#i literally have so many alerts on and they are all $400 for behind the stage or $600 to $1000+ for nosebleeds

[lovestorymp3]

so anyone selling taylor tickets? 

[sunflowerspecter]

haley (a.h.)

summary: hotch doesn’t know if it’s time to move on. then he meets you, and your daughter haley. 

warnings: canon-typical violence, canon-typical mentions of murder, canon-typical mentions of drugs 

pairing: aaron hotchner x fem!reader

words: 3.6k

note: hey? i’m back! with another fic! after like four months! woo. i’m also almost at 400 followers which is pretty wild so cool cool. this is absolutely unedited and i’ve been working on it for literally ever, but i doubt you expected more from me anyways (the plot is also kind of sketch) anywayss, here it is my loves! 

~~~oOo~~~

“JJ!” you yell, crossing the bullpen quickly. She turns to face you and smiles widely, throwing her arms open. 

“Y/n!” she calls as you fall into her arms. “Oh my god, it’s so good to see you! What are you doing here?” 

“My team’s going to be working with your team for the next couple of cases!” As the communications liaison for Operations Support Branch (OSB), you and JJ used to collaborate often, until she was transferred and changed positions. You and her don’t get to see each other half as often as you want, but sometimes you bring your daughter, Haley, to spend time with Henry. 

“Wait, really? Why weren’t we alerted?” she asks. Behind her, a tall man with dark hair steps towards you, and you already know who he is. SSA Aaron Hotchner. 

“Because the decision was just made this morning,” he says. He offers his hand and you shake it. “I’m SSA Aaron Hotchner.” 

“We all call him Hotch,” JJ adds quickly. 

“Y/n Y/l/n,” you say to him. “I’m the communications liaison for the OSB. I’m the only one here right now, my team is heading up as we speak.” You turn to the elevator, where your boss, Sam Holmestead, is standing, talking to Derek Morgan, someone JJ had introduced you to. “Holmes is over there.” 

“Great,” Hotch says, “excuse me.” He nods at you and begins his way over to your boss, and you watch the entire way. 

“Ooh,” JJ sings, giving you a friendly laugh. 

“Oh, shut up,” you say, but you’re laughing too. “Now, I heard there’s a case.” 

She nods. “Come up to the conference room, we’ll introduce your team to my team and give you all of the details.” 

In the room, you, Holmes, and the two others from your team that were joining you— Gary Long and John Wilson— stand at the back, while the BAU all gathered in their seats. 

“These four are from the OSB,” Hotch says. “Strauss wants our team to collaborate with some members of the OSB on the next few cases, so they’ll be travelling with us,” Hotch says. “JJ, want to make introductions?” 

She nods, then says, “Sam Holmestead leads the team, and this is Y/n Y/l/n, Gary Long, and John Wilson.” She turns to her team, then, and says, “This is Derek Morgan, Emily Prentiss, Spencer Reid, Penelope Garcia, and David Rossi.” 

Greetings are exchanged, and then it’s back to business. “Two young women were kidnapped and then killed in Tallahassee, Florida,” Garcia says. “Each one was taken from a parking lot, then held captive for a week, and then killed. A week after the first girl was killed, the second one went missing. She was found dead yesterday. Other than their throats being slashed, they were otherwise unharmed.” 

You blink down at the pictures. You’ve seen things before, awful things, but this was just… so much worse. You feel better about your squeamishness when you look over and see that Wilson is as white as a ghost. 

“So, what does this guy get from the kill?” Morgan says, one elbow on the table. 

“It’s rather clean, as far as murder goes,” Prentiss quips. “No stabbing, no bruising. Even the cut is clean.” 

“How long did it take her to die? This could be seen as merciful,” you say, glancing at Holmes, who nods at you. 

“I’m guessing just a few seconds,” Reid said, looking through his file and finding the coroner’s report, then nodding and glancing up at you. 

“Garcia, do these girls have anything in common?” Hotch asks, and your attention goes straight to him (because he’s talking, and you’re polite, obviously). 

“They both attended Florida state and now work in insurance. Different companies,” Garcia says. 

Hotch nods at her, then says, “Wheels up in 30.” 

~~~oOo~~~

The jet is larger than you expected. And nicer, too. You take a seat between JJ and Morgan, and see Garcia on Skype on the table. The rest of the group files in, and you begin discussing the case. 

“So, what’s this guy's deal? What’s he doing with these girls for a week?” Morgan says. 

“There aren’t signs that they’re tied up, or that he blitz-attacked them,” Prentiss adds. 

“Maybe he kept them locked in a sort of cellar. He wouldn’t need to tie them up.” 

“Did he drug them?” Holmes asks. Reid looks over the report, then nods. 

“Actually, yes, both girls had methylenedioxy​methamphetamine and methamphetamine in their system,” Reid says. 

“MDMA and meth?” JJ says, crossing her arms. 

“Wilson, you still have contacts in Florida, right? See who’s dealing both of those these days,” Holmes says, and Wilson nods, pulling out his phone. 

“MDMA is really hard to get a hold of,” Wilson says, “I’m sure it’s easier in Florida, but still, this guy has to have some way of getting money in. Lots of it.” 

“Okay, so how does he insure he doesn’t hurt them with the drugs?” Prentiss says. 

“And what purpose does it serve? What fantasy is he living out?” Rossi adds. 

The plane hits a bit of turbulence, and your stomach flips. “Is that normal?” you whisper, and JJ laughs, nodding.

“You’ll get used to it,” Morgan says. You nod and give a short laugh. 

“The likelihood of being in a plane crash is about one to 5.4 million,” Reid says, “and even so, it’s improbable that turbulence will cause a crash. Even commercial airlines are built to withstand forces 1.5 times stronger than anything experienced in the past—” 

“Reid,” Hotch says sternly, but softly, “focus, please.” 

“I didn’t know the BAU made cyborgs,” you say, squinting your eyes at Reid. 

Prentiss nods at you, throwing her arms up. “That’s what I’ve been saying! Someone finally understands.” 

“Sorry,” he says, eyes widening. “I’m curious as to whether these girls were using these drugs before or after he took them.” 

“You think they were using before?” Hotch asks, and Reid nods. 

“I just don’t know why he would give the girls these drugs.” 

“I’ll ask the families,” JJ says. 

“When we land, Reid, start setting up a geographical profile. Prentiss and Morgan, check out the dump sights. JJ, talk to the families, and make sure the press doesn’t get the information about the drugs. Rossi, take Long and go check out the abduction sights. Wilson, reach out to your contact. I want Y/l/n and Holmestead to help me with victimology,” Hotch says, looking around. 

“Yes, sir’s” went around the group, and you flip to look at the victim pages. 

Holmes leans across the table and looks at you. “What do you think?” 

You shake your head. “It’s strange,” you say. “They hardly have anything in common. Yeah, they went to the same school, and yeah, they both work in insurance, but two very different jobs.” 

Holmes shrugs, then nods. “I agree. Were they friends?” He looks at Hotch for guidance, who shrugs. 

“We’ll have to find out. Garcia, have you made any connections?” 

Garcia looks up on the screen, then says, “Actually, another girl has just been reported missing.” 

“It’s only been a day,” JJ says, and looks at Hotch. 

“We hit the ground running,” he says, and you all nod. 

~~~oOo~~~

Working with the team goes a lot smoother than expected. Your teams bond together instantly, and you all work quickly and effectively. 

Unfortunately, even a day and a half after the third victim's abduction, you’re no closer. 

“In his comfort zone, there are 14 warehouses, 13 abandoned buildings, 25 apartment complexes, and too many residential areas to count,” you say, looking over Reid’s shoulder as he writes on the board. 

“He could be anywhere,” Hotch mutters, standing beside you. 

“What are we missing?” Rossi says, and you turn and slump into a chair, sitting at the table with the team. Hotch sits next to you, a pensive look on his face. 

“How did he choose each girl? Are these premeditated or spur of the moment? And why did he escalate his time frame?” Morgan says, looking around the table. 

JJ rushes into the room. “The third girl's body was found. And he left a note.” 

The table stands. “Reid and Y/l/n, stay here and analyze the note. JJ, keep the press occupied. No one releases the note. We don’t address it yet. Everyone else, at the crime scene.” 

You nod, finding it a little odd that he left you with Reid (sure, you aren’t a field agent, but the rest of your team is going somewhere), but you stay nonetheless. The team files out and you turn to Reid, looking down at the scan of the note. 

“The paper looks old,” Reid says, and you squint. 

“It’s not old, it was made to look that way. See how it’s not torn or wrinkled, but it’s yellowed?” 

Reid nods and looks at you, for a moment, surprised. It passes quickly, and he’s looking back at the text. “Typewriter, and it’s in third person. It just describes the crime.”

“What does that mean?” you ask, and Reid shrugs. 

“It could mean any number of things. Could be living out his fantasy, could be any number of mental illnesses.” 

You nod, crossing your arms. It’s going to be a long night. 

~~~oOo~~~

The fourth girl was taken in the wide open. There was a witness. With a description of the vehicle. 

“There are more purple Volkswagens in Tallahassee than there should be,” Garcia says, “but only one registered to someone within the comfort zone of our guy.” 

He doesn’t know you’re coming, and the arrest is smooth, and the girl is safe. 

The plane ride back is quiet—everyone is mostly asleep. You sit by Holmes, talking idly about how the court is probably going to rule on the case. Hotch is awake and across from you, but you can tell he’s listening. 

“How’s the little one?” Holmes says, and you laugh. 

“As rebellious as ever,” you sigh. “She wants to be a superhero when she’s older.” 

Holmes laughs, leaning back in his seat and pushing his hand through his hair. “And that’s exactly why I didn’t have kids.” 

You elbow him. “Like you could get someone to reproduce with you, anyway.” 

He gasps, grasping his chest, feigning pain. “Low blow, Y/n, low blow.” 

“Whatever, old man,” you say, leaning back. “How long are we working with the BAU?” you ask, glancing over your sleeping teammates. 

“I’m not sure yet,” he says. Then he lowers his voice and whispers in your ear, “You’ve caught the BAU’s dear boss’s eye, I think.” 

You giggle (you giggle) and say, “No way.” 

“Yes way.” 

“I guess he’s cute,” you say in a whisper. “But that’s a conversation for the morning. I’m exhausted.” 

You look over at Hotch, writing his report and talking quietly with Rossi. You wonder what’s going through his mind. 

“You know she wouldn’t want you to spend the rest of your life mourning her,” Rossi says quietly. Hotch nods. 

“I know that, I do. I just, I wish there was a sign.” 

Rossi puts his hand on his friend's shoulder. “There will be.” He looks over at you, eyes shut, head on Holmes’ shoulder. “Meanwhile, you’ve been looking at her quite a lot.” 

“What?” Hotch says, taking in a shaky breath. 

Rossi chuckles, shrugging. “I think you know.” 

~~~oOo~~~

“Hey, sleep today, but tonight you should come out with us,” Garcia says as you gather your things from your makeshift desk. You landed at 4:30 in the morning, and after finishing your paperwork, you were ready to sleep for the entire day. 

You hesitate, then shrug. “Sure, why not?” 

Garcia squeals, “Yay!” You laugh and nod. 

“What time, and where?” 

“How about I pick you up?” she suggests, and you nod. 

“Actually, that would be great,” you say. She smiles, and leaves you in your office. Your daughter calls you as you're leaving the building, and you meet Hotch in the elevator. 

“Mommy!” the little girl cries happily into the phone. 

“Hi, hon! I’m on my way home right now, what are you doing up this early, baby?” 

She giggles. “Auntie and I have a surprise for you!” 

You freeze. “Haley, what did you do?” You feel Hotch stiffen beside you, but you don’t ask him about it. 

“Nothing! Bye, mommy!” she says before you can tell her no, and she’s hung up. 

“Children,” you mutter. Hotch nods. 

“What’s your kids name?” he asks, barely looking at you. 

“Haley,” you say. “She’s four next month.” He hums, and you ask, “Do you have any children?” 

“Yes,” he says. “Jack. He’s seven.” 

The elevator door opens, and you almost think you’re disappointed. 

“Can I walk you to your car?” he asks, and you nod. 

“Yes, thank you.” 

The walk is silent. 

“See you tonight?” you say. 

He shakes his head. “Probably not.” 

“Why not? Could be fun.” 

He hesitates, meeting your eyes. Then, he says, “I’ll think about it.” 

You smile, getting into your car. “Have a good one, Hotchner.” 

“You too, Y/l/n.” 

~~~oOo~~~

Haley is asleep by 8:00, your sitter is at your door by 8:15, and Garcia is at your door at 8:30. 

Black dress, red lipstick. It isn’t too fancy, but if Hotch shows up, you’ll look nice. (Not that you care, of course. As far as you know, he’s married). 

“You look so pretty!” Garcia says once you’re in her car. 

“Thank you! You too!” you say, and then she starts telling you stories from the team. How Reid will go off about Halloween, how Prentiss faked her death, how Morgan and her flirt endlessly (which you picked up on), how Hotch’s son, Jack, is doing soccer. 

You, in turn, tell Garcia about Wilson’s wife, Mary, and how Holmes once fell down a well while working on a case and was stuck for an hour and a half, and how Greg has this terrible habit of accidentally befriending the worst people. 

You reach the bar laughing, and you find the table everyone (except Hotch) is sitting at. You and Garcia join them, and conversation becomes easy. Until, a few minutes after your arrival, Hotch takes a seat beside you. 

“Hi,” he says, and everyone greets him. 

“We were just talking about how we could run off and buy a house in the woods and live a secluded life together for the rest of time,” Prentiss says, and you let out a laugh. 

“I’m sure that will work out wonderfully, especially with three children,” Hotch says. 

“And the house has to be big, there’s a lot of us,” you add. 

“And we work for the government, they’ll be suspicious if we all quit at once,” Greg says. 

Spencer shrugs. “Not to mention the cost of living would be expensive, and we’d be out of a job. Plus, there’s no one to replace us.”

You lean over and boop Spencer’s nose. “We’re irreplaceable.” 

“Don’t count on that, Strauss has been after my ass since the moment I stepped in that office,” Hotch says. 

Rossi mutters something into Hotch’s ear, and your stomach does backflips. JJ turns to you. “Is Haley still into dance?” 

You shake your head. “That was a short lived hobby. I think this week it’s art.” 

“Henry is the same way! He doesn’t stick with one thing for more than a few days,” she laughs. “Hotch, what about Jack?” 

“He’s stuck with soccer pretty consistently, but he also can’t decide if he likes drums or drawing on the wall more.” 

You and JJ laugh. “Where’s Will?” you ask JJ, raising an eyebrow.

“He stayed home with Henry, but he sends his love.” JJ looks over at Hotch. “I presume Jack is with Jessica?” 

“Yes,” he says, huffing a laugh, his eyes darting to yours. “I really should be paying that woman.” 

“Is Jessica not your wife?” you ask, glancing from JJ to Hotch. They share a look, and JJ turns to Spencer, picking up on his and Emily’s conversation. Your attention is now fully on Hotch, who sighs. 

“No, Jessica is my sister-in-law,” he says, and he opens his mouth to say more, but then hesitates. “My wife died a few years ago. Her name was Haley.” 

“Oh,” you say dumbly. “Oh, oh I’m so sorry.” You meet his eyes, but he shakes his head. “My husband died a few years ago too. Right before Haley was born, actually,” you say, laughing humorlessly.

He nudges your shoulder lightly, then says, “Look at us, two widowed single-parents.” 

“A pair we make, Mr. Hotchner,” you say, and he nods. 

~~~oOo~~~

As you’re leaving the conference room after a briefing, Holmes pulls you aside. He watches as everyone leaves the room, and says, “This will be our last case with the BAU.” You blink at him, disappointment filling you. 

“Why are you telling just me?” you ask, crossing your arms. 

Holmes shrugs, looking out the conference room window. You follow his gaze to where Hotch and Morgan are talking in front of Hotch’s office. “Because you might want to shoot your shot before you never see him again,” Holmes says. You try to ask him what he means, but he’s already left the room.

You sigh, picking up your things and getting your bag, going to stand beside JJ and Emily as you make your way out to the jet. You trail a step behind them, your mind racing. What did Holmes mean by that? Your heart dropped a little bit at the thought of never seeing the team you had been working with for the past six months ever again. Surely, you will. JJ and you are close friends, and you had grown close with the rest of the team too, right? 

“What’s on your mind?” You startle at the sound of his voice, looking up to see Hotch looking down at you, his brows drawn together. 

“Oh,” you say. “Nothing.” 

“You can’t lie to a profiler.” 

You laugh. “Holmes told me this is our last case together,” you tell him, looking ahead, where JJ and Emily are boarding the plane. 

“It is,” he says. His voice is even, steady, normal. There is nothing to suggest he is happy for your departure or upset about it. He is neutral. 

“Shame,” you say, “I was sort of getting used to working with you guys.” 

He’s quiet for a moment, and you board the plane. You sit in your usual seat and he sits beside you; that’s how it always is. It feels wrong, today. 

“It’s not like we’re just going to disappear, though,” Hotch says to you, just so you can hear. “You know where I work after all.” You huff a laugh, your heart rate increasing more than you’d care to admit. “On top of that, we have no idea how long this case will last. Maybe it goes horribly wrong and you’re stuck with me forever.” 

“We better solve it quickly, then,” you say, raising an eyebrow at him. He scoffs, and you shake your head. “But, really. I’ll miss working with you.” After a second, your eyes widen and you add, “All.” 

He nods, shifting in his seat. “I’ll regret no longer having your team’s expertise.” 

“Our teams are good together, for sure.” 

~~~oOo~~~ 

After the case, you try not to look too blue as you step onto the jet for the last time. You and Holmes are the first ones on the jet, and when you sit across from him instead of your usual spot, he raises an eyebrow at you. 

“Do you know where we’re going next? What our next assignment is?” you ask. He shakes his head, and you look down at your hands. 

“We won’t be travelling with the BAU,” he says, “but we will be working at headquarters for the meantime.” 

“That’s going to be an adjustment,” you say, looking over at him. “Watching the team leave, not going with them.”

He nods. “But at least you’ll get to see him.” 

“You mean them,” you say, furrowing your brow. “The team.” 

As the words leave your mouth, Hotch walks on board. He nods at the two of you, his facial expression blank. He sits in his usual spot. He looks small. 

“No, I said what I meant,” Holmes said, shrugging. “Maybe you just didn’t want to hear it.” 

You don’t reply, looking over to where Hotch is sitting. You look to Holmes for permission, and he nods at you. You make your way over to Hotch, sitting next to him. 

“Hi,” you say quietly. 

“Hi,” he says back. 

A beat. 

“So—” you both say at the exact same time. 

“I’m sorry,” you say. 

“You go first,” he says. 

“I’m going to miss you. The whole team,” you add, “but especially you.” 

He flushes, giving a sort of smile as he shifts in his seat, nodding to you. “I’m going to miss you too.” You hold your breath, and he says, “But I figured, you know, there’s not really any reason we can’t still see each other. After this. We could get coffee sometime.” 

