regfootball

Drove through the VW dealer lot today by the mall. Was there literally two days ago, I swore I did not see the new 011 Jettas! After seeing an ad in the paper saying as much, and checking online inventory, indeed they had 2011 Jettas! A slew of them. I drove right by them the other day and did not notice, but went there again today, and yes they do exist!. HMMMMMM.....how's that for a first impression. ANYWAYS this is like one of those unboxing a cell phone videos. There is not much meat other than just a first sort of thought on the presentation. So I did not get to sit inside one. But here goes.... exterior. BLAND, however......tidy. Balanced, inoffensive, good paint quality and finish. I think it projects a decently upscale image even though the grille design is pretty much unspectacular. The front end at least looks semi expensive. Overall, it does feel either 80's or 90's in style and I just can't put my finger on which it should be. I actually sort of do think the design will hold for a few years and not go out of date, that is how middle of the road it is. Almost like if a grade schooler caricatured a sedan this is what it would look like. Probably the best thing to say is looks safe, and it looks better than a Corolla or a silly Civic. It would be nice to see it beside a Cruze. Yes, I would actually drive one except that.....(disclaimers coming later). They had a good representation of the models. The chintzy base, the S, the SE, the SEL. So let's look inside. This is where price becomes important. It's been ripped already for having 'cheap plastic'. I am not sure GM car fans and owners have a typical right to be able to criticize other cars as having cheap plastic, but I know at least on the door panels it looked about as cheap as the Kia Sportage I drove yesterday, or maybe even a little bit cheaper. At least the middle door insert I am talking about. I really is impossible to make a final judgment on the upper part of the dash without getting inside. From behind the glass, it looks like the verdict could go either way. VW was really lauded for great plastic for awhile, but I never got a huge chubby over the inside even of the last gen Jetta. The new Golf has a pretty nice interior when trimmed up, but trim does make a difference. About the best I could say is that it maybe looked a little suspect in terms of it being hard. There really did not appear to have any quality issues, like mold lines or big gaps. On the upper trims with the leatherette and lighter color it looked pretty harmonious. The cloth looks drab but the vinyl looks consistent with all the prior VW vinyl in the Jetta. The base steering wheel looks cheap. No trim, no controls, looks CHEAP. The lower models without the armrest it looks CHEAP to not have it. Who is going to be happy with this? radio buttons and climate control buttons were a nice design but the whole thing blends in so much and is so vanilla, I just don't know what to think. At this time, I probably fall into the category of that the VW fanbois probably might notice a downgrade or will be unhappy with the blandness....those casually acquainted with or new to the brand may not have criticisms. It still looks way better than your average Chrysler, for example. It's tidy and new! Leg room is vastly improved by sight in the back, but if the car is not as wide as the midsizers, and the price is the same (or more), I am not sure what VW is trying to accomplish here. Expanding the rear leg room turns this car into a 'tweener' I think. I think the exterior presents the car better than the interior. I gotta get inside the thing. But you can almost hear the conversation or the marching orders..... 'We want VW's version of the Corolla'. 'We still want it to look like a typical VW, but we want it to seem -approachable- and -not overpriced-. I get the feeling VW's manufacturing team was charged with walking the tightrope between making the car feel too expensive and making it feel cheap like an Asian car. If that was the case, I would have to say they succeeded with big precision. Again, I need to get inside. Maybe VW DOES need to lose the yuppie / whitey car stigma and go more populist and slum it a bit in order to get all these new customers they want. They still want to appear a little better than the Asian counterparts, but don't want to feel out of place in the company of them. It also gives me a sort of late nineties Accord vibe too. Can't put my finger on it. Real truth is, the exterior styling in no way holds back the car and in fact I am guessing its an asset for a lot of buyers. As for the inside, it will depend on who notices, or if anyone notices anything got decontented. VW was already advertising low down payment leases for 169/mo on these so we know they are looking to force them into service liberally (I am sure that was an S or a base). Presentation wise, I doubt there is anything holding back this car badly. Myself I wouldn't get one over many of the midsizers. But if you are looking at a Kia Forte for example, this car will on the surface appear to look one step above. I'll be real curious to see this car and the Cruze side by side. Initial reports make the Cruze out to have a nicer inside. I hope that is true. I dislike VW's powertrains on this car. None of them appeal to me. The base sucks, the 5 cylinder I don't want, the diesel I don't want. VW would have been best suited here with a simple 2 litre 150hp engine with good FE. Funny how a car intended to bust the door open on volume has such bizarre engine options. Maybe if I said that the Jetta would be what would happen if Ikea made a car. Kinda stylish, not too pricey, easy to buy.

the thing with the equinox is that it is not overstyled, and the theme is consistent. i just hope the end result is much cleaner.

