From 18 to 20 Raptor 801a impressions

[2slo4u]

You own a Raptor. Now way are you a *******. Different strokes for different folks and all that crap.

As a side note, I bought a Lexus 10 years ago that had keyless start. At first, I thought it was kind of gimmicky. I sold it and bought an older Sierra Denali that had a key. It was at that point where I realized just how nice keyless start is. I drove that truck for 4 years and every time I pulled the key out I missed that feature. So happy to be back in a vehicle with it.

 

[GordoJay]

You own a Raptor. Now way are you a *******. Different strokes for different folks and all that crap.

I don't hate PBS, I just don't care. I drove my wife's car exclusively for a few weeks before taking it home to her. I got used to it quickly, but I didn't miss it when I went back to a regular key. Whether I turn a key or row a gearbox doesn't matter to me if I have to be there anyway. The tech you'll find me first in line for is a true self-driving car. I'll be in the back seat, reading, or surfing, or sleeping while my car takes me where I want to go. Now that's some useful shit.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

ford you cheap ass F***S you can shove this BS cloth crap on the bolsters of the seats right up your A$$ - SERIOUSLY - what did you save?????!??

again- $70k truck, leather seats, perforated, heated, 10 way adjustable, lumbar, 2 tone design, “raptor” stitched in headrest.....but STILL no memory function? Again- F you

The cloth minimizes wear on the seats as you enter and exit the vehicle. The cloth will age better than the leather in those places. It’s actually a really nice feature and will payoff in the long run as most leather seat bolstering looks horrible after a couple of years.

You can complain about the memory seats all you want to, but Ford has to do things like that or else you can get an 801a truck with essentially the same features as an 802a. To be able to get leather seats, full Nav, and a full digital cluster, your truck is already near identical to an 802a minus the technology package. So it’s not a result of Ford being cheap, they are making sure that customers who pony up for the 802a are getting exclusive features that you cheapskate peasants don’t get Don’t fly main cabin and expect to get the same benefits as first class.

@GordoJay your 3 points against keyless entry are worthless as others have pointed out: (point 1) you do still have a key to get into a keyless entry vehicle; (points 2-3) are user problems not a system/technology issue. Because your wife left her keys in her purse isn’t an excuse to blame the technology. You can just as easily lose your keys while out hiking or at your house and won’t be able to crank and/or get into your vehicle—that has nothing to do with the technology; instead, it is a user problem. Moreover, if one is dumb enough to walk away and not hear their vehicle running, then they are also dumb enough to leave the keys in the ignition and walk away with it running. So next time try and use some better excuses

 

[GordoJay]

The cloth minimizes wear on the seats as you enter and exit the vehicle. The cloth will age better than the leather in those places. It’s actually a really nice feature and will payoff in the long run as most leather seat bolstering looks horrible after a couple of years.

This is a good point.

You can complain about the memory seats all you want to, but Ford has to do things like that or else you can get an 801a truck with essentially the same features as an 802a. To be able to get leather seats, full Nav, and a full digital cluster, your truck is already near identical to an 802a minus the technology package. So it’s not a result of Ford being cheap, they are making sure that customers who pony up for the 802a are getting exclusive features that you cheapskate peasants don’t get Don’t fly main cabin and expect to get the same benefits as first class.

You're actually making one of my points for me. Ford is gouging the "luxury" buyer. That's expected. It's the standard business model in the auto industry. The loaner that Ford gave me for two months was a cheap-ass shitbox. An Ecosport. It had pretty much every option(no Torsen) that comes on 802a plus hood graphics and a sunroof. My wife's Subaru has all of the same crap save the graphics. The Subaru camera is worlds better. Neither is an expensive car. None of that tech stuff is expensive to produce. It's just like the old days, when you paid a lot more for electric windows, even though they were cheaper to produce than the manual ones.

@GordoJay your 3 points against keyless entry are worthless as others have pointed out: (point 1) you do still have a key to get into a keyless entry vehicle; (points 2-3) are user problems not a system/technology issue. Because your wife left her keys in her purse isn’t an excuse to blame the technology. You can just as easily lose your keys while out hiking or at your house and won’t be able to crank and/or get into your vehicle—that has nothing to do with the technology; instead, it is a user problem. Moreover, if one is dumb enough to walk away and not hear their vehicle running, then they are also dumb enough to leave the keys in the ignition and walk away with it running. So next time try and use some better excuses

I did not realize that you had a key that would get you into the car if the battery died. My bad. A screwdriver and a pair of pliers will work, too. Probably faster.

