Frisky Dingo

If they had toned down the details a bit, and not used as much chrome, it would have been much better.

Nice choice.

Man, we just keep on coming. Welcome.

I think the 6MT V6 cars are actually more enjoyable to drive than the auto SS.

Too easy- The only other car that's close is a McLaren F1, and the 918 shortly behind it.

Sounds like you were unduly harsh on the Camry and generous to the 200, to be honest. That said, the Malibu is a better car than people give it credit for.

I think it's probably just the conservative tuning. You have to really get down in it to feel a noticeable power difference between it and the I4. It's not a deal breaker or anything, it just doesn't feel as snappy at part throttle as I'd like.

I'm going to go against the grain here and say that I find the 2.5 to actually be adequate in this car. You don't notice the lack of power unless you floor it. And it's certainly enough for the average AARP member to take to bingo night. Conversely, you don't notice the power in the V6.....unless you floor it. It does not have the kind of effortless, turbine-like acceleration I'd expect in such a car, and that is present in others, like the Avalon. Also, while the ride is fantastic, they certainly compromised on the steering/handling front to obtain it. I understand these aren't backroad burners, but it lacks the athleticism and fleet feeling of the aforementioned Avalon. Another sore spot is the rear seats. They have this crescent-like shape to the front that makes them uncomfortable for anyone over about 5ft to sit in. And they're flat and angled poorly, imo. The front seats are great, however. I mostly agree on the interior. It's not exactly what I'd call cheap, but it's far from luxurious. The steering wheel, in particular, is heinous. Among the worst I've ever seen in a car. I also hate that to get full leather you have to get the LTZ. That was a poor packaging decision on GM's part. They're nice cars, and I certainly couldn't fault anyone for buying one. It wouldn't be my choice, though. If I were buying in this segment, call me crazy, but I'd most likely buy an Avalon Hybrid. And I don't even like hybrids.

Welcome, Super! Even though I think you migrated over here before me.

Wouldn't be my choice, as I like stuff a little harder/faster, but that was a very good description.

Yeah, but it would take about 30 minutes to make the Camaro look exactly like the chop. I have never left a vehicle I've purchased untouched. Not one. The Stingray for instance, within 2 days of owning it I had: 1) Blacked-out taillights 2) Blacked-out Chrome Strip on front 3) Put front Valance/Splitter on Carbon Flash 4) Tinted Windows 5) Put tinted overlays on all four marker lights and two rear reflectors by week 1.. had tuned it and removed CAGS As an enthusiast, I will never be happy with the way a car comes from the factory. There is always something I want to personalize. While I never leave anything I have factory, or the way I bought it. I've never overhauled something so quick! Are you also not a huge fan of chrome?? I've been 'diping my chrome pieces in black. Chrome(not on wheels) always just looks cheap to me. What % tint did you put on her? I will never have a vehicle without tinted windows anymore. Not after the first time I had m windows tinted, I'd never go back. Just my thing. These cars, despite them being humble Chevys are quite high profile.. so people notice the hell out of 'em. I normally get right on it as soon as I buy 'em.. as U can see. I do like chrome tho.. I think the Impala has a perfect amount. Well, in all honesty, I don't see the extra ~30K extra for the Z06 over a Z51 either, but the grille looks a million times better.

Yeah, they'd make great toys for anyone with fair-year-round climate. Still don't think I could justify the cost, though. I'd rather have a motorcycle and a convertible.

Much rather have a new LT, or even the older LS series, over a Hemi. I'd rather have the Coyote over it, too.

My wife said she was driving it to school (college) one day and had all the windows down, and she turned the stereo on, and the volume was maxxed out and this song just came on. She said everyone was staring at her like an idiot. I died laughing.

http://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1130098 Can't say I'm a huge fan. It's okay, but I think they definitely could have done better. Not feeling the color, either. It's not receiving much fanfare at Bimmerpost.

I have (had) Haddaway's 'What Is Love' stored on the BMW's hard drive. True story.

I grew up riding dirt bikes, and I still don't like them. They look cool, but unless your riding them balls out, they're more of a chore than anything. I like upright naked bikes like the R-Nine-T, new Ducati Scrambler, etc.

E90 (sedan) 335i Sport Pkg. Had intake/tune on E85, about 18psi. It ran good.

It's not. It's a direct fit, we've done for a customer. Oops, well I feel foolish! Does the grille offer anything beyond cosmetics? It has cutouts for brake cooling, but I don't know if the Z06 has special ducts to take advantage of it. Nah, it's just for looks.

Ah yes, thank you for that cp. It dawn on me that many might not know what it is.

