They sure are proud of that Citadel. Drove the Explorer, didn't like it much as far as driving enjoyment. Got my '11 Larado 4X4 for 32K and have been more than happy. Got the base 4X4, which is actually AWD. It sure handles well in the twisties!
It's not my thing, but if I was looking for a boat for a larger family, it would be on my list. I've also experienced a loaded 01 Durango, and this new one is from a different world. The new one I drove was moderately equipped - no leather or nav, but it did have a roof and a V8. I think MSRP was something like 38K.
I also saw a new CRV today, and another new C coupe with another 60-something male driver...maybe it will have this demographic.
Going out to the lake yesterday I spotted a new Hyundai Veloster, in white. Kinda reminds me of an old Honda CRX. I'm on the fence with the styling but at least Hyundai's thinking outside the box. I do like the centrally located exhaust pipes! Nice touch.
Our friends also have a new Durango Citadel. They replaced their MB GL Class with it. My firend says space is about the same and the Durango feels more powerful. Overall he's impressed. A few months ago about 6 of us guys went out and took the Durango. With 6 of us in the car (about 200lbs each) the car had no trouble at all with getting up to speed, and was quite comfortable.
That sounds right - Mr Loaded will be the one to want everything, and if he is a used buyer, an engine with 25% less cylinders won't make him smile, so it will be a dust collector on the lot.
I wonder if offering a smaller engine in every trim line helps mpg claims too.
I've got the Pentastar in my Grand Cherokee and acceleration is just a tad bit more than what I would call adequate. I know the Durango weighs a bit more. At the pump, I get a consistant 21 mpgs, and that's 70% highway. Going to Utah this last summer, we recorded 24 MPG on more than one fillup. Comfort and driveability more than make up for lack of power compared to the 4Runner I had before. Hadn't purchased a domestic since '98. So far, happy with the Jeep!
But the glass company next door has replaced their fleet of Econoline and Chevy workvans (whatever they are called) with a fleet of those new Nissan workvans (6 of them).
Also got two co-workers who picked up new Camrys this week, one XLS and another an SE. One trade was a Buick Lacrosse and the other an older Ford 500.
The Nissan vans are full sizers, whereas the Transit Connect is like a mid size car with a van box mounted behind the b pillar. I like the Transit Connect euro design though. It works well for small businesses as not everyone needs a full size van that's a pig on gas.
As others have noted, they are definitely larger than the Transit. They might even be a smidge larger than their domestic (Mexican?) Replacements.
They're certainly not pretty by any means, they are definitely function over form, right down to the squared off haunches instead of the rounded over ones on the others.
Driving in Bellevue just a few blocks from where I lived. I even exclaimed the name of the car as it drove by (turning left in front of me as I was at a light) - even though I was alone in the car.
There's also a Tesla dealer in the mall not far from here.
Went out and browsed at a couple lots today, killing time on a nice warm day. Saw a couple Scion iQ - these look much better proportioned than a Smart, but still kind of dopey. One had no price, the other was decked out with bric-a-brac and had an MSRP of about 20K. Seems a little dear. Toyota dealer already had a CPO 12 Camry too.
Also saw a couple Evoque, 4 door models - somehow I don't mind these as they are so rakish (yet insanely impractical), both were loaded up and had MSRP around 55K. No thanks - metal look grille is even plastic. Nothing remarkable at MB, BMW, Lexus, VW, Subaru dealers.
If the Cygnet was 20K, they'd sell every one and then some. We've devolved even further to a thoughtless status addicted society, and Aston is a darling of ostentatious new money.
44K is also a base Evoque - from what I have seen, good luck finding one. Average MSRP at the local dealer was closer to 55K.
Of course it will sell well - something sportier for the RX crowd who wants to be different.
My friend has a Range Rover Sport and they wanted $3 grand for tires and brakes, at just 22k miles. :sick:
I don't think the Evoque's success will be sustainable. First time they realize they have to spend that kind of money to put new tires on those Dubs they'll bail like there's a fire drill at the Land Rover dealer. Resale will drop, and we'll see a death spiral in 2-3 years.
I think it will be succesful. I don't think it's meant to be an entry level Range Rover but rather a premium small soft roader for those who want the newest with most gadgets, but without the size. At least I think it will be a hit here in the Vancouver area.
Now don't get me wrong, I don't work for Land Rover so I could care less whether it will do well or not, but from working in the ultra luxury car market for the past 6 months I see what clients spend their money on, and many who are very well off will not hesitate blowing this kind of coin on this kind of car. And because of who is buying these cars, I don't see maintenance being an issue either.
When working at my previou dealership, we had a client who bought a used Freelander that had nothing but issues. After we sunk money into it to fix some of the things, he still had issues with it.
He came by about 6 months later to get it appraised to get into something else. I took the vehicle for a quick appraisal drive and came back telling him what it was worth. He flipped and stormed out. He got into his Freelander and couldn't start it even though I just drove it 10 minutes earlier. He stormed back in asking me what I did to his Freelander and why it wasn't starting. Last thing I needed was in irate customer stuck here with a car that he thought I broke. Luckily one of the techs played with the ignition for about 10 minutes and got it running again. :lemon:
That's exactly who I think will be buying these, wifey kinda car. Add to that the fact that Victoria Beckham had a hand in marketing it (they say she helped "design" it, but that's up for interpretation) and you will see many housewives driving these in ritzy neighbourhoods.
