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

ateixeira

Regarding the diffusers and fancy tips, they are just tacked on function-free bling to try to make beige look sporty. Can't say it usually works.

Just saw the ML63 pics from the LA Auto Show - AMG is using them too, now.

The diffusers on the rear bumper don't appear to be connected to the exhaust at all:

http://www.autoblog.com/2011/11/17/2012-mercedes-benz-ml63-amg-offers-all-weathe- r-all-family-rapid/

Check the gallery, 4th row. Good views in the 4th and 5th photo in that row.

fintail

Yep, that's lame, and as it's an ML, it's lame.

ateixeira

Stylists seem to get precedent over the engineers too often nowadays.

robr2

Well juice - most consumers don't look for the cool wiring harness or brake lines designed by the engineers...

ateixeira

True, but I guess I like to see function designed-in.

When I hear that a side mirror is dimpled because it reduces drag and wind noise, well, that's just cool. :shades:

Basically, I like design more than just extraneous styling.

stickguy

fits based on their expanded criteria! And remember, Toyota sells a to of Camrys every year, so no accounting for taste.

Admittedly, it’s a subjective tally. Dwindling sales are one way to determine an automotive flop. Excessive hype before a launch, with media silence afterward (see: Acura ZDX) is another. So is a round of scathing reviews from auto critics, or a Consumer Reports rating that places it among the 10 worst values of the year (see: Dodge Nitro).

fintail

New unplated Fit in my parking garage, looks to be absolute bottom of the line, plastic hubcaps and all, no visible options other than automatic (of course).

fintail

Saw an SLS cabrio this morning...I really want one of these, but I still prefer the coupe, head banging on the doors and all. It's wincingly expensive, but IMO is a lot of presence and performance for the money when compared to a base Italian supercar. Also saw one of the new big butt Prius.

fintail

Also saw a Sonic today, white 4 door hatch

tifighter

Went to the SF auto show this weekend, and saw some new things in the flesh for the first time:

2013 Ford Escape - I know people liked the old boxy shape, but this thing looks pretty nice in person. I like it...might be a nice car for my wife with the smaller ecoboost engine.

2013 Cadillac XTS - Not bad. Has some presence. They had it up on the rotating stage, and a bunch of older guys were giving the presenter a bad time about not being able to come up and sit in it. Auto show hecklers, who knew? But, at least people seemed interested in it.

12 Ford Flex - People like this car, its just expensive. Families would walk over, look at it and gush. Then they would look at the sticker. Display unit was a Limited AWD stickering at $47K, and this wasn't an ecoboost. Who is this car targeting?

12 Fisker Karma - Its just too over the top in person. I liked what I saw in photos, but it just doesn't translate for me in real life. Tesla Model S all the way.

12 Subaru Impreza 5-door - Subaru got the packaging right on this car. I'm 6'2", and after adjusting the drivers seat where I'd want it, I then sat in the second row behind the driver. Pretty comfortable, and a major surprise; if my 06 forester would have been this accommodating to adults in the back, I might have kept it longer. Cargo area looks good, too.

12 Hyundai Veloster - It feels like you're sitting in a video game. It was surrounded by college age kids, so Hyundai must be happy about that.

12 Scion iQ - Yep, three people fit.

12 Mclaren MP4-12C - in dark red. Its okay, but didn't really knock me out. Looks smaller than a 458, but it might be a styling illusion.

12 Nissan Quest - Like it. Nice interior, and functional. The press gave Nissan a bad time about the cargo loss from the higher floor, but its only on paper. Still has a huge well behind the third row for bodies golf clubs. Floor to ceiling is 39 inches compared to 43 inches (all hand measured by me) for the Ody and Sienna. Four inches; big deal.

12 Nissan CrossCabrio - Surrounded all day. I overheard numerous women say "I love it!" Could this one be a slow burn?

12 Chevy Spark - I barely remember it. Not sure what that means. BTW, Chevy stand was surprisingly small, but they did have the 13 Malibu, which was a surprise.

