Did you recently take on (or consider) a loan of 84 months or longer on a car purchase?
A reporter would like to speak with you about your experience; please reach out to PR@Edmunds.com by 7/25 for details.
A reporter would like to speak with you about your experience; please reach out to PR@Edmunds.com by 7/25 for details.
Options
Comments
Careful out there in the Mid Atlantic, slush and sleet is slippery and unpredictable. The mistake was going out in a light, RWD roadster in the first place.
I stole my wife's Subaru today. LOL
The Z4 is RWD but fairly heavy for what it is, Edmund's quotes a curb weight of 3252 lbs, more than half a ton over the lightweight RWD 2000 roadsters of the 60s and 70s which were actually great fun to drive in bad conditions because they had good brakes, excellent weight balance and precise steering and it only takes one passenger to push out of a snowbank.
Peter Egan wrote a great column about driving his old TR-3 through Wisconsin winters.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
Edmunds Price Checker
Edmunds Lease Calculator
Did you get a good deal? Be sure to come back and share!
Edmunds Moderator
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
I saw a Ford Explorer in a ditch on Seven Locks Rd here in MD. If he slides on to oncoming traffic and you're in a small, low roadster, guess who will win that crash test battle?
No thanks! I left the Miata at home and took the Subaru. I also left early, and made it home safely. A lot of other people were not as smart/lucky.
That never crosses my mind... good weather or bad... I'm either in a relatively safe car or I'm not... If the crashworthiness of a Miata worried me in bad weather, then I'd be worried all the time.. (that said, driving a Miata wouldn't worry me... from a crash standpoint..)
The good thing about bad weather.... most people are moving slower, so resulting impacts would be less severe.. And, most of those SUVs are sliding off the road... lol..
Edmunds Price Checker
Edmunds Lease Calculator
Did you get a good deal? Be sure to come back and share!
Edmunds Moderator
Miata ain't as small as it used to be, and my new one has side curtain airbags at least.
In the dry I can take evasive maneuvers, on ice you're helpless.
Also, in dry, people aren't skidding around helplessly and driving too fast for conditions with overconfident 4WD vehicles.
Knock on wood, the new Miata has been OK. My old NA one, even in bright white, was a crash magnet. I was hit 3 times, I think. It was like I had a bulls' eye target on it or something.
25 NX 450h+ / 24 Sienna Plat AWD / 23 Civic Type-R / 21 Boxster GTS 4.0 / 03 Montero Ltd
Fiat is indeed having a good influence on Chrysler. While the interiors have improved, there is still even more room for improvement. They went from a D to a B-, C+ for some models.
Example: the Jeep Compass got a few soft-touch upgrades in the front cabin, but the rear seat has the same old hard plastic, and it mis-matches the front. Hello, compromise!
Grand Cherokee did not disappoint, but the soft leather in the Overland were wearing out already, and the GPS screen is small for $46,000. Love the panoramic moonroof. 20" rims are ridiculous and kill the Trail-Rated badge. Also sat in a $38k V6 model that was not as nice, but after seeing a $54k Touareg that price doesn't seem so high any more.
Durango was also there, same small GPS screen. Nicer than the Explorer, IMHO. A loaded Citadel AWD with 20"s was $47,000, though. Yikes. Didn't that get you a Navigator or Escalade not too long ago? Sticker shock!
Charger RT Road & Track edition was nice. I still bump my head getting in the rear seat, and feel claustrophobic in a huge car, which shouldn't be the case. $40k loaded up didn't seem bad, and they start at $30k.
Grand Caravan got upgraded, too, but it went from being Rubber-Maid cheap to being merely cheap. The new Quest and Ody are still nicer. The Sienna materials are on par, but the design is better. Don't like all the vinyl - seems like even "leather" seats are 99% vinyl with a tiny leather insert in the middle. The top-of-the-line Town & Country had a nicer suede-like material, at least.
Fiat 500 had lines to get in. People were loving it. So did I, actually. Tons of character. IMHO better ergonomics than a MINI and they cost a bunch less. Some cheap touches inside, back seat is tiny, and the driver gets an armrest while the passenger does not, even with a stick shift, which is ... odd.
Still, the 500 simply OOZES character. It had longer lines than any Porsche.
Volvo S60 was ho-hum. Interior already looks dated. I did like the brushed nickel, but not much else.
Touareg was nice, but $54,000? Seriously? And that's with no low range, no air suspension from the Euro models. The price is a joke. It is quite nice, but so is a Jetta sport wagon TDI and a loaded one was there for $28k.
Loved the old Jetta TDI, hated the new base Jetta. They scream cheap. Steering wheel is that econobox plastic that begs for an aftermarket cover. VW sold their soul, this car simply does not fit within their lineup.
New Passat not as bad. Higher prices mean the cost cutting didn't go as deep.
