regfootball

I've seen a lot of Velosters. Compare it to a CRZ which is fanboi and useless. The Veloster is at least interesting. Sat in a FOcus ST last week, that car is BITCHEN But compared to a Golf, the golf has an upright dull roof line. THe Veloster is rakish, the golf is not. And no one cross shops VW's and Hyundais. The Veloster may not have serious hardware but if you look at it for what it really is....a Tiburon replacement / 2 door companion to the Accent, it's a darn nice upgrade. I am a bit surprised we'll get the Elantra coupe also. Hyundai is making waves and I do not believe the nuts and bolts of what they sell is all there yet but they are connecting on style points. Something the Hondas and VW's of the world could stand to learn again. An Elantra GT drove by my house a few days ago and that was the first I saw on the new one and I have to admit it looked really good.

so this is how they can pay for the cracked engine block in my buddy's 07 or 08 whatever Civic. "Mr. customer of course we will extend that warranty to 8 years and fix it for free please don't tell anyone, see look at how awesome Honda is please buy from us again one last request please just don't go telling everyone our motors and trannies and such do tend to blow up ok" Acura sedan sales are about as lackluster as their sedan models are distinctive and compelling.

a turbo 1.0 three plus 6 speed or CVT would be the bomb on this car. I drove a fiat the other day. the spark is about like sized. i can see how this kind of car can be the bomb in the city.

i wanted to get around to stroking someone to test this today, but really i cannot get amped over this car. It looks like Altima 3.0. I like the new mpg. But overall it looks on the surface to be sedate.

as of tuesday, I no longer am in the sales gig and no longer sell the wazukis.... but the last couple of days I have test driven a few cars again and i have to tell everyone that if you get a chance just drive the Kizashi. It's a nice simple car with a nice interior and good tactile feel for it's pricing. It's unique (and yes, rare) but perhaps it's best attribute is it's directness and lack of hyperbole. rp2s, glad you like your Kizashi. Everyone I ever sold one to, they love their car more and more all the time. Well, there are a few exceptions. People who were used to things like the auto headlights and remote start on the GM proudcts miss some of those convenience features. There are sometimes some decisions Suzuki makes as far as features and options that really boggle my mind, but the reason is to keep possibly warranty issues and vehicle price down. The older nav + rockford fosgate units were a bit testy as far as playing nice. They dropped XM for 13 because very few folks re-upped on the trial subscription. The best combination of sound and features is the standard radio plus rockford fosgate on the 10-12 GTS and SLS (and the 13 GTS-L front drive). The new Garmin setup for 13 is a peach, does 3/4 of the myfordtouch with a lot less hassle. It just looks like a tack on solution, and does not sound big. My biggest regret was not being able to buy one while I sold em. It's probable I could buy in the next year now though. If so, I would have the Kizashi on my short list of cars. And as much as I love sticks, I think the automatic + AWD would probably be what I would buy. I can probably use my pipelines now to find a real cheap used one with low miles. I have one beef. The Dunlops that S puts on their cars, and the Bridgestones on the SX4, all their AWD cars, are not rated well for snow / wet weather. Why have AWD if the tires are not the best for that? Wazuki makes a good car. The competition is fierce and outmarkets Wazuki. But mechanically the Wazukis are nice and fun and just good solid transportation.

well, ok, i'll qualify. the manual trans front drive cloth seat base tiguan drives like a turd. All the RAV4's I've driven have been sleep inducing. The CRV's while packaged nicely are sort of the same as the RAV's.

impreza with a stretched wheelbase and raised roof. the dash is the same.

Tiguan drives like a turd.......

13 model year, the AWD GTS and SLS model lose the rockford forgate audio.......because the new radio / nav was not engineered to work together. Was at CHI last week to see and play with the new unit. It's a nice unit. Much easier than a myfordtouch, maybe not as wow inducing. Looks cheap due to an aftermarket look but that was simple to do. the only version of the 13 with rockford fosgate is the front wheel drive GTS-L, which has the standard radio. no powertrain, styling, or interior changes for 2013. There is no longer an S model automatic. All are SE models now. SE AWD gains bluetooth. 17" alum wheels standard on any other model that does not have the 18". base manual gets a standard radio. No rockford Fosgate on the most expensive model means if I ever get one I will prob have to look at used. Prior rockford fosgate plsu pre-13 navs had issues working with the subwoofer and other electrical issues.

my sx4's are pretty much the exact same size and have more hp and are like 7-10 grand less. Although yes, i know they are not as nice nor new. Still, it's hard to ask that much premium over the 'commodity' level. I'd say Buick is a bit ballsy here. I would have started the pricing at 23 or so for these things or upped the hp.

we had a cube on the lot for awhile. I just couldn't warm to it. Tinny, but spacious.

short term for a corvette will probably be 5 years. then they can bring out the 3.0tt vette. I am not an accounting whiz but i am guessing they were able to use this C7 development cost to justify and pay for a re-do on the entire small block design.

why are A5's any different as far as douchemobiles? Actually, what Dwight said makes a lot of sense.

and the version for the bass fishing crowd....... the Pro Master Baiter.

