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

anythngbutgm

Drove a new CR-V and a new Impreza.

First the Impreza. Nice car. Very nice car actually and certainly an upgrade on the inside and outside compared to the outgoing one. This one was a Premium model with cloth and the CVT. Seats were good and the ingress/egress was excellent, especially for rear seat users. Speaking of rear seats, the legroom is as much as my wifes Outback... easily. Regarding the powertrain, the new 2.0 is quiet, smooth and doesn't have much of the Boxer growl. It also feels a bit smoother than my Impreza with the 2.5.

Then there is the CVT. Absolute deal breaker. Wife could not stand the whine and it bugged the crap out of me too. Especially when the radio was on and you could still hear it. I'm sorry but 36mpg is incredible but I would rather give up a couple of MPG's for a conventional automatic (heck even the current 4-speed) or I would go with the stick all the way (33mpg). Sticker price for a loaded Sport Limited was just over 25 grand which is a great price for AWD, BT, heated seats, Nav, moonroof and foglights. But this car was for my wife and the CVT killed it for us.

Next, the CR-V. Sticker price was just over 30 for an EX-L with Nav. My wife loved the step in ingress and the seats were better than the ones in her LL Bean OB. I owned a 2000 CR-V which I loved but my gosh this new one is like night and day. The engine, the acceleration, the road noise were all exceptional for this class. Even the visibility, which I was expecting to be poor was just fine for seeing out the back. I especially liked the amount of windsheild there was, it reminded me of the old Hondas in the visibility/airy cabin dept. Powertrain-wise, again, the acceleration was good and the engine was very quiet. Now, I pretty much haven't met an automatic that I actually liked, but the one in the CR-V was downright perfect. There was no gear hunting, there was no droning and the changes were timed exactly when I wanted them. I could live with the Automatic on the V. Oh, and the test drive consisted of a couple of not-so-great roads and the thing soaked up the bumps great.

Basically, there was not one thing about it that I was disappointed with.

Except.

No Homelink... :sick:

Seriously, what a stupid ommision. out of all the electronics on my wife's Outback that get used the most, I'll bet homelink takes second only to the Stereo. I have a 2 car garage and it is just plain assinine to think that I am going to carry around a keychain with (2) transmitters or I'm going to have (2) different "clickers" hanging from the visor. :mad:

Oh sure, Honda will install one of those Gentex rear view mirrors with Homelink but it'll probably be another 500 bucks and they'll have to take apart the interior to do so which could introduce rattles. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Anyways, other than that, it looks like the CR-V will be at the top of the list for my wifes next vehicle. But, hopefully by the time she's ready, Honda will add this feature to an already excellent array of gadgets. And if there are people out there who don't mind the ommission, I highly recommend a test drive.

ateixeira

Teach her to drive stick! :shades:

CVT may be seen as a necessary harm with upcoming CAFE regs. Subaru has the AWD handicap across the board (BRZ excepted), so that makes meeting CAFE numbers even harder.

You can still get a Forester or H6 Outback with a conventional automatic.

fintail

Funny, that car has appeared in the show before:



If you've watched the not as good as the movie animated "Napoleon Dynamite" series, the grandmother character drives a bustleback Seville which is often rendered well for such a show:



Today's new sighting, Impreza, seeing them off and on now.

berri

I think CVT may be one of the dumbest innovations in cars. I don't see one advantage. They don't drive as well and the mileage seems worse. Every Altima I've rented gets several less mpg than others like Camry.

ateixeira

In theory, a CVT can put an engine at an ideal RPM and keep it there. Peak torque, for instance, or peak HP.

It's all in the tuning. They can even simulate gears.

People tend to love 'em or hate 'em, though. In the Subaru threads that's how it is, love/hate.

I will say that MPG reports have skyrocketed for all the models that got CVTs (base Legacy/Outback and Impreza).

Thankfully you can still get a manual in the Impreza, Forester, and Outback. I can't imagine craving a traditional slush box, no matter the car.

fintail

New Impreza hatch in the outdoor lot of my building this morning

iwant12

A buddy at work just traded his FJ for a CR-V AWD EX-L. I went and checked it out and was relatively impressed with the whole package. Overall, I liked it, but not as much as my '11 Grand Cherokee 4x4.

fintail

Saw a new CRV today, a filthy C coupe, and a 2 door Evoque.

anythngbutgm

I actually have the GC at the top of my list for my next vehicle as well :shades:

anythngbutgm

Looks like people up here in N.E. are taking notice of the rising gas prices. Took a trip to Southern Mass yesterday which included a good protion of Rt95/128 and I counted 10 Nissan Leafs during the trip whole trip, down and back.

