Why Chevrolet Is Better Than Ford - Damino Media

Here's Why Ford is Better than Dodge, Chevy, and Toyota

Scotty Kilmer:

rev up your engines today I'm going to
talk about what makes the full-size
f-150 pickup truck probably the most
popular best full-size pickup truck
around and in this case it's a 2004 and
effects for off-road version and as you
can see even all this thing's been
ridden hard and put up with it's got a
166 thousand miles on it sixteen years
off still going strong still original
engine original transmission original
transfer case and that's being the FX4
not gigantic in the back but there
are seats in the back even got the Texas
hand it's got the vulnerable 5.4 liter
v8 engine this particular one puts out
300 horsepower and 365 pound-feet of
torque got a lot of pulling power this
thing can tow 9,500 pounds and the bed
can carry 2,900 pounds so it has no
problem carrying me around it's got dual
exhaust through that great v8 sound
weather just got a nice idler you're
rubbing it up
that sound alone made Henry Ford
Millions
this is one serious work truck they
aren't great on gas but that's not what
this is for this is a serious work truck
I run in one of these years ago when we
went to Lake Tahoe in the winter they
had like 300 something matches of snow
got the all-wheel drive one never got
stuck had no problems they gave me a
choice at the rental sooner they said
you can get a car but you're gonna have
to put chains on it or you can get a
four-wheel drive Ford and I said give me
the Ford there's serious ground
clearance for driving but not the
insanity of those nuts that put them way
way way up in the air
it still handles really good in the
mouth to be honest off in between
hundred and fifty two hundred and twenty
thousand miles you might have to do the
transmission over before it has
remanufactured ones available they work
quite well and no matter where you live
you can always get parts for Ford's at
least in North America but I mean hey
they got big plants all over the world a
lot of people don't know this but for
decades Ford has been the largest
selling vehicles in England so the
English use them all the time too they're
not bad into these big gigantic pickups
over there the roads are too small but
here in Texas we got lots of Road plenty
of room for a big old pickup they got
killer air-conditioning for our
hundred-degree 95% humidity days here in houston but
these v8 engines put
out a lot of heat the heaters work ready
too you'll melt yourself air in Texas
and when I rented the one in lake tahoe
freezing cold outside I had to turn the
heat down to low got too hot inside just
the general comfort level is nice these leather seats are great this thing's
old it's a work trucks so of course it's all
worn out here but hey otherwise it's
still in pretty decent shape to the
badge of a workman's truck see it's all
worn out the driver seat but on the
other seats the love is pristine my
customers never had a problem with the
all-wheel-drive system you can have it
on two wheel or we life or we all all
just by the flick of a switch and yeah
this is all the one came a basic CD
player stuff as you can see my customers
already put the Sirius XM radio with it
and that's all the other listens to and
really far has been perfect the suspension system of these things over
the years this is an older one in the
present decade hey they've upgraded the
suspension systems my wife doesn't like
riding in pickup truck she says their too high
their too bumpy three years ago I was Road testing I took her for a ride she said
I don't wanna I hate riding in those trucks
she says this thing really rides good
because they perfected that too they've
made it so that somebody wants a cushy
ride you can get a cushy ride even
though it's Oh f-150 it's a whole range
of trucks various options you can stick
out but when it comes out for 150 I'm a
traditionalist I like the plain v8
engine
no turbocharger gasoline direct
injection
none of that high-tech stuff that's
going to break a plain old fuel-injected
v8 engine that with minor maintenance
can run these things can last in
definitely I get customers of them had
five hundred thousand miles on they were
on their second transmission but you're
getting your money's worth even if you
got to put a little bit of money and
something like that that's a comparison
I got customers have Silverado pickup
trucks any automatic transmissions in
them they will last generally less than
half as long as these ford transmissions
will ford really was the one who started
mass-produced v8 that were affordable
and lasted a long time I don't have
foolish things and I'm like GM and
putting a 4-cylinder which is proven to
be a massive failure anyways you get one
of these
I advise don't get one of those v6 ones
stick to the normally aspirated v8
engine because a lot of those tests are
kind of lies you put a 4-cylinder engine
the back pickup truck it can have higher
gas mileage ratings but yeah you start
tolling a bunch of stuff and fooling
with a payload those ratings go right
down a toilet big v8 engine can handle
it the other engines when you stress
them out they're gonna wear out faster
but their guest mods are gonna go right
down the toilet no I do have to say I'm
impressed by one new technology they put in they got that massive 10 speed
automatic transmission that they also
put in the Mustangs they had a little
problem here and there with software
which they could easily correct but the
transmissions themselves are extremely
large extremely powerful and they
actually get decent gas mileage because not only their 10 speed transmissions
but the last three gears are overdrive
to get the most gas mileage you can when
you're just cruising down the road and a
set speed not take it Toyota Tundra they
make a nice big truck too but the sales
are nothing compared to these f-150s
because you gotta face it
Toyota they're not in the business of
making large trucks
that's not where they make all their
money both sides trucks is more of a
sideline for Toyota they sell a lot of
small and midsize pickup trucks with
your excellent trucks but full size yeah
floors been making them for so long and
they just keep perfecting them as time
goes on and it's aspect the up 150 kind
of takes after the Japanese business
models are starting out and over decades
improving on the pickup truck scene what
people want adding it in all right in
the later model once they started
putting a whole bunch more aluminum so
they had seven eight hundred pounds or
more or less weight so they got a little
bit better gas mileage they've improved
these things incrementally over the
years which is what the Japanese have
traditionally done with their good
manufacturers so I mean they copied
Henry Ford on a mass production of cars
maybe Florence turned around took a page
out of the Japanese playbook improve
them incrementally over time don't throw
the baby away with the bathwater if you
make a mistake fix it and then go on and
improve that because there's a lot of
guys out there looking for a serious
work truck just decide what you want if
you're really serious about pickup
trucks I'd say start by looking at the
Fords and especially if you're looking
for a used work truck Rams they can be
okay when they're brand new but when
they age man do they fall apart you do
not want to buy a used ram
I've Customers that bought new ones they're okay for maybe 80 90 thousand miles before
they started falling apart but you never
want to buy a used one high mileage I've
made customers my Fords it had 200,000
miles put another 200,000 miles on and
sadly he used to be able to get that
with his Chevy pickup truck and I was a
young mechanic in the 60s Ford and Chevy there were neck and neck over who makes
the better pickup trucks but quite some
time ago years ago
Ford pulled way ahead of them I mean the
only thing Ford making the United States
now is pickup trucks SUVs and Mustangs
they're spending a lot of time with
pickup trucks they sell a lot of them they know what their doing
I never buy new anything because as far
as I'm concerned they all cost way too
much brand-new so I look around for a
good used one if you're in the market
they're used by a lot of commercial guys
if they buy something that falls apart
their business isn't gonna buy another
one here again we got the Japanese
philosophy coming through make your
customers happy and they'll keep buying
your vehicles, so if you never want to
miss another one of my new car repair
videos remember to ring that Bell

Ford vs Chevy

WheelMen Productions:

Get out of the way durt boi!
Ur in my way,
screw ur cuzin!
Boi!
That's it,
I had it! I had it!
Fords
I'm dag-gone down with all these Chevys!
Yahr in ma way
Yahr in my way!
U wanna take this outside?!
We are outside!
(Spitting Sounds)
Fords ar dumb!
OH Yeah! then why did I see your father drivin'
one last night?!
Don't U talk about mah Pa!
OU! (grunt sounds)
FORD!!
No
Hay I need that!
Hahoo!
OOPS! (weird country laughing)
Hey guys! if you want Ford to win for the next video leave a like
If you want Chevy to win for the next video
leave a comment

BEST AMERICAN TRUCK -- 2019 Chevy Silverado vs. 2019 Ford F-150: Comparison

Car Confections:

