- Advertisement -spot_img
Home Blog Page 6

Top 10 Best family SUVs 2022

Seyram
-
0
Top 10 Best family SUVs 2022

Dominated by premium offerings, this chart is populated by some of the best family SUVs on the road – vehicles that can cope with the school run as well as tackling wintry conditions, mildly rugged terrain, trips to the tip, towing duties and long-distance motorway cruising.

It’s a hotly contested and strategically important segment where style, safety and space rank at the top of the agenda for buyers, while the ability to seat seven is often desirable.

That importance is underestimated by manufacturers at their peril, given that the segment has effectively obliterated the MPV market and is only expected to keep on growing in the future.

Despite a lack of variety in the styling and approach taken by many, it’s now a fairly diverse segment that has attracted different brands into the fold of SUV making.

Many models are now available as tax-friendly plug-in hybrids and EVs, too, as manufacturers scramble to grab a bigger slice of the increasingly emissions-conscious fleet market.

Here are our favourites.

1. Land Rover Discovery Sport

The Discovery Sport is the entry-level Land Rover in the range, but that doesn’t mean its short on the brand’s trademark capability, comfort or charm.

Face-lifted for 2019, the Discovery Sport sits on the same PTA platform as the Range Rover Evoque but hasn’t lost out on any of the characteristics that we liked about the original. It’s still higher-riding than many of its opponents, affords better visibility and off-road capability that’s pretty much unrivalled. And whilst it feels more like a traditional SUV from behind the wheel, it actually handles in an impressively tidy fashion, with accurate steering, good body control and surprising agility.

It has a practical interior – a huge selling point in this segment being the available of seven seats for those who need them – that has now been given a much needed lift in premium appeal and also fitted with Land Rover’s latest Pivi Pro infotainment set-up, helping give it a similar feel to the firm’s upper crust Range Rover offerings.

Its petrol and diesel engines are now supplemented by 48V mild-hybrid architecture in a bid to improve fuel economy, but the particularly slick P300e plug-in hybrid version is the stand-out version, with its usefully long electric-only range – although the need to accommodate the motor and battery pack means there’s no seven-seat option on this version.

If you want a family SUV with more versatility and off-road ruggedness than the class average, the Discovery Sport delivers that with very few compromises. Still one of the best 4x4s by far.

2. Hyundai Santa Fe

From value-for-money bargain basement brand to genuine premium player, Hyundai’s head-spinning progress over the last decade or so almost beggars belief. Yet you only need to take a cursory look around the Santa Fe to appreciate just how far the Korean firm has come. A winner in the 2022 Autocar Awards, the recently revised SUV features distinctive looks and a spacious and classy cabin, plus a range of electrified drivetrains that are as financially attractive to private buyers as they are fleet customers.

It’s not the most exciting car to drive, but the steering is light and precise and the Hyundai handles corners with surprising composure for something so tall and heavy. It’s at its best when taking it easy, which is no bad thing when you consider its family-friendly credentials. The relatively soft suspension can become a little discombobulated over really challenging surfaces, but the rest of the time the Santa Fe is refined and relaxing companion that’s as happy mooching about town as it is taking in a long haul trip. There’s a choice of plug-in and ‘self-charging’ turbocharged 1.6-litre hybrid engines, the former packing 262bhp and an all electric range of 36 miles (which means it misses out on the lowest PHEV company car tax rate of eight percent). There’s even an unfashionable 2.2-litre diesel, although this muscular unit is great for towing.

Yet key to the Santa Fe’s appeal is interior, which blends a real upmarket vibe with plenty of space. Unlike many seven-seat rivals, there’s actually room in the third row for adults plus access is fairly straightforward. There’s a vast boot too, with 571-litres with five seats in place and a cavernous 1649-litre with all the second and third rows folded flat. Quality is excellent, with numerous high grade materials, loads of standard kit and a decent infotainment set-up.

Sure it’s not the most exciting, but when you need a car that fits seamlessly into family life the Hyundai takes some beating.

3. Audi Q5

It’s hard to pick faults with such a classy and consummate all-rounder as the Audi Q5, although slightly anodyne handling is what will prevent it from really appealing to keener drivers. This shortcoming hasn’t prevented the Q5 from emulating the sales success of its predecessor, though, which was a car that became the best-seller in its segment in nearly every country in which it was offered.

Although a pricey option with a long options list, the Q5 is quiet, practical and desirable, with outstanding driving refinement and material finish. And if you prefer your SUVs with a little more style and less utility, there’s now a swoopy-roofed Sportback version as well.

The Q5 received a pretty wide-reaching facelift for 2020, with efficiency-boosted mild-hybrid engines going in under the bonnet, some new digital technology going into the cabin and wider a trapezoidal grille going onto the front end. The big-selling 40 TDI diesel version got a 14bhp power boost as part of that revision, and it remains a refined, comfortable, assertive-performing and easy-driving family car.

The 50 TFSIe plug-in hybrid is a particularly smooth operator, with its electric motor and 2.0-litre turbo petrol four-pot combining to produce just shy of 300bhp. However, with its electric-only range of 39 miles the Audi just misses out on the lowest company car tax bracket of eight percent, falling into the higher 12 percent banding instead.

4. BMW X3

What’s this: a decent-handling mid-range SUV? Before BMW set about making SUVs, the idea would have been borderline laughable, but the X3 has handling appeal down.

The X3 has powertrains with plenty of power and performance. The smaller diesel offering can be a touch unrefined, but the multi-cylinder M40d and M40i are both rapid and smooth.

