A 2022 Kia Telluride Is the Last Car You Should Buy Right Now

by Gabrielle DeSantis

The new 2022 Kia Telluride is the hottest SUV on the market right now. It’s one of those vehicles that caught a wave and stayed on it. Of course, that’s been helped out a great deal by the chip shortage. Unfortunately, you couldn’t get a Telluride right now if you wanted to. That is, supposing you should be buying one in the first place.

What’s wrong with the 2022 Kia Telluride

Kia has immaculate timing | Kia

Frankly, there isn’t really much wrong with the 2022 Kia Telluride. For starters, it’s a handsome-looking thing. . Moreover, it’s not just looks. The new Kia SUV is a smash-hit family hauler. In fact, Consumer Reports loves the 2022 Kia Telluride. So does just about every publication out there.

However, you shouldn’t be buying one for other reasons. Consumer Reports rated the 2022 Kia Telluride highly in nearly every category but one: fuel economy. Unfortunately, the Telluride is a little thirsty. Moreover, it’s not the greatest for the planet either. Consumer reports managed a lowly 14 mpg city. The 2022 Kia Telluride did a little better on the highway, at 30 mpg. But it also scored a shocking 4/10 for greenhouse gas emissions. And that’s why you shouldn’t want one.

You shouldn’t be buying a thirsty car right now

Visible haze and smoke are becoming the new norm | Carl Court via Getty Images

RELATED: I Am Deeply In Love With the Kia Beach Ev and You Should Be Too

Now, before I get too much further into this I should clarify that Kia is pushing for a greener image. The brand will have 11 EVs in the lineup by 2025, after all. However, the fact of the matter is that the 2022 Kia Telluride isn’t very good for the planet. It’s also not very good for your wallet. Burning all that gas is expensive, especially right now. Here in Colorado, 91 octane is up to nearly $4.30 a gallon.

So, in short, you should skip the Telluride if you’re concerned about the planet. I’m not saying don’t go buy a Kia, but maybe wait for the EV equivalent. Manufacturers need to start playing a larger role in the climate crisis, and SUVs like the Telluride aren’t a good look for the industry. I mean, we still make the Cadillac Escalade for Christ’s sake.

High prices- and tempratures- are set to continue

The Telluride is, objectively, a very good car | Kia

This trend of higher temperatures and more weather extremes is set to continue. The auto industry also plays a large part in our global carbon footprint, and that includes the Kia Telluride. I hate to be a downer, but if you’re not worried, you should be. Buying a greener car is a great place to start.

Yes, the 2022 Kia Telluride is good at a great many things, but right now cars need to be getting better at only one thing: Being greener. For now, at least, the Telluride isn’t, and consumers ought to take issue with that, especially as more automakers begin to make the switch to sustainable materials and EV development.

RELATED: The 2021 Kia Niro EV Is a Killer Deal on Lease

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Be Like Marty McFly and Go Back to the Future to Buy This 1986 Toyota Hilux Pickup

by Gabrielle DeSantis

The Toyota Hilux needs little introduction these days. It has been firmly established as the toughest truck on the planet many times over, but most famously by the lads formerly at Top Gear. Aside from the tough reputation of the Hilux, it also happened to be the lesser-known car star alongside the DMC Delorean in Back to the Future, driven by Marty McFly. A very similar cherry 1986 Toyota 4×4 Xtracab is for sale, making your Marty McFly dreams possible. 

1986 Toyota Hilux 4X4 Xtracab | Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Marty McFly had good taste 

Everyone from Richard Hammond to Marty McFly to ISIS has a serious love for the Toyota 4×4 pickup truck.  How can you blame them? It looks incredible and is tougher than an old boot. 

Known as the Hilux in most markets, the Toyota Pickup is now in its eighth generation. Toyota has seen countless millions sold around the world. These trucks are famously ridden hard and put up wet, making clean examples like the one you see here highly desirable collector’s items.

