Just to clarify, in another thread I said that my new Forester didn't yet quite feel like "my" car, but that was only intended in the context that after 16+ years and a third of a million miles driving a Vibe, any thing else is different, and takes some time to get used to. The forester is smoother and quieter ride than the Vibe was, but that was something I sought. I suppose a quieter smoother ride might make someone feel disconnected in the thing, but I haven't found that to be the case. But I have never been a small car driver. More of a fit limitation, a lot of the auto market doesn't have enough head room, or has the top of the windshield too close to eye level.
It sounds like the Crosstrek would be fine for me. I live in Houston, and rarely need to drive in hills. Gulf Coast is mostly flat.zbyers wrote: ↑Mon Nov 18, 2019 6:42 am I, too, would be okay with a Crosstrek at a discounted price should they opt to upgrade the powerplant. I do agree that the 2.0L is underwhelming for this vehicle. It should have been equipped with a turbo, or a large engine from the get-go. I have really been eyeballing the Crosstrek or some other Toyota.
I really miss my 1998 Kia Sportage (manual transmission). It was a true SUV. Almost none of the vehicles produced later, the so-called 'crossover vehicles', (of which the Vibe was one of the first, even though it's really a station wagon) are 'sport', or 'utility' - unless utility includes driving a small soccer team to their game. The Ford Excessive being one of the most notorious ones. That's like calling a Surburban an SUV. That includes the later Sportage. It was a bit tall, but it didn't feel bulky.ColonelPanic wrote: ↑Tue Nov 19, 2019 5:14 pm The new Escape seems pretty nice. Seems a little more hatchback-ish now, I suppose the demise of the Focus in the US may have had a part in that. I know a lot of the Escape fans seem turned off by this, but as someone who loathes SUV's I think it's somewhat of a step in the right direction.
The Mrs. really likes her last gen Escape, which for all intents and purposes replaced the Vibe. It's been a perfectly reliable, well built vehicle. I don't care much for driving it, but that's my problem. It actually drives pretty good for what it is - I just find SUV's/crossovers/whatever one wants to call these things awkward to drive. Being in subcompacts since 2006, I'm not comfortable sitting up so high and despite being a "compact," this thing still feels like a land yacht. And don't get me started on having to drag out the step stool every time I wash the thing.
Hopefully this new gen is easier to work on, most tasks that would be mundane on other cars have been an exercise in frustration with the last gen. At least this new Escape doesn't have the battery buried underneath the cowl.
There's a lot that I think they've improved with this generation. Looking forward to checking them out a little closer, especially the hybrid version.
The next purchase will be replacing my Sonic, so I'll be checking out the auto shows early next year for my next cheapo commuter appliance.
Out of curiosity, dId they have an explanation for the absence? Mazda's not at the Indianapolis or Louisville shows either.
Yep. it's all your fault
CMS has the Auto Fair the first weekend in April every year (and one in the fall too). It is along the lines of Carlisle but not quite as big. The event is at the track and takes up the whole infield and most of the parking areas around the track. It has been postponed until June 12th and I am starting to doubt that it will happen then. I am super bummed that it may not happen. Also, Cars & Coffee has been cancelled for the fore see able future too.Caretaker wrote: ↑Sat Apr 25, 2020 10:19 am I wish this thread was retitled Auto Showroom Hunters as all the auto shows are cancelled for the long term. Missing my ability to go to the local library and read all the auto magazines, I've reconnected with my favorite auto journalist John McElroy of (formerly PBS') Autoline Detroit. Now Autoline.tv, John has the best pod casts and most informative news about the worldwide industry. I find his topics to be for the common buyer rather than today's auto magazines which only feature speed cars from abroad. Even Motorweek has become nothing more than motorcycles and track cars. Having missed John's TV broadcasts for the past 5 years or so, I've been binge watching lots of his daily podcasts, quickly skimming through to the time-titled-topics of interest to me. Are any of you familiar with his work or fan of his shows?
http://www.autoline.tv/daily/
1. Not sure I would ever buy a new car based only on what I could see online. My last search for a new car involved sitting in and test driving a variety of vehicles. Some things are too hard to evaluate online, such as how easy it is to get in and out, how comfortable are the seats, what's visibility like, are the ergonomics of the controls reasonable, how rough or loud is the ride, etc. My last time, I was able to rule out a number of prospects just by sitting in the thing. On line is great for finding a car to check out, looking at specs, searching inventory for cars with the desired options, color, etc.
Saw a commercial today for a car buying service called Vroom. The commercial is currently on line at
Rats. A modern Elantra Touring equivalent would be nice. I do like the current gen Elantra GT quite a bit more than the last - personally I'd take one of those before one of their cute-ute options. The Mrs. likes the Kona, if we had to replace the Ford I'd probably try to talk her into one of those.Caretaker wrote: ↑Sun Jun 14, 2020 2:30 pm Dang-it. Rumors are that Hyundai won't bring the wagon version of the i30 to the US. I'm going to head over there in the next week to see if they can give me any updates on either this or the new Tucson.
https://www.motor1.com/news/400683/2021 ... -revealed/
Nick is KITT222 on here. I will send to him on the Book of Faces.
Hey, look at that! I watch Autoline Daily, and figured I'd send in my scavenger hunt finds. Little Vibe is my team mascot for the hunt. What a nice, unexpected surprise!Caretaker wrote: ↑Mon Aug 17, 2020 12:33 pm If you don't watch these daily podcasts from Autoline Daily, you at least need to begin watching today's (8/17/2020) podcast starting at the 6:44 mark. Do we have a Nick Hernandez on our boards?
http://www.autoline.tv/daily/
Hopefully they will have fixed the spontaneous combustion issue by thenCaretaker wrote: ↑Wed Sep 16, 2020 7:55 am Salivating....................in case you missed the premier on Monday night..........
https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/news/20 ... uxbndlbing