New vehicle, what to get?

Matthew said:
We're pretty happy with our Outback.
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Ruled that out in 5 seconds. The headrest in the passenger seat leans a little forward, even when back as far as it will go. That made for trouble for my wife with 3 vertebrae fused in her neck. Nothing against the car, but that wasn't going to work for us.

My brother has a Subaru and it has worked well for him. I just like my Escape better.
 
Ghery said:
Ruled that out in 5 seconds. The headrest in the passenger seat leans a little forward, even when back as far as it will go. That made for trouble for my wife with 3 vertebrae fused in her neck. Nothing against the car, but that wasn't going to work for us.
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What's up with headrests on newer cars? Was there a change in NHTSA standards - a nanny-state thing? Seems most cars' headrests lean way forward, such that you cannot sit back in the seat without uncomfortably bending your head forward.
 
SCCutler said:
What's up with headrests on newer cars? Was there a change in NHTSA standards - a nanny-state thing? Seems most cars' headrests lean way forward, such that you cannot sit back in the seat without uncomfortably bending your head forward.
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Can't you take them out and turn them around 180 degrees so the flat part is by your head??
 
I believe they are now called "head restraints" ;) Designed for crashes not comfort in most cases. :mad2:

SCCutler said:
What's up with headrests on newer cars? Was there a change in NHTSA standards - a nanny-state thing? Seems most cars' headrests lean way forward, such that you cannot sit back in the seat without uncomfortably bending your head forward.
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SCCutler said:
What's up with headrests on newer cars? Was there a change in NHTSA standards - a nanny-state thing? Seems most cars' headrests lean way forward, such that you cannot sit back in the seat without uncomfortably bending your head forward.
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I dunno, for me my latest car with the forward-leaning headrests is the first one where I can actually get my head to touch the headrest without being uncomfortable.
 
My buddy just bought a brand new Nissan 4 door truck for $29K.

That's a smoking deal when you look at the same options on a Chevy and Ford and they're $50K.
 
Spike is used to driving the low... ride... dah... ;)

Leaning back in the seat, checking out his peeps, while he bounces the car up and down with the air shocks.

:) :) :)

Honestly I'm a lean-back guy in some cars too. I'm going to submarine right under the lap belt and break both legs if I ever get in a head-on in those vehicles.

Usually it's in small cars where I feel my head is too close to the ceiling.

I sit in the correct posture in pickup trucks. My legs are longer than they should be for my trunk.

I really like the Subaru buckets. I don't low-rider that seat.

Toyotas of all types seem to hit me in all the wrong places, height-wise. Camry is tolerable. Tacoma? No way. I'd have to get out and do crossed leg stretches for my lower back every 200 miles, laying on the ground. Same with the Rav 4.

Anything with a seat I can raise and tip back a bit. Perfect.
 
Ghery said:
Ruled that out in 5 seconds. The headrest in the passenger seat leans a little forward, even when back as far as it will go. That made for trouble for my wife with 3 vertebrae fused in her neck. Nothing against the car, but that wasn't going to work for us.

My brother has a Subaru and it has worked well for him. I just like my Escape better.
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We tested the Escape, too. Came very close to pulling the trigger on it. I like it.
 
OP

Look at Consumer Reports. Jeep sucks! Number one rated SUV? Toyota Highlander new for 2014. Plus they have heated steering wheels. ;)
 
Geico266 said:
OP

Look at Consumer Reports. Jeep sucks! Number one rated SUV? Toyota Highlander new for 2014. Plus they have heated steering wheels. ;)
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"heated steering wheels"? seriously? hahahahahahahahah.

What a bunch of wimps that need a heated steering wheel!
 
I am on my second Volkswagon Turbo Diesel Jetta. It gets 38 mpg highway at 80 mph. Slower you go, the better it gets. My fuel cost is 9-10 cents per mile. Even when diesel costs a dollar more a gallon you are still saving. It has get up and go, especially at speed when the turbo is spooled up. It will bark the tires of the line too, if thats your thing.

