#hot take but i think that having the traction control system on when the roads are slick isnt a good thing bc it makes me nearly spin out

[bunnyb34r]

Snooooooooow

[builder051]

Glad you're doing better after surgery and the aftermath. Would you be up for a Creedless Assassins fic? Natasha guessing wrong on how much of the substance of the week is enough and doing an inadequate job covering for herself? Thanks!

Nat knows it’s wrong to snort a line before going on duty, but a cup of coffee isn’t going to cut it.  A cup of coffee and a couple of Adderall aren’t going to cut it either, so she is truly down to her last option when she pulls the tiny clear plastic baggie out of her pocket.  She pours the crystalline substance within out onto the edge of the toilet paper rack in the SHIELD women’s bathroom, then uses her security badge to cut it and a leftover 1000 Yen note rolled into a tube to inhale the powder into her system.

When she emerges, wiping her nose on her sleeve and trying to be casual about it, Clint cocks his head slightly and says, “Ready?”

“Yeah.”  Nat pulls her fingers into her jacket, ignoring the dampness of mucous and the immediate secretions that start post introduction of a foreign substance.  She feels dry and wet at the same time.  It’s uncomfortable, but she knows she can manage.  She has to.

They jump into the Jeep Grand Cherokee waiting in the parking garage and immediately hit the road, Clint at home in the drivers’ seat whilst Nat bounces along uncomfortably in the passenger side.  

“Why’re you stepping on the brake so hard?” Nat snaps.  “You’ve got traction for miles with these tires.”

“Um...”  Clint hits the gas and accelerates away from the red light, then glances over at her.  He narrows his eyes as if sizing her up.

“Hey, eyes on the road, dumbass.”

“What’re you on?” Clint asks slowly.  “You’re only this harsh when you’re high.”

“Shut up.  I’m not,” Nat lies, though she knows she’s not convincing.  

“Right.”

Nat grabs her tablet out of the bag between her feet before Clint can say any more.  She pulls up the mission briefing and re-reads the details, even though she didn’t miss any the first time.  

“The target’s on a solo hunting trip just over the West Virginia border.  In the god forsaken fucking mountains,” Nat says.  She bites at her cuticles and looks out the window while she scrolls through the information with her other hand.  The sky overhead is turning grey with cloud cover, the atmosphere becoming heavy and seeming to settle into a throb right above Nat’s brow.

“You say that like you don’t want to, you know, enter the hornet’s nest.”  Clint spares her another look.

“Let’s just... get it done.”  Nat returns her gaze to the tablet screen, even though it’s only worsening her headache.  Something’s brewing in the pit of her stomach, though whether it’s guilt or nausea is anyone’s guess at this point.

When Clint leaves the highway for the path less traveled out toward open country, Nat flicks her eyes from the speedometer to the compass reading on the rearview, then to the clock embedded in the dash.  She has enough of the drug in her to last a few hours yet, plus enough in her pocket for a second dose, but she’s not sure she’ll have the opportunity, let alone the privacy, to get set up with it.  

“What?” Clint asks.  “Got somewhere to be?”

“Yeah, a hot date.”  Nat shifts in her seat so her arm wraps around her abdomen and her elbow points painfully into the handle of the door.  She’s moved around enough, though, that she doesn’t think she can scoot out of her current position without seeming like a wiggly child.

“No one will go out with you,” Clint says.  

Nat sniffs.  “You would.”

“Nah.”  He twists his lip.  “Used to be my thing, but... Don’t play that way anymore.”

It’s obvious, since they haven’t hooked up in over a decade.  But Nat can’t help but feel a little hurt inside.  “What do you mean?”

“You’re...” Clint gestures nebulously at the air between them.  “Skinny.  Pale.  I mean, I know you’re using.  Something.  Some of the time.”

“We are not making this a sobriety discussion.”

“I didn’t say it was your fault--”

“Clint.  Just, please.  Shut up.”  Nat can’t look at him, so she turns to look out the window instead.  The green, rocky terrain blasting by blurs a little, and she isn’t sure whether it’s due to their speed or the optical illusion of coke aura gathering in the creases of her lower eyelids.  Her stomach feels empty and watery, and something is clearly brewing to splash up into the back of her throat.  Nat swallows heavily, hoping the whole thing will collapse as an imaginary construct, aura built out of the extra feeling brought on by the perceptiveness of the drug.

It does nothing for her, though, and the deep lines between Nat’s gums and cheeks begin to fill with warm saliva.  She uses her tongue to sweep the passages clear, tasting bile, mucous, and chemicals as she goes.  The urge to gag rises on the back of her tongue, but Nat swallows hard and authoritatively, staying in control and refusing to be desperate.  Not now.  Not yet.

“Nat...”  Clint sighs out her name, which Nat finds irksome as ever in her current predicament.  She’s overdone it now, she knows; the top of her head is vibrating against the back of the seat rest.  She can’t stay still.  She digs the nails of one hand into the palm of the other and tries to focus on the pain, but it doesn’t come.  The rush in her bloodstream, the beating of her heart in her ears, it’s all louder than every external input combined.

A gush of heat into the greater space of her mouth and the feeling of her jaw falling into her lap brings Nat back to the urgency of the moment.  She stays stock still and moves only her eyeballs, pulling them sideways toward Clint until her head screams in protest with a sharp throb.

“Mm.”  Nat shifts again, pulling forward against her seatbelt and creeping one hand upward toward her face.  Instinct tells her to clap it over her mouth, but stubborn dignity says otherwise.  Nat clamps her sweaty fingers down on the collar of her jacket and holds on tightly.  She knows she won’t last long, but she can’t make herself speak up, either.

Clint turns his head at the sound of her voice, though, and seems to take in Nat’s pale visage.  “Fuck,” he mutters, shifting gears and turning in his seat to unnecessarily look behind him before pulling off the road.  

The Jeep stutters to a halt in the gravel on the side of the country highway, bouncing Nat side to side in her seat.  Vomit erupts into her throat, and she flails her shaking hands at the door handle while Clint turns off the engine and leaps into action.  Within half a second, he’s around the car and opening her door, then taking her under the armpits and supporting her forward as she spills her guts into the dust between them.

Not much comes up, but Nat continues to retch after her stomach is empty.  Her eyes begin to water, and fat droplets run down her cheeks and collect under her chin until they fall en mass and add dampness to her already soiled jacket.

“Ok, it’s ok,” Clint murmurs, patting Nat between the shoulder blades and bringing her forehead down to rest just above his tactical belt.  “I got you.”

Nat spits.  “Hm.”  She withdraws her hand into her sleeve again and wipes her eyes, then her nose, from which clear fluid with a thin streak of blood has begun to leak.  

“There has to be a Kleenex somewhere...”  Clint starts to reach around her to dig in the glove compartment, but Nat stays his arm.

“Clint, stop.”  She shakes her head and immediately regrets it.  “I’m-- I’m fine.”  Nat raises her eyes to his, knowing they’re wet and bloodshot and full of lies, but hoping she can still convince him otherwise.  Or at least to let her be.

“Yeah, you are.”  Clint juts his jaw forward, and Nat can’t tell if he’s angry or hurt or maybe just disappointed in her.  He lets out a breath.  “You, uh, wanna go, or you wanna stay stopped for a minute?”

“I’m ok.  I’m good to go.”  Nat pulls her feet back into the vehicle and reaches to close the door.  Clint grips it from the outside as she takes the handle from within.  It slams loudly as it closes, exacerbating Nat’s headache, and she tries not to wince, for he’s staring at her through the window, pleading with his eyes.

Nat sighs and holds his gaze for half a second, then looks into her lap.  She raises her eyes again, though, but Clint’s already gone, walking around the back of the Jeep to return to his seat.

[strawberrysoup]

Watch the Turn

relationship: Steve Rogers/reader/Tony Stark rating: Explicit warnings: Dark Steve Rogers, Dark Tony Stark, kidnapping, non-con. detailed warnings will be included at the end of the fic, open the read more, CTRL + F and search “content warnings”. word count: 6,000 give or take

Written for @honeyhan-123’s holiday challenge.

 You didn't like driving at night to begin with, let alone when the roads were slick and the weather was rotten and every idiot had their high beams on— as if the light did anything except reflect off the fog and make it impossible to see. The road being unfamiliar didn't help, you hadn't driven this route before, hadn't even planned to but Tony had Politely Requested your presence at the training facility. Wanda was still mad at him 90% of the time, not that you blamed her, and he wanted you there as a buffer while she came in for her standard yearly medical tests. You had refused such testing, your "doctor" was sufficient thank you very much, and you didn't want your DNA in Tony's hands (he had the best intentions at all times, but the best intentions didn't mean anything in your world— not when your blood was wonky and weird and potentially useful). 

Everyone had mostly forgiven Tony, except for you and Wanda. You both remembered the specialized straight jacket Wanda had been forced into, the fucking shock collars they'd put you both in. There was a phantom ache in your neck when you thought about it and a worse one in your heart when you remembered The Look Tony had given you. Something simultaneously upset but pleased. You hadn't necessarily trusted him since, especially when he put up such a stink when you left the Avengers. Sure, you were on call somewhat— In Case Of Emergency Contact the Flammable One. It worked in a pinch and mostly it meant you got left the fuck alone, which was a dream come true. Tony and Steve were exceptions to the rule; they bothered you on a regular fucking basis. Tony was at least more subtle than Steve, a result of him understanding he'd burned a bridge. Steve didn't get why you refused to stay on as an Avenger after it all. We fixed it, it's over, Tony and I made up so why can't you? And it bothered you in a very special way, that the super soldier wouldn't let it go. 

You'd begun screening their calls months ago, only responding to messages that were State Of Emergency relevant. Or, of course, Wanda relevant. You'd become good friends with the witch after the Ultron incident, both of you two shades of dangerous beyond the rest of the team. You were surprised she hadn't called you herself, but Wanda had a tendency to be independent like that. Even if your presence would make her more comfortable, there was only a 50/50 chance she'd ask. 

The road to the facility was steadily getting worse though and it quickly became apparent that the majority of those driving in had some sort of sight enhancement, or so you assumed. There were no fucking lights and you were forced to slow dramatically as you drove between the trees. Fucking Tony, couldn't be fucked to add some stupid lights around the blind turns in the road. 

Your nerves were flared and it took a lot to keep your powers from getting to your hands, you'd destroyed plenty of things but steering wheels were particularly irritating to replace. You focused on breathing, leaning forward over the wheel and squinting out the windshield. Of course it was a last minute call, of course you had to drive on a new road in the dark, of course the snow had to start earlier than forecasted, of course. 

It was one particularly sharp, icy curve that took out your wheels. Your car's system immediately devoted its power to the wheels not spinning out but found no traction, the vehicle instead careening off the road and into the trees. There was a split second to hope that your body's defense system of burn through any and all obstacles didn't cause a forest fire before your head smashed into (and possibly seared through) the steering wheel, effectively knocking you unconscious. Your clothes quickly combusted, minus the Pym tech shorts and sports bra thoughtfully made by Hope, followed by the seat of the car and soon the rest of the vehicle. 

"Oh sweetheart," the words were barely distinguishable over the sound of some sort of fire extinguisher, likely one of Tony's suits but it didn't sound like he was in it, "Steve, bring a blanket out of the back." 

"Catch," it was definitely the blond's voice, but there was a metallic sound rather than that of fabric being thrown, "I'll grab an emergency blanket out of the back."

"Tony..?" It sounded like you were trying to speak under water, your voice muffled. 

"Yeah honey, we've got you," for some reason you expected him to pick you up and pull you out of the smoking husk of the car, but instead you felt his hands near your neck, "stay still." 

You couldn't get the words out to explain that your neck was fine, you didn't need a brace, but you felt metal and there was the sound of a clasp, a metallic whir and your blood ran cold. It was a painfully familiar sensation, you'd experienced it once before— on the Raft.

The collar caused all sorts of effects; your above average strength was quickly sapped, your body temperature drastically lowered, and the inherently combustible crackle of energy that coated your skin turned to ice. Your muscles, already weak from the crash, went entirely lax even as arms slipped under you and lifted your body from the car. 

“Damn, you really did a number on yourself, huh sweetheart?” Tony’s voice came from the left, a saccharine quality to the tone. 

“Don’t taunt her Tony,” Steve’s chest rumbled against you and you realized the familiar scent was the Captain, “let’s go.” 

Everything blended and skewed, your perception going in and out. It was confusing and nauseating, you might’ve thrown up but couldn’t be sure—was it from the crash, the results of a concussion? Or the collar? 

You only started gaining some semblance of control when a blast of cold air hit you and it was only enough to allow you to open your eyes. Steve was carrying you out of a vehicle and into a building, but not the compound. It was too small, the door had an old fashioned lock and Tony used an actual key. 

“The heater on in here Tone? She’s cold, the collar doesn’t let her body temperature regulate well.”

“No, this building doesn’t have FRIDAY’s tech installed. We’ll grab some blankets, there’s a fire place in there until the heating system kicks on.”

“Are you sure you know how to survive without FRIDAY?” Steve’s words were teasing but not mean the way you would’ve expected, there was no derisive undertone like there would’ve been in the past. 

“Ha ha, Capsickle,” even Tony’s response lacked teeth, just a mildly fond lilt, “get her in here, we’ll get her warmed up quick.” 

“I’ve got some ideas,” it was muttered by the soldier but Tony hummed in agreement nonetheless. 

It was cold, so much colder than you were used to. Your body generally didn’t allow you to feel any sort of chill, let alone the bone deep cold that came from being outside and underdressed in the snow and ice. Had you an agency you might’ve pressed closer to Steve, despite it all. Then again, even through the chill you remembered that Steve had let Tony put that collar on you, for some reason the soldier was enabling this. 

“Bring her this way, and get those Pym tech clothes off of her.”

“Sure Tony,” somehow Steve responded to the orders with fondness and patience. 

Maybe it wasn’t Steve. Maybe it was a clone or maybe Tony had brainwashed him. Maybe—

“Tony, don’t put the keys there or you’ll misplace them again,” there was a scoff from the brunet and Steve’s chest rumbled beneath you, “you know I’m right.” 

The sound of keys jingling followed and the confusion got worse. Because that was definitely Steve and definitely Tony but they weren’t bickering. There was no irritation or frustration in their voices, you’d almost call it… fondness? Affection, even. But that wasn’t possible. Even before the Accords Steve and Tony had done nothing but bicker and argue and pick at every little thing they knew would upset the other. 

You didn’t have much time to think about it before Steve grabbed your sports bra with one hand and ripped it all the way down. The noise you made was met with a gentle shushing, indiscernible words following when you tried to move away. Your shorts were quick to follow, the non combustible fabric giving way under the soldiers grasp. There was no need for them to undress you, no need for them to take you to some random building, there was no reason for you to have driven to the facility, was there? 

“Steve?” Your voice was barely a murmur, your muscles just beginning to twitch after the effects of the collar.

“It’s okay, y/n,” he responded gently, curling your cold, naked body closer to his chest, “everything’s okay, we’re gonna get you warm here in just a second.” 

“There are blankets in the coffee table, Steve, just lift the top,” Tony was in another room, his voice far away, “take your clothes off and curl up on the couch with her—body heat and all that, right?” 

Steve held you tightly through the next few seconds, his form smoothly going through the requested motions. His skin was so warm against yours, almost searing like a brand. You tried to shift away when he wrapped your legs around his waist, his hard length uncomfortably close to your center, but were once again quietly hushed as he came to sit back on the couch. 

“Steve, catch,” you didn’t see what was tossed, only the sound of it hitting Steve’s palm while the other hand pressed your limp form close to his chest, “you get started while I get the fire going.” 

There was a snapping sound, your brain couldn’t fully identify it. What your brain did very quickly identify was Steve’s hand at your center, burning hot and coated in something wet and slippery. You wanted to scream but the sound that came out was just a gasp, barely a whimper that got lost against his skin.

“Shhh, sweetheart, you need this,” Steve cooed, slick fingers pressing up into your channel, his nose brushing up the line of your neck where you laid against his chest, your head rested against the curve of his shoulder, “you’re gonna need all the help you can get.” 

“Not too much Steve, she’s being punished,” Tony appeared with an armful of firewood and your instinct was to reach for him, to reach for your former friend, to reach for help but he wouldn’t help and you knew it, “for running away and trying to ignore us.” 

“W..what…” 

“You know you did, y/n,” Tony’s voice was gentle but admonishing, “you quit the Avengers and started ignoring our calls. Bad etiquette, sweetheart.” 

You wanted to ask if they were fucking serious, to ask what part of your behavior they had any right to dictate. You’d left because the pair of them had been a fucking nightmare. The leadership had been unbearable and you were the kind of person who chafed under authority, especially when those in power made what you considered dumbass decisions. You had even warned them, several times, that you wouldn’t put up with it. You know what you did. The second the collar came off you'd—

“Stay still sweetheart,” Steve murmured in your ear, feeling the way the muscles in your thighs jumped against his waist, “don’t worry, I’m gonna open your pussy up a bit more than Tony wants—you’d think he’d have more sympathy, considering how many times I’ve split him open without enough lube.” 

“What’s that, Stevie? Got something to say?” Tony didn’t turn around from where he knelt in front of the fireplace. 

“Just that I appreciate how tight your asshole is when I take you raw, Tone,” the blond's fingers spread wide in your cunt and you whined, muscles trembling as you attempted to gain any traction, “maybe once I stretch y/n out on my cock you can take a ride.” 

“Speaking of stretching her out,” Tony finally turned his head and pinned Steve with a knowing look, “I think you’ve done enough.” 

“Looks like he caught me, sweetheart,” Steve’s fingers slipped from your pussy with an obscene squelch and he wiped his hand on the upholstery before taking hold of your hip, “try taking deep breaths.” 

“Steve, don’t… I haven’t…” you choked as the head of his cock pressed up, “Don’t..!” 

“We know it’s been awhile, sweetheart,” Tony stood up and came to stand to the side of where Steve held you in his lap, hands coming to rest on your shoulders, “that’s why Steve’s monster cock is part of your punishment.” 

It was a monster cock. It had been a running joke since the initial Loki incident, the way Steve’s pants could never hide the indecent bulge. At first he’d gotten an angry blush across his face every time someone mentioned it and you had been one of the worst about teasing him. It had taken a couple of years before he joked back—I’ve never had a complaint, that’s why my dames gotta be flexible, etc. Steve’s package spoke for itself but if it needed commentary, the bow legged walk of any lady he fucked generally did it. 

Honestly, it was big enough that even with the wet slide from the lube and Steve carefully releasing his grasp on your waist, only the very top of the tapered head slipped in. But then Tony’s hands slid down from your shoulders, to where Steve’s balanced you on the head of his cock, and pressed you down. The initial pop of the head forcing its way through the tight hole of your cunt was almost so shocking you didn’t feel the pain, but then it just kept coming. A hoarse cry of shock and pain escaped your lips, the useless muscles in your legs trembling and attempting to lock you in place even as Tony continued to force you down over the impossible length of Steve’s cock. 

“It hurts, huh sweetheart?” The brunet whispered quietly, his lips brushing the shell of your ear from behind, “it hurt when you cut us off, you know? When you stopped answering our calls? When you disappeared off the face of the planet and tried to run away from us.” 

“P-Please, please, stop!” Your sobs were quiet despite the pain, your body not currently strong enough under the initial onslaught of the collar’s abilities to even cry properly, “please, it hurts so much, please..” 

The stretch was agonizing, especially considering you hadn’t had sex in a hot minute. You’d been busy, finding someone worthy of fucking was difficult, and who had the time anyway? But you could feel his cock, still more and more pressing brutally into your poor cunt, it felt like it was in your stomach, the pressure was unbearable—another choked cry escaped your mouth, tears pouring from your eyes. 

Steve gave a low moan, hands tightening on your hips, “God you’re so tight, fuck its amazing.” 

“You gonna be able to fuck her babe?” Tony’s face was still pressed close to yours, “without tearing anything delicate down there.” 

“Let me get all the way in,” the blond grunted slightly, “might need more lube to actually fuck her.” 

A clunking noise came from behind the couch and Tony made a noise of frustration, “once you get her on just let her keep your cock warm, I’m gonna go see why the heater’s making that sound.” 

A breathless hum was his only answer from Steve, the soldier still attempting to work the last inch or so of his cock up into your pussy. You whined, forehead against his shoulder and the head bumped against your cervix, effectively stopping Steve from pressing forward anymore. Your entire body was overly sensitized, every ounce of energy devoted to your nerves in the absence of muscular control and 100% of your attention was devoted to every vein and bump in his cock, the sheer pressure of it. 

"Shhh, it's okay sweetheart," Steve brushed his lips against whatever skin he could reach, his breath coming out in pants, "ohh fuck, wow. Cunts aren't meant to take cocks like mine—yours feels so good though baby. I can't imagine how it'll feel once you acclimate to the collar, I don't know if you'll be able to tighten your muscles around me—God, even with your muscles completely loose it's almost too tight." 

"Please, please, p-please, please…" 

"Begging's not really my thing sweetheart, but you'll get Tony ready real quick if you keep that up," the blond's words were teasing, edging on taunting. 

"T… Tony?" 

"Did you think I'd be the only one who fucked you? No baby, no. Although I don't think Tony's decided yet, if he wants to take your cunt or your asshole—have you ever had anything up your little ass before?" 

The heaviest sob you'd managed escaped your lips, forehead rolling against his shoulder until you faced away from him the best you could. It hurt when Steve shifted his weight, tugging you more firmly against his chest while his hands slipped into your hair. Your nerve endings sang as his fingers massaged against your scalp, managing just barely to draw some of your focus away from the pain in your center. 

"I'll take that as a no," he crooned, "don't worry, I'm gonna make sure he takes the time to stretch your asshole out well and he's gonna use plenty of lube." 

"That doesn't sound so much like a punishment as a reward, Cap," Tony stated as he reappeared from what must've been the boiler room. 

"You being up her ass while I'm in her pussy should be punishment enough for the whole running away debacle, Tones," the blond cooed when a short scream of pain and frustration escaped you, fingers running down your neck and back to rub circles into your skin, "she can keep my cock warm after I cum in her pussy and I'll keep her in place while you fuck her ass." 

"No, no! No please… I'm sorry! I'm s-sorry I ran off, I'm sorry!" 

"I'm sure you are sweetheart, but you're not gonna learn if you get off without being punished properly. We've gotta incentivize good behavior," Tony stripped his shirt off, followed by his jeans before coming to kneel behind her on the couch, his knees straddling Steve's outstretched legs, "the heat should be fine, the fire will keep us comfortable until the system warms up. Steve?" 

The blond pressed up with his hips and you screeched to the extent you were able, tapering off with a sob at the pain of his cock ramming your cervix, "lots more lube. Its gonna hurt real bad while we get your cunt all slick, baby, but you can scream as much as you need—no one can hear you out here." 

It was one of the most ominous things you'd ever heard in real life and was proven true very quickly. Steve withdrew just a tiny bit, the drag pulling a wail from your chest. You heard the lid of the lube pop open and felt Tony's hand sneak around your front, liberally coating the exposed length of Steve's cock. When he thrust back up into you it ripped another scream, the tiny bit of extra slide barely making a difference. It happened again and again, every time Steve withdrew Tony added more lube but the pain didn't stop. The drag was agony but the sheer girth of his cock was excruciating— not to mention the way he pounded away at your cervix like a battering ram.

Actually, that part was getting...easier, somehow. Each brutal press against it got less and less painful until your nerve endings started tingling, from the top of your head to your toes. It couldn't have been the start of an orgasm, they hadn't even touched your clit, but the constant pounding against your cervix was doing something. A choked moan escaped your lips, something the pair of them were very quick to catch. 

"He's real deep in there, isn't he sweetheart?" Tony asked softly, chest pressed up against your back while Steve continued to thrust up into your slowly loosening pussy, his hand coming to rest low over your uterus, "I can feel his cock pounding at your cervix. Is it gonna make you cum? Orgasms from cervical stimulation are supposed to be incredible, baby, do you want one of those? You might not have a choice, that monster cock is just pounding you, isn't it?" 

"N-no, no," your muscles still weren't really working, the tendons in your thighs jumped as you tried to get the right combination of muscles to pull your knees up under you for distance. 

"If she comes while being punished I don't know if I can let her go, Tony," Steve panted, thrusts picking up speed while his hands on your hips started pulling you down on his cock in tandem, "fuck, if she comes like this—" 

"You make her cum just from fucking her cunt like a battering ram and we'll keep her forever, Stevie," the words were like a promise from the brunet and Steve groaned like he was in pain, "yeah babe? You like that? You wanna keep her? Work for it Steve." 

His hips started moving like a jackhammer and you screamed with every ounce of strength you had, any bit of muscular integrity you had dissolving under the onslaught. Tony held you hips firmly in place, not allowing you body to bounce upwards with the thrusts and it was some kind of agony, an unexplainable combination of pain and too much pleasure, too much pleasure. Before you really could comprehend what was happening an explosive orgasm rocketed through your entire body, the muscles you had no control over seizing almost violently while you screamed. There was a gush of wetness as your vision blacked out—you might've gone unconscious for a moment but even when you came too again the system shocking pleasure was there, Steve still working for his own end. 

Tony was holding the majority of your body weight and had lifted you several inches higher, to prevent Steve from continuing to demolish your cervix. His arms were tight around you, his lips pressed against your ear. That was so good, sweetheart, take that cock, what a sweet pussy baby, come on now, he's so close.

