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

chidoro

It was a busy day for new car spotting at lunch today. Saw two M35x’s (first time I ever saw one), a white avalon (actually reminded me a little of the G300), and a 645 convertible. The bimmer had it’s top down and I have to say, the thing looks pretty massive in person. I was really surprised how much space this coupe displaced.

I love my aging car to death because it’s served me so well these past 7 ½ years but I really get an itch to buy when I see all of these nice new cars riding around.

ateixeira

And the back seat is still useless...

I agree about the Avalon resembling the GS.

-juice

ghulet

....unfortunately, they remind me a bit too much of the latest Maxima, though the taillight treatment on the GS is nicer (that's not saying much). I dunno, now when I see a Maxima (as opposed to even a few years ago), I can't help but wonder what would make someone spend an extra ~$5k over the much less ugly Altima 3.5; same engine, about the same size. I don't know if there's still some 'prestige' factor versus an Altima, or the newness of the design, or what. All that said, the new GS is crisp and nice looking, though perhaps a bit less distinctive than the last generation was when it debuted. The new Max is perhaps too distinctive.

ateixeira

I don't really like them either, and they cost a bunch more.

Nissan needs to improve the interiors, apparently they have, but I haven't seen them lately.

-juice

odie6l

I heard the Charger was suppost to ship to dealers to go hand-in-hand with the Dodge Dealer 500 NASCAR Race, but they got pushed back to be released with the new Dukes of Hazzard movie. I hope this is only a rumor and not true.

Odie

kyfdx

What is it with Nissan and the goofy moonroofs.. Horizontal across the front seats seems to have worked for 40 years... and now, somehow... it just isn't good enough?

Also, the Pontiac G6... Does anyone else see problems with that moonroof after 3-4 years of body flexing?

Also.. SUVs, Minis, the new A3... all of those have extra large moonroofs.. They look great from inside the car, but they look like problems waiting to happen.. not to mention the solar heating...

Okay... done ranting.. carry on..

bksward

Saw two of them today, a white one on the road and a black one on a flatbed. Looks like someone stretched and warped a Ford Taurus. Either that or the back end is an Olds Aurora with Taurus tail lights... (There was a white Taurus one lane over from the white CLS500 on I5 this afternoon...)

I've also seen a BRG Jag X-type wagon... I think it looks better than the 3-series wagon, but ownership might be a different deal...

anythngbutgm

My wife had a C230K coupe (The not so well liked one) which had the skyroof option. A huge piece of glass like that makes for alot of squeeks... But the amount of light that was allowed into the cabin was great. And there awas a sunshade (power) that covered the whole think up if you wanted to keep the sun off of you. But it was squeeky...

lemko

...black Chevrolet Equinox.

teds1

Saw my first last night... looked good. When you compare the next to eachother(as you can in the small pictures under 3 series at bmwusa.com) It looks a lot more modern and sleeker, though by itself it doesn't look that different. I also saw a continental GT on the same block... They are really everywhere in New York now, I see at least two a week.

Also I too hate the new Maximas though a 20 gallon fuel tank is nice. Just ugly

ateixeira

kyfdk: imagine a G6 after an accident that caused frame damage.

I prefer a moonroof like the Mercedes C-coupe or the Mini Cooper, glass front and back, with the front half sliding back over the back half.

I saw a CLS yesterday also, though I like it more than you do. :P

-juice

jaserb

A local dealer brought a couple of cars to my office today so people could try to win the GM Hot Button promotion, without actually having to step foot in a GM showroom. :P
They had a Buick Lacrosse and a Silverado SS. The Lacrosse actually is better looking in person - seems more compact and athletic than I've seen in the pics. Interior was much better than my dad's Lesabre (this is not your father's Buick?) but still not fantastic. Doesn't matter much to me, since I didn't win.

-Jason

navigator89

I was behind a 2006 BMW 3 series at a stoplight, so I only looked at the tailights of the car. Still, they're not that great looking. It reminds me of a certain Ford model, can't remember which one. The headlights look pretty good.

It's funny, I seem to like the old looks of the BMW 3,5,7 series better than the new ones. Well, the 7 has been out for a while, I'm getting used to it, even liking it a bit. But the 5? No way, looks uglier than any other car in it's class. The 3 series isn't too bad, I guess I'll get used to it.

Also saw a dark blue BMW 1 series at a parking lot. I have to say, it looks really nice in that color..

kyfdx

Where do you live, that you see 1-series?

teds1

You saw a 1 series??? Where? In the US? I'm pretty sure we don't have those yet. I'm not too fond of the hatchback one that will be imported here anyway, the cs1 convertible concept was nice but I'm not sure they are making a production version. I've seen a few more of the new 3s and they are growing on me. I still hate the 5s and the 7s are better but still make the drivers look like russian gangsters. The 3 is the first of the major redesigns (I'm discounting the Z4 here which I like) to strike my fancy immediately. Maybe it's because I've driven every iteration of the previous body style and I love them.

davem2001

Navigator99 is writing to us from Kuwait!

navigator89

Yeah that's right, I am writing from Kuwait.

