If there’s one thing you can say about automaker product planning, it’s certainly that it’s relentless. Every new year brings dozens of new, redesigned, or refreshed models for consumers to gawk at, spend their hard-earned money on, and even turn their noses up at. Hey, not everything’s a hit. Unsurprisingly, 2024 will bring a new round of new cars, and some of them are very much worth getting excited about.
Admittedly, the next few years are going to be weird for car enthusiasts. The performance car pipeline, the future of the economy car in America, and the relentless assault of expensive vehicles doesn’t seem great. However, amid a sea of inoffensive crossovers, a few cars seem primed to shine, or at least attempt to shine, in 2024.
Three of my top picks for predicted debuts include a transformed muscle car, a Bavarian bruiser, and something from a brand with a Yugo-tier reputation. It’s nothing if not an eclectic mix, so let’s dive into it.
2025 Dodge Charger
Lots is still unknown about the next Dodge Charger, but everything looks good so far. We know it will be a liftback coupe, we’ve seen solid indication that the Hurricane turbocharged inline-six is on the table along with electric power, we know that the car will be built on the new STLA Large platform which may be an evolution of Alfa Romeo’s Giorgio platform. As Forbes previous reported:
In the round table with Italian journalists, Imparato was quick insist the Giorgio platform wouldn’t be abandoned. It would instead be integrated into Stellantis’s four-platform architecture system, albeit in a heavily modified form, in an admission that it struggled with anything more than mid-sized cars.
Whatever happens, the fundamentals beneath the next Charger seem poised to transform America’s chest-beating muscle sedan into a European-like grand tourer that should feature a relatively consumer-friendly starting price. Yeah, that’s something worth getting excited about in 2024.
BMW M5 Touring
Come to think of it, that’s a great segue into an absolute bruiser from the continent. Following the death of the Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo and with the Mercedes-AMG E63 S wagon facing an uncertain future, the BMW M5 Touring could be the uberwagon’s knight in shining armor. It’s a BMW 5 Series Touring with biblical output, and it may be coming to America. My sources suggest it’ll get a pumped-up version of the BMW XM’s plug-in hybrid powertrain, which means a twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8 will get electrical assistance for some truly astonishing performance. Expect to see it unwrapped in 2024.
VinFast VF3
The year 2023 ushered in a new candidate for hardest job in the world, and that’s trying to sell Americans VinFast EVs. The Vietnamese brand’s two-row VF8 City Edition crossover fell on its face during the press launch, actually breaking during our first drive of it. That sort of thing leaves a bad impression on American consumers, and it makes you wonder how VinFast can stage a comeback. Well, maybe the VF3 will do it. This little electric runabout is coming to the Consumer Electronics Show later this month, and possibly to American showrooms in the near future. Sure, it may only be 10.2 feet long and come from a brand people haven’t heard very good things about, but it should be cheap. Last year, CarScoops reported that VinFast advisor Duke Hale claimed the VF3 would be “probably sub-$20,000.” In this climate, any car with that sort of pricing is worth looking forward to.
So, what cars are you looking forward to in 2024? Maybe you’re excited to try out the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N, or eagerly awaiting the Porsche Macan EV, or are awestruck by the awesomeness of the Ford Mustang GTD. Whatever incoming car is on your mind, we want to hear about it.
(Photo credits: Dodge, BMW, VinFast)
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To answer the question as intended, the Ranger PHEV even though we aren’t getting it in the US. I want to see how it performs, and pray that they change their minds if it does well. I do not want the full size PHEV F-150 unless the cost is much lower than expected. To answer it from my own interpretation, I am most looking forward to getting my 04 Mazdaspeed Miata daily back on the road with a shiny new powerplant.
The dodge sounds like a broken blender
Honestly nothing. I was excited for the 500e until I learned it has electric only external door handles.
I won’t buy a new car that uses one of those wireless key fobs to start.
And when the mandatory self driving regs kick in (which can be as soon as November 2024) I won’t buy a new car that has that tech in it (very small automakers can probably get around the regs).
“very small automakers can probably get around the regs”
So Hotwheels and Matchbox cars won’t have that tech, I guess? That’s good to know.
I’ve seen several comments about “mandatory self driving regs” and features but I haven’t been able to find any actual information about which of these features will be mandatory or when. Backup cameras and TPMS are mandatory and I don’t have a huge beef with them (although TPMS seems more trouble and expense than it’s worth). Do you have any sources about what self-driving features are going to be mandatory in the US?
A lot of the “safety” mandates for proposed tech devices in new cars, if they can be successfully implemented, is going to cause far more problems than they solve, increase the cost per car by thousands of dollars, and brick most of those cars when they are no longer under warrantee. Nevermind bring to reality some of the most paranoid fears of the alt-right.
Agreed. I’m not defending it by any means. I just haven’t found any evidence that there are a raft of driver assist features that are mandatory or are planned to be mandatory any time soon. I have a few of these features in my Polestar 2 and I’ve turned all of them off except the emergency braking, which can’t be disabled.
