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The 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona represents the birth of the electric muscle car. Dodge's first EV debuts with a two-door body style, standard all-wheel drive, and two trims: the R/T with up to 496 horsepower and the Scat Pack with up to 670 hp. The Charger EV has a 400-volt architecture with a 93.9-kWh battery; Dodge is targeting 317 miles of range for the R/T and 260 miles for the Scat Pack. Just because Ford slapped the Mustang logo on an electric vehicle doesn't mean it's the first EV muscle car. To the contrary, the Ford Mustang Mach-E is an SUV that appeals to the masses. Sure, it offers impressive performance, but the Mach-E has more in common with the Ford Explorer and F-150 Lightning than the pony car that inspired its name. Meanwhile, the Chevy Camaro is MIA, with no word on its future as an EV or otherwise. That leaves the garage door open for Dodge, which has retired its famous Hemi V-8s for good and now looks to reinvent the muscle car. It's doing that with a new electric Charger that sets the brand on a different trajectory while still maintaining an atypical approach. What does that mean? Well, as Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis describes it, EVs are meant to be green and politically correct, but the 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona is not. The company's first electric vehicle was designed around the muscle-car ethos, putting performance and horsepower ratings ahead of efficiency and range estimates. That will be obvious when the first examples go on sale this fall. As Kuniskis put it during a media backgrounder before the reveal, "This is still the quickest and most powerful muscle car you can buy at launch." Electric Chargers For the 2024 model year, the Charger will only be available with an electric powertrain, which going forward applies to models with Daytona in their name. Every Charger uses the modular STLA Large platform, but the Daytona features a 400-volt electrical architecture. Next year, Dodge will introduce a max-performance SRT Banshee model with an 800-volt system and a two-speed transmission as well as Chargers with an internal-combustion engine. The latter "Sixpack" variants will use Stellantis's Hurricane twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six, but here we're focusing on the EV Chargers. The '24 Charger Daytona lineup will only be offered with a two-door body style; a four-door version is coming next year (more on that later). The familiar R/T and Scat Pack trim levels carry over from the outgoing generation. Both will have dual electric motors that provide standard all-wheel drive. The R/T will debut with up to 496 horsepower and 404 pound-feet of torque, and the Scat Pack will arrive with up to 670 horses and 627 pound-feet. However, those standard power peaks only apply to 2024 models, as every R/T comes with Dodge's Direct Connection Stage 1 package worth 40 horses; the Scat Pack has a Stage 2 kit worth 80 ponies. Next year, those will be optional and cost extra, so each car's base-level output will be lower. To unlock the Daytona model's peak power, there's an overboost function called "Power Shot" that enables a 40-hp spurt for up to 15 seconds. Dodge says that while there's a 30-second delay between Power Shot activity, it can be used unlimited times until the battery runs dry. With a 93.9-kWh usable capacity, Dodge estimates the battery will deliver EPA-rated ranges of 317 miles for the R/T and 260 miles for the Scat Pack. Along with an 11.0-kW onboard charger, the Daytona models offer a peak charge rate of 183 kilowatts when plugged into a 350-kW DC fast-charger. That connection is claimed to take the battery from 20 to 80 percent state of charge in about 28 minutes. Performance Chargers The biggest hurdle ahead of Dodge is convincing its loyal fans and others that an electric Charger is a better Charger. Giving it a big horsepower boost is a good start. The last V-8-powered Charger R/T had a 370-hp Hemi 5.7-liter, and the Scat Pack had a Hemi 6.4-liter with 485 ponies. Even without the Power Shot, their electric replacements still exceed those power figures. The electric Chargers will be notably quicker than their predecessors too. Dodge claims the Daytona R/T will hit 60 mph in 4.7 seconds, and the Scat Pack model will do it in 3.3 seconds. At the drag strip, Dodge claims the duo will complete the quarter-mile in 13.1 seconds and 11.5 seconds, respectively. A 2019 Dodge Charger Scat Pack we tested hit 60 mph in 3.8 seconds and finished the quarter-mile in 12.2 ticks at 115 mph. The EVs' top speed is the only letdown, as the R/T is limited to 137 mph and the Scat Pack is capped at 134 mph. Of course, electric cars are inherently quicker thanks to their instantaneous torque. However, their quickness is usually offset by equipment that's aimed at maximizing efficiency. Dodge does the opposite with the Charger Daytona, prioritizing parts that improve performance despite their effect on efficiency. For example, not only are a set of wide 275-section-width tires standard, but