You grin, bumping your shoulder against his. “Are you asking me out, Hotchner?” you whisper quietly, jokingly. 

“Maybe,” he says, looking uncharacteristically unsure. “If you say yes.” 

“Well,” you say, looking up and tapping your chin. You meet his eyes, and he’s staring at you like your next words are the most important thing in the world, “I would be an idiot if I said no.” 

He smiles, big and wide like you’ve never seen and it goes straight to his eyes. “Then it’s a date.” 

“Then it is,” you say, smiling right back at him. 

taglist; let me know if you wanna be added or removed!

@quillvine @winterscaptain @genevievedarcygranger @ssaic-jareau @andreasworlsboring101 @roses-and-grasses

hehe thanks for reading xx

[guardianofrivendell]

PERFECT SECRETS - CHAPTER 2

Legolas x OC multichapter

Requested: Nope

Summary:  Mira. A short and unusual name for a short and unusual Elf. After an audience with Galadriel goes sideways, she leaves her birthplace Lóthlorien and the Elves for good.  That is until a certain Gandalf asks for a favor. Come along on her journey, as she reluctantly agrees to accompany Gandalf on the quest to destroy the One Ring.  She befriends every Fellowship member, except one. Legolas and Mira are water and fire from the very first moment they laid eyes on each other. Will this be an obstacle during the quest or is it going to make everything just a little more interesting?

Warnings: none that I noticed

Masterlist Perfect Secrets

A/N: For the sake of the story, Mira doesn’t know that the name of the Prince of Mirkwood is Legolas. Just so you know...

Mira was crossing the Old Forest, on her way to Hobbiton. It had been literal centuries since she had been in the Shire and she was curious how it had changed in the meantime. She was hoping that for one, she was welcome and two, that she could stay for a couple of months before moving on to her next destination. Wherever that may be. 

With her hood still up - you might never know - she placed herself behind a rock to take a break and have a bite to eat before continuing her journey. She nibbled absentmindedly on her last piece of fruit. Another reason to linger in the Shire for a while: food. 

If she learned one thing on her last stay with the Hobbits, it was that they knew how to appreciate food. Maybe they could provide her with enough provision for the next part of her journey... Not that she really needed it, but living around humans for so long made her appreciate food for the taste instead of pure nourishment. 

Out of nowhere she started to feel uncomfortable. Her eyes darted from tree to tree, down to the bushes, even to the sky to try and locate the threat. But she couldn’t see anything wrong.

“Eímiraelyn!” A voice echoed in her mind. It came so unexpected that she dropped her apple to the ground. She rolled her eyes even though the messenger wouldn’t see it. There was only one person who would contact her this way.

“I told you many times not to call me that, Gandalf,” she sighed. She hated it when he did this. It did explain her uncomfortable feeling, so she felt a little more at ease now, focusing on the voice in her head instead of her environment. 

“Come to the Valley of Rivendell,” Gandalf began. “I will await your arrival.”

Rivendell? There was no way she would go to an Elven town. Absolutely no way.

“Trust me, Mira. You’ll want to be there. I know you will do the right thing.” 

The uncomfortable feeling disappeared, alerting Mira that Gandalf was out of her mind. She picked the apple from the ground and twisted it in her hands, pondering over Gandalf’s request. 

Rivendell was more than 400 miles away and she was on foot. Even if she decided to go, it would take her more than a couple of days to get there. And then there was the risk of someone recognizing her. She had never been to Rivendell before, but that didn’t mean anything. 

Gandalf asked for her help. She had turned him down last time, could she do it again? 

She thought about it for a few more hours, torn between her wanting to help Gandalf and the desire to stay hidden. Leave for Rivendell, or continue her journey to the Shire. 

Her eyes started trembling and her vision shifted from the forest around her to images flashing in front of her. She couldn’t see them very clearly because it all went pretty fast, but she saw what she thought to be Rivendell, Orthanc, Saruman, battles between Orcs and Men, and snowy mountains but the last one made her head start to shake to get rid of it: the forest of Lóthlorien.

Visions like the one she just had weren’t uncommon anymore. They had started a few years after she left her home, only lasting a fraction of seconds and never clear enough to see something, let alone understand them. 

But lately they became more frequent and she started seeing longer images, long enough to actually see what they were. Sometimes feeling certain emotions with them as well. 

She knew from what Galadriel had told her at the time that it were flashes from the future, of what could be. 

When her vision changed back to normal, she let her head drop in her hands, her fingers disappearing in her hair beneath her hood. She softly pulled at the roots out of frustration, knowing what the vision was trying to tell her. 

She got to her feet, wiped the sand of her clothes and adjusted her hood. 

“Alright Mira, let’s go. It seems we have an eight days’ walk ahead of us,” she sighed. She threw the apple as far as she could as she headed in the opposite direction. To Rivendell of all places. 

*

After eight days walking and almost no rest she reached the Ford of Bruinen, crossing the outer borders of Rivendell. 

Was this really such a good idea? What if they recognized her? The only ones who would really know she was a runaway were Gandalf, Galadriel, her parents and the King and Prince of Mirkwood. Her parents sailed to Valinor centuries ago, Galadriel wouldn’t leave Lóthlorien and what were the odds of Mirkwood royalty to be here at the exact same moment? 

She wasn’t taking any risks though. After she entered the forest surrounding the gorge where Rivendell was built, she climbed one of the trees to keep out of sight. 

She tucked every loose strand of hair into her hood to hide her ears, like she did when she lived with humans. She was used to pretending to be a mortal; if it was good enough to fool the humans, it would work with the Elves as well. Probably. Hopefully. 

Mira decided to stay off the ground for a while, choosing to jump from tree to tree instead. One of the benefits of being an Elf, she thought, jumping with ease, hardly making a sound while doing so. 

When she saw the first buildings of the town come into view, she let herself drop to the ground soundlessly.

“Still got it,” she said, smiling to herself. 

But when she rose to her full height, she looked straight at the tip of a notched arrow. She wasn’t the only one who had been silent. She tilted her head to see who had the audacity to point an arrow at her, surprised to find a rather handsome Elf with blue eyes and blonde hair attached to the bow. Figures, she thought. Of course it’s blonde. 

“One step further and you are dead,” he growled at her. Mira looked at him surprised. 

“You’re joking right?”

“Turn around,” he snapped at her. She groaned, but did as she was told. 

The ellon slung his bow back over his shoulders and returned his arrow in his quiver in a single swift movement. He took a step forward, grabbing her shoulder with one hand and her wrists in the other - a little rougher than she had expected - and he started to push her towards Rivendell. This was just lovely, she thought. 

“For your information, I’m here at the invitation of Gandalf the Grey,” Mira told him. “If you were invited, you would not be sneaking around and hiding in the trees. And the hood? Not suspicious at all,” he answered. 

They both reached a small square, where a couple of people stood in small conversation. 

“Lord Elrond,” the ellon called out. “I have found this being in the woods, sneaking around.”

The male Elf who was referred to as Lord Elrond, looked at Mira for a few seconds before he answered her captor. 

“Legolas, as I seem to recall, you do not belong to the Guard of Rivendell. I can assure you my guards would have intercepted her much earlier if she really was a threat.”

“Seriously?” Mira exclaimed, giving Legolas her deadliest glare. “You’re not even supposed to be doing this? Talk about an overachiever!” 

“If you’re not a threat, then why the disguise? Let us see who you are,” Legolas said, grabbing the edge of her hood to pull it off her head. Mira was just about to kick him in his knee caps - or preferably a little higher - when a familiar voice boomed over the square. 

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you, Legolas!”

Gandalf entered the space, and he didn’t look pleased at all. 

“She claims to be here at your invitation, Gandalf,” Legolas tried again. 

“That is true indeed,” Gandalf said. “She is here at my request.” 

He smiled kindly at Mira. “My dear child, how happy I am to finally see you again!”

“Likewise, Gandalf. It has been too long,” she replied, after which she mouthed him a ‘thank you’. Gandalf knew how much her anonymity meant to her. 

She looked behind her at Legolas, trying to move her wrists out of his grasp. “Would you mind?”

He reluctantly let her go. 

Before she could give him a piece of her mind - she really, really wanted to - Lord Elrond called everyone together, for some kind of council. The others followed him up the stairs, leaving Gandalf and Mira alone. Legolas also followed, but not before he gave her a cold look. 

“He seems very cheerful,” Mira murmured. She felt a hand on her shoulder. 

“Do not think I don’t appreciate your presence here, Mira, but what exactly made you change your mind?”

“Like you don’t already know that,” she immediately replied with a smirk. 

Gandalf pursed his lips into a thin line. 

“Are you willing to tell me what the vision showed you?”

Mira told him what she saw and felt. Gandalf was silent for a while after that, processing the new information.

“It is as I feared,” he told her eventually. “Saruman is no longer the Wizard he was before and is corrupted by evil. I experienced it first hand. We are at the verge of war.”

“Gandalf, Middle Earth is always at the verge of war.”

“As sad as it is, you are not wrong. Come, we have a Council meeting to attend.”

Mira made no move to follow. 

“You need to be there too, my child. After all… you were destined for great things, were you not?”

She rolled her eyes as he repeated the words of Galadriel.

“There is the Mira that I know,” he smiled.

[luckyfoster]

House of Hades

Overall: 5/5 Characters: 5/5 Setting: 5/5 Writing: 5/5 Plot and Themes: 5/5 Awesomeness: 5/5 Review in a Nutshell: House of Hades was an absolutely awesome book. Though of course, it’s by Uncle Rick, so of course it would be awesome. It makes you laugh and cry at random parts of the story (or maybe that’s just me.) Awesome quotes: “I am Bob,” said Bob. Tartarus hissed. What is that? What is Bob? “Also,” Bob announced, “I have a good cat.” Premise: House of Hades is told from a third person multiple point of view, and we see perspectives from Hazel Levesque, Frank Zhang, Leo Valdez, Jason Grace, Piper McLean, Annabeth Chase, and Percy Jackson. It is the fourth book in the Heroes of Olympus series, which is the second series after Percy Jackson and the Olympians. After Percy and Annabeth fall into Tartarus, Hazel, Frank, Leo, Piper, Nico, Jason, and Coach Hedge have to make their way to the mortal side of the Doors of Death, while Percy and Annabeth meet them on the other side. Of course, it makes it much harder when unexpected attacks launch on both parties, delaying them. And they have to unite the Greeks and Romans and return the Athena Parthenos before August 1, when Gaea plans to rise. Writing & Setting If I have a favorite author, it definitely would be Rick Riordan. Riordan’s style of writing makes you want to cry or laugh out loud—literally! His usual style is so funny, making the characters crack jokes that only Riordan would be able of. But not all of his writing is just humorous. Whenever he gets to the sad parts, the sadness behind it is so real, that the reader themselves feels it. And don’t even get me started on the setting. Just the amount of research he must’ve done for this makes my mind want to explode. He’s had to research on Greek, Roman, and even the tiniest bit of Chinese mythology as well. (And then he’d had to research it again, just to make sure the sources were correct.) He also writes everything in a way that all of this confusing Greek and Roman gibberish makes sense to me. Plot The plot line. The absolutely brilliant plot line. It’s unfathomable of how Rick Riordan thinks of these things! I could feel my mind piecing together things as I read on. It includes very mild romance, humor, action, very, very, very, mild violence, and adventure. This was about 400-500 pages long, but there were so many things packed in there. There wasn’t any point where it was getting boring or anything. Characters Whoo. This is gonna be hard. There are so many awesome characters. So first, obviously, we’ve got Percy. Percy is adorable and it’s so sweet to see how much he cares about Annabeth (and Bob). Though, in this book, we see a bit of his dark side when he kills Arachne and chokes Akhlys. Annabeth is clearly the one who keeps Percy from doing anything stupid in Tartarus and the one who creates all of the smart plans. Leo is his usual hilarious self, except for the part that he’s heartsick in this book since he met Calypso. It’s so sweet and sad watching him leave Calypso behind on Ogygia. In this book, Hazel seems to be one of my new favorite characters. It’s so cool watching her use the Mist and be way more confident. So…I’ll just say it. I don’t like Jason very much. I don’t why, but he just gives me a bad vibe for some reason. But he’s a pretty chill person I guess. Not much to say about him than that. Piper is definitely one of my favorites. I love how she makes up believable last minute plans just like Annabeth and how she’s her own person even though her mother is Aphrodite. Ok honestly, I wasn’t expecting what happened with Nico. Like I know that he was *SPOILER ALERTS!!!* gay, but I definitely didn’t expect him to have a crush on Percy. But I just love Nico. And it’s really nice that he let Jason warm up to him a little bit. A little bit. Also I just hate how much everyone is afraid of him! It’s just not fair. And Frank. I am very proud of him right now. Now he’s a *ANOTHER SPOILER ALERT(S)!!* praetor of the Twelfth Legion!!! He’s so god dam awesome. Also, I just loved it when he told Hazel and Nico that he killed all of the sheep-things in the city. Conclusion: So overall I would give this book a 5/5 star review! Be sure to check it out if you haven’t already.

[avaantares]

AVA’s Adventures in Egypt & Jordan

Okay, so look -- I took nearly 5,000 photos during the 2.5 weeks I recently spent in the Middle East, so there is no way I’m going to subject my followers to the full vacation reel. I did a LOT of things. I visited a crazy number of historic sites, museums, archaeological excavations, and yes, even a handful of tourist traps (though, thankfully, not the kind where they actually trap tourists. We were warned about some of those, though). I climbed to the burial chamber inside the Great Pyramid. I stood atop the ruins of ancient Nabataean temples. I explored the tombs of the pharaohs in the Valley of the Kings. I saw 5,000-year-old artwork that looks like it was painted yesterday. I sailed around Elephantine Island on a felucca. I consumed my own body weight in falafel. (Not really, but it felt like it.) Some of these things are, obviously, more interesting to see photos of than others.

So here’s what I’m going to do: Sporadically over the next few weeks, as I sort through the I-don’t-even-know-how-many-GBs of photos, I’m going to post a few pictures at a time, sorted by geographic site, with a “Read More” cut so your feed doesn’t get buried under photos. There will always be at least one photo visible to catch your attention, and I’ll tag all the posts “AVA’s travel adventures” so you can alert/block accordingly. That way nobody is stuck scrolling through 400 pictures of yet another Egyptian temple unless they want to. :)

So, first up...

PYRAMIDS AND SPHINX!

What most people don’t realize is that the famous pyramids of Giza -- which you always see pictured in front of a spectacular desert backdrop -- are actually surrounded on three sides by Cairo sprawl. We could literally just look over and see them from our hotel (Cairo Pyramids was the name of the restaurant, I believe, but the juxtaposition made me laugh):

This was our first stop, since we began our adventure in Cairo. Pyramid selfie!

You probably learned this in school, but what’s left of the pyramids now is just the underlying support structure, left behind after a few thousand years of locals harvesting the polished white limestone surface for use in building palaces, churches, mosques, and other buildings. (This happened all over Egypt; you can find the remains of ancient temples and tombs recycled into buildings in every major city. As recently as the mid-20th century, the Egyptian government was destroying ancient buildings to make way for new industrial construction, and it’s probably still happening in some areas.) There were originally over 100 pyramids in the royal necropolis at what is now Giza, all of them covered in reflective white stone that would have lit up the desert at certain times of day. Now, only about a dozen remain, many little more than crumbling rock piles.  Some are in such disrepair they have never even been excavated.

Below, you can see a sample of what the original outer layer looked like (the smooth white section at bottom right):

Yeah, by the way, those stone blocks are HUGE. Compare each “step” to the size of the people standing on them.

So I paid the E£200 ($13) upcharge to go inside the Great Pyramid, because seriously, how often do you get the chance to climb into a 4,500 year old tomb?!

This is not recommended for the claustrophobic, by the way. The climb is very steep and very hot, and there’s not much room to maneuver. The passage at some points is only about a meter square, and requires crawling or duck-walking. And that’s for two-way traffic.

Inside-the-pyramid selfie! (In one of the areas with a higher ceiling.) To give you an idea of the steep angle, those seams in the wall are running parallel to the floor of the passage. I’m standing upright. It’s a workout.

And at the end of the climb, you get to Khufu’s (Cheops’) burial chamber! This is a large room, maybe 15′ x 30′, with his broken stone sarcophagus still in place (the only thing tomb raiders didn’t clear out in antiquity). There are a couple of electric lights and ventilation fans pumping air in from outside, because otherwise you’d asphyxiate. (Did I mention this was not for the claustrophobic?)

The broken sarcophagus:

Here’s a burial chamber selfie with my sister @lauravanarendonkbaugh​​ and our dad! (This will be a recurring theme.)

So we finally got back outside after a hot and harrowing downward climb, and then we did the obvious tourist thing, which is to ride camels around the pyramids. Tourist cliche or no, this is actually a pretty good way to see the other pyramids, including the smaller family tombs behind the larger ones, which aren’t visible from the front. (Cairo skyline visible on the horizon. The sprawl is everywhere, as is the smog. Cairo is one of the most polluted cities on the planet.)

Family camel photo! (Dad didn’t get the hand-waving memo.)

We also visited the funerary temple, which is constructed of red granite brought all the way from Aswan. It has an interesting history, but the building isn’t quite as photogenic as some of the other local features, so for the sake of bandwidth I’ll skip to the really big obvious landmark at the back of the temple complex:

Yeah, this guy’s kind of a big deal.

He’s also falling apart. Over the last hundred years, serious weathering and some misguided “restoration” attempts took off part of his shoulder, and the structural integrity of his neck is now threatened. Some preservationists are lobbying for the restoration of his beard (currently in the British Museum) to reinforce the neck, but that’s controversial for a variety of reasons, both historical and political.

Family Sphinx selfie!

The Sphinx is pretty darn ancient -- nobody is even sure how ancient, as its origin is disputed, though most estimates put it around 4,500 years. But even older, at around 4,700 years, is the very first pyramid ever built -- the Step Pyramid of Djoser, engineered by an innovative architect named Imhotep who was later deified for his contributions. (It pays to make nice with the god-king.)

A storm was blowing in just as we arrived, but hadn’t quite obscured the sun, so I got this stunning dark-sky-glowing-pyramid photo purely by chance:

Also. Selfie. (Just as the clouds spread overhead, so less glowing in this one.)

This pyramid is also part of a larger complex, which has been undergoing restoration to rebuild the throne, courtyard and temple areas. These are the first examples of all-stone architecture in human history, so they’re a pretty big deal.

That’s the first pile of photos, and probably enough for a single post, so I’ll spare you the dozens I took inside the Imhotep museum. More to come...!

[wisdomrays]

TAFAKKUR: Part 16

Your kidney

In the earlier issues my friends heart and stomach spoke with you and I patiently waited for my turn. I am located at the waist level to the right of the spine and my twin left kidney on the left, on whose behalf I’m also speaking now. We are truly vital organs to you. Before you say “each one of you claims that it’s vital,” let me talk a bit first, and then you decide.

