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I think I know somebody that's going to be heading to a GMPP dealer very soon, and his name rhymes with Palamino.

These boys in here are too young to remember the BRAT, the GL hatchback, the XT, even the SVX. Subaru has always been an odd looking car. They went mainstream for a couple of years, but now they're back to what they were, and that's OK, it's in their DNA. I remember I wanted an XT Turbo in the worst way when they first came out. But it was not to be.

Much more unique and handsome than its Hyundai sister.

"Do the math." Well, aren't you special. Swept back headlights Small upper grille, trapezoidal lower grille Chrome lower bumper trim pieces Rising beltline Sharp bodyline Door handles in bodyline Triangular rear quarter glass High mounted trapezoidal taillights Sharp line over license pocket on hatch Roof spoiler Angle-cut, rectangular reflectors in lower rear bumper Now, doing the math, when I add it all up... and knowing that every other car in the class is gunning for the Fiesta, I think maybe you should have stayed in school.

??? How so?

vonVee, IIRC, that vinyl top reveal molding is painted metal. You could just have someone pop it off the clips, have it painted and snap it back on. Nice looking car, if it hasn't been sitting too long.

I think this looks good, better than its Hyundai sibling. The hatch does remind me of a Suzuki Reno from the back.

Reminds me of a Legacy from a few years ago in the front. Thankful the ugly clear lens taillights did not survive. Still quirky, very Subaru-y. Perfect. I actually like it, now that we know the earlier spy shots were distorted by the telephoto lens. The jacked-up green hatch would be cool as a new Outback Sport. I'd drive one.

I really like the new design, exterior and interior. I am happy with the promise of the 2.5L engine, although the hinted lack of a V6 option is a bit disappointing. The ECO model is ridiculous, and the e-assist system is needless, gimmicky complication that I do not care for at all. For Chevrolet to put it out there first shows a clear, unfortunate agenda to try to sell this to the public, in my opinion. The normal powertrain options had better be up very shortly.

They are all very beautifully done. I would buy the S trim for myself, but that Executive Series is fantastic. Truly luxurious, love the wood. The SRT8 is maximum brute force. Love these!

As far as the LED taillights go, do we know for sure that the ridiculous ECO is the only model NOT to get them? Perhaps it is only the top LTZ trim that gets them.

Um, OK thanks. I will.

Your friend is toeing the company line, Chris. You seriously think a simple, enlarged Ecotec engine requires mucho "R&D"? "...a month or two..." what are you talking about? You're saying the 2.5L Ecotec engine was conceived a month or two ago? That it was a last-minute decision... AND that it is a clean-sheet engine design? Bah.

The 5-door is a blatant rip-off of the Ford Fiesta, style-wise.

Misshapen to the point of weird hideousness.

I don't believe your excuse for this. Sorry. To me, it is clearly an attempt to force people into something.

Sleazy trick they're pulling, bringing the "Eco" model to market first, to try to force the e-assist crap on people who otherwise want to be first on their block with a new style Malibu. BOOOOOOOOOOOOO, Chevrolet.

If you compare the dash of the 2012 with, say, a 1967, you will see this dash is a truer fit to the original than the 4-foot deep, bulbous, cheap plastic one that is on the current car. Old Beetles had flat dashes. It is so much nicer than the outgoing car, I agree totally with VW's assertion that this car goes up against the Mini, and acquits itself very well against BMW's effort.

dick

Whoa, I love that interior. Very warm, stylish and upscale. The wood trim looks great. Looking at it from the rear 3/4 view, I see a good bit of Camaro in it... the hips, even the stationary rear door glass reminds me of the Camaro's quarter glass. Nice tie-in... will make the family man feel better about putting off his dream of owning a Camaro v. something more practical. Let us not roll our eyes at Chevrolet, as Ford has put some definite Mustang elements into the new Taurus (square shoulders, concave middle bodyline). I am not sure the taillights are shown in the most flattering light (so to speak) though, lit on a red car under unnatural studio lighting conditions. Should settle down in real life in other colors... like the dark blue or a dark gray.

One of the major car magazines did a long-term test on an R/T and they had like zero problems. This is a good looking car... so clean. Please don't go ghetto with this car with over-decoration. Congratulations to you, once again, Jacket.

Excellent job, VW. Very sexy... NOT "cute" any more. And that interior is fantastic, a HUGE improvement. Love the Audi TT and Porsche influence. Bravo!

Sounds like a decent set of improvements on a solid, comfortable car. Now I want to see one.

Balthy, I think the '58 Impala had a good bit of exclusive sheetmetal. SAmadei, there is a website dedicated to old car brochures, I will check over there and see about the '70s Bel Airs.