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Comments
..Mike
..Mike
In a world of millions of Daves and thousands of Mikes, it's important to keep that straight. ;-)
-juice (who wishes he could join you)
Bob
Ken sorry looks like I'm gonna miss the chance to meet you. Congrat's on your newly announced fatherhood. If I take care of my WRX it should be just about ready for your son/daughter when they're ready
- Hutch
Mike is looking forward to infecting all of us with his illness. It's shame you won't be around to participate.
Bob
Cali Cruiser: yet another poseur PT. Somehow it looks uglier with 2 doors and some goofy accents. 19" blingies! More BMW copy-cat lights. The DRIVER setas folks flat, who is going to drive the dang thing? Duh. The only think I like is that roof, sort of like Mercedes'.
Hy-wire: why, oh why, must every futuristic concept be this ugly? Will our kids and grandkids love only really ugly cars? LOL
6 MPS: now you're talking. Here, Bob, is the target for the Legacy turbo, not the 325xi. 280hp from a 2.3l turbo, plus AWD, 6 speed, 18" rims. OK, a production model would have 250hp and maybe 17"s, but still.
Isn't that new 6 just gorgeous? I hope the guy Subaru got from Alfa realizes that, too.
-juice
S4: sweetness. Avant, even sweeter. I still say the previous one was styled nicer, but at least it's not heavier. V8 and 6 speed, yummy. This one might actually outrun a WRX in C&D's next comparo. ;-)
Bentley Continental GT: ugly front, nice profile, ugly rear. A perfect example of how NOT to blend old and new. Probably overpriced and overweight. Auto only.
Wait a sec - AWD and 500+hp plus 6 ratios? I can forgive a lot...
-juice
May everything proceed smoothly.
Don
Just got back from "Charleston" -- yet another fine restaurant pick by Lucien. Simply put -- amazing. The food was top notch and the wine list very impressive. Our server and sommelier knew Loosh by name. FYI, we had the 1988 Cote Rotie Jamet. It went very nicely with my roasted duck breast w/foie gras.
Ken
Oh well, leftovers and playoff baseball ain't so bad. ;-)
-Colin
Bob
And I have plenty to show for the ones I do enjoy, thanks for being so flattering!
I should have Loosh deliver them by the case. :-)
-juice
Enzo: hideous. Autoweek called it "unfortunate", and Edmunds basically says it ain't pretty. Both are huge understatements, it's an embarassment for Ferrari. Why copy the uglist feature from F1 cars, the snubby nose? The taillights look like blisters and the C-pillar is all wrong, with enormous blind spots. I thought looks were important with super cars? They sold out, so maybe not.
XJ: touchdown! Beautiful, subtle restyle. Totally Jag, sleek, sexy. You hardly notice the styling change, yet it's more practical, roomier, and lighter with all that aluminum. 6 speed auto, too.
OK, Subaru, time for some more ratios on that automatic. At this point, they are so late to the game that 5 speeds won't even be a big deal any more.
-juice
oh, the link we were talking about:
http://chowhound.com
Thanks for the link. I just bookmarked it!
Bob
Some more Paris cars:
Maybach: boy, nothing exceeds like excess. That back seat does look cool, like a First Class seat in a Concorde (not that I've ever tried one!). The styling is hit or miss, but overall it's all right for what it is, just not very appealing to me since I pick sporty over luxury. A humidor? Geez.
E55 AMG: now you're talking. Gorgeous, too. Add 4Motion and it's just about perfect.
S Class: funny that the S55 AMG and the S500 make about the same horsepower. The update is subtle but nice. Again, not my style, but nice.
CL55: I still think the older model had more panache. This one isn't distinctive enough, I dunno.
Cayenne: barf!
Did you see Autoweek's cover last issue? They have a quote from Ferdinand Porsche. It basically said he could not find the ideal car, so he built it. CAR being the operative word there, Porsche builds sports cars, not trucks.
If I ignore the Porsche badge on it, which IMO should be revoked, it's still styled completely like a wagon, not an SUV. I realize the Forester gets this same criticism, but still. It really misses on that mark.
Also, automatic only? This is Porsche! Oh, right, we tossed out the badge. Sorry. Only the non-turbo gets a manual, and only later?
Imagine you pull up in your Cayenne S, and the Accord next to you blows your doors off at the stop light. That must be so, so humiliating.
They could save themselves the embarassment if they stuck to making sports cars and "settled" for being just the most profitable auto company in the world. As if that's not enough! Ack!
-juice
Touareg: like the Cayenne, the look is more wagon than SUV. But that worked for the BMW X5. It doesn't look big, though Edmunds says it's the size of an Explorer, yet wider. 6 speed auto with paddle shifting sounds good. Odd that it's a different system than their Tiptronic, and I wonder if it'll cascade down the lineup. A donut spare, though, on an SUV that is supposedly off road capable? Even Jettas get full size spares.
Nice, but the Pilot will be more popular, and cheaper, and it has 3 rows.
S60R/V70R: AWD and 300hp, what's not to like? Poor Volvo, though, every time they up the ante, they're one step behind the curve. They leap frog the S4, only to get leap frogged right back. The black stripe around the body should be body color on such a premium edition car. I wonder if the 2.5T engine is related to the engines in the XC90.
-juice
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/dowjones/20021008/bs_dowjones/200210072254000930
SIA engine plant
http://www.subaru-isuzu.com/news/index.htm
According to this PDF, Phase I (of 3) is complete. This involves H-4 engines. I wonder when the H-6 Phase will be up and running?
