I’m sure the technology and powertrain are much improved over the old model Ford Escape, pero no me gusta the design.  I think it’s very European-looking.  And the back is pretty gross.

As an Escape-driver I think I’ll pass on this one.  Compare the handsome GMC Terrain.  Pretty surprising after a string of design improvements at the Blue Oval:

The Focus:

The Taurus:

The Explorer:

The Fusion:

What say you?

-Nick

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In the US, it is said the average person will own 12 cars during their lifetime, but there’s something special about your first car.

Mine was a 1986 Toyota Celica, a sweet hand-me-down from dad.  It was light blue, had a five-speed manual with a very forgiving clutch (great for first-time-stick-drivers), and I always thought it looked kind of like the car from back to the future.

It looked kind of like this one, only in better shape.

After a while, one of the flip-up headlights stopped flipping down, so it was like permanently winking.  And the retractable antenna stopped retracting.  But it was a great high school car and was fun to drive.

Now I’m on car #4.

What about you? What was your first car, and how many have you had in total?

-Nick

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This week I set a new personal record: 400 miles on a tank in the Escape.  That’s about 27-28 mpg.  I’ve had a couple brushes with the glorious and elusive 400 before, but this is the first time I made it all the way.

Thinking of selling it soon, and getting a 4WD.  If anyone is interested in a reliable and fuel-efficient SUV, let me know.  It’s a 2006 model with about 90,000 miles.  How in the world have I driven almost 40,000 miles in 3 years with no commute?

-Nick

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My car seems to be a magnet for the scum of Livermore.  A couple years ago someone smashed in my back window, but didn’t steal anything.  Last week, another lowlife made off with my license plate (and UW Alum license plate holder)!

Come on people.  Did you not watch enough Disney as a child to learn right from wrong?

What to do when your license plate gets stolen:

1. Call the police to make a report (use the non-emergency line)
2. Go to the DMV to get replacement plates.  You’ll need your driver’s license, vehicle registration, the police report (although they didn’t ask to see mine), and any remaining plate left on the car.
3. Install them.
4. Consider investing in anti-theft license plate fasteners.

It cost me $19 and an hour of my life.

Hopefully it costs the thief much more.

-Nick

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In addition to all the ugly cars out there, there are plenty of good-looking cars too.  Here are some of my faves.

1.  BMW 328i. Yeah it’s pretty nice.

2.  Scion xB (original model). Scion took a big risk here, launching a new brand with a box-on-wheels.  I wasn’t a huge fan at first but they’ve grown on me, and they definitely got everyone’s attention.  They softened the corners a bit in the latest redesign (apparently for safety reasons), so the look isn’t as dramatic as the original.  The xB has inspired a slew of boxy imitators, including the Nissan Cube, Kia Soul, and even the much larger Ford Flex.

3.  Mercedes Benz GLK. Like I said yesterday, even though I can’t allow myself to buy a Mercedes, this is a pretty sharp looking automobile.

4.  Cadillac CTS. “When you turn your car on, does it return the favor?”

5.  Toyota FJ Cruiser. Although the FJ Cruiser already looks dated on the road, it was major head-turner when it came out.  The modern remake came in bold colors to accentuate the bold styling.  It also signaled a more aggressive design direction for traditionally conservative Toyota.

6.  Honda Ridgeline (version 2). The Ridgeline is another car I didn’t like at first, but I really like the newer model.  It looks a little bigger and beefed up.  Still pretty useless as a truck I imagine, but a cool looking ride for sure.

7.  Chrysler 300C. The Bentley-inspired 300 ushered in a brief renaissance for the beleaguered Chrysler brand.  It was on everyone’s hot list in 2005.

8.  Ford Taurus. It’s even more beautiful when you consider it’s crappy predecessors.

9.  GMC Terrain. I like it.  Plus 32 mpg highway.  The Ford Escape Hybrid gets 31 mpg highway, and costs $7000 more.

10.  Land Rover Range Rover Sport. If I had the ganas to spend $70,000 on a status symbol that doubles as semi-reliable transportation, this might be it.

Honorable Mention:

• Cadillac Escalade
• Lexus IS 200
• Ford F-150 King Ranch

-Nick

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This list of ugly cars is highly subjective.  For instance, the people who bought them probably didn’t think they were ugly.  But then there’s the rest of us.  What do you think?

1. Chevy HHR.  A blatant ripoff of the PT Cruiser, only uglier.  Total unit sales through 2010: approx. 489,000.

Did You Know?

HHR stands for “Heritage High Roof.”  Had no idea.