I’m just saying that the only ones I’m aware of that are mandatory aren’t all that bad.
Google “Anti Drunk Driving Tech”
The law is on the books and the attempt to defund it failed. The cars will have to be able to determine if you’re impaired, pull off the road, and turn itself off. For the car to do that itself it would have to require some measure of self driving tech. Also in the law is remotely activated kill switches in cars. Even if the systems have 99.9% accuracy they could have over 1 million false positives per day.
I’d highly recommend the Jalopnik article mainly for the comments section where people break down why this is such a horrible idea. https://jalopnik.com/anti-drunk-driving-tech-to-save-10-000-lives-per-year-1851095654
Sure, but there’s an enormous loophole for the anti-drunk driving tech: “The bipartisan infrastructure law passed in 2021 compels NHTSA to develop a federal standard requiring new passenger vehicles to include technology that can prevent drunk and impaired driving as long as it is “reasonable” and “practicable” and can reduce crashes and deaths.”
I doubt it will ever be deemed reasonable and practicable. Other than that, I haven’t seen any evidence that any mandatory driver assist regulations/features are on the horizon. Not saying there won’t be, but based on your comment, I thought there were several mandates out there waiting to pounce.
Nope, one mandate that kicks in at the latest by 2028 and as soon as November of 2024.
Plus it can be turned off by the driver.
*Can’t.
From the Pickup Truck + SUV Talk live stream.
https://www.youtube.com/live/_KUk1_AFfBs?si=xZNzDVPKAL1cotme&t=822
Transcript:
want to get to the other topic tonight because U this is quite the controversial topic and I put the
13:44
journalist the real journalist capital J Jill who has more educational uh framed
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images on our wall of degrees I do in charge of breaking down the kill switch
13:57
or not the kill switch or maybe the kill switch or sort of the kill switch or what the hell’s going on Jill it’s not a
14:04
kill switch um you know I mean I find it funny that um the interwebs have
14:10
completely latched on to this word kill switch and and so I was like okay you
14:16
know and I before I like dug into the story I’m like I really need to I need to research this I need what in the hell
14:22
are people talking about like I honestly Tim was like everybody’s talking about the kill switch and I’m like not
14:28
everybody cu I haven’t heard about it so I like had to literally go on Twitter and like search for kill switch and um
14:36
and then I had to like do a little internet search and a lot of the the conversation was back in January of
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2023 um but then there was a recent discussion that popped up because I want to say it was December 12th the
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nhtsa um plunked down a 98 page document um on the internet um kind of
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detailing what they were doing so backing up even a little bit further this all has to do with um the um
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infrastructure bill that was passed in 2021 and as a part of that um The Bill
15:14
calls for the NH nhtsa the national highway traffic safety administration to
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create a rule um for vehicles 2026 and moving
15:25
forward that would prevent impaired driving now the idea is to prevent drunk
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driving but I think that the verbiage is actually impaired driving so nhtsa
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breaks that down to drunk drowsy or distracted driving so they have to come up with a rule to create something that
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will go into Vehicles standard so like like brakes are standard this thing
15:50
would be standard um in your vehicle uh that will prevent distracted
15:57
drowsy or uh drunk driving and so a lot of people are like well that’s a that’s
16:03
a kill switch well okay what what exactly is a kill switch I looked it up in the dictionary and the dictionary
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says nerd nerd well look at my background I probably
16:16
have dictionaries for five different languages back there so I could probably tell you what kill switch means in Latin
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well maybe not because they didn’t have that phrase back in you know then but um a kill switch is essentially a Remote
16:29
device that somebody is standing by the side of the road and hits a button and your car turns off that is not what they
16:34
are trying to put in your car that is not what they’re putting in your car that is I’m gonna say it one more time
16:39
that is not what they’re putting in your car so using the word kill switch I’m gonna get fired up on this
16:45
because like using our kill switch is grammatically and factually incorrect it’s is not a kill switch now what I
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think that they are going to do and again there’s a 98 page document that talks about all of this um I read it it
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took me a couple of hours but I read it and um what I think that they are essentially going to do is take
17:06
technology that is already in new vehicles right now so there’s a camera in a lot of vehicles that like have the
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um level to like semi-autonomous driving that’s watching your eyes um they’re
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going to take that camera or there’s um sensors that watch like whether or not you’re doing a lot of this or whether
17:24
you’re doing a lot of this distracted driving you know looking at it text message all that kind of stuff they’re
17:30
going to take that technology that’s already in cars they’re going to make it standard and and it’s just going to do
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what it already does yeah Frank points out he wants to know they want the tech that watches
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your face there’s also technology and cards that will alert you to say hey you need to take a break have you been driving too long you know pull over take
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a break a little coffee cup coffee cup thing yeah I mean that happens too I mean so I I think there’s a lot of fear
17:55
involved in this because there’s some scen scenarios that people are thinking about I was talking to my wife about
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this actually before we went live um and we’re discussing it and there’s the idea here is if you get in your if you get in
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your vehicle and you are impaired or in some way there’s some Metric that your
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eyes are doing somewhere your your head’s doing something going on that the car wouldn’t start that that’s kind of
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what they’re they’re trying to hope for that’s the best scenario um there is some fear involved of saying false false
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positives I think that is the biggest fear out there what happens in a false positive
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you’re my wife your husband is having cardiac arrest and you want to throw in the car and we go to the hospital as
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fast as you can you may not show the signs that you are drunk but what
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happens if it’s a false positive and that’s what nit has said nit has asked for public Viewpoint and public feedback
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on whether or not you’re willing to accept a false positive and and I think that’s a real question that’s something
