Edmunds.com | Inside Line | Auto Observer Your Account | Help | Directory
You are here:
![[F]](http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com/media/townhall/webxicons/site.gif){kind=small}
Forums
Automotive News & Views Automotive News & Views-Archives Karl's Daily Log Book 
2391 messages, Last post on Nov 30, 2005 at 6:50 AM
You are in the Automotive News & Views-Archives Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & claires
Karl Brauer is the Editor in Chief of Edmunds.com, which means he finds himself in a different vehicle almost every day of the week. If you want a daily road test review regarding the latest cars and trucks to hit the market, along with commentary on everything from auto industry happenings to L.A. drivers to his latest close encounter with Johnny Law, this is the place to be.
|
Is there any more car related discussion on this board? California real estate prices are fascinating but this doesnt seem like the place to discuss such issues. One thing I do know about CA is that it is dominated by imports and I wonder if that gives CA based journalists a warped view of the automotive world. I read that 20% of Toyota's sales come in the state of CA which means that Toyota really isnt nearly as dominate in many of the other states. When I read info written by people from CA I get the impression that they think non-imports arent sold to anyone other than rental fleets. They also seem to think that no one outside of UAW territory drives domestic vehicles. I live in a pretty balanced area where Toyotas and Chevys are very common. All the normal import success stories (accord, altima, camry, etc.) are big here of course. But not everything import is popular here, I rarely see Titans, Tundras, Sequioas, Ridgelines, etc. In other words, import trucks are not nearly as successful as import cars in my area. I rarely see pickups of any kind unless it's a construction site, and when I do see pickups they are from the Big 3. BMWs, Cadillacs and MBs are very common, but Audi's are not that common by comparison. The RX330 and ES330 are big sellers, but the GS is rarely seen around here. Same goes for GX470 or LX470. Anyway, I would like to see the Acura TL compared to the Passat V6 and Maxima. Three wonderful FWD V6 sedans that would appeal to the same prospective buyers. I think that is a very even match up and Edmunds should be the first to see how they compare. You really cant go wrong with any of those class leading luxury sedans.
|
|
|
Replying to: phillyone (Oct 24, 2005 6:03 pm) Audi is very common here--as are the LX/GX 470, etc... |
|
|
Replying to: redmaxx (Oct 21, 2005 1:19 pm) If they just let the auto climate control system maintain the current set temp (instead of going to one extreme) then this wouldn't be a problem. But this isn't your fault. Over-using? No, I just want to keep the car cool some times when I go into a store. Why are you even using the remote start feature? Just leave the car running!!
|
|
|
Replying to: phillyone (Oct 21, 2005 2:08 pm) |
|
|
Replying to: dieselone (Oct 21, 2005 3:45 pm) And don't forget who designed the system: Delphi.
|
|
|
|
|
Replying to: kevm14 (Oct 25, 2005 5:46 am) I'm not sure if you're saying that's good or bad? Delco/Delphi has engineered many things through the recent years. I would consider that a plus.
|
|
|
Replying to: imidazol97 (Oct 25, 2005 6:13 am) |
|
|
Replying to: imidazol97 (Oct 25, 2005 6:13 am) |
|
|
|
|
I spent yesterday driving three of the most capable performance cars built in the good ol' U.S. of A. My seat time came at Willow Springs Raceway, one of the fastest race tracks on the West Coast. I love the fact that each of these cars has over 500 horsepower and a top speed above 190 mph. And while few of them will be used as daily drivers by most buyers, all of them could easily serve that level of functionality. What a blast!! I think the Dodge Viper is really facing an uphill battle at this point. It essentially has no advantage over the Corvette (except maybe styling) and it has several disadvantages. It costs more. It's harder to get into and out of. It doesn't offer any convenience features like cruise control, stability control or automatic climate control, not to mention the Z06's optional DVD navigation, satellite radio and Heads-Up display. Both cars have an interior that can cook you, but the Corvette needs to be driven hard before the central tunnel area heats up. The Viper gets hot pretty not matter what. I was driving it at highway speeds in a relaxed nature -- during a cloudy day with a slight drizzle, and it STILL got hot inside. Both cars are easier to drive than you might think for 500-plus horsepower beasts. The Viper Coupe is particularly easy to manage, at least compared to earlier versions. Then there's the Ford GT. You could buy both of the other cars for the price of the GT, and yet I still consider Ford's supercar a bargain. Unlike the Dodge or Chevy, Ford's car talks to you with communicative steering and a nimble, willing nature. Obviously the mid-engine design adds a level of exoticism the other two don't offer, but the interior quality and overall execution is also twice as good as the others. The Ford also pulled the quickest lap times at the track, though all three cars were within a second of each other. We'll be doing instrumented testing for 0-60, 1/4-mile and braking on Friday. Stay tuned for those figures! |
|
|
Replying to: editor_karl (Oct 26, 2005 3:28 pm) Who was driving? You? If it was you, I'd argue that you're more familiar with the handling dynamics of the GT.
|
|
You are here:
Forums
Automotive News & Views Automotive News & Views-Archives Karl's Daily Log Book
New? Join Now!
Forum Tools
Search Forums
Browse by Vehicle
Browse by Board
Browse by Topic
Today's Chats
