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Whoa! Don't start labeling me as some sort of ultra liberal hippie or something. I'm a conservative business owner, normal marriage, and two kids.
Go do your own communing, or whatever you do!
BTW, future cars are exciting! Enjoy the Disney Channel, and the Cartoon Network, and the rest of the kids stations. :surprise:
TM
2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460
You're saying that as if it's surprising! LOL.
I wasn't saying that the X5 is my indulgence. It's my wife's car. I was just pointing out that it's less of a family vehicle (MDX) and more of a luxo/performance SUV that people buy if they just want something relaxing and at the same time stimulating. The X5 checked all the boxes for us.
As for the RS4 Cab... I'd love to hear your impressions! I'm in a place right now where I don't need/want a new convert, so I'm not getting one, but the RS5 Cabrio (as well as some sort of Porsche) will be on my list within the next couple years. I'm now fairly certain that my new sedan will either be a BMW or a Jag XF, with the Mercedes CLS making a fairly compelling case for itself.
'08 BMW X5 4.8i • '06 Audi A3 2.0T DSG • '05 Audi S4 Cabriolet
Volvo Safety is far better than Audi Safety because the comparable Volvo is 10K less money! Lets compare apples to apples: the great Northeastern US upper middle class mommy vehicle, the AWD XC70 , has an MSRP of 41K with leather and other options; the A6 Avant with Quattro is above 51K. IMHO you can't compare a Honda Accord with Volvo for safety until you can get AWD on a Honda.
Fair enough and none taken. I've seen one of those programs myself not too long ago, and it really was fascinating. They showed that "car" that pivots left and right like a motorcycle that you mentioned. I wonder what it would feel like swinging back and forth like that when making sharp turns... I'd love to test it.
It's all good.
TM
That makes sense to me, esf... sounds like a Porsche Cayenne, for example.
TM
I must say that's a very interesting point about the AWD. I really like it. It hits at the core definition of safety. Crash worthiness is one measure, of course, but what about AWD and other factors such as the vehicle's brakes, for example. Doesn't a vehicle's driveability ( AWD) and stopping power (brake system) relate directly to safety as well as the typical measurement of crash worthiness? So, you hit upon a very good topic for in-depth discussion, blckislandguy.
Now that said, on the other hand there are many cars that are considered very safe without AWD. True?
TM
Wouldn't that make Subaru safety far better than Volvo safety? The Legacy Outback is 10 grand less than the XC70, and unlike Volvo, Subaru will sell you their big engines in this country that actually have some horsepower.
A Honda Accord is comparable to a FWD Volvo S60.
And as Lexusguy mentioned various Subarus are comparable to AWD Volvos.
Based on all attributes including safety a Volvo does not really stand out to even lower priced competitors. This is a far cry from the Volvos of the past when the 82 Volvo GLT saved the lives of my family members during an accident. Back then few cars were as safe. Today safe cars are a dime a dozen and Volvo really doesnt stand out.
Interestingly the same observations about safety is applicable to reliability. Cars are becoming so reliable today that being the most reliable is really no big deal as it used to be in the past.
This question was actually addressed and the answer was surprising until you thought it through. Rather than making someone car sick, etc. it actually prevents car sickness from happening. There is much less stress from the G forces that are involved in cornering so you don't get that swaying side to side sensation.
2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460
The Jaguar XF: Definitely the best styled sedan I've seen so far.
The BMW M3 Sedan: Made me yearn to trade in my BMW335i for this car. LOVE IT!!!! Low profile with a lot to offer. Makes a BMW M5 look redundant . The M3 IMO is the best BMW available today. If a person wants to waste their money on a M5 or M6 then they should be free to do so.
My most pleasant surprise was with a non-luxury car that will be available in Canada this fall. The VW BlueMotion diesel Jetta Wagon. This car will likely be my new winter car. I was so excited I almost placed an order for one yesterday at the auto show.
The VW Tigaun If not a Bluemotion Jetta Wagon than definitely a VW Tigaun. I dont know how on earth anyone would choose a Toyota RAV4 or God forbid a Honda CRV over a VW Tiguan. This VW sport-ute looks like a winner.
The BMW X6 :lemon: USELESS! A oversized vehicle that fits only four people and doesn't have much cargo space compared to other large sized vehicles. I think the BMW X6 will be as successful as the MB RL.
Honda AccordBiggest disappointment because this is one frugal sedan I always loved most. It's heavier, slower and less fuel efficient than its predecessor. What more can I say.