2. Pontiac Aztec.  Design-by-committee gone wrong.  I took one of these uglies off the road by “failing to yield” in 2006.  Total unit sales: approx 108,000.

Did You Know?

The poor Aztek has been honored on several less-than-desirable lists, including the Worst Cars of All Time, the Worst Inventions of All Time, and the 100 Ugliest Cars of All Time.

3.  Mercedes R-Class.  Nothing says good judgment like a $50,000 minivan.  Total unit sales through 2010: approx 50,000.

If you insist on getting a Benz, at least get a good looking one.  I really like their GLK small SUV.

4.  Subaru Tribeca. Subaru attempted to make a taller SUV, and they named it after a trendy Lower Manhattan neighborhood.  It was an interesting choice because I imagine a typical Subaru buyer has no idea, and even if they did, would much prefer the great outdoors to the concrete jungle.  Total unit sales through 2010:

Did You Know?

The name Tribeca comes from Triangle Below Canal Street.  Less than 25% of Manhattan-ites own a car.

5.  Subaru Baja. The car/truck thing has worked before, but the Baja is no El Camino.

6.  Ford Freestyle. Nothing super offensive, just bland and boring.  Total unit sales: approx. 168,000.

7.  Ford Focus Wagon. Not hot.

8.  Honda Accord Crosstour. What’s the point?

9.  Dodge Magnum. Not a fan, but Dodge sold a few of these.

10. Mazda 5. I guess the moral of the story is it’s hard to make a good looking “crossover wagon” although there are several success stories.

Honorable Mention:

• Toyota Prius
• Chevy Avalanche
• Honda Element

-Nick

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I saw the best license plate frame ever the other day when I was at the gym.  I had left my phone in the car so I couldn’t take a picture, but figured I would see it again, or I could find it online.  Well maybe the owner’s New Year’s resolution has already expired, since I haven’t seen them since.  And maybe it was custom-made because I can’t find it anywhere on the interwebs.

In stark contrast to the worst license plate holder ever, what did the best one say?

“My cat’s breath smells like cat food.”

Awesome!

-Nick

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Your Flying Car Awaits: Robot Butlers, Lunar Vacations, and Other Dead-Wrong Predictions of the Twentieth Century is a look at our modern world through the not-always-so-prescient eyes of previous generations.  Author Paul Milo explores the volumes of forward-looking texts to find the most outrageous, optimistic, revolutionary –and sometimes startlingly accurate– predictions about what the world would look like in the new millennium.

I liked it.  It’s mostly a trivia book, but each example of a “dead-wrong prediction” usually offers some insight into the historical context in which the prediction was made.

As is often the case, the predictions tell us more about the time they were made than about the future.  During good times, the futurists foresee a bright and rosy future, and during bad times, the predictions are resolutely pessimistic.  In fact, many of the more pessimistic predictions are the exact ones cited and debunked in The Rational Optimist.

So where’s my flying car?  Milo discusses the Moller Skycar company as a frontrunner to bring the technology to market.  Their M400 model will cost about half a million dollars, can take off and land without a runway (like a helicopter), and fly at speeds of 275 miles per hour and achieve 20 mpg.

Milo cites complicated government airspace regulations and the cost of fuel as prohibiting factors to the true widespread launch of flying cars.  Still, Mr. Moller and others are dedicated to making the dream a reality.

Did You Know?

Henry Ford said in 1940, “Mark my words.  A combination of airplane and motorcar is coming.  You may smile.  But it will come.”  In the 1970s, Ford Motor Company in conjunction with Advanced Vehicle Engineers attempted to develop a flying car called the Mizar, which married a Pinto to a Cessna.

Unfortunately, the Mizar project ended in tragedy in 1973, when a test flight resulted in a fatal crash.

Did You Know?

Mid-twentieth-century scientists widely predicted we would be able to manipulate the weather to our liking in the future.  One method to do this was “seeding” clouds to make them rain.  Incredibly, the US military actually did this in Vietnam to extend the annual rainy season, in an attempt to make troop transportation more difficult for the North Vietnamese.  Then they realized that playing god with the weather might create a series of unforeseen and unwanted consequences.

A Couple Other Characters

Milo writes about John Lilly, a “talented, erratic scientist” who advocated LSD use.  Lilly experimented with isolation tanks and communication with dolphins.  He doesn’t get more than a few pages, and I wouldn’t otherwise mention him, but I think Lilly was the inspiration for Dr. Walter Bishop on Fringe.

