Category Archives: Four Wheels

Cars and car-like vehicles.

Auto Industry, Four Wheels

Why Volkswagen Won’t Bring Us Camper Vans

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There’s a strong argument that VW started the camper van craze, way back with its Westfalia pop-up campers on the original Microbus. Camper vans are all the rage now (I live in one myself), yet you can’t get VW’s version in North America, despite being named the California. Why?

The Drive did some digging and found out. The entire article is worth a read, but in summary, it comes down to a few factors.

Entering the North American camper van market would require VW to enter the North American van market. While their Transporter is common elsewhere in the world, it’s never been sold here. It would cost millions to go through the safety and emissions certification process just to be able to offer it. Although the 25% “chicken tax” on imported commercial vehicles may be a factor as well, there are easy ways around that. Just ask Mercedes how they sell the Sprinter here. The California accounts for only a small fraction of all Transporters sold, and it simply wouldn’t be worth it just for that.

Still, RV and camper van sales have boomed during COVID-19. Especially in 2020, there simply wasn’t anything else to do, because everything was closed. Wouldn’t it be worth it for VW to cash in on that? Actually, no. Even if they were already perfectly positioned to start selling the California when demand for camper vans surged, it’s likely only a short-term bubble. We’re not out of the COVID-19 woods yet as variants keep spreading around, but society has decided it’s over anyway and reopened just about everything. As life returns to normal, and other forms of travel and entertainment take over again, the demand for RVs and camper vans will likely plummet. Value and prices will probably drop like crazy, taking all the profitability out of it.

Another factor is the overall economy. It’s already been on shaky ground during the pandemic, despite government relief efforts. If the bottom drops out, not only will people not be able to afford RVs and camper vans, they’ll have to sell the ones they have just to make ends meet. The end result is the same: prices plummet, and there’s no profit.

So as much as we’d like to see the return of the iconic VW-branded camper van, it’s not going to happen. From a business perspective, it makes perfect sense why.

Auto Industry, Electric Avenue, Four Wheels

Ford Mustang Mach-E Passes Michigan State Police Testing

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You’re not going to see Ford Mustang Mach-E police cars in your rear view mirror next week. But in the future, you could.

The Michigan State Police have pretty much established the standard when it comes to testing cars for police use. They put cars through grueling acceleration, top speed, braking, high-speed pursuit, and emergency response handling tests. This is where the Dodge Intrepid’s brakes were found to be not up to the task, catching fire in the process. The Ford Mustang Mach-E, though, passed all these tests with flying colors — the first electric car ever to do so.

It didn’t even have a cop motor, cop suspension, cop shocks… Ford submitted a bone stock example for testing. The only modification was stickers (which, arguably, do add horsepower). We won’t know exactly how the Mustang Mach-E stacks up against traditional police cars like the Ford Explorer, Dodge Charger, etc. until later this fall, when the Michigan State Police will publish test results for all cars they’ve tested during the past year.

According to Motor1.com, Ford does not currently intend to build a police version of the Mustang Mach-E. Seeing how well the regular version did in these tests establishes a baseline for its performance. I expect that when the full test results come out, Ford will see in what areas other cars beat them, then design improvements that will address those shortcomings.

Electric cars, in general, make a ton of sense when it comes to police use. Most of the time they sit around, idling, wasting gas. Electric cars, by their nature, don’t do that. They also have a massive battery, which is necessary to run all the lights, computers, radios, and other emergency equipment. Additionally, when it comes time for hot pursuit of them Duke boys, there’s nothing quite like the acceleration of an electric car. Tesla’s made it famous, but all electric motors generate maximum torque from zero RPM, making them quicker off the line than any fossil fuel car can be.

It’s an intriguing concept. The only issue is with departments that keep their cars on the road 24/7, rotating multiple officers through them as they go on and off their shifts. That doesn’t leave any time to recharge.

Auto Industry, Four Wheels, They Did What?!

BMW Tests Hydrogen X5 With Hand Grenades

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“Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades,” the saying goes. BMW has taken that expression to a whole new level. According to The Drive, BMW took a fuel cell powered X5 and tested the structural integrity of its hydrogen tank protection by blowing up a grenade under it. Seriously.

