AD #2365 – CR Now Recommends Tesla’s Model 3, JLR Developing AV Off-Road Tech., All-New Acura RDX Impressions
May 31st, 2018 at 11:28am
Runtime: 6:49
0:30 After Update, CR Now Recommends Tesla’s Model 3
1:18 Land Rover Developing Autonomous Off-Road Technology
1:53 How VW Lightened Its Pike Peak EV Racer
3:08 Cost of 3D Printing Coming Down Fast
5:03 All-New 2019 Acura RDX Impressions
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On today’s show… the cost of 3D printing auto parts is coming down fast… Consumer Reports now recommends buying a Tesla Model 3… and we’ll share our impressions of the new Acura RDX. All that and more coming right up on Autoline Daily.
This is Autoline Daily the show for enthusiasts of the automotive industry.
CR NOW RECOMMENDS TESLA’S MODEL 3
Attention Automakers! If for some reason you need any more evidence that extensive over-the-air (OTA) update capabilities is a good thing, look no further than Tesla. Just one week and two days ago Consumer Reports announced it wouldn’t recommend the Model 3 due to poor braking distance. But Tesla has since rolled out an over-the-air software update that has improved braking performance, by about 20-feet, enough to give Consumer Reports the confidence to now recommend the Model 3 for purchase. CR is also renting a more recently built Model 3 from Tesla to see if other issues it had with the first car have now been addressed. But this should be a wake-up call for anyone that’s been sleeping on this technology.
LAND ROVER DEVELOPING 5D TECHNOLOGY
Land Rover is developing off-road autonomous technology that will work in any weather condition. To help make it reality, the company is engineering what it calls “5D” technology, which is a combination of acoustic, video, radar, light detection and LIDAR data in real-time. It will be Level 4 and 5 capable. This technology is being developed as part of the CORTEX project, which is a 3.7 million pound initiative by the UK, to support the deployment of self-driving technology.
HOW VW LIGHTENED ITS EV RACER
Volkswagen, using its electric “I.D. R Concept,” will attempt the fastest Pike’s Peak hill climb by an electric prototype. How? Well electric racers are heavy, which throws off handling, so less weight will be the key. The chassis and aerodynamic parts will be a carbon fiber/Kevlar mix, while most everything else will be steel and aluminum. And the batteries are lighter, though less powerful. Even the racing suit will be lighter and have sponsor logos printed on rather than sewn on. The whole thing comes in at about 2,425 pounds. Could this weight-saving snag VW the record? We’ll have to wait until June 24th to find out.
Still to come… the process to create 3D printed automotive parts is evolving rapidly.
COST OF 3D PRINTING COMING DOWN FAST
Recently on Autoline After Hours, we were joined by Jon Walker, from EOS North America, to talk about 3D printing auto parts. He had some interesting things to say about the how the cost to produce parts is coming down fast…
Jon Walker: “Yes, so I can say in the last two years, if we just look at the costs alone, I think it’s pretty safe to say from two years ago to today just the costs alone have probably come down about twenty percent. So, there’s a savings and then when we look at new technologies we’re doing things to make sure we’ve got the process stable.
Now we’re figuring out ways to take this incredible process and make it faster. So, we’ve added multiple lasers to our system, so our largest machine is 400 millimeters for the build envelope (on the metal side) and we now have four lasers in that machine. So, it’s not a perfect factor of four faster but say it is, you know, 3.7 times faster because there’s non-productive times that are in both systems. So, now we’ve come down twenty percent in cost and we’re almost four times faster.”
(Clip from AAH #421 can only be viewed in the video version of today’s show.)
You can watch that entire episode right now on our website, Autoline.tv or on our YouTube channel.
And speaking of After Hours, make sure you join us this afternoon for an all-new episode. Our special guest is Brian McKay, the head of powertrain technology for North America for the supplier Continental. If you have any powertrain questions, just send them our way to viewermail@autoline.tv, then join us live at 3PM eastern time for some of the best inside talk in the automotive industry.
Coming up next, our impressions of the all-new Acura RDX.
2019 ACURA RDX IMPRESSIONS
The all-new Acura RDX arrives at dealer showrooms tomorrow. We got a chance to drive the new model and here are our impressions. The CUV is built on an all-new dedicated platform and it’s powered by a new 2.0L four-cylinder turbo that’s mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission. The powertrain performed well and for those worried about not having a V6 option, the four-cylinder provides good power. It’s a bit buzzy when you stomp on the accelerator, but it’s not a deal breaker. The RDX also features the fourth-generation of the company’s Super Handling All-Wheel-Drive system, which definitely helps in corners and on twisty roads. Fuel economy for front-wheel-drive versions is 24 MPG combined while AWD models get 1 MPG fewer. Moving to the interior, the NVH is impressive and it’s a quiet ride out on the road. There’s also a new touchpad to control functions in the infotainment screen, which did take a little bit of getting used to. But not all functions are controlled with the touchpad, there are buttons for the HVAC and on the steering wheel. There’s also good leg and head room for passengers in both the front and rear. The 2019 RDX starts at $38,295 with destination charges and a fully loaded model adds another $10,000 on top of that.
But that’s it for today, thanks for watching and please join us again tomorrow.
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Comments (20)
May 31st, 2018 at 12:02 pm
VW’s Pikes Peak EV Race driver’s suit stitching printed on instead of sewn just to help save weight? Ridiculously hair-splitting… Well, in that case, they can’t leave out having the driver not eat for three days and performing an enema right before the race too, right?