As everyone knows pickup trucks are by far the best selling vehicles in the US
So when any change occurs to these models, it's a big deal of
Course f-150 has been the Sales Leader among them
But the Silverado is not too far behind even before this all-new model arrived in the showrooms
So with that said let's go ahead and see if the all-new Silverado has what it takes to pass up for its heavy weight
So like always the first thing we'll do is establish the pricing and option levels of these two models
starting off with our f-150
We have one of the highest equipped models the Platinum
This scores you all the luxury upgrades and a starting price of fifty eight thousand three hundred forty five dollars with four-wheel drive
From there. We do have some additional equipment as well including the 701A package
3.5 liter EcoBoost engine panoramic moonroof trailer backup assist and a spray in bedliner
All told with the $1495 destination the total rings in at sixty six thousand one hundred sixty-five dollars
Next up we have the brand new silverado in its highest trim the high country
Similar to the Ford it starts off a little over
56,000 dollars with four-wheel drive, but from there, we have the high country deluxe package optional 6.2 liter v8
Technology package power assist ups and a couple other things
After including the same $1500 destination charge the total price is sixty six thousand four hundred twenty five dollars
So make no mistake. These two are full-blown luxury vehicles
But anyways with these two nearly identical priced trucks. Let's go ahead and see who comes out on top
Even though trucks this expensive may not see much hard work will still start out with the important mechanical bits
First with the engines both have the optional upgraded ones that go about their business in very different ways
Ford uses a three and a half liter twin turbo v6 making
375 horsepower and 475 feet of torque
However, it is still out matched by the Chevy's traditional 6.2 liter naturally aspirated v8
making significantly more power at
420 horsepower and still coming within 5% of its massive torque figure at
460 pound-feet
One really interesting thing is that they both have the exact same transmission. So it's Ford and Chevy co-developed the ten speed automatic
Now moving into how they actually drive the short summary is dang good
Both have really impressive power
And as far as real world feel
I can't say that I could tell much of a difference even though the Chevy is up on power
But I will say one important difference at least to me is how the
6-2 sounds versus the Fords engine which makes virtually no sound at all
Both transmissions behaved with near transparency and even though neither of them have any air suspension or active dampers
The rides are still very compliant
and
Then ending here with fuel economy, even though the Chevy does sound better that is offset by the fuel economy
With the Silverado you're coming in at 17 combined while the f-150 beats it by two MPG combined or 19 combined
But anyways that wraps up the basics of the powertrains. So now let's check out the designs and features
While I'm going to be as objective as possible, I will still take a moment to compare the styling in general
Starting off with the Chevy the front design doesn't stray too much from the outgoing model
it has a more modernized take on the signature Chevy grille and
You'll find special bronze badging and high cut your branding to distinguish it from the more plebeian models
On the Ford it just got a refreshed last year. So it continues to have the same silver grille which is unique to the Platinum
It also comes standard with these very nice full LED headlights
The Chevy's headlights are also fully LED, but they have a more unique look that contours with the shape of the grill and
Then both also have LED fog lights at the bottom
At the sides both the Silverado and f-150 are available in a ton of different configurations
But these terms have a more limited selection
They can only be had in the large four door crew cab configurations, but you can still choose between short and standard bed lengths
Now most of the time when it comes to the rear trucks look pretty much the same but here they're actually quite different
The main thing you'll notice is the Fords silver tailgate which shows off how much you spent
but at the same time the Chevy has dual horizontal exhaust outlets, which I don't think any other truck has and
Then as far as lighting both have LED tail lights
So overall both have handsome designs and since they do have identical features, I won't award any point
Now moving around to all the other features the f-150 comes with fairly plain looking 20 inch alloys
while the Silverado has more eye-catching
22s and
as far as the mirrors, they both have heating power folding auto dimming and blind spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert and
Speaking of BSM both trucks come with a ton of other safety features
Including forward emergency braking with pedestrian detection
Lane departure alert and auto high beam headlights
however, the Silverado is strangely missing adaptive cruise control as
Far as warranties go the two vehicles are identical
They both get 5 year 60,000 mile power train warranties and 3 year
36,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty
However on the Silverado you will find that your first maintenance visit is complimentary
Moving on to towing the smaller engine 4. It has a pretty substantial advantage our
F-150 has the max trailer tow package
But the Silverado won't allow you to combine the max trailering package with the optional deluxe or premium packages
That means that the Ford can handle 13,000 pounds versus 9300 pounds in the Chevy
But of course you could increase that rating to twelve thousand two hundred pounds if you're willing to go without the extra luxury features
of course, one of the most important parts of a truck are the beds
One either of these luxury trucks may truly get dirty
You still have plenty of capability with factory bed liners tons of tie-downs and LED lighting
The Silverado however also adds a household outlet for powering tools plus it has a class exclusive power tailgate
and
Then as far as accessibility both trucks have solutions for accessing the bed easily
But only the Silverado has running boards a slight backwards to help with side access
Finally we'll wrap up the outside with the fuel ranges the f-150s towing package also includes the extended 36 gallon fuel tank
Which is much larger than the Chevy's 24 gallon tank
Considering that the port also gets better fuel economy. Its range is significantly better at
674 miles vs. 408 in the Chevy
Well that pretty much sums up the exterior, so now let's get inside and see which truck offers the most lecture
So getting inside both trucks have smart entry as well as remote start
When you first open the door both models have power deploying running boards
But looking inside the cabins themselves, they have luxurious if familiar looking cabins, we have the full black color schemes
But richer looking Brown options are also available
Turning to the seats themselves both are 10-way power adjusting
However, the four has four-way lumbar support as well as a massaging function that the Chevy is missing
Once inside each truck has a pleasant design and very nice materials
on the f-150 you have soft touch plastic with stitching across the top and
Then you have real open pore wood in the middle as well as on the center console
The Chevy's materials are very similar with the upper - being made from a stitched soft touch
Plastic and the middle area having a leather red trim
High-country has a bronze colored plastic trim as well as some folk wood accents
The door trims mirror those same materials
So the f-150 will win the materials point since it has real open port wood that looks and feels more upscale
On both press the button to start
When you do eight-inch displays will fire up and we'll talk about the software later
Like the screens the gauges are pretty similar
Both have large displays in the middle of analog gauges with more information than you'll probably ever need to see
However, the Silverado does also have a large head-up display, which is something that no other truck in the class has
Now backing up to the steering wheels they are both leather wrapped and heated but it's only power adjusting with memory on the fourth
Also, this generation of the Silverado has eliminated power adjusting pedals, which the Ford does still have
Now moving on to the important subject of storage both deliver it in abundance
The main center consoles are roughly equivalent in their huge size but because the Chevy has a column shifter
There is more storage up in front of it
This area does also double as a wireless phone charger, which is something not available on the Ford
Checking out those shifters sans location. The Ford's is leather wrapped while the Chevy's is just plastic
both trucks do have various drive modes and manual shifting and then when you shift into reverse a
360-degree camera will pop up
as far as the quality the
Silverados does win here because the resolution is better and there are several more views to choose from all which are handy when maneuvering something
so big
However to counteract that the Ford does include automatic parking for both parallel and perpendicular spots
Both trucks come with integrated trailer brakes, but only the Ford has a system that controls the steering when backing up the trailer
Next up we have the climate controls where both are simple dual zone automatic setups with physical controls that you can operate with gloves on
Both also have three-stage seat heating and three-stage seat ventilation
Though I appreciate the ability to heat the back and butt separately on the Silverado
Now let's go ahead and sample the audio systems
I
Realized the audio samples are not really good but in real life before B&O impressed me more
now for the infotainment system
Starting with the Ford we have the latest version of sync 3
This continues to be a very easy system to use with shortcut buttons on the bottom and a home screen
We do also have integrated navigation. But even if you don't get a loaded trim, you still have standard Android auto and apple carplay
Moving to the Silverado. It has the brand new Chevy infotainment 3 system this year
The new layout is actually pretty similar to sync 3, but I did find that this system has snappier performance
The navigation system has great-looking graphics, but again both Android auto and apple carplay are standard
Overall both are excellent systems, and there's really not enough difference to award any points
Before going to the back seats. There are two more meaningful things up front
The first is this Chevy exclusive rear camera mirror which cuts out all the obstructions that might be blocking your view
But the second thing is the F-150s pano moonroof
Which is something that's still not available on a Silverado
In the rear seats the luxury continues as I mentioned before all the trucks have more legroom than
flagship luxury vehicles nowadays in
this case and insane 43.4 inches of legroom in the Chevy and
43.6 inches in the Ford and then as far as Headroom, they're both slightly open 40 inches
Once in the back you'll find tons of amenities both have rear air vents charging USB ports and a 12-volt outlet
But only the Ford has a household outlet they both also have heated seats
And lastly both trucks have seats that fold up for more storage though, the Silverado also has a hidden storage bin in the seat
So with that we wrap up another super-competitive comparison as you would expect both trucks give it a great effort
So no matter what your brand allegiance may be do yourself a favor and check them both out in person
Overall, you really can't go wrong
We hope this has been an insightful comparison for everyone
Thank you for watching like the video if you enjoyed and subscribe if you want to see more face off
Comparisons and our signature for view videos. Take care!

Why Ford And Other American Cars Don’t Sell In Japan

CNBC:

When it comes to cars, Americans
seem to love the Japanese.
But the Japanese don't seem
to love Americans back.
Japanese brands sell remarkably well
in the United States.
Several of the best-selling automakers in
America are from Japan, and
their products seem to dominate entire
segments in sales and critical
acclaim. Japanese automakers sell so
many cars in the U.S.
that they actually employ vast numbers
of American workers in factories
around the country.
Japanese automakers actually build a third of
all the vehicles made in the
U.S. But the Japanese don't seem
to be interested in America's SUVs,
pickup trucks, muscle cars or just
about any vehicle made by Detroit.
Ford left Japan entirely in 2017.
General Motors keeps a presence there, but
it is tiny — the largest U.S.
automaker sold only 700 cars
in Japan in 2018.
And people are divided as to why
and what, if anything, should be done
about it.
President Donald Trump has criticized the
imbalance, but so have U.S.
automotive trade associations, who
blame Japanese protectionism.
While there are no
Japanese tariffs on U.S.
imports, a number of critics say there
are all kinds of technical barriers
that make it harder for U.S.
companies to sell in Japan.
Here in the United States, when we
set regulations for fuel economy or
safety or communications standards or whatever,
all of the automakers that
sell and produce in the United
States are party to that conversation.
In Japan, it's a much more
closed process for regulatory compliance.
It's "these are the rules and
you will meet the rules."
Japanese producers have input into that
and suppliers, but it's pretty
closed to any external companies that
would be doing business there.
But some industry experts say
that really isn't the problem.
Instead, the reasons U.S.
cars are so rare in Japan, which
is the world's third-largest car market,
have more to do with Japanese
consumer tastes, the abiding if outdated
stereotypes the Japanese have about the
quality of American cars, and the
very different way customers shop
for vehicles in Japan.
It is first important to note
that Japanese brands all but completely
dominate local roads.
More than 95 percent of all cars
sold in the country are Japanese.
Imports make up the balance and
most of those are higher-end European
luxury vehicles and sports cars.
This is partly because the
Japanese have pretty specific needs.
For one thing, space
is incredibly tight.
Wildly popular in Japan are these
so-called Kei cars, which are tiny
vehicles preferred by drivers who have
to thread their way through narrow
streets and crowded cities.
Kei Cars alone make up
40 percent of the Japanese
market and U.S.
automakers don't make them.
Americans, on the other hand, tend
to excel in making big vehicles,
particularly pickup trucks and
large sport utilities.
In recent years, American automakers have
scaled back or even entirely
killed off their own lines of
compact vehicles, which are often still
bigger than their
Japanese counterparts.
In fact, many of the Japanese vehicles
sold in America — from sedans such
as the Toyota Camry all the way up
to the pickups — are not even
particularly popular in Japan.
All three Detroit automakers have less
than 1 percent market share.
One of the bestsellers, Jeep, sells about
10,000 vehicles in Japan a year.
The Japanese car buying experience would
also likely shock many Americans,
who often view a trip to the
dealership as one of life's necessary evils.
Much of Japanese business culture is
built around service and hospitality,
and auto dealerships
are no exception.
Japanese dealerships offer customers nearly
white glove service, and the
way buyers choose cars is entirely
different from the traditional buying
experience in the U.S.
Whereas American shoppers will often choose
a car from what is available
on a dealer lot, Japanese buyers can
often custom-build a car out of a
catalog and then have it made for
them in a matter of weeks.
A strong local supply chain and
local factories allow Japanese automakers
to do this.
Furthermore, quality of service
is often quite high.
Dealerships frequently have amenities such
as cafes and complimentary car
washes. They will also follow up
with customers sometimes even years after
a purchase.
Foreign automakers overall have had difficulty
adapting to this way of
selling. Moreover, the Japanese have
longstanding perceptions of American
cars as inefficient and unreliable.
This somewhat outdated view originates in
the decades from the 1960s
through the 1980s, when Japanese
brands were ascending and American
automakers were plagued with criticism and
scandal over vehicles such as
the Chevrolet Vega, the AMC Gremlin,
the Ford Pinto and the Chevrolet
Corvair.

And though American manufacturers have
made far more fuel-efficient engines
in recent years, the U.S.
has historically made some gas guzzlers
when compared with cars made
elsewhere.
Yeah, I think there is
a hangover for American vehicles.
You know, what does an American
car say about you in Japan.
That baggage is carried with that.
Meanwhile, the Japanese rose to power in
the auto industry in large part on
their reputation for building solid, efficient
cars that don't break down.
Of course, many observers note that American
autos have done a lot to
close the reliability gap over the years,
and cars overall are able to log
far more miles on the road than
they did even a decade ago.
And U.S.
automakers are adamant that they would be
better able to compete in Japan
if the country removes barriers
that make doing business difficult.
The trouble for Detroit is that Japan
is just one of the international
markets where U.S.
automakers have struggled.
All three Detroit automakers have had
challenges in South America and
Europe. While China which is the world's
largest car market could become a
tougher place to do business
with slowing economic growth, increased
competition, and trade disputes.

If something doesn't change, U.S.
automakers could become just that: American
companies that sell trucks and
SUVs to Americans.

