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Midsize Sedans 2.0

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Comments

  • fushigifushigi Member Posts: 1,459
    Backy, I thought about saying in my earlier post that the interior looks like it was partly designed by Pontiac. And that isn't a compliment. I held back as it might look a lot better in either a two-tone presentation or in another color altogether.
    2017 Infiniti QX60 (me), 2012 Hyundai Elantra (wife)
  • tlongtlong Member Posts: 5,194
    I think the front end looks hideous.
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    I thought about saying in my earlier post that the interior looks like it was partly designed by Pontiac.

    Yes, that's it exactly! Except no round air vents.
  • ergsumergsum Member Posts: 146
    edited June 2010
    Pontiac dash meets Saab interior:

    Saab 95
  • m6userm6user Member Posts: 3,181
    Or in better pictures or live.
  • m6userm6user Member Posts: 3,181
    I think it looks good. It's a matter of preference.
  • csandstecsandste Member Posts: 1,866
    edited June 2010
    Kirstie/Karen-- Since the new Optima is HOT and the Aura is no more, is there any chance of doing a switch on your key word listings?
  • kingsalmonkingsalmon Member Posts: 97
    Nope! It's the Kia Cadenza from what I can see!

    http://www.insideline.com/kia/cadenza/2010/released-2010-kia-cadenza.html

    It's also known as the K7 where as the Optima is known as K5
  • syitalian25syitalian25 Member Posts: 303
    You took the words right out of my mouth.. the pictures shown are from Korea and much better looking IMO than the more subdued US version of the car. You can check out pictures of the US version here http://www.netcarshow.com/kia/2011-optima/
  • Kirstie_HKirstie_H Administrator Posts: 11,146
    That seems reasonable - done!

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  • bobadbobad Member Posts: 1,587
    They need to do something with the air vents. They are clustered too close together, and appear too prominent. Fix that, and everything else looks OK.
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    Must be because it's such an unprecedented car.

    :)
  • wolverinejoe80wolverinejoe80 Member Posts: 337
    Wow! looks awesome!! I love it. I love both Sonata and Optima. two very different approach, but two very handsome cars!
  • dash5dash5 Member Posts: 421
    Yeah I really like both choices. I'm glad I waited to buy a car, I was thinking about it a year ago before the Sonata or Optima were even being talked about much.

    The Sonata is a great option, and soon the Optima will be available as well. Then you have the Buick Regal coming and possibly even the Infiniti G25. A year ago it was either a Nissan Altima or move up in class to the A4s and G37s of the world for me.

    Here's a few real world shots of the Optima:

    Optima rear

    Optima front

    Kia Sunroof open
  • wolverinejoe80wolverinejoe80 Member Posts: 337
    edited June 2010
    I'm seriously contemplating optima over Sonata. when does it come out? end of this year?
  • dash5dash5 Member Posts: 421
    I think they are saying Fall, so maybe September or so.
  • dash5dash5 Member Posts: 421
    edited June 2010
    Here's 2 videos of the K5 in black:

    Black K5

    Back in Black

    and still images:

    K5 black pics

    Very nice.
  • bobadbobad Member Posts: 1,587
    The wheels in the movie look much better!
  • syitalian25syitalian25 Member Posts: 303
    That's because the wheels in the movie are not the ugly, pizza shaped triangles that are being sold in North America.. unfortunately. If I was going to get an Optima the first thing I'd do is ask the Hyundai dealer how much a set of Sonata SE 18'' rims would run and sell the originals on Craigslist or something.
  • mz6greyghostmz6greyghost Member Posts: 1,230
    After 6 great years and 92K miles, it was time to move on from my '04 Mazda6. So after months of test-drives, the finalists were the '10 Mazda6S GT and the Fusion Sport.

    Mazda 6
    - The 272-HP V6 is simply a gem. Smooth, quiet idle, but throaty and aggressive when pushed. Power is both abundant and intoxicating, and the 6-speed works well with it.
    - Interior that's IMO one of the best-in-class in terms of layout, fit-and-finish, and quality of materials (and miles ahead of my '04).
    - Available features (HIDs, LED tails, memory seats, Bluetooth, Homelink, etc.)
    - Still handles and drives like it's on rails.
    - Size has grown, but it's roomier in the back seat, and the trunk is huge!

