The Road Test Thread

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THE GTP ROAD TEST THREAD

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I'm surprised there isn't already a thread like this floating around. Here we post and discuss articles proving that the cars we hate are terrible and that the cars we love are great. Independent reviews by GTP members would be pretty cool to see as well I think. I'll get the ball rolling with a car I've been rather curious about, the Toyota Venza.

*linky link*

This is a car that I wanted to hate, with it being a Toyota and all. But I can't help but like the styling of the thing. It is probably one of the better designed cars on the roads, especially with the way the giant wheels help significantly with the proportions. It was supposed to be a great car, but I wondered why I'm not seeing this thing everywhere, even in Toyota-friendly Seattle, where the new Prius already outnumbers the Venza. But a confused purpose and a less than stellar interior do tell the tale fairly well.

List of reviews:

I can tell that maintaining this thread will be a chore and a half.
 
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I'd be more interested in what actual members have to say about cars.
 
Seat Exeo '09

I went to test drive the new Seat Exeo the other day and this is what it felt like:

I took an Exeo with the 2.0 TSI engine and Sport package. First I went around the car and checked what it looked like. I had read that it is an old Audi A4 with Seat-ish looks. It was 100% true. There was the same era A4 a couple of feet away and I just had to compare. The side profile is exactly the same, the fronts have the same feel (especially the headlights) and so do the rears. Click these links to see it yourself: Seat Exeo/Audi A4 '05

Because Audi and Volkswagen are both known for their TSI or TFSI engines with immense power and torque, I decided to take it on the nearest highway and accelerated full throttle (I didn't overspeed), but it was a slight disappointment. The torque is very good but I was waiting for something better.

The interior is basic Audi with a little mix of Volkswagen. The steering wheel is from the new Audis and the dashboard looks almost the same with the Audi except the round air vents. I have had a VW Golf V (or Rabbit Mk. 5) and all of the buttons, radio, air conditioning etc. are all the same with the Exeo. The Sport package seats give lots of side support.

The driving feel is very Audi-like but maybe a bit more relaxed, but the breaks are not though. They are extremely strong, so you have to be very careful applying the brakes, or the car will stop very violently. That dropped one point from the 'driving experience'.

Driving experience: 8/10
Feeling of quality: 9/10
Space and practicality: 7/10
Design: 8/10
Value for money: 8/10
 
Nice review on the Exeo, I quite like the looks of it (better at the front than the A4 it's based on, not quite as nice at the rear IMO). For reference - the dashboard is fully Audi - it's lifed straight from the A4 Cabrio of that generation A4. That's why it has the round vents. It's a nice idea because I always found myself wishing that the regular A4 had the slightly more interesting dash of the Cabrio and voila, Seat give us just that.

One thing I have noticed from having a look around a few Exeos is that unless you go for a top-spec model the lower ones feel quite cheap inside - they don't even have expected things like leather steering wheels or gearknobs. As for the brakes, you've noticed something that reviews often mention about A4s old and new - that the brakes are quite grabby.

I'll hopefully add reviews to this as I intend to do some new and used car tests for my car blog. The first one I intend to do is a "50mpg and less than £1000" used cars feature.

Also, can I suggest that this thread be somehow merged with this one? They seem very similar and we already have a few GTP users' reviews in that thread.
 
I'm very tempted to pop down to my local Kia dealer and drive the Soul:

kia_soul_production_2.jpg


Look! It's adorable!

Apparently the dynamics are a little disappointing, but I'd quite like to test that theory myself.
 
Funny you mention the Soul as I've just seen a black one go past. They look pretty cool actually. And they look bigger than you'd expect them to be.
 

Synopsis:

  • Driving a basic model, it seemed more than adequate for most people
  • Sticker price felt a little on the high side, but not bad
  • Loved the 1.8L engine, 5-speed gearbox combination
  • Ride was smooth, but could have been a little more tight
  • The car is quiet... A little too quiet

Compared to the new xB, the xD is a car that comes off a bazillion times better. Thing is, it is in an increasingly popular segment with a lot of great options, all of which deserve a shot as well. In a world that will soon include the Ford Fiesta and FIAT 500 in the same price range, those may be worth a look instead.
 
I've another thread with my thoughts on a couple cars I've driven, but I'll post the most pertinent one.

