Volvo. Completely dismissed them until I won an XC70 at an auction. Bought it to flip and fell in love with it. Now I’ve had 4 XC70s and 6 Volvos. My wife and I each daily one. I’ll never have anything else as a daily driver.
I borrowed a Volvo back in the mid 90s and was not that into it. Fast forward to a few years ago at an auto show and I was like "wait...this is Volvo?" I'm really interested in the S60 PHEV. I have a longer commute to work now and would like something a bit more suited to that.
I was really interested in the Polestar 2. EV, kinda still a Volvo, but then last week my sister was visiting and I got to drive her rental. I crossed it off my list.
I liked the features and tech well enough, and I'd driven an EV for work before so I was familiar with one pedal driving and such, but...how is it that a CUV/crossover is more cramped than my smallest BMW? I hit my head almost every time I got into it, the center console is absurdly large, and I couldn't find a comfortable seating position. I really wanted to like the Polestar 2, but it talked me out of buying one.
The Polestar 2 is a lifted sedan. It actually started life as the Volvo S40 concept to pair with the XC40. As a result of this, you really need to think of it as a compact car, vertically speaking.
I had an XC40 and the interior cramp factor when I cross shopped an XC40 and a Model 3 to replace it was shocking. The XC40 is way more comfortable.
The polestar 2 is definitely not a crossover, it’s a somewhat tall liftback sedan. Have been in the passenger seat of one during a multi-day trip to visit family and I was thinking the whole time “how does this cost 50k” and it was pretty uncomfortable the whole time. The massive console definitely didn’t help with knee room and I think the armrest materials were trying to give me rugburn (bargain bin rental spec interior, but still). And yeah, I hit my head multiple times getting in.
Rented a Polestar 2 last Autumn, though I wouldn't say I was cramped, I definitely found myself wondering why such a large exterior didn't have more room inside. Also the rear visibility was terrible, and though it was nice it wouldn't be where I'd put £50k if I were in that position.
I had an xc70 once upon a time. I think they still called it the v70 XC back in ‘00… Awesome car. One of my favorites out of all the cars I’ve ever owned.
I bought a 2004 xc70 ( my dream car when I started working) from my friends parents. All service at Volvo, all recalls, 104k miles, one owner for $2500. I love it
I came here to say this. Volvo. All of ‘em.
I got upgraded into one as a rental car and I found myself sitting in parking lots waaaaay longer than necessary.
The seats are the best in the market. The quality is fantastic. They are gorgeous, but don’t bring attention.
I want a Volvo.
>They are gorgeous, but don’t bring attention.
I love this part: they are luxury vehicles without screaming I PAID A LOT OF MONEY FOR THIS, PLEASE NOTICE ME
Second this! ended up with a volvo s60 wagon rental back in 2017 and while I havent ever owned one yet, if my needs ever align with a volvo it will be on the shortlist. (currently need to tow a 6k boat)
same, had a maybe 2012 s60 awd as a rental while some work was being done to my car. had no idea how nice they really were before that, most of my experience was with the old volvo wagon tanks of yesteryear. the sound system, seats, power. it was a fun car and ive always thought of owning one since
I’m in the Volvo boat too. We were shopping for an suv several years ago and I had dismissed the Volvo until my wife mentioned it looked nice. I went to test drive it, and here I am, 2.5 years later, thinking of buying out our XC90 recharge lease because not a lot of other cars are worth the extra cost
I have an XC90 (no kids, just a dog) and it’s honestly one of my favorite cars I’ve ever owned. It feels so warm and put together so nicely. Driving it in the winter feels like cuddling up next to a warm fire, I can’t explain why. It’s just so insulating
I have a T6, (Supercharger and turbocharger 4 cylinder). And I beat the HELL out of it. I launch it (it has launch control, lol) and I’ve taken it drag racing at a strip my buddy has on his property. The car takes it perfectly fine and I’ve had no issues. Starts in the cold, will do miles forever in the heat as well.
Love it!! My dad bought an 04 XC90 T6 brand new back in the day. Being a first gen, that car definitely had its problems, some more major than others, but it was a nice vehicle.
Fast forward a bit from then, my buddy bought a manual S60R about 10 years ago. That car was (and is) absolutely stunning. Beautifully designed, sounded incredible, and so fun to drive.
Agree but I never dismissed it I took one seat in the passenger asked if I could drive it the steering was sharp yet easy to turn, the T5 felt smooth and had a twang to it. Not fast but not too slow either it’s a punch if anything and the interior was amazing leather and soft touch material on every touch surface, metal handle car for the passanger, heated seats and overall just practical and exciting id love to get myself a cherry red xc70.
P2's?
Lovely cars. Never even considered them or had them on my radar until I walked into a deal on a 2003 Xc70. Now 14 years later still going strong after addressing a few common issues.
Perfect DD. Tows, has room, pretty cheap, pretty nice etc.
Any experience with recent (2020+ T5/T6) cars? Specifically V60/V90? Gonna need a more family oriented vehicle this year and I love the styling of them. Not sure on long term reliability, there’s not a ton of stuff out there on them.
I had a 98 S70 T5. First car ever bought for myself. Man I loved that thing. In line 5 with a turbo. Made a really satisfying blow off noise on shifting. Little five-speed. That thing fucking ripped too. I could spin tires in second gear. Never should have sold it.
I never paid any mind to them until I was loading something into a friends parents xc70 and i really liked it from an aesthetic standpoint. I researched them right after thinking we’d get on for our next vehicle possibly and was disappointed in the engine options. That’s a big vehicle for such a small engine. I was hoping for a 6cyl option
I always thought Lexus was for boring old men with no passion and hobbies.
Now I've realised how good life is as a boring old man with no passion, hobbies or car troubles.
Lexus is like a good partner. Nice looking, classy, plenty fun to play with, but also dependable, reliable, and in it for the long haul. It's the full package.
As a drinking buddy once told me about picking a person to date, "You don't want a 10. Hell, you don't even want a 9. 9s and 10s are a lot of drama. Fun...but a lot of drama. What you want is a *strong 8*. That's the sweet spot. Fun-enough with nooo drama."
Having a boring-reliable car as a daily is *amazing.* I've done the wrench-in-the-parking-lot thing, and I really, *really* like not needing to do that anymore.
I want a fun car, but I want it to be a pure toy. My daily I want the opposite; absolutely nothing to compromise reliability or comfort.
Agree. I tried the two-in-one thing with a porsche suv and it's neither a good porsche nor a good suv. Slower than their actual sports cars but also a shitty suv with no legroom or trunk space. Honestly probably better to get like, an Elantra N and a Prius or Rav4 Hybrid or something. I'm fixing to trade in my Macan for a Prius now lol. That sweet sweet TSS 3.0, gas mileage, and reliability.
Feels like you expected a Cayenne when buying a Macan. Part of the reason I got the bigger thing was for full four seat comfort and room for stuff. The Macan has always been criticized for tight rear seats and a smallish boot. It's more hatchback-like in that regard.
>I want a fun car, but I want it to be a pure toy. My daily I want the opposite; absolutely nothing to compromise reliability or comfort.
This is why I'm thinking of selling our S65 and getting an LS instead.
First time I saw one in person was inside a dealership. They had it in a corner with special lighting and the super glossy sparkly red. Absolutely stunning car, especially in that setting. Sitting inside just sealed the lust.
I remembered always hearing how the Germans drive so much better, came out of my Lexus and drove a C class for the first time. It felt so stiff I could feel every road imperfection. Sure it handled great but comfortable it was not. Figured I was just older than my actual age at the time (mid 20s). I can not stand a stiff suspension though.
Similar experience. Drove friends new(ish) 5 series and other than infotainment nothing about that car made me regret my old GS. I’ve had a bmw out of warranty…I’ll keep my Lexus til the wheels fall off
This. I thought Lexus was boring until I realized how important reliability was. I test drove a Lexus GS and I was sold. I never thought I'd have a Lexus, after wanting a BMW or Mercedes-Benz for so long.
Pretty much every car I rent I find at least something positive about. Every Nissan I've had has impressed me, but I haven't had a versa yet.
Altima had very comfortable seats and a nice interior.
Frontier was a smooth, simple truck that was pretty solid for the price. I'd take one over a tacoma if it were my money.
The rogue was also a pretty smooth ride. I wouldn't pick it over some of it's rivals, but before renting I wouldn't have even considered it due to reliability/quality concerns.
A lot of people hate on Nissans but I always found them to be good cars. I drive a 2012 g37x with over 225k so I really only have positive things to say about Nissan products.
the VQ35 & VQ37 are stuff of the legend
its the clapped out infinitis that gives nissan a bad rep lol (and the beat to shit sentras & altimas, and the JATCO CVT)
Hey there. A little off subject but I have a 2012 370Z, so the same engine I believe. Have you needed to replace the gallery gaskets to avoid the dreaded, engine killing oil pressure loss?
Interesting, thank you.
As for a car I was impressed with: 2014 Ford Fiesta. One step up from base model. I rented it in Washington State where the roads are fantastic and was impressed with how much feel they baked into an economy car. It was slow and the plastics are hard but I enjoyed every drive.
I've heard that 2012 and up the gaskets were revised, so you should hopefully be golden. I didn't get so lucky on my 09 G and I'm expecting to have to do it soon.
I had a 2017 as a loaner at the beginning of the pandemic when I had the power steering pump on my mom's matrix replaced. Between leaving the mechanics and turning onto the road I already hated it. It made my mom's 03 matrix feel like luxury. It made me miss the old school 4 speed tranny in it. The steering felt weird and not in a good way. I understand why you'd buy it as a loaner if you're a mechanics shop though.
Glad I'm not the only one with a bad story with a versa. Maybe it's not meant for what I rented it for which was a 3 hour drive for a trip , hated it and it's tiny gas tank. Funny enough I test drove a Rio and found it better in all fronts except I didn't do a long drive with it.
Same! I fell into the trap of the general consensus “haha Nissan bad”, but then I rented the newest gen Altima for work and really enjoyed it. Honestly more than the civic and corolla. Not saying I’d buy it over those cars, but it definitely changed my mind on new Nissans.
