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

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  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Watch, they'll base it off the new GT. :D
  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 265,514
    Definitely... in this age of fuel efficiency, I really don't get the bigger is better thing..

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  • ghuletghulet Member Posts: 2,564
    ....though I guess if you can afford a vehicle that starts at $63k, fuel costs aren't an issue. But still, its garishness vis-a-vis the economy and at least looking like you're making an effort to be efficient, this vehicle is a bit much.
  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 265,514
    It's funny, though...

    You'll hear all sorts of enthusiasts say, "People that spend $35K+ for a luxury car don't worry about the extra cost for premium!", but that is probably the #1 thing that keeps people away from the luxury imports.. Especially, potential Acura/Lexus buyers..

    The vehicle could get 9 mpg, but it's the extra $0.25/gallon that they can't tolerate... :)

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  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,414
    Probably because CR makes such a big deal of it, and the sheeple just love to abide by those opinions.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    It would be even worse for used or CPO luxury cars, because those buyers are on a tighter budget.

    There is a psychological barrier.

    We had a 1995 Mazda 626 that wanted premium, and so we used nothing but 93 octane, and proceeded to have fuel system problems in the 6th year of ownership. :sick:

    That soured me on paying a premium for fuel that isn't necessarily better quality (only higher octane).
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,414
    Saw a new style Maserati Quattroporte today, with the "Sport GTS" badging. White, filthy, parked at a pet store. I can envision 90lb trophy wife with a yappy ankle biter dog driving it.
  • texasestexases Member Posts: 11,107
    "with a yappy ankle biter dog driving it"
    You mean like this?
    image
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I've been seeing a lot of these lately, the new style. All over the place.

    No runaway sudden acceleration cases among those. :D
  • lemkolemko Member Posts: 15,261
    No, she drives a blue LaCrosse and has a gray and white cat.
  • ghuletghulet Member Posts: 2,564
    ....Pat's or Geno's?
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,414
    Is that a good thing? ;)

    Today I saw a SRX
  • lemkolemko Member Posts: 15,261
    I've always gone to Pat's.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Pat's for me, too.

    My brother visited from Brazil last summer, and driving back from NY to DC we stopped in Philly for 2 reasons:

    * to see the Rocky statue
    * Pat's cheesesteak "wit" onions

    It was worth it. :D
  • boomchekboomchek Member Posts: 5,516
    The current redesign made the car more average looking. Really blends in with the traffic. Nothing special imo.

    2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX

  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,414
    I think it really resembles an Accord...and the current Accord isn't exactly a beauty queen.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Buyers disagree, though. Sales are up by leaps and bounds.

    January was another strong month, Subaru was up 28% in the US.

    Folks north of the border agree - Subaru of Canada had their best January ever.

    And keep in mind supply is still limited, especially loaded models.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,414
    Making the cars bigger and blander looking is a sure way to help sales in the US, no doubt.
  • boomchekboomchek Member Posts: 5,516
    I know sales are up and that the general population likes maintsream cars more than specialty oddballs that us car enthusaists like. I always though the previous Legacy was the nicest one yet.

    2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX

  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Me too, I loved the 2005 models. Gorgeous. Inside and out.

    Keep in mind that when it came out, though, people screamed about it being boring and that it "looked like a Camry". I felt like I was the only one who liked it. Seriously.

    Auto designs take a while to grow on people.

    Got the detailed breakdown: Legacy up 110% in January, Outback up 117%! :surprise:

    PS Canucks love it even more, Outback up by 382.9 percent!
  • bumpybumpy Member Posts: 4,425
    Front end looked like a squarish interepretation of a VW nose, and the rest was straight Generic CUV. Nobody would know who made it without the GMC badge.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    They're very "blocky" looking. I much prefer the Equinox for styling.

