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

wale_bate1

Naaah, that's a Regal GS with a "custom" grille!

Oh wait. Hey, you may be right!

;-)

lemko

...a more conservative approach than the Amanti. It kind of reminds me of the recent Infiniti I-30.

andys120

the Amanti wouldn't look bad with a decent grille but that's a bit much to expect from any HyunKia product, XG-350/Grandeur and Equus excepted.

setzer

2005 Chevrolet Equinox in the parking lot at Fred Meyers

andyman73

Saw a Merc SLR, the other day. Quite a few dealers in my area, saw the Chebby Equinox several weeks ago at Star Chevrolet. A coworker has a red GTO for several months now. See a Z8 every now and then(I know, not brand new). My local Ford dealer(less than 2 miles from my house) has over 50% of their lot open for the new models, have a beautiful blue Mustang Mach 1. Wonder what they will take for that in a few months(been on the lot over 90 days already). Several AMG V12s have been floating around the area. One of my female friends has an 04 Evo VIII.

m4d_cow

oops sorry forgot to tell u, the XG and grandeur are practically the same car, its just different in minor details, i think they use the name grandeur for asian market
i've been in asia too often i always remember it as grandeur, my bad.

still its one of the best cars koreans ever come up with, maybe they should have Ssangyong sold in US, they kind of like on a joint venture with mercedes and their cars look a bit similar, the most luxurious korean brand id say:)

m4d_cow

maroon colored SL55 AMG down the I-5, really fast, whoever drove it was surely darn lucky for not getting spotted by the cops

ateixeira

Saw a pair of Equinoxes (Equinii?), and several Scion xBs driving around recently.

Maybe I just notice the Scions more because their boxy shape stands out.

-juice

lemko

...this morning. It looks so similar to the big truck that I may have seen more before this one and didn't realize it.

ateixeira

Saw only my 2nd XLR on the streets yesterday. I kinda like 'em, hard to say why, but I do.

BTW, Subaru just reported July sales and they had their best ever July for the new Legacy. No wonder you see a lot of them on the streets already.

-juice

jaserb

is Equinoxen ;-)

Saw my first Malibu Maxx today. Bit of an ungainly beast.

-Jason

andys120

I dunno Jason, the Maxx looks quite spiffy to me compared to the Malibu sedan.

ateixeira

Check the Opel donor car, much better styling.

-juice

PF_Flyer

Saw our first Scion xB yesterday. My wife and both daughters reaction to it was sort of like seeing clothes on a department store mannequin displaying clothes that they wouldn't be caught dead wearing...

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andys120

That's not surprising, Juice. Opel is turning out some spicy meatballs lately. If GM was smart they'd ship the entire Opel styling dept. to Detroit and have them redo the entire Chevy line, then Pontiac and Buick.

What's happened to the company that was once admired even by Italian stylists for their daring designs?

andre1969

needs to stop looking to Kenmore, Fridgidaire, and Whirlpool for their styling cues? ;-)

There's only one thing I really don't like about the Opel Vectra, and that's the headlights. They're just too big and bulky, although that's also a trait the new Malibu has. Otherwise the car's not bad, althought the grille is a bit nondescript. Better than divided mess the Malibu is showing off, though!

ateixeira

I think Chevy tried to put their truck face on a car, and it just didn't work at all.

The Opel Signum looks better than the Maxx or the Vectra, for that matter.

-juice

m4d_cow

'If GM was smart they'd ship the entire Opel styling dept. to Detroit and have them redo the entire Chevy line, then Pontiac and Buick."

true that

i admire Cadilac's daring designs, especially the CTS and XLR, that is something you wont see in most european or japanese designs imo theyve taken the right step w/ designs to compete w/ europeans (bmw, audi and mercedes in particular)

ghulet

....saw my first Scion xA, strangely enough in burgandy (same color as the only xB in the neighborhood). It was actually a lot more attractive than I remember it being, I think the color and the upgraded wheels helped a bit.

jaserb

at Whirlpool, Frigidaire, Proctor and Gamble, etc. for their executives.

As for the Malibu Maxx, I just think they split the difference between a hatchback and a wagon and it came out looking like neither fish nor fowl. You have a point that the Maxx is more interesting visually than the regulat 'Bu. But with bold designs like the Mazda6, Chrysler 300, Magnum, and even the Altima coming out recently the Malibu is a swing and a miss style wise.

-Jason

ateixeira

GM should take a page from Lee Iacocca's book and put their top engineers in charge of the company, so they focus on product instead of brand-management marketing.

Maxx has some neat features, like the sky panels and the rear DVD, and a low price, so it's kind of a shame about the styling. I don't think I could get my wife to even sit in one.

-juice

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Thursday Chats!

You can hang out and chat with your fellow Town Hall enthusiasts for TWO hours on Thursdays now, so stop in tonight and spend some time with us!

First up from 5-6pm PT/8-9pm ET we have the brand new Saab Enthusiast Chat. Stop in to meet and greet fellow Saab enthusiasts and your fellow Town Hall denizens and take your favorite automotive topics LIVE in our chat room.

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Join the Subaru Crew every Thursday evening for a chat session from 6-7pm PT/9-10pm ET. The chat room opens about 15 minutes before the scheduled start time, so stop on in, even if it's just to say Hello! All things Subaru is the general theme, but anything automotive is fair game too. Come on in and get to know some of your fellow Town Hallies better! See you there...

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setzer

another Equinox and 2 300s (one of them was a 300C)

m4d_cow

spotted a magnum for the 1st time in black, looks rather intimidating somehow.

kmag

in silver/grey. Which is not really notable.

But - the owner had installed covers over the rear wheel openings.