I also lost track of how many new CR-V's I saw. But definitely the most common vehicle on my trip had to be the Honda Pilot. All different years. They are as common as Subarus and BMW's.

Couple of one off sightings, a Panamera, a new Toureg, a new Durango (a rarity around here), a new CLS, and even a new 3-series.

stickguy

We are thinking about replacing my wife's Odyssey later in the year with something smaller (and not a van after 17 years in one). So, I have been showing her pics of the newer stuff coming out (Escape, CX-5, etc. since we are looking for a small/mid size CUV).

I also had the program fromt he Philly car show (she was sick and could not go with me).

after looking at the book, and some stuff I showed her online, the "normal" one she liked the best? The Hyundai Santa Fe (current style, not even the one coming out later in the year).

She also does not want to go too small, and I think something like the CX-5 won't be big enough for her. But, the Hyundai seems to hit that sweet spot of a big small one, or a small big one.

ateixeira

You just reminded me, I saw my first one spotted in the flesh. Cute little crossover. I bet it sells well.

The one I saw was a bright blue.

anythngbutgm

Red, on the highway yesterday afternoon.

I can't think of another place to mention it, but I also saw an old SVT Contour as well. Almost forgot about those, man I wanted one badly when they were out.

This one looked a little rough, the passenger side rocker was missing and the whole edge was rusted plus there was rust around the rear quarters, But I rolled my window down while he went by and the engine purred like new. Oh and it was actually green! That's got to be a rarity in of itself. :surprise:

kyfdx

Both with temporary tags...

Much better looking than the last model.... especially from the rear.

ateixeira

I test drove a Contour V6 back in 1995, when the wife was car shopping. It was pretty decent, manual trans and all.

SVT came out later and earned rave reviews. Shame this owner is caring for it better.

fintail

On the used car section of the local Lexus dealer, sits another Fisker Karma tonight, different than the one a couple weeks ago. I wonder if it too is "as is - no warranty".

stickguy

I had a 1995 Mystique (V6 stick shift) that I got in 1998. good car overall, but it did get 2 cat replacements while I had it (3 years). good thing i didn't pay for either one.

They were nicely equipped (very euro) at the beginning, but they pulled a toyota and made them cheaper every year is seems. Worlds different from the '98(or '99?) 4 cyl AT my son had for a while.

jwilliams2

Was the dealers "as is - no warranty" Federally mandated sticker on the window? If so, it could just mean the dealer doesn't warranty it, because it's still under the manufactures warranty.

fintail

This was on the previous car, I didn't stop to look at the new one:



To me, it implies no manufacturers warranty either.

ateixeira

I think they used the CD4E automatics in there, those were awful.

Manual was the only way to go.

ateixeira

Saw 3 of these last night and today. Good looking SUV minus all the chrome trim on that rear bumper, it kinda spoils an otherwise attractive vehicle. I hate chrome - belongs on pimped out Escalades.

Also saw another new CR-V. Seems like I see them often now.

Finally, a Chevy Volt was behind me early today.

stever

First one I've seen in the wild.

kyfdx

You have to get out more....

stickguy

You missed the point. he meant literally in the wild (where he lives). You expect many up there in the wilderness?

kyfdx

Actually, I think he left on a road trip, today..

stever

Spotted it somewhere around Bloomington IL. :-)

When did it come out anyway - two years ago? :P

ateixeira

Saw a new SL, temp tags, the one with the L-shaped headlights.

Yet another CR-V. One of the quickest sellers out of the gates.

kyfdx

As a previous Gen I and Gen II CR-V owner.... I really like Gen IV... (Gen III, not so much)..

ateixeira

My brother has a Gen II, albeit a 2.0l model in Brazil.