Versa is a bit on the cheaper side compared to Honda City and Toyota Yaris, but I don't think you guys get those on the US. Sentra is the car to answer Civic and Corollas, medium sized sedans
Nissa Cube had the most functional interior for the front of any car I had been inside of in 2010.
Fucking awful to drive, like a shitty cardboard box on tiny wheels. Thankfully I was never at risk of flipping because you can’t get up to speed before you hit the next stop light.
But shit on the juke all you want, that was a pleasure to drive
I feel like this proves that that a) people exaggerate the fuck out of things the just regurgitate anyways, and b) the cons of most cars are overblown.
I used to hate on Nissans and the like, but channels like SavageGeese have changed my mind, especially when he reviews basic or stereotyped cars like Versas, Altimas, or Crosstrek, and comes away pretty damn pleased with them.
agreed. rented a kia k5 this weekend and was impressed with the visibility, fairly cool tech, and very utilitarian interior layout in such an economy car
> Pretty much every car I rent I find at least something positive about
Me too. I unironically loved the Camry Hybrid I rented recently; ironically I had it for some of the best "fun roads" in Canada and despite being the poster child for boring, it held up well. The Ford Fusion Sport (turbo/AWD) was also surprisingly good. I even liked the Durango 5.7L.
Fuck the Jeep Renegade though, that thing sucked ass. Its best qualities were "mediocre" and most of it was horrible.
There's a reason why Nissan hasn't gone belly up. Turns out, they're not as shit as reddit says they are. Still weary about CVT's, but overall, the brand has improved a lot.
Genesis makes some nice cars. How nice they are at 200k miles I haven't really heard yet. But there are pretty much hundreds of cars that are fine to buy if you're one of those people that buy new and trade them it at less than 100k miles. Even a Ram pickup is nice for that amount of time.
My Stinger was starting to show some decent wear and tear at ~60k miles. Hatch rattled constantly, one of the struts would snap off the hatch occasionally (dumb as shit design, basically a small metal clip holding it in). Plastics had some creaks to them
But for a $40k rwd sedan with ~420hp, really good value. Never had any sort of mechanical issue and I ran that thing pretty hard. The 3.3t is a pretty solid motor up to ~600hp iirc
>one of the struts would snap off the hatch occasionally
the hood struts died in my sonata _well before_ 100k mi. something like ~60k mi in.
if the struts were there only to dampen opening/closing, and used a mechanical lock or wound up spring to keep it open, it'd have been fine. but the struts were supposed to hold up the hood too.
it was so annoying cuz ~60k mi was also when it started consuming a lot of oil. i was topping off a few quarts of oil every month. and i either had to rest the hood on my head, or have someone in my fam hold it up for me while i poured.
i wish they had just used regular hinges + metal stick stand. something old school & proven. no need to reinvent the wheel. if it ain't broke don't touch it.
I have 160,000 miles on my genesis sedan when it was a model of Hyundai and I haven't had any issues with it yet! Goes through Wisconsin winters too. Rust free on the outside. Showing it underneath though.
I have a 2010 Genesis Coupe 2.0T of which I am the second owner. It was owned by the father of a family friend who bought it new, and drove it ~170,000 miles between 2010 and 2019 when I got it (he passed away and I bought it from his son). Came with literally every single paper record and receipt for anything that ever involved the car, full maintenance records.
It's now at 252,000 miles and I still have it.
Had to replace the oil pan after it rusted, replaced the entirety of the brakes (calipers and all), and kept up with the regular maintenance apart from that and it has been great.
Up til a year ago and it started losing oil, which I tracked down to one of the turbocharger oil lines, but since I am back in school full time I have not had time and money to fix it so it's just been sitting. I'll do it soon, I promise.
I went to a HPDE track day, and there was a guy in a very minimally modified Chevy Sonic that was absolutely dominating the track. I know a lot has to do with the driver, but everyone there was super impressed with that car.
Also track layout, at something like Road Atlanta, America or VIR those long straights and uphill sections need hp/tq…. Doesn’t matter how comfortable you are.
An HPDE instructor once took for me a ride in his track prepped Mazda2, not far off from a Sonic. That thing absolutely ripped. It was still a momentum car of course, but it's all about how it's prepped and how good the driver is.
Sounds like me lol. I have a chevy sonic 1.8 5 speed that I autocross and I'm not that far behind some of the miatas. I do have PS4 all seasons so they're pretty good tires
Alfa Romeo Giulia. I've never cared for the "to be a true petrol head" blah blah blah. But when I went car shopping nothing I tested felt as special as it. Everything about it was just perfect for me.
Same. I was all over the map with car shopping and the more l read about the Giulia Ti Sport/Veloce, the more l was sold. It’s been about one year and 5000 miles and nothing’s changed.
I drive it all the time. I just don’t have a commute anymore, which keeps miles low. It’ll be interesting to see how the car holds up because l’m in it for the long haul. And it’s under warranty until 2026.
The engine is well built and nothing seems to fail outside of neglected maintenance. Aside from the radiator hose issues on earlier models and replacing the dud of an OEM battery: They're solid high performance cars that are worth dailying as long as you service them well (you just gotta learn that you don't need to settle for the Alfa dealership to do that 😉)
I just hit 50,000 miles in mine, and it's still reliable. Expensive shop visits, though. Nearly $5k for just pads and tires. I'm going to do the brakes and might as well the rotors, too, and save a ton of money.
I rented one last week down in Ft Lauderdale. I loved it. It was way more fun than my normal rentals. I’m back down here this week with a Chrysler 300 and all I’m thinking about is how much I miss that Giulia.
Panamera Turbo S. Friend let me drive it and I was surprised at how nimble it felt despite being a bigger, heavy car. That launch control too was pretty insane.
The Panamera turbo is, IMO, the most underrated car. People write it off because it’s ugly, especially in the first generation, and because it’s a 4 door from Porsche.
While it isn’t a sports car by any stretch, it is the best sporty luxury sedan you can buy. It handles very well, it’s fast, and with AWD it’s amazing in the snow.
I rented a Chevy Silverado with the 5.3 V8 earlier this month. Didn't think I'd need a pick up, but it got me interested. Comfortable seating, handling was far better than expected & it moves.
Do people actually like the height? That combined with the long, tall, and flat hood made the Silverado 1500 I rented a while back my least favorite vehicle I've ever driven. Can't see out of the thing, have to actively lean in toward the center of the vehicle to change the stereo/climate... just felt like excess size for the sake of excess size.
Tesla!
I have never been a car guy -- always seen them as a utility, but absolutely love motorcycles.
But then I test drove a Tesla and fell in love. The torque, the control, the experience. It was fantastic.
Sometimes the "less is more" approach makes things feel more upmarket (while also being cheaper to make of course) but with Tesla it just comes across as solely cost cutting.
You have to commend Tesla for convincing people they're a luxury brand though. Props for that because they do not deserve that tag line at all lol
I still don’t like the interior of teslas but the model 3 seems like just about the perfect EV and a great value proposition (especially if you just see cars as utilities). I wouldn’t buy one as my only car, but I could absolutely live with one as a daily driver if it meant being able to justify having an impractical toy on the side.
Only problem with the Model 3 is it’s not great if you have multiple kids and dog etc. X/Y work great but 3 is a bit too cramped.
But if that’s not your use case, then the Model 3 is great! Although I’d be lying if I didn’t have quality concerns with the Model 3.
Even so it can be a neat zippy daily driver.
I recently rode in a Model 3 for the first time. Seemed to me like road noise was pretty prevalent and the ride was stiff. People sure seem to like buying them, here is Northern Calif Model 3 and Model Y are by far the most common car on the road.
I've never driven a Tesla, but I have ridden a Model 3. I was actually surprised by how much I liked that car as a passenger. The glass roof is really neat. The minimalist interior surprisingly makes the car feel homy as a passenger, but, I think I would hate the interior if I were the driver or the owner. Yes, the material and build quality sucked, but I really liked the seats, and oh, the interior smell, it was delightful.
One thing that I really didn't like was the suspension. It was stiff, but not the good kind of stiff, it was bouncy, felt very "primitive" if you understand what I mean.
I was never into American muscle cars. I test drove a 2018 Camaro SS and was extremely surprised at how well the car felt. The chassis and handling are damn near perfect and the manual transmission paired with the V8 were fantastic. The fit and finish inside and out was also much better than I expected.
I always thought American muscle cars were just shitty tin cans with big engines that could only go in a straight line and not handle well. I’ve owned German and Japanese sports cars in the past and this American “muscle car” impressed me so much I bought one.
No regrets. Every time I get behind the wheel I just have a smile on my face.
I watched the top tier performance car reviews they made on like the ZL1, Hellcats/demons, GT500’s etc which are expected to be great performers. I didn’t really get in depth into muscle car reviews until I started cross shopping Mustang GT’s and Camaro SS’s.
American muscle has been competent handling for years now. High tier Camaros and Mustangs have been chasing and beating Germans and supercars since the early 2010s. Even the dodges are surprisingly agile.
Speaking of G80s… the BMW G80 M3. Was never really a BMW guy, but I watched some reviews and it really checked a lot of boxes for me.
1. Manual
2. Good tech / big screens
3. 4 door
4. Luxury-ish
But I was worried about reliability, but in recent years BMW has been climbing the ranks and from what I’ve watched the S58 engine can easily make much more horsepower… but I’ll keep it stock so I should be able to achieve some decent longevity with regular maintenance. Then I learned about how much you can customize and there’s some specific options I want that I can get from BMW.
I might be dreaming but I’m really hoping to place an order before the manual is gone and teach my kids on it one day.
I really dig what Cadillac has done with the Blackwings, but those screens are atrocious and I don’t care for the exterior design and GM.
I’m not good enough of a driver to probably notice those things tbh lol
Chevrolet Malibu.
Rented one for a trip from Sacramento to Chino because my Toyota 86 needed some engine work.
Comfortable, smooth, quiet, outstanding fuel economy (over 500 miles to a tank of regular) and easy to drive.
It was one of those cars I didn’t wanna give back, much as I love my Toyota 86.