In your body, which is built like a well-functioning factory, I am the most essential sanitary device. As the heart pumps blood to take food and oxygen to all your organs, you obtain the energy you need. But do you ever think about the disposal after so splendid activities are carried out in your body? If you burn a stove, you need to dispose of the smoke and the ashes if you want to keep it working. Likewise, as you burn your calorie intake, you dispose of the smoke (carbon dioxide) with your lungs and the waste with nitrate-poisonous after a certain level of intensity-thanks to my quietly and perfectly working filters. That is, I am an organ which saves your life by removing the poisonous substances in your blood. I do not only filter your blood, but also play a role at controlling the balances of the sensitive levels of water, sugar, amino acids and different minerals in your body. In short, I am a tiny but strategic laboratory.

The acid-base balance in your body and the amount of water and different salts are significant values which concern all of your bodily activities. When their balance is upset, different troubles arise in different units of your bodily mechanism. I am such a blessing, which works so sensitively to adjust the levels of water and mineral salts in your body while you don’t even realize it.

A watery environment is needed for the thousands of biochemical activities taking place in your body. In addition, activities like the contracting of the muscles and transmission of electrical stimuli between your neurons are realized with the presence of a pinch of mineral salt you don’t even give a thought about. Sometimes you sweat due to running or hot weather. The white stains on your shirt are the salts you lose after the water evaporates. When you suffer from diarrhea, you lose salt again, for the salt in the nutrients are thrown out without being absorbed. Especially when little children are concerned, this loss is of vital importance. The transfer between the blood and the liquid in the tissues is mainly realized through the concentration differences which are kept in a certain balance. If your body holds too much water, your tissues swell. You particularly feel it when you press your finger over the flesh near your shins.

I will not list all of my duties in detail in order not to confuse you. However, let me tell you one more. Since not everyone knows this duty of mine, they just see me as an organ of liquid disposal. But I also take part in controlling the blood production! Surprised? Well, I also have the duty of secreting the hormone which stimulates blood production in the bones. I must always stay alert and maintain this balance in the best way; if you start losing blood, for instance, I must increase the hormone and accelerate blood production.

Yes, I’ve told you about a few of my basic duties, but haven’t told you about how wonderfully designed I am. I am a bean-shaped organ and a single kidney like me weighs 130-160 grams on average. We are approximately 10 grams lighter in female bodies. I am surrounded by a soft but protective membrane. I need 35 grams of daily oxygen supply to survive and I use 13 % of your total body energy.

As an army is made up of individual soldiers, I am like a complex army, and a single soldier of mine is called a “nephron,” which does the real job. Thus, you can see me as a body of nephrons. Millions of these nephrons are brought together to make up one kidney.

A single nephron is a thin tubular structure with closed ends, and its length is about 3-4 cm. So the total length of my nephrons is about 50 km. The cup-like sac at the beginning of a nephron is named the “Bowman’s capsule.” The main artery bringing blood to the kidneys branch into smaller units, and one road leads to every nephron. The knot of capillaries (glomerulus) inside this double-walled capsule is more complicated than any road map you might have seen. The total length of the capillaries is nearly 25 km. The unwelcome substances in the blood are passed to the capsule thanks to blood pressure, and they proceed through the tubule. The total surface area of my tubules is about 20 m2. Within five minutes the whole of your blood passes through us. That is to say, an average of 1.2 liters of blood per minute, and 1800 liters a day are filtered by my nephrons, leaving the toxic substances in me. As this amount of blood (nearly 400 times the normal amount in your body) pass through my tubules and return to the veins they leave behind an average of 180 liters of liquid in me. In this case, you could be supposed to throw out 180 liters of urine a day. However, if you really did that, you would neither be able to find a sufficient supply of water nor salt. Fortunately, Providence granted you the mechanism to absorb back nearly 178.5 liters of this filtered substance. This way, the thickened urine throws out the toxic nitrogen-containing byproducts together with a little amount of water. Therefore, I give you back the substances you need with an amount of 1.5 liters of liquid disposal a day. This reabsorbing is realized in what you call the Henle loop. The cells in the walls of my tubules have neither intellect, nor consciousness, nor any knowledge of physiology; in spite of this, they work as if they were perfectly aware of their duty to adjust the amounts and types the substances to be kept or released. To give you an idea, you can think about the huge dialysis machines your engineers design to fulfill the job my tiny tubules do. You decide which one of us is the perfect work of engineering.

A rich network of veins surround the Heinle loop and the reabsorbed substances are released into the bloodstream. The drops to be disposed of are collected and then passed to your bladder. When the liquid in your bladder amounts to a certain value it tightens the bladder walls. The muscles blocking the way out give way and the urine is disposed of. However, know that the bladder has the capacity to expand as large as 1.5 liters when you cannot find the proper time and place.

Most people take for granted the blessings they enjoy. If you visit the nephrology service in a hospital and talk to the patients waiting to be dialyzed, you understand what I mean better. Do not forget that many people who suffer from kidney failure need that huge machine to filter the whole of their blood and they pray for a kidney suitable for transplantation to be found at once.

Incidentally, thinking of chronic kidney failure recalled various reasons which ruin me: long lasting infections, long-term use of certain medicine, different chemicals like ethylene and mercury, heavy loss of blood, high blood pressure, serious burns, and wrong blood transfers etc. In such cases I can receive irreparable damage.

Another issue which troubles me is the formation of kidney stones. The stones which form owing to failures in different metabolic processes really hurt. When excessive decrease of liquids or increases of salts in the body upset my sensitive balance, some dissolved substances remain, begin to collect, and form stones. These stones hinder urine flow and might cause infections. You may drink water abundantly to prevent these stones. Most importantly do not wait too much before going to the toilet. If you excuse me, I also strongly recommend you to urinate in sitting position; this helps emptying your bladder completely and reduces the risk of kidney stones.

I do my job properly until I lose 90 % of my working capacity. When a considerable part of me loses its capacity, the remaining good part boosts its activity to make up for the loss. When one of our twins are taken out with an operation, the other one does not complain at all; it grows a bit bigger and keeps working.

As the nature of honey depends on the nectars bees collect, the ingredients of the urine I produce depend on what’s in your body. Therefore, a urine analysis tells much in the case of illness. For example, I normally do not release valuable substances like glucose and protein in your blood into the urine, but return them to the bloodstream. As my friends cannot fulfill this function in diabetic patients, their urine analyses reveal glucose. As for medicines, I throw them out right away since they are alien substances to me.

You are young and healthy but be careful and do not get cold around the waist, otherwise I might trouble you. There’s a lot to tell you, but I do not want to confuse you. Like any other organ, I do not like being taken for granted and I just wish for you to appreciate what a blessing I am. Let me note that my perfect cooperation with the rest of your body is another wonder in itself. Anyway, the urea in your blood is increasing, so I must go help my twin now.

[cartoonfangirl1218]

Love Potion Extravaganza Ch. 5

Note: Yes, here comes Act 2! Thank you so much again to @pizzansunshine for her patience and her enthusiastic editing. The songs I used in this chapter are, “What am I feeling”. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mXuM2LW79ao. “His status is preferred” https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=q_n0DytNx5I and “Omg I think I like you” https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=IGtb-gZcLak#

“OOOH This is so exciting!” Olivia squealed once Naomi explained her suspicions within the silent corridors of Mateo’s workshop.

“I wouldn’t say “exciting” more like a very serious situation.” Naomi cautioned against Olivia’s enthusiasm. She already heard the story of the water spirit Olivia accidentally summoned when she had been too eager to use her magical skills. She didn’t want another mess-up that ended with a kingdom-wide wedding or somehow reversed the spell and everyone wanted to kill each other.

“Right serious. I get it. I’m serious.” Olivia calmed down, her eyes trained on Mateo’s shelves full of spellbooks. “Which one do you think would have the antidote for a love spell in it?”

Naomi looked nervously at all the books There had to be at least thirty of them already, squished together on the small shelves with long, intellectual titles like “1,001 Spells for Healing, Combat, and Other Miscellaneous Items Need for Accumulation of Knowledge.”

“Well, it’s not a love spell but a love potion according to Gabe. The Delgados put in the water supply so it would probably be in a book about potions.” Naomi answered unsuredly.

“Mateo showed me how he organizes his books in categories and Señora De Alva put little bookmarks to separate the good spells from the dangerous spells.” Olivia ran to the lower right side of Mateo’s second shelf. “20 of these are books on potions.”

“20?” Naomi groaned. They could probably get through 20 books but think of how much time they could be wasted looking for the potion in the book, then making the potion itself, assuming that Mateo had all the need ingredients in his workshop.

Olivia saw her impatience and suggested optimistically, “We can split the work. I look through the chapters of 10 books and you look through 10. It can’t be that hard.” Olivia said optimistically, heaving a bunch of books in her arms which fell to the ground due to her weak upper body strength.

Naomi helped her gather them up and Olivia asked, “If the Delgados put the love potion in the water system. How come you’re not affected?” “I haven’t drank water all day. My dad makes me drink milk. He says it’s more healthy. What about you?” Naomi answered, opening a hefty purple volume of potions to its index where a fly flew out.

“I could never fall in love with a boy. Even because of a love spell. They have cooties!” Olivia definitively declared.

“Well I don’t know about cooties” Naomi laughed a little at Olivia’s disgusted face, and thought about Gabe’s less than alert guard skills and Elena and Mateo’s infatuation with each other. Both had completely missed Carla’s escape, “But it does make you blind.”

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Gabe’s face was haunting her and she hated it.  

The way his eyes seemed to fill with unspeakable sadness and how he had been frozen to the spot, unable to move for fear he would lose his stern guard discipline but at the same he was so vulnerable...

Carla didn’t know why she felt her heart tug a bit when she pictured his face. He was the enemy who was a danger to her family by chasing them across the kingdom. He had been a target she was going to use. His broken hearted feelings because of a love potion her mom had made shouldn’t matter to her. “What am I feeling? Is it a feeling? Could I be feeling somehow?”

All of this time I never truly had one.

Why would I be starting now?

But apparently she did have some feelings and it made her chest feel heavy and tight. She wanted to run back and see if he was okay. Maybe he had found a new girl to lust over. “If it's a feeling. Truly a feeling. Why is it hurting me so?

Could it be my first one is a bad one?

How am I supposed to know?

As she trudged into the five star hotel, she cursed herself for putting her tamborita and malvago robes in the closet at the top floor. So much walking! It just gave her more time to think and for Gabe’s sad face to go through her head. “Is it meant to make your insides ache?

Meant to make your chest go tight?

Meant to make you sweat and shake?

How could anything like that be right?”

She wondered if she accidentally drank the love potion too. She had avoided water all day as her parents instructed. She did have a sip of wine too. That didn’t have water, right? “If I am feelin some stupid feeling... Why can't it just go away?

Why did all of these feelings have to start?

Tearing at my armor-plated heart.”

As Carla approached the top floor, a horrifying thought struck her sending the tightness in her chest to go clenching her stomach. What if she did have that love potion? What if she was stuck loving someone who would never have her? Stuck with all these stupid, heart-tearing feelings?

“What if, God forbid, they're here to stay?

How can I unfeel the way I feel today?”

She was one of the most dangerous malvagos in all of Avalor! She could not be experiencing heartbreak or be made to look as devastated as Gabe had when Elena smashed his into tiny pieces. She was Carla Delgado. She was fierce, independent, not to be trusted and untrusting of others. She couldn’t give in to these.. these...

“Excuse me senorita, Prince coming through!” A boy called from behind her.

Carla was so startled by this interruption to her self-pity part that she missed the next step and fell over. When she looked to growl at him for being so annoying, her mouth dropped open. She had seen his face a thousand times when she and Papa had lived in Cordoba. Prince Alonso!

Back then she had had a small crush on him. What with the luscious hair, his money and the fact that he clearly had a wild side, racing his chariots all over the place. She had thought they would be perfect together. She would bring him to the edge of bad behavior and he would make her his princess.

Of course that had been a silly, little girl’s fantasy. Now she was grown-up, much more realistic.

But that didn’t stop the instinctive smile she gave him when he paused to help her up.

“Pr-princy- I mean Prince Alonso.” Carla tried to resist the urge to squeak, “What are you doing here?”

“I am here for a very important trade meeting. But before I do my work, I must have pleasure. Specifically with one of Princess Elena’s grand council members. She was all over me, it was the least I can do to give in and show her the time of her life.” Alonso bragged.

Carla thought back to her time as Rita and who Elena had said was on her grand council. Her abuelos, her cousin, and... Naomi. Seriously, she couldn’t seduce Gabe and that Turner girl was getting to sleep with a prince!

Suddenly an idea flashed through her mind. If she slept with Prince Alonso, it would fix all her problems!!! She could prove to herself that she didn’t have any real feelings for Gabe, literally screw over Naomi after that blonde had foiled her plans one too many times, and she, Carla Delgado, would be sleeping with a prince!

Somewhere a little voice told her that if she tried to seduce Alonso, that she would somehow be putting her family’s big plan at risk. But... she was pretty sure everyone was under the love potion spell already. Did she really need to check on everyone?

Nah! This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Her parents would understand.

“Have fun!” Carla waved as Alonso continued up to whatever room he was going to. “Maybe I’ll see you soon.”

Once Alonso was out of sight, Carla ran up the last few steps to the closet where she had stashed her robe and tamborita, singing to herself, “He's discerning, he's refined.

Eats French cheeses, drinks French wine

He travels all the time

'Cause he's elite

He's Silver Elite

Royal Silver Elite

His status is... Preferred.”

This was so much better than her plan to seduce the Captain of the Guard. As she pushed her robe sleeves back, she recalled Gabe’s words, “Seduce me with a song about how evil you are? Know your audience.”

Carla frowned at the inconvenience. It would probably not be in her best interest to come to his door dressed as a malvago. Back to the stinking waitress outfit it is.

“Fine hotels are where he stays

The kind with grand breakfast buffets

And a chef who can make omelettes a variety of ways

And they don't stick him in some regular room

No, that would be absurd!”

She tucked her tamborita into the makeshift belt made out of rope she found in the janitor’s closet. Not her best look but she wasn’t going to leave it here. She might need to make a quick getaway. Then she pulled her right strap down so it was alluringly dangling on her shoulder.

Once she was prepared she went scouring the floor. Pressing her ear against various doors in hopes of finding Alonso’s, all the while she imagined the luxury his room must have. Grand golden vases filled with roses, gilded wall to wall mirrors. To think, in a few hours, she’d be living like that in the Avaloran palace.

“He gets a suite

A two-room Royal Suite

An Royal City View Suite

With a 400 thread count sheets

Because his status is... Preferred”

She had come a long way from nobody. Maybe if they hit it off, he would consider dating her? Sure he might be a bit upset that she dethroned his friend but that’s nothing a love potion wouldn’t fix. “Oh, can't you see, He's got premiere access to me

My whole life, I've been stuck!

I have waited and waited

To one day be upgraded.

To spread my wings and fly!”

Then she passed a room where she heard Prince Alonso’s voice repeating, “Would you like to see the royal jewels? No no no, how about I charm you in all the right places. No that is not it.” How endearing-he practicing his pick-up lines. Well she could help him with them. She knocked on his door and he opened it eagerly but his face slumped when he saw it was her. Despite his less than enthusiastic reaction, Carla took the time to seize him over, humming her song in her head. “On his wrist, a gold wristwatch

On his lips, a blended Scotch

And I have to stop my eyes from drifting

Downwards towards his crotch!

I can peek, but I have to be discreet

'Cause he's filet mignon

Not just some piece of meat.”

“I know you said you had to meet some other girl but she seems to be running late and I have a preposition for you.” Carla purred batting her eyelashes in a way that she knew drove men wild. To add to that effect, she bended over just enough to give a teasing glance of her clevage.

Score! His eyes flicked down and an unconscious smirk spread across his face showing his interest. He may be some gentlemanly prince, but she was going to bring out the wild side.

”He’s sophisticated

Elegant

Elite

In a word:

He's preferred.

“Oh yeah, he is so much better than Gabe”  Carla thought then she corrected herself, “Better than Gino.”

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“I think I’d preferred to be in school if there were other royals coming. I mean look at all these people!” Tomiko cried as she and Isabel left their physics class in the University of Avalor. Random townspeople had been corralled into the university’s square by guards since they had been trying to follow Princess Valentina causing a crush of people.

“See you tomorrow!” Tomiko called, waving frantically, as a crowd swept by, carrying her away to her dorm.

“Bye!” Isabel yelled back but Tomiko was too far gone to hear. Isabel had been excused from her afternoon classes at her regular school due to being needed to greet Princess Valentina and Prince Alonso back at the palace. But as she waited uncertainly by the entrance she started to wonder if someone forgot that she needed to be picked up.

She watched the people go by, lots of couples out enjoying the sunshine and each other’s company. She even heard one young man say, “That Princess is right. With love we’ll never have problems again!”

As more and more people walked into stores and cafes, leaving the streets empty she became sure that she had been forgotten.

Isabel groaned, feeling unneeded tears of frustration pool in her eyes. She knew that her sister was busy. She knew her sister had other more important priorities to her kingdom to attend to. But still. She still. She had said that she needed Isabel to be with her to greet the other royals, and now, she forgot her completely.

She could be in Senora Marisol’s right now with her friends learning about history!

But nooo, she was the younger and unimportant princess left by the gate of her university because no one remembered that she even existed.

Once this trade alliance was over she wanted to go over a few things with Elena. She’d let her sister put the kingdom first, but that didn’t mean she should start breaking promises just because she--

“ISA! Watch out!” a voice shouted. Then before she could even let out a scream, a speeding horse and cart barreled across her path and a strong man tackled her out of the way.

Isabel coughed and rubbed her eyes, trying to get the dust out of her face. Then she turned to her rescuer, “Thank you so much!”

The rescuer looked at her and she recognized Gabe’s familiar face. He was forcing a fearless smile but his eyes were clearly filled with worry as he discreetly observed her for injuries.

She was about to thank him again and apologize for not paying attention when her throat closed up. Her heart fluttered frantically in her chest and all she could do was stare at his intense brown eyes while her intestines turned to goo.

Oh Gabe. He never forgot about her existence. Well once, but that was an accident she completely forgave him for.

Gabe was so unlike all the other people she hanged out with. Despite being older than her, he always asked for opinion on things and made a point to include her. She saw how tough and macho he acted in public, but when he was with her, he was always so sweet. She had seen his adorkable side when he met Antonio Agama for the first time. It had been adorable the way he hugged the oversized gecko. And equally endearing when he freaked out over the small geckos.

Gabe pulled her to standing position and said gently, “How about I take you to the palace?” She could only nod in response.

Every inch of him was just so well-built and emphasized his strength. His discipline shown through how tall and straight he carried himself. The small calluses she felt on his hands from rigorous training when he put her in front of him on Fuego. His muscles were firm and highlighted by his guard uniform and encased between them, she wanted to snuggle against his chest.