One local dealer here is already discounting the Regal.....

yes, truth. i sure hope the public catches note that toyota is trying like hell to weasel out of as many of their lawsuits as possible, yet people still continue to buy them. WHY?

it's 2010, post crash, it's not 2006 or 2007 anymore.

you coulda just said all those same things about the camaro. ff to now, chevy is readying a quick redo of the camaro interior to address complaints. on the source page of this thread if you read the user comments the best way I can sum it up is to agree with what a lot of them said, no common theme, just random and pointless. and in no way does it seem to go with the exterior, at least that's what I feel. if that alone doesn't raise red flags on the Malibu's pricing structure NOW I don't know what does. the main reason i would never drive a current camry is because its IP reminds me too much of the IP in my diamantes. not exact copies, but sort of the same vanilla vibe.

worked up into a tizzy i see.... i thought the Aura had a pretty decent interior, which is why its so tough to see GM downgrade the interior on this new Malibu. The Aura was simple and purposeful.

One of my ex coworkers bought a new Camry. (late thirties) I wanted to rip him for it, and then it struck me, he is not a car guy at all. And he is one of those people that is not a 'shopper'. I am pretty sure he heard 'Toyota good' and they just went and got one. I figured if that's what they want, more power to them. As far as I know, he is not 'unhappy' in any way with the Camry.

I haven't driven a Cube, I don't think I will. It seems quite flimsy. Bits and pieces on the inside of the Cube even are loose and flimsy. The Soul feels very sturdy. Even has the door 'thunks' going for it. The climate controls even move with a slick 'glide' and a definite 'click'. The iconic styling should allow a long shelf life on this vehicle. Perhaps yet we will see a little more go juice and a 6 speed. I think this segment will bust open, especially if more players come to the table, aka Granite. I sorta see the Element in with this group too aside from it actually being too large, seemingly. -edit- some Kia Soul forum posters claim 2011 Soul will have 6 speed trannies, and available backup camera, auto climate control, and pushbutton start. We'll see if any of that comes true.

I actually don't care much for the current Camry interior, but at the same time its not an epic fail. it is more digestible to the geriatric toyota fan base than the ugly accord interior. It's the sort of comfort food that is served at family get togethers. It might be a noodle based dish, made with two or three different cans of campbell's soup, and it's got those cnion bits on top. No can really say anything bad about it, and its about what you would expect to find at such a gathering. The Camry interior is about what you would expect to find in a Camry, and no one really will say anything bad about it other than, 'a little bland, and maybe too much salt'. But they don't leave hungry. problem is that one reason people of all demographics are buying the sonata IS the interior. how many GM products have sold based upon their interiors?

