^^You mean like that new lightning costing $100K+, has a range of 200-300 miles, but loaded may do 100-130. Not a very practical pickup truck, regardless if it does 0-60 in under 4 seconds and quarter in 11 or 12s. I don't see too many construction companies going for an EV.

 

Good for your friend. If he is happy, that's all that matters. We had one of those at my store and just like you said, it is freakishly fast in a straight line. Recently, I had one of my guests show up in his new Rivian pick-up truck that he got just before the big price increase. It has 900+ lb/ft. of torque and feels every bit as fast as the etron GT for (what used to be) half the price and you can haul stuff with it. Honestly, I was more impressed with the fit/finish and features of the Rivian, but the surreal part is that crazy fast acceleration for a pick up truck. It takes a minute for your mind to adapt.

 

Yeah, I'd rather have the Rivian too. Half the price and 10x more practical, while still being very cool and luxurious.

I'd love to own that thing.

 

I didn't find your comment harsh in the least. EVs make zero sense for me personally, but I fear they'll be jammed down our throats before too long.

 

It's a really cool truck to be sure, but I can think of a lot better ways to blow close to $90k!?!

I forgot to mention that your friend's etron GT RS is also available with even weirder wheels. Barf!

 

Well, those wheels are more interesting than his, IMO. I'm starting to realize that most EV wheels are going to look like crap because of aerodynamic design constraints. Personally, I'd be happy to ditch some range in order to have good looking wheels.

You know what? He told me that Audi is asking $4000 for those wheels... each! That's just stupid.

He's also waiting for Audi to come up with a winter wheel & tire package before it snows. They don't have one yet. And in keeping with this theme of spending way-y-y too much money where the bragging rights are in how much money he's spending, I'm sure he'll pay through the nose. It's a strange study in what motivates him. But like you said, as long as he's happy.

 

Yes, a lot of weird wheels on EV's. The 2023 Leaf is going to have wheels that look like they should be in the movie Tron. Those Audi wheels look to be cast so I cannot imagine they cost $4k each, especially since full sets of those wheels and tires brand new are selling for a lot less than that. Maybe the salesperson just made up the $4k or got confused that it was the cost for a full set. Or maybe Audi charges $1k for each of the 4 rings in their emblem that they put on each wheel. lol

 

Don't get too worked up over the proposed federal mandates on that. There are elements in California, the self-described green poster child of the USA that are pushing back on EV mandates because their electrical infrastructure simply cannot support that level of EV use.

California is also seriously considering delaying the closing of its last nuclear facility to help close the gap between energy production and usage. Gavin Newsom's mandate to produce 100% of the state's electrical needs with non-carbon polluting sources by 2045 is more of the CA pie-in-the-sky policy where the science and reality do not intersect in the time frame, they want it to be

 

You would think (?) that the wheels would be forged aluminum, for strength supporting a high-torque, 5000 passenger car. And for weight. If they were forged monoblocks, I guess $1000 each makes sense.

But not $4000 each, that's got to be miscommunication between him and the salesperson. Or it could be the salesperson dialing into my friend's proclivity for equating cost with value.

I hated Tron, both versions.

 

I checked with our Audi parts dept. and the wheels are about $1,100 each. Still spendy, but I believe they are 21"

I don't recall watching much or really any of either Tron movies. But the wheel design on the '23 Leaf looks like something out of an 80's sci-fi movie. Just plain weird.

 

Best car I have driven in a long time, period.

 

That exhaust note at 9:35 in your video... pretty awesome. Did you ever wind it out to redline in your test drive?

 

Did you get a chance to test drive a CT5-V Blackwing? I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts on that car vs the CT4-V. IMHO, the ear to ear @hit eating grin might be worth the additional $$$$

 

Editing the video clips last night I was surprised to hear the exhaust more clearly toward the end of the video than when I was under the bridge. It does sound pretty good when you are in the right mode. I think it hit redline before shifting a few times, but it is relatively uneventful with the A/T.

The owner of our dealergroup has a CT5-V Blackwing and he let me take it for a drive when he got it. It does have great acceleration, but it felt huge and I was not a fan of the automatic. It felt like taking a really fast couch for a drive. Both Blackwing models sound pretty good in the right mode.

 

I think when VAG Group can get their version of an electric SUV/crossover up to 400-500 mile range for $45k or so we'll see WAY more on the roads - and they'll appeal to a larger populace too.

My wife and I have talked about it at length, because we mostly drive around town and having one car electric would work for us. But... I'm not giving up my stick shift ICE RWD cars yet, and we usually take her crossover on longer trips so the range limit is the stopping factor.

So... not quite yet.