It’s only slightly less crazy than it sounds. There was no actual hydrogen in the tank when they tested it, so if the tank was pierced, there would be no earth-shattering kaboom. But still, that’s pretty extreme measures.

The best part is the tank survived, completely intact, because the armor did its job.

Auto Industry, Four Wheels

Ford Confirms Bronco Raptor Coming in 2022

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Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups advertise themselves as “two great tastes that taste great together.” After rumors flying basically since the Bronco itself was confirmed, Ford has officially confirmed that the Bronco will be getting the Raptor treatment next year. Jalopnik and The Drive have more.

It makes sense. Ford has sold countless examples of the more road-oriented Bronco Sport based on the off-road panache of the actual Bronco. No doubt some consumers actually believe they’re buying the Bronco even though the Sport fits their needs much better. Now, Ford can double down on the Bronco’s off-road prowess by building an even more capable version and slapping the Raptor label on it. The F-150 Raptor is an excellent off-road vehicle, and I have no doubt that the Bronco version will be as well. I’m sure the Bronco Raptor will help sell even more Bronco Sports.

I’m not calling out Ford by saying this, or even criticizing them. I have no doubt that the Bronco Raptor will be every bit as good an off-road vehicle as the F-150 Raptor, and the perfect halo car (truck?) for the Bronco brand. It’s good business, and excellent marketing. Who can blame them?

Auto Industry, Electric Avenue, Four Wheels

Ford Boosts F-150 Lightning Production Before It Even Begins

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Despite not having built a single production truck yet, Ford has already announced a production increase to 80,000 F-150 Lightning electric pickup trucks annually. Ford will invest another $250 million across three Michigan plants involved with F-150 Lightning production, and hire 450 more workers to build them. The Drive has more details.

It may seem a bit bold, even cocky, to make such an investment before the truck has even hit the road. But considering that Ford has received 150,000 reservations for the Lightning, I think it’s a pretty safe bet.

Car Culture, Four Wheels

Massachusetts Activates National Guard to Combat School Bus Driver Shortage

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I’ll bet these fine soldiers never thought they were signing up to drive school buses when they enlisted. But Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker has activated 90 Guardsmen to serve in the areas of Chelsea, Lawrence, Lowell, and Lynn, with another 160 available for additional communities should the need arise. The Drive and Jalopnik have the details.

Basically, there just aren’t enough drivers to do the job. Many are on the older side of the spectrum, and more vulnerable to COVID-19. Since schools are excellent incubators of illness, quite a few of these drivers have opted to stay home and stay safe.

This wasn’t an issue last year because just about everyone went remote. But this year many school administrations have decided that the pandemic is over, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, and resumed normal in-school operations. Many of these schools have since returned to partial or fully remote learning upon the spread of COVID-19 among students and staff, which no one could possibly have seen coming except for doctors and scientists, and who listens to them anymore?

Auto Industry, Four Wheels

New WRX, Same as the Old WRX

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Without warning, Subaru suddenly dropped the covers off the 2022 WRX this past Friday. (I was at IMS Outdoors so I’m only getting to this now.) The result is… underwhelming.

Appearance wise, it’s very similar to the current car. I had a 2015 WRX, so I’m quite familiar with it. The main difference is the addition of a lot of ugly unpainted plastic. It’s as though Subaru is trying to turn the WRX into a Crosstrek sedan. Unpainted plastic is supposed to look tough. I think it looks cheap instead. Immediately the internet began comparing pictures of this orange WRX to an orange Pontiac Aztek. The resemblance isn’t perfect, but there is some. Considering that the Aztek is often called the ugliest car ever made, that is not a compliment.

The other disappointment is a horsepower increase from 268 to 271. That’s basically nothing. We expected at least something over 300, particularly since the displacement has increased from 2.0 to 2.4 liters. What gives, Subaru?

The news isn’t all bad, however. The interior gets an update, though there’s a still a lot of “plastic fantastic” motif going on. Most striking is the 11.6-inch Starlink touchscreen in the center of the dashboard. It looks like this controls almost everything, with a very tablet-like display visible in the pictures, yet it’s good to see just a couple of knobs off to either side as well. Sometimes you just need to quickly turn the volume down, and a knob works much better than hunting through menus for it.

