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

anythngbutgm

stever said:

anythngbutgm said:

Bit surpised that I counted/spotted (8) different new Prius's this weekend.

Were all of these in the wild or at a dealer? We had planned to go look at one today but I got tied up.

Wild. Metrowest Boston area.

texases

Saw a new V60, nice except a little 'Infiniti overstyling' in the front hood area when viewed like this:

stickguy

Neighbor seems to have swapped his CX-5 for a new Toyota Highlander. Quite the large beast now. Lots of sharp lines and angles.

stickguy

Looks like the plug in hybrid version of the Volvo. Or a weird place for a Gas tank!

Michaell

stickguy said:

Neighbor seems to have swapped his CX-5 for a new Toyota Highlander. Quite the large beast now. Lots of sharp lines and angles.

My neighbors across the street traded in their 2013 Highlander for a 4Runner a couple weeks ago.

stever

anythngbutgm said:

stever said:

anythngbutgm said:

Bit surpised that I counted/spotted (8) different new Prius's this weekend.

Were all of these in the wild or at a dealer? We had planned to go look at one today but I got tied up.

Wild. Metrowest Boston area.

Looks like one of the three that were in inventory here has sold. Have to keep my eyes peeled.

That V60 does look pretty nice @texases.

fintail

Saw one of those Scion Matrix 5 doors today, with an Uber sticker. It's a car.

Sandman6472

Drove a Prius C today and was underwhelmed. Horrendous road noise, bare bones interior. So glad I said no a few years back after the test drive. If I were to get any Prius, I'd get the 4 door wagon as thought it drove nicely and was definitely quieter. Glad my VW Golf is bringing home almost 40 mpg on my highway commute, makes getting rid of the Tucson that much better since it got under 29 for the same trip. Am using less petrol in gallons as not taking the price into account here since the amount would be the same no matter the price.

The Sandman

iluvmysephia1

Saw one of those Scion Matrix 5 doors today, with an Uber sticker. It's a car.

It's basically a Corolla wagon, to Scion's credit it's available with a stick shift. I like it but not a lot.

fintail

I wonder if it will become a Corolla or a Matrix once Scion is gone.

Prius C, they have to sell in significant numbers to fleets now. I still think of my friend who had one, and drove it from Atlanta to Seattle. By the end of his lease he was parking it where he thought trees might fall on it.

Michaell

fintail said:

Prius C, they have to sell in significant numbers to fleets now. I still think of my friend who had one, and drove it from Atlanta to Seattle. By the end of his lease he was parking it where he thought trees might fall on it.

When I picked up my rental Corolla last week at LAX, there were a number of Prius C's available to choose from. Since I was going to be spending a lot of time on the highway, I decided to pass. 

iluvmysephia1

I wonder how the Scion/soon ta be Toyota iA would fare in comparison. Long-term happiness, those buying it seem very pleased. It is small, but has enough room...whether the ergos of it's driver's seat is long-term good is not yet known.

Even owner/operators of the very small Mitsubishi Mirage claim football-player sized men are comfortable up front driving their Mirage's. Humm.

Mr_Shiftright

Driving one vaguely reminded me of the old Citroen DS, except that the Prius isn't sexy, cool, exotic or entertaining. It is innovative, though, as was the DS, I must grudgingly admit.

iluvmysephia1

The Prius mpg is what...53? Haven't spotted a new Prius on the road yet here in Dodge but we do have Lewis Toyota here in town. I'm attracted to a Prius about as much as I am to a Dodge Caravan minivan. IOW's - not very much.

stever

Drove a '16 Prius today - was disappointed, and was a bit surprised to be disappointed. Also drove a Dodge Caravan today (and everyday, lol, just my '09, not a new one).

Enjoyed sitting in a Scion iM. Very nice cockpit, nicely executed interior. Not ready to downsize quite that much but liked it. Also spotted a nice Blue xB with a cheap MSRP. And there was a FR-S on the Toyota lot too.

Drove a '15 Soul ! with the leather. Killer panoramic sunroof, most all of the bells and whistles (including those darn 18" wheels). I was ready to talk numbers when my wife brought me back down to earth a bit.

Then drove a '16 Soul + with the killer panoramic sunroof. Went around the block and I looked up and got blinded. This one also had leather but it was the thicker "base" leather (per the salesperson) and the ventilated seats didn't seem to work as well as the seat in the '15 did.

My guess is that we could save a couple of thousand bucks going for the '15 vs a '16 ! with similar options. But since we drive them forever, I kind of want the newest I can get - the price over ten years is only an extra $200 a year.

