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

fintail

I don't like the "face" on the new 3...really too dopey and cutesy for me to tolerate.

I think dumb styling cues (like aggressive headlights) ar an admission that designers can't do anything else.

The tank-window look is about safety...not actual safety, but the feeling of safety and isolation. I think the sheeple value that in these times. Even MB, which has a history of tall-windowed cars, has shortened them up a bit.

ateixeira

I think the 300C popularized the trend. I hate it - give me a big greenhouse any day.

I actually measured the rear window on the soft and hard top Miatas to see which offered better visibility. The hard top does - mostly because the glass is closer to your eyes.

ghulet

I think 'safety and isolation' are nice when you're at home, or maybe as a vehicle passenger, but while driving, sure, I want safety but definitely NOT isolation, at least not visually. Gimme a fishbowl....OK, maybe not of Pacer proportions but I like windows drivers can see out of.....one of the things I liked best about the old SAAB 900 hatch. The super-high trunk and slit windows are bad.

ghulet

.....for the new E-class....I don't mind the front fascia one bit, though it is a bit Asian-derivative (can I say that?), but the taillights look like those of a late-90s Infiniti Q45, very un-Mercedes like. Ick.

fintail

I think the hardtop model looks better too.

fintail

My fintail is like that...thin pillars and wraparound glass...its amazingly easy to park and drive in tight spots.

It seems, especially in these troubled days, the masses do want isolation - most of the popular small SUVs that somehow make their drivers feel safe aren't vehicles with the most glass area, either. People want to feel like they are in a room...and their driving often reflects it.

fintail

I agree with the rear end - it is VERY Asian derivative. It reminds me of the Lexus IS, myself.

Lexus used to copy MB pretty much line for line...now something has reversed. Hopefully this new E can have some Asian reliability to match its rear styling. I'm taking a trip to Germany this fall and have already booked a new style E (350CDi) as a rental...hopefully that's what I get, unless they want to upgrade me.

lemko

Shoot, for a second there I thought you were going to Germany to bring back a new E-Class.

fintail

Only if they have a "60% off sale for European delivery" special :shades:

fintail

I attended my local MB dealer's new E-class preview hoopla yesterday evening. They had 3 E350 coupes, 3 E350 sedans, and an E550. The coupes are interesting - like a mini CL in a way, but with an odd soft pillar in the rear side window. Pano roof is standard on the coupes, which is cool. The coupes I saw had somewhat odd bucket seats that reminded me of the high back one-piece units from 70s domestic cars. The odd edgy detailing and fakey Japanese rear ends will take some getting used to. I did notice that on one sedan, where there is no real front bumper and it simply ends at a peak or a "beak", there was already a scratch on the frontmost pat - I suspect this part of the car will take abuse from bad parkers.

Fit and finish on the cars was pretty much flawless, and the paintwork on the cars was perfect - of course the cars were screened before being shown, no doubt.

boomchek

The front beak of the bumper - wouldn't the front license plate holder go there anyways, at least in the states that require front plates?

I can see how that part can wear out first though.

Fast forward 10 years and most of these E classes will have a "usual" front bumper beak chipped off.

I notoiced that soft pillar in the rear side windows too. I guess the window was too wide to roll down without hitting the wheel well area so they had to shorten it with the pillars.

fintail

Good point about the license plate - none of the cars were registered or even had front plate holders, so that didn't cross my mind. Hopefully they will mount in a way to protect the beak. For the people who live in no front plate states...be careful. This will be a problem area. For a car with a couple hundred miles on it to already have mark there doesn't bode well.

Oh, this is what struck me the most - the grille doesn't go up with the hood when the hood is raised. This is the first MB with a prominent sedan style grille that operates that way, IIRC. I can't say I like this change from tradition. Having the grille raise with the hood enables me to have access to the area around the radiator, and gives me something to hit my head on.

Something else that is odd are the fog lights. You either get bizarre twin lights on each side, or on a higher model, weird looking trendy LEDs.

I think the mini-CL coupe should be a success...it looks like a car costing twice as much, and the pano roof will help sell it no doubt. It also costs no more than the sedan.

anythngbutgm

Another new Subaru Legacy in Black and a new Ford Fiesta! It was green and had sme lettering down the side which led me to believe it was a promo car. I couldn't read it though becasue it was zipping by the other direction but it looked fantastic!

ateixeira

In the 2010 Legacy thread someone mentioned the new CVT puts the engine at 2000 rpms at 80mph. No wonder they got a 31mpg EPA highway rating.

