Editor's Note: This week, Peter delivers another searing installment of the Autoextremist Stupid Meter. In On The Table, we take a look at the new Mercedes-AMG SL 63 S E PERFORMANCE. And our AE Song of the Week is "Holiday Road" by Lindsey Buckingham. In Fumes, we're re-running the final chapter in Peter's series about Jim Hall's Chaparral Cars racing team, and we've included links to the entire series in case you missed an issue! And finally, in The Line, we preview IMSA's Grand Touring Daytona (GTD) classes in 2024, and we take a look at Proton Competition’s Porsche 963 now that Mustang Sampling is returning to the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in 2024. Enjoy! -WG

By Peter M. DeLorenzo 

Detroit. It was another interesting week here at AE World Headquarters (Interesting? That’s one way of putting it. -WG), with the unveiling of the Autoextremist Stupid Meter causing much consternation and hand-wringing throughout the land. It seems that a lot of people were in deep agreement with the premise that these leviathan trucks and SUVs masquerading as daily drivers are peak stupidity, and cringe when encountering them in their day-to-day travels.  

Another dimension to this phenomenon that I failed to mention last week is the aggression displayed by too many of the drivers manning these land yachts. I don’t know what’s triggering it exactly, but I’ve noticed that a high percentage of these drivers engage in egregiously stupid maneuvers, seeming to say, “As a matter of fact, I do own the frickin’ road.” That it’s not a good look is obvious; that I’ve witnessed too many risky, flat-out dangerous moves is simply unacceptable.  

Am I painting with too broad of a brush? No, because I’m clearly not lumping all truck and SUV drivers in this category. It’s just a development on our streets and byways that can’t be ignored.  

And then we heard from the faction that I describe as “The Cold Dead Hands Posse.” As in, “I will drive whatever the hell I want and no one’s going to tell me otherwise.” And we can relate to that sentiment, because we’ve said from the beginning of AE that people should drive what they like and like what they drive. And we still stand by that. But commenting on the descent into stupidity that I’m seeing on the roads was bound to spark comments from both sides of the issue, and I not only expected it but, going on 25 years here, I am used to it by now.   

Needless to say, I would love to see a burgeoning streak of rational thought creep into people’s car buying decisions. Do you really need a giant “show pony” 6,000-lb. pickup as a daily driver, just to pick up a few bags of mulch in the spring and do assorted other tasks throughout the year that could be accomplished in a more normal-sized vehicle? No, you don’t, but again, who am I kidding? We’re going to continue down this road until there’s a major “adjustment” in the market, unfortunately. That could happen with a significant, unexpected financial disruption to the economy, or some sort of world-altering event that would change everything. I want neither of those things to happen, but a few smarter vehicle choices would indeed be welcome. 

One more thing as far as these Peak Stupidity times we’re living in. I have beat on this drum for years now, but car and truck pricing and the lack of affordability has reached the critical stage. For the people who can afford to spend $100,000-plus on a vehicle without thinking about it, I’m sure they might be dismissive of the following conversation as irrelevant to their circle of concern. But that would be a mistake, because the lack of affordability in our vehicles should be everyone’s concern.  

As I’ve stated several times before, I consider the Ford Maverick to be the most significant vehicle that Ford has brought to market in the last five years. No, not the Mach-E or Lightning EVs, or even the new Mustang (which is sweet, by the way), but the Maverick. Why? Because of its basic affordability. The standard Maverick XL has a starting price of $23,400, and yes, of course it goes up from there, but I continue to applaud Ford for bringing this vehicle to market, even though they have under-produced it since its introduction. 

So, I decided to go to the Ford website and price out a 2024 Ford Maverick pickup. I chose the XLT with the 2.5-liter hybrid, which starts at $27,815. To that I added the XLT Luxury Package, which includes: 8-way Power Driver and 6-Way manual passenger seats; 400W/110V Inverter (Cab Outlet with USB in Rear Console + Bed Outlet); Full-Size Spare; Heated Mirror with Body-color Skull Caps; Heated Seats; Soft-Vinyl Wrapped Heated Steering Wheel; LED Box Lighting; Remote Start System; Trailer Hitch with 4-Pin Connector and Modular Hard Drop-in Bedliner. This adds $2275 to the price. I then added the Hard Trifold Tonneau Pickup Box Cover for $1180.  

Is that it? Yes, except for the $1595 destination charges and the $645 Acquisition fee, which brings the grand total to $33,510. Even though that’s a far cry from the base price, I still think it’s reasonable. (I could have started with the Lariat with the hybrid, but that starts at $34,135.) 

Why do this exercise? Because, short of shopping the many models offered by Honda, Kia, Hyundai and Chevrolet (Trax), the average buyer’s choices for affordable new vehicles are severely limited.  

This is stupid. And it’s not sustainable.  

I keep excoriating the domestic-based manufacturers to wake up in this regard, but I’m not seeing any signs of it. Ford needs to build more Mavericks, but they seem incapable or unwilling to do it. Chevrolet needs to offer a price leader Colorado that still has a modicum of desirable equipment, but there’s nothing in the works. And GM CEO Mary Barra has promised a new Chevrolet Bolt for 2025 with built-in Ultium EV technology, which is great news, but what would be even better news is if this upcoming advanced technology Bolt was priced at or below the price of the 2023 Bolt. I won’t hold my breath.

The fact that our domestic automakers are basically ignoring this affordability issue is not only monumentally stupid, it will bite them in the ass over the long haul. Buyers will simply stop shopping these domestic automakers and wander away to other manufacturers for their transportation needs. And this just in: They won’t be back. 

The AE Stupid Meter is pretty unforgiving. People involved in this industry need to wake up and start actively doing something about these issues, and quick. 

The clock is ticking. 

And that’s the High-Octane Truth for this week.