I spotted a NEW (insert make/model) today!

qbrozen

Spotted a new Sonata with temp tag on 295 this morning. But I noticed it looked different. As I got closer, I could see the name Sonata was just in outline, not fully filled letters. Then I saw what seemed like different trim, and the nose looked odd (reminded me of a Civic Si). About 4 cars later, I saw another with this same treatment. It was then that I noticed the Hybrid badge. So, 2 Sonata Hybrids, both black, back-to-back.

texases

High price, yes, but MB has been pricing their 'verts like that for years!

ateixeira

True, and I would not be surprised if they target the same rich female buyer.

mz6greyghost

You mean the nose that looks like a largemouth bass?



:sick:

fintail

But Nissan doesn't have quite the same brand equity, which is needed to pull of such prices. I agree that kind of bloated thing should have been an Infiniti, it would fit well with their other 8 flavors of wannabe SUVs aimed at affluent women with plenty of idle time, and the G cabrio that almost nobody buys.

fintail

Overstyled to the max. Really not one balanced part. Amusing thick wide badge chrome strip, hilarious leering eyes as if a blandbox will intimidate, huge gigantic mouth, and then there's the rest of the car. Has to be black or a very dark color to pull it off. Makes the Audi big mouth bass look appear to be refined and subtle.

ateixeira

G cabrio is probably why Nissan got it. Infiniti already had a drop top.

qbrozen

didn't even see that. Both cars were black, so that is completely disguised. looked like it was just the little opening under the badge.

fintail

Z roadster is still offered, isn't it?

ateixeira

Just looked, yup, $38k.

Still, they probably figured less overlap, since it has 2 seats, the G has...well the G only has 2 real seats as well.

My best bud married someone who works for Nissan, she gets nearly free leases on Nissans, and has driven a Maxima, then 370Z roadster, then Murano, so far.

It was fun but not comfortable the way a closed car is, at least from her perspective. Just had her first kid so I'm sure she likes her Murano more.

Wonder if she'll get a CrossCab next? Are there LATCH anchors in the back seat for kid seats?

tifighter

Interesting review of the CrossCab here at-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w45F-YVMJjA

Most reviews are from male hosts, this one from a female...different perspective.

As for the price, well, a Murano LE awd starts at $40k. Add another $2k for the nav package that comes STD with the CrossCab, which itself starts at about $47k. So you are looking at a price premium of about $5k for a convertible version...pretty standard compared to other brands, I think. I'm not saying they will sell loads of them, but they don't seem to be price gouging either.

ateixeira

Yeah, but hybrid makers do the same thing - make a whole bunch of unnecessary price padders standard.

7.6 cubic feet in the trunk (top down) is only very slightly more than in my Miata.

The back seat is adult-sized, though.

Kudos for taking risks, but I think I'd rather see an AWD Subaru Legacy convertible, based off the sedan. Keep just the roomy back seat.

tifighter

I hear you. I'm guessing the target was baby-boomers at the peak of their spending power, who have come to appreciate the higher seat height they've come accustomed to from the SUV's and CUV's they've been driving for the past 15 years. I'm also guessing the Murano has the highest income demographics of any of their mainstream products (i.e. GT-R doesn't count).

Anyhow, the woman I saw driving this seemed to fit this description...she was pulling into a country club; how stereotypical is that? If she can take a few of friends out to lunch in it, one of them likes it, tells HER friends about it and BOOM, enough grassroots marketing to hit their hopefully minuscule sales targets.

ateixeira

Yup, I'm sure their sales goals are very modest.

Anyone else think it would look a lot better if they lowered it?

And I don't mean 1 or 2". I mean a FOOT. And ditch the silly dubs, 17" rims would be just fine.

fintail

Lower it, small wheels, might as well just chop the top off an Altima coupe. Or just get the G37 cabrio, which can be had for more or less the same money.

ateixeira

Altima coupe would not have an adult-sized back seat. Its wheelbase is shorter than the sedan.

Same for the G - no back seat.

Very few convertibles seat 4. Wrangler doesn't have the refinement I want, but it may do.

fintail

There aren't many 4 full sized adult seater cabrios on the market anywhere - no market demand, it appears. How often would this actually be used? Just buy a gently used CLK or soon an E once depreciation works its wonders, if you need that. Even those aren't huge sellers.

omarman

I was thinking the G37 vert does have a back seat.

iwant12

Saw a new 500 earlier this week. Have to say, it looked very small. There was a guy and gal inside, looked like they were a bit cramped.

andys120

I saw one too and except for the size it looked remarkably like the original. OTOH it appeared to be roughly twice the size of the original.

andys120

Ford's new subcompact is selling pretty well based on the number I saw this weekend on a 500 mile round trip (6 or 7). Most were four doors and all except one were dark gray or silver. The other one was an electric blue much more suited for a small car than the staid silvers and grays.

iwant12

Yeah, I saw the new one alongside the original--this site perhaps--and it's crazy just how much smaller the original is. You could remove the tires and it might fit in the back of my SUV! Personally, I like more metal around me than that.

texases

Wonder how the original 500 compares to the original Mini?

Saw my first 500 on the road today, red. It's OK, but I'm not a big fan...

andys120

Wonder how the original 500 compares to the original Mini?

IIRC they were about the same size, just barely big enough to seat four adults (if they weren't too large).

ateixeira

I meant it's tiny and not very useful...

If I sacrificed the back seat, the Fiat 500 looks interesting, even if it's not a full convertible.

E- and CLK- are soft tops, in that class I'd get a folding hard top 3 series.