Ford F-150, Ram 1500 and Chevy Silverado: Battle for Pickup Truck Supremacy | Edmunds Video

Edmunds:

[MUSIC PLAYING]

NARRATOR: This is Edmunds
exclusive three-way comparison
of America's most
popular pickups.
We'll drive them on the
road, take them to our track,
tow an airstream trailer, and
even put a quad in the bed.
After all that, we'll tell
you which one is the best.
[MUSIC PLAYING]

DAN EDMUNDS: This is the
all new Ram 1500 pickup.
We've been big fans of
the Ram for a long time
because last time around,
they added coil spring
rear suspension, which made
the ride just so supple,
and it made really
good towing stability.
This particular
example is a Laramie.
It's a nicely equipped truck,
it's not too expensive,
and from here, you can add all
sorts of interesting options.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
TRAVIS LANGNESS: And this is
the all new Chevy Silverado.
It's redesigned from the
ground up with different body
and frame materials.
It's longer, taller, and
wider than the previous model.
And what we've got here
is the LTZ trim level.
Now, this one's got
the 5.3 liter V8,
but it's also mated with
the new 8-speed automatic.
We picked it because we like it
right in the middle of Chevy's
line.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
ELANA SCHERR: The Ford F-150
is one of the top selling
vehicles in America.
It's well-known for its
lightweight aluminum
construction and a wide variety
of trim and engine options.
For our test, we have
the mid-level lariat
with a 3.5 liter V6 EcoBoost.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
DAN EDMUNDS: We're going
to put these trucks
through their paces
to see which one
is the best one you can buy.
Let's get to it.
[MUSIC PLAYING]

ELANA SCHERR: Getting
into the F-150
is more like walking
into an apartment
than it is getting into a truck.
For me, the truck is
actually almost too big.
I feel like I'm
floating around in here,
and I can't reach all
of the soft spots.
But I can reach
all of the controls
very easily with the
exception of the trailer brake
adjustment, which
makes Dan really angry.
The interior looks really
nice from a distance,
but as you get
closer, the materials
aren't as nice as they look.
They're plasticky and hard.
Two things I really
like about this truck
that I think are very unique are
the way that the doors or cut.
It gives a lot of visibility
and it also looks interesting.
I also like where the
door handles are placed.
They're tucked away in here,
and you hit them from the top
rather than pulling
them from the side.
It's pretty cool and
they're really easy to use.
Overall, I think
that the interior
is nice, but not exceptional.
It's really something that's
best viewed from far away.
I bet it looks great in photos.
[MUSIC PLAYING]

TRAVIS LANGNESS: So
this is the inside
of the all-new Silverado.
There are some small changes,
some things that are nicer.
For instance, this
touch screen is new.
It's got new graphics
that looks pretty good.
And also this giant
center console is new.
And one of the things
I like about this is it
feels very at home for a truck.
It's simple and everything
is at an arm's reach.
One of the things
I'm not a huge fan of
is how far out this dash
feels like it sticks.
Feels like it intrudes in
the cabin a little bit,
and also intrudes on this
center console space.
And also this little
bin here, there's
not much to organize it.
Your things are just
going to slide around.
For instance, if your
phone is mounted up here--
you hit a curb, it's
just going to fall over.
But basically, this is the
Silverado's new interior
and I'm a fan, but
it doesn't wow me
as much as some of the
other competitors do.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
DAN EDMUNDS: This new
Ram is really impressive,
and you see it the
moment you get inside.
One of the things I
really like about this,
and I'm surprised to
hear myself say it,
is this center
console is amazing.
All the actions here--
I mean, this is big.
You could put a couple of
purses and a laptop in here
at the same time.
You can put your drinks here.
Look at this, my
phone's plugged in,
but it snaps in there
with the cord attached.
The other thing I like
is the Uconnect system.
Now, Apple CarPlay,
Android Auto--
the 8.4 inch Uconnect and
this one both have it.
It's all really easy to use.
There's swiping, and pinch
zoom, and all of that stuff.
Another unique feature
is the sunroof.
I'm not a huge fan though,
because it's $1,300.
It's quiet when it's open, but
it does let in a lot of heat.
Overall, the Ram 1500's
interior is on another level.
The other two trucks feel
like they're catering
to their existing buyers.
This one looks like it's trying
to win over new converts,
and I think it will.
All of these trucks
are crew cabs.
Ram used to be third
place out of these three.
But this year they've
added four inches
to the wheelbase, four inches
to the length of the cabin--
they put all of it back here.
But what's really good about
the Ram is the seat back
angle is much more
pleasing, and they do this.
Ah-- the others can't
match this right now.
But also, if that
wasn't enough, we've
got a center console--
a pretty big one.
The whole center of
the seat folds down,
and there's a couple
of cup holders here.
The back seat area of the Ram
has the other ones covered.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
TRAVIS LANGNESS: One of
the main reasons people
buy full-sized trucks is so they
can carry around their toys.
We've got this 750
pound Honda Rubicon.
I'm going to load it
into all three trucks
and see how it goes.
All right, so let's open
up the Chevy power up,
power down tailgate.
DAN EDMUNDS: Yeah.
TRAVIS LANGNESS: Woo, fancy.
[MUSIC PLAYING]

ELANA SCHERR: Well done, Trav.
TRAVIS LANGNESS: Thank you.
So are you putting all the
ratchets in the front, Dan?
DAN EDMUNDS: I'm going to put
one on each side in the front.
And I'm going to go
for the lowest hook
down here just because
that seems to be
when I get the best angle.
TRAVIS LANGNESS: OK.
A lot of guys, if they
get this further forward,
they're going to bend it up
halfway and strap it down,
or a lot of people will
just roll with it like this.
DAN EDMUNDS: You could
buy a longer truck.
[LAUGHING]
This crew cab-- if
you get the quad cab,
you're going to
get a longer bed.
ELANA SCHERR: I never
realized that that
was what quad cab meant.
You can put a quad in it.
DAN EDMUNDS: Well,
I guess that's it.
Touche.
TRAVIS LANGNESS: All right.
Well, let's take
it out of the bed
here and put it in
the other trucks.
DAN EDMUNDS: Going to need this.
TRAVIS LANGNESS: Thank you.
Safety first.

DAN EDMUNDS: All right.
ELANA SCHERR: Well done.
All right, Dan, let's get the
quad in the back of this one.
DAN EDMUNDS: Yep.
TRAVIS LANGNESS: So it's damped,
but it's not a power tail gate.
DAN EDMUNDS: Not power,
this is just dampened.
ELANA SCHERR: Also
(GRUNTING) no step on this.
[MUSIC PLAYING]

DAN EDMUNDS: All
right, there we go.
All clear.
[MUSIC PLAYING]

ELANA SCHERR: Woo!
TRAVIS LANGNESS: That
was a little fast, man.
ELANA SCHERR: You were
right earlier, Dan.
You said this bed
was a lot shorter,
and it really is-- like, you
have almost the entire tire
out.
TRAVIS LANGNESS: These tires
are completely on the tailgate.
Which one has a better system
in the back, you think?
DAN EDMUNDS: The
Chevy's lower tie downs,
I like that a little better.
But it's also got a
slightly longer bed.
Although neither one of them
was long enough for this ramp
to fit in with the
tailgate closed
without putting it in sideways.
TRAVIS LANGNESS: Let's
take it out of the Ford
and put it in the Ram.
DAN EDMUNDS: There you go.
ELANA SCHERR: Oh, beautiful.
DAN EDMUNDS: Like butter.
ELANA SCHERR: Show
off for me, Dan.
(SURPRISED) What?
Magic.
DAN EDMUNDS: Yeah, right?
If I had my hands
full from Home Depot,
I wouldn't have to
put anything down.
ELANA SCHERR: Yeah, but I
still don't have a step.
At least I have a little
handhold on this one.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
DAN EDMUNDS: We're good.
[MUSIC PLAYING]

ELANA SCHERR: Nice!
DAN EDMUNDS: All right,
that was a little better.
You only got a
little bit of air.
TRAVIS LANGNESS: The tie downs--
how well would you compare them
to Ford?
DAN EDMUNDS: Well, the
thing about the tie downs
is they're nice and
low, so I like that.
And they're really big.
TRAVIS LANGNESS: Yeah.
Those are much larger than--
DAN EDMUNDS: Even the Chevy's
TRAVIS LANGNESS: --Ford
ones, especially in the rear.
And this is sitting almost
completely on the tailgate,
right?
ELANA SCHERR: I think
it's right in between.
I think the Chevy
had the most room,
and the Ford was the shortest.
TRAVIS LANGNESS: Well, let's
take the quad out of the back
here and move on
to the next test.
[MUSIC PLAYING]

ELANA SCHERR: Expert
level unlocked.
[LAUGHING]
So we successfully loaded
the quad in all three trucks.
Any of them would work.
Do you guys feel like there was
one that was a clear winner?
TRAVIS LANGNESS: Yeah.
I know it's the truck I
brought, but I like the Chevy.
The multiple tie
downs, and the fact
that you had that side-step on
the tailgate to get in and out.
I felt like that
made it the easiest.
ELANA SCHERR: I
definitely liked the step.
What about you, Dan?
DAN EDMUNDS: Yeah, I agree.
But I do like the Ram's hooks
because they're really low
and they're really big.
I was able to put two
straps on them with ease.
So, not bad, but yeah, the
Chevy's a little better.
ELANA SCHERR: Sounds like
the Chevy wins this one.
[MUSIC PLAYING]

To do a full-on tow test
on any one of these trucks
would take the whole episode.
But we wanted to illustrate
some of the tow tech
and how easy it is to use.
To do that, we've got
this Airstream 25FB--
it's the Flying Cloud.
And it's about 25 feet
long, about 6,500 pounds,
and it'll be great to showcase
what these trucks can do.
[MUSIC PLAYING]

[BEEPING]

DAN EDMUNDS: I wonder
where Travis and Elana are?
They're leaving me to
do all the hard work.
Want a soda back there?
ELANA SCHERR: (GROGGILY) Wha?
[MUSIC PLAYING]

DAN EDMUNDS: Good to go.
The Ford works pretty well.
The problem I found
there is they've
got this Pro Trailer
Backup Assist
system that they talk
about, which sounds great,
but it's theoretical because I
can't use it on this trailer.
This sticker is supposed to
go somewhere in this area.
And you can see the propane
tanks are in the way,
so I can't install this
on the trailer, which
means I can't use Pro
Trailer Backup Assist.
The Silverado, it's
got a lot of power,
but the camera
wasn't my favorite.
To me, the Ram is
golden because it's
got a much better camera
that's easier to use.
Time to roll.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
We then hit the highway and
headed for the nearest hill.
All three were able to pull
it up the grade easily,
but the F-150 felt more
willing, while the Ram
was the most stable in
corners and cross winds.
[MUSIC PLAYING]