12 Nissan Leaf - These have been out for quite a while, but when I walked past one on display (they had 3 placed all around the show, as well as a test drive loop inside the trade hall), it was surrounded by a bunch of middle aged guys wearing real-tree camo jackets. They were asking the Nissan rep lots of questions; is this a sign of future wider acceptance? Who knows.

12 Infiniti QX - Go ahead and laugh, but I like it. Interior is seriously top notch.

12 (13?) - Infiniti JX - Pretty underwhelming in person.

Older cars - Funny that segment trailers like the Expedition, FJ Cruiser, Lincoln MKT seemed really popular, with lots of people checking them out. Morbid curiosity, perhaps?

Honda booth - compared to others, noticeably quiet. Scary, in fact. I think they might be in trouble now, tsunami or not. No one looking at the new Civics. Acura had a RL in the center of their booth. Ouch. No ZDX, though.

That's enough; I could on forever. I enjoy the cars, brand and people watching at a car show.

lemko

...red Cadillac CTS coupe on Tabor Avenue near Ripley in NE Philly.

ateixeira

Color me envious! That's pretty cool, to see the new models so soon.

I'll be doing the DC auto show, which is right after NAIAS, when it comes to town.

ateixeira

A case of "looks better in person". Not as odd as I expected up close, in the flesh. From behind it looks like a more curvaceous CR-Z, so I get why they compare those.

This one was white, and stood out from the crowd, in a nice way.

fintail

I have to agree on that one. While not pretty, it is cool in its own way, and I want it to catch on. If people moved out of Corollas the like into those, the roads would be more interesting.

Speaking of new cars, local free car rag from the grocery store has a Hyundai dealer with a sweetheart Equus lease, something like $2995 down and $700/month.

lemko

I hope you're kidding about the Equus. There are a lot nicer cars I could lease for $700 a month if I was reckless and self-destructive enough to do so.

ateixeira

Yeah ... that's over $28 grand for 3 years.

I'd buy a new Genesis and keep that forever instead.

fintail

That's what the ad said. Of course, this is a car with a 65K MSRP. There are a nicer/cooler/more interesting cars I could finance for $700/month, that don't cost anywhere near 65K...which is part of the problem with that thing.

ateixeira

On I-270 heading north yesterday.

ateixeira

Jaguar has a sweet heart lease deal on the XF, $599 around me.

kyfdx

Looks like the previous generation Equinox/Vue..

At first, I figured it was a Canadian model, but it had local plates...

Rental units only?

Geez... and, I'm the co-Host of the SUV forums.... :surprise:

ateixeira

That was our Saturn Vue. The Captiva name was used in other markets. I'm guessing you saw one from Canada, perhaps?

ateixeira

I keep seeing the same black one, and I've seen a white one once, but this was silver so it was the first time I've seen it. That's 3.

Not exactly common yet.

kyfdx

Local plates.. I'm wondering if they are still making them for rental fleets? The plate was the same county as the airport...

fintail

What's the down payment and MSRP? That might only be average, esp if it is a leftover 2011 without a lot of goodies. I think they base around 50K, and I know I can lease a base E/5/A6 for that money.

ateixeira

Interesting...maybe a test vehicle? I think they're still made in some places.

Hmm, not a diplomat's car, else it would have special plates. We get a lot of those around here.

ateixeira

Let's see...Equus starts at $58,750, XF starts at $53,000. It was $3 or 4k down, I forget exactly. Similar money down for Hyundai.

So the Jag is 10% cheaper but the lease is 14% cheaper.

So Jag is putting more incentives on that bad boy, because you just know residuals are not a Jag strong point.

kyfdx

From Inside Line, last March.. replacing the HHR for fleet customers....

http://www.insideline.com/chevrolet/captiva/2012/with-chevy-hhr-folding-captiva-- will-fill-fleet-gap-in-us.html

kyfdx

GM said in a statement that the Captiva Sport will arrive in the fourth quarter of 2011. It will get either the 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine or the 3.0-liter V6 engine matched to a six-speed automatic transmission. It will be offered in LS and LT models, with four trim packages, including an all-wheel-drive model. All versions get 17-inch aluminum wheels, XM Satellite Radio, six-speaker sound system, air-conditioning, four-wheel disc brakes with antilock, traction control and stability control, power locks and windows and remote keyless entry.

