regfootball

i test drove a 2010 outback a few weeks ago. i liked the interior a lot. the drive was ok. most folks will be satisfied with this vehicle. i am not sure who would buy a CRV over a more basic outback. the legacy in lower trim is a nice value buy. the interior really is a comfy place. not overly cushy, but the finish and fit and level of amenity is better than most UJS type cars. I would actually prefer this interior over the plasticky and cheap buick lacrosse. CVT was ok, i still am not a big fan. rear seat is spacious and habitable for humans! Legacy would be my top pick for japanese brand mid sizers.

you definitely need to hunt for diesel in many parts. right now, with diesel and gas close in price but only like 2.40 you don't save much now vs gas per year when the price is this low. IMHO the convenience of not having to fill so much and the higher resale might still make it worth a diesel purchase. i just think its $h!ty they dont offer a 6 speed manual 4 door golf.

so, Mr. dumba55 buyer, do your research and make SURE you have the car you want when you buy it. DUH. GM shouldn't take a bath because someone doesn't like the cupholders. IMM, here are legit reasons for returning a car.... mpg grossly off expectation made wrong powertrain choice made wrong vehicle type choice (i.e. small car vs SUV) seats cause bad physical discomfort driving the car safety is impaired (i.e. bad vision etc).

agree. VW can offer the Routan but can't offer the scirocco?

the 5 has power and torque, but is not as smooth as the better fours, has a bit of a coarse growl, and doesn't run up the rpm's as willingly as better motors. in terms of value for the price though it does well. its biggest flaw at the value price points is the lesser mpg.

sat in an 010 GTI today. i must say, albeit at 30k, the interior is top drawer. the wheels i hate. but the interior is great and honestly pretty much would pass in an Audi. they had a 010 jetta TDI manual on the lot. 24k, no options. too pricey IMHO. Golf TDI maybe not as offensive price wise. they had an 010 Jetta S, listed at about 18,700. the jetta gets the new steering wheel which is a big improvement. new seat cloth too that looks nice, no penalty for opting for the S model..even the hubcaps fooled me. this car is a bargain. can't wait to see the new regular Golf. the new dash, although boring, is very nicely done. they had a 2010 wolfsburg jetta. basically a non GLI with leatherette and the turbo motor/non chrome grille. 23k. In my mind, a performance bargain. side note, the VW CC is awesome. i had plenty of head room in the rear, too. Love the CC.

exactly why i love it. bring back some definition in vehicle design.

i sat in a new terrain today. FANTASTIC interior. the dash is excellent. my only complaints are cheap faux leather inserts on the door......cheap leather on the seats, and a cheaply trimmed trunk area. but this is simply one of GM's best interiors. Its dynamic. the nav display is great. the center stack is fashion leading and easy to operate. the whole thing has a cockpitty feel. space and comfort are abundant. ford edge doesn't have that much more real seating space. interior is a knockout. i wish i could say the same about the lacrosse. talk about underdelivering on the interior hype. love this vehicle. too pricey, but that can be said about any new vehicle these days. i hope GMC moves a truckload (sorry no pun intended) of them. and on the same lot, 5 or 6 new g8's. wanted so bad to drive home the white one. dealer was unrealistic however. no dealer discount. idiots, price gouging as usual.

i am never sure why i had to sacrifice sleep for the opinions of an arch prof whose opinions were exactly that, worthless, and why are they teaching instead of working in a for profit world anyways? no job / career is worth losing sleep for. especially in a culture and business environment that has no regard for employees and simply sees them as numbers on a balance sheet. After school, and enough of the extended hours thing in firms, i can safely say i am not going to participate in that bull$h! again. the whole 'we need all of you / we have no use for you' thing. if someone suggests to me that i sacrifice sleep and family time in return for a dead end job experience, and lack of appreciation again, they can go fk themselves.

yeah, perfect analysis.

short women like to sit higher so they can see traffic. that is why SUV's because so popular.

the sx4 interior is actually good compared to many offerings in the class here. and the doors feel no thinner than the doors on say, a subaru impeza. the sx4 has good seats, a nice steering wheel, and solid ergonomic controls. interior thats ridiculous = civic cant wait to see what 150hp and the 6 speed will do. fit has thin doors too.........reaaly thin.

don't assume the north amer fiestas won't lose something in translation once they start making them on this side of the pond and ford's accountants get their .02 in. ex........i doubt we'll see anything stellar in interior plastics quality. likewise, lets wait and see if the suspension quality isn't sacrificed as well.

its called the VXMMI. saturnfans forums where i first heard of it. its a euro company that makes them i think or at least sells them. since the old vectra and astra have the same trapezoidal radio cutout and the same blaupunkt radios......... and believe it or not there are also some chinese knock off copies of this radio or close to it. remember the astra sells huge in europe so no wonder they make opel specific aftermarket radios. regarding cupholders too, each door has a slot for a can or cup. so the armrest, radio, and cupholder, none of them are issues. regarding the smell, yes this car has the most unique smell, and its not a pungent korean car smell, it has the quality eurocar smell and it is distinct. as far as these being family cars across the pond. i actually drug my wife to a saturn dealer to look at the 5 door. she doesnt want a small car but she approved on the astra because the rear door cut, the upper part of the door goes wayyyyy back. so child seat duty is not so bad. the cut of the door makes it easy to get into and out of. the back seat of the 5 door is deceptively large. it reminds me of the neon to some degree, with good foot space under the front seat, a firm and high rear cushion, and a low floor pan. adults can sit normal in the back, and even if the leg room is not amazing, the position you sit in back there is great because its a natural position, your foot tucks nicely under the front seat, and the seat is comfortable and the seat angle is nice. i had been looking at a 9-3 and decided that the astra handles as well as the 9-3 and actually has a more comfortable back seat. why spend 10 grand more on the 9-3 aside from the turbo?

