Drew Dowdell

but... the X is meaningless.... the ILX doesn't have AWD nor is it hybrid..

You can get an interior with tan inserts also

I think the Sonic would be a good compromise car for you both, but get the turbo.

I guess no one else thought the Tach picture was neat?

I need to get my hands on a current GTI.

they're probably just mad that brother Kia is beating them so soundly in the styling department

I believe the Edge will come down in bulk the next go-round

If you're referring to my objection to the "Go to Green Hell" ad, my only issue with it was timing. The car isn't even rolling down the production line yet for anyone to actually try out Cadillac's claim. From the time the ad aired to the time the first ATSes hit the lots, over 6 months will have passed.

Handling is so secondary in Pittsburgh. We're trading up to the Encore next year most likely. Albert doesn't want anything bigger than his current CR-V and smaller is ok with him. Going to aim for as loaded to the gills and I can get it.

Spotted this on my way into the office this morning.

Depends on where you are. You flatlanders can do 80mph all day and the only thing that will slow you down is a Krispy Kreme. Here in the hill district, 70mph is about it.

Anyone else have examples of manufacturers pulling this kind of thing?

It is AWD/RWD

I always approve of more diesels....

The CVT in the Nissan is actually pretty good.

With an effective VVT system, can't you get both Otto and Atkinson cycles out of the same engine? What about HCCI? We know it is getting direct injection which is a prerequisite for HCCI. I know there were some NHV issue in the 4-cylinder HCCI that GM was playing with, perhaps going from inline 4 to V8 could negate some of those...

Did Acura really just claim to be the only one with crumple zones in front of the passenger cage?

251 ft-lbs is a very nice boost in torque. An increase of 51 ft-lb over the current 2.0T while only increasing horsepower by 17 means that most of that torque boost is coming on down low in the rpm band. Should be good for fuel economy if VW makes the 6th gear a little taller.

GM needs a crossover with Voltec in it real soon. Three times in the last 7 days I've heard the lament "Why doesn't GM make a Volt crossover?" from some non-car friends of mine.

Drew Dowdell - March 26, 2012 - CheersandGears.com All companies do it. They make outrageous claims about their products in an attempt to sell you something. That is advertising and I accept it. A lot of times, these exaggerations are just playful and funny attempts to sell you on an idea and no one takes the exaggeration seriously. Take for example the Chevy truck ad that ran during the Super Bowl this year. Chevy made the claim that their trucks are so dependable that the truck, along with a box of twinkies, could survive the apocalypse while Dave and his Ford truck couldn’t. Clearly no one is going to hold Chevy to that claim. It was just a funny commercial filled with sight gags that Ford ended up taking too seriously, which only ended up giving the commercial more attention than it might otherwise have deserved. In Germany, Axe runs a series of advertisements where there nerdy guy spokesmodel uses some of their douchebag-in-a-can bodyspray and in the next scene he is in an inflatable rubber duckie kiddie pool filled with soap suds and wrestling 5 bikini-clad supermodels. Not really laugh inducing, but clearly so outrageous as to not be taken seriously. The other kind of commercial is the informative type. These are typically filled with facts and figures with very little in the way of laughs. The advertiser may make some inflated statistical claims like “best in class”, "best ever", or “better than the leading brand”, but typically nothing that would cause anything more than a post fight on an internet automotive forum. Anything approaching deception usually gets the advertiser a tap on the shoulder from the FCC as more than a few pharmaceutical companies have found out. So understanding that, I’m going to pick on the 2013 Lexus GS commercial called “Resistance” for two reasons. First because Lexus keeps running the commercial over and over, and second because the claims made are disingenuous at best and deceptive at worst. Before we go on, watch the spot for yourself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUEhY7D81Y4 If you’re a car person, even if you’re a Lexus fan, the hair on your neck has to stand up at Lexus’ gumption here and their assumption of how dumb you the consumer are. “The draw of the past is a powerful thing” the announcer says while we watch an ancient T.V. and rotary dial telephone go skidding backwards. In the next breath, he says, “But we simply couldn’t repeat history, we had to create it.” Great! Awesome! Lexus is going to show us a car with freakin laser beams for headlights! It will run on liquid hot magma! “… with leading edge safety technology”. Ok.. well I guess that’s good but it is kind of boring. Still, let’s hear what this leading edge safety technology is. “... available blind spot monitoring”. Ok, but that’s not new. Volvo introduced that in 2008 on the S40 and it filtered to much of the Ford line for 2009. Blind spot monitoring is “available” on the 2011 Ford Fiesta, if I’m shelling out 45 thousand clams for a Lexus, something like blind spot monitoring better be made standard. What else are you going to show me Lexus? “....available night view”. Throw me a freakin bone here! Night vision was available on the 2000 Cadillac Deville 13 years ago, so it isn’t “leading edge technology”. This is where Lexus really insults the intelligence of Lexus owners directly. The Toyota specific NightView has been available in the Lexus LX since 2002 and in the Lexus LS since 2009. Touting this feature isn’t going to win any conquest buyers from the German brands either. BMW and Mercedes have offered night vision in their lineups since 2005 with Audi coming to the party in 2010. 2000 Cadillac Deville NighVision promotional drawing Last chance Lexus, what can you show me that is new, leading edge technology on this 2013 GS? Give me a reason to buy it. “....and heads up display”. WHAT? That’s it!? Heads-up display came out on the 1988 Chevrolet Corvette and it quickly filtered to a lot of other GM cars. Visit any General Motors, Nissan, BMW, or even a Lexus certified pre-owned dealer, and they’ll be able to show you something with a heads up display. There are far more dead models that offered heads-up display than there are models that currently offer it. Lexus, step over here for a minute I want to talk to you privately. A good rule of thumb about making claims on leading edge technology is this: If Oldsmobile offered the technology on its cars 20 years ago, you cannot call it leading edge. 1989 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme dashboard and HUD “The all new, 2013 Lexus GS. There’s no going back”.... except to grave rob leading edge technology from cars from the past... and Lexus, what was that quote at the beginning of the commercial again? Oh yea: “But we simply couldn’t repeat history, we had to create it.” None of the technology cited in the ad was created by you.. and it is all old history in terms of automotive technology. I don’t want to turn this into a critique of the car. I haven’t driven the 2013 Lexus GS yet, (Lexus, call me, maybe I can make it up to you) and this new GS looks like a very strong contender in the competitive mid-size luxury segment. It is entirely possible that Lexus manages to combine these technologies in such a way that makes it new and unique to the field. But in terms of advertising, Lexus needs to find a way to make its product stand out in that competitive crowd. Pointing out technology from over 20 years ago as “leading edge” isn’t going to do it. View full article