If your car was stolen yesterday, what would you replace it with today?

General Discussion
#1

I’ve been thinking about this for a while. I love my car and have trouble replacing it even though it’s 8.5 years old and has 90,000 miles on it. There’s nothing I can think of that is as ‘cool’ and useful in my immature analysis of cars. Namely:

looks cool
sounds cool
goes fast
is fun
is useful (has more than 2 doors, and good boot space, is AWD etc)
isn’t gigantic or unwieldy

The only thing that fits the bill is…an old ass RS4.

Got any other ideas for me? I don’t mind the automatic transmission.

The other thing I must add is that I’m hella tall, and I don’t want to be squished into my car anymore. I want some legit headroom. I want to sit tall in the vehicle. I say vehicle because I recognize that most cars won’t fit me and I may have to move into an SUV.

The other side of the coin is maybe I just go for something really useful and utilitarian and stop caring about the car being sporty, fun looking, fast etc. On that front I have a few candidates.

One thing that I find intriguing is plug in hybrid cars. I have always thought hybrids make a ton of sense if you can drive them in all electric mode. This way you’re not range limited because you still have a gasoline motor, but you can also accomplish a bunch of your little short trips on the electric motor. Problem is regular hybrids need to run the gasoline motor BEFORE you can use the electric motor…and the batteries are small…and the car can’t go fast on the battery so it always kicks over to gasoline power.

For perspective I have a friend with a Lexus RX Hybrid who gets an average of 25 mpg. That’s over the 100,000 miles he’s owned it. That’s pretty cool…about 20-25% better than the RX 350 gas model. Of course this is also basically diesel SUV type mileage so why not get one of them?

The plug in hybrids are different. Still a hybrid with all the beits, but the car is designed to run battery alone.

Enter the Porsche Cayenne S e-hybrid.

Can run up to around 70 mph on the battery alone…all electric
Can charge the battery with the engine
Can charge the battery by plugging in (if you’re parked somewhere with a free plug, that’s cool)
Can run battery only for 15 miles or so before needing a recharge
Still has a gasoline engine (one we’re all familiar with…the 3.0T made famous by the B8 S4)

It’s big inside, it’s not unwieldy, it’s AWD, it’s good looking, it’s quick enough, it’s very useful space wise and headroom wise, and on top of this can run electric mode 80% of the time if you live in a small town like I do.

Anyway, let me know why that’s a terrible idea or what other cars you think are interesting.

https://scontent.cdninstagram.com/t51.2885-15/s640x640/sh0.08/e35/12383659_1051032024943294_482702787_n.jpg?ig_cache_key=MTIyNDQ4OTU5MTMyNTIzMDAwMg%3D%3D.2.l

http://o.aolcdn.com/dims-global/dims3/GLOB/legacy_thumbnail/430x242/quality/85/http://o.aolcdn.com/hss/storage/midas/3dcd2f0a215cb58d146d0f146ad62345/200855078/porsche-cayenne-s-e-hybrid-paris.jpg

#2

It’s not a bad idea for you. Your logic seems sound.

#3

All that tech in the Cayenne Hybrid adds up to essentially no gain in efficiency in day-to-day driving. Ex-boss’s wife owned 2 of them (he drives an S6) and his opinion is that the extra complexity wasn’t worth it. Did say that the “sailing” feature in highway driving was sorta cool, but that the brakes were also pretty weird and difficult to get used to, even after years of driving one… YMMV.

You might consider a C7 S6 - plenty of space and pace and even a fair amount of grace…

#4

Cayenne S e-hybrid is not a Cayenne hybrid. Totally different car. One is a plug in with a massive battery, one was a traditional hybrid that frankly was outshone by it’s diesel sibling. The hybrid was phased out.

S6 is a great option. No headroom though so its out.

Cayenne S Hybrid 2010-2014 2,995 cc (3.0 L; 182.8 cu in) V6 333 PS (245 kW; 328 hp)@5250, 440 N·m (320 lb·ft)@3000 193 g/km

Cayenne S E-Hybrid 2014- 2,995 cc (3.0 L; 182.8 cu in) V6 416 PS (306 kW; 410 hp)@5500, 590 N·m (440 lb·ft)@3000 79 g/km

Very different cars. The hybrid was rated I believe at 25 mpg. The e-hybrid is rated at 47 mpg.

The hybrid technology or concept is interesting, however it costs more than you will save in 4 years, and it can be beaten by diesel. The e-hybrid or plug in hybrid concept is far more effective simply because you can run the car all electric if you want. The hybrids invariably require the gasoline engine the majority of the time you operate them. The e-hybrid can literally see you drive 20,000 miles without turning over the gasoline engine if you want.

#5

OIC.

Looking at the specs, sure looks quicker, but not really much more efficient. EPA suggests 47 MPGe, or 22 mpg combined:
https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/noframes/36709.shtml

15-20 mile all-electric range. If that range is sufficient for your daily driving, then you might be onto something.

Regarding the S6, I’m surprised that you find the headroom lacking, even at 6’ 5". I’m 6’ 2", but very long-waisted (32" inseam!) and it has plenty of headroom for me…

#6

2017 Allroad, or 2018 S5 sportback/wagon/coupe.

#7

The C7 S6 has less headroom than your RS4? That’s surprising, wouldn’t have guessed that!

#8

E63 S AMG

#9

Another vote for C7 A6 diesel that is or a diesel Q7

#10

Is C63 AMG too small?

#11

Same size as B6/7 chassis… Lovely seats and tons and tons and tons of power, but it is rwd. At this point I’d rather take E63 over C63, much more spacious.

#12

This or GTFO

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPu5wGV3854

#13

Not liking the look at all (personally). I’m also assuming the head room won’t be enough for him.

#14

I like the allroad and the widebody. Basically a 2.0T RS4 if you style it correctly. We have a B8 A4 Avant right now and it’s solid.

I don’t even know what that S5 is…are we getting that? My friend has an S5 and I find it rough getting in and out of. Too low for me.

#15

nobody said that lol. Although it might be true, the RS4 is pretty decent. But still not nearly enough, so I sit leaned way back. Remember? I can almost look left out the back window. Boravr6 took a video of my car after I went 12.75 and you can see how laid back my seat has to be so I don’t crack my head on the ceiling.

http://i375.photobucket.com/albums/oo193/sakimano/20160916_094423_zps395jfxhu.jpg

#16

AWD one. Good car. On my list for sure.

#17

A6 too small for headroom
Q7 too unwieldy

both great cars that I like

#18

too RWD.

#19

the 22 mpg is gasoline engine only. So that’s irrelevant. Porsche estimates combined electric and gas you’ll see around 47 mpg. Not that this matters much…we’re talking about saving $1000/year on fuel. Big deal.

There’s a guy on fuelly whose average is in the high 50s and his best tank was 79 MPG. He said he has a short commute (like me) and ran the battery mostly on that tank (like me). Better way to put it, that’s 1600 miles or 2700 kms between fillups at a gas station.

#20

Or SQ5 / Macan turbo (Macan S is a no)