wp-rss-aggregator domain was triggered too early. This is usually an indicator for some code in the plugin or theme running too early. Translations should be loaded at the init action or later. Please see Debugging in WordPress for more information. (This message was added in version 6.7.0.) in /home/inthedri/public_html/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6131
Filed under:
Green,Chevrolet,Ford,GMC,Fuel Efficiency,Truck
Trucks aren’t known for being fuel efficient, though times are changing. Not only are pickups getting more economical, but there are also smaller options.
Continue reading Trucks with the best gas mileage for 2024
Trucks with the best gas mileage for 2024 originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 12 Feb 2024 17:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under:
Chicago Auto Show,Acura,Buick,Dodge,Ford,Mazda,RAM,Automotive History,Truck,Convertible,Coupe,Performance,Classics,Sedan
Continue reading Chicago Auto Show: Our favorite reveals from shows past
Chicago Auto Show: Our favorite reveals from shows past originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 9 Feb 2024 10:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Electric car range is one of the top concerns car buyers have when considering whether to make the switch to an EV — a concern so profound, the term “range anxiety” was added to the dictionary to describe it. But just how much EV range is enough? How much range do you actually need? The answer differs for everyone, and we’re here to help you figure it out.
The problem is that, like most things in life, we judge a situation based on our past lived experiences. We’re used to thinking about cars in internal combustion terms: Quick fill-ups, gaining hundreds of miles of driving range. You’ll make dozens of trips, perhaps over weeks, on that one fill-up. That’s what “normal” feels like to most of us. So, an electric car with a range of anything less than several hundred miles seems … scary, impractical.
But electric cars can’t be thought of like that. They don’t work the same way as gas cars — “several hundred miles” is the wrong context. Even with internal combustion, it’s rare that we utilize all that range in one sitting.
A gas-powered car has a marvelous convenience factor: a vast reserve of energy in a tank that can be quickly and occasionally replenished. But an EV has a convenience factor, too, it’s just different: You replenish the battery in many sips rather than one big gasoline gulp, and you do it from the comfort of your own garage. That might not sound like an advantage — until you’ve experienced the smug pleasure of driving past gas stations, saving $50 or $100 on fill-ups you no longer need.
When the Nissan Leaf was introduced to the world for the 2011 model year, it had an EPA range rating of just 73 miles — and as a practical matter had less range than that when charged to just 80% as recommended for battery longevity. Nissan pointed out that the average daily commute at that time was less than 35 miles, which could easily be replenished in an overnight charge. But many thought the first-generation Leaf sounded like a science experiment.
Except it wasn’t. It just required a different way of seeing what a car can be.
We Americans tend to buy cars based on extreme use cases. We buy SUVs but don’t go off-road. We buy trucks but use them as cars. We want the ability to take a long cross-country highway trip, but might only do that once a year. That original 73-mile Leaf obviously couldn’t road-trip, but it was a clever commuter. When buying an electric car — when buying any car, really — it is important to confront what your actual use case is, not what you hope or imagine it to be.
So how much electric car range is enough? For you? Here are questions to ask yourself.
If you’re considering an EV, first do some research — on yourself. Get a notepad and pen, and log your mileage for a few days. For a week. For a month. How much do you really drive in a day? Is it something like the commuting average that Nissan cited? Or more like 100 miles? Even 200 miles? Do you actually do that much driving day-in, day-out? Be honest.
For some broader context, on average, Americans drive 14,263 miles per year, according to the Federal Highway Administration. Which breaks down to 1,188 miles per month — or 40 miles per day. (A stat that grew a smidge since Nissan cited 35, but by now it may have shrunk again given our post-pandemic work-from-home habits.) But let’s say the average is 40.
So, is your daily mileage below that average, or at it? Then you’ll love an EV. Are you over average? An EV will probably still work great for you. Read on.
