They pivoted from serving the user to serving themselves. I still don't know what big improvements have been made to 11 other than another coat of paint, some LLM features searching for a problem and the odd feature like that Android subsystem that's being cancelled. Modern Standby is still being pushed which would rule out most new Windows laptops for me.
It's not like I want something revolutionary, just a number of quality of life things would be nice without feeling like I'm fighting the machine. If I could search images on my machine with OCR like iOS Photos I would be over the moon but noone's seemed to want to copy that.
What do you mean disingenuous, I have a anecdotal evidence sample size 400% larger! Clearly it's superior! (kidding)
Of course, the anecdata clearly isn't useful here but it's easy to bust out and point to as a counter - we're not seeing remotely near the amount of bellyaching for Honda 3.5's, Ford 1.0's, etc. The 300k Accent is probably a pre-10's model.
If you pop on over to kia-forums, hyundai-forums, piloteers, whatever forums and CarComplaints you'll see a trend. The '16 Sorento has the same sizable number of engine complaints as the '16 CR-V - except the CR-V is for some vibration at idle while the Sorento is outright failure. And the '16 RAV4 outsold both and has a small fraction of complaints.
Of course people get lucky like some 235k mile '11 or '12 Sonata on hyundai-forums but I'm trying to paint the picture of a pair of companies that have repeatedly made poor, owner-unfriendly engineering decisions to save a buck are not a company people should reward with their business.
People should not be giving them any benefit of doubt to them nor pointing to someone doing worse as an excuse. (People - me included until a couple years ago - have been saying "they were not good before but they're fine NOW!" for practically 15 years.)
It's not that they don't make the best vehicles, my claim is that they are below par.
Yes, American makes can have lower lows but it varies. Sometimes a bad engine here, a quirk there but taking the similar age GMC Acadia (similar in size to the Sorento) - it doesn't seem to have the flaws the Sorento does. You'll see CarComplaints say transmission issues but that is a "shift-to-park" message caused by a defective switch - easier to remedy than say, an engine seizing, headgasket blowing or the car just being stolen and joyridden.
TL;DR - They have a pervasive pattern of making poor engineering decisions that tops the Japanese and American makes. American makes aren't that far behind but I don't think I've seen such a widespread trend from them. EcoBoosts, even the sketchier ones aren't dropping like flies. GM hasn't gone in on the dual-clutch trend.
They have plenty of flashes of brilliance but it sucks when they have only recently demonstrated a willingness or capability to build an EV reduction gearbox that doesn't foul it's oil immediately. And having to learn to not under-size ABS wiring (fire).
I know folks who have, I owned a Kia that shares much engineering with Hyundai.
Yes, people do have fine experiences but the past decade has not been kind to Hyundai/Kia owners. They couldn't build a decent GDI 4-cylinder (Theta 2), their 3.3L likes to strip headbolts (and more) and pile on the whole anti-theft cost-cutting that even Mitsubishi and Nissan didn't (and doesn't) do.
My roommate's Accent chewed through it's oil unexpectedly fast and seized. My parents 2.4L Sonata could go at any time (little to no warning), when they got free oil changes the dealer would intentionally overfill it to compensate. My sister's Elantra is prone to piston slap. And they're all immobilizer-less. Luckily there's lawsuits that might help but it's a risk for those who depend on their vehicle.
They certainly look slick, have more features for your dollar and are quite comfy inside but there's ALWAYS some sneaky engineering flaw that rears it's head sooner or later.
If you take my third-gen Sorento, it was a fine car. Comfortable, well-packaged, designed interior, good controls and materials choice. Transmission took everything I threw at it, plenty of space.
Shame that I had to worry about sudden knocking, seizing (2.4L, 2.0T) or headbolt failure (if I had the V6) washer fluid tank leaks (also afflicts it's Hyundai cousin), BCM failure messing with the gear lever, trailer wiring electrical short/fire (not applicable as my tow harness was aftermarket), and a well-performing AWD system that fails around six digit mileage and can't be maintained by the end user. (sealed)
And that's if it wasn't stolen or vandalized first #kiaboyz - either way would leave me out of a car waiting for parts for weeks to months. (If it was totaled, that would've been the best course of action)
I went looking for what a similar AWD component failure cost on similar age Crosstreks and Highlanders but it was practically unheard of online.