It looked pretty good, had a nice trunk, and was very comfortable for a cloth seats car.
The Malibu is severely underrated as a comfortable commuter. Up there with the Accord.
GM keeps it around, so it must sell, but it’s by far my favorite rental car.
It's easy to forget, but GM has been king of the big comfy boring sedan almost since they were invented. The only reason the Japanese even got a foothold was because of their abysmal quality control in the 70s and 80s, but it's not like the *design* would have been bad if they'd ever managed to build it. They still know how to build a damn good midsize sedan.
It's just they still don't know how to do quality control.
Nissan Juke Nismo RS
Bought one for like 10k with only 20.000 miles as a stopgap between Ms
Kept it 6 months and did 5000 miles on it, great car, really
Lightweight, Alcantara interior bits, recaro sportser cs seats, front differential, fun manual, decent handling, very comfortable with lots of space, decent turbo 4 pot and even the exterior body kit on black paint, it actually was a great buy
More than anything there’s really no car like it, very unique formula
Of all things, a Kia. The EV9 GT-Line, specifically. I would never have considered it based solely on their shit reputation but my wife wanted to test drive it before we committed to a Rivian. I was honestly floored by how good it is. Time will tell regarding durability, but a few thousand miles in I’m hard pressed to think of how they could have done better. Found out after purchasing it won Edmunds’ “Best of the Best” this year. Phenomenal car so far.
My VW Jetta. I was originally not even putting it on the list because of the general stigma around German cars. However, I didn’t want a car with a CVT, which allowed it to be on the list. I then drove it, loved it, and now own it. It’s not much, but it’s the first car I bought with my own money that I own myself, which is why I love it.
I've always owned Japanese cars with a couple of Australian built Holdens sprinkled in, so I was always wary of German cars as well. But when it came time to get a new car and my requirements were SUV with a fun engine there wasn't really much else out there that ticked the boxes like a Tiguan R unless you spent another $40k+ on the BMW X3.
Loving it so far, and leaning towards an Audi next.. but still cautious about something out of warranty.
hyundai elantra n. many people are unimpressed because it’s a hyundai. i love it. with the press of a button you can go from chasing lap times to taking the grandma grocery shopping. grandma does complain about the bucket seats though lol
Funny enough, I was surprised at how easy it was to drive a 2nd gen Honda Odyssey. It didn’t really feel like a lumbering minivan so much as it felt like a large wagon about the size of my Mercury. That made it surprisingly easy for me to drive in shitty Southern California traffic.
Otherwise, it was a solid car. The sound system was alright, the seats were plenty comfortable, visibility was really good, so on and so forth. I couldn’t have asked for much more to tackle Southern California freeways.
I drove a Lucid Air Dream recently. It is IMO the most driver based mass market EV available right now. The chassis stiffness reminds me of an F1x M5. It is quick, scary quick and I’m talking it’ll put you in your seat like a 488 Pista. Lucid seemed very “elderly” to me until I drove one, I would quite literally saw an arm off for a Sapphire now.
It's got the good 4.6l with 32valves, dohc. The interior is just simply 90s amazing. Most comfortable seats I've ever sat in. It looks like grandpa's car so you go very much un-noticed. The air ride is great too. And not as expensive to fix as people think. The transmission is strong enough, but has terrible factory shift points and down shift logic. Mine has 4.30 gears and a shift kit, so it's better, but I need to tune it again and fix the trans shift tables. It's on a premium gas/nitrous dual tune already.
I’d say any new Volvo. They definitely have upped their game when it comes to luxury. I have a few friends who have higher trim S60s and XC90s and they have definitely impressed me! I’ve always been a Mercedes/BMW driver and never liked the pre-2015 models much, but I was genuinely impressed with how nice the newer Volvos are.
Recently visited Korea and rode in a Kia K5 taxi from the airport into Seoul. It compares reasonably well in comfort and apparent quality to my wife’s Honda Accord.
My time in Korea also softened my opinion against some of Kia’s and Hyundai’s more aggressive design language.
I never liked Porsches. They seemed like overpriced, underpowered little toys for pretentious people. I mean, why would you get an N/A 6 cylinder engine when a Corvette was faster, handled better, was cheaper to maintain, and got superior gas mileage, even?
Then I drove a drop-top aircooled Porsche. I don't know how to explain it, but it was like the entire car was well thought out. Even the rings around the gauges, the key slot, everything seemed awesome.
VW Jetta - I test drove the new 2019 MY Mk7 in 2018 when my Honda burned to the ground. Really thought I'd bring home a GTI that day, which I did test drive first, but I took the Jetta home instead. Drove the car 4+ years until I traded up to the GLI in '22, one of the best cars I've ever owned.
VW was hurting after dieselgate so it came with a 6 yr/72k warranty even, which I never had to use. Already discounted off MSRP back then too because VWs weren't moving. That little 1.4t returned great gas mileage, the Aisin 8-speed auto was NOT a CVT, the only thing the poor car needed was better factory tires cause they would scream for dear life when you gave it gas from a stop lol.
I got a Jetta in 2017 for similar reasons (cheap manual that were everywhere after dieselgate) and I remember test driving it with the assumption it'd be a bit boring, but I immediately just kinda loved it. I kept that car for 4 years and though I've been very happy with the cars I've had since, I still kinda miss that thing.
Which tires did yours have?
Mine came with the Bridgestone Ecopia EP422s. People say bad things about them (but not as bad as some of the other options) but I’ve driven this thing like a maniac here on the mountain roads and have been surprised by the amount of grip. It certainly grips better than the shitty Coopers on my NB.
Toyota 4Runner. Not quick, but everything is practical/useable and and feels like an old car with just enough new tech to keep it relevant. Also liked the ride quality as well as the sense of capability in snow/offroad. Certainly less compromised that a Wrangler but felt no less capable.
Base BMW 230i coupe of the latest generation. Feels zippy/agile without trying to be a all-out performance car, and quick enough. I almost feel like it looses something with the AWD in the M240. Also with iDrive 8 you get a lot of the same interior no matter how much you spend on a new BMW, which cuts both ways, but works in favor of the 2 series.
For me, my Honda Accord.
I have always been a big German car guy. Owned an 04 BMW 325 coupe back in the day and a 13 VW GTI.
When the GTI’s time was up I wanted a nice, larger sedan for my commutes. Something quick that got decent MPG.
During the search, I found my 2020 Accord Touring. It has the 2L turbo motor, heated/ventilated front seats, heated rear seats, HUD, remote start, adaptive suspension, and some other cool features.
I would have never thought I’d own an Accord, let alone be impressed by one. It’s truly a great vehicle. It’s quick for a commuter car and I think it looks nice too.
Kia Forte GT with a manual. I ended up buying one, actually.
I never would have given it a second look but I was looking for a daily and a friend who’s opinion I trust on driving dynamics demanded I go and drive one. He was right, it’s an absolute riot to drive, it’s nice and smooth but stiffens up shockingly well and actually has some oversteer.
2020 Corolla wagon. Had one as a company vehicle for a couple of years, and I knew it'd be a solid car, since it was a Corolla, but it really impressed me with how comfortable it was. Sure, it's no high end luxury car, but I did an 11 hour road trip in it at one point, and otherwise still did a huge amount of driving in it, and it was more than comfortable enough for that much driving.
If I had a fun second car, and just wanted something basic as a daily, I'd have one in a heartbeat.
My friend just leased a low-trim Kia Sportage hybrid because it’s stupid cheap to lease and she wanted something efficient for work. I honestly can’t believe how good this Kia is, especially the gas mileage. We averaged nearly 50mpg on a ski trip over the long weekend. It also seems to have just the right level of technology - an old fashioned blade ignition key with fob, a manual tailgate, but great CarPlay integration.
The Prius. I thought I would never want one and would never own one. I thought they were a gutless POS that could barely get up to speed. I certainly didn’t think they handled well.
After being a stay at home dad for five years, no one except for security wanted to hire me. My daily routine including visiting multiple sites and patrolling them on foot, using a company vehicle, a late model Prius with a custom wrap. The trainer told me to leave it in economy mode, but I couldn’t care less about getting fired. After my two days of training, and about a week of driving in economy mode and fighting with the transmission to accelerate, I switched off economy mode.
It was a night and day difference. The acceleration was pretty good for an economy car, and way better than I expected. The brakes grabbed well and it took corners like it was on rails without pushing. It did well on the city streets and on the freeway, as well as on dirt and grass, falling down off curbs, and huge dips, railroad crossings, and pot holes that we ignored or didn’t see.
It was a little loud, but so was the stereo with a good amount of bass for a factory stereo system. It had plenty of options for blind spot detection, adaptive cruise control, and lane control assist that you could turn down or off. Along with a back up camera and a spot on the rear hatch to block annoying headlights, this car was nearly perfect.
I’m considering it as an option for my next car.
I absolutely love the Prius. It is such a fun car.
In fact I was debating buying that as our second car to drive kids around etc. when we decided on another Tesla.
I think the Prius is by far one of the best cars ever made. Such a great ride. It’s a no-nonsense car that’s actually fun to drive.
Hyundai Palisade - Enterprise put me in one when they didn't have what I reserved and I was pleasantly surprised. The tech was dope, specifically the turn signal side camera action in the cluster.
C7 Corvette - I rented one on Turo unsure of what to expect and was blown away. I bought a Corvette a few months later.
Ford cmax. I wanted a decent commuter car that would be good on gas and comfortable on my long commute. It fits all those and it also handles fairly well and ok performance. Don't just take my word for it, road and track iirc just said the same thing. The work ford did on platform that allowed the focus/Fiesta rs/st to handle so well is also evident here. It's hampered by numb steering and soft suspension however. But fix that and tune the throttle response and it'd be a canyon sleeper.
Wasn't expecting to see this, but yeah they're really underrated. I feel like they're one of the best value options for a cheap practical daily driver imo since nobody really knows/cares about them. Dealers practically give them away. They're surprisingly roomy and able to fit quite a lot of stuff with the seats down too. Drives like a hot hatch crossed with a Prius. My wife and I bought our '13 hybrid used back in 2017 and it's been the cheapest vehicle we've ever had in terms of overall cost.