I think the Phaeton will be a good option to say, an A8. And considering how cheap ass the new Passat has gotten, it will be a way for VW to still have a luxurious feeling vehicle in their line.

add AWD, that's cheaper than a whole new platform and that will pick up sales in the cold climes.

not much on the market under 20k anymore, really. touched a Chevy Spark the other day. That's like 13k. I was amazed at the packaging for the tiny size. But if that is the future of cheap cars...........

i think they still see themselves as primarily against the camry and they did make it nice enough that now it looks better and has a better package than the camry. i still think Honda doesn't really see themselves vs. Hyundai and Ford or GM etc.

19 mpg is pretty good for a big rig. 20mpg on my TaurusX is tough to get at those speeds sometimes.

I know Buick is really trying to push up their prices to separate from being cheap Chevy's. And in this case with all the improvements and standard equipment......but overall, car prices are getting scary high. This is fine for the segment I suppose....when Explorers are pushing 45 and 50 g.....

my bad, looking at a Monroney yesterday on an LS. Apparently the LS does have an AUX in jack somewhere.....although I could not find where it may be. Still seems there is no USB port or bluetooth audio streaming on the LS.

IOW, G8, part 2.

No, not under-refined at all, to most. I think it is more appropriate to describe it as, the car is nicely refined now, and largely improved over the last gen...but there are just a couple noticeable areas that call attention to themselves as opportunity to improve, and remain competitive. Especially with all the newly redone competitive models out right now. I think the engine sound / noise, tranny, steering and suspension all could use some tweaks to bring it up another level with relative inexpensive ease. I think some interior issues could be addressed that would be minor. I would lose the straked dash, and get rid of plood. One big flaw that can't be fixed. There is like a foot between the engine and front bumper area of the car, wasted space....and there is several inches lacking in rear seat room.

Will start with this one now and fill in / edit more later. Tested 2013 Chevy Malibu 1LT Had a chance to put a few miles on a new Malibu yesterday. I probably did not get a chance to make note of all I wanted to. But in any case, it was a good drive. I really wanted to just test an LS, but the 1LT was what was available. I enjoyed the car a lot. I think there is just enough room left for improvement and it is improved quite a bit over the 2008-2012...which now seems not as appealing in pretty much in every real way. 13 is not quite as nice as the Regal, still (engine perhaps not withstanding). ------ HIGHS -new engine revs nicely and vibrations are damped. -plenty of power for everyday driving -really low rpm at interstate speeds -greatly improved dash and door panel materials -car is well suited for long distance driving or daily commuting -interior is improved and laid out better with more features -fantastic view and stance looking out the windshield (panoramic) -styling -trunk space (no trunk issues!, it's huge) -good steering wheel size -feels like the cliche'd 'four door coupe' -'good' steering and handling. about what the class expects -reduced wheelbase feels good. Car feels a little more right sized in the drive. -Car really feels very little like the 08-12, which is crazy since it shares a lot of the architecture. Good job, feels a lot less cheap. Car is improved in nearly every way. LOWS -new engine could use more torque down low-mid, engine sound is a little shrill, slight hints of coarseness -tranny sometimes hunts or takes a bit to downshift -side mirrors larger than expected, but still smaller than you'd want -gunslit / mailslot view out the rear window -limited and questionable color selections, inside and out -No USB or even AUX in on the LS. -dash design, where those strakes or whatever they are, really should be toned down or gotten rid of and made more simple....it's cheesy and busy -seats a little bit hard in the back and never quite got em adjusted right. -armrest could slide forward more and have more padding -a little more NVH may be nice -steering feel, while 'good', could be improved a lot I think with quicker steering and more feel -center console bumps your leg. -ride / suspension also could use a little refinement. it's probably stiff enough, it just feels a little unsophisticated -some folks may think the car is a bunker. (I actually did not mind it). A moonroof would lighten up the inside quite a bit. (edit)- no leather wrap on the 1LT steering wheel. i don't think it had remote start either. cloth heated seats would be nice too. (edit)- plood is terrible, has no business being in this car. FATAL FLAW -back seat legroom..really lacks and it would not keep ME from buying the car. But it IS tight, tighter than it should be. Look under the hood and you see the almost empty foot of space under the hood between the motor and front structure of the car and you can quickly see how the inefficient packaging took away the rear legroom. Darn near inexcusable. It's time for a new platform. A v6 WILL fit easily under this hood. I'll add more later. I'd say it's a B, ok maybe more of a B+. Some refinement issues, and other bits and pieces plus bad rear leg room ban it from getting an A.

was in a caddy store today.....as a 'by the way'...the CTS is leasing real cheap right now. Lots of untrumpeted incentives....... there was a 12 base AWD 3.0 CTS with pleather that was really a good deal right now.