I also think Nissan got a bit carried away with the Juke, but overall I'm glad to see manufacturers taking an occasional chance on a radical departure.
Seeing experimentations with vehicles like the Murano cabriole makes me think that we haven't quite hit the universal "cookie cutter" design quite yet...
I like the new Versa look, but from the reviews I've read, Nissan has moved backwards on the vehicle in an attempt to keep the price really low. I wonder if they will spruce it up a bit now that it's been criticized in its comparison to similar vehicles.
Targeted fuel economy for the Altima 2.5-liter 4-cylinder/CVT combination is 27 mpg city, 38 mpg highway and 31 mpg combined. :surprise: Fuel economy for the 3.5-liter V6/CVT Altima is rated at 22 mpg city, 30 mpg highway and 25 mpg combined. Also contributing to the improved fuel efficiency are tires with reduced rolling resistance and a new regenerative alternator that only operates when the vehicle is coasting.
You are right, anything, my mistake. I guess I saw the Impala SS as an edition of the Caprice, as opposed to the Impala itself which came out as a 2000 model.
Is the OP saying only the Impala SS looked bad, but not the Caprice? There were no 'base' Impalas made during the '90's, only the SS.
The Impala SS is one of the only '90's cars that was an instant collectible.
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You are right, anything, my mistake. I guess I saw the Impala SS as an edition of the Caprice, as opposed to the Impala itself which came out as a 2000 model.
Wow, Buick is still sucking air, down 16% in March and I know Veranos are available, a few weeks ago I drove by my local GMC/Buick dealer and they had several on the lot.
Cadillac is going to need the ATS and XTS to be successful as they only sold 10,500 cars in March, which half of what Lexus sold, heck, that's only 2k more than lowly Lincoln. Audi sold over 11k.
Honda appears to be struggling too, down 5%.
GMC and Chevy had a good month.
28k Fusions sold and the new one is not out, probably big time fleet vs. 23.6k for the Malibu. Damn, Toyota sold nearly 43k Camrys. Focus sold 28k vs 21.6k Cruze.
Honda's only bright spot is the CRV and Civic with over 30k and 28k sold.
Pickups were up 12% despite gas prices. Ford sold 58k F150s.
The Verano is terribly overpriced and underpowered..... They need to fix one of those issues or both.
Honda is like a superstar that's been hooked on drugs (like heroin) for the last 5 years. They have potential, ability, and smarts, but for the last 5 years, they've flushed it all down the toilet!
Audi is on fire and I've been saying they are the best since 2001, and put my money where my mouth is in 2006. They just keep coming out with one spectacular vehicle after another. The 2.0T engine needs updating though to remain competitive. It came out in 2005 for goodness' sake.
I like where BMW is going with the latest 3 series (lighter, more fuel efficient and MORE powerful/faster). BMW has struggled lately, and their reliability has been spotty at best.
Cadillac......... they need a good ATS and XTS at a good price to be successful.
'18 Porsche Macan Turbo, '16 Audi TTS, Wife's '19 VW Tiguan SEL 4-Motion
But they've also offerred manuals as an alternative in most cars I believe.
I drove the CVT in the Murano, and in the A4, and didn't care for either. The only reason Audi makes CVT's is for the poser crowd that needed to lease A4's for $299/month or whatever lease deal of the year they used to do.
'18 Porsche Macan Turbo, '16 Audi TTS, Wife's '19 VW Tiguan SEL 4-Motion
else I'd have never known my truly awesome 1985 Chrysler Fifth Avenue! I've only had one Mopar product and it turned out to be one of my best cars.
I find it inconsistent that "one of your best cars" ever, could be your only Mopar product in your lifetime. If Chrysler truly was churning out the best cars ever, you'd of certainly opted for seconds by now.. it's been 27 years!
Seems that Cadillac inspired you to turn over more dollars than Chrsyler has time and time again, year after year.
'18 Porsche Macan Turbo, '16 Audi TTS, Wife's '19 VW Tiguan SEL 4-Motion
The Verano is terribly overpriced and underpowered..... They need to fix one of those issues or both.
It just comes across as a small car for old people to me. I bet the average buyer thinks it comes with a Pandora charm bracelet. I can imagine sales person trying to explain internet based radio;)
I've found you either really like a car equipped with a CVT or you really dislike it, due to the differences in how a CVT operates .vs. a shifting automatic.
The Altima has been selling really well,and hasn't offered an alternative to the CVT for at least a couple of years now (I think, anyway).