Just as she was about to ask him how his guard duty was, she felt an unexplained blush rise up her cheek. He looked like a fairytale knight, the way he looked straight ahead with an determined air.

Isabel gasped a little.

Blushing?

One of the sentences she read for homework sprang to mind immediately, “Blushing is triggered by emotions related to self-conscious such as eagerness. This eagerness could be being complimented, put in the spotlight or near a potential mate. This is a natural process...”

Isabel gulped. Sh-she didn’t think Gabe was a potential mate. He was just a friend! He was so much older than she, he...

Those protests of her mind faded away when she looked up again and Gabe met her eyes. He smiled at her. His bright teeth twinkling in the sunlight and his eyes seemed to glow. He was a knight and that smile promised happiness, protection and sweet sweet bliss. She didn’t know how he conveyed it all in one smile but he just did.  

It was all Isabel could do not to melt against his hard, solid chest. A thousand little daydreams swarmed in her head like instead of he taking her to the palace, he’d take her to his family bakery and they’d lick icing off each other’s fingers. Them reading by the firelight of a log cabin. They by a lake and a priest saying “You may kiss the bride.” Gabe would whisper, “Mi amor” and take her in his arms and kiss her passionately..

“Here we are. Have a good day, Isa.” Then he said a bit more subduedly, “Say “Hi” to your sister and her boyfriend for me.”

Isabel barely heard Gabe’s words, she was too busy trying to keep her legs steady. When he put her down again, the touch sent electrical sparks up and down her legs and she was pretty sure she would need help standing up.

Once she was sure the ground was steady beneath her, she saw a glimpse of Gabe riding back to town. His figure framed by the sun shining down. He was so perfect.

She turned and walked into the door, the headache that came from knocking her head against the wood brought her back to her doubts again.

She jittery opened the door which was surprisingly unlocked despite the fact that there were no guards around. Her heart was still doing it’s fluttery dance but her mind was a bit clearer.

“What’s wrong with you? He’s an adult, and you’re not even 13.” She muttered to herself. But that didn't stop her at all. She just pictured herself as a gorgeous 25 year old. Her hair was long and wavy as it trailed down her back. She was wearing a white wedding gown and Gabe was wearing an opened shirt, showing off his defined muscles. He held her in his arms while she gazed into his eyes, reminiscent of an old romance novel she saw her mother reading once.

“But he’s Elena’s friend. He only thinks of you as her little sister.” Isabel reminded herself but smiled as her little wedding daydream continued in her head.

She almost bumped into Octavio who was in a secluded corner with one of the castle maids. The sight of them kissing just made her smile even brighter. Love was so wonderful. Feeling giddy, she twirled and sang through the hallways,

“I can’t stop the image of you and me

Getting married on a hillside, surrounded by ducks

And then we get into a rowboat!”

She got dizzy and fell over with one revelation hanging her mind. Gabe was so not her friend anymore. He was a bona fide crush that was never going to happen. Her heart pounded but so did her brain as headache came about.

“Oh my God I think I like you!”

[usratonkachi]

sasuke uchiha’s trajectory / a pro-sasuke meta.

Sasuke was more than just a rebel, spoiled and “whining emo kid” that wanted revenge, I can prove it.

Contains anti Konoha, shinobi system, Kakashi, Naruto, Sakura, Danzou, Hiruzen, Tobirama, SS/SNS arguments, so if you're not ready to handle criticism against your favourite character or ship, don't even read it.

This is for people to think more deeply about Sasuke and his actions, so you don't have to fully agree. But I'm not open for critics or similar. I'm exposing what I think, what I saw and how I interpreted Sasuke's trajectory. If you strongly do not agree with or get offended by anything under the cut,  that's not my problem so you can complain over there, don't @ me.

However, if you have any real doubts, other valid arguments to add, or you just want to talk about what you just read / discuss about anything you politely disagree with, you can contact me here or here, or chat me on tumblr itself. I'm not changing my mind though.

Also, a big thank you to my friend who translated from pt-br for me because I’m too lazy. Love you, Konan. ♡

1. WHEN SASUKE LEFT KONOHA:

Here's where Sasuke starts being hated by the Naruto fanbase because it's when he stops acting according to what Konoha believes he's supposed to. But, before hating him, there's a lot of things to acknowledge about.

Sasuke always believed to be an avenger ever since the Uchiha massacre. Even when he began to blend in well on Team 7's dynamic, as soon as Itachi landed feet in Konoha again and he failed to defeat him, he came back to believe in such fact. Thus, he wanted to grow stronger.

Not just for seeking to be stronger, Sasuke also feels like he doesn't belong to Konoha anymore. Sakura never understood the pain of having everything that matters the most taken away, Naruto never really had anything and Kakashi, the only one who could connect to him, only pushes him away.

1.2. KAKASHI:

Although what people think, Kakashi and Sasuke's relationship was deeper than it seemed. Kakashi was someone that made Sasuke feel safe and vehemently trained him for the Chuunin Exam. In a summary, Sasuke trusted Kakashi and had him as a mentor.

Instead of offering Sasuke the emotional support he needed, Kakashi basically fought him for using one of his jutsu against an ally even though Naruto had done it too and could just have killed him as well. Beyond that, he insults him multiple times and doesn't take his only goal seriously. He tied up the boy to a tree like he was some kind of animal, for God’s sake.

You can read more about Sasuke and Kakashi’s relationship in this awesome analysis.

This is only the beginning of Konoha trying to make Sasuke feel guilty for everything he did and wanted to do, when actually all his hate and thirst for revenge was perfectly comprehensive, since he lost everything to the system he lives in.

1.2. SAKURA:

Besides comparing her pain of losing him with his pain of having his whole family murdered by his own brother, Sakura still blackmails him emotionally because it's all about what SHE wants, about what SHE feels. It only shows she doesn't really understand him.

1.3. NARUTO:

Naruto, just like the rest, also doesn't get Sasuke's goals and motivations and tries to stop him from seeking power with Orochimaru, even if he has to "break his arms and legs".

In a summary, the approach of these three didn’t work. Naruto thought he could handle everything with his fists, Sakura thought making it about her own feelings was a good idea, but their lack of maturity is understadable. However, Kakashi understating Sasuke’s pain, like he wasn’t allowed to feel that way because Kakashi himself didn’t (it’s not even the same situation lmao), only made it all worse and was a decisive reason for him to leave.

2. WHEN SASUKE "ALLIED" HIMSELF TO OROCHIMARU.

Besides what everyone thinks, Sasuke doesn't really allied himself to Orochimaru or condoned with his ideology like Anko or Kabuto. He didn't intend for him to possess his body, not before killing Itachi. He wanted to train and get strong.

To this point, Sasuke literally didn't do anything questionable. During training, he never killed anyone or acted as cold as he wanted people to think he was. That's why he says "I'll be merciless in front of him (Itachi)," because that's something he has to force himself to become, not something he is.

One more proof Sasuke never shared Orochimaru's goals and, instead, used him as a way to obtain more power is his speech before "killing him", where he questions his goals and ways.

After Orochimaru's "death", Sasuke frees all his prisoners and victims of his experiment, including Suigetsu, Juugo and Karin. In Juugo's case, he offered himself to be his "prison", stopping him from hurting even more people.

In pursuit of Zabuza's sword, Sasuke prevents Suigetsu from killing just any person.

3. WHEN SASUKE LEARNT THE TRUTH ABOUT ITACHI.

This is a crucial point in Sasuke's history because it's where he finds out that the brother whom he always had the goal to kill in revenge actually did everything in order for him to stay alive and become a hero.

At this point, it's important to keep in mind that Sasuke accomplished his lifetime goal, the only thing he believed he was alive for. Many times he said he didn't care as to what happened with his life after that moment, so it is unimaginable the misery and emptiness that he felt. Pay close attention to the expression of his eyes.

Not even the sight of another Uchiha alive took this expression of pure misery from his eyes. That’s how broken he was at this point.

Obito took advantage of Sasuke's mental instability to pour over him all the truth about Itachi. At the minimal possibility of all the acknowledge about his brother and his entire life being a lie, he breaks down, literally blacks out.

At this moment, there is a giant lack of critical sense from the fandom. Sasuke finds out that Itachi was coerced to do a mission to save his life at the behest of the Konoha leaders. So it's OBVIOUS that he couldn't return to Konoha after knowing the truth.

Many think that, since he knew Itachi did everything for the Village (which wasn't exactly the truth because he'd feel doubtful before, but made his decision once Sasuke's life was threatened), Sasuke should, too. But instead, he hates who made Itachi suffer.

Not only because of his brother, Sasuke hates Konoha for the way it treated his clan, with mistrustfulness and discrimination over one of the families that helped founding the Village.

"Even in the middle of the most profound despair, his eyes reflect a single ray of hope"*. That summarises well how Sasuke felt without any perspective of life, but grabbed onto the first shadow of objective that was offered. Obito knew how to take advantage of Sasuke's misery.

*This is a sentence that is written on chapter’s 400 art cover but I couldn’t find it in English.

4. WHEN SASUKE INVADED THE KAGES' REUNION.

Recruited to Akatsuki and manipulated by Tobi, Sasuke made his first move directly against Konoha when he appeared at the Kages' reunion to face Danzou, one of the responsibles for his clan's genocide and Itachi's sacrifice.

Sasuke's plan was to find Danzou and destroy him like part of revenge against Konoha, but Zetsu alerts the Kages about his presence in the place, which causes everyone to fight against him.

From here on, Taka starts to question Sasuke's sanity multiple times because of the sudden change in his chakra. Gathering all the precious traumas, the guilt for Itachi's death and sacrifice and the hate over who made him go through it, he was on the edge of going mad.

At this point, Sasuke doesn't put anything above his goals. Danzou confirms that Itachi's sacrifice was true and nothing else matters to him, so he kills Danzou and sacrifices Taka. After that, he realises Sakura's intention to kill him and strikes back, trying to kill her as well.

Then Sakura tries to kill him once again, and once again he defends himself trying to kill her back. The same happens with Naruto and Kakashi. So psychologically unstable, he doesn't even care about his physical limitations and insists on keep on fighting blindly.

We all know Sakura hesitated but Sasuke didn’t. His sight was troubled and she came from behind. He was defending himself.

Tobi advising him to kill Karin:

As much as Sasuke was reluctant because he wanted to be definitely full hatred, vulnerable regarding physical strength, he voluntarily decides to hear what Naruto has to say.

Then Naruto starts the “because we’re friends” talk and Sasuke clearly feels kind of affected because he actually wants that bond so badly but he also wants justice for his brother and clan, about what he’s totally right.

In a summary, besides the declared intention to kill Karin after she was hit because of his shaken up sanity, Sasuke acted in self defense and in defense of his goals, what ended up not killing anyone.

5. WHEN SASUKE JOINED THE WAR.

Sasuke meets Itachi's edo tensei with still profound grudge over Konoha for what it did to his brother. He wanted answers from Itachi in order to confirm everything that was told by Tobi and Danzou.

The closer to Itachi he feels, the more Sasuke hates Konoha and wants to revenge his brother for being forced to sacrifice himself.

After confirming that Itachi's sacrifice for the village and himself was true, Sasuke falls into an internal conflict for not being certain of any concepts anymore; of a clan, a village, a shinobi, and even himself. To obtain answers, he resurrects Orochimaru to bring the Hokages back to life.

There is a lot of virtue and maturity in Sasuke's decision of understanding all the concepts through their stories. Patiently, he listens to Hashirama's version about everything to then come to a conclusion on what to do about his revenge and himself.

Hashirama talks about his and Madara's trajectory, inwardly connected to the Village's concept, which he had helped found. And allied to the concept of a ninja village, he defined sacrifice as one of the methods to protect it, which Madara stated would drag the Village into darkness, what was clearly a reference to Itachi and the Uchiha's sacrifice, culminating into Sasuke's personal hell. In the end, Hashirama ends up taking the responsibility for this method being considerated valid to protect the Village.

In front of all that, Sasuke, for now, decides to battle next to the Shinobi Alliance so that his brother's sacrifice wouldn't have been in vain. Next to Naruto and Sakura, he seals Kaguya and has an important part in the world's salvage. Without him, there would literally be no way to save it.

Besides all of that, he still recognised the mistake he made on Karin and asked for her forgiveness.

An addendum: SASUKE DID NOT TRY TO KILL SAKURA IN THIS MOMENT like a lot of people try to decontextualise. He put her in a GENJUTSU, the same way Itachi did to himself after the Uchiha's massacre. One more reenforcement to his attempt of cutting his ties with the previous Team 7.

6. WHEN SASUKE BATTLED NARUTO.

To this point, Sasuke comes to an obvious conclusion, but that requires extreme perspicacity from a 17 year old kid: Konoha's problem was its system. The failure that would allow sacrifices like Itachi's to happen was structural.

Even Orochimaru, when resurrected, acknowledges Sasuke's maturing.

With that in mind, Sasuke decides to become a Hokage and lead a revolution that would change the shinobi system and would nip the world's evil in the bud.

Sasuke's revolution consisted in following Itachi's steps, his great inspiration and influence, sacrificing himself to carry alone all the hate in the world. The intention of it was to unify the whole world and that only he would have to deal with the Villages' darkness.

This new goal of him destroys every argument against him that paints him as someone egocentric and selfish. Everything Sasuke wished for was to deal with the darkness by himself in a way that there wouldn't be any more sacrifices like Itachi's or of children like himself and Naruto.

Therefore, as noble as his objectives were and as mature as they sounded for his age, Sasuke sins on the chosen ways to start his revolution (even though I wouldn’t mind if he killed the kages whereas all their war crimes). Still, it's comprehensive since he started using Itachi's example as a guide of his actions.

Sasuke then apologised for all the suffering he caused his friends, even though it wasn't really his fault. He felt so responsible for the bad events that he left on a redemption trip to see the world with his own eyes, proving his maturity once again.

7. WHEN SASUKE LEFT ON A MISSION.

I want to start this section saying how much I despise for personal reasons (it’s explained at the end of this meta) canon adult Sasuke for what Kishimoto did to his character but I defend him anyway because he’s still hated for absolutely wrong reasons.

Apart from everything he went through previously, Sasuke was brainwashed accepted the position of shadow Hokage and started to protect Konoha even if the village never had redeemed itself for its crimes against his brother and clan.

He sacrificed almost an entire life next to his wife and daughter in favour of not only Konoha, but the world, since he was the only one who could track traces of Kaguya thanks to his Rinnegan. In the meantime, he saved the village again and again.

Sasuke is constantly judged for pointing out a sword in Sarada's direction on their first meeting, although there wasn't how he'd know that, out of all people, she would be there (thank you Naruto you’re so responsible, no wonder you’re such a good parent lmao) considering there were sharingan user clones walking around.

Anyhow, he saved his daughter when it was needed and searched for Sakura to guarantee her safety, even though he had defended that she would be fine since she was as strong as him and Naruto. Besides, he AGAIN helped saving everyone.

FINAL CONSIDERATIONS & PERSONAL ANALYSIS.

Sasuke was a child that had everything and lost it all in the most traumatising way possible to the person he loved the most, ordered by the Village he grew in. He saw his family BEING SLAUGHTERED thousands of times in Itachi's genjustu when he was just a kid.

He had his only goal ripped from him on his teen years when getting rid of the target of his revenge only to learn that he actually had sacrificed himself on HIS BEHALF, since his LIFE WAS THREATENED by the superiors responsible for Konoha.

Although being a completely traumatised child and psychologically shaken up, being manipulated by his brother first, then by many others who only wanted to take advantage of his abilities, Sasuke still became aware of the world enough to want to change it for the better.

The revolutionary ideals that conferred depth to the character and made him promising were devastated because antagonists are portrayed as "insane", "out of their minds", "dominated by hatred" so we'll think the revolution of systems is a crazy people thing.

Sasuke was a victim of the system that allows 13 year old children to kill their families in sacrifice of a "greater cause", like this kid and theret family weren't part of who deserved protection. If he had controversial actions, Konoha and its system are the ones to blame.

The real guilty ones are Tobirama, who SEGREGATED the Uchiha without a reason; Hiruzen, that didn't have any tact or pulse to deal with Danzou and the Uchiha; and Danzou, whose crimes I don't even have to mention because they're common sense. If you want to blame someone, these are the ones.

Even though the real guilty ones were previously mentioned, Sasuke was thrown in jail and still got scolded by the greatest Sixth Hokage, his said mentor, who told him to "try not to go mad again", like it was his fault for being traumatised thanks to the Village.

And that's why I hate the ending of my favourite character. It has nothing to do with some kind of ship like many may think (even though I’d much prefer him to end with someone who could really understand him), but because he was distorted to fit in a stupid and conformist narrative, when he had a marvellous potential as a character.

And as if it's not enough, he's hated and made fun of in the fanbase, even though he's the only one, among the kids, to really make sense, even with all the traumas he suffered. Even when he had proved not to be selfish, or dumb, nor egocentric or a terrible father or an abusive husband and etc.

Sasuke Uchiha did nothing wrong and I just proved it. If you, a possible anti who read it all the way here, still want to keep in the ignorance of hating the character based on his actions then that's on you. I've done my part. That's it. Now go love my baby cause he deserves it. ♡

I couldn’t get to all of these opinions without help, so I’m recommending some important pro-Sasuke posts (besides the ones I already did during the post).

Sasuke changing the shinobi system thread. About adult Sasuke. Sasuke’s “crimes”. Sasuke’s protectiveness 1 and 2. Anti SasuSaku fandom. Naruto’s feelings for Sasuke. The Fucking Will Of Fire™. Why pro-Sasuke people are pro-Sasuke anyway? Anti-SNS. Sasuke’s guilt trip.

pt-br twitter thread / pt-br tumblr trans

[zydrateacademy]

Current Activities in Sims 4 #1

The Sims was never really a franchise I cared much for. They had some good city builders but Cities: Skylines dethroned them as the go-to. I remember watching my brother play the older Sims games and I never liked the idea of playing through the nuances of taking a piss and eating breakfast. I still don’t, so it should be no surprise that the first mod I got was the cheat console that allowed me to basically hack in a couple of those traits where my sims don’t need to sleep, eat, etc. Those are rewards that are typically only acquired when you grind through a few aspiration things, and a fair bit of them to boot. I didn’t take them all. My characters still need to take a piss and sometimes it’s prudent to have them sleep to shake off some negative emotions. So it’s not like I’m not doing any of the survival bits at all - I just got irritated by how quickly it was drained. In some of my early hours of gameplay I wrestled with 2-3 things hitting the red at the same time so my ladies would flail around doing normal survival stuff before leaving for work. Basically, I would only have a few minutes of actual, interesting gameplay. Which to me is typically exploring, meeting new people, grinding up skills, shopping, and with a certain mod... A whole lotta fuckin’.

