Tesla Model S Plaid vs Rimac Nevera Drag Race

by Gabrielle DeSantis

No matter what your opinion of electric cars is, the one thing that you cannot argue is that they come equipped with obscene amounts of instant torque. Even a staunch EV hater would find it difficult to suppress a smile that would inevitably come from experiencing launch mode in a Tesla. It is just the way of the world.

Since electric cars have such high torque, delivered in a prompt fashion, they naturally do quite well in drag racing. There are plenty of videos on YouTube of small Teslas and other EVs embarrassing muscle cars on the drag strip. So, what happens when two formidable EVs line up against each other? In the latest DragTimes video, the crew pit a Rimac Nevera and a Tesla Model S Plaid to find out which EV would win.

Rimac Nevera

Nevera electric supercar | Rimac Automobili

There has been lots of talk about the upcoming Tesla Roadster, but another electric hypercar has flown under the radar. It is called the “Nevera” from Croatian manufacturer Rimac Automobili. Unlike the Tesla Roadster, there are several examples of the Nevera out in the wild right now.

The Nevera is equipped with four electric motors, which combine for a total output of 1,914 horsepower and a ground-cracking 1,740 ft-lbs of torque. Rimac claims the Nevera will get from a dead stop to 60 mph in 1.8 seconds and will do a quarter-mile in 8.6 seconds. That means if you gave a Nevera to Dominic Toretto, he’d owe you change. Rimac Automobili only plans to make 150 Nevera coupes, and each one commands a price of about 2.4 million dollars. 

Tesla Model S Plaid

Tesla Model S Plaid back light with a plaid light pattern.
Tesla Model S Plaid | Tesla Motors

Until the Tesla Roadster is released, the Tesla Model S sits at the top of the EV maker’s lineup. To satisfy Tesla buyers looking for speed, Tesla previously released a version of the Model S called the “P100D.” However, their latest Tesla S Plaid goes far beyond what the P100D is capable of.

The Tesla Model S Plaid has three electric motors that add up to 1,090 horsepower and 1,050 ft-lbs of torque. The Model S Plaid can hit 60 mph in 1.99 seconds. It took you longer to read that last sentence than it would for a Model S Plaid to reach highway speed. Math majors will notice that the Tesla Model S Plaid numbers do not quite measure up to the Nevera. However, The Model S Plaid is a practical car, so it has more space than the Nevera and much more range. 

Tesla Model S Plaid versus Rimac Nevera

Tesla Model S Plaid vs Rimac Nevera | DragTimes YouTube

Before the race, the crew at DragTimes speculate which car will win and their predictions are unsurprising. On paper, it looks like the Nevera has a significant edge over Tesla’s luxury sedan. However, perhaps the more interesting angle to think of this race is just how close can the Model S Plaid get to the Rimac Auomobilli Nevera? 

If the Model S Plaid can manage a close finish against the Nevera, that is a huge “win” for Tesla; Especially, considering that the Nevera has nearly double the horsepower and costs more than 15 times the price. We won’t spoil the outcome, but we will say that this was a very entertaining match-up to watch.

RELATED: Tesla Model 3 Drag Races Mercedes AMG CLA: Who Wins?

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Are You Using a Leaf Blower to Clean Your Car?

by Gabrielle DeSantis

For some, cleaning their car is an act of love and can even be meditative. However, for some others, cleaning a car is simply a chore they want to be done as quickly and easily as possible. Apparently, many internet people are using leaf blowers to blow out the car’s interior in a flash instead of slowly vacuuming. But, is it a good idea to use a leaf blower to clean your car? As always, Consumer Reports has some thoughts about the subject of cleaning cars.

Cleaning autumn leaves with leaf blowers | Hauke-Christian Dittrich/picture alliance via Getty Images

 Consumer Reports says that maybe a leaf blower isn’t the best way to clean your car

Of course, washing your car and cleaning the interior of your car are two very different things. Washing the exterior is used to show off sexy people in movie montages. No movie has used someone vacuuming between seats to show off the love interest. Although, maybe they would if the love interest were wielding a leaf blower. 

