2QuickZ's

I checked out the TourX at NAIAS and also checked out the hatch at my local Buick dealer this last weekend. I'm not normally big on green color cars but the Carageen Green looked quite sharp on the Regal. Overall I quite liked it. The one downside is the rear seat headroom is a bit lacking in the hatch but my kids are still pretty young so not a deal breaker at all for me. I thought the lighter colored interior looked quite nice. If I were to pull the trigger on one it would most likely be the TourX, though. I'd to find out if you can pull the wheel well arch cladding off without there being any holes through the metal. Again, not a deal breaker but would just prefer it without the cladding. I'd probably stick to a black one if they don't come off but the example at the dealer was Rioja Red and it looked pretty good too. The problem I have with these is how the options are set up. You can't get leather as an option. It is standard in the Essence trim and that is it. IIRC it is the same with remote start. Just some oddball stuff like that with the way their packages/options are set up.

There, I fixed it for you. Actually, everything from just below the headlights and up isn't too bad at all. That front fascia and grille, though! It never ceases to amaze me that neither Toyota or Honda in their push to make the appearance of their vehicles less boring have figured out that ugly and busy do not equal stylish and trendy. I guess ugly and busy don't really equal boring either so they have at least accomplished that?

I've never been a big fan of VW styling but I have to say that I actually like the look of this. It does look huge for a Jetta, though. On first glance I thought it was a new Passat. The exterior is still conservative but is stylish and a bit upscale looking. The instrument panel again is typically German conservative but again does at least have a touch of style to it. It looks nice. The door panels on the other hand look plain and a bit cheap. It's almost like they are missing something.

I just noticed the Chevy website has an exterior pic for each trim level. The black High Country looks quite sharp in my opinion. I think the look of this truck is going to be somewhat color dependent. I think the brighter colors are going to look better on the RST version with the painted bumper and grille and silver/gray/black is going to look best on the chrome bumper and grille trucks. Trailboss will look best in the darker colors. Just my humble opinion. http://www.chevrolet.com/upcoming-vehicles/all-new-2019-silverado

I wasn't real sure about it when I first saw the pic of the red one but seeing these additional pictures, especially this one, has me feeling much better about it. I'll wait until I see it in person at NAIAS next week Even though it looks quite busy in the pic above, I do think it looks pretty good, at least from that angle. The interior is not my style. Obviously they are trying to keep it styled as a truck and the overall styling isn't too bad, I guess. I can't say as I am a fan of the mix of brown and black on the instrument panel. It just looks odd. My guess is if you replaced the brown bits with more black it would look much better and more coherent. Again, I will reserve judgment until I can see how the interior is executed in the different trim levels. All that said, I am not in any way, shape or form a full size truck person so I am not the intended target for this.

So I have now had this car for almost 1.5 years and realized I had never posted a follow up. I think it has somewhere around 22K miles on it now. It has been dead reliable in the time I have had it with no major issues. It has only been to the dealership for oil changes though that may change on its next visit. The issue? It has developed a fairly rough 4-5 upshift under light throttle conditions or when you let off the throttle in 4th gear. Nothing alarming and not 100% of the time but enough that I will ask about it at my next oil change. As far as other issues are concerned, there really haven't been any. Last winter it would occasionally get stuck in first gear when trying to manually shift (I like to do second gear starts in the snow) but that appears to have self resolved as I have not encountered the issue this winter. One quirk it does have is that it has the least accurate (and most hopelessly optimistic) fuel efficiency report out of any EVIC I have ever had. It will pretty consistently overstate my MPG by 1.5 or so. I'm not sure why it is so inaccurate. It has gotten pretty decent gas mileage for a V6, though. I tend to be a bit aggressive with the throttle and it still will get 24 - 25 mpg in 50/50 mixed city/highway split and closer to 27 mpg at a 25/75 city/highway split. We have a van that is our family trip vehicle so it doesn't go on longer trips. The only real trip we took with it was 400 miles or so and IIRC, it averaged around 30 mpg doing 80 mph on the interstate. Not as good as our 300 did (who says rear wheel drive can't be fuel efficient) but not bad none the less. It is, however, a very comfortable highway cruiser. All in all I am very happy with this purchase. If anyone is looking for an affordable, used mid-sized car I would highly recommend a 200 V6. I still really enjoy driving this car and I love the interior and the features it includes. In my opinion it was way under rated mostly bashed for the 4 cyl/9 speed combo. That and the mid sized class basically all moved up to full size while this car stayed closer to its mid sized roots leaving it a little more cramped than its competition.