the Scat Pack's available Track Pack includes even wider and stickier rubber, specifically Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar summer tires, measuring 305/35ZR-20 up front and 325/35ZR-20 rear. "Better efficiency? Better range? I don't care. This is about performance." –Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis Dodge says all 2024 Charger Daytonas get the Track package's upgraded Brembo brakes, which feature huge 16.1-inch rotors all around. The two-piece front discs are clamped by fixed six-piston calipers, and the rears are pinched by four-piston units. The brake-by-wire system blends the friction brakes with the regenerative system that provides three different levels of regen. The Daytona models also have a selection of drive modes, but Scat Pack models get the best ones. Along with launch-control and line-lock functions, the top trim has Drift and Donut modes, which are pretty self-explanatory (so, yes, it can do a proper burnout). There's also Race Prep mode for the drag strip or the racetrack, which is designed to heat or cool the battery depending on the intended use. The Track Pack also includes a performance data recorder that lets users log video and other data. The big question regarding the new electric Chargers that most people probably have on their minds is, How does it sound? Your guess is as good as ours, as Dodge says it's still fine-tuning its "Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust." Utilizing two passive radiators, the system provides real-time feedback (meaning you can rev it) and is said to match the sound levels of the current Hellcat Charger, capable of a claimed 126-decibel roar. For those who don't like the idea of a synthetic soundtrack, the Fratzonic setup can also be turned off with Stealth mode. Charger Daytona: Inside and Out When it comes to the look of the new Charger, Dodge did a funny thing. Not only did the company clearly draw inspiration from the po[CENSORED]r second generation (1968–1971), but it also hewed so closely to the concept that was revealed over a year ago that the production version has basically been hiding in plain sight. Many distinctive details remain, such as the "R-Wing" that creates a pass-through opening at the front for improved downforce. It's also exclusive to Daytona models. What's not exclusive to the electric Dodge Charger Daytona is the rear hatchback that helps make it more practical. There's 23 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seats, and that expands to 37 cubes with the rear seats stowed. Plus, the frunk provides an extra 2 cubes. For comparison, the outgoing Charger offered 17 cubic feet of space in its trunk. Unlike its predecessor, the new Charger comes with either two or four doors—that's one surprise the concept didn't spoil. Dodge says the two- and four-door Charger Daytona share a 121.0-inch wheelbase, which is an inch longer than before. The two-door model measures 206.6 inches long overall, spans 79.8 inches wide, and stands up to 59.0 inches tall. Those dimensions make the new car roughly 5.5 inches longer, about 1.5 inches wider, and an inch or so taller. With a claimed 5838-pound curb weight, the electric Charger is roughly 1500 pounds heavier than its V-8 predecessor. However, we'll have to get one on our scales to verify that. The Charger Daytona's interior is also very similar to the concept's. The dashboard features free-standing displays that include either a 10.3- or 16.0-inch digital gauge cluster and a 12.3-inch center touchscreen. The latter uses the familiar Uconnect5 software with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. There's also a digital key option and a smartphone app that provides remote access to apps and vehicle functions. While the Charger Daytona's squared-off steering wheel likely won't appeal to everybody, we did dig the return of the pistol-grip-style shifter. Other available features include a head-up display, an 18-speaker Alpine sound system, a fixed panoramic sunroof, and ambient interior lighting that's entertainingly referred to as "Attitude Adjustment." The R/T makes do with a mix of cloth and vinyl upholstery and different front seats than the leather-covered ones that are available with certain packages. Dodge hasn't said how much the 2024 Charger Daytona models will cost, but we expect the R/T's base price to be above $60,000 when it goes on sale this fall. The cars will be built at the company's Canadian factory in Windsor, Ontario. Both EVs will only be eligible for the U.S. federal tax credit through lease incentives. https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a60047406/2024-dodge-charger-daytona-ev-revealed/