2009 Subaru Outback 2.5i
Deep Bronze Metallic

This Subaru estate is the most barebones outback they sell. It costs a cool $24,000 US dollars for the base 2.5i with the four speed automatic with "sportshift." It's a sort of tiptronic device which allows some drivers to select the gegars they want to be in without the hassle of a third pedal. The standard five speed model costs one thousand dollars less than the automatic.

You might think that with one hundred seventy horsepowers going to all four wheels and an automatic transmission, that this car is a slouch. It isn't. Rather, the car wants to go forward, and it wants to go there this instant, like the puppy who's seen a rabbit. Granted, it's not nearly as fast as its bigger muscled brothers, but one hundred severty hosepowers are enough to get someone in all sorts of trouble in the fluffy stuff. All of this fun and puppy-like exitedness comes with a cost - subaru's 2.5 liter boxer is thirsty for it's size, yielding about 20-26 miles per gallon. A volkswagen Jetta with a similarly sized inline gets thirty-three highway.

Looking at the styling, it really is a handsome car. For 2009, there were only two options for accursed two-tone paint, and the rest were tasteful shades of monotone metallic. I have a couple issues with this car. At twenty-four thousand U.S. dollars, you should at least get alloys. This car only comes with steelies and hupcaps.
Steelies and covers would be acceptable for something bland or ho-hum like, say.. a beige toyota. Steelies and caps reek of cheapness and sensibility.. and they somehow go together. You see, if this car came with steelies, I'd need them sitting naked, with a deep dish on aggressively treaded tires than can tear through solid diamonds and huge mudflaps with the pleiades on the back, to keep bits of run-over cow from nicking my paint. Otherwise, why bother? If it's got steels, it needs to be scary enough to terrify small children. The 2.5i Special Edition, however, does come with alloys. For some odd reason, according to the brochure, the 2.5i doesnt come with rear limited slip differential standard. One more reason to buy the 2.5i SE, as LSD is standard.

The interior is very well equipped, though the lower priced models only come with cloth. That being said, the cloth is of a very high quality. The buttons and features are well-placed, for the most part. Cruise control is simple to use, with all of the buttons within an inch of the thumb's normal position on the wheel. The back seats fold down very easily, although the button seemed a bit awkward. under the floor in the back, there's a good sized cubby hole for more of..whatever you feel like taking along today.

The front seats are a little frustrating. They stay towards the firm side, but the controls are very frustrating. there are about four levers and handles that do diffrent things. reclining and raising the seatback is a ratcheting action lever type thing, which is really only acceptable in an office chair.

Despite a slight discomfort, the car really is rewarding to drive. The car is peppy, and the steering is spot-on and very precise. For an off-road themed vehicle, the highway manners are very civilised, and it takes undulating stretches of pavement like an E-class Mercedes. It doesn't feel like a 3500 pound station wagon at all. But when you close the doors, you get the feeling that you are in a bank vault, without the added weight of a bank vault. Whereas an E-class actually is made of six inches of solid steel, the Outback feels like it was made of Cylon technology to keep weight down and rigidity up.

The outback does, of course come with all-wheel drive, which means that you can tool about on the roads at night when everyone else is inside asking Jesus to keep the white stuff from falling.

In short, the 2.5i is a very competent, if slightly overpriced car. the 2.5i Special edition costs roughtly one thousand dollars more and you get a limited slip rear diff and alloys. Those two options make the 2.5i Special Edition a much better value.

8.5/10 :)
 
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Moar road tests:

2009 Nissan cube 1.8 SL
Steel gray / black cloth
CVT

If you can imagine that everything forward of the front fender isn't there, from the outside it is a lovely car. Add in the front fascia and the front profile, and the car's styling takes a turn for the worst. It looks similar to a shaving apparatus with headlights. And it makes sense, too. My salesperson, Tommy, told me that when Nissan delivered the car, they had a training session and that they were told to refer to it as a "Mobile Device." It's even in the literature. "Cube Mobile Device." Uh-oh.. It's a car that doesn't think it's a car. Which may well mean it doesn't think the driver enjoys driving.

