regfootball

the greenhouse lost a little something from the concept. I'd totally buy one, oh wait.......

not the beetle!!!!!!!

terrible at marketing, didn't want to deal with reality of real world suggestions......

it is very anonymous. Almost like a combination of an outlander sport, mirage, and new kia forte hatch this would have been cutting edge like 6-7 years ago. they nailed it on the size though, and increased cargo by 50% (when seats up). One of these with decent mpg and auto at 20k would sell like hotcakes. (assuming a healthy dealer network).

SX4 - 2,600 wheelbase, 4,300 mm long, 1,765 mm wide and 1,575 mm high Buick Encore - 2555 (100.6) wheelbase, 4,278 (168.5) length, 1,774 width (69.9), 1,646 height (64.6), 1,372 litres (48.4)

http://www.km77.com/00/suzuki/sx4/2014/todoterreno-motores-precio.asp oh well, it would have done nicely here......looks a bit dated out of the chute but its a huge improvement and quite honestly a segment of vehicle (Encore sized) that lots of buyers are interested in. MAYBE IF THEY HAD THEM HERE A COUPLE YEARS AGO THEY WOULDN'T HAVE GONE BKRPT

Beetle I think wins here. Is there any way you can project the trade value after 2 years? And then compare that to your amortization table on the 6 year loan, I know Beetles save value pretty well. The main thing you are doing is financing the whole purchase price and some minor amount of sales tax.....when 6 years you hardly pay any principal down. Sometimes I am curious what the residual of a lease is at the end of the term compared to the anticipated trade value. In either scenario, you pretty much have nothing to show at the end, however, you can theoretically get out of the buy scenario easier if you own a model with good resale and is desirable. I think the TDI Beetle will be a lot easier to unload in the future vs. a Sonic of any kind and it will depreciate much less.

next taurus to be on fusion chassis i guess. true that the taurus trunk is a huge asset. current taurus can be had for under 24g in places....still a screaming deal..... buddy with a fleet taurus says 25mpg no problem, 27-30 on trips no problem....

the pontiac positively screams "excitement"

Honda definitely improved the Accord, but it still has a lot of old typical Honda traits, lack of solidity and NVH issues. Typical Honda / Japanese car fans will be used to those and in that regard, the Honda is better. Honda's mpg advantage is indeed a very real advantage and on second thought, might be enough to heavily lean buyers and maybe even place it atop the heap for Joe Average buyer. Mazda6 is a great car but it probably ends up competing for Honda's buyers with less marketing muscle. They had to put the sport appearance package on the 2.5......if you wanted a Fusion with it that wouldn't catch fire.

since ya like thin pillars...... and a lot of glass.....

30k plus, and i think yes but in very limited form......