We get a lot of European brands that the US doesn not get like Peugeot, Citroen Renault and Seat. We also get the Mercedes A Class, not available in the States.

And we also have Japanese brands like Nissan, Toyota ,Lexus, and Honda. Infiniti is starting to make an appearance here with the FX45, QX56 and G35 coupe. Acura is non existent here.

We have American brands, but only Chevrolet GMC and Cadillac. No Pontiac, Buick or Saturn. Lincoln only sells the Town Car and LS, no SUVs.

The disadvantage to living here is that vehicles debut much later than in America. The Nissan Armada is just arriving, and the 2002 Camry arrived as 2003 model here. The Ford Mustang just made it's debut. Also, the 7 seater Pathfinder hasn't made it's way here yet.

and it's navigator89, not 99

fintail

"The Nissan Armada is just arriving,"

You guys are better off without that super-sized Rambler Cross Country. One of the more difficult to look at vehicles on the road.

Today I saw a new style A6...in blue, and beautiful. I hated the grille when I first saw pics, but now it is fine.

merc1

Cadillac DTS. I thought it was Dubya. It is basically a smoothed over DeVille with new front and rear ends.

M

navigator89

"You guys are better off without that super-sized Rambler Cross Country."

If you think the Nissan Armada is a super-sized Rambler Croos Country, you should see what the most popular full size SUV here is - GMC Yukon/Chevrolet Tahoe. These two aren't as big as the Armada, but the Suburban is, and it is extremely popular. You can find all model years here, even the ancient ones. We once had an idiot in a 1980's Suburban tailgating on us in the fast lane at 120km/h

I actually like seeing the Nissan Armada. I didn't like it's styling in the pictures, but it looks better in person, and it is a welcome change from the monotone of the GM full size SUV's and pickups.

Also, GM full size trucks own the full size market here. Spotting a Ram is rare, unless it is tricked out or a Rumble Bee version. F-150's are just springing up. But there is no doubt - the Silverado/Sierra are the most common work trucks.

danf1

of 2006 Mitsubishi Eclipses went by me today. It looks much better than the current model. Also much better than in pictures.

merc1

Very good looking car. Doesn't look as "truckish" as I first thought. I still would like to see a Coupe version though.

M

lemko

...red GMC Canyon, silver Chevrolet Cobalt coupe, gray Buick LaCrosse, and black Mercury Montego.

ateixeira

Well, actually it was Hot Rod weekend in Ocean City, MD, a bunch of car shows along the beach. I guess SSRs are trying to fit in with the old school crowd because I saw more of these things in one day than I had in my entire life!

At one point I was driving next to a red one, and we saw another red one just like it across the street. Then we drove by a yellow one a couple of blocks later. And later on we saw yet another yellow one, parked in a used car lot.

At the outlets we saw 3 new Avalons parked in the same row. It was the sidewalk sale and they must have had a senior citizen discount.

Saw a lot of new Mustangs, too. Almost all domestic cars there.

-juice

andys120

it looked pretty good in Steel Gray Metallic. I think I prefer the Magnum tho

ghulet

....today I saw a new Mercedes SLK 55 (the AMG version). Nice car, a definite improvement over the outgoing version, but still doesn't quite look as 'expensive' or exclusive as Mercedes used to. I'm also not too fond of the pointy beaks and multiple character lines on the newest sporty Benzes. It's probably just me, my perceptions of cars are stuck in the '80s or something. I did notice it was wearing wheels nearly identical to those on the highest-spec Chrysler Crossfire (the million-spoke alloys that are a real pain to clean).

I also saw a new Lincoln Zephyr; looked nice enough from most angles (though it's small, definitely smaller than an Accord or Camry, and likely more expensive), except the taillight treatment is a bit awkward. I can't remember exactly what it looked like, but reminded me of kind of a skewed Mustang from the rear.

davem2001

also saw a new Lincoln Zephyr;

I didn't think these were on sale until the fall?

i_luv_toyota

I forgot to report this, but I saw an M35x (AWD) a couple weeks back at the local CVS. It was black with chrome wheels (stock) and looked like it was thoroughly washed, waxed and detailed.

Very nice I must say, even though it was parked slightly over the line...

210delray

So did you ding his door?

ghulet

I saw the Zephyr in downtown Chicago (on Clark between Lake and Wacker, specifically). It's possible they might have been filming it for a commercial or something, I saw it driving but then I saw a prop vehicle and film crew. The guy driving it (a really heavy, kinda older blue-collar uniformed guy) couldn't have been in the commercial, though, so maybe not....I dunno. In any case, the car was silver with dark gray interior and missing the center caps on its alloys.