Bob
-juice
Also some new 4Runner pixs, so you can compare the differences.
Bob
http://www.clublexus.com/forums/showthread.php?s=83e7d765b697aacd538a4203e9c9720e&threadid=60073
Loosh -- Went to Cork's tonight. Again a fine choice. Made sure you got credit for introducing me there. Great food and probably the most extensive CA wine list I've seen outside of Cali. I decided to go with a 'comfort' wine for me today -- a Renwood Zin.
Ken
I tell you, the GX/Prado is so much better looking than the 4Runner.
I bet that short wheelbase on the 3 door also makes it much better off road. You really, truly need 4WD in those countries if you're going to be leaving town, touring the Mayan ruins, etc.
-juice
Bob
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/bayarea/news/local/4236379.htm
My travels will never be the same. And my waist line will probably go to waste too! 8~O (opening wide to take a bite.)
Jim
• Just about everything. Lot's of very well thought out details.
• It felt very tight, and well built (so what else is new?).
• I like the larger size. It's much closer now to my Explorer.
• It had very good power, and drove beautifully.
• Looks much better in person than in the pictures (just like Subies).
• I like the double-decker rear storage.
• Large cupholders, front and rear, as well as bottle holders in the doors.
• Auto up/down rear hatch window.
• Example I drove was contented just about the way I would order one (might(?) want the opt. 17" wheels, as they look great).
• Front and rear tow hooks, skid plates, full-size spare, 5K trailer hitch/wiring (off-road ready from the get-go!) all standard.
• 16/19 EPA mileage ratings for the V8, 17/20 for the V6.
• Best of all: Under $35K MSRP for V8, 5-speed auto, permanent full-time 4WD, moonroof, alloys, double-decker rear storage, 5K towing, & running boards.
Bad News:
• The windshield wiper control stalk is impossible to see, when I had the steering column adjusted to fit me.
• No vanity mirrors.
• I don't like the power window switches down low on the doors.
• The plug for the trailer hitch is too far under the vehicle for easy access.
• Only 1000 pound trailer limit, if your trailer doesn't have brakes.
• Green cruise control light goes on when you turn the cruise on, not *just* when it is actually engaged.
• Worst of all: a $4K ADM!
Bob
Mileage doesn't meet my 20 EPA city minimum pledge to myself. But what truck does.
Isn't the V8 a 4 speed auto? I thought only the V6 got a 5 speed.
No vanity mirrors? LOL, and here I thought it was lame that Subaru didn't have them in our 2002 L (and the 2003s have it!).
Subies have a cruise light like that, the button itself lights up.
That dealer is insane. $39 grand, when a Pilot costs $32 or so and has Navigation or DVD entertainment, plus seating for 2-3 extra kids?
-juice
PS Sorry I got bumped off the chat, visited that gmclemon.comm page and even my PC became unreliable! LOL
Brenda
-Brian
No, only the V8 gets the 5-speed auto and permanent 4WD.
I would compare the Pilot to the Highlander, not the 4Runner. Other than not offering 3rd-row seating, it can do so much more than the Pilot.
Bob
my dad's '99 4Runner similarly contented (no full--time 4wd and obviously no v8) stickered for about $34,500. he gave $32k for it.
sounds like a good value at MSRP or below. $4,000 ADM is insane.
-Colin
Papa Bear has to clean his fur on occasion, right? ;-)
You're talking sticker, I guess. It's just that $2500 cash back is the norm with the domestics (if you can still call German owned Jeep that). With pricing at invoice, a $33k sticker means about $28k prices.
So the V6 gets a 4 speed, that's right. I thought one of them didn't. I was Volvo that did that - the smaller engine gets more ratios on the XC90.
I guess the 4Runner has sort of always been premium priced, just now at least they're offering more for about the same money as the last gen.
I test drive a RAV4 way back in 1996, and it was just too small, inside and in terms of motor. So I looked at the 4Runner briefly - $35 grand for a one they had driven up from NC (500 miles, just to drive it up). Demand was so high that new ones were marked up, and even this not quite new was only $500 off MSRP. I ran away.
-juice
-mike
I drove a Sedona van, and you'd be surprised, it's pretty nice. Only a lumpy seat kept me from considering it seriously. OK, and poor mileage, but that's about it.
-juice
It was Russell Toyota, on Rt.40 west, for anyone in the Baltimore area. I'm sure there will be many Toyota dealers out there trying to screw customers with ADMs. My advice: Wait six months, they'll eventually disappear...
Bob
That's why my dad drove 90 miles to get his 4Runner somewhere else. He also buys parts from that same dealership and does his own maintenance.
-Colin
Normally I would post this in the Subaru Community forum, but I can't find it!!
Bob
Bob
-juice
I still think the new SR5, with only a few options, is a VERY nice vehicle. Toyota seems to have reversed itself in terms of nikel-'n-diming customers for options with this model. Much of what used to be optional, is now standard—even on the base SR5 model. I have the new brochure, and I was studying the content packages. I really think the new 4Runner is a much better value than the outgoing model.
Bob
Steve
I'm glad to see Toyota reverse the nickel-and-diming, at least on that model. But they still do it a ton on the RAV4 and even on the Camry. Despite dropping the CE model, ABS is still not standard on the LE, not even on the SE. In fact we could not find a single 5 speed manual with ABS at 3 different dealerships.
The RAV4 is the worst example. Or maybe the Echo is. Equip them and the price goes up 40% more than the base.
-juice