the Sahara trim gets eTorque. Two special editions take their place in the Wrangler lineup. The Willys edition is aimed at the off-road enthusiast. As far as hardware, it comes with a limited-slip differential, Rubicon rock rails and shots, heavy duty brakes, two-speed transfer case, and big 32-inch all-terrain tires. Visually, it gets 17-inch wheels with grey accents, all-weather floor mats, LED headlights and foglights, and a gloss black grille, along with the Willys badging. The Willys edition can come either in a 2-door for $35,235 or the 4-door for $38,735. A second special editions is primarily cosmetic. Called the Black & Tan edition (pictured above), it is mainly a retro looking that gets a tan soft-top, 17-inch Machine Granite wheels, tan cloths seats, side steps, and more. The Black & Tan edition is available on both 2-door and 4-door models. View full article

Well, knowing VW, the Bugatti has a cheat devices in the emissions computer.

The fleets.... and me. I like the XTS in V-Sport trim, but I agree the CT6 is a better vehicle all around.

Given how ugly a Bugatti is today, can you imaging how ugly the SUV would be?

The 500X is just a rounder Jeep Renegade. I doubt it would get a rebadge at all..... Call it the Caliber maybe if they did do it.

I'm waiting for a rental property to sell. I won't be buying new, I'll buy a low mileage pre-owned this:

Lamborghini has pulled the sheet off their first hybrid in the for of the Lamborghini Siån ahead of the Frankfurt International Auto Show. The 808-Horsepower hyper-car take the V-12 from the Aventador SVJ and uprates it to 774 horsepower. Then the addition of a 48-volt electric motor adds an additional 34 horsepower. The motor is located in the gearbox and can be used for low speed parking maneuvers. The regenerative braking sends power to a supercapacitor unit during deceleration which then supplies a power boost to the car at speeds up to 81 mph. The electric motor also smooths out the acceleration curve, working during gear changes it smooths out the shift points. This allows the car to gain a 43-75 mph time 1.2 seconds faster than the Aventador SVJ. As far as design, the Siån is very futuristic and aggressive. The large air intakes increase downforce. Only 63 Siåns will be built and all of them have already been sold. So if you didn't get your deposit in already, you're too late. View full article