Weekend QOTD Roundup June 01, 2024

The automotive industry is inherently competitive, with every manufacturer jockeying with each other in the marketplace. Automakers have to convince potential customers that their vehicles are better than what their rivals are producing. This goes far beyond flashy ad campaigns and smooth-talking salespeople. It’s first and foremost tied to how drivers feel about their cars. We want to know which automaker is currently the best in the world and why? - Ryan Erik King Read More

Being a car enthusiast is a tough thing. Most of the time, people buy and sell cars with their heads, but not us. We will very often buy and sell cars with our hearts. That doesn’t always work out, especially after you form an emotional connection with your car. That’s what led me to my question from last week. - Andy Kalmowitz Read More

We’re all familiar with the questionable build quality that comes out of Tesla’s factories these days. The stories of Cybertruck accelerator pedals coming loose, massive panel gaps across the board and cars that can be bricked by a little water are shocking, but do they make it the automaker with the worst build quality of all time? - Owen Bellwood Read More

Earlier this week we asked our readers to tell us which automaker is currently the best in the world. While there was a wide variety of answers, it’s difficult to deny that Japanese manufacturers have garnered a favorable reputation. The only American automaker that had any significant support was a divisive choice, to say the least. I’ll give you two hints: the company has never been based in Detroit and it only builds electric vehicles. - Ryan Erik King Read More

A significant component of a good evil villain — whether they be in cartoons, movies, comics, or real life — is the car they drive. You aren’t likely to fear someone who prances out of a 1999 Volkswagen New Beetle or an adorable Renault Twingo, so a true villain needs an evil-looking car. Movies have portrayed evil villains driving a wide array of dastardly machines from the Saleen S281 Mustang police car used in “Transformers,” to the Peterbilt 281 semi truck seen in “Duel.” What is it about a car that makes it evil? It’s all about the vibe. - Logan Carter Read More

You can’t really go wrong with a pickup truck. They’re like the Swiss Army Knives of the automotive world. Wanna haul or pull some crap? There’s a bed and you can tow. Wanna carry people? There’s a number of cab configurations to suit your needs. Want one with luxury features that rival a BMW 7 Series or Genesis G90? You can drop six figures for a truck that’ll coddle you. - Lawrence Hodge Read More

Automotive technology has never been better, cooler, or more efficient, but there’s still a long way to go before we can claim to have mastered the art form. This week, I asked the fine readers of Jalopnik to use their brains and dream up some nonexistent features they wish their vehicles had. We got a little bit of everything, from innovative ways to avoid door dents to having AI built into the car to talk about your feelings. - Elizabeth Blackstock Read More

When I get on a plane, I don’t ask for much. I just want an aisle seat I can fit into comfortably enough, some peace and quiet while I listen to a podcast or watch a movie and the only conversation I have the entire flight to only consist of whatever it takes to get the flight attendant to give me a cup of ginger ale. I don’t even complain when it’s not Vernor’s. Just give me that, and I’ll be happy. - Collin Woodard Read More

Ideally, every time you flew, you’d simply board the plane, sit down in your seat and spend the next several hours completely unbothered while you nap or watch some Ryan Reynolds movie you didn’t bother to see in theaters. After all, when your strapped into a tube in the sky and surrounded by strangers, there really isn’t such thing as a great flight. It’s either boring and uneventful, or something goes wrong. - Collin Woodard Read More

We live in a world where car technology is not only cool but also wildly futuristic. Some cars have the ability to take on the bulk of driving tasks while others are packing in more horsepower than ever before. And yet, the world of the fictional, or imaginary, car is so much more fruitful than anything we could come up with in the real world. What imaginary car features do you wish were real? - Elizabeth Blackstock Read More