Another addition is the GT model, which will presumably be the new mid-grade of the range between the base WRX and the top-of-the-line STI. It has SI-Drive features, which sounds similar to the STI. The GT also gets electronically adjustable shocks, similar to the Volkswagen GTI, as well as standard “Subaru Performance Transmission,” which is automatic. GT is traditionally an acronym for “Grand Touring,” so an automatic is not out of place with that purpose. The old Legacy GT used this designation as well, and was itself quite good.

Subaru makes all kinds of claims like a track-tuned suspension and improved NVH (noise, vibration, and harshness) EyeSight is standard on all automatic models. That qualification is necessary because yes, the WRX is still available with a manual transmission, thank goodness. For all of its shortcomings, at least it has that.

To say the WRX enthusiast community is underwhelmed would be an understatement. Subaru’s had seven years to come up with a better WRX. Instead we get this. I’ll have to withhold judgement until I see one in person and can actually drive it, but first impressions count, and they’re not great. Still, it’s one of the few remaining true sport sedans out there, and there’s a lot to be said for that. Though honestly, I’d certainly consider a Crosstrek given the WRX treatment.

Four Wheels, Motorspurts, They Did What?!, Two Wheels

Tesla Model S Plaid Beats Hayabusa in Drag Race

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As a general rule, pretty much any motorcycle can beat pretty much any car in an acceleration run. That’s part of the fun. But as with many things, Tesla turns that assumption on its head with the Model S Plaid. It beats not just any bike, but a Suzuki Hayabusa, one of the premier drag bikes there is. Edmunds proved it.

OK, we know the Tesla Model S became stupid fast when it’s “gone to plaid,” yet another thinly veiled reference to high-speed travel in Spaceballs. But this beast has 1,020 horsepower in a rather ordinary four-door sedan. That is, to one might say, ludicrous.

Autonomous Overlords, Electric Avenue, Four Wheels

Tesla “Full Self-Driving” Software Has Leaked

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Elon Musk promised Tesla owners who bought the so-called “full self-driving” package that they would receive it by the end of September. Elektrek reports that hackers have gotten their hands on it early, as in now.

This is alarming on numerous levels. Tesla has been severely limiting even the number of beta testers for this software, which is only intended for use in the US. But a YouTube video shows a hacked car in Ukraine operating in “full self-driving” mode. Ukraine, if you’re not familiar with geography, is not the US.

So far, all that hackers have wanted to do is get their hands on the software and try it for themselves, not alter it for any nefarious ends. But what if someone does? Now that it’s widely known to be out there, hackers with less benevolent intentions can have their way with it. This reminds me of Doctor Who‘s “The Sontaran Stratagem” episode, where the Sontarans hacked cars to gas humanity, as well as eliminate key opponents who learned of the plan before it was fully implemented.

Finally, there’s the fact that we’re simply not ready for “full self-driving” cars yet. Teslas are still randomly crashing into police cars while in the currently available Autopilot mode. That’s a rather fundamental flaw, one that should be addressed before giving the software even more control over the car. How do we know that aliens aren’t waiting for the opportunity to crash Teslas into every police car simultaneously, then take over the world? It could happen, especially if the software is that easy to hack.

And if there are aliens.

Car Culture, Four Wheels

Carolina Squat Banned, Violators Could Lose License

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During my drive through the Carolinas, I spotted for the first time the trend of squatted trucks, also known as the Carolina Crouch. They’re raised in the front, lowered in the back, and give the driver terrible visibility as to what’s ahead of them. Headlights shine straight into oncoming traffic. And on top of all that, they’re just ugly.

North Carolina, one of the states from which the trend got its name, has come down hard on this trend. The Drive reports that as of December 1, this will be illegal. Not only can drivers get fined, they can also lose their license for a year if cited three times for this. That’s serious.

Interestingly, the law, as written, specifically addresses raising the front and lowering the back. Wording from the previous law, prohibiting any ride height change of more than six inches, has disappeared. Oversight, or intentional?

Photo credit: WhistlinDiesel