I don't know if this would be a good review since the the TL I used to go to Las Vegas is a loaner (long story short - dealer F'd up my car :'( ) - but it's still a TL. The vin # is 42### and had about 4,200 miles on it (dunno how it was driven before I got it).

Anyways, left Sunday morning around 4am (over-estimated 4th of July traffic ) and cruised between 80-85 mph. Took the 15 FWY northbound from San Bernardino. The trip is a little over 200 miles. The ride was smooth, comfortable and quiet. No tire vibrations or rattles. Only bad thing during the trip there was this...




Right when 5:30am hit, the sun rise :sqntfawk: , right in front of my face. Ya sunglasses, but man right in front of my face. Got to Las Vegas around 7:30am. Be careful, Nevada Highway patrol chills on the center divider right when you hit the city limits. I had cruise set to 85mph and I think the limit was 70. I didn't notice him untill I was about to pass him. I slowed down and as I drove by he gave me a mean look. I kept looking in my rear view mirror to see if he would pull out of his post and come after me. He didn't, but man the 15 N was sooooo empty and it's just a straightaway. Anyways here's what I ended up with:



27 MPG
73 MPH
226 miles (stopped by an ATM 3 miles off the freeway)
3 hours 7 minutes

The picture also shows how much gas I had left. As far as on the trip back, I left around 4pm Tuesday and according to the temp gauge it was 111 degrees. I noticed that sometimes it wouldn't even register. Is it coz it's too hot? I know there's like a 5 degree offset so it's really about 106 degrees . The car didn't overheat at all. In fact it stayed in the same level as it does when I commute to work between 70-85 degrees. I thought that was impressive. I've rented a couple of cars before and the american cars do not hold that well in the heat. The last american car I rented and took to Las Vegas was an 02-03 Mercury Sable. Great car and roomy. My friend took his 02 Accord coupe EX. I noticed the temp meter would be either in the middle or 3/4 up. I wasn't used to that, since I never owned an american car. In fact it got me worried. I would have to shut down the a/c every hill we had to climb. Oh and my friend smoked me in his Accord EX - 4 banger vs V6. Hmm, shouldn't the V6 win? lol. Anyways, back to the trip, here's what I got after I got home (I didn't reset the Trip Computer)...



24 MPG
49 MPH
518 miles
10 hours 29 minutes

Keep in mind I did some city driving while in Vegas and the strip was jammed up too.

I did punch it up to 120 MPH (safely ) and noticed 2 things that annoyed the hell out of me. If you have the sun visor out towards the front windshield, the cover of the mirror starts to rattle and the steering wheel starts to vibrate slightly. Wanted to go faster but I held off for various reason

Finally, the biggest surprise out of the whole trip was this...



$28 to fill up versus $34 where I live :thumbsdn:

Oh and be careful with Valet in Vegas. I've observed a couple while there and basically, if your car is not parked right by the entrance of the hotel then they don't give a sh!t about your car. Seen them speeding in the parking structures, taking corners too fast, hitting the brakes hard, etc. I got a loaner though

It was a learning experience since I never took my TL that far and at an extreme weather and the best thing about it - it's not my TL . Hope ya'll like my review. Feedback please.

 

WOw! Loaner TL. I'd go from SFO to New York. Good review though and great gas price.

 

You made pretty good time, w1n. I usually average 2 hours between NW Vegas and Barstow, doing 75-85 depending on traffic (in an SUV). You did the right thing leaving when you did, 'cos 15 can be a bear when it's busy. Don't ever try coming into Vegas on Friday night or driving back to LA on Sunday. I've heard it can take over 6 hours. I wish Caltrans would finish widening it to 3 lanes.

111 could be right - some parts of the Valley DID get that hot this weekend. The Strip is one of the hotter parts. But false readings when just setting off or stuck in traffic are common, no matter what you drive. Welcome to Vegas in Summer, Baby!!

Valets: Yep, some of 'em can get a little wild. But I've seen some good ones too. I never use them 'cos I know the back entrances to most of the casinos by now.

There are some roads close to Death Valley where you have to turn off your AC to stop the engine overheating...

That's a great price for gas - do you remember where that was? Knowing my luck, it'll be across town!

 

Chevron on Flamingo and can't remember the street but I know it's towards Decatur from the strip coz I went and ate at a Japanese restaurant - Mikano or something like that. Oh and since you're a local LV resident, is that common that highway patrol chillin' in the center divider right at the front of the city limits?

Well, I'll be going up north (San Francisco/San Jose area) in the beginning of August just to hang out and see family. I might still have the loaner. Damn dealer argh! :sqntfawk: . I guess I'm saving my car from the miles. Even though my loaner is the exact same car except interior color, I get a different feeling when I'm driving MY car instead of a loaner. Besides, the big a$$ "Courtesy Car #3" on the back doesn't help either . And what's more is that this car is getting more attention than when I have my car lol.

Oh and can you believe that gas price??? Thought it would be worse. I guess it's a California thing. State line was pretty bad too, $2.89/gal for 91 at Chevron

 

If you head up to SJ/SF we should all get together some time... "Wounded TL children get-together."

 

Well, you left out the most important part about your trip to Vega$. Need I ask?

 

that would be great! i'll bring some pics of my baby and her boo boos. hope i'll have her back by then. if not, i can flaunt "Courtesy Car #3" all over California. I guess the good thing is I don't worry as much when I leave the car parked somewhere unfamiliar.

 

not much of a gambler to be honest. stayed at Luxor. i usually want to stay in the room to get some rest but my gf's relatives (from NJ) happen to be there and happen to stay in 3 different hotels and she wanted to see all of them. and i don't usually hit the black jack tables alone - only with friends and we'd take the whole table.

so i hit up the nickel slots lol. i don't gamble to win but i gamble to see/hope the money i used to start will last long . then i saw the wheel of fortune slots and that got addicting lol. quarter slots and to get to spin the wheel you gotta bet 75 cents every time. so that's where i ended up losing $100. it was great though, had fun.

almost lost $800 - not at a casino but Louis Vutton. they should ban those damn stores. last time i was there i lost $500. WTF at least hotels give comps but LV has no love. if you go to Vegas with your gf DO NOT go to the Fashion Show mall. i should've known already by the name . i was lucky this time

 

LOL! I know Mikano - in fact, we ate at Metro Pizza next door on Saturday night (great shakes and nuclear fries). It's about half an hour's drive from me - I'm waaay up north on the edge of town. less than a block to the desert!

You can never tell where NHP are going to be, but that location is no surprise. There have been some really bad accidents on that stretch of 15 in the last couple of weeks. There's been a crackdown on speeders for the last month, so you have to be careful. They have a couple of stealth Crown Victorias too.

Ahhh Fashion Show Mall. Know it well. They just finished tarting it up recently; it's about twice the size it used to be. But I prefer The Forum Shops at Ceasars and Desert Passage at the Aladdin - they both have a mix of ridiculously expensive stores (Armani, Versace, Bulgari, Fred's) alongside some more reasonable places (Sur la Table, Z Gallerie, Express, Disney Store). We go down to the strip very rarely; maybe once every two months. I have family from the UK in town this weekend, so I'll be there, doing the chauffeur thing