Many automakers recommend charging your EV to 80% for daily use and for the sake of battery longevity, reserving a 100% charge for those times when you know you’ll need maximum range. Likewise, not typically letting your battery percentage fall below 20% is also good battery longevity hygiene, and it ensures you’ve got some reserve range if needed, which should provide some peace of mind. So, setting aside that ceiling and floor leaves a typical daily operating range of 60% of a battery’s capacity.
Now pick an EV you’re interested in, and look up its EPA range estimate at fueleconomy.gov. Ignore the government’s “MPGe” numbers, which for many buyers are not particularly useful, and focus on the range ratings. Now let’s use a Mustang Mach-E AWD in GT trim for this example. Its EPA rating is 270 miles, so 60% of that is 162 miles.
Consumer Reports testing found that cold weather can easily cost an EV 25% of range. (Of course, cold weather is hard on gas mileage in conventional cars, too.) If you live in a cold climate and want to be even more conservative with your calculations, then think of our hypothetical Mach-E’s range as 120 miles in bad weather.
If your daily driving routine is less than this, you’re going to be perfectly comfortable with that car.
Also, keep in mind that many EVs today are excellent at meeting or even exceeding their EPA range, thanks to regenerative braking (the Mach-E is a good example of this).
Yes, you do have a garage, carport, etc.? Sweet. Conversely, charging an EV is obviously far more difficult for, say, apartment dwellers who don’t have a dedicated space or access to a 240-volt outlet, and maybe the time is not yet right for those people to buy an EV.
There is a lot of talk these days about public charging infrastructure (or lack thereof). It seems we want DC fast chargers to be as plentiful as gas stations (there we go again, applying internal combustion context to EVs). And we want to be able to charge fast, fast, fast. But ideally, you’ll want/need to use public charging only rarely if ever, as it presents drawbacks in terms of time, will cost more than charging at home, and rapid charging perhaps has long-term implications for battery longevity. Home replenishment is an EV’s party trick. Read on.
We’ll return to the Nissan Leaf for this example, in this case the base 2024 Nissan Leaf S. The Leaf is one of the most affordable EVs currently on the market, at $29,280. That’s before the $3,750 federal tax credit it’s eligible for.
The Leaf S has a relatively modest range of 150 miles (for daily driving, that’s more like 90 miles based on our 60% formula) with a relatively modest 40 kWh battery pack. Plugged in to a 240-volt outlet, a Leaf S will receive a full charge in about eight hours, and replenish a 60% use in even less. In other words, it’s easily refreshed while you sleep. A Tesla will similarly take about 8-10 hours. Park the car at night, pop it on the charger, enjoy your evening and a good night’s sleep, and in the morning you’re topped off and good to go. What could be easier?
There’s an important reason why you should be realistic about your daily driving needs and overall use case. If you tell yourself that you want a range of many hundreds of mile on a charge, you for starters are going to be paying a lot more to purchase your car. Just five or six years ago, battery costs made up nearly half the cost of an EV. They are now closer to about a third of the cost, and are projected to continue falling in the years ahead. But if you don’t need hundreds of miles of range on a daily basis, then why pay for it? Beyond the unnecessary cost of buying capacity you don’t need, a bigger battery will require longer charging times.
How often do you road-trip, say for a vacation? Once a year? Twice a year? Five times? In a 2018 study, the University of Michigan’s Transportation Research Institute found that EV owners saved about $600 a year powering their vehicles, spending $485 on electricity vs. $1,117 for a gas-powered vehicle. But that study was based on gas prices four years ago — the savings would be far greater at today’s higher gasoline prices. And this doesn’t even take into account the savings EV owners enjoy from reduced maintenance costs when compared to an internal combustion engine. Ask yourself if it would make sense to drive an EV most of the time, then use all those savings to rent an ICE car for that rare long-distance road trip.
Public chargers are becoming far more common along major highway corridors, if you’re willing to do longer layovers and carefully plot your route. But this is a situation for which “range anxiety” is still a reality.
