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

derrado1

A Volvo S60 in an odd bright aquamarine colour.

Brand new light blue BMW Z4, right in front of my house. Odd, because I don't see many really expensive cars around my neighbourhood.

navigator89

Today I saw a white Grand Marquis, refreshed for 2006. The differences are nice but I wish they would update the car in other areas. The headlights are now separated from the grille instead of beside it, like the Crown Victoria. The taillights are red and grey instead of all grey.

Still, I say the Grand Marquis is a very handsome car, better looking that most sold today and it gets my vote as one of the best styled cars of all time.

carguy58

Seen on Friday: a new VW Jetta in black, A mitsu Eclipse in black, and 2 Altima's although 1 of the Altima that could have been the other one with the new dealer tag that I saw the other day.

Seen 4 cars with new car dealer tags yesterday but I forgot what make or model they were.

lemko

...black Ford Fusion.

navigator89

I saw a blue Ferrari 360 Spider. As it drove by us, I could hear the loud roar of the vehicle despite having my windows rolled up.

And on the other end of the price spectrum, I saw a white Toyota Yaris. Too cute looking for me, and I dont like having the instrument cluster in the center. I'll take a Caliber in orange.

Also a white Avalon and H3 sighted today.

guss

a new Avalon the other day also. Very Buickey(if thats a word)

I never got the center cluster instrument cluster either Definitely a deal breaker on any car I would be interested in.

ateixeira

Saw my 3rd in a week or so, this one light blue so I know it wasn't the same one.

-juice

stickguy

I spell that right? A silver S model. QUite a sharp car. It was parked right behind a 911 (I know, but I will always call them tat, regardless of what Porsche calls them), and it looked notably different. I liked it, but a car this $$ needs a moonroof.

Oh, I was at a Porsche dealer so they had plenty of goodies to gawk at, including a nice new Turbo.

ateixeira

I think they use an "a".

They wanted a rigid roof so perhaps the omission was intentional.

The only catch is a coupe should cost less than a roadster, not the other way around.

-juice

stickguy

there is quite a curve to the roof (which isn't very big to start with) so a moonroof may not be feasible anyway.

I won't own a car that doesn't let in the sun from above some way, but this is a sharp looking one if the roof doesn't matter to you.

ateixeira

Boxster S for less money is a no-brainer for me. If you wanted a true track car the Exige would be better suited anyway.

-juice

lemmer

I was excited about this car, until I found out you have to pay significantly more for a fixed roof. What up widat?

I doubt BMW will pull the same trick with the Z4 coupe. They didn't with the Z3s, did they?

ateixeira

Z4c is supposed to come in a lot cheaper than the Cayenne. We'll see.

-juice

lemmer

Didn't you just correct Stickguy on that name?

I have to think twice every time I see it.

ateixeira

Cayman, not Cayenne.

My bad, it's not like the massive SUV looks a whole lot like the little coupe!

-juice

lemmer

Sorry to point out your mistake.

In the future, I will try to refrain from squeezing the juice.

kyfdx

..has a more powerful engine than the Boxster S...

We just got a new convertible last week... Somehow, at 25 degrees, it doesn't seem all that great..

ateixeira

I know, they planned it that way. But I'm saying they shouldn't have. At under $40k it could have been a bargain Porsche and would have done a lot of volume.

-juice

kyfdx

I think you could still see a base Cayman (no S)... But, it would probably be priced between the Boxster and Boxster S... So, $55K-$60K?

I don't think Porsche is really interested in selling a car at the $40K price point... Unfortunately....

ateixeira

Base price on a plain Boxster is $42,600. Cayman could have used the same engine and come in at $39,999.

I bet they'd bring a lot of new buyers to the brand.

The way they positioned it, it might end up cannibalizing 911 sales since performance is so close.

I just don't agree with the positioning. It should have been Porsche's entry-level car.

-juice

andre1969

I dunno, there's just something about that new grille I don't like. It's almost too toothy and garish. Kinda makes me think of the Kia Optima, which had a grille something like that for awhile. Also makes me think of the old toothy Buicks and DeSotos from the 40's and early 50's.

I liked the older Grand Marquis grille from '98-04 (I think it got changed a tad for '02?) It just seemed to have more "depth" to it, and more of a quality, expensive piece.

lemmer

I agree totally. Is a $40,000 base price really so downmarket these days? Is Lotus losing their reputation since going downmarket with the Elise?

Since it isn't a convertible, it would really cut down on the poseur sales anyway. I don't think it would dilute the brand.

ateixeira

A show-off would opt for the Boxster for just $2600 more, since it would appear to be more expensive. Enthusiasts and track regulars would buy the Cayman. That's exactly what Porsche should want.

