Vehicles with the Coldest A/C Systems?

My much older brother had a ‘77 Thunderbird he bought new with the coldest AC that I’ve experienced. Seems like you could see your breath in that thing. 😆 Our 2010 Camry that I sold last year was pretty darn cold too.
 
From my experience, Ford trucks and large SUVs can really freeze you, at least in the R134a days. Surprisingly, my M2 has very cold A/C, much colder than my GX460, which I have recharged but am still not overly impressed with.
 
Of the cars we have owned, the 2000 Taurus had a nice cold A/C. My current Camry would be a close second, it does a fantastic job in the summer heat here in the FL panhandle. Previous Hondas and VW's nothing to write home about.
 
This weekend in the 1995 F-150. Sunny and 95 outside when this was taken. Can't ask for much more.

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The MB's I have had will freeze you after a while no matter how hot it is. The hotter it is, the colder it blows it seems.
With those ridiculous electric radiator/ac fans - errrr I mean mini jet engines. If you haven't heard a modern Mercedes on a hot day just imagine standing in front of a small jet engine.

Personally for me the list is as follows.

1). 1999 Dodge Neon. From what I understand Chrysler just slapped the compressor from the minivans in there and called it a day. Yeah you could feel the major drop in engine performance but that car would freeze you out in no time.

2) 2003 VW Golf TDI. Just as good as the Neon, will freeze you out in no time. Some of the gasser 2.slows I drove of this generation were nice and icy cold too.

3). 2021 VW ID.4. I have to keep bumping the temperature up because I get cold even when it's upper 90's out. I fully believe the condenser not dealing with a roasting hot radiator helps a/c performance. Typically start around 74F but usually end up 75-76F so I don't get too cold.
 
Anything Ford.
Give the old Ranger in my signature five or six minutes, and the cab will be as cold as a meat locker.
Both of our Hondas, not so much. Adequate, but not exceptional.

I found the same. I've had two Fiesta's (2013ish models). Those things could turn you into an ice cube. The Civic I have no, well it was okay, but not powerful enough for my liking.
 
Wouldn't know nor would I really care how cold it was other than cool. Nonetheless, the last time I used the AC in my daily 2004 Focus was in 2008. I'm sure all the refrigerant has leaked out by now and it needs a recharge if I ever get around to it. Have the equipment and 3 cases of R-134a.
 
The other important number is what speed you were going when you photographed your thermometer stuck in the vent. A few have alluded to the fact the temp was warmer when idling in traffic which follows the rules of thermodynamics. :cool:
 
Wouldn't know nor would I really care how cold it was other than cool. Nonetheless, the last time I used the AC in my daily 2004 Focus was in 2008. I'm sure all the refrigerant has leaked out by now and it needs a recharge if I ever get around to it. Have the equipment and 3 cases of R-134a.
Our piece of junk 02 Focus AC works pretty good, the wife will tell you the only reason we still have it. Granted had to redo it twice, first shop didn't put oil in the compressor. Watch for those "mid-year" changes Ford is famous for if you have to buy parts.

Our coldest would have to be the 04 Chevy Express since it can cool the entire 28ft RV. The Dakota is pretty good after I put a can back in it and replaced the fan clutch, kinda impressed with it. The Escape is the only terrible AC we have.
 
I have been thinking about this a little and IIRC some of the coldest one used a "Ranco" valve in the system where it was usually cable or manually operated and shut the hot coolant off to the heater core and diverted it directly back into the cooling system. This prevented heat from the heater core bleeding into the cold are because of a leaking blend door.
I have installed a few of these electric ones in VW cars that take about 12 hours to replace the blend door, it works well.

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Of course, nothing beats R-12. But as far as the modern ones are concerned in this part of the world, the best performing is the Chevrolet Suburban/Yukon XL and their shorter wheel base siblings, the Tahoe and Yukon, and the Toyota Land Cruiser. Doesn't matter if it's 130°F ambient, it's like a meat freezer inside those vehicles.
 
Now that we are in the heart of summer, what vehicles that you have driven (or ridden in as a passenger) had the coldest air conditioning system? I'm particularly interested in hearing the impressions of the vehicles that were used in the extreme heat locales like Arizona, Florida, Texas, Middle East, etc. Hoping that we can collectively identify the BITOG top 10 "meat lockers" on wheels.

Let's limit each list to your top 3 vehicles as the list can be extensive. I'll kick it off with my top 3 (YMMV):

(1) 2003 FORD Expedition Eddie Bauer Edition (w/ dual A/C)

(2) 2000 NISSAN Xterra XE

(3) 1998 FORD F-150 XLT
I vote my 2005 Silverado. Coldest I've felt and it comes on within like 20 seconds of starting the engine.
 
My G5 impressed me - 15 years old, 210k miles, AC blows ice cold within seconds of being turned on and will blow cold enough to need to be turned down. No top-offs AFAIK as well!
 
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