I think they'll have a hard time moving it... Freelanders sold, because they threw cash at them and got the transaction price down between $26K-$32K (admittedly, this was a few years ago...)
LR2s never sold... even in the mid-high '30s, no one was picking them over X3s....
You can get a pretty well-equipped X3 2.8 for around $45K... a loaded X3 turbo with 300 HP or a maxed out Q5 for $50K... Most Range Rover buyers don't like going down-market for a cheaper model.... and, they've given up completely on the Land Rover crowd...
I predict they will be as common as an Isuzu Axiom or VehiCross... :surprise:
To defend my buddy - at least he really uses the 4WD on sand. He's got an annual pass to the Deleware shore, and actually does get out there regularly.
So not a poseur. I think Land Rover chased him there to get photos for the brochure, though, since he's the only one who uses it as intended!
Drives a British car on a saltwater beach? More money than sense, then :shades:
I don't know if any real die hard off roader drives a RR Sport - it's kind of a realtor/lawyer/trust funder/kept housewife car, in my eyes. Once they get past the well heeled original owner that boomchek mentions, they also depreciate swiftly (I can get a first year supercharged Sport for under 30K), suggesting they are not easy to maintain.
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I also saw a new CRV today, and another new C coupe with another 60-something male driver...maybe it will have this demographic.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
Citadel
3.6L V6 flex-fuel or 5.7L V8 engine
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
We ran across top spec base engine models before when I worked at Chrysler and nobody wanted them. Especially when it comes to a big SUV.
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
I wonder if offering a smaller engine in every trim line helps mpg claims too.
Today's newbie sighting - new nose Tiguan.
Also got two co-workers who picked up new Camrys this week, one XLS and another an SE. One trade was a Buick Lacrosse and the other an older Ford 500.
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
They're certainly not pretty by any means, they are definitely function over form, right down to the squared off haunches instead of the rounded over ones on the others.
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
There's also a Tesla dealer in the mall not far from here.
Also saw a couple Evoque, 4 door models - somehow I don't mind these as they are so rakish (yet insanely impractical), both were loaded up and had MSRP around 55K. No thanks - metal look grille is even plastic. Nothing remarkable at MB, BMW, Lexus, VW, Subaru dealers.
I pity the person in charge of designing such small cars. Tough work.
CPO 12 Camry
Press fleet? Stay away from those given the abuse they take.
Also an appliance-white Prius V.
This Camry was loaded, had 3K miles on it - they still wanted ~30K for it. Maybe a demo or something.
This morning saw a C coupe as well, a base model Camry, and a dirty black Evoque.
They priced it higher than the Yaris, but I guess marketing thinks they can still sell them. ForTwo set the bar real low.
Evoque is winning awards left and right, but that's a head-scratcher to me. $44k for a boutique soft roader with a Focus engine?
Then again, it will sell well, just watch.
44K is also a base Evoque - from what I have seen, good luck finding one. Average MSRP at the local dealer was closer to 55K.
Of course it will sell well - something sportier for the RX crowd who wants to be different.
I don't think the Evoque's success will be sustainable. First time they realize they have to spend that kind of money to put new tires on those Dubs they'll bail like there's a fire drill at the Land Rover dealer. Resale will drop, and we'll see a death spiral in 2-3 years.
Evoque could end up being little more than a new century Freelander. Resale on Rovers is like day old bread to begin with.
Now don't get me wrong, I don't work for Land Rover so I could care less whether it will do well or not, but from working in the ultra luxury car market for the past 6 months I see what clients spend their money on, and many who are very well off will not hesitate blowing this kind of coin on this kind of car. And because of who is buying these cars, I don't see maintenance being an issue either.
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
I do think it will sell to the wifey RX/ML etc kind of market.
When working at my previou dealership, we had a client who bought a used Freelander that had nothing but issues. After we sunk money into it to fix some of the things, he still had issues with it.
He came by about 6 months later to get it appraised to get into something else. I took the vehicle for a quick appraisal drive and came back telling him what it was worth. He flipped and stormed out. He got into his Freelander and couldn't start it even though I just drove it 10 minutes earlier. He stormed back in asking me what I did to his Freelander and why it wasn't starting. Last thing I needed was in irate customer stuck here with a car that he thought I broke. Luckily one of the techs played with the ignition for about 10 minutes and got it running again. :lemon:
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
LR2s never sold... even in the mid-high '30s, no one was picking them over X3s....
You can get a pretty well-equipped X3 2.8 for around $45K... a loaded X3 turbo with 300 HP or a maxed out Q5 for $50K... Most Range Rover buyers don't like going down-market for a cheaper model.... and, they've given up completely on the Land Rover crowd...
I predict they will be as common as an Isuzu Axiom or VehiCross... :surprise:
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So not a poseur. I think Land Rover chased him there to get photos for the brochure, though, since he's the only one who uses it as intended!
I don't know if any real die hard off roader drives a RR Sport - it's kind of a realtor/lawyer/trust funder/kept housewife car, in my eyes. Once they get past the well heeled original owner that boomchek mentions, they also depreciate swiftly (I can get a first year supercharged Sport for under 30K), suggesting they are not easy to maintain.
I dunno. If it doesn't appeal to girly girls, who's gonna buy it?
Also saw another Veloster, and a silver Camry LE.