Open any one of the doors, and the Cube comes alive. It's a whole two feet shorter in length than a mazda 3, but it feels like it's ten times bigger. The dashboard is very long from edge to the windscreen. The dashboard is.. very tall, and the driver feels like he or she is driving a large truck. But it doesn't matter. The Interior is brilliant. It looks best in light gray, as the black I tested seems monotonous and very chrysler-like. The interior is as open and airy as nature itself, and it gives off an aura of fun. The vent rings can be curstom ordered in several colors. The steering wheel seems like it was made on Spore. In fact, the whole car may well have been designed by a pimply fifteen-year old, looking for red spice. The door handles have an interesting shape to them, and there are ripple effects hidden all over the vehicle. There's one on the headliner, one over each speaker, and there are some in the cupholders.

The best part is the fact that the seats are reminiscent of some 1960s econobox seats or the seats in an airplane. They just look cool. When they're coupled with the wacky interior shapes and gimmicky features like bungees to hold parking tickets, it seems almost a little French.

...In some respects it is. Nissan is part of Renault. (correct me if I'm wrong) However excellent the interior is, I'm wary of the fact that the smile effect for the quirkiness will fade.

That's because when the accelerator is touched to make the 1.8 liter with variable valve timing go forward, the 122 horsepower seem to jerk the steering wheel slightly to the right. Either the car I had was misaligned, or this mobile device suffers from torque steer. The CVT is quite smooth, and the ride quality isn't bad. It's got its own charm in its own way.

For someone who isn't into handling and just wants a competent small, fun car that can seat Shaq, his clone, and 58 cubic feat of cargo at a very good price, this car is it.

It passes, it isn't terrible, but the drive wasn't all that impressive. It didn't really wow me with the way it rode or the way it drove, and at times the engine seemed a bit overworked. 122 horses doesn't seem like enough to move 2788 pounds. That being said, it does come with a Rockford Fosgate sound system that will turn this "mobile device" into a stereo that will deliver music within a three mile radius. Rock On.

7.0 / 10
 
Phil, man, you need to update the first post.

Over this past weekend I went with a buddy of mine who is interested in buying a new sporty-ish vehicle since he's graduating soon. I told him I'd tag along because I enjoy driving numerous cars to see how good or bad they actually are. Often times magazine reviews are biased or extremely questionable. I'll have more reviews coming later including a Volvo C30 and a Civic Si Coupe.

2009 Subaru WRX 4-door
Engine: H-4 2.5L Turbo
Power: 265hp @ 6,000RPM
Torque: 244lb.ft. @ 4,000RPM
Colour: Obsidian Black Pearl
Interior: Dark Gray
Economy: 18/25mpg
Price as tested: $26,419

My buddy Nick took the wheel first, so I got a chance to go over the interior. I choose to sit in the back seat to see how it was. The first thing I noticed was how cheap the interior of the car was, the panel gaps were huge and everything was awash in a sea of GM inspired plastics. The roof paneling was exceptionally bad and the plastic fasteners that held the panel to the roof were visible. Seriously? It all felt very budget like and for $26,000 it seems like you should get a nice cockpit.

The suspension on the car managed to feel poor in the corners and extremely tight and uncomfortable on the poorly maintained Michigan roads. It actually felt like the car had been in an accident at one point in it's life, but with only 15 miles on the clock that seemed unlikely. I have to imagine that's how they are supposed to feel. It would have been one thing to have tight, bone jarring ride quality if the car could go around corners properly.

I took the driver seat after Nick, the "racing" seats up front weren't bad but I think it would destroy my back for any long trip. It was more of an around town car, not a highway cruiser. It was the same problem I had had with the older WRX's, it was just an awkward place to be.

The clutch felt pretty weird too, I'm not sure what sort of system the WRX has but it's nothing like I've really ever driven. It managed to be heavy and springy without actually giving me much feel. I almost stalled the car numerous times. Nick said the same thing and he's only ever driven standard trans cars. It was not a friendly car to drive in traffic or to park. I was disappointed with a 5 speed gear box too.

The acceleration was pretty brisk and you could here the turbo spool. There wasn't much lag either which surprised me. The salesman talked about an anti-lag system on the car, which translated to me that the engine was going to explode prematurely.

Nick and I were extremely disappointed with the car as a whole and we both thought we were going to love it. It just felt unfinished and on a budget, and that's not a good thing on a car that cost $26,000 with very few options (it didn't even have fog lights). Yes it was straight line fast but that's about it.