In fact, the BMW is a car of contrasts, with the all-electric iX3 and one end of the scale, the fairly monstrous 503bhp X3M at the other and in between there’s a plug-in hybrid version. Yet for most it’s the conventional four-cylinder petrols and diesels that are best suited to the X3, which steers neatly and precisely but is still happier taking it easy than being driven on its door handles.

Standard equipment is a bit mean on some trim levels, but the car’s perceived quality is above that of almost all others, and serves-up just enough space that you’ll never feel you have to leave something behind. There’s no seven-seat option (you’ll need the bigger and pricier X5 for that), but in all other respects this is a roomy, versatile and satisfying family SUV.

5. Jaguar F-Pace

Jaguar’s first SUV came to market with typically good handling back in 2016, as well as with plenty of cabin space and looks that rocketed it to the top of Jaguar’s range as its best-selling model until it was overtaken by the smaller E-Pace SUV.

There are one or two details that detract a little from the overall driving experience, among them some undistinguished four-cylinder diesel engines, a hesitant automatic gearbox and a slightly jittery, noisy ride in certain specifications. But Jaguar did much for the appeal of the F-Pace as part of its major mid-life facelift in 2021, with a much richer interior and a vastly improved infotainment system being added; and an expanded range of engines that now includes a torquey six-cylinder mild-hybrid diesel and a six-pot plug-in hybrid petrol.

For balanced in-town and out-of-town driving, the D300 diesel would still be our choice, while the mild-hybridised four-pot diesels have better drivability than they used to.

The go-faster F-Pace SVR is an absolute riot, too, and is a fine example of a brilliantly executed performance SUV brimming with V8 drama.

6. Skoda Kodiaq

The Kodiaq is our top family SUV not to come from a premium manufacturer, and it undercuts even the cheapest of the plusher offerings on this list by a not-insignificant sum.

So what are you sacrificing? A chunk of premium-feel materials for a start, although everything feels well screwed together. The top five SUVs on this list feel a little more upmarket and refined than the Kodiaq, but not all of them offer a third row of seats. The also offer various electrified engine options, which the Skoda still lacks – if you want to go all-electric, you’ll need to look to the brand’s Enyaq iV.

Aside from the slightly over-firm and remote way in which the Kodiaq drives, though, it’s an impressive car in most respects.

7. Alfa Romeo Stelvio

Alfa Romeo took the platform and engines that made the Giulia saloon, added some ride height, a raised hip point and four-wheel-drive technology, creating a fine-handling SUV in the shape of the Stelvio.

That entertaining driving experience and typical Alfa Romeo film-star looks come as standard, with a strong if gruff diesel engine to boot. Unfortunately, Alfa’s focus on decent handling has resulted in a slightly restless ride on poorer UK roads and some of the cabin materials feel plain and cheap – just as they do on the Giulia. If you pockets are deep enough, then the 503bhp Quadrifoglio flagship is a real hoot, serving up sports car-slaying pace both in a straight line and through the corners.

A facelift during 2020 improved things ever so slightly in this respect and added a new infotainment system and improved driver aids, but it will still take a keen eye to spot the differences between this and the original.

It’s priced reasonably competitively, though, if not quite to the extent that it was at its launch three years ago. It’s without question one for the keener driver but perhaps not one for the dynamically disinterested SUV devotee.

8. Volvo XC60

The XC60 was the safest car ever tested by Euro NCAP at its launch in 2017, and all this time later, it’s still one of the most handsome family SUVs currently on sale.

The XC60 isn’t the last word in driver appeal, but as a slick, comfortable, easy-to-use family wagon, there’s plenty to recommend here. Volvo has revised its engine line-up, too, so that all XC60 variants now offer some form of electrification. The B -series petrol and diesel models now have 48V mild-hybrid architecture for fractional reductions in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, but it’s the T6 and T8 Recharge PHEVs that offer the greatest potential for low-cost running, especially as a recent update includes the addition of a larger 18.8kWh battery that helps boost the electric only range to well over 40 miles, which is great news for company car users as it drops the BiK rate to just eight percent.

9. Seat Tarraco

The Seat Tarraco is Seat’s first attempt at a full-sized SUV, and it’s a pretty good-looking one. Being a Volkswagen Group product, this Spanish SUV shares practically everything with the Skoda Kodiaq, although, unlike its sibling, the Tarraco comes equipped with seven seats as standard across the range.

It feels a touch more incisive and agile than other SUVs of its size, but this sharper handling does seem to come at the expense of rolling refinement and outright comfort. In a car such as this, comfort and refinement should arguably be of greater focus.

Still, the interior is well finished and the petrol and diesel motors are impressively refined. It’s priced fairly competitively, too.

10. Kia Sorento

Well, the Sorento has really come a long way since the bland, boxy original model that turned up in 2002, hasn’t it? On design appeal alone, this new fourth-generation model easily has what it takes to mix it with the genuine premium players in this class.

Thanks to its cavernous interior and seven-seat layout, it wins serious points for being one of the most spacious, practical and versatile cars on this list. With an appealingly affordable price, it would seem on the surface that there’s very little that this handsome Korean SUV can’t do.

There is a but, though. Its conventional hybrid powertrain isn’t quite capable of delivering the gains in fuel efficiency you might hope to see during balanced daily driving, and dynamically the car is pretty average. It’s refined and comfortable enough at a steady cruise, but dig a little deeper and it begins to show itself up, particularly where body control, ride sophistication and steering feel are concerned.

Still, as a practical, well-made, well-equipped and sensibly priced family SUV that’s easy to drive, it has a lot going for it.

The diesel models offer decent refinement and performance, too, and the PHEV is more assured and drivable than the regular hybrid also.

It would arguably be more of a head-over-heart choice than any other car on this list, but there’s nothing much wrong with that.