Another futurist who gets some attention in Your Flying Car Awaits is Edward Bellamy.  Bellamy is the cousin of Francis Bellamy, the socialist author of the Pledge of Allegiance.  In 1888, Edward penned Looking Backward, which described a utopian vision of socialist America in the year 2000.

-Nick

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The 2011 Chevrolet Volt is an electric car that also has a gasoline motor for extended trips.  It is the first mass-market plug-in hybrid for sale in the US.  I think the Volt is a pretty good-looking car.

Will people buy it?  Let’s take a look at the numbers.

• $1.50:  The amount per day you can expect your electric bill to go up by charging the Volt each night.
• 4 hours:  The length of time to fully charge the Volt with a dedicated 240V outlet.
• 10 hours:  The length of time to fully charge the Volt with a standard 120V outlet.
• 25-50 miles:  The distance the Volt can drive using only the battery power.  The mileage varies based on terrain, temperature, and driving style.
• 37 mpg:  The EPA mileage rating for the Volt operating on gas power.
• $7,500:  Maximum federal tax credit allowed for purchase of a new Volt.
• 10,000 cars:  The number of Volts GM expects to make in the 2011.
• $8,000-14,000:  The estimated replacement cost of the Volt’s battery pack, per CNN.
• $38,700:  Approximate dealer invoice price of the each Volt.
• $40,000:  GM’s estimated cost to produce each Volt.
• $41,000:  Sticker price for the 2011 Chevy Volt.
• 100,000 miles:  The length of GM’s battery warranty on the Chevy Volt (or 8 years).

The Volt has been called a “game-changer” for GM, but it will definitely not be a game-changer for their bottom line.  In fact, they’ll lose over $1000 on every Volt sold, NOT including their R&D costs (think $1 billion+).  But that’s not abnormal for a new automotive technology.   Their hope is that the economies of scale bring their costs down over time as production increases.  And that the government (no longer the majority shareholder) continues to support the Volt with generous tax credits.

How Green is the Chevy Volt?

On local trips, the Volt won’t burn any gas, which makes it very good for the environment right?  The emission-free driving is something even Prius drivers can’t match.  But the Volt has to get it’s energy somewhere.  How “green” it is really depends on where you get your electricity from.

According to the Department of Energy, 45% of electricity in the US is generated from coal-burning power-plants.  If your house receives energy from one of those plants, you’ve really only replaced one fossil fuel with another.  Still, the Volt is very efficient at converting electricity into mileage, earning an EPA rating of 93 mpg(e).  The miles per gallon equivalent rating calculates how far the Volt can go on the 33.7 kwh of energy contained in a gallon of gasoline.

If you receive energy from renewable sources, the Volt can be very green indeed.  I imagine the Volt will appeal to people with solar panels on their roofs.  After the initial cost of the car, they can literally drive for free and make zero emissions.

When operating the gas motor, the Volt rates at 37 mpg.  That kind of mileage is in the good-to-average range for a compact car, but is far from “best-in-class.”  The very-similar Chevy Cruze is expected to get 36 mpg and starts at only $16,275.

Chevy Volt vs. Toyota Prius

Let’s say you’re in the market for a new car and are deciding between the Chevy Volt and the Toyota Prius.

• You drive the national average 15,000 miles per year.  For simplicity’s sake, you would only ever operate your Volt on electric power.
• At $1.50 per day in extra electricity charges, the Volt costs about $550 for the year.
• The Prius, at 50 mpg and $3/gallon would cost $900.
• After your tax credit, the Chevy Volt costs $33,500.
• The Prius costs $22,800.
• At a fuel savings of $350/year, it will take 30 years to break-even on the $10,700 price difference.  This assumes you NEVER put gas in the Volt, you pay a constant gas price of $3/gallon for the Prius, and neither car needs a battery replacement.  The Prius battery costs around $3000 vs. an estimated $8000+ for the Volt.

Based on these numbers, I think GM might have a tough time finding customers until the price comes down enough to make the Volt a viable and competitive alternative.

-Nick

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All the fog lights in the world aren’t going to help this van I found at Trader Joe’s.  I’m guessing the aftermarket additions were cheaper than fixing the real headlights and were a worthy attempt at staying legal.  Not sure if the cop would appreciate their MacGuyver-like wiring job though.

Or maybe they weren’t installed as replacement headlights, but really as accessories to make the van awesome.  Who knows.  They certainly give it personality.   I think the driver could definitely use some rims to complete the pimping out of their Windstar.

Wonder if this would pass for seminuevo?

-Nick

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