You don’t have to leap into the EV world without looking back. You might find you can ease your range concerns by simply hedging your bet.
More than half of American households own two or more cars. The best scenario for buying an EV is if you are among that multi-car majority. We’re convinced that virtually every two-car family in America could replace one of their ICE vehicles with an EV, and they would gain a powerful mix of capabilities. One car saves gas, the other can be employed when range is a concern. (Interest in hybrids is also surging right now as buyers seek to hedge their bests by having internal combustion and battery propulsion in the same car.)
In the two-car-family situation, we can practically promise you that you’ll find yourself driving the EV most of the time. And you’ll never again have to ask how much EV range is enough range.
Related video:
.embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }
Filed under:
Recalls,Chevrolet,GM,GMC,Truck
Continue reading GM recalls over 323,000 HD pickups because tailgates can open unexpectedly
GM recalls over 323,000 HD pickups because tailgates can open unexpectedly originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 6 Feb 2024 08:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under:
GMC,Car Buying,Crossover,SUV
Continue reading 2024 GMC Acadia drops lowest trim, entry price starts at $43,995
2024 GMC Acadia drops lowest trim, entry price starts at $43,995 originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 5 Feb 2024 12:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
NEW YORK — If you are a proud parent whose child has grown up and gone off to college, congratulations!
Now stop reading this and call your auto insurer. Ask what major discounts you qualify for with your kid away for most of the year.
Catherine Valega, a Boston financial planner with four daughters, has saved big bucks whenever each of her three older girls went off to McGill University in Montreal. She either got little-known “student away” discounts or dropped her children off the policy when they got their own car and coverage abroad.
Saving a few hundred dollars per child per year can add up to thousands.
“It’s a lot of money, so it is 100% worth having the conversation,” said Valega. “No one really knows about this unless they find out from their neighbor – or read this article.”
Parents of teenage drivers in particular experience sticker shock when it comes to car insurance.
Full coverage averages $2,014 a year, a 2023 survey by financial services provider Bankrate showed. Add a 16-year-old driver along with two adults, and that shoots up to $4,392 a year – or $2,378 more.
Savings become even more critical as rates for drivers of all ages keep going up. Average car insurance rates jumped 13.72% between 2022 and 2023, Bankrate said.
Parents can expect to save 10-15% on premiums with such discounts, said Greg Smolan, vice president of insurance operations for AAA Northeast in Providence, Rhode Island.
Insurance policies are highly specific to your personal situation and provider, but here are a few factors to keep in mind.
If little Johnny is going to college down the road, “student away” savings will not apply. Typically, students must live more than 100 miles away from home and they cannot bring their parents’ insured vehicle with them for the school year.
“The magic number is 100 miles,” said Smolan. “I have two teenage boys – one of them is over 100 miles away, and the other one isn’t, so I only get the discount for one of them.”
Parents whose teenagers keep their grades up can see their premiums go down.
“A high GPA and driver’s ed courses can help,” said Christopher Giambrone, a financial planner in New Hartford, New York.
Depending on your insurer, you may be able to apply only one discount, or “stack” deals to enjoy multiple breaks, AAA’s Smolan said.
If your car insurance is just too pricey even with a “student away” discount, you can always check out other providers. Just be wary of what you might lose with a switch.
“It’s always good to price-check, but I would caution against leaving solely for a cheaper rate,” Smolan said. “You might be losing all your longevity discounts – plus any grace and goodwill from being a longtime customer, if you ever have an accident.”
An obvious way to save is to take your child off your insurance policy. Be careful, though, because presumably your kid will occasionally visit during the school year. With the “student away” option, they can still drive your car with coverage when they return on weekends or for holidays or summer break.
That coverage could also prove useful if they borrow someone else’s car while away at college.
The “student away” discount is so under the radar that even your insurer’s customer service reps may be unaware of it. If so, just ask for a supervisor, Valega said.