Despite their relentless form in the Premier League since the turn of the year, Declan Rice wants Arsenal to remain humble during their title charge. Photograph: MB Media/Getty Images Scroll back a year and some of the parallels are hard to ignore. At this point in 2023, Arsenal were four games into a winning run that eventually extended to seven and they had discovered how to cut loose. Across that spell they scored 23 times and it briefly felt, as spring bloomed, that a newly clinical side was showing its true colours. The nosedive that followed has been well documented. So what, if anything, has changed? “I think the maturity,” said Jorginho, who has emerged from the shadows to stand tall in Arsenal’s latest imperious run, after the rout of Sheffield United. “We are way more mature [in] how we compete and how we manage the games. I think that’s it.” But there is something else. Arsenal’s current run, again across seven games, has brought 31 goals with the concession of just three. They are not just beating opponents comfortably. They are swatting them out of sight. While detractors will make a case that they have plucked a basketful of low-hanging fruit since mid-January, the fact remains that nobody else is winning games by similar margins and with this consistency. They are the first side in England to have won three consecutive away matches by five goals or more. These are figures nobody can explain away and they are the kind usually synonymous with a remorseless march towards the title. Not so fast. “We have been in this position before and I think it is just ‘stay humble’,” said Declan Rice, whose uptick in attacking contributions continued with a smartly taken fifth goal at Bramall Lane. Rice was watching from afar as a West Ham player when Arsenal, rocked by William Saliba’s injury, snatched three draws from the jaws of victory last April and failed to recover thereafter. Mikel Arteta had built a sparkling young side that performed irresistibly for much of the campaign but there remained a brittleness that made setbacks difficult to surmount. It is worth noting, as Arsenal plunge into the mire of a three-team title race whose final 11 games will leave scant room to blink, that their dominant form has survived a number of key absentees. Gabriel Jesus, who returned on Monday night after a month out, has been responsible for only one of their recent hatful; Thomas Partey came back from a longer-term injury at the same time; Oleksandr Zinchenko, so important to Arsenal’s fluidity when fit, has been sidelined since 4 February. All of their hard work since August has had to be done without Jurriën Timber. Jakub Kiwior has four goal involvements in his last five Premier League games. Photograph: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC/Getty Images Yet nobody would have noticed. The emergency left-back Jakub Kiwior has been among those to step up and make light of squad depth concerns. Arsenal now enter a tougher, defining spell knowing they can turn the screw even when numbers are low. They have learned to be clinical. Before this season there was a sense that, once ahead in a game, they were prone to sitting in too cautiously and inviting problems. Arteta rarely made any secret of his frustration in those cases: he preached aggression but there were times when his team appeared tentative. Perhaps being hunters, a status not afforded them last time around, has untethered a killer instinct. In recent weeks they have struck a perfect balance between conserving energy and exploiting opportunities ruthlessly. Life is much easier when you can kill games early, and Arteta’s exhortations to go for the jugular have been heeded against vastly inferior opponents such as Burnley, the Blades and a woeful West Ham. Relatively conservative second halves against Crystal Palace and Newcastle, which still brought five goals between them because Arsenal pounced when given an inch, offered lower-key but important proof that they have learned to pace themselves. Arsenal’s visit to the Etihad Stadium on 31 March will be laden with significance although, given the rest of their run-in hardly looks unkind, it may not be defining with a further nine games left. The Premier League would certainly profit from a vanishingly rare three-way tussle at the top given, in most other aspects, this has been a poor and undistinguished campaign for a division that claims to be the world’s best. Arsenal still have to face Manchester City, the defending champions, away from home. Photograph: Paul Ellis/AFP/Getty Images The farce around mid-season points deductions at the bottom rolls on and is a stain on its governance; the inability of the bottom two to compete has been stark, even if Burnley in particular might have helped themselves by adding some of the old blood and thunder to their quixotic footballing ideals; mid-table remains, beyond the extraordinary case of Chelsea, a morass of interchangeable also-rans clawing against a ceiling. Fortunately for the league’s promoters, eyes instinctively drift towards the summit. Neutrals would be well served in willing all three contenders on, even the ominously lurking City. A lurch back into predictability would give 2023-24 little to commend itself but there is little sign Arsenal, older and wiser, will wither this time. “It’s been a hell of a comeback since the Christmas period,” Rice said, referring to the consecutive defeats against West Ham and Fulham that preceded a seemingly transformative break in Dubai. It will be a much greater one if Arsenal, 12 months older with their momentum and confidence snowballing, consign the woes of last season to distant memory and end their two-decade wait for national supremacy. https://www.theguardian.com/football/2024/mar/05/mature-arsenal-swat-premier-league-tests-in-bid-to-end-two-decade-wait

