regfootball

well, I think I could live with the bowtie radio in Saab. I always thought the 9-3 should have been marketed more as an option to say, a Passat, rather than trying to portray it as a 3 series alternative. Saab could do major business selling the current gen 9-3 in more of a downmarket slot. At least for purposes of comparison in this scenario, I guess a lot of people would say the only disadvantage the Cruze has is engine output. Any new car at 20 grand and change these days is a bit of a bargain actually.

those 20" wheels in the INtrepid are fantastic.

Fiero, Magnum, good answers. Pacifica created a segment. Got left for dead and its styling became bloated. It did not evolve with the rest of the crossover segment. But as a vehicle it is very good. A used Pacifica is a smokin value buy in the market today, especially if you find one with a 4.0. Very nice drive.

camino, i agree and i pretty much ignore it. i do post up or down sometimes. but as mentioned above....those casting stones about certain posts are just as guilty posting useless divisive 'satirical' drivel as others.

new 010 9-3 two caveats, this might be a demo. 50/50 on that......part of the low price might also be saab loyalty. this one is a stick though.....sure would love to jump on this..... anyone saab shopping right now?

AZTEK! lol. kidding and not. the packaging and function yes, the box it came in, no. I agree on the XLR. I am going through my head thinking about all the possibilities here..... Chrysler Crossfire is in my head.......so is the LS lincoln...

deal breaker. taurus trunk. 21 c.f.

looks like AutoBlog posted a nice impression on the 2011.

those white SHOs are nice......the SHO needs to lose the fender vents and the chrome all around and get meaner looking. word is that is on the way.

what's your fave? wasn't the 010 version of Elantra consumer reports top small car? ..............

this was probably all CHrysler could do to reskin this car and get rid of its 'hood cruiser / bling and dubs stigma. it's ok, not stunning, sort of anonymous, but certainly no real transgressions. Side profile has tiny hints of STS / DTS to me.......tiny ones........ I am not sure this was the direction they should have gone, but it was a prudent direction nonetheless. I have to admit, I first thought the new Grand Cherokee was rather numb and bland but there was one at the mall inside the other day that looked fantastic. So I think in person this will be fine if the interior quality is there. If its like the GC, then no worries. Like I said, this has to bear the weight of the bling and dubs image and has to shed it if they want anyone to give it a credible look these days. They really could have had a nicer front end at least. Too vanilla for a lux car.

I love the new exterior on the 2011, but the interior still looks like seas of gray. The mpg is a huge draw on the new one. All I can say, I still would much rather be in my Cobalt than a 2010 Elantra! That says volumes! Lancer is much more pleasant car than the Elantra. It's seems to me that it's becoming clear that Focus is the one to wait for. I was pricing the Focus on line though, it's got wheel of fortune pricing too.

yeah, 2010, he said in about a week the 2011's (all new design) come in. but i guess there are deep discounts on the 2010's. yeah well no thanks. if the corolla is like this, i don't wanna get close to one of those either!

...JUST SAY NO.......... this one will be quick. 2010 Hyundai Elantra BLU 5 speed (no A/C) HIGHS peppy engine light clutch decent shifter feeling of interior space (no claustrophobia) convenient and simple climate control decently quiet nice armrest handy window switches decent interior space for the type of car LOWS sea of gray, swirling acres of death inspiring plastic lower seat back dug into my back, seat was not shaped well mouse fur driving position is kind of like driving a bus or a Kia Rondo. no radio (this could be positive if you want your own) no A/C steering wheel is so bulbous its like it's going to birth a baby in your lap. In fact the whole dash feels like you are swimming in a sea of fat women's hips. steering wheel lacked adjustment gauges you need to look down further than you should.. uninspiring rental car drive and feel cheap console area and brake handle shift throws are long and hard to find. bland design you don't want to be there you want to stick a knife in your eye its so dull and lifeless you feel yourself leave your body and levitating outside of the car you want to get out so much SUMMARY Just don't. Unless you really are that soulless of a person that this gets you off. The spunky smooth engine was the high point. It didn't lack power. Everything else about the car has been surpassed. The new Cruze is wayyyyy better. I even was glad to get back in my Cobalt when I was done. How is that? Fortunately the car has a value quotient and can be a good buy. To some folks this is nirvana. The value, space, and engine / clutch shifter rescue it from a D, I give it a C-

while its a huge improvement, it still lacks some imagination and detail. It looks nice, but there is nothing particularly signature about it.