Source: Autocar

Nearly new buying guide: Range Rover Mk4

Seyram
-
0
Nearly new buying guide: Range Rover Mk4

Catch a quick glance at the Range Rover pictured here and you could be forgiven for thinking this was the newly announced version, but it’s actually the Mk4, just recently replaced after nearly a decade of noble service.

Smartly styled, wonderfully furnished and better to drive in every mode than the versions that went before it, this SUV was unassailable in its ability to combine on-road waft with true and outstanding off-road capability.

Now, with careful shopping, it makes for an arresting used buy. Most early buyers opted for one of the two 3.0-litre diesel V6s and were rewarded with strong performance and adequate economy, while the 4.4-litre petrol V8 upped the speed at the expense of heftier fuel bills. Later on, there was also the option of a petrol or diesel-engined plug-in hybrid. A couple of supercharged 5.0-litre petrol V8s topped the bill, with stunning acceleration but equally eye watering consumption.

Trim-wise, Vogue was the starting point. It got plenty of kit, including a heated windscreen, folding door mirrors, rain-sensing wipers, 20in alloy wheels, leather seats, cruise control and a 10.0in twin-screen infotainment set-up. Vogue SE added more driver assistance tech, heated and cooled seats, 21in split spoke wheels and a 825W surround sound system. At the top end of the line-up, Autobiography cars got more lavish materials inside, a massage function on the front seats, executive-class rear seats and a sliding panoramic roof.

The SV Autobiography model, meanwhile, got everything on the options list thrown at it, so it featured a 1700W Meridian sound system, quilted leather semi-aniline seats, a rear seat refrigerator, mohair floor mats with leather bindings and deployable leather-trimmed tables.

And then there was the SV Autobiography Dynamic, which offered a lower ride height and more driver-focused chassis settings, signalled by special side vents and a different front grille.

Despite its huge size, this Range Rover always feels manageable and supremely isolated on the road. Whatever the engine, progress is always smooth and refined. The ride is first class, with a cross-linked air suspension set-up that’s standard on all cars providing a suppleness that very few luxury cars can match.

In the bends, you never forget that you’re driving a tall, two-tonne, top heavy SUV, but the Range Rover is more agile than you might expect.

Inside, there’s plenty of space up front, and large amounts of both leg and head room in the rear for three. There was also a long-wheelbase version, should you be wanting for more. You won’t want for boot capacity, though. There’s more than enough space for a couple of adults’ luggage and a reasonably hefty baby buggy – or a few sets of golf clubs. The sting, of course, is in the tail. The Range has always suffered with a reputation for poor build quality and reliability. Some people, though, run them for big miles and swear by them. Our advice? Shop carefully, keep your fingers crossed and purchase a warranty if you can.

Buyer beware

Poor reliability: Problems with the Range Rover span a wide range of areas, centring on the air suspension, engine, engine electrics, air conditioning, sat-nav, interior electrics, gearbox, drivetrain and bodywork. Leaks from the engine, sunroof and around the tailgate are also known issues.

All faults are well documented, with some specific ones being fixed easily and some requiring the car to be off the road for weeks.

Source: autocar

A preview- Paris Motor Show 2022

Seyram
-
0
A preview- Paris Motor Show 2022

The French motor show is back for the first time since 2018, with several new models set to make their debut. Exciting times ahead!!! Let’s deep dive, shall we?

The Paris motor show returns this year for the first time since 2018, following a Covid-enforced hiatus. The biennial motor show, which runs in parallel with the Frankfurt motor show, is a hub for several big European car reveals and debuts. It will open its doors to attendees and the world’s key vehicle manufacturers from 17-23 October. So, what will we see this year? Our comprehensive list previews all the biggest cars we can expect at the Parc des Expositions next month.

Alpine concept

We are eagerly awaiting Alpine’s appearance in Paris, and the French sports car maker has already confirmed it will reveal a new concept on home turf at this year’s show. It could be a preview of its planned all-electric replacement for the Alpine A110 sports car. The Alpine A110, a key Porsche 718 Cayman rival, will receive an all-electric successor in 2026.

New Dacia branding

Dacia will formally reveal its new brand identity in Paris, featuring a new logo, emblem and khaki green colour scheme. The new branding will appear on all new Dacia cars from the second half of 2022, meaning we’ll see the Dacia Sandero, Dacia Jogger and Dacia Duster all showcasing the firm’s new “simplistic and artful mindset”.

 

Dacia Manifesto

Billed as a featherweight, all-terrain buggy, the Dacia Manifesto concept showcases several new technologies (but no doors, windows or windscreen). With four-wheel drive, large wheels and a raised stance, the Manifesto is also completely waterproof and is constructed from lightweight, sustainable materials. It’s similar in size to the Ariel Nomad, and Dacia says it’s a statement of intent – a technical showcase that the Romanian firm has called a “lab for ideas”. Work on the model began only in January, but it will be the star of its line-up in Paris.

DS 3 facelift

Changes to the DS 3 aren’t likely to be extensive, but it’s still expected to be an important car in Europe and especially in the firm’s home country of France. Paris seems like the best place for DS to showcase its stylish SUV, which will feature new design tweaks such as slimmer headlights, updated daytime-running lights and a general nip and tuck to bring the model more in line with the larger DS 7.

All-new Jeep® Avenger, the first-ever fully electric Jeep SUV

Jeep Avenger

The Jeep Avenger could be the firm’s biggest launch in years. Based on a new version of Stellantis’s ECMP platform also used for the new Vauxhall Mokka and DS 3, the all-electric baby SUV is the smallest car it has ever produced. It will be available with either two- or four-wheel drive, with a claimed range of 248 miles, forming the entry point of a five-car line-up. Paris will also play host to the Avenger’s hybrid variant, and we’ll learn about expected pricing at the event, too. It will launch in the first half of 2023.

