pow

All MSRPs went up significantly after the 5/100K warranty. The 2007 Lucerne CXL V6 costs about the same as the 2006 Lucerne CXL V8.

No, I like the Quest myself... it's just hard recommending it to people who don't care about design or 19" wheel availability. Stability control is only on the $30,748 (CarsDirect) SE, and the cheapest Quest S is $22,592 (CD), which is $1K more than the base Sienna LE. And since when was Nissan known for quality? I can't stand the Sienna - I don't like its interior or the company that builds it - but it's the one I'm recommending for my uncle. Ignore the stability control, and it's a good $3K less than the Honda.

This is all very pertinent, actually. My uncle called me and asked what minivan to buy, and there really aren't any choices. The cheapest domestic is the POS Uplander, $17.5K CarsDirect. And he already said, "No American vans." There's the Sedona LX, which looks great on paper, $19.5K CarsDirect. It has all the right features, warranty, and specifications. But quality control is still missing. There's the ancient Sienna LE, $21.5K CarsDirect. It's not powerful and it's dreary inside, but there's nothing really wrong with it. But to get stability control, you have to get the $25K LE #3. And finally, the Odyssey LX. It's better than the Sienna (more power, more room, better handling, better fuel economy), and at $24K CarsDirect, it's cheaper than LE #3. The Quest is too avant garde and has no price advantage. So, annoyingly, I'm telling him to get the Honda, unless he can wait for '07 Sienna. Wish there were more choices in the real world....

Ford still has a $2600 credit on FWD Escape Hybrids.

I'm getting a Ford Europe vibe from the A3. The A5 Hybrid probably has a cloned last-gen Civic Hybrid powertrain.

And they made a hybrid version of their POS A5... "Can we call this a Chery bomb? Chinese automaker Chery just dropped a bomb on the 2006 Ninth Beijing International Auto Exhibition. According to Autoblog Chinese, Chery introduced a hybrid Chery A5 ISG. The A5 is one of Chery's more popular family vehicles. This will be the first hybrid to be mass-produced in China. The Chery A5 ISG is a parallel hybrid, using the gas engine and/or electric motor to power the vehicle independenty or in unison. It will use an ACTECO1.3L 4 cylinder, coupled with their 519 5-spd MT gearbox. At low speeds, it will essentially be an electric vehicle, with the gasoline engine shutting down. When the vehicle hits higher speeds (usually reach 40km/h above), or senses the need for more rapid acceleration, the gasoline engine will start up and supplement the power. Regenerative braking will also be employed to capture kinetic energy for conversion into electrical energy. No word on what type of batteries they'll use, which is a big question mark. We'll keep our eyes open for additional English information, as our Mandarin is a bit rusty." - Autoblog

This is Chinese-market only, but it actually looks kinda normal...

At the Beijing motor show... it's actually kinda cool.

Looks like Daewoo went for an '03 Kia for inspiration... But truth be told, I don't think it's any worse than the RAV4's, Liberty's, Escape's, etc.

It's the world's best-selling large luxury sedan. Edit:

No, I agree that keys are finished. I just see this new fob as a cheap alternative to full Cadillac or Corvette-style keyless ignition, hence its application on Tahoes and Silverados, not XLRs or STSs.

Laminated glass in action...

I know Volvo offers laminated side glass as a $300 option.

That's what the "rest" button is for. I know with iDrive, you can program the heater to come on every morning before heading for work.

I don't think it will be integrated with keyless ignition because they contradict each other. Either keep the keys in your pocket and let the car sense you, or take the key out and read info from the LCD screen.

I just realized how alike the Camry and Outlook look.

They had a family car comparison with an '04 Malibu and the '03 Camry. The Malibu beat it.

Cool feature. Too bad it has the design prowess of a Uniden cordless phone. And it's not integrated with the key.

That's amazing!

Exactly. The Freestyle is an EXCELLENT family car. All it needs is some style.

If it weren't for the Suzuki nameplat (and crappy advertising), the XL7 would do very well. It's a good $10K less than crossovers like the Pilot and Acadia, yet it does 98% of the same tasks.

I've seen quite a few and t hey really do look like XL7s, particularly in white.

'Dem log cabin republicans.

Looks like Paul Newman.

It looks good in that pic above.