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iRider

Turbo Monkey
Apr 5, 2008
5,653
3,093
1 out of 200 times I get in my car would I need 1000km of range. How often are you folks doing 10hrs in one go?
6-8 times a year and with a lot of stuff in the car. My commute takes less than 30 mins (w/o traffic jam), so here a smaller car would be nice and it can very well be an EV. The problem for me with the regulations here is, that owning two cars is financially not viable. It would be great if insurance and taxation would actually reflect the usage of a vehicle and not the ownership.

How often do folks need fast acceleration? How often more than 80 mph top speed? How often the grip of super wide tires? I would say objectively looking at it, range is the most useful "nice to have" thing.

For example, when driving on the german Autobahn, usually all the rest stops are packed with trucks. Here especially the ones that have facilities like gas stations and restaurants. We are talking full chaos. It is easier and less stressful to get a spot on one of the rest stops without gas station, so having the possibility to pick whichever you want is nice.

Copy-20of-20MMA-05339-1-.jpg
 

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
41,297
13,414
Portland, OR
1 out of 200 times I get in my car would I need 1000km of range. How often are you folks doing 10hrs in one go?
My commute is 31 miles, takes 40 minutes sand traffic. I only do it twice a week if at all. I want an electric moto to commute, but it's at the range limit unless I get work to let me plug in somewhere. Unfortunately we also live in the sticks, so anything needed outside of Ace Hardware, Walmart, or Safeway, your ass is going into town (see commute)). I avoid Walmart at all costs. But an EV would totally work for us.
 

Changleen

Paranoid Member
Jan 9, 2004
14,356
2,467
Pōneke
My commute is 31 miles, takes 40 minutes sand traffic. I only do it twice a week if at all. I want an electric moto to commute, but it's at the range limit unless I get work to let me plug in somewhere. Unfortunately we also live in the sticks, so anything needed outside of Ace Hardware, Walmart, or Safeway, your ass is going into town (see commute)). I avoid Walmart at all costs. But an EV would totally work for us.
Are you sure? You can buy electric scooters with more than enough range for your commute.
 

Westy

the teste
Nov 22, 2002
54,514
20,313
Sleazattle
As much as I like my Golf R having a sporty compact car is pretty much pointless in the PNW. It is so rare to have the opportunity to enjoy a road it is kind of pointless. I wish I still had a commute over an empty winding mountain pass. I also spend a lot of time driving on forest roads and having more ground clearance would be nice. It is rather capable in winter conditions with the right tires but I would like to go to more places to play in the snow where unplowed parking areas would make the low ground clearance a major liability.

So I made a list of what I would like to have in an ideal vehicle.
-Decent power
-Good for long distance road trips with the pup
-AWD or 4WD
-Good fuel mileage
->6" of ground clearance
-Can fit two bikes inside
-Could comfortably sleep in the back with seats folded down
-Enough room that I could rig up some aux batteries and install a vent fan and other cooling devices so I could leave the dog inside for a few hours in the summer.


Objectively speaking the best fit for my requirements is a Toyota Sienna minivan.
Subjectively speaking it is possibly the ugliest thing on the road
 

Adventurous

Starshine Bro
Mar 19, 2014
10,366
8,950
Crawlorado
As much as I like my Golf R having a sporty compact car is pretty much pointless in the PNW. It is so rare to have the opportunity to enjoy a road it is kind of pointless. I wish I still had a commute over an empty winding mountain pass. I also spend a lot of time driving on forest roads and having more ground clearance would be nice. It is rather capable in winter conditions with the right tires but I would like to go to more places to play in the snow where unplowed parking areas would make the low ground clearance a major liability.

So I made a list of what I would like to have in an ideal vehicle.
-Decent power
-Good for long distance road trips with the pup
-AWD or 4WD
-Good fuel mileage
->6" of ground clearance
-Can fit two bikes inside
-Could comfortably sleep in the back with seats folded down
-Enough room that I could rig up some aux batteries and install a vent fan and other cooling devices so I could leave the dog inside for a few hours in the summer.


