regfootball

well don't look at a new Impreza.....hunted one down today and MY GOD are they ugly and cheap inside........

I sat in a Verano today....... I sort of am mixed about the car......I do like the car quite a bit. But size wise it is dern close to the Regal. Interior is smaller and less comfy / natural than the Regal which is to be expected. The level of quality in the Verano inside of course is not as good or as interesting as the Regal. However, for the segment and price it's pretty alright. Could have been the color combo....light gray interior. I don't think this interior in this color seems very Germanic and maybe it's not supposed to. But it almost has more of the old Buick feel with those lighter colors. Not like a blue hair interior....just very conservative and sedate and such. Way nicer than a Cruze inside, and the back seat has more room. The seat bottoms are low but even with that, the seats are fairly comfy. The front ones in particular are of better shape and quality than a more mainstream compact. Touch points not quite as good as a Regal though. I guess a quicker summary would be to say its got a bit of a puff cruiser aura to it, and maybe a little Lexus to it too. Probably about what folks might expect. And pretty alright for the price. Just that sporty, it's not. I saw one with a black leather interior and i think it was more flattering. The vinyl + cloth on the seats were ok but could have been better I think. Front windshield really has more of a rake to it than you would guess from just pics.

architects (buildings, not IT) have that mistaken arrogance too. at some point that self righteousness gets ridiculed, chastised, and ignored by the other 99%... it's just that so much of the business world is tech dependent now, they can probably get away with it for quite awhile yet........ and honestly, that is driving much of our business productivity and financial worth...... i think part of the mindset is political too......a large part of the population would like to see the automotive realm become a less free environment. since it's paid for with a lot of tax dollars I suspect lawyers and politicians under the influence of idealists of that sort will, to quote Captain Picard, "make it so".

i like manuals but unlike the VW's I have driven, the dual clutch on the Focus seemed alright. short drive, yeah.... every VW dual clutch i drove sucked. if i got a focus i would likely get the automatic......5 speed manual on the focus.....it could really use 6 i think..... should drive one first though...lol

Love Molly Wood, she's hot, cnet is alright, but..... http://news.cnet.com/8301-31322_3-57335792-256/self-driving-cars-yes-please-now-please/ she just lost major points on this article.....autonomous cars... I don't think so....... (used to) love Molly Wood..... geek / tech types will ruin the world.....

Yes, the Equinox does seem big......... good or bad depending on what u want.....

nope

Got a real brief drive in a 12 Focus. Hadn't drove one yet. Wowzers, nice! Quick notes: HIGHS: Sweet cabin. Nice plastics and design. Comfy seats. Great dash. Zippy, thought the dual clutch auto was alright! MyFord Touch has lots of features........ Sweet handling, nice ride Feels premium "Intimate" LOWS: MyFord Touch I can see, can be super buggy and a pain. Way too many buttons all around. Buzzy engine.....should be smoother Back seat looked tight, not as tight as I thought though (too) "intimate" for some Ford is putting money the hood of these now.....sweet little cars! I thought I would like a Cruze.....but......... Can't wait to see how the Fusion turns out. SUMMARY: Ford did a bangup job! A-

inside it had the classic chevy black and gray. I'll be honest, if it were in the showroom with the Equinox, it would get killed in sales. Fleet only is a pretty good way to go with this. Gives something for ex Vue owners to repeat purchase...... front and rear treatments looked nice in person. interior had metallics on it. Is the 6 speed in it now? I'd love to try it with the 6 speed..........

Yup, the Captivas are real! REAL REAL similar to something called a Vue!

with 8 or 10 speeds it's not like it's gonna use all the speeds now. it can skip....2,4,5,7,9 whatever the engine decides it needs. it would have a wider spread of ratios to pick from, even if they are closely spaced. why would you need a 21 speed bike?

i am fine with electric for one of my vehicles if i can 'fill it' in 3 minutes like a gas car, and it's cheaper to operate, and gives me all the same range and features and benefits. I like eAssist, I like hybrid if its cost effective. I really don't like the notion of remembering to plug in my car every day like my phone...... true electric cars have potential to open the door to new packaging paradigms, which is what intrigues me the most.

I would think they do not a need a sub boxster, unless CAFE is what is driving this. They can always have an entry level version of the Boxster IMO, and that will always still possess all that is good about the Porsche brand. Boxster or Cayman vs. Vette would be an extremely hard choice for me if i came into money and wanted a sports car.....

really not bad at all but yeah the target was optimistic...despite the gaffes that did well all things considered.

a manual trans in this car may have had me at hello.....lol

it said the research was by grad students. basically they fit whatever data they can manufacture to fit their own point of view.

customer bought a used from me yesterday, they already have a camry hybrid. said good mileage in the city in summer. drops off 15-20% in winter in cold......doesn't run as well in winter.....

overall, did you pretty much get around 30 mpg?

"expensive to build" there ya go....in it's quest for world domination, VW has no intention of maintaining uniqueness....... not a VR6 fan myself. needlessly complex........

would you expect any less drivel from a leftist nazi university? how about 95% of the MILES driven?

the Regal will remain distinct to the Verano because even though in size they are close, the Regal is much sleeker design wise. The Verano has a larger greenhouse in relation to the body, and is a little more upright overall. the positioning will all fit into place though. I would imagine a high percentage of Veranos will be trim 1 and trim 2.....selling at lower MSRP's and being showroom bait. This car is so much sharper than say, a Camry, it's not even funny. It just doesn't have size on its side.

Stopped by a Buick place today and touched a Verano. Didn't like the color.....red/gray. But the car is sharp. Looks like a larger car, and looks expensive. Parked next to a LaCrosse and Regal in total harmony. The Regal has a more avante garde look, but the Verano does have the looks to sell. Indeed. Makes the Focus look cheap and tawdry. Through the window, the interior looked consistent in quality to the Regal and the seats and dash look great. All the controls look really similar to the Regal's. Front seat looks spacious, rear looks tight for leg room. Seats looks very well sculpted. MPG on sticker of course is not eye popping, but sensible buyers will compare apple and apples and find that among non tin boxes, the Verano will stack up fine. Price to me without leather seats was high, but the upgrade to leather is not much more dough. There is bound to be a base base Regal out there too that is not much different in price than a loaded Verano. There is less overlap now in the pricing for equivalent models in Buick's lineup, although if you want a 30k LaCrosse, Regal you can get it, and you can also get a Verano darn close to that. Those wanting a Cruze but not wanting to put up with the small engine madness, this works too. I still think this is a new age Grand am........perfect sized women's car that is not a Cavalier........but its classy enough to avoid scorn in that way. The Aleros and Grand Ams and Skylarks of the world did not seem to be this well tailored. Might have to look into some leasing onto this rig........

when ford stops making the escape in its current form, i think the folks that do not like the new one will move over to the terrain and equinox even faster.....

blu, how could one seriously consider a Forester if they have driven one and already driven something else? Forester=turd...... Hope the Eq/Terrain gets the 2.5 and the 3.6 becomes the option across the board..... I like the Terrain big time....

I like the Xterra because it is an honest product. People love it too. This is why we he have choices.