regfootball

double mpg, awesome.

base car is amazing, what options what y'all get?

got a ride in my friend's new cruze today. an import owner who went chevy. loves the car, got it for all the reasons the focus is not, loves the look. the cruze is unmistakable. it has definition. i think chevy needs to keep the current body in production as long as possible. a refresh of the front and some interior bits would be far better than bringing in this new genericar sooner.

the current cruze has loads of definition, it's not a melted blob like the elantra and newest forte. Looks like they are going to the melted blob look. I am sure its for that one extra mpg of highway rating. Part of the reason corolla sells is its a little more upright.

Ah, that makes sense, thanks for explaining. The SX4 is a big disappointment in the mpg category, which is a shame since it seems to have some pretty good reviews, and seems like a neat little car. Of course, I don't know if it would make sense as a long-term purchase anyway since Suzuki left the US market, and they didn't exactly sell a ton of them. Looks like the Dart Aero with manual trans is, so it goes on the list. We'll see how the reliability shakes out in the next couple years. I like the looks & what I've heard about it so far, but where it's still brand spankin' new, and Chrysler doesn't have quite as consistent a record on reliability (and throw in the whole it's-essentially-a-Fiat thing) I can't help but feel a bit extra need for a cautious eye on the Dart until it proves itself. It also has a serious ding against it in that it requires premium, where some others like the Sonic and Cruze Eco don't. Same goes for the Fiat 500 - it gets 40mpg highway, but requires premium. The diesels require some similar comparison - what is the difference in fuel cost, and thus the real operating cost. However, diesels have more appeal to me since they tend to be hearty engines that last a long time, and seem to generally be easier to beat the ratings with. Plus there's just a cool factor with owning a diesel car. Just to chime in on the Suzukis since I sold them, the SX4 had really low epa ratings. the fwd ones exceeded epa, the AWD ones were tougher on gas. The CVT automatic SX4 the mpg would go down if you did more city driving and were hard on the throttle. Generally the everyday mpg's were consistent with other competitors. That being high twenties, and in the thirties highway if it was without much stopping. The 6 speed manual ones, made out nice with mpg but the top gear was turning more rpm at high cruising speeds than the CVT. Still, i had one guy tell me his sportback got 32-35 consistently in mixed driving. Suzuki's policy part of which did them in was to be really conservative on EPA testing numbers, to avoid Hyundai style litigation. One of the corporate people told us that. Where this matters, despite the pullout from the market, the vehicles will still be serviced and under warranty. If you can find a preowned at a much more substantial discount than something else you are looking at, it may not be a bad idea to save some dough. The vehicles themselves are as simple as it gets in 2013 era, and parts are available for worldwide distribution. Basically if it were a low investment proposition, it might be worth looking at. A sportback SX4 with the 6 speed manual is quite a sprite little basic hatch, and even for what it lacks in style points, it makes up in simplicity and lightness. The shifter is nice and it's got enough power. 4 wheel discs, stability control, etc. I've sort of been watching the used to prices to see if they will start to tank, and they have not yet. Everyone thought Saturn and Pontiac values would tank also. They did not. Personally I believe Suzuki will come back to US and Canada in a few years. I think they needed to clear the books and go into hiding. The US market is too big to ignore. I don't care if they say its to pursue other emerging global markets. The GM sale and VW ownership hurt them huge. One car that you ought to research, and I am not joking. I have wanted to check out a 2011 Saab 9-5 with stick, that is a car that plummeted in values. You could probably still find one under 20 grand and it would be a nice ride with good mpg, even if its not a 40 mpg car. FWIW, the older more base 9-3's (2004+) all get pretty good mpg.

isn't Dart 41 mpg highway?

jelly bean blob.

This model is nicer than the new Pathfinder, that is the only compliment I can muster. It does do its intended function well, I give it that.

timing belts suck.

what did you think of the interior and plastics?

IMO, it would be mishappen to bring this to market before bringing the Astra 3 door here as a Buick. The 3 door selling at lower prices would be more successful, but less of an image car. GM needs to transition off Epsilon to a new global chassis.

exactly, why the eff, subtract the grand and let me have the car a grand cheaper. if they slap extra rebates on them, fine. I think part of the strategy is to pump up MSRP's for leasing and other purposes. Adding the leather which maybe costs them a couple hundred to put in lets them pad the margin.

They need to combine the light weight and tricks of the Eco with the diesel. Did they? Epic fail, no cloth. That said, I am definitely going to look into this rig.

funny! made me spit my drink out!

every day on the interstate on my daily drive I see quite a few Fiestas lately. I know the basic model Fiestas have been selling quite cheap. I don't know what the real world Fiesta mpg is, but I doubt it's way higher than the Focus. Makes me think though with seeing so many lately that the gas + price of car total cost must be getting cheap on those. Fiesta could use a small tiny turbo diesel, like a 1.2l 3 or something. I bet eye popping mpg would commence.

cheap looking inside, but the exterior shape is nice.

lack. of. space. and yes, not much better mpg than larger cars. Altimas with 38 mpg, hard to compete with that.

10 speed trannies with 3 cylinders!!!!!!!!!! woot!

http://autos.aol.com/article/station-sport-wagon-Volvo-V60-family-truckster/ "Station Wagons Have Vanished; Maybe it's time we bring them back"

Congrats! The Spark seems to be hitting a nerve with the public, I see a lot on the road. I can relate to the Chevette comments, the Spark reminds me of the 3 chevettes my family had. Maybe they should have called it that. I had a Scooter myself. Good color too!

Spending some time with the TSX wagon at the autoshow made me realize how useless it was, when a CRV serves the cargo purpose so much better. Magnum, different story. Probably the only Chrysler I would consider to own, it's cargo and passenger setup were perfect, right down to the far hinged door. And then they stopped making it. I do like the current CTS wagon, but it's not all that huge in the cargo area either. Like the Mazda6 wagon the new one, but no chance of it selling. To me, a wagon, to have an advantage, has to have a real cargo advantage, like the Caprice / Vista Cruiser wagon. Otherwise, I would prefer a hatch. The mid 00's Mazda6 hatch is really a useful device and not much different looks wise than the sedan. The Buick Regal could have a hatch. I do make exceptions in the compact class. An Astra wagon and Jetta wagon make a lot of sense. They do maximize cargo. I like all the body styles of the Astra. They should sell them all here.

better fix the rear seat problems.......

Diesel is important, more than just about anything if they ever want cred in Europe. Hybrid, not sure. A wagon will contribute least to growing Cadillac. I like the logic of a CTS coupe over an XLR. If an XLR is done right, though, it would have huge payoff. Something like a Cien would have huge payoff too. Something akin to the Panamera down the road would be cool too. Current CTS coupe is striking, but the bunker interior and limited visibility are a turn off. To me, an ATS coupe is a given, and I do like the 5 door idea, but I don't think the 5 door would sell a bunch. It would sell more than a wagon though. Could be something distinctive for the marque.

the logo even is something to be ashamed about.

sorry I missed it, hope you had a good one.