regfootball

here it is pearl but not totally apprent in this foto

the big loyoff happened here today at work, fortunately for this second round, i was spared again. However, in three months again, who knows. but its obvious to me, if i get anything i better do it now while loans are attainable and am employed, you still need a car no matter what. And since the Astra is the best offer on the table for me right now, with all my incentives, it might make more fiscal sense than anything...replacing 95,000 miles with a new ride with 50% better mpg, probably less payment as well, and a 100k warranty. Funny you mentioned SVT focus, in the paper today is a used SVT Focus with only 11k miles on it. I got a killer Saab 9-3 quote yesterday which i would be on in a heartbeat if this wasn't just a second car. Less than 20g for a new 9-3. Yikes. people want to sell cars, apparently cars from GME. Maybe Carl Peter and PCS are conspiring. in any case, an Astra now would be a nice entry into the fold for a couple years until this new one comes out.....hopefully with 60 more hp and a 6 speed tranny. One thing I learned recently.....the current astra is a euro top pick in safety, and also C/D gave astra one of its ten best safety cars under 25k as well. Big plus! It even has active head restraints!

the pilot is creepy, can i just repeat that?

i MIGHT be buying an Astra soon........any chance a loyal C&Ger who might be on a trip in europa could maybe talk some of your Euro folks into getting me a proper Opel grille, airbag/steering wheel cover, and keychain?

so CUTE!

there are some nicer images even on autoblog i think. i just looked at them actually a few minutes ago, but lost the links. it may be a nice product to move into in a couple years, switch one astra for another.........

i sat in a new Pilot the other day. Well, it creeped me out honestly. And the plastic is CHEAP. and the cargo hold is fairly useless because its such a sharp angle, although with the third row folded it has decent space, mostly in width. I am not sure how Honda did it, but it fairly usable. but there is an aura of cheapness and creepiness to every detail inside. Honda really is doing interiors on the cheap lately. I don't think the center stack is as confusing as the journalists say however. the center console with its accordion door and that is cool. the shifter is a bit awkward also but enables a truly multifunctional console. Let me put it this way. I've owned an Aztek for over 4 years now, and have had to endure all the cajoling that goes with it. I 'get' that its an ugly vehicle. Yet, this new Pilot creeps me out in a way I never even been to with my Aztek. I see the Pilot getting butchered on the nerd side by the highlander, and on the techie cool crowd side by the CX-9. I am not a CX-9 fan myself. But honestly, to me the most centrist and satisfying large crossovers for family use are the lambdas without a doubt. as the article mentions the extra capacity is what makes them shine and GM NAILED the driving position and third row. that said, i just bought a taurus x (used) to save dough. i knew i couldnt fit the bill on the flex, which is what i really wanted. Flex haters, go sit in one, go drive one. My recommendation is if you take a lot of long family trips you might want a lambda for cargo room. If you bag is not so much cargo room as much as second row function, get a flex. if you want lower seating, get a flex. if you like it trucky, get a lambda. really they are both great vehicles. I would take either over any of the import competition. if you are a traditionalist SUV fan, and like a trucky ride, get the lambda. if you like unique details and plushness, and something a little more carlike, go for the Flex. I so totally would love a Flex I just can't swing it.

yeah, although ford really prices the edge really high.

no the flex and traverse both have three row seating.

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drive...cleId=132786#34 more or less a draw but they did give first to the Flex.

i admire the fit but think its not worth ALL the hype its gotten.