Objectively speaking the best fit for my requirements is a Toyota Sienna minivan.
Subjectively speaking it is possibly the ugliest thing on the road
546b2e1ecb2c1_-_pontiacaztekpr-lg.jpg
 

Toshi

Harbinger of Doom
Oct 23, 2001
38,428
7,811
So I made a list of what I would like to have in an ideal vehicle.
-Decent power
-Good for long distance road trips with the pup
-AWD or 4WD
-Good fuel mileage
->6" of ground clearance
-Can fit two bikes inside
-Could comfortably sleep in the back with seats folded down
-Enough room that I could rig up some aux batteries and install a vent fan and other cooling devices so I could leave the dog inside for a few hours in the summer.
2014 and earlier Chevy Express AWD. 5.3 liter with an Impco bi-fuel kit added on.

or more realistically a VW ID Buzz with a safari treatment.
 

Westy

the teste
Nov 22, 2002
54,514
20,313
Sleazattle
2014 and earlier Chevy Express AWD. 5.3 liter with an Impco bi-fuel kit added on.

or more realistically a VW ID Buzz with a safari treatment.
Full size van doesn't come close to meeting any efficiency requirements for a single vehicle and AWD/4WD versions seem to be rare and come at a premium. Until solid state batteries and additional infrastructure is in place I also don't see a fully electric vehicle viable for long multi day road trips through the unpopulated West. If for no other reason than having zero patience for delays. That being said something like a Leaf for daily duties and a used 4WD van for the occasional shenanigans isn't off the table.

My house is 110 years old with mostly 110 year old wiring. To be able to install an electric vehicle charger I would need to update my electrical service from the paltry 100 AMPs to something larger. Also a good chance that if I upgraded the panel I would be forced bring the rest of the house up to code which would require demolition/rebuild and would run deep into 5 figures. I guess I could get a separate metered drop for a charging circuit.
 
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Changleen

Paranoid Member
Jan 9, 2004
14,356
2,467
Pōneke
As much as I like my Golf R having a sporty compact car is pretty much pointless in the PNW. It is so rare to have the opportunity to enjoy a road it is kind of pointless. I wish I still had a commute over an empty winding mountain pass. I also spend a lot of time driving on forest roads and having more ground clearance would be nice. It is rather capable in winter conditions with the right tires but I would like to go to more places to play in the snow where unplowed parking areas would make the low ground clearance a major liability.

So I made a list of what I would like to have in an ideal vehicle.
-Decent power
-Good for long distance road trips with the pup
-AWD or 4WD
-Good fuel mileage
->6" of ground clearance
-Can fit two bikes inside
-Could comfortably sleep in the back with seats folded down
-Enough room that I could rig up some aux batteries and install a vent fan and other cooling devices so I could leave the dog inside for a few hours in the summer.


Objectively speaking the best fit for my requirements is a Toyota Sienna minivan.
Subjectively speaking it is possibly the ugliest thing on the road
It’s a fucking car. Who cares? Do you want to fuck it?
 

Changleen

Paranoid Member
Jan 9, 2004
14,356
2,467
Pōneke
2014 and earlier Chevy Express AWD. 5.3 liter with an Impco bi-fuel kit added on.

or more realistically a VW ID Buzz with a safari treatment.
A 5.3 is a ridiculous, cunty, frankly immoral engine to buy in 2022. ID Buzz looks great though.
 

iRider

Turbo Monkey
Apr 5, 2008
5,653
3,093
So I made a list of what I would like to have in an ideal vehicle.
-Decent power
-Good for long distance road trips with the pup
-AWD or 4WD
-Good fuel mileage
->6" of ground clearance
-Can fit two bikes inside
-Could comfortably sleep in the back with seats folded down
-Enough room that I could rig up some aux batteries and install a vent fan and other cooling devices so I could leave the dog inside for a few hours in the summer.


