pow

Yeah, there are dealers selling new base 9-5s for $27K... Buick Regal 2.4 money.

Or, for $h!s and giggles, you can get a brand new Avenger Heat V6 (283-hp yea!) for $18K. That's a deal I saw in the paper this morning. Crazy.

That's...obnoxious. It's like a Prius being stickered "I'm saving the planet and you're not". I mean that's a super cool story bro but I don't want to know about it while I'm driving. You're obnoxious.

Didn't know Lordstown was a zero landfill plant. Nice. You only hear Subaru talking about that with their IN facility.

I just saw a Range Rover Evoque yesterday. Now *that's* an SUV coupe.

iPhone 4. Maps, Pandora, Yelp, Camera, and Mail come in handy.

No SYNC?

Drove the TDI SEL today. Agreed with most of your points. My observations: - "aluminum" trim on the SE wasn't as bad as expected; SEL plood was okay - steering wheel seemed offset to the right, or maybe I'm not used to having so much shoulder room and seeing the wheel so far from the door - seat bottom angle wasn't adjustable, even though there was power lumbar and seat position memory... weird - doors didn't slam with the "thunk" I was accustomed to; Jetta is better in this regard - brakes could feel more solid - steering was accurate and pleasantly light - nicely damped ride with good body control - good fit and fitness and materials overall, better than its competitors (Accord, Camry, Fusion, Malibu, Optima, etc) - seats could feel more plush, but I thought they were supportive - the Captain Slow in me wanted the DSG to upshift earlier for better economy - averaged 28 MPG in mostly low speed city driving... nice - didn't bother to play around with the touch screen radio; seems less intuitive than proper buttons Overall, I thought it was a solid midsize contender with a more luxury feel than most its competitors. It's not sporty or engaging to drive by any means, but it seems like it will handle the daily slog effortlessly and efficiently. A low stress driving environment. Like it more than the rental 2011 Maxima I drove for 1,500 miles. Looks pretty sharp, but I would still prefer lower ride height and more interesting 19" wheels.

VUE Green Line is FWD only. A good FWD car with stability control and snow tires can be better than most AWD cars with all seasons. The C-class is a solid car... the current generation is supposed to be a lot more reliable than the previous one.

The Cruze currently uses GM's less advanced diesels, so I'm guessing it'll be the 1.7 CDTI found in the Astra ecoFLEX. Astra ecoFLEX 1.7 CDTI 130 hp, 221 lb-ft 99 g/km 76.3 mpg, combined (UK) For what it's worth, a Golf 2.0 TDI gets 58.9 mpg, combined (UK) and 126 g/km. In the US, the Golf TDI gets 34 mpg combined. The Astra ecoFLEX in theory does 30% better, or 44 mpg combined. 50 mpg highway sounds about right!

Just make sure you read the fine print. Gyms are notorious for screwing you over that sort of thing.

You can't get a Taurus, LaCrosse, or Regal for $20K. It seems the base car would be an interesting buy. The manual transmission might make the driving experience a bit better, and perhaps the cloth seats will be more comfortable and accommodating than the pleather. I'd get the $19,995 S special, spend $1200 on some A8-replica wheels and 18" tires, 3M Di-Noc carbon fiber wrap the silver plastic, and call it a day. Personally I don't mind the racket the I5 makes, because it sounds like a muted off-key Gallardo V10. I wonder if the DSG programming is driver adaptable. I'm a slow accelerating driver, and over time, the Tip in my Passat has learned to adapt to that and shift early. SAIC-VW makes a version with a 2.0T in mainland China... Was seat comfort an issue for both the SEL Premium and SE? Apparently the SEL Premium gets more supportive "sport" seats.

Too subtle of a change. Hardly worth the effort. Front looks like a Bravada or something.

I'd get an Outback over the Legacy just because it's better looking as an SUV than a sedan. Gets great gas mileage with the CVT, has excellent visibility, and a comfy ride. You would have to think of ways to metrosexual it up, but it could also pass as a yuppy mobile, or, if you install a Yakima roof rack, an active lifestyle Pacific NW road warrior. But it's kinda pricey with alloys and CVT at $26K. At that price, you can actually get a pretty attractive looking Legacy Limited with heated leather and everything. Come to think of it, it's only the base Legacy that looks dumpy. I tend to prefer cars anyway, so Legacy Limited it is! If not, I'd get the Fusion AWD, but that's only available with a thirsty V6. As a lame duck model, it'll probably be cheap to buy after incentives but quite expensive to run at just 20 MPG combined. Wait, Google says AWD starts at ~$29K, so you better bargain hard. MKZ is just a gross and tacky version of the Fusion, and besides, an AWD version stickers at, what, $35K? I genuinely like the Fusion, but only as a $23K four-banger (six-speed with sport package, yea!) or $28K hybrid. The only other AWD midsize sedan I can think of is the Kizashi. A nice SE model with CVT and 18s stickers at $24K (that's still kinda pricey; I guess that's the price you pay for AWD and a slushbox), and you can probably get one for much less. It's a legitimately good car, but you'll have to keep it forever since its residuals kinda suck. Onto SUVs. New Sportage looks dashing, even better than the Tiguan, and you can get a nice EX AWD model (LED DRLs, yea!) for under $25K. I like the Juke myself, and it apparently comes with a nifty torque vectoring AWD system and CVT for $22K. Little turbo motor is a blast, but it's got the interior space of a small hatch. (While we're at it, what about a $19K SX4 Crossover?) Patriot and Compass are hopeless. A Nitro, Liberty, or V6 Journey will probably get you negative MPG. I thought the cheap little Outlander Sport would be a good idea, but with AWD, it starts at $24K. OMG can you believe that? Then there's the whole class of soulless cute 'utes, ranging from generic (CR-V, RAV4) to pricey (CX-7, Tiguan) to dangerous (Escape). I simply don't like the Terrain or Equinox. In conclusion, needing AWD seems to really limit your options, and you pay more, both at the dealer and at the pump. Bummer. But wait, there's hope! The 2012 Impreza is coming later this year, and it's AWD, safe, reliable, and reputable, inexpensive, and will get 36 MPG highway. Ding, ding, ding, I think I know what I'd get!

