Destination Charges Class-Action Lawsuit GM and Stellantis Want to Avoid

by Gabrielle DeSantis

It has finally happened. Class-action lawsuits against GM and Stellantis have been filed over destination charges. Destination charges are the charge on most new vehicles that few dealerships are able to explain. Rather than being baked into the overall price of a vehicle like installing the tires or having oil in the engine, this is a charge for supposedly delivering the vehicle to the dealership. 

The lawsuit filed today alleges that GM makes a profit on destination charges

A man examines a new car sticker. | Tim Boyle via Getty Images

And it can vary wildly from dealer to dealer. The destination charge lawsuit filed today alleges that GM is making a profit on these destination fees according to CarComplaints. It states that GM shouldn’t make a profit over vehicle deliveries to California and New Jersey. 

The class-action lawsuit includes both California and New Jersey buyers that paid the destination charges. California plaintiff Robert Romoff was charged a $1,195 destination charge for his 2021 Chevy Equinox. New Jersey plaintiff Joe Siciliano purchased a new 2019 Cadillac Escalade with a $995 destination charge.

Are customers being misled by deceptive charges forced by GM dealerships?

Window sticker | Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Neither says they knew that GM profited on the charges. They allege being misled by the deceptive charges forced by GM dealerships to be paid for delivering vehicles. Though each of the divisions within GM has different delivery charges it is alleged in the lawsuit that these fees can be as high as $1,695. 

The lawsuit says a “destination fee is generally understood in the automotive industry to reflect the manufacturer’s average cost of delivering one of its vehicles to a dealership. That destination fee is charged to the dealer and passed on to the purchaser or lessee of that vehicle. Consumers similarly have the expectation that they are covering an automotive manufacturer’s cost for the delivery of the manufacturer’s vehicles when paying the ‘destination fee’ as part of their new-vehicle lease or purchase.”

It’s alleged that GM makes “a significant amount of profit” from these charges

A saleman helps out a customer at a Ford dealership August 3, 2009 in Downers Grove, Illinois.
A saleman helps out a customer at a Ford. | (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

A buyer can’t negotiate the destination charges. They must pay whatever the charge is before taking delivery of their vehicle. The lawsuit alleges that GM makes “a significant amount of profit” from these fees. 

Plaintiffs allege the charge does not reflect the true cost of delivering the vehicle. Instead, it is able to keep “hidden markups” on every vehicle it sells. The charges “deceives customers into paying far more than the actual cost of vehicle delivery.” They also allege that they overpaid for their vehicles because of the destination charge profit GM charges. 

The law firms of Kaliel Gold PLLC, and Kopelowitz Ostrow Ferguson Weiselberg Gilbert, are bringing the lawsuit for the plaintiffs. These are the same firms that filed a similar destination charge lawsuit against Stellantis last month. Will Ford be next?

RELATED: What Are Dealer Destination Charges and Why Are They Going Higher?

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Tesla Model 3 Gets Crushed by Concrete Blocks, Owner Lives to Tell the Tale

by Gabrielle DeSantis

It always pays to expect the unexpected when driving around. Of course, you can never really tell what’s going to happen at any given moment, like a car pulling out in front of you suddenly or perhaps some other freak occurrence. But in those important times, it’s always good to have a safe car, which is something that one couple recently learned while driving their Tesla Model 3 in England.

The Tesla Model 3 was crushed

The Tesla Model 3 on display at the LA Auto Show. | (Photo credit should read FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images)

RELATED: Tesla Stripped From Consumer Report’s “Top Pick” List Over Safety

According to a recent report from Teslarati, Neil Collins and his wife were driving their Model 3 around a turn when a large truck, carrying large pallets of concrete and traveling in the opposite direction, dropped some of its cargo onto the Tesla. From what we can see in the video, the truck was traveling too fast, which is likely what dislodged the concrete blocks.

