By accessing this website, you acknowledge that Edmunds and its third party business partners may use cookies, pixels, and similar technologies to collect information about you and your interactions with the website as described in our
Privacy Statement, and you agree that your use of the website is subject to our
Visitor Agreement.
Comments
(It 'grew' on me ...)
Bob
You'll recall he was the man behind the upscale push for VW, including the VW Phaeton.
Problem is, he probably wants to bring the Phaeton back.
I'd argue that should be Audi's domain, and not VW's nor Porsche's.
kcram - Pickups/Wagons Host
http://green.autoblog.com/2009/08/29/report-chrysler-could-ditch-cummins-for-fia- - t-diesel-power/
Note: This was originally published in Automotive News, so there probably is some truth to it.
Bob
There's also speculation that Marchionne will bring over the Fiat competitor of the Sprinter to replace the Benz truck, as well as the Fiat competitor of the Ford Transit microvan. That makes sense to me.
kcram - Pickups/Wagons Host
Fiat Ducato
Iveco Daily
And the Fiat Doblo that competes with the Ford transit:
kcram - Pickups/Wagons Host
Bob
No word yet on drivetrain. Depending on the AWD setup, this could give the Outback a fight for sales. No, it's not a "direct" competitor, but it's close enough to cause some trouble.
Bob
Like the Genesis, a real looker.
Bob
http://www.caranddriver.com/news/spied/08q4/2010_honda_accord_cuv-spied/gallery
Now there is talk of a wagon version of the Acura TSX coming stateside but why would they bother with camo on that - it's already out in Europe.
IMHO, the Cross Tour is more of a Venza/Edge/FX competitor. It might sway some Hondaphiles from leaving the fold but I doubt it'll capture more than a few current Subanistas.
http://www.casttv.com/video/3g2d2p/p...07-22-09-video
Bob
More than the Legacy is compared to the Camry and Accord, anyway, because those aren't AWD.
Everything but the Tribeca broke sales records.
Bob
I am not surprised about the Forester/Outback results. I think the primary drivers are 1. Availability of the '10 model, and 2. Price. The first is probably more significant than the second.
That said, we closed the deal on our new Forester today.
Fiat considering two commercial trucks for N.A
Quote:
Chrysler Group confirmed Tuesday it is considering two Fiat S.p.A. commercial vehicles to North America to replace the outgoing Dodge Sprinter.Those vehicles under study are the Fiat Ducato and Iveco Daily, according to Gualberto Ranieri, senior vice president of communications at Chrysler.
"Chrysler Group, together with Fiat and Iveco, are together analyzing the possibility," said Ranieri.
Citing unnamed sources, Automotive News had earlier reported Chrysler was considering bringing in the vehicles under a separate Dodge truck brand.
Ranieri would say only that any commercial vehicles would "certainly not have the Fiat badge.
The sole Fiat vehicle in North America will be the Fiat 500. Period."
Mercedes-Benz announced Tuesday it would end its partnership with Dodge and would appoint about 120 Sprinter dealers. The vehicles will carry the Mercedes badge. That means the Sprinter contracts will be terminated for about 350 Dodge dealers.
Iveco is a commercial truck maker owned by Fiat. The Iveco Daily is a comparable in size to the largest Sprinters, while the Fiat Ducato is smaller.
Asked when a decision on importing the vehicles might be made, Ranieri said: "We are exploring that and a decision will be announced at the appropriate time."
http://www.autonews.com/article/2009...909019962/1251
Bob
Its layout's attractive, but that steeply sloping hatch will reduce cargo space.
My guess is this car will have a very roomy cargo area, judging by the length (gotta be longer than an Outback, as the Accord sedan is longer than the new Legacy), and by the depth of the cargo area (mentioned above).
Bob
She's got a great personality!
By far the Venza is the best looking of the bunch. The Outback falls in the middle. The Crosstour is unfortunate.
Gosh, they missed this one big time. I like the Benz SLS and the Hyundai Sonata, but this is more BMW X6 sort of ugly.
