Exploring Organ Pipe National Monument With the 2021 Sierra Denali
Jun 19, 2024
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Exploring Organ Pipe National Monument With the 2021 Sierra Denali
What is obd2? The term OBD2 - also written as OBDII - stands for on-board diagnostics, second generation. obd2 code readers are used to diagnose an automobile's systems and components as well as the emissions system. obd2 scanners come in a variety of makes and models, but they all have one thing in common: they do not require a computer or any other additional equipment to read codes from your vehicle's engine control unit (ecu) that can be stored in its memory.
Quite honestly I've been pretty happy with the current state of the industry when it comes to driving assistance technology and "lane keep assist" type features that are available from most manufacturers today. They all have different names but fundamentally those technologies depend on a camera and some other sensors that help keep your car between the lanes. This is a huge benefit when it comes to long road trips. However, it wasn't until last week at a General Motors test track outside of Detroit that I started to realize just how awesome Super Cruise can be.
The Lexus RC 350 F-sport is a driving enthusiast’s dream come true. Boasting Lexus’ trademark luxury and performance, the Lexus RC 350 F-sport will be available in two versions: an RWD version for those who love to drive and an AWD version for those who need some extra traction on wet roads or simply more stability when accelerating around corners. Lexus has been making waves with its beautiful sportscars lately, and this new model is no exception.
Mazda has made its name in motorsports but more recently their focus on vehicles has been a more affordable luxury product that sits somewhere between mass-consumer brands like Chevy or Toyota and Cadillac or Lexus. Instead of splitting the brand they have developed a fantastic line of cars that drive well and are designed around maximizing the experience of driving.
Genesis is the new hot thing in the world of affordable luxury vehicles and so there are undoubtedly a lot of compromises when it comes to this space. It's one of those situations where you could compare it to something else out there but that inevitably means adding 10s of thousands of dollars to the sticker price. At the lowest trim levels, the Genesis G80 initially feels like a sexed up Hyundai but as you begin to drive it, you realize that this is indeed something special. As you proceed to higher trim levels though, Genesis as a brand truly takes off into a category of it's own that defies simply being considered "budget luxury".
Last week, the folks from INEOS Automotive brought me to a mountain top on the Appalachian Trail near Fairfax, Virginia to check out the INEOS Grenadier. Now when I first got the invite, like most of you, I had never heard of INEOS or the Grenadier before. But a quick Google search turned up some photos of a pretty rugged looking truck, so I was excited to learn more about the Grenadier and see what it was all about. Since the vehicle we were previewing was an early pre-production prototype, we didn't get a chance to drive it. Hopefully I'll get the chance to take one off-roading in the future.
Sometimes there's a vehicle that should be a home-run but just leaves you wondering who it was designed for. That's the feeling I got following our week with the all-new 2021 Toyota Venza. On the surface, Venza looks chic and sporty, somewhat of a cross between an Avalon and a Rav4. It wants to have the handling of a sports sedan, with the space and comfort of an SUV. Sadly, despite looking sharp, it doesn't fulfil the sporty promise that we were hoping it would.
Volvo used to stand for one thing only - safety. I remember a story from when I was a kid growing up where a truck carrying cinderblocks overturned on a family driving a Volvo and they all survived. This was the car if you didn't care about looks but wanted a well designed safe car for your family. Flash forward a few decades and Volvo got sold to Chinese automaker Geely and I had my doubts on if the brand could survive. Thankfully, it has and the Volvo XC90 T8 that we drove last month still maintains that safety reputation but it is now fun to drive and has a uniquely Scandinavian luxury design, especially in the cabin.
When Ford, in 2017, formally announced that they were bringing Bronco back, the off road enthusiast world lost their shit. This was one of the biggest brands in off road history and now it was coming back in exactly the right time where we have the most advanced suspension technology in history and a wide variety of engines that are designed to be robust enough to handle virtually anything we can throw at it on the trail. Then... a year later a new "Bronco" emerged and that quickly got derided as simply the "Baby Bronco", a vehicle simply riding on the big brother's coat tails. In many ways, that is accurate since I'm not sure the Bronco Sport would survive on it's own if it were called something else - for instance if it were simply called the Escape Sport.
