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Comments
I got this info from a Nissan Sales brochure on "Selling the Titan and the Armada." They did a comparison of how those customers differed from one another. They both share many similarities, however.
Bob
-juice
right this moment, a small RWD car with a high-strung four cylinder sounds like a lot of fun. but in a few years it probably won't. especially not for BMW money!
-c
-juice
Review will come tomorrow.
-juice
-mike
Shifter feel is awful, too. Stiff, hard to engage. Hated it. My Miata takes 1/10th the effort, throws are shorter, and it just feels more accurate.
Didn't drive it of course. They had a $6000 mark up! Ridiculous! Fitzgerald is discounting them more than a grand off MSRP. This dealer was nuts!
Then I sat in a Galant. Padded headliner is nice, as are the multi-link hinges on the trunk. It's roomy. But...that's about all I liked about it. Lumpy seats. Big hump in the rear middle, why on a FWD vehicle? That middle was uncomfy, worse than the Prius. Interior is basically rental-car boring. Unfinished edges on the carpets in the trunk, some fit and finish issues.
Then I checked out the Endeavor. First off, I take back what I said about the model we saw in NY, because guess what? That was pre-production and the materials in the production model are different. Very different.
That car in NY had rubberized trim in the cargo area and even on the arm rest. The production car does not - it's textured hard plastic. Very different. The show car would scratch easily, this was fine.
In fact, I liked it. I sat in a Limited, with leather seats and steering wheel/shifter, plus a big moonroof (not huge, but big). The display for all the functions is cool, gives you temp, compass, radio settings, climate, etc.
The dash is lit blue, pretty neat, soothing. Much better than the Altima's red, IMO.
Couple of nit picks, there was no where to rest my knee. It was against the hard door handle. Some trim on the roof rack was loose. And the engine was not that refined, you could definitely hear it. Road noise, too, mostly tire noise. But in fairness it was raining.
Now the likes. Torquey engine. 3.8l and you feel it (and hear it). Mitsu has cut on sound insulation because the Outlander is also loud. But it steps off nicely, with authority.
AWD felt full-time, salesman said it was. Feels like a VC split 50/50, i.e. familiar. No wheel spin in the rain at full throttle, so it works it seems.
Very little lean, this surprised me. This thing could run circles around the Highlander, much, much better handling. And ride was still pretty good. It feels lower, sportier than HL. Quicker too.
Didn't get to push too hard, it was raining, but I liked it a lot more than I thought I would, surprise, surprise. Better than the HL, which just seems boring in comparison.
The seat cushion was a bit short, front and especially back. You sit "knees in the chest". But for kids its fine. No 3rd row at all, but cargo space is cavernous, better shaped than the big Montero.
Price was $33k or so, with a RIDICULOUS $3000 markup. I told the guy that along was a deal killer for many buyers. He kept saying his manager could give me a price, but how is willing to start negotiating at $36 grand for one? How many people are that gullible?
Back down to earth, there is a $2000 rebate. Fitz has an XLS cloth with a DVD player for $28k. Now that's more like it. Still, I didn't like the cloth seats, and those come with cheap feeling vinyl/plastic steering wheel and shift knob. Picky, I know, but that's all you feel.
So I guess you could get a Limited for under $30k. Up against the Highlander, with that kind of price advantage, I think I'd lean towards the Mitsu.
But...the Pilot is still a better value. It has the 3rd row, more comfortable seats front and rear, and none of the quirks of the Endeavor. The interior is 100% better. The exterior is not so goofy looking either, I hate the new nose Mistu uses.
The Endeavor's AWD system is *way* better than Honda's, and the 3.8l feels quicker, too. Even handling is better. If you can't envision needing the extra space, it's worth consideration.
Surprise, surprise.
Ed: you should really go check one out. The quirks might turn you off right away, but let the wife look at one, since she was leaning to the HL.
-juice
Jim
Ok I'm off to get a haircut and test drive some cars.
-mike
Then again, so is the GX470's.
-juice
She may wait to pull the trigger on a purchase until after she goes off maternity leave and back to work, in about three months.
As for me, well you know I am not one to shy away from quirks.
The 1-series BMW is too close in price to entry-level 3-series to be a viable option, if that's true. It should be closer to the Cooper S if not the base Mini.
I for one am waiting to see the comparos between the X3 and Forester XT - not that I'd buy the X3, I just want to see how it does against what should be the benchmark for small sporting utelets.
Ed
It's when the road trips start, to visit in-laws and stuff, that you'll want a wagon at least.
-juice
No Evos and No Evo test drives even if they had one. And no '03 Monteros, '04s due in Feb.
But I did get my FF2 CD
-mike
"Quick, hide the Evo and Monteros, paisan is coming!"
hee hee hee
-Dave
Hey y'all! Do you guys know anything about the Suzuki X-90? Any experience with it? Looks neat. Tentatively thinking about it as a second car.
Eric
Bob
-mike
X90 was the little Suzuki based on the Sidekick (now Tracker). With 2 seats and a small trunk, it never really caught on. They are rare, very rare, and a little strange.
A conventional Sidekick seats 4, and you can get 4 doors or even a Jeep-like convertible. I can't see what the X90 does better then either of those two, to be honest.
-juice
-juice
Eric
Eric
Bob
-juice
X-90? The answer to a question no one asked.
LA Press release schedule
Car Maker Announces Five World Debuts At LA Auto Show
LOS ANGELES, November 20 -- News Conference Schedule Announced
Led by five World debuts from General Motors, automakers will be spotlighting a number of entirely new vehicles at the LA Auto Show, Jan. 2-11, 2004. The first major auto show of the year will feature additional production and concept vehicles making their World or North American debut during manufacturer news conferences on Media Days, Dec. 29 and 30, 2003.