Test- black 2010? Kia Soul Sport, black, red interior. 4 speed auto. Price was like close to 21 grand. Highs Terrific driver and passenger space and seat comfort. Rear seats are even comfortable and seem to have good space. Nice interior materials and plastics....even the red color looked fantastic in bright sun, textures looked rich and detailed and very little offensive gloss. Ergonomics, everything is laid out nicely and all switches and buttons felt great. Climate controls are very nice! Radio fairly easy to search songs on the flash drive when using SWAC and buttons on the radio. Seating position is nice, not SUV high, and a more chairlike than a car. Interior design is very detailed and not a single bad line. This is what is called 'following the design all the way through the details'. I know it helped tremendously having a two tone interior here. The all black interior may not be as handsome to some. Visibility is very strong all around. Styling - it's your call, it's perky without being overboard. I'd redo the rear taillights and less of a Chimpokemon headlight design. But its more cheeky than say, a Nissan Cube (which is just slightly perverse). Cargo space.....when you fold down the back seat. Otherwise cargo room is not bad if one were to take out the tray on top of the space and drop down a new bottom liner to make the trunk well go down deeper. In any event, grocery bags will fit nicely. Handling / ride was a mild surprise, this was the 18" wheels doing I think. Not that it's a sports car, but it felt sorted out for the little bit I drove it. It did feel secure and stable. Strangely felt more buttoned down the Sportage just before. Cupholders and armrest, usually neglected in cheaper vehicles, were good and unexpected. Gauges I found to be pretty nice, again for this class. Steering, kind of not bad, see the lows part for the disclaimer. Interior noise was less than I expected and actually the vehicle seemed to have a higher level of NVH tuning than the Sportage I drove right before this. You COULD take this vehicle on a trip if........ LOWS there were a bit more cargo space without folding the rear seats. I know its a short box, but more cargo room would help. if........the engine had more go juice and the tranny had more than four gears. speaking of 4 gears, I am not sure a manumatic really has any benefit in a four speed. Despite that, the manual shift worked decently. BACK TO THE HIGHS because it sets up the next low. the engine, for such a low power output and only having 4 gears, did not totally accost itself in driving, either in town or on the short freeway jaunt. I was surprised that it pulled as decently as it did for the listed power. But..... BACK TO THE LOWS it still was a reminder of why people put 5 and 6 speeds in cars now. And why a little more power is never a bad thing. Its not like the Soul has stellar mpg numbers. The optional engine from the Kia Forte with its 170hp +/- could only help the matter. In fact, with that much power and a 6 speed manual or auto would REALLY make this a funky little ride. I would like to a see a high mpg version of this car too, one with a simple engine and perhaps a CVT tranny to get the rpm down on the highway and the epa up. The Soul by design is nose heavy with such a blunt back end. The reality of it is more apparent when driving, its very nose heavy and you feel it when turning the vehicle. I only really felt that at low speeds. I am not sure you can 'unbake' that out of a car which inherently has so little actual physical matter beyond the rear wheels. Perhaps the power steering needs some fine tuning. Car felt heavier than its actual curb weight, sometimes this is good, but here I think if it felt more its light weight, it could even feel more sprite. Another remnant of having so much of the vehicle over the front and not much behind the rears. SUMMARY Since this was a short test, I feel I have to be a bit moderated here, but I really liked this vehicle and found it to be just the right amount of 'cheeky'. While scoring big in some aspects (driver and passenger space and comfort, as well as interiors and ergonomics), I found the two things that make you feel bad that they didn't fully score on (bigger trunk and more modern powertrain) leave you wondering how much nicer it would be if they had included those things. But, all things considered, I really can't claim either as a deal breaker. The price class this is in, not many other vehicles will have sizable advantages in powertrain or trunk space. Perhaps the Xb might? but you know the Xb interior is horse's ass and I doubt the toyota powertrain is much if at all better. This is still a relatively new class of vehicles in the US. We have the Xb, the Soul, the Cube, perhaps someday the GMC Granite (this is the packaging direction the HHR should go too, BTW). I think I could like this kind of vehicle. I still want to try this vehicle with a stick. It might be the ticket that way, but even with the gives me pause 4 speed auto, I didn't think it was punishment to drive. Like I said, it has just a slightly cheeky feel to it, not overdone, that for many people looking for cheap transport, something different, and the means to carry an occasional box of above average size with....could find happiness with. The pleasantries of a low montly payment would just be icing on the cake. GRADE B+ (if the powertrain were fixed I would probably give it an A-).

edmunds latest review says the Sportage has 'well contoured seats'.... HMMMMMMMM user review on edmunds says 'the seats could be more comfortable'......

the thing is, most people are not knowingly this critical. if they did drive stuff back to back only then they would notice the differences. To some degree, everyone is subliminally critical. I think for the commuter crowd, aside from the seat, may not have too much objection to the vehicle by and of itself if they weren't mindful of the other competition's virtues. It's vices are sort of stealth. Usually after I test drive something, I go to edmunds or aol or any other web site where they have user reviews to see if there were any common impressions between me and other owners. Sometimes there are some, sometimes I get unique impressions. I actually should go read the Tucson and Sportage reviews now and see what they say and see if I had anything in common with them. I really want to like this vehicle because the styling is such an advancement for Kia. But the styling should not be the best part.....

