Cory Wolfe

When I first saw the press shots of this car, I was fairly unimpressed overall. After having seen it in person and eyeing it up threw my viewfinder, the coupe looks much better in the flesh. There's subtle changes over the sedan you don't quite notice at first. The stance is lower and wider, there's a bit more rake to every angle in the back, and it just seems to be a restrained, attractive design. The oddest aspect of the car... The crestless wreath. The grill just doesn't stand out as much without it. That is one change that will be difficult to get use to.

Ain't that cute, a baby Sierra. They were really going for the family look with this one. Medium, large, or extra-large; What will it be today, Sir? Mmmm, I feel like being reasonable today... and I'm sort of on a diet. Canyon, it is. On a serious note, the Canyon looks great. It's sthuper classthy, and delivers a healthy addition of luxury over the Colorado. Very well executed duo, to say the least. Personally speaking, I like the dynamism of the Colorado more. It's more lively and youthful. It's refreshingly unique from the rest of Chevrolet's truck lineup.

A strict diet isn't necessarily in my future, though I could stand to simply improve it. My biggest problem is that I've let myself grow lazy in the exercise department. What was once a daily task for me on some level is now practically nonexistent. Im starting to really feel it in diminished stamina and strength.

The list isn't terribly surprising. The first crop of EVs were mostly priced beyond where the market wanted. Factor in the tax credit and you have an instant loss in depreciation.

Apparently, Dubois is riddled with people who can't properly park a vehicle. Whether this is out of inability or just sheer laziness remains to be seen... This CRV driver just left it parked halfway on the lane, partially in two separate Handicapped spaces. This Explorer driver wasn't satisfied with a single parking spot and clearly needed all four spaces. To be fair, this guy was still in his vehicle... and happened to be a 2015 Tahoe with M plates. The real question is why he was in Dubois, of all places...

Micro: Opel Adam/VW Up! Sub-Compact: Renault Clio/Peugeot 208 Compact: Kia Cee'd/Citroen DS5/VW Scirocco Midsize: Ford Mondeo Estate/Mazda6 Estate Full Size: VW Phaeton Small SUV/CUV: Ford Ecosport Midsize SUV/CUV: Chevy Trailblazer Truck: VW Amarok/Ford Ranger

They ought to just standardize license plates across the entire country, like much of Europe does. No need to have 50 different plate formats with differing requirements. Granted, if they were to do this, I can easily see the new federal mandate being a two-plate affair. As a thought, maybe we could move to a more technology based form of vehicle registration. Either electronic plates or some form of bar-code for the front windshield.

Thanks for the birthday wishes. My quarter life crisis is now in full-effect.

The Kizashi was an excellent car that was introduced as the market imploded and never really given a chance by those scorned from GM-sourced Daewoo rebadges. And now, due to Suzuki exiting the U.S. market, they will be subjected to piss-poor resale value in the used-car market; a blessing and a curse.

The car is better executed than the Genesis and Equus. While it's still not an original look, it has a certain presence and carries on Kia's current design language (though, with a definite BMW flavor). Being that it does share it's underpinnings with the Hyundai sisters, it won't be the engineering marvel that the VW Phaeton was, however. If only success had less emphasis on actually selling... This Kia may be the surprise of the mainstream luxury sedans.

Good improvements that should keep the car fresh and give it more substance. The Sport model, depending on the execution, could be a viable alternative to the higher-powered variants of the Dart, Mazda3, etc. Then again, I feel like something will probably be missing... This is, however, the sort of improvements that Chevy needed to do with the Cruze, especially with the next generation being pushed back.

It's.... okay. The styling is an improvement over the regular Impreza, but beyond that, it's nothing to really lust after. Inside, there are notable improvements and this one may actually feel worthy of its price-point, unlike its predecessor. I can't help but feel just as underwhelmed as when the last generation debuted. That model was the beginning of some very boring times for Subaru that, unfortunately, haven't been completely cured. The BRZ could benefit from that new 2.0 turbo... if they can get it to fit.

While not officially revealed, Chevy has already updated their website with official information and pictures on the 2014 Sonic Dusk special edition. It's been a long time coming since the concept and a supposed official release that was timed for the 2013 model year, but never came to fruition.

I just want to note that Chevy is really on their game when it comes to updating their website lately. What used to be a game of wait and see, is now a game of... well, you're better off going to their website for info rather than the likes of Autoblog, etc. A nearly-full configuration is already available with bed-lengths, cabs, colors, trims, wheels, and interior options. Also, the new Colorado looks great. Hopefully, the diesel will be available with a stick. It seems odd to enter into the midsize truck segment sans any stick what-so-ever.

