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Old Nov 17, 2009, 4:31 pm
  #31  
 
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I could see them trying the C30 as some kind of premium - it has the hot hatch appeal. But the S40 as a luxury? The problem with that is that for international travelers the S40 is a bit of an average car. After all, it is really based on the Focus. The new Taurus is really a s60, so I think it is going to be interesting to see how they would differentiate the two.

Now that the G6 is gone, as is the Aura, are they going to concentrate on the Malibu as the main stock mid size?

Oh, just to fit in with the group, Volvo XC70 here. Previous was a Saab 9-5. But don't know what to do next - I think the new Volvos and Saabs have really lost their way.
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Old Nov 17, 2009, 5:10 pm
  #32  
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Originally Posted by drzoidberg
I'm a big fan of the Volvos too- best seats in the business, although the engine hp/fuel economy is generally pretty poor. As I recall, the V70 only has a base 235 hp engine, pulling all that wagon mass, resulted in pretty poor acceleration.

Any chance National will be getting some of their mid-sized XC60s?
My wife bought a 2009 V70 in August. We've driven it from the Bay Area to Las Vegas, four adults and luggage. Compared to my Civic Hybrid, that thing is a race car. And the seats are wonderful.
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Old Nov 25, 2009, 2:54 pm
  #33  
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So how about that new 2011 Kia Cadenza? It may possible replace the Kia Amanti, and it looks lightyears better.

Although, considering the current Amanti looks like an amalgam of the Lincoln Town Car, Chrysler 300, and Mercedes, it's not too hard to beat.

http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2009/11...o-gallery.html
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Old Feb 1, 2010, 7:36 pm
  #34  
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Dragging this thread off topic - but didn't want to start a new thread since its not even directly National. My personal car is in the shop and I'm driving a loaner that the dealer has (Jaguar / Land Rover) but managed by Enterprise which is a Jaguar XF - the key fob says PXAR (Premium Specialty) - I wonder if ERAC is using the same classification as National - I would think that it would be LXAR. Note this is the first time where I think a car is classified too low
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Old Feb 1, 2010, 7:42 pm
  #35  
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I was looking for this thread the other day!

The new 2011 Hyundai Sonata and 2011 Volvo S60 look pretty nice; won't mind seeing them on the ES lot.
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Old Feb 1, 2010, 8:14 pm
  #36  
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Originally Posted by drzoidberg
I was looking for this thread the other day!
Search actually worked - lol I put in "Car Talk" as the search term.
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Old Feb 1, 2010, 8:17 pm
  #37  
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Originally Posted by peteropny
Search actually worked - lol I put in "Car Talk" as the search term.
Yeah, I forgot the name of my own thread.
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Old Feb 1, 2010, 9:12 pm
  #38  
 
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Ah yes, the good ol' Car Talk Thread. I've got some car to talk, like how I discovered today that the '90 Pontiac Grand Am I just bought last week apparantly has a blown head gasket. So I'm doing the prepaid gas thing on it seeing as I filled the tank, when it's empty I'll get rid of it.
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Old Feb 22, 2010, 1:21 pm
  #39  
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Saw a 2011 Hyundai Sonata this weekend; it had just cloth seats, but I have to say that it's the first Hyundai that I would actually be interested in driving. Hope the ES gets them soon.

The interior looked pretty upscale for a mid-size sedan, and the exterior was pleasantly sleek.
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Old Feb 24, 2010, 9:22 pm
  #40  
 
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Originally Posted by drzoidberg
I'm a big fan of the Volvos too- best seats in the business, although the engine hp/fuel economy is generally pretty poor. As I recall, the V70 only has a base 235 hp engine, pulling all that wagon mass, resulted in pretty poor acceleration.
I have an '07 V70 (last year of the previous generation). I've gotten a new V70 from the dealer when I bring mine in for maintenance, and I'm glad I got the one I did. The old turbo 5 cylinder has fewer HP, but the torque curve seems better. Mine is definitely quicker than the new ones, and still gets better gas mileage than that loaner did. If I could have the new model with the new interior, but the 2.5 turbo engine - I'd buy a new one.


Remember, don't drive like my brother!
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Old Mar 10, 2010, 12:36 pm
  #41  
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New interior spy pic for the 2011? Dodge Charger.

http://www.autoblog.com/gallery/next...r-spy-shots/#4

There's still a sea of black plastic, but at least it's a step up from the vomit inducing current version. Still looks pretty bad compared to the next-gen Ford Fiesta/Focus interiors.

Last edited by drzoidberg; Mar 10, 2010 at 1:03 pm
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Old Mar 10, 2010, 5:33 pm
  #42  
 
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Originally Posted by drzoidberg
There's still a sea of black plastic, but at least it's a step up from the vomit inducing current version. Still looks pretty bad compared to the next-gen Ford Fiesta/Focus interiors.
Ford in general has the nicest interiors these days imho. The worst are Chrysler. Ford's feel like a cockpit when you sit in them, like you're in command of a vessel. Nothing is placed correctly in Chryslers, everything's rough plastic, and I hate hate HATE the narrow windows which induce claustrophobia.
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Old Mar 10, 2010, 6:38 pm
  #43  
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BTW, why are Toyota Camrys so popular? I rented one recently, and the interior was cheap and plasticky (reminded me a lot of Chryslers) and there was a lot of road noise from the tires. And the base engine was so weak I had to literally press down with both feet to get any acceleration on the highway.
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Old Mar 10, 2010, 6:57 pm
  #44  
 
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Originally Posted by drzoidberg
And the base engine was so weak I had to literally press down with both feet to get any acceleration on the highway.
Funny, there are a lot of people having the opposite problem right now
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Old Mar 11, 2010, 7:41 am
  #45  
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Originally Posted by elCheapoDeluxe
Funny, there are a lot of people having the opposite problem right now
Haha, good one.
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