I can't wait to see a totally pimped out 300 - vinyl roof, big whitewalls, curb feelers, etc. Its only a matter of time....

andre1969

I don't eat breakfast. Today I did. Now I wish I hadn't. Thanks alot Kmag! :-P

ateixeira

Oh man, just the thought has me feeling queezy. But someone will do it!

I saw an Intrepid done up like that, I didn't think they could with that rounded off shape, but they did.

-juice

ateixeira

Must have been the same one, I was thinking red, early model, too.

Around here they advertise vinyl tops as "simulated convertibles". Pathetic!

-juice

bhill2

Hey, Chrysler may do it themselves; has anyone heard of plans for an 'Imperial' version of the 300C?

bksward

Saw a new metallic blue Lotus Elise on the road today. The black cloth top was up. About the same size as an MR2. Looked like fun... :-)

ateixeira

Are they for sale yet? I'd loooove to sample one of those.

I might have to wait for a used one in a couple of years, though.

-juice

bksward

I work across the street from the service facility of a Bently/Rolls/Lotus/Lambo dealer. A coworker has seen one in the Orange color as well.

If they aren't on sale yet, they will be shortly.

I'm guessing that they will have a substantial markup over the $40kish MSRP at least for some time...

m4d_cow

yeah theyre for sale already, for over $40k that is...not really worth it when i think about it

ateixeira

Worth it to the target audience, I guess.

I hope GM brings a cheaper version. Still, I'd probably shop used.

Saw my first Scion tC on the roads. Looks kinda small for such a heavy vehicle. Cute, though.

-juice

odie6l

I'm still waiting to see the Freestyle's at the dealer, let alone on the street. Anybody see any yet?

Odie

ateixeira

I think it might be a while, wasn't it end of the year?

At the Philly Auto Show I snuck into one, it was surprisingly roomy. I sat in a Caddy SRX, then the Freestyle, and the Ford had easier access plus better room for me.

Plus, it's supposed to be cheaper than the Pacifica. It'll get the plain Duratec engine but a 6 speed auto might help a lot.

-juice

jaserb

I didn't sit in the Freestyle but I got a good look inside. It seemed OK in the third row. The SRX's third row was awful, awful, awful. It doesn't matter how much leg room you have when your feet are 3" below the seat bottom and your knees are in your chin. Even an 8 year old would be uncomfortable there. Borderline worthless, IMO. The Freestyle is getting a CVT, the 500 is getting the 6 speed.

We thought about waiting for the Freestyle but got an offer we couldn't refuse on an MPV, which is far more space efficient than any crossover out there and fun to drive to boot.

Back on topic, I also saw a tC today. Looks much more expensive than it is - would easily pass for a Lexus RSX competitor.

-Jason

ateixeira

CVT only, eh? I'm not sure I'd want to own v1.0 of that tranny.

My 5 year old could fit easily. And with a booster seat that leaves some room for your legs to drop down a bit, too.

New MPVs are on topic. ;-)

Does yours have that new corporate Mazda face? I've seen maybe 2-3 of those around.

-juice

andys120

I'm seeing these around and perhaps don't always notice then because they're identical from behind to the Corolla.

I don't know how people can pass up the cheeky Mazda 3 5-door hatch to be a frumpy Corolla look-alike (a little unfair but you get my drift).

ateixeira

I've seen a few of both, sedan and hatch.

The corporate styling looks best on the Mazda6 sedan. The 3 sedan looks too scaled down. The 5 door is kinda quirky but I like it.

-juice

jaserb

The new style dresses up the bread box MPV styling a little bit. Ours is silver with the fog lights and privacy tinted windows. We had them add on the rear spoiler to increase the "cute" factor a bit - a MAJOR selling point to my wife. I'm considering slapping a set of 18" RX8 wheels on there, which would look really sharp. Supposedly they'll bolt right on, but I can't justify $1000+ for takeoff wheels plus 18" treads right now.

Regarding the 3, I think the sedan looks much better than the hatch, which is a reversal of my feelings on the Protege. I think the Protege5 is probably about the best looking small car of the last decade or so.

-Jason

ateixeira

They should call it a Sport Box. The squared off rear mis-matches the sharp looking front a little bit, but the shape is very practical.

Haven't seen a new one with the spoiler, though.

I liked the P5, too.

-juice

fintail

Not that I know of

These barcode cars also always have no license plate frame. That screams rental, too.

jaserb

Here's an '04 in Titanium Grey with the spoiler:


I tease my wife about the fact that she needed a spoiler on her van, but it definitely falls into the "if momma ain't happy" category.

-Jason

ateixeira

...then noone is happy. I know that one well.

Looks better with it, so I'll have to side with her on this issue. ;-)

This was funny, saw a new base Camry with new hub caps. These had those "spinners" on them, not rims, wheel covers!

-juice

m4d_cow

a pair of toyota crowns when i went to SF, both in black. they have a lot of them in asia, but this is the 1st time i see any in US.
well its not like they'll ever import it from japan, i mean whos gonna drive a $60k toyota anyways

andys120

3 door hatch, I believe it's called the Yaris in Europe and Japan. It was ugly even for an Echo. Since I know they aren't imported I should've looked for the plate to see if it was Canadian, diplomatic oir what.

setzer

I'm seeing TONS of 300s/300Cs and TONS of Equinoxes aswell as a few Magnums and a couple 2005 Altimas and a fairly large amount of 2005 Outbacks/Legacys. Also saw a Lincoln Blackwood (even though that isn't new, but they are very rare)

alfox

would take about one each, right?....

ateixeira

Saw another Scion tC on Friday, silver. Glass roof looks cool.

-juice