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Toulouse42 said:
In some cases needs must. My wife has disabled needs that require a taller car. I had to trade my old car (BMW 335i) for a taller car. I'd love my old car back but my needs outweigh my desires. Also it had to be a goldilocks height - not too high / not too low.

Disabled people and older people have needs that frequently saloons (sedans) or hatchbacks can't meet. In the UK about 20-25% of the population have some disability and maybe 25% are over 60. You can see why SUVs are popular. Plus, over here our roads are in really bad shape.
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There's a difference between want and need. But your point is very well taken.

Before my dad's brain haemorrhage, he was going downhill quickly. He had great difficulty getting in anything other than a full-size sedan, which was even difficult then. We tried him with an SUV and minivan and he couldn't do the SUV. He could only do the front seat of the minivan as there was too much of a gap between the door and seat in the back seats of the minivan. Even in his normal days he had the strangest way of trying to get in and out of cars.
 
TPA said:
There's a difference between want and need. But your point is very well taken.

Before my dad's brain haemorrhage, he was going downhill quickly. He had great difficulty getting in anything other than a full-size sedan, which was even difficult then. We tried him with an SUV and minivan and he couldn't do the SUV. He could only do the front seat of the minivan as there was too much of a gap between the door and seat in the back seats of the minivan. Even in his normal days he had the strangest way of trying to get in and out of cars.
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Thank you. My wife's story is similar, so you clearly understand what I mean. As she ages, limbs and joints don't work as well so her needs have changed over the years. My elderly father had some mobility issues too. Never get old!!
 
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EV chopping block, from Autoweek:

  • Honda: The Honda Prologue and Acura ZDX are ending production. The Acura RSX EV and a funky Fortran flagship Afeela sedan were aborted before they hit the market.
  • Ford: The F-150 Lightning electric full-sized pickup truck has been retired. Plans for a three-row electric SUV were scrapped. Citing high battery costs and shifting consumer demand, the automaker abandoned the project to focus on hybrid versions of its large SUVs instead.
  • Volvo: Scaled back its US lineup and canceled the Volvo EX30 in the US market.
  • General Motors: Delayed/canceled planned models like the Buick EV SUV and the all-electric Ram 1500 REV from Stellantis, citing cooling EV consumer demand and strict tariffs on electric vehicles imported from China.
  • Polestar: Ceasing selling vehicles in the United States due to federal restrictions on Chinese-linked connected technology.
  • Tesla: Discontinued the Model S and Model X.
  • Nissan: Nixed the Ariya.
  • Volkswagen: Skipped the 2026 model year of the ID. Buzz.
  • Genesis: Discontinued plans for an electrified G80 in the US.
 
Tesla dropping the Model S is significant. That first generation Model S is what made electric cars mainstream, as it was a good looking car and also happened to be electric. I think they're making a mistake by dropping it, as if I were to buy an electric car, the Model S would probably be the one I'd consider. It's a shame that the original Model S was a looker, while the newer ones are ugly.
 
TPA said:
Tesla dropping the Model S is significant. That first generation Model S is what made electric cars mainstream, as it was a good looking car and also happened to be electric. I think they're making a mistake by dropping it, as if I were to buy an electric car, the Model S would probably be the one I'd consider. It's a shame that the original Model S was a looker, while the newer ones are ugly.
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I was surprised when they announced the drop.

It's still one of the better-looking rides on the road, after all this time. They "nailed" it with the original Model S.

In the U.S., at least, whatever else can be said about the Model S ... at least the Model S seems as though it forever buried the ugly exterior that the GM EV1 and Honda Insight of the '90s tried to push.

Tesla Model S, 2012-2026. R.I.P.
 
Saw the Honda Insight out in the wild, once. Only once. Felt like a Lifetime ago.
Once in awhile my friends and I would drive up to the Palisades Mall. Dinner, hang-out at Dave n' Busters. Play games. That D&B location was one of the absolute best ones back in the day. Fuel was cheaper, prices were reasonable. Nothing like nowadays.

We'd always hang-out afterwards around 1am or 2am. Just shooting the $#&%.
Talking about anything and everything, just outside the mall's main entrance.
Good times.... Parking lot always NEARLY deserted. Always a handful of isolated cars around.