    Saw a 'nox at the DC Auto Show that stickered for $38 grand. If that doesn't shock you, the fact that it was FWD might. :surprise:
  • bumpybumpy Member Posts: 4,425
    They have to repay the Feddies somehow...
  • british_roverbritish_rover Member Posts: 8,502
    Just a sudden case of the uglies.
    That new RX is one of the worst looking vehicles on the market. Not that any of the Lexus models are beauty queens but the RX has to be close to the worst.
  • texasestexases Member Posts: 11,107
    I agree on the RX - I was amazed how they made it blocky/stumply looking. Not that it was a looker before but now? :sick:
  • boomchekboomchek Member Posts: 5,516
    I agree too. The first gen RX was stylish, the 2nd generation too I think. But this one has styling lines just for the sake of having styling lines.

    But the Lexus ugly duckling that takes the cake has gotta be their new HS. Also has angles and lines that don't necessarily go together but are just there for no reason.

    They look even worse in person. Like an uglified first generation Prius.

    image

    2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX

  • british_roverbritish_rover Member Posts: 8,502
    The first generation model wasn't too bad looking and they aged well. I think they still look pretty good now.

    I have to wonder what Toyota is feeding their designers. Nothing they have designed in the last what six or seven years is remotely attractive at all.

    If the car isn't attractive, or fun to drive and it might suddenly accelerate or not stop and wreck itself then why do you buy it? Good gas mileage isn't a good enough reason.
  • texasestexases Member Posts: 11,107
    "I have to wonder what Toyota is feeding their designers."

    Same chow they're having over at the Acura shop, I'm afraid!
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,414
    Cars for people who hate cars.

    At least they made them easy to spot, with the reflectors low on the bumper...so you can see them from a distance at night as they are LLCing/merging onto a highway at 30mph/going half the yellow sign limit on an off ramp.

    There does seem to be an "ugly war" between Lexus and Acura, too.
  • anythngbutgmanythngbutgm Member Posts: 4,277
    Are you combining Lexus in with that? I have to disagree with you, I think the IS line is sharp and in the realm of ultra-luxury sedans the LS is pretty classy looking IMO as well. As for Toyota themselves, it's not supposed to be gorgeous but I find the Tacoma to be the best and most rugged looking of the compact class and RAV is pretty sharp for a sport ute.

    Now this is only a small fraction of their product lineup but I don't think their designers are all clueless.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Lexus may be bland, but not ugly.

    Acura trade marked that. ;)

    I will say that Acura interiors are among my favorites, though.

    Just went to the DC Auto Show and I hated how BMW's dash protrudes out towards the front passenger. The dash is close to the knees and made me feel claustrophic, even in bigger cars.

    Contrast that with Acuras, which have a more cockpit like design that swoops away from your knees and adds room.

    Lexus has nice interiors, too. I think they have to do that - to differentiate from the Toyotas they're often based on.
  • anythngbutgmanythngbutgm Member Posts: 4,277
    Checked out the latest Acura at the dealer over the weekend and I thought it was pretty cool looking. The wheels are on the small side which look kinda disproportionate but I dig the profile myself.

    The interior is a knockout.

    I'd drive it. :shades:
  • british_roverbritish_rover Member Posts: 8,502
    The IS is about the only ok looking model Lexus or Toyota puts out now. That it looks ok don't overshadow that it just isn't a very good car. The IS250 is way underpowered with no torque and you can't get AWD on the IS350 that has good power because the AWD system will get toasted AFIK. Then if you do get AWD the front driveshaft takes away the driver's leg room because there is a hump in the transmission tunnel and the driver's side floor for that shaft. Your right leg rests right on it and it hums at speed. You can't see out the back at all and the back is cramped. You get a lot of technology for the price though if you are into the gadget factory. Me I would rather have a competent car and less gadgets.

    I guess the Tacoma looks good too but the look of a truck never really mattered to me and the hilux is just so much better then the Tacoma in every way that I just sort of forget about the Tacoma. Plus the Tacoma is way, way too big like all other compact trucks now.
  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 53,335
    Oh yeah, I test drove an IS when they first came out (maybe just test sit) and that hump was a deal breaker. Horrible, horrible design.