You can look at their EVs too. You think going electric solves problems? Nope. They underspecced some charging port so the Ioniq 5 can't charge as fast after heat concerns. And then the ICCU leaks. Their first-gen Ioniq/Niro/Soul EVs have shit-designed reduction gearboxes that dump metal into the oil and need oil changes while the Bolt doesn't for maybe 150k miles.
Yes, you can find other cars with fatal flaws but it's business as usual in Hyundai and Kia land. They play whack-a-mole with problems (their new engines SEEM better, they added immobilizers standard) but customers are ultimately the ones left holding the bag when the latest dumb penny-pinching makes itself apparent.
(oh yea and poor resale, high insurance too dependent on vehicle trim and location. They are the only makes where I recommend 3000 mile oil changes)
Sorry to be the one but the privacy and freedom issue is independent of powertrain. Some earlier models before the automakers went upmarket with EVs were perfectly normal. Now the tablet-on-dash, telematics and other data collection has become pervasive in EVs but now it’s in full-force on ICE vehicles for quite some time. A Mach E and Colorado can both be, and have been, bricked by a bad OTA update.
Practicality though also will vary. If people were used to charging at home all the time, telling people that they have to visit a business to refuel every X days or Y miles would seem odd just because it’s quite different than people think is normal.
Woo hoo, Weapons of Math Destruction meet Weapons of Mass Destruction. (good book by the way)
I read about Apple looking to bring the spec up to par, but I suspect it has a higher chance of being a nothing-burger since carriers haven’t bothered with RCS and Google’s implementation is as controlled/proprietary as iMessage so it will be interesting to see how things go forward.
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(honestly I can also see the AI fad as a little less “extract more money” and more “make the investors think we’re doing something so they A. don’t lose their shit and B. think we’re high tech”)
There is RCS the standard, which isn’t really used - maybe Apple’s support will give it a boost. Then there is RCS + proprietary addons that is used, Google iMessage.
Men are usually immune to it’s worst effects as well 🥴
See what kind of radio you have in there - if it's 3G then you're already set since it's likely been sunsetted.
This applies to 4Runner's but the gist may apply.
2019 and earlier MY have a 3G radio and that's gone. 2020+ have a 4G radio that should be disconnected via phone call first before hardware mods.
Disconnecting the antenna on that vehicle only reduces cellular range but there is also a fuse that can be pulled but that will be very model specific so checking your manual/fusebox/online documentation may help. (in Toyota's the only side effect is loss of microphone use for in-car calls)
There's no easy one-stop solution since it can vary widely.
I would look at subreddits (yuck, reddit!), or dedicated forums for your model if they exist, you'd probably be surprised what's out there. (Example, there's Piloteers (Honda Pilot), Kia-Forums (Kia), 4Runners and Toyota-4Runner, etc. But information may be scattered.
First objective is figuring out if it's even on your vehicle or applicable. Older 3G radios are done since the networks that connected to them are gone now. My '16 Kia had no cellular radio. Maybe you have an SOS button or they advertise a phone app to control your vehicle remotely?
Edit: And if you can't find specific model/year information for your vehicle, you can look for information for related vehicles and see if it's relevant. Ex: Honda Passport, Pilot, Ridgeline sharing a lot of engineering.
in this case that's Toyota specific and it means likely loss of phone calls on the go (but nothing else) even though the data can't leave your vehicle anymore. It all depends on how they wire up the system. Maybe it's easier, maybe it's tied to something random.
The antennae only likely won’t reduce range enough. Check for an opt-out procedure prior to purchase since that’s easiest, then look for what fuse powers the connection (also easy), but worse case, lay eyes on the module itself and evaluate.
I’m sure it varies widely. In Toyota’s you can call in to disconnect (I did it while waiting for a tire pressure machine) but to do it physically you pull a single fuse and the trade off is losing the microphone.
Others have pulled the dash and disconnected antennae but it just reduces the range of the box since it’s a cellular radio like a phone.
In Toyota’s there’s a red sticker on the dash talking about it and how to opt-out. (or at least I’ve seen it in a rental and a new car - but it might also be yanked by dealer’s PDI)
Varies widely. In Toyota’s you call via the SOS button, have your VIN and they can do it. There are also other direct ways like pulling the Mayday fuse to disconnect the “Data Connection Module” (DCM) but that takes the microphone with it.