Yeah, that was easily over 20 years ago. One night, I saw it.... Honda Insight.
It looked a bit smaller than I imagined. Looked significantly better than it ever did in photos. You could tell her owner took care of her. All I'm saying is, in terms of looks, she looked a lot better in person than in photos.
 
Monocrom said:
Yeah, that was easily over 20 years ago. One night, I saw it.... Honda Insight.
It looked a bit smaller than I imagined. Looked significantly better than it ever did in photos. You could tell her owner took care of her. All I'm saying is, in terms of looks, she looked a lot better in person than in photos.
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Eh... the first generation wasn't exactly the type of car which would have the ladies swooning. Later generations did get better looking, but first gen? It looks like a grasshopper with big eyes.
1784781136269.png
 
Quite a few years ago on a trip to Canada I saw a Toyota Pious with a V8 badge. (On the wing just behind the front wheel) It took a while to realise that it was a taxi and that was its ID number. On another trip to Yosemite I was following one and was surprised at how fast it got up the hills. I had a V8 rental so expected to leave it in the dust.
 
I found a silver one, but no matter what I do (and my eyesight isn't great), I can't ignore seeing it looking like a grasshopper.

1784871440289.png
 
So, this week's rental car of the week is a 2026 Mazda CX-90 in the Premium Sport trim. I probably should start posting car reviews since I've rented 8 different cars this year, usually for a minimum of 7 days, up to 20 days.

Found this gem in the owner's manual:

Drive the vehicle for about 30 minutes once every 2 to 3 months because self-discharge occurs gradually if the vehicle is not driven for a long period of time. If the M Hybrid Boost Battery discharges completely the M Hybrid Boost system cannot be activated, contact an Authorized Mazda Dealer.

That's p1ss poor. I didn't drive my Mercedes for 6 months and it started right up like nothing happened. Mercedes' battery management from MY2018 onwards is ridiculously overengineered, but proof is in the pudding -- it worked, even with the Florida heat & humidity's effects on the battery.

Also p!ss poor: Remote start is a subscription service with a monthly fee, requiring the use of a phone app.
 
TPA said:
So, this week's rental car of the week is a 2026 Mazda CX-90 in the Premium Sport trim. I probably should start posting car reviews since I've rented 8 different cars this year, usually for a minimum of 7 days, up to 20 days.

Found this gem in the owner's manual:

Drive the vehicle for about 30 minutes once every 2 to 3 months because self-discharge occurs gradually if the vehicle is not driven for a long period of time. If the M Hybrid Boost Battery discharges completely the M Hybrid Boost system cannot be activated, contact an Authorized Mazda Dealer.

That's p1ss poor. I didn't drive my Mercedes for 6 months and it started right up like nothing happened. Mercedes' battery management from MY2018 onwards is ridiculously overengineered, but proof is in the pudding -- it worked, even with the Florida heat & humidity's effects on the battery.

Also p!ss poor: Remote start is a subscription service with a monthly fee, requiring the use of a phone app.
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Too much modern kit is like this. You won't know until it happens and most people won't even know the questions to ask.
 
TPA said:
So, this week's rental car of the week is a 2026 Mazda CX-90 in the Premium Sport trim. I probably should start posting car reviews since I've rented 8 different cars this year, usually for a minimum of 7 days, up to 20 days.

Found this gem in the owner's manual:

Drive the vehicle for about 30 minutes once every 2 to 3 months because self-discharge occurs gradually if the vehicle is not driven for a long period of time. If the M Hybrid Boost Battery discharges completely the M Hybrid Boost system cannot be activated, contact an Authorized Mazda Dealer.

That's p1ss poor. I didn't drive my Mercedes for 6 months and it started right up like nothing happened. Mercedes' battery management from MY2018 onwards is ridiculously overengineered, but proof is in the pudding -- it worked, even with the Florida heat & humidity's effects on the battery.