Feast your eyes on this 1986 Toyota Hilux 4×4 Xtracab 

Toyota 4x4 for sale in tan with graphics package
1986 Toyota Hilux 4X4 Xtracab | Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

According to Silodrome, the ‘86 year model marked the fourth generation of the Hilux and the first of its kind to offer front independent suspension. The older generations had the tougher solid live axle in the front, which was great for off-road but rough for daily tarmac driving. This update made the Hilux much more pleasant to drive. 

Along with the new suspension, the “Xtracab” model variant was also introduced for the fourth-generation Toyota Pickup. This model included an additional six inches of space behind the seats for in-cab storage. Although it may not seem like much, having these small trucks to have this space made a big difference in keeping more items in the truck cab away from thieves and the elements. 

There was a pile of different motors that Toyota put in these rad trucks. The smallest engine option was a 1.6-liter inline-four cylinder, while the top-of-the-line models could have a 3.0-liter V6. This Hilux Xtracab is fitted with a 105-hp 2.4-liter gasoline-powered inline-four-cylinder. 

According to Silodrome, this fuel-injected 22RE was one of the more popular engines for the Hilux. The 105 hp is sent via an automatic transmission to the two-speed transfer case to both the rear and front wheels.

Easily the best part of these trucks is the factory decal graphics packages. This beige on tan with tan/brown graphics is too McFly for school. Speaking of which, the Back to the Future truck was actually a little different from this one, if you recall. 

What was the truck in Back to the Future? 

In Back to the Future, Marty Mcfly drove a black 1985 Toyota SR5 Hilux. It is similar to this one in many ways. Aside from the color and the Xtracab, both Marty’s and this one have the coolest features matching; the roll bar with KC Daylighters. 

This has to be the ultimate ‘80s pickup truck feature. This is how we know Marty is cool. If he just drove a black Toyota Hilux, that wouldn’t tell us much of anything, but the fact that he has the chrome roll bar and KC light rack proves that Marty McFly was the man. 

It’s the same with this truck going up for auction at RM Sotheby’s on September 3. This mint Toyota Hilux is estimated to go for somewhere between $35,00-$45,000. That is an awful lot for an 80s pickup truck, but that’s the market these days. If you want to roll with Marty and Doc, you need this truck or a DMC Delorian. Chances are the Toyota will work much better. 

RELATED: Three Of Our Favorite 80s Movie Cars

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Why Do Some Roads Have a Minimum Speed Limit?

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Can’t we all agree to drive at or just under the posted speed limit? Unfortunately, not every driver understands speed limits. Minimum speed limits aren’t as mysterious as they seem when you consider the benefits to daily traffic, car safety, and long-term traffic statistics. For most motorists, minimum speeds aren’t an issue (we’re more concerned with going over the limit). So who needs those minimum limits, and why do some roads have them?

Minimum speed limits improve traffic flow

Some speed limit signs also have minimum speeds posted | Ben Hasty/MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle via Getty Images

To put it simply, minimum speeds improve traffic flow, especially on narrow highways with only one or two lanes per direction. Geico says that when one driver goes especially slow, it can create a blockage, delays, hazards, and even road rage. Other drivers are either held up by the slow driver or swerve wildly around them, increasing the chance of accidents.

Minimum speed limits usually appear on long highways and freeways with fewer lanes or congested areas, such as interstates traveling through large cities. It contrasts with the country roads and lets the road’s slowest drivers know that they need to speed up, pull over, or find an alternate local route.

Minimum speeds also prevent right-lane blocking and left-lane camping

Minimum speed limits have a way of clearing travel lanes. The minimum speed often prevents motorists in the right-hand lane from becoming a drag on the traffic flow.

Keeping the slow traffic going at a decent pace also helps reduce dangerous swerving and left lane “camping.” Left lane camping is when one driver stays in the left-most passing lane indefinitely, often justifying the choice by passing every vehicle they cross. This is also irritating and potentially dangerous behavior that minimum speeds can help prevent.