I think it looks fine. It's nothing special, but it keeps Lincoln's tweaked look adequately fresh and attractive. The inside is much the same story, except for those wonderful buttons and knobs they've returned to the center stack. Ah... how delightful. Now, please do that across the board, Ford. .... the fail here... it makes my head hurt. Horsepower is a marketing tool and nothing more. Torque is what moves you. More torque at a lower RPM is a good thing. Horsepower is a measurement of torque over time (rpm).... There is no need to spin these engines up because the torque comes on low. HP = (torque X RPM) / 5252 For the 2.3, that means at 3000 RPM where the engine is making its most torque, the engine is making 171 horsepower. For the 2.0, that means at 3000 RPM where the engine is making its most torque, the engine is making 154 horsepower. For the 4.3, that means at 3900 RPM where the engine is making its most torque, the engine is making 226 horsepower... BUT you have to spin it up an extra 900 RPM to get that HP.... At 3,000 rpm however, the 4.3 V6 only makes about 270 lb-ft meaning the horsepower output at that speed is about 154 horsepower. At 3,000 rpm, the 4.3 V6 produces equal horsepower to a 2.0 Ecoboost and less horsepower than the 2.3 Ecoboost. You're not after peak horsepower... you're after peak torque.. and you want it as low as possible on the Tach. BTW, the Tesla Model S makes its maximum torque of 315 lb-ft at ZERO rpm (software limited). No matter what the torque is, at ZERO RPM the horsepower is ZERO..... but 315 ft-lbs @ ZERO RPM (impossible in any internal combustion engine btw) will rip your eyelids out when you let off the brake. Exactly. A good example would also be my Legacy vs. my Avalon. The Legacy with its 2.5L. turbocharger 4-cylinder produced 250 lb/ft @ 3600 RPM (and 250 hp @6000 RPM). The Avalon with its 3.5L. naturally aspirated V6 produces 260 lb/ft @4700 RPM (and 280 hp @6200). Each car weighs roughly the same (3435 lbs vs 3490 lbs). Let's say I'm driving up a moderate incline and trying to maintain 55 MPH. Right off the bat, you will find that the Legacy has no trouble maintaining speed in its top gear. If you switch to the Avalon, you will find that in order to maintain the same constant speed on the same incline, it must downshift a gear. This, despite the extra 2 cylinders, extra 10 lb/ft of torque, and extra 30 hp. That is the difference of torque that is available at low RPMs thanks to turbocharging.

Eminem's new album. It's fantastic. I mean, beyond all the beats that are original, how he mixes an existing song is mind-blowing. This one puts a smile on my face: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSEXEiY72JA

Well, the adjuster finally inspected the vehicle yesterday. The verdict is... He's incompetant. Besides being a typical cheap-ass insurance adjuster trying to save money in every way possible to ensure your vehicle is never repaired as best as it could be, he screwed up the estimate. First, he ordered the wrong headlight. There's a big difference between the regular Avalon's halogen headlights and the Avalon Limited's standard auto-leveling HID headlights. Also, while I could be wrong since I'm sure body shops can work their magic in surprising ways, I was certain the hood would need to be replaced and he entered to just repair and realign it. The estimate is also less thorough than my last estimate from when I hit a deer that did much less damage, and less costly. Somehow, the damage below did over $1k more than the damage at the top of the page. Besides the missed headlight, and difference with the hood, it seems odd... Meanwhile, I'm pretty sure my resale value will forever be toast after this.

I honestly expected Mitsubishi to bow out before Suzuki. The Kizashi was such an excellent car, and even the SX4 and Grand Vitara were good vehicles despite their age. Mitsubishi, on the other hand, hasn't had a single exceptional vehicle besides their low-volume EVO for years. The Galant had been worst in its class for a long time, the Eclipse never regained the magic it had in the 90's, the Lancer was an also-ran, the Outlander was in-betweener that was okay in most regards and perhaps their single best vehicle in recent years, but it never caught on.

Of all the various new Silverados and Sierras I've seen on lots, I've spotted a mere two regular cabs, and both were as basic as they come. I'd like to see more regular cabs for people who don't need the extra space, but don't want a basic truck. I'm sure people like Ocnblu would appreciate it. I remember when I was young, things were different. If you bought a truck, you bought a regular cab and sat three wide, sometimes four. Not exactly safe, but everyone did it back in the day.

Honda did such a great job on the Accord. It's hard to imagine how they are unable to class up the Civic range in a meaningful manner. This... Isn't better.

Local dealer just got their first CTS in. Looks sharp in person. I have to say, though, I definitely expected the Corvette to take it.

Happy Birthday!

I don't know why, but the Custom Cruiser is my favorite B-Body.

A week later, and my insurance is really dropping the ball on this. Adjuster still, STILL, hasn't been out to assess the damage so I can finally get it into the shop. Not too happy with Allstate at this point.

But, somehow, it's happened. I hit a black bear. Literally right outside of Dubois, barely beyond a residential area. Most unexpected incident of my life. Hit it hard enough to completely disable the vehicle. It wouldn't start or turn over afterwards. Now I just need Allstate to hurry the hell up and send an adjuster.