Tech Talk commentator Rick DeMeis explores the uncommon merits of the 2019 Toyota 4Runner Off-Road Premium edition with KOWS 92.5 FM radio host RT Newt.
Also, quick analyses of the Space X Raptor Engine test, George Low’s importance in landing a man on the moon, Mars InSight lander seismometer shield, and NREL’s floating solar panels assessment.
2-05-19 Tech Talk
~ Recorded Live from KOWS FM 92.5 ~
This week, Tech Talk commentator Rick DeMeis explores the uncommon merits of the 2019 Toyota 4Runner Off-Road Premium edition with KOWS 92.5 FM radio host RT Newt. Also, listen for quick analyses of the Space X Raptor Engine test, George Low‘s importance in landing a man on the moon, Mars InSight lander seismometer shield, and NREL’s floating solar panels assessment. See below for additional information.
We test drive the smart EQ fortwo. This all-electric city car is the newest member of the Mercedes EQ family of electric vehicles.
Sticking To It
The smart EQ fortwo Maintains A Sense Of Self – Minus A Gasoline Engine
By: Rane Newcomb, RPM News Weekly Correspondent
MIDDLEBORO, MA – With news of the smartUSA transition to purely electric vehicles still making the rounds on social media, the 2019 smart EQ fortwo Coupe and Cabrio hit the scene at the New England Motor Press Association’s headquarters in Middleboro, Massachusetts as the aspiring new kids on the block in the EV field.
Learning from and improving upon the automaker’s previous Electric Drive models, the EQ rejuvenates smart’s legacy of environmental consciousness and driving convenience in a singularly unique package.
The compact size of smart’s offerings have always been a double-edged sword for the brand – what makes them massively popular in the parking free-for-all of Europe’s densely populated cities has simultaneously fostered an enduring stereotype that questions their safety and undermines driving confidence on overcrowded American highways that are packed with vehicles three to four times the size.
However, with features such as a reinforced “Tridion Safety Cell” that wraps around the rear doors and comes down the door sills to the front fender, creating a sort of roll cage for the EQ, these categorizations are largely unfounded and reactionary. Other advances include crosswind assist, traction control that CANNOT be turned off (sorry, no burnouts here), and optional proximity warning functions. With this bevy of safety features, along with a rather wide wheelbase, the smart EQ fortwo provides a driving experience nearly indistinguishable from larger compact sedans such as the Toyota Corolla… that is until you turn the steering wheel.
If there’s one spec that a smart vehicle has always had going for itself, it’s turning radius. In its natural habitat – the concrete jungle, the smart EQ’s sub-25 ft. turning radius has made it a solid choice, providing an excellent complement to its stellar parking abilities.
Having never experienced a smart for myself until recently, I was genuinely surprised and slightly intimidated by how well the EQ can do a 180-degree turn. At one point I found myself locking the steering and doing circles, flabbergasted at the EQ’s almost forklift-like ability to turn on a dime. I remember thinking that the amount of fun I had just doing circles in a smart equals levels attained going in straight lines in cars twice the price and 3 times the size.
Outside of circles, though, the EQ begins to show it’s weaker points. Performance has never been high on smart’s list of priorities, and the EQ carries on this proud tradition of meh-riddled driving experiences.
With a 60-kilowatt 3-stage synchronous electric motor sending 80 horsepower and 118 pound-feet of torque to the rear wheels, the Smart can achieve a semi-depressing top speed of 80 miles per hour. “But at least it will get there quick,” one may imagine, what with all of that torque on tap immediately and all. However the EQ much less channels the Tesla’s breakneck acceleration, than it embodies the early Prius in its drowsiness-inducing driving mannerisms. With a zero-to-sixty time of 11.4 seconds, performance junkies need not apply.
Performance woes aside, the smart EQ fortwo is an intelligent decision when applied to the correct environment – skyscrapers, claustrophobically tight side streets, and equally snug parallel parking spots all make up home turf for this vehicle, and have served as the grounds to prove it as the quintessential city car.
