What Is the Best New Car You Can Buy With 1 Bitcoin

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Oh, Bitcoin. Cryptocurrency is nothing new. However, for many people, it might as well be. We have seen quite the tumultuous scene unfold with the stock market and currencies over the past year. While some folks have gotten silly rich from buying and selling Bitcoin, many have also lost their shirts. But since Bitcoin is the flavor of the day, what is the best new car you can buy with Bitcoin today? A 2021 Ford Bronco? A 2021 Mazda Miata? Hell, some days, it could get you halfway to a Mercedes G Wagen. 

2021 Ford Bronco | Ford

How much is Bitcoin worth? 

As of right now, Bitcoin is hovering right around the $31,000 mark (give or take a few hundred dollars). The value of the coin ebbs and flows but, ultimately, the blockchain tech keeps the cyber money finite and rare, meaning as long as there is interest in the stuff, it should have some value. 

As Gear Patrol mentioned, after Elon Musk announced that people could buy Teslas with Bitcoin, the price skyrocketed to over $60,000 per coin. He then retracted his acceptance of the digi-money a few months later, splitting the value of the cryptocurrency in half. And it has remained around $30,000 since. 

The 2021 Ford Bronco might be the best new car to buy for the price of a Bitcoin

A 2021 Ford Bronco climbing a trail, the Bronco is a new car being sold over list price
2021 Ford Bronco | Ford

This new Bronco has been one of, if not the most anticipated cars we have seen in a very long time. Between the near-constant delays, chip shortages, and the long, slow build of normal promotional campaigns. The results are a killer throwback SUV that 4×4 fans have been waiting on for over two years. Technically, the 2021 Ford Bronco was announced in 2019 and debuted in July of 2020. But deliveries only started last week, and wait times are still over a year to get one. 

Besides the fact that you literally can’t buy and drive home a 2021 Ford Bronco right now, it is the best new car you can buy with one Bitcoin. 

What kind of 2021 Ford Bronco can you get for $31,000? 

A yellow 2021 Ford Bronco off-roading over rocks serves as a reminder that this is the coolest car you can buy right now with one bitcoin
2021 Ford Bronco | Ford

Not much of one, but you still can technically do it. The Bronco has a pile of very cool options and configurations; however, we are looking at the base model with current Bitcoin prices. You can snag a two-door model with the base I4 engine and a stick shift (once they’re in stock) and drive away in a 2021 Ford Bronco for $30,640, including destination fees. 

Although a Bitcoin won’t get you the Sasquatch or the bigger V6 engine, the base-model two-door is pretty rad. The good news about the base model with the smaller engine is that it is the one that comes with the seven-speed manual gearbox. Also, at this price, this is still a truck you could actually go off-roading without the constant gut-wrenching worry of scratching a $50,000 truck. 

Is the 2021 Ford Bronco the best new car? 

Now that the 2021 Ford Bronco has been tested and some people actually own one, we have seen the new Bronco prove itself many times. The Bronco is getting rave reviews, and most recently, it even crawled up Hell’s Gate in Moab in reverse.

We won’t know about its toughness or reliability for a while yet, but we know that it is a strong off-roader, and if you keep the spec sheet empty, it can be the best new car you can buy with one Bitcoin. 

RELATED: The 2021 Ford Bronco Is Changing Its Coolest Accessory to Appease Customers

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2021 Chicago Auto Show: Talking Shop About the Ford Maverick

by Gabrielle DeSantis

As significant as the electric F-150 Lightning’s launch is, it’s not the only new truck Ford released at the 2021 Chicago Auto Show. The show also marked the launch of the 2022 Ford Maverick, the brand’s modern compact truck. Not to mention the first production pickup truck to come standard as a hybrid. It’s safe to say, then, that the Ford Maverick is a significant step for the Blue Oval. And at the 2021 Chicago Auto Show, MotorBiscuit talked with Maverick marketing manager Trevor Scott to discover what shaped this new pickup.

First-time truck buyers: why the 2022 Ford Maverick has a standard hybrid powertrain

2022 Ford Maverick Lariat side | Matthew Skwarczek, MotorBiscuit

While the Ford Maverick’s unibody design is unusual enough for a pickup, the truck’s hybrid powertrain is more significant. And not just for the segment, but for the Maverick’s target customers, too.

Having a hybrid powertrain in the 2022 Ford Maverick “was always part of the original plan,” Trevor Scott told me. And having it as standard was also “part of the original equation,” he says. Admittedly, it helps Ford meet fuel-economy regulations, Road & Track notes. But it’s also there because the Maverick’s target audience is first-time truck buyers, Scott said. In other words, customers coming from small crossovers and sedans like the Honda Civic.

According to Ford’s research, these customers put a premium on fuel efficiency, Scott explained. So, it’s not an issue that the Ford Maverick Hybrid can’t tow quite as much as the base Hyundai Santa Cruz. That’s because, based on initial estimates, it should be more efficient. Plus, a 2000-lb towing capacity is more than some passenger cars offer.