Wish the mpg was better but I like the box and I like the higher seating position of the Soul. Kia really needs to take a page from Buick - the very nice Encore gets 28/34 while the Kia only gets 24/31.

Michaell

stever said:

Drove a '16 Prius today - was disappointed, and was a bit surprised to be disappointed. Also drove a Dodge Caravan today (and everyday, lol, just my '09, not a new one).

Enjoyed sitting in a Scion iM. Very nice cockpit, nicely executed interior. Not ready to downsize quite that much but liked it. Also spotted a nice Blue xB with a cheap MSRP. And there was a FR-S on the Toyota lot too.

Drove a '15 Soul ! with the leather. Killer panoramic sunroof, most all of the bells and whistles (including those darn 18" wheels). I was ready to talk numbers when my wife brought me back down to earth a bit.

Then drove a '16 Soul + with the killer panoramic sunroof. Went around the block and I looked up and got blinded. This one also had leather but it was the thicker "base" leather (per the salesperson) and the ventilated seats didn't seem to work as well as the seat in the '15 did.

My guess is that we could save a couple of thousand bucks going for the '15 vs a '16 ! with similar options. But since we drive them forever, I kind of want the newest I can get - the price over ten years is only an extra $200 a year.

Wish the mpg was better but I like the box and I like the higher seating position of the Soul. Kia really needs to take a page from Buick - the very nice Encore gets 28/34 while the Kia only gets 24/31.

Thanks for the update on the shopping.

Doesn't the Soul ! have the more powerful engine? 2.4L with 160-170 HP?

iluvmysephia1

Wish the mpg was better but I like the box and I like the higher seating position of the Soul. Kia really needs to take a page from Buick - the very nice Encore gets 28/34 while the Kia only gets 24/31

As often as my eyes stray to the Scion iA soon-ta-be Toyota iA or this little orange '68 Datsun 411 Bluebird, I love my small clear white Soul from Kia. I don't know why I can't seem ta just stay content with it, it is a "lower end" rig, but, I wouldn't want a Scion xB box, either. I don't like how they look. We just went over 60,000 miles in our Soul, too.

And since it's "our" money, I can't just swing deals however and whenever I want. I know one thing I ought ta be very thankful for, and it's this: because of the Mrs. and her stance on flinging cash at different new and used rigs I fall in love with, we've got more retirement nest tucked away for that special 'R' time coming up. We'd both like ta head back to either New Mexico or Arizona.

Concerning spending on new rigs (or used) and just doing it come hell or high water, when I decided I wanted to trade our 2001 Kia Sportage 4X4 in on a new model of car, the 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer GTS, I just planned it all out, grabbed a spring coat and the Sportage keys one Saturday afternoon and headed for the front door of the house.

"Where ya goin'?"
"I'm goin' ta get a new Mitsubishi!"
Her response ta this insanity?

"I'm comin' with!" Couldn't believe it - but, no matter what her response was, I was going to go get my own "baby EVO." We got up to Avondale, which is about 9 miles west of Phoenix, headed in to Avondale Mitsubishi, I told them that I had talked to them earlier on the phone about a new '08 Lancer GTS in Rally Red paint and 5-speed transmission. The kid greets me and said it's in the showroom. It was an automatic CVT transmission. I was livid!

"Didn't I say I wanted a stick shift Rally Red Lancer GTS?"
Yep - it's right there. I looked at Mrs. iluv incredulously and wanted to raise my voice. They drove it outta the showroom, we took our test drive, I loved it, and on in to negotiations we went. I just couldn't believe that the sales guy didn't get it that paddle shifters aren't the same thing as manual transmissions!

stever

Michaell said:

Doesn't the Soul ! have the more powerful engine? 2.4L with 160-170 HP?

Base is a 1.6l, 130 hp, 118 ft-lbs.

Other trims are a 2.0l, 164 hp, 151 ft-lbs.

Curb weight comes in under 3,000 pounds so that helps a bit.

@iluvmysephia1, we hit 85°F today. If you and the missus need to get out of Dodge and warm up, come on down. (Yeah, I've been waiting years to finally have someone I can feed that line too, lol). Found a new spot today - Dick's Cafe. Greasy spoon with good burgers for me and good Mexican food for my missus.

iluvmysephia1

Other trims are a 2.0l, 164 hp, 151 ft-lbs.

This is the engine size and hp/ft.lb.torque our 2011 clear white base 5-speed Kia Soul is. If I get far enough on our taxes later on today I'm gonna hook my new hose up and give her a wash out the back of the house. It's a long overdue thing, the Soul is dirty outside and it also needs a vacuuming of the carpet and a wipe-down of the dash/cupholder area.

In fact, perhaps I should just start with the Soul cleaning project and then do our Fed/State income taxes after that. First things first, eh? Happy ta see you're considering a Kia Soul, stever. Hey, BTW, when the Mrs. and I were at Viva Kia (you could drive the 40 miles south ta Viva Kia in El Paso and give them a try, too, for Souls) I asked if they had any Nissan cube's available ta test drive and look at. Nope - not a one - even thought Viva Kia/Mitsubishi also sells Nissan's. Bummer dude - I really wanted ta test drive a Nissan cube - love the funky shape and design. Nissan discontinued making the cube, but, I was still interested.

Yeah, we're just 525 miles NE of Alamogordo from Dodge City, KS. And it's all on Highway 54.

stever

Yeah, the first 2016 we test drove was at that El Paso dealer. Must have been back in November.

texases

stever said:

Yeah, the first 2016 we test drove was at that El Paso dealer. Must have been back in November.

About that panoramic sunroof - is there an inside cover that blocks out 100% of the light? If not, you might be buying an 'easy bake oven, solar powered version'!

stever

Yeah, and the glass also opens after you open the cover. Or at least the front half opens.

The inside cover can be partially closed (from the back to the front). Just punch the button when you want it to stop.

A sun screen would be nice addition too. Think it was the Elantra wagon we tested that had the sunroof with the sunshade, in addition to the inside cover.

You'd hate all of this iirc, since you already will lose about 4" of headroom with the pano roof, before taking on shades.

You also lose the ability to easily add a roof rack, but I can live without those now.

texases

Yeah, that 4" hit to headroom would likely be a deal breaker. But some of the CUVs have enough headroom, even with the now almost mandatory sunroof. I think I fit in the RDX, the Q5, and, most importantly to me, the CX-5, which is on my list. But nothing soon.

tjc78

New MB GLE ... Interesting rear tail lights.  LED gone wild.  

ab348

Just for laffs, I priced out a new M-B GLC yesterday, almost no options, $46K Cdn. Interesting thing was that to get a sunroof I would have had to add a package that included Nav and a bunch of other stuff I didn't want, almost $5K!

I do like the vehicle very much but I wouldn't want to spend that much just for a sunroof.

qbrozen

I'm holding out to see how a GLC 450 AMG turns out.

Mr_Shiftright

Holy Poundage Batman---the new 550e GLE plug-in hybrid weighs 5,400!

Sandman6472

Prefer the GLA 250 here, have driven a few at work and just love it. Hoping that in another year or two, the CPO price will be reasonable. If not, can wait a few more years to get myself one. Plan to fully retire again in another 4 years once I hit 65 and get one right before that, if possible.

The Sandman

anythngbutgm

Also checked out the GLC this weekend, It looks better in person than it did in the pics, and the interior is fantastic IMO. The only thing that I would question is the 4-cylinder under the hood of a 4200lb SUV, but that's the thing these days unfortunately. Volvo, now MB... Still, at 21/28mpg, I have to wonder what those stats would be with a nice gutsy 6-cylinder as an optional/upgrade mill. Even the Acura RDX with the old J-series V6 achieves 20/29...

I have read an AMG version is coming, but I imagine a pricetag well into the 60's...

On a side note, my wife actually fell in love with a green GLA250 that the dealer had. I didn't even know that color was offered, it stood out in the see of greys and blacks around it for sure.

Also checked out the Mazda CX-3 again, man what a great looking little package and a very reasonable price loaded. Shame, as the reviews all ding it for sluggish acceleration.

stever

I found the CX-3 plenty peppy, just a bit tight.

texases

If you're looking at the GLC, why not the CX-5?

Mr_Shiftright

stever said:

I found the CX-3 plenty peppy, just a bit tight.

0-60 in 8 seconds should be more than adequate for most people. No slower than a Subaru Crosstrek Premium with manual transmission.

anythngbutgm

texases said:

If you're looking at the GLC, why not the CX-5?

GLC for myself, the wife likes smaller cars which is why she likes the CX-3. The CX-5 would be more my taste as well...

anythngbutgm

Mr_Shiftright said:

stever said:

I found the CX-3 plenty peppy, just a bit tight.

0-60 in 8 seconds should be more than adequate for most people. No slower than a Subaru Crosstrek Premium with manual transmission.

I;ve actually read as high as 9.5 - 10 seconds. Great car in search of more power.

Michaell

anythngbutgm said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

stever said:

I found the CX-3 plenty peppy, just a bit tight.