I love my boyfriend very dearly and I know he loves me. I have no anxiety in my relationship. But, after two years, I have recently felt uninterested in sex, probably because in comparison with me he is “vanilla”. I would never dream of leaving him and would rather suppress my own sexual desire to solve the issue. Many couples reach an impasse in their sexual connection because sex becomes predictable and loses the erotic spark, or because underlying relationship issues hinder the loving connection. In your case, you have made a broad assumption: do you really know your boyfriend is 100% vanilla? Or that he would not respond to something less mainstream? Since you have erotic interests outside the conventional realm why not introduce him gently to them? Intimacy requires the sharing of what arouses each of you, what your specific needs are and, especially, your creative ideas to spice it up. Initiate! Pamela Stephenson Connolly is a US-based psychotherapist who specialises in treating sexual disorders. If you would like advice from Pamela on sexual matters, send us a brief description of your concerns to private.lives@theguardian.com (please don’t send attachments). Each week, Pamela chooses one problem to answer, which will be published online. She regrets that she cannot enter into personal correspondence. Submissions are subject to our terms and conditions. https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2024/mar/05/i-love-my-boyfriend-but-im-losing-interest-in-sex-hes-too-vanilla

‘Even now when a black cat crosses my path I have to resist the urge to stare it down.’ Photograph: Bigandt_Photography/Getty Images/iStockphoto When my parents agreed to take in Lucy, “a lovely quiet Burmese”, from a friend of a friend, they had no idea what they were letting themselves in for. “She’s no trouble at all – just feed her Kitekat and she’ll be happy.” Eight-year-old me knew these were the exact words because my mother repeated them often, with a rising note of indignation, over the following months. We knew Lucy had never previously been outside the walls of a Glasgow tenement, so obviously a period of adjustment was expected. But for days, she was a yowling ball of black fur lurking behind the sofa. A shiny new bowl of cat gloop remained untouched. If she was happy, she had a funny way of showing it. “She’s going to starve,” my mother fretted. “We’ll have to try feeding her something else.” After a protracted process, it became clear that she favoured poached lamb’s liver, salmon fillets and ice-cream from Colpi, the local gelateria. She was also partial to Jacob’s Mini Cheddars. Now that she was enjoying a more luxurious diet than most Scottish humans, her reign of terror could begin in earnest. “I don’t know what it is, but she does not like you,” Mum observed gleefully. A pecking order had swiftly been established. My mother was the clear favourite, and I was bottom of the league, below my dad and the postman. I would get home from school and there Lucy would be, lying on my bed, growling and engaging me in an unwinnable staring contest. Taken in by her sleek beauty and sphinx-like demeanour, I would sometimes make the mistake of trying to cuddle her. She would extend her claws in warning, and these would get caught in my jumper. Sometimes she would scratch me, possibly by accident. When she was finally unleashed outdoors, the real trouble began. If she was cold or bored at night and wanted to be let inside, she would use her paws to rattle the letterbox. This makes a surprisingly loud noise in the dead of night. She was nothing if not ambitious. Birds and mice were easy prey. She would lie in wait for her sworn enemy Clarissa, a local Siamese. She got into a fight with a neighbour’s highland terrier, returning with a chunk of white fur in her jaws. But things really came to a head when she took on Blue the alsatian. Unsurprisingly, he turned on her and she fled, climbing up the willow tree in our garden. There she stayed for hours, yowling and scared. That was the last time she chased a dog. Some people claim that their pets are a good judge of character, sussing out bad friends and dodgy romances at the outset. Unfortunately, over the years, this couldn’t be said of Lucy because her hackles would rise at anyone new. “She’s a punk cat,” a friend’s older brother observed, and I felt proud of her. Lucy enjoyed a long and pampered life, and we were all bereft when she left us, including me. Even now, when a black cat crosses my path, I have to resist the urge to stare them down. Anita Chaudhuri’s Burmese cat, Lucy. Photograph: Courtesy of Anita Chaudhuri https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2024/mar/04/the-pet-i-will-never-forget-letty-rescue-cat-reign-of-terror-over-us-but-we-were-bereft-when-she-left

PRO! I see you as ambitious, interested, and nice active so Good luck!

