What Do You Drive?

[Joey D]

Since we're all car nerds on some level, I figured we should have a thread talking about what we all drive.

I have a 2023 Toyota Tacoma TRD Offroad double cab long bed. I live in a remote area with limited snow plowing, so I need a vehicle with 4WD and good ground clearance to navigate the snow. I also tow a side-by-side, haul wood, and do other truck things. I opted for a mid-sized truck over a full-sized one because a full-sized one does not fit in my garage. Plus, Ford, GM, and Ram trucks are all problems waiting to happen, whereas the Tacoma has relatively few problems to worry about.

I don't have much done to it, at least not yet. So far, I've swapped the tires to BFG KO3s, installed Diode Dynamic yellow fog lights, and added an AVS bug shield and window deflectors. The next time Summit Racing has a sale, I'm probably going to get a new suspension for it too. I don't want a lift kit, but I travel a ton of dirt roads at 55mph, so something that soaks up the bumps better would really help. I also want to add some additional lights, as it's extremely dark, and I want to be able to see deer.

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Prior to that, I had a 2020 Toyota 4Runner that I hated, a 2019 Volvo S60 R-Design, a 2013 Volvo S60 R-Design, a 2015 Tacoma SR5, a 2013 Volvo C30 R-Design, A 2012 Ford Focus Titanium, a 2007 MINI Cooper, and a 2003 Chevy Blazer Xtreme. I've also had a few other vehicles sprinkled in there that we're daily drivers, including a 1998 (?) Honda Passport, 2001 Chevy S-10, 1997 Chevy S-10, 1995 Dodge Neon rally car with a 2.4L swap, and a 1984 Oldsmobile Delta 88.

[Jezza819]

2025 Lexus NX350h Hybrid

It's a lease. I work for the company and I'm master certified so we get reimbursed towards a vehicle lease. A hybrid is what I need because other than vacation trips I put very few in town miles on per year. I live very close to work and all of the stores I need are very close. It gets about 38 mpg on highway trips but it suffers during the very cold winter months especially on those short city trips so it probably drops into the mid 20's or so. It's the perfect size for me. Since I'm a little older now I don't have to get down into it.

[Furious]

This year, I've switched over to an EV from gas. More specifically, 2024 Chevy Equinox EV.
It's a great car and a big upgrade from the 2016 Nissan Rogue we've had. Equinox has Adaptive Cruise, which works great on highway, hands-free power liftgate, keyless start/stop, remote start and monitoring, huge infotainment screen with Google's Automotive OS (Android for vehicles), automatic lights, heated seats and steering, climate control, etc. All of those things that our previous cars didn't have. Another thing is the comfort of driving an EV with a single speed transmission is much better that a multi-speed gas vehicle, plus you don't need oil changes or fill up with gas, so no more trips to the gas station or oil change places.

I guess one big one thing people generally worry about is the range in an EV. My commute is pretty short and most of the driving is done around town, so I'm not worried about range or charging. Especially, since this EV has plenty of range. Driving around town with occasionally freeway you can get 320-350 miles of range in warmer weather. We'll see how much range drops in the winter, but with being able to charge in the garage and at work, the car should be pre-heated, which will minimize range degradation.

If you drive on highway, my consumption average (at 72-73mph) is around 3.0-3.1kWh per mile, which with a 90kWh battery translates to 270-280 miles of highway range, which is really only relevant for going on road trips where you might be travelling for hours at that speed, which brings us to another potential issue with EVs - charging or more specifically DCFC (or level 3), which is what you'll want and need when going on a road trip. I think the charging infrastructure in the last 1-2 years really improved and based on my limited experience this year, the infrastructure is there and good enough to allow you to road trip, if you have a vehicle with 250-300 miles of range and charging of 150kW+, which is exactly what Equinox EV is capable of. You have to adjust the way you travel a little bit from a gas vehicle. Most chargers are located in parking lots of malls or fast food places, which means you want to time your stops along with a bathroom brake and getting some snacks. In this case, the time it takes care of those things is plenty to get the car filled up with electrons to continue the journey. So yeah, before actually trying it out, 30 minute charging times seemed way too long for me, but in reality it's a non-issue, since that only applies to road trips, where you just use the above strategy to make it a non-issue. Otherwise, 99% of your charging sessions will be done at home/work with a Level 2 (240V up to 20kW) chargers, while you work or sleep.

