Leaderboard

It would be nice if they could make it an option on all lines. I already know their V6 in danger since only the US is using it at the moment. A buddy of mine who works for Toyota has mentioned that the hybrid and 4 bangers are the future. Even Toyota will be dumping a few models soon......

North Dakota, 1940 :

I like those Lelands...will have to look into them. I have a messy neighbor on one side that has their house for sale, and the other side is the house that was empty for years and is now sale pending. Thanks..hope it goes well for Bella. Henry (13) and Ginny (12) are missing their big brother Zo...

I like that Citroen tries to be different and funky while trying to keep high level of comfort. Cool reviews, thanks!

@Robert Hall So sorry about Zo....I totally understand. I’ve been around dogs all my life- they are pretty much like having kids. Our Bella goes through surgery tomorrow...hoping everything will go well. It is tougher as they get older, as Bella is 10. They say things should be okay-but you truly never know...

Cadillacs above : 1 :: '58 Series 75 Fleetwood (factory limousine) 2, 4 & 7 :: '57 Series 60 Special Fleetwood 3, 5 & 6 :: '58 Series 60 Special Fleetwood S60S got all the lower quarter panel brightwork, SdVs never did.

I rented 2 different vehicles lasting 3 days each back to back. I’ve already reviewed the VW Golf. The second rental car was a Citroen C3. This was because each of the rentals took place in a different overseas location. I had seen the new Citroen vocabulary on display in the atrium area of an indoor shopping center overseas years ago. I didn’t know what to think of it - both the brand and the styling were unknowns to me. The one weird feature in the ones on display was the “Airbump.” Basically, the Airbump is the proprietary name, adopted overseas in English, for the large moulded rubber insert along the side doors. It’s supposed to function like protective side mouldings. However, it’s much larger than those, to the point that it fills in an entire recessed sculpted area in the car’s doors. For this second rental, I went to my Citroen C3 out in the rental lot and it did not have the Airbump. I got to see what the car looks like without one and I prefer it without the Airbump. However, in a congested European location, the C3 owner will probably get some dings and dents as a consequence of not having it. In terms of appearance, the C3 can grow on you fairly quickly. I definitely liked it more than VW Golf I had right before it. Its envelope is more rounded without looking jelly bean like. It seems to be a little taller, too. The narrow LED headlamps at the top of the grille look interesting, as in “not bad.” In looking at the previous model (2015 and before), the current C3 is a welcomed improvement. Mostly, I liked the C3’s interior. However, I liked the interior layout of the preceding rented vehicle – the VW Golf – better, for its more conventional volumes and very sensible layout. In the C3, there is the central dual bezel driver instrument pod, with the speedo, the tach, and gauges for fuel and temperature. However, the infotainment center is a little busier and sits a little below the single horizontal panel that spans the entire upper length of the dashboard, right below the air conditioning vents. The infotainment center is anchored at the bottom but slightly disengaged at the top, just like it is in our American Chevy Malibu. As for the horizontal cowl, it protrudes quite a bit and creates a noticeable enough “shelf” between the windshield and the front face of the dashboard. It felt weird to have this in a small car. Lastly, the higher line models of the C3 have color bands inserted in the interior. In my rental car, the accents were red. In others, they might be "gold," or copper. Lower line models don’t have these accents. The C3’s engine was a gasoline 1.2 liter “Pure Tech” 110 hp unit. I assumed it was a 4 cylinder. Reading the current reviews indicates it might have been a turbocharged 3 cylinder. Unlike in a car the likes of the Toyota Aygo, it does not feel grainy like you might be piloting a stripped down econobox. It sounded and behaved like most smaller 4 cylinders. The gearbox was a 6 speed automated DSG. This little engine responded to demands on the throttle fairly well for most conditions. And, to go with that, the 6 speed automatically shifted near perfectly. For me, 6 automatic gears is plenty. It’s when one gets to larger engines that 8 or more automatic gears might make more sense to lower RPMs and conserve fuel. There are various tiers of C3s and the Europeans give the tiers frivolous names instead of letters, like RS, LT, or SXT. The automatic gearbox is not available in the lower grade tiers but is available in the higher grade tiers. The hallmark of this car was the handling and the suspension. Apparently, Citroen is known for that. The C3 had great road feel and took corners and curves in stride. It felt very steady on the open road as well as on rural roads and road bumps were absorbed like they would be in a slightly larger car. Part of this feeling of control could be the marginally higher seating position, the great feel of the stitched steering wheel, and sitting in comfortable seats. And, despite the thicker rear pillar, visibility was good all the way around. The C3’s fuel efficiency was respectable. It wasn’t as thirsty as the VW Golf yet not as economical as the Toyota Aygo. Since the rentals were back to back, I’d say that I liked the 4 cylinder engine, dashboard, and reliability ratings of the VW Golf more. However, I l preferred the ride, handling, exterior styling, interior comfort, and 6 speed automated DSG gearbox of the Citroen C3. I guess you can’t have your cake and eat it, too. In closing, I enjoyed my time behind the wheel of the C3. They seem to be very popular across the pond, based on spending about 20 minutes in a Citroen showroom one evening. The C3 was a very easy car to live with, bordering on being fun to drive.