That was quickly a second mod I got, and discovered I needed to also download a bunch of animation packs so my girls would do more than fondle each other in bed (and literally nothing else). That probably comprises most of my mods, as there’s not much in the way of creator content that I care about. Some neat clothing, but nothing I can’t absolutely live without. Instead, I went on a sort of brief spending spree to get a few of the DLC’s but right now they’re at full price, no sales, so I need to resist the urge to just drop another 200$ and call it a full game. I really need to wait for a sale. Because y’see, the creator gallery is invaluable to me. I can’t really figure out how to build pretty houses on my own, I can only modify what other people give me. However, so much of the good shit is locked behind an alert that says “This uses assets from the following packs: ALMOST ALL OF THEM”. Or rather, all the ones that add building pieces. So eventually I want most, if not all of them, in my possession. So as the lifestyle simulator thing goes, I’ve had a lot of fun recreating characters from my various stories and lore, as sort of alternative versions of themselves. I started with my usual go to but then imported Kiur Kenneth at one point, my Death Knight from WoW. She was a good experiment to have the “Erratic” trait, which suited her.

I later evolved into having actual original characters. Some of their names I don’t fully remember, but the kissing ladies above are original concepts. The gothy, dark skinned babe is Dana I think. A stay at home nerd of sorts, in theory she is living rent free because the girl she’s kidding is a secret agent that apparently gets paid very well. Kind of how I justified cheating in all the money so I can have them live wherever I want. I also tossed up a sort of thrown-together vampire trio. Was fiddling with the nudism thing that the sex mod comes with but I found that it doesn’t carry over when you’re not actively playing them. Every time I visit them, or get visited by them, they’re always wearing their standard stuff. Either way, once I got a few poly-lady households going, I finally settled down my gameplay enough to have a solo Trans girl whom is... basically me, and it’s scratched a fantasy that I’ve never been able to acquire in other games.

I sadly don’t have a frontal shot of her yet except for two things. One, just showing off how a bunch of gnomes really fucked my home up for a whole day.

Second, making out with one of many potential suitors, I’m not even sure which one I want her to properly date yet. The glory that is polyamory helps with this decision, of course.

Other than vampires and magic not being real (that I am yet aware of), this playthrough is basically me. I don’t know where exactly I’d get the 20000$ to have my own starter home at only 400$ rent, but this girl is basically living my life that I wish I could. Thanks to an intersex setting, she still has her penis just as I may in some years when life actually allows me to begin my transition. It’s let to some very fun encounters, and I can appreciate that I barely have to push the sex thing at all. I’m propositioned by the other characters most of the time when my girl is just on her computer programming games. 

I wish I could show some of the actual nudity involved, because it’s fairly impressive for a six year old game and the animators can really make the simplistic skeletons dance in their favor. Sadly, Tumblr has lost its titties so I’ll need to find a different venue for that. I leave this post with one anecdote that I can’t stop giggling about. The sex mod adds peeping toms and tinas, thankfully I mostly just get the tinas (whom are incredibly hard to woo, most conversations put her in the negatives). Well, they do age and die apparently as an elder variant caught the above gal going at it with a different vampire. They had her fun, and she had her fun at the window and then went and dropped dead in the snow. Death came and claimed her, and I have a screenshot of it because it’s so goddamn funny. I made her tombstone read: “Died as she lived. Flickin’ dat bean”.

[componentplanet]

2019 BMW X7 Review: The Best Big SUV Yet

Your first thought upon viewing the BMW X7: The massive front grille turns this amazing full-size SUV in the direction of self-parody. But step into the cockpit, where you don’t see the schnozz, and you’ll find a wealth of performance, handling, and driver-assist features that make this the best big SUV you can buy, at least until the next-generation (2020) Mercedes-Benz GLS arrives in quantity. What makes the X7 worth the better part of $100,000 is the seamless Level 2 self-driving with automatic lane changes, the big cockpit displays, the camera systems, the fabulous seats, the ride and handling, and reasonable third-row room.

The biggest (non-grille) downside is cockpit switchgear that has become at once prettier, harder to use, and harder to read. Also, a car this big would be more socially conscious if a plug-in hybrid version was offered in the first wave of X7 shipments rather than waiting for 2020 or 2021. And: Before you commit to lease payments up to $1,600, make sure you really need the marginally bigger interior the X7 provides. The BMW X5 is nearly as big in most ways unless you must have that third seat. On price, the X7 is clearly bigger, as much as $122,000, and even something of a public service: BMW is doing more to claw back money from the rich than Bernie and AOC combined.

Fabulous on Highways and Back Roads

I test-drove the 2019 X7. The 2020 model is virtually the same, adding a higher-power M design version. The BMW X7 is in its element gliding along the highway on 400-mile treks, whether you drive it yourself or engage the Active Driving Assistant Pro self-driving feature and let radars, cameras, and microprocessors do the work. Perhaps surprisingly — if you don’t know BMW-Audi-Mercedes-Porsche SUV engineering — it’s also quite at home on country roads as long as you factor in the 5,500 pounds of weight.

There are a lot of cars that have Level 2 self-driving, meaning your car paces the car in front up to the speed you set using adaptive cruise control and keeps the car in the middle of the lane (lane centering assist), while you lightly keep hands on the steering wheel. BMW does it as well as anyone. I was impressed by the auto-lane-change feature. Tap the turn signal, the car checks to the rear and side, and if the coast is clear, shifts lanes left or right. Not once was there an issue with the car trying to shift lanes at the same time a car behind was coming up quickly. Although it doesn’t hurt to look in the side mirror just to be sure, as some Tesla drivers have learned.

An X7 slides through the primordial soup. Actually, an off-road course at the BMW Performance Center outside Palm Springs, California. The X7 fords up 20 inches of water.

Long-haul driving is helped by the quality of BMW’s seats, the optional seat massagers, the side window shades in row two, heated and vented seats, and even the pillows attached to the headrests. At night, the mood lighting makes the car feel like a private jet. The console cupholders warm or cool drinks. USB jacks are abundant. Onboard Wi-Fi is available. Many of these features are optional (and desirable, and not cheap), and BMW’s close competitors offer many of the same features and options.

The mondo front grille is mostly trompe l’oeil (trick of the eye) that makes you suspect the X7 is bigger in every way than BMW’s other SUVs. It took me a day of driving to realize that the X7 is fine on twisty back roads because it’s no wider, just a bit longer, and about 500 pounds heavier than the X5, a happy back-road-warrior.

Among European automakers, there’s an arms race to have the family SUV be an off-roader and river-crosser. BMW has a package that lets you climb rocks and then cross a stream 20 inches deep. It’s an option. If you want to tow a trailer, you can, and with the trailer package, you can tow 7,700 pounds.

BMW’s self-driving suite, the Driving Assistance Professional Package, is slick; it even changes lanes by tapping the turn signal. (Note that mail truck is being towed and not wrong-way driving.) And only Wikipedia presents more information than BMW’s head-up display.

BMW in the Lead on Tech

BMW in the US has been the ultimate driving machine for half a half-century. Now it dazzles you with technical brilliance as well. Example: If you get the surround camera package, when you park, you see the view ahead (if you’re pulling in going forward) on the big center stack display side-by-side with a stitched 360-degree overhead view; as you get closer to the car in front or to the garage wall, the view-ahead camera angle rises up to help gauge the final couple feet, all automagically. Or if you get the parking assistant option, you can let the car ease itself into parallel or perpendicular spaces. If you do it yourself, nearby vehicles, walls, raised curbs, or light stanchions shown onscreen radiate green-yellow-or-red force fields outward to indicate how close you are. When you’re away from the car, the cameras let you monitor its well-being from your phone. At a time when even some mainstream cars — Ford Explorer, say — have auto-parking, BMW marshals overwhelming-show-of-force technology to make the case for premium cars.

The dual 12-inch displays (instrument panel and center stack) allow multiple panes of information. If you want, the center display can be dialed back to, say, just the moving map. The iDrive controller works well and you have multiple ways to interact: the control wheel, a finger-writing pad on top of the wheel, adjacent buttons to summon common features, voice input, and gesture controls including a Tinder-like swipe to answer the phone. Okay, gesture control may seem like a stupid pet trick, but BMW’s point is: We give you every way possible to interact with the car. The modes you don’t like? Don’t use them.

The head-up display is big with lots of information that you can choose to show or hide. When the HUD maps out the lanes you need to be in for the exit, it’s pretty hard to mess up. BMW monitors the driver for inattention via an instrument panel camera, which is faster and more accurate in determining if your attention has drifted. You won’t like being ratted out, but you’ll live longer. Most of BMW’s USB jacks are Type C, which is the way the industry is heading. You may need to buy a $5 adapter now, but your next phone will probably be Type C at both ends, and you’re ready.

And this is tech of a sort: the Panoramic Sky Lounge LED Roof creates six LED light patterns in the roof — white, blue, orange, bronze, lilac, and green — for more enjoyable nighttime driving.

BMW X7 center console: The function selectors forward of the iDrive controller are blocked by the optional crystal shifter, and the button cluster lost its find-by-shape pronounced vee-design.

Cockpit Controls Won’t Please Everyone

When a car costs this much, the owner has high expectations. Repeat buyers may be disappointed with the direction taken by the interface to the iDrive controls and control surfaces. Function buttons to control entertainment, phone, map, and navigation were arrayed in side-by-side vee shapes with the home button in between. You could tell without looking if you were touching the front or rear button by the way it sloped, and the left or right button set by where the flat home button was in relation. The buttons now are hard to access because the driver’s hand has to reach around the gearshift selector.

On the steering wheel, buttons are now finished in brushed satin chrome with black lettering that glows a weakish red at night. Drivers over 40 with imperfect eyesight may find them a challenge, especially those who don’t use their reading half-glasses while driving.

The X7 includes no adaptive cruise control in the base version, reserving it for the $1,700 self-drive package called the Driving Assistance Professional Package. BMW should include adaptive cruise control in the base price as Honda and Toyota do so the basics are all there: ACC as well as the provided lane departure warning, blind-spot detection, forward collision warning, and auto-emergency braking.

BMW does give you 10 free years of telematics service (not 10 years of free data) so emergency calling and crash notification are always there, BMW can download software updates, and you can reach out to the dealer to set up service. But there is no Android Auto, and access to Apple CarPlay costs $80 a year (after a free first year).

Cockpit fit and finish are fabulous on the X7.

BMW X7 Trim Walk

A basic X7 is $75K. But move up the ladder to the V8 and the M version, and/or add in as much as $20K in options, and you can easily surpass $110,000. The X7 SAV, or sports activity vehicle, as BMW calls it, comes in three variants with an eight-speed automatic transmission and air suspension. Plus lots of options packages and standalone options. All models are all-wheel drive with three rows of seating along with with Active Driving Assistant (daytime pedestrian protection, frontal collision warning with city collision mitigation, lane departure warning, active blind-spot detection, and rear cross-traffic alert), adaptive LED headlamps with auto high beams, panoramic moonroof, ambient cockpit lighting with 12 lighting themes, telematics with a Wi-Fi hotspot, and 21-inch alloy wheels.

BMW X7 xDrive 40i ($74,895 including $995 freight). The 3.0-liter 335 hp turbo inline-six-cylinder engine is rated at 5.8 seconds 0-60 mph with an EPA rating of 20 mpg city / 25 mpg highway / 22 mpg combined on premium fuel. The base audio system has 10 speakers, a 205-watt amplifier, satellite, and HD radio.

BMW X7 xDrive 50i ($93,95). The 4.4-liter turbo V8 reaches 60 mph in 5.2 seconds and is EPA-rated at 15 / 21 / 17 mpg. Audio is branded Harman Kardon with 16 speakers (464 watts).

BMW X7 M50i ($100,595). The V8 hits 523 hp and goes 0-60 in 4.5 seconds (EPA rating pending). Standard alloy wheels are 22 inches. There even-nicer upholstery and trim choices. Note to enthusiasts: While there’s an M in the name, this is not the same as an M in front of the series number (M3 versus X7 M50i). But it will still outperform every most other big SUV currently on the road.

There are a half-dozen options packages for the X7 from $800 to $4,100. The Premium Package ($2,800) has the HUD, rear side shades, soft close doors, 12-speaker Harman audio, soft-close doors, and gesture control. The Executive Package ($4,100 on the six-cylinder) incorporates the Premium Package plus the Panoramic Sky Lounge LED Roof, heated and cooled cupholders, and “hand-made, diamond-cut glass trim elements” for the shifter, audio volume control, start button, and iDrive wheel.

The Driver Assistance Package ($1,700) is a must-have twice over: once because BMW omits adaptive cruise control from the base price and secondly because BMW rolls in a raft of other truly useful assists including Level 2 self-driving. The Cold Weather Package ($1,200) has heated front seat armrests and steering, and five-zone climate control. A Luxury Seating Package is $1,600.

You can order one or the other of these two: an Off-Road Package ($1,650) has specific modes for sand, rock, gravel, and snow); or the Parking Assistance Package ($800) with automated parallel parking, surround-view of the car while driving or while parked and way from the car, plus a video drive recorder.

Standalone options included Night Vision ($2,300), a trailer hitch that boosts towing capacity to 7,500 pounds ($550), a leather dashboard ($850), scented cockpit aromas (350), second-row captain’s chairs ($850), Alcantara (synthetic suede headliner, $1,000), “Shadowline” trim ($350), rear entertainment ($2,200), M Sport brakes ($650), and integral active steering ($1,150). All these have some degree of utility and can also drive the six-cylinder version to $87,000. More if you add premium paint (up to $1,950), pothole-finder 22-inch wheels ($1,300), specialty seat leathers ($3,700), or an M Sport design package ($4,350) that is about show more than go (it does include an aero kit to glue the car to the road at near-Autobahn speeds). The most costly X7 I managed to price reached $121,845, about $1,600 a month on a lease.

BMW X7 is 203 inches to the X5’s 194 inches. Width and height are essentially the same.

The Big SUV: What Took BMW So Long?

The Berlin Wall had barely come down when BMW first pondered an SUV, the X5. It arrived in 1999 and was a more immediate hit than the first Mercedes-Benz ML (now GLE) that rode like a truck (because it was built on a truck frame), or the first Lexus RX, 1998. BMW added the compact X3 as a 2004 model, the subcompact X1 in 2008, and fastback SUVs (X6, X4) along the way. The X7 was almost a decade in gestation if you count the years of internal deliberations and the five years from public announcement to first shipments this year. In the meantime, Mercedes-Benz ruled with the full-size GL (now GLS) that dates to the 2007 model year. The first X7 barely beat the third-generation GLS to market.

Why did BMW wait? For certain, BMW wanted to be sure the big honker would handle decently. Perhaps it had doubts about the propriety of building such a big vehicle at a time when many parts of the world have concerns about the car’s impact on the planet. You might approach 30 mpg in very cautious highway driving with the six-cylinder if you stick to the speed limit), and with a 21.9-gallon tank, cruise 550 miles or more between refills. Actually, if you gauge your speed by the amount of road and wind noise, you’ll think you’re doing 55, look at the speedometer, and realize you’re rolling at 85.

When you parallel park the X7, you’ll know it’s bigger: 203 versus 194 inches long. The 122-inch wheelbase, 5 inches more than the X5, smooths out the highway ride. Interior head, leg and shoulder room are no more than an inch better for the X7. Rear legroom, often the measurement that most determines rear-seat comfort, rounds to 38 inches for both, fair-to-good for a full-size SUV, but almost 7 inches less than the decade-only Ford Flex. Put all but the front seats down and the X7 trumps the X5 on cargo space, 90 to 72 cubic feet. But with all the seats up, there is a puny 13 feet behind the X7’s third-row versus 33.9 for the X5.

Be sure to try the third row for comfort. I’d describe it this way: good headroom, decent legroom, seat too low to the floor (but that allows for decent headroom). If you want a comfortable third row, either go to something like a Ford Expedition that is 2 feet longer, or get a — gasp — minivan. In other words, the third row is okay but you might have expected a little more room. The third row does get its own sunroof.

BMW offers two V8 engines with 523 or 465 hp (X7 M50i, X7 xDrive50i) or or an inline six 335 hp (X7 xDrive 40i). Choose your 0-60 time: 4.5, 5.2, or 5.8 seconds 0-60 mph.

BMW X7 vs. Mercedes GLS and the Field

Lincoln Navigator.

Among full-size luxury/sport SUVs, they all do a good job wrapping you in leather seating surfaces and making the straight-line driving experience joyful. Take a look at the direct and wannabe competitors:

The US-flagged brands, for the most part, do not pretend to be SUV versions of the brands’ sport sedans. Most come in big and bigger editions, including the Cadillac Escalade (204 and 224 inches long) and Lincoln Navigator (210 and 222 inches long), with the ability to tow at least 7,900 pounds. They weigh 5,500-6,200 pounds and use body-on-frame rather than a weight-saving unibody construction. The Navigator is new for 2019 and gets high marks for luxury appointments (even in this class), straight-line acceleration, second- and third-row room, and highway ride thanks to wheelbases of 123 and 132 inches. (The new Lincoln Aviator is more X5-sized.)

The Chevrolet Suburban, Ford Expedition, and GMC Yukon (especially Denali trim line) can be considered luxury vehicles: You can easily get the price over $70K, twice the average of a new car. The unibody Buick Enclave (204 inches long) and new Cadillac XT6 (199 inches) are less bulky than the Escalade-Yukon. Some reviewers found the XT6 didn’t match the luxe feel of the equally new, and larger, Navigator.

The Audi Q7 at 199.6 inches is borderline full-size with a tasteful cockpit and excellent technology; it is more of an X5 competitor. The Audi Q8 is a fastback Q7 that is shorter despite the higher numbering, and more of a BMW X6 competitor. The Porsche Cayenne is a midsize model with only two rows, but it is a Porsche, which means handling and cachet (also a pricey options sheet).

There are also off-road-centric big SUVs such as the aging Toyota Land Cruiser living off the same design since the 2008 model year and the sibling Lexus LX, with V8 engines and snug third rows. The Land Cruiser has reliability and exclusivity on its side: US sales average just 3,000 a year (although global sales dating to 1951 just passed 10 million). These vehicles are not remotely BMW X7 / Mercedes GLS competitors except that if you buy one, it will probably be the only such vehicle in the prep school pickup lane, and exclusivity has value. Just remember: 15 mpg on a good day.

Acura’s biggest SUV, the MDX, is more of a midsize three-row SUV at 196 inches, it’s aging (the third generation dates to MY 2014) and the next-gen MDX arrives within the year, but it’s a solid value. The well-regarded Lexus RX 350 L is an even smaller, still midsize, three-row. From Korea, the new Hyundai Palisade and Kia Telluride are also midsize three-row SUVs and exceptionally well outfitted for the price, offer Level 2 self-driving, for less than $50K; they define “class above” SUVs. That reduces to one the significant Asian competitors: Infiniti, with the 210-inch QX80 featuring a roomy interior, good cargo capacity, and outstanding fit and finish; handling will not be as inspired as the X7’s.

The Land Rover Range Rover has evolved to a beautiful car inside with plenty of room (especially the $110K long-wheelbase model), and superb off-road and wading capabilities.

The 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLS is the closest competitor to the X7.