The truth is, cleaning the interior of a car can be a pain. There are numerous hard-to-reach places and tiny bits of dust and crumbs that crawl their way into tiny nooks. Not to mention, you have to deal with sensitive electronics. 

Some experts have taken to ditching the vacuums rags and have gone full Tim the “Tool Man” Taylor and employed the use of horsepower. The problem is this kicks dirt and dust around as opposed to picking it up, and that may be a problem in some cars. 

What’s wrong with using a leaf blower?

“I was surprised to see how many people online recommend using a leaf blower to clean your interior, including some car detailing experts,” says Keith Barry, a Consumer Reports autos editor. “I could see it working in some cases, but remember, leaf blowers are blowing things around rather than picking them up. You could potentially be driving the dust deep into the crevices of your interior.”

Obviously, for older cars with less interior electronics and sensitive surfaces, this leaf blower method is probably a pretty good idea. It’s fast, efficient, and easy. However, all that dust flying around in a new car is not ideal. For new cars, a vacuum and spray cleaner is definitely the better choice. 

“I can see if you used a low setting to quickly get rid of some larger debris, such as kids tracking in a bunch of grass and leaves,” says Emily Thomas, Consumer Reports’ auto safety engineer. “However, I would still follow it up later with an actual vacuum that’s capable of sucking up dirt, gravel, and sand.”

What is the best way to clean your car’s interior? 

2021 Land Rover Defender review of the driver's view of the interior
2021 Land Rover Defender 90 Interior | Land Rover

Unfortunately for all those who hate cleaning their cars, the only right way to clean your car is the slow way. A good first step is to get in there with a strong vacuum cleaner and get all the large debris from the carpet and surfaces. Once the car is clear of all loose dirt and debris, you use whatever appropriate cleaners for the specific surfaces you need cleaning (i.e., screen cleaners, carpet spray, or leather conditioners). 

Another fun little trick is to use silly putty in the tough areas like vents, between knobs, and another hard-to-reach surface. Putty will pick up dust and tiny debris that a rag might miss or even leave behind. 

*Remember, when cleaning your car, always use microfiber rags instead of paper products. Most paper products will leave behind tiny fibers and lint that can undo all your hard work. 

RELATED: Quick Tips To Sanitize Inside Your Car

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Watch the 2021 Toyota Sienna Take on an Off-Road Trail With Ease

by Gabrielle DeSantis

The Toyota Sienna has always been a front-runner in the minivan segment and it continues to get better with every generation. That being said, the Sienna was redesigned for the 2021 model year and now boasts updated styling, more convenient features, and a hybrid powertrain that is standard across the board. That’s right, there’s no more V6 option, but you won’t miss it when you see what the new setup can do.

The 2021 Toyota Sienna still has the option for all-wheel drive

2021 Toyota Sienna | Toyota

One of the ways that the Toyota Sienna has always had a leg up on the competition is that it offered buyers the option of an all-wheel-drivetrain and the latest model is no exception. The 2021 Sienna can be ordered with a new Hybrid AWD system, as the automaker calls it, that uses an independent electric motor between the rear wheels, which adds traction as needed.

If the system detects slippage from the front wheels, it can send up to 80 percent to the rear wheels for added traction. The AWD system also aids with cornering by reducing understeer. I have tested the 2021 Sienna myself and I can say that the AWD and hybrid system operate seamlessly and smoothly under normal driving conditions. But can the Sienna go off-road?

Watch the Sienna tackle an off-road trail like no other minivan

While I wasn’t able to find out how the 2021 Toyota Sienna does off-road during the week that I had it, Ryan Douthit from Driving Sports TV was able to. If you’re unfamiliar with the Driving Sports TV YouTube channel, Douthit is an avid off-road enthusiast and he does a great job in displaying the off-road capability of the various SUVs that he tests. But apparently, nothing with an all-wheel-drivetrain is spared and he even took the Sienna to his usual off-road test site.

“Why am I doing this?” Douthit asks in the video. “I don’t know, it’s fun.”

He asks that question after going over the non-off-road-worthy specs that the Sienna has. Those specs include a low 6.4 inches ground clearance, a long 120-inch wheelbase, and an underbody area with no cladding or rock protection. You don’t have to be an off-road enthusiast to know that that could be a recipe for a ton of scrapes and possibly a minivan stuck in the wilderness.