Considering that the Rav4 Hybrid has more torque, more speed off the line and returns 40MPG, better MPG than the ICE only. I see no reason for Toyota to not make the Hybrid a Standard top line feature on every model and have a gutless 4 banger as entry and turbo 4 as mid range.

Heh heh....my '84 Escort diesel interior looked like this, same color.

Exactly my point, something some folks fail to realize while barking about V6s like it makes a crap on a FWD rolling appliance.

Makes me wonder how good those discounts will be.... Even though the kid doesn’t drive for a good 4 years or so... ?

Maybe the top of the line Camry should be the hybrid 4cyl; do the same for the RAV4 and any other vehicle that lacks a v6.

I have one one side of my front yard Emerald Green Arborvitae but they just grow way too slow. The ones I planted in 1999 when I bought the place are finally hitting about 10 to 12 feet for a decent natural wall from the messy neighbor. I researched and went with the Lelands as they top out around 30 feet and can like the Arborvitae be trimmed to create a natural fence. They do make a nice year round green belt for a private yard. I actually hate maples and pretty much any deciduous tree as you have the mess in the fall of falling leaves and an ugly grey tree through winter plus a ton of pollen in the spring.

@Robert Hallthis is what the front side of my driveway looks like where I bbn planted Leland Cyprus trees as they can be trimmed to make a natural wall of privacy. also it makes it easy with my EGO edge and extension attachment to keep them trimmed back from the power lines.

Apparently I have a bunch of 'quickies' in me. This is the steel surround for a '50s Craftsman table saw. The guts were rusted up, so I scraped them, but this shell has been sitting around probably 2 years now. Had some scrap 2x10 so I made what my buddy calls a 'step upon' - it's pretty sturdy and a lil over 11" tall.

The 3.5 is done in the Cam after this year. Sounds like they are simplifying the model line now to save some money.....

Behind the 8 ball on photos - here they are: Citroen C3 Descriptions beneath photos A side view of the Citroen C3 "super-mini" in the Sicilian countryside A top view of the C3 seen from a patio or balcony up higher at the hotel. Note that the roof has a similar indent to the areas on the door that would be filled in by their trademark Airbump. This is how the dashboard registers with a person upon entering the car. Note that this up-model had the red trim on its black interior with cloth seats This is what the driver looks at, so all the information is handy. I believe it had a digital speed readout (not sure), which I've come to prefer to an analog speedometer gauge. This is the infotainment center. At least it's not placed up high and sticking out. The climate controls, IIRC, were easy to operate. The gearshift is nicely finished in addition to working well. I believe the cup holders should be behind the shifter, not in front of it. A lip on the cubby could be useful to keep a phone from sliding forward and falling out. This is how the remainder of the C3 dashboard plays out. Notice how far out the top of the cowl protrudes to the functional face of the dash. I found that a little strange for a small car. If there's a functional or safety reason behind that, them I'm on board. End of photos - - - - -

@Robert Hall I'm sorry about the loss of your dog. I know what that's like. Even though I've only had one, and for 12 years, I remember that last drive to the vet with my dog in my arms. Since they are so smart, and my dad and my brother were also in the car and surprisingly quiet, which was never the case, I think the dog understood. You will always reminisce about the good times with and funny things about your pets.

It’s been hard. He was 14, had him 8 years. Lost 1 senior Yorkie last July, have 2 others that are 12 and 13. As for the back yard, thinking about a semi circle of pavers extending out from the walk, with a fire pit in the center and a grille inset on one side. Short term is planting more trees along the fence line...