Both my daughters have CVTs (Altima and Versa). The Versa had a problem from the beginning, and was replaced under warranty (120 k mile warranty, 10 year) at 49k miles. It made funky noises, but never failed to function properly. No problems at all at 55k miles on the 08 Altima.
It does take a little time to get used to how a CVT operates.
LOL, I wouldn't know about them if it weren't for the women I'm around that want those damn things;
I was just reading about how the Pandora integration works. Since I haven't been in a car that has that capability, I was under the impression the the system in the Verano would stream and play through it's own systems via Onstar (Granted I should have known bandwidth issues would likely prevent that). But, like many other systems you need a smart phone.
I'd love to ditch sat radio, but here in Illinois, if your not in a decent size town, cell service is spotty, plus 3g/4g coverage is bad too. I've tried streaming music through my phone and it simply doesn't work well in many areas a drive to. Plus if I want to listen to talk radio, it's nice having sat radio so I can avoid 10 AM channels of Rush;)
It does take a little time to get used to how a CVT operates.
My brother had an 08 Altima prior to his '10 Fusion Sport. I thought the CVT in it did a decent job mimicking a traditional auto as compared to how the Aisin CVT in my wife's 06 Ford 500 behaved.
Even in the 500 I appreciated some aspects of the CVT. It was dog slow off the line, but once you were over 30 it was very responsive.
I know I'm older than several of you guys, but I think the Cube and the Juke are just awful. The Cube looks like someone put a box on top of the trunk and taillights of a '98 Ford Taurus. The Juke looks like a malformed animal. And today, on the Ohio Turnpike, I was passed by a Veloster. Ick! Same visibility out the back as probably a '71 Mustang SportsRoof, and I didn't like those either.
The Aztek is the only domestic car of the last twenty years that I could say was totally off-the-wall in a bad way.
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I kinda like the Veloster, but I haven't seen one close up and personal.
I do agree that the Juke looks like the designer used some sort of bug as his inspiration. The Cube seems to be an attempt to go after the Toyota Scion "box". Same as the Kia Soul.
Neither of those vehicles appeal to me, but I'm almost 58, and I'm probably not the target audience for those vehicles.
Still, I like to see.manufacturers going out on the edge a bit. In its day, as you well know, Studebaker had a couple of designs that were not considered conventional for the times. Once and a while, something provocative hits a sweet spot in the market.
Neither of those vehicles appeal to me, but I'm almost 58, and I'm probably not the target audience for those vehicles.
Suprisingly, the Xb, Xd, Cube and Soul have a fairly mature buyer profile. IIRC, folks in the AARP range like the reasonable price, large cargo hold and higher seat position that these vehicles provide.
I've heard that stat before, and I don't doubt it, but I've never seen anyone that looked over 20 driving one.
IIRC... Didn't the older driver profile also show up in the Honda SAV type vehicle that had suicide rear doors? Yet, it was clearly marketed at younger drivers, in all the TV ads I saw...
Back in the day I had access to a '69 VW Bus (back in the day meaning it was pretty new). Then a Jeep, bunch of Bugs, and a couple of sedans (wanted a Tercel Wagon but could only afford a Tercel). Then a couple of wagons. I remember reading about the Dodge Caravan long before it came out and finally getting a minivan in '89. Perfect.
The Elements have mellowed well; better than the xBs. There's a nice looking blue one in the next block and I really liked the khaki ones Honda made briefly. I still gravitate, creaky knees and all, to the Souls, Cubes, xDs, Foresters, Transit Connects and minivans. Hatches work too. If I lived over the pond, I'd be in an eSpace or a Peugeot Bipper Tepee.
GM doesn't offer much for the box crowd. No sliders that I know of over here; nothing like the Vivaro. An Express would be okay for a camper but I'm not wild about the doors. Prefer sliders and a rear hatch to stand under in the rain. The HHR is hatchy, can't think of another squarish GM hatch off-hand like that one.
Oh, the Sonic hatchback. I'd look at that before the Cruze hatch.
I know I'm older than several of you guys, but I think the Cube and the Juke are just awful. The Cube looks like someone put a box on top of the trunk and taillights of a '98 Ford Taurus. The Juke looks like a malformed animal. And today, on the Ohio Turnpike, I was passed by a Veloster. Ick! Same visibility out the back as probably a '71 Mustang SportsRoof, and I didn't like those either.
The Aztek is the only domestic car of the last twenty years that I could say was totally off-the-wall in a bad way.