"General Motors is aggressively leading the way with the World debuts of four 2005 production models, the Saab 9-2, Buick Terazza, Chevrolet Cobalt and Saturn Relay, plus the Hummer Concept," said Andy Fuzesi, general manager of the LA Auto Show. "We're pleased one of the Detroit Big Three is putting a major emphasis on the LA Auto Show in order to reach a key trend-setting market."
A host of other automakers are rolling out new models at the LA Auto Show as well, including the U.S. version of the 2005 Lotus Elise, Porsche's exotic supercar, the Carrera GT, the all-new Maserati Quattroporte, and BMW's 6-series coupe, among others.
In addition to GM's World introductions, GM North American President Gary Cowger will be the keynote speaker at the Motor Press Guild (MPG) Media Days kickoff breakfast on Dec. 29. Cowger's speech is expected to focus on GM's approach to competing in the increasingly competitive market and outline future plans for the automaker's growth and product development.
LA Auto Show News Conference Schedule
Mon., Dec. 29
9:00 - 11:00 MPG Breakfast and Gary Cowger Keynote Address
11:20 - 12:20 General Motors
12:30 - 1:00 BMW
1:10 - 2:10 Acura (media lunch)
2:20 - 2:50 Maserati
3:00 - 3:30 Porsche
3:40 - 4:40 Ford
Tues., Dec. 30
9:00 - 10:00 Mercedes-Benz (media breakfast)
10:10 - 10:40 Mazda
10:50 - 11:20 Lotus
11:30 - 12:00 Bentley
12:10 - 12:40 Morgan
12:50 - 1:20 Brabus
1:30 - 2:00 21st Century Insurance/California Highway Patrol
The 2004 LA Auto Show will be open to the public from Jan. 2 through 11, with Media Days held Dec. 29 and 30, 2003 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
Nothing (yet) from Subaru. My guess is that SOA will devote Detroit exclusively to the new Legacy, specifically the Legacy GT. The LA show is too close to Detroit for another Subie intro, so I bet the Outback will be shown at Chicago, which is about a month later. That'll give the new Legacy plenty of time in the spotlight, and follow up a month later with the new Outback, for extended spotlight coverage.
Bob
Outback would likely be shown in Chicago, I agree. who can go represent us at that show?
Then maybe the 7 seater in New York? I'd definitely go to see that.
I hope we get to see a sketch, at least, of the 7 seater.
-juice
Sidekick: I had a '90 2 door convertible and a '91 4 door. The '90 was a lot of fun and light enough that the 86 hp four was adequate. The top was hard to remove and stow but the simple folding back of it to expose the large open area over the front seats was easy. I traded it in though after less than a year of ownership because I had gotten a 120 lb dog to go with the 60 lb one. I traded it on a 4 door JX model. I wish I had gone with the JLX because the power locks, windows, cruise and rear wiper would have been nice. I drive it to Colorado twice. The small size, high clearance and dual range gearbox made it a truly fine jeep road truck. Ride was poor getting out there and horespower with the same engine was pitiful with about 400 more pounds. At 30,000 it started burning oil. After having the head replaced, followed by rings the final solution was a new block. So it had a new engine from about 36,000 on. It has never shown any rust and the interior fabric is just perfect. How do I know? I sold it to my sister in 1997 to buy my first Forester and she is still driving it. Other than the usual tires and battery replacements the only major problem was that electronic black box failed last year and my brother in law found a used one at a junk yard and had it installed.
X-90: I did not own one of these but I always thought if I lived in Colorado I would have wanted one. It is a little T top roadster that with its 4wd and dual range could take on snow and some offroading. To that end I was amazed that it got only 6" of ground clearance as opposed to the 8.5" that a Sidekick got.
TWRX
I really want to see it in person.
-Dave
-Brian
-juice
I'd love to see Subaru enter this race.
Bob
This appears to be VW's homage to NASCAR, in that the racer in no way resembles the street counterpart; this thing has a mid-engine 5-cylinder diesel! It's almost more Boxster than Touareg...
Bob
-Colin
On the HD 2500 and 3500 vehicles it states it is Independent Torsion Bar front axles, and the rears are also indpendent torsion bar.
I'm gonna have to check that out for myself, but my guess is it's a typo.
-mike
mike: Hummer has a fully indy suspension. It could be...
-juice
Eric
I mostly want it for the milage, and towing. I get 8-9mpg currently towing at 75mph with 5000lbs. With the diesel I'd probably turn at least 16-23mpg towing at those speeds. Apparently they get about 20mpg city and 30mpg highway unloaded.
I'm gonna turn over my Trooper to my dad in a year or 2 and pickup a diesel Crew-cab with cap for towing/travelling.
-mike
I always thought it was cool because the entire cab tilted forward for engine access. I spilled drinks, boxes of nails, french fries, etc... all the time when I checked the engine without thinking.
I don't know what the engine was called, but it was an Isuzu inline four turbo diesel, probably about 2.5 litres or so. We used to get 10-20mpg depending on the load, which is pretty damn good. The engine was really solid.
Craig
It's the dealer in Tysons Corner, VA. My understanding is that the Phaeton will only be sold at "select" VW dealers, and not at all VW dealers. Which leads me to ask, if your Phaeton breaks down in Ironwood, MI (in MI's U.P.); will the local VW dealer there be able to fix it?
Bob
Bob