Here's one you guys might like. My dealer group owns a Toyota store and a GM store, so I took a new Crew Cab Z71 Colorado out and drove it back-to-back with a Double (Toyota speak for crew) Cab Tacoma TRD Sport. I did a write-up right afterwards- Exterior- It's bigger than I expected. At first glance, it doesn't really seem smaller than a Silverado. Parking the two next to one another reveals the Colorado to mainly be narrower and have a smaller cab. The bed height is virtually identical, which is a sore point, imo. But it's a good-looking truck, overall. Nicely detailed, modern looking. I dig it. In comparison, the Tacoma looks cheap and toy-like. It's decidedly more dated, and just isn't as filled-out. To the Taco's credit, it has a lot more clearance at the front end, giving it a much better approach angle, and you can reach the bottom of the inside of the bed over the bedside. The composite bedliner is also nice. Advantage- Colorado. Interior- This one's really no contest. The Colorado has a nicely finished interior with nice materials, lots of features, and well-placed, easy to use controls. The seats are comfortable and there's plenty of room for four adults. Materials are nice, but the guages are cheap and plain-looking. The Taco, on the other hand, is a sea of hard, cheap, strangely-textured plastic paired with a center stack that loos more like an aftermarket addition than an OEM integrated unit. I was easily able to find a perfect driving position in the Chevy, which I've never been able to do in the Tacoma. The Toyota's seat is too close to the floor, and offers no height adjustment, and no power controls at all. Advantage- Colorado by a huge margin. Powertrain- I questioned GM's decision to use the 3.6 rather than the new 4.3, but it plays very nicely here. Power is really good, and the truck isn't plagued by that poor transmission tuning like in other GM products. Just lightly tipping into it moves the truck sufficiently, but there's no hesitation to kick down and deliver some real power here. Shifts were very smooth and quick. Doesn't sound half-bad, either. The Tacoma surprisingly doesn't feel as slower as it certainly is thanks to it's similar torque numbers, but it's not happy in doling them out. The engine is loud and coarse, and just doesn't have the response nor top-end immediacy of it's competitor. Advantage- Colorado. Ride/handling- This is one of the aspects of the Colorado that impressed me most. The truck shines here. It swallows up road imperfections with no drama time and again. I drove this thing on some truly horrid roads, and it just loved it. No bouncing, no shudders, just the repeated smothering of bumps, holes, and heaves. The handling is about as good as you can get in a truck not compromised for performance use. The truck feels neutral and is just incredibly composed and planted, no matter what you throw at it. Almost makes you forget you're driving a truck. The Tacoma isn't as far behind as you may expect here, but it's clearly outmatched. While pavement flaws are a largely uneventful fare here, there's more body movement and the truck doesn't feel as buttoned-down. Handling is decent; it feels fairly light and chuckable, though I'm not sure those are desirable traits in a truck. But there's more roll here, more wallowing, more wavering. It doesn't feel as stiff and solid as the Chevy. Advantage- Colorado. Steering/brakes- Along with the aforementioned handling, the Colorado has the nest steering and brakes I've ever experienced in a truck. ANY truck. The steering is perfectly weighted, direct, and makes the truck easy to place. The brakes made me realize how bad the ones in other trucks suck. The firm pedal here gives great feel and makes the brakes very easy to modulate. Braking power itself seemed more than adequate. Toss the Tacoma into a turn, and it feels soggy compared to it's rival. Steering is oddly weighted, not progressive, and just generally not enjoyable to use. The brake pedal feels like stepping on a marshmallow after driving the Colorado. In short, it feels like a truck here, and not in a good way. Advantage- Colorado by a big margin. Value- Here's where the Tacoma really takes a beating in my view. A decently equipped V6 Double Cab 4WD Tacoma TRD Sport/Off-Road is 34K. The Colorado was 37K. For a truck that leather, power seats (on both sides), more content, nicer rolling stock, more power, and better efficiency. Whereas the Colorado actually makes a compelling argument against the Silverado, the Tacoma can't do the same against the Tundra. A similarly-equipped Tundra can be had for about 4 grand more than the Tacoma. And it's a way better truck. A similarly-equipped Silverado is 10 grand more than a Colorado, and it's just a different sized truck. And that's what kills the Tacoma for me. When I sold them, I never understood why people bought them. I understand they have legendary reliability, but that's a moot point for most. Of course, they also have stellar resale value, but when you're paying that much up front, that counts for little. Truth is, the Tacoma looks bad in comparison to both it's own big brother, and it's new nemesis from across the street. Advantage- Colorado by a land slide. Summary- About as one-sided a comparison between 2 new competing vehicles as I've experienced. I drove the Colorado and 4 dr Tacoma TRD Sport back-to-back, and there wasn't a single objective measure I could say the Tacoma excelled, or even equaled, the Colorado in. It was soundly outperformed in every aspect. And subjectively, the gap is even larger. The Colorado is a great truck. In fact, all things considered, it's the best truck I've ever driven. I think it nails the needs of the buyer in this segment perfectly. True, it probably won't off-road with quite the gusto of the Tacoma, but if that's your concern, by an FJ or Wrangler. For everything else, the Colorado trumps the Tacoma. It seriously strikes the want for a truck in me, and that's saying something.