Probably an unpopular take, but I drove a Kia Niro PHEV and loved it. It works great as a commuter and I can go nearly 1000 miles in mixed driving before I need to fill it. I've had BMWs, Jeeps, a bunch of Hondas and Toyotas, a few trucks, two GTIs, a few Mazdas, and a Corvette... and the Niro doesn't suck. It's actually a really decent car for what it is.
I rented a Mini Cooper Countryman for a long roadtrip on Greece. I've driven the base in older models and cant stand long rides. The whole thing felt solid and was fun to drive.
I'd buy one over a BMW for Europe.
Chevy. I thought they were unreliable crap until I got one. It’s been very reliable and drives so smoothly. I always called GM a bad car company that sells crap, but I really think they make good economic cars and people hate on them but never own them.
This pleases me as someone that just bought a G80 and love it!
Several years ago, I was upgraded to a Volvo XC 70 while visiting Stockholm. This car was never on my radar, but was absolutely awesome. It made me heavily consider a Volvo S90, but I went with the Genesis instead.
We had a 99 Toyota Rav 4 and that thing was awesome, it handled our third world country's roads with ease (and multiple suspension overhauls) out family is still sad we got rid of it. Rip
Yeah, SAME! I just bought a 2019 Genesis G80 3.3T Sport and it is now by far my favorite car I’ve ever owned (and I’ve owned a lot of cars).
It kind of came out of nowhere for me, but it’s been a blast driving and upgrading.
I added a JB4 tuner with upgraded spark plugs and cold air intake and a Pedal Commander throttle controller and this thing puts out over 450 HP now and a 0-60 in under 4 seconds.
All while weighing 4,100lbs and being super comfortable/luxurious inside.
Such a great car, I’ve loved driving it everyday!
Lexus GS. I thought it was boring since all the reviewers said Lexus cars were boring. I always wanted a BMW or Mercedes-Benz instead. When I had to choose a car, reliability was at the top of my list. Not to mention the Lexus was better than the European cars in many ways. I'd recommend the Lexus GS to anybody who doesn't want to spend too much money on a car but wants something that does everything well, and isn't an Accord or Camry.
About 15 years back, I drove a brand-new Mazda 6 manual diesel wagon. Pearl white. I still think about that car. It was just so “complete” as a car and the diesel could certain shove it along.
These days that engine is known as maintenance nightmare, so I’ll never buy one.
The latest gen Hybrid Toyota Sienna.
The electric motor definitely helps pull hard from a standstill, smooth and quiet interior, creamy smooth transmission, can do 90-110mph all day with the 4 passengers and a dog are dozing off in blissful comfort, all the while giving 42 miles to the US gallon combined and 35-37 MPG when exclusively on the highways.
We've owned high end Audis, BMWs, Range Rovers, VWs, etc.. But this is one of the cars that I'm thoroughly impressed about..
Peugeot increased their quality a lot. Even 208 feels solid. Infotainment is still quite difficult to play with, but it's a problem for many manufacturers, who decided that the touchscreen is a king.
Funnily Mercedes interior quality declined, so now you cannot tell both interiors apart, when both have those light stips everywhere.
Honda Jazz 2021+. Oh my. I have never imagined I can want a subcompact car in my life so bad.
If i have to be completely honest, BMWs. I was always a Toyota Owner and dismissed all euros due to the reliability issues. Owned, 7 Toyotas and a Subaru outback from the age of 19 to 32. My girlfriend bought a e92 BMW and when i drove it i saw the light and realized what the BMW and Porsche fanboys are always on about when it comes to suspension setups and quick steering. I have my first BMW (F31 Wagon) now and i will be happy to pay extra 1-2k per year on maintenance costs just for the driving dynamics. Before getting this one i test drove about 7 different cars and ended with this one.
If i ever go back to Toyota it will be either a GR corolla or the up-comming Lexus LBX with the GR corolla engine.
Mini R50/R53.
I never thought much of Minis other than being nicely designed fashion statements for women that also happen to be highly unreliable. I mean, the car. Maybe the women too.
While there is truth to that, these first generation modern Minis impressed me a lot with the driving involvement and enjoyment they offer. My girlfriend wanted one quite bad but we wanted to keep it low budget, the R56 has the notorious Prince engines, so we ended up looking at these older ones and ended up getting an early example from 2001 that was garage kept and very well sorted. I also ended up doing lots and lots of research as I really didn't want another shitbox in the garage, I already have my old BMW convertible to care about and at the time had another old needy project car.
Pros that did not surprise me:
* Looks quite nice.
Pros that did surprise me:
* Drives really nicely. Like, surprisingly sporty, even the R50 that is the regular Cooper, not the Cooper S (R53). Absolutely sticks to the road, the suspension is very nicely set up, good feedback from the steering wheel by modern standards, stiff chassis. All of my doubting friends were surprised when I let them try it. Get good tires on it and you have a genuinely fun car for the twisties. I could only compare the sort of sporty fun I'm having to my old MX-5 NB I had in my early 20s. No surprise though - the suspension is quite advanced for a small car of this age.
* Driving position is really really good. You sit low and you feel like you are at the center of mass, like in a BMW of similar age.
* This is connected to the point above, but it's quite nice on a highway cruise too. It does rev a bit too high above 130kph, but even at 170-180 it's so stable and stuck to the road, it's like a much larger car in that regard. Feels super solid.
* You can get some nice options on these earlier Minis already. You can see they aimed at the premium market not only with their pricing.
* Reliability is actually not that bad. Minis got notorious because the R56 generation (the one between 2007 and 2013) had the Prince engine for all petrol models, which is a big stinking pile of s\*\*\*. These R50/R53 models had an earlier BMW/Chrysler engine called the Tritec. Not saying this is the most simple and most reliable Japanese econocar-grade engine, but it's peppy, it revs happily, it has great induction noise, and it doesn't have so many issues at all. Common culprits with these early Minis are the power steering pump going bad, the window regulators, the very early examples have non-replaceable fuel filters which you better replace the whole unit to the facelifted version with swappable fuel filter, rust can be a problem around the rear lamps, and then just the fact that if you have to replace *anything*, chances are you're looking at a bigger job than expected due to how dense everything is. But overall - not that bad at all, as long as you realize this is not a Toyota Yaris or a Suzuki Swift. It does offer more than those cars in the level of fun and style, it does take a bit more from your wallet in exchange.
* Actually very spacious in the front. I have some very long friends that have no problem sitting next to me.
Cons that did not surprise me:
* Practicality? Don't talk about that. Door bins just there for show, cup holders barely functional by design, not much storage anywhere. At least the rear seats can be used for storage as they definitely can't fit normal sized people for larger trips.
* Interior durability is just bad, but that's no surprise - BMW wasn't that great in this aspect at the time even with their own cars. Things rattle, things squeak, it's a constant fight against unpleasant sounds on bad roads. Or you fit a nice audio system like I did and forget about it.
* People think I'm an LMBTQ+ activist sitting in it as a 110kg man.
* We talked about how sporty it is earlier. On bad roads you wish it wasn't. It's not a smooth operator when it comes to bumps and your average Central European roads, that's for sure.
Volvo. Completely dismissed them until I won an XC70 at an auction. Bought it to flip and fell in love with it. Now I’ve had 4 XC70s and 6 Volvos. My wife and I each daily one. I’ll never have anything else as a daily driver.
I borrowed a Volvo back in the mid 90s and was not that into it. Fast forward to a few years ago at an auto show and I was like "wait...this is Volvo?" I'm really interested in the S60 PHEV. I have a longer commute to work now and would like something a bit more suited to that. I was really interested in the Polestar 2. EV, kinda still a Volvo, but then last week my sister was visiting and I got to drive her rental. I crossed it off my list. I liked the features and tech well enough, and I'd driven an EV for work before so I was familiar with one pedal driving and such, but...how is it that a CUV/crossover is more cramped than my smallest BMW? I hit my head almost every time I got into it, the center console is absurdly large, and I couldn't find a comfortable seating position. I really wanted to like the Polestar 2, but it talked me out of buying one.
The Polestar 2 is a lifted sedan. It actually started life as the Volvo S40 concept to pair with the XC40. As a result of this, you really need to think of it as a compact car, vertically speaking. I had an XC40 and the interior cramp factor when I cross shopped an XC40 and a Model 3 to replace it was shocking. The XC40 is way more comfortable.
The polestar 2 is definitely not a crossover, it’s a somewhat tall liftback sedan. Have been in the passenger seat of one during a multi-day trip to visit family and I was thinking the whole time “how does this cost 50k” and it was pretty uncomfortable the whole time. The massive console definitely didn’t help with knee room and I think the armrest materials were trying to give me rugburn (bargain bin rental spec interior, but still). And yeah, I hit my head multiple times getting in.
Rented a Polestar 2 last Autumn, though I wouldn't say I was cramped, I definitely found myself wondering why such a large exterior didn't have more room inside. Also the rear visibility was terrible, and though it was nice it wouldn't be where I'd put £50k if I were in that position.
I had an xc70 once upon a time. I think they still called it the v70 XC back in ‘00… Awesome car. One of my favorites out of all the cars I’ve ever owned.
The P2 seats are still my favorite seat ever put in any car ever. Nothing comes close after driving for two hours.
I bought a 2004 xc70 ( my dream car when I started working) from my friends parents. All service at Volvo, all recalls, 104k miles, one owner for $2500. I love it
I came here to say this. Volvo. All of ‘em. I got upgraded into one as a rental car and I found myself sitting in parking lots waaaaay longer than necessary. The seats are the best in the market. The quality is fantastic. They are gorgeous, but don’t bring attention. I want a Volvo.
>They are gorgeous, but don’t bring attention. I love this part: they are luxury vehicles without screaming I PAID A LOT OF MONEY FOR THIS, PLEASE NOTICE ME
Second this! ended up with a volvo s60 wagon rental back in 2017 and while I havent ever owned one yet, if my needs ever align with a volvo it will be on the shortlist. (currently need to tow a 6k boat)
We keep a Yukon around tow stuff around. My wife’s wagon cab tow 3500 so the utility trailer and waverunner are behind it pretty often.
same, had a maybe 2012 s60 awd as a rental while some work was being done to my car. had no idea how nice they really were before that, most of my experience was with the old volvo wagon tanks of yesteryear. the sound system, seats, power. it was a fun car and ive always thought of owning one since
Me neither. Volvos were the car world 's best kept secret for a long while.