That leaves the 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLS, now arriving at dealers. It offers six- or eight-cylinder engines and dual 12-inch dashboard displays (same as BMW), excellent handling and safety, and a starting price, like BMW, in the low- to mid-$70s, in part because so many desirable features are extra, such as the E-Active Body Control that scans the road ahead for bumps and continuously adjusts the adaptive suspension. A loaded V8 GLS 550 reaches $120,000 and the AMG version starts at $125K. Specs suggest the GLS will be more comfortable for passengers aft of the first row compared with the X7, and a look at the front end shows one of the few big SUVs that haven’t succumbed to the big-grille fetish.

What to choose? Right now, the 2019/2020 BMW X7 is the best premium big SUV you can buy. Most likely the X7 and GLS will separate themselves from the field for those whose criteria include great handling, a tasteful interior, good passenger room in all three rows, state-of-the-art driver-assist features including Level 2 autonomy, and comprehensive safety features to avoid, deal with, and reach out after accidents. Look at the Lincoln Navigator long-wheelbase if you need to carry three rows of people most of the time and you’re less concerned about spirited driving on country roads. Or about getting it in the garage at night.

Before you commit, take one last look at the X5. Unless you must have three seating rows or need 7,500 not 6,600 pounds of towing capacity, the X5 is a match for the X7 in interior spaciousness (first two rows), technology features, and engines. Either one, X7 or X5, is fine with the six-cylinder engine. Where the BMW X5 and X3 are the top SUVs in their categories, the X7 may wind up sharing the crown.

Now read:

2019 Range Rover Sport HSE P400e Hybrid Review: The Premier Off-Roader Conquers the HOV Lane

2019 BMW X5 SUV Review: Best All-Purpose Vehicle for Those With Means

2018 BMW X3 Review: the Best Compact Crossover Money Can Buy

from ExtremeTechExtremeTech https://www.extremetech.com/extreme/298217-2019-bmw-x7-review-the-best-big-suv-yet from Blogger http://componentplanet.blogspot.com/2019/09/2019-bmw-x7-review-best-big-suv-yet.html

[tripstations]

Review: United 787-10 Polaris Business Class

After flying from Hartford to Dublin on Aer Lingus and then from Porto to Newark on TAP Air Portugal, I spent a night at the Marriott Newark Airport. I’ve reviewed the hotel before, so won’t be doing so again.

The next evening it was off to Brussels on the United 787-10. I’ve reviewed United’s 777-300ER with the new Polaris seats, but was excited to check out the 787-10 for a couple of reasons:

This would be my first time flying a 787-10 on any airline (I had only previously flown the 787-8 and 787-9) This would be my first time flying a United 787 with new Polaris seats, because all of United’s 787-8s and 787-9s have their old business class seats

How I booked United Polaris with miles

United had a lot of award seats (more than nine) from Newark to Brussels for the date I was looking to travel. To see that kind of award availability during peak summer travel season is pretty awesome.

So I could have easily booked with with Air Canada Aeroplan miles, Avianca LifeMiles, or United MileagePlus miles. But I decided to have more fun instead.

Rather than just terminating in Europe, I decided to connect the same day to Bangkok. So for 77,500 Aeroplan miles plus about $150 in taxes and fees I was able to book a ticket from Newark to Bangkok.

I won’t reveal my connecting itinerary just yet, because what would be the fun in that? But you’re welcome to guess in the comments.

I’d say that was a great award redemption. Aeroplan would have charged 55,000 miles for a one-way ticket from the US to Europe, so for just 22,500 more miles I could continue all the way to Asia.

United 787-10 Polaris business class review

I stayed at the Marriott Newark Airport until 4PM, and then headed over to the airport. I reviewed United’s Newark Polaris Lounge last year, so won’t be doing so again this year. It’s an impressive lounge, though it was much busier than the last time I visited.

And it’s not just that it was more crowded, but it was also a very different crowd. Let me just say that I’m shocked that the seats weren’t stained from the degree to which many of the guests were spray tanned. Also, what is it with so many people from New Jersey not understanding the concept of inside voices?

Beyond the lounge, I have to note how good of a job has been done with United’s terminal at Newark. It’s a legitimately nice terminal, and the contrast between that and the other terminals at the airport is night-and-day.

There was lots of great plane spotting at the airport (assuming you’re like me and like seeing the same types of planes over and over), as 787s and 767s were all getting ready for their Atlantic crossings.

United 767 Newark Airport

I was surprised by just how many 787-10s there were, given that this is still a new plane type for them. As it turns out, United already has nine of their 14 787-10s, having taken delivery of their first one in March 2018.

United 787-10 Newark Airport

United 787 Newark Airport

My boarding pass indicated that boarding was supposed to start at 5:40PM, so I headed to the gate at around 5:20PM. At that point the crew was just getting on the plane.

Personally I find United’s boarding process rather confusing, especially given that they have signs for zones one and two, even though most people aren’t in those zones.

Newark Airport departure gate

I was standing near the gate agent, and overheard no fewer than a dozen people come up and ask her where they should stand since they were in other groups.

One other impressive thing about this flight — it wasn’t full in business class, even after all upgrades and even non-revs. The travel benefits offered to airline employees often aren’t quite as glamorous as they seem, though on this flight everyone got business class, and there were still 10 empty seats.

Boarding actually only started at 6:05PM. The gate agents didn’t make any sort of announcement about why there was a delay.

Boarding started with those who need extra time, followed by active duty military, followed by Global Services members, followed by families, followed by 1Ks, followed by Polaris. Yay, it’s fun to be the sixth group invited to board when you’re in the forward-most cabin on a plane.

United Airlines 999 Newark (EWR) – Brussels (BRU) Tuesday, August 6 Depart: 6:30PM Arrive: 7:45AM (+1 day) Duration: 7hr15min Aircraft: Boeing 787-10 Seat: 9L (Polaris Business Class)

I boarded through the second set of doors, and the first thing I noticed was just how massive the space between doors one and two is on the 787-10. The Polaris cabin consisted of 44 seats, all between doors one and two.

United 787-10 Polaris cabin

I’ve gotta give United credit, the 787-10 Polaris cabin is really, really pretty, and even prettier with mood lighting.

United 787-10 Polaris cabin

Polaris seats alternate in each row to maximize space:

In the center section in odd numbered rows there are “honeymoon” seats, where you’re seated very close to your seatmate, and far from the aisle In the center section in even numbered rows the two center seats are further apart from one another and closer to the aisle

United 787-10 Polaris business class center seats

The same concept is true in the window seats. In even numbered rows, seats are closer to the aisle, meaning that your seat is more exposed and the console is closer to the window.

United 787-10 Polaris business class seats

These would be my less-preferred seats, given that you’re much closer to the aisle, and it’s more difficult to look outside.

United 787-10 Polaris business class seats

The seats you want here are the “true” window seats, which are in odd numbered rows. These seats have better views out the windows and a lot more privacy. My seat, 9L, was one of those seats closer to the windows.

United Polaris business class seats 787-10

United 787-10 Polaris business class seats

United Polaris business class seats 787-10

These “true” window seats have a small walkway connecting the aisle to the seat.

United Polaris seat access 787-10

To the left of my seat was the console. United did a great job with the faux-marble they use, because it actually looks pretty nice in my opinion (for the avoidance of doubt, I’m not being sarcastic, as it’s rare I’d complement faux-marble and call it “classy”)

United Polaris seat counter & storage

Immediately above the counter were the entertainment controls, headphone jacks, and power outlets. Then above that was an enclosed storage compartment and reading light.

United Polaris seat storage

United Polaris seat storage

To the left of the seat below the counter was an armrest as well as a literature pocket.

United Polaris seat literature pocket

The seat controls were along the window-side of the seat, and were easy to use. I especially love the wheel you can turn to adjust the position of your seat.

United Polaris seat controls 787-10

The tray table folded out from underneath the personal television in front, and could be folded over in half. It was sturdy and easy to move around.

United Polaris seat tray table 787-10

Generally with staggered seats the biggest issue is that the footwells tend to be small, which can be uncomfortable when sleeping. The good news is that this footwell didn’t feel small at all.

United Polaris seat footwell 787-10

I was expecting the seat might feel a bit more compact than on the 777-300ER, given that the cabin isn’t quite as wide. However, I didn’t find that to be the case.

Each seat also had an individual air nozzle, which is much appreciated.

Already waiting at my seat upon boarding were a pair of headphones. While not Bose or Bang & Olufsen quality, they were pretty good.

United Polaris headphones

Also already waiting at my seat was United’s spectacular bedding. This is where Polaris really shines, as I think they have the best business class bedding in the world. This included a duvet, a light blanket, a regular pillow, and a cooling gel pillow. Not even pictured is the mattress pad, available on demand.

United Polaris bedding

Spoiler alert: I fear at this point the bedding is literally the only aspect of the Polaris soft product that still impresses.

Also at my seat was a Spider-Man amenity kit.

United Polaris amenity kit

The kit was well stocked, and I couldn’t help but laugh out loud when I walked to the bathroom mid-flight and saw someone with the Spider-Man eye shades on.

United Polaris amenity kit contents

United used to offer chocolates and pre-departure drinks of choice. This time I just had a flight attendant hold out a tray and say “water… orange juice… champagne.” That’s quite a generous pour! Apparently you can still request other pre-departure drinks, though champagne worked for me.

United Polaris pre-departure champagne

Also waiting at my seat was the menu.

United Polaris menu

At 6:35PM the main cabin door was closed, and at 6:45PM meal orders were taken. To my surprise I wasn’t even asked for a second choice.

Around the same time the captain made his welcome aboard announcement, informing us of our flight time of 6h33min. At that point the Spider-Man safety video was screened.

We pushed back at 6:50PM — a bit behind schedule — and started our taxi at 7PM. There were several United heavies at remote stands as we taxied to the runway.

United 787-10 Newark Airport

United 767-400 Newark Airport

We had a quick taxi to runway 22R, and surprisingly there wasn’t much of a queue. There was a La Compagnie A321neo taking off right ahead of us, which is another product on my review list.

La Compagnie A321 Newark Airport

Taxiing Newark Airport

Taking off from Newark

Our takeoff roll was pretty quick, and we had a smooth climb out.

View after takeoff from Newark

As we climbed out I played around with the entertainment system, starting with looking at the moving map.

United entertainment selection

Moving map enroute to Brussels

Moving map enroute to Brussels

The entertainment selection was excellent, with a seemingly never-ending choice of TV shows and movies.

United entertainment selection

United entertainment selection

I also connected to the wifi.

United wifi 787-10

United had three pricing options for wifi:

One hour for $8.99 Two hours for $12.99 Full flight for $22.99

United wifi pricing

The internet speeds were good, and I didn’t notice any coverage gaps.

The crew was quick to start the service after takeoff. The menu read as follows (annoyingly they don’t publish a drink list):

Service began with warm towels being distributed, followed by tablecloths.

United Polaris warm towel

35 minutes after takeoff a flight attendant reached my seat with a cart to offer me a drink. I ordered some champagne and sparkling water, along with United’s signature warm nuts.

United Polaris dinner — warm nuts and drinks

There was a second flight attendant with another cart right behind her, so less than a minute later I was served the appetizer and salad on a tray.

The appetizer consisted of smoked duck, farro salad with dried cranberries, brined carrots, and whole-grain mustard, and just tasted a bit off to me. I also thought the salad of mixed greens, fennel, and bell pepper, was super bland. On the plus side, the pretzel bread was good.

United Polaris dinner — salad and appetizer

55 minutes after takeoff I was served the main course. United has switched from plating dishes onboard to already loading them pre-plated so that the crews just have to put them in the ovens. That most definitely shows when it comes to presentation. Like all changes that are made in the airline industry, United has assured me that this was due to customer feedback.

I ordered the seared lemon grass salmon with coconut red curry sauce, Thai coconut risotto, stir-fried bell pepper, carrot, and onion. The dish was alright.

United Polaris dinner — main course

Lastly the dessert trolly was rolled through the cabin about 75 minutes after takeoff. I asked for ice cream with nuts and strawberries.

United Polaris dinner — dessert

On the plus side, I appreciated that the meal service was done within 90 minutes of takeoff. Unfortunately the speed of the service was the only part of the meal that impressed me.

I’m not sure if this was just a bad flight, but I feel like Polaris has fallen quite a bit when it comes to food quality. They used to be above average for US airline catering, while now I think they’re on par with American (which is not where you want to be).

The flight attendants were fine-ish. Some were friendly-ish. Some were efficient but not friendly. Overall they went through the motions and that’s about it.

After the meal I checked out the lavatory — there were two in front of the cabin and two behind. I’m not sure if the ones behind are shared with premium economy, or what, because the curtains suggested they all belonged to business class (in which case four lavatories for 44 seats is an excellent ratio).

United 787 lavatory

United 787-10 Polaris cabin

I then reclined my seat all the way to get some sleep. After all, I had a long day ahead of me after landing in Brussels.

United Polaris business class bed 787-10

United Polaris business class bed 787-10

I fell asleep just under five hours from landing in Brussels.

United entertainment system

Progress enroute to Brussels

I got a solid 3.5 hours of sleep, and woke up just under 90 minutes before landing.

Progress enroute to Brussels

The sleep quality was excellent, and between United’s great bedding and having an individual air nozzle, the conditions were perfect.

The cabin lights were turned on a few minutes after I woke up, at which point breakfast service started.

A flight attendant walked by my seat and said “you’re not joining us for breakfast?”

This is ultimately minor, but I find this stuff happens on United more than any other airline. Like, I had indicated to the flight attendant when she took the meal order that I wanted to be woken for breakfast, and I was awake before they started serving anyone breakfast.

So was the flight attendant trying to discourage me from having breakfast, or wouldn’t the correct question be “would you care to join us for breakfast?”

Etihad has a partnership with Savoy for training their onboard butlers. Maybe United should have a partnership with McDonalds? In some cases it would represent an improvement in standards…

Anyway, the breakfast was quite large when you consider that this is a short transatlantic flight (many airlines just offer a continental breakfast).

For breakfast there was the choice between a fruit salad and a cream omelet. The omelet came with chicken sausage and potatoes. It also came with a side of fruit and a croissant.

United Polaris breakfast

it was a beautiful morning as we approached Brussels. At 7AM the first officer announced we were just starting our descent and would be landing in 30 minutes.

View enroute to Brussels

View approaching Brussels

View approaching Brussels

Sure enough, we touched down at exactly 7:30AM, and from there had a 10 minute taxi to our arrival gate. I had a great view of the 787-10 upon deplaning.

United 787-10 in Brussels

United 787-10 Polaris bottom line

On the plus side, the 787-10 is a gorgeous plane, and in particular United’s Polaris cabins are very nice. While Polaris seats aren’t my absolute favorite business class seats out there, they’re near the top, and I’d say they’re on par with reverse herringbone seats.

United’s entertainment, wifi, and bedding are all very good. Furthermore, the pace of service was good, given the short overnight flight.

Everything else left a bit to be desired, though, from the food quality to the service.

Still, on balance I’d say this is a solid transatlantic product.

If you’ve flown United’s new Polaris, what was your experience like?

The post Review: United 787-10 Polaris Business Class appeared first on Tripstations.

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[robertkstone]

Car Compare: 2019 Lexus ES 350 vs. TLX, Q50, MKZ, and LaCrosse

The ES is Lexus’ best-selling car, and it’s a best-seller in the shrinking “near lux” sedan segment it helped define. The segment’s original formula was to take a squillion-selling midsize sedan (Toyota Camry, in Lexus’ case), tinsel it up, and slap a swanky badge on it. Infiniti’s I30 was a dolled-up Nissan Maxima; Acura’s Vigor was an extensively revised Honda Accord; Lincoln’s MKZ (née Zephyr) was a costumed Ford Fusion. The world has moved on.

Today Lexus bases the ES on larger Avalon underpinnings and is extending the model’s appeal with both a performance-oriented F Sport variant and a new Ultra Lux package. The Infiniti Q50 has no mainstream Nissan counterpart on our shores. The Acura TLX/Honda Accord relationship remains fairly distant, and the Lincoln MKZ no longer shares any major sheetmetal with the Fusion. We’re also throwing the Buick LaCrosse in for consideration. It primarily targets Toyota’s Avalon, but in its swankiest new Avenir trim, it’s priced and positioned to fight the Lexus.

After spending a week in an Ultra Lux 2019 Lexus ES 350 (an ES 350 F Sport is shown in this story), we’ve rounded up some relevant specifications data, reviewed our notes from earlier drives of the key competitors, and are ready to make a few predictions on how a full comparison of the major players might shake out.

Sizing Up

As all of the original contenders have evolved, the Infiniti and Acura entrants have shrunk. The Q50 measures 6.3 inches shorter in length and 1.6 inches narrower than the ES, which tightens its rear seat and trunk somewhat, but the front seat boasts 2 inches more head- and legroom, so overall space is down just 1.6 cubic feet overall. Similarly, the Acura TLX gives up 4.2 inches in length at a cost of rear legroom and trunk volume while adding front-seat space. The Buick is larger in all exterior dimensions, but the payoff is just a slightly larger front-seat compartment—the trunk and rear seat are slightly smaller than in the Lexus. Lincoln matches Lexus almost to the tenth on overall interior and trunk volume while measuring 2 inches shorter in length and 1.2 inch taller. But Lexus remains the benchmark for space, boasting the biggest trunk (16.7 cubes) and back seat (by a nose at 46.6 cubic feet).

Powertrain Choice

Lexus offers your choice of a 2.5-liter four-cylinder hybrid electric with an e-CVT good for 215 hp or a 302-hp 3.5-liter V-6 mated to a conventional eight-speed automatic. Both powertrains spin the front wheels. Most of the competition now offers a choice of all-wheel drive (usually for no more money than our front-drive ES 350 Ultra Lux), which I rather missed as mid-February snow- and ice-storms bedeviled my week with an ES on all-season rubber. Acura offers a 2.4-liter 206-hp four-cylinder and eight-speed automatic or a 3.5-liter 290-hp V-6 and nine-speed auto, and honest-ta-goodness torque-vectoring all-wheel drive can be had with the V-6. Infiniti sells its older, fixed-compression-ratio 2.0-liter turbo-four (208 hp) and a choice of two twin-turbo V-6s producing 300 or 400 hp. All three engines spin the rear wheels through a seven-speed automatic with all-wheel drive optional on any engine. Lincoln sees Infiniti’s 2.0T and pair of V-6 twin-turbos powering the front or all four wheels through a six-speed automatic and raises with a front-drive hybrid/e-CVT.

The Buick offers an eAssist 2.5-liter mild-hybrid good for 194 hp paired with a six-speed automatic or a 3.6-liter V-6 that sends 310 horses to the front or all four wheels via a nine-speed automatic. So Lincoln wins on breadth of offerings, but if you don’t need all-wheel traction, Lexus remains tough to beat in terms of buttery drivetrain refinement, and its hybrid fuel economy tops the Lincoln’s (44 mpg to 41, EPA combined—the LaCrosse eAssist ranks way lower at 29 mpg).