I guess it shows that tastes vary. I actually would put the Cube and Juke in the "cute ugly" category. Also the first edition Scion Xb. The newer Xb is just ugly. I saw the Verano and it has potential, but we both agreed we don't like the taillight chrome eyebrows. I actually think the Camaro is pretty ugly - I much prefer the looks of the Camaros around circa 1981 or so. I consider the Cruze pretty attractive in a conservative way - it should age well. The Elantra and Sonata are sort of striking but a bit overdone for my tastes - I suspect they'll age poorly. The Acadia is nice in a blocky sort of way. I consider the current Quest to be hideous. Of all cars, I think the MB C-class is the most gorgeous looking, especially in black.
I remember in 2002 I was seriously considering a new Mercury Marauder. That was until I saw the Motor Trend comparo between it and the 1996 Impala SS and the six year-old Impala SS was better in just about every way. I ended up getting a new 2002 Cadillac Seville STS instead.
I did consider a new 1994 Chrysler New Yorker or LHS that year. I thought that new design was beautiful and the nicest looking Chrysler I've seen in years. However, lack of a V-8 made me choose a Cadillac DeVille instead. Now that Chrysler has a V-8 300, they've popped back on my radar. I wanted to buy a new 300-C for my wife back in 2005 and we even test drove one. I loved it, but she complained that she couldn't see out of it as she is short and petite. She also thought the 300-C's styling was too masculine for a woman, therefore, she opted for the LaCrosse which she felt looked more like a woman's car.
busiris mentioned that Studebakers were often 'distinctive'. I'd agree with that. Contemporary magazine articles often mentioned the Hawks' lowness compared to other cars, and the Avanti's lines, and 'beautiful' or even the word 'art' were used in those articles. Not sure anybody's using those words about the Juke, Cube, or Veloster!
I know it's normal here to gang up on the General, but we can all agree that the Aztek is ugly but not the Cube or Juke? (I'll give the Veloster a slight pass.)
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I don't mind the looks of that Nissan van (although the only one I know about, my niece's, required a replacement engine under warranty), but that current Odyssey looks like they did a poor job of grafting the rear third from another vehicle onto it. Yuck!
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but that current Odyssey looks like they did a poor job of grafting the rear third from another vehicle onto it. Yuck!
It's grown on me to the point where it doesn't bother me to much, but then again I'm not in the market for a minivan. I remember reading Honda had a reason for designing it that way. I don't recall what it was though.
You let a Motor Trend article sway your buying decision? Say it isn't so!
He probably did because there wasn't an import in the comparo...you know, the oh-so-predictable "the import is wonderful; the domestic sucks" result one sees in MT and C&D.
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Several pictures are out, looks decent overall. I don't know if I'm sold on the odd raised dash surface. Engine choices are interesting. I don't think I'd want a n/a 4cyl in that heavy of a car. I'm surprised a turbo 4 isn't offered. v6 is definitely the way to go IMO. Looks to be a huge improvement overall vs. the current model.
My wife drives a Honda Element. She's 61. As she says, when she is driving, she cares about the interior. She doesn't see the exterior.
The Element's not so bad, but unfortunately, that doesn't work with the Juke. I sat in one last week, and unfortunately, even from inside, you can still too much of the exterior! :P
The Element took a lot of criticism, and was often compared to the Aztek. But I thought the Element was basically okay, just with a few ugly styling details that could be cleaned up fairly easily. However, I don't think there was a way to clean up an Aztek, short of throwing out the design and starting over! Although to be fair, I saw a few in all black, and they were *almost* stomachable!
It's grown on me to the point where it doesn't bother me to much, but then again I'm not in the market for a minivan. I remember reading Honda had a reason for designing it that way. I don't recall what it was though.
That dip on the Odyssey's beltline makes me think of the 1960 Dodge Polaras and Matadors, which had a tailfin that started fairly far forward on the car, and ended well short of the rear.
I wonder if that dip on the Odyssey improves visibility out of those rear windows any?
And maybe for a mid-cycle refresh, they'll reverse that beltline dip, like how Dodge put reverse-slant tailfins on their '61 cars! :P
Comments
Seeing experimentations with vehicles like the Murano cabriole makes me think that we haven't quite hit the universal "cookie cutter" design quite yet...
I like the new Versa look, but from the reviews I've read, Nissan has moved backwards on the vehicle in an attempt to keep the price really low. I wonder if they will spruce it up a bit now that it's been criticized in its comparison to similar vehicles.
Nissan doesn't have many pretty cars, but things like the Juke and CrossCabrio show they have some guts anyway, props to that.
