I thought that the music in cars came from the engine bay and exhaust.
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I thought that the music in cars came from the engine bay and exhaust.
[quote=Ferrer;1011204]I thought that the music in cars came from the engine bay and exhaust.[/quote]
Not in rush hour traffic.
[quote=Kitdy;1011199]A blast from the past; welcome back LTSmash!
Concerning modern technology and car interiors, some features are amazing, and some are garbage. OEMs haven't really figured out a seamless infotainment system that I know of, between the all of them. However, hi-fi sound systems, bluetooth connectivity, rear-view cameras, and hands-free headset features are nice, not mentioning the drastic increase of the materials in current cars. Look at say, a Chevy or Benz of 15 years ago.
Less intriguing is Twitter integration, 4-10 different driving aids, and not having classic three dial HVAC systems.[/quote]
Thanks for the warm welcome back. Not sure how long I'll stick around before another hiatus. ;)
Agreed with all of the above. But out of all of that practical tech you mention, I only see it as necessary for your entry level and mid-range sedan types. A Ferrari (or insert bonkers sports/pseudo track-car) with hi-fi, bluetooth, rear view camera and hands-free is missing the point. Damn the "digital age" and damn it to hell for wreaking cars and everything else.
(inserts irony as he presses "Submit Reply" on the world wide web)
[quote=crisis;1011200]Even in the day of the cassette I was one who bought the black plastic record, I believe referred to as vinyl now, and transferred them onto “high quality” TDK “chrome” cassettes via my Rega Planar turntable through to my Nakamichi cassette deck. My mates thought I was a nut but they sounded way better than original bought tapes.[/quote]
Nice. We would have made great friends at the record shop.
I agree- I don't really listen to a lot of music. I think the current trend of putting touchscreens into cars is a major mistake. Buttons work because you can memorize the feeling of it and the general position of where it is on the dash. I don't necessarily need to look at it if I want to change it.
Touchscreens [I]need[/I] you to look at it, because you need to combine visual and tactile information to make it work. It's not rocket science.
Add the fact that touch screens are being used more and more, along with internet connectivity, I'm not surprised if we see an uptick in distracted driving in the next few years.
Unfortunately, that's what gets people to buy cars now.
Edit- Oh, and if you don't give me a cassette deck, at least give me a double DIN dashboard! Let me rip out your shitty audio system and let me choose what the heck I want to install. That's also partly why I won't be buying any new car built in the last 5 or so years.
I've gone the combo, I'm driving my old 850R (literally the same one I used to own, it's mum's now) with one of those cassettes-with-a-cable so I can plug my ipod in. Pro tips:
- Open it up and lubricate everything with a silicone based or other 'dry' lubricant to both make it quiet and stop the infernal auto-reverse mechanism ruining your phat beats (or nonsensical podcasts)
- Get an adaptor from some sort of dealie to give a proper line-out from the 30 pin connector ([URL="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008EKON56/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1"]like this[/URL]). The official 30-pin to lightning adaptors have a built in DAC so will work with that doodad (I've tried it)
Works pretty dang good! Better than some crappy FM transmitter anyway.
[quote=pimento;1011212]I've gone the combo, I'm driving my old 850R (literally the same one I used to own, it's mum's now) with one of those cassettes-with-a-cable so I can plug my ipod in.[/quote]
Yous a balla'.
[quote=pimento;1011212]Works pretty dang good! Better than some crappy FM transmitter anyway.[/quote]
The NSA/Five Eyes listens to your brainwaves through those... I read.
The MkIV had a CD and no cassette deck, which was maddening. The M3 (Mazda 3) has an aux and USB jack and it's like entering the year 2009. Now I can listen to podcasts about cars while I'm stuck on the Gardiner Expressway - our major downtown artery - which is undergoing 3 years of lane closures! Huzzah!
[quote=Ferrer;1011204]I thought that the music in cars came from the engine bay and exhaust.[/quote]
My eternal quandary. Turn the stereo up to enjoy the music or down to enjoy the sound of the car. Whichever I choose I always feel I’m missing something. It’s a good problem to have though.
[quote=pimento;1011212]I've gone the combo, I'm driving my old 850R (literally the same one I used to own, it's mum's now) with one of those cassettes-with-a-cable so I can plug my ipod in. Pro tips:
- Open it up and lubricate everything with a silicone based or other 'dry' lubricant to both make it quiet and stop the infernal auto-reverse mechanism ruining your phat beats (or nonsensical podcasts)
- Get an adaptor from some sort of dealie to give a proper line-out from the 30 pin connector ([URL="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008EKON56/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1"]like this[/URL]). The official 30-pin to lightning adaptors have a built in DAC so will work with that doodad (I've tried it)
Works pretty dang good! Better than some crappy FM transmitter anyway.[/quote]
What's wrong with just hooking up the iPhone to the 3.5mm jack?
[quote=crisis;1011225]My eternal quandary. Turn the stereo up to enjoy the music or down to enjoy the sound of the car. Whichever I choose I always feel I’m missing something. It’s a good problem to have though.[/quote]
Well, buy a diesel and you won't have this sort of dilemmas... ;)
I certainly don't!