Objectively speaking the best fit for my requirements is a Toyota Sienna minivan.
Subjectively speaking it is possibly the ugliest thing on the road
That is pretty much what is on my list as well.
The closest I have seen is the VW Caddy Alltrack 4Motion TDI. Depending on your needs you can get the short or long version. Long version is less offroad capable though.
 

iRider

Turbo Monkey
Apr 5, 2008
5,653
3,093
A 5.3 is a ridiculous, cunty, frankly immoral engine to buy in 2022. ID Buzz looks great though.
While I highly anticipate the VW ID Buzz, knowing VW they will fuck it up. Maybe the transporter version will be good w/o all these BS electronics that just fail all the time. Check the ID.3 history, ugh!
 

CBJ

year old fart
Mar 19, 2002
12,882
4,229
Copenhagen, Denmark
6-8 times a year and with a lot of stuff in the car. My commute takes less than 30 mins (w/o traffic jam), so here a smaller car would be nice and it can very well be an EV. The problem for me with the regulations here is, that owning two cars is financially not viable. It would be great if insurance and taxation would actually reflect the usage of a vehicle and not the ownership.

How often do folks need fast acceleration? How often more than 80 mph top speed? How often the grip of super wide tires? I would say objectively looking at it, range is the most useful "nice to have" thing.

For example, when driving on the german Autobahn, usually all the rest stops are packed with trucks. Here especially the ones that have facilities like gas stations and restaurants. We are talking full chaos. It is easier and less stressful to get a spot on one of the rest stops without gas station, so having the possibility to pick whichever you want is nice.

View attachment 169871
So far the only solution I have seen is Dribe where you can save up free rentals of a larger cars. I am in the same boat. I could live with a small EV for most of my driving and then only need a bigger car for the 6 long trips a year. I really think the biggest problem in Denmark is tax on car and fuel. The government makes so much money from this if they changed to what actually made sense for the people and the environment it would hurt the tax income.
 

Jozz

Joe Dalton
Apr 18, 2002
5,897
7,447
SADL
As much as I like my Golf R having a sporty compact car is pretty much pointless in the PNW. It is so rare to have the opportunity to enjoy a road it is kind of pointless. I wish I still had a commute over an empty winding mountain pass. I also spend a lot of time driving on forest roads and having more ground clearance would be nice. It is rather capable in winter conditions with the right tires but I would like to go to more places to play in the snow where unplowed parking areas would make the low ground clearance a major liability.

So I made a list of what I would like to have in an ideal vehicle.
-Decent power
-Good for long distance road trips with the pup
-AWD or 4WD
-Good fuel mileage
->6" of ground clearance
-Can fit two bikes inside
-Could comfortably sleep in the back with seats folded down
-Enough room that I could rig up some aux batteries and install a vent fan and other cooling devices so I could leave the dog inside for a few hours in the summer.


Objectively speaking the best fit for my requirements is a Toyota Sienna minivan.
Subjectively speaking it is possibly the ugliest thing on the road
Short Ford Transit mid roof, Ecoboost, AWD.

1641301632854.png
 

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
41,297
13,414
Portland, OR

gonefirefightin

free wieners
Maybe if my commute was city streets, but imagine a scooter trying to clear the pass after a 10 mile stretch of 60+MPH HW30.

A scooter on the freeway might be sketch. That's why 60+ MPH is a requirement on top of 80+ mile range.

Me on my commute...

View attachment 169891

I see way more stupid shit than that in portland, you should fit right in
 

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
41,297
13,414
Portland, OR
As much as I like my Golf R having a sporty compact car is pretty much pointless in the PNW. It is so rare to have the opportunity to enjoy a road it is kind of pointless. I wish I still had a commute over an empty winding mountain pass. I also spend a lot of time driving on forest roads and having more ground clearance would be nice. It is rather capable in winter conditions with the right tires but I would like to go to more places to play in the snow where unplowed parking areas would make the low ground clearance a major liability.

