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Big Flat, AR Car Consumer Discussions

Re: Quick test drive: FWD 09 TL [graphicguy] - Break in [habitat1] [billyperks2]

by habitat1 on Sun Oct 05 14:27:40 PDT 2008

....Billy - damn glad to see you around. It's been a long time since we did the "my Maxima is quicker than your TL-S" and vice versa, but those were great times. :) :) I haven't personally seen or driven the new TL yet. A couple of trustworthy sources have told me the TL-SH-AWD is very impressive in the handling department, so I think you are going the right way with AWD. One of my few complaints on my 2004 TL 6-speed is that FWD and nearly 3,500 lbs (vs. 3,000 for the 95 Max) makes the handling front heavy. The AWD version is still front heavy and front drive biased, but apparantly the SH-AWD system goes a long way to mitigating most of the handling issues. Me, I'd opt to wait for the 2010 with a 6-speed manual. One thing I'd caution you on with the 19" wheels is making sure you budget big bucks for tire replacement. I got 155k miles out of three sets of tires on my Max (15", 215 HR60). Total replacement costs of under $550 per set. I only have 32k miles on my TL 6-speed w/ the HPT package (17", 235 ZR 45) and I am on my third set. At closer to $900+ per set for decent tires. The second (first replacement) set was a big error on my part - listened to the Tire Rack advice that Avon Tech tires were nearly as good as Michelens. They lasted a whopping 13k miles, flat spotted after sitting for an hour, were noisy as hell, vibrated like they were out of balance and never tracked straight on the highway. Lost air to add insult to injury. So go for those 19" wheels if you want, but be prepared for some serious bucks over the years on replacement rubber. And if you try to penny pinch with Avons, don't say I didn't warn you. Take care - hope all has been well with you.

Palin for VP [rockylee]

by gagrice on Fri Oct 03 06:12:23 PDT 2008

Your republicans brother I spoke with this evening even believe she had a copy of the questions she would be asked so she could be prepared. According to Gwen Ifill at the beginning of the debate, she made up the questions and NO ONE has seen them except her. Unless she was lying. Being a strong Obama supporter I would think she would give a copy to bumbling Biden who needed it desperately last night. When the question by question analysis is in print, you will see Biden told some big ones. Like his stand on Clean Coal Generation. He flat out told an audience last week he was against any new coal generation in this country. I posted it here. Last night he lied through his teeth about it. I don't know if Palin uses a teleprompter on the campaign trail. I DO know that Obama cannot put together an intelligible sentence on his own. At least without several UH, UM, Ohs Duhs..... What really gets you upset rocky is Obama, nor anyone else in your party can connect with the people like Palin does. Aside from that old dude what's his name, slick Willy?

Re: Purchase Navigation Option? [mgroomer]

by sandrakely on Thu Oct 02 12:56:52 PDT 2008

Not sure if you bought you van yet. Depending on the model you buy the nav system will be standard. I just bought a 2008 Touring. I love 99.9% of it. I enjoy the voice commands and use them regularly. I think it just takes some getting used to. Also, the touring model is the only one with the auto lift hatch, which was the only thing on my must have list. You don't have the get the run flat tires on the touring model. The blue tooth is great. My son loves talking to his grandparents while we are on the road. My one complaint and I'm trying to figure this out with Honda is the GPS. Granted it has nice features, but can't find a lot of pretty big things by name. For example it can't find a CostCo, HomeDepot, Lowes and many others in the county I live in. The dealer looked at the 2009 model and found that the nav had the same problem. My $200 Garmin never failed me, but my $2,000 nav system makes me nervous every time I have to use it.

Re: Purchase Navigation Option? [mapman4]

by sandrakely on Thu Oct 02 12:48:45 PDT 2008

This might be new with the 2008 model, but you don't have to buy the run flat tires with the Touring model. Also, the touring is the only way you can get the auto lift rear hatch, which is a great feature when you are dealing with kids and all that comes along with them. I love almost everything about this car including the entertainment system, although we've only used it once. My only really big complaint is about the nav system. It does have features I really like, but it can't find things like Home Depot and other major locations by name in the county I live in. The dealer says all the need is an updated disc but I'm not convinced. Anyone else having this problem?

Tips for Better Gas Mileage on the Saturn Vue Hybrid

by hybridvue on Fri Sep 26 06:09:59 PDT 2008

First off - I think you purchased a 2008 Saturn Hybrid Vue. The 2009 models which will be a full Hybrid are not out on the market yet. Second - the first tank may not have been filled up to the top and hence your poor mpg numbers. So wipe the slate clean, fill up to the top and then compute the mpg numbers for the next and all future tanks. Third - have you tried any of these Saturn Vue Hybrid specific driving tips that I have put together? - Before you travel - consider your commute. The mild hybrid system is not the best choice for heavy stop-and-go traffic or very short trips. - Don't warm up the Hybrid. Turn on the ignition and go. - When accelerating or coasting - I have gotten the ECO light to turn on between the speeds of 19 - 79 miles per hour. Keeping the RPM's low when accelerating is a big key. The key is to easy off the gas pedal, get the ECO light to turn on and then back on the gas pedal. I think I have gotten the RMP's to 3500 once or twice - when jumping into fast moving traffic. - When breaking - I can get the ECO light to stay all the way on until I am stopped. Just make it a smooth stop and it will even go into Auto Stop. - When driving at a constant speed - if you notice that the Hybrid is neither charging or assisting and the green ECO light is on - press the gas pedal more. You will notice that the additional accerlation will come from the battery and not the gas. The green ECO light will remain on and your battery will give you that added boost. - When driving on a long downhill - let the Hybrid coast to regenerate the battery. You will find that when you press the gas pedal the assist will really kick in. If you drive resting your foot on the gas pedal you are not taking advantage of the regenative featurs of the hybrid battery. - I rarely use the cruise control. I find I can do a much better job smoothing my ride than the cruise control can. The only exception is a completely flat drive. The Key is to get the Saturn Hybrid Vue to do its job by getting the assist/charge function to kick in. By using the above techniques I have been able to have a lifetime average of 32.37mpg over 55,500 miles. As for adding a pluggin system in the Hybrid that is great for some, but it requires an added expense. My numbers for my 2007 Saturn Vue Hybrid have been achieved by driving smart and using the technology already in the Hybrid Vue. And for those that think I am crawling in the left lane - I drive at or +5 mph above the speed limit in mainly the right hand lanes. One last note, while the above techniques may sound like alot of work - they will come naturally once you practice them. Enjoy the Saturn Hybrid Vue - I certainly do. :)

Re: questions [larsb]

by fintail on Thu Sep 25 19:47:07 PDT 2008

Lazy is a big issue for me, especially if it is 41F outside in pouring rain with 30mph winds, hills, lots of traffic, and very few bike lanes. The electric bike solves one of the problems, but I am not in relatively flat and dry AZ...so there are at least a couple other issues I can't eliminate.