Fortunately, during Douthit’s testing, everything went better than expected. The Sienna made it up and down his usual uphill trail test with relative ease and even kicked into EV-only mode at one point. Douthit noted that there is no Crawl control or hill-descent mode, however, those features could be coming on the forthcoming Woodland Edition of the Sienna.

What is the Toyota Sienna Woodland Edition?

2022 Toyota Sienna Woodland Edition
2022 Toyota Sienna Woodland Edition | Toyota

The 2022 Toyota Sienna Woodland Special Edition should be hitting dealerships pretty soon. The main draw to this exclusive Sienna is more ground clearance, larger wheels, a tow hitch, and a 1,500-watt power outlet that can power household appliances. Essentially, it’s the ultimate camping van that’s set to take on off-road trails as Douthit did in the video above.

However, we doubt that many Sienna buyers will put the van through its paces by making it play in the dirt. Douthit said it best, “Can it tackle the hill climb?  Yes, it can. Is this something you’re going to do? Probably not.”

RELATED: The 2021 Toyota Sienna Is Faster Than This Ferrari

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How Reliable Is a Carfax Report?

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Car shopping can be a tricky business, especially when you’re looking at used vehicles. It’s often hard to know exactly what you’re getting with a used car, even when purchasing from a business you trust. That’s where a vehicle history report comes into play. With a vehicle history report such as Carfax, you’ll have a better idea of a car’s repair history, as well as any hints of trouble with the title. However, how trustworthy and reliable is a Carfax report? Perhaps not to the extent that we’d like. It’s important to keep in mind that while a Carfax report can be helpful, it will never give us the whole story. 

What is Carfax? 

A car with paint damage above the headlight | Alexandra Schuler/picture alliance via Getty Images

When you’re thinking about buying a used car from a dealer, there’s a good chance you’ll be offered a Carfax report. The dealer may offer the report as a way to allow you to see the car’s maintenance and accident history and to convince you that the car’s a safe bet.

Carfax keeps track of records for more than six billion vehicles. It bases its records on a car’s Vehicle Identification Number or VIN. As NC Consumer explains, the company keeps track of all sorts of information on the vehicle, including owner history, accident history, repair history, and fleet use, among other things. 

When you enter the vehicle’s VIN, Carfax brings up its history based on various sources. These include various motor vehicle bureaus across the U.S. and Canada, auto auctions, mechanics, rental companies, state inspectors, public safety officials, manufacturers, and more. 

Sounds pretty comprehensive, right? It’s certainly a lot of data. However, the question isn’t so much whether you can trust that the information in a Carfax report is true. The real question is whether or not it tells the whole story. 

Is Carfax reliable?

So, now that we’re clear on what Carfax is, let’s move on to what’s likely your next question. Can I trust Carfax? The answer is yes, but only up to a point. As we mentioned, the problem isn’t necessarily that the information contained in a Carfax report is likely to be inaccurate. Rather, the issue comes down to completeness. 

To put it simply, there’s no way to be sure that what you see in a Carfax report tells the entire story. As Money Talks News reminds us, if a car has been in a wreck that isn’t reported to police, that history will be unlikely to show up on a vehicle history report. Additionally, if someone made repairs on their own, or if their mechanic didn’t report the repairs, then that will also be left out of the Carfax history. 

What are some alternative vehicle reports?

While Carfax can be a good place to start, to be safe, you’ll want to check the VIN of the vehicle you’re considering purchasing with some other services as well. A few of the more well-known alternatives include AutoCheck, VinAudit, and VINCheck. 

At least as important as running the vehicle history, though, is taking the car to a trusted mechanic to get it inspected before you make a purchase. Just as you wouldn’t purchase a home without an inspection, a vehicle inspection can save you headaches down the road by detecting trouble that may not show up on a vehicle history report. 

Money Talks News also recommends getting a statement in writing from the dealer that discloses the vehicle’s condition at the time of sale. Sellers should be willing to do this without hesitation. If they’re not, you should seriously consider looking elsewhere for your next vehicle. 

RELATED: Should You Buy A Used Car That’s Been In An Accident?

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