I am sure they are going to try something with the lighting, but that probably won't be on the base cars, and whatever trim they use to fill the gap may just look cheesy. I wish Chevy would stop trying to get silly here, the 08 Mali interior is pretty decent. All that would be needed to improve that is better plastic (especially the doors), and modern stereo and CC. But it looks like here they are going for complex and busy. Chevy doesn't have the Honda exemption i.e. the zealots who buy Honda despite its cheap interiors. I am not sure Chevy has the ability to claim affordability anymore. A new 010 Malibu that still does not have leather can reach close to 27 grand on the sticker, and it requires several thousand in rebates to close the gap. The Asian competition is undercutting chevy at many turns on pricing these days, at worst its pretty much the same. Chevy can make zero claims on price king for all but the cheapest of Malibu's currently. As far as offering things other cars don't i can't imagine what that would be, Malibu doesn't even have NAV yet. Lots of cars can get factory accessory remote start, that is about the only thing GM can lay claim to having equipped in more of its cars. One last thing, if the Cruze is having a hard time matching up to Hyundai Sonata feature for feature pricewise it's probably likely the Malibu will be even more challenged in that area. GM is still dependent on too much padding of the MSRP to have the backup of incentives. Kind of makes it tough out of the chute when early adopters can spread the word whether a car has sticker shock or not. Put just a little ice in that GM koolaid, the competition is fierce and out for blood, GM can't afford to swing and miss here.

perhaps whiteknight needs to gargle some salt water, and splash some cold water on his face again after rereading that phrase about ten times to let it sink in. It will only get worse for chevy once the new Optima hits the showrooms. Even Nissan is $h!ting their pants over the success of the new Korean cars. Perhaps WK can tell us exactly what is visible in the interior and exterior photos of the 0-dozen Malibu that will lure buyers of all the other Cahmlees and Accords and other Asian cars into it. Myself, I would just send people to the Buick showroom, if you can stomach the high asking price just go look at the Regal and LaCrosse and don't waste the time looking at the Chevy's.