Steve made a choked noise and suddenly his hands came up to cover Tony's, his superior strength overriding the brunet's hold and pulling you down on his cock. The head hammering against you once again made you scream, an almost heaving sob escaping you as the full body tingles you now knew to be the precursor of a severe orgasm came back with a startling intensity. 

"No! No, no, no, no!!" You were screaming, your voice absolutely hoarse. 

"Take it, y/n, be a good girl and take it," the words were an order, the husky tone in Tony's voice betraying the fact that he really did get off on the begging, "can you feel his abs tensing up? He's gonna cum." 

Tony was right and the sheer force of Steve cumming inside of you, jammed right up against your cervix sent you into another nearly painful orgasm, shaking your entire body to the core. There was no gush of wetness aside from Steve's cum being forced out of you from his brutal thrusts. 

It might've gone on forever, you honestly weren't sure how long your orgasm lasted—or Steve's for that matter. Everything felt damp and the pressure in your cunt had increased, sheerly from Steve's cum having no way to escape around his massive cock. 

"Jesus," the blond was gasping for breath, sounding like he'd ran a marathon which was particularly disconcerting considering his stamina. 

You personally were barely functional as a person, Tony having shifted your weight to once again rest on Steve's chest. There was a forearm under your butt, just barely keeping you from sinking fully onto the cock impaling you and you realized Steve must've had his wits about him better than you did; although you probably couldn't have kept yourself up anyway. 

"You gonna make it old timer?" Tony teased from over your shoulder, earning a snarky look from the soldier holding you, "you made her squirt all over the place, the couch is drenched." 

"My soul just left my body via my cock, Tony, gimme a second to breathe," the blond turned his face and pressed his lips against the side of your head, nose burrowing slightly into your hair, "your cunt is magic, sweetheart." 

"Let's find out if her ass is too." Your non reaction was probably more telling than had you started trying to fight, in all honesty you were so tired. Steve might've fucked his soul out but he'd effectively fucked the life right out of you and even as the cap on the lube popped again and probing fingers slid down the crack of your ass you barely reacted. 

"Hold on, lemme move," Steve clutched you tight and shifted until he was laying with his head on the arm rest, adjusting you down so your lower body stayed carefully aligned over his, his softening cock still firmly pressed inside of you. 

It was barely smaller as he went flaccid, still pressing so deep you thought you could feel it all the way in your stomach. The girth was still incredibly uncomfortable, stretching your abused cunt but the feeling of two fingers slipping into your asshole immediately distracted you. A small whine escaped, the sound almost lost against Steve's chest. Your brain immediately started a circle of thoughts, no, oh fuck, gross, oh no, not that, oh fuck. 

"You're alright baby," you weren't sure if Tony's words were meant to be comforting or if they were actually orders, "you're doing so good for us, keep Steve's cock up there, nice and cozy." 

The blond rumbled beneath you, shifting his hips and grabbing your thighs to pull them open wider over his waist. The softness of his cock meant the last inch had been able to press up inside you, the entire thing sheathed in your dripping cunt. The new cant of your hips tipped your ass up and Tony hummed. 

"Your asshole is really tight sweetheart, I don't know how much I'm gonna be able to spread you," the snap of the lube lid was immediately followed by Tony scissoring his fingers as wide as possible in your ass, "we'll try this and call it a day." 

You squealed and whined, especially when the top of the lube bottle pressed against your open hole. The plan wasn't entirely clear until you felt globs of lube squirting in your ass, Tony apparently emptying the entire tube inside of you. The fullness was uncomfortable, the liquid squishing all around inside and squeezing out when he let his fingers slip. He made some noise, you weren't sure if it was happy or not, before stretching his fingers wide apart again. 

"I'd take a deep breath, baby," the tip of his cock began pressing against the spread of your asshole and you felt a desperate bubble of sound travel up your throat, "remember you can scream as much as you need to, sweetheart. I kind of like to hear it." 

There was no hesitation as he pressed in, ignoring the screech of pain you let out as he powered the length of it in in a smooth glide. The burn was the same level of unbearable as when Steve's cock had entered you the first time and you managed to clench your hands against the blond's chest, nails scratching a bright red trail against his skin. 

"Stop!" You screeched, the muscles in your left thigh finally pulling taut at your orders and your knee found purchase on the couch, "f-fuck! Fuck stop!" 

"Your body's acclimating well," Steve grinned down at the top of your head, "I bet in a week or two you'll be able to walk around like nothin'." 

"Not considering how much you'll be fucking that pussy," Tony groaned loudly as he bottomed out, pelvis pressing firmly against your ass, "she's gonna be bow legged and walking like a baby giraffe. Jesus, I can feel your cock in there Steve—are you getting hard again?" 

Your eyes widened, the blond's hands running through your hair and keeping your head pinned against his chest, "probably." 

No, no, no, no, no, you couldn't handle that again, couldn't take that full length and girth again, not while Tony's not unsubstantial cock was tearing through your ass and you could still feel a particular tremble in your muscles from the two semi violent orgasms you'd had. You'd die, your body would give up. 

"She didn't like that at all," Tony laughed, laying a hard slap against your ass to make you screech while he stayed completely seated in your asshole, "what's wrong sweetheart, do you not want us to fuck you together? It's gonna get real tight in there."

"She doesn't exactly have a choice," Steve moaned loudly as Tony withdrew in one long pull, the sound drowned out by your scream of pain, "fuck that feels good, Tone." 

"Tight," Tony hissed as he forced his cock back in, the available space quickly being filled as Steve's cock began to harden in your pussy, "fuck that's good." 

"No, no, no! Stop, fuck, stop, oh God," sobs punctuated every word, the muscles in your arm trembling as you pressed the appendage back behind you, landing against Tony's abs in some desperate attempt for space, "it hurts, please, it hurts." 

"You're gonna be alright sweetheart," Steve grunted from above your head, a short moan escaping as Tony sawed in and out again, "it needs to hurt or you might try to run again. You're ours, y/n. We tried to give you space and you abused the privilege—shit, fuck Tony—so you don't get the option anymore. You're gonna remember this, huh?" Steve's hips shot up abruptly and you screamed yourself near hoarse, the head of his cock slamming brutally into you cervix just as Tony pulled back, painfully stretching the ring of muscle around your asshole, "you're gonna remember how much it hurts to take Tony up your asshole when you haven't been kept stretched out, how much my cock hurts in your little pussy when I don't fuck you regularly." 

"Please, please, please, stop, please—" 

"Fuck, keep begging sweetheart," Tony bottomed out in your ass when Steve withdrew to the tip, ignoring the wail the movement dragged from your lips, "that desperation, that's how we felt when you left. It hurt, y/n. We needed you and you left." 

The back and forth of their cocks was unbearable and you resigned yourself to sobbing against Steve's chest, one hand with nails digging into his skin while the other stayed out stretched behind you, pressed against Tony's lower abdomen. It did nothing, neither of them even noticed, and you screamed when Steve suddenly picked up the pace, shooting forward at the same time Tony pressed into your asshole. 

You weren't aware you had enough dexterity to thrash, maybe your body was just so desperate to escape the fucking agony that your muscles went nuts in response. Both men were quick to restrain your flailing limbs, cooing while you screeched but both still powering into you at the same time. The pain was unending, punctuated by the feeling of Steve bashing into your already over sensitized cervix. You were gonna cum again, you knew it was coming but the idea of other of those orgasms was both humiliating and frightening—too much, please no, too much, please no, too mu—

"Fuck, can we do this all the time?" Tony twisted his hips on the next thrust, drawing another cry from you even while Steve moaned in response, "I don't think I've been ready to cum so fast in ages, shit Steve your cock feels so good like this, her assholes so tight—" 

"Cum up her ass, Tony," Steve ordered sharply, his own thrusts getting harder as he tried to force as much of his cock into your cunt as possible, "she's about to cum, I can feel her pussy, she likes my cock hitting her cervix, don't you sweetheart?" 

"Damn, again?" Tony panted, his pelvis slapping against your ass so brutally you wondered if there would be bruises, "she's gonna cum again? We're gonna have to fuck her every day to keep her satisfied, jesus what a greedy pussy. I— I'm gonna cum, fuck what a sweet little asshole— fuck!" 

You could feel the cum shooting into your bowels, mixing with the copious amounts of lube and sloshing around. It felt like it was in your stomach, like his cock had dumped a load of cum directly into your belly and the pressure was immense. You wailed, nails once again digging holes into Steve's chest while the brunet finished up. 

"I bet Steve's gonna fuck you so hard that entire mess comes out of your asshole," Tony's voice was dark and husky against your ear, "you're gonna destroy this poor couch, aren't you sweetheart? Are you gonna clench up and keep that all inside or are you gonna let it out?" 

It's not like you could answer, your voice immediately stolen because the moment Tony stopped moving in your asshole Steve started pounding your cunt like someone had dared him to blast through your cervix with his cock. The scream that escaped didn't stop, your body thrashing as the same painful orgasm tore your body. It came in waves, never ending, especially as Steve continued to batter your cervix. It seemed to take ages before you body surrendered, the extended orgasm blackening your vision. The only thing you really registered as you regained consciousness was Tony's voice. 

"Wow, what a mess." 

A few seconds passed and your body regained more feeling and you realized he was talking about you. Everything below your pelvis was gushing with cum and lube and whatever had squirted out of you with that first orgasm. A finger dipped into the gape of your asshole and all you could manage was a quiet whine as it hooked the edge and pulled, letting another glob of cum and lube dribble out. 

"I'd say we should get rid of the couch, but we might as well keep it until she's broken in," Steve was still below you on the couch, his legs spread wide so that your lower body was rested on the cushion, "oh, Tones did you remember to melt the quick-ice you put on the road? We don't want anyone else to crash." 

"I'll send a suit. It's kind of funny that sliding on ice is what got you, huh sweetheart?" There was a teasing tone to his words, but you heard affection there too and that was almost worse because it reminded you how they talked about keeping you. 

"Ice is gonna be a bit more of a problem from now on, since you won't be taking that collar off anymore," Steve's fingers trailed over the skin of your neck, where the metal met your skin, "we'll buy you plenty of warm clothes." 

"No, we'll keep it nice and warm wherever you're staying," Tony corrected over your shoulder, his lips finding purchase against the skin of your back, "clothes will just get in the way I think."

"Good thinking, Tones." 

Good thinking. Fuck, fuck. 

 content warnings: nonconsensual vaginal fingering, double penetration, overstimulation, cock warming, creampie

[self-proclaimed-chaotic-good]

Horror’s Ultimate | AUish!Carlton Drake x Reader

Horror’s Ultimate | AUish!Carlton Drake x Reader

Words: 6,939 (Yup)

Warning: Car crash, injuries, some swearing, angst, slight dark themes (but, you know, it’s Carlton Drake and it’s Venom-verse).

A/N: There’s references to The Brain that Wouldn’t Die (1962), Frankenstein, and the Night Of. I’m already thinking of fanfic ideas for the latter. This idea had been in my head for awhile and since it’s Riz Ahmed’s bday on Dec. 1, I decided to upload it around that time.

Summary: You and your fiance Carlton Drake were on your way home when a storm hit, causing the car to veer off the road. When you come to, you were the most injured, unable to move your body. Carlton swears he’ll do anything to make you better again, and you fear he’ll do exactly what you warned him not to do.

-

You crossed your arms as you stood to the side of your boyfriend’s office as he talked animatedly to his lab workers. After they started the human trials, there had been progress with the surviving subjects and he ordered them to take the tests further. It was a huge scientific breakthrough and he wanted progress to happen fast. He was brilliant, but you didn’t think he would forget the basics this often. The fact that he pushed for human trials after testing on animals was a large sign. You weren’t allowed in the “cells”, as you called it, but you had a hunch of what kinds of conditions those people were in. You insisted that they were kept healthy and well fed while they were monitored, knowing that health always plays a factor in these kinds of tests.

The workers were soon dismissed and you were left alone with Carlton. He was smiling to himself as he packed his things, practically humming, in fact. You stepped towards him, walking around his desk to lean your head on his shoulder. He hummed, kissing the top of your head.

“We are making history,” he said, packing the last of his things into his work bag. “Soon, we won’t even have to deal with sickness, with this dying planet, (Y/n).”

“Aren’t you getting ahead of yourself?” you asked, grabbing the bag from him.

He wrapped an arm around your waist so that you were completely facing him. “This is big, (Y/n). Once we find out how to achieve perfect symbiosis with these creatures, we could have the ability to live up there!”

“I guess finding a way to stop global climate change and replenishing natural resources takes a lot more time and money than taking a rocket and bonding with gooey aliens,” you deadpanned, scrunching your nose.

“If you put it that way, you make me sound like a mad man who doesn’t want to deal with this planet anymore.”

“That is exactly what you are, though.” All he did was shrug.

“Humanity keeps failing again and again. We can find a new planet out there. There’s tons already discovered. When we figure out the types of conditions these symbiotes can withstand, we could choose a livable planet to settle on and build a new civilization there.” He leaned in closer, pressing his forehead against yours. “Those problems that exists in this world wouldn’t exist in our new world. No sickness, no injury. We’d have new strength and abilities. Practically a new species.”

You sighed. “I just don’t want you to be reckless. I know you joke about me watching too many sci-fi horror, but there’s some truth to them. Don’t go messing around with something you don’t know and can’t control. These are different life forms. We don’t know anything about them besides what we see in the lab. We don’t know what their planet was like and how their societal system works. We don’t know if they’ll fully cooperate with us.”

Carlton nodded, kissing your forehead. “I’ll take that in mind when it gets to that point,” he said dismissively. “Right now, we have some binge watching to do, remember?” He grabbed your hand and lead you out the office. “What was that show you wanted to watch?”

“Ooh, The Night Of!” you said excitedly, using the distraction to push your worries away. “My favorite actor is in it!”

Carlton rolled his eyes. “Is that the only reason you wanted to watch that show? So you can drool over a guy on screen?”

You smacked him on the arm. “How long have you known me? We’re going to get married soon, so you should be used to this by now. Besides, he looks a lot like you.”

“Whatever you say, future Mrs. Drake.”

-

The weather was a lot rougher than the news reported, rain beating down on the car like you were going through a waterfall. Carlton cursed as the windshield wipers tried to keep up with the rain. You weren’t even halfway into town when a blurred figure ran across the road. Carlton swerved, missing the figure but lost traction on the road. Your stomach lurched as the car tumbled into the nearby treeline. You grabbed onto the door and your seat tightly in your attempts to ready for impact.

The last thing you heard was Carlton’s shout before everything went black.

You felt heavy, your head still spinning as you came to. The bright light stung your eyes, making you rapidly blink the adjust. There was a monitor nearby, beeping fast as you try to figure out where you were. You couldn’t feel your body, you couldn’t move your hands or feet. You could barely turn your head. You managed to let out a cry, tears already falls and wetting your ears and your hair.

“Ca-Carl… Carlton.” Your voice was hoarse, your throat stinging from the effort.

“Oh, my god, (Y/n), sweetie, I’m here,” you heard your fiance’s voice.

You heard a woosh as a door opened, Carlton rushing towards your side, cut and bruises littering his face and hands. His fingers gently brushed your hair out of your face and wiping your tears.

“I thought I lost you,” he breathed. “I managed to carry you out of the wreckage and back to the lab. There’s… a serum that I’ve worked on before we discovered the symbiotes. It was to prolong the patient’s life until they could receive the cure. It worked to some extent, but I hadn’t continued that research in a while, but it does work. Give me time and I can make you better, okay?”

You let out a whimper. “I’m paralyzed, aren’t I? Please, Carlton…” You began to break down again.

Carlton hesitated. “Do you want the truth?”

“Carlton-”

“Your body was pretty banged up… the car tumbled and ran into a tree on your side. You were practically pinned down. The security patrolling came as soon as they heard the crash and helped me. If you were to go to a hospital… you would have already been gone. I’m not going to let that happen. I can make you better,” he insisted. He cupped your cheek. “Just stay with me, okay. I don’t want to see my world without you.”

“Don’t do anything stupid,” you pleaded.

He said nothing, giving a gentle kiss to your lips before leaving you alone in the room. You closed your eyes, fighting the urge to scream.

-

Carlton would come in every day to check up on you and your vitals. Each time, he refused to tell you the extent of the damage, assuring you that once your wounds healed, the team could try physical therapy for you. While you lay there, each day, unable to move, your heart felt heavier and heavier. He couldn’t tell you what was going on and you weren’t allowed any visitors besides the doctors that worked at the facility. Dr. Skirth, you became a dear friend to you, would come in to check on you during the times Carlton couldn’t. It took a little persuasion to get her to tell you about the serum that Carlton made.

“It’s… initially created for patients who needed transplant but have to wait longer than their live expectancy to receive it. It keeps their vital stable by using fast adapting antibodies to make up for the missing organs. At least, that’s what I’ve been told. He hoped that with this serum, patients wouldn’t even have to wait for a compatible transplant, that it would help the body accept the new body parts. It hasn’t worked so far to that extent,” Dr. Skirth said quietly, adjusting the small TV you requested at the end of your bed.

You remained silent for a moment, allowing her words to sink in. Then you asked her, “What happened to me?”

Dr. Skirth stepped back from the bed. “Um, Dr. Drake told us not to worry you-”

“What happened to me?” you repeated firmly.

“Most… ,” she paused, looking around, then stepped closer to you. “Most of the bones in your body has been severely damaged and punctured a few of your vital organs. The serum and the anesthetics pumping into you are what’s keeping you alive until he figures out how to heal you completely.”

“No sickness… no injury,” you muttered under your breath as you continued to stare straight ahead. You knew what he was planning. He was going to use a symbiote to heal you.

“Are you… are you okay, (Y/n)? Do you want me to bring something to you? Or call Carlton?” Dr. Skirth asked softly.

“No… and I won’t tell on you, either. Thank you, Dora. You seemed to be the only one I trust here,” you said, leaning into the pillow. “I think I’ll rest for now, but can you turn on the TV at low volume. I need some ambient noise right now.”

“Sure thing. Just let me know if you need anything else.” She did as you requested and left without a word.

Your eyelids grew heavy as the black and white movie began.

“Let me die!” The woman shouted from the small TV. “Let me die!”

There were times when you’d dream about the crash. The rain pouring, the tires screeching, the world spinning outside the window, and Carlton struggling at the wheel. Then you’d dream about the quiet moments in your shared apartment, watching a movie and eating ice cream, Carlton mumbling about wedding plans after he finishes the project, his head resting on your chest as you lay on the couch, running your fingers through his dark hair. Then, gradually, he started to disappear, your fingers touching thin air and his weight leaving you, but you still couldn’t move. His body was replaced with searing hot metal and foliage and smoke, pinning and choking you.

You gasped awake, finding yourself sitting up. Slowly, you turn your head as far it could go and saw that the bed had inclined while you slept. Wincing, you turn your head to the other side and saw the machines that were hooked up to you on a small table nearby. Looking down, you saw that your body was covered neatly with a white blanket, tucked to the sides of the bed with your arms still at your sides and out of sight. Your temple started to ache as you looked around the room, a long window pane on one wall catching your attention. The machinery next to you started to whine as your vision seemed to go beyond the glass.

No doubt, you were in the one of the high-security labs, one of the “cells”. Down the hallway were more cells with people contained in various conditions. Many of them were curled up in the corner of their room, a few showing signs of unstable vitals. Your vision pulled back as Carlton came walking down the corridor looking pissed, a few of his security team trailing behind him.

“He left the building. We’ll make sure he’ll never set foot in here again,” one of the guards assured him.

“When I’m through with him, he’ll never set foot in any news channel again,” Carlton snapped, unbuttoning his suit jacket. A doctor scurried to his side and fell into step with him. “How is she?”

“She’s just woken up. Everything is looking stable, but we’re having some strange readings from-”

“So she should be ready for the symbiote, right?” The question was posed in a way that dared the poor doctor to object.

“I, uh, yes, sir.”

“Good, ready the symbiote today,” Carlton ordered.

The doctor nodded, heading straight to his research team. You followed on the doctor’s trail, the corridors growing dimmer as he went deeper into the lab where the cells were long empty, a few had clean-up crews cleaning the glass and the floors of a strange gooey substance. He entered a working station, a fortified glass capsule sitting in the middle containing a gooey, webby, writhing dark orange-ish thing that looked ready to crawl out and attack the first thing it sees. There appeared to be liquid being fed into the capsule, similar to the ones being pumped into you.

“(Y/n),” a deep voice growled from the capsule, making you pull back.

“(Y/n)!” you heard Carlton’s voice called out.

You opened your eyes slowly, taking in his relaxed demeanor despite what had transpired a minute ago. You forced the corner of your lips to lift as he came over to your side and kissed your forehead. As he pulled away, you dropped it and studied his face.

“It’s almost ready, (Y/n)! When the procedure is over, you can be better again and we can get married and travel and-”

“What’s this liquid you’re pumping into me? You’ve never mentioned this before,” you said.

Carlton paused, then laughed. “Well, it was still a work in progress, remember. I wanted to tell you when it was complete. This version of the serum is injected into the bloodstream and affects the lymphoid tissues, addressing the antibodies that attack foreign tissues efficiently without any harmful side effects.”

“Why not develop this serum instead of feeding humans to these alien symbiotes like a machine until there was a match?” you argued.

“I’ve tried. There’s seemed to be something missing and the symbiotes are still…,” he paused, “aren’t agreeing with the hosts.”

“They’re killing them from the inside and you plan to put one of those in me?” you asked incredulously.

You tried to move and found that you weren’t able to move your neck. Whatever happened a few minutes ago, it was through your mind, that much was clear. You debated on whether you should bring it up to Carlton. Evidently, he wasn’t aware of this particular side effect.

He laid a hand on yours. “It will work this time. I’m trying the serum on the symbiotes as well. Without a host, the symbiotes die within minutes.  It’s like a parasite.” There was a pain in your temple as you heard a growl in your head. You ground your teeth as you tolerated the pain. “Are you alright?”

“This is crazy, Carlton,” you said shakily, “I don’t want to be lying here as doctors constantly observe me. I can’t even move anything but my face. But… I don’t want some alien thing forced into my body either. You haven’t had a successful experiment, yet, and you’re just going to put that thing in me?”

Carlton sighed. “I understand your concerns. If you want, I can delay it, but I can… I can only keep you alive for so long until the serum lose sufficiency. You need to decide soon.”

The following nights, you tried your new powers again, sweeping the dark corners of the lab that Carlton kept hidden from you. Every time, you ended up in that one room with the glass capsule, the symbiote calling you. You tried to reach out to it.

“What do they call you?” you asked it.

“They called me Scream,” it said in an almost feminine-like voice.

“How many of you are here?”

“There were many, but we’re dying. There are much, much more where we come from. This is nothing.”

“Why do you kill your hosts? Don’t you need them to survive in our environment?”

“The hosts lacks the nutrients that we need. When we’re hungry, we eat what is available: pancreas, kidneys, lungs. The brain… the brain is the most delicious part,” Scream practically purred.

It should have unsettled you, but it came at no surprise that there was something that Carlton overlooked because of his impatience. “And why is that?” you persisted.

“You humans call it… phenethylamine. It keeps us sane and healthy. It is also found in-”

“Chocolate,” you finished, suppressing the urge to roll your eyes at the simple solution that could have saved so many lives in the highly advanced facility.

“Which is more socially acceptable here in this world.”

“Quite.” You thought for a moment. “Let’s say I stock up in phenethylamine in my body. Does that mean we’d be able to achieve symbiosis, given that my body is also kept relatively healthy?”

“And the fact that I’m starting to like you… yes, in theory.”

You sighed. “If Carlton insists I go through this… how do you feel about being here? Seeing your kind being studied and tested and dying?”

There was a pause. “We were trained as soldiers. Death should not affect us, but a soldier should not go out like this. I would normally follow my leader’s orders, although reluctant, but he is not here.”

“When we bond, do you want to put an end to this? This facility? Being constantly poked and prodded? Following orders you don’t agree with?”

Another pause. “Yes.”

“You have the power and strength while I have my body and mind. We need to work together on this to stop Carlton from killing more people.”

-

“Can I have some chocolate while I’m here?” you casually asked Carlton as he sat next to you, playing The Night Of on his laptop.

He hummed. “Sure,” he said, pulling out his phone to text one of his assistants. After the text was sent, he turned back to the show. “I don’t see it.”

“What?”

“The similarity. You said I looked like him.” He pointed at the main character as he tries to survive prison. “I don’t see it.”

You wished you could turn your head to give him an incredulous expression, but settled with raising an eyebrow.

“Are you kidding me? He looks so much like you. Probably cuter.” An assistant rushed in with two boxes of chocolate and made to hand them to Carlton. You wanted to snatch it away, realizing how much you missed indulging in junk food. Despite your will, your hands wouldn’t move. Instead, you opened your mouth expectantly, waiting for Carlton to feed you.

He held a piece of chocolate up. “How is he cuter?” he asked, taunting you with the sweet candy.

“Well, if you stopped frowning-”

“He’s in prison, getting addicted to drugs. He’s been brooding the whole time,” he argued. “I don’t brood.”

You snorted as your response. “Your the type of person that would sell someone to satan for one corn chip.”

Normal conversations like these made you conflicted. Do you still care for him after what he’s done? No, what he’s doing in this lab is inhumane. He had given up on humanity when he started this project. It’s evident in his reactions towards another failed experiment, how he was angry when the “intelligent life-form” died, instead of being angry over the death of the human subject.

You were growing frustrated as Carlton teased you with the chocolate.  “Give me the chocolate, Carlton Drake.”

“Okay, okay.”