Elise has done wonder for Lotus' image. Elise is an aspirational car for many purists. Exige even more so.

-juice

lemmer

OK, now that the matter is decided, which one of us should draft an official letter to Porsche explaining the error of their ways?

kyfdx

Send me $30K, and I'll buy a new Cayman S... and then just tell everyone that it only cost me $40K... That'll teach 'em...

navigator89

Today while on the road I saw an orange Lamborghini Murcielago on the other side. What a sweet design! Better looking than most Ferraris.

And speaking of Ferrari, I just saw a 360 Spider yesterday. Wow. 2 exotics in two consecutive days. Maybe tomorrow I'll get lucky and see a Carrera GT or an SLR.

ateixeira

You just reminded me - I saw a Gallardo this weekend. Real nice, out on the road. My wife loved it.

-juice

jcat707

On my way back from class, I saw a white 07 Tahoe. First I thought it was an 06 Trailblazer LT with but as I passed it and saw the side was a bit larger, I realized it was the new Tahoe. Anyway, I don't really like the new style. It looks too plain from the side. Maybe it looks better in a color than white. Maybe that was the base model and upper models have some kind of bodyside cladding. I wasn't able to see the rear because it was backed into its parking spot so I have no idea if it had manufacturer plates, dealer plates or what.

ateixeira

Are those for sale, or did you see an early production demo or something?

-juice

lemko

I liked the 1995-96 Grand Marquis with their rather delicate grilles and slim full-width taillights. I hated the 1992-94 because it looked like a huge Sable. I didn't care for the 1998-02 because that grille looked lumpish and square and the back end barely disguised the fact the car wasn't much different from a Crown Vic.

jcat707

I'm not sure what it was because I didn't get a chance to see it up close. I couldn't see what kind of plate was on it because it was parked facing the street that I was driving on.

andre1969

I came up from behind on this good looking little green thing that simply said "Milan" on the back. The name wasn't registering with me, and at first I thought it was some new Alfa or something else semi-exotic.

Imagine my surprise when I passed it, got a look at the front in the side view mirror, and saw that vertical Mercury grille staring at me!

I really haven't paid any attention to the Mercury Milan, writing it off as a badge-engineered Ford Fusion. Looked nice in person, though. Nice shade of green, too.

andre1969

Lemko, a good friend of mine had a '95 Grand Marquis, and I remember he said the same thing about the grille, compared to the '92-94...too Sable-esque! I think the problem is that on the '92-94, the grille was just too small and square for the rounded shape of the car. And the whole effect with the narrow grille and wide headlights just looked awkward.

His '95 wasn't bad looking, but I just think the '98 had a more muscular, aggressive stance to it. Not something that your typical Grand Marquis buyer is looking for, but I remember at the time I kinda wanted one.

kyfdx

.. The new facelifted (butt-lifted?) '06 Accord sedan.. A very nice improvement.. But, still... I've only seen one.. I've seen tons of the new Sonatas, though..

Hmmmmm....

navigator89

Yesterday I saw plenty of new vehicles.

First up in the early morning I saw a black G55 AMG. It had some really nice wheels. IMO this is one of the most senseless vehicles of all time. I couldnt believe it, this is the world's fastest SUV?? It looks like a box and it costs $100,000? It has the problem as the Hummer H1, who actually buys these vehicles? How many G55's has Mercedes sold anyway, like 20?

For the money, I'd take either a Cayenne, X5, Range Rover Sport, or even an ML63.

Then later on in the afternoon I spotted a white Sonata and H3.

In the evening, a silver DB9. The styling is beautiful.

Wow, like 3 exotics this week! Not bad!

lemko

Seen a bronze-colored DTS and a white STS. I was behind the STS with my 2002. It is significantly smaller than my car. I guess I'm getting a DTS next time.

teds1

The DTS is officially common in NYC because of our high livery cab population. These guys turnover their vehicles every three years or so due to regulations and the heavy use they put on the cars so The DTS is already very common. It looks a little crisper than the last one but is not a revolution by any means. I do prefer to ride in them more than Town cars because those fat lazy wallowing lincoln suspensions make me nauseaous (I'd prefer to be picked up at the airport in a lotus and bounce all the way home on the expansion joints, thats just how I am).

As always my park avenue office has had its share of Uber sedans parked around it recently. Maybachs (the 4 seasons near by offers them to guests) are common if you can belive it and you can't swing a dead cat without hitting an s-class A8 w12 or 750. I think the first new style S that comes down here will be a big deal but the novelty will fade fast

ateixeira

Saw a G6 coupe on the way in, kinda swoopy but I think it looks too much like the Solara. By itself, it looks OK. I want to see how the folding hardtop works once that model comes out.