ELANA SCHERR: Well, the
F-150, or the F-series trucks,
are the best selling
trucks, right.
We talked about that.
And I can see why
people like them.
It's a really predictable
truck, it does everything
that you need it to
do, it's quite quick.
They have a ton of
different options
for engines and interiors, so
you can find one that you like.
The engine in this truck
it is never working hard,
which is not something I
normally say about turbo V6s.
Even if they have
a lot of power,
you're way on the throttle
to make that happen.
That is not how I feel here.
I feel like you can use just a
very small throttle application
and be right up
to cruising speed.
There's a little bit of
delay-- a little lag, mostly
if you surprise it, and that
might be in the transmission.
DAN EDMUNDS: Now, that
10-speed here is really clever.
I mean, you don't know that it
has 10 gears to choose from,
because it's really nice
at picking the right gear
at the right time.
So you don't feel like it's
shifting all over the place.
So this is a really
nicely sorted 10-speed.
ELANA SCHERR: This is an
extremely comfortable truck.
You get a little bit of
road feel, but not a lot.
In fact, I think Chevrolet
was a little more road feel,
and definitely more road noise.
One of the things that really
stood out to me in this truck
is how quiet it is in the cab.
I think it's a
good looking truck,
and they also did a pretty
nice redesign on the nose.
And so, it's very striking.
The lights in the grill are
integrated really beautifully,
and there's a lot
of small details
that you'll appreciate if you
spend a lot of time looking
at the truck.
DAN EDMUNDS: They've got
these huge mirrors, though.
They're a little too huge.
ELANA SCHERR: Yeah,
the mirrors are ugly,
and I already hit
a bush with them,
and not even on a small street.
If you put this truck
against the Silverado
and asked me which one was
more recently redesigned,
I would think this
was the newer truck
and that was the older one.
DAN EDMUNDS: Yeah.
ELANA SCHERR: I am
a little bit proud
that the truck
that I brought has
the best numbers at
the track, and it also
has the highest torque.
So it's a 375 horse, but
it is-- you ready for this?
470 torque.
That has all the
torques, and I win.
TRAVIS LANGNESS: [LAUGHING]
It's all the torques.
DAN EDMUNDS: Wow, you do win.
TRAVIS LANGNESS: That has
a lot to do with the fact
that this one is turbocharged
while the other trucks are
naturally aspirated.
And one of the
other things that's
interesting about the track
performance in these trucks
is all of them stopped from 60
to zero in our panic braking
test within feet of each other.
DAN EDMUNDS: Yeah,
that's pretty good.
TRAVIS LANGNESS: That's
pretty remarkable.
DAN EDMUNDS: Those numbers were
about five or six feet better
than they were the last
time these trucks were new.
So there's been
improvement over time.
And that's good to see
because trucks have always had
the longest stopping distances.
And they still do, but
now, the gap isn't so big.
ELANA SCHERR: Yeah.
I feel like all the
manufacturers are really
recognizing that
people use trucks
for a lot of different reasons.
I mean, towing
toys, towing horses,
but also just as daily drivers.
And they're really
working on making
them safer, and more
comfortable, and more
pleasurable to drive.
So that's nice.
It's good to know that the
audience is being heard.
TRAVIS LANGNESS: I
know this sounds weird,
but the Ford is the most
fun to drive for me.
The handling and the steering,
for me, are the best.
But those may not be things
that people that want a track
are concerned with.
DAN EDMUNDS: I like
the Ford's powertrain--
it's really powerful.
And the 10-speed
automatic is just
so nicely calibrated when you're
towing, when you're not towing.
I really like that.
[MUSIC PLAYING]

ELANA SCHERR: Travis,
you've spent the most time
of any of us in this truck.
But to me, just getting in
it, it doesn't look new.
TRAVIS LANGNESS:
That's the impression
I not only got when I first
saw the truck, but after 1,400
miles in the truck from
Wyoming to Los Angeles.
It doesn't feel
completely redesigned.
And also, under the
hood it feels the same.
So the 5.3 liter V8 gets a
new fuel management system.
And now, it's paired to the
8-speed automatic instead
of the 6-speed, which has
a little bit faster shifts
and it's a little
quieter on the highway.
I like that it
doesn't rev as high.
ELANA SCHERR: Dan is going to
hate me for this because there
is no scientific
way to measure it,
but Travis how do
you feel the truck
jealousy is on this truck?
And you know what
I'm talking about.
It's like, who's looking at it?
TRAVIS LANGNESS: I do.
I do.
This one I feel
like is particularly
polarizing-- just the new
Chevy look in general.
It's got a lot of
chrome on the front end.
Some people love it,
some people hate it.
From the back on the
sides, some people
can't really tell
the difference.
And then, of course, the
power tailgate in the back.
You load all your stuff
and you press the button,
and they've got to push it up.
There's a little bit
of truck jealousy
there, just a small amount.
ELANA SCHERR: You
nailed it when you said
the front end is polarizing.
I mean, it's got these
weird origami folds,
and like slots and tabs,
which I guess are for aero,
but they are unusual looking.
DAN EDMUNDS: I mean, I
like the new Silverado,
but it doesn't feel like
a brand new Silverado.
It feels very evolutionary,
not revolutionary.
ELANA SCHERR: I'd
be happy to drive it
but I don't want to look at it.
[LAUGHING]
[MUSIC PLAYING]

One of the things that I noticed
about the Ram when I got in it
was that the steering
felt a little heavier,
but in a good way.
DAN EDMUNDS: Yeah, it
has really good feedback.
You really know which way the
tires are pointed at all times.
You get a really good
sense of straight
ahead when you're
driving straight.
You don't have to make
a lot of corrections,
you don't have to
think about it.
It goes where you want to go.
And in corners it feels nice,
when driving straight it
feels nice.
This is the best steering
of the bunch by far.
Whatever they've done,
it works, and I like it.
The ride comfort
is nicely damped.
It's quiet, there isn't
a lot of road noise.
The engine makes
a noise you like
to hear when you lay into it.
But when you just
cruise, it just
fades into the
background-- there's not
a lot of wind noise.
This thing is
really nice riding.
I mean, what you
see is what you get.
This truck has coil
spring suspension
which is really good.
There's less friction
when it hits a bump.
The other thing I
really like, the fenders
are cut down real tight
to the headlights,
and it's really easy to see
the corners of the truck.
It feels like I
could see it right
in front of it,
which is something I
can't say for the other trucks.
ELANA SCHERR: Is
this the biggest
engine you can get in a Ram?
DAN EDMUNDS: It is.
The 507 HEMI is the
top of the range.
There's two versions
of it, though.
They both make it
395 horsepower,
which is more than
the other to trucks,
and 410 pound feet of torque.
The 507 HEMI that we have here
does not have the new eTorque
system-- that's coming soon.
And that system is a mild
hybrid system that basically
improves fuel economy.
This one is good
for 17 MPG combined,
but the eTorque version will
be good for 19 MPG combined,
which is the same
as the 3.5 EcoBoost.
This is the 8-speed that
Ram introduced in 2014
in the last generation
truck about halfway through.
And we really liked it then
when it first came out.
We had a long-term EcoDiesel
with that transmission,
and it was perfect.
ELANA SCHERR: I can easily
imagine the Ram engineers
sitting together in a
room and really saying
what do truck buyers
want, what do they need,
and how do we give it
to them, because that's
what this truck feels like.
DAN EDMUNDS: To me, the Ram
is the best truck to drive.
I really like the steering,
the 8-speed transmission
does everything I need it to do.
There's plenty of power, and the
link coil suspension not only
rides nice, it's also really
stable when you're towing.
TRAVIS LANGNESS: It's definitely
a classy look that I enjoy,
not only parked in my driveway,
but driving it on the highway.
[MUSIC PLAYING]

DAN EDMUNDS: All three of
these are solid trucks,
and fans of each brand
won't have any trouble
if they buy a new one.
But we've got to pick a winner.
TRAVIS LANGNESS: In third place,
we had the Chevy Silverado.
It's completely redesigned
and more capable than ever.
But in our tests,
it doesn't have
quite what it takes to edge
out the Ford and the Ram.
ELANA SCHERR: We really
liked all three trucks.
But from the very
beginning one stood out,
and it wasn't the Ford.
The F-150 might be the number
one selling truck in America,
but it turned out
number two in our test.
DAN EDMUNDS: That leaves the Ram
1500 as the winner of our test.
It's Edmunds top-rated truck.
The others may satisfy
brand loyalists,
but this one could
win some converts.
Well, that was fun.
TRAVIS LANGNESS: I
had a great time.
We got to do it again,
but first, dinner.
GROUP: Tacos.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
DAN EDMUNDS: For more
videos like this,
be sure to subscribe
to our YouTube channel.
And check us out on
Instagram and Facebook.
[MUSIC PLAYING]

Why GM Doesn't Make Good Cars Anymore, What Went Wrong

Scotty Kilmer:

rev up your engines, zack says
Scotty my old family are GM fans, do you
know when GM car started to make them
poorly, my guess would be when they went
bankrupt around 2009, well they started
to make them poorly long before that, even
in the early 2000s they started to make
a lot cheaper stuff, I don't know how
true it is, but I talked to an engineer
and an engineer told me one time that GM
and Ford were going neck to neck and
people thought, Oh GM's are made better
than the Fords and then they did a
little research and GM found out that
they were spending 20% more building
their vehicles and that's why they were
better vehicles back decades ago, well
according to the engineer that I was
talking to, GM looked at and said gee
were spending 20% money more than Ford
building our cars, let's make them
cheaper, so they did and then the quality
went down, I know if it's true or not but
an engineer told me that, but they
have been going but down since the
early 2000s, it's just the nature of the
beast with corporations these days, they
want to make a profit and they want to
make things as cheap as they can and pay
people that make them as little as
possible, so they make more profit for
the corporation that's the way that
things go and sometimes it takes the
wrong turn like GM did and make products
that you don't hold up like they used to,
I learned to drive on a Chevrolet
Biscayne the thing was like a tank it had
a
302 v8 in it and that thing just ran
forever but not the new ones their not made
that wa,y no Oberto says Scotty
I am seriously considering buying the
2019 Land Cruisers, do you consider it to
be
the best quality built SUV I'm aware of
the gas mileage, yes they are for that
kind of a vehicle if you're willing to
spend that kind of money and get that
kind of low gas mileage, they are well build
vehicles my customers with them are all
pretty well happy with them, other than
the horrible gas mileage and if you're
willing to spend that kind of money, they
can last a long time, I got customers
with those thing that have three hundred and
fifty thousand miles on them and they're
still running strong, yeah if you don't
mind spending that kind of money go
right ahead, me I'm too cheap I'd never
spend that kind of money, Rambo ask
Scotty what do you think about me buying
a 2004 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited
all wheel drive with 140,000 miles straight
6 for six grand
from my uncle as a first car,
well first of all some uncle he should
give you the car, now I'm not a Jeep fan
by any stretch of the imagination but
back in 2004 they were building much
better ones than they are today now that
Fiat owns them, that straight six-cylinder
engine can last forever I've seen those
things go 400,000 miles, good engines the
transmission that's an OK transmission
it's not great but it's not totally
horrible, it's a 15 year old Jeep try to
get it for a little bit less than $6,000
see if you can barter it, they can be fun
vehicles to drive around, realize they're
somewhat gas hogs because jeeps are
trucks their high up in the air, their not
aerodynamic or anything but it can be a
fun thing to drive, just try to get it a
little bit of lower, Scotty my SUV keeps
going out of alignment I had new shocks
replaced and no one seems to get the
alignment right, any ideas what as to what
it can be,
here's the thing, front end alignment
work we're talking about thousands of an
inches here thousands of an inches there
it's gotta be a pro who knows what he's
doing, so your best to find a
front-end shop that's all they do, here
in Houston I use cotton brothers front
end, they know what they're doing they
can fix any alignment problem, now the
second thing is, modern vehicles
especially the SUVs they're not like
vehicles when I was young, when I was
young they had all kinds of adjustments
there were like six different
adjustments you could do, today a lot of
times the only adjustment you can do is
the caster and the camber that's it
you can't do anything else, so it might
be that the alignment is off because the
struts bent or an a frame is bent, that's
why you have to start with a really good
front end guy, who knows what he's doing
and does good work you have to start
there, because otherwise all bets are off,
Devon says Scotty and I got a 93
3 liter 4runner, it does 16-17 mile per gallon
on the highway but does five to six in the
city any reason why, I live in Fresno
with hardly any traffic on the streets
Thanks, okay first of all, when you're
driving it in town does it get into top
gear, if you drive it really slow and the
transmission doesn't shift into top
gear, you're gonna get crappy gas mileage
like that, 16 to 17 is what those things
get on a highway, so it's working
normally at highway speed, so I'm
assuming it's not shifting into the top
gear when you're driving in town, go 35
miles an hour count the shifts as it shifts
and it should be into the top gear
if it isn't, you got a problem with your
transmission not shifting into gear
that's about the only thing that would
make sense cuz if you have any other
problem with the vehicle, it's gonna get
horrible gas mileage on the highway too,
the only difference is, it's shifting
into the higher gear on the highway maybe
it's not doing it in town, you should
still get at least 12 or something in
the city not 5 or 6, so if you never want
to miss another one of my new car repair
videos, remember to ring that Bell!