He fed you the chocolate then looked down as he ran his thumb along the back of your hand, knowing you couldn’t feel it, but it was more to comfort himself than you. He knew you didn’t approve with his methods, but once you get better, maybe you will.

“You need to decide soon, (y/n/n),” he suddenly said, “I don’t know how long the serum will work. The readings are showing that it’s already been weakening. (Y/n)-”

“I’ll do it,” you said with a sigh. “I don’t seem to have any other choice.”

Carlton smiled in relief, leaning over to kiss you. “You’re going to get better once it’s done, then you’ll see why I need to see this project through.”

“Okay,” was all you said, directing your attention back to the show.

“Okay? Just okay? Before, you wanted to argue about using symbiotes. I know you’re agreeing to use it, but I feel like you would’ve had more input in it,” Carlton said, studying your face.

“What do you expect me to say, Car? I’m nervous as it is about this procedure… but if something does go wrong, will you still continue with this project?” You wanted to see how far he’ll go with this project, if an accident like that would ever stop him, or if he’ll keep going in an obsessed rampage. You even considered allowing the bonding to go wrong, or at least fake it.

“Nothing will go wrong. I’ll make sure of that,” he said firmly. “The serum should help the bonding, so the symbiote won’t reject the host.”

“The serum won’t be enough,” Scream hissed in your mind.

You grimaced, opening your mouth for more chocolate, to which he complied. Once he leaves, you planned to try and reach out to the other symbiotes in the lab.

-

Unfortunately, that reporter, Eddie Brock, had other plans that night.

“Something’s off,” Scream told you.

It was unusual to see Dr. Skirth at the lab late at night and she certainly didn’t have a reason to check on you when you’re already stable. You watched through your mind as she shoved the reporter into the lab, allowing him to take pictures of each containment. The woman in the cold climate cell turned towards the window and ran towards the glass, calling out to him. You mentally face-palmed as Eddie fumbled with the security pad, setting off the alarm. He took the nearest object, a fire extinguisher, and smashed the glass open, allowing the woman to charge at him. You sucked in a breath as the symbiote in her transferred to Eddie before she collapsed. He managed to escape the guards and the facility within minutes with the help of the symbiote.

Carlton was alerted not too long afterwards, the woman placed on a stretcher as Dr. Skirth remained quiet. He threatened the head of security to find his Symbiote, unconcerned about another human death.

Scream had let out a chuckle. “What is it?” you asked.

“I know who is with that man. Venom. He was a loser back home,” she said. “He could also be an ally.”

You woke up the next day as the door hissed open, Carlton rushing in again. He looked tensed, pacing around the room and checking all of the equipment. He let out a long ragged breath, running a hand through his hair as he studied your face, as if he was figuring out what to say.

You’ve seen him frustrated many times before and many times, you would comfort him, offering solutions and your own perspective. You considered telling him about the phenethylamine and about Scream. If you tell him what you’ve discovered, he’ll continue with the project, but the chances of success will be higher. Maybe his plans would actually work…

“No, this needs to end,” Scream interrupted. “Your sentiment for him is clouding your mind. When my leader finds this place, he’ll send more of our kind and invade this planet. Everyone follows his lead and he will never allow the humans to have complete control of their bodies once we’re bonded.”

“We need to do it today,” Carlton said, walking up to your bed.

“Do you share those thoughts with your kind?” you asked Scream.

There was a pause. “No. This project, this facility, and my kind trapped here, all needs to be destroyed.”

“Okay,” you said to Carlton. “Let’s get it over with.”

The research team wheeled in the capsule, the orange-ish goo writhing inside. Carlton leaned down and whispered words of comfort before kissing you. He nodded to the team, excusing them, then turned back for another kiss. It was hard and shaky, as if he was holding back all those emotions that threatened to spill out from the intimate act. He didn’t want to doubt himself. He wasn’t one to express himself openly, but he had tried to let those walls down when he’s around you. Yet, ever since the crash, he maintained this air of confidence that he always shown at work, that his ideas will change the world and all those mistakes were necessary to achieve those ideas. That was only a part of Carlton.

“I miss you,” you said as he pulled away. You missed all of him and if he was going to let that one side take over, he won’t be the same Carlton Drake anymore. If he can’t drop this project, he was lost to you.

“I’m right here,” he said, confused.

“No, I don’t think you are,” you wanted to say.

He frowned as you remained silent, planting one last kiss on your forehead before leaving the room. “Open it,” you heard him say as the doors closed.

The glass panel on the capsule slid open, allowing the symbiote to launch itself towards you. You sucked in a breath as Scream crawled over your chest and seemingly absorbed into you. True to her name, it made you scream, and scream, and scream, as your bones shifted in place and your organs were mended. The sensation reached your head, momentarily clouding your eyes, then it stopped, and you suddenly feel like you could do anything. Power now coursed through your body and it made you feel almost invincible.

“Hello, (Y/n),” Scream purred.

“Don’t make me regret this,” you said in your mind.

“I can see why you like him, that Carlton Drake,” she said, “too bad he’s gone mad… but he’s cute, though. I kind of don’t want to kill him. Make him our servant, (Y/n).”

“We need to plan first,” you said, feigning indifference. You began to move your arms and legs, relief flooding through you.

“Don’t lie, you like that idea. I’m in your body, remember?” Scream teased.

The door hissed open, Carlton rushing to your side as you swung your legs off the bed. “Whoa, be careful,” he said, holding your arms to steady you. “How do you feel?”

“Like I can do anything,” you breathed, standing up as he kept his hands on you for balance.

“The readings are stable. You’ve achieved symbiosis, (y/n/n)! We want to wait one more day to make sure everything’s okay. You’re okay?”

“Yes, I just want to go home. No more driving through rainstorms.”

“No more driving through any storms.”

“We are the storm,” Scream purred in your mind.

“Very original.”

“You love that quote.”

“Can you stay with me?” you asked Carlton, resting a hand on his shoulder.

You used your best puppy-eye look as he hesitated. You wrapped your arms around his waist and leaned into him. He needs to be distracted so they won’t find Eddie in time. He looked at the window, then back at you.

“I’m busy…,” he said, then quickly added, “but I’ll come back as soon as I’m free.”

“Can you bring food and chocolate? A lot of food and chocolate? I’m really hungry.”

“Anything for you,” he said with a reassuring smile.

“Anything?” you asked, your arms moving on their own, pulling him down for a kiss as Scream chuckled.

He let out a small groan and he made the kiss deeper, wrapping his arms around you. As he broke the kiss to breathe, he reluctantly pushed you at arms length.

“I need to go, but we will continue this once you’re given clearance.”

“Yes, please.” Carlton walked back out of the room, gesturing you to sit back down on the bed.

“We’re definitely making him our servant,” Scream said.

“You made me kiss him,” you defended.

“I moved your arms, I didn’t move your lips.”

“I have a twisted mind.”

“You already knew you were going to hell.”

You sighed. “When do we start?”

“Venom will likely make another scene. We use that to start moving, taking care of the labs, the data, and that horrid space station. The leader is on the move, I can feel it. He’ll find Carlton and use his space station to retrieve more of our kind down to Earth.”

“And who is this leader?”

“Riot.”

-

As always, whenever you tried to make a plan, Eddie fucking Brock does something. Scream had predicted this, but who knew that he’d end up losing Venom before you could reach out to him? After a day of observation, you were clear to go home. Once you reached your’s and Carlton’s home, you flopped onto the bed and wrapped yourself in a blanket burrito, never wanting to go into his lab again, even though you have to eventually.

Scream would interrupt your naps, urging you to find food. You found a seafood market, buying squid and octopus each time. Alive, of course. You’d made rice and rinsed the squirming food in a strainer, ignoring Scream as she told you to hurry up. Once the rice was finished, you’d dumped it into a large bowl along with the food, pouring shoyu over them. Grabbing the largest spoon in the kitchen drawer, you’d plop yourself down in front of the TV as the news replayed Carlton’s hired guards chasing Eddie Brock around San Francisco again. You currently slurped a tentacle down as you switched channels.

Your phone suddenly rang, Dora Skirth’s name popping up on the caller ID. Frowning, you picked up the phone to hear heavy breathing.

“Dora? Is everything okay?” you asked slowly.

“Oh, thank god, (Y/n). Listen, he doesn’t know I’m alive and… I don’t know. I don’t know what to do. I’m scared. I thought I was going to die, (Y/n)! He tried to murder me!” Dora panicked.

“Shh, calm down. What’s going on?”

“I let Eddie Brock into the lab-”

“I know, I saw. And Carlton found out?”

“How did you know?”

“A side effect he didn’t know would produce from his little serum.”

“I’m… in Chinatown, near Eddie Brock’s apartment. I didn’t know where else to go, but he’s not here. The symbiote, Agony, keeps wanting food and if I don’t eat any living thing then they’ll start eating me and I can’t go home and endanger the kids and…”

“Eat a lot of chocolate and live seafood is your best bet,” you told her. “I’m glad you’re safe, Dora, but how is Agony? Do you know what they were planning?”

“They… they don’t want anything to do with Riot’s plans anymore. That’s why they helped fake my death and we escaped the facility. I don’t want to go back there, (Y/n).” You could hear her trying to steady her breath.

“No,” Scream whispered suddenly.

“What?”

“Riot’s almost here in San Francisco.”

You thought for a moment. “Would it be possible for the host to purposely reject the symbiote?”

“No, even if we do manage to get through to Carlton, Riot will threatened to tear him up from the inside. He probably will if he doesn’t give him what he wants or when he’s done with him,” Scream spat.

“You don’t seem to like your leader that much.”

“No, he is a lot more than what Carlton has become. A visionary that strings people along with their confidence and charisma, ridding anything and anyone that gets in their way, especially those who continuously disappoint them.”

“You initially wanted to kill Carlton. What changed your mind?”

“You were convinced you wanted to kill him, too, but I know you wouldn’t. You still think you can save him even when he’s slipping away from you. You’re too… kind and generous. You knew he was doing human trials and you didn’t make a huge scene, only argued in private. Even then, you gave in. You think you’re equally as horrible for allowing this to happen. Honestly, it’s depressing in your head, but I’ll help you until we know that he’s a lost cause. I will take over and kill him when it comes to it.”

“So should we get Venom back?”

“Nah, I think he’ll find his way back to Eddie. He’s a loser, but he’s resourceful. We should meet up with him, though. You ready for a test drive?”

“(Y/n)?” you heard Dora say.

You hold your phone back up to your ear and grimaced. “You’re going to have to go back there. I need your help, and if Agony is on our side, this could work.”

“What do we need to do?”

“Destroy the lab and all its data.”

-

Travelling via rooftops seemed very convenient and avoids traffic. You raced passed streets, trying to find Venom. Scream remained alert, honing in on him and found that he was using a car to get to the facility. You heard her sighed in frustration as he sped through traffic, clipping countless vehicles as he passed.

“We’ll reach Eddie before him at this rate,” She said, launching you several feet in front of the car.

“Holy shit!” you shouted, stepping back as the car screeched to a halt. You peered through the windshield and saw who the host was. “Annie?”

“Oh my god, (Y/n), get in!” The blonde urged.

You rushed to the passenger’s seat and held onto the door as she instantly pressed on the gas. Your hand shot out and took over the steering, Scream deeming Venom incompetent in driving.

“So, uh, you’ve got one of those, too?” Anne asked, still trying not to freak out about the recent events.

“Huh, oh, yeah. I was in a car crash with Carlton and I was banged up pretty bad and he used this sci-fi serum and had me bond with this symbiote, whom I’ve acquainted with prior to the whole… thingy, and now we’re just trying to fix this mess that these incompetent and ridiculous men have done,” you said casually, Scream taking full control of the steering wheel while Anne leaned back.

“Who’s Scream? Venom, who’s Scream?” Anne muttered.

You feel Scream surface, covering half of your face, causing Anne to yelp. “That will be me,” Scream said, then went back inside.

“That feels funky,” you said, shaking it off.

“You’ll get used to it,” Venom and Scream said at the same time.

The car finally reached the facility, stopping at the edge of the woods. You climbed out of the car and stumbled, feeling your heart race. You leaned against the car as Anne rushed to your side.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

You nodded. “It’s just… the crash was around here.”

“We’ll get Eddie. Go and stop Riot,” Venom said, covering Anne’s body.

“You can’t tell me what to do, loser,” Scream playfully jabbed, also covering your body. Venom humphed, then jumped into the trees. “Let’s go.”

“Was there a thing between you two?” You asked.

“Shut up.”

-

Riot was already putting his plan into motion, having Carlton head straight to the control center of the space station. You rushed down the corridor, the sound of your shoes bouncing off the massive tunnel walls. Normally, you would have started bogging out at the speed you were going, but with the help of Scream and your determination of reaching Carlton pushed you forward with a renewed energy.

“Carlton!” you shouted after him.

He turned around, his eyes widened. “(Y/n), you shouldn’t be here,” he said, a hand shooting out to steady you as you caught up to him, panting.

“Please don’t do this, Carlton,” you pleaded, cupping your hands on his cheeks.

“I don’t know what you mea-” he staggered back, a rusty colored symbiote taking over his body and hulked over you.

“Scream! Get Venom and get on that ship!” The symbiote commanded.

You could feel Scream snap, allowing her to take over as well. “No! We are not letting you do this to the humans!” She spat.

“We? Who is we? Tell me their names so I can punish you all for betraying us!” Scream stood her ground. “Scream, always so disobedient and undisciplined. There was a time where we used to share the same thoughts. Now look how sentimental you’ve gotten. You need to know your place!” He raised a giant fist and swung straight towards you and Scream until he froze, growling in frustration as he stumbled back.

“What’s happening?” You asked Scream.

“I think… Carlton is trying to fight him off,” She said softly.

Riot morphed back into Carlton, who looked disoriented and ragged. He exhaled a long shaky breath, then turned to you as Scream retreated back into your body.

“(Y/n), please. I… I don’t want to hurt you,” he said.

“It’s already hurting me seeing you like this,” you said, lifting a hand to touch his arm.

He flinched away. “I need to do this. I have to do this. I… I…”

He pulled at his hair in frustration, a habit that his staff had never associated him with. He was always cool and composed until he snapped. When nothing was going as planned, when people were being incompetent, when he started to have self doubts. That was the Carlton you knew he tried to suppress. After years of being looked down on, being silenced, for his ideas to be called foolish and crazy, it was more than the planet dying for him to lose faith in humanity.

“Do you want to do this?” you challenged. “At some point, have you ever thought that maybe you’ve gone too far?”

“Even if I have, (Y/n), it’s too late to go back. It’s like you said. You were always right and I was always stubborn, but it’s too late.” He sniffed and looked away. “You were going to marry a Frankenstein.”

“Man, how ignorant art thou in thy pride for wisdom,” you recalled from the book. “You were obsessed with this project, Car. It’s killing you… Everything has an ultimate, even horror. In our story, I still don’t know who or what it is.”

Carlton fully turned his back towards you and cleared his throat. “You need to go, (Y/n). Please. I can’t do this anymore. What we had was over, but you knew that and yet you tried. We both know I don’t deserve you, and that is the last time I’ll ever admit that I was wrong. From here on out, everything is set and absolute in my decisions. I don’t need you anymore.”

He began to walk away before he could hear you cry, almost in foolish denial of him being the reason that you cried and break your heart. All he wanted was to make you happy. That can no longer happen and the both of you had to accept that in that moment. He was gone to you.

“I don’t think I can do this,” you whispered shakily to Scream. “He’s really gone, but I can’t…”

Scream remained surprisingly silent as you stood in the middle of the tunnel, watching him leave.

It felt like forever, but you’ve snapped out of your daze as alarms went off. You looked around as people started to evacuate the building. You jumped into action, helping them out of the building through the fastest route, using Scream to punch through the walls that would only slow them down to go around. They had a moment of fear as they saw you, but proceeded to evacuate. Down the hall, you could see Anne rushing towards you.

“Eddie’s fighting Riot right now!” she said quickly. “We need to do something.”

“Need a lift?” you asked, letting Scream surface.

The two of you picked up Anne with a large hand and launched yourself forward towards the control center. You set her down and morphed back into your normal state, observing the destruction that Riot had done. Anne rushed over to the comm panel and fiddled with the controls. You walked next to her and turned on the speakers, knowing what she was doing.

“Brace yourself,” Anne said, nodding to the back of the room.

You did so, covering your ears, then nodded to her. She amplified the volume of the outside speakers, the screeching noise also reaching you and Scream as the both of you doubled over in pain. You felt like you were being ripped apart on all sides.

“Told you I could fight dirty,” Anne muttered to herself as she turned the speakers off. She rushed to your side and helped you up. “You okay?”

You nodded, holding your head in your hands. “You okay, Scream?”

“I’ve been better,” She said. “But we need to get out there. Eddie and Venom are in trouble.”

You nodded then turned to Anne. “Dr. Skirth should be at the lab. Go there and make sure that this facility or anyone makes this mistake again. Shut it down and destroy this place.”

“Okay, be careful.”

-

Scream had taken over, jumping down to the platform, seeing Venom lying in a pile. You extended a hand out, allowing him to crawl on you as you helped get to Eddie. He lied unconscious as a large blade that looked to be from Riot ran through his stomach. You knelt down and touched his shoulder gently, Venom crawling out to bond with Eddie again. Once it was done, Eddie gasped for breath, pulling the large blade out. Venom and Scream jumped onto the rocket as Riot climbed in. You cursed, urging Scream to pull Carlton out of him once you realized what Venom planned to do. Scream rammed a hand through the glass and grabbed Riot, hanging on as he struggled. Suddenly, half of his face peeled off, revealing Carlton underneath.

“Leave me,” was all he said before Riot took over again, pushing you and Scream off of the rocket as Venom ran the blade through the metal, letting the rocket fuel spill out.

“Nooo!!” Riot screamed as the rocket launched, the fuel catching on to the flames below and causing the rocket to explode.

It all happened in slow motion as both you and Eddie plummeted to the ocean, your respective symbiotes using themselves as parachutes to slow the fall.

“Goodbye, Carlton.”

-

A/N: It’s pretty long and I was worried it’d be too long, but I remembered I’ve read a 10k word fanfic before, so this should be nothing. Please leave a comment, share, like, etc.

Happy Birthday Riz Ahmed!

[smoothshift]

C7 Grand Sport Owner's Review of a 2016 Tesla Model X via /r/cars

C7 Grand Sport Owner's Review of a 2016 Tesla Model X

So I got married this weekend and my friend decided to rent a 90D Tesla Model X for the wedding to help chauffeur family members around. I ended up driving the car for about (3) days and here are my impressions on the following: Power, Handling, Practicality, Style, Build Quality, and Overall Driving Experience.

Power (Powah!)

I drove a Model X 90D a few years ago at a Tesla dealership when looking for a new car for my dad. I was impressed with the power then, but the dealership driving experience was only about 15 minutes and was very much about showing all of the car's features so it was hard to really get a grasp for the car's power.

In driving it around the past few days I got a much better sense of the car's power delivery and it is pretty enjoyable.

The electric motors and AWD system give the car a near instantaneous and perfectly tractioned power delivery at all times. You put the pedal down and you begin to feel the car surge forward in proportion to how much throttle you are giving it.

We've all heard the stories of Teslas slaying other cars in drag races and torching nearly everyone from 0-60. The 90D has a 0-60 time slated at around 4.8 seconds, which is fast but nowhere near legendary, but to be honest the car felt much stronger than that.

A big reason for this is because the Model X doesn't have to change gears and can respond to throttle input very rapidly. Sure other cars can do 0-60 in say 4 seconds, but they have to be in the right gear, with the right surface, and with enough traction to make that pull possible. Too much throttle input and the car breaks traction, too little and you missed your shot at the perfect 4 seconds.

With the Model X when you put your foot down the car immediately goes "alright this is the maximum amount of power I can give you without breaking traction" and I've never seen a car react so quickly to driver input.

Now I will say, after the initial 3-4 seconds of acceleration the Model X does feel like it runs out of torque/steam a little bit. One of the things I like about my C7 is that it can pull from 0 and still pull well into 120+mph. The Model X feels like it stops pulling just after 70mph.

On the flip side, when I got back into my C7 I was actually a little frustrated with its power delivery. I would give the car a 50% throttle input, which in the Model X would pretty much shoot me flying down the road, and the C7 would first start trying to find the right gear and would then have the torque come on, and the whole ordeal just felt like it took too long. Bear in mind the C7 is objectively the faster car, and I typically describe its 6.2L V8 as "Power everywhere" compared to the majority of turbocharged cars on the market today. So the Model X's power delivery really is quite impressive if it is making a C7 Grand Sport feel a little dull.

One other thing that I hear mentioned quite often is how EV's lack character or "soul" without an engine and I actually didn't find that to be the case in the Model X. The "Whine" of the electric motors felt plenty satisfying and honestly seemed more organic than the exhausts you might hear in a luxury vehicle. With luxury vehicles you kind of hear the exhaust sometimes so that your car feels kind of cool and sporty, but then they try to mask it so that you get that feeling of "luxury" by being disconnected from the world around you. This car manages to be objectively quieter than any other luxury car on the market, while also sounding way cooler. Again, I'm used to listening to a very nice sounding 6.2L V8 and I found the motor "whine" to be just as fun to listen to as a V8 exhaust.

Handling

I'm honestly not a fan of poor handling cars. It's why I don't like cars that are too much bigger than a mid-size sedan and when I see something that weighs over 3500lbs I start talking to myself about how porky the vehicle must be to drive. I especially dislike the whole SUV/Crossover thing that is happening right now as I feel like those vehicles add weight and ride height for little returns in other areas.

That being said, the handling is a genuine high point with the Model X.

The best part of the car's handling to me comes from the fact that it uses pretty aggressive regenerative braking. When you take your foot off the accelerator the car begins to immediately "engine brake" as the motors recoup energy from the rolling resistance of the wheels.

The regenerative braking makes for a driving experience that is oddly telepathic. Feel like you're going too fast? Left off the accelerator and within a few seconds you're 15 mph slower without touching the brakes. Feel like you're coming into a turn too hot? Let off the the throttle for a second and the reduction in speed has allowed the car to recompose itself...without you having to slam on the brakes.

I found the regenerative braking to really hide the weight of the car well. Heavy cars have a lot of momentum, which can make for a painful driving experience. They take a long time to get up to speed, and once they are up to speed you have to use the brakes for an agonizingly long time to get them to slow down. The regenerative braking allows the Model X to start slowing down almost instantly.

Coasting into stop lights was almost Zen-like in this car. Let off the throttle about 150' out and just tap the brakes for a second at the very end to help it come to a complete stop. You can legitimately do 95% of your driving with one pedal in this car.

Beyond the regenerative braking the Model X 90D has air suspension which allows you to set different ride heights. At the "high" setting the car feels much more "floaty" like a traditional SUV on the "low" setting the car has a lower center of gravity and handles more like a traditional car would. I kept the car in the "low" setting.

I had my car's steering set to "sport", it wasn't overly communicative but it was weighted quite well and all inputs did feel very direct with this vehicle.

Between the traction control and AWD system I found that this car took corners surprisingly well. I would often throw the car into a corner at 50mph (thanks mainly to its great power delivery) only to realize that the car really needed to be at 35mph for the corner to be handled properly and I could sense some pre-emptive braking happening in the proper wheels of the car to get it to negotiate the turn well. It wasn't too intrusive, and was exactly what the car needed to handle the turn properly.

Being an EV vehicle, the Model X allows you to disable creep, which is the slow amount of rolling your car does at idle. I found this to be a great addition to my driving experience. When confronted with pedestrian traffic or at a stop light I could take my foot off the brake and my car would just relax until the coast was clear to proceed. The lack of creep made me feel like a much safer driver because I didn't feel like I had the car trying to urge me on too much in low speed situations.

I did feel like the brakes on the car weren't particularly powerful (this could partially be from it being a rental vehicle), but on the plus side the regen is so good you kind of don't need the brakes all that often.

I also found that I couldn't quite turn the wheel over quick enough when navigating in parking lots. The turning radius was often always there, but the steering ratio made it hard for me to get the wheels in the right angle to get to a certain spot or to make a particularly tight turn. Not the end of the world per say...something I would likely adjust to if driving full time but a small inconvenience.

All in all this was the most enjoyable large vehicle I have driven from a handling perspective. Is it going to load-up G's like a C7 Grand Sport? No...but it's going to feel incredibly swift and agile for its size and will more than handle most people's needs. From someone who daily drives a bona fide sports car the handling is very enjoyable.

Practicality

Surprisingly, from a purely spatial perspective the Model X is not as practical as you would think. Without the back row of seats folded down there's virtually no trunk space and the cabin isn't too wide, tall, or long so you do feel like it gets full fast. The middle row of "captain" seats in my vehicle also didn't fold down which made fitting long items in a little troublesome.

Now the Model X does have some cool features like automatic doors, Falcon wing doors! Autopilot, a great touch screen UI, so how did that all pan out?

The automatic doors are kind of cool at first but they quickly become awkward and annoying. There are no handles on the doors (instead you press a toggle-like, silver button to open) so the only way to really open them is with the motors. The toggles are annoying and inconvenient to use, and when using the key fob you do feel like you need to touch the key fob more than you would like for them to open.

The doors do have sensors on them, which is great for preventing them from hitting the car next to you, but if you are standing in front of the door (which you often will be) it will not open all of the way for fear of hitting you. Then when you go to pull the door open wider it sort of resists you at first making for an awkward opening experience. The trunk behaves in very much the same way.