 

All-new 2022 Jeep® Grand Cherokee Trailhawk 4xe

Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe

Having already launched in the US earlier this year with petrol V6 and V8 engines, the plug-in hybrid Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe will appear in Paris. It will be the first time the model features a plug-in powertrain, powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine mated to two electric motors. The 4xe variant of Jeep’s large SUV will have a total output of 375bhp and 470lb ft of torque. The motors, meanwhile, are powered by a 400V 17kWh battery, which offers a claimed 25 miles of electric-only range and economy of 68.5mpg.

 

Mercedes-AMG C63

It’s the end of an era for the Mercedes-AMG C63, which is replacing its V8 engine with a plug-in hybrid powertrain. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The sleek coupé’s 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine and a powerful electric motor combine to produce a mouthwatering 670bhp, so it’s certainly not short on grunt. There are one or two caveats, though – notably the car’s hefty 2112kg kerb weight. Its BMW M3 xDrive rival, meanwhile, weighs in at 1780kg. Expect both saloon and estate variants to take to the Mercedes podium in Paris.

Peugeot 408

In an attempt to introduce a more stylish, rakishly designed car for the masses, Peugeot will give a Paris debut to the 408 ahead of its 2023 launch. Based on the same platform as the 308, the Peugeot 408 will rival the Volkswagen T-Roc and BMW X2 with a distinctly aerodynamic silhouette. It won’t compromise on interior space, though: unlike the Peugeot 508 saloon, which tapers at the back (reducing head room), the 408 is intended to major on practicality. It features Peugeot’s latest i-Cockpit layout with a digital display and 10.0in touchscreen, and will be available in two plug-in hybrid guises and one petrol from launch.

Renault 4

A revived, all-electric Renault 4 will be the cornerstone of the French firm’s ambitious plan to refocus its range towards electric power. Due for a market launch in 2025 as one of seven EVs that Renault will launch in the next seven years, the 4 will use the same underpinnings as the new Renault 5  and be targeted at a more style-conscious audience.

Renault 5 racing concept

To celebrate the Renault 5’s 50th birthday, the French giant created the wacky R5 Turbo 3E – an all-electric racing concept born from a desire to go drifting. It features huge rear tyres, two electric motors combining for 374bhp and a 42kWh battery, yet still weighs only 980kg – very light, considering the power. The interior is classic concept car. Racing seats, a modular electronic display and a retro finish give the car nostalgic appeal with a modern finish.

Renault Austral

The Renault Austral serves as the replacement to the Renault Kadjar and will be sold in the UK in 2023. It is the first Renault to use the third generation CMF-CD platform developed in partnership with Mitsubishi and Nissan, and also introduces bold new styling cues and a choice of two new hybrid systems. Available with a range of engines, the Austral will feature a 1.2-litre three-pot or 1.2-litre four mated to an electric motor, producing outputs from 138bhp to 196bhp. The smaller engine can achieve as much as 61.4mpg, claims Renault.

Source: autocar

YouTube is turning on the money hose for Shorts — and taking on TikTok for real

Seyram
-
0
YouTube is turning on the money hose for Shorts — and taking on TikTok for real

Monetization is how YouTube wins, and YouTube knows it!

In its ongoing battle with TikTok for vertical video supremacy, YouTube is about to play its most valuable card. It’s getting ready to turn on aggressive monetization for Shorts, its short-form vertical video format, and promising to help millions of creators make money on the platform.

Starting early next year, Shorts will be part of the YouTube Partner Program, meaning those who qualify can start getting a share of the ad money generated in Shorts. YouTube is also making it easier for creators who don’t qualify for the program to make money through tips, subscriptions, and merch sales. (The New York Times first reported the news.) The goal is to offer more and better monetization options than TikTok and potentially win over (and win back) many of the creators flocking to the rival platform.

The announcement comes about 18 months after the original launch of Shorts and a year after YouTube’s chief product officer Neal Mohan promised a “long-term monetization project.” Shorts appears to be growing fast: Amjad Hanif, YouTube’s vice president of creator products, says the feature is seeing 30 billion views a day and 1.5 billion people are viewing them every month. Shorts can often still feel like a TikTok clone, though, and it certainly hasn’t hit TikTok’s level of cultural cachet. But what TikTok drives in culture, YouTube drives in revenue.

Until now, YouTube has monetized Shorts in small ways, through creator funds, shopping, and tips. Those are similar to the ways TikTok and Instagram monetize their own vertical video, and many creators feel they’re not enough. Hank Green summed creator funds up pretty well to The Verge’s Nilay Patel on the Decoder podcast: “I hate them.” What Green and others want is the standard YouTube model in which YouTube keeps 45 percent of all revenue generated by creators’ videos and creators get 55 percent. That revenue share has turned YouTube into a career for lots of creators, and while YouTubers have their issues with the platform, that split has tended to work. “The moment YouTube launches its monetization product for Shorts has to be soon,” Green said.

Shorts isn’t quite getting the full YouTube deal, though. The platform is flipping its percentages, keeping 45 percent of revenue for itself and giving 55 percent to creators. Hanif explains that part of that extra money will go to paying for the music used on the platform so that creators can use anything in the library without worrying about rights. Either way, YouTube thinks it’s a better deal than creators are getting just about anywhere else.