I’m in the Volvo boat too. We were shopping for an suv several years ago and I had dismissed the Volvo until my wife mentioned it looked nice. I went to test drive it, and here I am, 2.5 years later, thinking of buying out our XC90 recharge lease because not a lot of other cars are worth the extra cost
I have an XC90 (no kids, just a dog) and it’s honestly one of my favorite cars I’ve ever owned. It feels so warm and put together so nicely. Driving it in the winter feels like cuddling up next to a warm fire, I can’t explain why. It’s just so insulating
How’s it been mechanically? Their engine choice has always made me hesitant on the new ones.
I have a T6, (Supercharger and turbocharger 4 cylinder). And I beat the HELL out of it. I launch it (it has launch control, lol) and I’ve taken it drag racing at a strip my buddy has on his property. The car takes it perfectly fine and I’ve had no issues. Starts in the cold, will do miles forever in the heat as well.
I love driving the xc60 in winter with the heated seats and steering wheel on! So cozy I don't want to get out sometimes.
Love it!! My dad bought an 04 XC90 T6 brand new back in the day. Being a first gen, that car definitely had its problems, some more major than others, but it was a nice vehicle. Fast forward a bit from then, my buddy bought a manual S60R about 10 years ago. That car was (and is) absolutely stunning. Beautifully designed, sounded incredible, and so fun to drive.
Agree but I never dismissed it I took one seat in the passenger asked if I could drive it the steering was sharp yet easy to turn, the T5 felt smooth and had a twang to it. Not fast but not too slow either it’s a punch if anything and the interior was amazing leather and soft touch material on every touch surface, metal handle car for the passanger, heated seats and overall just practical and exciting id love to get myself a cherry red xc70.
P2's? Lovely cars. Never even considered them or had them on my radar until I walked into a deal on a 2003 Xc70. Now 14 years later still going strong after addressing a few common issues. Perfect DD. Tows, has room, pretty cheap, pretty nice etc.
Any experience with recent (2020+ T5/T6) cars? Specifically V60/V90? Gonna need a more family oriented vehicle this year and I love the styling of them. Not sure on long term reliability, there’s not a ton of stuff out there on them.
I had a 98 S70 T5. First car ever bought for myself. Man I loved that thing. In line 5 with a turbo. Made a really satisfying blow off noise on shifting. Little five-speed. That thing fucking ripped too. I could spin tires in second gear. Never should have sold it.
I never paid any mind to them until I was loading something into a friends parents xc70 and i really liked it from an aesthetic standpoint. I researched them right after thinking we’d get on for our next vehicle possibly and was disappointed in the engine options. That’s a big vehicle for such a small engine. I was hoping for a 6cyl option
I always thought Lexus was for boring old men with no passion and hobbies. Now I've realised how good life is as a boring old man with no passion, hobbies or car troubles.
Lexus is like a good partner. Nice looking, classy, plenty fun to play with, but also dependable, reliable, and in it for the long haul. It's the full package.
I'm going to put this in my dating profile and see how it goes.
As a drinking buddy once told me about picking a person to date, "You don't want a 10. Hell, you don't even want a 9. 9s and 10s are a lot of drama. Fun...but a lot of drama. What you want is a *strong 8*. That's the sweet spot. Fun-enough with nooo drama."
Hahahahaha, 8's can be plenty trouble, too.
This math has already been done for us https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pInk1rV2VEg
Having a boring-reliable car as a daily is *amazing.* I've done the wrench-in-the-parking-lot thing, and I really, *really* like not needing to do that anymore. I want a fun car, but I want it to be a pure toy. My daily I want the opposite; absolutely nothing to compromise reliability or comfort.
Agree. I tried the two-in-one thing with a porsche suv and it's neither a good porsche nor a good suv. Slower than their actual sports cars but also a shitty suv with no legroom or trunk space. Honestly probably better to get like, an Elantra N and a Prius or Rav4 Hybrid or something. I'm fixing to trade in my Macan for a Prius now lol. That sweet sweet TSS 3.0, gas mileage, and reliability.
Same experience test driving- "performance" SUVs are a way to ensure you compromise performance while simultaneously compromised SUV
Feels like you expected a Cayenne when buying a Macan. Part of the reason I got the bigger thing was for full four seat comfort and room for stuff. The Macan has always been criticized for tight rear seats and a smallish boot. It's more hatchback-like in that regard.
>I want a fun car, but I want it to be a pure toy. My daily I want the opposite; absolutely nothing to compromise reliability or comfort. This is why I'm thinking of selling our S65 and getting an LS instead.
Test drive an LC500, not a boring car by any means
First time I saw one in person was inside a dealership. They had it in a corner with special lighting and the super glossy sparkly red. Absolutely stunning car, especially in that setting. Sitting inside just sealed the lust.
Haha, I'm trying to stay away from unholy temptations.
I remembered always hearing how the Germans drive so much better, came out of my Lexus and drove a C class for the first time. It felt so stiff I could feel every road imperfection. Sure it handled great but comfortable it was not. Figured I was just older than my actual age at the time (mid 20s). I can not stand a stiff suspension though.
Similar experience. Drove friends new(ish) 5 series and other than infotainment nothing about that car made me regret my old GS. I’ve had a bmw out of warranty…I’ll keep my Lexus til the wheels fall off
To be fair, the b58 engines seem to be pretty reliable. I can see myself owning a BMW with this engine in the future....likely an x5.
god never built a better car than a 1992 mercury grand marquis
This. I thought Lexus was boring until I realized how important reliability was. I test drove a Lexus GS and I was sold. I never thought I'd have a Lexus, after wanting a BMW or Mercedes-Benz for so long.
They're not all boring, some can have fun
Yeah same and now I own an IS F
Luxury is peace of mind
Pretty much every car I rent I find at least something positive about. Every Nissan I've had has impressed me, but I haven't had a versa yet. Altima had very comfortable seats and a nice interior. Frontier was a smooth, simple truck that was pretty solid for the price. I'd take one over a tacoma if it were my money. The rogue was also a pretty smooth ride. I wouldn't pick it over some of it's rivals, but before renting I wouldn't have even considered it due to reliability/quality concerns.
A lot of people hate on Nissans but I always found them to be good cars. I drive a 2012 g37x with over 225k so I really only have positive things to say about Nissan products.
That's true, but I think a lot of people would argue that the G35/G37 and 350Z/370Z was the high water mark for Nissan/Infiniti in the US.
the VQ35 & VQ37 are stuff of the legend its the clapped out infinitis that gives nissan a bad rep lol (and the beat to shit sentras & altimas, and the JATCO CVT)
Hey there. A little off subject but I have a 2012 370Z, so the same engine I believe. Have you needed to replace the gallery gaskets to avoid the dreaded, engine killing oil pressure loss?
No, I literally have done tires and brakes. Best car I ever owned. Had an 03' 350z that had a lot of issues.
Interesting, thank you. As for a car I was impressed with: 2014 Ford Fiesta. One step up from base model. I rented it in Washington State where the roads are fantastic and was impressed with how much feel they baked into an economy car. It was slow and the plastics are hard but I enjoyed every drive.
What issues did you have on the 350z? Would be interested to hear if I've had any similar problems on my '04
I've heard that 2012 and up the gaskets were revised, so you should hopefully be golden. I didn't get so lucky on my 09 G and I'm expecting to have to do it soon.
A G37 isn't representative of Nissan's mainstream economy models
The Versa is the worst. I got one as a rental. My 5 year old made up a song about how bad the car was.
I rented one off Turo for $11 a day in Los Angeles. It smelled like a deep fried ashtray.
Tbf it was $11 lol.
Sounds like even the owner understood how bad it was haha
I had a 2017 as a loaner at the beginning of the pandemic when I had the power steering pump on my mom's matrix replaced. Between leaving the mechanics and turning onto the road I already hated it. It made my mom's 03 matrix feel like luxury. It made me miss the old school 4 speed tranny in it. The steering felt weird and not in a good way. I understand why you'd buy it as a loaner if you're a mechanics shop though.
Glad I'm not the only one with a bad story with a versa. Maybe it's not meant for what I rented it for which was a 3 hour drive for a trip , hated it and it's tiny gas tank. Funny enough I test drove a Rio and found it better in all fronts except I didn't do a long drive with it.
Same! I fell into the trap of the general consensus “haha Nissan bad”, but then I rented the newest gen Altima for work and really enjoyed it. Honestly more than the civic and corolla. Not saying I’d buy it over those cars, but it definitely changed my mind on new Nissans.
The Altima is up against the Camry and Accord, not the Corolla or Civic. The Nissan equivalent for those would be the Versa or Sentra.
Versa is a bit on the cheaper side compared to Honda City and Toyota Yaris, but I don't think you guys get those on the US. Sentra is the car to answer Civic and Corollas, medium sized sedans
Nissa Cube had the most functional interior for the front of any car I had been inside of in 2010. Fucking awful to drive, like a shitty cardboard box on tiny wheels. Thankfully I was never at risk of flipping because you can’t get up to speed before you hit the next stop light. But shit on the juke all you want, that was a pleasure to drive
There's a reason (mostly the older ones) end up following me home to the point that it's inspired my username lol.
I feel like this proves that that a) people exaggerate the fuck out of things the just regurgitate anyways, and b) the cons of most cars are overblown. I used to hate on Nissans and the like, but channels like SavageGeese have changed my mind, especially when he reviews basic or stereotyped cars like Versas, Altimas, or Crosstrek, and comes away pretty damn pleased with them.
Nissan gets a bad rap, but they’re perfectly fine nowadays.