Some 2022 Ford Mavericks have more off-road capability but don’t expect a Raptor

The 2022 Ford Maverick Hybrid models do have a downside, though. As of this writing, they’re only available with FWD. Getting AWD requires stepping up to the non-hybrid but more powerful Maverick EcoBoost. However, that’s not necessarily an issue.

In Ford’s mind, the Ranger is the choice for truck buyers interested in off-roading, Scott explained. The Maverick, meanwhile, “is targeted at a different customer overall,” he said. In other words, ultimate off-road capability isn’t a priority because that’s not the Maverick’s segment. As such, there’s no Maverick Raptor in the works.

But that doesn’t mean the Ford Maverick has nothing to offer for off-road-curious customers. Although I didn’t see it at the Chicago Auto Show, the AWD Maverick XLT and Lariat EcoBoost offer the same FX4 Package as the Ranger. This adds things like all-terrain tires, skid plates, off-road driving modes, upgraded cooling, and a 1” lift kit with unique suspension tuning.

“Storage for me is incredibly important,” Trevor Scott says

Besides being the marketing manager for the Ford Maverick, Trevor Scott also considers himself a potential customer. “I, typically up to this point, have driven SUVs,” he told me. But with two young kids, he “needs the extra cargo space.” And that’s why Scott’s favorite part of the Maverick is its storage capabilities.

Roadshow describes the Ford Maverick’s interior as “like a Swiss Army knife” in terms of its utility. There’s a storage bin directly under the rather spacious second-row seats, for example. That gives you cargo space without sacrificing passenger space. Plus, it keeps valuables out of the eyes of thieves, The Drive points out.

The design of the interior door handles/armrests is another neat touch. Instead of being continuous strips, they’re broken up into two ‘cantilevered’ sections. That gives the door pockets enough vertical space to comfortably hold a 1-liter water bottle. And speaking of door pockets, the front ones extended far back to accommodate larger items, including laptops.

The bed of a red 2022 Ford Maverick Lariat with a black mountain bike mounted inside
2022 Ford Maverick Lariat bed | Matthew Skwarczek, MotorBiscuit

Plus, there’s the 2022 Ford Maverick’s bed. “Generally speaking, where we spent a lot of time is with the bed itself,” Scott said. 54” long with the tailgate up, the Maverick’s bed isn’t particularly long, and the Ford design team knew it. But the team still wanted to make it customizable and user-friendly. Scott acknowledged that this last part was vital, again, because the Maverick is designed for first-time truck buyers.  

Unfortunately, the Ford Maverick Hybrid isn’t powerful enough to drive a bed-mounted generator like the F-150 Hybrid. And giving it a second battery to do so would mean packaging issues and a higher price tag, Scott explained. But seeing as Maverick buyers likely aren’t looking to power work sites, it’s not a necessary feature.

The 3D-printed Ford Maverick accessories came out of designing the pickup truck’s bed

However, the Ford Maverick bed does have several other power outlets. It also packs multiple tie-downs and D-rings for easy gear stowage. And the truck at the 2021 Chicago Auto Show came with a mountain bike mounted in the bed.

The bed is also why the Ford Maverick has slots for 3D-printed accessories, Scott told me. This feature came about “as an extension of a lot of the work that went into the Flex Bed,” he explained, as a way of giving customers a way to customize their trucks. Or, as Scott put it, the capability of “creating their own DIY solutions.”

A future EV isn’t out of the picture

While there won’t be a Ford Maverick Raptor anytime soon, Trevor Scott says an electric model isn’t out of the question. Ford product communications director Mike Levine already hinted that an electric truck smaller than the F-150 Lightning is in the works, R&T reports. It’s not necessarily a Maverick EV, but the idea “is on our radar,” Scott told me. The key hurdle right now is making battery technology affordable.

The Ford Maverick’s affordability is likely a key part in why it’s garnered so many pre-orders recently. Without driving it, it’s impossible to say if it lives up to the surrounding hype or not. But it is clear that, at least from a design and engineering perspective, the Maverick team sweated the details.

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RELATED: Snack Attack: What Does the Ford Maverick Have to Do With Oreos and President Biden?

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Is Tesla Double-Charging For FSD Hardware?

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Tesla’s FSD update is here, finally, and Tesla owners are ecstatic. Well, they were. Once the novelty of all that their cars and SUVs can now do wore off, a few were left feeling shortchanged. It seems that some owners of older model Teslas thought that their cars were already equipped with the hardware necessary for the FSD upgrade. Now, Tesla’s telling them they’ll have to pay $1500, or they won’t be able to use FSD.

The interior of a Tesla | Tesla

What does FSD come with?

According to Electrek, all Teslas come with Autopilot, which up until now, was Tesla’s semi-autonomous driving system. Autopilot enhanced the Tesla’s ability to perform tasks such as lane keep and adaptive cruise control. (If you’ve ever seen an irresponsible Tesla driver hanging out of their car window on the highway, you can thank Autopilot for that.)