I was never a fan of the underbite, but I will say it's much nicer inside than out.

fintail

Was killing some time earlier and stopped by a few local lots. MB dealer had nothing really exciting but a salesman said he wanted to buy my car when I was ready to sell. Saw a new style 3er - loaded sport 335i sedan, 57K sticker - same dealer had a zillion leftover 11 3ers. Audi dealer had nothing unusual but I will say the A6 is lovely inside, weird overbite on the trunk though. Saw a Lexus LX570 with a 92K sticker and they also still had a good 10 or more new GS. Subaru only had a couple new Imprezas and nothing else noteworthy, VW had many new Beetles and Jettas but the most interesting car on the lot was an old SLC. Toyota had many new Camry and Yaris, a few Scion iQ too, one with a 20K+ sticker.

MB dealer said the B should be here by the end of the year and the A is definitely coming, will be interesting to see new niches chased in the US.

stever

Looked bigger in the Outback parking lot than it did at the auto show last year. Still had the temporary tags on it. Looks like a real car, compared to a Smart.

Saw a few hundred brand new VWs today but was too far away to tell if they were all Passats or not.

explorerx4

Did you drive by the factory?
I see lots of Cruze's every time I drive through Lordstown.

stever

Yeah, there's a new nature park out there adjacent to the factory so we went for a three mile walk this morning. Lots of the new cars are under "shade" islands - keeps the bird and hail mess off them I guess. Maybe we'll be able to get on a factory tour one trip south.

Passed about 3 car carriers on the Interstate the last couple of days full of Mazdas and Chevys. SAAR hit a huge 15.1 million for February so there should be lots of new rides to see. Heading to Florida in the morning so I'll keep my eyes peeled for new Caddys and Buicks. :shades:

qbrozen

Evoque and Sonic hatch. Both black. I didn't spot whether the evoque was 2 or 4-door as it didn't click with me (since i was focused on getting somewhere quickly) until the sideview was out of sight.

ateixeira

Still rare, I've only seen a couple of these on the road. Top was up, since it's cold, though I'm not sure it would look any better with the top down.

Also saw an H3 and an H2 this AM, not new, but I don't see either nearly as often as before. I guess most have moved away from urban use to rural areas? Who knows.

fintail

Saw the silver Karma from the car lot the other day out on the road. Being driven by a high level dealer person I am sure.

Also saw a truckload of new cars - all Imprezas and various Nissans. Maybe the factories are close?

Oh, funny thing from yesterday at the MB dealer - after having a salesman want to buy my car, I went to the used section and was approached/ambushed by a saleswoman. I told her I was just looking to see if anything new and weird was on the lot, and she asked several times about what I would want to buy if they had it. I told her the specific color combination high option bluetec that likely doesn't exist. I think that scared her off :shades:

ateixeira

All Imprezas are made in Gunma, Japan. Maybe you're close to the port? Or some storage facility?

They should kick Toyota out of SIA and put a Forester/Impreza assembly line in its place.

PS I use that tactic, i.e. asking for something I know they won't have. In my case it usually involves a manual transmission.

fintail

Oh, I thought they were USA made now. Must be a storage issue then, as I am pretty sure the local dealers are unrelated.

My imagined bluetec - quartz blue with light (almond or beige) interior, P2, pano, sport - I really doubt it exists, would have to be a special order. I'd even choose a wagon if we had a diesel here.

ateixeira

And I want any diesel wagon with a manual but that ain't happening either.

fintail

Jetta, right? If you feel lucky, anyway :shades:

ateixeira

One I can trust.

kyfdx

Port is Portland or Seattle... something like that ... for Imprezas...

I think Mazdas come in there, too... Remember the ship that rolled over? Didn't those cars all come in up that way... then, straight to the salvage yard?

ateixeira

Cougar Ace IIRC?

Yeah, Mazda crushed them all to prevent sub-standard parts from making it to to the gray market.

Think about how many Miatas died.

stever

Me too!

A black one, top up. I was in a bit of traffic passing through Atlanta and didn't really get a very good look at it.

ateixeira

5 door, nice looking car...

stever

Convertible. Anxious driver in traffic. Was on the brakes every two seconds.

kyfdx

Geez.. where are you slumming?

stever

That sighting was around Clearwater Florida. It still was "outclassed" by the ~$500,000 motor home in the campground we landed in last night.

Hard to believe there's a recession just driving around. $4 gas sure isn't slowing anyone down either.

stickguy

it's only a recession if you are out of work.

ateixeira

Not its best color, the grille is dark and looks odd contrasting a light colored body.