“I don’t think people pay attention to this at all, but this is something every parent should consider.”
Filed under:
Buick,Car Buying,Crossover,SUV
Continue reading Early 2024 Buick Envision pricing is out, and there’s some good news
Early 2024 Buick Envision pricing is out, and there’s some good news originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 1 Feb 2024 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Used trucks are more expensive than most probably expect. Their popularity on the new vehicle market makes them a hot commodity for used sales, but the good news is that several models offer great value. iSeeCars’ latest analysis ranked the best 5- and 10-year-old used pickups to help you get started shopping for deals.
Among 5-year-old used trucks, the Honda Ridgeline was the best, with an average price of $1,647 per 10,000 miles on the clock. The venerable Toyota Tacoma was next:
Karl Brauer, iSeeCars’ executive analyst, said, “Midsize trucks don’t have the capability of full-size models when it comes to towing and hauling, but they clearly have an advantage when it comes to cost and lifespan. If you don’t need a full-size truck, a used midsize model offers far better value.” The same applies to older used cars, as the Ridgeline and Tacoma again topped the list. That said, the firm only came up with five trucks to top its list of 10-year-old models.
Brauer said trucks’ longevity helped them in the study, saying, “To have 40-plus percent of a truck’s life remaining after ten years shows how durable these vehicles can be.” iSeeCars looked at the prices of more than 1.1 million used vehicles and analyzed odometer readings from more than 312 million vehicles to determine the models that provide the best value and longevity for the money.
For complete lists of best used vehicles, check out the full iSeeCars study.
Americans have been SUV-crazy for years, making them some of the most popular new and used vehicles on sale. That can make it challenging to find a deal, especially on the used market, where prices can be all over the map. iSeeCars recently analyzed used car data to find the best used SUVs, and some of their findings might surprise you.
The study looks at vehicles that are 5 and 10 years old. Chevrolet Trax was the best 5-year-old used value, with an average price of $1,442 per 10,000 miles of expected remaining life expectancy. After 10 years, the Honda CR-V was the best value, at $1,417 per 10,000 miles remaining. These are among the most reliable SUVs to operate.
Though there are mostly small SUVs listed here, the few three-row models, like the Buick Encore and Honda Pilot lower on the list, deliver solid value for families.
iSeeCars’ executive analyst Karl Brauer said that eight of the models in the overall 10-year used list lasted for more than 100,000 miles on average and noted that all models had a minimum 80,000-mile lifespan. The company looked at more than a million used vehicle sales and analyzed the odometers of more than 312 million used models to determine the vehicles that last the longest and cost the least.
To see the complete lists and more details, check out the complete iSeeCars study.
It’s one of the more difficult conversations we can have with a parent or grandparent: Their driving skills have declined to the point where you know they’re a risk to themselves or others. When confronted, some seniors hand over the keys willingly. Some don’t. Their may not have self-awareness or are in denial about their decline — they may insist they’re doing fine.
Yet the trouble signs are there: They are running stop signs, banging up fenders, hitting the sides of the garage, getting lost on roads they know, or mixing up the gas and brake pedals. If this goes on, someone could get hurt.
Cars represent freedom. The potential loss of that is understandably scary. My grandfather, for example, stubbornly refused to give up his keys when asked — until one day he handed them over willingly and without saying a word; something had happened on the highway that scared him, he wouldn’t say what. Even without the keys, though, he was comforted by having the car parked outside. It was a symbol of freedom just sitting there.
As the Baby Boomer generation ages, the ranks of older drivers are growing fast. Kaiser Health News reports:
“Nearly 50 million people 65 and older held driver’s licenses in 2021, a 38% increase from 2012, according to data compiled by the American Automobile Association. Almost 19 million were 75 or older, a rise of 31%. During this period, motor vehicle deaths for people 65 and older increased 34%, reaching 7,489 in 2021. The number of seniors injured in vehicle crashes that year exceeded 266,000.”