And yes.. I was paying attention to your wants and not-wants... If you dont want a diesel, for whatever reason, thats your call. I traded in a F350 powerstroke 4x4 crew cab on the first jetta, and later on traded THAT on in on my second jetta... My point is, I get excellent fuel economy and have get-up-and-go AND can fill the seats and have room in the trunk for all the baggage... the one thing it doesn't do is haul a trailer (a hitch voids the warranty, allegedly)...
 
My buddy has an audi a3 diesel and it's awesome. If you haven't noticed, I'm a German car guy ;-)


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As regards the headrests, I am not talking about sitting back, all slouchy- in daft, I tend to drive more upright than most.

Problem is, the cars about which I speak have so much forward-tilt for the headrests, that you cannot sit back at all without uncomfortably pivoting your head forward. It is very uncomfortable in the long haul.

I did rent a Hyundai a couple years back which had this; turned around the headrests, which got them out of the way, but also put them so far back that they could not possibly have had beneficial effect in a crash.
 
SCCutler said:
As regards the headrests, I am not talking about sitting back, all slouchy- in daft, I tend to drive more upright than most.
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C'mon Spike. We know you're Rollin' with your homies in your 'hood with nice bling and spinners. ;)
 
Bob Noel said:
"heated steering wheels"? seriously? hahahahahahahahah.

What a bunch of wimps that need a heated steering wheel!
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In Wisconsin, ya take anything heated you can get during this upcoming season...

From my previous car to my current car, the major upgrade was the heated seats. I think next time I get a car, I'd like to have heated+cooled seats and a remote starter - But a heated steering wheel would be awesome.
 
flyingcheesehead said:
In Wisconsin, ya take anything heated you can get during this upcoming season...

From my previous car to my current car, the major upgrade was the heated seats. I think next time I get a car, I'd like to have heated+cooled seats and a remote starter - But a heated steering wheel would be awesome.
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My 2011 Dodge 1500 has heated steering wheel. You cannot imagine how nice that is in the winter.
 
Geico266 said:
Don!t knock it unless you've tried it. Best option in 20 years. Bar none! :D
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feh - lots of things better than not having a cold steering wheel. Ya know, there are these things called "gloves." Very useful in keeping the hands warm in even the coldest weather. Also, a hat helps the body keep the feet and hands warm.
 
This is the first car I've had with bun-warmers. Win!!

But my heated steering wheel is solar powered and only operates during the summer.
 
Interesting nation we've become. Can't take cold seats or steering wheels. Must use the remote starter. It's too hard to open/close the sliding door or rear hatch. Voice commands for the TV (how lazy are we that we can't even use the remote?)
 
I like bum warmers in diesels for obvious reasons, but always thought it'd just be simpler to put an electric grid in just like Dodge puts in the air intake for the engine itself. It's a heck of a load on the electrical system but the trucks have two batteries for that reason, anyway.

I will miss heated *mirrors* in going a few years backward on the automotive scale with our decisions on which vehicles we now need out here vs in town.

Remote start would be useless on the diesel truck. It wouldn't warm up anyway. On the Subaru, since it's a 4-banger it's wound so tight you can have it warm by the end of the driveway if you're mean to it and leave it in 2nd gear. :)

Until we decide if we're building a barn, Karen's truck and the tractor (snowblower / snowplow) live in the garage. There won't ever be room in there for the dually. We sell the Miata the Subaru can move inside. Or I can finally empty the cargo trailer that's pretending it's a shed. :)
 
flyingcheesehead said:
From my previous car to my current car, the major upgrade was the heated seats. I think next time I get a car, I'd like to have heated+cooled seats and a remote starter - But a heated steering wheel would be awesome.
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Make sure to get the good remote starter with 2-way communication to tell you whether the engine is running (e.g. Astrostart). A bit of a hassle to install and operate on a stick-shift but well worth the expense and extra steps.
 