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you know technology is great when it works it sucks when it doesn’t and so if the car is not let you tur it on because
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it thinks you’re drunk even though you’re sober but you have something else going on but it’s not again impaired
19:08
it’s not just drunk It’s drowsy it’s drunk it is distracted so it’s not just
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drunk and I think that’s the other thing that people are getting hung up on is um
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you know like there was a Senator or somebody who got before the you know a grand jury Congress whatever he’s all
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over Twitter talking about the kill switch um but he was like you’re G to Swerve to miss a Poole and your car’s
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just going to shut down no that is not what’s going to happen right um so I I
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mean and frankly we don’t know what’s going to happen we don’t know because
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the nhtsa hasn’t decided yet um they’re looking for feedback they’re trying to
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find something that’s going to not have false positives but like I I will tell
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you even when I was driving home today so I’m driving a Ford F350 right now
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um but I’m driving a Ford F350 right now and I had on the adaptive cruise control and there were two very interesting
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things that happened on my way home um one I um had the adaptive cruise control
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set and I’m stuck in stop andgo traffic it took me an hour and a half to go like
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20 miles and um there was a dark car in front of me and at one point the sensors
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did not read that car and started to speed up so I’m going like five miles an hour the
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car is like 10 feet in front of me and the car starts to accelerate I was paying attention so I
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put on the brakes and I turned off the adaptive cruise control had I not been paying attention I would have hit that
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car so that was thing number one that happened and then thing number two that happened I was driving and you know I
20:50
had one hand on the wheel and I had one hand on the armrest and um you know I was driving but I wasn’t like going like
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this with the steering wheel and there was a message that popped up that told me to put my hands on the wheel my hand
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was on the wheel I’m going like five miles an hour my hand was on the wheel and I had to like kind of sorry knocking
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over my water bottle with my but I had to like um you know like give the wheel
21:15
a shake for that message to go away so there is still like imperfections in the
21:21
technology how much of that is going to be Stamped Out by 2026 I don’t know um
21:27
you know so you talk about FAL false positives like that to me both of those
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instances were false positives of a directive that was incorrect so I think
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there’s going to have to be some checks and balances I think that there’s going to have to be um you know it can’t just
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be something watching your eyes and it can’t just be like a camera watching the road and looking for swerves um it can’t
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just be one thing I think it’s going to have to be multiple things that then feed in to give a more accurate
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representation of what what’s going on it can’t just be a sensor on the wheel you know saying oh put your hands on the
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wheel because again my hands were on the wheel I just was going straight at five miles an hour I didn’t need to be going
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like this so um so I you know I don’t know I mean the technology is imperfect and
22:15
yeah and I think that you’re right in that one of the biggest things I thought from the standpoint was that basically
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Congress said hey n goad take care of this figure it out 2026 make mandated like Pion the guy like they
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still think that we the cars drive themselves they think we get flying cars in two years and so I I think that the
22:35
the Congress kind of SC it up they should have said hey work on this if there’s a good solution that has low
22:41
false positives that we can all agree to maybe there’s conversation but
22:46
there’s there’s an interesting part there there’s been a lot about um again the fear of what about the kill switch
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can be triggered by law enforcement there is nothing but there is some there is some fear about that I
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mean you could see what I think is interesting about the skill switch to drunk driving is I have a friend in town
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who installs a breath lizer tests on on vehicles the the the pipe you pull blow into and he and so we already have that
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we already have that going on again Tyler wants to know what be who would be getting access to the use this Tech
23:17
officers there’s again there’s some fear about Invasion privacy concerns which I
23:22
think privacy concerns are good what the that 98 page document
23:28
said is nobody is having access to this information okay no I think that’s why that’s why you did a great job service
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for all of us by reading that document because I’ve read government speaks before and um yeah there is there is
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some stuff outdoor dad points out fear because government has said they want to limit people’s driving and traveling that’s not quite accurate there are some
23:46
states that worrying about EVs and how to tax them correctly and how to tax per mile there’s been some conversations
23:51
about that hasn’t quite come out that way because again outdoor dad says to his point privacy concerns you can’t do
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that so we have we have this government says hey let’s do this idea then privacy concerns say no we’re not tracking
24:04
people’s driving you know so there’s there’s definitely some going back and forth on that anybody who’s concerned about privacy if you have one of these
24:12
you’re already screwed phone yeah I mean yeah there a modern cell phone like
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everything you do is like Siri is listening to me right now they’re to you
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right now so I mean I have an Alexa if you Alexa your privacy is gone um so I I
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mean it’s just one of those things like yes you should be concerned about your privacy but you’ve probably already
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given it all up right so I mean it’s there’s some back and forth so uh our
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friend Justin points out I honestly don’t know how they can determine if someone is impaired within entering the vehicle and trying to start within two
24:49
to three seconds unless it works with face ID I don’t know I mean that’s something that automakers have to figure out too I
Jill Ciminillo is a fantastic journalist.