    Ford Fusion Sport
    - The 3.5L is also very smooth and has plenty of power.
    - SYNC. 'Nuff said.
    - Impressive interior, with nice materials and good fit-and-finish. The center stack is a little busy, but controls can be easily memorized after a few drives.
    - Back-up camera is cool.
    - Ride and handling is also one of the best-in-class (but IMO one notch below the 6).
    - Exterior styling is nicely aggressive and sporty, similar to my 1st-gen 6.

    After going back and forth for a week straight, I choose the 6. I still contend that the Fusion Sport is an excellent choice in this segment for a "sporty" midsize sedan, and the features, powertrain, and overall quality are top-notch. But in the end, the 6 still felt more tied down when cornering, the interior is immaculate, and after 6 trouble-free years and 92K with my last Mazda (only needing a new fuel filler cap), I'll gladly take another one without hesitation.

    So I picked one up last Thursday. It's a 6S GT, Brilliant Silver Metallic with black leather, with Tech package (HIDs, keyless start, auto-dimming and heated mirrors, driver's seat memory, etc.). Have already put over 300 miles on it, and I've been loving every minute of it!
  • aviboy97aviboy97 Member Posts: 3,159
    Available features (HIDs, LED tails, memory seats, Bluetooth, Homelink, etc.)

    Have you noticed how easy the Bluetooth system works? You can also download your phone book to the car rather easily too. The technology in the Mazda6 is very user friendly.
  • temj12temj12 Member Posts: 450
    You will be interested to know that the Mazda 6 is made in the same plant with the Mustang. They come down the same line. The factory is Alliance Motors and is located 19 miles south of Detroit. I live close to the factory and it is funny to see them and the mustang in the same lot after coming off the assembly line.
  • akirbyakirby Member Posts: 8,062
    Ford's Sync is just as easy with even more features (like reading text messages).
  • aviboy97aviboy97 Member Posts: 3,159
    Auto Alliance International is the actual plant name. I've been there and taken a tour of the facility.

    Even though the vehicles are essentially assembled on the same line, there are many different manufacturing procedures along the way.

    The Mazda guy's often bump heads with the UAW guys. It's rather comical.
  • mickeyrommickeyrom Member Posts: 936
    Please don't take offense,but what is this obsession many have with cornering? Do you like to make fast turns like on two wheels?
    I bet you never looked at the KIA Optima or the Hyundai Sonata.I own a 2006.5 Optima and I think it handles great,but I guess it's a matter of preference.
    PS...enjoy your new car,it's always fun when it still has that new car smell.
  • aviboy97aviboy97 Member Posts: 3,159
    Please don't take offense,but what is this obsession many have with cornering?

    I believe he lives in upstate NY, and I believe he has similar roads that I do here in Connecticut. Most roads have many twists and turns and if you have never driven a Mazda6 (or many other cars with superb handling) you would not understand the benefit of having a very responsive vehicle. It's not about the speed in which you take turns, but rather how the car responds when you enter a turn, completely grounded and steering with ultimate confidence.
  • aviboy97aviboy97 Member Posts: 3,159
    I wasn't comparing the two. I'm aware of what Sync is capable of.

    I have used various Bluetooth systems on a couple cars, and some are more difficult then others and the Mazda system is rather easy.
  • mz6greyghostmz6greyghost Member Posts: 1,230
    Have you noticed how easy the Bluetooth system works? You can also download your phone book to the car rather easily too. The technology in the Mazda6 is very user friendly.

    Any special tricks to transfer the phone book? I briefly tried it when I first activated the Bluetooth to my phone, but couldn't get it to work. I think I'll crack the Owners Manual again to see if I missed anything...
  • dash5dash5 Member Posts: 421
    Congrats! Sounds like you found a winner, something you'll be happy with. That's the main thing imo.

    I am curious, you mentioned months of test driving. Did you stay within the segment or go outside it at all?

    Good luck with your new car.
  • mz6greyghostmz6greyghost Member Posts: 1,230
    Please don't take offense,but what is this obsession many have with cornering? Do you like to make fast turns like on two wheels?