Who Makes the Best V8 Engine and Why

Scotty Kilmer:

rev up your engines, today I'm going to
answer Eddy Vasquez's question, who makes
the best v8 engines these days, now to
answer that question I'm only going to
be talking about a regular v8 engine,
I'm not going to be talking about
supercars that cost hundreds of
thousands of dollars, and to answer
correctly we'll get a little bit of
history here, in 1915 Cadillac made the
first really mass-produced v8 engine,
which was a 5.4 liter v8 engine, now even
though it was sort of mass-produced, it
was still in a luxury car and it was
rather expensive car, the first really
mass-produced car that used v8 engines
were the Fords,
in 1932 Henry Ford made a flathead v8
and that was the first really
mass-produced v8 used in normal cars, not
used in either luxury cars or in trucks
now, Henry discovered how to make them so
they worked good, but there are less
expensive to build as an example, those
v8's only had three main
bearings on the crank, instead of the
usual five main bearings, so it cost less
money to make, so that made it more
affordable to put in regular cars, now the
main point of putting a v8 in was for
more power, and since it was a v8 there
were four on the left side and four on
the right, so that v8 engine could fit in
a vehicle they had a four-cylinder
engine because it's basically the same
length of the four-cylinder engine, you
couldn't get a big six in there or even
a straight eight, that would require a
gigantic hood to fit it into, the V8 fit
into a smaller space, and as it put out
more power people like them, you can
always get an option you get a
four-cylinder engine or you can get a v8
engine, people who wanted power hey they put
in a v8 like Bonnie and Clyde,
they always stole Ford's that had v8 is they
could
so you get a lot of power
out of a v8, but times are changing as an
example, a modern-day four-cylinder
engine, heck it can put out more
horsepower than a v8 engine did just 20
years ago, so you can get a lot of power
out of
a four cylinder engine which is making a
lot of these v8 becoming kind of like
the dinosaurs, their sort of towards the
edge of extinction, you'll see that a lot
of companies including Ford, are going
more toward turbocharged GDI gasoline
engines that are v6 instead of v8, they
can still put out a lot of horsepower,
but they get a lot better gas mileage
so in modern cars, at least most of the
American cars
the v8 engines are becoming more and
more specialized, as an example they use
them in all their racing cars, you get a
v8 and a Dodge Hellcat, you can get a
v8 in a Mustang, and you can get a v8 in
a Corvette, now I know GM is coming up
with I think they call it a zr1
and it's going to have 755 horsepower
but it's going to cost over 120,000
dollars, so I really don't include that
as a normal v8 engine myself, so I'll
start with the LS9 which puts out
638 horsepower, it's got a supercharged
v8, now I have to say it's a
pretty good engine, it's an old-fashioned
design it's still a pushrod engine, it
doesn't have overhead cams, it's pretty
much a gigantic gas hog in that kind of
form with the supercharger on it, it's
not gonna get very good gas mileage it's
only got the regular valves
per cylinder, it doesn't have four
valves per cylinder and it just got push
rods in it, it's a pretty old fashioned
design, but it's a pretty strong engine,
now let's compare that to the Shelby
gt500 that at least as of this time was
the most horsepower that Ford sold out
of the factory, and it was 662 horsepower
now the Ford Mustang engine was a much
more modern design, it had quad overhead
cams, variable valve timing, and it also
had a supercharger to give it all that
power, now the original ones had some
overheating problems, but they figured
that out as time went on, it's a more
modern engine, if you drove it not insane
you would get better gas mileage than
the GM engine, but I mean really you
got to take into consideration people that
buy
those kinds of vehicles are driving like
maniacs
I had one of the GT's for a while, heck I
was getting like three miles a gallon
in the thing because I was driving at
full speed all the time and that's
pretty much what you're gonna get in a
race car if you drive it full bore all
the time, the Ford engine had insane power
there's no arguing that, I thought hey
it's the fastest thing that you're ever
gonna get drive on the street that you
can buy out of a factory, but that was
before I drove a Dodge Challenger
Hellcat, that thing had even more
horsepower
it had 707 horsepower with a
supercharger on it, that's an insane
amount of horsepower,
now the Hellcat engine it's like the GM
engine it's an old style
it's a pushrod engine, it's not a modern
style by any stretch of the imagination,
but I do have to say, they've pretty much
perfected that design, if you want
horsepower and speed, say you're building
your own vehicle, they set it up that you
can buy what's called a hell crate
engine, you can buy just the engine and
put it in the vehicle that you want
because they know with that much horsepower
there's guys that want to get their
hands on that engine, and I know
people are gonna say, hey your always
booing chrysler products, but in
this case I do have to say that the
Hellcat engine is the best v8 engine
that's presently being built for normal
cars, if you can call that a normal car,
considering the power they put out and
the speed that people are driving, them I
personally haven't seen any big serious
problems with them, other than people
wrapping the cars around trees and stuff
and that's not the engine's fault, remember
we're talking about best v8 engine here
because being a pushrod engine, it's a
simpler engine, there's less stuff to
break on it, and really as far as I can see
in the future, this is probably the end
of the dinosaur age and for most intensive
purposes of mass production v8
engines will probably just start to fade
away, except for crazy gear heads like
that new Corvette that they're talking
about bringing out, if it starts at
120,000 dollars then that's becoming an
exotic car and there's lots of exotic
cars out there that have v8 engines, v12
engine, but hey for mass-produce engines
the v8 engine will
probably be just like in the Road Warrior
where Mad Max was driving one and they
said, it's the last of the great v8
because when you really think about it,
hey v8 engines were made originally for
extra power, now that even a small
four-cylinder engine could put out a ton
of power, the v8 engines really aren't
necessary, yeah I mean you can get them
to put out almost 800 horsepower, but
really who needs 800 horsepower if you
can get 300 horsepower on a little bitty
four-cylinder engine, hey that's plenty
enough to drive us around in our
vehicles, one of the early cars out
there, it only had one horsepower it got
people around, so we really don't need
800 horsepower cars to get ourselves from
here to there, and sure I for one will
miss the great rumble of the v8, they got
a unique sound to them, but as time moves
on I guess we got to move on too, and
since this is the Thursday segment where I
answer a viewers question, place your own
question on the YouTube comments below
and I'll pick the best ones to make a
single video to answer your questions, and
where else can you find a guy with 50
years experience of fixing cars to
answer your own question with a video, so
if you never want to miss another one of
my new car repair videos, remember to
ring that Bell!

Why GM And Ford Are Worried About RAM

CNBC:

American automakers take their
trucks extremely seriously.
And the ongoing battles for dominance
among the Detroit three are
often called the "Truck wars".
General Motors, the largest U.S.
automaker overall, sells the most trucks,
if you count full-size and
mid-sized pickups.
Ford F-Series is the best
selling line of full-size trucks.
But, third place challenger Ram has
made its own waves in recent
years, snagging major industry awards
and stealing market share from
rivals. Ram is killing it.
U.S. sales of Fiat Chrysler's truck
brand have roughly tripled in the
last decade, and the brand seems to
be taking food out of its rivals
mouths. After taking the helm
of Fiat Chrysler in 2018,
new CEO Mike Manley said he
wanted to make Ram the second-best
selling full-size pickup brand
in the U.S.
In the first three
quarters of 2019,
Ram surprised the automotive world by
passing Chevrolet in sales, and
some think Ram could very well
stay in second place, fulfilling
Manley's goal. To be fair, others are
quick to note the timing has
been in Ram's favor and that the
game is too early to call.
What is certain is that this upstart
is now posing a more serious
threat to its rivals
than ever before.
It's a stunning rise for a brand
some in the industry thought Fiat
Chrysler was foolish to create in
the first place. The
Ram brand was once actually part of
Dodge, but the two were separated
as Chrysler emerged from bankruptcy under
the oversight of the late
Sergio Marchionne.
The idea was that the split would
allow Ram to focus exclusively on
trucks while permitting Dodge to
focus on developing performance
vehicles, including its popular Challenger
and Charger, as well as
sport utility vehicles and
its long-running Caravan minivan.
Some in the industry questioned the
wisdom of spinning the Ram brand
out at a time when cross-town
rival General Motors was axing several
of its own brands.
First of all, the Ram name has
a long history with Dodge itself.
The company first started using the Ram
logo on its cars in 1932, and
it was still used on Dodge models
until FCA began rolling out new
logos sometime after the
brand's split in 2009.
As one of the four American
full-sized pickup brands, Rams sold
reasonably well, but were often
known as a more affordable
alternative to those offered
by GM and Ford.
The audio you're about to hear
is distorted due to recording issues.
They were less expensive, the
interiors weren't that great.
They were pretty basic.
It wasn't the kind of truck that
GM or Ford had on the road.
Ram simply could not compete with
the capability offered by rivals.
But after Fiat took over and
the company began to emerge from
bankruptcy, Ram came out swinging.
In 2010, GM and Ford were roughly
tied and pickup market share, each
with just over 38 percent with Ram
solidly in third place at just
14.6 percent.
But, over the next eight years, Ram
grew its share of the market to
more than 22 percent, while Ford lost
one percent of its share and GM
lost nearly five.
To be fair, Japanese import brand Toyota
also lost some share at that
time from 6.8
percent of the market to 4.9
percent and fellow Japanese maker Nissan
gained a sliver of market
share. But Ram is now threatening
to displace Chevrolet as these
second best selling full-size pickup
brand in the United States.
So how did it do this?
By offering something different,
say industry analysts?
So I think Ram's idea then was
OK, then maybe, our strategy should be
to build a really, really
good all around truck.
Let's make it comfortable.
Let's make the interiors nice.
Let's make the ride
quality really good.
Two areas where Ram really
shines our interiors and technology.
The interior of the truck
is just unbelievably great.
The technology is unbelievable.
They've got the biggest screen,
it looks like a laptop.
Ram made a bet that seems
particularly suited to the times.
Owners are more accepting of technology
than they ever have before.
There's examples of new technology being
put into pickup trucks that
kind of fell flat. General Motors
had a four-wheel steering system
for their pickup trucks,
which was terrific.
But the problem was that it was
an expensive option, and at that
time, pickup truck owners, their feedback
was, I already know how to
move my truck. I already
know how to tow.
I already know how
to do this stuff.
I don't need to spend the man's
money that you're asking to have this
technology help me do that.
But times have changed.
Now we have buyers of every demographic
that are far more willing to
let technology help them do things.
And as a result, the big screen in
the Ram has drawn a lot of
attention. As a result, some of
the technology that General Motors
has brought it to their Chevrolet and
to the GMC, there's a lot more
cameras on board.
There's ways to save your towing
of your trailer information to your
truck so that if you have three
trailers, every time you hook it up,
you just call up that information and
you don't have to reset it.
There's lots of things in both of
those trucks that make it easier to
work with them. And the Ram got
out into the market a little bit
earlier. One feature in the 2019 Ram
1500 truck that has had the
automotive world buzzing is the large
12 inch touchscreen in the
center of the console.
Ram boasted that the screen was the
largest found in any truck in its
class. If you asked a pickup truck
owner, before they had the big
screen in the Ram if they wanted
a big screen, they'd probably said,
no. I don't want that.
I don't need that. I
don't need to do that.
But now that it's there,
they're reacting to it strongly.
FCA's new strategy was well-timed.
The pickup market has changed over
the last decade as truck sales
have risen. Along with the boom
in sport, utilities and crossovers,
pickup trucks have become popular options
for drivers who might have
a wider range of uses in
mind then in previous eras.
For instance, there has been a rise
in the portion of four seat and
four door models in
the pickup market.
Ram said more than 50 percent
of its pickups are "family trucks".
FCA has also used a tactic
that some industry observers say has
contributed to the brand's sales success
- selling an outgoing model
along a newly redesigned one,
typically at a lower price.
Ram's rise is partly notable
because pickup truck buyers have
historically been considered among the
most brand-loyal in the
automotive market.
Ford buyers typically don't buy GM
trucks, and just the opposite, GM
buyers typically don't buy Ford
trucks, but what's interesting is
either one of those buyers
will consider a Ram truck.
Dealer
Don "K" Kaltschmidt, who sells both
Chevrolet and Ram and owns
products from both GM and Fiat Chrysler,
said that in some ways Ram
does outdo the Chevrolets, but he
thinks it isn't over yet.
The GM truck product is very,
very strong here for good reason.
It is important to understand the
timing has also worked in Ram's
favor. The Ram went into production
roughly eight months before the
Chevrolet product did.
So, there was a bit of a head
start and sort of building it and
having it online and having
it available for the dealerships.
Another element is that Ram has
kept the previous generation of
production longer than
Chevrolet has.
A spokesman for General Motors told
CNBC, the launch of our Chevrolet
Silverado has gone exceptionally well
and combined with the GMC
Sierra, we are quite pleased with
the quality of our market share.
As of November 2019, Ford said
its F-Series lineup outsold Ram by
225,000 trucks for the year, a lead
the company expected to widen by
the end of 2019,
a spokesman told CNBC.
Ford has so far been the best selling
line of pickups in the US for
the last 42 years.
The "Blue Oval" has also been
hyping its upcoming hybrid and fully
electric versions of the F-series.
Electric vehicles are important and
they're happening and they're
coming, but they're
also coming slowly.
That's kind of
important to remember.
Even as Ford and GM are
talking and start talking about electric
pickup trucks, once they're here, the
sales ramp up is probably going
to be a pretty slow.
Pickup truck battles are fierce in
ways that fights in other segments
are not. You get excited about a
pickup truck because it either helps
you feed your family,
or you're into horses.
It's an enabler to do something
that you truly care about.
And, that makes it much more
important emotionally than I'm going
back and forth to work and
it's just a mode of transportation.
There are also a huge
source of profits for automakers.
So industry watchers aren't expecting this
one to be over anytime
soon. If you think about building a
small car and you need so
much amount of steel or so much
amount of wiring harness, or so much
amount of leather or cloth to cover
the seats and you can charge
$20,000 for a small car.
You need more of all of those
materials to build a pickup truck, but
you're charging four
times the cost.
It's an interesting element
of the market too.
Smaller products are not as
profitable, as larger products.

2019 Chevrolet Camaro v Ford Mustang Comparison | carsales

carsales.com.au:

[Marton] After 40 years of Falcon versus Commodore,
welcome to the new V8 rear-drive grudge match.
Camaro versus Mustang.
[Bruce] Come on Marty, this one writes itself.
The Mustang is newer, it’s cheaper, it’s
got more gear.
[Marton] Bruce, the Camaro is more exclusive,
it’s got a bigger V8 and it looks the duck’s
guts.
[Bruce] So what are we going to do?
[Marton] Well, one of two things, road or
track?
[Bruce] Well what about both?
[Marton] For once, we agree.
If you’re watching this you’ll know the
latest Mustang is the first global factory
model.
While the Camaro comes to us via HSV which
is converting just 550 examples initially
and that’s why they’re a lot more expensive.
Both are 2018 models but while that means
the Mustang GT is upgraded with a 10-speed
auto and new driver safety aides, the Camaro
misses out on them but matches the Ford for
power and beats it for torque.
At $86,000 plus on-road costs, the Camaro
is almost 20 grand pricier than the Mustang,
but that hasn’t stopped up to 80% of them
being pre-sold.
[Bruce] So Marty, one of the big talking points
about the Camaro is being the local right-hand
drive conversion job by holding special vehicles.
I’ve got to say, I’m pretty impressed.
They’ve done a great job.
It’s almost to OE standard, I reckon.
[Marton] I agree.
You’d be hard pressed to pick at it.
If anything, the Mustang looks more like a
conversion than this because the handbrake
and the volume knob are both on the wrong
side.
[Bruce] Yes, you’re right but I reckon there
are a couple giveaways in the Camaro.
Well, I get the armrest while you get the
cupholders.
You get to put your elbow on the cupholder
which is something that they obviously haven’t
spent the money on.
[Marton] Not ideal.
But something they haven’t been able to
change is the dash, which is plastic.
They’ve left it all right-handed.
It’s plastic.
Something Mustang doesn’t have.
[Bruce] No, Mustang has a higher level of
presentation than this car.
I think the Mustang has an advantage.
It’s got a broader width of capability in
terms of, with those optional MagneRide dampers,
you can go from just toodeling around on them
or wind them up into sport plus mode and you’ve
got a pretty firm riding car.
This car, is just firm all the time.
[Marton] It’s the biggest difference between
them, isn’t it?
This is just tied down, old school.
It’s not compliant like the Mustang.
[Bruce] No, not at all.
No, the Mustang has got an advantage there.
[Marton]It’s the more complete car.
[Bruce] I’ve got to say, I love this Chevy
small-block, it winds and winds, it just pulls
like a train.
[Marton] Enormous mid-range, sounds okay,
only really sounds good up top but the Mustang
sounds good everywhere, doesn’t it?
[Bruce] It does.
And that Mustang, gee, it can even rev so
quickly.
[Marton] And the 10-speed auto, it’s almost
like a dual-clutch isn’t it, compared to
this?
[Bruce] It is so quick and it reacts early.
Braking for a corner, you’re lifting the
throttle and it reads and it goes bang, bang,
two gears.
Whereas the 8-speed in the Chevy, it’s slower.
[Marton] Sure, it’s a bit slower.
It doesn’t always do what you want it to
do.
The Mustang is always in the right gear.
People say it hunts, I disagree.
It’s busy but of course it’s going to
be busy with 10 speeds.
So on the road, these two muscle cars are
pretty evenly matched.
But the bumpier the surface gets, the greater
the Mustang’s advantage.
And it’s also more comfortable to live with.
But as they say in the classics, when the
flag drops, the bull dust stops and the let’s
face it, straight line speed is what these
pony cars are all about.
Despite the Mustang’s dragstrip mode and
the Camaro’s willingness to break traction
even mid-strip, the Chevy was consistently
quicker by about a tenth to a hundredth and
more than two tenths over the quarter-mile.
So just as I suspected, the Camaro is quicker.
[Bruce] Yes, you got me but only by a fifteenth,
Marty.
And I know one thing, I’m going to be more
comfortable than you riding home to Melbourne
today.
[Marton] Well you enjoy that Bruce, because
when I get home, I’ll be the only bloke
in my street with a Camaro.
[Bruce] So you take the Camaro, I’ll take
the Mustang and we’ll agree to disagree.
[Marton] It’s a deal.
Let’s hit the road.

2019 Honda Passport Elite vs. Chevy Blazer RS — Which Should Be Your Next Family SUV?

Edmunds:

ALISTAIR WEAVER: So I see
aluminum, space frame chassis,
real leather--
direct from the cow.
Hand stitched, of course.
Adjustable driving position,
optional cup holder.
Beautiful.
JONATHAN ELFALAN: Very nice.
[MUSIC PLAYING]

ALISTAIR WEAVER: Jonathan
and I both love cars
that are fun to drive.
But, as you might have
noticed, sports cars
are kind of off the menu for
the next, well, 20 years?
JONATHAN ELFALAN: 'Fraid so.
Things like cargo space,
safety, comfort, convenience
are now more
important than ever.
But since we're
driving enthusiasts,
we don't want our vehicles
to be boring either.
ALISTAIR WEAVER:
Which brings us neatly
to the new Chevy Blazer
and the Honda Passport.
Both promise lots of
real world practicality
with something a little extra--
a bit of flair.
JONATHAN ELFALAN: But
which one's better?
To find that out, we're
doing a proper family test.
We're bolting in car seats.
We're loading them up
with cargo in the back.
And seeing how much comfort they
provide out on the open road.
ALISTAIR WEAVER:
Then we're going
to take them to the Edmunds test
track and find out how much fun
we can have when the
kids aren't in tow.
JONATHAN ELFALAN: But,
before we get started,
be sure to click
Subscribe if you
want to see more
videos like this
or if you just like babies.
ALISTAIR WEAVER: And head
to edmunds.com for the best
prices on both these vehicles.
Yeah.
Sure.
You can let your kids develop
their own personality.
You don't want to
influence them too much.
That would be wrong.
SPEAKER 1: Is that
a Porsche race suit?
ALISTAIR WEAVER: Yeah.
Of.
Course check this out.
Look at that.
[BABY FUSSING]

So when you've got
a screaming kid,
I think every parent knows
that speed is of the essence.
So we're going to have a
good old fashioned race--
who can fit their
child seat faster?
JONATHAN ELFALAN:
I'm down for that.
[DING, DING, DING]
[MUSIC PLAYING]