The Audi R8 A Beauty. But call me old fashioned but I'd pick a Porsche Carerra over this car anyday.
The Audi A4 Based on looks alone this car puts the BMW 3 series or any car in this segment to shame .
I dont think I ever wrote a nice word about VW in these forums but for some reason during the car show I began falling in love with every VW I saw there. Maybe that may have something to do with the lack of exciting cars there.(except the BMW M3)
As you remember, I tried to convey this to you recently, and now I am so glad that you understand it. Expect as many as up to 8 new or updated models for VW this year alone!!
Oh yeah, the M3 is very nice. Indeed.
So, you think the Carrera is nicer than the R8?
Thanks for all the feedback from your visit to the show.
TagMan
No tint darkening can legally be applied to the front windshield or front side windows in California.
It is easy enough to see the drivers of cars here in this state.
Regardless of brand, women are the primary drivers of most SUVs here in California, which would include the Lexus RX and the Acura MDX and even the Suburban and Escalade.
The X5, however, may be an exception to this, IIRC.
TagMan
Agree, I believe the ratio for X5 is at least 50-50.
Let's not forget about the Cayenne as well. Most of the drivers I saw are males.
One of the interesting stats on all of this is that the registration numbers for these vehicles may often be very misleading, as the vehicles are frequently registered to husbands, but their wives actually do the daily driving, hauling around the kids, getting groceries, etc.
TM
I believe it was ESF who suggested a Tiguan for my winter needs and I shot down his suggestion with VW Consumer Reports stats. Well that was the past. This is today and now I am a born-again VW fan who has finally seen the light and all I got to say is damned those CR stats :mad:
As of today I am an excommunicated Honda fan. Honda has sold their soul to Toyota and now produces cars that are so much like Toyotas that it's simply better to buy a Toyota instead. In fact the newest Chevy Malibu seems like a better choice than a Honda Accord. The Honda I cherished was the Honda of the 80s when they introduced bold and interesting cars that offered the greatest value at that time (CRX, Prelude, Accord, Civic). And let us not forget Acura during the 80s when it was the very first Japnese luxury marque whose Legend was truly a legend indeed.
Dang Tag, you are way late to the party...
I've said that like at least couple days ago.
:P
I'll start.
Me.
I did as well, a blue RX300 back in '02
Not me! If I did buy an RX or a MDX or any SUV for my wife that would cause great marital strife and agony for me. My wife hates Minivans, SUVs, Crossovers as much as I do. In fact she hates them even more than I do.
Why? Because we live in midtown Toronto and drive a lot in downtown where parking space is very claustophobic. My wife finds her BMW 530xi far too big and when I showed her the the Jetta Bluemotion Wagon and told her that this will be my new winter car she said I can drive her BMW 530xi instead and she will take the VW. Oh well maybe I will end up driving two Bimmers instead of one. :surprise:
So what about my goal of owning the next generation Prius? That goal has definitley been shattered after seeing a Bluemotion Jetta wagon.
Call it the Texas factor, but it is hard to get past the social stigma that drivers down here seem to have for anything non-truck based.
Hopefully with new products the QC goes up.
Regards,
OW
LG - That horrible lopsided messed-up interior is included with Volvo's official press release, and is on their website.
press release
Volvo XC60 website
Volvo is calling the XC60 "the safest and most sensual Volvo ever".
Sorry, Volvo, but the words "sensual" and "Volvo" do not go together. :sick:
TagMan
Here's the link:
link title
TagMan
Regards,
Jose
LOL...
I haven't been this excited about a car in a l-o-n-g time. BTW, I just learned yesterday that it's now on its way to the USA!
TM
Sorry, Volvo, but the words "sensual" and "Volvo" do not go together
Tag, I agree - That is like saying "Wow Rosie O'Donnell looks much better in that Bikini than in the others." :lemon:
I`v been thinking about you car situation, and really do think it would be smart to trade the bmw to the bmw dealer that is fixing it, and get yourself another car, now before the fix is in.....It may cost some extra money, but I think you would save in the longer run, unless you decided to keep the damaged car for a couple of extra years.....Wishing you `luck` Tony
I drove both thoroughly.
'08 BMW X5 4.8i • '06 Audi A3 2.0T DSG • '05 Audi S4 Cabriolet
LOL, correct, and I'm glad you know what I know...
I actually had Rabbit many, many years ago, and it was a great little car. As expected, of course.
In fact the newest Chevy Malibu seems like a better choice than a Honda Accord.