Canadian law obliges Foreign Minister Melanie Joly to deny export permits for military goods and technology 'if there is a substantial risk' the equipment could be used in violations of international law [File: Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters] Montreal, Canada – Palestinian Canadians and human rights lawyers are suing Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly over exports of military equipment to Israel, which they argue violate Canada’s obligations under domestic and international law. The lawsuit, filed on Tuesday, asks a federal court to order the Canadian government to stop issuing export permits for military goods and technology destined for Israel. It also asks the court to deem the issuance of such permits unlawful. “We are seeking to hold Canada to its own standards and to its international legal obligations,” said Henry Off, board member of Canadian Lawyers for International Human Rights (CLAIHR), one of the groups involved in the case. “We don’t want the Canadian government to be contributing to the mass starvation and bombardment of Gaza. One way of cutting off Canada’s contributions is by cutting off its military support [to Israel],” Off told Al Jazeera in a phone interview. Military exports to Israel have come under greater scrutiny since October 7 when the Israeli military launched a military offensive in the Gaza Strip that has now killed more than 30,000 Palestinians. Thousands of others are believed to be dead, buried under rubble. CLAIHR wrote an open letter to the Canadian government in late January, urging Ottawa to “immediately halt” all exports due to concerns the weapons could be used in human rights violations against Palestinians in the coastal enclave. Canadian arms exports to Israel totalled more than $15m ($21.3m Canadian) in 2022, according to official figures. Citing government data, The Maple news website first reported in February that Canada authorised at least $20.9m ($28.5m Canadian) in new military exports to Israel in the first two months of the Gaza war. That report spurred widespread criticism and calls to end the exports. Last week, protesters rallied outside weapons company facilities in several cities across Canada, including Vancouver, Quebec City and Scarborough. “Canada’s contempt for international and Canadian law by approving a dramatic increase in military exports to Israel since the latter commenced its bombardment of Gaza compels us to seek legal action to hold Canada to account,” Ayman Oweida, a Palestinian Canadian and one of the lawsuit applicants, said in a statement. What does Canada export to Israel? Global Affairs Canada, the country’s foreign ministry, did not immediately respond to Al Jazeera’s request for comment on the lawsuit on Tuesday morning. In an email last month, a department spokesperson, Jean-Pierre Godbout, told Al Jazeera that the permits granted since October 7 “are for the export of non-lethal equipment”. He did not provide an exact dollar amount for those exports or provide details about the equipment that received a permit to be sent to Israel. Asked for examples of what goods are considered “non-lethal”, Godbout did not provide a response. “In accordance with Canada’s longstanding policy, all permit applications for controlled items are reviewed on a case-by-case basis under Canada’s risk assessment framework,” Godbout said. Experts said the vast majority of Canada’s military exports to Israel come in the form of parts and components. This includes electronics and space equipment; military aerospace exports and components; and bombs, missiles, rockets and general military explosives and components. But most of the exports are shrouded in secrecy. “We don’t know what companies are exporting them. We don’t know exactly what their end use is,” Kelsey Gallagher, a researcher at the peace research institute Project Ploughshares, told Al Jazeera last month. Human rights lawyers and activists also suspect that Canadian military components are reaching Israel via the United States, including for installation in fighter jets such as the F-35, but the scope of those exports is also unclear. The export regime Meanwhile, Canada’s Export and Import Permits Act obliges the foreign minister to “deny exports and brokering permit applications for military goods and technology … if there is a substantial risk that the items would undermine peace and security”. Under the law, exports should also be blocked if they “could be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of international humanitarian and human rights laws” or in “serious acts of gender-based violence or serious acts of violence against women and children”. Canada is also party to the Arms Trade Treaty, a United Nations pact that similarly bans such transfers if states have knowledge the arms could be used in genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and other violations of international law. There is little publicly available information about how Canada makes its decisions on military equipment exports. In 2022, 50 applications for “military, dual-use, and strategic goods or technology” were denied, the government says on its website. Of those, several were denied as a result of sanctions