regfootball

i think it will have plenty of power and the twin turbo 6 is more marketable to euros than a pushrod v8

Yeah I wouldn't say the fit and finish were superb..........'good' i can agree with. But there were places on some door and dash panels it seemed sloppy to me. the steering wheel controls had a sloppiness and looseness atypical of Hondas. The seats were not taut like Hondas I knew...the seat cloth was not bound securely the seats and seemed like it will shift around and such over time. honda only put brown tones and blacks and grays inside the civic. there are no metallics or chromes or anything to break it up....its just deadly plastic......and everything is random I passed a new Focus on the road today and have to admit I am not sure I like it in person.....way better than the Civic......just lacks crispness......its too much like Contour version 4.0 to me......it's like a blob

i had a guy come in last night to check wasookis who had JUST checked out a 2012 Civic. If his reaction is the same as a lot of shoppers, there will be a lot of unimpressed Civic intenders looking at other cars............Cruze may get hit by the Focus, I don't think the Civic is gonna blow the doors open. Mainly the bad impression on the Civic was the price. Stratospheric....and otherwise the new Civic was underwhelming by that account........to some degree the Focus is the same way as far as price but the Focus has lots of kit that the civic does not. I am blown away by the still strong lambda sales. lucerne is up? lol. overall very impressed by GM's numbers. good job GM. 25k units / month = 300k a year! How is the Civic pricey? It's $24.2k with everything (including NAV). The LX (which is what most people will get) is $19.4k with automatic transmission. A Cruze 1LT with cruise control (which is standard on the Civic) is $19.7k. I think not updating the car's looks, inside or out, will hurt the Civic more than anything. The pricing structure seems about as largely unchanged as the car... Cuz it was killing me.....i stopped by the Honda dealer today to look at the 012 Civic..... oh my.....Honda pinched a loaf........... OK, I'm old, but the low squashed car is just non sensical....especially in back. Hard to get in and out. Sits way too low. Roof feels like its already crushed on top of you. View out the front of the dash is not panoramic. It felt like a squashed bubble inside. Major issues with the interior. They attempted to do something cool with the plastics texture, and it was, sort of.....but its still CHEAP plastic, and it didn't make up for the really bad dash and interior design and layout. All around it seemed cheap. The seat cloth was horrible. No rear armrest. The plastics and theme in general reminded me of like 15 years ago. The trunk was awful in terms of trimmings. The prices of the ones I saw were not egregious. But if the car is blah and not desirable, it will need incentives. The Cruze is so much more stylish inside and out. The Cruze interior so owns the Civic. The Cruze is nicer outside as well. Just WHO is Honda trying to appeal to with their lineup these days?