thats not good, but sometimes there is not much one can do about it.

the whole scuttlebut about the camaro being heavy is irrelevant when you see one at the dealer in the flesh. the styling and package and performance are so good, a few extra pounds is sort of nit picky thing at that point really. who makes a car like the camaro? the mustang is the only car affordable and close to badass that is lighter. to me the only possible killer flaw is the interior, and even then, to me if i wanted a musclecar, the camaro has the two main things nailed dead on. styling and performance. nothing combines those two like the camaro, and most likely it will be several years before it is remade or anyone comes close to doing it better. the mustang is nice, but just doesn't have the visual sizzle. why deprive yourself of living in the now, when you have no certainty if camaro will even be around in 2015? yeah, i'll take that pontiac g8 ute. wait............

its what they didnt bring over. an armrest, an mp3 jack. a sunroof or glass roof on the 3 door. an optional motor. a better automatic. and they didnt advertise it well. also the spec sheet and pricing was poorly done. they really should have equipped the XE only one way. Some XE's have the dual panel roof which is absurd. I think i saw one with the hubcaps and dual roof one time. WTF? A/C should have been standard. maybe only 200 of them were shipped w/o air, but WHY? 18's should have been optional with all season on the 5 door. although i think the 17's w sport package are nice. yes astras have these incredible features no one knows about like rainsense wipers. this is how i would have done this. stabilitrak should have been standard across the board. XE 5 door, A/C std. PW PL CC basic radio with mp3 input. armrest, cupholder. no sunroof option on the XE or at most a single panel. i would have made 16" alum wheels the only wheels. heated seats optional. NO leather option on the XE. audio upgrade a dealer accessory option. XR 5 door i would have made sport pack with 17's standard. heated seats standard. steering wheel radio controls std. bluetooth std. twin panel roof a standalone option. leather an option. uplevel audio standard. i would have considered 18's with HP A/S or summer tires an accessory option at the dealer. leather and sunroof could have been combined into a package with a discount. I would have tried like hell to get a much better automatic in the car. 3 door i would have offered an XE and XR. I would have offered similar packaging as the 5 door but made sure a glass roof or sunroof was availale in the 3 door. I think a 3 door XE would have done pretty well if priced under 16,500 MSRP and driveable with features. i would have had better color choices, or at least more. tan interior option would have been nice. there should have been a red line version. one thing about this car. the interior smell in this car is very unique..typical US brand cars do not smell like this one inside.

sleep apnea newborn night owl 2 kids unemployed and only time to be productive is when everyone else is asleep sleep has been elusive. oh yeah, and i make pots of french roast at 10 pm.

the thing to me is, the 08 astra is fun, and the 011 is supposed to be a quite a bit more improved. lets hope the buick astra is awesome and that GMNA does not eff up the translation.

this is what is available in aftermarket, touchscreen control, backup camera too. that gear shifter is one knob i enjoy wrapping my hand around. you don't get that in a cobalt.

great write up BTW!

the 3 door XR with 18 inch wheels is the most lively. summer tires, you feel the bumps more, and it steers quicker. this could be the worst automatic out there but the manual is equally good as the auto is bad. at steady 65 mph, you should see 33-35 mpg in this car w/ stick. its got good mpg. 35-40 is possible from user reports.

your car lacked the sport package (much better and sportier ride and handling). it lacked the advanced audio (far better DIC display and many audio control options) it lacked the manual trans (much more powerful, lots less drone at cruising speeds) it lacked leather and twin panel sunroof for the luxury touch the firm seats, nicer plastics, solid door thuds and overall feeling of quality become endearing. absolutely is a better car than the focus. most certainly at least as a manual, is better for the driver than many compacts right now. all the big flaws are fixable. armrest can be added accessory and dvd/nav/usb/bt head units are available that match the dash perfectly and look factory.

and they call pontiac drivers unrefined........

we all know the GPS devices and tracking our miles driven is part of social control and part of the socialist agenda. i am fine with the gas tax, i am also fine if they raise it, to PAY FOR MORE ROADS AND ROAD CONSTRUCTION and even some transit. some say the gas tax punishes the poor but in truth the big dogs want the poor to own a car too, and for that reason it helps keep the price of a car and gas down in an area that most people can still swing. let's say they drop the gas tax because the poor can't afford it. well then the cost of that poor person's apartment will go up. the price of cars and gas will go up. And they will start finding other user fees to rape you with. gas tax needs to keep pace with the CPI to make sense. and, if consumption of gas goes down there is no reason a mechanism should not be in place to raise the tax to offset decreased fuel usage. gas tax money should not go to general fund, it should be all about improving transportation.