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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.
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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.”
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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.”
It seems like a no-brainer: If a modern cellphone has a number of advanced technologies — GPS, microphones, and most essentially, G-force detection — why can’t it be used to determine if the driver was distracted by using the phone to watch TikTok or send texts when he crashed the car?
It’s crucial question posed by a recent New York Times article. It’s also a question with no clear answer.
The story, “Phones Track Everything but Their Role in Car Wrecks,” makes a valiant attempt to clarify the role of distracted driving in vehicle crashes, but essentially concludes that despite legislation to curb it, “there remains no definitive database of the number of crashes or fatalities caused by cellphone distraction. Safety experts say that current estimates most likely understate a worsening problem.”
Indeed, in 2021, only 377 fatal wrecks — just under 1 percent of the total — were reported as having involved a cellphone-distracted driver, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. But that’s based on what’s stated in police reports. Often, according to the story, cellphone use “goes unmentioned in such reports because it typically relies on a driver to admit distraction, a witness to identify it or, in still rarer cases, the use of cellphone records or other phone forensics that definitively show distraction.”
It’s a frustrating situation, the story implies, compounded not by the available data from the phones, but by red tape and, as noted above, the resistance by vehicle operators to admit to police that they may have been distracted.
Writes reporter Matt Richtel, “Police can access cellphone records, but the process is cumbersome, and privacy laws require a subpoena. Even then, further analysis must be done to link a driver’s phone activity with the timing of a crash.” The analysis can be expensive, and authorities may often elect not to pursue that line of investigation, he writes.
Dr. David Strayer, a cognitive scientist at the University of Utah and an expert in the science of driver distraction, told the paper that “unless someone fesses up to using the phone, the police don’t consider it to be a factor.”
But the piece cites a 2022 survey by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. It found that about 20 percent of drivers said that they regularly scrolled social media, read email, played games, watched videos or recorded and posted them while driving.
For some years now, some phones have been equipped with accelerometers and other tracking and surveillance technology that is typically used for marketing, measuring steps and other functions, Richtel points out.
So technologically, phones are capable of connecting the time of a car crash with hints about the way the driver was using the phone at the time, Dr. Strayer said. But that avenue of investigation is mostly being overlooked.
“Your phone leaves lots of breadcrumbs, but nobody is looking at them,” Dr. Strayer told the Times.
One solution, the piece says, might involve using roadside cameras that identify drivers who are looking at their phones or “are otherwise distracted,” and this information would automatically be relayed to police officers farther up the road. “Roadside and highway cameras are already used to identify drivers who are speeding,” Richtel notes.
The full story can be accessed here. A subscription may be required.
Sadly, winter weather is a challenge to the EV ownership experience. There are the typical issues like slippery roads, brushing the snow off your car, cold steering wheels and the general stupidity of other drivers. But there are also some unique pain points, specifically pertaining to driving range and EV charging. If it’s your first winter in an EV, or if you’re an EV owner relocating to a colder climate, here are the things you should know about electric cars and cold weather.
It’s an unfortunate reality that your electric car simply won’t go as far on a single charge when it’s cold as it will in warmer temperatures. According to Consumer Reports, cars lose about 25% of their driving range due to cold temperatures in normal driving, or even more if you’re stopping between charges, forcing the car and battery to warm up again. In addition to the usual driving practices that help save fuel, there are a few things you can do go further on a charge, even in freezing temperatures.
Opt for a heat pump when purchasing an EV. If you live in an area where you know you’ll face colder temperatures for part of the year, many EVs offer a heat pump as standard or optional equipment. A heat pump draws warmth from the environment (yes, even in cold weather) to help keep the passengers warm, reducing the amount of energy needed for climate control, thus increasing range.
Park indoors when possible. A garage is great. A heated garage is even better. The closer your battery stays to its ideal temperature — about 60 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit — the better, but even 40 degrees is better than 20. If a garage isn’t available, parking in the sun and out of the wind will help a bit.
Keep your car plugged in before driving. This allows you to do two things that will help range. First, it will keep your battery warm until you unplug it. Depending on your car or your home charger, you might even be able to set a departure time, which will precondition your battery for your trip. Plugging in also allows you to …
Heat the cabin before you leave. If your interior is already at a comfortable temperature when fully charged, it won’t have to use that extra energy to warm up the cabin while you’re driving. Go turn on your car and let the cabin warm up before you unplug, or use a remote app or departure schedule, if available, to have things ready.