Closing the automatic doors is generally a breeze, you can use the touchscreen to do so or just press on the keyfob once and all the doors close. But the process of opening everything to begin with really is tedious and awkward.

The falcon wing doors are pretty cool when they work, but they very often get confused and don't open all of the way. The whole point of the falcon wing doors is so tall people can comfortably enter the second row of the vehicle, and we had the doors fail to deploy at full height about 40% of the time, which made for very difficult entrances for the people in the back. Given the consistency of the falcon wing doors, regular doors would have been better.

Autopilot worked fairly well, but it did seem less impressive than when I first saw it. I think that's partially because other manufacturers are starting to include similar functionality, and partially because of all of the negative press surrounding autopilot. I honestly didn't use auto-pilot too often because I did enjoy driving the car, and part of me didn't trust it in certain areas. Where I would 100% use it is in stop and go traffic or in highway conditions that are just frustrating to be a part of.

I turned on auto-pilot in one situation where I was between a semi-truck in one lane, an awkwardly driving car in front of me, and some pretty aggressive cars passing on the left. Such a situation would genuinely piss me off when driving, but with auto pilot it did start to feel "okay" for some reason. I saw someone describe this in another thread, but with auto-pilot on you feel like both you and the car are driving so when people are doing frustrating things it feels like they are doing it to the car and not to you, and that makes things better.

The touch screen and UI is pretty phenomenal. Definitely best that I have seen available in terms of responsiveness, and general design. The dash is also all digital and feels like an Audi virtual cockpit but even better...despite the fact that it was released before Audi virtual cockpit. All vital information is pretty easy to find, you can control just about anything using the touch screen (from doors opening to moving your middle row seats forward or backwards) it feels like a very novel way to control a vehicle, but it's the way vehicles should be controlled.

That being said, there were a few things that I had issue with. The touch screen is distracting and I found myself taking my eyes off the road too much to navigate it, read it, and to digest what it was doing.

I found the phone integration to be lacking. It does not read back SMS messages, bluetooth connectivity was a little inconsistent, and in general it just did not feel as full featured as my C7's integration.

The navigation on the Model X is the only "in-car" navigation that I would dare to use over Google Maps on my phone. The "in-car" navigation is pretty much powered by Google and is very similar to Google maps, it is just optimized for the Car's UI a bit more (e.g. you can easily locate superchargers, etc). Every other car feels like it has a nav system from 2008, so kudos to Tesla for not peddling a BS navigation system built into the car.

While the Tesla touchscreen UI is very good and way better than what any other manufacturer offers...I found Android Auto to be a bit more intuitive, safer, and just better to use. So at some point I think Tesla either needs to really up their UI game to stay competitive or make way for proper Android Auto and Apple Car Play integration to stay competitive.

For whatever reason the Model X lacks a blind spot alert system. The car isn't too bad to see out of, but there are a lot pillars that feel like they are blocking your view so lane changes for me weren't as confidence inspiring as I would have liked. This seems like an odd omission given the array of sensors that the car has to use for autopilot.

The Model X does have a frunk which is sized pretty generously. I was able to fit about (3) well sized backpacks in it. The only thing about the frunk is that it does have to latch close (very similarly to how you would close an engine hood) which requires a decent amount of effort to engage the latch. I feel like this is more of a government regulation thing than a Tesla thing, but it was annoying having to slam the frunk close so hard. I'd be okay with it if it was an engine bay, but not so much as a cargo area.

I think some small tweaks on a few choice dimensions and adding some more flexibility with the seat configurations would make for a vastly more practical vehicle, but honestly, if you do not have the need to seat more than (5) passengers a Tesla Model S would likely be the most practical vehicle in the Tesla lineup. The Model X looks more practical than it is.

Styling

When the Model X first came out I thought it was a great looking car. In looking at it today, it does feel a bit stale/dated. I think part of this has to do with the fact that Teslas are pretty ubiquitous in Southern California so everyone is used to seeing them, and part of it is because the general Tesla design language is pretty subtle and minimalist.

That being said this car came out in 2015 and does need a body refresh. My C7 came out in 2014 and I feel like I could look at it for another (4) years before feeling like it was starting to lose some of its design appeal.

One thing that I will say about the Model X is that I never walked up to it going "I can't believe I get to drive this" and in looking at the rest of the Tesla lineup I can't say I would say the same thing about any of their other cars...including the roadster. So as a brand they do need to figure out how to get some of that raw "I want this" emotion into their cars from a visual perspective.

A cool item to note is that the car does have a spoiler that provides active aero. When you brake the spoiler starts pointing down to "air brake" and when you accelerate it re-levels itself out. Fun to look at and always good to have.

The air suspension is also a pretty cool feature to have in general and I wished more cars employed it.

I think the design of the interior is generally quite nice. It has minimalist-modern design cues and feels very "Apple-store" and "California" to me. Everything looks pretty clean and simple, it's not "holy crap I want this interior" like one would find in a modern Audi but it's an interior that fits the general Tesla "clean, modern, future" ethos quite well.

The seats look very nice and are pretty comfortable to sit in. They have a gloss black hard plastic on their back-side which looks pretty cool, but it does show imperfections quite easily...which isn't good for a car that will have a lot of people+luggage going in and out of it.

From a design perspective I think the interior looks great. It is let down by the overall quality of materials though. Everything feels kind of light, hollow, and plasticy. Tesla lines the pillars with a carpet that feels like Alcantara, which I'm sure someone said "oh man Alcantara is a high quality material let's use that" but it makes the pillars look a little cheap and gaudy somehow.

In the flip side, my rental vehicle which had about 40K miles on it didn't seem to show too much wear. So though the materials don't feel that great...they seem to hold up well, but when you do get into the car you do notice that the interior is a little cheap.

One note that I had is that I probably saw about (30) other Model X's that looked exactly the same as the car that I was driving. To be honest, given the design language of the Model X there's not tons that you can do to the car to make it unique or to spice it up in the way of visual mods, etc. So when driving the Model X it really does not feel like you are turning any heads at all and you are seeing carbon copies of yourself pretty frequently. It makes for a rather sterile/unremarkable feeling. I've driven popular cars before but never have I encountered so many carbon copies in such a short span of time.

Overall the Model X is a very clean looking car and if you like modern/minimalist design there's a lot to appreciate but its styling cues aren't blowing anyone away or making you particularly excited to look at it or be in it.

Build Quality

Ah build quality the oft-cited Achilles heel of Tesla. To be honest I very much have jumped on the Tesla hate train because I think cars with poor build quality just aren't acceptable in today's age, and especially at the pricepoint that Tesla's are commanding. So how did my model fair?

In general the build quality of my Model X felt a little lacking. When we got in our car the overall fit and finish of it made it feel like the car was 6-7 years old nearing 90-100K miles not a three year old car with 40K miles on it.

It is hard to really describe what made the car feel this way, but it was generally subtle items like seeing the window valets allow a sizable gap between the window and the weather stripping in the way they were angled, a loose trim piece here and there, a random area that would be hidden or finished in other cars that for some reason was exposed and didn't look to be particularly squared away.

There were a few notable build quality things that I noticed.

The Falcon Wing doors and the front door on my drivers side didn't quite line up nor did the falcon wing door sit as flush with the rest of the car body.

The middle row seats didn't feel completely secure/locked to the floor. So when you accelerated the car the base of the seats would slightly rock back.

There were odd rattles coming from the sun shades...which seemed like a stupid place for rattles come from.

When turning the wheel a great deal (say to angle your self into a parking spot) the steering rack would make this weird creaking noise. I kind of chalk this one up to being more of a rental car owner not maintaining their vehicle well...but at the same time no other rental car that I have driven (some of which were pretty poorly maintained) did that.

My car had a white pearl multi-coat paint option. To be honest this white just didn't feel very premium to me nor was I particularly wowed by the quality of the paint, but at the same time I didn't notice any swirls or immediate imperfections in the paint job either.

One item that really bugged me is that the range was a lot less than advertised when driving this car. I had one day where all I did was ferry items from one apartment to the other. The apartments were about (3) miles away from each other and I made about (4) round trips total. So let's peg the total distance traveled at around 40 miles to be generous. I started the day with 160 miles left on the charge and ended with close to 90.

Now granted I was driving a bit spiritedly, but in my C7 a series of trips like that would barely move the gas needle and in the Tesla it felt like I had used a very significant amount of charge.

A weird positive about all of the weird build quality issues that I noticed on this Tesla is that you can drive it without fear of ruining its "perfection". I'm not a particularly anal person, but with my C7 every little scratch or imperfection feels like a stab in the heart. With this I feel like some knick, scratch, or ding could happen and it wouldn't eat away at you too much because the rest of the car is already a little imperfect.

Though this car did have build quality issues it wasn't necessarily the end of the world. It was still totally a livable car, the weird inconsistencies didn't eat away at me, and yes it wasn't German "solid" but this particular car felt more right than wrong.

Overall Driving Experience

I have a lot of different thoughts in this section because there are a few different stories to tell.

When we grabbed the car our Turo driver only left (100) miles of range in it. Knowing where we were going for the day this felt like plenty of mileage, but as I noted the Tesla burns through its battery faster than you would think. So a day's worth of activities that could easily be accomplished with 100 miles of range on gas became an anxiety inducing experience as we found ourselves only having (30) miles of range more quickly than we should have.

I live in Orange County California and though superchargers aren't super ubiquitous here there are EV charging spots at a lot of local shopping areas. Only problem is, Teslas use a different charger connector than the universal standard that everyone uses and so an adapter is needed...which of course our Turo host did not provide.

So we had to find ourselves a Supercharger. The problem that we ran into was that they were not spaced very well in Orange County, and we noticed that they were primarily in areas that had cheap real estate and not really centralized in the richer areas where more Tesla owners would likely live.

Upon arriving at our supercharger of choice we encountered what was an oddly ravenous collection of Teslas occupying nearly all (20) stalls. We got the impression that a lot of the people using these had a "hoard" mentality where they were using a supercharger not because they had to, but because they just didn't want to spend the money on their own electricity.

I guess this comes with the territory of a car that is advertised as being economical, you get a lot of cheapskates, but it's a mentality that really pisses me off and is a far cry from the general Corvette owner's mentality of "Who cares what happens we can beat up on Porsche's and Ferrari's 'Murica!"

If I drove a Tesla I can see myself hating other people who drive Teslas. A lot of them acted like morons at the Superchargers I was at and it would be a far cry from the experience of owning my Corvette where everyone is waving to each other and generally having a good time.

You also see how Tesla conveniently twists the truth for themselves. 10,000+ superchargers but none in an area that you actually want to be at.

So there was this weird experience dealing with people who felt oddly greedy and seemed like they drove their cars not because they liked them, but because they felt like it saved them money. There was also this experience of a company definitely telling some half truths and being a bit misleading in how practical and convenient their charging network really was.

Tesla very much has the promise of the future tied to their ethos. They go above and beyond to try to automate everything, integrate everything, and to be on the cutting edge of what can be offered with a vehicle and I have a mixed takeaway.

Tesla falls pretty flat with this vehicle's automatic door integration. It's futuristic yes, but feels very clumsy and awkward due to how easily the sensors can get tricked. Likewise, though Tesla does a very good job with the infotainment system it does fall short of what is offered by Apple Carplay and Android Auto...but to Tesla's credit they have the only system that can remotely compete with Apple Carplay and Android Auto. Literally every other car infotainment system is a waste of time in terms of integration and sophistication. Tesla's has some good effort behind it, but it's showing age behind the constantly evolving Carplay and Android Auto.

Where Tesla does get things right is that every feature on this car feels "complete" and well integrated into the car's ecosystem. I feel like a lot of vehicles go "We have this cool feature but mainly because it looks good on paper...we didn't put too much time into it though so don't ask too many questions" whereas the Model X has features because that's what Tesla thinks is necessary for a great driving experience. A prime example of this is Audi's virtual cockpit. Audi put virtual cockpit into their cars because they thought it was cool selling point...not because it worked particularly well and not because the cars necessarily needed it. The Model X has a dash display that is well integrated, looks and works better than virtual cockpit, and it's not even a major selling point of the Model X...it's just a part of the vehicle.

In a sense, nothing on a Model X feels gimmicky. Yes some of it isn't executed as perfectly as one would hope or expect, but you get the impression that Tesla really tried to make a complete product with the features that they offer. With every other car it's just a base vehicle with stupid loosely integrated stuff that the manufacturer throws on top to drive the price up.

A Tesla product feels very much like an Apple product in this regard. Yes, an Apple product may be lacking some odd features that the competition has but the Apple product has a vision behind it and that's something that you can buy into. With the Model X, you can tell there was a vision for the vehicle. With every other vehicle I have driven the vision stops at "get the customer to buy this" but there's something more behind the Model X that's driving it and I think that's why Tesla has such a rabid fanbase.

What I like the most about the Model X is that it really does feel like this is how driving should be. The cabin is quiet, the car is more responsive than anything you can find in an ICE engine, and after a while you really do begin to feel like the car is just an extension of yourself. Everything in the Model X is just pleasant to do. You can hop in and go easily, you can enjoy some genuine performance, and I'm no hippy but it does feel nice driving around and knowing that you aren't burning fossil fuels. This car tries to be safe, practical, fun, and convenient all at once and it does a great job at all of these things solely because it is an EV vehicle. If they gave this car an ICE and left everything else the same, it would be only a fraction as enjoyable as it currently is.

As a performance oriented car-guy I really had a great experience with this vehicle and felt like it had a lot to offer in terms of driver engagement. It's just so immediate and responsive to every input that you give it and when you get into an ICE car again it really feels like a dinosaur or old relic by comparison. The Model X is no performance vehicle so don't buy it for that reason, but if you're used to driving a performance a vehicle you won't have a huge hole in your heart when driving a Model X. It will keep you plenty satisfied for a vehicle of its size.

I'm not a Tesla fanboy by any means, but this experience is really making me consider trying a Model S or a Model 3 as a replacement for my Grand Sport. The Model X is not a perfect vehicle by any means and I would definitely not recommend going out on a limb or going poor to try to afford this car. It is not worth the 90-100K that they ask for it.

But to me, EV's are definitely the future and I would rather be using an crappy refrigerator than still be buying ice from the world's best iceman. I'm baffled as to how not all other car manufacturers dropped their current lineups for proper EV vehicles back in 2012 when the Model S was released, because the EV experience is so obviously superior to anything that an ICE can provide.

TL:DR Flawed vehicle that is definitely not worth the price point, but the EV driving experience is phenomenal and definitely the way of the future.

[newstfionline]

Tuesday, August 17, 2021

Canada’s Trudeau calls snap election in bid to regain parliamentary majority (Washington Post) Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, betting that his standing has been improved by his government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic while his main opponent has failed to gain traction with voters, called on Sunday a snap federal election for Sept. 20 in a bid to regain a majority in the House of Commons. Trudeau, first elected prime minister in 2015, has led the country since October 2019 with a minority government. Winning a majority would mean he would no longer need to rely on opposition parties to advance his agenda and stay in power.

California fire threatens homes as blazes burn across West (AP) Thousands of Northern California homes were threatened Sunday by the nation’s largest wildfire and officials warned the danger of new blazes erupting across the West was high because of unstable weather. Gusts of up to 50 mph (80 kph) on Saturday pushed flames closer to Janesville, a town of about 1,500 people just east of Greenville, the small gold rush-era community decimated by the fire 10 days ago. The Dixie Fire was the largest among more than 100 big blazes burning in more than a dozen states in the West, a region seared by drought and hot, bone-dry weather that turned forests, brushlands, meadows and pastures into tinder. The U.S. Forest Service said Friday it is operating in crisis mode, fully deploying firefighters and maxing out its support system. The roughly 21,000 federal firefighters working on the ground is more than double the number of firefighters sent to contain forest fires at this time a year ago, said Anthony Scardina, a deputy forester for the agency’s Pacific Southwest region.

After Haiti Quake, Thousands Seek Scarce Care (NYT) With broken bones and open wounds, the injured jammed into damaged hospitals or headed to the airport, hoping for mercy flights out. A handful of doctors toiled all night in makeshift triage wards. A day after a magnitude 7.2 earthquake killed at least 1,300 people and injured thousands in western Haiti, the main airport of the city of Les Cayes was overwhelmed Sunday with people trying to evacuate their loved ones to Port-au-Prince, the capital, about 80 miles to the east. There was not much choice. With just a few dozen doctors available in a region that is home to 1 million people, the quake aftermath was turning increasingly dire. “I’m the only surgeon over there,” said Dr. Edward Destine, an orthopedic surgeon, waving toward a temporary operating room of corrugated tin set up near the airport in Les Cayes. “I would like to operate on 10 people today, but I just don’t have the supplies,” he said. Officials in Les Cayes estimated that only 30 doctors served the entire western region. They are now confronting the overwhelming prospect of treating thousands of grievous injuries from caved-in buildings. All the main hospitals are damaged; doctors worked overnight to erect the temporary operating room near the airport in Les Cayes because local hospitals were in such bad condition.

Death toll in floods that hit northern Turkey climbs to 70 (AP) Rescuers recovered more bodies from the site of severe flooding that devastated a town in northern Turkey on Monday, bringing the death toll to 70, officials said. Torrential rains battered the country’s northwestern Black Sea provinces on Aug. 4, causing floods that demolished homes and bridges, swept away cars and blocked access to numerous roads. Emergency crews on Monday pressed ahead with efforts to locate at least 47 people who were still reported missing in Kastamonu and Sinop. The Turkish disaster management agency, AFAD, said some 8,000 personnel, backed by 20 rescue dogs, are involved in the rescue and assistance efforts.

Afghanistan’s military collapse: Illicit deals and mass desertions (Washington Post) The spectacular collapse of Afghanistan’s military that allowed Taliban fighters to walk into the Afghan capital Sunday despite 20 years of training and billions of dollars in American aid began with a series of deals brokered in rural villages between the militant group and some of the Afghan government’s lowest-ranking officials. The deals, initially offered early last year, were often described by Afghan officials as cease-fires, but Taliban leaders were in fact offering money in exchange for government forces to hand over their weapons, according to an Afghan officer and a U.S. official. Over the next year and a half, the meetings advanced to the district level and then rapidly on to provincial capitals, culminating in a breathtaking series of negotiated surrenders by government forces, according to interviews with more than a dozen Afghan officers, police, special operations troops and other soldiers. Within a little more than a week, Taliban fighters overran more than a dozen provincial capitals and entered Kabul with no resistance, triggering the departure of Afghanistan’s president and the collapse of his government. Afghan security forces in the districts ringing Kabul and in the city itself simply melted away. By nightfall, police checkpoints were left abandoned and the militants roamed the streets freely. “Some just wanted the money,” an Afghan special forces officer said of those who first agreed to meet with the Taliban. But others saw the U.S. commitment to a full withdrawal as an “assurance” that the militants would return to power in Afghanistan and wanted to secure their place on the winning side, he said.

Chaos as thousands flee Afghanistan after Taliban takeover (AP/Reuters) Thousands packed into the Afghan capital’s airport on Monday, rushing the tarmac and pushing onto planes in desperate attempts to flee the country after the Taliban overthrew the Western-backed government. U.S. soldiers fired warning shots as they struggled to manage the chaotic evacuation. In the capital, a tense calm set in, with most people hiding in their homes as the Taliban deployed fighters at major intersections. There were scattered reports of looting and armed men knocking on doors and gates, and there was less traffic than usual on eerily quiet streets. Fighters could be seen searching vehicles at one of the city’s main squares. Massouma Tajik, a 22-year-old data analyst, described scenes of panic at the airport, where she was hoping to board an evacuation flight. After waiting six hours, she heard shots from outside, where a crowd of men and women were trying to climb aboard a plane. She said U.S. troops sprayed gas and fired into the air to disperse the crowds after people scaled the walls and swarmed onto the tarmac. Gunfire could be heard in the voice messages she sent to The Associated Press. At least seven people were killed in Kabul airport as hundreds of people tried to forcibly enter (or hold onto) planes leaving the Afghan capital, witnesses told Reuters.

Afghanistan and the media (CJR) Pundits widely blamed President Biden for the country’s swift fall back into Taliban hands. But—when it comes to the prosecution of the war, and the years of official lies told in its service—there is an awful lot of blame to go around, stretching right back to the Bush administration, which started it. As Liam Stack, a reporter at the New York Times, put it yesterday, “the entire US governing class is implicated in this… every official or DC think tanker or cable news talking head you see on TV today.” The list of the complicit includes sections of the press, and yet the dominant tone in much mainstream commentary and coverage was not one of humble self-reflection, but rather high-pitched indignation and shock. As numerous observers have noted, many major news organizations lost interest in the war—at least as a major story—as it became a quagmire, and have only returned to it recently with the endgame in sight. “Ask yourself how often Afghanistan has been a lead story for the last twenty years. And then ask yourself if it will be in a week,” Oliver Willis, a progressive journalist, tweeted. “American media is putrid at covering the world and it directly leads to a public constantly surprised by topics and issues.” In addition to sins of omission, media watchers highlighted sins of commission, seeing a clear pro-war slant in some of the coverage. Part of the problem here, surely, is the common media fallacy that it’s a story when new bad things happen, whereas the status quo just exists.

The past as indicator of the future (Globe and Mail, BBC, Washington Post, NPR) Somewhere Alexander the Great is saying something future foreign powers should have paid more attention to: even if they temporarily win a battle in Afghanistan, they will eventually lose the war. It’s simply not possible to control the disparate religious and tribal forces that make up that country. The British tried and failed three times between 1838 and 1919. The Soviets sent in 115,000 troops in 1979, but were forced to leave by 1989. After September 11, 2001, America and NATO allies invaded Afghanistan. Seven years later, 53-year-old Ruslan Aushev, a highly decorated combat veteran who served two tours with the Soviet army in Afghanistan, recalled: “We knew by 1985 that we could not win. We could take any village, any town and drive the mujahedeen out. But when we handed ground over to the Afghan army or police they would lose it in a week.” The Soviets had deployed roughly two times the number of troops the Western alliance had in Afghanistan in 2008—they also trained an Afghan army three times the size of Kabul’s security forces at the time. It was never enough. The Soviets knew the longer foreign armies remained in Afghanistan, the more support grew for the insurgents. Aushev warned thirteen years ago there could be no military solution in Afghanistan. “The Taliban may not be able to win militarily but they can’t be defeated .... There will have to be an accord with the Taliban, because at least 50 percent of the Afghan population supports them.”

Biden draws new red line for U.S. military action in Afghanistan (Yahoo News) In a resolute and, at times, defensive speech explaining the swift fall of U.S.-trained security forces in Afghanistan to the Taliban and his decision to pull troops from that country, President Biden also drew a red line Monday for the use of future military force. “If they attack our personnel, the U.S. presence will be swift and the response will be forceful. We will defend our people with devastating force, if necessary,” Biden said in a speech delivered from the White House that followed a weekend during which Afghan security forces melted away and Taliban fighters seized control of the country. Condemning Afghanistan’s military for its apparent refusal to stand and fight the Taliban, Biden said a continued U.S. military presence there was not in the country’s interests. Facing withering criticism from Washington Democrats and Republicans alike, he acknowledged that the destabilization in Afghanistan occurred “more quickly than expected,” but he went only so far in accepting blame. "I am the president of the United States of America, and the buck stops with me," Biden said. Instead, he set blame squarely on the shoulders of the Afghans. "So what's happened? Afghanistan's political leaders gave up and fled the country. The Afghan military collapsed, sometimes without trying to fight,” he said, adding, “We gave them every chance to determine their own future. What we could not provide them was the will to fight for that future.”

U.S.-South Korea drills (Foreign Policy) The United States and South Korea begin annual joint military drills today, a move likely to spark more discontent in North Korea, which has warned of a “serious security crisis” if the exercises go ahead. South Korean military officials have said that the 10-day exercise will mostly consist of computer-simulated training with minimal personnel and no live drills. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the decision to hold relatively low-key drills was taken in consideration of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as “to support diplomatic efforts to denuclearize and foster lasting peace on the Korean peninsula.” North Korea has already signaled its displeasure with the drills by refusing to answer routine calls from South Korea after reconnecting a hotline in July.

Detainee says China has secret jail in Dubai, holds Uyghurs (AP) A young Chinese woman says she was held for eight days at a Chinese-run secret detention facility in Dubai along with at least two Uyghurs, in what may be the first evidence that China is operating a so-called “black site” beyond its borders. The woman, 26-year-old Wu Huan, was on the run to avoid extradition back to China because her fiancé was considered a Chinese dissident. Wu told The Associated Press she was abducted from a hotel in Dubai and detained by Chinese officials at a villa converted into a jail, where she saw or heard two other prisoners, both Uyghurs. She was questioned and threatened in Chinese and forced to sign legal documents incriminating her fiancé for harassing her, she said. She was finally released on June 8 and is now seeking asylum in the Netherlands. While “black sites” are common in China, Wu’s account is the only testimony known to experts that Beijing has set one up in another country. Such a site would reflect how China is increasingly using its international clout to detain or bring back citizens it wants from overseas, whether they are dissidents, corruption suspects or ethnic minorities like the Uyghurs.