Performance

Let’s face it, cars in this class are meant to be driven in a stately manner between stately manors. So there’s little shame in Lexus not really contending for pink slips. After testing a mechanically identical Toyota Avalon of nearly the same weight (stay tuned for a instrumented track test of the 2019 ES 350), we found the V-6 needs just over 6.0 seconds to hit 60 mph, about the same as the AWD Acura V-6, a few tenths behind the Buick V-6, and well in arrears of the 400-horse twin-turbo V-6 Lincoln (5.2) and Infiniti (4.5). Thanks possibly to its 148-pound weight advantage, the ES 300h hybrid outruns the MKZ 2.0H, 7.8 to 8.7 seconds (we haven’t tested a LaCrosse eAssist mild-hybrid).

Neither ES is particularly enthusiastic about cornering or braking. Where’s the fire? Endeavor to leave a few minutes earlier, and you won’t need to tear around so. Opting for the ES 350 F Sport variant adds adaptive dampers that minimize body pitch and roll, but don’t expect lap times to drop much. Basically, we find the Ultra Lux approach to be more in keeping with the ES’ natural role as the regal and aloof “adult” in this class, with the Buick a very close second. You surely don’t need us to tell you that Tail of the Dragon runners will find greater joy with one of the twin-turbo V-6 options or even the Acura SH-AWD (or better still, an Alfa Giulia or Genesis G70).

Creature Comforts

When you line up the standard features lists for the top-tier offerings in this class, the equipment is pretty extensive, with most offering supple leather and real wood. Buick and Acura offer few if any additional options on their top-shelf offerings, but Infiniti, Lexus, and Lincoln buyers can further gild their lilies with numerous pricey option packages. We find it slightly obnoxious that Lexus’ Ultra Lux customer has to drop another $1,900 to get the blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, park assist, and a surround-view camera system, considering many of these features come standard on much cheaper cars than the $50,959 of our loaded 2019 ES 350 tester.

We don’t begrudge automakers for charging for top-shelf audio—$3,000 for Mark Levinson at Lexus and $4,000 for Revel Ultima (bundled with a pano roof and LED lamps) at Lincoln. That lets talk radio listeners save the cash. An interesting $950 option on our Lexus—18-inch wheels with sound-absorbing rings inside. It’s nice to see wheel options that add quietness instead of subtracting compliance with thinner sidewalls, and they (along with acoustic front side glass and more) do lend a library-like atmosphere at speed. As for how cosseting and pleasant the cars are to live in, the Buick looks stunning in photos, but the materials let it down. The Acura and Infiniti are more businesslike and purposeful. Lexus delivers great materials marred slightly by a busy design, wood stained so dark it’s unrecognizable as wood, door pulls that are hard to reach if belted in with the door fully open, and that touchpad user interface that none of us has truly bonded with. Lincoln’s multi-contour seats with Active Motion are pretty impressive, its wood looks like wood, and its Sync 3 system is a breeze to live with.

Conclusions

After a week in the Lexus I understand why the ES continues to outsell these four competitors by between 40 and 212 percent (Q50 and LaCrosse), and why its rate of sales decrease year-over-year was less than half what the others suffered from 2017 to 2018. It looks good from all angles except the front, and it goes about its business without any attention-grabbing engine or tire noises, automatically turning on its heated steering wheel and seats, then automatically turning them down about 10 minutes into a journey. It’s a faithful automotive valet—solicitous, never argumentative, seen but not heard. Toss in a strong record for reliability and resale value, and what non–car enthusiast could resist? So in a consumer-focused Big Test focusing on packaging, safety, reliability, refinement, and the like, I boldly predict that Lexus would grab the gold. Second place might be hotly contested by a heavily optioned 300-hp Q50 Luxe AWD and Acura TLX SH-AWD. I see a Lincoln MKZ 3.0 Reserve II AWD finishing a close third and Buick’s LaCrosse Avenir AWD bringing up the rear. Stay tuned to check these predictions against a future test—unless the category shrinks to complete insignificance before we get around to it …

2018 Acura TLX SH-AWD A-Spec 2018 Buick LaCrosse Avenir 2016 Infiniti Q50S 3.0t (Red Sport 400) 2019 Lexus ES 350** 2017 Lincoln MKZ 3.0T AWD (Reserve) BASE PRICE $45,765 $45,790 $48,855 $44,175 $43,735 PRICE AS TESTED $45,765 $47,480 $57,475 $50,959 $59,740 VEHICLE LAYOUT Front-engine, AWD, 5-pass, 4-door sedan Front-engine, FWD, 5-pass, 4-door sedan Front-engine, RWD, 5-pass, 4-door sedan Front-engine, FWD, 5-pass, 4-door sedan Front-engine, AWD, 5-pass, 4-door sedan ENGINE 3.5L/290-hp/267-lb-ft SOHC 24-valve V-6 3.6L/310-hp/268-lb-ft* DOHC 24-valve V-6 3.0L/400-hp/350-lb-ft twin-turbo DOHC 24-valve V-6 3.5L/302-hp/267-lb-ft DOHC 24-valve V-6 3.0L/400-hp/400-lb-ft twin-turbo DOHC 24-valve V-6 TRANSMISSION 9-speed automatic 9-speed automatic 7-speed automatic 8-speed automatic 6-speed automatic CURB WEIGHT (F/R DIST) 3,804 lb (60/40%) 3,681 lb (59/41%) 3,872 lb (56/44%) 3,761 lb (60/40%) 4,293 lb (60/40%) WHEELBASE 109.3 in 114.4 in 112.2 in 113.0 in 112.2 in LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT 191.5 x 73.0 x 57.0 in 197.5 x 73.5 x 57.5 in 189.1 x 71.8 x 56.8 in 195.9 x 73.4 x 56.9 in 193.9 x 73.4 x 58.1 in 0-60 MPH 6.0 sec 5.6 sec 4.5 sec 6.1 sec 5.2 sec QUARTER MILE 14.5 sec @ 96.6 mph 14.2 sec @ 99.7 mph 13.0 sec @ 109.2 mph 14.6 sec @ 98.4 mph 13.7 sec @ 102.6 mph BRAKING, 60-0 MPH 118 ft 123 ft 105 ft 122 from PerformanceJunk WP Feed 3 https://ift.tt/2NC14Zy via IFTTT

[jonathanbelloblog]

Quick Take: 2019 Acura RDX A-Spec SH-AWD

Acura built its reputation by blending luxury and sport, with iconic and engaging models such as the NSX, Integra, and RSX in its past. Even the MDX and the discontinued TSX have been lauded as sportier alternatives to their competitors.

In its first iteration, the RDX didn’t quite follow the legacy of many of its predecessors. In our review of the 2011 model we said, “As the RDX has its toes in both the sport crossover and luxury crossover segments, it’s a little difficult to put that figure into context.” The car was good enough to drive and adequately appointed, but not to the point where it was a shoe-in as a segment leader.

The all-new 2019 model may be made from the perfect recipe to stand out from the rest of the luxury CUV segment. Our tester, in A-Spec trim and deep Performance Red Pearl is a sharp looker to defy the sameness of its rivals. Three sharp creases on the hood enhance the ute’s muscular visage and two big exhaust ports beef up the rear.

Its driving dynamics back up the sporty looks, and the RDX impressed with its tight chassis and sporty yet compliant suspension. I found the RDX eager to dig into the corners of freeway on ramps. The 10-speed automatic transmission shifts quickly, and with force when the more aggressive Sport or Sport+ drive modes are selected.

A turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine beats as the crossover’s heart. Honda and Acura were once averse to forced induction, but here the boosted powerplant hauls the RDX along admirably. Our staff enjoyed the most detuned version of this engine before in the All-Star winning Accord Sport and in its most highly-strung incarnation in the Civic Type R. With 272 hp and 280 lb-ft of torque, the RDX made confident passes during the trek between Los Angeles and San Diego and settled down in heavier traffic conditions.

The interior design continued the exterior’s crisp and sporty lines. Fit and finish was impeccable and the ergonomics were just right. Seating position was appropriately high for a crossover, offering a commanding view over the road. Interior appointments included automatically adjustable heated and ventilated seats as well as a premium sound system that punches above its price point.

The new Acura infotainment system was a weak point. Not one, but two touch pads controlled a two-panel display. The pads were neither very sensitive nor were they accurate for selecting menu items. Fortunately, the awkward controls aren’t horrid enough to drag down the rest of the car around it, especially because the graphics on the high-definition screen are so clean.

Plentiful safety tech provided a protective pillow around the RDX when I was behind the wheel. The forward collision alert is a bit aggressive, but as a whole Acura’s systems gave ample warning about potential threats over my 400 miles of driving.

Compared to other offerings in the Honda/Acura portfolio, the eager RDX felt grown up. Photographer Brandon Lim described it as the “Type-R’s older brother who got a job in accounting.” It still has a sense of youthful jocularity despite developing some common sense, like additional comfort and advanced safety.

Altogether, the 2019 RDX A-Spec SH-AWD struck me as a honed vision of the Acura marque that enthusiasts fell in love with decades ago. It was more than happy to belt through some twisty roads but also dutifully hauled groceries and a full car of occupants to a fine dinner.

Even at $46,895 after the destination charge, the package is so competent that it had me pondering if this was the best deal in its segment.

2019 Acura RDX Specifications ON SALE Now PRICE (as tested) $46,895 ENGINE 2.0L turbocharged DOHC 16-valve I-4/272 hp @ 6,500 rpm, 280 lb-ft @ 1,600-4,500 rpm TRANSMISSION 10-speed automatic LAYOUT 4-door, 5-passenger, front-engine, AWD SUV EPA MILEAGE 26-28 (city/highway) L x W x H 186.8 x 74.8 x 65.7 in WHEELBASE 108.3 in WEIGHT 4,068 lb  0-60 MPH 7.5 sec (est) TOP SPEED 130 mph (est)

 The post Quick Take: 2019 Acura RDX A-Spec SH-AWD appeared first on Automobile Magazine.

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[eddiejpoplar]

Quick Take: 2019 Acura RDX A-Spec SH-AWD

Acura built its reputation by blending luxury and sport, with iconic and engaging models such as the NSX, Integra, and RSX in its past. Even the MDX and the discontinued TSX have been lauded as sportier alternatives to their competitors.

In its first iteration, the RDX didn’t quite follow the legacy of many of its predecessors. In our review of the 2011 model we said, “As the RDX has its toes in both the sport crossover and luxury crossover segments, it’s a little difficult to put that figure into context.” The car was good enough to drive and adequately appointed, but not to the point where it was a shoe-in as a segment leader.

The all-new 2019 model may be made from the perfect recipe to stand out from the rest of the luxury CUV segment. Our tester, in A-Spec trim and deep Performance Red Pearl is a sharp looker to defy the sameness of its rivals. Three sharp creases on the hood enhance the ute’s muscular visage and two big exhaust ports beef up the rear.

Its driving dynamics back up the sporty looks, and the RDX impressed with its tight chassis and sporty yet compliant suspension. I found the RDX eager to dig into the corners of freeway on ramps. The 10-speed automatic transmission shifts quickly, and with force when the more aggressive Sport or Sport+ drive modes are selected.

A turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine beats as the crossover’s heart. Honda and Acura were once averse to forced induction, but here the boosted powerplant hauls the RDX along admirably. Our staff enjoyed the most detuned version of this engine before in the All-Star winning Accord Sport and in its most highly-strung incarnation in the Civic Type R. With 272 hp and 280 lb-ft of torque, the RDX made confident passes during the trek between Los Angeles and San Diego and settled down in heavier traffic conditions.

The interior design continued the exterior’s crisp and sporty lines. Fit and finish was impeccable and the ergonomics were just right. Seating position was appropriately high for a crossover, offering a commanding view over the road. Interior appointments included automatically adjustable heated and ventilated seats as well as a premium sound system that punches above its price point.

The new Acura infotainment system was a weak point. Not one, but two touch pads controlled a two-panel display. The pads were neither very sensitive nor were they accurate for selecting menu items. Fortunately, the awkward controls aren’t horrid enough to drag down the rest of the car around it, especially because the graphics on the high-definition screen are so clean.

Plentiful safety tech provided a protective pillow around the RDX when I was behind the wheel. The forward collision alert is a bit aggressive, but as a whole Acura’s systems gave ample warning about potential threats over my 400 miles of driving.

Compared to other offerings in the Honda/Acura portfolio, the eager RDX felt grown up. Photographer Brandon Lim described it as the “Type-R’s older brother who got a job in accounting.” It still has a sense of youthful jocularity despite developing some common sense, like additional comfort and advanced safety.

Altogether, the 2019 RDX A-Spec SH-AWD struck me as a honed vision of the Acura marque that enthusiasts fell in love with decades ago. It was more than happy to belt through some twisty roads but also dutifully hauled groceries and a full car of occupants to a fine dinner.

Even at $46,895 after the destination charge, the package is so competent that it had me pondering if this was the best deal in its segment.

2019 Acura RDX Specifications ON SALE Now PRICE (as tested) $46,895 ENGINE 2.0L turbocharged DOHC 16-valve I-4/272 hp @ 6,500 rpm, 280 lb-ft @ 1,600-4,500 rpm TRANSMISSION 10-speed automatic LAYOUT 4-door, 5-passenger, front-engine, AWD SUV EPA MILEAGE 26-28 (city/highway) L x W x H 186.8 x 74.8 x 65.7 in WHEELBASE 108.3 in WEIGHT 4,068 lb  0-60 MPH 7.5 sec (est) TOP SPEED 130 mph (est)

 The post Quick Take: 2019 Acura RDX A-Spec SH-AWD appeared first on Automobile Magazine.

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[jesusvasser]

Quick Take: 2019 Acura RDX A-Spec SH-AWD

Acura built its reputation by blending luxury and sport, with iconic and engaging models such as the NSX, Integra, and RSX in its past. Even the MDX and the discontinued TSX have been lauded as sportier alternatives to their competitors.

In its first iteration, the RDX didn’t quite follow the legacy of many of its predecessors. In our review of the 2011 model we said, “As the RDX has its toes in both the sport crossover and luxury crossover segments, it’s a little difficult to put that figure into context.” The car was good enough to drive and adequately appointed, but not to the point where it was a shoe-in as a segment leader.

The all-new 2019 model may be made from the perfect recipe to stand out from the rest of the luxury CUV segment. Our tester, in A-Spec trim and deep Performance Red Pearl is a sharp looker to defy the sameness of its rivals. Three sharp creases on the hood enhance the ute’s muscular visage and two big exhaust ports beef up the rear.

Its driving dynamics back up the sporty looks, and the RDX impressed with its tight chassis and sporty yet compliant suspension. I found the RDX eager to dig into the corners of freeway on ramps. The 10-speed automatic transmission shifts quickly, and with force when the more aggressive Sport or Sport+ drive modes are selected.

A turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine beats as the crossover’s heart. Honda and Acura were once averse to forced induction, but here the boosted powerplant hauls the RDX along admirably. Our staff enjoyed the most detuned version of this engine before in the All-Star winning Accord Sport and in its most highly-strung incarnation in the Civic Type R. With 272 hp and 280 lb-ft of torque, the RDX made confident passes during the trek between Los Angeles and San Diego and settled down in heavier traffic conditions.

The interior design continued the exterior’s crisp and sporty lines. Fit and finish was impeccable and the ergonomics were just right. Seating position was appropriately high for a crossover, offering a commanding view over the road. Interior appointments included automatically adjustable heated and ventilated seats as well as a premium sound system that punches above its price point.

The new Acura infotainment system was a weak point. Not one, but two touch pads controlled a two-panel display. The pads were neither very sensitive nor were they accurate for selecting menu items. Fortunately, the awkward controls aren’t horrid enough to drag down the rest of the car around it, especially because the graphics on the high-definition screen are so clean.

Plentiful safety tech provided a protective pillow around the RDX when I was behind the wheel. The forward collision alert is a bit aggressive, but as a whole Acura’s systems gave ample warning about potential threats over my 400 miles of driving.

Compared to other offerings in the Honda/Acura portfolio, the eager RDX felt grown up. Photographer Brandon Lim described it as the “Type-R’s older brother who got a job in accounting.” It still has a sense of youthful jocularity despite developing some common sense, like additional comfort and advanced safety.

Altogether, the 2019 RDX A-Spec SH-AWD struck me as a honed vision of the Acura marque that enthusiasts fell in love with decades ago. It was more than happy to belt through some twisty roads but also dutifully hauled groceries and a full car of occupants to a fine dinner.

Even at $46,895 after the destination charge, the package is so competent that it had me pondering if this was the best deal in its segment.

2019 Acura RDX Specifications ON SALE Now PRICE (as tested) $46,895 ENGINE 2.0L turbocharged DOHC 16-valve I-4/272 hp @ 6,500 rpm, 280 lb-ft @ 1,600-4,500 rpm TRANSMISSION 10-speed automatic LAYOUT 4-door, 5-passenger, front-engine, AWD SUV EPA MILEAGE 26-28 (city/highway) L x W x H 186.8 x 74.8 x 65.7 in WHEELBASE 108.3 in WEIGHT 4,068 lb  0-60 MPH 7.5 sec (est) TOP SPEED 130 mph (est)

 The post Quick Take: 2019 Acura RDX A-Spec SH-AWD appeared first on Automobile Magazine.