They decrease difference-in-speed collisions

When two vehicles collide, the force of that collision is calculated with the vehicles’ opposing velocities. Increasing the base speed of the slowest traffic can reduce the severity of a crash with a faster-moving vehicle.

Because velocities are closer to similar, the effects of the impact may also be lessened. Think about it like running up to a friend and slamming into them. If the friend is still and you are running, you both go flying. If the friend is also running, and you hit them as you catch up, the collision is more likely to be a glancing one with far less opposing force involved.

It has certainly been proven that stretches with higher maximum and minimum speeds are less prone to accidents.

Limits increase proper lane use and safety

When a minimum speed enforces the slowest traffic to travel at a reasonable pace, everyone drives more safely and uses the lanes more apt for the traffic flow and their needs.

Minimum speed also reduces clogging in the right lane, which reduces the mad dash to get past them.

According to ScienceDirect, left-lane passing and camping are all too common, and the middle lane (if there is one) becomes unsafe when drivers use it to pass the slowpoke.

Minumum limits promote greater use of hazard lights

Finally, a minimum speed lets motorists know when to turn on their hazard lights. If a truck has to slow to a crawl or a cargo pickup needs to drive more carefully, flashers let you know from a distance that a vehicle ahead is moving slowly or is stopped.

So, why do dome roads have minimum speed limits? The answer is to protect everyone, including motorists traveling too slowly and drivers at risk of hitting the slowpokes.

RELATED: Climate Change Affects Roadways More Than You’d Think

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Mass. Man Hacks Bank Accounts to Buy New Camaro ZL1

by Gabrielle DeSantis

This dude must have really wanted a new $83,000 2021 Camaro ZL1. He sure exposed himself to prison time, which he is probably going to get. Brandon Brouillard is charged with two counts of bank fraud. He also has aggravated identity theft thrown in as well. 

How did this guy buy the new Camaro?

The 2021 Chevrolet Camaro | Chevrolet Pressroom

Allegedly, Brouillard used someone else’s identity to open a new bank account. According to the Telegram & Gazette, he transferred $108,000 from someone else’s Bank of America account into this new one. A few months later he was checking out the new 2021 Camaro at a Norwood Chevy dealership. 

After test driving it he decided he really liked the Camaro and agreed to buy it. He filled out the paperwork, gave the dealer a cashier’s check for $83,000, his proof of insurance, and his Massachusetts driver’s license. 

With that, he was golden. He slipped into his new Camaro and eased it out of the dealership’s lot. Only later did the dealership make a rude discovery. The bank account the check was written against had been frozen. 

When the funds were frozen Brouillard wired the money to the dealer

2021 Chevrolet Camaro with low visibility
2021 Chevrolet Camaro | Joel Lerner, Xinhua via Getty

Brouillard was contacted, after which he casually wired the money to the dealers. Now the dealer was set. After about one week, someone in Arizona reported an $83,000 wire transfer they did not authorize. The transfer had been made through an email request.

The request asked for the money to pay for his “brother-in-law’s” new Camaro. After this was revealed the bank notified the police. Come to find out, a lot more than $83,000 had been removed from the Arizona man’s account. 

This was only the latest purchase totaling $500,000

camaro ss on display in chicago
2021 Chevrolet Camaro | Raymond Boyd/Getty Images

Since September of 2020, about $500,000 had been stolen. Several other large purchases had been made with the merchandise sent to Brouillard’s home address. The Camaro was only the latest in a series of such transactions. 

The US attorney’s office is prosecuting Brouillard. He was arraigned last week. We know that owning a new 2021 Camaro is a desirable temptation, but as they always say, “crime doesn’t pay.”

RELATED: https://www.motorbiscuit.com/man-used-ppp-loans-free-lamborghini-ferrari/

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