So I made a list of what I would like to have in an ideal vehicle.
-Decent power
-Good for long distance road trips with the pup
-AWD or 4WD
-Good fuel mileage
->6" of ground clearance
-Can fit two bikes inside
-Could comfortably sleep in the back with seats folded down
-Enough room that I could rig up some aux batteries and install a vent fan and other cooling devices so I could leave the dog inside for a few hours in the summer.


Objectively speaking the best fit for my requirements is a Toyota Sienna minivan.
Subjectively speaking it is possibly the ugliest thing on the road
Rocky Point Road, best commute ever.


I usually go down as it's dark in the morning and deer.
 

slyfink

Turbo Monkey
Sep 16, 2008
9,352
5,102
Ottawa, Canada
Full size van doesn't come close to meeting any efficiency requirements for a single vehicle and AWD/4WD versions seem to be rare and come at a premium. Until solid state batteries and additional infrastructure is in place I also don't see a fully electric vehicle viable for long multi day road trips through the unpopulated West. If for no other reason than having zero patience for delays. That being said something like a Leaf for daily duties and a used 4WD van for the occasional shenanigans isn't off the table.

My house is 110 years old with mostly 110 year old wiring. To be able to install an electric vehicle charger I would need to update my electrical service from the paltry 100 AMPs to something larger. Also a good chance that if I upgraded the panel I would be forced bring the rest of the house up to code which would require demolition/rebuild and would run deep into 5 figures. I guess I could get a separate metered drop for a charging circuit.
Again, I'm not a Tesla fanboi, but what you describe sounds like a Model Y or Model X. If I'm not mistaken, a Model X can be had with AWD, and adjustable ride height. Also has a "dog mode" for keeping pooch comfy in summer.

Also, I've been told a level 2 charger can easily be run on a 100amp electrical supply. They are the same as running a stove or a drier. And if you try and avoid running all three at the same time, it should be do-able.
 

Toshi

Harbinger of Doom
Oct 23, 2001
38,428
7,811
Model Y and X both have low ground clearance and very poor angles. And their stock tires have no sidewall.

Plus the Supercharger network is great if sticking to the freeways, but sparse outside of those (logical) corridors.

Were it not for the AWD bit a Pacifica (plug-in) Hybrid like my wife's would work well. One must choose AWD or PHEV with that, and like he mentioned above the current Sienna is both ugly and not a plug-in.
 

gonefirefightin

free wieners
speaking of depreciating assets:

stuff like that.

Who is paying 75k for a base model bronco?
Every single bronco and bronco sport buyer I personally know that has hit any resemblance of a trail has had a major failure or breakage resulting them in trading the rig back in for a different rig. Tie rods, Axles and differentials have been the majors of nearly every circumstance.
 

jonKranked

Detective Dookie
Nov 10, 2005
86,088
24,619
media blackout
Honestly the number of pickups on the road is astounding. I know this is 'MERICA and people get to drive what they want, but the logic behind buying a vehicle whose hood is taller than my roof and will likely never see dirt nor tow anything is astounding. Yeah, you've got chrome, four doors, a full size bed, and can tow a battleship, but you use it to get groceries. Fuck.
it's so Chad from accounting can take his golf clubs and yeti cooler full of white claw to the golf course with his other MBA buddies and feel manly
 

roflbox

roflborx
Jan 23, 2017
3,163
834
Raleigh, NC
Every single bronco and bronco sport buyer I personally know that has hit any resemblance of a trail has had a major failure or breakage resulting them in trading the rig back in for a different rig. Tie rods, Axles and differentials have been the majors of nearly every circumstance.
ah, yes, joys of not having solid axles :busted:
 

roflbox

roflborx
Jan 23, 2017
3,163
834
Raleigh, NC
Honestly the number of pickups on the road is astounding. I know this is 'MERICA and people get to drive what they want, but the logic behind buying a vehicle whose hood is taller than my roof and will likely never see dirt nor tow anything is astounding. Yeah, you've got chrome, four doors, a full size bed, and can tow a battleship, but you use it to get groceries. Fuck.