Robert Hall

Hmmm....I bet some of the leaders of this effort will end up in Guantanamo soon. Heh-heh, but seriously, if California would get serious about seccession, I'd move there in a heartbeat.... get away from the red state loonies.

Yes, but Toyotas and Hondas are still just mass-market, mainstream brands. A key aspect of yuppidom is the conspicious consumption of premium branded merchandise...

True, not much different than driving any other midsize SUV...I couldn't drive the H3 because of the ugly exterior and ugly interior... the mileage is no worse than my Grand Cherokee, it sounds like. The Hummer brand has such a 'poser' image, though (compared to other SUV brands).

The i30 is the Hyundai version of the Kia Ceed, from what I've read in the British mags.

Twice this week in my morning commute I've seen a gray 4dr '64 Dodge (Polara?)...pretty sure it's a 64, judging by the grille....strange to see a 40+ yr old car in modern traffic... ..and on the way home tonight, saw a lt. blue early '60s Studebaker Lark 4dr in traffic.

I think 'FOG' has confused 'yuppie' with 'mainstream'..... mainstream car buyers buy Toyota, Nissan, Hondas... Yuppies buy premium brands--Audi, BMW, Lexus, etc.

What's wrong with the seats??

Slick, slick, slick...love the wheels and the gray paint. I like the hood hole.

Kind of old news...lots of other car makers support Bluetooth now...

Apparently fire bad. In other RL news, I read an article somewhere the other day that said the '08 Accord was slightly larger inside and out than the RL...very disturbing.

The thing that is surprising is that is the first change in standards in 32 years! I wonder what the fleet average for cars produced in 2007 is (if you factor out the trucks and SUVs) compared to 32 years ago? Interesting that the 'work trucks' would be exempt.. I wonder what percentage of those are actually used as commercial vehicles (10%?).

IIRC, my 20 yr old Mustang has one..that's a pretty basic CC feature from decades past.

They need to setup emission standards for cows and equip all new ones with catalytic converters.

Obvious choice...what else was new for '08? The Ford Super Duty was just a hideous restyle and update of the '99 model.

I have a few friends from grad school that I've kept in touch with that are Korean (South)...they don't drive Hyundais and Kias, they drive Toyotas and Hondas like many Americans today.

About the only place I use cruise control is when I'm on a freeway outside of a metro area, with no mountains... an environment in which I'm very rarely in, so I end up using CC only a few times a year at most.

Yes, but the 396 wasn't available in '64. So it's pointless, after all, since how many people in the target market for the new car were around in '64 and remember such trivia?

The original battery in my GC lasted about 4 1/2 years and died with no warning. One afternoon, click, no start. I replaced the original with a Diehard. The Diehard in my '87 Mustang is now over 8 years old, but I start that car every two weeks, keep it on a trickle charge, and drive it maybe 500 miles a year.

Apparently the Terrain is going to be sold in NA in '09 to replace the Torrent. (according to Autoweek today). Autoweek article about Torrent and Terrain.

Thanks for posting the pics... good luck with the move and the new job.

I'd rather have diesel..torque is good.

Ugh.. I like most of the current M-B designs, but this is vile..setting the bar low.. the BRX can't come soon enough.

Hmmm...CT5, CT6, and CTX could be replacements for Escalade, ESV, and EXT. Or maybe that's what DTX and DT7 are for..

Geographically, yes, but Canada's population is less than 10% that of the EU.] Maybe in a few urban areas, but in general, there is a lot of space for suburbs to spread out into (look at Phoenix, for example...growing and growing, infinite desert to use up as suburbs). Dying places like the Dakotas are experiencing depopulation now.. Unfortunately, the god, guns and pickups crowd is huge in the US...this is the deluded demographic that elected GW Bush, after all.. The problem with Aveos and Fits, though, is they are viewed as poor people's cars to most Americans...now if I could get something stylish with a Cadillac quality interior in an Aveo sized package, then I might consider one.. I do it..I drive a Grand Cherokee to work everyday, but I get 18-19 mpg and can afford it..far better mileage than the giant bloat-beast trucks and SUVs I see everyday on the road--usually with one person aboard. I could see myself trading it on a diesel that gets 25-30mpg or better.. Agreed...

The problem is, without regulation as motivation, there will be no innovation.