What resulted was a crushed windshield, side windows, and most of the sheetmetal on the driver’s side of the car. Basically, the car is totaled. But the most important part is that its owners live to tell the tale. Collins recounted the brief and destructive occurrence with Teslarati:

“I could see the lorry appeared to have gone too quickly around the corner because it was really leaning over, so I thought, ‘Oh blimey, that doesn’t look very good.’ Then we came alongside and I could see the blocks sliding off.”

The Tesla was totaled, but the owners only had bruises

RELATED: What Tesla Model Has Falcon Wing Doors?

When watching the video, which taken was by the Model 3’s Teslacam video, you can see that the car ran straight into the falling load of blocks head-on. The blocks went through the windshield and on top of the car, which you would think would cause a lot of injury to the driver and passenger. But Collins was able to walk away with only minor cuts and bruises, reported Inside EVs. Collins also noted:

“Before I could react, within a split second, it had gone bang and glass was everywhere, and there was smoke. Next thing I knew, the emergency services were being called. The windscreen collapsed, but it pretty much held. It was quite amazing that we walked away.”

Some would think that’s it’s a downright miracle that the couple was able to leave the scene relatively unscathed, but this event also goes to show how well the Model 3 can hold up in a crash.

The Model 3 has really good safety ratings

Upon further research, we can see why the IIHS granted the 2021 Tesla Model 3 a highly-coveted “Top Safety Pick +” award. According to the agency’s testing, the Model 3 received a “good” score across the board, namely the roof strength and side-impact categories.

NHTSA also recently stated that the Tesla Model 3 has the “lowest probability of injury” in any vehicle that it has tested. That’s pretty high praise coming from an agency that tests the crashworthiness of thousands of different vehicles every year. But as we can see from the video above, and the story that came from it, there’s definitely a lot of good things to be said about the Model 3’s structural rigidity and overall safety.

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This Crossover Comes Packed With Safety Features For Under $30,000

by Gabrielle DeSantis

The 2021 Ford Bronco Sport is a lot of things: a car based SUV that a lot of people have been super excited about, and a new introduction to the Ford SUV lineup. Yet the 2021 Ford Bronco Sport is also an SUV packed with advanced safety systems, and you can get it for under $30,000. Let’s take a look at some of the Bronco Sport safety features Consumer Reports recommends that might make you consider buying this crossover SUV.

2021 Ford Bronco Sport | Ford

The 2021 Ford Bronco Sport has all of the collision warning safety features

Forward collision warning and pedestrian detection both come standard in the 2021 Ford Expedition Sport. These safety features will alert a driver if there is something in the path of the car which may cause a collision, like a person or another car. This technology uses cameras and sensors to determine how far away objects or pedestrians are, and signal the driver. If the driver doesn’t respond in time, automatic emergency braking can apply brakes automatically. 

Similarly, blind spot warning monitors the blind spot areas in the Bronco Sport and will alert the driver if there is something in the driver’s blind spot. Some blind spot warning systems will alert the driver if the driver signals to turn or change lanes in front of the vehicle in the blind spot. 

Advanced safety systems will help you stay in your lane

The interior of a 2021 Ford Bronco Sport
2021 Ford Bronco Sport interior | Ford

Lane keeping assistance and lane departure warning are both standard in the 2021 Ford Bronco Sport. Each of these safety features use cameras to keep you safe, and between the lines of the road. The Bronco Sport also has driver alert, which sends warnings in the message center to pull over if your SUV repeatedly wanders into another lane. 

Backup warnings come standard in the Bronco Sport

All new SUVs must have a backup camera, but the Bronco Sport also comes with rear cross traffic warning. This means that if something could be moving into the rear path of the SUV, a warning will alert the driver. This is especially important considering that most rear moving accidents involve children. 