I use to think that way untill I started borrowing the Honduh Odyssey which is just gigantic! Its cool shoving smaller vehicles of the road ,especially communists in their bicycles HAHA! while sipping a Big Gulp from anyone of it's 13 cup holders AND enjoying a BACON cheese burger on the go thanks to the center tray between the front seats, yea! Not being PC here but its the truth LOL!

This video predated the ZR1... straight line results might be different with the new car. A Cobalt steering wheel isn't acceptable in a $100K car, though.

Grocery chain up here. It's good tasting spring water. I've got a Pur water filter on the faucet but it, just like the 4 Britas before it, just doesn't hold up. The metal threads do, unlike the plastic threads on Brita filters, but the housing is falling apart. Can't be bothered to spend $50 or whatever to replace it when I can get $0.50 spring water, which I think tastes better anyway. I use the Brita pitcher, which has lasted me 3 years and counting.

The water around here is pretty good. I use a Brita filter just to be safe, but that only costs me $2 a month, and a Klean Kanteen is, what, $10?

Volts been popping up all over the place. Nice looking car, like nothing else out there. The front end is very aggressive.

I'd go for the three-banger. Less boost would be okay, too, if that lowers fuel consumption. 140 hp should be plenty in the Cruze Eco, especially with the reduced weight of the engine. Would make a nice range extender for the Volt, too.

Looks like it was designed to encourage antisocial behavior. Those fat rear tires seem perfect for doing burnouts, and with that poor visibility, you can drive like a complete douche in complete anonymity. You don't have to give a damn about anyone else when you're in that little metal cocoon.

Wait, are you saying that the motorcyclist spraying burnout on his hood would be considered a traffic accident? Or him kicking the door? I'd be happy to hold my temper if I can call 911 with his license plate number and actually have the police take it seriously. I doubt that would happen. Where I used to live ricers would do burnouts on my street every so often. I'd call the cops and they would come. The best time was when some retarded in a Mazda 626 blew a tire and while he was trying to change it the cop showed up. I laughed pretty hard. HAHAHAHA SO FUNNY! OMG LOLZ

But then the buyer would be stuck w/ an ordinary compact. The Prius gives one status and bragging rights....I've certainly gotten an earful over the years from Prius-owner friends and coworkers..a Corolla just says that one is a cheapskate or can't afford better, a Prius says one is smart and green..at least that is the perception in society at large. Yes, that perception exists. It also proves that a fool and his $$$ are soon and easily parted. Status and bragging rights do nothing for your personal bottom line. A planetary eCVT is way simpler than any traditional torque-converter automatic transmission. Please explain what a planetary eCVT is and a conventional chain-driven CVT is. Here you go... http://www.eahart.com/prius/psd/

I'm not discussing frontal collisions. In a side impact, integrity of the passenger compartment is important... but beefing up that structure increases mass. And when testing, the entire mass of the Crown Vic is still used to dissipate the force of the impact. Notice that the Crown Vic is not fastened to the ground... that would have taken the weight factor out of the equation. The entire Crown Vic is accelerated, therefore weight plays a role in the crash test. Now, if the vehicle has a sufficiently weak structure, then I suppose the weight works against the design... but what you can't see in a video is the actual forces being recorded by the dummies. If that weight slowed down the sled to reduce the forces on the passengers, then also plays a role in the crash test. F=ma is true in ANY collision. Your acceleration vector will be determined in part by weight. If the G's experienced are great enough, even with a seat belt, your internals will rupture. If you don't want to be crumpled upon impact, you better choose a car that has extra space inside (heavier vehicle) or has more side protection (heavy side beams). Weight therefore plays a role in your purchasing habits for safety. Not disputing that mass matters in overall vehicle safety, particularly in head on collisions. What I'm saying is that it doesn't matter in the context of the crash tests that the IIHS and NHTSA do. The Crown Vic is at a disadvantage because of its weak side structure and high curb weight. The matter of mass is secondary when you consider the occupants inside have NO survival space, i.e., the B-pillar is where your right shoulder once was. Speaking of forces, the dummy in the Crown Vic recorded forces on the pelvis SIX times higher ("Poor") than in the fortwo ("Good").

You're probably being facetious, but in case you're serious, Sprinter is from Merc's commercial vehicles division and isn't sold alongside their luxury cars. It has its own website and everything: http://www.mbsprinterusa.com/