Inside Line says: You won't see the Captiva Sport in your driveway, unless the florist or the caterer is making a delivery. — Anita Lienert, Correspondent


I guess this is the 4th quarter... so, there you go..

robr2

The Captiva - kind of like the old Lumina living on for fleet sales for a couple of years as the Chevy Classic and then being replaced by the previous gen Malibu also dubbed the Classic.

It's a nice way of capturing some fleet business, spreading out the cost of tooling and not devaluing a regular model.

Maybe the current Escape could live on as rental only.

tifighter

Yeah, I think I read the Captiva is available for fleet purchase only in the US now. Sounds like you have confirmed this.

fintail

That assumes both are absolute base models. Ad I saw for the Equus lease was 3K down. Not a huge gap, given the track record for old Jags - for decades they have the resale value of old bread, and for good reason. I wouldn't be beating down any doors for either, really.

explorerx4

Probably the second one I have seen on the road.
Amazingly, 2 cars behind it was an XLR, which was also the second one I have ever seen.

ateixeira

Actually that would be a good idea. It could protect the new, more stylish Escape, from having to satisfy those fleet customers.

Same for Captiva - the Equinox and Terrain are popular, so this helps keep those out of less profitable fleets, since consumers like 'em.

lemko

...first new Camry on Rising Sun Avenue near Napfle in NE Philly. This one was sort of a dark gray with a purplish tint.

robr2

first new Camry on Rising Sun Avenue

Really? The first spotting of a Japanese brand model on "Rising Sun" Ave.

ateixeira

That is ironic.

Saw a silver one on Black Friday.

Also saw a peach colored Smart ForTwo. Mama-mia.

fintail

Saw a 2012 Rio yesterday...talk about another quantum leap for the brand. It actually looks competent rather than poverty spec like the old one.

lemko

...black Hyundai Veloster in traffic on Rte 63 outside Willow Grove, PA.

ateixeira

Schreyer deserves the kudos:

http://www.automobilemag.com/features/awards/1201_2012_man_of_the_year_peter_sch- reyer/index.html

ateixeira

3 Jettas
2 Civics
1 Fiesta sedan
2 Lexus CT

qbrozen

Have now spotted my 3rd Veloster. Must be doing OK with that model.

I was thinking this morning that I'm surprised I haven't seen an Evoque in person yet.

ateixeira

Me neither (on the Evoque).

Veloster is almost even with the Accent, at a higher price, and the turbo's not even out yet.

It may not be a home run, but it's a double, at least.

robr2

Spotted my first Prius V on Rt 93 S in Somerville, MA this AM.

Nice little wagon.

fintail

Not new by any means, but a local dealer has an STS-V...hard to get less common than that, must be in AMG wagon rarity terms.

Did see a new unplated Optima hybrid this morning.

fintail

Yes, he rescued them from bizarre and unsightly KDM "style". Now he needs to have a talk with Hyundai :shades:

qbrozen

Didn't even know they made such a thing.

ateixeira

I think the Germans traded Schreyer and got a Korean designer for this:

http://www.autoblog.com/2011/11/28/mercedes-creates-aero-trailer-concept-to-impr- ove-big-rig-fuel/

Though it is functional. I've been saying that all along...

fintail

Nah, I am sure it has function like you say...I doubt the ungainly KDM designs are obsessed over in a wind tunnel to get .00001% better mileage

ateixeira

I think they are, actually. Nowadays the headlights are designed to move air away from the side mirrors.

That bus has a rear diffuser that looks like it came off a rally car, pretty funny.

fintail

I'd like to see some of the studies of the car where the huge lazy design lights were actually designed for that. Lights are used as an expression more than anything. Anime culture comes to cars, with debatable results.