Flybrian

All it needs are non-crappy radio controls and bingo, a winner.

See, I'm intimidated before I see the Wells Fargo stagecoach on the side.

There we go...

One thing I find funny about that Alfa (which is a 2006 166, btw) is that it has navigation with a tape deck and some sort of card slot, but no visable CD slot. Nice.

1) VW made too great a leap without thinking of the consequences. As Thegriffon alluded to, selling a more reasonable car at $40-55k would've made more sense, moved more units, and done so much more to increase people's respect for VW than this waste of time, money, and engineering 2) Being better than the electrically-overwrought 760 and S500 isn't an achievement in my book. What Balthazar alludes to is true as well - VW made a gross miscalculation in thinking the clientele that would typically show interest in a car of this stature would purchase one from a Volkswagen dealership. Its not badge-snobbery as much as it is logical thinking. Compare the service you get at a VW dealer to one you'd find in your average Audi retailer; that tells a good portion of the story. Also, regardless of how 'trained' the techs are, I wouldn't feel as comfortable having my $85k luxury saloon serviced by the same people who can't fix the same Jetta that's been brought in for the fifth time. VW reliability unto itself also leaves a lot to be desired. 3) Distaste for the American consumer? Why? For not overspending on this car? I give a big congratulations to all the Americans and Europeans who weren't suckered into paying sticker for this beast. Perhaps the most intelligent of all are those who collectively turned their noses up at this misplaced boat, forcing VW to scrap it, and then scraping up the remains for 30-40% off original MSRP. Perhaps the American consumer isn't so ignorant after all...

Agreed, but remember, quality control is not a nationalized thing. We have good quality, we just need to spread it around. I'm becoming less of an admirer of current Japanese quality and European quality is the joke de jour.

The 'What If...?' discussion got me thinking about how international things are becoming and just how quickly they are becoming that way. I can perhaps understand the need to captively import and rebadge a Daewoo as a subcompact or a European Focus as we just get lazy in this country. But when I read and hear about how "global concerns" may just end up seriously dictiating how large our midsize and fullsize cars will be, I get irritated. I have to wonder...am I the only one that's going to lament the passing of truly American-exclusive cars? Cars like... For years it seems we've had to bend to the will of foreigners. The original 300M's rear was chopped because it was destined to be exported to Europe. The Sigma STS was shrunk from the previous Seville, again, to 'more adequately compete' in and with Europeans. And yet despite these efforts, we simply cannot win. Even our European-imported cars like the Focus and upcoming AURA just aren't European enough. And how many times has the CTS been bitched at because its bigger than a 3er but smaller than a 5er? Maybe because its, uh, American? And America can do whatever the hell it wants, including sticking eighty pounds of ribbed plastic trim on the sides of a car, building a passenger sedan on a thirty year-old frame stronger than what underpins most Japanese trucks, put four individual backup lamps on one car, and most glorious of all, designing, building, and selling 17-foot long cars with two doors. Everything's becoming too international, too common, too 'one-car-changed-slightly-to-appeal-to-different-markets.' I'm going to miss the model year when I can no longer buy a big, fat, chromed-up tank designed with absolutely no regard for European pedestrian safety regs or Asian size preferences or South American fuel requirements. Things overseas aren't all that great themselves either, folks. The new Golf sucks so bad VW is redesigning it already. The Phaeton is a bust. And check out this center stack design... Ugly, cheap-looking, and ergonomically screwed. Its from the Alfa-Romeo 166. I'm not against incorporating certain desireable elements from foreign cars, but damnit, I still want my American cars to be American. If I wanted an import, I'd buy one.

I'd rather have the Volga, thank you.

Nice LaCrossing of the sideglass

Hmm...this...or a Crown Vic...hard choice. But seriously, the interior is awful. No, not because its a service car, but because the modifications are just weird. Peep the 'dash' shifter, for example

Hmmm...the last one is an appropriate color - both were grandiose, expensive failures. I've seen VW's color chips for the Phaeton. Hillarious. Apassionata. Coucou gray. I guess its tailored for their target audience. Good idea. I want to see a new Jetta in "Like, Green", "Tur...koyse (sp?)??" and "OMG BLUE!"

Whatever that offwhite color the Volvo retract has, its not that attractive. Convertibles need to be vibrant, not blase. I actually appreciate the impact of Fusion Orange Metallic, though. I think the CTS and Grand Prix are a little too 'big' for the color, but GPs don't look that bad with them. Perhaps its 'exciting'.