on Russia while others were rejected to stay in line with “Canada’s foreign policy and defence interests”. In 2021, Canada said it denied export permits to Libya due to its obligations under the Arms Trade Treaty. Against that backdrop, international law experts have warned that providing weapons to Israel could amount to a violation of the Genocide Convention. In a preliminary ruling in late January, the International Court of Justice found there is a plausible risk of genocide in Gaza and ordered Israel to take measures to prevent genocidal acts in the bombarded Palestinian territory. Last month, a Dutch court ordered the government to stop exporting F-35 components to Israel after determining “there is a clear risk that Israel’s F-35 fighter jets might be used in the commission of serious violations of international humanitarian law”. Off pointed to that ruling in the Netherlands as an example he said he hopes Canada will follow. “We’re asking that the courts in Canada follow suit here and recognise this unlawfulness,” he said. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/3/5/palestinian-canadians-sue-foreign-minister-joly-over-arms-exports-to-israel

Many users of the Meta-owned platforms are struggling to access Facebook and Instagram [Richard Drew/AP Photo] Users of Meta’s Facebook and Instagram platforms are experiencing login issues in what appears to be a widespread outage. The social media platforms were down for hundreds of thousands of users across the globe on Tuesday, according to the outage tracking website Downdetector.com. The disruptions started about 10am eastern United States time (15:00 GMT) with more than 300,000 reports of outages for Facebook and about 40,000 reports for Instagram, according to the website. London-based internet monitoring firm Netblocks said on X that four Meta platforms – Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and Threads – were “currently experiencing outages related to login sessions in multiple countries”. But the firm, which advocates for internet freedom, said there was no sign of “country-level internet disruptions or filtering”, which are typically imposed by governments. “We’re aware people are having trouble accessing our services. We are working on this now,” Meta spokesperson Andy Stone wrote on X. Meta’s status dashboard showed the application programming interface for WhatsApp Business was also facing issues. There were about 200 reports of outages for WhatsApp on Downdetector, which tracks outages by collating status reports from several sources, including users. The outage was among the top trending topics on X, formerly Twitter, with several users saying they had suddenly been logged out of the Meta-owned social media platforms. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/3/5/metas-facebook-instagram-hit-by-widespread-outages

Nick movie: John Wick: Chapter 5 – First Trailer (2024) | Keanu Reeves Time: KH Studio Netflix / Amazon / HBO: N/A Duration of the movie: 1 min. Trailer:

Music title: Ahmed Saad - Aleky Eyoun | Jalsat Billboard Arabia | أحمد سعد - عليكي عيون Signer: Ahmed Saad Release date: 2024/02/27 Official YouTube link:

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PRO! You have a nice activity Good luck!

PRO! Your have a good activity. Good luck!

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Honestly, I didn't see you being active you were always AFK Improve your activity and try to play not always AFK so CONTRA! Good luck.

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The VW ID.4 just finished a solid sales year in 2023, but there are choppy waters ahead. Volkswagen moved 37,789 ID.4s last year, up 84 percent from 2022 and enough to comprise 11.5 percent of VW's overall American sales. As production is ramping up at the Chattanooga, Tennessee, plant where American ID.4s are assembled, however, EV demand seems to be slowing across the board, and the pool of competitors keeps growing. There are no waiting lists for the ID.4, as there were a mere 12 months ago, and you might even find the ID.4 is your cheapest lease option in a VW showroom. Fortunately, the 2024 model is getting several major and useful upgrades that should boost buyer interest. Powertrain Upgrades First and foremost, the little SUV is getting more power. Thanks to a new rear motor dubbed APP550 that employs a stator with more, and larger, square-section wires; a bigger heat sink; and an uprated oil- and water-cooling system, output for rear-wheel-drive models with the 77.0-kWh battery skyrockets from 201 horsepower and 229 pound-feet of torque to 282 horses and 402 pound-feet. With the new motor, the rear-drive ID.4's power-to-weight ratio is now almost a match for the outgoing all-wheel-drive model. VW claims that the sprint to 60 mph shrinks from 7.7 to 5.9 seconds, but given the huge increase in torque, we think it might even do a little better than that. The all-wheel-drive model also gets this new rear motor, coupled with the existing 107-hp and 119-lb-ft front motor. Because of limitations in the power control electronics, this version doesn't get as big a jump in output as the rear-drive model, but combined power still increases from 295 to 335 horsepower, while torque jumps