Re: New Car Reviews

On 8/19/2026 6:29 PM, Noah Sombrero wrote:
> On Wed, 19 Aug 2026 23:26:49 +0100, Julian <[email protected]>
> wrote:
> 
>> On 19/08/2026 23:05, Tara wrote:
>>> On Aug 19, 2026 at 5:47:23?PM EDT, "Julian" <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>
>>>> On 19/08/2026 22:22, Tara wrote:
>>>>> On Aug 19, 2026 at 4:58:52?PM EDT, "Julian" <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> On 19/08/2026 21:33, Tara wrote:
>>>>>>> On Aug 19, 2026 at 4:31:16?PM EDT, "Tara" <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> On Aug 19, 2026 at 4:12:29?PM EDT, "Julian" <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> On 19/08/2026 20:56, Wilson wrote:
>>>>>>>>>> On 8/19/2026 3:32 PM, Julian wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>> On 19/08/2026 19:46, Wilson wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>> On 8/19/2026 11:31 AM, Julian wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>>> On 19/08/2026 16:04, Wilson wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> On 8/18/2026 8:02 PM, Dude wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> On 8/17/2026 8:43 PM, dart200 wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> On 8/17/26 7:56 PM, Dude wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> "We planned on a year of bare-bones motoring. These features
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> make us feel like we're cheating." - Aaron Gold, Aug 17, 2026
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Motor Trend:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Five—No, Six—Sorry, Eight—Features I Didn't Expect in Our
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> $25,000 Kia K4
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> https://tinyurl.com/2mmsamkj
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> most of those are software feature that cost zero to replicate
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> once implemented. the fact they aren't standard across all new
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> cars is kind of a market failure imo
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> You forgot to mention the Kia warranty:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Powertrain Warranty: 10 years or 100,000 miles for engine,
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> transmission, and drive parts.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Basic Warranty: 5 years or 60,000 miles for most other vehicle
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> parts (bumper-to-bumper).
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Anti-Perforation Warranty: 5 years or 100,000 miles for rust hole
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> damage on body sheet metal.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Roadside Assistance: 5 years or 60,000 miles for 24/7 help like
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> towing or flat tires.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> They need those because they have a deservedly bad reputation for
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> reliability.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>> Certainly a decade and more ago and until five years ago
>>>>>>>>>>>>> easily stolen but, at least in Europe, they are well above
>>>>>>>>>>>>> average, in the top 10, for reliability.
>>>>>>>>>>>>> https://www.whatcar.com/news/are-kia-cars-reliable-most-and-least-
>>>>>>>>>>>>> reliable-models-revealed/n27619
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> I might be behind the times in my negative attitude towards the Koreans.
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> "Kia (and sister brand Hyundai) transformed from lower-tier
>>>>>>>>>>>> reliability in the early 2010s through major quality investments,
>>>>>>>>>>>> platform sharing, and engineering improvements. Recent models are
>>>>>>>>>>>> generally viewed as dependable daily drivers with competitive build
>>>>>>>>>>>> quality.
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> "Made in Korea" signified "Cheap imitation" until the 1980's which
>>>>>>>>>>> fixed the post war economy and facilitated big national investment
>>>>>>>>>>> in the likes of Samsung, Hyundai, LG and Daewoo. By 2000 they were
>>>>>>>>>>> becoming among the elite in advanced heavy, shipbuilding etc., and
>>>>>>>>>>> electrical/onic engineering.
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> There's one thing they are not very good at making and that is
>>>>>>>>>>> people...
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> According to United Nations and demographic projections, South Korea's
>>>>>>>>>>> total fertility rate is expected to slowly rebound from its historic
>>>>>>>>>>> lows to approximately 1.0 child per woman by 2050, remaining well
>>>>>>>>>>> below the 2.1 replacement level needed for a stable population
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> That country is going to go extinct unless they change that.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Yes, and they know it. In 2024 the rate was the global lowest.
>>>>>>>>> https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-68402139
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Why is the population decline upsetting to many people (other than to those
>>>>>>>> who don't want more kids).
>>>>>>>> Honestly, I don't understand and would like to.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Is it for purely monetary reasons?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> It's a big factor when the young have to support so many pensioners
>>>>>> and the cost of living is high but everywhere women get educated the
>>>>>> birth rate drops.  "as women got more autonomy, making household
>>>>>> decisions, more power, they have to make some kind of compromise between
>>>>>> raising children and having more, kind of, autonomy in the workplace."
>>>>>
>>>>> I understand why women aren't having as many kids, all that, all those reasons
>>>>> you list. It appears that those who think it's a bad thing are looking at the
>>>>> 'big factor' then - the young having to support the elders and not having
>>>>> enough young to do that is a purely monetary concern. It would be a painful
>>>>> transition but when all the current oldies die, it will gradually even out
>>>>> with a lower population (young and seniors) balanced out over all. But for
>>>>> now, the complaint and worry about low birth rates is a monetary concern. I
>>>>> don't know why but I thought maybe it might be more than that.
>>>>> In ten years, who knows what the world will look like and women may be in a
>>>>> better position then to want more babies. Or not.
>>>>> We women, really do have a lot of power don't we. :) In concrete reality, this
>>>>> is a new concept.
>>>>
>>>> Pretty much the only places with stable or growing birth rates are those
>>>> where women have little or no rights, education and independent means.
>>>>
>>>> The UN expects the population to peak at just over 10 billion in 2080
>>>> and then gradually decline sustainably as more women are emancipated
>>>> being progressively harder to keep them in the dark in this world.
>>>
>>> If it's a gradual decline, the change could happen with a minimum of pain if
>>> we accept and adjust to it. I admit, I want a lot fewer people on this planet
>>> mainly for the good of the planet. For creatures (humans included) - room to
>>> breath and grow...not too much though :)
>>
>> As far as I can tell there are always exactly the right number
>> of people on the planet for the good of the planet. I just can't
>> rustle up enough conceit to think otherwise.
> 
> It might possibly not be a matter of conceit.  It might even be a
> matter of people who study such things giving it serious thought.  I
> understand that artists might have a hard time imagining such a thing.
 >
Artists are those people that study such things.

Painted in 1937 by Pablo Picasso, Guernica is a monumental oil mural 
(11.5 by 25.6 feet) created in response to the devastating Nazi and 
Italian aerial bombing of the Basque town of Guernica during the Spanish 
Civil War.
 >