Auto Buyers Guide

07/07/2025

Why hasn't Nissan brought their e-Power hybrid system to the USA yet? Because they think it's not a "good fit" and the related Mitsubishi Outlander demonstrates why. This non-hybrid Outlander got 30.3 MPG on our test loop, beating the 27 MPG EPA combined score. The long-term Outlander PHEV we owned got just 25.6 MPG on the same cycle. What gives? Well, both the Mitsubishi PHEV and the Nissan e-Power systems are serial hybrids at their core. What does that mean?

In a serial hybrid, an engine drives a generator, then the generator powers a motor that drives the wheels. (Yes there is more going on, but that's the basic layout.) In a parallel hybrid like a RAV4 or Tucson hybrid, the engine and motor/generators work in parallel to power the wheels, so in steady-state travel, the majority of the power is *mechanically* flowing from engine to wheels, which reduces loss. According to a conversation I had with some hybrid engineers, the energy loss in a serial hybrid can be as much as 20%. This is why Honda's 2-motor system, and the Mitsubishi PHEV, have a mode that allows a single fixed gear ratio to be used at moderate highway speeds to help out. The issue with e-Power (and any supposed "range extender") is that it lacks this fixed ratio mode.

So in a nutshell, why don't we have more EVs with "range extenders"? Because the efficiency tradeoff seems to be too much for most car companies to consider.

04/07/2025

The problem with Consumer Reports' data isn't CR's fault, but the data is getting sketchy anyway. Why? Because the number of people reporting scores is shrinking rapidly, giving the dataset more holes than Swiss cheese. What can be done about it? In a nutshell: more people need to subscribe to CR and report the data, because without that, their report is getting less useful every year.

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03/07/2025

Plug in hybrid doesn't have to be a dirty phrase, because this kind of PHEV is the kind I think everyone can get behind... Will anyone plug it in? No, probably not, but that doesn't matter at all...

02/07/2025

It's that time of year again! JD Power dropped their wildly misunderstood IQS scores for 2025 model year vehicles! In a nutshell, owners were surveyed about the *first 90 days of ownership* and the nearly 100,000 responses were a randomized group of owners who were mailed surveys based on registration information, not because they subscribe to something specific. The study also adds in data from dealer service departments.

So who's winning and losing? Perhaps unsurprisingly, Lexus topped the list with... Nissan in #2? Wait, Jaguar is #3 and Dodge and Honda are neck-and neck? Yeah, we need to talk more about the numbers.

First up. No, JD Power awards are not "purchased" by car companies, Nissan didnt' pay to get better scores here. What Nissan did do however is have an aging lineup with fairly easy-to-use controls and interfaces.

What does infotainment have to do with this? Ah, the devil is in the details. You see, IQS isn't just about "what fell off the car that should have been bolted down," it's about infotainment bugs, ease of use, driving assist systems, "driving experience", etc. Although I have been chastised for saying this, there is some amount of "customer satisfaction" inherent in the questions and the way they are often responded to.

Also, JD Power does not say how things are ranked or if they are. Did the 1.66 problems on average in a Lexus equal the severity of the 1.69 problems on average in a Nissan? We'll never know. It's also worth noting that nothing is adjusted for miles driven, which is likely why the 911 scores so well... You have to drive it for problems to show up, and on average, 911 drivers don't put on miles like a Corolla driver.

So what does this mean? Well, if you're only keeping your car for 90 days, Nissan's wares will serve you well and prove to be problem-free and easy to use.

30/06/2025

For 2026, Honda's best seller gains Honda's fastest-growing trim. Yep, that's right, there's now a CR-V Trailsport! Also, this is Honda's first and only Trailsport Hybrid. There's just one little catch... This Trailsport is only a hair more capable than other hybrid models, and that's mainly down to the standard Continental all-terrain tires. Which you could swap out yourself.

So what has changed? The looks. We get gloss black accents, orange badging, embroidered cloth seats, unique wheels, and some subtle tweaks to the bumpers.

About that hybrid part? Under the hood this is the same "two motor" system found in the regular CR-V hybrid which means 204 HP / 247 lb-ft sending power mechanically to all four wheels. Fuel economy drops vs the regular models due to the tires, but this Honda is still rated for a solid 35 MPG and that's pretty similar to the Forester Hybrid.

Speaking of that Forester... These two hybrid "off-road" vehicles have something else in common. Neither has a spare from the factory, and the reason is the same. The two companies chose to locate the battery on top of the spare tire well instead of tucking it somewhere else out of the way.

Aside from that, the capability of the two hybrids is quite similar thanks tohe mechanical AWD systems that have a decidedly traditional feel vs the e-AWD systems in the Toyota RAV4 hybrid and Mazda CX-50 hybrid. Ground clearance is also similar with 8.2 inches in the Honda vs 8.7 inches in the Subaru. In other words, both will be fine in the concrete jungle and both will get you down that gravel road at the state park. Want to conquer Moab? Look elsewhere.

What do you think? Should Honda have taken a page out of the Passport's book and taken the CR-V's off-road capability to Bronco Sport heights? Or is the looks rugged pack enough to satisfy you?

27/06/2025

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27/06/2025

When is "good" good enough? Or in other words: does Nissan have to go back to deep discounts to make the Rogue sell as well as it used to?

26/06/2025

I wasn’t kidding, the Grenadier is really quite goods as a family car. There’s plenty of room for rear facing seats, the higher ride height is easier on my back, and the tall door openings mean you don’t have to bend over to get her in/out.

25/06/2025

Is it just me, or does the side profile of the new Cherokee have a little Toyota RAV4 and a Land Cruise going on in the back?

21/06/2025

We all knew the transition to J3400 (NACS) would be a weird, wild, and bumpy road, but I had no idea it would be *this* weird. For 2026 we'll have not just one, but two odd ducks in America with both a J1772 connector AND the new J3400 connector. Sounds great, right? Well, not so much when you dive into the details... What's going on? Let's talk about the Leaf, but keep in mind that Mercedes is going down the same road with the CLA as well...

So, with the Leaf... Note that I didn't say CCS connector above. Yep, the connector on the driver's side front fender is a J1772 connector for AC charging only. Yep, just AC charging. On the other side of the car (to make it easier to use Tesla Supercharger stations) we get the J3400/NACS port which... Wait for it... Can only be used for DC charging. Yep. Bonkers. Want to plug your Tesla and your Nissan into the same home EVSE? You'll need an adapter for one of them. Want to DC charge at a CCS station? Adapter.

Wait, wasn't the concept of dual ports supposed to solve the adapter problem? Yea, that's what many of us hoped for. Instead, we see to have a solution that nobody really asked for, and again, Nissan isn't alone because it appears we get the same odd split in the CLA.

What's going on? It's likely cost. Keeping AC and DC charging separate means that the on-board AC charger didn't need to get redesigned as it would have to be to do AC/DC charging on the J3400 connector, while also acknowledging that J1772 public level 2 charging stations outnumber Tesla destination chargers by 15:1. BUT, it doesn't solve the adapter problem, AND it likely would not have been too much more expensive to add the DC pins to the driver's side charge door to support CCS charging, especially since the J3400/NACS port is behind a door on the other side that could be locked during charging for safety.

What do you think? Is this a "game of telephone" where EV shoppers asked for two connectors but Nissan didn't quite get the message?

20/06/2025

Which is the "true" successor to the original G-Wagen?

When Ineos launched the Grenadier, most news outlets compared it mainly to the Land Rover Defender, but when I saw one for the first time, I saw a bit more G...

20/06/2025

If you have noticed a slowdown in posts recently, well, I have a good reason for that. Someone hasn't been sleeping much lately...