Also saw a Mercury Milan. I actually liked the styling. I think I prefer the Fusion front and the Milan rear. Still not sure why Ford is selling 3 of these clones with the same powertrains.

-juice

fintail

Not the latest thing, but I've seen 2 XLRs this week. That's a record, seeing as I have yet to see a new DTS on the road, and STS are maybe a weekly sighting at best.

I'm seeing a Tribeca here and there about every other day. I see that nose, and still think "1965 Saab"

The new Civics are popping up a lot now.

teds1

I saw one of these yesterday driving down from Connecticut. Taking 95 to greenwich from the city has got to be the only highway where there were multiple billboard ads for bentley dealerships. "Hello... we already know we want one... finding the dealer is the least of our problems here." How about a billboard from the delaership explaining how to make the money you would need to buy one?

The car looked fine... It was travlling fast in the other lane and is probably a good buy all things considered, but since it's the exact same thing as the coupe I am just not that exited by it.

anythngbutgm

A shame that something like that would be out in the snow and salted roads...

jaserb

Very good viewing week for interesting newer rides.

The Solstice was on the back of a car carrier full of other Ponchos. Looked like it was from a different planet compared to the G6s, etc. Very sexy in black.

The Tribeca was notable for one reason... it had a bar code marking it as a rental car. Not a good sign at all.

MX5 - Looked very good in white. A bit of a wallflower compared to the heavily styled (overstyled?) Solstice, but also much less likely to be the "flavor of the month". Remember when everyone loved the looks of the PT Cruiser?

STS4 - This was a V8 AWD model, and had some real presence. STS wears Art & Science very well.

CLS - From some angles it looks very sexy, from others it's awkward or even downright frumpy. Strange looking car. I'd personally pick the...

Quattroporte. Dark blue. The styling is even better in person. It's just not right for a 4 door to be that attractive.

-Jason

ateixeira

Rumor has it Subaru is considering taming down the look, it's been too controversial to sell well.

-juice

kyfdx

Well... they added that nose to the Impreza... To me, that is the only thing that sticks out on the car (not in a good way).. I doubt they'll get rid of it, just as they are adding it to the other models...

What else can they do?

boomchek

Transport truck just dropped off our first 2006 Si in black this evening. Looks pretty much the same as the regular coupe except for the wheels.

I love the sound of the motor. Sounds like a tuned up Prelude engine.

ateixeira

Impreza is doing well, though. 4-500 people showed up for the 2006 STI debut at Miller Subaru in PA.

-juice

jaserb

Well, believe it or not I saw an '06 STI just today. The new schnoz really works better here, at least on the black one I saw. Fits in nicely with the hyper-agressive styling (TWO wings?)

-Jason

teds1

Yesterday in less than one hour of shopping around 57th and 5th (near Tiffany’s, Harry Winston, Tourneau, the plaza etc…) I saw a black phantom (nobody in the rear but definitely a driver not the owner), Maybach 62, Bentley CGT (young driver with loud hip hop), an S65 (perhaps the rarest car of the bunch which nobody else seemed to notice, a CLS500 (didn’t even turn a head), and inside the Tourneau store a special display for Porsche design (they make watches now) with a black Carrera GT that you could go up and touch. All the rest of the cars were stuck in traffic or at crosswalks surrounded tightly by people.

We get a lot of luxo barges but you would have to be nuts to drive a high strung V10 with a fidgety ceramic clutch in midtown traffic on potholes so I never expected to see the Porsche up close in the city. It was pretty awesome I must say, a very special car, but from what I have read it is difficult to drive. This one had a CF shifter instead of the wood I have seen in magazine shots and peachy orange interior. I feel bad for whoever winds up with this example though, it was covered in fingerprints and had some swirls in the finish from all the up close attention.

As for the rest of the cars here is the observation:
While EVERYONE stared at the Phantom and the CGT…. No one even noticed the Maybach or the S65, and this was in tightly packed midtown holiday shopping traffic…
So if you are in the mood for a $400k land yacht but don’t want anyone to notice you, the Maybach is the choice… The S65 is the choice for people who appreciate the engineering of the amazing motor, not for the style conscious.

ateixeira

2 wings and top and bottom diffusers, too. I got to meet and interview Petter Solberg at the US debut of the '06 STI, and he swears they're functional, and exist so that the Group N rally cars (closer to stock than Open class) can have them.

Saw a new Impala on my drive in today.

-juice

andre1969

one of the new Impreza wagons at Arundel Mills mall in MD yesterday. I don't know what's worse...that slapped-on nose or the jumbo hood scoop that would look overkill on even the most brutal of musclecars.