Chrysler dealers are the worst for this. Back in 2012 I was really looking for a V6/8 speed auto combo on a Charger but the R/T's were leasing for $100 less per month than the V6 cars. I wanted the V6 due to the longer commute and there was not a huge performance difference. I told the salesman at the local dealership my dilemma and he INSISTED he could order me an R/T with the V6/8 speed. I don't know if he was really that uneducated about his product or was just one of the "I'll tell you anything you want to hear to get the sale" type salesman. Neither speaks too highly of the dealership but I kind of hope it was the latter.

I am now on my 4th Chrysler vehicle. Two of them were new (2 year leases) and two were bought used. So far I have not had any serious quality issues with any of them. 2012 Dodge Charger R/T (new) - this is the only new vehicle I have ever owned that never went back to the dealership for any repair or recall during my ownership experience. 2014 Chrysler 300S (new) - two dealership visits in two years of ownership, both for the same issue: code for oil pressure too high. First trip got a new sensor, second one got a new oil pump. Was told debris had gotten in the pump and caused an issue. 2013 Chrysler T&C (bought used off lease w/ 33k miles) - we have owned it for 16 months and it now has close to 50k miles. No dealer repair visits, no new recalls. Previous recalls were handled before i bought it. It does occasionally not like to start which is probably the TIPM fuel pump relay issue from my investigations. This has happened 4 or 5 times in our ownership but it has always eventually started. 2015 Chrysler 200S V6 (bought used w/ 5K miles) - we have owned it for 5 months. So far so good. It feels like the brake rotors are getting a little warped but otherwise, no issues. This is the first new car I have had in a long time that does not hesitate to downshift. I have heard with the 4 cyl the trans shifts alot and has some not so smooth shifts. With my V6 it snaps off smooth, crisp shifts and does not hunt for gears. I will occasionally get a hard 1-2 shift under light throttle but it isn't severe enough to be concerning. I will confess that all of them were obtained because of the deals I got on them. The 200S was the biggest bargain of them all but is also my favorite one of the four. In fact, it is my favorite all around car that I have had in a while, probably since my 2007 Saab 9-5 Aero. I don't tend to keep cars very long, though. 2-3 years on average.

I had a '14 300 with the electronic shifter. I get the complaints about that one. You got used to the shifter but it was not as intuitive as most shifters. You could think you were in park and actually be in neutral. I do not get the issue with the rotary. My 200 has a rotary and every position is clearly detented and it also has indicators telling you what position you are in. I don't really understand how people can have issues with the rotary other than the fact it is new and different. Maybe it is just easier to forget since there isn't a lever staring you in the face? My questions is, don't some of the European brands (I'm looking at you Mercedes) have overly complicated shifters that are not at all intuitive? How in the world do they get away without having these same investigations being done? Do they do a better job with auto application of electronic parking brakes?

So far, so good. I really love this car. The 9 speed everybody complains about has been flawless. It is the first car I have had in years that will readily downshift without having to be in some kind of sport mode or needing full throttle. You give it gas, it downshifts to the right gear without hesitation and goes. I do occasionally get a firm shift on light throttle 1-2 shifts but not at all objectionable. I see one definite issue with this car: it is going to eat tires. You stab the throttle at 30 mph and it will downshift and spin the tires.

I wonder what, exactly Mazda would need to do get their volumes up? Their quality isn't too bad and many of their vehicles are ranked at or near the top of their segments in various reviews and they still can't get too many people to buy. I guess as long as they are making good margins that is the most important thing. I still wish they would form an alliance with FCA, though. Those two seem like a logical fit to me a la Renault Nissan.

All in all a darn good month for GM. Looks like Envision might be steeling Enclave sales, though. I'm kind of amazed the Trax is selling so well. It's sales aren't too far off the Renegade and is roughly the same as the HR-V but is a lesser vehicle than both IMO.

The Dart was actually discontinued back in September. The 200 only lives for a couple more months IIRC. Clearly not a good month for FCA. Supposedly they cut back on fleet sales this month. Goes to show you how much they fleet. Probably a good strategy in the long rung but they need to spend some money on their North American product to keep them fresh or it's not going to work.

The V6 9 speed combo is killer. My FWD is definitely quicker than the 300S V6 I had before it and would probably not be too far off the Charger R/T I had before that. Car and Driver got 0-60 in 5.7 seconds and 14.3 @ 100 mph in the 1/4 for a FWD version like mine. In regard to a good price, how does a 5500 mile 2015 200S V6 with heated and ventilated leather, Nav/Premium Audio and Convenience package for $17,600 sound? To me it sounded just right which is why one is parked in my garage! The V6 versions are way underrated.