2013 Altima
Nice update :shades:
link title
Mileage looks to be class leading as well
Targeted fuel economy for the Altima 2.5-liter 4-cylinder/CVT combination is 27 mpg city, 38 mpg highway and 31 mpg combined. :surprise: Fuel economy for the 3.5-liter V6/CVT Altima is rated at 22 mpg city, 30 mpg highway and 25 mpg combined. Also contributing to the improved fuel efficiency are tires with reduced rolling resistance and a new regenerative alternator that only operates when the vehicle is coasting.
Is the OP saying only the Impala SS looked bad, but not the Caprice? There were no 'base' Impalas made during the '90's, only the SS.
The Impala SS is one of the only '90's cars that was an instant collectible.
That's how I see it.
I can't believe Nissan is going full bore with CVT's and not providing an option for people that like to drive.
Cadillac is going to need the ATS and XTS to be successful as they only sold 10,500 cars in March, which half of what Lexus sold, heck, that's only 2k more than lowly Lincoln. Audi sold over 11k.
Honda appears to be struggling too, down 5%.
GMC and Chevy had a good month.
28k Fusions sold and the new one is not out, probably big time fleet vs. 23.6k for the Malibu. Damn, Toyota sold nearly 43k Camrys. Focus sold 28k vs 21.6k Cruze.
Honda's only bright spot is the CRV and Civic with over 30k and 28k sold.
Pickups were up 12% despite gas prices. Ford sold 58k F150s.
Honda is like a superstar that's been hooked on drugs (like heroin) for the last 5 years. They have potential, ability, and smarts, but for the last 5 years, they've flushed it all down the toilet!
Audi is on fire and I've been saying they are the best since 2001, and put my money where my mouth is in 2006. They just keep coming out with one spectacular vehicle after another. The 2.0T engine needs updating though to remain competitive. It came out in 2005 for goodness' sake.
I like where BMW is going with the latest 3 series (lighter, more fuel efficient and MORE powerful/faster). BMW has struggled lately, and their reliability has been spotty at best.
Cadillac......... they need a good ATS and XTS at a good price to be successful.
Hasn't Nissan been only offering CVTs in their cars for a while now?
I've driven an Altima with a CVT and I thought it was fine. Granted I didn't drive it much.
I drove the CVT in the Murano, and in the A4, and didn't care for either. The only reason Audi makes CVT's is for the poser crowd that needed to lease A4's for $299/month or whatever lease deal of the year they used to do.
I find it inconsistent that "one of your best cars" ever, could be your only Mopar product in your lifetime. If Chrysler truly was churning out the best cars ever, you'd of certainly opted for seconds by now.. it's been 27 years!
Seems that Cadillac inspired you to turn over more dollars than Chrsyler has time and time again, year after year.
It just comes across as a small car for old people to me. I bet the average buyer thinks it comes with a Pandora charm bracelet. I can imagine sales person trying to explain internet based radio;)
My 85 year old mother in law doesn't know Pandora but she knows about net radio.
Well she's likely ahead of many 20 years younger than her. My 60 year old mom uses an Iphone 4s and if I say Pandora, she'll say "pretty charms";)
In the news, Chevrolet Volt Sales Surge. (technologyreview.com)
The Altima has been selling really well,and hasn't offered an alternative to the CVT for at least a couple of years now (I think, anyway).
Both my daughters have CVTs (Altima and Versa). The Versa had a problem from the beginning, and was replaced under warranty (120 k mile warranty, 10 year) at 49k miles. It made funky noises, but never failed to function properly. No problems at all at 55k miles on the 08 Altima.
It does take a little time to get used to how a CVT operates.
LOL, I wouldn't know about them if it weren't for the women I'm around that want those damn things;
I was just reading about how the Pandora integration works. Since I haven't been in a car that has that capability, I was under the impression the the system in the Verano would stream and play through it's own systems via Onstar (Granted I should have known bandwidth issues would likely prevent that). But, like many other systems you need a smart phone.
I'd love to ditch sat radio, but here in Illinois, if your not in a decent size town, cell service is spotty, plus 3g/4g coverage is bad too. I've tried streaming music through my phone and it simply doesn't work well in many areas a drive to. Plus if I want to listen to talk radio, it's nice having sat radio so I can avoid 10 AM channels of Rush;)
My brother had an 08 Altima prior to his '10 Fusion Sport. I thought the CVT in it did a decent job mimicking a traditional auto as compared to how the Aisin CVT in my wife's 06 Ford 500 behaved.