Tested..... 2011 Kia Sportage base. White / black cloth. 4 cylinder motor, front drive, 6 speed manual transmission. MSRP it was like around 20. Highs- Room and Space - Driver and front passenger have ample space. Rear seat is good for kids and teens if legs not too long. Lots of width. Styling - very attractive styling on the exterior (although the base model wheels were a bit of a dud). Decently attractive dash. Features - fairly well equipped even as a base model, USB, bluetooth, SWAC, power everything (some) Ergonomics - steering wheel is nice and falls into hand and gauges are decent to look into. Armrest and drink holders and window switches laid out nicely. Powertrain - engine doesn't SOUND strained or vibrate much and is acceptably smooth, even at speed. In the right gears and hit the clutch right and you can break the tires. Transmission - the 6 speed manual is like flicking a delicately light toggle switch and is very precise with lots of mechanical smoothness. Very very nice to shift even if the throws are longer than what you might like. Can occassionally feel 'SPORTY'! WOOT! Warranty Price - at least in the lower trims Lows Engine - there are some flat spots in the torque band if you get caught its a little slow, but keep it in the right gear and you are fine. The engine does have a nice snarl to it if you hit the gas right. Even in 6th, rpm is too high at cruising speed (close to 3k rpm at 70+ mph). Visibility may be a problem for some. I even thought there was too much distortion out the rear window too. Climate controls a bit far away and need a bit of time to memorize. Radio also looks like a small bit of time is needed to ingest and find everything. Steering feel is simply ok. I think it could be improved. It steers quick enough. Braking, like the steering, nothing sensational. Clutch is light, but GRABBY and very much like a toggle switch too. Once you learn it I'm sure its ok. Leg room in the back could be more when the front seats are far back. Interior plastics could be better. Carpet is thin. Seat cloth is rough. Cargo hold could be larger, and most certainly could be trimmed out nicer. Just enough lack of noise abatement and refinement that it makes you wonder.........work on the NVH in the cabin and chassis. **********terrible drivers seat**************HARD, digs into your back and oddly shaped on your legs and tush. One of the worst drivers seats I have encountered. REASON ENOUGH TO NOT BUY THE VEHICLE IF IT BUGS YOU. Verdict - This vehicle needs some finishing school. That criticism has been leveled at some of Hyundai's and Kia's new product and it can apply, but I can tell you the Sonata has a better level of polish than this, and a Sorento feels way more solid. The thing is that some folks may not notice or care. What I think regarding this vehicle is that it just needs that extra level of attention to make it feel better. As it is, it probably feels its price in base trim, but I would not look at one of these loaded at a much higher MSRP. I've driven some of the competition but not all. I have not driven an Equinox or Terrain but it is not hard to fathom that those would feel a lot nicer. I do know a Saturn Vue of the last gen is a more polished product than this. So is my recently reviewed Mitsubishi Outlander even. I do also know the Ford Escape feels more complete (just not as sexy). But the Sportage is nicer than the turd I drove last weekend (Jeep Patriot). I guess a lot of my impression here is the fact that the driver's seat and I did not agree. It was a constant source of bother, and there was nothing notable in the rest of the drive experience that could divert me from thinking about it. The steering, brakes, suspension all just merely seemed passable to average. The sense that the vehicle could stand another pass at refinement is also what stayed in my mind. It also didn't help that I drove a Kia Soul right after that just plain was more fun to drive. That's a separate writeup. I can't call this a bad vehicle. It's just not fully realized in this base form, and maybe I need to drive a plusher version or wait for the turbo. I do know that I have no plans to buy one of these unless things get fixed, and I really don't expect them to ever do that. Shift it yourselfers though, if you want a trucklet with which you can row your own, it's enjoyable enough on that premise alone as long as you don't dwell on the handling aspect, because it's not a 'driver's vehicle'. grade - C, or better yet, incomplete. C+ or B- if the seats do not bother you. Or, check back when that turbo comes out.

how many times now has my wife asked me how to open the trunk on our cobalt! LOL. "I've told you before, its behind the little thingie to the left and below the steering wheel"... "OoooooHHHH"............ I think what Viper said about the exterior lacking details has some truth. No celebration of the exhaust, no real embellishment of even the smallest thing like taillights. What that means is there is lots of room to spice it up on the mid cycle improvement. 100% truth. whoever buys this full MSRP first year will be STUCK with it or get burned trying to trade it.

this interior is ugly. and cheap looking. as for the sonata. drive one. people are snapping them up very fast these days. with an interior like this, chevy will not have to worry about that problem, especially with the silly ribbing and cheap looking switchgear. the sonata is selling because of the math (A lot for a little). plus the interior is very good on the hyundai, it comes off better than the price of the car. GM will nosebleed the pricing on this and the interior will not reflect the price. People will feel like they are getting screwed and move on.

yes the Kia is better looking than the Hyundai. i just don't like the fender vents on this vehicle. i can't wait to read on the performance of the turbo. mpg, price, scoot, all in one nice looking ride! i think the Sonata just became either the third best selling or third most researched midsizer this past month. the evil camry is still at the top. WHY? Perfect world, the Kia and Hyundai take sales only away from the camry and the camry dies. everyone else improves too. go away camry!

Autoguide

wow that looks terrible. chevy is really screwing the pooch on the next gen malibu and its future in general with this thing. if i were CEO i'd order an immediate redesign on a fast track of that interior and get something suitable in the works NOW. garbage in, garbage out. thank goodness the folks at Opel gave us the Regal. Even the Cruze interior looks to be nicer than this. I suppose to some degree they are trying to imitate the LaCrosse at least with the gauges. now i know for certain if i am shopping affordable midsizers I can cross chevy off the list. looks like the choice got a lot simpler. Sonata/Optima, Mazda6, Legacy, Altima should be enough to pick from.