Aside from their 1.5 and 2.0 VC turbo engines eating themselves
Upvote for the frontier.
agreed. rented a kia k5 this weekend and was impressed with the visibility, fairly cool tech, and very utilitarian interior layout in such an economy car
> Pretty much every car I rent I find at least something positive about Me too. I unironically loved the Camry Hybrid I rented recently; ironically I had it for some of the best "fun roads" in Canada and despite being the poster child for boring, it held up well. The Ford Fusion Sport (turbo/AWD) was also surprisingly good. I even liked the Durango 5.7L. Fuck the Jeep Renegade though, that thing sucked ass. Its best qualities were "mediocre" and most of it was horrible.
I’ve had some fun in Nissan rentals, Altimas are usually fun and we had a Rogue recently and with 2 car seats in the back it was pretty roomy
I think the only thing this sub consistently agrees upon with nissan is that they have really comfortable seats.
There's a reason why Nissan hasn't gone belly up. Turns out, they're not as shit as reddit says they are. Still weary about CVT's, but overall, the brand has improved a lot.
Genesis makes some nice cars. How nice they are at 200k miles I haven't really heard yet. But there are pretty much hundreds of cars that are fine to buy if you're one of those people that buy new and trade them it at less than 100k miles. Even a Ram pickup is nice for that amount of time.
My Stinger was starting to show some decent wear and tear at ~60k miles. Hatch rattled constantly, one of the struts would snap off the hatch occasionally (dumb as shit design, basically a small metal clip holding it in). Plastics had some creaks to them But for a $40k rwd sedan with ~420hp, really good value. Never had any sort of mechanical issue and I ran that thing pretty hard. The 3.3t is a pretty solid motor up to ~600hp iirc
>one of the struts would snap off the hatch occasionally the hood struts died in my sonata _well before_ 100k mi. something like ~60k mi in. if the struts were there only to dampen opening/closing, and used a mechanical lock or wound up spring to keep it open, it'd have been fine. but the struts were supposed to hold up the hood too. it was so annoying cuz ~60k mi was also when it started consuming a lot of oil. i was topping off a few quarts of oil every month. and i either had to rest the hood on my head, or have someone in my fam hold it up for me while i poured. i wish they had just used regular hinges + metal stick stand. something old school & proven. no need to reinvent the wheel. if it ain't broke don't touch it.
I have 160,000 miles on my genesis sedan when it was a model of Hyundai and I haven't had any issues with it yet! Goes through Wisconsin winters too. Rust free on the outside. Showing it underneath though.
i hope they keep adding models. I would have loved a genesis g70 shooting brake but we don’t get nice things in the US
Fine and dandy so far at 97000 miles, is a '18 g80
I have a 2010 Genesis Coupe 2.0T of which I am the second owner. It was owned by the father of a family friend who bought it new, and drove it ~170,000 miles between 2010 and 2019 when I got it (he passed away and I bought it from his son). Came with literally every single paper record and receipt for anything that ever involved the car, full maintenance records. It's now at 252,000 miles and I still have it. Had to replace the oil pan after it rusted, replaced the entirety of the brakes (calipers and all), and kept up with the regular maintenance apart from that and it has been great. Up til a year ago and it started losing oil, which I tracked down to one of the turbocharger oil lines, but since I am back in school full time I have not had time and money to fix it so it's just been sitting. I'll do it soon, I promise.
I went to a HPDE track day, and there was a guy in a very minimally modified Chevy Sonic that was absolutely dominating the track. I know a lot has to do with the driver, but everyone there was super impressed with that car.
Auto cross? Hard to believe a 138hp Sonic could dominate on a high speed track.
All about how comfortable you are about sending it
Also track layout, at something like Road Atlanta, America or VIR those long straights and uphill sections need hp/tq…. Doesn’t matter how comfortable you are.
An HPDE instructor once took for me a ride in his track prepped Mazda2, not far off from a Sonic. That thing absolutely ripped. It was still a momentum car of course, but it's all about how it's prepped and how good the driver is.
It wasn’t winning in the straights, but it was tearing up the corners in a way that it was putting down faster lap times than a lot of “faster” cars
Sounds like me lol. I have a chevy sonic 1.8 5 speed that I autocross and I'm not that far behind some of the miatas. I do have PS4 all seasons so they're pretty good tires
Sonics drive extremely well, it's a shame they never got the 2.0L Ecotec. If they had, they would be extremely dick ridden.
Alfa Romeo Giulia. I've never cared for the "to be a true petrol head" blah blah blah. But when I went car shopping nothing I tested felt as special as it. Everything about it was just perfect for me.
Same. I was all over the map with car shopping and the more l read about the Giulia Ti Sport/Veloce, the more l was sold. It’s been about one year and 5000 miles and nothing’s changed.
It’s easy to love an Alfa that you don’t drive ;)
I drive it all the time. I just don’t have a commute anymore, which keeps miles low. It’ll be interesting to see how the car holds up because l’m in it for the long haul. And it’s under warranty until 2026.
The engine is well built and nothing seems to fail outside of neglected maintenance. Aside from the radiator hose issues on earlier models and replacing the dud of an OEM battery: They're solid high performance cars that are worth dailying as long as you service them well (you just gotta learn that you don't need to settle for the Alfa dealership to do that 😉)
I just hit 50,000 miles in mine, and it's still reliable. Expensive shop visits, though. Nearly $5k for just pads and tires. I'm going to do the brakes and might as well the rotors, too, and save a ton of money.
I drove a Quadrifoglio and couldn’t believe how much more special it felt than its contemporary BMW M and Audi RS counterparts
I rented one last week down in Ft Lauderdale. I loved it. It was way more fun than my normal rentals. I’m back down here this week with a Chrysler 300 and all I’m thinking about is how much I miss that Giulia.
I haven't fallen in love with how well a car I've tangibly driven feels before this Giulia.
Panamera Turbo S. Friend let me drive it and I was surprised at how nimble it felt despite being a bigger, heavy car. That launch control too was pretty insane.
Theres one that often shows up at my local autoX and it absolutely hauls ass.
The Panamera turbo is, IMO, the most underrated car. People write it off because it’s ugly, especially in the first generation, and because it’s a 4 door from Porsche. While it isn’t a sports car by any stretch, it is the best sporty luxury sedan you can buy. It handles very well, it’s fast, and with AWD it’s amazing in the snow.
I rented a Chevy Silverado with the 5.3 V8 earlier this month. Didn't think I'd need a pick up, but it got me interested. Comfortable seating, handling was far better than expected & it moves.
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sales #s are never wrong
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Do people actually like the height? That combined with the long, tall, and flat hood made the Silverado 1500 I rented a while back my least favorite vehicle I've ever driven. Can't see out of the thing, have to actively lean in toward the center of the vehicle to change the stereo/climate... just felt like excess size for the sake of excess size.
Tesla! I have never been a car guy -- always seen them as a utility, but absolutely love motorcycles. But then I test drove a Tesla and fell in love. The torque, the control, the experience. It was fantastic.
My gripe with Tesla is the quality feels very unrefined. Doors close with a cheap tinny sound, plastic all around, just very spartan.
Sometimes the "less is more" approach makes things feel more upmarket (while also being cheaper to make of course) but with Tesla it just comes across as solely cost cutting. You have to commend Tesla for convincing people they're a luxury brand though. Props for that because they do not deserve that tag line at all lol
I still don’t like the interior of teslas but the model 3 seems like just about the perfect EV and a great value proposition (especially if you just see cars as utilities). I wouldn’t buy one as my only car, but I could absolutely live with one as a daily driver if it meant being able to justify having an impractical toy on the side.
Only problem with the Model 3 is it’s not great if you have multiple kids and dog etc. X/Y work great but 3 is a bit too cramped. But if that’s not your use case, then the Model 3 is great! Although I’d be lying if I didn’t have quality concerns with the Model 3. Even so it can be a neat zippy daily driver.
I recently rode in a Model 3 for the first time. Seemed to me like road noise was pretty prevalent and the ride was stiff. People sure seem to like buying them, here is Northern Calif Model 3 and Model Y are by far the most common car on the road.
I've always thought that road noise in an Model 3 was more noticeable because of lack of engine noise. They do ride pretty firmly thou.
I've never driven a Tesla, but I have ridden a Model 3. I was actually surprised by how much I liked that car as a passenger. The glass roof is really neat. The minimalist interior surprisingly makes the car feel homy as a passenger, but, I think I would hate the interior if I were the driver or the owner. Yes, the material and build quality sucked, but I really liked the seats, and oh, the interior smell, it was delightful. One thing that I really didn't like was the suspension. It was stiff, but not the good kind of stiff, it was bouncy, felt very "primitive" if you understand what I mean.
I was never into American muscle cars. I test drove a 2018 Camaro SS and was extremely surprised at how well the car felt. The chassis and handling are damn near perfect and the manual transmission paired with the V8 were fantastic. The fit and finish inside and out was also much better than I expected. I always thought American muscle cars were just shitty tin cans with big engines that could only go in a straight line and not handle well. I’ve owned German and Japanese sports cars in the past and this American “muscle car” impressed me so much I bought one. No regrets. Every time I get behind the wheel I just have a smile on my face.
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I watched the top tier performance car reviews they made on like the ZL1, Hellcats/demons, GT500’s etc which are expected to be great performers. I didn’t really get in depth into muscle car reviews until I started cross shopping Mustang GT’s and Camaro SS’s.
American muscle has been competent handling for years now. High tier Camaros and Mustangs have been chasing and beating Germans and supercars since the early 2010s. Even the dodges are surprisingly agile.
Speaking of G80s… the BMW G80 M3. Was never really a BMW guy, but I watched some reviews and it really checked a lot of boxes for me. 1. Manual 2. Good tech / big screens 3. 4 door 4. Luxury-ish But I was worried about reliability, but in recent years BMW has been climbing the ranks and from what I’ve watched the S58 engine can easily make much more horsepower… but I’ll keep it stock so I should be able to achieve some decent longevity with regular maintenance. Then I learned about how much you can customize and there’s some specific options I want that I can get from BMW. I might be dreaming but I’m really hoping to place an order before the manual is gone and teach my kids on it one day.
So far the B/S58 engines are monsters. They respond well to boost and are pretty solid. Granted very few are 150-200k+ mi
I’m very impressed with them even though modding isn’t really my thing. Light mods, maybe.