I had no idea the car wasn't coming out til Fall, I just checked and it isn't even mentioned on L-M's website.

merc1

Today must have been city S-Class and SL Mercedes day. I mean I saw like 7 2003 or newer S-Classes today and every SL had the top down. It was a pretty day here, but not all that warm at 66 degrees.

M

fintail

Not an exciting new thing to see, but I have seen many of the rebeaked GM minivans lately. Either people have actually been fooled and are actually buying these things, or they are really popular in the rental fleets.

davem2001

It must have been for a commercial shoot, then. I saw the Zephyr at the Detroit Auto Show back in January, but it's not for sale to the public yet. Not too impressed with it, either. You would think Lincoln would have learned a lesson from the Cadillac Cimmaron. Apparently not. This thing is a loaded Fusion with different grille and taillights.

ateixeira

LOL, good one! Nice pick me up for me this morning, thanks.

Tell me the Zephyr isn't getting the same 3.0l Duratec engine as the others (Ford/Mazda/Mercury). Please.

-juice

davem2001

I'd assume they will eventually get the 3.5L engine that the 500 also is waiting for, but when they first come out, they will have the same engine as the Fusion/Milan/Mazda 6, etc... Like I said, it's a loaded Fusion with a different grille - Lincoln's Cimmaron

lemko

...first Honda Ridgeline. Also spotted numerous Chevrolet Cobalts - red coupe, a blue sedan, and a gray sedan.

ateixeira

Lincoln should have waited for the 3.5l.

-juice

teds1

I have been seeing some ridgelines in NYC with commercial markings. Nobody in their right mind is going to own a pickup truck for personal use in the city but the ridgeline actually makes a lot of sense as a work truck as long as you aren't in heavy construction. It's not big enogh to haul cement and rebar but it would be very useful for an interior contractor for example. I think it will be a sucess... goofy looking though it is

anythngbutgm

Spotted a truckload of Subaru Tribeca's in Nashua, NH...

stickguy

I see them occasionally on the road. The more I see them, the uglier I think it is!

ateixeira

They're in dealers now. The local dealer has 10, I'm test driving one today.

Two people here on Edmunds already own Tribecas.

Remember, Subarus are supposed to be ugly.

-juice

anythngbutgm

Not so much ugly as they are polarizing. :P Interior is top notch IMO. Very warm and inviting, I'd say. :shades:

ateixeira

Interior looks great and has the biggest DVD screen you can get in any SUV at any price (9"). In park you can even view movies on the NAV screen.

But does size matter?

-juice

davem2001

I like just about everything about it until I see that ugly Edsel nose. The interior is very nice. The exterior looks good from just about every angle except the front.

teds1

As a true Suby fanatic and owner I take mild offense to that! Sure WRX's are a bit ungainly (but oh so awesome), and the plastic cladding on outbacks is repulsive... but Legacy's (espicially GTs) have always been sleek. Nice touches like the rear spoiler on the wagons and the functional but subtle hood scoops have always looked great to me. I think the new legacy's and outbacks are better than anything BMW or Audi has produced recently by far... But I hope and pray that the tribeca grill will be killed off and not made into the corporate face a la trapezoids on audis. It looks like something mailman would drive in Belgium... I hate that thing

lemko

...one of those Chevrolet Classic rental cars with the tiny "e" sticker. The Classic is the old Malibu and still uses the "wave" logo with the Chevy bowtie superimposed within it.

kyfdx

Not necessarily brand new.. It was the big CL coupe.. Maybe a couple of years old..

I thought it said CL55 on the back... but, when I passed it, it said V-12 on the front fender..

Is that right? CL55 AMG has a V-12?

regards,
kyfdx

davem2001

I'm not positive - one of the big AMG engines is a 5.5L V8 either turbocharged or supercharged (not sure which). The other is a twin turbo 6.0L v12

navigator89

Today on the way to my dentist I saw a plethora of rare vehicles. I'll list them in the order I saw them.

Yellow Acura NSX parked in front of a house

Black Roll Royce Phantom parked in a driveway!!! There were some other expensive vehicles there too, an Infiniti QX56 and a BMW 745Li

Red Ferrari 612 Scaglietti!!!!!!!! I didn't know they were out! It was parked at my dentist's office

and finally, a HOT PINK Cadillac Escalade. That has gotta be the ugliest SUV out there, after the BMW X3

kyfdx

My first sighting of an Infiniti M35..

I predict the hoopla over these will wear off fairly fast, along with the GS300.. They are both fairly generic looking (along with the Acura RL).

regards,
kyfdx