Nissan Quest - interior of this seems more SUV and less minivan. Strange. All seats fold forward. This means you keep the well behind the 3rd row all the time, but the 3rd row itself is tiny, not adult-sized like competitors. Floor is higher, too. Folding the 2nd row leaves holes and gaps, an odd arrangement, but easy to use at least. Materials were a mixed bag, soft but still cheap looking. Cargo floor is not nearly as long as 4'x8' fitting competitors. Cup holders cannot accommodate mugs, not even one. Peach fuzz headliner and visors scream cheap. Vinyl arm rests also but the angles all adjust. Some double-stitching looks nice. Little storage. Overall a B-, could have been better with a little more thoughtful design.
The headliner is a beautiful, soft microfiber suede material that exceed any and all expectations.
*Everything* you touch is soft leather, real wood, or suede. All nicely finished, padded, double-stitched.
It's not just a limo, it's a NICE limo. Puts the Town Car to shame, seriously.
I realize lots of badge snobs won't give it a chance, but IMHO that's their loss!
It was blue with a white roof, very strong contrast. Really stood out.
Rear legroom is good but it's strictly a 4 seater, and it has the same quirky ergonomics as all MINIs.
The thing is tiny. Half way between a ForTwo and a Yaris, I'd say. Of all cars to choose to bring from Europe, this? Really?
Not a common sight, even on Embassy Row.
Also, my first new Explorer. It's...really new.
Here is an example of what I believe (and recommended on a couple of occassions to Subie staff at auto shows and those owner surveys they send out) to be a real opportunity for Subaru, an MPV type vehicle. Not to take discount the safety, utility or success of the competition, but right now the only one who offers an AWD MPV is Toyota. Add Subarus stellar safety reputation and that "family oriented" type marketing theme and I think a minivan would be a really smart addition to the lineup.
I also think this would be a good addition for Volvo as well, but they are in the middle of cutting their lineup so...
Make the next Tribeca grow as much as the current Outback did (some say it's *too* big now).
About as cool as the somewhat yuppietastic Honda - around here often bedecked with a ski rack...yet the owners don't ski, they just want the look.
Both of them!
IIRC the Aztek also has a fanatical group of owners.
Also saw a new Jetta.
Another feature that helped expand the bed space in the Baja was the folding rear panel behind the seats, opening the load floor into the cabin. The same feature found in the Chevy Avalanche and Cadillac Escalade EXT. Of course, Subie was partially owned by Government Motors at the time :sick: which is why it made it into the Baja.
Neat feature, I've read a couple of water leak issues but nothing widespread.
It was more of a pass-through, much smaller than the mid-gate style opening in the Avalanche.
The ST-X concept had it. Subaru had the right idea. It had a supercharger, too.
Instead they cut costs and gave us a naturally aspirated 2.5l only, and made it a 4 seater, with leather standard to bump the price way up, and topped it off with a headroom-robbing moonroof. The cherry on top was a high price mandated by the unnecessary equipment.
Subaru fixed the packaging and equipment levels and even added a turbo, but it was too late. And the midgate never arrived.
Decent idea, terrible execution.
Funny thing, IMO if Ford and GM would bring over their Aussie car-based pickups, they'd sell.
It wouldn't have taken much...
Perhaps they're afraid those would cannibalize more profitable pickups?
There was an oddball concept back from the GM/Subaru partnership days, called the Chevy Borrego. It was a 2 seat pickup based on the WRX. Probably too small for American tastes, but imagine how much fun that would be.
Chevy said it would not sell for a higher price than a WRX, but then the simple question became, why not try to sell it for a little less?
Selling it for less is part of the equation the suits don't seem to get - to make a comeback, you have to be better and at a better price. Only meeting one or the other will give you partial success if you are lucky.
It's not like Nissan sells many Titans. Maybe they should try a ute.
Nissan seems to be going after small niches - look at the Juke (actually don't look, it might hurt your eyes) and the Murano CrossCabriolet.
I find it hard to believe a Ute would not outsell those, especially the CrossCabrio.
IMO it looked great and very distinctive. Me want bad!
It was perhaps the second that I've seen outside of a dealer or auto show.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
Or at night, pitch dark, if it's black and its lights are off. Then it might not bother me.
Top Gear said it looked like a bloated corpse that had sat at the bottom of a lake, and the Maserati they compared it to looked like the car that put it there. LOL
Cross Cabrio has to be the worst new idea out there - I can't wait to see one on the road. Might take awhile. I will have to question the mental capacity of anyone who blows the chunk of change necessary to buy one.
Panamera isn't bad from the front half, but the rear views are really unsightly.
$46,390 for starters.
That seems insane to me.
The idea of a roomy convertible with AWD actually appeals to me, though I would have started with a different platform.
I was thinking there was an xi 3er cabrio, but I must have been hallucinating. Scary that it wouldn't cost a fortune more than the ghastly open top Murano.