I doubt I'll get anything like that though, to be honest. By the time my Miata is ready for trade, I'll have 2 tuition payments.

lemko

...dark gray Audi A6...stripped and abandoned in an industrial area! Eeek! Also spotted a Mercury Grand Marquis on a city street this morning near my workplace missing its wheels and halfway on the sidewalk facing the opposite direction of nearby parked cars.

ateixeira

I'm surrounded by them.

I didn't get the memo but everyone else did...

fintail

Make the kids get jobs, enjoy your own money

Been seeing the new X3 here for months, but I live in pretentious woman land. Maybe the economical choice for the X5 crowd in a new economy.

fintail

Where do you live, Fort Apache, the Bronx?

Signs of a healthy economy

ateixeira

The education is on me, at least undergrad.

My job pays 75% if they go outside the USA. McGill? They say it's Canada's Harvard....

fintail

Spoiled brats :shades:

ateixeira

I dunno...

Straight As, reading/tutoring autistic kids, enough volunteer hours in 6th grade to meet 6-8th grade requirements, Citizenship awards, etc.

I set the bar high and they exceed those targets.

Pardon my bragging.

fintail

Then they should have ample scholarships available, so you can still treat yourself.

Just don't buy them brand new cars while in school...

ateixeira

No way...and I have seen brand new cars with those huge ribbons during HS graduation ceremonies around here.

I can't think of a better way to absolutely kill whatever motivation a young person has in them.

I'll teach them how to fish, but I'm not buying them a fishing boat!

imidazol97

>I'll teach them how to fish, but I'm not buying them a fishing boat!

Cute way to phrase it. Amen. But sometimes one has to buy a dingy to get them started.

fintail

Plenty of nice 90s Camries out there for them, if they need wheels

Then you can be one of the 12 people who buy a Crosswhatever or a GS cabrio

ateixeira

I'll co-sign their dingy lease, put it that way.

:shades:

ateixeira

I'll steer them towards a used Outback Sport. AWD and a top safety pick since MY2002. Passive and active safety.

I tend to like light/small cars, so neither a G nor a CrossCabrio would appeal to me.

Not sure what my next car will be. Hoping Mazda takes the ND Miata back to its roots.

fintail

Old Subies aren't a bad choice, just don't send them to the PNW to buy one - sellers think they have some kind of collectible classic.

Mazda will be moving ahead when it matures past the stupid face stage.

mz6greyghost

Mazda will be moving ahead when it matures past the stupid face stage.

They already have. Check out the upcoming CX-5.

lemko

Killadelphia a.k.a. Philadelphia. Lots of times criminals steal cars to use in the commission of a crime and abandon them wherever. Many years ago, a new silver BMW 7-Series showed up on my block sans wheels. Every day following, more and more of it was missing until there was nothing but the shell sans doors, hood, decklid, and fenders. After that, the city finally hauled away the carcass. It was like watching an animal quick decompose.

ateixeira

Sayonara, Nagare style. I won't miss it.

Recent used Subarus command stupid money. Don't even bother shopping 2010 or 2011, you can get a 2012 for the same money...

Actually when the 2013 Forester redesign arrives I would consider trading up only because Subaru has the Guaranteed Trade-in Program that offers crazy money for our '09.

mz6greyghost

Sayonara, Nagare style. I won't miss it.

You, and pretty much every other Mazda fan that I know. At least my 6 wasn't cursed with the smiley face that the 2 and 3 are stuck with.

Their new design is called "Kodo", and if the next 6 looks anything like this...
...They'll be keeping my business!

fintail

Can't wait for that to trickle down to the lineup, especially the 3...couldn't stand to have that thing staring at me in the garage every morning. Cars designed for anime geeks, the Trekkies of the new century, dorky.

fintail

As long as "Kodo" doesn't rely on animal themes and dorky faces, it can't be any worse.

ateixeira

No argument from me...I sought a left over 2008 Miata, purchased in March 2009! Just to avoid that grin...

ateixeira

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/08/012-bmw-5-series-connected- -drive-lead.jpg

kyfdx

Spotted a new BMW Alpina B7, yesterday....

Nice!

Sandman6472

Like the interior minus the laptop though...BMW's and MB's have the nicest interiors than most other cars, as do VW's...must be a German thing. Sat in a new Mazda3 at the dealer on Monday and it was mostly hard black plastic which turned me off. Really looked low rent, but this was a very base car of the 3 lineup...even our 6 year old 3s has a nicer interior! Loved my test drive in the 2011 C class last August, that alone was enough for me to just buy the car, but the wife would've really lost it...it really was/is a very nice interior!
Even the 2011 Cruze I sat in at the dealer was a nice step up for GM...comfortable seats with with decent fabric and a very ergonomic dash except for the lock/unlock button over by the radio and not on the door where it should be. Can just imagine how much nicer the Buick version will be! A little plasticy but a very fine attempt to say the least. And the new Camry picture of the dash does look very nice, a great improvement from the last generation. Looks like the Americans have been doing their homework! After being a die in the wool Japenese owner since 1976, I'm definitely impressed here and will test drive more cars from across the aisle!

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

lemko

What is it about Honda wheels and thieves lately?

From a Philly blog I visit:

"If you have a newer car in Philly, especially a Honda, invest in some locking lug nuts for your car! One of my neighbors came out the other morning to find both of her newer Honda's on milk crates! They were parked right under a street light no less. I haven't seen this in a long time around here.

Sad part is she is typically in Delaware all summer but came up to get away from IRENE and wound up rim less. All I caught on my camera's was 3 small Honda looking cars going down the block all together around 3:30 AM that morning.

Seems the ghetto rats are coming up to NE Philly to go midnight shopping again! Locking lug nuts are typically reasonably priced so pick up a set from the car dealer and it's one less thing you have to worry about. Just an FYI."

Fit w/o wheels:



Civic w/o wheels: