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What year is the DeVille?
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
If you have very, very old senior friends or relatives that need your help to get places, such as doctors, hospital tests, or visiting others, the ordinary sedan is the best. These folks are usually short, not very flexible. They can easily back into the front seat of a sedan. And, if they are in a portable wheelchair, the only way to help them into a seat is with a sedan car seat. For these folks, suvs, pickups, some minivans have seats that are way too high.
She doesn't do too badly, getting in and out of my 2000 Park Ave. And odd as it may sound, my '76 LeMans is actually easy for her to get in and out of. You wouldn't think a low-slung 70's coupe would be senior-citizen friendly, but its seat is pretty high off the floor and the sill is narrow, and close to the edge of the seat, so it's fairly easy to enter/exit.
For the longest time, it was easiest to just load her into my '85 Silverado, because it was just high enough that she could slide into, rather than down into. But, in the past few years, as she's aged and shrunk, it's gotten to be too much.
"Rising fuel prices have General Motors Co. GM and Chrysler Group LLC taking a second look at peddling smaller pickup trucks—vehicles that the Detroit Three auto makers abandoned in the U.S. amid weak demand.
GM is planning to revive its Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon in late 2014, and Chrysler is considering a replacement for its Dakota. Both see the vehicles helping them to hit higher fuel-economy targets and to regain market share from Toyota Motor Corp.'s Tacoma, the current top-selling small hauler."
Detroit Rethinks Small Trucks (WSJ)
In 2005, in a Subaru thread, we were discussing this, so I broke out a tape measure and actually measured the hip point of several cars:
NA Miata: 13"
Legacy 2.5i sedan: 17.5"
Impreza RS sedan: 20"
Outback XT: 22"
Tribeca: 26"
So you can see there are pronounced differences from a low slung sports car to a high up crossover, exactly double in this case.
Sedans varied a lot. That Legacy actually had a surprisingly low hip point. The Outback would be far more comfortable to get in and out.
My friend's Altima is also very low slung.
My Sienna minivan is higher than my wife's Forester.
It all depends on the model.
I saw what I think was a new Caprice today (it was definitely a Caprice, because I could see the "Caprice" emblem on the side)... It had a temporary tag, which SC issues on a new sale (good up to 45 days after the sale, and this one expires on March 16).
It was a medium-to-dark metallic gray. Not a bad looking car at all, although the front grill looks a bit small for the front of the car. The car was in the lane next to me, so I couldn't get a look at the interior.
IMO, the car's design is much "smarter" looking than the Malibu.
The rear I think is a bit plain, like the 'old' ('12 and earlier) Impala, but I like it in profile. I truly wish it weren't built in Australia, and I know people from Australia so it's nothing personal!
I just tried to search on "Caprice" and unfortunately, the only thing that came up was a 1996 with 250,000 miles on it, for $2200.
That's going to be my retirement job.
As for Caprices, the local gendarme has two - one marked and one unmarked.
Other than we enthusiasts would recognize the Caprice as police only. The other 98% would identify it as a car.
And yeah, shuttling these cars back and forth would be a cool retirement job. A mere 30-something years away for me :shades:
"The Verano feels like a cheap version of an expensive car, while the ILX feels like an expensive version of a cheap car."
Interesting read. Both cars made in the USA.
It does sound like a fun, but I wonder if, once you're actually doing it for a living, it would feel too much like work, and lose its charm?
If I ever find myself retired/fired/laid-off/whatever, it might be something to look into.
If it were a police vehicle, it would not have had the temporary tag on it in SC, so I would think its something else. Could possibly be a rental, because SC does issue temp tags to rental companies. Either way, the style was enough to capture my attention, and the gray color really enhanced its appeal, at least to me.
I went to the Chevrolet web-site and couldn't even find the Caprice listed in the model lineup. That's a shame, because I think (based only on my very brief observation of the car in motion) that its a design with some sales-appeal.
But to echo some in the comments, that segment is going to be shaken up when the CLA and new A3 hit the road here.
Did you see this:
or this:
There is no "Caprice" emblem on the side of the Caprice. There is the "Impala" emblem on the rear pillar of the Impala:
That's going to be my retirement job.
It sounds like the back haul drivers for U-Haul and Penske keep real busy returning trucks from Texas and elsewhere to California.
The front had the Chevy "Bow-tie" in the middle of a relatively small front grill.
It may be a one-of-a-kind vehicle, but I know what I saw...
Check out this video...
http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=DqLNs6776ow&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DDqLNs6776o- - w
The car I saw was very similar to the first red car shown (about 10 seconds into the clip) in the video ...
Geez, that silver pic--doesn't that look like a larger Audi in places?