Overall, Autopilot is a safety system with even more capabilities than a standard vehicle’s safety system, but FSD takes this even further. FSD allows the Tesla to change lanes on its own, as well as navigate, park, and stop at traffic lights. It’s important to note that drivers must still retain control of their vehicle, with their hands on the steering wheel. It isn’t a perfect system, and the ramifications of it going wrong can be deadly.

Why do some Tesla owners have to update their vehicles?

Some Tesla owners have already purchased the FSD package for a whopping $10,000. This has been offered for recent Tesla vehicles, and those who knew they’d want FSD whenever it came out have already purchased it. Additionally, Tesla is offering a subscription for $99-$199 per month, depending on the configuration of the Tesla. This is available to anyone who either didn’t already purchase FSD, or doesn’t want to spend ten grand on it all at once. 

Here’s the problem: according to Electrek, Tesla has told people since 2016 that their Teslas come with the necessary hardware for FSD, though they may need to pay extra for a software update at some point. They even pointed to the Tesla blog, which states that all Teslas being produced come with Full Self-Driving hardware. 

Yet Tesla realized that the computers in the 2016-2018 Teslas actually couldn’t handle FSD, and they updated their vehicles as of 2019. If you bought a car with FSD, you can get a complimentary upgrade. Otherwise, according to Electrek, Tesla drivers will have to pay for something they thought already came with their car. 

How does the Tesla community feel about the hardware charge?

The Tesla community seems pretty split on this issue. Some say that they were told when they bought their Tesla that it came with the hardware necessary for an FSD software update at some point. Others say that if you haven’t already purchased FSD, there’s no reason to get a free upgrade now. 

It will be interesting to see how this plays out. There seems to be enough people upset and asking questions that there should be clarification on this issue in the near future. Hopefully, everyone who wants FSD can have access to it (at what they expected to pay), and we can find out more about just how effective it is. 

RELATED: 5 Ways the Tesla Cybertruck Is Like Doctor Who’s Cybermen

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5 Best Portable Generators According to Consumer Reports

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Some pickup trucks have built-in generators, but there are plenty of other portable models on the market. Consumer Reports has tested several that can be used for RV travel and your home when the power goes out. 

According to Consumer Reports, several portable generators can power pretty much any home appliance (but don’t use them for EV charging). Here are some recommendations to help you decide which model would work for your situation. 

How to choose the right portable generator for your needs

Portable generators | Michele Eve Sandberg/Corbis via Getty Images

Power outages are frustrating, no matter if they’re the result of a hurricane, wildfire, or snowstorm. Though the electricity can come back on within minutes, sometimes it takes hours or days before things get back to normal. A portable generator comes in handy to keep some of your appliances going, such as a refrigerator or a portable heater/air conditioner. 

The most important feature of a generator is the wattage it puts out. To determine which unit you should buy, you need to note what appliances or other items you want to power. How many watts does each of those items need to run? If the total number of watts exceeds the amount the generator puts out, it’s too small for your needs. 

According to Consumer Reports, the average home runs on about 5,000 watts. For example, a fridge can run on 600 watts. If you need an air conditioner, that would be up to 1,000 watts. Then add things like a sump pump, which could take up to 1,500 watts, and a computer, which uses 300 watts. A 5,000-watt generator could handle the most important appliances while the electricity is off. 

But you could get by with a smaller one if you think you don’t need to worry about a fridge or sump pump. Just plug in what you need when you need it.  

Consumer Reports’ picks for the best 2,500- to 4,900-watt portable generators

DeWalt DXGNR4000

Of the two models CR’s testers recommend in this wattage, the DeWalt DXGNR4000 received the highest overall score of 77 out of 100. According to Consumer Reports, this model can handle up to 4,000 watts of power from your home, which is often what most households need. 

It runs on regular gasoline, has four outlets you can plug an appliance into, and holds about three gallons of gas. The price for this model runs from about $550 to $1,000, depending on where you purchase it. 

Honda EG4000CL With Co-Minder

The other recommended portable generator is the Honda EG4000CL With Co-Minder, earning 76 out of 100. This model can put out 3,500 watts and has a fuel gauge to let you know the gas level in the tank. It offers six outlets and can hold six gallons of gas. Expect to pay around $1,600. 

The best 5,000- to 8,000-watt portable generators

Generac 7680

If you need more wattage, check out the Generac 7680, one of the more popular models. It can handle around 6,500 watts at one time and holds seven gallons of gas. 

This unit weighs about 219 pounds but comes with wheels. Plus, it has five outlets to plug your items into. The biggest drawback to this generator is the noise level, which can be pretty loud within 50 feet of the unit. The price runs in the $900 range. 

Cat RP8000 E

The largest generator Consumer Reports recommends is the Cat RP8000 E, which puts out 8,000 watts. That should be plenty for most households with extra appliances that need electricity. Of all the models on CR’s list, the Cat RP8000 E is the only one with an electric start. It holds eight gallons of gas and has five outlet plugs. Expect to pay around $1,150. 

It’s a good feeling knowing you have a generator on hand if the power goes out. In fact, it’s been a lifesaver for some people who have experienced extended power outages due to bad storms. 

RELATED: What Are the Best Generators for Your RV?

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