I find these statements pretty interesting. I leased a 2012 Charger R/T and it was literally the first new car I never had to take back to the dealership for anything other than maintenance. I have never been a Mopar guy and grew up in a GM family but I leased it because I really liked what it had to offer. I had always really wanted a Pontiac G8 (and would still love to have a Chevy SS) so I guess you could say I'm a fan of that type of car. The fact it was a good lease deal certainly didn't hurt. Because we had such a good experience with that, we replaced it with a 300S lease. Also a really good deal. That car wasn't flawless as it did throw a check engine light that turned out to be caused by the oil pump which had to be replaced. The explanation IIRC was that a contaminant affected a valve in the pump and was causing the pressure to go too high. Other than that, no other issues, though.

What I bought: 2015 Chrysler 200S V6 FWD - Nav & Premium Audio, Heated and Vented Leather Seats & Convenience Pkg (Dual Zone A/C, Htd. Steering Wheel, etc) The lease was up on our 2014 300S and it wasn't worth close to the buy out so it was time for something else. Why did I chose the much maligned Chrysler 200 you ask? Several reasons, really. Reason one: I got a really, really good deal on a lightly used 2015 that had never left dealer inventory. It is a hell of a lot of car for the money. A less than a year old car fairly well optioned that stickered around $31k and I picked up for $17,500 with only 5500 miles on the clock. Granted it was used as a service loaner so there is a bit of a risk there but other than a curb rashed wheel the dealer replaced for me, it looked, smelled and drove like brand new. Reason two: IMO it is a very underrated car. Of course, styling is subjective but in my opinion the exterior is a bit on the conservative side but I have always liked it. The interior styling and layout is excellent with nice materials. One real issue is access to the rear seats. If you were someone that was going to have to teenagers or adults sitting in the back on the regular, ingress/egress would suck for them as the roofline makes getting in and out a bit difficult. My kids are young, though, so no problem there and we have a van for when we need to move more than two people around. Leg room does not seem to be too bad, though. I could see where it might get tight back there if you are pushing 6 foot or taller. Reason three: The performance of the V6 is outstanding (it is definitely quicker than my 300S and would have probably given my 2012 Charger R/T a pretty close race) and the frequently bashed 9 speed auto has been flawless for me so far. In fact, it is the first car I have had in the last 10-15 years that had no reluctance to downshift even with only moderate throttle input. Upshifts are quick and smooth. I have read the transmission issues people always complain about are more when it is mated to the 4 cylinder and I think I am going to have to believe that. You may be asking yourself what else did I consider? I am a car guy so it was highly probable I was going to get a car. After having a Charger followed by a 300 (w/ the compact Cruze diesel in between), I had decided I did not want or need a large car anymore. With that in mind and the fact I had decided to go used, I was considering the following: Jeep GC diesel (a possible concession to the wife as she loves the GC), Buick Regal turbo, Buick Verano turbo, Chrysler 200 and a new Dodge Dart GT. I also briefly considered a used Focus ST but was scared away after reading about transmission issues they are having. That list was narrowed down to the Buick Verano and the Chrysler 200 and I simply felt the 200 was the better value. I would have preferred the 200C over the 200S mostly because I think the real wood trim in it looks pretty nice but beggars can't be choosers and the 200S won out on lack of availability of a suitable 200C. So what would I have done differently if I had ordered a new 200? Well, I would have gotten a C instead of an S as previously mentioned. I also would have ordered the premium lighting (HID's) as the projector beam halogens are not that great. Otherwise the only other thing I would have changed is the color but when you are buying used you have to be willing to settle for what you can find.

As I have said in a couple other threads, I think Mazda would be an excellent partner with FCA and I don't think it would require a merger. It could be a partnership similar to Hyundai-Kia and Nissan-Renault. Mazda does small and midsize cars well but doesn't sell in volume for whatever reason (too small of a dealer network?) Neither the Dart or 200 are horrible cars. If it weren't for the available diesel powertrain I would have been in a Dart instead of Cruze. I actually liked the Dart better overall but the diesel won me over. Unfortunately the problems with the diesel lost me. Here is why I think the Dart failed: 1) Horribly managed launch with only manual transmission cars available 2) Pairing the DDCT trans with the 1.4T. Should have been a torque converter auto right from the start. 3) The horrid gas mileage that the 2.4L versions of the car get. To me, 2 and 3 kind of go hand in hand and are what really did the Dart in. They basically panicked when everybody hated the DDCT paired with the 1.4T and since they didn't have a standard auto ready to mate up to it, they simply switched almost every trim over to the 2.4L. I truly believe that if the car had launched with the 1.4T and a torque converter 6 speed auto, the Dart would not be in such dire straights.

We had rented one back in 2011 and another in 2012 and she liked them both. Plus she liked my Dad's. The issue was never with the vehicle itself. It was always with the image. I knew when I bought it that she would end up driving it. It really has all the attributes she likes other than styling. High seating position, easy ingress/egress, power doors, power lift gate, etc. She says now she doesn't even think about it and that it isn't really any different to drive than the many CUV's she's had. She loves being able to buckle our daughter in without banging her head on the roof or having to duck under.