YouTube’s also trying to make it easier for creators to monetize on the platform, especially those who haven’t yet hit the bar — 1,000 subscribers, and either 10 million Shorts views in the last 90 days or 4,000 longform watch hours overall — to get into its Partner Program. The company is introducing a new tier through which creators can get to features like the Super Thanks tipping option and paid channel memberships without being part of the ad program. Hanif won’t say the exact requirements for that tier except that it would be much lower than the existing ones. “And so, a lot of creators earlier in their careers who have taken a little bit longer to join the program will be able to join much earlier,” he says, “and start getting a paycheck much sooner than they were in the past.”

With traditional YouTube videos — what Hanif calls “longform YouTube” — the ad model is fairly straightforward. Users click on a video, they watch an ad before or during the video, and creators get a chunk of the revenue from that ad view. There’s no question of who generated that ad view or who gets the money.

With a fast-moving feed of short-form vertical video à la Shorts or TikTok, it’s vastly more complicated. If you watch one whole video, then flip through three more, then see an ad, then watch two more full videos, then close the app, who gets paid? What if one of those videos is a duet or a remix of another video? What if they’re all challenges set to the same song?

Many of those details aren’t yet figured out, which is why the Shorts Partner Program isn’t launching until next year. But Hanif describes the rough plan this way: if you open Shorts, watch six videos, see two ads, and leave the app, YouTube will take the ad revenue from those two ads and split them among the six videos.

“Probably the biggest difference you’ll see from other products in our longform,” Hanif continues, “is sometimes watch time played a big role.” That’s one reason you’ve started to see YouTube videos getting longer over time. “But in the case of short format, where you’re talking under 60 seconds, it’s a really a view that is the criterion that matters.”

But that brings up another question: what’s a view? YouTube doesn’t like to define the word publicly, and Hanif would say only that “it’s a few seconds — we don’t count it right when it shows up.” Advertisers want to know what users actually watch, he says, and so do creators.

What this all means, in practice, is that Shorts will likely be less lucrative to the most popular channels, who will now have to share revenue with everything else in the feed but will allow more people to make money. That seems to be exactly YouTube’s goal: Hanif says YouTube has about 2 million monetizing creators right now, and he expects that number to be closer to 3 million by the end of 2023. One way TikTok has succeeded is by relentlessly promoting new creators to its audience, and YouTube seems to want to do the same.

YouTube says it has paid creators more than $50 billion over the last three years. Building Shorts into a meaningful part of that will take time. “Our ad sales team has been working with lots of advertisers on it,” Hanif says, “and it will take a while to build it up to the business we’ve had in longform.” YouTube’s also still sorting out how, exactly, to talk to creators about making use of all the tools — longform, live, Shorts, and everything else — on the platform.

But he keeps returning to the same point: “It’s really the first platform at scale that is going to share revenue with short-form creators where they can actually expect a paycheck and earn money.” There are lots of details left to deal with, but YouTube’s betting that paycheck will be enough to keep people around while it figures them out.

source: The Verge.

YouTube’s ‘dislike’ and ‘not interested’ buttons barely work, study finds.

Seyram
-
0
YouTube’s ‘dislike’ and ‘not interested’ buttons barely work, study finds.

A Mozilla report found feedback buttons didn’t stop the majority of similar recommendations.

Even when users tell YouTube they aren’t interested in certain types of videos, similar recommendations keep coming, a new study by Mozilla found.

Using video recommendations data from more than 20,000 YouTube users, Mozilla researchers found that buttons like “not interested,” “dislike,” “stop recommending channel,” and “remove from watch history” are largely ineffective at preventing similar content from being recommended. Even at their best, these buttons still allow through more than half the recommendations similar to what a user said they weren’t interested in, the report found. At their worst, the buttons barely made a dent in blocking similar videos.

To collect data from real videos and users, Mozilla researchers enlisted volunteers who used the foundation’s RegretsReporter, a browser extension that overlays a general “stop recommending” button to YouTube videos viewed by participants. On the back end, users were randomly assigned a group, so different signals were sent to YouTube each time they clicked the button placed by Mozilla — dislike, not interested, don’t recommend channel, remove from history, and a control group for whom no feedback was sent to the platform.

Using data collected from over 500 million recommended videos, research assistants created over 44,000 pairs of videos — one “rejected” video, plus a video subsequently recommended by YouTube. Researchers then assessed pairs themselves or used machine learning to decide whether the recommendation was too similar to the video a user rejected.

Compared to the baseline control group, sending the “dislike” and “not interested” signals were only “marginally effective” at preventing bad recommendations, preventing 12 percent of 11 percent of bad recommendations, respectively. “Don’t recommend channel” and “remove from history” buttons were slightly more effective — they prevented 43 percent and 29 percent of bad recommendations — but researchers say the tools offered by the platform are still inadequate for steering away unwanted content.

“YouTube should respect the feedback users share about their experience, treating them as meaningful signals about how people want to spend their time on the platform,” researchers write.

YouTube spokesperson Elena Hernandez says these behaviors are intentional because the platform doesn’t try to block all content related to a topic. But Hernandez criticized the report, saying it doesn’t consider how YouTube’s controls are designed.

“Importantly, our controls do not filter out entire topics or viewpoints, as this could have negative effects for viewers, like creating echo chambers,” Hernandez told The Verge. “We welcome academic research on our platform, which is why we recently expanded Data API access through our YouTube Researcher Program. Mozilla’s report doesn’t take into account how our systems actually work, and therefore it’s difficult for us to glean many insights.”

Hernandez says Mozilla’s definition of “similar” fails to consider how YouTube’s recommendation system works. The “not interested” option removes a specific video, and the “don’t recommend channel” button prevents the channel from being recommended in the future, Hernandez says. The company says it doesn’t seek to stop recommendations of all content related to a topic, opinion, or speaker.