Even in the 500 I appreciated some aspects of the CVT. It was dog slow off the line, but once you were over 30 it was very responsive.
The Aztek is the only domestic car of the last twenty years that I could say was totally off-the-wall in a bad way.
http://www.autoblog.com/2011/09/05/honda-recalling-86-000-units-for-fire-rollawa- y-concerns/
I do agree that the Juke looks like the designer used some sort of bug as his inspiration. The Cube seems to be an attempt to go after the Toyota Scion "box". Same as the Kia Soul.
Neither of those vehicles appeal to me, but I'm almost 58, and I'm probably not the target audience for those vehicles.
Still, I like to see.manufacturers going out on the edge a bit. In its day, as you well know, Studebaker had a couple of designs that were not considered conventional for the times. Once and a while, something provocative hits a sweet spot in the market.
Suprisingly, the Xb, Xd, Cube and Soul have a fairly mature buyer profile. IIRC, folks in the AARP range like the reasonable price, large cargo hold and higher seat position that these vehicles provide.
http://jalopnik.com/5381540/cruise-control-fire-recall-expanded-to-fords-largest- -ever
All it takes is a $2 part located in the wrong place under the hood to cause major issues...
IIRC... Didn't the older driver profile also show up in the Honda SAV type vehicle that had suicide rear doors? Yet, it was clearly marketed at younger drivers, in all the TV ads I saw...
Some of us "of a certain age" like boxes.
I couldn't remember it...
Btw, no offense intended. Again, I think the ease of entry/exit was a big draw for the more "experienced" driver...
The Elements have mellowed well; better than the xBs. There's a nice looking blue one in the next block and I really liked the khaki ones Honda made briefly. I still gravitate, creaky knees and all, to the Souls, Cubes, xDs, Foresters, Transit Connects and minivans. Hatches work too. If I lived over the pond, I'd be in an eSpace or a Peugeot Bipper Tepee.
GM doesn't offer much for the box crowd. No sliders that I know of over here; nothing like the Vivaro. An Express would be okay for a camper but I'm not wild about the doors. Prefer sliders and a rear hatch to stand under in the rain. The HHR is hatchy, can't think of another squarish GM hatch off-hand like that one.
Oh, the Sonic hatchback. I'd look at that before the Cruze hatch.
The Aztek is the only domestic car of the last twenty years that I could say was totally off-the-wall in a bad way.
I guess it shows that tastes vary. I actually would put the Cube and Juke in the "cute ugly" category. Also the first edition Scion Xb. The newer Xb is just ugly.
I saw the Verano and it has potential, but we both agreed we don't like the taillight chrome eyebrows. I actually think the Camaro is pretty ugly - I much prefer the looks of the Camaros around circa 1981 or so. I consider the Cruze pretty attractive in a conservative way - it should age well. The Elantra and Sonata are sort of striking but a bit overdone for my tastes - I suspect they'll age poorly. The Acadia is nice in a blocky sort of way. I consider the current Quest to be hideous. Of all cars, I think the MB C-class is the most gorgeous looking, especially in black.
We can all agree that the Aztek is just hideous.
I know it's normal here to gang up on the General, but we can all agree that the Aztek is ugly but not the Cube or Juke? (I'll give the Veloster a slight pass.)
You let a Motor Trend article sway your buying decision? Say it isn't so!;)
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
It's grown on me to the point where it doesn't bother me to much, but then again I'm not in the market for a minivan. I remember reading Honda had a reason for designing it that way. I don't recall what it was though.
He probably did because there wasn't an import in the comparo...you know, the oh-so-predictable "the import is wonderful; the domestic sucks" result one sees in MT and C&D.
I'm sure Honda had an excuse of some kind and that hondaphiles ate it up!
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
The Element's not so bad, but unfortunately, that doesn't work with the Juke. I sat in one last week, and unfortunately, even from inside, you can still too much of the exterior! :P
The Element took a lot of criticism, and was often compared to the Aztek. But I thought the Element was basically okay, just with a few ugly styling details that could be cleaned up fairly easily. However, I don't think there was a way to clean up an Aztek, short of throwing out the design and starting over! Although to be fair, I saw a few in all black, and they were *almost* stomachable!
That dip on the Odyssey's beltline makes me think of the 1960 Dodge Polaras and Matadors, which had a tailfin that started fairly far forward on the car, and ended well short of the rear.
I wonder if that dip on the Odyssey improves visibility out of those rear windows any?
And maybe for a mid-cycle refresh, they'll reverse that beltline dip, like how Dodge put reverse-slant tailfins on their '61 cars! :P