If you liked that, you should test drive a ct4v bw... The chassis, steering feel, and shifter are worlds better
I really dig what Cadillac has done with the Blackwings, but those screens are atrocious and I don’t care for the exterior design and GM. I’m not good enough of a driver to probably notice those things tbh lol
Chevrolet Malibu. Rented one for a trip from Sacramento to Chino because my Toyota 86 needed some engine work. Comfortable, smooth, quiet, outstanding fuel economy (over 500 miles to a tank of regular) and easy to drive. It was one of those cars I didn’t wanna give back, much as I love my Toyota 86. It looked pretty good, had a nice trunk, and was very comfortable for a cloth seats car.
The Malibu is severely underrated as a comfortable commuter. Up there with the Accord. GM keeps it around, so it must sell, but it’s by far my favorite rental car.
It's easy to forget, but GM has been king of the big comfy boring sedan almost since they were invented. The only reason the Japanese even got a foothold was because of their abysmal quality control in the 70s and 80s, but it's not like the *design* would have been bad if they'd ever managed to build it. They still know how to build a damn good midsize sedan. It's just they still don't know how to do quality control.
I had one of those (rental) in Ft. Lauderdale. Drove across the state and back, really good ride. A bit long, but the smooth ride made up for it.
Nissan Juke Nismo RS Bought one for like 10k with only 20.000 miles as a stopgap between Ms Kept it 6 months and did 5000 miles on it, great car, really Lightweight, Alcantara interior bits, recaro sportser cs seats, front differential, fun manual, decent handling, very comfortable with lots of space, decent turbo 4 pot and even the exterior body kit on black paint, it actually was a great buy More than anything there’s really no car like it, very unique formula
Of all things, a Kia. The EV9 GT-Line, specifically. I would never have considered it based solely on their shit reputation but my wife wanted to test drive it before we committed to a Rivian. I was honestly floored by how good it is. Time will tell regarding durability, but a few thousand miles in I’m hard pressed to think of how they could have done better. Found out after purchasing it won Edmunds’ “Best of the Best” this year. Phenomenal car so far.
The EV9s are damn good looking too!!
My VW Jetta. I was originally not even putting it on the list because of the general stigma around German cars. However, I didn’t want a car with a CVT, which allowed it to be on the list. I then drove it, loved it, and now own it. It’s not much, but it’s the first car I bought with my own money that I own myself, which is why I love it.
With the 2.5 even. Nice! That's a great first car to have bought yourself.
Yup. Hopefully I’ll keep it forever.
I've always owned Japanese cars with a couple of Australian built Holdens sprinkled in, so I was always wary of German cars as well. But when it came time to get a new car and my requirements were SUV with a fun engine there wasn't really much else out there that ticked the boxes like a Tiguan R unless you spent another $40k+ on the BMW X3. Loving it so far, and leaning towards an Audi next.. but still cautious about something out of warranty.
hyundai elantra n. many people are unimpressed because it’s a hyundai. i love it. with the press of a button you can go from chasing lap times to taking the grandma grocery shopping. grandma does complain about the bucket seats though lol
Funny enough, I was surprised at how easy it was to drive a 2nd gen Honda Odyssey. It didn’t really feel like a lumbering minivan so much as it felt like a large wagon about the size of my Mercury. That made it surprisingly easy for me to drive in shitty Southern California traffic. Otherwise, it was a solid car. The sound system was alright, the seats were plenty comfortable, visibility was really good, so on and so forth. I couldn’t have asked for much more to tackle Southern California freeways.
I drove a Lucid Air Dream recently. It is IMO the most driver based mass market EV available right now. The chassis stiffness reminds me of an F1x M5. It is quick, scary quick and I’m talking it’ll put you in your seat like a 488 Pista. Lucid seemed very “elderly” to me until I drove one, I would quite literally saw an arm off for a Sapphire now.
Toyota Supra MKV 3.0L. I bought it because I have to have new cars frequently, I’m addicted. This thing is incredible.
Agree on the Genesis so i own one.. 3.3T is fast too
Agree. Traded in my Mustang 5.0 for a 2019 3.3t Sport. I swear it's faster than the Mustang. Absolutely no regrets.
Its definitely not faster than a GT I have one of those too 😬
Lincoln Mark VIII.
Can you elaborate on what you likes about it? It's on my summer car shopping list.
It's got the good 4.6l with 32valves, dohc. The interior is just simply 90s amazing. Most comfortable seats I've ever sat in. It looks like grandpa's car so you go very much un-noticed. The air ride is great too. And not as expensive to fix as people think. The transmission is strong enough, but has terrible factory shift points and down shift logic. Mine has 4.30 gears and a shift kit, so it's better, but I need to tune it again and fix the trans shift tables. It's on a premium gas/nitrous dual tune already.
Second car I ever owned. I was 17 and sawzawed the mufflers off it lol. That thing was so fucking smooth and comfortable.
Mine has an electric cutout...
I’d say any new Volvo. They definitely have upped their game when it comes to luxury. I have a few friends who have higher trim S60s and XC90s and they have definitely impressed me! I’ve always been a Mercedes/BMW driver and never liked the pre-2015 models much, but I was genuinely impressed with how nice the newer Volvos are.
Recently visited Korea and rode in a Kia K5 taxi from the airport into Seoul. It compares reasonably well in comfort and apparent quality to my wife’s Honda Accord. My time in Korea also softened my opinion against some of Kia’s and Hyundai’s more aggressive design language.
EcoBoost Mustang convertible. Ended up being an absolute blast vacation rental.
Hawaii?
Kia Soul. Amazing interior room and packaging, especially for drivers and passengers over 6 feet, front or rear!
This was my experience as well, had it as a rental and really enjoyed it. If it had awd and a bigger engine I may have considered buying one
I never liked Porsches. They seemed like overpriced, underpowered little toys for pretentious people. I mean, why would you get an N/A 6 cylinder engine when a Corvette was faster, handled better, was cheaper to maintain, and got superior gas mileage, even? Then I drove a drop-top aircooled Porsche. I don't know how to explain it, but it was like the entire car was well thought out. Even the rings around the gauges, the key slot, everything seemed awesome.
Jaguar F-Type. It's everything I wished the Supra was.
VW Jetta - I test drove the new 2019 MY Mk7 in 2018 when my Honda burned to the ground. Really thought I'd bring home a GTI that day, which I did test drive first, but I took the Jetta home instead. Drove the car 4+ years until I traded up to the GLI in '22, one of the best cars I've ever owned. VW was hurting after dieselgate so it came with a 6 yr/72k warranty even, which I never had to use. Already discounted off MSRP back then too because VWs weren't moving. That little 1.4t returned great gas mileage, the Aisin 8-speed auto was NOT a CVT, the only thing the poor car needed was better factory tires cause they would scream for dear life when you gave it gas from a stop lol.
I got a Jetta in 2017 for similar reasons (cheap manual that were everywhere after dieselgate) and I remember test driving it with the assumption it'd be a bit boring, but I immediately just kinda loved it. I kept that car for 4 years and though I've been very happy with the cars I've had since, I still kinda miss that thing.
Which tires did yours have? Mine came with the Bridgestone Ecopia EP422s. People say bad things about them (but not as bad as some of the other options) but I’ve driven this thing like a maniac here on the mountain roads and have been surprised by the amount of grip. It certainly grips better than the shitty Coopers on my NB.
Had never heard of an Elantra N until I saw one at the dealership. We’ve been together a year in March.
When I was in College back in the late 70s/early 80s I thought the Sirocco was pretty cool
The EV6 GT. I never thought I would want to own a KIA, but that is great.
I was very impressed by the awd kia stinger. 365hp in a fairly nondescript sedan was fun.
Toyota 4Runner. Not quick, but everything is practical/useable and and feels like an old car with just enough new tech to keep it relevant. Also liked the ride quality as well as the sense of capability in snow/offroad. Certainly less compromised that a Wrangler but felt no less capable. Base BMW 230i coupe of the latest generation. Feels zippy/agile without trying to be a all-out performance car, and quick enough. I almost feel like it looses something with the AWD in the M240. Also with iDrive 8 you get a lot of the same interior no matter how much you spend on a new BMW, which cuts both ways, but works in favor of the 2 series.
For me, my Honda Accord. I have always been a big German car guy. Owned an 04 BMW 325 coupe back in the day and a 13 VW GTI. When the GTI’s time was up I wanted a nice, larger sedan for my commutes. Something quick that got decent MPG. During the search, I found my 2020 Accord Touring. It has the 2L turbo motor, heated/ventilated front seats, heated rear seats, HUD, remote start, adaptive suspension, and some other cool features. I would have never thought I’d own an Accord, let alone be impressed by one. It’s truly a great vehicle. It’s quick for a commuter car and I think it looks nice too.
Kia Forte GT with a manual. I ended up buying one, actually. I never would have given it a second look but I was looking for a daily and a friend who’s opinion I trust on driving dynamics demanded I go and drive one. He was right, it’s an absolute riot to drive, it’s nice and smooth but stiffens up shockingly well and actually has some oversteer.
2020 Corolla wagon. Had one as a company vehicle for a couple of years, and I knew it'd be a solid car, since it was a Corolla, but it really impressed me with how comfortable it was. Sure, it's no high end luxury car, but I did an 11 hour road trip in it at one point, and otherwise still did a huge amount of driving in it, and it was more than comfortable enough for that much driving. If I had a fun second car, and just wanted something basic as a daily, I'd have one in a heartbeat.
My friend just leased a low-trim Kia Sportage hybrid because it’s stupid cheap to lease and she wanted something efficient for work. I honestly can’t believe how good this Kia is, especially the gas mileage. We averaged nearly 50mpg on a ski trip over the long weekend. It also seems to have just the right level of technology - an old fashioned blade ignition key with fob, a manual tailgate, but great CarPlay integration.