DRIVEN 2013 Ford Fusion 2.5 SE, MSRP, a little north of 25g (no MyFordTouch) HIGHS Aston style on the cheap! A very welcome new look for those weary of the old Fusion Big bodacious car! Feels wide, large and safe, long wheelbase Many trims and price levels, and with discounts and incentives, can be a hell of value 2.5 is tuned well for this new platform, doesn't really fall on it's face even with it being slightly aged. Tranny manipulates the car well and shifts quick, stays in powerband and doesn't hunt or any reprehensible behavior. A very nice balance of open cabin with visibility and seclusion. Views out are pretty well done mostly. Interior plastics and switchgear, what looks cheap on first impression in photos and through the glass is actually nicer than you would think Non MyFordTouch car still has nice expensive looking switchgear and displays Switches, controls, and buttons and touch points in general all feel really nice, especially for price Steering wheel in particular and it's button layout are fantastic C/D was right, the car indeed feels German and it even SMELLS like a German car also Once adjusted, the seating feels nicely contoured for mid-girth individuals SE non sport has probably the best balanced feel of any of the cheap midsizers, not loud inside, not a harsh ride, well weighted steering which in this trim is not too quick....i.e. very good ride and handling, good NVH, and a more premium feel than you'd expect in the class Really kind of like that open lower center console Bitchin cupholder setup Like a good Buick Regal turbo with extra room for many thousand less, or oppositely, like a 2014 Impala you saved about 8 grand on. LOWS Aston style ripoff! Busy design, will it be a flash in the pan? If you like the old Fusion, it will be a huge adjustment to this You feel the extra wheelbase and size sometimes, maybe for more than a few a shorter wheelbase car like a Malibu or Regal would drive nicer. To some the car might actually feel too large and too ponderous. Low end trims are a huge value but loaded up with options the Fusion has very ambitious pricing 2.5 engine does the job but you can tell in a few instances it is working hard Manual shifter control is slow to respond so a bit of a joke Side mirrors are not designed the best, the split face and size and shape overall not my cup of tea Monroney sticker is a helluva blind spot, takes up the whole rear window Switches and controls are hard to find and get used to at first, doesn't fall to hand the way you'd expect sometimes power seat was hard to dial in, but once i did then it felt ok Center console controls fall away a bit from natural reach and have some fussiness Tilt / telescope wheel adjuster is impossible to find and once found is still a headache to use (this is one of the two biggest bitches of the car) Center console is a leg knocker (but not near as bad as a Taurus) Really kind of don't like that open center lower console Malibu interior center stack etc. might feel more driver oriented to most Not sure if a sport package is available but that would be the way to go to inject a little extra quickness in the steering and tautness in the susp Suspension as it was managed to get upset a few times by broken pavement and did not seem to respond well that, bounced around, sort of unrefined More back seat than a Malibu but seriously for this large a car, the back seat should be larger. This is rather embarrassing compared to the Passat HORRIFIC SEAT CLOTH (the other big bitch). Seriously terrible seat cloth. Looks like $h!, feels like $h!, will probably wear like $h!. I could care less if it is green or not. Not sure why the Taurus exists now. Will have to try one again to find out and remember....... SUMMARY Waited a while to test this and have driven most all of the others. If you like a Malibu and had never drove the new Fusion, you would be entirely happy with your Malibu purchase. Once you drive the Fusion, it becomes evident why the Fusion will probably kill the Malibu in retail sales. It's just overall a more well done package. I like the Malibu myself, but the Fusion is the 2013 version of the most well thought out package in the midsize class. And not having driven the 1.6t (that one was out on a demo ) which presumably has a little more grunt and smoothness, I will assume is an acceptable offering in lieu of any of the minor weaknesses of the 2.5. Fusion does not have: The loud and unrefined interior sound level of the Accord The cheap drab feel or crappy base engine of the Passat The cheesy 'fake luxury' and milquetoast aura of the Altima The dated proportion and tiny rear of the Malibu The compromised everything of the Camry The slightly off the mainstream feel of the Mazda6 (plus its quieter and feels snappier than that car does also I did not look in the trunk, I hear it is small, but I don't care as a few others in this class are about the same size. The biggest thing dynamically Ford needs to fix about the car is the rear suspension losing its poise a few times and maybe for those want it, to make it feel smaller and nimbler. That is picky though....REAL PICKY. I think the intended market will LOVE the large car feel and balanced, secure ride and handling this car has. My gripes: terrible seat cloth (I know, buy leather)....and if my biggest gripe about any car being the tilt wheel adjuster and where to find it and use it, then the car should get an A. I'll leave some room for improvement and give it a solid A-. The Fusion is a car I would pretty much tell everybody to buy, regardless of who they were, which is quite a turnaround. I never liked the previous Fusion at all. Completely different, complete and total turnaround. This car is going to sell huge, it deserves to, and despite the Mazda6 more or less being an equal in terms of total all around goodness, I would put the Fusion at the top of the class because I think it's feel and the minor differences compared to the Mazda is where the broadest swatch of buyers are in the mid size segment. If the Fusion is 1, then the Mazda is 1A. The Accord I can see how the likes of C/D will probably put it atop the list due to bias but Honda needs to fix the interior noise issue first. and the fact that the Accord still has that Honda cheapness feel to it. In no way at all does the Ford feel cheap like that. The Ford does indeed feel more like a German car than the Passat even. The Malibu turbo is a big upgrade in overall feel over the base Malibu and if they ever adjust the price will be definitely considered more competitive. Regal is a super nice car but Fusion feels a lot like the much more expensive Regal and I really wonder if a base Fusion you can buy for under 20 off the lot will essentially still feel nicer than the soon to hit and the same size 014 Impala which will a lot more expensive. Basically, I consider the Fusion and Impala to be more alike than the Malibu and Fusion now. This is a huge problem for GM. note: sales guy said Fusion + stick was special order only....... hmmm, also has a 2.0t Fusion and say the gas mileage, not great......not the one to get if you like MPG....

It would actually be a very savvy move. Will it be a unibody Jeep though?