Firstly that is possibly the longest comment in Autopian history. I sadly read it all.
Secondly the tech has been mandated, if the tech is optional then what point would there be in mandating it? Like ‘Oh boy, I was going to drunk drive but because I have to push one button that would disable the anti drunk driving system I decided not to.’
What we know for certain is there is a mandate for this tech yet the tech doesn’t exist. If the Government could mandate shit into existence we’d have no homeless, we’d have no starving people, we’d have no troubles at all. However that’s not how the world works.
First of all, thank you for reading my entire reply. I appreciate it.
Yes, it is mandated, but that doesn’t mean that the mandate can’t be reversed by the next administration/congress/senate. (They also mandated all cars be zero emission by year X and that’s not happening to the point that the government pushed back the date.)
The gov could solve all those problems with mandates and laws and regulations if they could actually work together but we all see how much that happens.
When it comes to bypassing the mandate, we CAN do this easily. Keep what you have now, buy a classic car, or build a “Kit car”. Have you seen that beautiful full metal, flat fendered Jeep that came out as a kit? All you have to do is throw in a drive train and axles and you have a brand new, 1941 Jeep! No anti-drunk driving device, No TPSM, No screens, No cruise control, ABS, No quasi self drive, none of that stuff. Pure analog joy. Plus it’s a decent price!
Things change and we adapt. We are enthusiasts. We can overcome anything in our way.
Well they did try to defund the regulation and it failed miserably but yes like any law it can be repealed, but the overwhelming majority of laws are not repealed even when they’re not feasible and or downright unconstitutional.
By building kit cars and or buying low volume production cars that are treated as kit cars we can get around the regs, however there is a limited volume of them, and if enough people bypass the regs you’d probably see bans on “kit car” type vehicles.
I agree there is the risk of bans, but I don’t see the numbers ever getting that high. (You see way more “Will it start? Can I save it?” videos on YouTube than Kit car builds.)
LMC is the wild card on this concern. Instead of a kit car, you can rebuild an old heap you have and be grandfathered in.
My concern is the insurance companies raising the rates insanely to penalize cars without the new tech.
Fair enough. Yeah, the insurance companies are ridiculous. The whole Kia/Hyundai scandal was proof of that. Manuals have much lower rates of theft but did the insurance companies spare the Kia/Hyundai owners with manuals the rate hikes? Nope.
It’s remarkable how the decisions of private companies can keep you from being able to use public roads…
I agree. Maybe our conversation will inspire someone working here to do a deep dive on these subjects.
The current technology installed by court mandate for those on probation for DUI should be the model. It doesn’t allow an impaired driver to start the car and periodically demands a test once on the road. It doesn’t shut the car down in case of a failure while on the road. Rather, it flashes the lights and engages the horn to draw the attention of law enforcement. I would argue that even an impaired driver would be better than no driver. Auto pilot technology simply is not there yet.
The bigger question is: when does law enforcement get involved under the new law? The current technology creates a zero-defect environment for a driver who is either charged with a DUI or convicted of a DUI, i.e., 0.01–which is understandable. However, most states set the legal limit at 0.08. I’m concerned that implementing this new law opens the door to dragging people into the criminal justice system who do not need to be there.
I’d like to modify my earlier statement. If it ever reaches market, the Aptera IS something I’m looking forward to.
I’m looking forward to the 2024 AMC Eagle!!!
It’ll be the Dodge Eagle… the Dodge version of the new electric Chrysler PT Cruiser that I think Stellantis should bring back.
And both will be CUVs and both will disappoint you.
Yeah, figured as much…I’m going back online to look for AMC Eagle
I had a ’74 Hornet and an ’84 Cherokee (which proudly displayed an AMC logo on the dash). One of my dream projects is to find a solid ’70s Hornet and transplant a more modern 4-liter Jeep inline six into it. However, an Eagle hatchback would also do quite nicely.
YES!!!
WE NEED AMC TODAY, MORE THAN EVER!
MY GUTS TWISTED WHEN DODGE DECIDED TO NAME A CAR HORNET!
I am hoping EVs will start shipping by the end of the year with the Tesla plug and Tesla opening the supercharger network for everyone.