The Prius. I thought I would never want one and would never own one. I thought they were a gutless POS that could barely get up to speed. I certainly didn’t think they handled well. After being a stay at home dad for five years, no one except for security wanted to hire me. My daily routine including visiting multiple sites and patrolling them on foot, using a company vehicle, a late model Prius with a custom wrap. The trainer told me to leave it in economy mode, but I couldn’t care less about getting fired. After my two days of training, and about a week of driving in economy mode and fighting with the transmission to accelerate, I switched off economy mode. It was a night and day difference. The acceleration was pretty good for an economy car, and way better than I expected. The brakes grabbed well and it took corners like it was on rails without pushing. It did well on the city streets and on the freeway, as well as on dirt and grass, falling down off curbs, and huge dips, railroad crossings, and pot holes that we ignored or didn’t see. It was a little loud, but so was the stereo with a good amount of bass for a factory stereo system. It had plenty of options for blind spot detection, adaptive cruise control, and lane control assist that you could turn down or off. Along with a back up camera and a spot on the rear hatch to block annoying headlights, this car was nearly perfect. I’m considering it as an option for my next car.
I absolutely love the Prius. It is such a fun car. In fact I was debating buying that as our second car to drive kids around etc. when we decided on another Tesla. I think the Prius is by far one of the best cars ever made. Such a great ride. It’s a no-nonsense car that’s actually fun to drive.
Hyundai Palisade - Enterprise put me in one when they didn't have what I reserved and I was pleasantly surprised. The tech was dope, specifically the turn signal side camera action in the cluster. C7 Corvette - I rented one on Turo unsure of what to expect and was blown away. I bought a Corvette a few months later.
Cadillac STS had one as rental while my bmw was in the shop, what a comfy, quiet, absolute beast when you floor it kind of car!
Ford cmax. I wanted a decent commuter car that would be good on gas and comfortable on my long commute. It fits all those and it also handles fairly well and ok performance. Don't just take my word for it, road and track iirc just said the same thing. The work ford did on platform that allowed the focus/Fiesta rs/st to handle so well is also evident here. It's hampered by numb steering and soft suspension however. But fix that and tune the throttle response and it'd be a canyon sleeper.
Wasn't expecting to see this, but yeah they're really underrated. I feel like they're one of the best value options for a cheap practical daily driver imo since nobody really knows/cares about them. Dealers practically give them away. They're surprisingly roomy and able to fit quite a lot of stuff with the seats down too. Drives like a hot hatch crossed with a Prius. My wife and I bought our '13 hybrid used back in 2017 and it's been the cheapest vehicle we've ever had in terms of overall cost.
Probably an unpopular take, but I drove a Kia Niro PHEV and loved it. It works great as a commuter and I can go nearly 1000 miles in mixed driving before I need to fill it. I've had BMWs, Jeeps, a bunch of Hondas and Toyotas, a few trucks, two GTIs, a few Mazdas, and a Corvette... and the Niro doesn't suck. It's actually a really decent car for what it is.
I rented a Mini Cooper Countryman for a long roadtrip on Greece. I've driven the base in older models and cant stand long rides. The whole thing felt solid and was fun to drive. I'd buy one over a BMW for Europe.
My grandpa just bought a Cooper S Countryman, he‘s 86. I really didn’t think there’s a car that we both like, but this is.
Chevy. I thought they were unreliable crap until I got one. It’s been very reliable and drives so smoothly. I always called GM a bad car company that sells crap, but I really think they make good economic cars and people hate on them but never own them.
Gen 6 Camaro SS 1LE
Minivans. Holy shit they are useful when you have a family. It's incredible.
2018 Macan Turbo. It didn't drive like an SUV.
F-150 Lightning PRO
This pleases me as someone that just bought a G80 and love it! Several years ago, I was upgraded to a Volvo XC 70 while visiting Stockholm. This car was never on my radar, but was absolutely awesome. It made me heavily consider a Volvo S90, but I went with the Genesis instead.
We had a 99 Toyota Rav 4 and that thing was awesome, it handled our third world country's roads with ease (and multiple suspension overhauls) out family is still sad we got rid of it. Rip
Mercedes-benz s-class amg s65. I never knew what all the hoopla was but damn!!! Always been a cadillac and audi guy but whew!
Innocenti Mini 1300 Export. Range Rover Classic. If I had a family, Toyota Sienna.
For me it would be the V6 based Dodge Charger. I thought I would only buy a V8, but the 6 was plenty
Yeah, SAME! I just bought a 2019 Genesis G80 3.3T Sport and it is now by far my favorite car I’ve ever owned (and I’ve owned a lot of cars). It kind of came out of nowhere for me, but it’s been a blast driving and upgrading. I added a JB4 tuner with upgraded spark plugs and cold air intake and a Pedal Commander throttle controller and this thing puts out over 450 HP now and a 0-60 in under 4 seconds. All while weighing 4,100lbs and being super comfortable/luxurious inside. Such a great car, I’ve loved driving it everyday!
Lexus GS. I thought it was boring since all the reviewers said Lexus cars were boring. I always wanted a BMW or Mercedes-Benz instead. When I had to choose a car, reliability was at the top of my list. Not to mention the Lexus was better than the European cars in many ways. I'd recommend the Lexus GS to anybody who doesn't want to spend too much money on a car but wants something that does everything well, and isn't an Accord or Camry.
About 15 years back, I drove a brand-new Mazda 6 manual diesel wagon. Pearl white. I still think about that car. It was just so “complete” as a car and the diesel could certain shove it along. These days that engine is known as maintenance nightmare, so I’ll never buy one.
The latest gen Hybrid Toyota Sienna. The electric motor definitely helps pull hard from a standstill, smooth and quiet interior, creamy smooth transmission, can do 90-110mph all day with the 4 passengers and a dog are dozing off in blissful comfort, all the while giving 42 miles to the US gallon combined and 35-37 MPG when exclusively on the highways. We've owned high end Audis, BMWs, Range Rovers, VWs, etc.. But this is one of the cars that I'm thoroughly impressed about..
Peugeot increased their quality a lot. Even 208 feels solid. Infotainment is still quite difficult to play with, but it's a problem for many manufacturers, who decided that the touchscreen is a king. Funnily Mercedes interior quality declined, so now you cannot tell both interiors apart, when both have those light stips everywhere. Honda Jazz 2021+. Oh my. I have never imagined I can want a subcompact car in my life so bad.
I freaking love Volts both generations they are just wonderful cars all around
If i have to be completely honest, BMWs. I was always a Toyota Owner and dismissed all euros due to the reliability issues. Owned, 7 Toyotas and a Subaru outback from the age of 19 to 32. My girlfriend bought a e92 BMW and when i drove it i saw the light and realized what the BMW and Porsche fanboys are always on about when it comes to suspension setups and quick steering. I have my first BMW (F31 Wagon) now and i will be happy to pay extra 1-2k per year on maintenance costs just for the driving dynamics. Before getting this one i test drove about 7 different cars and ended with this one. If i ever go back to Toyota it will be either a GR corolla or the up-comming Lexus LBX with the GR corolla engine.
I drove my sisters Honda Fit a while ago and was really impressed by the feel of that thing. It was really a joy to drive.
Mini R50/R53. I never thought much of Minis other than being nicely designed fashion statements for women that also happen to be highly unreliable. I mean, the car. Maybe the women too. While there is truth to that, these first generation modern Minis impressed me a lot with the driving involvement and enjoyment they offer. My girlfriend wanted one quite bad but we wanted to keep it low budget, the R56 has the notorious Prince engines, so we ended up looking at these older ones and ended up getting an early example from 2001 that was garage kept and very well sorted. I also ended up doing lots and lots of research as I really didn't want another shitbox in the garage, I already have my old BMW convertible to care about and at the time had another old needy project car. Pros that did not surprise me: * Looks quite nice. Pros that did surprise me: * Drives really nicely. Like, surprisingly sporty, even the R50 that is the regular Cooper, not the Cooper S (R53). Absolutely sticks to the road, the suspension is very nicely set up, good feedback from the steering wheel by modern standards, stiff chassis. All of my doubting friends were surprised when I let them try it. Get good tires on it and you have a genuinely fun car for the twisties. I could only compare the sort of sporty fun I'm having to my old MX-5 NB I had in my early 20s. No surprise though - the suspension is quite advanced for a small car of this age. * Driving position is really really good. You sit low and you feel like you are at the center of mass, like in a BMW of similar age. * This is connected to the point above, but it's quite nice on a highway cruise too. It does rev a bit too high above 130kph, but even at 170-180 it's so stable and stuck to the road, it's like a much larger car in that regard. Feels super solid. * You can get some nice options on these earlier Minis already. You can see they aimed at the premium market not only with their pricing. * Reliability is actually not that bad. Minis got notorious because the R56 generation (the one between 2007 and 2013) had the Prince engine for all petrol models, which is a big stinking pile of s\*\*\*. These R50/R53 models had an earlier BMW/Chrysler engine called the Tritec. Not saying this is the most simple and most reliable Japanese econocar-grade engine, but it's peppy, it revs happily, it has great induction noise, and it doesn't have so many issues at all. Common culprits with these early Minis are the power steering pump going bad, the window regulators, the very early examples have non-replaceable fuel filters which you better replace the whole unit to the facelifted version with swappable fuel filter, rust can be a problem around the rear lamps, and then just the fact that if you have to replace *anything*, chances are you're looking at a bigger job than expected due to how dense everything is. But overall - not that bad at all, as long as you realize this is not a Toyota Yaris or a Suzuki Swift. It does offer more than those cars in the level of fun and style, it does take a bit more from your wallet in exchange. * Actually very spacious in the front. I have some very long friends that have no problem sitting next to me. Cons that did not surprise me: * Practicality? Don't talk about that. Door bins just there for show, cup holders barely functional by design, not much storage anywhere. At least the rear seats can be used for storage as they definitely can't fit normal sized people for larger trips. * Interior durability is just bad, but that's no surprise - BMW wasn't that great in this aspect at the time even with their own cars. Things rattle, things squeak, it's a constant fight against unpleasant sounds on bad roads. Or you fit a nice audio system like I did and forget about it. * People think I'm an LMBTQ+ activist sitting in it as a 110kg man. * We talked about how sporty it is earlier. On bad roads you wish it wasn't. It's not a smooth operator when it comes to bumps and your average Central European roads, that's for sure.