With a 58-mile driving range as calculated by the EPA, the EQ fortwo is an unlikely candidate for a road trip, but it is ideal for the jaunt to and from work for the many folks that commute from downtown apartments or nearby suburbs.
Another plus comes in the cargo area – with just over 7 cubic feet of space, there’s room to hold a briefcase and four bags of groceries. An exceptionally small 3rd passenger might just fit back there, but there’s no seatbelt.
Also in its favor, scratch resistant and interchangeable body panels put an end to fears of chips, dings, and key marks from angry persons, as well as open up an opportunity to create a multicolored 1996 Volkswagen Golf Harlequin tribute, if that’s your thing.
With all of the facts on the table, it’s important to take a chance exploring the ethos of the car, if you will.
The smart has always been an oddball, capturing the doubts of people who have little-to-no experience with the car itself, and the scoffing of those perched high above in more traditional vehicles.
But this hasn’t diminished smart’s spirit, and the brand wins the day for that. For in a motoring world dominated by computerized designs, where new offerings look more and more alike every day, smart has remained its unyieldingly unique and endearingly quirky self.
And that’s more than a fast zero-to-sixty time ever will be.
RPM News Weekly host, Rich Taber, ventures forth through five inches of New England snow with the 2018 Dodge Challenger GT AWD while recapping earlier adventures in snowy New Hampshire with the exciting muscle car.
RPM News Weekly correspondent Rich Taber travels to Union Point, MA, 12 miles south of Boston – a new city that’s rising out of the remnants of an old military airfield. Situated between Weymouth and Rockland, this city is different. It’s intended to be a sustainable city, but like many other cities it shares some of the look of an urban development.
Similarly, the featured RAV4 Hybrid SE looks, feels and could be confused with its conventionally powered siblings. However, there are many differences. Toyota introduced the SE trim of the RAV4 Hybrid late in the 2017 model year and it essentially carries over into 2018 with an MSRP that’s just a little over $32,000. A new 2018 entry level LE Hybrid trim priced at about $27,000 opens an even more affordable way to get into this very practical compact crossover.
In the upper trims, like the SE featured in the video, the front and rear fascias get a silver-painted bumper garnish giving the vehicle a bit of a rugged off-road purpose. Upper trims also get fog lights and heated side mirrors.
Inside the base RAV4 Hybrid, a 6.1-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Bluetooth® connectivity is standard equipment. But, the SE test vehicle came with the optional Advanced Technology Package that includes a 7-in. system with integrated navigation and a Bird’s Eye View camera –very useful when getting in and out of tight parking spots. The SE features amenities such as heated front seats that got a good workout in the New England November weather.
So far, the hybrid is not so different than the conventionally powered RAV4. But the similarities quickly end with the hybrid’s better city fuel economy – rated at 34 mile per gallon in city driving. The non-hybrid RAV4 musters only 22 mpg in the city – a 12 miles per gallon difference. Coincidentally, 12 miles is the distance between Boston and Union Point.
The RAV4 Hybrid delivers a combined hybrid system output of 194 horsepower, seamlessly utilizing either the 2.5-liter inline four-cylinder gasoline engine or the electric motor, or both, as needed. Power goes through a continuously variable transmission, while electrical energy from regenerative braking is stored in a nickel-metal hydride battery pack. Acceleration from zero-to-60 miles-per-hour is as fast as 8.1 seconds – nearly a second faster than the conventional RAV4.
Included on every RAV4 Hybrid is the Toyota Safety Sense-P suite of advanced safety technology with pre-collision warning, dynamic radar cruise control, lane departure assist and automatic high beams.
Compact crossovers are crazy popular right now. Their combination of utility vehicle versatility and car-like handling is hard to ignore. When you can add strong performance AND efficiency to that, it’s definitely worth taking a closer look. Whether or not you’re driving back and forth to the city of the future.
Weekend fun takes on added meaning in the 2017 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible where peppy turbocharged performance meets the unmitigated joy of having nothing between you and the open air as you cruise down a winding road to the sea.