Besides YouTube, other platforms like TikTok and Instagram have introduced more and more feedback tools for users to train the algorithm, supposedly, to show them relevant content. But users often complain that even when flagging that they don’t want to see something, similar recommendations persist. It’s not always clear what different controls actually do, Mozilla researcher Becca Ricks says, and platforms aren’t transparent about how feedback is taken into account.

“I think that in the case of YouTube, the platform is balancing user engagement with user satisfaction, which is ultimately a tradeoff between recommending content that leads people to spend more time on the site and content the algorithm thinks people will like,” Ricks told The Verge via email. “The platform has the power to tweak which of these signals get the most weight in its algorithm, but our study suggests that user feedback may not always be the most important one.”

Source: The Verge

Apple to hike App Store prices across Europe and some parts of Asia next month

Seyram
-
0
Apple to hike App Store prices across Europe and some parts of Asia next month

Apple says it will increase App Store prices across Europe and in some Asian markets next month as currencies weaken against the strong US dollar. The price increases will effect both in-app purchases and regular apps on the App Store starting on October 5th.

All countries using the Euro, Sweden, South Korea, Chile, Egypt, Malaysia, Pakistan, Vietnam, and Japan will be affected by the price hikes. All Euro markets, except Montenegro, will see the base €0.99 app pricing move to €1.19 next month, a 20 percent jump. In Japan the hikes are more than 30 percent, amid the yen dropping to a new 24-year low against the US dollar.

Apple hasn’t detailed exactly why prices are going up, but with the euro and yen struggling against a strong dollar it’s clear this is driven by currency fluctuations that have been influenced by inflation and rising energy costs. Reuters reports that Apple periodically adjusts its App Store pricing for currency fluctuations, and actually reduced the base €1.09 app price to €0.99 last year.

The App Store pricing changes come just weeks after Apple raised the prices of its new iPhone 14 and Apple Watch Series 8 models in many markets outside the US. The iPhone 14 now starts at £849 in the UK, whereas the iPhone 13 started at £779 last year. iPhone pricing has jumped from €909 to €1,019 in Ireland, and similar price jumps can be found across Europe.

Analysts put the price increases down to a similar story: the strong US dollar.

Automotive Lubricants – How to make your car more viable

Seyram
-
0
Automotive Lubricants – How to make your car more viable

Automotive Lubricants provides several benefits. They improve the functioning of moving parts, thus increasing the durability of your engine. They also improve the life of your engine, thus decreasing your maintenance costs.

Automotive Lubricants is made up of a blend of lubricating oils with characteristics for use in different types of vehicles. Most modern vehicles, aside from gasoline, utilize some type of lubricant, most commonly an oil-based product. There are basically four types of lubricants: Synthetic Lubricants, Organic Lubricants, EPDM, and Spubricants containing petroleum-based additives.

Synthetic Lubricants have numerous applications. It contains no moisture, thus eliminating dirt and grease build-up that causes friction. All these lubricants improve the performance and efficiency of moving parts such as the gears in your car or truck.

The organic lubricants on the other hand are usually made from recycled petroleum. They can withstand high temperatures and are highly wear-resistant. Their ingredients are usually derived from crude oil, such as crude oil, natural gas, crude coal, and diesel. These lubricants have higher heat tolerance than their synthetic counterparts. They also resist wear and tear, and there is a considerable delay before any changes in friction appear, which makes them good choices for high-performance applications.

Another category of Automotive Lubricants is the tribology compound. This lubricant uses silicone to improve oil film wear and improve lubrication properties. Its ingredients are derived from a variety of sources including seaweed, talc, and chalk. Tribology lubricants are used in high-performance engines because of their additive properties, which reduce friction. Lubricants with silicone remain slippery when cold and can be drawn into the mating surfaces for added lubrication.

This type of lubricant has a lower melting point, and therefore it is commonly used in engines and other cooling components without any additional protection. Some examples include conventional oil and transmission fluid. Some additives are added to these fluids for the purpose of lubricity and/or to prevent metal depletion.

These additives include polymeric blocks, metal bridges, and greases. However, the main article type contains lubricants with low melting points and adequate viscosity for normal engine operation.

Automotive Lubricants provides several benefits. They improve the functioning of moving parts, thus increasing the durability of your engine. They also improve the life of your engine, thus decreasing your maintenance costs. They prevent metal fatigue, decrease oil consumption and increase gas mileage, among other things.

Want your car to last longer?

Seyram
-
0
Want your car to last longer?

Here are things you can do to prolong its life, and save yourself a few cedis along the way….

As one of the biggest purchases you’ll ever make, it makes sense to take care of your car, so it lasts as long as possible. Here are ten things you can do to prolong its life, and save yourself a few cedis along the way.

1. Keep It Serviced

Probably the most obvious one on the list, but also one that’s often overlooked. Modern cars can easily exceed their scheduled service intervals without you actually noticing – but the reality is that you’re doing your engine no favours by neglecting it.

Always stick to the recommended service intervals, and there’s no harm in performing them a few hundred miles early or more frequently if you’re planning to keep the car for a long time. A well maintained car will not only last longer, but it will also be more fuel efficient, have better performance, and hold its resale value better.

2. Don’t Ignore Issues

Can you hear a knocking noise over bumps that wasn’t there before? Maybe there’s a bit of a grinding sensation when you go around left hand turns?

Don’t just turn up the stereo and hope it will fix itself – it won’t. A neglected wheel bearing that has started to go bad can cause the hub to overheat, which can cause damage to the CV joint and a much larger and more expensive repair.

