Drew Dowdell

Rotaries are the perfect ICE for EV regenerators. They are comfortable at the higher rpm that the generators need without causing noise and vibration to the passengers. No one likes a 3-cylinder or 4-cylinder screaming at them at 2,750 rpm, but a rotary at that speed is like nothing. Plus, they're quite compact so they can fit in smaller vehicles like the Icon SP above or MX-30, or they can fit in something larger like the CX-90.

Lincoln took the wraps off the re-imagined 2025 Lincoln Aviator today. The Aviator re-joined the Lincoln lineup in 2019 after a 14-year absence. The exterior of the Aviator has received a mild, but handsome freshening, bringing the look, especially in the grille, in line with the upcoming 2025 Lincoln Nautilus. New available lighting packages use light strips to welcome the owner via a light sequence called Lincoln Embrace as they approach, reversing the sequence as the vehicle is powered off. The Illumination Package, now standard on the Reserve and Black Label trims includes an illuminated Lincoln Star, adaptive pixel LED headlamps, speed-dependent lighting, adaptive bending lighting, and dynamic signature lighting with LED daytime running lamps. Two new wheel designs may be chosen. Standard are 20-inch bright machined aluminum wheels with Magnetic-painted pockets, while 2-inch Ebony Black bright machined aluminum wheels with gloss-black painted pockets and center caps are available. Additional wheel personalization is available with the Jet Package, available on each trim with unique designs. Inside, a reinterpreted version of the popular Black Onyx design theme is now called Lincoln Black Label Invitation and intrigues occupants with handwritten calligraphy and the feel of a crafted black paper invitation. Continuing from last year is the also-popular Lincoln Black Label Flight theme, combining a Luggage Tan and Ebony with a dark engine turn appliqués to inspire memories of early flight instrument panels. The available 28-speaker Revel Ultima 3D Audio System will continue to envelop each occupant in multidimensional sound while they relax in the available 30-way Perfect Position Front Seats. New standard features on all 2025 Aviators include: BlueCruise hands-free highway driving for four years All-New Lincoln Digital Experience Lincoln Connected Service for one year Lincoln Co-Pilot 360 2.1 Auto Air Refresh Panoramic Vista Roof Power, heated steering wheel Heated and ventilated front seats Wireless phone charging Phone as a Key Adaptive Suspension Class III Trailer Package The new Lincoln Digital Experience infotainment system with Google Assistant and Alex built-in offers a voice-first experience for drivers and passengers alike. The new system can adjust cabin climate, send texts, tune to a specific radio station, and more, just with voice commands. The sole powertrain offered in the 2025 Lincoln Aviator is the 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V6, delivering 400 horsepower and 415 lb-ft of torque, the plug-in hybrid Grant Touring was dropped. Lincoln's Air Glide Suspension is available for an even smoother and more comfortable experience. Based on the same rear-wheel drive architecture as the 2025 Ford Explorer, the Aviator is also available with Intelligent Four-Wheel drive. Pricing starts at $58,495, a $5,155 increase over last year's model. View full article

Different strokes. My sister liked her Edge until she killed it. She wouldn't have wanted to go larger and ended up downsizing to a current-generation Terrain. Now she thinks the Terrain is the perfect size.

Still better than most weather forecasters.

This will be a big income stream for Tesla and they are already working on a massive rollout of V4 chargers as it’s the only way to get reasonable charge speeds in the Cybertruck. There have been loads of Superchargers and other network chargers built near me in the last year.

Was never in them back to back to notice.

Just like you can't buy software anymore, they want you to subscribe to your vehicle, plus an extra $10 a month to subscribe to your heated seats.

Last May, Ford was the first manufacturer to announce that they entered an agreement with Tesla to allow Ford EVs to charge at Tesla V3 SuperCharger stations and that starting in 2025, they would begin moving their vehicles to the NACS charge port. For vehicles built in the interim, owners would be provided with an adapter to allow a CCS vehicle to accept a charge from a Tesla station. Ford has announced that reservations for the adapter will be open soon. Owners will be able to register their VIN to reserve one adapter per vehicle. At present, only Ford Mustang Mach-E and Ford F-150 Lightning owners are eligible for the adapters. We don't know where this leaves E-Transit customers, but we have reached out to Ford for comment. NACS to CCS1 adapters aren't yet available on the market, but several are in development. Such adapters going from CCS1 to Tesla typically run $150 - $250. Ford also plans to continue to expand the BlueOval Charging Network of over 100,000 chargers nationwide. Ford BlueOval allows charging on multiple charge networks through a single app. Update: A Ford rep said that there will be a future announcement regarding Supercharger access for Ford E-Transit customers closer to launch. Updated Update: Ford E-Transit gets Enhanced Range and SuperCharger Access Update 2: Owners may register their VIN to receive their adapter in the Ford Pass app or at ford.com/FastChargingAdapter. Owners are allowed one free adapter per VIN. View full article

Hopefully GM doing more QA testing since they botched the rollout.

That's the advantage of a longer wheelbase, better ride. The Flex was another good one, probably the best of the crossovers on this platform.

Yeah, I have the Toronado on the trickle charger. The bridge is the Birmingham Bridge, connecting the South Side to the Hill District/Oakland. I had more footage heading up Forbes Ave and you could see the Cathedral of Learning as I approached.

Last week we had some nice weather. time for some 2-wheel therapy

The issues with the current traverse and co are largely around the V6 and timing chains. That’s no longer an issue here with the 2.5T. This engine is just a slightly smaller version of the 2.7T in the Cadillacs and Trucks. It seems to be pretty reliable.

I know it's been since 2015, but this thread still gets a lot of hits from Google (and Pinterest!??). I still think it would be neat to have a Thoronado. I need to win the lottery and do it.

Ah, that generation is such an odd duck, but people liked them. They were solid and pretty reliable, but the seating position is odd and they have an unusually high step up for a unibody crossover. It was an unusual deal breaker for me that I noticed the first time I got into one. We had them as fleet vehicles at the last job and it was bad in winter because weather gunk would build up and then you'd get it on your pant leg getting in and out. Take a look: Compared to:

Was the 2020+ model or the prior one? The 2020+ model had really cheapo feeling door plastics.