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* windows go all the way up to the roof
* suicide doors will disappear
* must be, what, 22" rims?
* rear diffuser will be tamed down
* goggles will have to go (hopefully)
* it will get real side mirrors
Underneath all that is a big brother to the Optima.
Hyunkia learned that the in-house "style" wasn't cutting it 100%
Pocket rocket, sure, GT not at all. I always thought the name didn't fit.
I think MG are the only new Chinese cars sold in UK, although I regularly see a Wuhan microbus - that has Polish plates though...
Also saw two of the new Range Rover Evoques on a car transporter, when coming down from Northern England last Monday - a three door and a five.. I think the launch is this weekend, so I suppose these were dealer demonstrators - they were with about six Discovery's / R-R Sports etc.
Not sure about the Evoque - while it looks good from some pictures I've seen, it isn't so great in white like these two were - looked like something had dropped on the roof of the end one, but that might have been just the angle - it was hanging on the back of the trailer.
Saw these two rigs - both looked like fun ways to travel, so why not the Murano?
Why can't we peons get a red interior???
Still can't imagine the CrossCabrio selling to anyone but retiring boomers with insane pensions that will never be repeated, or perhaps idle women married to affluent men with weird ideas of style. It's just so big and heavy and kind of awkwardly proportioned.
Saw a load of new cars at a local car show yesterday, big parts of the lineups of Maserati, MB, Aston, and a little bit of Ferrari too. And this:
I also saw quite a few Audi A4 Cabrios, I think they're beginning to outsell the BMW 3 Cabs. I did see quite a few 3er coupes, I think they're outselling the 'verts, not the case in the prior generation (E46).
I also saw a black Ferrari California Spider w top down. In person they look quite a bit better than in photos but nowhere near is beautiful as their namesake from the 60s.
I spotted my first Mitsu Lancer five-door and was surprised how good it looked. It's a near ringer for the Focus 5-dr. of which I saw several.
On a completely different note, there was a guy in an MG-A roadster barely keeping up with highway traffic doing about 60-65 in the right lane.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
I think it may only be the first or 2nd I've ever seen, while E- sedans are a dime a dozen around here.
Saw an E350 bluetec this morning, can't imagine why more of them aren't so equipped.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
E wagon: $57,150
M: $46,490
GLK: $35,500
Yeah, a good bit cheaper, and that's the 2012 M class, too.
Looks like the C wagon is gone from the US? It would also have cost more than the GLK here.
I've driven the previous ML and E, but neither was my cup of tea.
Also drove the last X5 and 5 wagon, and in that case the wagon was a whole lot more satisfying to drive. By a wide margin, surprisingly.
550GT drives OK (not as good as the previous one) but the roads I was on didn't really let me try it out properly. High price means I'll pass anyway.
GLK is somewhat of a bargain in base form, compared to its brand and other brand competition. Options list can make you wince, though.
I like the W212, reminds me kind of an old W124, seems to be a better quality product than the previous (W211) E.
I wonder how many base model GLKs dealers order, probably not many.
Fair enough, though, the X3 costs more, and by the time BMW brings the X1 here, the X3 will creep up in price even more.
I liked the W211 better. Lady lawyer next door has one. It just seemed cleaner, more consistent styling nose to tail.
The W212 has those odd, separated headlights. Also, I doubt many Benz shoppers read it, but Consumer Reports actually scored the W211 higher overall.
Both too big/heavy for my tastes. Tested one with Edmunds member RSHolland, he loved it, I liked the C- and SLK better.
There should be some base GLKs out there for lease specials, probably no different than anything else - base C class are easy to find, just like base 3ers and A4s.
The main drawback of the W212 to me is the exterior styling, as I call it, "German Acura". But the build quality and materials of those I have experienced seem better than the old W211, which really had some issues especially in earlier years, no matter what CR might claim. Foreign media also reports the W212 to be a step up. Not a sporty car though, not intended to be, unless you go AMG.
I've seen at least 3-4 different ones. The mere fact that they exist tells you what people thought of them (real owners, too).
Volt as well, still extremely rare even here in this political town (DC).
M37 and M37s - a pair of the new ones. The swoopy rear fenders are growing on me. I also saw a pristine first gen M, the old school Cedric/Gloria model, and boy did it look good.
E coupe as well. I like it better than the sedan (as it should be).
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
http://www.earthtechling.com/2011/09/nissan-leaf-chevy-volt-sales-plod-along/
Just for kicks Lexus has sold 7408 CT hybrids so far this year (by end August). They should easily meet their 10k target even with a delayed launch in March and the tsunami supply disruption.
Edit: come to think of it, I saw a CT yesterday, in that electric yellow color. Looks like a silver someone coated with a couple of layers of candied yellow paint.
CT will be a real success, virtually Prius money for something less dorky looking, with the Lexus badge and dealer experience. IMO the most appealing product they have that is relatively affordable.
Saw one up close, the CT is a lot lower than the Prius. Roof height must be a foot less.
I've seen several CT in my area, not beside a Prius though. I visited the dealer last week, they had a few, all base models, 31K sticker, same as a decently equipped Prius, but without the stigma.
As soon as the CT came out, though, it's newer and cheaper, looks better, and is a lot more fuel efficient (which is all that matters to a hybrid buyer). They'll be lucky to sell 3k of the HS this year.
CT will easily exceed it's 10k goal, maybe by 10-20%.
It's also beating the BMW 1 and creaming the Audi A3. Not just A3 TDI, all A3 models.
25 NX 450h+ / 24 Sienna Plat AWD / 23 Civic Type-R / 21 Boxster GTS 4.0
CT is in a lucky place - good price, some features, image with both status and green - the Prius crowd will love it as an aspirational vehicle, and those sell a lot more than 1ers or A3s.
I saw a blue Leaf yesterday. IMO it seems pretty neutral in that color. Not attractive, not fugly like the Juke. If I were buying, I'd probably just get a Versa & pocket the difference.
IMO that's what any sensible car buyer would do. Why spend $15K or more for a car that is basically useless for any road trip over 100 miles, and can leave you stranded, since it's harder finding a charging station than a gas station in at least 49 of 50 states? Not to mention the 8-hour charging time compared to the 8-minute filling time at a gas station.
And no, you won't see an overall cost savings after 10 years of ownership, unless you're trading in an H2.
The scheduled roll out for both was fall 2011. Here in New England, dealers just received their 1 Volt for demo/sale and Leafs aren't around yet.
The Volt plant was shutdown in July for MY changeover so that cut supply.
And no, you won't see an overall cost savings after 10 years of ownership, unless you're trading in an H2.
Keep in mind that not everybody buys a car for the same reason. In many cases, the cost savings isn't the factor - it's the "doing something" factor that drives the purchase.
In reality, anything with a 40 mile range would work for me as a commuter - I drive about 35 miles per day to and from work. Either would work although I prefer the Volt's technology in case I needed to do divert from my route or forget to charge it. Further, it would cost me about $1 a day to charge either vs. the $5 or so I spend now for gas.
Still, the premium for the Leaf & Volt are pretty high.
A little price relief is on the way, though. Mitsubishi's i (a.k.a. i-MiEV) is coming out shortly. It offers slightly less range than the Leaf but costs thousands less. $21,625 after fed rebate base price v. the Leaf's $27,700. It's even RWD. I've seen the i a couple of times and hope to ride in it a little over a week from now at Factory MOD. Not that I'm in the market for an EV but I am curious to drive in something silent.
I saw a blue Leaf on the road the other day (Chicago suburbs).