Intrepidation

I hear the turbo will make somewhere in the neighborhood of 250 hp. Now that should be interesting.

Yep, the Passat is indeed well propositioned. That is one of the few things it really has over its predecessor.

Happy Birthday! So what are, like 119 now?

Well I haven't used the Neoforms so I can't say, but I have used the Latitudes and I like them a lot. Price wise they are pretty close unless one is on sale. I would say either is fine, but I will say the Latitudes looks better made.

Worth every penny. Of course I wait until they are on sale. I got mine for like e$35. They're on sale now for $10 off when you buy two. Yes it helps using Rain-X because it creates less friction for the blades to move, reducing wear on the rubber. Same with keeping your windshield clean. Mine are still working great, but my car is done for the winter for the most part, so they won't be seeing active duty for a while.

Neoforms are Trico's top of the line wipers, and were one of our wiper sale items last month. We couldn't keep hem in stock. People seem to like them. I was gonna get a pair for the Prizm but didn't get around to getting them before the sale ended. I bought of Trico Flex wipers today (buy 1 get 50% off) since the old ones were crap and I needed a good pair for this snow storm. They seem to work well so far. We have a pair of Rain-X Latitudes on the Grand Marquis (no Icons fit it), they work very well. I would say as good as the Icons, just not as sleek, but that's because they are designed to work with almost every car, and come with like 5 adapters. I recommend those. Rain-X Repels are like Lattitudes but come with Rain-X treatment.

I spent 20 minutes doing this article so I could post this: First, it's like they put the Jetta in a Xerox and set it to 150% While its handsome enough in a very bland yet well proportioned Audi wannabe sort of way, it doesn't look any more modern than the car it replaces, which is still on sale in Europe with a new front and rear ends. The interior in particular is inoffensive, but hopelessly bland and looks less modern and sophisticated than the current car's interior which has been on the market since 2005.

NAIAS 2011 - 2012 Volkswagen Passat DETROIT - Volkswagen has pulled the wraps off the all new 2012 Passat. Unlike the European market Passat, which is a refresh of the outgoing model sold here, this new model was designed specifically for the US market and will be the first vehicle to be produced at VW's brand new Chattanooga, Tennessee plant. In VW's relentless quest to become number 1, this new Passat is aimed at US buyers by riding on a 110.4-inch wheelbase, making it larger than any of its predecessors and in line with the likes of the Camry and Accord. The big story though is the new base price. Starting at under $20,000, the new car is some $8,000 cheaper than the starting price for the outgoing model. The 2012 Pssat's base engine is VW's 2.5 inline-5, which is rated at 170hp and is mated to either a 5-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission. Higher trim levels will have a choice of a 3.6L V6 making 280hp or, more interestingly, a 140hp 2.0 TDI. Both engines will be mated to VW's 6-speed DSG with a 6-speed manual being offered with the TDI. Thankfully, the new Passat retains fully independent suspension. However, for now at least, 4mMotion all-wheel drive is no longer available--all models will be front wheel drive. 2012 Volkswagen Passat Media Gallery

Well that wood looks much better in real photos. I also noticed that's gets more power than the Cruze, especially the 2.0 turbo which should put out around 220 hp (with manual or automatic transmissions!). That plus the quiet tuning and spiffy interior are good to pay more for it than the Cruze.

The sedan has very tidy proportions. I wish the next Malibu had such a short front overhang.

Besides the massive tail lights I quite like the sedan.

Every new debut, inside and out where possible.

Well I can't get a direct quote from GM, but this is from wikipedia's page on Buick: So we were both right in a way. You're right the traditionally they didn't stand for cylinder count, but I'm right that they did on the Lucerne, as well as the LaCrosse (supers, with the V8, has 8 portholes while the V6's had 6). At any rate, I like this approach and wish Buick would continue it.