The Mazda CX-50 hybrid has to be on there. Also the CX-70 which will have the 90’s I6 in a smaller package.
I think the VF3 is what they should have started with honestly. If you’re going to be shitty, at least be cheap. It’s how the Koreans got started and look where they are now
Sadly, I think I’ll mostly be looking backward again this coming year. I’m still curious about the Fisker Alaska, but I think that’s a 2025 target. I’d not seen the Vinfast VF3 before; kind of a Ready Kilowatt version of the Jimny it looks like. Could be fun for a minute. Still waiting on the Canoo pickup and the Manx 2.0 to emerge. Maybe a hybrid Santa Cruz, though I think that’s been ruled out for this year already. That’s about it, off the top of my head. Guess I’ll wait to be surprised by anything else.
The ID Buzz, just to see if it really takes off, not that I’d get one.
The Charger but it’ll probably we way out of my price range to even think about.
Maybe news of the Maverick or Bronco sport getting the Escape’s PHEV drivetrain? That’s more down in my playing field.
Not going to be in the market for a new car for a while and it’s unclear at what budget I will when I eventually replace my daily but I definitely want to see the Buzz in person and see if they got it right.
In no particular order:
1). Anything with more than 4 cylinders
2). The Charger. I’m really intrigued, particularly by the ICE variants, and there’s a nonzero chance my wife will be cool with me getting a coupe in the next few years.
3). Ioniq 5 N, because duh. Y’all know me.
4). The EV Boxster/Cayman. If there’s a company that can figure out how to make an engaging EV it’s almost certainly Porsche.
5). The new BMW X3. This will also be on my “potential next cars” shortlist and I’ll be curious to see what the slate of powertrains is…not only because I want the B58 and S58 to live on, but also because BMW’s PHEV tech is excellent. My dad’s X5 50e is ridiculously good and if they can offer similar range/power/charging in an X3 I’d probably order one.
6). The new A5/S5. As you all know I ranted and raved about how I was born and raised an Audi person and have gradually lost interest in them. I’ll be interested to see if they have an actually interesting sportback coming our way or if it’s going to be more phoned in vanilla stuff. There have even been rumors that we’ll get a fast wagon variant which would really warm my cold heart.
And also, not really a car necessarily and a completely selfish one but I’m interested to see if they find a way to offer an automatic for the Integra Type S. The lack of one at that price point/class is a pretty glaring omission and call me whatever name you’d like but I don’t want to daily a manual through the teeth of DC rush hour.
Don’t get me wrong-I don’t think it’s happening/Japanese spicy compacts have always been manual only and it’s a point of pride/a gatekeepy deal. But Honda has a great DCT that they put in the old ILX just sitting there and I’d buy an Integra (regular or type s) tomorrow if they offered it in one.
*IF* the new Charger actually has a hatch, it could be a game-changer. I’ve long lamented that the Mustang lost the hatch option going from the Fox body to the SN95 jellybean. If Stellantis doesn’t shit the bed with another modified Italian platform (looking at you Hornet and your ridiculous amount of electrical gremlins), I…I might have to switch sides.
I have never understood why pony cars need to be so useless when it comes to practicality. They have the same footprint as a full sized SUV. There is absolutely no reason at all for them to have useless back seats/minuscule trunk openings/doors that weigh 600 pounds, etc.
IMHO it’s the reason why the old Challenger ran laps around the Mustang and Camaro sales wise. It has a huge trunk, usable back seats, and is actually comfortable to daily. I love the Gen 6 Camaro as much as anyone…and I rented an SS for my wife and my honeymoon in 2022.
I enjoyed every second I spent driving it but I couldn’t hand the keys over fast enough after 10 days because of what a ridiculous pain in the ass it was to use as an actual…you know, car. Meanwhile we’ve had 4 full sized adults in my buddy’s Challenger with 0 issue.
Are there rumors that it’s going to be a liftback? If it is and it has similar back seat accommodations to the old one I’ll probably buy one depending on how well the Hurricane 6 is sorted by then. It seems like it’s been having some teething issues in the Wagoneer and they certainly don’t have the sound dialed in just yet.
I’ve often read through brochures featuring models like the Dodge Daytona, Mitsubishi Eclipse and Nissan 300ZX (which had a 2+2 option) with longing and disgust for the contemporary automotive market.
I think liftback sports coupes died out for a number of reasons: the perception of them as economy cars masquerading as sports cars, auto enthusiasts insisting on “stiffness” and the desire by manufacturers to buy more than one car from them – or try to convince you that a tall, heavy crossover with a more powerful engine and extra ground effects can be just as “sporty”/fast; remember the ads for Ford Edge ST?
This is not the enthusiast answer, but I’m excited for the Mazda CX-50 Hybrid. The size and station wagon shape fit my family’s needs, but getting those MPGs up will be key to selling my wife on the idea.