Animals and numbers (Wired) An understanding of numbers is often viewed as a distinctly human faculty—a hallmark of our intelligence that, along with language, sets us apart from all other animals. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. Honeybees count landmarks when navigating toward sources of nectar. Lionesses tally the number of roars they hear from an intruding pride before deciding whether to attack or retreat. Some ants keep track of their steps; some spiders keep track of how many prey are caught in their web. One species of frog bases its entire mating ritual on number: If a male calls out—a whining pew followed by a brief pulsing note called a chuck—his rival responds by placing two chucks at the end of his own call. The first frog then responds with three, the other with four, and so on up to around six, when they run out of breath. Practically every animal that scientists have studied—insects and cephalopods, amphibians and reptiles, birds and mammals—can distinguish between different numbers of objects in a set or sounds in a sequence. They don’t just have a sense of “greater than” or “less than,” but an approximate sense of quantity: that two is distinct from three, that 15 is distinct from 20. This mental representation of set size, called numerosity, seems to be “a general ability,” and an ancient one, said Giorgio Vallortigara, a neuroscientist at the University of Trento in Italy. Now, researchers are uncovering increasingly more complex numerical abilities in their animal subjects. Many species have displayed a capacity for abstraction that extends to performing simple arithmetic, while a select few have even demonstrated a grasp of the quantitative concept of “zero”—an idea so paradoxical that very young children sometimes struggle with it.

[cipzi-shop]

Daddy 2020 Mask The One Where I Was In Lockdown T Shirt

It will come out for another year they talked about a Daddy 2020 Mask The One Where I Was In Lockdown T Shirt lotand for those you estimate the LiveWire late last probably is one of the pioneer the pilot dealers so I will be getting the LiveWire for sure next year so if you’re interested in the electric vehicles that me out because I will have a lot of content with the LiveWire when it comes out but it will be out for the year person hears a some more trikes death to you got traction control is trike replacement braking system drag towards the control noted they went away from the air suspension guys they went away from their suspension on the like now know I glad to have you got an adjustable hand adjusted between preload now yes the audio also limits of the 114 guys the regular ultra classic they have a 107 still the blue say is gorgeous guys I shot the CVO’s at the beginning of this video so you want to seeand you can realign this videoand I publish it now by Mr Max on beer for sure I said is a good bid I like John I saw a lot of a last request guysand on to stop every sinand at 50 minutes yeah those are new socks that five I guide the reader to haul the suspense I try glideand add traction controland now the trikes got a big improvement this year were seeing Mario is Mario I night I severally know you got any magenta Chinese got major overall this year thanks guys every sellout thank you very much any last request some Mike legacy yeah I could figure out a is a 48 so I was out of the 48 as is the electric are on the Blue Max as they call it Blue Max nothing different on the Fortier guys you will you will come as a question of the details of the 48 know the 40 I’m sure use a custom paint color so that can you look differently at 48 the 42 usually painted on the minor regular 40 right now they added the case on a 48 the Blue Max different that the custom color that electricity lines on it my favorite like so farand I’m a fan so far the ethics field is newand fresh I think the mass by five to buy a brand new bike this year it was a CDL I like the new CVO road by Xeroxand I seriously but still it’s hard to say guys that I still love my street by special 35 guys in my history by special again yeah the diner is gone sorry I no more Dina guys for United guys out there the new soft those are better for as much as people don’t like to except that then you thought the frame is better than the old Dina’s so suck it upand gastric Bob or low rider Arafat Bob because they are better bikes I got close friend employees are giving her Dina’s right now to get a new soft out because they’re coming to the reality that the new framing is not the frame is better fly guys on the signoff in the uppermost in our if you want to see some new stuff you can realign this videoand check out some of the silicon thought you got The 2020 roadster which is’s performance focused sportsterand I think that indicator of performance is going to be the frontand despite got a outside our frontand from chalets need to build this breaks what those two things do get a lot of confidence under braking getting a lot of suspension performance in your rang a little bit more aggressively the way to achieve is with a little bit stiffer front suspensionand easily get really hard on the brakes not have a lot of break guide to help you control the movement of the bikeand is still this breaks they can really prevent any kind of break fate so when you Canyon Road stopping at high speeds overand over again experience that letter starting to get softerand softer we just saw there that we had Abdul lines going towards the front brakes what those dude is that it is indicated this bike is equipped ABS which is optional on this model the guy a low set of handlebars relatively low barley standards which was in a slightly forward leaning writing position does make you feel it’s for your overall security analog tachometer with the digital speedometer I think I really also indicates the performance focused nature of this bike making tachometer front center in day lets you know exactly where you are me the engine gradsand as you shiftand downshift more accurately little more confidence this is the 3. 5 million words according to Caro we’re taught Lord Acton’s axiom all power corruptsand absolute power corrupts absolutely I believe that when I started these books but I don’t believe it’s always true anymore what I believe is always true about power is that power always reveals when you have enough power to do what you always wanted to do NEC with the guy always wanted to do so that an email that quickly mean the thing we spent the last eight seasons assessing overand are now months late getting to our spicy hot takes a big thingand say the stories don’t need to have a point or weren’t intended to have a point that this was intended to have a point since it ended with Dragon burning the symbol for such a character driven show really the main issue down to that the charactersand we will start with the fact that by the end of the show the Indy outlined a lot of plot points without giving much thought as to how characters might be motivated to reach those plot points to a huge chunk of season eight is spent on dialogue rationalizing plot points that don’t really make sense the student be half as many as a beautiful green snow should do nothing today lifted the moment the case fell the battle was over to a friend that just burned 54 in the county know they don’t make sense of they have to spend a lot of time rationalizing them is on memory keep all the stories in order for the plot to progress as outlined everyone especially characters in earlier seasons were defined by the cunningand intelligent decayand a total dummy woman is my season eight this was you might say foreshadowed in season seven by little fingers downfall which only works of every character involved in the subplot took a bunch of stupid pills that you little finger doesn’t like that Ari is back so he tries to pit the two sisters against each otherand play some surviving for some reason despite knowing what an untrustworthy ass hat he is that I now switcheroo stand accused of metadata stand accused of treason how do you want charges Bayless hello everyone knocks down many an intelligence unit watches this worthless subplot bleed out on the floor because the character of little finger is redundant nowand we don’t know what to do with him so goodbye to it takes Ariand sunset entire season to realize they’re being played over nothing basically but here in season seven everyone cut a case in addendum’s which only worsens in season eight forgot about beerand sleep in the idea that the sisters were on the little fingerand were just playing along the whole time is good head cannon in theory by well here’s a quote from Isaac instead writing plays brand actually seen that clearly got cut a short scene with salsa where she knocks on brands doorand says I need your help or something along those lines so basically as far as I know the story was that it suddenly occurred to something that she had a huge CCTV department at her discretionand it might be a good idea to check with him first before she gets her own sister so he just ranand ran tells her everything she’s known she’s like oh no sounds you have been done duty after the should show that was season five sums onto stand there happy that at least one of the women got to be in charge without having to be put down Michael Geller that if we made for a moment be honest with ourselves her entire character has been one massive train wreck ever since season fiveand little fingers like hey Mary the son of the guy who murdered your entire familyand she’s like all okay this is the fast track to Raytown escapeand in season seven she completes her evolutionand the lady finger stripped of all Pecos because to be in the female empowerment shedding your humanity until you are a stone cold badass but you know the kind you only does some hideously inhumane executions to be clear I am not on the sponsor he trained I just think they popped a squad over her character just like they did everyone else my season eight everyone’s gushing over how smart something is she’s evolved into her final form unlike in earlier seasons where her intelligence would come out for these moments of her being more quick thinking that people expected and it would be bad the amount of ore by her playingand her enemies arrogance so you’ll be outside the gates the bank doesn’t discuss plans for super goes through grace to write to close reading about God’s they see my brother will you pretend she now gets these girl badass moments that built not on the lesson she learned includes landing is set on high sciences earlier defining attributes was her compassion that she cared about people despite the pain she was in the books she never loses essence of compassion but get smarter about figuring out who is worthy of itand who is playing her for their own advantage here in the show that warmth is totally extinguished compassionand appeals to goodness her friends not as a strength but as immature weakness that she needs to outgrow sheep little guy was she dreams you never learn new empowerment sunset doesn’t act like someone who would take pity on a drunk night in Joffrey’s wrath or someone who would have any ounce of empathy for someone like the house like she didn’t seem to something the Crips doesn’t bother trying to call me other womenand children what she did during the siege of King’s Landing in season two new empowerment song to spend the whole battle trash talking to NARA’s between final Dragon Queen who unlike salsa is out there risking her life out the tool will be dead season it keeps telling us what something is she thought that she smart that she shrewd but nothing in her actions support that earlier something would know to keep her mouth shut about someone she was suspicious of me while new empowerment sunset won’t shut up about how much she doesn’t like to NARA’s Y during some of the entire Kings landing storyline keeps herself alive by feigning loyalty to Joffreyand Circe with you paying for the cost have mercy on us all to me even if she did plan on undermining to NARA’s I guess the Indy kind of forgot that one of salsa’s most important lessons is when to feign respect to Delhi what dragons eat anyway whatever they want something evolution mirrors the Starks as a whole the compassionand ability to define the Starks is one of their biggest asset in the end they’re no better than the Lancers’s trust you will don’t know you know she’s not one of us change their house motto from winter is coming to you got mine because that’s female empowerment of the show runners I’m glad I got raped actually Mr the hound it made me a cool girl badass finger stayed in the so something is a northern separatist now for some reason even though now is not the time they remember what happened lost dragons both yet nothing nothing happened when a on the Conger invaded the North Bend the knee immediatelyand join the seven kingdoms without a fightand nobody died the countryside was not burning aided the time was called the King who knelt for a reason I guess someone kinda forgot they remember what happened lost dragons both sworn I read the lowest king in the north was tarring stock human needs my ancestor egg until Gary there are cases to be made for an independent North doing well in the past this whole situation in winter felt we have written for season eight data actually makes pretty good case for United seven kingdoms will you sure dead howling to feed the great the good thing we got to reach a part of the seven kingdoms which also happens to support the nurses claim it wasn’t even that they had it on lot before the NARA showed up with all these mouths to feed this time he wouldn’t have enough food special enough the armies of the North back to defend with how are we going to feed our own people was a problem at the beginning of the season is set upand promptly ignored what dragons eat anyway you know what salsa it doesn’t matter don’t worry your empowered little head about itand join us dragonsand supplies from other regions now that it’s winterand you all have a common enemy you seem determined to dislike like they did yesterdayand will get to the nearest but what they did the sauces depressing sauces only purpose the season is to have an unfounded suspicion of the nearest which only proves to be found in when the nurse does something completely nonsensical otherwise the nurse has essentially given all of her resources to defend winter felt east on the promise of the guy in chargeand salsa still like now I don’t like the cut of her gym Y by the end of the stupid dumb battle of winter felt the nurses prove yourself worthy of being a queen about as well as one can expect in this universe is forging alliances doing battle keeping her promises to her followersand to her allie The stink eye over to NARA’s makes no sense she never even lived to the target area is hurting her family the operative word Matt King burned her grandfatherand uncle to death but she sure did Circe you know their common enemy whose family wiped her own out sauces mistrust of the nurse only makes sense if you’re writing from the end forward telling us she is smartand her intelligence is really just writer clairvoyance giving salsa suspicions without giving her any reason to have them other than the writers know how the show will landand they want something to look smart Dragon Queen does not have to do them or maybe I do know sauces jealous because the nurse is pretty surely they would never come I anyway within the fan favorite recall that my seasoning held late season five is nothing to doand no reason to be here that people like him so here he is planning a different ending for bronze plate when I had some character development seven during the Lutra attack Ron loses his goal in a very symbolic moment even leaves it to risk his life in a big way to save Jamie with no mercenary reason for doing so is this a sign of character development is Braun changing his ways knowand guess who gets the worst subplot of all time you do you do you boys are of goldplated so Circe asked Bron to go murder her brothers as you do she do the trees Bron fast travels to winter felland holds the Met arrow pointand tells them he thinks their side will win because dragons so he blackmails Jamieand Terryand into giving him our God will hike better than okay so for those of you playing the home game high garden is the capital of the reach of the now extinct house Tyrelland the breadbasket of the seven kingdoms the most populous yes there are probably still many Tyrell’s next in line to claim the reach to say nothing of the other great houses in the reach with a much better claim to theand install certain no name is Lord of high garden because of black male under a queen that was only clean for five minutesand yeah that’s going to go over well with all these other lesser houses in the reach high God but okay we do not see Bron again into the finale where not only is now the master of coin money before the rules but hearing is apparently made good on that whole promise made it gunpoint thing so Braun will go to Fargo paramount reach of most of you should have written offand that good night liked Ariana Harris but okay here he is still cooland in a season has turned pretty much all the charactersand the stupid dumb dumb Zakaria situation for shit because the plot needs them to be open there is one character who tactical nosedive probably hurts the most one character was arguably done dirtier than the nearest season it’s Lord Ferris the best there is the master of whispers becomes the master of loud treasonous conversations great creek like Ron Taveras is a fan favorite but the show runners clearly had no idea what to do it after season for because his character starts wildly deviating from his passion but like to stuff you should select to pick up your shit out of I guess in his case they’d figure right around this laterand they did so by making the smartest guy in the realm of total dumb dumb there is in the books wants to instill a guy on the throne who may or may notand probably is not be the lost son of Ray Gardner egg on target areaand the next in line to the throne if we have a target area restoration fans call him saying on the show we don’t have they gone but there is need something to do so at the beginning of season five interiorand cross the narrow sea with the express intent to support the nurse now even though there is totally try to have her assassinated in season 1 last night it asked how to I do would have to be done apparently she’s willing to move past that is when the training of the Eno in a world where executions are routine this seems like kind of a reasonable threat he has tried to have her assassinated beforeand here we are one season later again with poisoning dragons but then in season eight he will she make a sad face at dinner meeting you’re not really getting to me runners I guess she does ignore his shitty advice which has no consistently been shitty ever since they got to West Roseand is in this case as it turns out wrong from a tactical perspective they do in the battle easilyand with minimal casualtiesand know they did next need to restand no food was never an issueand resources were never an issue so why bother having this conversation but there is finds out that John Snow is the actual egg on target areaand was he has the better claim to the throne does what he wantsand you know what is the season for some trees in the well I will dedicate myself to seeing you behind because I want to dragons in the best rationality can come up with Rivera’s wanting to support John over to NARA’s is the philosophy that the best person to rule is the person who specifically doesn’t want to rule if you consider the best to be someone who doesn’t want Robert was neither not local recently have no interest in being well meaning as John keeps failing upward so that tracks mentioned nominally being for the good of the realmand then immediately reversing your state the moment you see a young guy whose neighborhood County love him be like wow yeah that some leadership material right there is a map which makes them more appealing to the rules of Western the problem is only makes sense if you are the audienceand you seen John Snow’s temperament for the last eight seasons there is on the other hand has not there is no reason to like or trust John Snow other than he likedand trusted Ned gas who wasn’t actually his father anyway there’s only just met John Snowand in universe has no reason to think that he’s a better more tempered choice than to NARA’s unless he knows what the audience we the audience know about John Snow but from the outside looking in the narratives all over the place John Snow’s only been in charge of the North for like a weekand it’s kind of been a shit show came back sure what for the first three episodes of season she’s a war hero dragons that sacrifice half for troopsand one of those dragons to save humanity the only thing she doesn’t upset for that mildly questionable is the patient about wanting to takings landing except she’s not wrong about anything mentally have left exhausted the fight better if you have time to restand recuperate well clearly they don’t I promised you I would look you in the yardand speak directly if I ever thought you were making a mistake well maybe your advice shouldn’t have been so uniformly badand maybe he was mad that she went against his advice but that particular advice again ended up being wrong King landing was stupid easy to take because battles are easy now because we need to wrap this shit up the city last time it was attacked by note better than anyone it will for tomorrow’s based on what those dragons have the fortitude of hummingbirds up until now it seemed pretty evenly matched you know whatever Solaris who has sacrificed all the rally much power to the nearest immediately switches sides the second he discovers that there’s a poutyand decisive male alternative with great hair but the nearest has at this point done nothing to make Barris logically want to switch sides one time she went against her advisers advised before this was to save John Snow you know that guy that there is wants to betray to NARA’s forand so he starts telling everyone who John Snow is doing so makes more or less the exact same mistake that led start date in season one only way stupider this is way more recklessand way less motivated than what Ned did in season one John abdicated that other thing you can do I don’t want to never tell John Snow knew a guy who did abdicate until your mama screw this of John Snow Jones there’s a scene in the second episode of game of thrones season one in which John Snow asks Ned Stark met his motherand then responds with this stream burden motion to’s this is eventually going to come to something emotionally charged an important so are you even start with this long section from the moment in many ways John Snow is emblematic of everything wrong with the way the series handled its resolution a big emotional profound set up with the flaccid confusingand meaningless pay off from a plot perspective most of the major letdowns from all of the moment to set up are pretty much tied in the John Snow the Whitewater plot of which John was the key point of view character are plus L equals J the mystery of John’s parentage which kind of indirectly kicked off the plot of the whole show John Snow being brought back from the dead by the Lord of lightand of course John’s love for to NARA’s culminating with her murder done in an uncharacteristically dishonorable way after Johnson is resurrected they keep making this big deal about how he must’ve been brought back for a reason to you wants realize why I don’t know what indeed was the point well considering the call you did during the long night I’m guessing the Lord brought you back so you can blue ball to NARA making her go crazyand ultimately instill brand the broken on the throne good job Lord of late like her plot was this existential threatand been built up for eight seasons predicated on a historical long night that lasted an actual generationand nearly wiped out humanity last generation casos is making was John’s principal antagonistand his main motivation for the run of the show but not only was the big bus easily stepped away by a character that had nothing to do with the Whitewater plot the long night was about as long as a viewing of Titanic with a couple of bathroom breaks downand instead of merely living out humanity it wiped out about one half of one Army seamstress the author argues actually Western Markand we learned that after that’s done it doesn’t enter that the world of men was to preoccupied with political squabbles to worry about an endless fortified zombies because all you need to do in the existential threat is the one special knife of no importance is a recurring problem which ties in with what we were talking about the last episode subverting expectations despite the fact that it doesn’t work for the story are used training as a faceless man builds not at all to this could have been anyone with a strong tenure jump yeah the fact that the 19 focuses is wrap on Brandon John Snow means that Brandon John Snow should have been involved here is a Mina Jones now needed to do this but he needed some resolution other than spending the battle screaming at his new archenemy on the Dragon tended I also saw one idea that Shearman Cheney killed 19 you know bring that old Kingsley are thankful for that would’ve been cooland give Jamie a reason for existing but enough of it made sense John’s main motivation is farting out of existence without any of his involvementand after it’s overand the only thing that has materially changed apart from the bloodletting of a couple of supporting characters is that the nurse finds out about John being a target areaand which not only has nothing to do with the why walkers really think they have in this world it probably would have happened eventually anyway but with regard to John learning the truth about who he is never really reacts to it the King go talk to supervisionand protection of the realm of revelation is momentous especially someone like John Snow whose entire identity was wrapped around his pastor Ness starts Boston installed bus the dog Boston is about the ship. And I saw the importance of being awake and after I had my child I thank God every day for knowing what I know about these fucking every single one of them told their victims what we did is a secret don’t tell mommy or daddy that’s not a roll that’s how they roll but the story I wanted to you about my daughter was when she was an infant she was probably about a month or two old and you know they were people in the family that didn’t that had a problem with me for some reason they would always call DCF and send DCF to my house all the fucking time never came to visit the child will call DCF down these yet that child is sick and needs to be examined when this motherfucker has never been to the house to visit the fucking child once right now is ridiculous in itself so one day I get a call DCF and S Department of child children and families are important so I called these yet is cold it is rainy that they right and the DCM woman says we got an anonymous tip that your daughter was sick and we need to date we need to take a downtown for an examination

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Every Exit, An Entrance (24/?)

There are two (and only two) possibilities: either she led XCOM to victory and they are now engaged in a clean up operation of alien forces, or XCOM was overrun, clearing the way for an alien-controlled puppet government to seize control of the planet.

She’d really like to figure out which it is, but asking hardly seems the prudent option.

“As you can imagine, Doctor, the Council’s alarm at these leaks continues to grow.”

She tucks her hands into the pockets of her sweater. Yes, the base is always a consistent temperature, but that temperature is consistently not warm enough.

The few days away have made a difference. She can stand before the Spokesman if not confidently than at least absent the crushing sense of impending doom, the belief that there is a cell in some dark prison waiting for her.

“And I can assure you that I appreciate the Council’s concerns. Dr. Shen and his team are continuing their analysis, and as soon as we have a working theory, I will bring it to the Council’s attention.”

“Surely, Dr. Shen has offered potential explanations.”

She fights the urge to smirk. Of all the questions she has prepared for, this is the best case scenario.

“While it is purely speculation pending a thorough investigation, at this point, Dr. Shen and his team believe the virus used to gain access to the files has been in our system for some time, and was likely implanted upstream before installation into the base.”

The Spokesman’s shoulders grow tense. “You’re certain?”

“It’s a preliminary hypothesis,” she says. “Dr. Shen’s team has been swamped as of late --- between the massive systems burn and now this, they’re putting in the same amount of time as they were at the height of the invasion. But yes, that is his current theory.”

“You will keep us informed.”

“Of course.”

The screen fades to black before her and she lets out a slow, even breath. The implication of potential espionage from within the ranks should be enough to keep them occupied for some time. There is something to be said for sowing a little chaos, rather than being caught up in its wake.

They’ve settled on a strategy of distraction and misdirection. Keep the Council focused somewhere else while Shen and Vahlen continue their work with the Fog Pods, while John’s backchannel contacts begin reaching out, word of XCOM and its successes beginning to spread.

The wheels are in motion; they just need time to let them spin.

She feels strangely light, relieved. It’s entirely premature; there are still hurdles, significant hurdles, to overcome. The gambit is risky and likely still to explode in their faces. The call was a victory, yes, but it was a skirmish, not even a battle.

Still, she allows herself the momentary happiness.

If she has learned anything in her time with XCOM, it is the importance of permitting yourself the time to celebrate small wins. Yes, the path is long and they have only just begun to travel it, but they have made it past this particular challenge. They will be ready for whatever is coming.

Or so she hopes

She steps out into Mission Control, and offers Central a wink when she catches his eye. He hides his grin behind a coffee mug.

It is a new year. A fresh start. The world is rebuilding and the comms are quiet. They know what they’re up against now, and they’re working to counter it. They have designs on the Council.

This time last year, she’d been on a plane back from Rome; the year before, she’d turned down a job offer from one of the world’s largest security consulting firms; the year before that, she’d resigned a tenure track position: all in pursuit of XCOM.

She’s not who she was --- and it’s not a bad thing. There are challenges, yes, but there were challenges. There were challenges teaching. There were challenges consulting. There were challenges researching. These ones just give her satisfaction to overcome.

Everything finds a balance.

--

There are several small crates waiting for her in her quarters, discovered in the storage area now being transitioned into a war room, after being left there some time ago.

She knows, on some level, that someone has returned to the old base at least once. There are enough relics floating around to remind her of it at every turn. That there are crates containing her personal effects should not be surprising.

She would like to find her necklace. She is positive she wasn’t wearing it during the attack and she misses its familiar weight around her neck.

She undoes the lid on the first crate and begins to sift through it, the flotsam and jetsam of her old life. She’s greeted by several neatly folded blouses and a pair of pajama bottoms. She digs in further to find a handful of hair ties and an two hair clips --- souvenirs of a trip to Tokyo in the course of her PhD research. At the bottom is one of Central’s old Naval Academy tee shirts, stolen sometime between Zurich and Berlin.

She tries not to dwell on it.

The second crate is a hodgepodge. There are some clothes, some books, pencils, pens, her trenchcoat, and most interestingly, three external hard drives. Her duct tape labels still hold: movies, music, tv. She wonders if there’s a way to pull the data off, and makes a note to ask Shen.

She opens the third crate, and immediately regrets the decision. The photo of her parents stares up at her, their smiles still bright. More faces follow: Strike One, engaged in a high stakes game of Crazy Eights; Will, Jane curled up on him as if she were a lapdog instead of a full grown German Shepherd; Tanya, glowering over a mug of piping hot tea; her grandparents, standing proudly outside their shop on Orchard Street.

She almost cannot bring herself to look at the last photo.

A woman who looks like her and a man who looks like a younger Central stand arm-in-arm under an enormous umbrella. She beams at the camera, caught mid-laugh. He smiles down at her.

It feels strange to look at them, to claim them as her past. It feels more like the memory of a movie she’d once watched, rather than her own life.

She sets the image aside.

She reaches in again, and her fingers find an overstuffed leather notebook. More photographs jut out from within its leaves. She pulls it out and traces her fingers over the embossed lettering: Neither a wise man or a brave man lies down on the tracks of history to wait for the train of the future to run over him - Eisenhower.

Her necklace is not inside the crate.

She settles with a huff on the ground, and turns her attention to the notebook. She thinks back, and attempts to take stock of the past several weeks. Yes, they’ve interrupted some sort of ADVENT operation, and yes, Tygan’s team is hard at work on its analysis, but she can point to no concrete measure of progress. They are floundering. She is floundering, reacting and overreacting to events, allowing them to dictate what she can’t bring herself to call her strategy.

Of course they’re not gaining any traction.

She knows that she can be better than this, that she can do better than this. She just has to get up off the goddamn tracks.

She’s never been a fan of digital, not when she’s really needed to think. She’s vaguely aware of the science behind it, but if she is truthful, she suspects it is because she has always held a fondness for pen and paper.

Unfortunately, the latter seems to be in awfully short supply.

Her gaze turns to the books lining the shelf. She grits her teeth, and takes one down, then extends the lead on her mechanical pencil. If this sacrilege is the price, so be it.

She doesn’t worry about order at first, just lets the words flow onto the end paper. There is the matter of rescuing the Skirmisher, yes, and also of the canister recovered from the black site, but the wheels are already turning on those fronts; there is nothing she can do at present.