Ford seems ahead of the domestics. The new Focus looks nicely put together and the Explorer is a winner. The only issue I saw was the glass cockpit. I’ve got to think it can be a bit distracting and more effort than simply turning a button or knob. Hate to think what it will cost to repair. Chrysler really did improve their interiors. I don’t know if any of the mechanicals besides the Pentastar engine were changed to improve reliability, so can’t tell if the new interiors are just lipstick on a pig yet. GM seemed a bit behind and dated except for some of the newer vehicles. I liked that new Cadillac coupe (can’t recall its name because they use those mumbo jumbo letter names like Lincoln does) but when I opened it up I was dismayed at the hard, shiny leather that seemed to have a vinyl quality to it. I thought the LaCrosse had much nicer, softer leather. Speaking of luxury, I don’t know how the Lincoln dealers are going to be able to hold on a few more years while Ford resurrects the brand. Most looked like Ford’s with gaudy front and rear end clips – kind of like the family Truckster design in the movie Vacation. I expect big incentives.
As for imports, the Koreans are really stepping it up. VW seems to be emulating Toyota with blah, generic styling for the masses. Minivans seem hot in the press these days and the Nissan Quest was interesting. Looks like a refrigerator from the rear, but it had a very comfortable, roomy driver’s seat. It trades utility for convenience in the back. The Honda Odyssey still looks like it got rear ended sending the back of it up and in. It also appears to have given up some driver’s space. I own a Toyota, but I’ve got to admit their entire lineup mostly looks dated and frumpy now with cheap interiors. The Sienna may have swagger on the outside, but the acres of plastic inside look chintzy and designed by Whirlpool from obsolete bisque colored appliances.
We also checked one out at the Baltimore Auto Show.
I compared to the new Durango, and it seems Ford does some things better (big screen for starters) while Dodge does some things better (high end models seem slightly more upscale).
Both were close to $50 grand, Yikes! Not far from the Land Rover LR4.
While I wouldn't want to own that Land Rover past warranty, it's not a big step up in terms of price any more.
The Dodge vans still aren't up to par with the best in that segment, despite the best not being as nice as before. I swear our 2007 van is nicer than any new one sold today.
Caddy CTS-V coupe is gorgeous, but I'll take a wagon.
Lincoln is non even on the radar. No one in my family even wanted to look at any of those. Edge Sport > MKX, Taurus SHO > MKS, Fusion Sport > MKZ, so it's simply redundant.
I liked the Quest, too, but I was outvoted 3 to 1 against it. Interior is smaller than the best vans out there, gives up about 40 cubic feet, which is a lot to the large families they appeal to.
Ody is probably my fave, with the best 8 seat configuration, too. But you're stuck with a 5EAT when everyone else gets 6 gears, and not much HP either.
The new Sienna lost many of the soft-touch plastics from my 2007 model, and the 8th seat went from a nice adult-sized seat to a teeny little bridge that is no longer comfy. Bummer.
In terms of interior material quality, I picked Honda first, Nissan probably 2nd. The rest lag way behind, including Kia. Kia put the nice engine in there but it's time for a re-do.
Honestly we looked at every van and all 4 of us unanimously agreed our 2007 van is nicer than anything sold today.
The only reason we even went through the Chrysler display was so I could see the Fiat 500. I want one bad. Wife thinks I am insane (nothing really new there I guess). Other than that, nothing to interest us, and as she said "it's a chrysler" And not in a complimentary way.
of course, she had the same preconcieved negative opinion of Ford, until I told her that they had some of the best stuff. She actually really liked the edge, except for the grill. hates the ford family front. And the explorer we both considered to be a barge. way too big, especially when downsizing from a minivan!
The Ody, other than the hideous styling, was otherwise pretty much the same as our. Updated here and there, but obvious what it was.
I did like the Nissan. Still had plenty of room. And keep in mind then the seats are folded down, you still have the well available, which is a nice touch. especially when it is full, and you want to flop the rear seats!
we are looking mid size. She does have good taste. Favorites were the Audi A5, Volvo XC60, BMW X3, and Porsche Cayanne. The Edge and Hyundai santa fe also made the list (the santa fe, to me, was especially nice and had great bang for the buck. But I did love the new X3)
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
I went again yesterday with the family, this time to the Baltimore Auto Show. We tend to check out convertibles, for fun, and minivans, to meet our needs.
We all liked the Wrangler 4 door, though I'm still not convinced it is refined enough to truly live with long-term.
Most other convertibles have miserable back seats, the kids kept complaining.
They absolutely loved ... drum roll please ... the Hyundai Equus. A refrigerator in the back plus a screen for each of them and an iPad in the glove box surely helped. Plus kids don't have the same brand snobbery that adults have, so the Hyundai name doesn't put them off one bit.
I looked closely at the 500 at Philly, but didn't see it at all in Baltimore. I loved it, BTW.
Explorer does seem big. Wife said she could not daily drive something that bulky.
I wanted to like the Kia Sorento more, but it was juuuu-ust a tad too small to replace our van. Great value, though.
I honestly like your Ody better than the new one. Only the 8th seat improved, really. Some things went down hill.
I liked the well in the Nissan, too, but max carrying capacity is down, and the 3rd row seats are not adult sized. It feels more like a large SUV than a minivan. Not sure why they did that.
I like the XC60, the X3 is small, no? Santa Fe is dated, why not a Sorento?
Baltimore show was more crowded than Philly by far, then again it was the last day and on a weekend.