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

fintail

I remember seeing the "Precidia" all over the place in Van back in the day. Weird how it was so big there but go 100 miles south, and it is a rarity.

Newbies today - white Rolls Ghost and Mini coupe. Former car is a "we built this" tank for those who are lucky in birth or marriage but can't admit it, latter car is for those with vision problems :shades:

tjc78

Starting to see quite a few XTS in my area. A charcoal grey and then a stunning white one with the 20" wheels. I want one! I think it's a solid winner for Caddy.

texases

Saw an XTS in the parking garage at DFW a few days ago. Nice looking car, but one thing was a bit odd: the rear window is so slanted that the rear 'package shelf' is HUGE, resulting in a pretty small trunk opening.

stickguy

I hate a short trunk opening. Took my volvo to the track in saratoga, and had to ditch 1 color because it would not fit through the opening!

fintail

Today saw an X1, Infiniti Minivan, new Altima, white SLS cabrio, and a black Phantom cabrio.

stever

The JX is, at best, a crossover. Looks like a SUV to me.

In other news, saw an Indian motorcycle ten minutes ago. Probably a recent (2010?) Chief Classic. Ah, what do I know; had the saddlebags so could have been an older Vintage

fintail

I think with the third row and boring box layout, it serves the purpose of a minivan while looking like an SUV - aka pretending to be something macho for those who lack the self confidence to drive a minivan. So it's a minivan :shades:

stever

No sliders is a fail.

But thanks for the vote of confidence. :shades:

fintail

Two words: Mazda MPV

Not buying some fake off roader to pose is an admirable quality.

stever

We looked at a first generation one of those when we bought the '89 Voyager. But I wanted FWD, not RWD/AWD. It was too trucky. Like the Voyager, a sliding door came on some but not all of them, but not the one we looked at. Could even get them with manuals back then. Didn't look at them again in '99 when they were all FWD and dual sliders.

What I really wanted back in the day was a Previa, but couldn't afford one.

fintail

my dad wanted one of the first MPVs, an AWD model, but my mom didn't like it (even though it would be his car), so no-go. Makes me think "no wife, happy life" :shades:

The Previa was a pretty cool unit, for what it was - so weird and futuristic. Before Toyota turned beige. I do remember they could be pretty pricey.

stever

Got me going down memory lane again. I think you're right - no sliders on the MPV "minivans" we got in the US.

When the Previa came along, we had been in the Voyager for a couple of years, had a 7/70 powertrain warranty, and it had worked well on a road trip. Couldn't see trading that soon and the trade-in value on the $13k van wouldn't have put much of a dent in the Previa's price (seems like it was $20k or more?). Should have tossed the Tercel in the mix and gone back to one car though.

The MPVs did have a good rep for reliability.

anythngbutgm

Friend of mine brought his new BR-Z to a cookout over the weekend so I got to check it out. Got it in the classic Subie "Mica Blue" color. Didn't get a chance to drive it though as he was busy with his kids all afternoon

Also checked out a BMW X1 with the 3.5 that the local dealer had on the lot. This one was pretty well loaded and had a sticker of just over 44 grand. Compared it to an X3 which was 4 grand more and it would be a tough call on whether I would just spend the extra few grand to move up a size. Oh how I wish I could get the X1 with a stick...

Also looked at a Z4 35i with a sticker over 61 grand!!! :surprise:

lastly, on the way out, I stopped behind a current generation Impala which came out in what 2007? What I found odd was the good size bubble of rust that was peaking out over that chrome strip on the trunk lid where it meets the bumper. Had residue leaking down the chrome and everything. I always thought GM did a pretty good job of rust prevention (cars at least, not so much on trucks...) but it was awkward to see on a newer car like that.

fintail

I still see Previas now and then - Toyotas were overengineered at that time. I think they were seen as a premium product, hence the price - especially for S/C or AWD models.

Not seeing many old style MPVs anymore.

ateixeira

Dodge had the right formula and competitors didn't really sell in volumes until they copied them.

Honda's van was too small, Toyota's was too odd (and mid-engined, wow), Mazda's van too trucky, etc.

We tend to see convergence because most people simply follow the leader.

robr2

lastly, on the way out, I stopped behind a current generation Impala which came out in what 2007? What I found odd was the good size bubble of rust that was peaking out over that chrome strip on the trunk lid where it meets the bumper. Had residue leaking down the chrome and everything. I always thought GM did a pretty good job of rust prevention (cars at least, not so much on trucks...) but it was awkward to see on a newer car like that.

Could've been a repair. My 2005 Passat has some bubbles on the tailgate from a repair job. I have to pull out the papers on the repair - I think I have a lifetime warranty on it.

stever

Haven't seen my brother's new Odyssey yet but one was parked at the beach 15 minutes ago. Still looks like Johnny Cash put the rear end together One Piece At A Time.

ateixeira

My wife saw one this weekend and made a funny face.

My concern is if my 07 minivan were totalled, I would not know what to buy!

stickguy

my wife calls the black one (besides ugly) a Hearse. And yesterday we saw a white one that she called a white hearse (and did not think I was funny when I asked wouldn't that be an ambulance?)

still, of the options if you want a full-size minivan (oxymoron?), it is still probably the best one. The new Sienna is kind of weird (no clue how it drives) and the Quest is hideous. So, Honda it is, unless you want to save money and go Chrysler instead.

ateixeira

I like the Ody minus the odd ball styling and the fact that you have to spend $40k plus to get the 6 speed automatic.

The new Sienna suffered cost cutting. The 8th seat is smaller than on my 2007, and plastics aren't as nice. I'd still drive one.

Dodge made improvements to the interior but IMHO it only went half way. I'd like to see a clean-sheet effort.

VW is a Dodge clone. Even worse, I saw one that had alloys on the Monroney and it clearly had plastic wheel covers over steel wheels. Nice quality control, VW.

Nissan's van has a 10" shorter cargo area. You buy a van for the space so that's a big sacrifice. Huge incentives would make it a budget buy, I suppose, you can get a well equipped leather model under $28k.

Not sure, if mine were totalled, I may go looking for a CPO 2010 Sienna, pre-cost cutting.

lemko

...silver Buick LaCrosse at Verree and Napfle in NE Philly.

ateixeira

No pano roof on this one. Would be a shame to buy one and not get that feature.

tifighter

Yeah, in that segment, I'd probably go Sienna. It is the only model without a long running history of mechanical issues, especially in the transmission department. It has issues with the power sliders, but they all do. That said, I actually like the Quest but think the missing cargo height would probably be a deal breaker for me and my bike hauling ways.

ateixeira

The back seems tall, is it any less than the others?

tifighter

40" tall cargo height vs 43" on a Sienna. Height of my mountain bike with the front wheel on - 42".

ateixeira

Wow, it doesn't look that way. Maybe a high floor? It does have that well. What about dropping a tire in there?

I can relate - had to squeeze 2 bikes in my Sienna this weekend. It was tight with cargo as well, so those 3" would have made it a chore.

I actually ended up ordering a bike rack this morning. It can hold up to 3 bikes and I can fit 1-2 inside, so we can all go riding.

stever

Wow, that's bad.

The hatch opening on my '99 Quest is around 41" and the floor to roof height (a couple of feet in from the hatch) is over 46".

(I love it when you guys make me get out of my easy chair and walk out to my detached garage with my tape measure. )

ateixeira

I'm waiting for some Element owner to come out and say he stuck the handle bars out of the rear moonroof!

lemko

black VW Bug near a Ford dealership
champagne colored Lexus ES300h hybrid in the parking lot at work
silver Suzuki Kizashi near a Barnes and Nobles bookstore

ateixeira

You reminded me ... I saw one of those ice blue Beetles.

VW's web site calls it Denim Blue. Nah.

tifighter

You wouldn't believe the cargo area measurements I have for various vehicles. I should start a website.

Nissan keeps making a point of the cargo floor being level with the bumper for easier loading as a selling point, and it probably makes a great diaper changing station. I think they raised the covered cargo bins to be level with the seat mechanism and lost some height in the process.