Joey:👎
Nick:👎
 
^ Yikes.

Please don't scare me out of joining the Subaru Religion. :nervous: I stepped into a car cult before, and the Church of Mercedes was as expensive as tithing to the Church of scientology.

No Kidding. Philly needs to pick up the ball.

Joey: Subaru's quality seems hit or miss now. The non-turbo models are praised profusely on the web, but I hear that many turbo models (WRX, Outback 2.5X, etc.) are nightmares with engine lights coming on after 200 miles and other little quality gremlins.
 
Car cults aren't all that bad, owning a MINI is defiantly like being part of a cult. We all wave at one another, park near each other, and we'll go up and talk to other MINI owner, whether we know them or not. It's fun, although I can see how an outsider might think it's a bit creepy or weird.

And with the quality issues, I can take cheapness in a cheap car, but not in a car that comes in at $26,000 for a really basic model. Seriously the interior felt like it was out of a Cobalt, and that's not a good thing.

A girl I work with has an 08 Impreza Sport Wagon and it's not awful, but it's certainly not the best small hatchback I've ever sat it or drove. I still think I would rather have a Mazda 3 even if it doesn't offer AWD. One thing I will say though is that when she goes to sell it, it will have held it's value decently well. Unless of course the 07+ Impreza's aren't like the ones of old.
 
Car cults aren't all that bad, owning a MINI is defiantly like being part of a cult. We all wave at one another, park near each other, and we'll go up and talk to other MINI owner, whether we know them or not. It's fun, although I can see how an outsider might think it's a bit creepy or weird.

:lol: Indeed. I would wave at W124 E classes, and they'd wave back occasionally. Once I got into a 90 mile per hour wolfpack with a 190E and a 300E. When we got into town, it was like nothing ever happened.

Review coming this evening on a Honda Element, most likely.
 
Phil, man, you need to update the first post.

Done.

Car cults aren't all that bad, owning a MINI is defiantly like being part of a cult. We all wave at one another, park near each other, and we'll go up and talk to other MINI owner, whether we know them or not. It's fun, although I can see how an outsider might think it's a bit creepy or weird.

They're actually pretty cool once you're in one. It gets pretty hectic with Volkswagens though. There are just so many on the road that you can't waive at them all or park next to them all. Although I usually get pretty excited whenever I see another GTI or GLI on the freeway. And then things get kinda interesting...
 
Well, curiosity may have killed the cat. I stopped in at a Honda dealer on my way home from work, and ended my curiosity over the Honda Element. It may have thrown me for a curveball.

2009 Honda Element AWD EX
Citrus Fire metallic / tan cloth

The Honda element started out as a delightfully quirky Sport-utility with a bunch of gimmicks and party pieces that made it a bit wild. The odd front end proportions and liberal use of black plastic had many buyers scared off. Honda have done away with the black exterior plastic, and have restyled the grille and headlights. The result is pleasant, an understated tough yet sophisticated look that Honda have perfected.

The interior seems wacky at first, with a textured urethane floor for easy clean-up and doors that clamshell. It gets even more unorthodox with seats that fold up into the side of the truck. They can also come out easily, be folded flat into a bed type thing, et cetera, et cetera. The system for seating is ingenious. (editorial light: I'm a whore for neat ways of getting seats out of the way. I thought the way my seats folded flat in my old Benz was cool, but this takes the cake for ingenuity) there is 74 cubic feet of space, according to honda. There's a clamshell rear hatch, and the lower half is flush with the floor of the car for easy loading.

The interior quality, despite an amount of petroleum derivatives coating the inside that makes Chrysler blush, is quite good. The seats are firm, but not too hard, and the steering wheel has the best feel of any I've ever touched. The interior front door handles feel out of place, though. They are so poorly designed, so poorly place, and so flimsy looking, that not even a Chrysler designer from the eighties would have done what Honda have done with this. it's a tiny piece of beige plastic that is up and away from the door, flush with the panel. It's appallingly bad. But the knobs for the HVAC are big enough to be seen from Jupiter, and they turn and click to the next setting with satisfying substantialness. All of the controls are generally well-placed. The outboard AC vents take some getting used to but function well.

