regfootball

yeah that 06 Passat would be nicer than all the cars in that comparison JMO. would it need to be VR6? but yea, the money thing. older saab do anything for you? S60? ( the test had an S70)

the catera sport in its last year or two was a real handler and they had spruced up the dash i guess. One of my friends had a catera....prob a pre-2002. He couldn't wait to unload it....he finally got the chance to this year for a new Charger. Old BMW M coupe? the roadster with the hatch....... Mercedes C Class hatch?

budget is a good question. I like the idea Croc has, Crossfire. LOW MILEAGE units are out there and not at all pricey. But, only a 2 seater. An SRT6 is what I would get I would get one even over a Solstice or Sky. To expand on the VW thing...are there any used Phaetons out there? Further with the VW thing...how about some older but well kept Audis? A8's A6's, S6's, S4's, RS6's TT's......Audi made a lot of nice specialty versions that would really be neat finds. How bout one of the aluminum Jag XJ's? A w8 is cool but actually at that point the engine is just too much for a passat. So that was where my Phaeton suggestion came in. some GM ideas.... first gen CTSv? or STSv? Or even just a first gen CTS. Mazdaspeed6? Old Lexus IS (especially the IS sportcross wagon) or the very first Lexus SC or even an old Supra or Stealth / 3000 GT? THere are lots of good G bodies and Chysler 300's of several vintages out there. Some decent Infiniti G's out there.

I like both the cruze and regal. My preference on the cruze is the hatch. Gm needs to sell the two styles at the same price and with the same options and trim though. I won't pay 3 grand more for a car with an extra door. Same goes for the regal. I won't pay more and I want the same option choices. In that case I am split. But the regal wagon is attractive. Turbo GSX 4 cyl AWD manual wagon anyone? A simple CXL turbo front drive wagon would be cool too. We need a regal coupe and the verano hatches too. At least the 3 Door.

I don't like the Equinox. It's ok, but it's bloated for what I would want in a -compact- SUV. It sits a bit too high, feels heavy, sorta trucky. A new HHR would never tread on that porkiness, even if it were bigger. If GMC has a Granite, then fine, I just like the trucklet style of the HHR. I like the Cruze hatch. I like the Astra hatch too. GM better give us one of them. Something in the vicinity of Rogue-Sportage-Tucson is the right size for the current compact SUV crop IMO.

iPad is a pittance and everyone I know who has one gushes about it. THey LOVE IT and use it all the time.. It cannot do everything, and it doesn't have flash. It won't replace a computer. But as an extra device.......more than worth it. For me, as a media device....movies, mail, web. I doubt its a productivity device. A 16gb refurb is 429 at apple.com. Ipod touches were going for that not too long ago. I might wait for the next gen as i hear it will have face time and possibly phone functionality. I can't recall if they have bluetooth. If they did, I would velcro one to the dash of my ford in front of my radio and use it to stream bluetooth and have an interface that is better than my radio to boot.

I know the Outlander Sport has braking regenerative energy. Your idea for the spinning wheels might be interesting. If you paired regenerative energy plus some bit of solar you could probably power lots of stuff in the car.

On the window stickers on the Cruze Eco it says the expected highway range can be up to 50 mpg. I got wood when I saw that. Combined EPA for the Eco is 33 mpg. Wood, again. thanks.

well I wasn't feeling it either. Black Diamond to me sounds just like the Chrysler 300 dubs editions....that whole deal. Not sure if that is the same vibe you get. It just sounds cheesy.

Car and Driver Cruze Eco first drive a lot of what they wrote here is similar to what i found in my Cruze Eco review (in C&G reviews section). not really noiser, better driving experience / more fun, they seemed to witness nice mpg. 43.8 mpg (trip computer) at 2500 rpm at 80 mph they say with the A/C on and great mpg. That is progress. That is the whole point. They sort of made it sound slow, but maybe them dopes weren't shifting right. I thought the Eco was quite zippy especially with the 6 gears and the ability to get it in just the right gear nearly all the time to match the turbo's flat torque band.

As long as it was better than a cobalt (which won't take much).

i read somewhere today that 68% of cars sold last year were 4 poppers. BMW will now have a turbo 2.0 4 popper in the 3 series as a base motor. The six is dying even for BMW. I read how the Cruze's turbo is integrated into the exhaust manifold. I could understand how that might save some complexity and also keep the turbo cooled with its liquid cooling. What I am curious to know is if this was also done as a cost saving measure. And if this sort of approach will lead to a wider proliferation of turbos. Especially to replace 6 cylinder cars.

"ghetto edition"

Love your comments. I saw today where Hyundai now may import additional Elantras from Korea because the demand is off the charts. Putting space in a small car will do that as well as eye catching design and good mpg at a great price. Your Aveo / Sonic comments were intriguing. Was the Sonic interior as nice inside, although smaller, than the Cruze or was it just a step below?

http://www.autoblog.com/2011/02/02/2012-fiat-500-first-drive-review-road-test/

yes but they need the impala volume to be where its at just to keep the plant running. Ford doesn't need big volume out of the taurus for it to show profit.

most of the Taurus I see on lots too are Limited and many with sync, other tech stuff, all wheel drive. the fusions are the cheap fords now and why its selling big. you can argue the fusion is a better car than the Impala even. Ford is not selling as many Taurus but it's prob getting closer to 30 transaction price on most of em, and this particular taurus is not fleeted near the level of the Impala. yes that chicago plant can make many models, and so Ford doesn't need to sell it's full size car for 21k just to keep the factory hummin.

Cool Ted. Good job on getting that up and running. Someday I thought a blog site for cars would be cool for me, but I am too lazy.

I've noticed that Ford has upped incentives on the Flex, and a lot more of them on lots now have lesser trim. One of our friends just picked one up, they finally got rid of their windstar. I'm surprised that there was still a Windstar on the road that hadn't blown up. Yet its a far better car than the Impala, which outsells the Taurus like 4:1. Of course the Impala is a fleet whore, and GM gives you like 15 grand to buy one.

LOL...i think you are right. The enterprise in town will rent a versa on certain days for like 10 bucks a day. everyone rents versas! the versa is miserable though! nice room but the interior is strange, and the whole car lacks a solid feel. And many other cars get better gas mileage. The only kudos I can give the versa is from a space efficiency standpoint.

Mazda really needs a PR buzz with something for the 6, maybe put in a powertrain that can get decent mpg for starters.

Cruze is doing well. SRX is almost the top selling Caddy. Lucerne may not want to go away. Regal sales are lower than I would like to see.

i think it's styling was dated out of the box. mazda did fix some interior bits for 2011. the seat cloth and door inserts are much nicer and i think some of the dash and switchgear was livened up. i think mazda's mpg figures hurt them. but it's a good car. but if it looks dumpy and they don't advertise it....no wonder it doesn't sell. Does mazda even advertise on TV much anymore? CX-7 increased because they added a standard non turbo model that helps keep the price down. CX-7 would be a neat crossover in about the sweet size but I hear its slow and myself i really hate the interior on it. yep!

I think a lot of people who may have looked at the Cube in the past now have another strange small crossover to pick from, the Juke, which is really a lot more compelling aside from a lack of space. Sentra and Versa are yucky vehicles yet look at those numbers.....yikes.