That old VW (Rabbit? maybe? or was it the first time VW renamed it the Golf?) made me remember a good friend's dad's 1986 4 door diesel Golf and its cheap ass interior. Which was something like this. But people just loved to whine against Cavaliers of the time... Which was no better, but definitely not worse... Thanx @trinacriabob and @ocnblu for dredging up past memories of my dumb assed, German car loving, idiot Greek friends of mine. It is our Easter tomorrow which I might as well just call them up and wish them well...

Yeah, the Polo has been the model below the Golf for 45 years, just not in the US. Think Sonic and Cruze. At one time, the US did get a smaller model--the Fox, but that was a rebadge of the Brazilian Gol. The VW lineup order is fairly clear for the US and various European countries, but gets very confusing if one looks at the lines in Mexico, Brazil, China or others...in China there are maybe 1/2 dozen different Golf-sized models each w/ different names and styling.

Yes you Amish are all about keeping status quo and ignoring the ability to move forward with better tech. Sadly, when hybrids have been done, they have been done half ass in some cases and yet as proven by the sales, Toyota took a half ass version of the Rav4 hybrid, finally updated with a gen 2 hybrid and now that thing is superior in all ways to the ICE Rav4. Toyota needs to move forward with that on all auto's as does every other OEM.

Andrea Bocelli just gave a live solo performance for Easter at Milan's cathredal (Duomo di Milano) upon being invited by the city and the (arch)diocese. In the beginning, he's inside the church but, at the end, he is singing outside the church and they pan over some of the world's great but empty cities. One of the lines in the lyrics of the last song is especially noteworthy. Happy Easter to our members who celebrate it. And anyone else who wants to share a day of peace and rebirth in general.

One of my favorite recent Pearl Jam tracks..can't believe it's been almost 30 years since I first heard them... and my favorite Super Bowl half time show, Prince from 2007..I love Prince, miss him...his covers of All Along the Watchtower and Best of You are fantastic...

I saw him perform a few years before he died. I & my friend were the only young folk there; I didn’t think 50-something women groupies were a thing.

That is how my dad did stuff too. He did all kinds of stuff around the house. And when he wanted to make more than one of a particular object...he created jigs to replicate that very object he wanted fabricate. Working at Canadair and manufacturing aircraft, he learned that skill as that is how aircraft production was made back in the day. It's awesome Balthy that you could work with metal to fabricate jigs like that. And I bet you could work with any metal you could find. Scrap metal or otherwise! Just like my dad. I snapped his Chevy Celebrity's rear beam axle that connects both rear wheels (dont ask how I did that) and he, with a scrap metal bar he had laying around, he Frankensteined a repair job. Wasnt perfect. But it worked. We didnt have a lift either. He used what we had to lift the car. A couple of jacks and a jig to hold the car high enough so he could bolt and weld the shyte together. Aircraft grade nuts and bolts and the like... I just wished I was more serious about learning those skills from him. I just wished he FORCED me to learn those skills. He taught me. I observed, but I know he was aware that I was more into playing sports than to learn do it yourself skills from him. He was the one to teach me how to catch a baseball, how to bat, how to skate too... He taught me how to use tools as well... I guess, he knew I wanted to play sports more than fix things, so he was more serious in showing me how to play sports... Cant fault him there.. He was in tune to what I wanted more. (You were a GREAT dad, dad! I love you!) (tearing up as I write this!)

No $h! Sherlock. It was an example where a V6 isn’t always the answer. Sorry that went over your head a bit there. Guess you missed where I ended it with, ”the V6 Camry only happens when selecting the TRD and XLE models. Clearly, they see the V6 as a niche which only puts the writing on the wall as far its lifespan goes. The next gen Camry will probably forgo it entirely.” And diesels shouldn’t exist on anything outside of a heavy duty truck. See, it’s easy to just throw out any old opinion like it means something.

Zo didn't make it..he woke me at 3 am w/ shortness of breath and pacing, then keeled over w/ what I believe was a heart attack..didn't have a chance to get dressed and try and get him to the 24 hr emergency vet. RIP, Zoie age 14. It's rough as they all age, have two more Yorkies age 12 and 13 (in seemingly good health).

Golf is discontinued here except for GTI now.

Hybrid 4 cylinders should be relegated to base models because they're crappy.