There is the matter of the alien who kidnapped Mox, the Assassin, and if she’d heard Dragunova correctly, the others just like her.

She knows, though, that if she hopes to deal with the monsters, they’ll need alliances --- which brings her to the problem of Volk. She’s set herself at a disadvantage; she knows that. If she wants any hope of yanking him into line, she’ll need leverage. Leverage, naturally, requires intel, a resource she sorely lacks.

Even then, there is a long road ahead. She has no idea what to expect from Skirmisher leadership and they presently lack any actionable information on the locale of the Templars.

Then, there is the matter of holding potential tense allegiances in balance, but it’s a problem for another day.

She rubs her face. It’s obvious that her first job is filling in the pieces she lacks, but she can’t do that on her own. She knows Sally has those she’s friendly with in Reaper ranks, and she doesn’t doubt that Central could tell her a thing or two. Still, she needs a wider net, and that will require face time.

She’s learned that the best cover stories are rooted in truth: if she really intends for her people to be working with the Reapers, they’ll need to build rapport. The sooner they start, the better it will be. A few days of mingling at Reaper HQ might begin to give them the in she needs --- especially if it comes without restrictions with regards to leisure activities.

She reserves the right to put her foot down about the food, however.

She weighs her options. She should deal with Volk herself, but that feels uncomfortably like supplication. She could put Central up to it, give Volk the message that she has other priorities, other matters to attend to. It might be enough to send a message.

The request might also be better received.

She nods. She can do this.

There are yet other problems. Long term viability of havens with regards to physical security and stability. Counterpropaganda. The Lost, and the vast sweep of the contagion. She will address them in time.

She sits down next to Central the next morning, and takes a deep breath. “I think we should be building better relationships with the Reapers.”

He nearly loses his lukewarm coffee. “Excuse me?”

“You and I both know we’re at a personnel deficit. If we’re gonna work with them, we need to build rapport.”

“And this is how you want to address it? You and Volk didn’t exactly hit it off.”

She nods. “Training fresh recruits out of the havens takes time, time that we don’t have. Reapers are marksmen with ample combat experience in hostile terrain. We’d be stupid not to press for assistance, but we can’t do that without rapport. I’m thinking we take a few days to learn from one another while the team is out following up on where they’re holding Mox.”

He considers this for a moment. “It’s gonna be a tough sell.”

“Spin it as mutually beneficial.”

“You want me to make the ask?”

She nods. “Think you’re better suited right now. Volk trusts you.”

“He’s not dumb.”

“He still thinks he has leverage.” “Regan, I---“ “If I had concerns about your loyalty, I wouldn’t ask.”

He eyes her over his coffee cup, confused but not suspicious. “Alright. Whatever you need.”

She passes Sally later that day on her way down to check on Tygan’s progress in the lab.

“Ma’am,” she starts. “I’ve been thinking about our conversation.”

“And?”

“I’d still rather be in the field than anywhere else.”

She nods considering this a moment. “I’ve been thinking, too. And we’ll be lucky to have you --- in three weeks.”

Sally’s face falls. “Three weeks?”

She nods. “As far as I can tell, you’re highly competent. You kept a cool head, even when things went pear shaped. You’re gonna be a real asset on the field, if that’s where you truly want to be. But you’ve got three weeks til I’ll honor that choice.”

“Did Central---“

She shakes her head. “This one’s on my head. He and I haven’t even talked about it.”

Sally considers this, then nods. “You mean it, though? Three weeks?”

“Three weeks.”

[dipulb3]

The 2021 BMW M3 finds redemption through performance

New Post has been published on https://appradab.com/the-2021-bmw-m3-finds-redemption-through-performance/

The 2021 BMW M3 finds redemption through performance

Look, I hate BMW’s huge new grille as much as the rest of you, but there are way more important things to talk about with this brand-new M3. This is the sport sedan by which all other sport sedans are judged, and once you get past those unfortunate nostrils, I promise there are plenty of redeeming qualities.

In fact, botched nose-job aside, I think the M3 looks pretty hot. It’s 2.4 inches wider than a base 3 Series, evidenced by bulging front and rear fenders, and the big exhaust tips stick out from the diffuser like a freshly polished brass quartet. All M3s get staggered wheels and tires, with standard 18s up front and 19s out back, though my tester has the optional 19-/20-inch setup. Oh, and as for this new Isle of Man paint job, when we’re allowed to be in contact with other humans again, I owe the person who green-lit (heh) this color a high-five.

If the sedan body style isn’t your thing, there’s also the new M4 coupe, which is basically the same car only a little uglier and a little more expensive. Both the M3 and M4 are available in base and Competition specs with rear-wheel drive, and later this year, all-wheel-drive versions of the Competition models will join the party.

Every M3 and M4 uses BMW’s S58 3.0-liter twin-turbo I6, which is a nice upgrade from the old S55 engine. The base tune offers 473 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque and you can get it with either a six-speed manual or eight-speed automatic transmission. The Competition upgrade bumps those figures up to 503 hp and 479 lb-ft, though it also locks you into the automatic gearbox.

The vast majority of M3 and M4 buyers will undoubtedly choose the automatic transmission regardless of engine output, but I’m nevertheless glad to see BMW keeping the manual alive. It’s a good transmission, too — the clutch is heavy with a predictable take-up point, and while I’ve heard other people describe the M3’s gearbox as rubbery, I dig the notchy, precise action to the stick. 

The 3.0-liter twin-turbo I6 engine produces 473 hp or 503 hp, depending on spec.

Jonathan Harper/Roadshow

Besides, the more powerful, auto-only Competition cars aren’t that much quicker. Despite their extra oomph and quicker-shifting transmission, both the M3 and M4 Comp will do the 0-to-60-mph dash in 3.8 seconds; the base/manual cars will do the same sprint in 4.1 seconds. The only time you’ll notice that discrepancy is at a drag strip, or as my photographer correctly points out, while ripping between stoplights on Melrose in Hollywood at midnight. 

The manual is nicely paired with this turbo I6, too. The S58 is surprisingly rev-happy for a turbo engine, but because there’s so much low-end torque, you don’t always have to drop a gear or two to call up necessary passing power. Speaking of which, the manual gearbox will automatically rev-match on downshifts, though you can disable this feature if you want. I’m sure the real manly-men drivers will scoff at this, but I actually love the auto rev-matching tech, only because you get guaranteed smooth downshifts 100% of the time, and sometimes I just don’t freaking feel like heel-and-toeing in traffic.

You know what else is great? The chassis. The standard G20 3 Series’ setup is pretty good, and extra braces and an aluminum subframe only make the M3 stiffer and stronger. Every M3 comes with electronically controlled adaptive dampers, which can react instantly and individually at each wheel, providing excellent composure over smooth and nasty road surfaces alike. I can genuinely feel a difference between the suspension’s Comfort, Sport and Sport Plus modes. And while BMW’s larger M cars are sometimes crashy even in their cushiest settings (lookin’ at you, M5 and X5/X6 M), the M3 is supple enough that I wouldn’t hate driving it every day.

Jonathan Harper/Roadshow

The S58 is surprisingly rev-happy for a turbo engine, but because there’s so much low-end torque, you don’t always have to drop a gear when you need to make a pass.

A standard limited-slip differential keeps power managed at the rear, and the 275/35ZR19 front and 285/30ZR20 rear Michelin Pilot Sport 4S summer tires offer plenty of grip. There are 10 different traction control levels to choose from, which is totally overkill, though it means you can really have a greater handle on just how much leeway you have in terms of slip. The M3 will totally pull off controlled slides, too, and there’s even a feature called the M Drift Analyzer, which records the distance, duration and angle of a drift and then scores your performance so you can step up your game. That’s cool, but please don’t be one of the morons who tries to use this on a public road.

Sweet as the chassis is, the M3’s steering is a mixed bag. The speed-sensitive, variable-ratio setup means the M3 turns in quickly and instantly responds to changes in direction, but the whole experience is lifeless. The wheel is nicely weighted yet it’s also flatline numb, and weirdly, bordering on twitchy in its most aggressive Sport setting. It’s a shame to see BMW still struggling with steering after all these years.

Likewise, the brakes are hit or miss. The standard steel brakes have 15.0-inch front discs with six-piston calipers, and 14.6-inch rear discs with single-piston floating calipers. That’s a perfectly robust stopping setup, but the M3 uses a version of the brake-by-wire system that you’ll find in the 8 Series, where you can change between Comfort and Sport settings, neither of which actually feel all that different from one another. BMW says the benefit to this tech is consistent braking feel in all situations, but that isn’t what I experienced on the road. There’s an artificial buildup of weight that doesn’t always correlate to stopping force, and that’s hard to get used to. Credit where credit’s due, however: This is one of the better brake-by-wire systems when it comes to low-speed modulation.

The orange leather looks great against my test car’s green paint.

Jonathan Harper/Roadshow

If you’d prefer stronger, carbon-ceramic brakes, they’re available for $8,150 and are set apart with classy gold-painted calipers. Given how strong the stock setup is, unless you’re using the M3 as your track car, I’d skip the carbon-ceramic option. Eight grand is a ton of money.

The base M3 comes with a decent list of standard driver-assistance features, including parking sensors, traffic sign recognition, lane-departure warning, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert and more. Unfortunately, things like adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist and BMW’s Extended Traffic Jam Assist (that combines those aforementioned technologies) are hidden behind a $1,700 package that’s only available on the Competition models. It’s kind of lame to lock that tech into the more expensive Competition trim, though I suppose these are features I could theoretically live without. But you do you.

Every M3 has the same cabin tech: BMW’s iDrive 7 software, with a 10.3-inch center touchscreen and a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster. This is exactly the same as what you get in the basic 3 Series, as well as pretty much every other new BMW. iDrive 7 has a pretty steep initial learning curve, but I appreciate the screen’s quick responses to inputs and the fact that you can control it via a knob on the center console or through voice commands. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are included, as well.

Jonathan Harper/Roadshow

The new M3 is both better to drive and easier to live with.

Most of the interior touchpoints carry over from the 330i and M340i to the M3, save for some M-specific badges and colors and a thicker-diameter steering wheel. You can add BMW’s wild-looking carbon bucket seats to any version of the M3 or M4 for $3,800, and I hear they’re seriously supportive. My test car has the standard sport seats, which are perfectly fine and look great done up in Kyalami Orange leather. For $2,550, you can extend the leather color to the lower dashboard panel, too, so yeah, go nuts.

The base M3 starts at $70,895 including $995 for destination. All done up with special paint and interior colors, the carbon-ceramic brakes, upgraded wheels and an Executive Package (heated steering wheel, head-up display, wireless charging, those dumb gesture controls, etc.), the M3 pictured here costs $90,295 — again, nearly 10% of that price is just from the brakes. As for the rest of the range, the M3 Competition comes in at $73,795, the M4 starts at $72,795 and the M4 Competition is the most expensive variant at $75,695.

See? It looks great from the rear.

Jonathan Harper/Roadshow

In the same way the normal 3 Series is an improvement over its predecessor, so too is the M3. This sport sedan is better to drive and easier to live with, and the M3 continues to stack up nicely against the well-rounded Audi RS5 and V8-powered Mercedes-AMG C63 in terms of price and performance. Ultimately, deciding which one to get comes down to which brand you like best or which car you think looks the coolest.

Oh, crap. Maybe that grille is more important than I thought.

Now playing: Watch this: 2021 BMW M4 Competition: A true M car through and through

13:19

[perksofwifi]

What If GM Built a Chevrolet Blazer SS With a Corvette Engine?

The Chevrolet Blazer is a talented, well-rounded crossover. The Camaro of SUVs, as we’ve dubbed it, has sporty looks and an aggressive demeanor—especially in sleek RS guise. We recently spent some time in the 2020 Blazer RS and came away impressed with its fresh interior and competence on the road, but we also think there’s room for a little bit more.

On the road, the Blazer RS felt like a willing partner and it was capable enough to handle whatever I threw at it—within reason, of course. I even thought it could handle a swoopy mountain pass if it really had to. Even though it doesn’t have the outright power to demolish SUV lap records, we think the hypothetical Blazer SS could be the X3M fighter Chevrolet never knew it wanted to build.

Thanks to the 308 hp and 270 lb-ft of torque provided by its 3.6-liter V-6, the Blazer RS with AWD already sprints from 0 to 60 mph in 6.1 seconds and runs the quarter-mile in 14.7 seconds at 95.5 mph. That’s not bad for a 4,274-pound crossover. In our testing, it stopped from 60 mph in 126 feet, and its best figure eight lap was a respectable 27.1 seconds at 0.65 g average.

We’d like to see improvements in all of those areas for our hypothetical Blazer SS. It doesn’t even need to be its own special model, and we think something from the Chevy parts bin would work perfectly. Hear us out: A transversely mounted version of the LT1 V-8 from the outgoing C7 Corvette and current sixth-gen Camaro paired to Chevy’s latest nine-speed front-drive transaxle sounds like the perfect way to motivate a performance-oriented Blazer SS. Paddle shifters, absent from current Blazers, would be a must.

Channeling all of that power would require Chevrolet’s best front-drive-based all-wheel drive system, hardened to handle the torque. We’d like to hope Chevrolet would spring for a fancier system like the electronically controlled center diff in the Subaru WRX STI or an on-demand twin-clutch rear axle like a Ford Focus RS, capable of torque vectoring and creating a rear torque bias.

Realistically, though, Chevrolet doesn’t have any such system in its arsenal and would need to spend substantial money to develop one. An on-demand coupling is probably the most likely as it would improve fuel economy, but we think a vehicle like this ought to have full-time all-wheel drive, so we’d prefer a helical center differential at minimum with a fixed front-rear torque split.

This will help the Blazer feel more characterful, and when combined with brake-based torque vectoring (limited-slip differentials are also expensive) will help give it much better traction out of corners. We also wouldn’t mind seeing slightly wider front and rear track widths to give better overall grip, and maybe a few tweaks to the body—like quad exhausts and an even more aggressive front end.

  Pair all of that with some other performance goodies like bigger brakes, uprated suspension components, lighter wheels, and stickier tires and you’ve got yourself a real performance machine. All of this would help dial out some of the understeer the Blazer suffers from when you’re really pushing it, and the power from the V-8 would make it significantly quicker than the RS in a straight line.

Even though this idea is born entirely of a hypothetical conversation I was having with fellow editors Alex Nishimoto and Zach Gale, Nishimoto pointed out there is some historical precedent here. Remember the Chevrolet Impala SS? In 2006, Chevy took an LS-series V-8 (a 5.3-liter version dubbed the LS4) and stuck it sideways under the hood of its front-wheel-drive family sedan. Even though it wasn’t an SUV, the concept of taking an ordinary family car and dropping in a V-8 (flipped 90 degrees) is something Chevrolet has clearly explored before. The all-aluminum LS4 made 303 hp and 323 lb-ft of torque, and turned the sedate-looking Impala (along with its Monte Carlo SS and Pontiac Grand Prix GXP platform mates) into a real sleeper. According to our colleagues at Hot Rod, the LS4 used a unique low-profile accessory system with a flattened water pump to accomodate the unusual transverse application. It also featured a relocated starter, unique intake manifold, GM’s “Metric” bellhousing pattern, and a slightly shorter crankshaft.

Performance SUVs aren’t some ridiculous fantasy, either. Even since the original X5 M sparked the birth of the segment more than a decade ago, performance SUVs have been coming thick and fast. Mercedes Benz currently offers the GLA, GLC, GLE, and GLS with high-powered AMG engines—there are six different variants in total. The Germans currently have a stranglehold on the segment, though.

Audi, Porsche, BMW, and Mercedes all make some of the fastest SUVs in the world. Outside of the Bentley Bentayga and the Lamborghini Urus (both of which hail from companies owned by Volkswagen), those four brands have little in the way of competition. But America’s appetite for the big people carriers doesn’t seem to be slowing down any time soon.

Ford offers semi-sporty ST versions of both the Explorer and Edge SUVs, too. However, it must be said they’re not full-on, hardcore performance machines and generally aren’t compared to the Germans when it comes to outright performance. The Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk gets closer, and the upcoming Dodge Durango Hellcat may as well, and with all of that in mind, a hardcore, pumped-up SUV from Chevy seems to make more sense than ever before.

Whether Chevy will execute this idea of ours is entirely up to them, but we’d love to see something faster, meaner, and more exciting from the Blazer. With its sedan offerings shrinking, the Bowtie brand could really benefit from something fast and practical in the lineup.

The post What If GM Built a Chevrolet Blazer SS With a Corvette Engine? appeared first on MotorTrend.

https://www.motortrend.com/news/chevy-blazer-ss/ visto antes em https://www.motortrend.com

[adrenalineguide]

2019’s Top Rides: Part 2

By Michael Hozjan

With 2020 quickly approaching I decided to take a look back at a few of my most memorable rides this year. Happily there were a few surprises along the way, vehicles that I thought would be mediocre at best, turned out to be hidden jewels. Here’s part two of three that will follow in the weeks to come.

Hyundai Elantra: An Affordable Class Act

Hyundai’s Elantra is one of those cars that blends unnoticed into the automotive landscape - until now. Redesigned a couple of years back, for 2019 the Elantra gets a sexy mid-cycle makeover.  From the windshield forward the car is all new while a new trunk lid, taillights and bumper freshen up the back.  Thankfully Hyundai isn’t following the competitions’ boy racer look, opting instead for a rich, sophisticated demeanor that doesn’t alienate its youth market.  I had more than a fair share of twenty something’s giving me the thumbs up.

That classy design follows into the greenhouse with clean flowing lines and some welcome upgrades/revisions to the climate and stereo controls and moving to white on black gauges. Regardless of trim, a six-way power driver’s seat and a height adjustable passenger seat are standard. They’re firm and comfortable with great support and I preferred them to the pricier GT version of the 5-door hatchback I had a few weeks later.

Prices start reasonably enough at $17,099 for the base Essential trim line (who comes up with these names and who would brag about having the Essential model?) The Essential offers such essential items (I had to) as heated front seats, Bluetooth, 6-speed manual and a rear view camera. My car had the optional ($1700) automatic with hill start assist, which is available only on the automatic – (why on an automatic?). From there the option/trim levels grow to peak at $27,549 for the Ultimate trim line at which point you can lock/unlock/start your car with your cell phone thanks to Hyundai’s Bluelink. Forward collision avoidance, lane departure, lane keep assist, blind spot warning with lane change assist and rear cross traffic alert are also included, and if an inch makes a difference you get an 8” screen over the other trims’ seven inch unit.

Three driving modes allow you to select shift point, steering wheel and throttle controls to suit your tastes and needs.  Sport mode makes the most out of the 2.0L four cylinder’s 147 horses and 132 lb-ft. of torque bringing acceptable fun to your driving experience but speed demons may want to opt for the GT N Line or Sport trims where a 1.6L turbocharged inline four punches out 201 horses and 195 lb-ft of torque, but that’s another story – stay tuned. Oh and to add to the confusion there’s also a 162 horsepower version of the 2.0L in the GT trim. But if you’re into fuel economy, the base car will impress, I managed to get 5.9-l/100 km with mostly highway excursions. 

 Compared head to head with its two closest competitors, the Civic and Corolla the Elantra is a no brainer, delivering better fuel economy, better head room, better rear seat hip room (yes there’s room for two adults back there), as well as offering a slew of items as standard equipment that you’d pay extra for or simply are not available on the other two like a heated steering wheel.  On top of which the Hyundai’s ultra-high-strength steel structure gives it a quieter ride.

So if you’re looking for a handsome family sedan that can haul four adults in comfort and not eat up the family budget, hop on down to your Hyundai dealer.

Volkswagen Golf GTI Rabbit: Return of the Rascally Rabbit

First there was the Mini Cooper, then the Honda CVCC, and then Volkswagen unleashed the Rabbit GTI changing forever the persona of the front-wheel drive sedan. The GTI made German handling and performance affordable, suddenly you didn’t need to go to the Bimmer dealership for some Teutonic giddy up and go.  It also changed Volkswagen’s image overnight.

Forty plus years later the GTI is still the hot hatch to beat, perfectly balancing comfort, performance and style.

This year VW resurrected the Rabbit name as an added trim model to the Golf GTI line. If you’re confused, don’t be there are three trim levels available to the GTI buyer; the base GTI starts at a very reasonable $30,845 and comes with 17” wheels and a 6-speed manual transmission, the Rabbit edition, aside from a cooler color pallet, adds Dynamic Chassis Control, push start button, an 8 speaker Fender sound system, LED headlights with adaptive front lights, with the Rabbit logo embroider on the Clark Cloth bucket seat backs. The Rabbit also gets 7.5” x 18” black alloy wheels, all for $33,995. Next up the corporate ladder is the Autobahn edition at $36,145. For the extra two + grand you get satellite navigation, Sirius XM sat radio, a panoramic sunroof, manual height adjustment on the comfortable, supportive buckets and power lumbar support.  The 7-speed DSG automatic is a $1,400 option across the board and unfortunately my left foot was sent to the rest home as my Cornflower Blue (yes that’s the real name) tester arrived in the form of an automatic with Tiptronic paddle shifters.

Regardless of trim, the GTI feeds 228 horses to the front wheels through a turbo charged, direct injected, 2.0L TSI inline four cylinder, by comparison non GTI Golfs leave the factory with a 147 horse, 1.4L TSI engine. VW philes will notice an 8 horsepower bump from last year’s GTI thanks to some factory tuning.  In addition all GTIs get a limited slip differential, allowing you to get better traction and control on the twisties by delivering power to the outside front wheel. Enthusiasts will also be pleased to learn that VW has retained a manual, non-electronic hand brake. 

No heated steering wheel.

In short the Rabbit carries all the right stuff. Power delivery is smooth with just an ever so slight hint of turbo lag. If there is a fault, it lies when down shifting with the paddles, as the automatic is slower than I’d like. The adaptive dampening suspension, coupled with the limited slip diff takes an already perfect daily driver and bumps it up several notches on the fun factor. 

My Rabbit came optioned with the $1,750 Driver Assistance Plus package (autonomous e-braking with pedestrian monitoring, blind spot detection, rear traffic alert, lane assist and adaptive cruise)

In the cockpit GTI’s personality differs from plane Jane Golfs with the red ambient lighting and illuminated doorsills. Aluminum pedals, a flat-bottomed steering wheel welcome you to take charge. The instrument cluster is specific to the GTI also. In true German fashion, premium materials and soft-touch plastics are found throughout. Headroom, legroom front and aft is excellent. While all controls are easy to read and manipulate, sadly living in these northern climes a heated steering wheel is missing from the equation.

The Golf has always offered a degree of sophisticated road mannerism not found in any comparably priced sedan and for that matter in few pricier sedans, the GTI takes that formula up a notch while the Rabbit trim offers all the amenities a performance sedan needs. It may be an overused cliché, but the GTI is a true driver’s car. Now if they would only give me a press car with a standard tranny!

Price as tested: $37,550*

*Includes A/C Tax, Tire Tax and Freight.

Buick Encore: Luxury comes in a small package

I almost totaled the Encore within two minutes of getting behind its wheel. It would have been entirely my fault but quick reflexes and maybe an angel or two, prevented me from a lengthy explanation to my GM rep. I had just surrendered the Rabbit GTI back to the good folks at Volkswagen and jumped into the Buick to head back home when I approached the highway on ramp a little too eagerly thinking I was still in the Rabbit. Well it got squirrelly pretty quick and I was reminded just as fast that I was no longer in a road hugging sedan but a tall, skinny crossover that shared nearly as much road room as the Rabbit.  

Now in its seventh year the Encore got a minor facelift a couple of years back, with the most noticeable difference being the waterfall grill that paid homage to ‘50s era Roadmaster. It worked on the larger than life land yacht but did little for the diminutive crossover. The new look takes away from the dorky toy look and gives it a refined appearance. With more and more manufacturers getting into the lucrative compact crossover segment and the Encore’s sales showing no signs of slowing, Buick is doing something right.  

Although the Encore is the smallest vehicle in Buick’s lineup, it packs a lot of punch. Three trim levels make up the line starting at $26,400 for the front drive Preferred model that comes with a 138 horsepower, 1.4L DOHC turbocharged inline four. The standard goodie bag consists of Bluetooth connectivity, OnStar, 4G LTE Wi-Fi, a rear vision camera, sat radio, electronic stability control with traction control and steering wheel mounted controls on a leather steering wheel.

The $28, 400 Sport Touring rendition gets remote start, a rear spoiler, fancier 18” wheels and fog lamps but opens you up to a slew of options that are not available on the base model including a 153 horse 1.4L SIDI turbocharged four with Stop/Start technology.

My tester, the top-of-the-line Essence trim starts at $33,700 and adds all-wheel drive, heated front buckets, remote start, blind zone alert, rear cross traffic alert, 6-way power driver’s seat, dual climate zone controls, heated steering wheel. It also came with the optional, aforementioned, Direct Injection 153 horse, 177 ft-lb of torque, four. Both mills feed the wheels through a seamless 6-speed transmission.

Yes at 33 grand the little Buick gets pricey considering its size, but not everyone needs or wants a larger vehicle, so for all the bells and whistles, the Encore’s price gets justifiable.

What makes the Encore a winner in the subcompact crossover segment is its silky ride, a trait worthy of the Buick name and even after my initial kerfuffle, its handling can best be described as nimble – just as long as you remember what you are driving and not driving.