I’m in a similar boat. I’d strongly consider one to replace my wife’s Prius that’s only getting rustier.
So much this/add CX70 as well. My wife is going to need a bigger and newer car in the next few years and her only requirements are that it’s hybrid and Japanese. We both love Mazdas and the CX50 in particular but no electrification=no dice.
We also like the CX90 but it’s just bigger than we’ll ever need…so a hybrid CX50 or CX70 would be perfect.
We had a high-trim CX-90 as a loaner, and it was jut plain too much. My wife has mobility issues, and climbing up wasn’t any easier than climbing down into our Mazda3. The CX-50 seems to be halfway in between in terms of H-point, so that scores big for us.
Good to know, thanks for sharing your experience!
Faraday Future ? Elio ?
I think the Packard Caribbean is more likely.
I’m convinced my dad is still holding out hope to get an Elio some day though now he claims he wants an Aptera instead.
The Aptera is the superior vehicle. Much lower CdA value than an Elio.
I like the way the Aptera looks I just wish they’d focus on the car and give up on the solar roof.
I am looking forward to the launch of the new Packard Caribbean. That torsion bar suspension sounds rad! I think this is just what Packard needs to get back on top.
Funny you mention that, I just saw one on the broadcast for the Mecum Auction going on right now. Can’t say I’ve ever heard of the Packard Caribbean before today and here’s reference #2
It is a truly awesome car. I got to ride in one years ago when I was a Jung Schule.
If the Ramcharger PHEV comes out, that will be one I’m interested in watching (though likely not buying–I don’t really want another full-size pickup). The Equinox EV is another I’m watching, and I might be interested if it’s good. I’m also really curious about the hybrid Tacoma, though the non-hybrid pricing and gas mileage has me pretty thoroughly convinced I’m not going to be interested in buying one. I know I’ll see a ton of them on the road, though.
I’m less interested in the big reveals than the big releases, mostly because I like to see how things live up to the hype.
The PHEV Ram is my answer as well. Is it perfect? No, I’d love to see a 40-50kWh battery, and a 2 liter range extender (and about $10k off the price), but, even as it is, it’s a way better alternative to the 200kWh battery packs they’re trying to push as a ‘rational’ choice. I’m sure it’ll be too expensive, and I’m not overly keen on anything Chrysler, but, it’s good to see someone thinking a little outside the box.
The car I’m most looking forward to? The one I ordered in October of 2023.
Hey, Toyota, how about kicking out a few more Prii Primes some time soon.
I’ve been awaiting the 2024 Charger for way too long. I look every single day for new tidbits of information.
Regarding it being an evolution of the “Alfa Romeo’s Giorgio platform”, I’m not totally sold on that. I’m curious myself about the Stella Large platform and how it came to be, but I can see some glaring differences already, based on the BIW pics that were leaked back in November, between the Giorgio and Stella Large platforms. Obviously we’ll know more once the cars are released to the public, but I’m truly curious to learn more about the platform development.
I have to imagine STLA Large is going to be a mix of Giorgio and the L-Cars, with PSA’s supposed “superior hybrid technology.” But I’m interested to see it’s development too.
J250/252. Can’t wait to see what these are like.
Volvo EX-30. Fast, Small, Electric, Relatively inexpensive.
It’s a shame we still can’t upload photos.
I don’t blame them…I think that’s just an invitation for spam. Only thing I could remotely see would be something like Facebook’s gif search, where it’s searching a specific “library” rather than “every gif on the internet”.
But as helpful as uploading our own images might be, I just think keeping it reasonable (and not too taxing on their servers) is a tall order.
Spam and server space would be an issue and don’t forget policing copyright violations. I would really like some pictures though, and so far, the Autopian community has been responsible and respectful so maybe it could happen.
It was a nice feature on the old site and I didn’t feel like it got too out of hand.
Make it a subscriber-only feature, which should take care of spam concerns nicely ????????♂️
Great idea and excellent perk.
But you can
How does one learn this power?
Not from a Jedi.
It only works with web images, but find the image you want, view just the image in a separate tab, copy that URL and use the link button in here to create it.
Thanks. But holy crap. My MacBook is so constipated that it would be next week before it accomplished all that.
Wake me when Ford offers passenger E-Transits as a factory option.
I visited a Vinfast showroom last July in Colma CA. My son was buying a car at the CarMax next door and I thought I would venture over and take a look. It was an absolute bummer. It felt like they had already given up. No literature, no test drives, and the buying process was some sort of Rube Goldberg level of complexity. They better get there crap figured out.
Nothing? Is nothing an option? Miata is going to wait till next year, according to most of the buzz. Modern muscle cars don’t appeal. I was excited to follow the Maverick and Bronco, but there’s nothing else on the horizon that I’m that excited about
Not sure if any of these are confirmed to be unveiled in 2024 but:
-Corvette ZR1
-Performance/Shelby versions of the new Mustang
-Next gen Ram TRX
-6th gen GM small block
-Anything new from Genesis, I love basically everything they’ve done so far
-Besides these, anyone keeping natural aspiration, RWD, manual transmissions, and pure ICE power alive in 2024 earns kudos from me.