TEST UPDATE Driven Buick Regal CXL Turbo Manual MSRP 29,495 2.0l turbo 6 speed manual Here are some additional notes beyond the previous tests. Primarily this is to address the turbo + 6 speed manual powertrain. In a nutshell, a very quality car. The impression again I am left with this car is that it is a lasting piece. And man, is it quiet and comfortable. It's PAOLINO comfortable. Seriously, it's almost creepy quiet. There is definitely something to the quiet tuning. Almost to the point where it lacks some personality. You just don't get evidence aurally that this is a turbo or a performance version. Ok, we'll see what the GS brings. But it makes up for it with the overall quality of construction, and the comfort, and the bangup interior design. I still think some of the plastics on the lowers are a little cheaper than they should be, but that is so nitpicky. The seats are so golden in this car. And the car is so 'right size'. The handling seeks center for a straight ahead ride, but once you move the wheel quite a bit, then it attempts to play with you some. The steering is nice, maybe lacks some feel, and needs to be quicker. For the intended demographic I would guess its fine. Sport injected is maybe stretching it. Its way better than the mainstream midsizers, but it just needs more feel and reflexes. I think other mags have sort of said similar things. They are on to something.....it just needs fine tuning. This car did not have the adjustments, so I think its fair to say that someone should try that out (as I intend to do someday). The ride is great for everyday driving and is so compliant, and quiet, and comfortable. But its not a floater per se'. It's got a little roll to it.....most folks won't care much. Like with the steering, it's a good start and it just needs to be finessed. Wait for the GS. The car is solid and stable. So much so, you kind of wish it were a bit lighter. But that is what you get for so much quiet, comfort, and solidity. The clutch was good. If it was heavy, i didn't notice it much. Engagement was a bit tricky at first but like all sticks you figure it out quickly. It didn't seem a leg buster. The shifter with its big hook shape was hard to grip at first, and then it became alright. The throws are longer than I want, but not by much. First and third were hard to discern at first but then that went away. This is not a toggle switch shifter, and its not like a VW or a Honda. But having driven a nice A4 a few days ago, I will say its a lot lighter to move the shifter on this Regal. There is some mechanics you have to row through on each gear....and you can't just slide it.....you do need to guide and nudge it through. It seemed to me to be within character of a German car. I would grade the shifter at a B, and say it had no glaring faults but could stand some fine tuning. As for the engine and the power. First, it was always smooth and quiet. The only time i got vibration was when i was in too high a gear and the engine was struggling to pull, at really low speeds. And that is not unique. The turbo does have a little bit of wait time. I won't say it's lag....but the torque does need to build first. It's not completely seamless and linear. In lower gears of course it's lessened, and it may just be throttle setup. You REALLY need to lean on the throttle to make the turbo and power come on hard. But again its within character of a more traditional Buick a little. If you are in say, third, and really hammer the gas, then it goes really nicely. No tire shredding or neck snapping....just a steady buildup of steam. It's deceiving in that case because you do get up to high speed quickly then and the car is so quiet, you are going 80 before you know it. For most drivers it's plenty of power. And 6th is really tall.....65 mph was right around 2,000 rpm in 6th. 5th is a good in town cruising gear......6th was too tall in a lot of cases. 4th is a decent roll on gear, and 3rd was where you needed to be on on ramps and cloverleafs. The Regal is a great car, but in this turbo manual CXL trim, still perhaps a bit sedate for those who want to play. The car is so good to begin with though. As an entry lux car, I don't see how you can go wrong......it's so well done and i like it so much. My only knock is it just needs to be less sedate, and gain some power and reflexes (which the adjustable suspension / ride may actually provide). One last thing I should add is the car felt well balanced. For some reason it felt less nose heavy than i remembered before. I guess this means I would probably like the GS when it comes out? Just because of the fine tuning stuff and wanting it to be so much more.....being picky, I would say B+ on the turbo manual.

Jaguar really still doesn't sell in volume.....

what else can you say...kia is on a roll.

jeep = impressive! avenger and 200 are shocking, goes to show you what making the machinery good will do. van sales and even charger sales are a bit disturbing.....

honda's cult is still strong......

wow, i guess 5 series and x3 buyers were waiting for the new models....... countrymen aka crossover is even doing well. selling darn good compared to the Juke considering how few mini dealers there are.

have to give audi props on how well the A5 is doing. it's one of their top models.

subaru is doing exactly what they want. steady growth. doing well. chevy sold as many cruze as subaru sells cars last month, but for subaru they will take this.

not a best month evah?

Mitsubishi has given good pricing on the old Galant and Endeavor to get them moving again. Mainly, they have promoted the Lancer well with pricing and rebates and leases now. Now its time for them to redo the interior. The outlander is popular for folks who wanted a full size crossover but wanted to spend a bit less on price and gas. I really did think the Outlander sport was possible of selling well, once they add some powertrains and tweak and few things and start making them here......if they price em right they should have no trouble moving those. the iMev or whatever it is might just hit a right electric vehicle niche. Something not as pompous as a prius, or as bombastic as the volt. I think it will have a cult of followers that won't add much to the balance sheet but will to the company image.

Rogue is selling now like i thought it would when it came out. Juke.....seems low or high depending on your perspective. Good thing Nissan has the Versa, eh? I bet when they brought it here they never figured they would need it in the lineup for so much volume. Sentra....shows you what cheap leases will do. I do give Nissan credit for remaking the Sentra pricing to sell better, and it's very spacious inside. Maxima, probably selling about where Nissan wants it to stay exclusive as opposed to 6-7 years ago when it threatened volume over the Altima. Nissan needs a new Altima like yesterday. Murano almost seems irrelevant even with 4 dollar gas.