May 31st, 2018 at 12:03 pm
Another Tesla collision. They are not ready for the road using whatever they call their system of driving the car. The system should be disabled until they prove it is ready for street use. Also until they train the owner/driver till they are ready to use the system. http://www.ibtimes.com/tesla-autopilot-model-s-hit-5-cars-started-itself-owner-says-2685951
May 31st, 2018 at 12:11 pm
They new “buzzy” Acura RDX…why would one buy a buzzy expensive Acura. The reported fuel economy is not worth the “buzzy” trade off for the economy change. What makes an Acura worth the extra money over a Honda is quiet ride and luxury. “Buzzy” engine noise is not luxury. In my opinion this is not a step forward for Acura.
May 31st, 2018 at 12:13 pm
Surprised not to see anything regarding the rumor that FCA is going to eliminate the Chrysler brand from existence . That could be announced as soon as Friday according to what I read.
May 31st, 2018 at 12:13 pm
On Telsa OTA updates – I wonder how thoroughly tested the “fix” was before it was pushed out. Perhaps the tweak provided for better braking on dry payment to satisfy the testing procedures used by CR, but might degraded performance under other conditions (e.g., ice, gravel, severe steering). Having worked for a large automotive OEM, even minute tweaks to anything safety related REQUIRED months and months of validation testing (physical and simulation) prior to production changes being approved. Just seems like Tesla was either very sloppy in its initial calibration of its braking system, or the calibration was the way it was for a reason to balance performance under numerous conditions. I’m not sure I’d want a “fix” to my braking system that took less than a week to implement from start to finish. If it was that simple to fix, they should have gotten it right the first time. Another example of where not following the norm may have future consequences.
May 31st, 2018 at 12:29 pm
I’m surprised that CR has enough reliability survey data on the Tesla Model 3 to “recommend” it. They only recommend cars that have average or better reliability, no matter how well they work otherwise. They list the 3′s reliability as 3 of 5, so they apparently have data on 100 cars which, I think, is the minimum they need to consider survey data significant.
May 31st, 2018 at 12:33 pm
Just to play Devil’s Advocate — as the next scandal to diesel defeat devices, what is to keep a company from using OTA updates from pushing a “special” calibration to an evaluation vehicle being tested by CR or others to gain a better rating? I’m sure CR does their testing at a known location, and the vehicle is constantly reporting where it is to the OEM, and when one of these “special” locations are detected, the OEM could quickly download an “optimized” calibration to game the system. Then later on return to the standard calibration for reliability/durability.
May 31st, 2018 at 12:33 pm
#3
Yep, 1 mpg improvement over the old RDX with the V6, and maybe the change to the 10-speed gearbox would have improved the mileage by that amount, even with the six. Yeah, buzzy engines don’t belong in “premium” cars. In 2018, no car should have a conspicuously buzzy engine.
May 31st, 2018 at 12:52 pm
4 What did you read? I’m not finding anything.
May 31st, 2018 at 12:54 pm
4, 9 Never mind. AW has an article about the rumor.
May 31st, 2018 at 1:05 pm
Acura is now competing against the Chevy Equinox and GMC Terrain. They have taken the RDX down market IMHO. This 2.0 Liter Turbo should have gone into the Honda CR-V and a smaller 3.0 Liter V6 should have been developed and gone into the RDX.
May 31st, 2018 at 1:13 pm
I say, let the oems do whatever they want with self-driving cars. The worst auto-drive is still light years better than many drivers on the road. Stop looking for perfection and accept better.
May 31st, 2018 at 1:17 pm
#11…exactly! I have a 2013 Honda V6 AWD crosstour. It have a 6 speed auto with cylinder deactivation. It gets between 26 to 28 mpg on the highway averaging 70 to 80 mph and 22 mpg city/local driving. That is loaded with luggage and the cylinder deactivation works seamlessly. I would imagine with a 10 speed trans it would be even higher mpg’s.
May 31st, 2018 at 1:40 pm
11 Maybe the are not offering the 2.0 turbo in the CR-V, to get people who want it to spend more money and buy an Acura. As you say, though, they are just moving Acura down market, to compete with Chevy.
As far as 2.0 turbos, are they “buzzy” in $60K Benzes and BMW’s? I haven’t driven a recent E-class, 5 series, or X3, all of which use turbo fours. The only recent turbo four I’ve driven is a MINI S. It is a little buzzy when you get on it, but it cost about $28K, not $50-60K
May 31st, 2018 at 3:20 pm
Consumer Reports must have received their check.
May 31st, 2018 at 4:07 pm
Kit—–fell in love w/GM 2.4 before it was on the road, bought the 1st vehicle offered, put 80 K before going back to SUV’s—-had 2 counter balance shafts , was not “Buzzy”
May 31st, 2018 at 4:15 pm
I suspect the mounting, and sound deadening have a lot to do with whether or not an engine is “buzzy.” I drove a Camaro with the 2.0 turbo, and it seemed quite refined, for that type of car. Actually, the 2.5 turbo in my antique minivan is mostly smooth, but the vehicle is kind of noisy in other ways, like road noise, and transmission whine in top gear.
May 31st, 2018 at 6:46 pm
The safest cars, with no fatalities over the last four years. The surprising one to me us Cherokee 4wd.
http://money.cnn.com/2017/05/25/autos/safest-and-deadliest-cars-on-the-road/index.html
June 1st, 2018 at 10:53 am
I still don’t trust Tesla. That’s all.
June 1st, 2018 at 11:39 am
The excitement over AV is at best a panacea of fluff. Anyone who has ever been involved in auto production (parts of OEM)can tell you that sensors will fail. And those failures can result in catastrophic damage. Who will assume that liability? Not certain the masses will buy into AV anytime in several vehicle design cycles. RIP Chrysler & dodge? most likely.