pow

I'd go for the IS300. My cousin has had a 2001 since new, and with 180K+ miles (just had its second timing belt change) it's still running strong. Fuel consumption isn't the best with the automatic, but all things considered, a great car.

I forgot about Focus. That would be on the top of my list, if I were to buy new and someone destroyed my poor Passat.

Perhaps I am cynical, but I see Benz' move as a way to force people into the hybrid as a PR move. I wonder how it is selling in comparison to the more genuine, uplevel models. Since when was good PR a bad thing? GM needs all the help it can get. The reputation, integrity, service, and image of a company is as important as the car itself for strong sales. If Cadillac can be viewed as a "smart" brand as much as it's a flashy and powerful one, that will introduce a wider audience of customers to the brand. Mercedes makes hybrids and diesels partly because Europe is full of environmentalists and gas is $6-8 a gallon. Plus governments, which are also full of greenies (especially European ones) buy the S-class. And it is a way to test hybrid technology on the high priced car before price comes down to fit it to a C-class. I would also imagine the S400 hybrid is a small percentage of American S-class sales, and the LS600h and Escalade hybrid are probably even a lower percentage than that. Because people that are worried about saving the planet and being economical and efficient aren't buying a 5,000 lb full size car or SUV. For that reason I think an XTS hybrid would be a slow seller. A person willing to spend an extra $5,000 to "save the planet" isn't looking to buy a 17 foot long Cadillac. Well, gas prices are only going to increase as oil becomes harder and harder to find and more expensive to refine. Might as well prepare for the future. What a novel idea.

Fiesta Fiat 500 New or used Golf or GTI Used Prius Used 5-series Used 9-5 Aero manual Used S60 or V70 manual Yeah, it's all over the place...

A hybrid powertrain adds a level of prestige and it gives Cadillac a competitive advantage to brag about. That's why Mercedes in the US chose to make the S400 HYBRID (they're the ones who decided to make it all caps, not me...) the base powertrain rather than a lowly V6. In country club circles, that's important: a S350 says, "I'm too cheap or poor to buy the S550", but a S400 HYBRID says, "I made a conscious decision to pollute less; it just so happens the hybrid car costs less."

I think I'll prefer the Saab version, but this will probably sell exponentially better.

I prefer the VUE to the Equinox in several respects (higher quality interior, more manageable size) so I wouldn't mind if they sold this version to retail customers as well. The biggest problem with the VUE was its powertrains; the addition of a direct-injected I4 with a six-speed automatic fixes that.

Looks to be a good size... about as big as an A4?

Forte 5-door?

There's this gas station next to a freeway on-ramp I pass coming from home, and I've watched it daily as the prices steadily rose. That's tempered my driving habits a bit each time I get on the freeway. Today I stuck to the speed limit, refrained from unnecessary acceleration, and averaged 33 mpg over 30 miles. Usually I get 27 mpg on that same route. I probably spent an extra two minutes in the car, but hey, I saved 85 cents... hope it adds up.

Yeah, the Swift would be a Suzuki I'd actually be interested in purchasing. It seems fun to drive - a bargain MINI Cooper of sorts - and small cars tend not to depreciate.

Hm, a couple of months, and it's down to $16,500: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2010-Suzuki-Kizashi-SE-AWD-/220747059554?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item33658cd162

This thread is full of win. It's like we have CARBIZ again.

Highland Park

New Jetta = higher sales, lower cost, same price = more profit = win for VW

On one hand, the Evo is the only thing the company has going for it. On the other hand, it sells in such trifle numbers that it hardly seems worth the investment. It's an image booster at best. Perhaps they see going EV as their one competitive advantage back to greater sales and profitability.

Wow, that's a cool, funky looking little car. It looks easily on par with a 207 or C3.

Not sure about "Chevy"... but it is Chevrolet's favorite car, outselling the Spark, Aveo, Lacetti, Orlando, and Captiva.

Looks great! I wouldn't be surprised if it approaches the A4 in interior space, since the PQ35 platform has its engines mounted transverse.

My family tends to keep our cars for a while, so there's not much to list. My parents bought Volvos in the '80s (760 Diesel, which was totaled, and a 740 Turbo and 240 GL), and then bought the Bimmer, Volkswagen, and Honda in the 2000s. I recall lots of relatives had Volvos, too -- 740, 940, 960 -- back in the day when they were safer than most other reasonably-priced cars. Prior to marriage, my mom had some two-door Mazda, and my dad had a Ford LTD. My maternal grandfather's first car was a Mercedes diesel taxi in HK; then in the US, he got a Datsun pick-up (stolen) then a Toyota Truck dually. Paternal grandparents had a 1980s Mercedes 300SD and a 1990s C-Class. US branded cars are getting a lot better now than they were the last 30 years, and I wouldn't be surprised if my parents' next car were a Focus Electric or second-gen Volt. I've inherited the VW, which should be fine for another 5 years, but I'm open to any brand of car as long as it appeals to me.

Minimalist? This looks over styled, like a modern Trans Am maybe. I much prefer the Scandinavian simplicity of the Aero X concept. This just looks fat.

Ick. Not a good conversion. I do wonder what the sedan would look like with the hatch's C-pillar trim.

Everyone has their own reasons. In CA, air pollution in urban areas is responsible for 19,000 annual premature deaths and 280,000 annual cases of asthma. I grew up with asthma and my non-smoking grandfather succumbed to lung cancer - his office was right in front of a (diesel) bus stop. I've seen firsthand how poorer communities who live near major freeways have a far greater concentration of lung disease. For these personal reasons, I'll do what I can to reduce the amount of PM and other localized emissions into the air. From a purely individual, consumer point of view, I've driven both the Leaf and Volt and I love their refinement and silky smooth operation. They make driving calmer and less stressful. Range isn't an issue for me because I rarely drive over 100 miles in one sitting. The Leaf doesn't appeal to me, and the Volt is quite expensive, but it seems the dashing Focus Electric would suit me just fine.

For good or for worse, this ain't a mass-produced car.

Opinions are like assholes. Everyone has one. Only mine are right, though.