ILX & Verano, autoblog
I read the AutoBlog article because of your comments. I expected a C&D type review based on the concept that everyone is wanting to drive a racecar. Instead, I settled into reading a fair and careful description of the two cars.
They did peg one thing and that is that the automatic is the better option in the Verano for both its market demographic and its lack of a higher quality manual. I wonder if that "miss" in the manual and shifter is to keep the manual in the ATS more attractive, assuming it's a good quality fit. I was surprised at their honesty of the Civic-like shortcomings on the ILX.
"Our final vote was tallied, and the decision was unanimous – we all preferred the Buick Verano Turbo over the Acura ILX Premium.
"Throughout the entire comparison, the ILX simply couldn't shake its Civic roots. It was constantly referred to as "the Honda" during our radio chatter (we never once called the Verano "the Chevrolet"), and we couldn't stop thinking about the still-outstanding Civic Si each time we slid behind the Acura's wheel."
The real success here is that the Verano is given a fair evaluation by some carguys who are more aggressive driving-oriented than most of us.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
of weeks ago but I'm still not wowed by the ILX. I wouldn't drop $30k on either of them.
As for the ILX, I'm having a hard time figuring out why I'd spend an extra $8k on this over an Civic Si sedan, and I'm a current Acura owner. Leather is nice, and it looks more mature, but the 13 Civics have the improved interior and more sound deadening, not to mention the Si has a front limited slip standard and available navigation that can't even be optioned at ALL on the ILX 2.4. Come to think of it, the Si seems like a pretty fun package for $23K for the sedan. I'd like to drive one of those too. Is mid-30's too old to be seen in one?
23 Civic Type-R / 22 MDX Type-S / 21 Tesla Y LR / 03 Montero Ltd
Interesting. A regular here posts links to TTAC, but I must've missed that particular link of his.
This is their review of the Verano turbo 6M...
"Five years later Buick has created a car that I not only rank above the Acura TSX and Audi A3 for overall performance and value, but also because it was also truly fun to drive and live with for a week.
"Buick’s row-it-yourself transaxle is not the same notchy unit found in the Regal, instead this has been lifted from GM’s European lineup and the change is welcome with shift quality equaling the Audi A3 and Acura TSX. (Bold statement I know.) Third pedal effort is fairly similar to the TSX although I actually preferred the predictable and linear engagement of the Buick."
I'd like to see a fair review of a normal Verano 2.5 6A
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
I'd lean toward a Regal but those do cost a bunch more.
ILX seems pointless to me, give me a refreshed Civic Si or an Accord.
And here's a direct link to a CNET Cooley review of the Verano Turbo.
Neither of these guys are known for pulling punches, and while Cooley is critical per usual, he never singles out the transmission. All that said, I'm guessing the automatic is better suited for this car anyhow given its mission as a quiet cruiser vs a sport sedan. And with the torque numbers it produces, I bet the automatic works very well. It sounds like a nice everyday car, if you are a sedan person.
As for the ILX, one problem is Honda has too many better alternatives in the Civic Si, TSX (which is going away) and the Accord. In fact, after a recent review of the RLX, I'd say a loaded Accord Touring is a solid alternative to that at over $20k less. The new TL and MDX can't come fast enough for Acura if they want to keep customers coming to the showroom.
23 Civic Type-R / 22 MDX Type-S / 21 Tesla Y LR / 03 Montero Ltd
He usually likes the $90,000 plus stuff, too.
Funny to see no-lift shift and rev matching on a quiet tuned car. Maybe the sporty features come from the Astra side of the family.
23 Civic Type-R / 22 MDX Type-S / 21 Tesla Y LR / 03 Montero Ltd
It's funny, GM just hasn't branded DI+turbo as well as Ford has. You say EcoBoost and everyone knows what it is.
http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20130312/AUTO0101/303120318/1148/rss25
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport; 2020 C43; 2021 Sahara 4xe 1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica Wife's: 2015 X1 xDrive28i Son's: 2009 328i; 2018 330i xDrive
23 Civic Type-R / 22 MDX Type-S / 21 Tesla Y LR / 03 Montero Ltd
He likes tech, but well executed high end stuff.
23 Civic Type-R / 22 MDX Type-S / 21 Tesla Y LR / 03 Montero Ltd
Hard-working Americans should not have to choose between their free speech and their job," said Rana Elmir, spokeswoman for the ACLU of Michigan. "No employee should fear being fired for speaking out on issues of public concern. Retaliating against workers who publically comment on an array of issues including product quality and management practices is not only bad for business, but sends a chilling message to the rest of the work force. Employees have a right to air their grievances, even if that means a public demonstration or comments to the media."
Obviously, these folks haven't spent much time in the regular work force.