That sounds great. It's taller geared than my minivan, which is already tall.

kyfdx

Looks slightly smaller than the previous model... very attractive..

fintail

Saw another new style Mazda 3, with the goofy face and the kind of garish detailing. Can't say I am won over.

Also saw a Camaro, it had racing stripes. Very eye catching, sure looks wide.

kyfdx

It's the face that gets me... From other angles, the rest of it looks okay.. Individual details aren't great, but it seems to work overall..

But, that face!! :surprise:

ateixeira

Mazda overdid the styling. I didn't even like the concepts (Nagaro) that inspired them, and I feared this would happen.

The Mazda3 is by far the most radical "face", and I still can't get used to it, even after seeing many of them. I have a Miata so I've been to Mazda dealers a lot recently, including for accessory purchases.

The Mazda6 is also overdone.

The rest of the lineup is OK, but I still think every predecessor looks better than the current car, and that's for the entire lineup, even the 2009 Miata doesn't look at good as my 2008.

fintail

I have seen several of the new 3 already - I have to believe there is actually a demographic that wants something with a cutesy/goofy/stupid face like that. I won't go into details, but I do think there are groups who are attracted to that, and don't mind the overdone detailing either. This is not a society built on good taste :shades:

The 6 to me seems big and bland more than anything else. The original was relatively subtle and restrained, a very clean and homogeneous design that seemed elegant, especially when the design was brand new. The new one...it's just kind of there. I've heard a lot of them are going to fleets.

lemko

...red Camaro and a black Mazda 5 on the Roosevelt Blvd in NE Philly.

ateixeira

I liked the old 6 also. I had high hopes for the MazdaSpeed6 but it was just too nose-heavy to do anything for me.

lemko

...silver-gray Toyota Venza just about half an hour ago going south on the street in front of my place. It looks a lot bigger than I remember when I first saw one at the Philly Auto Show.

stever

We went clunker shopping and looked at a Cube from the outside. The rear asymmetry didn't bother us at all. Also looked at a Suzuki SX4 which seemed pretty nice. The Nissan/Suzuki/Kia/GMC dealer had about 3 salespeople way at the Kia end of the lot a half block away. Otherwise the lot and showroom were empty. We would have liked to have looked inside the Cube and taken the SX4 out for a spin.

My wife ran into a couple she knows at the dealer and they are shopping similar small cars - Fit, Soul, etc. The woman made an insightful comment that every one of them had some little something missing. The problem with the SX4 is the mpg, although you can turn the AWD off, but you still have too short of a range between fill-ups.

We also drove an xD again and my wife, who shattered her left leg skiing back in February (rod, 9 screws), was happy to see she could use the clutch in the manual transmission one we drove.

kyfdx

Hey! I saw my first Cube in the wild, as well... Looks as good (?) as any of the other toasters on the road...

andys120

are popping up regularly in my nabe, this is one new car that is selling well. The new styling makes it look larger and more substantial but I prefer the crisper Gen 1 look.

fintail

I saw a few Kia Soul this weekend...that rear light design is just wrong.

scscars

Earlier this week, I saw two Nissan GT-Rs, one in silver, the other in blue. Also saw a new Camaro in a burnt orange color, with no stripes. It looks odd in orange without stripes.

qbrozen

Also saw a Cube on the road just before the weekend. I used to like pics of the previous Cube in Japan. Now seeing this new one in person is a big letdown. Its Fugly, imho.

andys120

I forgot that I spotted a GT-R a couple of weeks ago, it looked good in very dark grey-brown but I don't care for the black wheels.

boomchek

I see many Cubes all over the place. Saw a GT-R in black on Saturday. Saw a new Z4 with a hard top yesterday, not too bad. So far saw just one Camaro on the road, in red color.

fintail

A local dealer had 3 or 4 GTRs sitting out in front of his place the other day - charging MSRP plus a hilarious markup must not be moving the metal...the local rich kids and corporate sucks seem to be sticking to their Ms and Porsches.

Speaking of that, a new car has turned up in the garage of my building...a current style Carrera 4 Cabrio...I don't know the exact year but it can't be very old. The garage is now very diverse...I wonder what's behind that...weird economy.

boomchek

Sometimes rental apt buildings have nice cars in them. Maybe the people choose to "invest"in cars rather than real estate.

