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Sedans Luxury Lounge
21430 messages, Last post on Nov 29, 2009 at 6:29 PM
You are in the Sedans Forum. Your Hosts are pat & karens
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Replying to: jlbl (Nov 30, 2008 7:33 am) The weather is the same in good old New Jersey. All the CTR3's are in storage! I am in hibernation mode watching the NY Giants vs. Washington Redskins in U.S. football right now. Giants lead 7 -0. Counting the days before I turn in my 2006 330xi at the end of December...what a ride! Regards, OW |
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Replying to: lexusguy (Nov 30, 2008 10:02 am) In a different way, yes... and those LEDs are kinda cool, although a bit Vegas, but I like 'em anyway. Unfortunately, everyone will be using them in one form or another, soon enough... bet on it. But, I'm really not so sure Audi has climbed all that high on the visual intimidation ladder, with exception of the R8. Certainly Audi styling has improved and in some cases is outright gorgeous... but, for the most part, I still see performance Audis as wolves in sheep's clothing. And there's something to be said for that, as other non-suspecting challenging drivers end up getting their pants blown away and wonder WTF just happened.  TM
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Replying to: lexusguy (Nov 30, 2008 9:22 am) It was a great trip. It really was. I got back home last night, and today I am enjoying this perfect 70-degree day... it's always nice to come home. Now, I have to conquer my financial woes and keep our home. Failure is not an option. TM
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Replying to: lexusguy (Nov 30, 2008 9:57 am) I doubt an S4 is in the cards for our Canadian friend. I'm betting on the Toyota Prius, or Lexus variant. It's totally understandable. BTW, gasoline prices have plummeted here... under $2 a gallon in the California Bay Area is unheard of. "Those foreign oil suppliers that wish us harm" want to hook us all over again, and watch us commit suicide. I'm not taking the hook this time. Back to the Prius... Toyota has announced that the Prius name will NOT become its own marque anytime soon, as recently contemplated. It will remain a Toyota, at least for now. TM
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Replying to: jlbl (Nov 30, 2008 7:33 am) You paint a good picture with your words....I too will be back in cold cloudy weather all too soon, but your forefathers discovered a fine new world down here, and I appreciate them  Although today is rainy, usually it goes for weeks at a time with nothing but sun, and I then miss an occasional rainy day....I guess it is just in the `genes`.....Tony
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Replying to: tagman (Nov 30, 2008 10:54 am) Yeah, I understand. Still, the S4's performance to efficiency ratio is nearly unbeatable. They are promising combined mid 20s, matching or exceeding the numbers of the GS450h. And unlike the Prius, SPG (smiles per gallon) should be off the charts
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Replying to: tagman (Nov 30, 2008 10:44 am) Reminds me of the Top Gear episode where they put the old RS4 against the C63 and M3. James' RS4 registered I believe a "two" on a certain scale they used to judge the ostentatiousness of the car and the driver, while Jeremy's C63 registered off the charts and broke the machine. I prefer to be in the former category.
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Replying to: lexusguy (Nov 30, 2008 6:11 pm) M3 Apple Apex Winner Regards, OW |
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Amazing CTR pics Jose, darn out of reach indeed 
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The Genesis puts me in a dillematic position. On one hand I admit it's a good entry coming from a rising Korean star. On the other, the fact that Hyundai hasn't caught up with the luxury game yet. Now Hyundai settles down and put the Genesis in the "near luxury class" where it more properly belongs. Given that fact I wonder why some people, especially the zealots, still position Genesis in the true luxo market and compare it with Lexus GS and Infiniti M. I don't get it. Let's see what cards the Gen has. Stylewise the Gen (imo) is little more than a me too, bland but at least nice. Kill the klingon grille and the car will look like entry level Lexus. I see Hyundai's decision offering a v8 as mere novelty, just to show the public that their Genesis is not another family car. Moving inside, I like the interior design, especially the nicely balanced two-tone color scheme and dash. My gripe is the material quality. The brown leather looks very classy but feels on the cheap side. The "wood" is a poor immitation and really shows, the same goes to "aluminum" plastics. This really spoils what could be a great interior. At least room is on the plus, really big and actually felt roomier than the 300 (not sure). I never took it off the lot, so I have no driving impression. The next problem, alas, the biggest one imo, is Hyundai's still-not-there-yet customer service. It doesnt matter if the car is sold alongside the lowly Accent or Sonata. What matters is the kind of service they'll get. Even mighty BMW is struggling with this image, thanks to notoriously poor service for a luxury brand. Hyundai currently has no image, no reputation in luxo-market, no world class product, no premium service. All these points will be covered in time (assuming Hyundai is serious) except the last. As Hyundai has nothing else it should focus on giving premium customer service to Genesis buyers. Like I posted earlier, Hyundai should do what Lexus did decades ago. With such red carpet treatment early glitches like low quality product can be overlooked, I dare bet, and it'll ease Hyundai's way to the luxury realm significantly. Please remember that Hyundai's current rising rep is based on regular-class standard, not luxury-class. It's a whole new game up there. The car itself, like I've previously mentioned months ago, will be a serious contender in the near luxo market. Competition is less fierce there, and established names are few, like Buick (LaCrosse), Pontiac (G8), Lincoln, Chrysler (300), Nissan (Maxima), and Toyota Avalon. There's competition too, from Acura TL, Infiniti G, and Lexus ES, but overall you can see that only a few have the upper hand. Acura's goin nuts with the new TL design, Avalon goes bye-bye next year, Buick and Pontiac struggle with poor image. Lincoln, does anyone even remember it? This is where Hyundai's rising reputation comes in handy. In the end you only see tough competition from Nissan-Infiniti, Lexus ES and Chrysler 300 (the last nearing it's doom along with Chrysler's shaky future). Should Hyundai be persistent and position Genesis to compete in true luxo class, just remember this: VW Phaeton. That's what'll happen to Hyundai if it's being too hasty. Big fish like Lexus GS, MB E, BMW 5 and even lowly (by this standard) Cadillac CTS will crush Genesis in no time. Choose the value path? You still have to fight Infiniti M. Hyundai's wisen up, choosing easier preys for now. Like I said, the time will come, but right now Hyundai is simply not ready yet. When they get enough experience with "premium" cars, and customer service and brand image rise high enough, the public will be ready. One more thing: Hyundai should have a new brand and division when it finally manage to enter the luxo class, which can focus solely on luxury class product and service. A luxo w/ Hyundai badge will do no good in US, thats why Toyota need the Lexus name. Never forget that if Hyundai wish to succeed it'll need to lure the majority: brand shoppers. I say forget the Hyundai or idiotic Equus name and call the new brand GENESIS xxx (insert model name). Lets try it: 1)Acura, Lexus, Hyundai, Infiniti, Cadillac... Hyundai.... that'll scare brand shoppers right away. 2)Acura, Lexus, Infiniti, Equus, Audi, Cadillac... doesn't sound right... 3)Acura, Lexus, Infiniti, Genesis, Cadillac, Audi..... that fits P.S: I'm not being a Vulcan, just expecting the humans.. err, I mean Hyundai to learn enough before stepping further.
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