agree. fits nice, cobalt is also

I sat in an 09 Fit Sport today at noon. I made my way out in a scurry to look at it because its rare for a dealer to have one on hand. In fact, when i got there, it was more or less sold, but sales guy let me in to see it. Nice of him. I would imagine Honda is clerking these things out like crazy. Anyways, I like some Hondas but do not worship the temple of Vtec as they say. That said, I find this car refreshed for 09 compelling from a utility and sportiness standpoint. I did not like the interior of the 08. The 09, different story. More airy cabin, better design. I like the pre 09 Fit exterior and the new one to me is just as nice. In person it looks a little busy and chopped off, but that is the nature of this car. My first initial impression is that the exterior is well crafted. The sheet metal is not exactly thick, but we all know this car is light, so so be it. Don't lean a pop can against it. The doors felt thin and cheap opening it. I was introduced to the rear cargo area and seats first. Yes inded, the rear cargo area is good sized, not CAVERNOUS, but very very good sized and usable, lots of height. The plastics back there are light duty. On to the rear seat. i was surprised, but the rear seat seemed a bit tight. I thought the cushion would be higher and a little more leg room. The seat is WIDE. I'll give it that. The magic seat thing really is a joy to watch, although the quality of it is cheap cheap cheap. It made clunky noises and seemed sloppy and loose, i hope they can fix that. With the seat up fully and maximum vertical height in the second row, it really is large enough to put in a bike without the front wheel, or a plasma/LCD upright in box (which is the way they should be moved ), Potted plants? NO PROBLEMO. Just make sure you get floor mats. the carpet in the fit is nonexistent and very thin. Its more like a thin felt a little kid would cut up for grade school art projects. I do not see it lasting AT ALL. The rear area has a hump in the center, no doubt a cabin brace on the underside of the car. I hope the wiring under the carpet doesn't corrode like the recall for the pre 09's. The drivers vantage is wonderfully panoramic. The stretched windshield is quite far out and feels airy, but I wonder if its not a bit too far out. View out the sides is great, the rear windows taper down in the back. The back window is a bit pinched, but still ok to see out of. The window glass seems thin like the doors. The part your body interfaces with, the seat and steering wheel. The SW is from the Civic, right? It felt nice. It was hard to find the adjuster at first but its down there. The seat felt a little lumpy to me and i didn't like the fabric. The shape of it was ok and it hugged me although I did not like the contour of the cushions and their cut lines. Give them credit for nailing (and providing) the nice driver armrest. The SW felt like a much more quality piece than the rest of the dash. I was ok with the design. Its busy, but doesn't suck like the last gen fit. The plastics are not lavish by any stretch. Gauges are busy but well done. Radio and CC stack seem random, but everything is legible and falls to hand. Door panels are cheap and thin. I get that this is a light cheap car, and the price is great, but still. The paddle shifter fell to finger nicely, although not as nice as on Aura for example. Cupholder abound and the ones on the dash itself are brilliantly convenient. The ones in front of the shifter, not so much. I came to look at this car for the interior space utilization, and honestly it is brilliant. Driver controls although busy I came around to say I was fine with. I am let down by the overall build quality on this vehicle. Its a Honda though! Why would I say that???? I've had the ability recently to take more test drives in the Astra and also the Suzuki SX4. And I have been in the Versa. I cannot comment on how the Fit drives, so I can comment on the interior envirnments and quality. I would endorse the other 3 mentioned as more pleasant interiors. The SX4 has a similar vibe with the tall cabin and front quarter windows, but everything about the suzuki interior seems more organized and has better quality. The Versa seems more comfortable. The Astra is more solid and refined. I would recommend to anyone looking at the Fit, to determine if you are just looking at this vehicle for the space efficiency and little else. I can tell you Astras and the SX4 have high fun quotient and probably give as satisfying a drive or more. Perhaps where the Fit has an edge is gas mileage, and of course, utility. I have my doubts whether the Fit would survive hard usage from a family standpoint, lots of cargo hauling, or harsh climates. I think the SX4 would. Astra, probably. The solidity of the Astra i see being tough to beat by the folded paper Fit. It creams the Yaris, the Fit does though. I read recently how even ocnblu looked at the Fit and in the end got the Cobalt even. I think he made the right choice. He will be pleased over time he did. to me, the Fit is a great idea....but I bet he'll be happier with the Cobalt.....more power, more solid, probably as good of real world mpg. In fact, anyone who wants the space the Fit offers, I would send them to go look post haste at an HHR. I think the HHR outdoes the Fit in many ways, while being within reach in price and mpg. The HHR however is not entirely as nimble and I get that that is the big draw of the Fit. I just think from a function standpoint the HHR as GM's space compact provides the best alternative to the Fit, and for most folks I feel is a better buy. I am pretty sure it would not be tough to convince people if you could get them to drive both.

got to sit inside an 09 Fit at noon today. I'll post some thoughts over in the Honda section.

option packaging limits build combinations, which streamlines the entire manufacturing, marketing and distribution process. it saves on the price of the car and costs and headaches for those that distribute and sell it. that said, some flexibility needs to be there. initially, i believe with the demand, chevy will be able to sell every one, reagrdless of option content and make good money.

Amelia was my grandmas name. she was a sweetheart of the highest order...that's how i associate that name now.

that picture at the top of this thread is a really really ass ugly gross looking pig of a truck. i almost want to vomit.

if i ever was interested in the CC, as you said it was specced would be fine. a buddy at work bought a used 07 or 08 quest and SURPRISE! he's already had it back to the dealer. When i read the rap on quests it more or less permanently scare me away from that one. Honda's Ody is a sporty minivan, but i think the Routan is a nice player for a sporty van also. If you compare the Routan to the Chryco offings, the Routan dashboard really is a nice advantage, even you give up the sto n go. got the wife into the saturn showroom this wkd and if i was shopping vans, i think i would just get an outlook. she was digging the 3 row setup and the awesome front row with floor shifter in the outlook. the lambdas are the way to go for the best combination of close to van capacity and sedan like cockpit. Routan was a great drive but it still had a little of that driving a bus aura to it.

GM card sent me a thing, an ADDITIONAL 500 rebate bucks. plus, GM will give me 2k for coming out of my ford lease this month. Even if i don't have a job at the end of this week, i might still have to buy. I damn near pulled the trigger on an Astra XR a couple weeks ago....might go ahead with it now, since the wife is apparently on board now too. TWIST IN THE PLOT......any Saab fans, i just learned there is as much as 8k on the hood for 9-3's, 9.5k for some other saabs. in addition to whatever the dealer may bite on. I will be confirming exactly what that may be tomorrow hopefully. Ford, I love your taurus so much but you absolutely do not want to sell me one right now, so eff you and I will take my 8 grand plus off the sticker on your astra........i wish i could swing the 9-3.....a manual combi would be a treat right now.

for an MSRP of 23k surely you can understand the plastic may be a little cheaper when everyone else is in your rearview mirror. i am gonna have to find one of these babies and drive it, just to satisfy my curiosity.

amen, seriously the temple of vtec pukes gan go eff demselves now

never accuse too many women of being rational. as many of them that BITCH about men being scum, they are the ones that gravtitate to those he-man losers. Bob, we've probably touched on this before....LOL

i didn't think it would happen but the more images i see the more i lust for this car. impractical right now, I'd have one ASAP if I could. this thing rocks. I even like the interior now. the v6 with stick, she is mine. wish they'd turbo it. GM should offer a factory turbo kit for this engine.

HHHMMMMMM, 2 plants and billions invested to conquer the segment. hire a bunch of people. build a $h!ty ass truck, close a plant. throw away workers when you are done. take public money to build said plant and now its worthless. all within a couple years. well, that's ok, the Japanese govt will take care of it. shows you the level of commitment toyota has to the product, doesn't it. toyota and their mediocre fking operation can go to hell.

GMT 360's were nice offerings but never got nice interiors or the powertrain refinements they should have.