    The ZDX should be taken off the market. It is too dangerous. Why you may ask? Well, only slightly kidding, but the back door is going to poke an eye out ("you'll shoot your eye out kid!")

    the top edge comes to a very sharp point. Hit me right in the chest, and my daughter right in the face. And the door (and that spike) is pretty long, so the odds of running into it are pretty high!

    Just IMO one of thos style over function issues that come to light in real world usage. Like the 1/4 views on an FJ cruiser.

    2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.

  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Saw one on the road, and it does not look better out in the real world. Frightening, actually, I quickly told the kids to close their eyes. ;)

    Even my wife said she hated the black stripe on the back (it's a tinted window) and asked if hatchbacks were making a comeback.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,414
    Saw my first SHO badged new Taurus today.

    Haven't seen a ZDX yet, maybe it will flop. Then again, the hideous BMW X6 seems to be popular enough in the money-but-no-class-or-taste set, so that might bode well for Acura.
  • andys120andys120 Member Posts: 23,669
    I don't think I've seen more than two X6s in a year--even in Scottsdale where every other Desperate Housewife drives a big SUV or Crossover..

    2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93

  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,414
    It took about a year for them to get going here, but if I drive around enough, I see them almost daily here now. I do live in an area with way too many trophy/Stepford wives, that has to be part of it.
  • british_roverbritish_rover Member Posts: 8,502
    I have been seeing a couple X6s here and there now. I think BMW might just be the next Toyota unless they learn from Toyota's and GM's mistakes that is.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,414
    BMW certainly is getting to a point where it all might be too much. Every little segment, with so much debatable styling...but their quality seems to be holding up.

    I hope MB had its problems in the last decade and can move on now.
  • boomchekboomchek Member Posts: 5,516
    Unusual for Vancouver at this time of the year to see exotic cars on the road but we had some mild weather and plus crowds of people in downtown for the 2010 Olympics = guys showing off their toys.

    In a 5 minute span in downtown saw a Ferrari F430 spider in light blue color driving with the top down, a Nissan GTR painted flat black, and my first one on the road:

    A black SLR McLaren roadster, driven by an older dude. From far away I thought it was an SLK until it got close. Cool cause it's gotta be one of a handful in Canada, maybe the only one in Vancouver?

    2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX

  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,414
    I got beside a F430 Spider yesterday a couple blocks from home, yesterday. Red, maybe late 50s driver...crawled along IMO looking to be seen....but the crossovers and minivans around him couldn't have cared less. It sounded nice, anyway.

    Crapload of new E-class at the dealer yesterday , maybe 20 of them sitting there now. They do seem to be selling, I see them all the time. The brown one I spotted there some time ago was not in the lineup...someone must have bought it. Local airport Hertz is renting them out in their prestige group, too.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Top down? What are the temps?
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,414
    Probably in the mid-upper 50s F when he saw it. El Nino has been strong this year. Some of the Harley posers are already back on the road here...teriffic...
  • boomchekboomchek Member Posts: 5,516
    edited February 2010
    8-10 degrees C (yeah in the 50s as Fintail said).

    2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX

  • ghuletghulet Member Posts: 2,564
    I saw my second BMW X6 today, it looked much better in this color (Burgandy/light tan interior) than the first one, but it's still ugly.

    I also saw my first Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback (I think that's what it's called) in that bright blue that all the lil sport hatches have been wearing the last ten years or so. Nice looking enough car, though.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    The concept looked even better.
  • lemkolemko Member Posts: 15,261
    ...a shimmery lime green Hyundai Genesis coupe at Willow Grove Mall yesterday afternoon while doing some rush Valentine's Day shopping since the recent blizzards have kept me indoors for quite a spell. I didn't think I'd see my Mercury Grand Marquis until April when I looked out on my street Thursday morning.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,414
    New style A4 showed up in the garage of my building today.
  • lvrangerlvranger Member Posts: 27
    Saw a new 4Runner the other day. It looked like it was trying too hard to look off road ready. Don't they have the FJ for that? It made me miss my Land Cruiser, which looks much better and has more off road prowess.
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