I think the split rear window could be functional, but the rear looks chunky, and the back window is sort of smallish. I like the Insight, but not this.
It looks like a pregnant, female Accord.
It's actually not bad from the C-pillar forward.
Bob
I think there will be some cross-shopping. Perhaps more previously (to '09 model) than now, but it all depends on the factors driving the purchase selection. If economy, space, and brand reliability/reputation are high on the list, I think cross-shopping is likely.
I have to wonder why they would put this model "atop" their current lineup? It is like the AWD version of the Toyota Sienna... not only the "high rollers" are looking for these features! :confuse:
Also, while Honda hasn't said anything yet, I'm betting it has the same on-demand Real-Time 4WD that the Pilot has (the badge on the rear hatch says "4WD"). I prefer the full-time Subaru AWD system.
I wish the Outback had 18" wheels though, like the Crosstour. In fact the Tribeca's wheels and 255/55x18 tires would look perfect on the new Outback. As it stands, it looks under-tired. So, is that making it more SUVish? You bet, and I would love that!
Bob
Shocking!!
kcram - Pickups/Wagons Host
Bob - let's go see a Crosstour when they arrive at Honda dealers. I have yet to see it in person and often opinions change. I'm pretty open-minded.
Question is, how can I patch/fill-in those pot-holes?
It's just gravel over dirt now, I think.
The association doesn't have any reserves and they want to wait, but I'd like to do at least a touch-up for now.
I was thinking about getting gravel and maybe some sand, patting it down to fill those in, but am I wasting my time? Will those wash away?
Once it's sort of level I'll talk them in to a whole new layer of gravel, but right now it's so bad I want to do something just so my axles don't break.
Once those holes get deep, the problem is magnified.
Get yourself on the board ASAP and try to rectify that.
Good advice, will look out for that. It may be too big a job for me to tackle, now that I think about it.
You have a better feel for the area than the rest of us, obviously, but perhaps you could coordinate a crew of association members to tackle this job as a group. If it is a materials-only sort of a gig, the association may even be able to pay for it since the cost of labor (typically the highest cost) would be removed.
We're talking 6 small units, that's it. 3 of us are responsible, friendly, and look out for the place. 2 are renters, and 1 lady doesn't seem to care enough to attend meetings. Only 1 unit is behind on the condo fees, but they are way behind to the tune of about $2 grand (enough to pay for a pro to do the whole parking lot).
We had an assessment to do the roof, and the siding was cleaned up. Plus we painted the wood decks and stairs. The crawl space was also fixed up. Now it's just the parking lot, but we've used up all the reserves and the assessment for the roof.
What we should do is sue the guy behind on the fees, then just use that money.
That can take time, though, and we agreed I could use up to the amount on my condo fee to fix the potholes, just for now.
I'm trying to get one of the friendly ones to do just that. He's got a big F-250 pickup and a trailer. He's just not motivated.
The association leader has a boyfriend but he has no ownership in the place so I'm not sure he'd be motivated enough to help. I wish, he's a big guy, very strong, just lazy.
I have asked them to help, though. We'll see.
How big is the parking lot? You might be able to get it paved instead.
Since I bought the place, we've actually been cleaning it up pretty well. It looks much, much better today than it did 5 years ago. We still have a bit more to do.
Even in this awful market, values are about 30% higher than what I paid, so it's paying off. :shades:
Lucky you. Filing potholes is one of the less appealing jobs around. The previous comments are all correct. Ideally the fill material should be similar to the base material so it will bind together. If there is fine material in the pot hole, dig it out and make sure there is not standing water (although damp conditions make it easier to bind the fill to the existing material.
Overfill the hole fractionally and compact. If you have a decent sized post (like a fence post) of about 4-6" diameter with a flatttish base, this makes a good tamper. The bad news is that lifting and dropping this is hard work!
You can achieve a pretty good smoothing blade by tying ropes to a screw eye in each end of a heavy squared post (offset the scre eyes so that post does not role over) and dragging it backwards and forwards across the gravel, Fabulous method for wearing out exuberant children or you can achieve the same effect yourself.