    No offense at all.

    Aviboy is right in the fact that I live in Upstate NY (Syracuse), and I travel through the Finger Lakes region to Buffalo frequently, so there are a ton of excellent two-lane driving roads.

    It's not so much that I like to take these corners on two wheels, it's the tightness and accuracy of the controls, the feedback through the steering and tires, and the composure of the car as a whole when clipping an apex or entering/exiting a curve. It's these 3 factors that, to me, make a difference. Differences that I can feel at 15 or 50 MPH.

    Having said that, I've driven just about everything in this class in one form or another, and to me, the 6 had a slight edge over all others. The Fusion Sport, Legacy 2.5GT, and Altima 3.5SR also felt VERY secure through the corners, each with good feel and excellent composure. The Sonata and Accord felt slightly dull, but IMO still carried themselves well. The Camry and Malibu? Not so much...

    Between the 6 and Sport, the 6 is on an updated chassis over the Ford. As such, it felt slightly more refined and better sorted.

    And yes, I've heard more than once that I should get a 2-door sports car if I'm concerned about handling. I've owned a couple back in college, but my NEEDS outweigh my WANTS these days with a family, a job, and other commitments, and a 4-door midsize sedan is a must for me. Just because I can't afford a separate "weekend toy" doesn't mean I have to suffer on my commute Monday through Friday. It's called "Having your Cake and Eating it Too!" :)
  • aviboy97aviboy97 Member Posts: 3,159
    You need to have the phone paired to the car first. Once you have done that, press the "phone" button on the audio interface. Then, you will see the Bluetooth menu pop up on the LCD screen. Then, you should see on the right of the screen "import phone book". Press the button adjacent to it and it should start up loading your phone book. I can't remember if there is anything you need to do on your phone or not.

    You do not have nav, right?
  • mz6greyghostmz6greyghost Member Posts: 1,230
    Congrats! Sounds like you found a winner, something you'll be happy with. That's the main thing imo.

    Thank you.

    I am curious, you mentioned months of test driving. Did you stay within the segment or go outside it at all?

    I pretty much stayed within the midsize segment, it just took months because my weekends get filled up quickly, and weekdays are out.
  • aviboy97aviboy97 Member Posts: 3,159
    BTW, can you share with us the price you paid? Did you take advantage of the 0% financing?
  • mz6greyghostmz6greyghost Member Posts: 1,230
    Correct. No nav.

    I'll try it again when I get out of work this evening, and I'll hunt you down in the Mazda 6 forums if I have any more problems... ;)
  • mz6greyghostmz6greyghost Member Posts: 1,230
    I can. MSRP was $31,370 (6S GT w/Tech pkg.). I paid $28,800 + sales tax. This didn't include the $500 Loyalty Bonus. And yes, 0% financing.

    I felt it was a fair price, since the dealer ended up bringing the car from across the state (on a flat-bed at no charge), and they really went to bat to get EXACTLY what I wanted.
  • aviboy97aviboy97 Member Posts: 3,159
    Good deal. Glad to hear that you were taken care of.

    Let me know if you have any questions about features or content. I'm always available to help. :shades:
  • sanishsanish Member Posts: 66
    The 2011 Nissan Altima Sedan is scheduled to go on sale in September 2010.

    Revisions for 2011 include:
    New Special Edition Package with auto on/off headlights, leather-wrapped steering wheel, aluminum-alloy wheels, fog lights and rear spoiler (2.5 S CVT)
    New Alloy Package with 17-inch aluminum-alloy wheels (2.5 S CVT)
    Three new exterior colors: Metallic Slate, Saharan Stone and Brilliant Silver
  • smarty666smarty666 Member Posts: 1,503
    wow nothing new at all, except with changing already complicated option packages to different ones and changing the names of the same exterior colors they have now to something different to make it sound like they really changed something :sick:
  • midas69midas69 Member Posts: 118
    Why do these manufactures insist on these silly names for color? I owned an Acura TL and the color was Anthracite. What? The salesman got snooty when I called it dark gray. So I asked him, you're driving this car. You're going to pick up your mother at the airport. She's never seen the car. When she asks what color your car is so she can find you, are you going to tell her it's Anthracite? Yea, I didn't think so.
  • tlongtlong Member Posts: 5,194
    Why do these manufactures insist on these silly names for color? I owned an Acura TL and the color was Anthracite. What? The salesman got snooty when I called it dark gray. So I asked him, you're driving this car. You're going to pick up your mother at the airport. She's never seen the car. When she asks what color your car is so she can find you, are you going to tell her it's Anthracite? Yea, I didn't think so.