Some older vehicles that have 3G radios might not have been disconnected explicitly but are as good as dead because 3G as they knew it is gone.
It does not report via Android Auto since these vehicles have their own cellular radios, but not to say Google has its own metrics.
Your best bet is looking for a car/make-specific forum or subreddit and see if anyone’s asked the questions before while ignoring the “nothing to hide, you have a phone lol” clowns.
It broke down a mere 28 hours in my possession, stranding me in Wythesville, Virginia. It's not clear if it's the charger's fault or the car's.
GM took a page out of Bethesda Softworks' release playbook with shoddy code that broke infotainment and limited fast charging to 5 kW.
Once upon a time, firmware updates on a car were a fraught process, involving expensive proprietary programming tools or literally ripping out and replacing chips. These days, by virtue of wireless connectivity, it’s possible to remotely update cars over the air. It’s convenient for customers and au...
I remember when I drove the Toyota Crown back in – holy crap, over a year ago – I thought it was a sort of novel car because it was a sedan/fastback body on a sort of SUV-like big tires/higher ride height platform. You know, like an AMC Eagle! Also, Toyota sells it with a novel two-tone […...
Hybrid Toyota Outback?
Hybrid for '26.
As much as I refuse to eye Hyundai and Kia again, an extra 1.5" was a big off-pavement difference for my third-gen Sorento. Give it tires, a solid front skid and it'd expect it to go where the approach angle, lack of low-range should let it.
Five minutes behind the wheel, and you'll be a believer.
It sounds bizarre but I want to try it.
The new compact electric SUV will offer up to 319 miles of range, and the more expensive 2RS models will arrive before the least expensive 1LT base model.
For now.
A problem with a rear axle bolt could affect more than 230,000 of the SUVs.
The all-new Lexus TX is the more luxurious, more expensive version of the Toyota Grand Highlander but is it worth the premium.
Hyundai and Kia electric vehicles will gain NACS charging ports and Tesla Supercharger access at the end of 2024.
Order banks for the Kia EV9 will open October 16, with customers being asked to put down a fully refundable $750 deposit to secure a car.
It's C&D's best guess since Kia gave numbers sans destination and top trim is estimated around 70k. Can't wait to see how the dealers treat this one.
The 2024 F-150 has a handful of new features, sure, but are they enough to justify a $2,735 price jump for the base XL model?
Yeesh.
The Subaru Wilderness brand is like Jeep’s “Rubicon” or “Trailhawk” brand in that it’s meant to represent the most off-road capable version of a Subaru. “A Subaru that can take you farther, loaded with rugged features so you can take on your wildest adventures,” Subaru says about Wilderness. The bra...
Kia and Hyundai are advising motorists to park affected models outside after a rash of fires linked to faulty brakes.
It's time for another fire-risk recall from the Korean duo! Yet another problem for their infamous decade of vehicles '10-'19 roughly. Skipping immobilizers, undersized wiring (fire), leaking brake fluid (fire), garbage GDI 4-cyl engines (fire), leaking high pressure fuel pumps (fire), trailer wiring defects (fire) and more just weren't enough. Now another brake fluid leak in the braking system can cause another short and cause a fire.
The "fix" is a fuse replacement. It doesn't fix the actual leak so it's a band-aid at best. But also par for the course for the duo.
With a price tag just north of $66,000, the 2024 Nissan Z Nismo plunges deep into BMW M2, Chevrolet Corvette, and fast Mustang territory.
Oof.
It’s 2023 and gas prices are getting out of hand, especially in California. “That’s fine, I’ll just snag a cheap used EV,” you think to yourself as you crack open Facebook Marketplace. “Hey, this 2011 Nissan Leaf is only $2000; what a deal!” you think as you slam your laptop shut and rush to the […]
Nothing new for a bargain-bin Leaf however, but a quick read.
In the Nineties, you could buy a number of cars with gas or diesel five-cylinder engines. Now, the engine is limited to a handful of Audi RS models. Here's why.
Proper lift arm positioning is key to raising any car safely, especially cars with unusual weight biases like the C8 Corvette.
A short stint behind the wheel of Lexus' top-shelf 4x4 showed it might actually live up to the hype.
The mid-size truck's new powertrain will likely make over 443 pound-feet of torque and have about 28 miles of electric range.