Bundle up. As a last resort, if you’re really concerned about your range, or obsessive about efficiency, dressing warmly will allow you to keep the temperature set lower and be comfortable without having to use heated seats or steering wheel. We hate to recommend this tactic, however, as it’s a sacrifice you shouldn’t have to make when living with an EV, and the previous recommendations should be effective enough.
The colder it is, the slower the chemical reaction in your lithium-ion battery that allows it to accept a charge. When charging our long-term EV6 in the winter, for instance, we’d often see it peak at a much lower charging rate than the car and the charger were usually capable of. That just means your stops at the charging station will take longer. There are steps you can take, though, to make for a better winter EV charging experience.
If you can, again, park your car indoors. A heated garage is ideal, but anything that will keep it even a little warmer will make a difference.
Use Level 2 charging at home. Most EV owners will install a Level 2 charger or 240-volt outlet at home anyway, as it simply chargers the car much faster than using a standard 120-volt outlet.
Plan ahead on longer trips. If you’re going to need to stop at a charging station on the way to your destination, budget extra time into your trips. With decreased range, you’ll have to charge more often, and those charging stops will take longer. If you plan for that, it’ll make your trip smoother. Some EVs have built-in route planners that can let when and where you should charge along the way, and navigate you to them, to save the most time.
Use a preconditioning feature, if your car has one. If you’re going to stop at a public charger, your car can warm the battery to an optimum temperature to charge more quickly. This will, of course, use more energy while you’re driving to the charger, but you’ll make up for it with the faster charging rate, as the car won’t have to spend time getting the battery up to its ideal charging temperature once plugged in. Check your owner’s manual and infotainment menus to see if your car this feature.
Keep your battery above 20%. Just like you don’t want to get stranded with an empty tank of gas, you don’t want to run out of charge on the way to a charging station (which are generally fewer and further between than gas stations). It’s a safety issue, but also, your battery is quicker to charge when it’s between 20% and 80%.
The above are good general tips for winter, but various car brands might have more advice specific to the EVs they sell, whether it’s details about their feature sets or best practices for range and comfort. Here’s what a few of them say.
Tesla includes details in its owner’s manuals, which are available online. For instance, the Tesla Model 3 manual walks you through scheduling defrosting before your departure, what to do if your charge port or door handles freeze, and what its cold battery indicator light means. It also recommends keeping the car plugged in when not in use.
Ford, which makes the Mustang Mach-E and Ford F-150 Lightning EVs, has a video providing tips on charging in cold weather. It recommends parking in a garage, keeping it plugged in, and using the vehicle’s included preconditioning and departure time functions to extend range.
Porsche, which makes the Taycan, has an article with information from an electric vehicle engineer with explainers about why range suffers in winter, dispelling some myths about EVs in the process. It explains that all vehicles are less efficient in the cold, but electric vehicles don’t have the benefit of using the massive amount of waste heat from the engine to heat the cabin. It also discusses the benefit of a heat pump and what to do if you need to leave your vehicle sitting in the cold for a couple weeks.
When in doubt, check your owner’s manual for information about what winter-friendly features your car may have.
One of the things enthusiasts bellyache about the most is electrification. The noisiest complainers say that EVs will suck the fun out of driving and can’t possibly be as engaging as a roaring gas engine. It’s undoubtedly true that the noises EVs make are not always as visceral and thrilling, but it’s also true that electrification has ushered in a new era of performance that gas vehicles simply cannot match.
We’ve gathered a list of EVs that don’t suck to drive. We all know by now about Tesla and its Plaid models, which absolutely set the quarter-mile ablaze with their amazing acceleration figures. The vehicles on this list don’t come from Tesla. Nor does the list include some highly anticipated performance EVs that will soon hit the market, such as the new 2024 Porsche Macan. This selection may be a bit short on range compared to tamer models, but at the same time, it’s hard to ignore their specs and even harder to ignore the sensation that a full-throttle electric powertrain delivers. Let’s dive in to see five new EVs that make driving fun.