Brakes and stability control come standard, too

A red 2021 Ford Bronco Sport crossover drives through the mountains.
2021 Ford Bronco Sport | Ford

Anti lock brakes, which keep wheels from locking up, as well as traction and stability control come with the Bronco Sport. Daytime running lights are another safety feature which makes the Bronco Sport a safer SUV.

The 2021 Ford Bronco Sport starts at under $30,000

Although the 2021 Ford Bronco Sport is currently undergoing Consumer Reports testing, crossover shoppers may be interested in it because of all of its safety features, as well as its price point. While you can certainly (and quickly) add on features to make the Ford Bronco Sport more expensive, its base price is just $26,820. This means you can get a whole lot of safety features for a relatively inexpensive price. 

So if you’re looking for a crossover with advanced safety systems, the Bronco Sport is a great place to start looking. More information should be forthcoming when Consumer Reports completes its testing, but this looks like a great budget crossover with safety features.

RELATED: Consumer Reports: 10 2021 Midsize Luxury SUVs With Advanced Safety Systems

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BMW M3 Configurator: Build Your Own Full-Fat Sports Sedan Latte

by Gabrielle DeSantis

It’s time once again to play that game of configurator-fueled wishful thinking that all enthusiasts like to play, this time with BMW. This week, I spec out an M3. Love or hate that big ol’ schnoz, the M3 is still a serious driver’s car, always has been. In recent years, the Bavarian sports sedan has become the pinnacle of fast daily drivers, and this one is no exception to that trend. A quick disclaimer: these are all my own personal tastes and opinions, so feel free to spec your M3 as different from mine as you like.

BMW M3: exterior and wheels

My Isle of Man Green Metallic M3 | BMW

In keeping with that daily driver theme, I opted for the non-Competition M3 for two reasons: the manual is only available on non-Comp cars, and price. I built my M3 on the assumption it would be my only fake car in my fake one-car garage. As it should be, with a monthly payment of nearly $1500 and an as-built price of $91,694 with destination charge. I also included BMW Ultimate care for almost seven large to keep my fake M3 on the road.

Now for the paint. I chose Isle of Man Green, a $550 extra. It helps hide the big grille a little better, and the same goes for other dark colors like grey and black. Moreover, who doesn’t love a little racing green in their life? The wheels were an unfortunate after effect of the carbon brake package, which runs a cool $8,000. Personally, I’m selling those and buying a nice set of gold wheels to match the gold calipers. Can’t be too subtle.

M3 interior and options

The Kyalami Orange interior of the M3 with manual transmission
Kyalami Orange seats | BMW

RELATED: The Porsche Cayman GT4 Isn’t Practical, but It Beats the BMW M4

A word of caution on the interior of the M3. If you’re a fan of the Kyalami Orange leather seats as I am, they do look far more orange in person depending on who you ask. Personally, I think they look great, but I skipped the optional leather surfaces to keep my budget under $95,000. I did however pick up the ventilated seats. They’re the kind of thing you can’t let go of once you’ve had them.

I also skipped the $3,800 carbon bucket seats. They have a little lump in the middle for aesthetics that seems painful to clamber over every day, as Mr. Farah of The Smoking Tire points out. What I didn’t skip was the free upgrade to a moonroof. What’s the point of that rowdy motor if you can’t hear the exhaust on a sunny day, windows down? Finally, I opted for BMW’s $2,800 “Executive Package” which nets you a host of luxury features like a heated wheel, HUD, and adaptive LED eyes for your M3.

My BMW M3: tasteful or rubbish?

The gold M carbon ceramic brake calipers on a BMW M3
The M3 with carbon ceramic brakes | BMW

All in all, I ended up with around $20,700 in options alone. Not cheap, but other bits and bobs such as carbon trim and more leather can easily bring an M3 right up past the $100,000 mark. That’s Porsche territory and dangerous waters for an M3. Despite its controversial looks, the M3 is a solid driver’s car and a great daily with speed to rival far more expensive cars. You can try out BMW’s configurator here, should you wish.

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