I'll argue that the walk away thing is a real problem. Humans are creatures of habit and run on autopilot most of the time. When your habit pattern involves turning off the ignition, getting out of the car, locking it with the remote, and pocketing your keys, a momentary distraction that breaks the cognitive chain is less likely to cause a failure because there are other links in the chain to remind you. My friend that left his car running all day in Denver isn't dumb, he's actually quite smart, even obnoxiously so. He got distracted as he exited the car, probably thinking about the tournament we were about to play. He's normally solo but had three passengers that day. Slight differences. You can call it stupidity if you want, but it's human nature. Ford didn't put that obnoxious double beep in because they felt like being ***** or because they thought customers would enjoy it, they were solving a real problem, albeit in a very clumsy way. They didn't put a timeout on how long the engine would run if you walked away because there was no problem.

The keys in the purse thing is a real issue, too, for the same reason. Human nature. Good design takes human nature into account. If we were all Spock, lots of things would be very different. Think about it. The means for starting the car are always in the car when it's running if you have a key. Now if you replaced the fob with something biometric, like a retina scanner, you'd suddenly turn a cute little toy with it's own set of drawbacks into a useful feature. Not dragging a fob or a set of keys around would actually be a real benefit.

 

[NASSTY]

No matter how many reasons I hear that keyless is better I still prefer my old school key. I've been lugging a key around for 40 years and I have no plans to stop until the old school key is no longer an option. I prefer to have my key on me because I usually remote start it.
I don't even bother lugging my Bronco key around, I leave it in the ignition and the doors unlocked. If anyone wants it go ahead and take it. The insurance company will give me more for it than I could sell it for.

 

[Badgertits]

The cloth minimizes wear on the seats as you enter and exit the vehicle. The cloth will age better than the leather in those places. It’s actually a really nice feature and will payoff in the long run as most leather seat bolstering looks horrible after a couple of years.

You can complain about the memory seats all you want to, but Ford has to do things like that or else you can get an 801a truck with essentially the same features as an 802a. To be able to get leather seats, full Nav, and a full digital cluster, your truck is already near identical to an 802a minus the technology package. So it’s not a result of Ford being cheap, they are making sure that customers who pony up for the 802a are getting exclusive features that you cheapskate peasants don’t get Don’t fly main cabin and expect to get the same benefits as first class.

@GordoJay your 3 points against keyless entry are worthless as others have pointed out: (point 1) you do still have a key to get into a keyless entry vehicle; (points 2-3) are user problems not a system/technology issue. Because your wife left her keys in her purse isn’t an excuse to blame the technology. You can just as easily lose your keys while out hiking or at your house and won’t be able to crank and/or get into your vehicle—that has nothing to do with the technology; instead, it is a user problem. Moreover, if one is dumb enough to walk away and not hear their vehicle running, then they are also dumb enough to leave the keys in the ignition and walk away with it running. So next time try and use some better excuses

the one that was totaled I owned outright & pretty much same thing w/ this new ‘20....not sure how many members here driving an 802a equipped truck or otherwise can say that...so it’s not about the cost per se, it’s just the principle.

im not a huge guy so I never had that issue w/ the side bolsters on my seats- although that is a point worth noting, what’s also worth noting is for ME- being an active guy who will be getting in/out of the thing sweaty & dirty, have a Doberman riding w/ me along w/ a 1 & 5 year old - the 1 year old likes to throw his bottle around when he’s done, get some drops of formula on leather bolster not nearly as nasty as on cloth, I only have like 550 miles on the thing but I can imagine when it comes time to give it a full interior cleaning it’ll be interesting dealing w/ the seats- I hope whatever leather cleaner/conditioner I use doesn’t leave any stain/residue on the cloth portion, it just adds another step.....come to think of it I’ll probably give the cloth portions a spray down in some silicone protectant which should help.

i totally get manufacturers making customers pay up to attain certain luxury/tech/utility features, but in 2020 having memory seat function in a vehicle should be standard- particularly an extremely large vehicle like this (so obvi more room/need for adjustment in seating position vs a civic) w/ an already hefty price tag & seats that are already “premium” to begin with & when they already have the option to be adjusted a million ways including the pedals- on GM trucks @ the “mid level” equipment trims this would be standard.

all that being said- the biggest positive I can point out IMO again is what seems to be a much better/glossier/heavier coating to the frame (my 18 it seemed much thinner & matte finish) & tow hooks etc + the bigger gauge screen.