You need a generous beer allowance to make up for the energy expended and a sympathetic spouse to rub the sore muscles. It is a good reason to go and lie on the beach to recover.
Cheers
Graham
I hammered in 7 five inch diameter round fence posts with a manual post pounder last summer while putting up a cattle fence around the woods of our house. I'll not do that again any time soon, or I'll wait for Spring when it's supposed to be much easier. Tamping pot-holes sounds like a vacation. If only I wasn't 3000 miles away I'd gladly help......too bad!
I still hope one of the neighbors will be around to help, alas no response to my e-mails.
a) new car for wife, I drive the OB till it quits
b)new car for me (i.e. Fit), because I'll be paying my own gas now too, and her commute is 4 miles and she's just going to have to suck it up in the OB for a while longer
c) '90 Loyale wagon for me, because it's $2500 and will run forever and be cheaper than dirt to maintain, until everything feels safer and more secure at work.
d)???
The car has received a heap of criticism on the Net. As such Honda has released some new images in an effort to stem the criticism. Not sure it's going to work.
I rather like the styling, but I don't like the lack of rear-quarter window visibility, which looks to be really bad.
Bob
Quote from link:
The results of a reader poll published at Autoblog tell the story: 3.4 percent of respondents think the Honda Accord Crosstour is a good-looking car. An astounding 80.7 percent, on the other hand, voted for the option "Kill it With Fire!!!"
Honda is struggling with the overwhelmingly negative reaction to its upcoming Crosstour Crossover. Essentially a tall wagon version of the Accord sedan, the Crosstour is an important vehicle for Honda. Toyota has had success with its similar Venza, which is little more than a Camry wagon, and Honda could theoretically achieve similar results with an Accord-based crossover.
The problem is the car's odd proportions - a long hood and unusually large grille create the appearance of a huge, bulbous nose. From automotive journalists to casual Facebook readers, most who have seen it seem to see the same off-putting proportions.
Ground Zero for the argument has been the Crosstour's official Facebook Page, where more than 4,000 people signed up as "fans" of the car on the day it was unveiled -- and most immediately began posting negative comments about the car's unusual appearance.
Honda has attempted several responses. At least one Honda employee - Manager of Product Planning Eddie Okubo - began posting positive comments on the page. Okubo, however, didn't identify himself as a Honda employee. When Facebook users caught on to his identity, Honda purged his comments from the page. Autoblog says, "His comments and other similar non-sanctioned corporate communique will one day wind up in business textbooks as examples of how social media marketing can go very, very wrong."
After Okubo's experience Jalopnik notes, Honda began a more formal effort at "damage control." The company posted a note to fans on the page, attempting to respond to the criticisms. "Some of the excuses are completely reasonable. For instance, Honda explains that the vehicle is built on the U.S. Accord platform and not the TSX platform, which is why it doesn't look like the European Honda Accord wagon. They also point out it's aimed at individuals (i.e. moms) in the crossover segment and their research shows it'll appeal to them."
One excuse, however, has re-ignited the firestorm. In its note, Honda wrote, "the two studio photos we posted didn't give you enough detail, nor were they the best to showcase the vehicle. There are more photos on the way. Maybe it's like a bad yearbook photo or something, and we think the new photos will clear things up."
The "blame the photographer" excuse is now being mocked once again in comments on the page. Jalopnik comments, "We're sorry, but if your vehicle is ugly from 3/4 front and 3/4 back it's just ugly and we doubt more detail is going to change that."
Honda, however, apparently has no plans to change the design. Honda spokesman Chuck Schifsky tells Kicking Tires, "We're confident with the styling." Schifsky "suggested that people need to see the Crosstour in person and on the road before leveling criticism. He also said that it's a little bigger than the Accord, so possibly the larger grille won't seem so off-putting in person."
Well at least Honda is now taking some pressure off Subaru, in terms of controversial styling.