Karl's Daily Log Book - READ ONLY

2391 messages, Last post on Nov 30, 2005 at 6:50 AM

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What is this discussion about? Coupe, Sedan, SUV

Karl Brauer is the Editor in Chief of Edmunds.com, which means he finds himself in a different vehicle almost every day of the week. If you want a daily road test review regarding the latest cars and trucks to hit the market, along with commentary on everything from auto industry happenings to L.A. drivers to his latest close encounter with Johnny Law, this is the place to be.

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#2340 of 2391 Re: Remote start isn't really an "innovation" though... [redmaxx] by kevm14 Oct 27, 2005 (11:13 am)
Replying to: redmaxx (Oct 27, 2005 8:56 am) Actually it would. Right now it gets warm enough during the day in AZ to use the A/C, so I set the temp for 70 degrees. Then the next morning, its in the 50s so I want to turn on the heat. If I remote started the car with your programming it would turn on the A/C, further cooling the vehicle. It makes perfect sense for the climate system to figure out that if its cold outside, I want heat and if its warm or hot outside I want A/C. But you don't get what I am saying. If you set the auto climate control on 70°, then during the day when it's really hot, the HVAC cools the car to 70°, all autonomously. Great. You're happy. Then let the car sit overnight where it's in the 50s, remote start it and - guess what - with the auto climate control set on 70° it's STILL going to bring the car's interior to 70° which requires - HEAT. What's the problem again? It takes care of itself, setting the interior to 70° regardless of whether it needs HEAT or A/C to do it. That is the WHOLE POINT of automatic climate control. Replies to this message: redmaxx (Oct 28, 2005 8:48 am)
#2341 of 2391 Acadia by ateixeira Oct 27, 2005 (11:53 am)
That will be an important model for GM. TrailBlazer gets clobbered by the Explorer and the double-threat of the Grand Cherokee and Durango from DCX. Rendezvous never really caught on, so this should give GM a better shot at some mid-size SUV/Crossover sales. -juice
#2342 of 2391 Re: American Exotics -- Corvette Z06, Ford GT, Dodge Viper [editor_karl] by phillyone Oct 27, 2005 (1:38 pm)
Replying to: editor_karl (Oct 26, 2005 3:28 pm) I thought you owned a Ford GT according to what I read in some of the old posts. I am curious to know what other drivers with no personal attachment to any of these cars wrote. They compared these cars in Automobile and overall the GT was their favorite due to it's styling an superior steering but they said there was no denying the Z06 was the best buy. Who writes the comments for the news updates provided daily on Inside Line? I read today's news and saw the comments suggesting that GM is late to the party because Lexus may have a 8 speed auto next year. That didnt make much sense to me because we all know the majoity of vehicles on the road today have 5 speed auto. Even Lexus/BMW/Audi use 6 speeds. Acura and Infiniti don't even offer a 6 speed at this time so I fail to see how GM is late with their 6 speed autos.
#2343 of 2391 Re: American Exotics -- Corvette Z06, Ford GT, Dodge Viper [kevm14] by editor_karl Oct 27, 2005 (2:25 pm)
Replying to: kevm14 (Oct 27, 2005 6:51 am) Who was driving? You? If it was you, I'd argue that you're more familiar with the handling dynamics of the GT. No, we had a hot shoe who doesn't even work at Edmunds/Inside Line do the driving. He will also be writing the story. He regularly drives various late-model cars on test tracks as part of his job, but he had never driven the GT or current-generation Z06 or Viper before his time at the track. Made for a great "How easy are these cars to drive for people who haven't already mastered them?" test. For obvious reasons I didn't want to be involved with writing or scoring this test. Especially since I already know the GT is the best car... Replies to this message: navigator89 (Oct 27, 2005 10:35 pm)
#2344 of 2391 all these speeds by explorerx4 Oct 27, 2005 (2:35 pm)
vehicle transmissions are getting to be like bicycles. when are going to get up to 15-18 speeds? my big question is why? Replies to this message: kevm14 (Oct 27, 2005 2:49 pm) explorerx4 (Oct 27, 2005 4:32 pm) kevm14 (Oct 27, 2005 4:58 pm) and 1 more...
#2345 of 2391 Re: all these speeds [explorerx4] by kevm14 Oct 27, 2005 (2:49 pm)
Replying to: explorerx4 (Oct 27, 2005 2:35 pm) I think 6-speeds is ideal (at most) for a manual. Automatics, whatever. If the computer shifts, it doesn't really bother me. But, I don't see a good reason for, say, a 7-speed auto instead of a CVT in theory. In practice, I suspect it's easier to build a complex 7-speed automatic for powerful heavy cars (MB) than it is to build a CVT for the same application (???). Replies to this message: explorerx4 (Oct 27, 2005 4:32 pm) kevm14 (Oct 27, 2005 4:58 pm) carlisimo (Oct 27, 2005 5:32 pm)
#2346 of 2391 Re: all these speeds [kevm14] by explorerx4 Oct 27, 2005 (4:32 pm)
Replying to: kevm14 (Oct 27, 2005 2:49 pm) from what i have read, cvt's are very complex and expensive. i still don't know why a 6, 7, or 8 speed auto is better than a 4 or 5 speed. Replies to this message: kevm14 (Oct 27, 2005 4:58 pm) carlisimo (Oct 27, 2005 5:32 pm)
#2347 of 2391 Re: all these speeds [explorerx4] by kevm14 Oct 27, 2005 (4:58 pm)
Replying to: explorerx4 (Oct 27, 2005 4:32 pm) Same way a 4 or 5 speed is better than a 2 or 3 speed, just incrementally so. And assuming the same levels of efficiency, a CVT is better than any discrete speed auto... Replies to this message: carlisimo (Oct 27, 2005 5:32 pm)
#2348 of 2391 Re: all these speeds [kevm14] by carlisimo Oct 27, 2005 (5:32 pm)
Replying to: kevm14 (Oct 27, 2005 4:58 pm) I have a four speed, and I will vouch for its inadequacy. I'd rather have five than six though, so that combined with R you only have three rows of shift gates, and they don't end up crowded close together. Not that I've ever tried a 6spd. Now, if you're varying your speed between 0 and 200mph, more gears makes a lot of sense.
#2349 of 2391 Re: American Exotics -- Corvette Z06, Ford GT, Dodge Viper [editor_karl] by navigator89 Oct 27, 2005 (10:35 pm)
Replying to: editor_karl (Oct 27, 2005 2:25 pm) Editor Karl, Have you seen the topless Ford GT pictures? It looks awesome!!!! All car manufacturers it seems first release some fancy exotic, and a drop top a a bit ater. BMW did that with the M6, and Ford with the Mustang.