I remember in the early 90s my parents and I moved to a middle class neighbourhood rental building. A majority of the cars were newer models, many being new Hondas like Accord, and Preludes. There was also a silver 85 Vette in there, maybe a Porsche, and some BMWs too.

fintail

I suspect these might also be people who were forced to short sale the house they couldn't afford and never would have been able to buy in a normal market, and are now living below their means, housing-wise. A current model LS, a new M3, and now the Porsche, living alongside 10 year old Camcords etc. The place isn't a dump or anything...but isn't luxury either.

lemko

...black Maserati Quattroporte on my way back from the mailbox about a block from my home.

fintail

Saw a 2010 Fusion today, midline...rental...

anythngbutgm

A friend of mine just bought a 2000 Merc SL500. While he is away on vacation, I he left me the keys and said I could drive it while he was gone. So I took it out last night, I have never driven a large Benz before and I loved it. What a nice car. I believe the Odometer said 94k on it and it drove like brand new. That sucker has got some serious power, especially off the line. Wow. It's a big car, with handling on the softer side but at roughly 120 it's rock solid stable. I have never met an Automatic tranny that I liked, but this one was had the crispest, most accurate shifts of any I have ever driven. I truely believe Mercedes builds the best slushboxes in the buisiness. Love it.

It also garnered plenty of looks and looks as classy as any new car on the market today. The style is timeless. The power is addictive

fintail

And with that mileage, you could pick one of those up for about the price of a Kia Rio. Of course, keeping it going might cost a little more :shades:

I wouldn't kick a pristine late R129 silver arrow out of my garage.

anythngbutgm

I don't know what he paid, but I would gladly pay 20k for his. It's in great shape. Oh and actually it IS silver! :shades:

fintail

There's an 01 for sale locally, 44K miles, local car, all records, pristine...they want 18.9 for it. That series had a long model run - 13 model years. Early cars can easily be found for under 10K, but a later car is probably a better purchase.

Silver is the best for these cars, IMO. As can be said for just about all SLs, they do have a timeless look.

bhill2

Please be sure to post the details about telling your friend that you had the Benz that he lent you up to 120. If you do tell him, that is.

lokki

The guy with the (reserved) parking spot next to mine has a new silver Camaro RS. ( I have actually never met the guy - he comes in before I do, and leaves before I do.)

I like the looks of the Camaro very much in the sheetmetal, but don't like them either. Every line is very good, but somehow the thing doesn't work overall.

I've been musing all day about it, and I think I've finally put my finger on the problem.

It looks as if someone took a high-pressure air hose to a 1969 Camaro and over-inflated it. The lines are all the same but the car is bigger, and every line is exaggerated - the car is a caricature of itself.





I still like it, and it really seems beautifully done. The leather in the interior, seems to be very good quality. Overall, great car.... but it's a HotWheels Camaro.

texases

Good comments on the Camaro, Lokki - you figured out what I was trying to...just something doesn't look right to me on the new one - overdone, exaggerated. Particularly with both pics. I like that red one better than any Mustang, Firebird, Barracuda, or Challenger, new or old.

ajvdh

It's like the designers tried just a little too hard. IMHO, the new Challenger is a better retro effort.

We were up in Yellowstone over the weekend of the 4th. It looked like Ford had a stranglehold on the rental market: There were tons of new 'Stangs and Flexes. While I'm sure the Flex is practical as all get-out, it's not real pretty. Imposing, maybe, but not in a good way.

Back in my 'hood, the guy who owns the gray Ford GT has been exercising it pretty regularly. I also saw a gray IS-F running around.

anythngbutgm

LOL, I'm sure he's been there himself. This guys idea of a test drive is to take it on the highway up to tripple digits and back down again at the next off ramp. He lives and breaths Benzos. He also has a CLS and before that an E500.

lemko

...parked behind my car on my street the other day:

fintail

Wow, your street is moving up in the world :shades:

lemko

Either that or I've got new neighbors who are more extreme car enthusiasts than me. I feel the houses on my street, (including my own) are very modest though there are some really nice houses just half a block from me, (most definately NOT McMansions!).

fintail

I didn't know it was safe to park something like that on a Philly street

stickguy

some parts aren't too bad.

Lemko, I guess you live in the far northeast someplace?

andys120

I saw new BMW 128i today, top down, young woman driving, until I saw the badge I was sure I was looking at a 3er. Black paint does a lot to hide the side sculpting on the Oner that distinguishes it from a Three.

I don't see many Oners here in NH but the convertibles seem to be more popular which doesn't surprise me since that's the one I like.