Volkswagen's offerings in the United States have changed significantly over the past several years. While the brand was once defined by the classic VW Bug and similarly small sedans, today the company has two of the best SUVs on the market and we can hope that one day the Amarok mid-sized pickup will make it here as well. Sadly though, that's much more of a challenge due to tariffs and an increasingly competitive mid-sized truck space. In my previous experience with VW the cars were "nice" but skewed feminine and honestly something that just didn't appeal to my tastes. Then at the 2020 Chicago Auto Show I had a chance to check out the Atlas, but it took me a year to actually secure one for a road trip review.
You guys all know that I'm gulping the EV Cool-Aid like a guy who's been wandering around in the desert for the past few years. Electric Vehicle technology has finally reached the point where it's not just practical... but is also able to provide some real world benefits to design and engineering that transcend simple sustainability as the reason you should considering buying it. This is why I'm so excited about what Ford unveiled this week for the F-150 Lightening, due out in 2022.
For the past decade, truck launches and truck comparisons have been as much about stats as they are actual functionality. This transition began with the introduction of the next-generation Ram a few years ago but Ford completes the transition with the new F-150. Where previously we were talking about incrementally boasting of more towing, more hauling, more power... Ford has that, but what makes it special is everything else. I feel like we've gotten to the point where EVERYTHING tows more than most of us will ever need, so let's start focusing on a truck that delivers in other areas that can make our lives and livelihoods better.
Don't worry... I still love my big burley trucks, but EVs fascinate me. They are, without a doubt, the future of personal transportation. However, the future is here already. While it can be challenging today while charging infrastructure catches up, even in a less than ideal environment, a weekend getaway in an EV is possible. To illustrate this, Nissan sent me a Leaf S Plus and we drove up to Oceanside, CA.
Electric Vehicles have been something I've been enamored with for the past several years. Ever since I got my first tasted during a launch of event for the Kia Soul EV back in 2014, the promise of smooth, quiet, rapid acceleration has been a dream that would one day finally be practical. Back then, we were excited to have an approximate 90 mile range and the concept of "range anxiety" has continued to be a major obstacle to EV adoption. Vehicles such as the Mustang Mach-E though are beginning to prove that EVs can be practical and compete head to head with ICE cars and that makes me very excited!
One of the things I absolutely love about Joshua Tree National Park is that it is a near perfect spot for people to learn how to drive off road vehicles. You can dip your toes in the sand rolling along Geology Trail or get the adrenaline going in the Old Dale Mining District and still have a great time. This park is your place to advance skills at a pace that you are comfortable with and that matches personal experience and technical abilities of your vehicle. Over the years I've done exactly that, first having explored trails with a Jeep Cherokee and now, earlier this month I returned with the Jeep Gladiator Rubicon.
One of the joys of our National Park System (and affiliated monuments, seashores and other protected spaces) is that they offer a chance to learn and explore. Unfortunately, while some are popular destinations such as Yellowstone, Yosemite, or Glacier... others are less appreciated. That's the case of Organ Pipe National Monument but it represents some of the most gorgeous natural landscapes anywhere in the South West. We had a chance to visit for a brief stop on the way back from our road trip to Tucson last month and we think it's worth going out of your way to visit.
There's absolutely no rational reason why the Durango SRT exists other than because some engineers at Dodge said they wanted to be the fastest dads (and moms!) in the PTA pickup line. With 475 hp and a 0-60 time of 4.7 seconds, this three-row SUV is the most fun I've ever had with a family car.
Our time spent with the Nissan Armada was an interesting one. I say this not only because the brand is in the middle of a transition as it updates some of it's older products, but also in that compared to vehicles like Chevy's Tahoe it provides some nice design elements that make it more practical for a suburban family. This is immediately noticed when you first step into the driver's seat but continues throughout the ride.
There area a huge number of cars, trucks, and SUVs available on the American market today. Despite this though, there are dozens of manufacturers and hundreds of vehicles that most of us have never heard of but would be nice to be able to drive here. While not an exhaustive list of vehicles that I'd one day like to try, hopefully this list helps open some eyes and imaginations.
Genesis is one of the newest luxury automotive brands and frankly I wasn't terribly excited about it from what I had seen at the Chicago Auto Show Last year. While the cars were pretty, elements of the car simply didn't feel "luxury" even if they looked phenominal. Despite this, I was extremely excited to have the opportunity to test out the GV80 last month and put it through it's paces for a week. After a day or two of driving, my opinion changed completely and my view now is that Genesis is one of the most exciting car brands on the market.