Bob Noel said:
"heated steering wheels"? seriously? hahahahahahahahah.

What a bunch of wimps that need a heated steering wheel!
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flyingcheesehead said:
In Wisconsin, ya take anything heated you can get during this upcoming season...

From my previous car to my current car, the major upgrade was the heated seats. I think next time I get a car, I'd like to have heated+cooled seats and a remote starter - But a heated steering wheel would be awesome.
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Heated front seats was a "must have" when we bought the Escape. My wife got hooked on them with her 2006 Jeep Commander (another vehicle Consumer Reports doesn't like, but we do). And while still recovering from a herniated disc in my lower back I really like them (drove the Jeep Wrangler to work today and really missed the heat on my back).

One feature that I've only seen on Subarus is a heated area on the windshield under the wipers where they rest when not in use. My brother has that on his and it is great when weather is below freezing. Not enough of an advantage to sway the purchase decision, but a nice feature.
 
Ghery said:
One feature that I've only seen on Subarus is a heated area on the windshield under the wipers where they rest when not in use. My brother has that on his and it is great when weather is below freezing. Not enough of an advantage to sway the purchase decision, but a nice feature.
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I didn't know that feature was only on Subarus but even my old Outback had it. I thought it was great.
 
Everskyward said:
I didn't know that feature was only on Subarus but even my old Outback had it. I thought it was great.
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My '01 Outback has a 'winter package' with heated mirrors, heated seats, the wiper deice strip and locking differentials.
 
weilke said:
Make sure to get the good remote starter with 2-way communication to tell you whether the engine is running (e.g. Astrostart). A bit of a hassle to install and operate on a stick-shift but well worth the expense and extra steps.
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Yup - I was actually thinking about getting a Viper SmartStart system so I can start it from my phone from anywhere.
 
flyingcheesehead said:
Yup - I was actually thinking about getting a Viper SmartStart system so I can start it from my phone from anywhere.
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Viper is generally overpriced. Check with a local installer first before being too enamored with them. You can often get the same feature set for 25% less.
 
denverpilot said:
I like bum warmers in diesels for obvious reasons, but always thought it'd just be simpler to put an electric grid in just like Dodge puts in the air intake for the engine itself. It's a heck of a load on the electrical system but the trucks have two batteries for that reason, anyway.

I will miss heated *mirrors* in going a few years backward on the automotive scale with our decisions on which vehicles we now need out here vs in town.

Remote start would be useless on the diesel truck. It wouldn't warm up anyway. On the Subaru, since it's a 4-banger it's wound so tight you can have it warm by the end of the driveway if you're mean to it and leave it in 2nd gear. :)

Until we decide if we're building a barn, Karen's truck and the tractor (snowblower / snowplow) live in the garage. There won't ever be room in there for the dually. We sell the Miata the Subaru can move inside. Or I can finally empty the cargo trailer that's pretending it's a shed. :)
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You're completely wrong on the remote start for a diesel. It should have one. I had a remote start on my 2005 Powerstroke and it was much better driving it warmed up than lugging along with it cold.

That's not good on injectors and anything that relies on oil. There's a reason that pretty much all diesels come with a block heater that should be on a timer for a few hours before driving just like airplanes so it doesn't run all the time wasting energy.
 
flyingcheesehead said:
Yup - I was actually thinking about getting a Viper SmartStart system so I can start it from my phone from anywhere.
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I dont remember encountering many situations where starting a car that wasn't in a semi line of sight situation was necessary.

On a automatic car, the Astro Start is a no-brainer. Set the heat to high, window defrost, switch on the mirror and seat heaters. Start 20min early, walk out to the car, wipe the slush off the windshield and get into your toasty car. Sure, a couple of polar bears are going to fall into the ocean, if I worried about my 'carbon footprint' I wouldn't be flying personal aircraft.

