pow

I've lived in Los Angeles all my life... can't imagine surviving anywhere else, if only because of the diversity of food. What can I say... I love to eat.

$16K for a hardly broken in 540i is a steal. I'd either be weary or really excited. As long as you know a good independent BMW shop, maintenance and repair costs should be reasonable. Do the basic stuff yourself... a BMW dealership charges $100 for an oil change; I did mine for $35 in 35 minutes.

The leases are a steal. It's the only way I'd get certain VWs, because of concerns over reliability. I actually prefer the wagon to the sedan, but you better hurry, because there won't be any manual wagons for 2009. VW is adding beige metallic and a host of other changes, in attempt to appeal to more mainstream buyers. Jetta SportWagen is coming soon, and that should be interesting too. You can get a DSG with either the 2.0T or TDI.

Sounds like a lemon. The overwhelming majority of hybrids have been reliable so far, whether made by Toyota, Ford, or Honda.

The CX-7 needs a NA four-cylinder... maybe the new '09 Escapinerbute 2.5 liter?

The Passat 2.0T manual is as close as it gets. It makes the same power as an Accord V6 (VCM) up to 5000 rpm... ... though a chip could probably fix that. The TT-S has a 2.0T that makes 265 peak horsepower.

Nice review. I went car shopping with my relatives last week, and they ended up getting one, an EX-L 5A. The radio controls on their non-nav car seemed intuitive enough, perhaps by virtue of having fewer functions, and since it's an automatic, there were no qualms about shifter positioning. They preferred the black interior to beige or grey, in part because light colors tend to soil quickly. As a passenger in the back seat, I found the ride surprisingly comfortable and well-damped, more so than in our 5-series, but without feeling floaty like in my Passat. The transmission was very smooth, probably a first for a Honda automatic. Overall, I think the Accord, or at least in EX spec and above, is stuck in a sort of family car limbo, in between the generic, no-frills midsize sedan and the entry-level luxury sports sedan. It's far posher than a Camry or whatever, yet it's not as pretentious or expensive as a 3-series. It's good for people who want something "nice" and "premium" without getting a full-on luxury car. And keeping in mind that it won't be fleeted or heavily discounted, I think the Accord will age better than Camry or Altima, which both have a cheap feel to them.

I certainly hope direct injection and a six-speed transmission make their way to the V6 G8... even if you downsized the engine to a 3.2, you'd still get comparable performance. I believe the 3.2 JTS (DI) in the Alfa 159 makes 260 hp. Offering only the GXP version of the Solstice would also improve Pontiac's average...

I went car shopping with my aunt and uncle last Sunday... they ended up getting a Polished Metal Metallic Accord EX-L (190 hp) sedan to replace their Odyssey. No incentives for financing/purchasing, though they did get CarsDirect pricing. Camry and Altima were considered - both were substantially cheaper, but neither had the premium "built for the long haul" feel of the Accord. The Malibu had no price advantage, and it was ruled out because the interior was deemed too small.

Buick Insignia?

It's like the MINI... automatic A/C is only $300, fog lights are $150, heated front seats are $270, sport seats are $300, auto dimming rear mirror is $200, and pretty soon you've got $10K in options. Get Comfort Bluetooth with iPod, and then the configurator makes a "recommendation" to "get $1,750 worth of equipment (Homelink, rain sensor, auto headlights, auto dimming, center armrest, Comfort Access, leather multifunction wheel) for only $500!" Pretty tempting...

Looks like it's molded from a giant block of plastic, for some reason. At least it's not another Mustang.

That's probably why.

Good... it's about time they make something luxurious *and* efficient. I'm hoping we see a Cadillac "Volt" one day..

Did you link to another website?

This car will replace the current Chevrolet Spark (Daewoo Matiz). It does seem to resemble the concept... In case you forgot what the concept looked like... The 1998-present model...

More details will be released closer to the 2008 Beijing Auto Show... Some of the details make it look like a next-generation Opel product, specifically the crease along the bottom of the doors that swoops upward toward the base of the A-pillar.

Ehh, cross segment comparisons never work as ads. See Hyundai or Subaru. If you want to make fun of the Germans, do something like this: Or this

This is a lot smaller though... it's supposedly designed entirely by VW (not rebadge; the mules just used a Hilux shell) primarily for South America. But seeing our fascination with trucks here, who knows... it might work here, especially since it won't compete with the established GM/Ford full-sizers.

Check with Enterprise... they usually carry vehicles a cut above your typical fleet crap. I've seen a new CTS, Enclave, Malibu, MINI Cooper S, and Prius all wearing enterprise plates.

Agreed on the upper dash and entire door panel...

That puts it near the top of its class, only behind Rabbit and Impreza in terms of power. GM should consider a Cobalt "Eco" variant (like VW's BlueMotion, Ford's ECOnetic, and Opel's ecoFLEX) with a taller final drive, less displacement, an extra gear, narrower tires, weight reduction, and aerodynamic tricks, which would give consumers the choice to get better fuel economy without hybrid prices. The Cobalt auto's final drive is fairly aggressive 3.63 compared to the '09 Corolla's 2.81. The '08 Corolla's was 2.64.

The only good thing about the Vibe, and the only reason I think it should exist, is that it's GM's most fuel efficient vehicle in the US. Other than that, it's a pretty forgettable package, and as practical as it is, the Vibe is pretty blah compared to a black ASTRA XR 3-door with 18" wheels and leather....

That certainly makes sense, especially with Chevy's global motivations. I just hope the presumably GM Daewoo-engineered Lacetti has some American Chevy style and DNA in Cobalt form. The spy photos indicate a rounder, softer, Asian-looking design. I wish the same goes for the next generation Malibu/Tosca. The current Malibu is miles ahead of the current Tosca/Epica; GM Daewoo will have to exceed, not match, the current Malibu.

Brazil certainly knows their meat...:-P Brazilian steakhouses are great for consuming vast quantities of beef.