This Car ranks as one of the more solid feeling cars I've driven. The hood is so thick and reinforced that it could withstand an airstrike. all of the doors close with the satisfying thunk that a solid vehicle must have, but they seem even more solid than what is really necessary for most people. It would seem that the engineers at Honda wanted it to beat diamonds on the Mohs scale for hardness. It does everything an SUV should. It can hold large quantities of things, it has a high ground clearance, and the car feels like a rolling air raid shelter. there's that "I'm safe" satisfaction that tends to sell large sport-utilities. (that more often than not turn out to be not that safe)

BUT. This car has the letter H festooned proudly in the center of the grille. You see, it has a severe case of multiple personality disorder. While it is 3600 pounds of metal stamped and formed such that it feels like a tank and eats stuff like a sport utility, start the car, and it thinks it is the opposite of a sport utility.

Start the car and start driving, it has the nerve to tell you that it's a Honda Civic. The steering isn't vague. As a matter of fact, it is incredibly precise, with a turning diameter that is phenomenal for an SUV, let alone a front-driver. (34.9 feet) The ride quality isn't cushy and springy, but it isn't rough either. This is a vehicle that thinks it is both a car and an SUV, and it has most of the positive qualities of both. It can't pull what a normal SUV can - it's only able to pull 1500 pounds. It doesn't get the fuel mileage of a normal car either - 22 combined miles per gallon. Factor in that it IS an SUV, the mileage is completely forgivable. Like a Civic and unlike an SUV, it only seats four.

The 2.4 liter inline four with i-VTEC is more than happy to send you forward, but it seems a bit loud from inside the cabin and the 161 horses do seem a little overworked for the Element's 3600 pound mass. It supposedly comes with all wheel drive, but the rear wheels only come on when traction is lost in the front. So you're left with a front-drive Sport utility that has a rear differential for a rainy day. However, the engine is wonderful, and there's very little torque steer, if any.

It's totally shattered my image of what an SUV should do. It schools many station wagons and SUVs in utility and practicality, and it has the spirit and handling of a very competent compact car.

At the end of the day, it's a Honda. That, of course, means that the car s automatically so reliable that it will outlive the owner.

Really, I only have a minor list of complaints.

It needs full time all-wheel drive. I want some power to the back at all times.
The door latches need to be redone and placed better.
The engine could use a little more umph. Maybe supercharge it, as it seems that a bit more power could ease the strain that the car's weight has on the somewhat low output engine.

8.9 / 10
 
Hey, put a blower on it, and it'll definitely send power to the back wheels when you tromp on it. X3
 
2009 Volvo C30
Engine: I-5 2.5L Turbo
Power: 227hp @ 5,000RPM
Torque: 236lb.ft. @ 1,500 - 5,000RPM
Colour: Black Sapphire Metallic
Interior: Black
Economy: 19/28mpg
Price as tested: $24,100

The main reason why we wanted to drive this car is because it's essentially an international Focus. I had driven one when I was looking for a new car back in 2007 but I didn't really remember it past that it was expensive and the dealer had a mark up on it.

I once again to a back seat for the start of the test drive to see how the leg room was compared to something like a 3 door GTI. I was fairly impressed at how roomy it was and I could see myself sitting back there for an extended period of time and not having any issues. The C30 offers two separate rear seats, unlike the GTI which attempts to wedge 3.

The interior was like something straight out of IKEA. It was modern, efficient, and wasn't trying to be expensive, nor did it feel cheap. It was almost boring you could say. The only notable feature was the waterfall centre console which floated in the middle of the dash. Although to do this they had to put all the buttons together making it look like a giant mobile phone pad.

centre_console.gif

How cool is that?

The car was an automatic with Geartronic, a tap shift function. Nick hated it and I didn't really mind it but was disappointed at the lack of a 6th gear. New cars with automatics should have 6-speeds in them now, it helps with fuel economy and sportiness. There was also a horrid delay when you tapped the shifter and when the car changed gear. It all felt very disconnected, which was surprising because a lot of new cars with a tap shift feature allow you quite a bit of play with the gear changes.

The engine was fairly sporty and it used all that power and torque decently well. You could sort of feel the turbo but it wasn't loud so it was hard to tell it was even there. There wasn't an real torque steer, nor did the tires want to brake traction when you stepped on it. Once again this was all fairly boring.

