Car Commercials, the good, the bad, and the annoying!

Michaell

stickguy said:

Just saw the latest Subaru dog commercial, where they stop at "wanna weenie". It was hysterical. Told the wife we were getting a Subaru for sure.

As the proud papa of two doxies, I totally loved that commercial.

bhill2

Could someone post it? I would sure like to see it.

stickguy

Here you go.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqnmETRgDz4

ab348

Aaaaand... Lexus' "December to Remember" Christmas campaign is back. Again.

stickguy

plenty of brands are going already. GMC is running the same exact one as last year with the husband buying his and hers units and the wife taking "his" PIckUp.

andres3

ab348 said:

Aaaaand... Lexus' "December to Remember" Christmas campaign is back. Again.

Its not December yet though.

fintail

Haven't seen Lexus yet, but I saw a MB Santa-themed Christmas ad yesterday. At least it isn't as pretentious as the swoopy L.

I am expecting to see a Stepfordian family giving active bloggermommy a new RX in front of a bland cloned seven figure mcmodern house lashed with fake snow or a faux-active 30-something guy being given something insomnia curing like a UX and pretending to be excited about it.

ab348

Found this old relic of an ad and found it interesting for the music choice:

https://youtu.be/qLgGZe0kY7k

Interesting because a couple of years later Chrysler Canada had this commercial which is pretty, uh, different (they actually made a series of different ones with this same premise and animation):

https://youtu.be/6K5SWCDk1Jk

stickguy

The thrill of 132 horses under your foot!

fintail

I remember when the original Neon debuted, the hp claim was actually impressive compared to others in the segment at the time.

Can't recall when I last saw a Catera - maybe the epitome of 90s GM reactionary thinking - bring over an aging not-too-loved Opel to try to compete with prestige brands.

tjc78

My Step Dad had a first generation Neon. Yes I remember he was all over the fact it had the most HP of all the other compacts at the time.

It was pretty quick for what it was at the time.

stickguy

Same for the Omni when they shoved in the 2.2l engine.

andres3

tjc78 said:

My Step Dad had a first generation Neon. Yes I remember he was all over the fact it had the most HP of all the other compacts at the time.

It was pretty quick for what it was at the time.

Assuming you got the 5-speed manual. With the slushbox, the 132 ponies weren't quite as impressive, but it did move better than a Prism.

fintail

Prizm probably lasted longer though. We all know how you loved your Neon

My brother had a 96 Neon "Expresso" coupe (hen's tooth now) that my mom helped him buy when he was 18 or 19. He was thrilled the day someone ran a light and totaled it.

I still recall the commercials for the early Neon.

andres3 said:

Assuming you got the 5-speed manual. With the slushbox, the 132 ponies weren't quite as impressive, but it did move better than a Prism.

andres3

fintail said:

Prizm probably lasted longer though. We all know how you loved your Neon

My brother had a 96 Neon "Expresso" coupe (hen's tooth now) that my mom helped him buy when he was 18 or 19. He was thrilled the day someone ran a light and totaled it.

I still recall the commercials for the early Neon.

andres3 said:

Assuming you got the 5-speed manual. With the slushbox, the 132 ponies weren't quite as impressive, but it did move better than a Prism.

the Prizm was owned by one of my very best friends. He floored that thing everywhere he went every day he drove it (sort of had to given the acceleration). Anyway, it had 100,000 flawless miles despite the treatment of hard young rowdy teenagers. I'm not counting knocked off rear view mirrors (the fault of horseplay).

stickguy

So far seems like 50/50 between reruns from last Christmas season and new ads. None that stick out as being particularly good.

tmart

Here in Houston, there’s are commercials I absolutely cannot stand! It’s about driving a Sewell, which is a DEALERSHIP! No mention of the different cars they sell. Everyone says how great is to drive a Sewell. I must be showing my age!

fintail

Local Toyota spots are loathsome too. Usually showing a chipper young dorkcouple (likely transplants) "exploring" the area in their bold Camry or adventurous RAV4.

fintail

A local Ford dealer has resurrected a jingle for TV spots: "Give Me Evergreen Til I Die". You read that right, "til I die". That's their slogan. Seems bizarre.

fintail

Not a car commercial, but a fun little Easter egg kind of sighting. I am sure everyone has seen the recent Xfinity E.T themed spot:

https://youtu.be/Pdgk3ERKdug

Notice the car in the driveway is a Q5. In the original E.T movie, the family car was a C2 Audi 5000S. I'd rather they'd have used one of the photogenic 1970s/80s suburban LA neighborhoods used in the original, but with all of the recent fires, filming might not have been possible.

fintail

Seeing ads for the new Hyundai Venue touting it as an SUV. I am not knocking the car, as I think it is a kind of neat Euro style tall hatch with a good price point (kind of like Kia Soul), but not seeing how it is an SUV. FWD only, CVT only, no utilitarian suspension or other mechanical bits, it's a tall hatchback. I suppose that term would be a guarantee for no sales in this vain market, so they have to exaggerate/lie.

roadburner

Ditto for the Nissan Kicks. Meh.

thebean

I’m a sucker for things like this, but I think this is one of the best auto commercials I have ever seen.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uKuYXNLGlOc

fintail

That one was good enough to make the morning news here. I like the flying away bit at the end, like a beetle.