I'll be honest, the current Malibu has the exterior design to compete still, with an all new or heavily improved interior and powertrains I think it would be able to stay close with this car if the pricing were kept in check. The spy photos of the new Malibu make me think CHevy is in big trouble. I think the Regal's heel here is with options the Regal moves up the price chart fast. But the Regal interior can justify higher prices.....it's just a bit better in quality. But it's darn close. I mean here is the deal, this car is as commodious as a TAURUS and the cheapest Taurus is like 7 grand more. It's insane. You look at this rakish car with a really well done and engaging interior and while you know it's not a luxury car, you sit in defiance and look at it and say, how the eff can they do this for 23 grand? And it gets 35 mpg? And its got a 5 year warranty? Hyundai / Kia is on a full frontal assault with a lot of their models. In the showroom today they had a Kia SOrento with a lease deal......199 a month for the EX front drive and like 1500 down. The customers know that Kia and Hyundai are passing their cheaper overhead down to them. And now the designs and performance are getting good. With the mood of the country such that people feel they have been getting the wrong end of the stick on a lot of things, Kia etc. is there to offer you more than you expect. That is the makings of a movement. some parts of the dash were soft, but most of it was not overly soft, but it still looked good. To be honest, a lot of the plastic in the Regal in lower places is no better. A personal favorite of mine here, i love where the speakers are in the door, higher up.

Simply put, fantastic. You're in shock as to how it can be such a nice cabin for 23 grand. The leather is nice. The plastic is 'very good'. Colors (tan interior), textures, nothing stands out as a sore thumb. Its a markedly better cabin than the cousin Hyundai Sonata, even. Room and space, all good. A bit of a lowrider, but it is a sedan. The dash layout is simply refreshing in the current sea of murk. A nice modern interpretation of what a wraparound dash would be in 2011. The radio and climate control take a little work to remember but it's all laid out nicely. Honestly, I am shocked. And I am supposed to now look at the Cruze's sticker and not bust out into belly laughs? It may just be short of the Regal's interior. However, the design of the Kia's dash is so markedly different than the Regal's and many folks may find it preferential. The Kia is much more of an intimate cockpit, if you can believe that. Driver oriented dashboards are back. The interior is even a step above its other newer models, the Sorento and Sportage. Eventually over time I will get in a test drive of this and fill in the rest. I re-tested a Sonata GLS manual today and expect that the Optima is pretty much the same. Which is to say, perfectly good for this class. It's so much better executed than the Sonata. I had read that Hyundai pushed for the Optima to be held back because they didn't want the Sonata upstaged by the Kia. After seeing the Kia, I would have to say their fears were absolutely believable. Unreal. You could tack 5 grand more on these stickers and still get people interested in this car.

my feeling when i drove it was that it needed more heft and feel in the steering, that it needed to be quicker ratio, and that the steering wheel should have been leather and thicker. i thought it was a bit soft and floaty too. i thought it was odd since my 500 had really good steering and heft and all of that. Oh how i miss that car. I can't believe i had that car now that i look back. the taurus is refined though. Most folks will think its a quality piece. I really think Ford should butch up the driving dynamics of it, and maybe it depends on the wheel and tire package. But they really could surprise some people if the base taurus was a sleeper handler. at a minimum they could tune the handling and suspension to match the feel of some of the average German cars.

yup.gas jolted up this week. watch those lambdas sit now. except winter hit, storms, people will rush out and buy a new suv.

i've seen 2 ZDX in the last couple days now. Creepy. What a yuk on wheels.

ah, so now you admit it was a terrible interior. to the new journey (which i will be wanting to test drive....can't believe i just said that about a chrysler) I say don't stop! believing!

wow, those lambda numbers do impress. they ain't cheap and they still move...... the Impala still sells? fairly well it seems.....

Acura, another 'luxury' make buoyed by a hot SUV....the MDX.....not sure how the Crosstour can sell....

90,000 Siennas, and minivans are a dead market? less than 40k Venzas, I thought it would eat more Camry sales. ES and RX make up most Lexus sales. 2 chick cars.

Mazda has decent vehicles but seems to be slipping into irrevellancy.....