from 339 pound-feet to somewhere close to 500 (VW hasn't released this combined figure). This will drop the zero-to-60 time from 5.7 to 4.9 seconds, according to VW. We measured 5.4 seconds for the all-wheel-drive 2022 ID.4 that we tested, so that new estimate seems entirely doable. While net battery capacity is unchanged at 77.0 kilowatt-hours, the battery does benefit from a slight improvement in the battery chemistry. And this new motor is not only more powerful, but also slightly more efficient. As a result, EPA estimated range increases from 275 to 291 miles for the rear-driver, while the AWD model has a more modest bump from 255 to 263 miles. The entry-level rear-drive model with the 58.0-kWh battery gets none of these powertrain changes—with horsepower and torque staying at 201 ponies and 229 pound-feet, respectively—and its range actually shrinks slightly from 209 to 206 miles. Of course, it's worth mentioning that VW—and most EV manufacturers—recommend charging to only 80 percent to preserve battery life, unless you're going on a long trip. So give all of these range predictions a 20 percent haircut for most real-world driving situations. Much-Needed Infotainment Improvements More impressive than these improvements are the upgrades to the infotainment system. As someone with a 2023 ID.4 in our family's vehicle fleet, I would say that our car's human-machine interface seems to have been designed to maximize the number of control inputs needed to perform the simplest tasks while coupled to a computer that seems even dumber than a typical politician. The '24 model gets essentially the same system that VW previewed last year in our first drive of the upcoming ID.7. With only a slightly larger—12.9 versus 12.0-inch—LCD screen for 77.0-kWh models, the new version has a strip of HVAC controls that are permanently displayed at the bottom edge of the image. As a result, you can now directly activate the seat heaters and air conditioning rather than having to go into menus to do so. There are still touch sliders for the fan speed and left and right temperatures, but at least they are now illuminated and usable at night. The menus themselves have been simplified and are easily customizable. At the top left of the main screen are five shortcuts that you can select, easing access to your most-used functions. Furthermore, the computer operating all of this is considerably more powerful and has some AI abilities, making the response to voice commands more accurate and far faster. The steering wheel controls have also been revised for the better. There's now a button on the right spoke to activate the steering-wheel heater. And the control that switches from adaptive cruise control to normal cruise control is now a series of button pushes rather than a push, slide, and second push. And for better visibility, VW has moved the rotary shifter from the right edge of the still-tiny instrument cluster to a fixed stalk on the right side of the steering column. Driving the New ID.4 We had a chance to test these upgrades on a short drive in California in a top-of-the-line AWD Pro S model. As you'd expect, a 14 percent jump in power is immediately noticeable. While the acceleration tails off at higher speed, in the cut and thrust of urban driving, the ID.4's acceleration, combined with its immediate throttle response, makes you feel invincible. The ride and handling remain very good in city and suburban driving. Combined with the quiet and buttery smooth powertrain, the ID.4 feels very refined. However, if you use the copious thrust to push the ID.4 on a mountain road, you start to notice both the nearly 5000-pound weight of the machine, as well as a shortage of damping, which makes the car feel somewhat wobbly. A sports car it's not. But the new infotainment system is a joyous breakthrough. While it still has wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, you no longer feel compelled to use these systems in self-defense against the car's irritating native applications. In fact, the ID.4's navigation system has some features that the phone apps can't match, such as allowing you to program it to look for charging stations at a specified level of charge, for those who have greater or lesser range anxiety. And you can program up to 10 charging waypoints on your route, and the system will tell you how many charging stations are open, though only at Electrify America charge points. Pricing ranges from $41,160 for the essentially unchanged 58.0-kWh base model to $58,480 for the top-of-the-line AWD Pro S Plus. That's up about 5 percent from the start of the 2023 model year, and all versions of the ID.4 qualify for the $7500 Federal tax credit—the only non-domestic EV that does so. You also still get an Electrify America charging package, though not nearly as generous as the three years of free charging that came with previous models. Now you get a free 500 kilowatt-hours of charging (about 10 charges from 20 to 80 percent), followed by a discount of roughly 25 percent. This package of genuine upgrades should keep the ID.4 competitive for another few years—if the EV buyers are there. Now I need to figure out how to transplant the new screen and brains into our car. https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a60009160/2024-volkswagen-id4-dual-motor-drive/