How did you go from a super efficient compact to a midsize suv?? I'm a fan of the current Cruze. Had a 2LT rental and the leather seats blew me away. Super comfortable and supportive. The interior was just very nice in general. Engine had peppy midrange, too. I was going to keep my BMW and buy her a Cruze. But she wasn't thrilled with it, and we got a virtually-new 4Runner traded into us that I just couldn't pass up. It was a ridiculous deal, and she loved it. We couldn't have kept it and the BMW both, however, so the 335i went bye-bye. I hate it, but it is what it is. I'll get something less practical and more fun soon. Stay tuned....

One of my friends works at a Jeep store, and I took a trip to drive the Renegade, as I was possibly interested in buying one. The first thing that surprised me was the size. It was a little larger than I imagined, and it definitely sat up higher than I thought it would. I have to say, I really do like the looks of it, it's funky, but still kinda tough looking. It gives of the impression it wants you to have fun with it. And it looks decent even in lower trim levels, which is something that can't be said for many other new cars. It drove well enough. The model I tried was a FWD Lattitude with the 2.4 and 9AT. I wasn't expecting much from a powertrain standpoint, and I didn't get much. It was a little poky, for sure. Mid-range was decent, but it could definitely use some more power. The transmission was decent. Mostly imperceptible shifts, but it definitely likes to get up to top gear asap. It was also a little confused occasionally during part throttle and lift off. Overall, not bad. I'd much prefer the 4WD hooked up to the 1.4T and 6MT. Ride and handling were rather good. The steering wasn't totally lacking in feel, was decently weighted, and accurate enough. The vehicle went where you told it. That's about all you can expect of such a vehicle. It would by no means be torture to drive on a backroad. The ride was about what I expected. A little bouncy, but devoid of sharp impacts and discomfort. Noise levels seemed average. The interior I thought was good. For sure superior to the Trax. More rear seat room, nicer materials, and more eye-pleasing layout and design. The one I drove I had the 3-tone white/orange/brown interior, and it looked great. Would be a nightmare to keep clean, though. The rear seat can be configured multiple ways which I thought was a neat trick. In short, I think it's a solid little offering. If I hadn't just bought my 4Runner and gone with something smaller, it would definitely have been my choice in the segment. The Trax is decent, but rather boring, and bland to look at. The Mazda will be too sporty for it's own good. The Honda can't be had with AWD and a manual. No CVT's for me. And all of them lack the (admittedly light) off-roading nature and ability of the Renegade. I think it'll be a very successful model. It's certainly light years better than the Compass and Patriot.

Unfortunately not long enough to do a full on review of it, but enough to get some quick impressions. So I sold a customer a new Equinox the other day, and while waiting he told me he was awaiting his new Slingshot. I told him to bring by sometime, and lo and behold he did. He came by the dealer after having picked it up about an hour earlier, and let me take it for a quick spin. The thing really looks cool in person. It's wide and all edges and hard angles and just looks super aggressive. I thought we were going to cause a wreck driving it through town. Ergonomics are surprisingly good. It's fairly easy to get into, and decently comfortable once you do. You sit upright in a firm seat with your legs pretty much straight out ahead of you. Road visibility everywhere but straight back is obviously awesome. It goes without saying that the driving experience is what's selling these things, and I have to say, it delivers on that front. The clutch is really light, but smooth and progressive. In contrast to that is the brake and throttle pedal, which are both firm, and have short travel. It took a little bit to get the hang of getting away from a stop smoothly without bogging it. The shifter is just fantastic, with super precise gates, and a quick, light action. Cornering ability is predictably immense. The steering is quick and accurate with virtually no slop. It is rather heavy, though. Very BMW-ish heft to it. My shivering from the cold was actually causing minute directional changes it's so sensitive. Body roll is totally absent, which is an oddity. There's just a load of g's pressing against you body. The ride was firm, but not bad. The engine was the surprise for me, as I expected it to feel lethargic and coarse as it does in the Kappa cars. It really doesn't though. Idk if there's some specific clutch/flywheel/engine tuning/combo-of-those-things going on or what, but the engine wasn't the letdown that I feared. Response was good, sound was surprisingly good, and it struck a nice balance of willingness to rev and low-end torque to get away from a stop. It pushed it down the road pretty quickly, as one might imagine. There was little to no driveline lash which was a big plus. Overall, it was a really fun vehicle to drive. What amazed me was just how complete of a package it felt like. It didn't feel like it was cobbled together in a shop, but rather like an R&D team really worked to get this thing right. Wind buffeting was very minimal, even at highway speeds, and it's easy to hold a conversation with your passenger at anything below. The one I drove was the loaded model and was something like $24,000. It's hard to judge the value of such a vehicle when viewed objectively. It's of course possible to buy a used Miata or even S2000 for much less, but even they are lacking the directness and purity of the Slingshot. Which of course calls into question it's place vs a motorcycle. The thing here is that it still functions and drives like a car, not a bike. The concept may be similar between the two, but they go about it completely differently. It really is a very unique driving experience that offers a lot of fun for what is ultimately not an outrageous amount of coin.

It's not. It's a direct fit, we've done for a customer.