This week, we address some of the comments posted online about our experiment to see if a Tesla would drive with no one in the driver's seat. We also share our test results of the 2021 Toyota Highlander Hybrid, discuss the scarcity of the Kia Telluride, if owners are able to replace LED daytime running lights on their own, a smart maintenance schedule for a car driven 4 miles a day in an urban environment, and why new cars aren't as inexpensive as the Ford Model T was in the 1920s.
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SHOW NOTES
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00:00 – Introduction
00:34 – We Answer Questions About Our Recent Tesla Coverage
15:11 – 2021 Toyota Highlander Hybrid Test Results
22:55 – Question #1: How can I buy a Kia Telluride when they are no where to be found?
28:41 – Question #2: Why new cars aren’t as inexpensive as the Ford Model T was in the 1920s?
33:09 – Question #3: When the LEDs burn out on a DRL, does the whole headlight assembly need to be replaced?
35:58 – Question #4: Which vehicle maintenance schedule is more important to follow: miles driven, or months elapsed?
38:17 – Question #5: Do hybrid vehicles have a CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission), and how does it work?
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We Drove a Tesla with No One in the Driver’s Seat. That’s Not a Good Thing.
CR Engineers Show a Tesla Will Drive With No One in the Driver’s Seat
Fatal ‘Driverless’ Tesla Crash Raises Questions About Company’s Autopilot System
2021 Toyota Highlander
2020 Kia Telluride Quick Drive
2018 LA Auto Show: 2020 Hyundai Palisade
First Drive: Not All Changes on the Redesigned 2021 Kia Sorento Are Improvements
Guide to Car Safety
Coronavirus Resource Hub
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Tesla fan boys get crazy over any negative coverage because many speculated on Tesla shares, that are reaching astronomical levels that can’t possibly be justified unless every car and truck in the world sold is a Tesla.
Tesla fanbois love to Stan.
That video was irresponsible. Showing people how to bypass safety features should not have been produced.
This was an obvious attempt of click bait.
Is it good that you found a problem? Yes. Should you have notified Tesla and appropriate governmental authorities? Definitely. Was it good that you gave an explicit illustration of how to defeat the system? Not so much. Unfortunately there are a good many people who may be foolish enough to “try this at home” and that was really disappointing.
My past Highlander made my kids car sick often… When I traded in for my current Pilot, no more car sickness. I think the Honda tuning is much better than Toyota in general – firmer but still compliant with much less body roll…
you guyz are loosing your credibility..
Telluride under-priced? Now they will use the scarcity to bump the price waaaay up with the approval of CR. I thought you were on the side of consumers. : – )
Boycott Consumer Reports
Tesla fanbois are so weird. Corporate fanatacism is the new religion I guess.
Thanks for clarifying CR’s independence and where the money (doesn’t) come from.
Technically, and I’m no TESLA fan-boy or defender, he didn’t lie. He stated you need weight in the seat to engage AP. He didn’t answer the question whether it would stay in AP without someone in the seat, which, clearly, you proved! Good on CR. My biggest beef with CR, and I love my CR and my membership, is the title of our article that indicated how “EASY” it was to set AP without someone in the driver’s seat. Easy? Really? It’s much easier to do this with a regular car from anytime during the last decade that has ACC and LKA. No need to slow to a stop, re-engage the seatbelt, hand a weight, etc…just set it and you can jump out of the car…In the end, we all know Elon’s goal with FSD is to have cars drive without drivers. Clearly, until that is an approved method of travel by the gov’t and technology, you need to have safeguards along the way so that stupid people don’t do stupid stuff behind the wheel…or not behind the wheel…Just so you know where I’m coming from. I have a Tesla Model 3 with FSD capability. I think it’s a gimmick and won’t be fully capable/legal for some time. So, when I bought my Model Y I got it without FSD, just the standard AP, which is very good. I sold my Model Y and my Model 3 sale is pending. I loved both cars, but want to try other cars…life is too short. SuperCruise is great, but a completely different goal…it only works on mapped roads, reads the driver’s attention…but it’s limited to only doing what is programmed. FSD is a completely different animal whether we like it or not. Tesla’s biggest ding is they are running their company like American Idol…why use our own money to do all this testing, when we can charge everyone else to be our guinea pigs until we find the end product that we want. Works great with American Idol…but, with car safety, I don’t know how the government lets them get away with it…
Showing people how to defeat safety measures seems counter productive.
TESLA HATERS
The devotion Tesla inspires among it’s owners and fans is striking.
That’s funny that the Tesla cult thinks nothing happens in the company unless Elon does it. So if he’s busy on another pet project, OTA update code doesn’t get written, cars aren’t built, the casting machine maintenance doesn’t happen, payroll doesn’t run, etc. Also, the GM & Ford CEO’s don’t constantly call their systems “full self driving”.
My theory is the driver was sitting on the buckled belt (I know someone who is stupidly anti-restraints and drives and rides that way) to be able to ignore the audible and visual warnings, he was speeding, and the impact jerked his fatally injured body over to the right seat where the responders found him. I witnessed an unbelted driver who was violently thrown against the right door when he was rear-ended and the car was instantly turned ninety degrees.
CR is an awesome organization and they do their homework! I really enjoy these videos, and I subscribed today bc of that.
Why couldn’t Tesla fix this with an OTA update? Seems that it would be an important change.
Also, Tesla fanbois…..
Your test track have visible lanes., why don’t you try on unmarked lanes?
Ok, Keith’s Grizzly Adams trend is beginning to scare me. LOL.
The hybrid E-CVTs from Ford and Toyota have nothing to do with pulleys and belts. CR, please do your homework!