SingleStylish

I don't think it is a quality issue as much as it is a nuisance. Honda designed the rear caliper to adjust when the parking break is set. If you have a death grip and set the parking break to high you have set the rear pads close to the disc. They will wear until you can set them further in again. Even more annoying is that the insides wear faster than the outside due to the lack of a tension that would keep the pads equal in separation from the disc/rotor. This isn't a quality issue but, it could be given a slightly more ornate design that would prevent the occasional user from setting the parking break to hard and setting the pads permanantly closer to the disc. I have changed a couple of sets myself and have found the work around to be a "three click" rule on the parking break. Current set has gone 75k.

Prior to the restyle of the F150 and the end of the Escort, Ford Grand Prarie was offering a buy an F150 get an Escort free. I believe they did an Expedition/Focus deal more recently.

Isn't that the truth... lets add Microsoft to homgeneous experience as well. Perhaps that is why Ford picked them up?

Funny that you should say that, Facebook was around prior to MySpace. In fact, I've been on FB since 2004. It was around quite awhile before that as well. Facebook has more staying power in my mind becuase they cleaned it up with the last two updates. MySpace lost it when they allowed everybody to modify their pages.

Sadly that is the question few are asking and NO ONE is answering. Furthermore, the banks were given grants as opposed to these asset backed loans. The government modified law to make them the first recipients of money should there be a bankruptcy. Sad... the effing banks should have failed, been sold, and in the interim the government could have shored up confidence with law that would have temporarily expanded powers of the FDIC to insure all deposits regardless of amount. The amount of money required would have been smaller in every way along with being transparent. It is sad, we have a lack of vision in Washington. All parties are guilty.

Wow. I had 895 posts in '03... I don't even have that many TOTAL now! Man... back when I thought GM was coming back not going away... good times!

Well thank you for your curt reply as if any thing that happens concerning GME has something to do with you. Since you are concerned about facts there is only one that matters... no one in meaningful enough numbers bought that piece of crap regardless of the situation. So chide me all you want but there is no excuse for bad product to a consumer.

Lest we not forget that the Asstra also had a decade old interior and fewer options than any other competing car in its class. Half ASSed-TRA. Had GM/Opel brought the Astra over when VW still had the golf IV it may have been a sales boom. Maybe. Way old, way way too late.

I support the move and I didn't the last time GM sought money. No one gave an inch to GM or Chrysler. Bond holders and to a greater degree the Union have not taken a hit as they should. They should be broken in this process. GM will emerge a MUCH better company and far more competitive.

You know, MB and BMW were the first to start the trend of matching rim scale to the body style. This is one example where they went backwards. If the rims were larger (not ghetto) this design would not look nearly as long as it does.

Did you buy one? If so, of course you didn't find it crap. If you didn't, how can you defend it? Sales of the Escape, CRV, RAV4, and others will probably show the Vue was not a sales leader. GM even defined the current generation as "gaining slightly." For the brand it was a big seller. By no other measure was it a complete success.

Not happy and not sad. Some cars had great design, like the Sky. However, the same cars lacked build quality. Other vehicles like Vue #1 were complete crap from the get-go. Ultimately, Saturn began selling on the fact that it wasn't GM. GM integrated it, homogenized it, and gave it the same half-ass built cars the rest of GM got. Saturn could have been... better.

The most notible addition to this design exercise is that it appears Chevy is looking to do away with the Velveta cheese block rear end present since the C5. Top Gear wouldn't be able to rip it for being flimsy either.

I was joking in case there was any thought I was serious.

You're right the shocker is that they are "replacing" these vehicles with the soon-to-be sales leader. The Nissan Cube.

To accelerate your point, ADM (Archer Daniels Midland) was and is the leading producer of HFCS. In the late 70's all the way up to the 90's they began buying sugar refiners and shuttering them so they could artificially manipulate the price of sugar. As a result, US economics drove the switch to HFCS. ADM was sued in Federal Court. I don't recall the outcome but, I do believe they were found guilty but it was too late to repair the sugar industry. Free market my as*.

The latest TL and subsequently the Accord have more in common with the soon-to-be outgoing RL to dismiss its roots. While I agree JDM Legend=RL is so too follows TL and USDM Accord.

CSX=Civic TSX=Euro Accord TL=current gen RL=USDM Accord Civic and Accord share absolutely no suspenision or body components.

There is a movement afoot by choice of the consumer to provide just that. I've worked on two such projects. Visit this site for more info and encourage your City to adopt similar development code: http://www.cnu.org

I wonder if you add in the effects of battery pollution production for the prius if the whole emission question swings in favor of the desiel.

Since Toyota keeps more of their platform engineering and updating in a shroud of secrecy, I could easily ascert that is VERY closely related to a Corolla. The Avensis must be equally related to the Corolla much like to Aurion is to the Camry. Either way, if we know more than the average consumer about cars and we have this reaction they WILL MOST CERTAINLY see this as a Lexus Corolla dedicated hybrid or not. I don't see this as a sales winner.

While overall design is handsome and non-offensive. I find the devil in the details. The hood overhangs the front bumper in the Autoblog shots. The rear taillights on the decklid don't line up in the fender. The panel gap is larger than on the F150. While it may not be the final build there is more of a chance to get it right on a hand built model than on a standard production model. The interior design appears to be helped by Volvo which is a great compliment and all of the features seal the deal but... the plastic outside of the painted pieces appears to be the same hard touch pieces out of the Mustang. The Mustang is fine example of a great interior design with poor percieved material quality. All-in-all it is a fantastic package from Ford. If the Limited AWD shown comes in half of the Volvo S60 it is a steal. However, will the American public go for a large non-luxury car?

This HAS to be speculation, one look at sales tallies for Acura would show you that the TSX was carrying the brand for the last couple of months. I'd go even further to say that it was the only fuel efficient entry lux car on the market. Acura is going through what Lexus went through when they introduced the IS. It will take awhile but one thing is for sure about the Japanese, they get it right eventually. AWD and more efficient and diversified drive trains will be the future of Acura.

I like the cribbed rear of a Lexus LS. Really, I mean it. I love this car and I despise Buick.

Anyone else get an Avalon vibe from the pewter colored model?