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[privateplates4u]

2018 New Trucks: The Ultimate Buyer’s Guide

The best-selling vehicle in the U.S. isn’t the Camry sedan and it’s not the CR-V crossover — it’s the Ford F-Series lineup of full-size trucks. And although crossovers of all types are leading to sales increases across the industry, trucks still serve an integral part of many automaker lineups. Whether you’re looking into a compact/midsize truck, a full-size pickup, or even a heavy-duty model, keep reading to get a better idea on how today’s trucks have changed from last year’s models, and learn about their basic specs, too. KEY 5M: 5-speed manual 6A: 6-speed automatic 6-sp auto-cl man: 6-speed auto-clutch manual 7-sp twin-cl auto: 7-speed twin-clutch automatic FWD: front-wheel drive AWD: all-wheel drive RWD: rear-wheel drive ALL-NEWAn addition to an automaker’s lineup MAJORSignificant sheetmetal redesign, powertrain, and/or feature changes MINORMidcycle updates, minor powertrain, or feature changes UNCHANGEDMinor trim or package changes, new colors NHTSA AND IIHS SAFETY RATINGS: NHTSA and IIHS safety data is derived from recent model years. INTELLICHOICE Five-year retained value data may apply to common vehicle variants, not an average of all model variants. EPA RATINGS EPA ratings for the 2018 model year are more stringent than before, so keep in mind as you’re new-car shopping that a car with no mechanical changes from 2017 may still get a slightly different rating for 2018. Chevrolet Colorado Base Price: $20,995-$41,155 Body Type: Pickup Unchanged:  For 2017, the Chevrolet Colorado received the latest iteration of GM’s 3.6-liter V-6 and an off-road variant called the ZR2. Don’t expect many updates except for more exterior color choices, new convenience features such as push-button start, and possibly a special edition with unique styling details. The Colorado won Motor Trend’s 2015 and 2016 Truck of the Year awards. Also Consider: Toyota Tacoma, GMC Canyon, Honda Ridgeline. Sum Up: The midsize pickup that sets the segment standard. Chevrolet Colorado Base Engine 2.5L/200-hp/191-lb-ft I-4 Opt Engine 3.6L/308-hp/275-lb-ft V-6; 2.8L/181-hp/369-lb-ft t’diesel I-4 Drivetrain Front-engine, RWD/4WD, 6M/6A/8A Towing 3,500-7,700 lb EPA Econ City/Hwy 16-22/18-30 mpg 0-60 mph 7.4-9.5 sec Basic Warranty 3 years/36,000 miles Safety 4 Stars IntelliChoice 5-Yr Retained Value 57% * Estimated Chevrolet Silverado Base Price: $29,380-$56,370 Body Type: Pickup Unchanged:  The Chevrolet Silverado received a low-speed automatic emergency braking system last year as part of its optional active safety suite, and it got the Teen Driver feature, which allows parents to set limits when young driver is behind the wheel. For 2018, the eAssist variant is available nationwide in the LTZ trim, a rearview camera is standard on all grades, and a 7.0-inch touchscreen comes standard on the WT model. Also Consider: Ram 1500, Ford F-150, GMC Sierra 1500. Sum Up: Still one of the most popular trucks available today. Chevrolet Silverado Base Engine 3.5L/290-hp/267-lb-ft V-6 Opt Engine 5.3L/355-hp/383-lb-ft V-8; 6.2L/420-hp/460-lb-ft V-8 Drivetrain Front-engine, RWD/4WD, 6A/8A Towing 5,500-12,500 lb EPA Econ City/Hwy 15-18/19-24 mpg 0-60 mph 6.0-7.4 sec* Basic Warranty 3 years/36,000 miles Safety 5 Stars IntelliChoice 5-Yr Retained Value 59% * Estimated Chevrolet Silverado HD Base Price: $35,255-$59,610 Body Type: Pickup Unchanged: Last year, the Silverado HD got a more powerful diesel option, a hood scoop, and a new air intake system. For 2018, it adds a rearview camera standard on all models, a 7.0-inch touchscreen on the WT trim, and a new grille design for the High Country and Z71 grades. A new generation is due soon; we expect it to get lighter and more powerful to compete with Ram and Ford. Also Consider: Ram 2500/3500, Ford F-Series Super Duty, GMC Sierra HD. Sum Up: When you need your truck to be imposing and capable. Chevrolet Silverado HD Base Engine 6.0L/360-hp/380-lb-ft V-8 Opt Engine 6.6L/445-hp/910-lb-ft t’diesel V-8 Drivetrain Front-engine, RWD/4WD, 6A Towing 12,400-23,200 lb EPA Econ City/Hwy Not Rated 0-60 mph 6.8-8.3 sec* Basic Warranty 3 years/36,000 miles IntelliChoice 5-Yr Retained Value 51% * Estimated Ford F-150 Base Price: $28,675-$65,240 Body Type: Pickup Major:  The F-150 gets a big update for its 40th year. Along with a revised exterior, there are new or revamped engines with port and direct injection, among them a new 3.0L Powerstroke turbodiesel V-6; only the new-for-2017 3.5L EcoBoost carries over. A six-speed auto is paired with the base 3.3L, but all other engines get a 10-speed auto. Look for more driver-assist tech, as well. Also Consider: Chevrolet Silverado 1500, GMC Sierra 1500, Ram 1500. Sum Up: More improvements for the best-selling pickup of the last 20 years. Ford F-150 Base Engine 3.3L/290-hp/265-lb-ft V-6 Opt Engine 2.7L/325-hp/400-lb-ft twin-turbo V-6; 5.0L/395-hp/400-lb-ft V-8; 3.5L/375-450-hp/470-510-lb-ft twin-turbo V-6; 3.0L/271-hp/440-lb-ft t’diesel V-6* Drivetrain Front-engine, RWD/4WD, 6A/10A Towing 5,000-12,000 lb EPA Econ City/Hwy 15-20/18-26 mpg* 0-60 mph 5.2-8.0 sec* Basic Warranty 3 years/36,000 miles Safety 5 Stars IntelliChoice 5-Yr Retained Value 58% * Estimated Ford Ranger Base Price: $21,000-$35,000* Body Type: Pickup All-New: Patience, folks. The compact/midsize Ranger has been missing from the U.S. since 2011 but is expected to return in 2019 as an updated version of the body-on-frame Ranger sold in other markets (shown here). Powertrain choices might include a base 2.5-liter naturally aspirated engine, the F-150’s 3.3-liter V-6, and an EcoBoost four-cylinder. It should share a platform with the upcoming Bronco. Also Consider: Toyota Tacoma, Chevrolet Colorado, GMC Canyon. Sum Up: Ford’s smaller truck is making a long-awaited comeback. Ford Ranger Base Engine 2.5L/180-hp/180-lb-ft I-4* Opt Engine 3.3L/290-hp/265-lb-ft V-6*; 2.3L/310-hp/320-lb-ft turbo I-4* Drivetrain Front-engine, RWD/4WD, 6A/10A Towing 3,500-7,500 lb* EPA Econ City/Hwy 18-23/25-32 mpg* 0-60 mph 7.0-9.2 sec* Basic Warranty 3 years/36,000 miles * Estimated Ford Super Duty Base Price: $34,000-$79,000* Body Type: Pickup Unchanged: After a 2017 redesign brought aluminum bodywork, the F-Series Super Duty carries over. Available configurations include F-250, F-350, and F-450 with three cab sizes, two bed lengths, rear- or four-wheel drive, single or dual rear wheels, and gas or turbodiesel engines. The current Super Duty is stronger, lighter, and more powerful than any previous generation. Also Consider: Chevrolet Silverado HD, GMC Sierra HD, Ram HD. Sum Up: Capable enough to be named Motor Trend’s 2017 Truck of the Year. Ford Super Duty Base Engine 6.2L/385-hp/430-lb-ft V-8 Opt Engine 6.7L/440-hp/925-lb-ft t’diesel V-8 Drivetrain Front-engine, RWD/4WD, 6A Towing 12,300-32,000 lb EPA Econ City/Hwy Not Rated 0-60 mph 6.5-8.0 sec* Basic Warranty 3 years/36,000 miles Safety 5 Stars IntelliChoice 5-Yr Retained Value 56% * Estimated GMC Canyon Base Price: $21,880-$44,065 Body Type: Pickup Unchanged: Leather upholstery is now available on the All Terrain model. The Canyon comes standard with a 200-hp 2.5-liter I-4, but opt for the turbodiesel, and you’ll receive up to 30 mpg highway and impressive towing capability. An eight-speed auto is paired to the 3.6L V-6. Notable features include an 8.0-inch touchscreen with IntelliLink and an automatic locking rear axle. Also Consider: Toyota Tacoma, Honda Ridgeline, Chevrolet Colorado. Sum Up: Whether Denali or diesel, this small truck has you covered. GMC Canyon Base Engine 2.5L/200-hp/191-lb-ft I-4 Opt Engine 3.6L/308-hp/275-lb-ft turbo V-6; 2.8L/181-hp/369-lb-ft t’diesel I-4 Drivetrain Front-engine, RWD/4WD, 6M/6A/8A Towing 3,500-7,700 lb EPA Econ City/Hwy 7-22/17-30 mpg 0-60 mph 6.8-9.3 sec* Basic Warranty 3 years/36,000 miles Safety 4 Stars IntelliChoice 5-Yr Retained Value 56% * Estimated GMC Sierra Base Price: $30,000-$57,050 Body Type: Pickup Unchanged:  The Sierra’s base model comes standard with a 7.0-inch touchscreen and a rearview camera. The TPMS includes a tire fill alert system. The truck is offered in base, SLE, SLT, and Denali trims and in regular, double, and crew cab body styles with short or long beds. Packs include the visual Elevation Edition and the off-road All Terrain X pack. An 8.0-inch touchscreen with IntelliLink and a 4G Wi-Fi hot spot are available. Also Consider: Ford F-150, Chevrolet Silverado, Ram 1500. Sum Up: For those wanting a more premium feel in their full-sized truck. GMC Sierra Base Engine 4.3L/285-hp/305-lb-ft V-6 Opt Engine 5.3L/355-hp/383-lb-ft V-8; 6.2L/420-hp/460-lb-ft V-8 Drivetrain Front-engine, RWD/4WD, 6A/8A Towing 9,500-12,500 lb EPA Econ City/Hwy 15-18/20-24 mpg 0-60 mph 5.8-7.4 sec Basic Warranty 3 years/36,000 miles Safety 5 Stars IntelliChoice 5-Yr Retained Value 58% * Estimated GMC Sierra HD Base Price: $35,835-$60,380 Body Type: Pickup Unchanged: GM’s MyLink 7.0-inch radio system and a rearview camera are now standard. A tire fill alert system is new, and the Denali model gets a new grille design. The Duramax 6.6-liter turbodiesel V-8 offers impressive towing capability. The Sierra HD covers your towing needs with available dual rear wheels and a Gooseneck/Fifth Wheel trailering prep package. Also Consider: Ford Super Duty, Ram HD, Chevrolet Silverado HD. Sum Up: Capable heavy-duty from GMC offers as much as 910 lb-ft of torque. GMC Sierra HD Base Engine 6.0L/360-hp/380-lb-ft V-8 Opt Engine 6.6L/445-hp/910-lb-ft t’diesel V-8 Drivetrain Front-engine, RWD/4WD, 6A Towing 12,400-23,300 lb EPA Econ City/Hwy Not Rated 0-60 mph 6.5-8.1 sec* Basic Warranty 3 years/36,000 miles Safety 4 Stars IntelliChoice 5-Yr Retained Value 55% * Estimated Honda Ridgeline Base Price: $30,570-$44,060 Body Type: Pickup Unchanged:  The Ridgeline enters the 2018 model year with nine trims (down from 12), and the Sport trim now offers White Diamond Pearl and Lunar Silver Metallic. A 10-speed auto might be added to higher trims in a few years, and we hope lower trims get Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality for the 2019 model year. The unibody truck is powered by a 3.5-liter V-6 and can tow up to 3,500 pounds in front-drive form or up to 5,000 pounds with all-wheel drive. Also Consider: Chevrolet Colorado, Toyota Tacoma. Sum Up: Honda’s smooth-riding unibody truck is as intriguing as ever. Honda Ridgeline Base Engine 3.5L/280-hp/262-lb-ft V-6 Opt Engine None Drivetrain Front-engine, FWD/AWD, 6A Towing 3,500-5,000 lb EPA Econ City/Hwy 18-19/25-26 mpg 0-60 mph 7.3-7.6 sec* Basic Warranty 3 years/36,000 miles Safety 5 Stars * Estimated Nissan Frontier Base Price: $20,000-$34,000* Body Type: Pickup Unchanged: Although it hasn’t had any significant updates in years, the Frontier still makes a case as an affordable starter pickup for the DIY crowd. The base four-cylinder is offered in rear-drive only, but the V-6 is available in rear- or four-wheel-drive versions. The next Frontier should be based on the global Navara adapted for the U.S. in a joint venture with Mercedes-Benz. Pictured above is the new Frontier Midnight Edition that adds a gloss-black grille with matching 18-inch alloy wheels and semi-gloss-black step rails, black badging, black side-view mirrors, and a choice of Magnetic Black, Gun Metallic, or Glacier White exterior paint. Also Consider: Chevrolet Colorado, GMC Canyon, Toyota Tacoma. Sum Up: A capable old-school pickup in a modern world. Nissan Frontier Base Engine 2.5L/152-hp/171-lb-ft I-4 Opt Engine 4.0L/261-hp/281-lb-ft V-6 Drivetrain Front-engine, RWD/4WD, 5M/6M/5A Towing 3,500-6,500 lb EPA Econ City/Hwy 15-19/21-23 mpg 0-60 mph 7.2-9.5 sec* Basic Warranty 3 years/36,000 miles Safety 4 Stars IntelliChoice 5-Yr Retained Value 59% * Estimated Nissan Titan Base Price: $31,000-$57,500* Body Type: Pickup Unchanged: The Midnight Edition treatment spreads to the Titan for 2018, with lots of black exterior details including 20-inch black alloy wheels, and a choice of three exterior colors. Nissan added a King Cab model halfway through 2017. It slots between the Single Cab and Crew Cab. Otherwise, the Titan might not get many changes. Single Cab models feature an 8.0-foot bed, and King Cab and Crew Cab models feature a 6.5-foot bed. King Cab models are available with a segment-exclusive rear-seat delete. An anticipated base V-6 has yet to be released. Also Consider: Ford F-150, Chevrolet Silverado, Toyota Tundra. Sum Up: Offered in most popular cab/bed combinations and with a generous warranty. Nissan Titan Base Engine 4.0L/261-hp/281-lb-ft V-6* Opt Engine 5.6L/390-hp/394-lb-ft V-8 Drivetrain Front-engine, RWD/4WD, 7A Towing 9,230-9,740 lb EPA Econ City/Hwy 15/20-21 mpg 0-60 mph 6.5-6.9 sec* Basic Warranty 5 years/100,000 miles Safety 4 Stars IntelliChoice 5-Yr Retained Value 54% * Estimated Nissan Titan XD Base Price: $33,500-$65,000* Body Type: Pickup Unchanged:  Nissan hasn’t announced updates beyond the new-for-2018 Midnight Edition, but the Titan XD gained a new King Cab model with a 6.5-foot bed. It’s between the Single Cab and Crew Cab. The Titan XD is between half-ton and three-quarter-ton pickups. A gas V-8 is standard, and a Cummins turbodiesel V-8 is optional. The Cummins offers more towing than the gas but less than the domestic turbodiesel engines. Also Consider: Ford F-250, Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD, Ram 2500 HD. Sum Up: An in-betweener pickup seeking to carve out a new niche. Nissan Titan XD Base Engine 5.6L/390-hp/394-lb-ft V-8 Opt Engine 5.0L/310-hp/555-lb-ft t’diesel V-8 Drivetrain Front-engine, RWD/4WD, 7A/6A Towing 10,990-12,760 lb EPA Econ City/Hwy Not Rated 0-60 mph 7.4-9.6 sec Basic Warranty 5 years/100,000 miles IntelliChoice 5-Yr Retained Value 52% * Estimated Ram 1500 Base Price: $28,500-$61,000* Body Type: Pickup Minor: A new top-spec Laramie Limited Tungsten trim adds luxury. Other changes include a standard rearview camera, a bed-mounted bed light switch, a fleet telematics module for tracking fleet vehicle efficiency, and a new Sport appearance upgrade. Leather is optional on the Rebel. The Uconnect 8.4 system gains Android Auto and Apple CarPlay compatibility, pinch-to-zoom functionality, and more. Also Consider: Ford F-150, Chevrolet Silverado. Sum Up: The only half-ton pickup with rear coil springs for a smoother ride. Ram 1500 Base Engine 3.6L/305-hp/269-lb-ft V-6 Opt Engine 3.0L/240-hp/420-lb-ft t’diesel V-6; 5.7L/395-hp/410-lb-ft V-8 Drivetrain Front-engine, RWD/4WD, 6A/8A Towing 4,210-10,640 lb EPA Econ City/Hwy 13-21/17-25 mpg 0-60 mph 6.8-8.9 sec* Basic Warranty 3 years/36,000 miles Safety 4 Stars IntelliChoice 5-Yr Retained Value 57% * Estimated Ram HD 2500/3500 Base Price: $34,000-$67,000* Body Type: Pickup Minor: Updates include a Limited Tungsten model. A rearview camera and bed-mounted bed light switch are standard. A Sport appearance upgrade is available, and like the 1500, it has an optional fleet telematics module. Also like in the 1500, the Uconnect 8.4 system gains Android Auto and Apple CarPlay compatibility and other new features. The Cummins turbodiesel now cranks out 930 lb-ft. Also Consider: Ford Super Duty, Chevrolet Silverado HD, GMC Sierra HD. Sum Up: Ready for nearly any job. Off-roaders will enjoy the Power Wagon. Ram HD 2500/3500 Base Engine 5.7L/383-hp/400-lb-ft V-8 Opt Engine 6.4L/410-hp/429-lb-ft V-8; 6.7L/350-385-hp/660-930-lb-ft t’diesel I-6 Drivetrain Front-engine, RWD/4WD, 6M/6A Towing 6,820-31,210 lb EPA Econ City/Hwy Not Rated 0-60 mph 8.2-9.4 sec* Basic Warranty 3 years/36,000 miles Safety 4 Stars IntelliChoice 5-Yr Retained Value 51% * Estimated Toyota Tacoma Base Price: $25,500-$42,000* Body Type: Pickup Minor: One of the few Toyotas without active safety features, the Tacoma might gain the Toyota Safety Sense-P active safety suite as standard to put it in line with the rest of the Toyota lineup. Expect the Tacoma to carry over with small updates such as new exterior colors and possibly additional tech and convenience features to make the truck more competitive in its segment. Also Consider: Chevrolet Colorado, GMC Canyon, Honda Ridgeline. Sum Up: Tough, rugged, and ready for all road surfaces. Toyota Tacoma Base Engine 2.7L/159-hp/180-lb-ft I-4 Opt Engine 3.5L/278-hp/265-lb-ft V-6 Drivetrain Front-engine, RWD/4WD, 5M/6M/6A Towing 3,500-6,800 lb EPA Econ City/Hwy 17-19/20-24 mpg 0-60 mph 6.8-10.0 sec* Basic Warranty 3 years/36,000 miles Safety 4 Stars IntelliChoice 5-Yr Retained Value 69% * Estimated Toyota Tundra Base Price: $31,500-$51,500* Body Type: Pickup Minor: All Tundra variants get the Toyota Safety Sense-P active safety suite and a 4.2-inch multi-information display as standard. The TRD Sport trim (shown above) joins the lineup and comes with 20-inch silver alloy wheels, LED headlights, a honeycomb-style grille, TRD Sport–tuned Bilstein shocks, and TRD front and rear anti-roll bars. The 4.6-liter and 5.7-liter V-8s paired to six-speed autos carry over. Also Consider: Chevrolet Silverado 1500, Ram 1500, Ford F-150. Sum Up: Plenty tough but still one of the smaller-volume players. Toyota Tundra Base Engine 4.6L/310-hp/327-lb-ft V-8 Opt Engine 5.7L/381-hp/401-lb-ft V-8 Drivetrain Front-engine, RWD/4WD, 6A Towing 9,800-10,500 lb EPA Econ City/Hwy 13-15/17-19 mpg 0-60 mph 6.6-8.9 sec Basic Warranty 3 years/36,000 miles Safety 4 Stars IntelliChoice 5-Yr Retained Value 69% * Estimated The post 2018 New Trucks: The Ultimate Buyer’s Guide appeared first on Motor Trend.

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