In the corners that car was good, it felt planted although it didn't feel like is had the soul of a sports car in it. I think part of the problem is that it weighed in at 3,270lbs, which seems quite heavy. Although I don't think the car is really meant to be something you flog around the bends as much as say a GTI. The suspension did have some give in it and made driving down bumpy roads much more comfortable than the Subaru. It actually felt exactly how I suspected it to on every road condition we passed.

Once we got back to the dealer we walked around the car taking notes, one thing I could help but noticing is how useless the rear hatch is. Why, oh why, do companies feel the need to make round hatches when most things you'll be putting in them are square. Other than that the styling on the car was a bit awkward but it was something I could learn to like and get used to.

In the end Nick ended up hating the car because it was boring and I basically thought of it as a heavier, bigger, MINI Clubman with a less practical rear end. I didn't hate it but I don't think I would actually want to buy one.

Joey: :indiff:
Nick: 🤬👎
 
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That sounds about how I expected the car to be. Something sorta sporty but not enough to take away from easy operation.

I definitely second the gearbox comment. Dad had a C40 when he came out to Holland one time and even sitting in the passenger seat I could tell that the shifter was only using the power of suggestion. The shift delay combined with the slushy torque converter feel made me wonder why the car even had a "sport" shifter.

I'll be having a loaner car for the day as the GTI is going in for a checkup. (scheduled maintenance, so no worries.) I'm pretty impressed with this being only the second time it's been in the shop all summer. 👍
 
This road testing thing.. it's really fun. :D

I wouldn't mind continuing to do it once a week or so for various makes/models. (Although dealers might get a little pissy) We could have a few people just going out and testing different cars, communicating via PM to see who is doing what. It would be neat to do a "GTP Comparo" with three or gour members all going out and testing two or three cars in a segment, and people comparing their results like on TG or in Car and Driver.

...thoughts?
 
This road testing thing.. it's really fun. :D

I wouldn't mind continuing to do it once a week or so for various makes/models. (Although dealers might get a little pissy) We could have a few people just going out and testing different cars, communicating via PM to see who is doing what. It would be neat to do a "GTP Comparo" with three or gour members all going out and testing two or three cars in a segment, and people comparing their results like on TG or in Car and Driver.

...thoughts?

That's sound like fun, I don't know if I could do it weekly though. A lot of the testing I do is on the weekends and my time is hit or miss.
 
So this would be like a GTP Magazine? I think the idea was tossed around before but didn't really get very far...

Oh, and the car I was put in is just a standard Bunny Rabbit. A certain other member here already has one so I don't think we need a review of it. But it is a very strange car to drive.
 
Well, if this is a Magazine, then I'm gonna be the guy who writes once a month about old cars. Because....that's all I've driven.

Lemme start with this one...

1927 Ford Model T Touring

Engine: I-4 L-Head 177 in^3 (2.9L)
Power: 20 HP
Colour: Red with Black Fenders/black top
Interior: Black
Price as new (Inflation Adjusted): $3,271

This. Is a car. and nothing more.

On the several occasions that I've driven my grandfather's Ford Model T, it's been an experience. It has a manual transmission...that's shifted fully with your left foot. There is no gas pedal, that's operated by your right hand. There's not even automatic spark advance, THAT'S operated by your LEFT hand!

The Model T was designed to be a car for a developing nation. It's been well documented that automobiles were toys for rich people up until Henry Ford created a segment-breaker: we now know that as the "Bargain Basement" or "People's car."

Let me tell you, though, a Tata Nano looks like a Rolls Royce compared to even this last of the Model T vehicles. You get one instrument. One. And instead of something useful like a speedometer or temperature or fuel gauge, it's a magneto/generator gauge, which tells you if you're drawing from the car's battery, or charging it. Want to cool off? Open the windshield. Want to warm up? Good luck, unless you want to get an aftermarket accessory that allows you to take heat off the exhaust manifold.

The fact that grandpa's "T" is a 1927 model is fortunate: Only one year earlier, Ford moved the fuel tank from under the seat to over the cowl. This is because the car has no fuel pump. If you went up a steep hill in the early models...you got no gas. Thus, you turned around and reversed up.

We don't have to worry about that today, though. With our high-mounted tank, we simply open the petcock-valve, allowing the gasoline to fill the line to the simple Holley Carburetor. We also dont' have to worry about a backfire taking our arm off: the car has an electric starter, although the crank IS there, if you want to rip your arm off...I mean, use it.