i had a guy come in last night to check wasookis who had JUST checked out a 2012 Civic. If his reaction is the same as a lot of shoppers, there will be a lot of unimpressed Civic intenders looking at other cars............Cruze may get hit by the Focus, I don't think the Civic is gonna blow the doors open. Mainly the bad impression on the Civic was the price. Stratospheric....and otherwise the new Civic was underwhelming by that account........to some degree the Focus is the same way as far as price but the Focus has lots of kit that the civic does not. I am blown away by the still strong lambda sales. lucerne is up? lol. overall very impressed by GM's numbers. good job GM. 25k units / month = 300k a year!

was that Kia Sorento or Hyundai something trannies that were destructing...... Hyundai's effort is paying off...for now.....but will it go Toyota on them? They still have a low price brand image that simultaneously has a sort of cutting edge and quality smell to it. People are under pressure to get more for their money than ever before, and despite whether that pans out to be really true over time, Hyundai is convincing so many buyers that that is indeed the case....that they will get more for their money in a he-yoon-die

should be a nice long distance car.

Wa Soooooo key! I sold one tenth of one percent of all sx4's nationwide!!!

100% correct. it makes me upset that i cannot go in and read the political forums after a 13 or 14 hour day away to catch up on new posts there, without having to make 5 bogus posts first. in topics or boards that have no activity. i would create topics if i had the time, for example, car and driver did a five car comparo on the new compact cars.......cruze got 4th, etc. certainly would incite a lot of discussion. but you almost gotta have someone that posts all that stuff as a full time job. I haven't had time or desire to test drive much for reviews either. then, there is the issue that GM has no new models really. or the industry in general. and the circus side show stuff like green cars and such. i also think if the forums were arranged differently and you didn't have to go three deep into some of the subforums.....it's too much work and time to get in and see if there is anything new. God forbid if you are interested in 'other Japanese makes'...... there is some merit to say, post elsewhere, not just politics.....there just is a real shortage of car based news these days..... April sales figures will be out tomorrow maybe? and yet i still am not sure i saw March's on our site yet........usually those generated posts..... ah, of course i didn't read this until after i put in an earlier reply.

what Saab and Volvo really need is to be aligned with a giant, and they also need to find some markets where they are a major player. I think for the sake of the scandinavians, they should really devise a plan that would allow Saab and Volvo unique vehicle offerings and begin on a path to shared tech and platforms. And perhaps the russians and chinese are best equipped at this point to be the money people. Maybe GM owning them was the best thing for them........maybe GM should buy them back......

exactly. GM, mailing it in again.

just because its new, it won't surprise me if it gains 50% sales but really the sportage and to me at least the outlander sport look so much nicer.......

oh as far as used vs. new prices....right now, it seems quite foolish to me to pay 19 grand for say a two year old altima that sold for 20k new, and that will be worth 10k in 3 years. you could shop harder and buy a new malibu for 19 grand, still lose a bunch of money but at least your 19 grand is not going on a two year old car then. smart shoppers will not overpay right now for the inflated used prices right now, and will find little pockets of good new vehicles to pick from.

having been selling for a bit now, I think blu is on the right path. there is a little bit more scrutiny and prep and fix on a lot of the certified vehicles to start with...although generally the vehicles that get certified are better to start with. the main point blu hits nail on the head is used vehicles are roulette, its chance whether you get a good one or not. at least if they have few miles the chance is greater that its an ok vehicle. paying more for new is the best piece of mind. but lightly used is not bad either. i think the rentals these days although they may be beat on by drivers a bit, at least i think their oil gets changed. lots of people who buy and lease a vehicle don't even change oil these days. personally myself i have either bought new or used 15k or less miles ever since i bought a 7 year old SHO and sunk some dough into it. and not that the SHO was ever considered a good vehicle as far as reliability.....i should have expected to invest more in a 7 year old vehicle after the purchase than i did. that's why i may lease again someday if the deal is right. it would have to be a cheap lease....but i certainly like the idea of new. my dad has done well on used cadillacs, but he scopes them out pretty hard....he also is never in a position of needing to buy at any given time. he is not like a lot of customers that back themselves into a corner with vehicles and due to their situations, end up buying for reasons other than want or due diligence. i cringe when i see people buying cars with 120, 130k and having to finance big amounts / long terms for them. recipe for disaster.

they are not moving here either. i saw one at Target the other day, and maybe another one one time a couple weeks ago. That's about it. Rogue is larger and suitable for family use. Juke is small, and has compromised utility. Nissan must be purposely trying to kill their sales. Juke, new Versa, new Maxima, Cube.......they better hope their next Altima is a savior.