There are definitely still people that care about Mazda. Just not enough people. I can't figure out how Subaru continues its growth pace and Mazda is stuck where they are. I've had a new Subaru before. I liked it but its was not anything spectacular. It can't be just the AWD that is driving their sales, though. So how is it Mazda (with better vehicles IMO) has seemingly hit a plateau and Subaru continues to grow? It's not like they are doing it off their quality reputation. I would take a Mazda 3 or 6 over any other Asian OEM's offering in those segments, though I will say I have not had the opportunity to check out the new Civic yet.

I wish FCA and Mazda would just hook up already. To me, they are about the only obvious partners of the traditional OEM's (meaning not Chinese). The overlap would mostly be with Fiat in the A and B segments but otherwise I think they compliment each other nicely. The 3 and 6 are well regarded cars that would make a nice Dart and 200. A and B segment cars could come off a common platform designed by Mazda but with Italian styling for the Fiat variants. I don't even necessarily think it needs to be a merger. It could be something more along the lines of the Renault/Nissan or Hyundai/Kia alliances. It seems like too good of a fit so it will probably never happen.

It was not a fast process by any means. I thought it would go quite a bit quicker but in the end it wound up taking 4+ months. The Cruze was replaced by a used Town & Country minivan. My Dad had one and loved it so I thought I would give it a try. I had it for all of a week before my "I'll never drive a minivan" wife took it over. LOL I bought it knowing that would happen once she was reminded how much easier it is to get the kids in and out through power sliding doors. Practicality won out over style for once. Now I am driving the 300 until the lease is up.

Many CEL's unfortunately. No problems with the dealership, though. They were great. They brought in GM service reps on several occasions to try and get the issues sorted out. But... for a final update to my ownership experience, I regret to inform everybody that the reason it has been a while since I posted in this thread is because I decided to pursue a repurchase of the car by GM and I wanted to see how the process played out before posting again. In the end, it went smoothly and the car is back in their possession. So what are my thoughts on all of this you ask? Well, you probably weren't going to ask but I am going to tell you anyway! My dealership was fantastic to work with! They are the primary reason why this ordeal has not really soured me on GM. There are two other factors for this as well: the car never left me stranded and the repurchase was not contentious. After my last CEL (# 7 in 1.5 years), and the fact that the final fix was the same one they performed the first time left me without much confidence that GM had figured out what the problem was. It was too bad because I really did like the car. It rode great and drove great and I am firmly in the diesel camp now after owning my first one. The car got great mileage even though my commute was not ideal for the car. Despite all the CEL's, the operation of the car was never affected. One of my big concerns, though, was what would a resale of this car look like for me with the service history it had? 7 trips to the dealership in the first year and a half was going to affect my resale value when it came time to sell. I thought they would show on a Carfax and would also obviously show up if someone checked the service history of the car at their local dealership. It is not my way to mislead someone when selling a car and I would have been upfront with them about the issues. I really hope GM gets the Cruze right for the 2016 redo, especially the diesel option. I also hope they learned from the issues with the 2014 Cruze diesel and were able to apply those lessons learned to both the diesel Colorado/Canyon and the MY16 version Cruze. I think it looks great and would even consider purchasing another one but this time I would probably let someone else be the guinea pig and wait at least until the second model year so I knew what I was getting into.

Well, my Dad is old and isn't the fastest driver but he definitely is not a hypermiler. His 2012 T&C got 29.9 MPG on a trip back from Florida. Keep in mind this was indicated, not calculated but that is a safe 29 MPG calculated. Not bad for a huge brick. When his lease was up he replaced it with a 4 cyl. Equinox and is always bitching that it gets worse mileage than his T&C did. To be fair, he had a Terrain before he got the T&C and it got much better mileage than his Equinox did. He has had his Equinox in several times to get it checked and they keep telling him there is nothing wrong with it. As for first hand Pentastar experience, we took our 2014 300 on a trip from Michigan to Tennessee and we got a calculated 31 MPG on our only full highway tank on the trip and IIRC we averaged 28 MPG for the whole trip. We also borrowed a 2013 Durango AWD (still had the 5 spd) from my inlaws for a trip from Michigan to Virginia and we got 25 MPG round trip in that. My driving is biased more toward aggressive withacceleration and I typically set the cruise control at 9 mph over whatever the highway speed limit is so I definitely am not going to get the best fuel economy possible.

Here is my last tank from a fill up about a week ago: 601.3 miles on 15.6 gallons for a calculated 38.5 mpg. EVIC showed a 35 mph average speed for the tank. All is well at the moment. I'm hoping it stays that way.

Very nice and very clean. Love those wheels! They look fantastic on that car.