Kind of reminds me of this emotional thing:

https://youtu.be/QhRG_iv_U6c

fintail

There's a set of locally made Honda ads right now that are Toyota-levels of lame hyperbole. Apparently, buying a CR-V makes one a "rebel" and exciting, and has a shot of a woman playing hockey. Meanwhile, a Civic sedan is "rebellious" when parked in a generic suburban background.

andres3

fintail said:

There's a set of locally made Honda ads right now that are Toyota-levels of lame hyperbole. Apparently, buying a CR-V makes one a "rebel" and exciting, and has a shot of a woman playing hockey. Meanwhile, a Civic sedan is "rebellious" when parked in a generic suburban background.

Civic Type R sedan could be rebellious.

fintail

I suppose it is an offbeat choice these days. Not so much the $199/month special actually being touted as "rebellious"

andres3 said:

Civic Type R sedan could be rebellious.

explorerx4

Saw a couple of superbowl commercials.
I guessing Hyundai is hoping to sell a lot of Sonata's in eastern Mass.
Pretty sure the trooper in the Winona commercial is the same guy who played the airport parking attendant in Fargo.

stickguy

saw the Sonata ad. Somehow, I can't see myself ever leaving my car aimed at a spot and pushing a button to have it park itself.

Michaell

The Sonata commercial needed subtitles.

explorerx4

Wutcha tackin about?

stickguy

Some furrin Kahr

fintail

I wonder if Mahk will have a response to the Hyundai spot.

stickguy

New Highlander looks nice, but that commercial was brutal.

ab348

Liviing in Kanada where we are no longer allowed to watch the direct US broadcast of the game - we are forced to watch the version aired on Canadian TV with only a handful of the US ads - only a few of the featured ads were seen here. But the Hyundai one aired at least twice. I thought it was OK though they could have done a better job sending up the Boston accents and dialog. I also wonder about that next-gen parking/unparking tech. How it backs out of a spot on its own seems somewhat challenging from a real-world POV as even when I am carefully trying to do that I often have cross-traffic ignoring my attempt.

fintail

Many of these semi-autonomous features don't deal well with other traffic. I am iffy at the idea of shoehorning a car into a too-narrow spot, and the door dings which are a virtual guarantee, as none of the other cars will be parked via robot.

I'll trade ya Canadian hockey coverage for American football coverage. At least we get CBC this far north, but anything else beyond the basics is extra cost.

ab348

fintail said:

I'll trade ya Canadian hockey coverage for American football coverage. At least we get CBC this far north, but anything else beyond the basics is extra cost.

I used to be a hockey fan when I was younger but when places like Columbus, Tampa and Phoenix got teams I lost interest. The only time I might watch now is if the Leafs somehow pull a miracle and contend for Lord Stanley's battered old basin, so probably not much chance of that. The hockey you see on CBC is limited compared to what the Canadian sports cable channels carry. They really are hockey-crazed, much like much of the country's populace is. Even in July and August the nightly Sportscentre broadcast on TSN usually leads with Leafs or other hockey news.

explorerx4

Read a story where Patrick Mahomes didn't get a vehicle for being Super Bowl MVP.
Said last SB MVP to get one was Tom Brady, doesn't narrow it down much.
Hyundai is the official car brand of the SB.
It would have been a great chance to promote the GV80 instead of that lame ad they did use.

kyfdx

Is the GV80 a twin of the Telluride and Palisade?

explorerx4

RWD based on what I just read.
I would hope it's not based on the T or P which are based on the Sorrento.

fintail

The NHL game certainly isn't what it used to be, hockey development at all levels is much different than even when I was young. I am happy when we see a flash of 90s style NHL play now and then - the Oilers/Flames game Saturday night is what passes for "old time hockey" in 2020, and it was a pretty fun game, reminded me of things 25 years ago. 1967 redux lol, keep hoping, those fans can be a punching bag, and I'd hate to play there. Yeah, the only thing like TSN/Sportsnet here if one subscribes to the NHL TV package, which if I completely cut the cable cord, I just might do. Without CBC, I'd get maybe a monthly US network broadcast, likely of teams irrelevant to my interests, and now and then one of the small affiliate stations here will carry a local WHL game, which in some ways is more fun than the show anyway.

ab348 said:

I used to be a hockey fan when I was younger but when places like Columbus, Tampa and Phoenix got teams I lost interest. The only time I might watch now is if the Leafs somehow pull a miracle and contend for Lord Stanley's battered old basin, so probably not much chance of that. The hockey you see on CBC is limited compared to what the Canadian sports cable channels carry. They really are hockey-crazed, much like much of the country's populace is. Even in July and August the nightly Sportscentre broadcast on TSN usually leads with Leafs or other hockey news.

kyfdx

explorerx4 said:

RWD based on what I just read.
I would hope it's not based on the T or P which are based on the Sorrento.

Ah... thanks.

stickguy

not quite sure how long that is. 3 row? Could be on the G70 platform, maybe stretched a bit, is my guess.

kyfdx

stickguy said:

not quite sure how long that is. 3 row? Could be on the G70 platform, maybe stretched a bit, is my guess.

Or, even off the G80?

stickguy

possible. I assumed the G70 since I think that was a fresh design, not a shrunken G80. but probably not a heck of a lot of difference once scaled up to CUV duty.

tjc78

From what I have read, it’s based off the G80

fintail

Groundhog Day themed Jeep ad was probably the best of the Superbowl. Porsche was cool too, trying to recognize the scenery, but as that movie is relevant to my interests, I got it.

stickguy

I missed some of the game and never saw the Porsche commercial.

andres3

If 6-year old girls was Audi's target market for the E-Tron ad, they succeeded.

fintail

I saw that e-tron spot on another site. Atrocious.