And from me, add to that, a cylinder count of at least 8.
Yes ideally, although I give a lot of props to companies that have kept the NA V6 alive in some applications instead of succumbing to the dreaded 2.0T.
Out of sheer curiosity–for enthusiasts and average Joes alike, why would turbos be something to avoid?
My understanding is that they work at higher temperatures, meaning they don’t last as long, although I’ve also heard anecdotally that the days of unreliable turbos are in the rear-view?
I’ve never had a turbo-engined vehicle. Just curious.
I like my turbocharged car, but it requires 92 octane fuel (not sure if that’s necessarily true across the board), so that’s a drawback for some.
Also, I’ve read that small turbo engines do well with EPA fuel economy tests but not as well for real world conditions, resulting in their owners seeing worse fuel economy than they’d expect based on the ratings.
Mine offers all the power I want, but I’ll admit that I don’t require a ton of power in order to be happy.
I have heard that at least the premium fuel requirement has become less prevalent over time.
As for fuel economy, my understanding is/was that it’s not like stapling a turbo on gets you better fuel efficiency, but that, say, an NA 2.0 I4 and NA 2.0T I4 might get similar fuel economy but the turbo one will provide more power.
And the automakers know that consumers routinely rank performance as very important (I hate that, but I digress) in which case adding a turbo sounds like the right move for them.
You covered most of it. I’ve had two turbo 4s in a row. There are some aspects I love…particularly the low end torque. I do a lot of city driving and having easy torque between stoplights is a huge benefit. I also enjoy the highway gas mileage. My GTI would frequently return 35+ driving on the highway or country roads and my Kona N gets into the low 30s pretty consistently.
I don’t love the fact that my actual city mileage in them is bad. I live in the city and no turbo 4 I’ve owned has ever come close to hitting its EPA city ratings in actual city driving. My GTI averaged 22 MPG over 2 years of ownership and my Kona N is currently at an abysmal 20.5. I’d commute in either and see mileage in the mid and even low teens most days.
The fuel economy benefits of them are so overhyped it’s ridiculous. And while I do think the TURBOS ARE UNRELIABLE trope is a bit dated and that the technology has improved a ton, they’re still going to require more work to keep running than an NA engine and they’re not going to last as long.
For some context, I could write this sentence identically, just swapping in the words, “my 6.2L V8 Chevy SS”
To be fair, I doubt that the LT1 V8 would get that type of mileage during my usage, but the point still stands.
“low to mid teens” describes the city mileage pretty well.
20.5 would require a lot of highway.
It is the older LS3 though; the LT1 would probably do better.
I mixed the engines up, should’ve known it was an LS
With an LS series engine, stock, a Corvette C5 or C6 can get 30 mpg at a steady 70 mph. This is a big car with a drag coefficient that while better than the peers of their era, doesn’t come close to approaching the limits of what is possible for a road going car. It’s CdA value is comparable to a gen II Prius and has about the same weight, so considering that, 30 mpg with a fucking V8 is impressive, considering that Prius will be right around 40 mpg in the same operating condition.
But it doesn’t end there.
Here’s a dude that modified his C5 to operate in lean burn mode, getting 40 mpg at 70 mph:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNIZ25eBMco
What happens if you put a more modern/efficient version of this monstrosity of an engine into a car that loses 1,000 lbs over the C5, and has been streamlined to half the CdA value? Dare I say 60 mpg at 70 mph is possible with a V8, without any hybrid drive needed.
I simply prefer the driving characteristics of larger, NA engines, which are rapidly disappearing from the market. Usually these include better sound, higher redlines, smoother power delivery, less complexity, lower weight, and easier maintenance.
The fuel economy benefits of adding complexity by downsizing and turbocharging (or hybridization) are not very important to me by contrast.
No judgment is intended toward those who prefer turbos, I just don’t.
These benefits are almost non-existent. You have less pumping losses from smaller displacement and reduced cylinder count, and less weight from the smaller engine, and you’ve gained what, 3% to fuel economy from doing so?
A hybrid-electric drive system offers significantly more gains, and less hassle entailed. By itself, on the order of 20% or more.
Load reduction could gain you 50% or more highway fuel economy by aggressively targeting aero drag(say, sculpt the car to cut it in half), and 20% or more city fuel economy by aggressively targeting mass(cut 500 lbs from the car) and targeting feature creep, without changing the engine.
Hybrid drive plus load reduction is how the 1st gen Honda Insight was a fuel economy halo car. Same with the VW XL1.
If the industry really wanted to, they could offer us a V8 musclecar that exceeded 40 mpg highway, with current engine tech and nothing novel or fancy in the engine or drivetrain. The car design/aesthetic itself would be something wildly different than what we are used to in order to pull this off, but if it would save RWD V8 ICE, that would be a great thing, IMO, and could trickle down into smaller displacement cars as well as EVs and have an even greater impact on their economy as well.
