An Interview With Alan Feld of Sportsmobile

[kjp1969]

As for the Nissan, its not avaliable in 4wd from Nissan, but Quigley is looking into it, but at a very early stage right now. I wouldn't hold my breath on this.

Seriously, why do they do that? Assuming its based on the Titan stuff, and 4wd is already developed, why not offer it? If they're aiming at the commercial customers, surely some of them want to go places in the snow or down muddy, rutted roads.

No One makes a factory 4wd van for the U.S. Market?!?!?

Rant off.

[4xdog]

The Sportsmobile interview is pure boosterism, and kinda light at that. Didn't learn anything from the interview. If Sportsmobile paid for the ad, that's OK, but it would be appreciated to know it was advertising instead of editorial content. OJ is gonna have to crank it up a little to get some credibility around vehicle testing and reporting if this and the Tacoma T|X Pro road test are an indication.

Offered in the way of constructive criticism, it's important to be objective and factual in assessing a vehicle for others. That doesn't mean it can't be entertaining. Sort of like food reviews -- it's really not that useful to know if the reviewer liked something. That's an element of personal taste that isn't worth spending too much time on. It's more important to know that it was prepared in accordance with expectations for the dish (or vehicle) being served, that it was technically correct, appropriately finished and accessorized, competently executed. Raising the discussion above what the author personally likes or doesn't like isn't always easy, but it makes for a much more informative review.

Don

[Overland Hadley]

The Sportsmobile interview is pure boosterism, and kinda light at that. Didn't learn anything from the interview. I Sportsmobile paid for the ad, that's OK, but it would be appreciated to know it was advertising instead of editorial content. OJ is gonna have to crank it up a little to get some credibility around vehicle testing and reporting if this and the Tacoma T|X Pro road test are an indication.

Offered in the way of constructive criticism, it's important to be objective and factual in assessing a vehicle for others. That doesn't mean it can't be entertaining. Sort of like food reviews -- it's really not that useful to know if the reviewer liked something. That's an element of personal taste that isn't worth spending too much time on. It's more important to know that it was prepared in accordance with expectations for the dish (or vehicle) being served, that it was technically correct, appropriately finished and accessorized, competently executed. Raising the discussion above what the author personally likes or doesn't like isn't always easy, but it makes for a much more informative review.

Don

A big x2 on all your points. Well said.

[zimm]

cmon man, you guys are rough. scott let him have 36 seconds to sum up 50 years of history and development!!! ... i dont think the guy was prepared for an interview, actually.




(my only gripe is scott uses the adjective pinnacle to categorize everything. hes like... the pinnacle of pinnacle users.)

[cwsqbm]

Seriously, why do they do that? Assuming its based on the Titan stuff, and 4wd is already developed, why not offer it? If they're aiming at the commercial customers, surely some of them want to go places in the snow or down muddy, rutted roads.

No One makes a factory 4wd van for the U.S. Market?!?!?

Rant off.

Don't blame the manufacturers, blame the government. For Ford/GM/Nissan/Mercedes to offer factory 4wd, they'd have to not only develop the parts but also crash test all the new vehicles, etc. Those extra expenses (according to their accountants) exceed the extra profits they could make.

A third party group like Quigley, since they're not the manufacturer, isn't as regulated to death. Also, a third party group can charge more than the manufacturer since they are willing to build a lot less per year to turn a profit. Look at what any third party group charges for a 4wd van - over $10k, compared to less than $4k for a new AWD Chevy van over its 2wd counterpart.

[kjp1969]

Don't blame the manufacturers, blame the government. For Ford/GM/Nissan/Mercedes to offer factory 4wd, they'd have to not only develop the parts but also crash test all the new vehicles, etc. Those extra expenses (according to their accountants) exceed the extra profits they could make.

A third party group like Quigley, since they're not the manufacturer, isn't as regulated to death. Also, a third party group can charge more than the manufacturer since they are willing to build a lot less per year to turn a profit. Look at what any third party group charges for a 4wd van - over $10k, compared to less than $4k for a new AWD Chevy van over its 2wd counterpart.

Naw, I'm not blaming anyone. The big 3 (6?) are full of smart people, and they're chasing a profit as they should. If there was a market for a factory 4x4 van, they'd build it. Its just frustrating that Nissan has what looks like a Titan based vehicle and they didn't put their 4wd system in it. Yet.

So how hard would it be to swap in the 4wd bits from a wrecked Titan and make it awesome? If it can be done, SMB could do it. Alan, what say you?