Originally Posted By: brianl703
Originally Posted By: friendly_jacek
!!!!!!!
Elkpolk did not intend for his comment to mean that.
Brian:
Thanks for the backup on that. For everyone's clarity, what I was intending was to encourage positive, well-informed discussion, without coming off as a heavy-handed admin who will take action against other members who have the gumption to disagree. For everyone's edification, I will almost never take editorial action in a thread in which I have participated in the discussion. I hope the reason is obvious.
Now, moving on to the trip. Yesterday, I put ~700 on the CV driving to Atlanta and back (dropping kid off to spend a week with a friend). The car was a great highway cruiser. Per the computer (I did not bother trying calculations -- I won't have the car long enough to make a difference), I was averaging about 22.5 mpg -- not bad for a heavy V-8 car driven at almost 80 mph consistently. EPA for this car is 24 hwy. Between that number, and my observations, it's clear that, for better or worse, the Ford engineers have HEAVILY biased the programming of the engine and trans computers for economy, and NOT performance. The car is not a slug, but it clearly lacks the "go" factor I would hope to get from a V-8, even a slightly small one (4.6L).
The seating was also encouraging. The backseat, at least according to my 14 year-old who took it over, was a winner. She was comfortable, liked the way it smelled and "squeaked". I reminded her that she had never enjoyed the luxury of "exclusive ownership" of the Camry's back seat, and that its leather was squeaky and good-smelling when new. She remained unimpressed with my counter-point.
The front seat is ALMOST as good as the one in the Camry. My needs are odd. Beyond my odd shape, I have two herniated disks in my neck -- which makes me "sensitive" to say the least. The headrest in the Camry fits me perfectly, supporting my head at just the right angle for all-day comfort. The headrest in the CV is too high, and too forward. I feared severe neck discomfort on a long trip, but this did not materialize. Not as comfortable as I'd have liked, but not a problem either. While I would not choose them first, I could live with the CV's seats, and well at that.
Now for the fun part. The entertainment factor, which I frankly hadn't really thought about. To save duplication of effort, I will just quote here the relevant portion of a PM I already sent Brian about this.
Originally Posted By: ekpolk
It was as priceless, simply priceless. And this CV doesn't even have the most obvious "sinister cop car cues." It's burgundy red, has alloy wheels and a chrome grille. That said, I did install my large GPS unit and my trusty Valentine-One detector prominently on the windshield. So to some, it probably looked like an "unmarked" car with some "cop stuff" on the dash.
After observing several quite humorous, near-panic responses on the way up to ATL, I started thinking (often a dangerous thing...). This was a rendezvous-drop operation at a huge mall in North ATL, and I noticed a Home Depot next door. I briefly entertained the idea of getting some black electric tape so I could "install" some "faux hidden bluelights" along the top of the windshield and rear glass. But I decided that was just a little too evil...
The best response happened on the way home. Heading down I-85 doing 79-ish myself, I got intercepted from behind by a pack of speeders who were probably averaging 95-ish. Seeing me, they seemed to abruptly slow, presumably for the CV checkout. They apparently dismissed me as a civilian, and resumed their high-speed cruise. I checked the area, and the V1 being silent, I decided to have some fun -- I accelerated to their speed, and started tailing them at about 1/4 mile, and then started gradually closing. All of a sudden, they all quickly dropped to about 72-ish. Silly, if you think about it, since if I were a cop, I'd have had them nailed already, easily. I followed them for a couple miles, and then passed them myself. I guess after they stopped sweating, they finally dismissed me for good, and relit the afterburners.
Hey, I never really considered how a CV comes with built-in entertainment!
This sort of evil amusement could go a long way toward making up for a broken cup holder...