Also p!ss poor: Remote start is a subscription service with a monthly fee, requiring the use of a phone app.
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Oh! I could have warned you about that!
Despite being an admitted Mazda fan-boy, everything they make without a gasoline powered engine, is crap! Seriously! Their Diesels (which we don't get in America), their Hybrids, their EVs.... All garbage! But their traditional gasoline powered engines, oh, they are Heavenly! 😇
 
Monocrom said:
Oh! I could have warned you about that!
Despite being an admitted Mazda fan-boy, everything they make without a gasoline powered engine, is crap! Seriously! Their Diesels (which we don't get in America), their Hybrids, their EVs.... All garbage! But their traditional gasoline powered engines, oh, they are Heavenly! 😇
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+

More Mazdas are road-raced on any given weekend in North America than any other car brand, often exceeding 50% of the field at grassroots events. Organizations like the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA)
.......not just their cars, Mazda motors alone are a big numbers too

This 90s' GTO class Mazda is not only fast, it sounds fast (4-rotor 👀)
1785076903956.png
 
Monocrom said:
Oh! I could have warned you about that!
Despite being an admitted Mazda fan-boy, everything they make without a gasoline powered engine, is crap! Seriously! Their Diesels (which we don't get in America), their Hybrids, their EVs.... All garbage! But their traditional gasoline powered engines, oh, they are Heavenly! 😇
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With the 2026 CX-90, there is no gasoline-only version. Just a "mild" hybrid and the PHEV. From looking at the forums, the PHEV truly is rubbish for reliability. Oh, and this car doesn't have a regular automatic transmission. It's a Mazda-designed automatic transmission with the torque converter replaced with a multi-plate wet launch clutch. At speed it's fine. But from 0-20 is where things get interesting. Tonight I backed out of a parking space, put it in drive, and the car started rolling backwards(!) as I was on an incline, with the car in Drive. I fed it more gas and it then started moving forward. It wasn't a small amount backwards either. The 0-1 and 1-2 shifts can be a bit rough in it.

The car's design feels very rushed to me, with so many odd annoyances which should have been caught, even before the first prototype was built. The front doors work with keyless entry. The back ones do not. So if you're carrying anything and want to put it in the back seat, say groceries, a baby in a car seat, etc., you have to walk up to the front door, unlock it, then go to the back door and open it. This is an SUV, which people buy solely to deal with their spawn, not a Miata. The temperature controls are physical (yay!) but are piano-key style. Hot & cold next to each other. BUT... you push DOWN on the blue down arrow to make it colder. Great. You also push DOWN on the red UP arrow to make it warmer. Oops. The infotainment system has a scroll wheel & touchscreen. You can't operate the factory Mazda menus with the touchscreen. Conversely, only the touchscreen works with CarPlay / Android Auto. Also, if outdoor temp > 73F, the car locks recirculation ON for the duration of the trip. NO regard to CO2 buildup, which is substantial. Put a larger AC in there and let people breathe! Knowing this, I kept a CO2 meter in the center console and would force recirc off when CO2 levels got high. Drowsy & distracted driving is bad enough these days, without the car starving someone for fresh O2.
 
TPA said:
With the 2026 CX-90, there is no gasoline-only version. Just a "mild" hybrid and the PHEV. From looking at the forums, the PHEV truly is rubbish for reliability. Oh, and this car doesn't have a regular automatic transmission. It's a Mazda-designed automatic transmission with the torque converter replaced with a multi-plate wet launch clutch. At speed it's fine. But from 0-20 is where things get interesting. Tonight I backed out of a parking space, put it in drive, and the car started rolling backwards(!) as I was on an incline, with the car in Drive. I fed it more gas and it then started moving forward. It wasn't a small amount backwards either. The 0-1 and 1-2 shifts can be a bit rough in it.

The car's design feels very rushed to me, with so many odd annoyances which should have been caught, even before the first prototype was built. The front doors work with keyless entry. The back ones do not. So if you're carrying anything and want to put it in the back seat, say groceries, a baby in a car seat, etc., you have to walk up to the front door, unlock it, then go to the back door and open it. This is an SUV, which people buy solely to deal with their spawn, not a Miata. The temperature controls are physical (yay!) but are piano-key style. Hot & cold next to each other. BUT... you push DOWN on the blue down arrow to make it colder. Great. You also push DOWN on the red UP arrow to make it warmer. Oops. The infotainment system has a scroll wheel & touchscreen. You can't operate the factory Mazda menus with the touchscreen. Conversely, only the touchscreen works with CarPlay / Android Auto. Also, if outdoor temp > 73F, the car locks recirculation ON for the duration of the trip. NO regard to CO2 buildup, which is substantial. Put a larger AC in there and let people breathe! Knowing this, I kept a CO2 meter in the center console and would force recirc off when CO2 levels got high. Drowsy & distracted driving is bad enough these days, without the car starving someone for fresh O2.
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Oops. "Someone" did not do a lot of thinking!!
 
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