I'm fine with a loud exhaust, and a loud stereo..
...it's the drone that makes me want to dig my brain out with a blunt spoon
[quote=NSXType-R;1011245]What's wrong with just hooking up the iPhone to the 3.5mm jack?[/quote]
It's not a proper line out, it's been pre-amplified and whatnot. Proper line out is more betterer.
[url="http://www.mondaynote.com/2015/02/15/the-fantastic-apple-car/"]The Fantastic Apple Car | Monday Note[/url]
The Apple car seems to be a point of contention among many autojournalists; those who think it is true have no qualms wildly speculating about it and those who don't give the rumors any credence seem very annoyed with the perceived clickbaiting of those who do.
[quote=f6fhellcat13;1011271][url="http://www.mondaynote.com/2015/02/15/the-fantastic-apple-car/"]The Fantastic Apple Car | Monday Note[/url]
The Apple car seems to be a point of contention among many autojournalists; those who think it is true have no qualms wildly speculating about it and those who don't give the rumors any credence seem very annoyed with the perceived clickbaiting of those who do.[/quote]
Can't wait to find all lightning connectors in the car instead of USB.
I love their laptops, but I hate their mobile devices.
I'll worry about it when they actually make one.
Watch them start using non metric lugs on the wheels just to be "different".
Because relevant, from our friends over at [URL="http://sniffpetrol.com/2015/02/16/is-apple-working-on-a-car/#.VOt6NiuG-T8"]sniffpetrol[/URL]:
[quote=Orangiest motoring webiste][B]Rumours abound that Apple is working on a car. Sniff Petrol rhetorical headline correspondent BUZZFACT CLICKBAYTE gives eight amazing reasons why that is definitely the case.[/B]
1. Steve Jobs often drove a car.
2. Company rumoured to have trademarked the name iFiveDoorHatchback.
3. Chief designer Jonathan Ive has been seen getting into a car. What was he doing in there?
4. Architects’ drawings for new Apple campus mysteriously show a large area earmarked for the parking of cars.
5. Several roads spotted leading towards Apple headquarters and Apple shops and even Tim Cook’s house.
6. Apple insiders have made reference to top secret programme known only as ‘Project Let’s Make An Apple Car That’s By Apple And Is A Car’.
7. Bono keeps talking about an Apple car, even though you didn’t ask for him to.
8. Endless ****ing stories about Apple making a car so must be true.[/quote]
Maserati's downsizing into mainstream market not going as well as planned, apparently.
[url="http://www.autoblog.com/2015/03/18/maserati-ghibli-quattroporte-production-report/"]Maserati cutting Ghibli, Quattroporte production on slowing demand[/url]
They set pretty high targets,which FCA seems to have done a lot of recently.
The numbers they have sold are pretty impressive to me.
Well, the Ghibli really isn't that pretty -- but I'm probably in the minority on that one. There's a Maserati dealership around the corner from here, and I haven't been able to find an angle that really works for me.
Aside from that, I'd have to be hard pressed to pay a 50% premium over a comparable E-class, 5-series, A6, or even XF-type. Italian styling and heritage be damned.
Well, you could argue that [I]it costs more than 20 grand less[/I] than an equivalent 6 Series Gran Coupé.
Anyway.
I rather like the Ghibli. It looks good, goes fast and is relatively affordable (for a Maserati at least). However I can understand the problem; Maserati is not the first name that immediately comes up when shopping for an executive saloon. And also, the Maser does not have entry level versions which actually account for the bulk of sales.
[quote=Rasmus;1011532]Well, the Ghibli really isn't that pretty -- but I'm probably in the minority on that one. There's a Maserati dealership around the corner from here, and I haven't been able to find an angle that really works for me.
Aside from that, I'd have to be hard pressed to pay a 50% premium over a comparable E-class, 5-series, A6, or even XF-type. Italian styling and heritage be damned.[/quote]
To me the rear taillights look very Korean to me.
I'm not sure about pricing, but both of Maserati's current sedans don't look as great as the old Quattroporte did.
[quote=Ferrer;1011535]Well, you could argue that [I]it costs more than 20 grand less[/I] than an equivalent 6 Series Gran Coupé.[/quote]
True, but I don't see the Ghibli as a 6GC, A7, or CLS competitor; to me it fits in with the regular 5, A6, and E-class segment cars.
I've only ever driven the S Q4, and the impression I was left with was "not Maserati enough". It went to an 8 out of 10, where I would have expected an 11.
..and it was mid $90k, where a 550ix was $30k less, an S6 $20k less, an XFR $10k less, and about the same as -- at the time -- the fastest Model S, fully loaded. I didn't feel that the Ghibli merited the higher price. Had the price been $20k-$25k lower, I could have seen it as a contender in its intended market segment.
[quote=NSXType-R;1011537]To me the rear taillights look very Korean to me.