I think you're right. Now that my "new car euphoria" has worn off with the Accord, I've gotten sick of looking at it and it just doesn't look as upscale as it did only a couple months ago. The Malibu has a more classic design that will age well in the coming years. It also has a decent engine lineup and, hopefully, a diesel or a better hybrid coming.
The Honda I cherished was the Honda of the 80s when they introduced bold and interesting cars that offered the greatest value at that time (CRX, Prelude, Accord, Civic).
I completely agree.
And let us not forget Acura during the 80s when it was the very first Japnese luxury marque whose Legend was truly a legend indeed.
And now look at them... :sick:
'08 BMW X5 4.8i • '06 Audi A3 2.0T DSG • '05 Audi S4 Cabriolet
You had better post pictures when it comes, or else!!! :mad:
'08 BMW X5 4.8i • '06 Audi A3 2.0T DSG • '05 Audi S4 Cabriolet
My first car was a 1990 Acura Legend.
That car was, and still is, truly remarkable and deserve to go into the history book alongside of the first ever LS400.
A legend indeed. :shades:
Likewise, I'm impatient to see (and own) this vehicle and not just keep hearing all the good news and great reviews. The internet and auto sites have been overflowing lately with info, news, discussions, and reviews about the 1-series.
I already promised you I would take some pics of my 135i and Carrera this Spring. If I recall correctly, you have made the same promise!! So, it looks like we are in the same boat. I expect to see these pics soon:
'08 BMW X5 4.8i • '06 Audi A3 2.0T DSG • '05 Audi S4 Cabriolet
Jose hit the nail on the head when he posted that I must be "salivating" by now.
Take care,
TagMan
Mercedes Benz not only won its category, but its score was well beyond every other vehicle in every other category!
Then I discovered that it also was the winner of the "Total Quality" survey in its category... and further discovered that it had the highest rating of total quality out of every single vehicle in every single category.
The only other survey listed was about "value", and the previous generation Lexus LS430 won in its category, but interestingly only by a tiny margin over the latest S-Class. The newer LS may not do so well with its hefty pricing now. That will be interesting when the 2008 results come out. BTW, the overall "value" champion was not the LS, but was actually the Chevrolet Corvette, beating all vehicles in all categories.
It's been a while since the latest generation S-class has been discussed around here, but I was pleasantly reminded today just what an amazingly incredible vehicle the S-Class really is.
Here's the link, for those that want to see this data:
link title
TagMan
Another thought that you should consider is the stone guard or whatever they now call the plastic film. I'm sure you know from your Porsche how prone to chipping German paints are, I've learned the hard way with my German cars. This board hasn't really talked about this topic lately but I'm sure that a few guys here would have some good opinions on the subject. I have the film on my BMW and although not perfect it has helped to reduce the stone chips. I am still kicking myself for not getting it on my Porsche or the A8.
I had the acrylic film shield on the Lotus. It worked well, but I wonder if it would look a little hazy, perhaps, over the black color. I wouln't want the front end to look dull because of it.
Thanks again!!!
TagMan
I know that I've been gone for a while and a lot has happened.
For starters, the wife TOTALLED the XKR. A maniac talking AND writing while driving rear-ended her while stopped @ a light. No biggie, except for the fact that the guy was travelling 62mph in a 40mph speed zone.!! The backseat ended up in the dashboard and the right rear tire married the front one. The top was erected at a perfect 180 degrees.
Other than my wife being startled a bit and of course having whiplash and abundant back probs, she was fine. The Jag, not so lucky. A complete disaster. I only wish that she was in one of the Audi's or the 335 as the back seat is what really caused her problems. On the bright side, what a wonderfully engineered car the XK is. The crash impedence design is nothing short of astonishing. To see the car, nobody should have walked away. Thank Heavens there was no passenger(My grandson usually would've been w/ her.
Another high point: Our Super Black R8 should be hear in, oh, 6 months! And just as well, I'm selling the S8 for the smaller, much more powerful RS6. I love my S8. Super quick, agile, fun to drive, and super rare. But I really love the RS6! And besides, I still have the W12 for the room I need. The 335i's power still is nothing short of amazing. I just wish those old M3 and IS350 and G35 drivers quit trying to race me cuz they'll never win!
Tag- Congrats on the 1-Series! Yeah, I haven't read one bad review so far and it is EVERYWHERE in Europe.
Although it angers me that your first car was a Legend (bought new?), while I had an Acura Vigor two years later, which certainly wasn't my first car...
Ah, the Acura hierarchy.
'08 BMW X5 4.8i • '06 Audi A3 2.0T DSG • '05 Audi S4 Cabriolet
Sorry about the Jag, though. What a gorgeous car, wasted...