My least favorites are the ones that are both turbo and hybrid, like the Wrangler Hybrids (2.0T + e-drive).
All that leaves you with is the most complex ICE engine AND the benefits of a FCA produced electrical drivetrain. How is that better?
I’ve told many prospective new car owners to go check the cost of a turbo replacement when they claim that a standard hybrid battery pack will be too expensive to replace.
It’s not.
If you go hybrid, it’s best to keep it simple. 3 or 4 cylinders for the ICE of somewhere under 1L, naturally aspirated, mainly there to keep the battery topped up, then let the electric motor do all the heavy loads and acceleration.
In fact, an appropriately-designed series hybrid won’t even need a transmission. Use a small, inexpensive, < 5 kWh LiFePO4 battery with good power density to power the electric motor, with maybe enough plug-in range to shut the ICE off entirely for short distances.
The closest to this is the current Toyota Prius, albeit that is a parallel hybrid with a CVT where both EV system and ICE add power in tandem, it does the job well and isn’t too terribly complex.
To note that the Prius CVT is a planetary gear setup, not the Nissan rubberband man style, so a lot more durable.
Indeed. That unit for all practical purposes will outlast the rest of the car.
Nissan CVTs are horrible. I’m not at all confident they even fixed the issues to this day.
I realized I hadn’t had the transmission fluid in my 2012 Prius v since I got it 30,000 miles ago (at 116,000). When I asked my mechanic to flush it, they first had to look up in the system if they even could–their gut reaction was that they couldn’t. (But they could, and did.)
Two things: Real world fuel economy and all-season performance.
Just one person’s anecdote but I had a 2006.5 VW GTI for nine years. The first model that came out with the move from the 1.8T to the 2.0T. It was absolutely great and maybe the best all-around, do-everything car I’ve ever owned.
I traded it for a Boxster with the 2.7 NA flat 6. The comparison in fuel economy is that the Boxster was sooo much better in the city where the VW was returning 18-20 and the Boxster 24-26. Spirited but not crazy driving for both. Once the turbo kicks in it sucks down gas like crazy.
Turbo units on small motors allow manufacturers to do really well on the test and suck in the real world unless you’re not planning to actually enjoy the benefits of having it.
The second point for me is that I live in GA. Summers are hot and humid as hell. Turbos drag on the super hot days and the lag is more noticeable and overall performance takes a noticeable hit. All motors do this to some degree but the air blowing in from a turbo amplifies the effect.
TL;DR version: Naturally aspirated engines provide more consistent performance and better fuel economy in normal driving conditions. There’s no replacement for displacement.
I just prefer the simplicity of an NA motor. Turbo engines are inherently more annoying to work on, that just comes with the territory. That and having a truly linear power band is lovely. I don’t even need a big NA V8, I’m fine with a straight 6 that I have to rev to the moon to make any power.
There are dozens of you… DOZENS!!!
We have the best club meetings though
There isn’t anything that appeals to me that is slated to come to the U.S. Everything is too big, heavy, aerodynamically inefficient, expensive, tech-laden, and wasteful.
Although as far as foreign marques go, I do slightly like the Caterham Project V. It’s a little wide and slightly heavy for my liking, way too expensive, and the aero is unknown, but it IS an EV sports car that is lighter than almost anything ICE or EV that you can find in the USA, and still gets decent range without having an excessively large battery pack. I’m taking a guess that it isn’t heavily tech laden from what I’ve seen and read of it.
I’d also like to mention the BYD Seagull. Here’s an electric car with a claimed 249 mile range on the Chinese cycle(probably somewhere around 150 miles on a U.S. highway at 70+ mph), that is cheaper than a Mitsubishi Mirage, by multiple thousands of dollars. But we can’t get those here either…
I am starting to lose interest in the new Charger, unfortunately, mainly because of all the rumors out there – sticker price north of $50,000 for the base version, no confirmation of whether the ICE powertrain will definitely be hybrid or not, and no confirmation of whether a sedan version would be offered (I prefer coupes, but my employer will only reimburse business mileage on 4-door cars, though single cab pickups are fine if you can still get one). Also, I sort of question if this year will even be the launch year, Stellantis has a habit of delaying new product introductions and changing plans at the last minute, the Charger could well get pushed to 2025 or even later
Don’t forget the stupid electric door handles.
I despise those door handles. They are one of the reasons I’m not buying a Tesla.
I get why they’re there. They’ll make a fraction of a percentage point reduction in the vehicle’s CdA, which is a good thing. But you can also get almost all of the benefit with none of the complexity or cost by going with the style of door handle found on the Ford Probe, and keep it mechanical too.
Don’t those ones create great hiding places for spiders, though?
Not that I have better suggestions, here. But the idea of flush handles (but hopefully still mechanical somehow) does appeal to me.