I'm not sure about pricing, but both of Maserati's current sedans don't look as great as the old Quattroporte did.[/quote]
I always thought it looked a bit like an Infinity from the back.
I still think that Maser should be a thinly disguised Ferrari. People will always pay the markup to a Ferrari, Ferrari will retain some important differences (flat-plane vs cross-plane V8s, no 4-doors or SUVs, limited build count, etc) and Maser will get some much needed excitement into the vehicles. Hell, sell enough diesel Masers and maybe Ferrari can drop the turbos.
I like the idea Ferraris in disguise (even if it is an affront to the Maserati name), but it doesn't seem to be the option Fisler has chosen for Maserati. They seem to prefer Maserati to fight with Porsche and Jaguar instead.
As I said, I like the Ghibli, but I can't really argue with what Rasmus says. Maybe the mistake is to see as an oldschool Maserati. And anyway compared to a Biturbo I'm sure it is [I]a bit[/I] better.
[quote=Ferrer;1011548]I like the idea Ferraris in disguise (even if it is an affront to the Maserati name), but it doesn't seem to be the option Fisler has chosen for Maserati. They seem to prefer Maserati to fight with Porsche and Jaguar instead.[/quote]
It can be both, I really just mean that it should have some distinctive Ferrari-ness about how it goes about its business. Once it's more successful it can get about the business of being Maserati again.
Yes! Take that ecomentalists! Now where's my supercharged Hemi Challenger? I want to save the world in it.
[url="http://jalopnik.com/audis-synthetic-fuel-is-basically-race-gas-1706271208"]Audis Synthetic Fuel Is Basically Race Gas[/url]
[SIZE=1](Is it ironic that this is coming from Audi?)[/SIZE]
What do you guys think of Sergio's constant attempts to find a further merger partner for FCA?
[quote=Kitdy;1012188]What do you guys think of Sergio's constant attempts to find a further merger partner for FCA?[/quote]
the previous time Fiat worked together with GM, it resulted in lots of money for them...
I've read that apparently Alfa Romeo's revival will drain lots of resources from FCA and this would leave them in a weak spot. Hence the interest in merging with another large car corporation.
If they merge with GM, they could use the Chevy Spark as a new Lancia Ypsilon! The Delta is back! (it's a Cruze). Think of the possibilities!
Then be sad. Real sad.
Faux Chryslers or faux Buicks, I don't know what would actually be worse for Lancia.
I would get a kick out of some serious GM bastardization of an old Chrysler zombie chassis. Replacing the SS/Caprice/Commodore with a 300-derived fullsizer with vestigial Daimler W211 componentry or basing the next GMC Colorado on the old (MJ/XJ) AMC Comanche platform would be pleasingly meta and silly.
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujn7jEQ4ib4"]Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 - Dragracing on a closed Airfield! - YouTube[/ame]
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Sir Gio may not be incorrect that the auto industry needs even further rationalization to be healthier, but this whining really makes FCA seem weak.
The market has slowed markedly in China, and for those that weren't well positioned there early, it may become even harder to crack into what's becoming a mature market.
We may yet lose some more brands in the coming years, and sacrifice more uniqueness.
Uniqueness has been long sacrificed...
The Giulia has been leaked!
[IMG]http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9b4BfglScqk/VYmPYyQ61vI/AAAAAAABA54/8M2BNulGOZQ/s1600/Alfa-2-Carscoops.jpg[/IMG]
Wow! The rear end of a Hyundai Sonata!
[IMG]http://www.moto123.com/ArtImages/127226/2011-hyundai-sonata-gl-i01.jpg[/IMG]
It looks big and not designed for Europe. Alfa wants to make a push in North America, and I assume other big markets like China and the Middle East. That will be hard in a luxury segment with a glut of options, and when Alfa has some lingering negative brand impressions from customers in North America, or none at all in Asia. I'll eat my hat if they come anywhere near their sales targets.
I'll root for them.
every detail on the the rear looks different. They have 4 wheels in common though...
It's now been leaked completely.
[url="http://www.pistonudos.com/noticias/nuevas-filtraciones-del-alfa-romeo-giulia/"]Nuevas filtraciones del Alfa Romeo Giulia | Pistonudos[/url]
[url="http://www.carscoops.com/2015/06/alfa-romeo-giulia-first-official-press.html"]Alfa Romeo Giulia: First Official Press Shots! [/url]
I'm not sure. It's a bit ungainly, especially at the front. The profile isn't bad though.
By the way, in 1 hour it will be official.
[quote=henk4;1012479]every detail on the the rear looks different. They have 4 wheels in common though...[/quote]
I imagined this was coming. Eh, maybe it reminds me more of the rear of the refreshed Sonata and the Optima.
That isn't necessarily a bad thing.
[URL="http://jalopnik.com/this-map-shows-you-the-curviest-roads-on-the-planet-1714269509"]http://jalopnik.com/this-map-shows-you-the-curviest-roads-on-the-planet-1714269509[/URL]
Holy smokes, Toronto is centered on the apex of the vortex of the straightest roads... [I]In the world[/I].