I absolutely envy your Audi collection. R8 and RS6? And W12? Hah, I would be like a kid in a candy store. As I've already told the others, for me, this is the year of the anti-Audi. I'm keeping the S4 and going for a sedan of some sort, like the new M3, an M5, a CLS or an XF SV8.
Enjoy your fleet!
'08 BMW X5 4.8i • '06 Audi A3 2.0T DSG • '05 Audi S4 Cabriolet
R8? As usual, I bow down and salute the cars in your garage!! (or soon to be!)
Thank you for the congrats on my little BMW "economy car"...LOL... my very first Bimmer!
Hope to hear from you more often, and honestly, my thoughts and prayers are with you and your wife.
TagMan
Thnx for the support.
I went with the 6-speed over e-gear in the R8 as Audi has tabled the S-tronic for the R8 indefinitely. The car simply fried the dual clutches, reports say. That 6-speed is a joy to row, very Honda, Porsche, and BMW like.
I'm glad I decided to wait because the R8 can now be had with the Euro-only launch control and unlimited speed controller. Yea!
Sorry, Volvo, but the words "sensual" and "Volvo" do not go together.
No, but according to Edmunds, the car is apparently getting the T6 engine in the US with 281hp and 295ft.lbs of torque, so it won't be a dog like Volvo's big wagons, and remains a possibility as the X3 replacement. Questions that remain are rear seat legroom and fuel economy. Considering the lousy FE that the RDX and Mazda CX-7 get with their small turbo fours, can Volvo manage to get more than 15mpg out of this thing?
Wow, what a horrific ordeal. It's good to know that the XK can handle situations like that though. While safety is always on my mind when I'm buying a sedan or a car for my wife, I usually don't think about it when it comes to convertible sports cars because I only drive them on weekends. Multi-tasking maniacs are out there everyday though, not just during the work week. I hope your wife feels better soon. Just out of (morbid?) curiosity, what kind of car was the guy driving?
Congrats on the R8 by the way. That and the Maser GT are two of my "would love to own" cars. And the RS6. I'm still on the fence about either an S6 or the XF-S. Maybe I should wait for the 500hp XF-R? Just don't know.
Maybe the size will be a bit bigger than you anticipated, but I'll bet the Q5 with a soon-to-be hybrid or diesel will be a good SUV for you to consider.
The Tiguan is an SUV that I was posting about for quite some time as you recall, but I doubt that it would be luxurious enough for what I am under the impression you are after. If you can forego some of the luxury, however, there will be a diesel Tiguan that will probably shatter some FE records for an SUV, and looks to be a terrific vehicle from what I've seen so far. The reliability is an unknown, but based upon VW's record, it's a coin toss. Again, a little less luxury, but everything else looks to be very sweet indeed.
Curious, have you considered the Mercedes ML BlueTec?
TagMan
It's gonna be a loooooooooooooooooooong six months. :sick:
TM
Regards,
Jose
P.S.: As Esf said, I am envious of your car fleet. Might possibly be a difficult task to choose what car shall you drive each time. Or else, do you have rotatory favorites
Same problem with the ML. Those Alabama Benzes are just bad news. That and the column shifter is lame, and my wife hates the COMAND system. Really not a great interior in the ML either. The X5 just blows it out of the water in terms of interior quality, and I'm sure the Q5 will do the same.
Eh... granted that I would never do a pink slip with a 335i but between it, IS350 and G35 I think it's really up to the drivers. An experienced driver with the G35 would easily out handle an unexperienced one with the 335i.
Too bad that you are nowhere near So Cal otherwise I would like to invite you to Streets of Willow on 04/18 because the above statement sure sounds like a challenge.
No, the Legend wasn't bought new, it was a hand-down from dad in 1998. It pretty much served as my high school car for 2 years.
I guess from our common experience with Acura in the 90s you should be as dissapointed as me on how far behind has Acura fallen in the last several years. I seriously think that Acura has the potential to become the Japanese Audi with their SH-AWD technology. Oh well...
:sick:
Thanks for your advice. That is exactly what I am doing. As the BMW dealer is still not offering what I want to hear, the trade-in only is "in progress". If I do not eventually hear something very close to what I want, I can
decide to keep the damaged car for a couple of extra years
and wait for new models to come.
Regards,
Jose
Did they have someone that could speak about the car in English instead of German?
At the time I mistakenly said it was on the Disney channel when actually it was on the Discovery channel.
Darn... now I can't accuse you of watching cartoons.
TM