A radiator fan that’s on the blink could cause the car to overheat in traffic, which can blow the head gasket… There are lots of examples of components failing that can have snowballing effects.

If you think something’s on the way out don’t wait to find out what happens when it fails!

3. Don’t Skimp On Oil

Oil is the lifeblood of the engine, and old contaminated oil will shorten its life. Don’t use cheap oil, always go with the manufactures recommendations, and never exceed the oil change intervals.

When you change the oil always replace the oil filter. For added benefit, rather than using an engine flush (which can be overly harsh on some engines), consider refilling with a cheaper oil, then changing again after a couple of hundred mile with quality name brand oil.

If that sounds like a load of work, perhaps you should look into buying a vacuum oil extractor – It makes oil changes a quick and painless affair as the oil is extracted through the dipstick tube, rather than messing around underneath the car.

4. Keep It Clean

It may sound a bit dumb, but keeping your car clean will prolong its life. Dirt and grime encourage rust (particularly in the winter months with salt on the roads). While your car may have a galvanised body, few of the components in the under carriage are rust resistant. Bushings, and suspension components will have a shorter life expectancy if they’re neglected and left covered in muck – so get out there with the hose and keep it clean, even the parts you can’t see!

Keeping the paintwork in tip top condition with regular washes, and occasional polish/wax sessions will also add to the car’s resale value. Finally, never leave bird droppings on your paintwork – remove it as soon as you see it. It will eat through the paintwork and leave permanent damage behind.

5. Warm Up

The most damage is caused to an engine when you start it from cold. Cold oil is less viscous, and it is all just sitting in the oil pan when you start the motor. First, it needs to be pumped around the engine to lubricate that parts, but secondly, it has to get warm before it becomes effective.

Getting the engine up to temperature quickly is good for the engine, so contrary to popular opinion, don’t start it up and leave it idling. It will take forever to warm up a cold engine when it’s not under any load (particularly if it’s a diesel).

The best practice it to start the engine, let it idle for just 30-60 seconds to allow the oil to circulate, then drive gently for the first few miles until the engine is up to its normal working temperature. Never rev the motor excessively when cold. Once the temperature needle starts to move, or the heater blows warm, you are free to drive normally.

6. Cool Down

This is most important for cars with a turbocharger. If you’ve driven ‘enthusiastically’ at higher revs the turbo will be hot – very hot! So for the last couple of miles of your journey drive ‘off-boost’ as if you are taking your mom to the store.

This allows everything to circulate and cool down, rather than switching off a scorching hot engine, which can shorten the life of the bearings in the turbo by cooking the oil.

You don’t want to just let it sit there idling either, as the lack of airflow will make the engine bay heat up. It’s less of an issue on modern cars with water-cooled turbos but it’s still smart to always start and end your journey with gentle driving.

7. Gears or Brakes

A wise man once said “brakes are cheaper than a gearbox”. If you’re in the habit of slowing your car down by shifting through the gears, consider altering your driving style to rely on the brakes more than engine braking. It’s still fine to do so, but just be mindful that it puts extra stress on the gearbox and the clutch.

To keep the transmission in good shape, changing up through the gears is best done smoothly by matching the revs when possible, and not quick shifting like you are running the quarter mile!

8. Regular Check Ups

Preventative maintenance is never a bad thing. Familiarize yourself with your car and the engine bay – remove the plastic engine cover (if there is one) and have a good look at all the hoses and wires.

Look for fluid leaks, and oily residue that could point to a leaking gasket. You don’t need to be a mechanic to know when something looks wrong.

Check the car every couple of weeks as a minimum, including tire pressures and fluid levels and bring anything suspicious to the notice of your mechanic.

9. Thorough Workout

While it stands to reason that sensible driving is best for a car’s life expectancy, driving gently all the time can actually be a bad thing!

Known by many as the ‘Italian Tune Up’ a dose of spirited driving can actually be beneficial. On older engines it can help to remove carbon deposits, and on diesel engines it is needed to clean the Diesel Particulate Filters (DPFs). Get out on the highway when there isn’t a lot of traffic and drive at medium to high rpm for a period of time to blow out the cobwebs, and regenerate the DPFs.

10. Lighten the load

What’s in your trunk or cargo area? If you’re like most people you’ll be carrying more than your fair share of junk around with you. The heavier the car, the more stress there will be on the mechanical and suspension components, not to mention the engine.

While we’re not talking about massive gains, it makes sense to ensure you’re not carrying about unnecessary extra weight. If nothing else you may get a couple of extra mpg out of the engine!

I hope these help. They are really underrated, but ignore these at your peril!

2024 Ford Mustang Dark Horse Is a Badass New Breed of Pony

Seyram
-
0
2024 Ford Mustang Dark Horse Is a Badass New Breed of Pony

The Dark Horse is an entirely new breed of Mustang, one that shares no bloodlines with historic models. While it’s based on the new seventh-generation V-8–powered Ford Mustang GT, the Dark Horse is more badass out of the box, and it’s bred for racing, with numerous standard performance features and exclusive track-focused options.

Think of the 2024 Ford Mustang Dark Horse as the love child of the outgoing Mach 1 and Shelby variants, neither of which is offered for the redesigned Stang’s inaugural model year. Like the Mach 1 before it, the Dark Horse is the most track-capable Mustang that doesn’t have Shelby badging.

It also inherits parts from the Shelby GT350 and GT500, most notably their lightweight carbon-fiber wheels. It’s the first time Ford will offer the exotic rims on a non-Shelby Mustang, and they’ll likely still cost a pretty penny when they become available later in the model year.