0-60 in 8 seconds should be more than adequate for most people. No slower than a Subaru Crosstrek Premium with manual transmission.

I;ve actually read as high as 9.5 - 10 seconds. Great car in search of more power.

The CX-3 I test drove seemed plenty powerful enough for around town duty.

stever

My "review" is in the comments to this article from last summer. (found it plenty peppy). The editors said "As with most every vehicle in this burgeoning segment, the CX-3 has only modest power. Still, it makes the most of what it has."

Mr_Shiftright

anythngbutgm said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

stever said:

I found the CX-3 plenty peppy, just a bit tight.

0-60 in 8 seconds should be more than adequate for most people. No slower than a Subaru Crosstrek Premium with manual transmission.

I;ve actually read as high as 9.5 - 10 seconds. Great car in search of more power.

I think that's too pessimistic. Most tests I've read fall into 8.1 to 8.5

iluvmysephia1

I found the CX-3 plenty peppy, just a bit tight.

You can't get a Mazda CX-3 in stick shift form, true? I like it's looks, indeed.

Michaell

iluvmysephia1 said:

I found the CX-3 plenty peppy, just a bit tight.

You can't get a Mazda CX-3 in stick shift form, true? I like it's looks, indeed.

We talked about this recently. No stick shift available in the CX-3, in any trim level. Conventional 6-speed automatic (flappy paddles on the steering wheel for higher trim levels, IIRC).

texases

Michaell said:

iluvmysephia1 said:

I found the CX-3 plenty peppy, just a bit tight.

You can't get a Mazda CX-3 in stick shift form, true? I like it's looks, indeed.

We talked about this recently. No stick shift available in the CX-3, in any trim level. Conventional 6-speed automatic (flappy paddles on the steering wheel for higher trim levels, IIRC).

At least Mazda's not going CVT, like Honda is. That's a big plus to me.

Michaell

texases said:

Michaell said:

iluvmysephia1 said:

I found the CX-3 plenty peppy, just a bit tight.

You can't get a Mazda CX-3 in stick shift form, true? I like it's looks, indeed.

We talked about this recently. No stick shift available in the CX-3, in any trim level. Conventional 6-speed automatic (flappy paddles on the steering wheel for higher trim levels, IIRC).

At least Mazda's not going CVT, like Honda is. That's a big plus to me.

Me, too. One of the reasons why I like Hyundai, as well.

Sandman6472

Mike, drove another car like yours at work and liked it even though it had the bolt on wheel covers. The alloys give it a much better look to be honest and felt very comfy in the drivers seat. Prefer hatchbacks (5 doors) than a conventional sedan for the hauling capabilities when needed and have to have a smallish vehicle to be happy. MPG's aren't as good as my Golf and that was a big reason I swapped out for it. Since I'm up to about 13K/year, want something somewhat economical, once I stop working, don't really care if the mileage is a bit lower because my miles/year will also be going down. That's why the GLA is on my short list as with the lower miles/year, the less miles over all will be just fine. I just want the rest of the vehicles I buy to be super fun with luxury appointments as I drove econoboxes for so long just to get to this point. I feel I deserve what ever I want now in my senior years and luckily, I do not have to get any permission when I do purchase. Figure I'm paying the bills, all of them, on it so I get what I want!

The Sandman

berri

Saw a Chevy Volt, no dealer stickers, regular tags - I think it was actually owned or leased by someone!

iluvmysephia1

Wow, a Volt bought or leased by someone? Chevy may sell more Volt's than Mitsubishi sells i-Miev's, but I don't really know for sure!

fintail

Saw a new squared-off Q7 in traffic today, the new design makes it look smaller.

tjc78

Spotted a new Chrysler 200 at my house this morning.  It was my Moms rental (minor fender bender getting repaired). I asked her what she thought about it and she said it was a "tinny piece of crap, that can't get out of its own way". Lol, this coming from a 4cyl Venza driver.  It must be slow as all heck.  The Venza is built like a tank, so I understand her there. 

texases

Maybe that's why they're going to quit making the 200 in a couple of years...

stickguy

They will replace it with something, right? Or are the going with SUVs and a large sedan only?

Michaell

stickguy said:

They will replace it with something, right? Or are the going with SUVs and a large sedan only?

Both the Dart and the 200 are slated for extinction .. no plans to replace either.

FCA is on the ropes ... they can't sustain themselves selling trucks and Jeeps alone.

stickguy

Interesting. I thought they were bringing in a new, modern model that could replace both. Another rebadged Alfa? Or fiat.