Porsche’s gas-powered vehicles are among the most exciting on the road, so it’s not surprising to see the automaker’s first electric effort as a home run. The Taycan is available in a staggering number of configurations, ranging from the 375-horsepower base model to the massively powerful Turbo S models with up to 750 horsepower in temporary boost mode. Classic Porsche styling and high-end tech round out the package, making the Taycan one of the most desirable EVs today.
That said, the Taycan’s almost $91,000 starting price puts it out of reach for a majority of car buyers, and the prices keep steadily rising along with the performance. It also trades range for performance, as the least powerful variant is the most efficient, returning 242 miles with the extended-range battery. The car can take advantage of fast charging, however, and can recover up to 80 percent of its battery capacity in just over 22 minutes.
How about a Kia that can out-accelerate many supercars, especially from a few years ago? The EV6 GT comes with two electric motors with a combined 576 horsepower and 545 pound-feet of torque. Its 0-60 mph time lands at just 3.4 seconds, and the EV offers a top speed of 161 mph, making it one serious Korean EV. At the same time, it features the standout styling of the standard model, which gives it a striking curb presence and a futuristic look that is unique among EVs.
The common refrain with performance EVs is that they exchange driving range for speed, and that’s the case with the EV6. That means that while the base EV6 returns 310 miles of range, the EV6 GT delivers just 206 miles. Other tradeoffs come with the price, where the EV6 is more expensive than many in its class, and with the cargo hold, as the SUV lacks some of the utility of its competitors.
The Mercedes-AMG EQE sedan brings a futuristic interior, sleek styling, and mind-boggling performance – for a price. It comes standard with two electric motors making 617 horsepower and 701 pound-feet of torque. The available AMG Dynamic Plus package drives output to 677 horsepower and 738 pound-feet of torque. Mercedes promises a 0-60 mph time of around 3.2 seconds for cars equipped with the Dynamic Plus pack and just 3.4 seconds for others.
Of course, like the others on this list, the AMG-massaged EQE does have some downsides. Its range reaches just 225 miles, making it a tough sell at its six-figure price point. It’s also short on rear headroom, where the car’s dramatically sloping roof cuts into cabin space. However, despite these somewhat minor complaints, the EQE delivers a thrilling driving experience and a luxurious ride quality.
The Genesis GV60 is a gorgeously designed SUV with a high-end tech, plush interior, and a somewhat reasonable price. It’s available with two powertrain choices, ranging in output from 314 horsepower to 429 horsepower. Either provides more than enough grunt to make the GV60 an engaging driving companion. The SUV also has a temporary boost mode that bumps output on the top powertrain to 483 horsepower. With that feature on tap, the GV60 can run to 60 mph from a standstill in around four seconds. It’s also more than capable on bendy roads, offering responsive handling with less body roll than expected.
Unfortunately, we’re again talking about driving range deficiencies, as the GV60 returns just 235 miles in its most potent form. The entry-level model has 248 miles, which is still just okay for the segment. Rear visibility isn’t the best, and the GV60’s cabin isn’t quite as nice as its price tag suggests, but it’s still a fantastic EV with plenty to like.
BMW may have gone off the rails with styling in recent years, but it’s mainly on the mark with performance. That also applies to its electrified vehicles, and the new i4 is an excellent example of the automaker’s blend of performance and efficiency. The M50 variant has the performance to match its name, bringing 536 horsepower and 586 pounds of torque. With all-wheel drive on tap, the car can reach 60 mph in just 3.7 seconds. BMW gave the i4 M50 fantastic driving dynamics and engaging handling that hide its extra weight, and the car maintains a comfortable ride quality in most situations.
The i4 M50 returns up to 269 miles of range, better than most on this list but still short of cars from top players like Tesla. It’s also a bit short on rear-seat space, as its sleek exterior shape cuts into interior space for taller people. The upside is that cargo space is generous, and the hatchback design makes it easy to load large items.
The number of driver-friendly EVs is growing, and there are still plenty of fantastic hybrids and plug-in hybrids if full electrification isn’t your thing. While it’s true that many EVs are significantly more expensive than their gas-powered counterparts, it’s also true that dealers aren’t selling electric vehicles as quickly as gas models, so there are some great deals to be had for buyers willing to do the homework.