True. This really was more for people like us than the general car buying public in terms of building goodwill towards GM. Perhaps revamping it and limiting the traveling show to new and/or hot models would be a cheaper, more effective tool. For example, at the event in Tampa, I felt the pickup truck, SUV, and family car setups were pretty sensible. However, the luxury car course didn't make much sense. Bad timing means the brand-new 5er was the most driven car while the new STS was still a year out. There was even a LeSabre there...a LeSabre Custom. With cloth seats. I didn't even understand that. I drove it a few times because I felt bad for it. I even joked with one of the staffers there if I was the youngest one to drive it; she said I was the only one to drive it.

Yeah, that hybrid-exclusive green is pretty horrendous. Should take a page from Vacation and name it Metallic Pea.

Hyundai XG350L with a trunk-mounted luggage rack.

Dear automakers, This car is not Metallic Shale, Dusk Breeze, Platinum Mist, Medium Granite, Effervescent Steel, Wild Darkstone, Opel Slate, Byzantine Moon, Mountain Night, Evening Twilight, Slatestone Harmony, or any other esoteric euphamism you can come up with. Its GRAY!!!!!!! Thank you.

BV, the vagina is on the outside... ...at least moreso than it resembles Subaru's 'aviation heritage' as if it really had any to speak of.

"May realign itself"? Wow.

Ditto. This style of truck design is very irritating to someone like myself who just appreciates a clean, simple pickup. The Silverado/Sierra have been keeping themselves in check. I hope they continue. If I ever own one, I don't want to be embarassed by driving a rolling characiture of my shortcomings.

I see I'm going to be using this a whole lot...

What I mean is a lack of molding on cars with higher beltlines and lower greenhouses give the flanks alot of vertical heft, something I at least find very unattractive. The G35 coupe suffers from this as do Monte Carlos without door molding.

Its one of the very, very, very few foreign cars I'd even consider. the Coupe is awkward, but the Brera and 159? Sex.

10 11 12 13 14 15 16 VOTE----------------VOTE----VOTEVOTE----VOTEVOTEVOTE--VOTEVOTEVOTE-- -VOTE--------------VOTE---VOTE----VOTE--------VOTE--------VOTEVOTEVOTE--- --VOTE------------VOTE----VOTE----VOTE--------VOTE--------VOTE---------------- ---VOTE----------VOTE-----VOTE----VOTE--------VOTE--------VOTE---------------- ----VOTE--------VOTE------VOTE----VOTE--------VOTE--------VOTEVOTEVOTE---- -----VOTE------VOTE-------VOTE----VOTE--------VOTE--------VOTEVOTEVOTE---- ------VOTE----VOTE--------VOTE----VOTE--------VOTE--------VOTE---------------- -------VOTE--VOTE---------VOTE----VOTE--------VOTE--------VOTE---------------- --------VOTEVOTE----------VOTE----VOTE--------VOTE--------VOTEVOTEVOTE--- -----------VOTE----------------VOTEVOTE----------VOTE---------VOTEVOTEVOTE-- Good luck to all who entered!

Welcome to the Sketch Competition #4 Voting thread! Remember, artists who entered must vote for someone other than themselves. Those that do not vote or vote for themselves will be asessed a two (2) point penalty. Voters, please nominate four (4) entries in this format: 1st place 2nd place 3rd place 4th place Each first place vote earns 4 points, each second place vote 3 points, each third place vote 2 points, and each fourth place vote 1 point. Voting begins now and will end Sunday, May 14, 2006 @ 11:59PM. Only those votes cast during that time will be counted. Remember, the 1st place winner will recieve a special Chevy Impala prize from Cheers and Gears! 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Welcome to the Chop Competition #18 Voting thread! Remember, artists who entered must vote for someone other than themselves. Those that do not vote or vote for themselves will be asessed a two (2) point penalty. Voters, please nominate three (3) entries in this format: 1st place 2nd place 3rd place Each first place vote earns 3 points, each second place vote 2 points, and each third place vote 1 point. Voting begins now and will end Friday, May 12th @ 11:59PM. Only those votes cast during that time will be counted. Remember, the 1st place winner will recieve a special SAAB-related prize from Cheers and Gears! -------------- 1 2 3 4 5 Good luck!