The Automobile Thread

I did the black out treatment on my Tacoma, it just looks so much cleaner and a lot less gaudy.

 

Agreed. I like it everywhere except the wheels. I'm ramping up to do vinyl wrap on the chrome window trim. That's next level stuff for me, so putting it off!

 

I am lucky someone manufactures the parts in black as well as other colors. Basically plug n play. I can’t imagine doing the wrapping myself. It might gut be rewarding but I don’t have patience for it.

 

Well I haven't done it for a reason...

 

Saw this at the "Rivian House" as I was driving out to surf this morning. Not sure if it has the cartoon headlights or not. Has anyone else seen a Rivian SUV yet - or is this breaking news?

UPDATE: I walked my dog over and had the audacity to just go on their property and look. Yup - vertical headlights giving that cartoon face.

 

I’ve been seeing a couple different models of Rivians around Colorado just in the last several months. What gives? Why all of a sudden? I’m sure if I headed to Boulder years ago I would have witnessed this. Pretty awesome looking vehicles that I know nothing about.

 

Pretty sure you would not have seen them years ago, since I believe they were first available to the public last year.

 

It all makes sense now.

I actually did a quick Google search before that post glanced saw they started in 2009. I guess I should have continued reading.

 

That wrap has been on some of their show cars…The SUV has been orderable since 2018 but they just started sending them down the line. I like them more than the 4’ bed truck and all it’s funkiness. The SUV has better aero/range. I wish I wanted to be the first to own a brand new complex product from a brand new manufacturer. But I don’t…. It’s a really cool car but I can’t be their beta tester.

 

Yeah, I’d love to have one, but I’d wait a few years before I’d actually get one just because I don’t want to be the guinea pig either.

 

First dirt today. Dang. Just wants to keep going until you get really stuck, then you lock the diff and back away.

 

That's really cool! I didn't know they had an electric Rubicon. Cool regardless.

 

Yeah, that was my thought as well. Very cool.

 

It only gets just over 20 miles on just the battery, but when you run in hybrid mode it meters out the battery when you need it over time and gives you almost 400 hp. So passing trucks on 247 was easy.

 

The only hybrid I would own....
Can't afford the electricity or gas, so I guess it will have to wait.

 

The Rubicons are really incredible off-road. I had an '03 TJ Rubicon, and with the front and rear lockers plus 35's and a 4.5 inch lift, I would go over obstacles that looked impossible. It's nice that yours can run on electricity around town, and you can use the carpool lane. If you haven't gone up to Big bear yet, there are some fun trails up there. Very nice Jeep!

 

Ha, have you driven a Ford lately...? ;-)

 

The Wrangler 4xE doesn’t get an HOV sticker . A few years back CA added a minimum electric range requirement that this brick doesn’t meet—the feds are on CA to get HOV speeds up or lose funding, so they had to cut back on that perk. It’s still good for $7500 back at Federal tax time, $750 from the state at purchase, and 30% tax credit for installing a home charger, which meant buying a $250 doohickey that plugs into the dryer outlet. Optioned out it’s the cheapest way to get into a Rubicon after tax, and it’s second only to the 392 Hemi for horsepower.

37s are the new 35s. But the stock 33s are just fine for now. It’s replacing an Outback in our daily driver fleet, it can’t be relegated to 100% toy status for a few years.

 

Really? What’s the range? Google machine tells me 49 miles. Our Q5e only gets 22 and qualifies for HOV stickers.

edit: now I’m seeing elsewhere that the 4XE gets 21 miles, but still…..Q5e is 22 miles for 2022, but was 19 in 2021 and still qualified.

 

Nice jeep @tick ! Noticed that @Sidewalk hasn't posted a pick of his Rubi, must be having way too much fun driving it.

I thought the little graphics of jeeps and flip flops on his rig was pretty cool.

 

Same here--we have the BMW 530e that gets around 23 miles of range, and we have the carpool sticker. They must have made changes to the newer models?
Agreed about 37s being the new 35s, but that usually means re-gearing, even worse mileage, etc. I have 35s on My Tundra TRD which have been great off-road, but still not too loud on the freeway. The 33s are fine on the Rubicon for the vast majority of trails. That is a seriously capable machine.
I've seen a number of Rivians, and saw my first Hummer EV yesterday. I lease the BMW for my business, and when the lease is up next July I'll get something electric (if there are any cars available in a year!). I was hoping for the F150 lightning, but the Ford roll-outs of the lighting and Bronco have been pretty dismal.

 

How is the reliability on the 530e? Those are on our shortlist for future cars, but adding even more electrical complexity to German cars scares me off a bit.

 

It's been good so far, with the exception of the run-flat tires which are a pain in the ass. However, I'm leasing so everything is covered for the 3-year lease. I got a really good deal right before the pandemic went into full swing. Personally I wouldn't purchase it, but I don't trust BMW for a long-term vehicle.

 

Thanks, good to know. Bimmers have been good to me, but I prefer older/less complicated ones. Fewer things to break! But at some point will need to get a car built in the teens!

 

https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/eligible-carpool-sticker-list

The Grand Cherokee 4xE qualifies btw. I like them, I went into this car purchase window thinking that’s where we were going. the wife wanted a less practical car this time, and I was happy to oblige. I wanted something more desert capable than the Outback, and yeah, it is that…the HOV sticker on our Bolt expires this New Years. I’m gonna miss it. But the Rubicon doesn’t want to drive the HOV speeds on the 22 anyway—it’s very good at keeping me under 70.

The Outback would let me put my bike in the back with the rear wheel on, the Jeep makes me take it off. So it’s probably rack time…

I love my EV, and theres still a part of me that wishes I’d sprung for the Rivian, but the first golden era of EV road tripping is just about over. We had a brief period where there were enough chargers in enough places to really go somewhere. But the number of EVs is growing faster than the charger count right now. Rivian made a big deal about opening their “network,” which amounts to 4 chargers on the way to Mammoth and a couple in Alamosa Colorado. Not good enough.

 

We’re trying to add eight Tesla Level 3 Superchargers next door to the McDonalds in the Cajon Pass. I think the goal is to facilitate non-Teslas to charge at Level 2 rates.

 

My Rubi is sitting at home with about 300 miles on the odometer while I drive to Oregon and back. I'm almost back now though, riding in Tehachapi as my last stop.

I got myself into a LOT of trouble with a cheap body lift, bald 33's, and a welded rear end on my Bronco II. One thing I learned back then, you really just need to learn how to drive.

Kinda like driving a stock Miata at the track vs spending 10k modifying a Mustang and never learning how to use it.

Leaving my Rubi stock for as long as possible.

 

Our first new RS3 came off the truck today.

 

Glossy!

 

Looks fast and fun! Those rubber bands wrapped around the rims must wear fast though!