Done!
ALISTAIR WEAVER: Victoire!
JONATHAN ELFALAN: So
how the seat install go?
ALISTAIR WEAVER: To be
honest, it is pretty easy.
This has got a latch system.
But it only has two--
one at either side.
So if you're a middle passenger,
you have a really bum deal.
JONATHAN ELFALAN: And that's
the thing I kind of like
about the Passport.
There are actually three
sets of anchors back there.
So if you want, you can have
the middle car seat installed
in the center, and you
can have two adults
on either side,
which is actually
kind of rare for this class.
ALISTAIR WEAVER: And even
if you're traveling alone,
it's kind of nice just to be
able to turn around and tag
the little one.
I like that.
JONATHAN ELFALAN: Yeah.
Me, too.
ALISTAIR WEAVER: The other
thing I find in all these cars,
I'm 6'4", and you got
to be really careful.
It's almost like the
smaller your baby,
the bigger the car seat.
In a lot of vehicles,
I really struggle
to drive with the
seat behind me.
The Blazer's actually
not too bad for that.
I'd have to compromise
a little bit.
So I'm a little bit cramped.
But it's generally OK.
The Passport has perhaps
marginally more room.
But to be honest,
there's not much in it.
And that a sensible
consumer advice.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
JONATHAN ELFALAN: The Passport's
essentially a shortened version
of Honda's three-row
SUV, the Pilot,
but it has more space and more
than double the towing capacity
of the popular compact CRV.
It sports a more rugged design
with added ground clearance
for improved driving when
you're off the beaten path.
Under the hood is a
smooth revving V6 engine,
which makes a healthy
280 horsepower.
There's also a pretty
sophisticated all-wheel drive
system available, which our
test car happens to have.
To some, the Passport may not
have the most striking exterior
design, but that also
poses a lower risk
of polarizing shoppers.
ALISTAIR WEAVER: The Blazer
sits between the Equinox
and the Traverse
in Chevy's lineup,
but it's much more ambitious
than its sensible siblings.
Chevy's tried to
infuse the Blazer
with the style and the
spirit of the Camaro coupe
in order to appeal to a
different kind of customer.
Now, normally, bolting
sports car styling
onto the body of an SUV
is a recipe for disaster.
Just ask Porsche.
But I think Chevy's has
done a fantastic job.
The Blazer has real presence,
particularly around this nose,
and particularly if you choose
the RS trim that we have here.
To be honest, I think it makes
the Honda look a bit dull.
Nor is it all bark with no bite.
Under the hood is a
V6 with 308 horsepower
and a sophisticated
all-wheel drive system.
The only caveat for
me is the price.
Although the Blazer starts
at just under $29,000,
the one you see here
is just north of 50.
Now, that's six grand more than
the Honda and as much as many
luxury alternatives.
At this price, it
better be good.
[MUSIC PLAYING]

Before my daughter
Elya was born,
I actually went
to buy a stroller
and realized that
the one that I wanted
wouldn't actually fit
in the trunk of the car.
So this is more important
consumer advice.
So shall we try and fit this
contraption into the Passport?
JONATHAN ELFALAN:
Let's give it a shot.
ALISTAIR WEAVER:
It's pretty cool.

Look at that.
How posh is that?

JONATHAN ELFALAN: Right.
There we go.
Wow.
Yeah.
It looks pretty good.
ALISTAIR WEAVER: Yeah.
The nice thing is you can still
get a sort of bag alongside it.
JONATHAN ELFALAN: Yeah.
One of the greatest
strengths of the Passport
is it has one of the largest
cargo capacities in the class.
I will say that
the loading height
is a little high, about 3
inches higher than the Blazer.
But a little height makes a
big difference, especially
if you're loading
something heavy.
ALISTAIR WEAVER: Yeah.
You look really look like
you're going to struggle.
What I also like about this is
all this side here is lined.
There's a lot of
really nice attention
to detail on the Passport.
Should we try the Blazer?
JONATHAN ELFALAN: Yeah.
Let's do that.
ALISTAIR WEAVER: See, actually,
when you look at the Blazer,
this is all plastic.
You can see it's starting
to scratch up straightaway.
JONATHAN ELFALAN: Yeah.
I can see that.
Yeah.
You know, with the
stroller inside,
you can definitely
see the difference.
You've got some
intrusions on the inside.
It's about 10 cubic feet
smaller than the Passport.
JONATHAN ELFALAN:
Yeah, that's true.
You wouldn't fit another
big bag beside it
like you could easily
in the Passport.
And day to day, that's going
to make a big difference.
With our daughters
getting restless,
it's time to hit the road.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
JONATHAN ELFALAN: I kind of feel
like I'm in a Camaro right now.
ALISTAIR WEAVER: I love
the way that they've
integrated little
hints of the coupe
into an SUV, particularly around
these air vents which twist
to adjust the temperature.
The biggest problem,
though, is I think
it's style over substance.
These air vents are great,
but all they tend to do
is either freeze your
knuckles or freeze your knees,
and that's about it.
I end up shutting them down.
Another pecker I'm talking
of the climate control.
You can't control the
airflow in the back.
And I had friends
in over the weekend
who were complaining for
literally hours about the fact
that they felt they were
constantly getting cold air
and couldn't do much about it.
And there are lots of
details in this vehicle which
I think really let it down.
JONATHAN ELFALAN: This car is
really penny-pinching in all
the wrong areas.
Like you mentioned,
the air vents
is a big thing, especially
if you have kids in the back.
Luckily, it seems like
these kids are asleep.
ALISTAIR WEAVER: There's
other little things.
Like, the USBs in the
center here drive me crazy.
I know this is, like, a
really pedantic point,
but it's almost like
Chevy did the focus group,
and people say, we need more
USB ports, and so they just--
JONATHAN ELFALAN: Here you go.
ALISTAIR WEAVER: --stuffed them
in this center the dashboard.
There's no attempt
to cover them.
There's no reason as
to why they're there.
If you plug in any sort of
cable, they look ridiculous.
It drives me mad.
JONATHAN ELFALAN: Right.
You know, the integration of
technology into this cabin
is a bit of an issue.
It's not that they don't have
the features that you want--
they give you a USB-C
outlet, they give you a USB,
they have a wireless
charger here.
So everything's here,
but it's kind of poorly
thought out in terms of layout
and how you would actually
use it.
ALISTAIR WEAVER: And you
mentioned technology.
There is lots of great
tech in this vehicle,
Android Auto, Apple
CarPlay, wireless charging.
But this is very nice.
Spent many miles trying
to adjust this screen.
It's mounted vertically,
which presumably
is to avoid reflection.
So it's only partially
successful at that.
But it always looks a bit odd.
JONATHAN ELFALAN: Yeah,
and it's really a shame,
because their Infotainment
3 System is quite good.
It's very responsive.
Like you said, there's
a ton of apps here.
So everything is there.
It has the right bones,
just the execution is poor.
One of the things I
keep coming back to
is the look and feel of the
material that they use in here.
This car is pushing
over 50K, and it just
doesn't feel like it.
ALISTAIR WEAVER: It doesn't.
And you say it
doesn't feel like 50K,
but even at $29,000, which
is what a Blazer starts at,
I'm not sure it's good enough.
Quality standards have
improved so much recently--
thinking about vehicles like
the Mazda CX-5 for example--
Chevrolet really needs to pick
up their game in this area.
It really lets
this vehicle down.
JONATHAN ELFALAN: So
we've spent a lot of time
in this car, which has
a sportier suspension,
but I feel like the
ride comfort is actually
pretty good, surprisingly good.
ALISTAIR WEAVER: It is.
I think that's one of the best
features about the Blazer.
Even on the roads
like these, which
aren't super smooth, the ride
course calm, it's relaxed.
It's quite an easy car to drive.
The only thing
that I would say is
that you do pay a
price for that styling.
When you look over
your shoulder,
there is quite a big--
JONATHAN ELFALAN: Oh, yeah.
ALISTAIR WEAVER:
--blind spot there.
JONATHAN ELFALAN: Yeah, it is.
ALISTAIR WEAVER: But
it does counter that
with lots of cameras which help
you park and maneuver around.
And to be honest, I would
sacrifice that for the styling.
JONATHAN ELFALAN:
[LAUGHS] So I think
that's where you and I
differ, because I prefer
the natural visibility
in the Passport,
where you don't need the
360-degree camera system.
You can naturally look
over your shoulder
and see anything that's
in your blind spot.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
So as far as storage goes for
knickknacks and everything else
that your kids bring
along with them,
we have a few options here
that are pretty decent,
but I don't think
it's quite packaged
as nicely as the Passport.
ALISTAIR WEAVER: No,
there's probably not
as much space overall.
But one feature I do
love in this vehicle
is in this little
door pocket here,
there's a space designed
for an umbrella.
JONATHAN ELFALAN: Ah.
Ah, wonderful.
ALISTAIR WEAVER: And
as a guy who originally
hails from the UK, I love that.
JONATHAN ELFALAN: [LAUGHS] But
now you live in California.
So--
ALISTAIR WEAVER: It's useless.
JONATHAN ELFALAN: Useless.
ALISTAIR WEAVER: No!
JONATHAN ELFALAN: No.
ALISTAIR WEAVER: This
is really annoying.
Again, this is--
JONATHAN ELFALAN: That is.
ALISTAIR WEAVER:
--something else
that's really grating on me.
My knee keeps catching the
little temperature control
thing, turning on the air
conditioning, and blowing.
JONATHAN ELFALAN: I
thought it was actually--
ALISTAIR WEAVER: I find
it really annoying.
JONATHAN ELFALAN: --it
automatically was cinching
the temperature--
ALISTAIR WEAVER: No.
This is--
JONATHAN ELFALAN: --with
its advanced system.
ALISTAIR WEAVER:
--really annoying.
JONATHAN ELFALAN: No.
It's just your knee.
ALISTAIR WEAVER:
It's just my knee.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
JONATHAN ELFALAN: All right.
So now we're in
the Honda Passport
after jumping out of the Blazer.
And right off the bat,
I think the material
quality in this car just seems
a level up from the Blazer.
What do you think?
ALISTAIR WEAVER: Yeah,
I think that's right.
You still got a
few hard plastic,
but the key thing is they don't
look sort of cheap and shiny.
And although it's not quite
at luxury car standards,
it's pretty good.
JONATHAN ELFALAN: Everything
from the infotainment screen,
just having this kind
of glossy finish to it,
from the controls that they
look pretty classy when
they're backlit at night.
ALISTAIR WEAVER:
Everything just feels
very considered in this car.
It's just that the sort of
level of detail, the attention
is great, and it
just works well.
We've come to expect
this from Honda.
But everything is kind of
where you expect it to be.
It's nice that you got
air vents that actually--
JONATHAN ELFALAN: Doesn't
just blow consistently
cold air on your hands.
ALISTAIR WEAVER:
What I also like
about this Passport is
the sort of technology
feels like it works for you.
It's great to have wireless
charging for your phone.
There's Apple CarPlay,
or Android Auto
if that's what you prefer.
And Honda's own system
is pretty easy to use.
And everything feels pretty
quick and responsive.
JONATHAN ELFALAN: They
have the technology.
But I think what
Honda does differently
from the Blazer is that
it's just better integrated.
Like, you have little flaps here
that cover the power outlets
when you're not using it.
And they're in a good
convenient spot here.
ALISTAIR WEAVER: Yeah.
The level of thinking,
it feels like there's
a sort of extra layer of
thought that's gone into it.
JONATHAN ELFALAN:
One thing I will
have to nitpick
about the Passport
is the adaptive driving aids.
They're generally pretty good,
but the adaptive cruise control
doesn't work below 20 miles per
hour, whereas in the Blazer,
it does.
So if you're just
crawling along in traffic,
that is one of the
aids that kind of
takes the stress out of it.
Both our test cars are
fitted with a range
of electronic gadgets, such
as blind spot monitoring, that
help you avoid an accident.