    Can't you see it on your driver's license:

    Eye color - Imperial Blue (from the BMW 5!)
    Hair color - Tuscan Bronze ChromaFlair (from the CTS!)
  • stephen987stephen987 Member Posts: 1,994
    In my case:

    eyes - Sky Blue (Subaru Outback)
    hair - Hazelnut Metallic (Porsche)
  • mz6greyghostmz6greyghost Member Posts: 1,230
    It's all a ploy to entice buyers into their showrooms. "New Colors Available!"

    Or "Now at a Lower Price!" means the model was stripped of some features from the previous model year and still called the same nomenclature.
  • thegraduatethegraduate Member Posts: 9,731
    edited June 2010
    image

    Ethnicity: Taffeta White :)
  • smarty666smarty666 Member Posts: 1,503
    I really feel quite sad for the poor saps that fall for these sales ploys!
  • smarty666smarty666 Member Posts: 1,503
    lol!!! yeah my TL is carbon bronze pearl! basically a mix of brown and gray so I basically say either pewter or bronze when people ask me what color it is, :D !

    Where they get these names I have no idea?

    What really is bad, Nissan particularly seems to like to change 3-4 color names EACH model year and it makes it more difficult for the guy who is interested in a Altima and goes in and they changed the color and they don't know it and either the salesman doesn't know then what color you want when you mention a name that doesn't exist anymore or you have to go out to the car you want again and get the name off the window!
  • plektoplekto Member Posts: 3,738
    The names are quite silly. I had a car that was anthracite, though, and it's a specific shade that aside from maybe Porsche's custom offerings, they lie and call it "anthracite". It's not gray any more than gold is a shade of yellow. It's really a lighter metallic black with a bit of gray and purple in it.

    That's what bugs me the most, really. For instance, they'll call a car emerald green, but it's not even close to the actual color. This is most frustrating with lighter colors like white. Everyone has a pearlescent white or similar in their color options. For almost every car, it seems. And 90% of them aren't even close. Pearlescent paint is a different type of paint just like metallic is vs flat paint. I really wish that they'd stop trying to get fancy with the paint names and marketing these cars as if they were special.

    Oh - my favorite color currently is the pearlescent dark red(red jewel IIRC) that GM has. They offer three different red colors, though - but only one has that effect. Why they would offer three nearly identical red colors I just don't know. Yes, it does cost extra, as it should, since it's a 3-stage paint process.(as it should be)
  • Kirstie_HKirstie_H Administrator Posts: 11,146
    It's gotta be really fun for the people who design our used car TMV tool. Seems like they gave up (as I would have) and just listed colors like blue, red, silver, white... even though there might be a significant difference in the value of a true pearl white and regular ol' white. But of course when manufacturers change easy-to-understand names like off-white to "cream dream" just to be different (like all the other manufacturers), the list would be miles long if they were all listed.

    Fortunately, my car is easily-identifiable as plain-jane silver, but I'm afraid to guess what color our truck is alleged by Chevy to be.

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  • maxamillion85maxamillion85 Member Posts: 78
    http://hondanews.com/categories/1097/releases/5498

    -New Accord SE, which is essentially a LX-P with leather interior, lumbar support heated seats and leather wrapped steering wheel.
    -EX sedans get Bluetooth (it was previously only available on EX-L in 08 & 09 and EX-L in 2010)
    -Some slight changes to the gauge cluster (Crosstour-like) and audio/climate control functions.
    -EXLV6 models get memory seats
    -Gas mileage for I4/Auto models goes up to 23/34 up two and three mpg while the V6 model goes up to 19/30
    -Revised wheels for all models
    -Rear view camera on navi-equipped models
    -NO LEDS or Projectors though

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