take out the crystal tint paint and the nav/audio with required pioneer speakers and this car is only like 21,500 MSRP. the extortion is in a form of better speakers, NAV, and a different paint color.

the aspirational pricing is probably to make up for that UAW labor cost..... it's entirely possible that in 2-3 years this sort of extortion pricing will be the norm for this segment. right now the midsizers across the board have such good out the door pricing, that you really have to be in love the design of this car to make a rational case for spending as much as it is. Who said GM doesn't pad MSRP's anymore for incentives? This car has incentives written all over it. They just want to hook the first few suckers. Keep in mind you can get a new Regal for 27k MSRP...or close to it, sure it don't have NAV at that price, but I think anyone considering popping for the high priced Cruze should also look at a Regal too. Maybe the LS is the steal here. 17k, and it will be in loss leader status very soon. GM will throw a grand at it as an incentive, and the dealers will be desperate to advertise it as low as possible.....it may not be long before you see a Cruze in the paper advertised for 15 grand.

actually at the auto show this year, the cruze was one of the handful of cars I spent the most time admiring. I like the exterior a lot, even if some details lack, chevy should be given credit for the upbeat and peppy shape. Much nicer than the upcoming new geriatric Malibu. and thanks to BV's excellent pictures, it does show how nice the interior is. and the car can be optioned up to quite a lavish kit. this only highlights the big flaw under the hood. A little more hp to help justify the asking price. BV suggests with emphasis that no matter how good the Cruze is, Hyundai (and Kia) are throwing the gauntlet down on kit and value and will tag team the Cruze. Actually, Hyundai Kia will go top and bottom on them. The Sonata and Optima on the top end, and the new Elantra coming below or at the side of the Cruze. Just because Honda may have pie in the sky pricing does not mean Chevy has market cred and carte blanche to do so itself. If the mpg had been say 4-5 mpg higher than the Sonata across the board then you could make a case for the high asking price. Disclaimer, i still think most Cruze will sticker in that 20,500-22,900 range.....throw in the inevitable rebates and a dealer discount and MAYBE if you can get out the door at say 19 grand with a decently equipped Cruze you may find it possible to defend it on a value case. You can't on mpg. The next stop is styling and interior and I think the Cruze has enough of each to get some buyers to pay more. Just not as many as GM thinks; there is too much competition. The midsizers are so aggressively priced these days. It really sets up the 'if i spend 1, 2 thousand more i can get a bigger car with more power that's more solid and has cheaper insurance and about the same mpg' bit. i know just within the last week i test drove a Legacy (AWD standard btw) that was a tiny blip above 20k on the dealer's price tag that is a really awesome value. Plenty of ALtimas are at or under 20k. Even the Mazda6 and Malibu and Fusion all very affordable. I think Chevy is keeping the price high to make out like bandits on the not quite full production numbers they choose to sell this year while they ramp up, and while they are clearing out the current Malibus. The Malibu then has to move up on price, and by then I think Chevy will adjust the pricing some on the Cruze. There is always too much downward pressure from the market to push Chevy prices down, and Chevy is just trying to hold the line as long as it can. If chevy had a performance version attached to the units that had the stratospheric MSRP's, with extra power and better suspension, then maybe the MSRP would be worth it on those high priced units. Ford nearly destroyed themselves in the 90's by pricing contours and oval taurus in the stratospheres. both of those cars had the elephants in the room (contour was too small and boring to look at and the oval taurus design was rejected fully by buyers). the cruze may not have an elephant present by itself, but shoppers these days comparison shop on line and in the showrooms a lot, and once they find the better values the cruze has some splainin to do. VW's new Jetta does not have the same nice interior as the Golf does, I am glad Chevy for once has a better interior than the likes of now whoring themselves out VW. What would really make a splash with this car would be for chevy to whore them out on leases like Toyota does with the Corolla. Those buck 99 leases with not much down. Get people in the seats and on the road and let the word get out on the road. This one at 24k would become a great deal if you want the leather and NAV and you can hold out for 4k of rebates and dealer discounts. at 20 or 20,500 this might be a nice deal. that trunk lining looks uber cheesy.

before the vertical taillights were added. before they jacked up the suspension.