I just don’t like push button start in most vehicles- period. Just like I don’t like automatic transmissions in performance cars, period. I’m fully aware auto & dual clutch setups can be/are faster - but ain’t gonna change my personal preference.

As much as I liked a lot of the interior features, luxury, ride, etc. of the Ram trucks - I hated the rotary dial shifter big time. Complete turn off/show stopper for me. Again- just personal preference & im sure people can make plenty of cases for or against it- but I’m spending my own $70k not someone else’s lol!

side note- I REALLY like the feature on the new 21 F150s where the shifter can fold down into the console allowing for the center armrest to fold open flat against it for a mini work table/surface. THAT is a perfect example of the antithesis of tech for tech’s sake- as opposed to the Rams shifter quirk that does nothing whatsoever to make my life/driving experience more pleasurable (in fact it does the opposite) ford offers a shifter redesign w/ a very clear purpose/advantage over competitors while also offering a nice looking solid feeling traditional shifter I can still rest my hand on while cruising.

 

[Badgertits]

Love when people say “ just more things for to break” as they buy a high performance vehicle ....

take a look at the current value of a mid 90s/early 2000s Acura NSX vs the Italian/British & other Japanese exotics it competed w/ from the same era. While those cars continue to drop in value despite having many advantages in terms of tech/power/luxury etc the NSX has held strong & is now increasing- a HUGE reason for this is due to its simplicity & analog over digital “feel” - nothing goes wrong w/ those vehicles. There is something refreshing & “premium” in a way when driving a performance vehicle that you don’t have to worry about little stuff breaking or having to tear down the engine or getting stranded someplace etc - just get in & drive it.

I know that’s not completely analogous to this convo but kinda gives idea where I’m coming from.

 

[GordoJay]

side note- I REALLY like the feature on the new 21 F150s where the shifter can fold down into the console allowing for the center armrest to fold open flat against it for a mini work table/surface. THAT is a perfect example of the antithesis of tech for tech’s sake- as opposed to the Rams shifter quirk that does nothing whatsoever to make my life/driving experience more pleasurable (in fact it does the opposite) ford offers a shifter redesign w/ a very clear purpose/advantage over competitors while also offering a nice looking solid feeling traditional shifter I can still rest my hand on while cruising.

I like that I can lock out gears using the switch on the shifter, and it is a nice handrest, but the engineer in me looks at that thing and knows that it's just a big electrical switch. One that adds probably $500 to the price of the truck. It's like those SPST "transfer case" levers you see that are strictly for looks because the transfer case is electric. If I've got a big expensive lever sticking up in the middle of my truck, I prefer it to actually do something physical to the drivetrain. To have a reason to exist. Otherwise I'd rather see some elegant design that uses that space for something else. Kudos to Ram for having the balls to get rid of it. The fold-away solution is the worst of both worlds to me. Why can't they just design a nice handrest and put the lockout rocker on it? Heck, they could even make it look like a manly standard transmission shift lever instead of the current gurly automatic shift lever.

 

[Mister Pinky]

After driving my wife’s Colorado ZR2 and my brothers ZR1 and listening to the keys in the ignition jingle back and forth, I realized the value of a silent Push Start Button.

What ZR1 does he have? @04Ram2500Hemi

 

[Mister Pinky]

I like that I can lock out gears using the switch on the shifter, and it is a nice handrest, but the engineer in me looks at that thing and knows that it's just a big electrical switch. One that adds probably $500 to the price of the truck. It's like those SPST "transfer case" levers you see that are strictly for looks because the transfer case is electric. If I've got a big expensive lever sticking up in the middle of my truck, I prefer it to actually do something physical to the drivetrain. To have a reason to exist. Otherwise I'd rather see some elegant design that uses that space for something else. Kudos to Ram for having the balls to get rid of it. The fold-away solution is the worst of both worlds to me. Why can't they just design a nice handrest and put the lockout rocker on it? Heck, they could even make it look like a manly standard transmission shift lever instead of the current gurly automatic shift lever.

Or you could just put the shifter back on the column and have a flat space without having to design an over complicated shifter assembly?

In before the development dwelling yuppies say that column shifters don’t fit the lifestyle image they’re desperately trying to project.