How old is too old to drive? AARP says the average age for seniors to give up driving is 75, but that surely is a moving target as the Baby Boomer wave ages in better health and 75 becomes “the new” 55 or 65. We all know people who drive safely beyond 75. Vision impairment may be the thing that most risks older Americans losing their license.
For the most part, older drivers are safer drivers, using caution behind the wheel and relying on decades of experience. They wear their seatbelts, they don’t speed, and they adapt to their changing skillset by avoiding big highways and not driving at night. Even so, it’s a good idea for seniors to get an old age driving assessment — and brush up their skills — by taking refresher drivers-ed courses offered by AAA, AARP or agencies or driving schools in your area. Lists of senior driver-education resources are available online. Taking these classes can also qualify a senior for an insurance discount.
While several states require license renewals and vision tests at shorter intervals as we age, only two states — Illinois and New Hampshire — require all renewing license holders age 75 and older to re-take a road test. But if you question your loved one’s driving, the DMV does have a role to play. More on that in a moment.
If your loved one should no longer drive, the right approach might differ depending on what you think will be most effective:
— Call a family meeting, an intervention. Putting up a unified front might be helpful and takes the heat off of you as an individual.
— Reassure them they’ll still be able to go places. Do the legwork to line up the details on senior shuttles or other forms of transportation in your community. Help them try out the options. If someone in the family has the wherewithal to drive them places on demand, even better.
— Have your senior’s doctor weigh in. That was helpful in convincing my own mother that her driving days were over. He wrote it out, and we’d show his instruction to her from time to time when she’d forgotten. Seniors trust their doctors.
— Turn them in to the DMV. If the state gets a report of an unfit driver, it will call them in for testing. You can do this anonymously, though your senior is likely going to figure out it was you. Perhaps not, if dementia is a factor.
— Tell a white lie. Regarding seniors with Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia, this medical journal study found that 6-in-10 seniors with cognitive impairment continued to drive. It’s a reason many states have created Silver Alerts as a way to inform the public that someone has gone missing in their car. To prevent a loved one with dementia from driving, it’s often suggested that you can essentially trick, distract or dissuade them from the topic — by hiding the car, saying the car won’t start (or actually disabling it), claiming it is in the shop, saying a relative needed to borrow it, claiming the keys are lost, etc. You may be uncomfortable lying to your loved one, however, well-intentioned as it may be.
If those approaches aren’t right for your situation, here’s something you can do right now, years or even decades ahead of time:
Your loved one likely knows of, and has maybe even prepared, a medical advance directive. It’s a document that does two things. The portion known as a health care directive, aka a living will, details how you wish to be treated if you can no longer make medical decisions for yourself — such as when you do or don’t wish to be kept on life support, for example. The portion known as durable power of attorney names the person you wish to make those decisions on your behalf.
It’s a concept most seniors are familiar with and have undoubtedly given considerable thought to. Therefore, it’s a small leap toward convincing them, when they are still driving just fine, to prepare something similar — an advance directive for driving.
Kaiser Health News says such a directive can take many forms, perhaps designating specific people who will tell a senior when their driving needs to stop, and even codifying family members’ assurances that they’ll transport the senior when the time comes. Two examples are this from the AAA and American Occupational Therapy Association, along with this one from the Alzheimer’s Association. The latter says this, in part:
“I understand that I may forget that I cannot drive anymore and may try to continue driving. If this happens, please know that I support all actions taken, including removing or disabling my car, to help ensure my safety and the safety of others.”
These directives are not legally binding, but they may make the conversation with your loved one easier when the time comes.
“We should all be planning for our changing transportation needs in our 70s, 80s, and 90s,” Elin Schold Davis, who coordinates the occupational therapists’ Older Driver Initiative, told Kaiser. “The hard part is that driving is associated with independence, and this is such an emotional issue. But the more people look ahead, the more choice and control they can have.”