Inside you’ll find an interior that’s tastefully done with great fit and finish, the controls are easy to read and use. There’s plenty of storage bins about for all your travel needs. The seats are comfortable with plenty of headroom, as you’d expect from the tall design. Two burly adults will probably find shoulder and hip room on the tight side and despite Buick’s claim of it being a 5-passenger…well if the three in the back are kids. There’s 18.8 cu.ft. of cargo room behind the rear seats and 48.4 cubes with the rear seats folded. Folding the back seats however means moving the front seats up, diminishing legroom and still not getting a flat floor. In its favor is that the cargo bay is taller than most other compacts. 

If you’re looking for a ride that offers ease of entry, a low lift over for the cargo bay while offering an above average ride and small enough to negotiate urban centers’ shrinking streets the Encore is sure to please, all while being a miser at the gas pump.

[privateplates4u]

Lexus LC 500: 8th Place – 2017 Motor Trend’s Best Driver’s Car

Lexus has a stated mission to inject more excitement into its lineup, and adding a second rear-drive, V-8 coupe to the mix is part of the plan. The big LC 500 is a grand tourer through and through, but don’t let its grandness and opulence fool you. There’s a lot of serious hardware under the hood. Power comes from the F performance brand’s 5.0-liter V-8 with 471 horsepower and 398 lb-ft on tap. It’s delivered to the rear tires by an all-new 10-speed automatic transmission and optional limited-slip differential. Adjustable dampers and optional rear steering work the handling angle while big calipers clamp down on steel disc brakes. They’ve got their work cut out for them stopping 4,364 pounds worth of car. It’s Best Driver’s Car week! Keep it on MotorTrend.com this week as we count down the finishing order of our contenders this year and share bonus content you’ll only find right here. Work they do, pulling the LC 500 to a stop from 60 mph in 105 feet. Getting to 60 mph in the first place takes 4.7 seconds, and covering a quarter mile requires 13 seconds flat at 109.8 mph. On the skidpad, the suspension and tires do their thing to a tune of 0.93 average g, with a figure-eight lap needing 24.6 seconds at 0.79 average g. We Say “Despite the isolation, it’s surprisingly fast and very difficult to upset with Trac/VSC off (when on, it’s maddening). It does have the most understeer of any of the vehicles on 198, but like a good BMW, at least the understeer is clear and distinct. Lexus hasn’t tried to mask it with weird EPS or rear steer inputs.” – Ed Loh “Most shocking. I was expecting nothing. In fact, I argued against even bringing the LC 500 along because it’s just so big and heavy. I was wrong. Folks, we have an athlete on our hands. It’s a bit heavy, sure, but the fundamentals are all there. Gorgeous sounds from the V-8, a gearbox that loves shifting, reflexes that hide the size, and fairly stout brakes. Great body control, too. Not a car you’d think you can push, but— surprise!—you totally can. Amazing job, Lexus.” – Jonny Lieberman Read about other 2017 Best Driver’s Car contenders: Mercedes-AMG GT R Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport Aston Martin DB11 Nissan GT-R NISMO Mazda MX-5 Miata RF McLaren 570GT “How can this car have 10 gears and never ever be in the right one? There were at least a dozen rejected requests for a downshift, so I had to learn to slow the car on the brakes before requesting a downshift. On the way up it was fourth gear almost all the time, which doesn’t give it any snap. The soundtrack is good, but the response is not there. I’m not a fan of the rear-steer. There were several corners where I didn’t know where the steering was going to point me. The brakes were fine, except not a lot of feel through the pedal, similarly not a lot of feel through the steering with a tendency for understeer that just doesn’t say sports car but grand tourer.” – Chris Walton “The exhaust notes on the LC are intoxicating and so unexpected coming out of a Lexus that you check the rear mirror to make sure that a race car is not coming up behind you. The engine sound builds; you hear it ratchet up with each gearshift with an almost unnatural precision. But the highlight is the amazing downshift burbles. I am a sucker for a downshift burble. It makes me go weak in the knees. It doesn’t carry the speed as well, and I found myself gripping the steering wheel and trying to muscle it while also braking more than I should entering the corners, which contributed to a disjointed drive—ironic coming from Lexus, the king of the smooth ride.” – Alisa Priddle “Part of the driving experience is tailoring all the vehicle settings to your liking. Whoever designed the infotainment system should be stripped naked, covered in honey, and tied to the top of an anthill. Everything is buried under layers of menus, and the only way to access it is by using a hilariously inaccurate touchpad. It took me five minutes to figure out the seat coolers on the first day, and it stayed on throughout the week of testing because it was too much of an effort to turn it back off. Good luck changing channels on the satellite radio.” – Derek Powell Randy Says “Mostly I was waiting on understeer. Then by the time I could finally get to some power it was much nicer. I like the steering, I thought it was really accurate, reasonably quick, and I thought it was a fun car on track except for that entry understeer. It was like this one characteristic that just doesn’t fit right. Go into the corner, and it was just, ‘Ah! I want to go that way.’ Then, on power, it’s beautiful, and it was a really fun car to drift on my cooldown. Even though it doesn’t want to turn under hot-lap driving, it’s really easy to drift it if you’re not. “It was beautiful, smooth car accelerating, and you hear that engine note and go ‘Wow, where is that coming from?’ I look around to see who’s coming by, and I’m like, ‘Oh, that’s me.’ I just love that. “Even in Sport+ mode, it’s still a little soft on the racetrack. Damping is pretty soft. I actually think the spring bars are in a really good place, and I kept pushing Lexus on that, too. I consulted on that car three and a half times, and every time I told them it’s too soft, too soft, too soft. “The brakes are very reactive—you get a lot. So they don’t need an aggressive application. Don’t be stabby. I did once, and it just wouldn’t stop. It wasn’t making the brake gs that I knew it was capable of. So from then on I would just, you know, apply the pedal gently, and then it stopped great. Stopped really well for a street tire.” EDITOR’S NOTE: Randy Pobst was an on-call dynamics consultant during the development of the LC 500. 2018 Lexus LC 500 POWERTRAIN/CHASSIS DRIVETRAIN LAYOUT Front-engine, RWD ENGINE TYPE 90-deg V-8, alum block/heads VALVETRAIN On-demand Atkinson-/Otto-cycle DOHC, 4 valves/cyl DISPLACEMENT 303.2 cu in/4,969 cc COMPRESSION RATIO 12.3:1 POWER (SAE NET) 471 hp @ 7,100 rpm TORQUE (SAE NET) 398 lb-ft @ 4,800 rpm REDLINE 7,000 rpm WEIGHT TO POWER 9.3 lb/hp TRANSMISSION 10-speed automatic AXLE/FINAL-DRIVE RATIO 2.94:1/1.76:1 SUSPENSION, FRONT; REAR Multilink, coil springs, adj shocks, anti-roll bar; multilink, coil springs, adj shocks, anti-roll bar STEERING RATIO 9.8-13.6:1 TURNS LOCK-TO-LOCK 2.4 BRAKES, F; R 15.7-in vented 2-pc disc; 14.1-in vented disc, ABS WHEELS, F;R 8.5 x 21-in; 9.5 x 21-in, forged aluminum TIRES, F;R 245/40R21 96Y; 275/35R21 99Y Michelin Pilot Super Sport ZP (Tread 300) DIMENSIONS WHEELBASE 113.0 in TRACK, F/R 64.2/64.4 in LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT 187.4 x 75.6 x 53.0 in TURNING CIRCLE 34.8 ft CURB WEIGHT 4,364 lb WEIGHT DIST, F/R 53/47% SEATING CAPACITY 4 HEADROOM, F/R 36.8/32.2 in LEGROOM, F/R 42.0/32.5 in SHOULDER ROOM, F/R 56.5/48.9 in CARGO VOLUME 5.4 cu ft TEST DATA ACCELERATION TO MPH 0-30 1.8 sec 0-40 2.7 0-50 3.6 0-60 4.7 0-70 5.9 0-80 7.3 0-90 8.9 0-100 10.7 0-100-0 14.7 PASSING, 45-65 MPH 2.2 QUARTER MILE 13.0 sec @ 109.8 mph BRAKING, 60-0 MPH 105 ft LATERAL ACCELERATION 0.93 g (avg) MT FIGURE EIGHT 24.6 sec @ 0.79 g (avg) 2.2-MI ROAD COURSE LAP 1:43.40 sec TOP-GEAR REVS @ 60 MPH 1,200 rpm CONSUMER INFO BASE PRICE $92,995 PRICE AS TESTED $104,465 STABILITY/TRACTION CONTROL Yes/Yes AIRBAGS 8: Dual front, front side, f/r curtain, front knee BASIC WARRANTY 4 yrs/50,000 miles POWERTRAIN WARRANTY 6 yrs/70,000 miles ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE 4 yrs/Unlimited miles FUEL CAPACITY 21.7 gal EPA CITY/HWY/COMB ECON 16/26/19 mpg ENERGY CONS, CITY/HWY 211/130 kW-hrs/100 miles CO2 EMISSIONS, COMB 1.00 lb/mile RECOMMENDED FUEL Unleaded premium The post Lexus LC 500: 8th Place – 2017 Motor Trend’s Best Driver’s Car appeared first on Motor Trend.

http://www.motortrend.com/news/lexus-lc-500-8th-place-2017-best-drivers-car/

[kokania00]

Computers Verses Concepts: Can Computers Think?

Traffic computers manage our signal lights. Microprocessors direct our car engines. Automated controllers run our factories.

And in an insult of sorts, Watson, a successor in spirit to Deep Blue, trounced our human compatriots in Jeopardy.

Computers have permeated our work and our leisure and our lives. This has mainly been for the good, enhancing human society, enabling our progress. But we wonder. Do we feel comfortable with so many functions performed by non-thinking machines? Do we risk something passing off control to efficient, but non-the-less essentially mindless, entities?

Or maybe we feel the opposite, we wouldn't want our computers to think, otherwise we, humans, might lose control.

So can computers "think?" Would it pose a danger, or provide a benefit?

I will explore those questions, and do so, as I often do with questions of this kind, with a thought experiment.

Poker Chips

Imagine round, plastic poker chips, like you might find at a casino. Rather than being imprinted with dollar figures, we stamp each chip with a different number. The numbers run from one to twenty-five thousand. We need so many because each chip stands for a word, though for this discussion we don't know which one.

Well, we will allow some exceptions. We will have a subset of chips with actual words not numbers. These words will be mainly prepositions, articles, linking verbs, etc. such as, "is", "to", "can" and "from". This allows us to construct relations between the numbered chips. For example, using the words and chips, we might have:

"Two" can be "Seventeen" from "Sixty-four."

That might stand for something such as a chair (two) can be assembled (seventeen) from wood (sixty-four). We proceed to construction thousands, hundreds of thousands, of such relations.

We could now be asked questions, such as what can a "two" be "seventeen" from. We would search through the array of chip expressions, and find our example expression, an answer "sixty-four." We would have found the correct answer. But we did so not by understanding anything, but rather by looking through a collection of meaningless chip relationships. We had no idea of what we what talking about. We didn't understand.

From Symbols to Meaning

What would it take to add understanding to the numbers on the chips?

We could translate the chips to words. But that is not really an answer, since words are still symbols. If we translated the chip numbers into Latin, few of us would really gain any understanding. The Latin words, in fact most words in any language, are as arbitrary a symbol as the number on the chip.

Pictures, however, would help. If a dozen or so pictures of a chair were connected to the chip numbered two, we would begin to understand. "Two" would start to have meaning.

We can envision continuing the process across hundreds, thousands, of the chips, associating each with pictures, or a movie, or a sound, or a smell, or even a touch sensation (hot, cold, sharp, soft, etc). Our understanding would expand.

At some point, understanding the concepts associated with each chip would require more than pictures. "Push" could be movie of a person with his or her shoulder to a dresser moving the dresser. That may or may not be interpreted correctly. But by this point, we would have built an understanding of a good number of the chips, so the movie could be supplemented by the sentence "to push is to move an object. This can be done by walking while having your body against the object."

We could continue to build concepts upon concepts in the same manner. Once we reached a sufficient base, maybe when we got through the first ten thousand chips, we could really step up to tackle the chips that represented words like "justice" and "truth."

So eventually, we could teach ourselves the "meaning" of all the twenty five-thousand chips. We would understand.

But could we teach a computer so that it would "understand?"

The Role of Experience

Yes, and no.

Yes, because like our human above, a computer can readily associate pictures, movies, sounds, smells, touches to a symbol. Certainly the computer would need many unique components, including specialized sensors, optimized processors, large memory stores, and custom software. But we don't picture this as outlandish. We can picture a humanoid robot, with appropriate sensors in the locations of the human's ears, eyes, nose, finger tips, and so on, connected wirelessly to the computer complex needed to process all that data.

As sophisticated as the Watson of Jeopardy fame is, such a robot would be a generation, maybe two, beyond Watson. Watson works at the level of word association, basically linking our numbered chips. Watson has assimilated billions of associations between those chips, but nowhere does it appear Watson associates a chip/word with anything other than another number chip, or an occasional picture or sound.

Our robot goes beyond that. It doesn't just associate "chairs" with "four legs". Our robot learns by sitting on actual chairs; in fact we have it sit on dozens of chairs of all different types, metal ones, wood ones, plastic ones, soft ones, hard ones, squeaky ones, springy ones. And as this happens, the robot's sensors gather sounds, sights, feels, smells, at ranges and precisions well beyond humans. All the while, the robot and its computers are building associations upon associations.

And we repeat the process with tables, then with beds, then dressers and the whole range of furniture. We then move to desk items (paper, books, pens, erasers), then to kitchen items, bathroom items, work bench items, then move outside, and on and on.

When it has a sufficient knowledge of the poker chips we teach it to use the internet. The number of associations explodes.

We then add in a crucial element, evaluative software. This software allows for judgments, and comparisons, and balancing of alternate answers, and so on. We have evaluation modules for many aspects of the world, for engineering, for ethics, for aesthetics, for social dynamics.

With all this, we then send our robot/computer out into the world, to shop, to travel, to attend college and to work, all to build further and deeper associations and to tune the evaluation modules.

Let's say the training progresses for a decade. Would our robot now understand?

Yes, and no.

Yes in that the computer would have an association mapping as rich and complex as humans, and an ability to make judgments with those associations. For example let's ask the robot/computer "would you drive a freight train on a highway, and why?"

If we asked Watson, I surmise it might stumble. Watson would find many associations between highways and freight handling, and associations of trains as a vehicle and that vehicles (trucks, cars) ride on highways. It would find many citations that trucks ride on trains, and train containers ride on trucks.

In contrast, Watson would only see few mentions of the fact that the wheels on a train would damage the highway, and that the wheels could not obtain sufficient traction on the road surface to travel under control.

So Watson would be confronted with at best conflicting associations relative to freight trains and highways, and at worst indications the trains and highways are compatible.

Watson would then likely falter with the words "would you" and "why." Those don't call for a fact, but rather a judgment, and Watson can not really evaluate, it can only associate.

In contrast, our robot would likely catch the intent of the question. We gave our robot the ability to evaluate, and the word "would" would explicitly trigger the evaluation modules. Watson would run through them all, for example considering ethics, and efficiency, and economics, but would eventually reach a technical valuation based on engineering.

In fairly short order (a few seconds) or maybe long order (a few minutes), our robot/computer would calculate the load stresses of the train wheels on the asphalt and concrete, and the lateral friction between the steel and the road. The robot would see that the concentrated load from the train wheels would exceed the carrying capacity of the road material, and also see that friction between the wheels and the road surface would be insufficient to provide traction and lateral control.

Our robot would thus respond that it would not drive a train on a highway, since the train would fail in critical mechanical aspects.

Could our robot really do such engineering calculations? Computers do them routinely now. But today humans configure the problem for the computer, so could our robot convert our question to the necessary mechanical setup. Yes, converting a physical object or system into an abstract force diagram may be daunting, but it is not mystery or magic. The process of creating force diagrams can be converted into an algorithm, or set of algorithms, and algorithms can be programmed into a computer.

So our robot thinks? Yes. But does it "understand"?

No.

The robot lacks consciousness. For all the ability of the robot to associate and evaluate, the robot isn't conscious. Why do I say that? Long story short (and a discussion of computer consciousness could be long), our robot of the near future will have microchips of traditional architecture. These microchips may be very fast, may be very sophisticated, and may be made of exotic semiconductors, but they will be extensions of today's architectures nonetheless. In my view, such chips, even thousands put together, do not have the right configuration to generate consciousness.

So, agree or not, let's posit that our robot is not conscious. And consciousness is likely the key to going beyond thinking to meaning. We know a chair not because we have digitally stored a sensor measurement of a 3/8 inch deflection in a cushion. We know a chair because we experience it, a holistic experience, not a set of mechanical sensor readings. Our robot has thousands of memory registers associating digitized pictures to a chair, but not a single holistic experience.

Thinking Computers

So, our robot can think, but it doesn't understand. It has intelligence, but does have a sense of meaning. And this is because it lacks consciousness.

So now to the other part of our question, do we want our computers to think?

Numerous movies - Eagle Eye (2008), I Robot (2004), The Terminator series (1984 and later) - have computers that think. In a typical Hollywood fashion, the "thinking" of these computers, though well-intentioned, causes them to veer down unintended paths, to start to think they are smarter than humans, but to the detriment of humans. We certainly don't want those type of thinking computers.

Isaac Asimov, in his extended fictional writing on robots, was not nearly so pessimistic. His three laws of robotics kept the robots on a more positive and controlled path.

Data, on Star Trek, stands as an even a more positive view of a robot, even altruistic to a fault. But he was offset by the Borg, a cyber-organism of driven determination, to assimilate every civilization. The Borg could think, no doubt, but were thoughtless in their destructiveness.

Which one of these images from fiction will be our future?

I lean towards none of them. Watson, and then a second generation of Watson like the robot pictured here, will likely impact human society in a more insidious manner, economically. Will that economic impact vault us forward or backward? Will we have a Star Trek like Camelot with computers freeing us for leisure and human advancement, and will thinking computers displace our vast collection of information workers consigning the formerly well-employed to low paying jobs. Utopia or Matrix-like enslavement, which might thinking computers bring?

Will the future tell? Maybe not my future. But likely the future of our children. May God help them.

David Mascone has degrees in Engineering and Business. He has interests in science, philosphy and theology. His leisure activities include sports, hiking, science fiction and little league umpiring. His intellectual focus is finding consistency and synergies between the great masterpieces of human intellect, including religion, science and art.

[olivereliott]

Review: Riding the (frankly bonkers) Arch KRGT-1

I’ve just swung a leg over the most exclusive production motorcycle we’ve ever tested: the $85,000 Arch KRGT-1. It’s a made-to-order performance cruiser, with unapologetic looks to match that hefty price tag.

But do Arch owners Keanu Reeves and Gard Hollinger actually know what they’re doing—or is this just a vanity project for a Hollywood star? And how much bike do you get for Tesla Model X money? I flew from Cape Town to LA to find out.

Along with a select few other media outlets, Bike EXIF was invited to Arch’s hometown of Los Angeles to ride the KRGT-1, visit the company’s headquarters, and pick the brains of Reeves and Hollinger.

The KRGT-1 concept came from Reeves himself: he wanted an American-made cruiser that would actually handle. So he commissioned Hollinger, an experienced custom bike builder, to customize his 2005 Harley-Davidson Dyna. By the time Hollinger was done, the motor was the only original part left.

Reeves loved the result. And after some initial resistance, Hollinger agreed to use it as a prototype for a production model. Arch Motorcycle and the KRGT-1 were born.

Reeves is the antithesis of the typical Hollywood type. He’s humble, passionate and deeply knowledgeable, and his investment in Arch goes way beyond just dollars. He’s also the company’s primary road tester, racking up more miles on development bikes than anyone else in Arch.

Hollinger and senior Arch staffer Ryan Boyd told me that every time Reeves takes a bike out, he comes back with a list of changes—often unrelated to the aspect of the bike he’s supposed to be testing.

Reeves’ uncanny ability to ‘feel out’ a bike, and provide usable feedback, is one of the things that persuaded Hollinger to pull the trigger on Arch. Hollinger himself talks about their projects in a steady, considered manner—giving away just how experienced he is, and how obsessive he is over every little detail.

Development at Arch is ongoing and never-ending. This new version of the KRGT-1 was born out of the constant drive to improve, and the need to meet Euro4 emissions standards. It’s hard to tell the old and new models apart at a quick glance, but it’s a huge step forward. There are over twenty major changes, with a total of 150 newly designed parts.

Each KRGT-1 is assembled like a giant Meccano set, by Arch’s ten-plus staff. It starts with a high backbone frame, which looks incomplete until you bolt on the CNC-machined aluminum subframe and tail structure. The fuel tank is also aluminum, and acts as a stressed member of the frame.

The new swingarm is a distinguishing feature; a curvaceous aluminum unit that’s visually bigger than before, but weighs five pounds less. It mounts directly to the rear shock with no additional linkages—a deliberate move to have fewer moving parts.

The shock itself is a custom unit from Öhlins, who also supplied the front forks. High-end parts tailored specifically to Arch’s needs are a recurring theme throughout the KRGT-1: the wheels are five-spoke carbon units from BST, but with hubs specific to the bike. And the brakes are a combo of ISR calipers, Bosch ABS electronics, and Magura master cylinders and controls.

Power’s handled via a proprietary six-speed transmission with a special high torque main shaft, and a hydraulic clutch. The final drive is via a chain.

The motor is a specially designed 124 ci 45-degree V-twin from S&S Cycle, and it’s both EPA- and CARB-certified. (That’s a two-liter engine, for those of you on the metric system.) But instead of breathing through a big fat filter that sticks out on the side, it sucks air through a proprietary downdraught system.

Air ducts in the headlight surround channel air down to the area between the two halves of the fuel tank, and into a K&N filter housing. Everything is specific to the KRGT-1: the filter, its housing, and even the rubber boot connecting it to the intake.

The exhaust is a combination of hand-built headers, and a muffler made in-house from parts supplied by Yoshimura. It’s a great system that adds sport bike style and gives off a forceful bark.

There’s no doubt that the KRGT-1’s aesthetic is seriously polarizing (we can’t even agree on it here at Bike EXIF), but I’m into it. There’s an undeniable flow from front to back, and nothing feels out of place. It’s also one of the cleanest production bikes out there, with not a single unsightly wire or tube, and is way less bulky than it looks in photos.

Since the KRGT-1 is usually made-to-order with a 90-day turnaround, Arch only had three next-gen bikes on test—in red, blue and grey, with varying parts finishes showing off the range of customization. If bright colors aren’t your thing, just order yours in black.

The bike I rode most of the test bore the initials ‘KRYK-1’ on the muffler, a reference to the International Klein Blue color that Reeves picked for the paint. The dash is from Motogadget, and the switches are made by Domino specifically for Arch.

They work well, but they’re plastic—and on a motorcycle laden with so much gorgeous metal, I think there’s potential for something special here. I can’t fault the rest of the parts spec though, which also features a lot of Rizoma trim. The headlight’s pretty neat too—it’s an LED unit from JW Speaker, with adaptive cornering lighting built in.

There are carbon fiber fenders at both ends too, and optional heat shields on different points along the exhaust headers. (The front heat shield bolts neatly to the motor, as an example of how well put together everything is.)

Every last finish is top grade—from the paint and anodizing to the seat upholstery. Even the mandatory license plate bracket, mounted off the swingarm, is borderline art.

Touring Arch’s Los Angeles manufacturing facility was a rare treat, and the sheer scale of the operation blew my mind. It takes about 1,200 pounds of aluminum billet to produce the machined parts for one motorcycle—but 90 % of that ends up as recyclable shavings.

Take the split fuel tank, for example. It’s made of sections that go through multiple phases of CNC machining, before they’re ready to be welded shut with insanely good-looking welds. All of that takes 40 hours, per tank.

All these parts have tooling marks that have been designed to create a feeling of motion across all surfaces. What’s more, when you strip the parts down, you’ll notice special cavities and cutouts all over—either for mounting other components into, or for channeling wiring.

The HQ is not open to the public, except when you’ve made an appointment to order your own KRGT-1. The order process starts with a consultation, so that Arch can tailor each bike to not only their client’s taste, but their body too. (No two KRGT-1s will ever leave the factory the same way.)

For ergonomics, the footpeg position can be varied via custom mounting plates and adjustable pegs, the seat can be set deeper or further back, and the bars can be adjusted too. There’s also a fair amount of freedom around liveries and the anodized and raw finishes.

There’s no option for mid-mount pegs though. I originally questioned the idea of a long wheelbase, fat rear tire and forward controls on a performance motorcycle. So I asked Reeves and Hollinger [above] if that was a deliberate move to maintain an element of cruiser DNA in the KRGT-1, and they confirmed it.

The truth is, this was never meant to be a sports naked—only a performance cruiser. A combination of the things Reeves liked about the cruisers he was riding before he approached Hollinger, but with performance turned up to eleven.

Riding the KRGT-1 To put that performance to the test, we rode from our hotel in sleepy Pasadena towards the endlessly meandering roads of the Angeles Crest Highway. Was I nervous riding an $85,000 motorcycle, of which only three prototypes currently exist? Little bit.

Hitting the starter button quickly reminded me that the KRGT-1 is a pure American muscle bike. That 124 ci V-twin is nothing short of monstrous, with ample bark and bite. And as you’d expect from a mill this size, it shakes. And it gets pretty hot, too. But Arch make no apologies for this—it’s all part and parcel of this type of bike, really.

That ethos is pushed further with the use of a traditional cable throttle. There’s no ride-by-wire, no traction control and no rider aids beyond ABS…which gives the KRGT-1 a refreshingly visceral nature.