Step in. kind of difficult: The door is roughly a foot and a half long in this open-top "Touring" model, but you sit high and proud, like in an SUV. You don't feel nearly as safe, though. There's absolutely no metal to protect you, no collapsible steering column, no safety belt...and no way to tell how fast you're going.

Okay, time for the "Dance of starting." Pull out the choke, retard the spark (this one has a non-original Bosch 09 Distributor, but you still can manually adjust the timing) crank her over with the floor-mounted starter...when it fires, move the spark lever back, push in the choke, and turn the choke knob until she runs right: you can adjust the fuel metering, too.

Now, put the rightmost pedal halfway in, reach your left hand down and set the parking brake/gear lever to "low" That's halfway forward, operated by a lever remarkably similar to a steam locomotive's reverser lever. You do this to lock out high gear, which is engaged by putting the lever full-forward and keeping off the pedals.

To reverse, press in the center pedal slowly and gently, (despite the thing feeling heavier than a racing clutch - no power assist on anything,) while adding throttle with the hand lever. It's the precise reverse of using a clutch in a manual car. Back out onto the street...now, put the "reverser" lever full-forward, with your foot halfway in on the "C" pedal, which is all the way to your left. All the way to your right is the brakes...only on the rear wheels.

Now, press "C" All the way down, until you engage low gear. Accelerate up to about 10 miles an hour (guessing, of course, by the engine noise,) and let up on everything. You're now in high gear and good for 45!

Of course, you don't dare go that fast. You have no stabilizer bars, two springs (You'll never call normal leaf-spring setups "buggy springs" again,) No shock absorbers, four oversized Bicycle tires, and miniature chuck wagon wheels. You plan stops well ahead of time, Because there's only two (rudimentiary, at that) Cable-actuated drum brakes to stop you. Not to mention, the steering on this example has about 1/8 turn of slop in it. That's tight for a T.

It's even worse on these country backroads, which must've been paved roughly the time this car was built. You dance about on the narrow, bumpy lanes, keeping eagle eyes on the lookout for more modern machines (read, just about everything) as you saw at the wheel, trying to keep it out of a ditch.

And, yet, there's a smile on my face as my butt bounces on the vinyl bench seating surfaces (non-original, though the springs in them are,) underneath the billowing canvas roof. Because it's so high up, there's a flat floor, and it's not uncommon for five or six of us (especially the kids) to come along on the excursions. Sure, we're all packed in like the Clampetts, but we're out here, having fun.

and it strikes you that Dearborn made 15 MILLION of these things, most without the "luxuries" of things like the electric starter, a gas tank that always worked uphill, electric headlamps, or even COLOR: Between 1914 and 1926, the only color you could get was black. (early and late Ts could have a small selection of colors)

Not only did people not have those luxuries, but they used their cars on a daily basis. On Sundays, You might see Ma, pa, Granddad, Uncle Joe, and four or five kids crammed into the family car, headed to Church, in a fashion none too similar to our Clampett-esque excursions. This...is a real car. It's not much, but that's what it is. Much like the farmers who drove them, The "T" is humble, yet gets the job done.

No, it's not sporty or fast, (or quick, even requiring a "Slow Moving Vehicle" triangle at times,) no, it's not stylish or, compared to contemporaries, desirable, (at least, it wasn't then,) but it's an honest-to-goodness get-you-where-you-want-to-go machine. Even the Air-cooled Volkswagen seems luxurious compared to a "T." It's the ultimate in No-frills motoring. You don't even get Windows.

So it strikes you, that you're driving history, and as you see the tot flash by in his dad's Buick, pointing and saying "Look at that!" through the window, you get it.

Old cars...are cool. Sure, you'd never drive one daily...but every now and then, it's nice to be nostalgic.

Just remember: If it's a '25 or older, drive up the big hill backwards.
 
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:lol:

Mr. Prower, you have thrown us all for a loop. 👍 What will you think of next?
 
Well, every good car mag has a classic feature once in awhile! ;3

I have a couple more "real" antiques I could write about, but I'll let the thread fill out a bit more before that. :3

An interesting note: we think Grandpa's car spent some time in Argentina: while re-upholstering the seats, we found argentinan coffee bags stuffed in there!
 

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