2024 ford mustang dark horse

Like the regular Mustang GT, the Dark Horse variant is only offered with Ford’s Coyote 5.0-liter V-8. Not only is this the latest generation of the engine, now featuring dual throttle bodies fed by dual air intakes, but the version in the Dark Horse is enhanced even further.

It features forged internal components along with connecting rods from the GT500’s 760-hp supercharged 5.2-liter Predator V-8. It produces a projected 500 horsepower, and Ford says the Dark Horse engine is the most powerful naturally aspirated V-8 it has ever built.

It pairs with a standard Tremec six-speed manual (GT models use a different Getrag gearbox), and the shifter has a special 3D-printed titanium knob. Ford’s 10-speed automatic is the other option, and both transmissions power the rear wheels through a Torsen limited-slip diff.

Ed Krenz, Mustang chief nameplate engineer, told Car and Driver that Dark Horse as a brand name had been rattling around at Ford for quite some time before it was picked to christen the seventh-generation Mustang. “With the S650, we knew we were going to come out of the gate with a feature car,” said Krenz.

While heritage model names such as Bosses, Bullitts, and Mach 1s were considered, one of the reasons Dark Horse was selected is because it describes the unexpected, which Krenz said played into the company’s assertion that some competitors are leaving the segment while Ford—perhaps surprisingly—has introduced a brand-new Mustang.

2024 ford mustang dark horse

Looks Menacing, Is Menacing

The Dark Horse name was also inspired by the model’s understated, dark design that is supposed to give off a sleeper-type vibe, according to Krenz. However, we’d argue that the Mustang Dark Horse looks too menacing to qualify as a sleeper. Even compared with the regular GT model, which already has an aggressive mug, the Dark Horse goes a step further with a unique front end featuring bigger grille apertures and open nostrils for better cooling.

Its smoked headlights and taillights also promote a racy attitude. Plus, the coupe’s body is adorned with unique aero bits such as a fixed rear wing and distinctive Dark Horse badges on the front fenders and decklid. The rear bumper also boasts a prominent diffuser and quad-tipped tailpipes.

The other way to identify a Dark Horse is with its exclusive Blue Ember metallic paint (pictured here), and Ford also offers applied or painted graphics in different colors and designs.

Every Dark Horse rides on Magne Ride adaptive dampers that buoy 19-inch wheels mounted on Pirelli P Zero PZ4 summer tires. The standard rims measure 9.5 inches wide up front and 10.0 inches wide out back, but those widths increase to 10.5 and 11.0 inches, respectively, with the optional Handling package that brings super-sticky Pirelli P Zero Trofeo RS rubber.

The package also includes stiffer springs, thicker front and rear sway bars, and a rear wing with a Gurney flap for more downforce. Even without the Handling package, all Dark Horses have Brembo six-piston fixed front calipers that clamp 13.9-inch rotors.

2024 ford mustang dark horse

Deep Indigo Blue

Inside, the Dark Horse benefits from the same redesigned, tech-centric cabin that debuted on other 2024 Mustangs. That means a digitized dashboard that combines a 12.4-inch digital gauge cluster and a 13.2-inch touchscreen. The latter features the latest Sync 4 interface that has been reskinned specifically for the Mustang, and it also accepts over-the-air updates.

While the interior layout and features—like the new electronic drift brake that lets novices cosplay as Vaughn Gittin Jr.—aren’t unique to the Dark Horse, its blue interior accents and glossy dark metallic trim pieces are. Ford also offers an appearance package that adds Deep Indigo Blue seats with special perforations.

Ford hasn’t yet said how much the 2024 Mustang Dark Horse will cost, but we think it’ll start around $60,000, which is a few thousand more than the current 2022 Mustang Mach 1. We expect the Dark Horse to go on sale sometime next summer.

How to Stay Safe in Traffic

Seyram
-
0
How to Stay Safe in Traffic

Getting through those delays with minimal frustration usually relies more on human behavior than digital innovation

Automakers are constantly coming up with technologies to reduce accidents in daily driving. But the reality remains that accidents, road construction and other factors will inevitably tie us up in delays. Getting through those delays with minimal frustration usually relies more on human behavior than digital innovation.

You need to understand what you can control and what you cannot control,” says Patrick Barrett, a former president of the North American Professional Driver Education Association. “There are six factors that affect driving: the road, the weather, the traffic, the time of day, the vehicle and the driver. Guess which of these you have the most control over? Yes, it’s you, the driver.

With that in mind, here are some steps you can take to stay safe on the road:

  • Allow space for merging.Nearly all long delays require vehicles in a blocked lane to move into a free-flowing one. What keeps this from happening? Motorists’ perception that it’s dangerous to merge. “You need to kindly leave enough space to signal that it’s fine to merge into your lane,” says expert Daniel Gray.
  • Avoid excessive “lane jumping.”As bad as a jam can be, drivers who incessantly shift from one line of vehicles to another only increase the length of the backup. “You want to focus on the path of least resistance,” says Barrett, who has authored books on driver safety and markets driver-ed tools for parents at DriverEdinaBox.com. “This is the path that lets you move and lets you see. But this doesn’t mean you constantly lane-jump. Often, choosing the path of least resistance means choosing to stay in your lane.”
  • Chill out.Keep in mind that traffic happens and there’s really very little you can do about it. Cursing, fuming and honking will only elevate your sense of frustration and potentially create unnecessary trouble. “Remember that you’re not the only one who is late for something,” Gray says, “and that you’re no more special than the person in the next vehicle.”
1...567...9Page 6 of 9

Ride n Drive is all about cars, trucks and Bikes! It's the ultimate platform for Gearheads, the techies and all car nerds out there.

Editor Picks

Latest News

Popular Categories

© Lets Ride n' Drive by Paper Merchant Global