It’s not up to you to fix this, but it might be worth asking her what’s going on Illustration: Alex Mellon/The Guardian My sister-in-law of nearly 15 years isn’t someone I’d seek as a friend but she’s mostly enjoyable to be around. However, a couple of years ago she started making harsh claims about her parents – my in-laws, whom I adore. I didn’t agree with what she was saying but chalked it up to some sort of personal crisis and tried to be supportive, but without agreeing with her. However, not long after that she made a harsh claim against my young child and was unkind to my husband (her brother) in the process. She also decided she needed time out and told my husband she would reach out when ready. I was so angry and hurt about the claim against my son, coupled with how terribly my in-laws seemed to be treated, that it caused major strain in our marriage; my husband (a reserved man) was trying to be understanding while watching his family feeling hurt (they had previously been solid). She contacted us again 10 months later, which felt like a ridiculously long time, and when our nuclear families got together it felt strange – we had to act as if nothing had happened. With most people, I would address my hurt and confusion directly, but my sister-in-law is like an emotional ticking time bomb, and I fear causing more issues and subsequent claims of wrongdoing against her. But to protect my children and because I no longer like or respect her, I do my best to avoid her. This makes holidays difficult, as we can no longer gather as one big family. I feel bad about this and don’t know what to do. In your longer letter you said you spoke to a few people who felt you were right to avoid her but it’s interesting that you still don’t feel it’s the right choice. While I really feel for you, and your anger and frustration are understandable, I was left concerned about your sister-in-law. You didn’t say what the claims she made against your in-laws or son were, and of course they may be unforgivable. But without knowing the details, I was left wondering what her take on all this was. Where is she in her life? Does she have a partner? Children? These things aren’t essential and they’re actively not desirable to some, but there you all are coupled up with children, which is wonderful, but could leave her feeling pushed out or as if she doesn’t know where she belongs any more. I wondered, even, if this was a feeling she might have had when your husband was born (is she the eldest?) and is now reliving? The uncertainty in your letter makes me think you may also be wondering if there’s a bit more room for curiosity than recrimination. I went to AFT-registered family therapist Sarah Helps, who said: “What are your husband’s thoughts and feelings about the situation? His relationship with his sister seemed pretty absent.” Helps wondered how your in-laws do emotional talk. “Is avoidance part of their family script? Why is no one asking your sister-in-law if she’s all right and what’s happening, in a very ordinary way?” When family falls out, it’s easy to do a whole heap of imagining about what’s going on, but unless we ask, we don’t know I also want to know more about the “major strain” this put on your marriage, and why. When family or friends fall out, it’s easy to do a whole heap of imagining about what’s going on, but unless we ask, we don’t know. Helps also wondered if your sister-in-law “had been sitting on strong feelings, perhaps for a while, and then got to a point where she couldn’t contain them any longer. Do you think she meant to cause harm or was her intention different and it just landed badly?” Helps wanted you to think about how avoiding this situation is going for you. “Is it making you feel better or worse? If worse and preoccupied [which it sounds like], it’s probably not the right strategy.” It’s certainly not up to you to fix this, or her, but it feels as if you want to do something and it also sounds like you may have more skills than the rest of the family, certainly more perception (perhaps also compassion?). You don’t need to do anything drastic: perhaps send an ordinary text asking how she is or try to find common ground (“Have you seen this film? Thought you’d like it”), or include her in something you’re planning. The rest is up to her. With difficult family members it’s easy to think in terms of absolutes but maybe just “getting along” is the best you can hope for. For now. Every week, Annalisa Barbieri addresses a personal problem sent in by a reader. If you would like advice from Annalisa, please send your problem to ask.annalisa@theguardian.com. Annalisa regrets she cannot enter into personal correspondence. Submissions are subject to our terms and conditions. Comments on this piece are premoderated to ensure the discussion remains on the topics raised by the article. Please be aware that there may be a short delay in comments appearing on the site. The latest series of Annalisa’s podcast is available here. https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2024/mar/01/my-sister-in-law-has-treated-my-in-laws-and-family-terribly-i-avoid-her-but-feel-bad-about-it