Of course, I could just remove the lids from said bins and drop the front wheel in there, giving back some of the height I need. That would probably work.

ateixeira

cars101.com does that for all Subarus. It's a dealer employee's site, IIRC. Very handy.

Useless trivia for the day - cargo width between the wheel wells on the Outback is a foot (!) greater than on the Crosstour.

stever

I've taken off the wheels many a time to fit bikes in my Outback and that's fine because you know going into the deal that you're giving up some volume for other advantages. But even on my SWB Voyager minivan I could roll two bikes in (it was a 5 seater and I often stashed the 2nd row seat in the shed).

Guess not enough of us buy minivans for easy cargo access instead of for hauling people.

ateixeira

All of the above. :shades:

It's funny, some people talk about compromise but it's the opposite - you DON'T compromise. All the people and all the cargo can fit, and that's the whole point.

The van had 4 people and the dog and luggage and 2 bikes. Inside. LOL

And no, I didn't remove the front wheels.

tifighter

cars101.com does that for all Subarus. It's a dealer employee's site, IIRC. Very handy.

Joe at Carter does that site. I bought a Forester from him back in 06. Its a useful site.

tifighter

I agree here fully, the whole point of the minivan is no compromise. Actually, the compromise is that you are driving a genre of vehicle that everyone likes to make fun of, but it is all about function first to me. Were Toyota to offer a spare tire/lose the runflats on the AWD Sienna, I'd buy one for the ultimate cycling and skiing car. And I don't even have kids.

ateixeira

That ruled out the AWD for me, too, so I went with FWD.

Back then you could only get the 8 seater in certain models (CE, LE), so that also limited my choices.

texases

Just when I thougth Honda was slowly coming out of the styling woods, they come up with this! Makes the Crosstour look like a work of art...well, not as ugly:

fintail

Looks like Hyundai is becoming a trendsetter.

anythngbutgm

Thankfully this is a low volume model, and it might (like a lot of other Hondas) look better in person than the photos suggest.

The mainstream models look great and do show positive signs of Honda waking up in the design dept.

Also, be assured that if this model was nothing more than the conventional model with a hybrid powertrain, we'd be reading about how dull and uninspiring ("boring" in anti-import spoeak) it is. So at least they are taking a few risks this time around.

andys120

I got a quick look at a new Ford Escape in traffic and I think I like the restyle, it's a lot less "trucky" than the previous one and more interesting than most Crossovers IMO.

Speaking of CUVs, I'm seeing a lot of VW Tiguans.

ateixeira

The volume model is a lot more conservative than that. Looks a whole lot better.

The rear mimicks the Hyundai Genesis, especially the tail lights.

Looks handsome.

boomchek

These three look like they're triplets even though they're from three different manufacturers. Almost like carbon copies.

explorerx4

In reality, you do compromise, there is nothing mini about these vans.
Similar dimensions to a Tahoe.
I'm ok adding a cargo box on the roof rails of the Explorers when I need extra storage space.
My '11 Explorer is closer in size to a 'mini' van, than the '02.

tjc78

The genesis looks the best IMO. Shame it rides like crap.

What is up with Honda lately? They need to hire a better styling team. Quick.

anythngbutgm

That view of the Accord may be the best I've seen yet. I'm really looking forward to seeing one in person to get a better judgement. So far, there isn't much to be critical of and from all the forums I have read, the reactions have been almost universally positive.

I think they are going to to extremely well with this new model.

Now about that hybrid...

ateixeira

Not sure that Legacy belongs, given the massive fender flares. Plus you'd have to flip the tails upside down.

fintail

Caddy dealer had 7 various color XTS sitting on the lot yesterday. Also saw a lowline new X3, and a nice new E wagon.

ateixeira

At the time the Explorer was over 500 lbs heavier than my van, and only about 6" shorter. Packaging efficiency is quite good.

I have the space of a Suburban, which is a whole 20" longer overall. Curb weight is approximately the same as Delaware.

lemko

Silver Chevrolet Corvette Z06 at Oxford Avenue and Pine Road in NE Philly.
White Buick LaCrosse at the Holiday Market on Dungan Road in NE Philly.