The KRGT-1 weighs in at 538 lbs [244 kg] dry—over 100 lbs less than the new Harley-Davidson Low Rider S, and in the same ballpark as BMW’s R1250 GS. It’s a big bike, but not a total lump.

The weight, and the heat and shimmy from the motor, make it a bit of a handful from stop light to stop light in traffic. But the second I hit the open road, I whacked the throttle wide open, tucked into the deep seat and felt the KRGT-1 come into its own.

I found Arch’s six-speed transmission pretty stiff at first, and hard to get into neutral too. But then I rode the other bike on hand that day, and it was far more compliant. I discovered that the hydraulic clutch simply needed to be bled. It’s understandable—the bike I was riding was Reeves’ personal test mule; a prototype build with over 3,000 miles on it already.

The beastly S&S Cycle power plant is well tuned, with masses of usable torque. Arch and S&S didn’t just grab a motor off the shelf and pop it in the KRGT-1—they spent a lot of time fine-tuning it, and it shows.

There’s 122 Nm [90 lb.-ft] at the back wheel. But rather than peak at a tangible point in the rev range, most of it is on hand, most of the time. So while I was hustling the KRGT-1 through the endless blissful corners of Angeles Crest, I seldom had to hit the gear shifter. Instead, I could just roll on and off the throttle.

Cornering with the KRGT-1 is a revelation too. Despite the rider triangle and stretched wheelbase, it’s remarkably intuitive through turns. It takes hardly any effort to pitch it over—and once it’s there, it holds the line like it’s on rails.

How did Arch get this so right? I’d say there’s a few reasons. For starters, carbon wheels and an aluminum swing arm go a long way to reduce unsprung mass, and you really feel it through corners. But it’s also the fact that the KRGT-1’s a ground-up build, with every component front to back designed to work in unison.

The entire chassis feels stiff and connected. And the suspension works well too, keeping the bike planted with no vagueness or wallowing. And with the 19F/18R wheel combo and the KRGT-1’s relative tallness, you’ve got a lot more room to lean than you have on most cruisers.

There’s a ton of modulation (and power) in the brakes too. I grabbed a handful early on and sent the nose into a sharp dive, before realizing that all the ISR units needed was a gentle tap to slow the bike down. Once I’d figured that out, I was feathering the front with a finger or two while trail braking into corners. Yip: trail braking on a cruiser.

As someone who actually digs riding cruisers, I didn’t hate the forward controls at all. I get why the KRGT-1 is setup like this, and actually like it. And I really liked the setup of the bars and seat, too, though the tank contours weren’t in the right place, and I ended up sitting a bit wide-legged.

I also found that my butt and lower back were mad at me towards the end of the ride, just from sitting in a hunched position for long. I’m a big guy though, and my regularly-sized riding partner on the day had no such issues. The two bikes we were riding had tangibly different ergonomics too, so some setup time might yield improvements.

The ride was remarkably fun, but afterwards I wondered how many of Arch’s customers simply buy into the concept of owning an exclusive boutique motorcycle—and how many actually appreciate the KRGT-1’s ride dynamics.

So I asked Arch’s client and communications manager, Jordan Mastagni. He said that most customers are avid motorcyclists who are drawn to the bike specifically due to its capabilities.

Arch also have a strong focus on the ownership experience. They’re hands-on during the ordering process, and each bike ships with an ‘owner’s box’ with a custom-made key, a special tool for adjustments, and a book detailing the unique build process. Arch once even sent a technician all the way to Australia to fix what turned out to be a minor issue.

That level of obsession and dedication is written all over the KRGT-1. From the outlandish level of build quality to the unusually good riding experience, it’s a remarkable and special motorcycle.

Sure, it still has a lot of cruiser DNA, but my gut says that will be a selling point for Arch customers.

And ultimately, it rides unlike any other cruiser out there.

Arch Motorcycle | Facebook | Instagram | Images by Alessio Barbanti and Arnaud Puig

Wes’ gear ICON 1000 Variant Pro helmet | Harley-Davidson Trego riding shirt | ICON 1000 Nightbreed gloves | Saint Unbreakable stretch denims | ICON 1000 Varial boots

[lslbrigade]

My expectation of the Model 3 test drive

The test drive with the Tesla Model 3 is to find out how the latest Tesla works and therefore by the way: what makes the Model 3 different from the larger Model S (apart from the length). In order to find out, I did a trip to the countryside – a short tour through the varied Lower Austria.

Introducing my individual passengers

Andreas Icha is responsible for our resort “Alles Auto” (All about Cars will come soon to the english website).

I invited three completely different passengers to my test drive. No. 1 is female, over 50, knows different cars, drives cars almost every day, but is only very interested in the topic – they should work. No. 2 is male, about 30, soaks up everything about cars, like a dry Greek natural sponge. No. 3 is female, counts 90 (!) years, still drives joyfully and safely small cars and is curious about everything new. And there is me – since my childhood infested with the auto virus and a critical observer of the mobility concepts for our future. For the personal opinions of the persons, I will use these Numbers in the editorial as 1 to 4 – that’s easier (for me).

The Tesla Model 3 variants to choose from

The Tesla Model 3 isn’t named like that because of  THREE different versions. But there are three models to choose from. You can choose from the following options:

Standard range Plus: Rear-wheel drive and partial premium interior

Maximum range: four-wheel drive and premium interior (our test vehicle)

Performance: four-wheel drive and premium interior

Model 3 does not skimp with power

Model 3 from Tesla doesn’t stint with performance. 460 HP is an announcement for a car of the middle class. The same class is Audi A4, BMW 3 Series, C-Class Benz and exotics, such as Jaguar XE or Renault Talisman. It is not the pure performance that inspires. No, the characteristic of the powerful e-drive. The full torque from the first engine revolution – that’s impressive.

Like pulled toward from an extra strong jar glass rubber, the Tesla slurps the hundred in 4.6 seconds. The top speed of 235 km / h is OK – for Austria at least sufficient. No. 2 very pleased: “Hurry, the next traffic light is red again. Give it a good gas … uh … electricity!”. The joy I like – “whoohoo” and we are gone – but only up to 50 km / h. We are still in the city area.

No. 1 notes that it is not that quiet in the interior. Although no engine hum can be heard (really now?), however, the wind and rolling noise are clearly audible with 80km/h. A well-insulated, modern oil burner is not much louder. So we roll over the Danube river highway in the direction of the airport, where “No. 3” is already waiting for us.

The Model 3 in the rain – all OK thanks to all-wheel drive for optimum traction

Tight front seats

The seats are a functional and pleasant compromise. For No. 2, the front seats have too little lateral support – compared to the sports cups of a Porsche (hm…). No. 1 means: “The upholstery could be a bit softer”. In my humble opinion, seating fits best for everyday life. During civilized driving style, the lateral support is fine, the seats are suitable for about 180 cm tall people and the tight padding helps the occupants to keep in a good mood and lively, even after long distances. A weakness: the headrests are not adjustable in height and inclination.

The front seats are well-sized and comfortable – even on longer trips.

Seat row two for long distances

Sitting back is no punishment inside Model 3 from Tesla. As in the front, the passengers in the second seat row are well and long-distance suitable lifted. Tight cushions ensure a tireless journey.

Modern sedans are generally a bit confusing. Tesla Model 3 is no exception. When parking backward, the camera at the rear and the acoustic beep tone helps anyway. So you’ll squeeze the Tesla into every tight parking space.

You can handle Model 3 almost entirely via the central monitor in the middle of the dashboard – which also impresses unicorn llamas

Operation via the central touch screen

In terms of functionality, Tesla goes its own way. In the interior, the central touch screen is the dominant design and operating element. Beside the screen there are only two steering column levers and two turn & push buttons on the steering wheel – that’s it. The menu navigation on the fixed tablet is very simple if you have seen through it once. That’s all it takes to operate a car. All functions are available here and you will be able to adapt all configurations. You can see that Tesla is a computer with a driving function. Only No. 3 is a little confused. “And how do you take the tablet down from there?” she asks doubtfully.

The clearly drawn and tidy dashboard is a trademark of Tesla

Crisp chassis for sporty driving

Model 3 you can drive crisp and direct because of the relatively high deadweight of almost 1.9 tonnes and the low center of gravity through the batteries let the load fed on the asphalt. The Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tires on the test car are top and fitting very well with the vehicle. The category “sporty sedan” characterizes the driving dynamics best. Curvy overland trails, such as along the Wagram, conjure the Tesla an imaginary grin in the front. He acknowledges tight, fast corners with the intervention of the electronic assistance systems. They down-regulate everything so that a safe course is secured. Up to the limit, the Model 3 is neutral to slightly understeering on the road. The chassis is tight and fits well with the sporty character. 

The driving behavior of the Model 3 is quite sporty – with a racing kart you should better not compete

If you drive provident you will rarely need to use the brake pedal. Simply go from the gas or accelerator pedal and the energy will be recovered by recuperation and fed into the battery. If this is not enough, the brake calipers grip the four discs and decelerate the tight two tons until they standstill.

The brakes are sufficiently dimensioned and benefit from recuperation.

Interior and Trunk

The interior of the Tesla Model 3 is simply clear. This was addressed earlier in the context of usability. The materials don’t match the feeling of other premium manufacturers. Front and back, the Model 3 offers enough space. Four people will travel very comfortably by car – five of them fit in anyway.

The (rear) trunk can hold a lot of luggage – even if the loading floor is slightly high due to the batteries.

The trunk volume is sufficient for a mid-size vehicle. The high cargo space floor in the rear cargo space is because of the batteries on the car floor. The access is a big hole – unfortunately, the model 3 has no despite hatchback. In the front Trunk of the car, you will also find a storage space – this is the advantage of the compact electric motors.

All hatches open – access to the rear luggage compartment could be more convenient if it were a tailgate.

Full equipment – all in there

Our test vehicle is equipped with everything that Tesla has to offer – this is called ‘premium interior’. The front seats are 12-way adjustable and heated. The rear seats can be heated. Enjoy listening to music with the premium audio system – 14 speakers plus subwoofer make great sound.

Sunscreen – not the greatest thing since sliced bread

Ambivalent reactions trigger the tinted panoramic glass roof. While No. 2 finds the transparent roof extremely cool, No. 1 is less positive about it. “Because the sun is dazzling. It’s getting extremely hot because of that. Why isn’t there a nice sunshade roller blind? “, so the feedback. So I start to install the not very practical sunscreen. “Well … that’s not the greatest thing, since sliced bread but ok”, notes No. 1 sullen.

The sunshade for the panoramic glass roof is an impractical thing – perhaps Tesla will consider a more comfortable solution

Autopilot – on the way to autonomous driving?

No. 2 nearly can’t wait anymore. He wants to see how the autopilot controls the car. “Come on! Take your hands off the steering wheel! Let the Tesla drive itself! “, It sounds highly motivated from the second row. No. 3, already experienced a lot in her 90 years and would like to spend some more time on this planet, moans: “Does it really have to be that way?!”

Come on – take your hands off!

 “Autopilot” sounds more dramatic than it is. The centerpiece is adaptive speed control, which does a pretty good job on the highway. For example, change lane? Yes, it works. However, the system acts so carefully – it needs enough space and no car should be visible from behind. But that raises the question of purpose. If you are no longer able to make a lane change without automatism, then please return your driver’s license.

From the use of the autopilot function in the city Tesla advises, is clear. Don’t do this. – I completely agree. Wrong estimated boundary lines on the road, or just next to it on the sidewalk, triggers sweat attacks. Sudden braking maneuvers, because the system thinks – there is a perceived obstacle – can bring the cars behind you into dangerous situations.

The autopilot is a first step in the direction of autonomous driving – but the way is still very long.

Tesla – Heel! – The blaming “Enhance Summon” feature

The summon feature on the Tesla app seems to make sense to lure the Model 3 out of a tight parking space

There is still the “enhance summon” feature that lures out the Tesla from any parking space as if done by a magic spell. That must be tested on practicality.

Szene: Sloping parker opposite a Greek Restaurant in Korneuburg. The garden is full – about 50 curious heads stretches to the parking spaces and looking forward to a high-tech spectacle.

Model 3 is moving – but short. Connection interrupted – aha. Again. Oh, another piece out of the square. Connection interrupted. Hm … is going again like this several times. Now the Tesla stands across the road and blocks five cars that can’t pass anymore.

We all need to get back into the car quickly – bu speed is relative for a 90-year-old lady. Finally, everyone is inside. But I can’t drive away immediately, because the car rolled straight and not in a curve out of the parking space. So  I need to roll back into the parking lot again, let all (now eight) cars pass and then pulling out of the parking slot manually. The mischievous grin of the guests at the Greek restaurant bothers me – I’m just very sensitive.

Safety and Security

Active safety is GREAT on Tesla’s Model 3. Recently, the Model 3 received five stars in a crash test by ÖAMTC / ADAC (see here: https://www.oeamtc.at/tests/crashtest/crashtest-2019-07/tesla-model-3-32606934). Among other things responsible is the high-strength metal structure of the body, all-around airbags and a lot of safety assistance systems.

The high passive safety is arguable by the enormous acceleration potential. In addition, you will find that driving with an electric vehicle is very relaxing and soothing. we need more relaxed motorists in this country!

The female passengers are happy about the high safety standards in Model 3.

Clean and green without emissions

Zero emissions! Of course, it is not and only half the truth. Depending on how the electricity was produced from the charging station, it is clean (renewable energy), dirty (lignite) or questionable (nuclear power). The ecological footprint also includes the production of the batteries. However, I deliberately do not want to continue this discussion here – the top experts in the world have been arguing for years.

Model 3 on the Tesla Supercharger – charging up to 80% battery capacity is relatively fast.

Certainly, the Tesla Model 3 generates no polluting pollutants while driving – which at least contributes to better air in the city.

All sorts of charging cables for all connections can be found in the double floor of the luggage compartment.

The Pricing

If you want to buy a brand new model 3, you have to pay (i Austria in September 2019) at least EUR 46,680. (35.000 USD USA Price List) For that, you get the “Tesla Model 3 Standard Range Plus”.

The retail price of our test car comes to EUR 64.930, – (Tesla Model 3 maximum range with dual-engine four-wheel drive and some extras). We did not consider the huge savings of Fuel and tax savings and state fundings.

Model 3 is the cheapest way to drive a Tesla. Retail Pricing starts at EUR 45.700, –

Tesla Model 3 vs. Model S – differences

First of all – the Model 3 is in a different league compared to the model S of Tesla. The big Tesla is longer and offers more space and a plus in travel comfort. The ‘little one’ drives more agile and sporty and therefore feels noticeably more comfortable on winding roads. The Model S performs larger ranges. The interior feels a bit higher in the Model S, but the Model 3 with its minimalist approach – One display that’s it – offers an even more modern ambiance. Pricing of the Model S starts at EUR 87,980, – compared to the EUR 46,680, – the Model 3 entry price (with significantly lower equipment and rear instead of four-wheel drive).

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fast loading times at the Tesla Loading Station

Clear Design – the Tesla Logo

Interesting taillights

Cool Design – front lights

Best Loading Station – Tesla

Side Windows Detail

Gadgets: Mirrored air vent

Animal fellow traveler Unicorn Lamas do not need to be fastened..

Conclusion of the editor

The Tesla Model 3 fascinates by its agile handling and the sports car-like performance. Due to the four-wheel-drive of the test vehicle, there are hardly any traction problems. In the city, the sedan is sufficiently maneuverable and offers four people and enough space for five people. Lovers of powerful electric cars can’t ignore the Tesla Model 3.

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better not mess with a cart

Maybe a bit spartanic – but clear – Bordcomputer

Typical Tesla style clear and aerodynamic design

Mr. No.3 with Tesla rear.

Fast loading

We still have to practice that with the parking, dear Tesla.

Data & Facts of the test

Vehicle: Tesla Model 3 Maximum range

Engine: Three-phase asynchronous

Power: no transmission

Drive: four-wheel drive

Capacity: no displacement capacity

Power: 340 kW / 460 hp

Torque: 630 Nm

Battery: 75 kWh

Acceleration 0-100 Km / h : 4.6 sec.

Maximum speed: 235 km / h

Range: 560 / approx. 500 km (NEDC / test consumption)

Length: 469 cm

Width: 185 cm

Height: 144 cm

Wheelbase: 288 cm

Turning circle: 11.60 m

Boot volume: 85 / 340 liters (front / rear)

weight: 1856 Kg

CurbTires: 235/45 ZR 18 (Michelin Pilot Sport 4)

Helpful links:

Configurator – your individual model 3

Tesla Model X Maximum Range – electric crossover in the test

Detailed Test – Tesla Model S 100D

Tesla Roadster Sport – what are you listening to?

Tesla Supercharger Stations

Destination Charger Stations by Tesla

Text and Photos: Andreas Icha

*Chief Editor’s Note: The Tesla Model 3 Maximum Range has been made available to our editor free of charge for test drives. The article thus contains advertising by brand name, which, however, has no influence on the judgment of our editor. (MR)

More from Andreas’ world of the most beautiful cars you can read here:

ALLES AUTO

country outing and feature outing in Lower Austria. What happened, insights and enjoyable reading about Andreas' latest car testing. #model3 #cartesting #ecars #tesla My expectation of the Model 3 test drive The test drive with the Tesla Model 3 is to find out how the latest Tesla works and therefore by the way: what makes the Model 3 different from the larger Model S (apart from the length).

[dipulb3]

2021 Subaru Crosstrek first drive review: A little more capable, a little more compelling

New Post has been published on https://appradab.com/2021-subaru-crosstrek-first-drive-review-a-little-more-capable-a-little-more-compelling-4/

2021 Subaru Crosstrek first drive review: A little more capable, a little more compelling

Subaru’s compact and capable Crosstrek received a pretty substantial update for the 2021 model year, but you probably won’t notice at a glance. The mid-cycle refresh leaves the exterior nearly unchanged, aside from a few styling tweaks and some wheel arch cladding for the new Sport trim seen here. Instead, the Crosstrek’s changes happen largely in the engine bay and on the list of standard and available driver-assistance technologies — and they all go a long way toward making Subaru’s compact crossover even more compelling than before.

New 2.5-liter engine

The Crosstrek can now be optioned with a larger, more powerful 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine, which it scavenges from its senpai, the Subaru Forester. In the lighter Crosstrek, the engine’s 182 horsepower and 176 pound-feet of torque feel a bit more responsive, but more importantly, the crossover is noticeably more sprightly than it was with the older, 2.0-liter engine — which is still available, by the way. Compared to the 2.0, the 2.5 is working with 30 extra hp and 31 more lb-ft of torque. That’s 20% more get-up-and-go. 

Of course, Subaru’s Symmetrical all-wheel-drive system is standard. The Crosstrek’s Lineartronic continuously variable transmission isn’t too bad when tooling around town and commuting, but it doesn’t do the Subaru any favors when asked to hustle, regardless of whether the SI-Drive powertrain mode selector is set to Intelligent or the slightly more aggressive Sport program.

The overall ride quality is good and most of the time the Crosstrek feels more like a hatchback than what most people might think of when they read “small SUV.” Over bumps, the Crosstrek is comfortable and its 8.7 inches of ground clearance lend a surprising amount of trail capability. That ride height becomes a bit of a liability if you get too ham-fisted with the steering, though, with plenty of body roll letting you know when it’s time to chill out.

Interestingly, the 2.5-liter engine is nearly on par with the 2.0-liter boxer-four when it comes to fuel economy. Rated at 27 miles per gallon in the city, 34 mpg highway and 29 mpg combined, the more potent powerplant only sacrifices a single mpg from the combined estimate compared to the smaller, less-powerful engine option. 

In addition to styling changes, the Sport model also features a more robust X-Mode system.

Antuan Goodwin/Roadshow

Aside from the increased cost of stepping up to the new Sport or top tier Limited trim levels — which, in fairness, also include more standard features for the money — there’s really no tradeoff for going with the bigger engine. Then again, the 2.0-liter, with 152-hp and 145-lb-ft of torque, is still the only way to get the optional six-speed manual transmission, if that’s your jam. Sadly, the manual gearbox comes with a few hidden costs including stepping down to just 25 mpg combined and losing access to many of the Crosstrek’s driving aids.

The new Sport model

The 2021 model year ushers in a new Crosstrek Sport trim with some interesting performance and amenity enhancements. Visually, the Sport has a more pronounced front bumper and wheel arch cladding, as well as a dark finish for the grille and exterior trim. The Sport’s 17-inch wheels are done up in a dark gray finish, too.

Inside, you’ll find seats upholstered with water-repellent StarTex fabric and Sport-embroidered floor mats made of 25% recycled material. Bright yellow trim pieces and contrast stitching go nicely with the Sport’s exclusive Plasma Yellow Pearl paint, which I personally think is a fantastic hue. My girlfriend, however — who is normally a huge fan of the Crosstrek — thought it was a bit too much, calling it “vomit-y.” I suppose there’s no accounting for poor taste.

Sport models come standard with the new 2.5-liter engine, but upgrade to a dual-function version of Subaru’s X-Mode terrain management system, adding Snow/Dirt and Deep Snow/Mud programs for the all-wheel-drive system and brake-based traction control. Other CVT-equipped models feature single-mode terrain management — basically, on or off. Hill-descent control adds a bit of surefootedness to steep grades and is part of the X-Mode tech whether or not you opt for the Sport.

EyeSight, standard for most Crosstrek models, gains a new trick this year.

Antuan Goodwin/Roadshow

Safety tech

Almost every Crosstrek (at least, every one with a CVT) comes standard with Subaru’s EyeSight driver-assistance safety suite. This year, EyeSight gains adaptive cruise control that now includes lane-centering assist. The steering assist works well; it’s not as strong as some systems I’ve tested, but also not as intrusive, which lends to the Subie’s relaxed on-road demeanor. Meanwhile, pre-collision braking, pedestrian detection and lane-departure warning all carry over from last year.

This Sport tester is equipped with an optional $1,600 package that adds blind-spot monitoring with lane-change assist and rear cross-traffic alert, as well as a power sunroof and upgraded dashboard tech. For the best driver-aid experience, step up to the Limited model where you’ll get high-beam assist and reverse automatic braking standard.

I sort of expected the EyeSight upgrade to include Subaru’s DriverFocus attention-monitoring system, which watches the driver’s face and alerts them if they’re distracted or drowsy, but alas, it’s not included on the 2021 Crosstrek. For now, that system can only be found on Subaru’s larger Outback and Forester crossovers, as well as the Legacy sedan.

Sport models feature yellow interior trim and matching contrast stitching.

Antuan Goodwin/Roadshow

Starlink infotainment

Subaru’s Starlink infotainment suite carries over mostly unchanged, here in its upgraded Multimedia Plus spec with an 8-inch touchscreen and TomTom-powered navigation software. It’s a decent setup with a nicely organized menu structure and responsive interface, but also nothing to write home about. That said, I honestly think I prefer this smaller, simpler system to the massive, vertical screen you’ll find in the new Legacy and Outback. The more petite option is just easier to wrap my head around. Besides, with standard Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, I don’t think anyone who carries a modern phone will be left wanting for media streaming apps or excellent navigation software, even if they forgo the tech upgrade and stick with the Crosstrek’s standard 6.5-inch screen.

The Crosstrek also features Subaru’s subscription-based Starlink telematics services. Starlink Safety Plus and Security Plus grant remote control and vehicle monitoring via a smartphone app, allowing drivers to lock/unlock the doors, remote start the Crosstrek with pre-set climate controls on cold or hot days and receive notifications when the car’s alarm is triggered. Collision notifications, emergency SOS assistance and roadside assistance are the sort of features you hope to never use, but will be glad to have when you do. Parents can take advantage of features like geofencing and excessive speed notifications — helpful when lending the Crosstrek to a younger driver. 

There’s also a Starlink Concierge Package that unlocks “in-vehicle assistance with restaurant and hotel reservations, purchasing tickets for sporting/theater events and scheduling service appointments,” according to Subaru. That sounds cool, but it’s also somewhat redundant to anyone with a functioning phone in their pocket.

The 2021 changes only make the Crosstrek a more compelling option.

Antuan Goodwin/Roadshow

Pricing and availability

The 2021 Subaru Crosstrek remains a strong and practical choice for drivers looking for a good mix of light off-road capability and excellent on-pavement manners. With more standard features and more available power, you can expect a price increase, but not as much as you might think.

Including a $1,050 destination charge, the starting price for the base 2021 Crosstrek is just $23,295 with the six-speed manual, which is just $100 more than last year. Go for the CVT and you’re looking at $24,645 — an increase of $140. Considering the CVT also comes with EyeSight safety tech and X-Mode terrain control, it’s probably the more realistic starting point for most drivers. The new Sport trim starts at $27,545 and Subaru doesn’t even charge extra for the fancy yellow paint. With the sunroof and tech upgrades, my example pictured here comes in at $29,145. 

Ever since its launch, the Crosstrek has carved out a nice little niche for itself and continues to compare favorably against other vehicles at this smaller end of the compact SUV space. The 2021 Crosstrek is hitting dealerships as you read this and it’s a more well-rounded choice than ever.

2021 Subaru Crosstrek

Engine 2.5-liter H4 Power 182 hp Torque 176 lb-ft Transmission CVT Fuel economy 27 city / 34 hwy / 29 combined mpg Length 176.5 in Width 71.0 in Height 63.6 in Curb weight 3,265 pounds Max cargo capacity 55.3 cubic feet Base price $23,295 As-tested price $29,145 On sale Now