ALISTAIR WEAVER: The
other thing about this,
which is hugely
important when you've
got young kids in the car,
is the ride quality is good.
Nobody's being thrown
around too much.
JONATHAN ELFALAN: Right.
Yeah.
I'd say it's probably a
tick better than the Blazer.
But the Blazer also has
slightly larger wheels.
That said, yeah, the
ride quality is really
quite nice in here.
ALISTAIR WEAVER:
Gearbox is nice.
The steering is light.
It's certainly not
an intimidating car.
You can also get great
visibility out of it.
It feels to me--
I mean, it is a wide car.
You feel like you've set
a little way away from me.
JONATHAN ELFALAN: Yeah.
I can't elbow you.
ALISTAIR WEAVER: But once
you get used to the bulk,
it is an easy car to
place on the road.
JONATHAN ELFALAN: Like
you said, the visibility,
the natural visibility,
without having
to rely on all
the camera systems
here is really quite good.
All the windows are squared off.
I can look over my shoulder
and see everything.
So you're not really
having to rely
on this super comprehensive
360-degree camera
to see everything around you.
ALISTAIR WEAVER: But
unlike the Blazer,
Honda's very much set the
Passport up as a vehicle
that you can take off-road.
I mean, all the TV
ads have it sort
of blasting down dirt tracks.
And while it's no
Jeep Wrangler, it
has got a reasonable
amount of off-road ability.
JONATHAN ELFALAN: Yeah.
That added ground
clearance is going
to give you slightly better
off-road ability, as you say,
but it's not a rock crawler.
That said, we have a
button here that is
able to switch between modes.
So if you're in the snow,
if you're in the mud,
it's going to
calibrate everything
to help you drive through those
situations without any issue.
ALISTAIR WEAVER:
Sounds really geeky,
but this is about technology
working with you to actually
make driving easier and safer.
I think both of us
recognize that as soon
as you have a kid, no
matter how old they are,
you end up with
loads of detritus.
JONATHAN ELFALAN: [LAUGHS]
That's a good word for it.
ALISTAIR WEAVER: It's
a very good word.
And what Honda's done is
build into these vehicle
huge amounts of storage space.
There's a big bin
here in the center.
There's all sorts of gubbins.
JONATHAN ELFALAN: Yeah,
everything about this car
is about smart packaging.
ALISTAIR WEAVER: It feels
like it's built for a purpose,
and that purpose is taking
a family in as much comfort
and convenience as possible.
I think we like this car.
JONATHAN ELFALAN: Yeah.
I think so.
ALISTAIR WEAVER:
Well, the kids seem
to be pretty quiet,
which I think
is a good tribute to the
Passport's ride quality.
And it is pretty
refined in here.
JONATHAN ELFALAN: It is.
Or my smooth driving
ability might have just
put them to sleep.
ALISTAIR WEAVER:
That could be it.
Or maybe just our
droning on about--
[BABY FUSSING]
--ride comfort and gearboxes.
With our daughters
sleeping soundly--
well, for once--
Jonathan and I take to
the Edmunds test track.
So in case you're
wondering why we
bother to bring vehicles like
the Blazer and particularly
the Passport to the
track like this,
well, this a key part of
the Edmunds testing process,
which you hear every Monday.
What it allows us to do
is to really experience
the full repertoire of
a car's dynamic ability.
So if you all are in an
extreme situation on the road,
we can tell you how we
expect it to behave,
and we can pick up any vices
in the ride or the handling.
We think it's an important
part of the integrity
and authority of the process.
JONATHAN ELFALAN: I
couldn't agree more.
Another interesting
aspect that I
found with this
pairing of cars is
that they both offer torque
vectoring all-wheel drive.
Now, what that does is it
allows them to send power
to individual wheels,
which helps steer them
through the corner.
ALISTAIR WEAVER:
Now, if that sounds
a bit geeky and
engineeringy, well,
what it effectively does is mean
that the car feels more agile
and nimble out there
in the real world.
And that's a good thing.
JONATHAN ELFALAN: Yeah.
Absolutely.
ALISTAIR WEAVER: OK, we're
not running lap times today,
because it could
all end in tears.
But what do you
reckon would be fast?
What would you feel
that would be faster in?
JONATHAN ELFALAN: I'd definitely
say the Blazer, just because it
does have the
horsepower advantage,
and we know that it
generates more grip.
That said, I'd much rather
drive the Passport around here.
What about you?
ALISTAIR WEAVER: Me, too.
I think that the Passport just
feels like a more consistent
car to drive.
And yeah, it might
ultimately be a gnat slower,
but it gives you a bit
more confidence for me
than the Blazer.
I can kind of start to feel
what's going on better.
JONATHAN ELFALAN: Yeah.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
ALISTAIR WEAVER:
So the first thing
we have to think in
the Blazer is actually
putting it into fun mode.
If you drive around normally,
it's in front-wheel drive.
And I think you and I have
both done a couple of laps
in front-wheel drive.
And this vehicle really
doesn't work around there.
JONATHAN ELFALAN: Not great.
I mean, it affects not only
your traction kind of coming out
of a corner, but also
when you get on the gas,
the steering sort of
goes wherever it pleases.
ALISTAIR WEAVER: Yeah, it's
constantly scrambling for grip.
So there's a little knob
down here in the center.
So you go from two-wheel
drive to all-wheel drive.
Then you have to change
it again into sport mode.
Now, that affects the gearbox.
It affects the steering.
There's a little
bit more resistance.
The steering wakes
up a little bit more.
And in theory, this
is the fun button.
JONATHAN ELFALAN: Yes.
Yes.
It also takes about 10
seconds to do all of that.
ALISTAIR WEAVER: It does.
Slightly irritating.

JONATHAN ELFALAN:
This is obviously,
at least from the outside,
trying to convey a much more--
ALISTAIR WEAVER:
Want some mosh bumps?
JONATHAN ELFALAN: Whoa!
There we go.
OK.
ALISTAIR WEAVER: It does
not take that bump as well
as the Honda, does it?
JONATHAN ELFALAN:
Not quite as well.
But we're also, arguably, in
a slightly sportier vehicle
than the Passport.
But based off of
the exterior design,
one might think that this
thing is an absolute riot
on the handling track.
ALISTAIR WEAVER:
So I don't think
it's being billed as a car
that you would necessarily
take to a race circuit
for a track day.
But I think the exterior
styling and certainly
all of Chevy's marketing
points to a car
that is going to be fun to
drive on a twisting road.
To me, it just
doesn't-- once again,
it just doesn't quite deliver.
The steering just feels
a little bit artificial.
The seats don't give you
nearly enough support.
So I think both of us feel
like we're being thrown
around a little bit too much.
And although it's
pretty quick and it's
marginally faster than the
Honda in a straight line,
it never really feels like it.
JONATHAN ELFALAN: I will
say that because we're
sitting a little
lower and the steering
does have a little bit
more heft, the Blazer
kind of conveys a little bit
more confidence on the road
that's going to coax
somebody to maybe take
a turn a little quicker.
It's not a ton more, but
it's enough, I think,
for the average person
to say that this does
feel like a slightly sportier
car than the Passport.
ALISTAIR WEAVER: So
I think both of us
are agreed that instantly
on a track like this,
the Blazer does feel more
sporty than the Passport.
But let's not kid ourselves
that this is some sort of Camaro
in SUV form.
It's just not.
JONATHAN ELFALAN: It
kind of looks the part.
But I think if you're going
into it thinking that you're
going to get a sporty
vehicle, that this is going
to be as fun to drive as
something like the Camaro
on a winding road,
then I think you're
going to be disappointed.
ALISTAIR WEAVER:
And before everybody
writes in the YouTube comments
that, of course, it is an SUV,
it's not a coupe,
well, in today's world,
there are SUVs that are
genuinely fun to drive.
I mean, the luxury market,
Porsche Macan, Jaguar F-PACE,
but even something
like a Mazda CX-5
is, frankly, just better
to drive than this Blazer.
JONATHAN ELFALAN:
Couldn't agree more.
ALISTAIR WEAVER: And for a car
with such sporting pretensions,
there are a few details
that really grate on me.
Where, for example,
are the paddle shifters
to complement the V6?
And these seats
really lack support.
How I'd love a couple of
bucket seats from the Camaro.
It's like the chassis engineers
and the engineering people
were in a different
briefing to the designers.
JONATHAN ELFALAN: Yeah.
I kind of feel that way, too.
And I think to your point
about the sporting pretensions,
the fact that you have to
activate the all-wheel drive
system, whereas with the Pilot,
it just works automatically,
you shouldn't have to select it.
ALISTAIR WEAVER: So
I think both of us
are agreed that if we
got the stopwatches out,
the Blazer would
probably be marginally
faster than the Passport.
But which would
you rather drive?
JONATHAN ELFALAN: I'm going
to have to, shockingly,
go with the Passport.
It's just a much
more cohesive package
and it's more
satisfying to drive.
What about you?
ALISTAIR WEAVER:
Do you know what?
I agree with you.
And that's not only
a big surprise,
but a pretty big
disappointment as well.
I really had really
high hopes for this car.
JONATHAN ELFALAN: I did, too.

ALISTAIR WEAVER: To be
honest, there's few vehicles
that I've driven in recent
times that have frustrated me
more than the Blazer.
I love the way it looks.
And on paper, it
promises so much.
But the execution is poor.
In many ways, it's less
than the sum of its parts.
And over $50,000, it's
also way too expensive.
I know lots of people will
buy it for its looks alone.
And that's absolutely fine.
But there are better
family options out there.
And that's why we're placing
it seventh in our rankings
for midsize SUVs.
JONATHAN ELFALAN:
The Passport really
is the more well-rounded
car across the board.
And at this price point,
it feels like a real deal.
ALISTAIR WEAVER: It does.
In many ways, it's more
than the sum of its parts.
JONATHAN ELFALAN: Yeah.
It isn't perfect, but it doesn't
try to oversell itself either.
In fact, we like
it so much, it's
now our number
one-ranked midsize SUV.
ALISTAIR WEAVER:
And I think we're
agreed it's the one that
you and I would both buy.
JONATHAN ELFALAN:
I absolutely would.

LAUREL: Did you buy your
own shirt, Alistair?
ALISTAIR WEAVER: No, Laurel.
If you buy your own
Cool Dad T-shirt,
it's distinctly uncool.