The cost here are not all that much since all models are based on the same car. Only in this case the engines are the once added cost to have more than one for certification. Discontenting the cars cost little but does cut into profits. The trick is to create an attractive package that will still appeal to a large enough group of buyers that they will sell in volumes great enough to make it worth while. No everyone wants a radio/AC delete car so you still need to give them something but at a lower cost. The thing with the Vette is it went from a single model to two and now even more. As the content and performance has climbed it has gone in to challenge even more expensive cars. Right now it is fighting with cars twice its price at a good value but has lost that entry level buyer they always had in the past. I hear many old timers who talk of the days they bought a Vette new right out of high school on money they made on their own. Some were even going to collage and working and still bought one. Today few younger people can even think of this unless they got a job out of High School writing programming for video games. It is no wonder many younger people care less and less for the Vette as they do not ever see owning one in their future unless they win the lottery. House payments, kids, lease on the mini van will take that all away and leave them with enough they can maybe buy a Subaru or some other cheaper performance car. Factor in also that the Vette is really a third car and luxury for most as it is seldom a daily driver for 90% of the owners. Lack of room etc. relegates it to the weekend car. Selling a Million Dollar super car is easy. You sell 1500 over 3 years and people are lined up waiting. The profits are great even at low numbers. But a low price sports car under $100.000 is nearly as difficult as reaching the moon. Yes it can be done but it is hard to do at low volumes under 15,000 unit sold. The Vette is a rare breed as it has done it for so lone but even it is facing a challenge anymore. If Vette sales ever drop below 10,000 units for more than one year things may not be as easy for them. Several Vette directors have publicly stated that there are no free passes on this car just because it is a Vette and they still have to show a profit and earn their keep. Ford did well when they offered the Mustang in the Shelby, GT and 5.0 coupe This combo offered the car to many buyers and they paid for what they could afford. In the Vette the engines can be used as the Ace to drive the buyers into spending more since the rest of the car is pretty locked in mechanically less some of the enhancements like Magnetic Shocks etc. You will still get the same tranny and rear end. You will still have the same frame and other hard points. Either way the car today is in need of more volume and you are not going to increase in the areas of the Z06 and ZR1 so other things need to be looked at. Once the bounce of the new C7 has worn of you need to capture sales from other makes or present people unable to afford the Vette today to retain volume. Interesting to note, Miata sold 364 units last month. Recreational cars in general are a huge challenge. Crossovers are what is being bought. I bet most makes, their 2 top sellers are SUV's / crossovers that sell and make so much money, they subsidize the development and offering now of not only Corvettes and miatas, but even at some point you have to ask the question if its even on the table to have to keep offering so many different sedans. By saying that I just mean it's that much more imperative that Corvette bump up volume now and prove that a new C8 is worth it. You know GM would rather sell more crossovers.

the reason sticks need jumpstarting is because few ever some to look at them.....sadly, also the line about limited color choice and availability on sticks is also pretty true....although, yes, try to help the customer and at least search..... i went to drive a fusion today and asked if they had a stick, sales dude said 'special order only'. Not sure if that's true but if a more major ford dealer doesn't want to stock a fusion stick then most of the stick sales must be going to the focus and fiesta.

Very, very short sighted. Very. JMO

All the old Suzuki customers

LaCrosse update is hardly worth it. No real significant change in looks. Not much improvement inside. The sweep on the side is tired. I think it could be further reaching. The Regal almost looks unchanged. Regal needs to be repackaged. Great car, but just not set up for market correctly.

http://www.autoblog.com/2013/02/28/gilles-defends-2014-jeep-cherokee-design-as-very-contemporary/ RALPH GILLES SAYS, IT'S CONTEMPORARY!!!!

chrysler's mission is to make their brands hazy, and i think there is some evil scheme so they can sell their 'brands' at more dealers or something. One thing corvette should diversify on, introduce an all wheel drive model.

that commodore's ass looks pretty similar!

anyone like it better in base form? after seeing that in base form, i must admit, i do tend to understand the criticisms! And I can see where someone might prefer the G8's chiseled flanks....

more drab boring crap with plaid seats. I am sure it drives just effing dandy. I just do not like VW's a bunch. No sex to this thing. Velosters are more sexy.

i support the notion of a base car, but also question if less displacement is the way to go. maybe keep the 6.2 but detune it just slightly. of course a 5.3 with only 400hp is no slouch. I am ok with this. Guys, we need the corvette to not just be for old farts. Price needs to come down to sell a few.