So, I highly recommend giving a consideration to EVs, now that the prices have come down and ranges have gone up and above 300 miles. The key to this is having daily access to a Level 2 charger either at work or home. Might be a little bit tricky if you live in an apartment.

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[GBO Possum]

I agree with Furious about the EV thing.

Mrs Possum and I share two cars, a 2012 "Centennial" Corvette and a 2024 Tesla Model Y.

I would post a photo if I could figure out how to do that.

Our EV experience (apart from the aroma of musk) has been absolutely fabulous. Every darned thing is automated it seems (though do NOT believe the hype about "Full" Self Driving. It's an assist that is only mostly good.) However the rest of the experience is amazing.

We charge it in the garage. Never have range anxiety, since, on trips, it figures out where to stop, how long to stop for and usually wants to hit the road before we have finished with food/restroom, so we leave with a higher charge level than it planned for.

Prior to making the EV decision, I was obsessively worried about "range", to the point where on a daily basis, I recorded my miles and put them in a spreadsheet and calculated how often I'd be forced to charge.

The convenience of pre-heating/cooling via the app is fantastic. For example, let's say it's damned cold in our garage and the car is frigid. I tell it when I want to leave and it heats the car, the seats and the steering wheel. Our friends love it when they sit on a toasty seat as we return from dinner out.

The Corvette is a load of fun, marginally quicker to 60 mph, handles better and so on, but when it is time to move on, our next car will be an EV. If I were to do that today, I'd get another Tesla, but not a new one. EV depreciation is savage and Tesla depreciation is even more so. So I'd go to the used market. I just really like Tesla's software and the Supercharger network.

[Strittan]

I would post a photo if I could figure out how to do that.

There's a tab that says "Attachments" below the message window. Click that and then "Add files" to upload photos.

Me? I don't drive anything at the moment but I ride these:

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[GBO Possum]

We share these two very different cars.

2012 Corvette Grand Sport Coupe, Centennial Edition and 2024 AWD Tesla Model Y

The top photo was taken at Watkins Glen during a track experience day the missus organized.

The other one was in mid-February this year when the Corvette is allowed to stay in the garage.

The Tesla is being fed on 100% renewable electricity.
.
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[Pupik]

We're a Mazda / Toyota family...we bought a CX-50 last autumn after my Scion started eating its transmission.

We've had the 2012 Mazda 5 van since new, and that's my go-to for weekend work or when there's more than four of us.



The CX-50 is "polymetal gray" so it's looks dark-gray in shade, silvery-blue in mixed lighting, and the various colors of blue jeans in sunlight. We sprung for the turbo Premium 4WD edition but I could do without the 20" wheels.

We also have a 2009 Corolla which the daughter drove (but doesn't take to school) so we use that to keep off work miles on the CX-50. I find myself driving slower than before in the Mazda 5; it's a little lazy and almost trouble-free (for a 14-year-old car) but still smooth after 182,000 miles. We're hanging onto it so my daughter can pick one or the other, leaving the other for her brother. My son hasn't really had the gearhead spark yet at 14.

tl;dr 20-year-old-me laughs that I drive a minivan but 50-year-old-me enjoys it more than 80% of the rental cars I drive each week.

[Zero_Sum]

Despite having been introduced to Gran Turismo at the tender age of 13, and growing up through the tuner "Max Power" age, I didn't actually learn to drive until I was in my mid-to-late 20s, and as such have a relatively small range of vehicles that I've owned and driven.

The first car, and the one I learned in, was a 2008 Dodge Caliber SXT. Even though it had the CVT transmission, the 2 litre engine gave it a little bit of spice, allowing me to surprise the yocals in their trucks in impromptu drag races off the lights. It also had wicked torque-steering, which almost caught me out a few times!

Next up was a 2007 Audi A6 Avant Quattro. 3.2 litre V6 wagon. My daughter named her Rosey. I named her needlessly-expensive-for-a-school-run. The previous owner had lowered it and put in some Bilstein shocks and beefed up sway bars to stiffen the ride, as such it had grip for days. I'd still get yocals in their trucks wanting to drag off the lights, but Rosey made it easy.

However, the cost of running a 3.2 litre Audi when all you're doing is going to and from a school that's 2 minutes drive away isn't financially responsible, so the Audi was sold.

Now, I "share" my partner's 2015 Nissan Rogue. It's a something something engine with a CVT. White, with its fair share of dents and scratches.