I have a Honda stick-shift with a Astrostart. That one is a pain in the rear as it has to be primed before you can use it. The procedure is geared to reduce the odds of the car remote-starting in first gear. You have to put the parking brake on, wiggle the shifter in the neutral alley and lock the car and shut it down using the Astrostart.

I also have a TDI. On some of the really cold days (-20F and below), I used the 'russian pre-heater' and just left it idling while I was at work. Burned 0.1gph and saved me from the transmission freezing and the fuel gelling up. The thermostat on that engine pretty much closes up completely and the engine remains at about 120F with the coolant hoses and radiator cool to the touch.. You have to have the heater and fan off as you suck too much heat out of the engine that way (and you may kick in an aux heater that draws 100amps and drains the battery).
 
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jxdrl said:
You're completely wrong on the remote start for a diesel. It should have one. I had a remote start on my 2005 Powerstroke and it was much better driving it warmed up than lugging along with it cold.

That's not good on injectors and anything that relies on oil. There's a reason that pretty much all diesels come with a block heater that should be on a timer for a few hours before driving just like airplanes so it doesn't run all the time wasting energy.
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Already do the block heater thing. That's a long way from being warm in the cabin. ;)

Not surprisingly the Dodge engineers installed dual temperature butt warmers. Reheat and Broil. ;)
 
Bob Noel said:
Interesting nation we've become. Can't take cold seats or steering wheels. Must use the remote starter. It's too hard to open/close the sliding door or rear hatch. Voice commands for the TV (how lazy are we that we can't even use the remote?)
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Don't forget the self driving cars that are coming.
 
My 2011 Jeep GC Overland was great. If it was cold out and you hit the remote start, it would turn on the heat seats, the heated steering wheel, the heated side mirrors, the rear defrogger and the front defrogger automaticallyu. you would get in the car and everything would be warm and ready. In the summer, it would turn on the AC full blast and the cooled seats. If they come out with a 7 passenger Jeep, I would probably buy it. Right now I have a 2014 Chevy Traverse on lease that I am counting the days until its up. Nothing wrong with it, but I miss the V8 from the Jeep big time.
 
When the sales people approached me on the lot while I was looking, I would tell them that I wanted a car that was loaded. I didn't stand around asking myself if I could get along without something. I don't want to get along without. So I don't have a heated steering wheel, and I don't know whether it parks itself or not yet. I have been wondering about that but I haven't really checked to see. The thing is, if it had it, I would have gotten it. I'm at a point in my life where those things make a difference for me.
 
weilke said:
I dont remember encountering many situations where starting a car that wasn't in a semi line of sight situation was necessary.
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Well, I used to drive trucks for a living (back when SmartStart first came out), and it sure would have been nice to start the car 10-15 miles out.

Nowadays, though, as an example I'll frequently fly out to the Madison area to visit my parents. It took me under 20 minutes to fly home last night, so firing up the car from dozens of miles away would be cool.

On a automatic car, the Astro Start is a no-brainer. Set the heat to high, window defrost, switch on the mirror and seat heaters. Start 20min early, walk out to the car, wipe the slush off the windshield and get into your toasty car.
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Only problem is, my car's rear window defrost is pushbutton and doesn't come on again after the car has been shut off. I need something with aux channels to let me flip that on too.

I have a Honda stick-shift with a Astrostart. That one is a pain in the rear as it has to be primed before you can use it. The procedure is geared to reduce the odds of the car remote-starting in first gear. You have to put the parking brake on, wiggle the shifter in the neutral alley and lock the car and shut it down using the Astrostart.
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Yeah, I have a stick too. Otherwise, I'd have probably had a remote starter years ago. When I first wanted one, there weren't any that supported it.
 
denverpilot said:
Viper is generally overpriced. Check with a local installer first before being too enamored with them. You can often get the same feature set for 25% less.
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OK, is there a single other unit that will work with your smartphone as the remote? If there is, I'm all ears. Otherwise, Viper it is. :dunno:
 
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