Showing posts with label AUDI. Show all posts
Showing posts with label AUDI. Show all posts

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Week of January 7th

1/7/13

  • 2010 Ram 1500:  New interior is leaps and bounds better than the old truck. Otherwise it's a truck.
  • 2005 Volvo XC90 AWD: Drives ok. Comfortable, but from the inside it feels Bigger outside.
  • 2010 Lexus ES 350: If your first priority in buying a car is how nice the interior is, this is your car.

1/8/13

  • 2010 Volkswagen Tiguan 2.0T: Power is much better in two wheel drive with the 2.0 Turbo engine. It drives well, but it's just too high.
  • 2004 Honda Element: Great cargo box, not so great to put people in the back what with no roll down windows or anything. Honda makes better trucks than cars these days.
  • 2010 Jaguar XF: Forget the ES 350, you want a GREAT interior get the XF, Huge slabs of real wood, leather everywhere, and it's damn fun to drive to boot. Look at one of these before buying a German.
  • 2005 AUDI A4 Cabrio 1.8T: Lots of cowl shudder, Engine is ok, but this is still just a slightly nicer Passat. 
  • 2003 GMC Sonoma: It's little, It's a Pickup, um.....yea.

1/9/13

  • 2004 BMW 530i Sport 6spd: At over 100,000 miles this car still drives like a dream. This may be a perfect car. It's a shame the new 5er isn't as fun to drive as this.
  • 2011 Toyota Prius: This car is just flat out cool and compitent. No it's not sporty, or cushy, but man this is what Toyota used to be about. 
  • 2005 Volkswagen Jetta 2.5 5spd: Great power with the 2.5 Inline-5. Exhaust tone is strange but not raspy. Cruising on the freeway at 3000 rpm however the exhaust note gets tiresome.
  • 2009 Toyota RAV-4 Sport: Lots of power but for no good reason. 
  • 2011 Toyota Prius: As cool as the instrument display is, I still don't like it in the middle of the dash so far away.
  • 2008 Chevy Impala: It's an average car for an average american. At this point i's basically on par with the Camry. Not sure who that's damming to more.

1/10/13

  • 2007 Kia Sedona LX: It's an ok minivan, no frills or fancy entertainment systems, but it will move 7 people around with minimal bitching.
  • 2006 Mazda 3 2.3: Zoom-Zoom! Fun and dynamic with lots of power for cheap! Also Mazda understands you pull BACK to Upshift!
  • 2011 Ford F250 Powerstroke Slam-Eagle: Every once in a while you come across somebodies  custom labor of love. Be it the bitchin van with the wizard fighting a robot dragon painted on the side and a built in water bed, or a Mustang tuned to an inch of it's life for the 1/4 mile, or in this case, a low profile towing rig pickup that has no pretension of being used anywhere the tarmac ends. All trucks for towing should be low like this. Drives great, and you don't need a drop hitch. 

That's as tall as you ever need to tow stuff.

Oh yea and wicked custom paint work UNDER the clear-coat helps too. 
This guy alone adds 200 pounds of towing capacity!
  • 2005 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder: It's nice to be reminded of what cars used to feel like all low to the ground and sporty. Sure this one had no power steering, but I needed the upper body workout.

1/11/13

  • 2004 Toyota 4-Runner V8: Taller and less solid feeling than the old blocky 4-Runner. Very thirsty. Still love the big, mitten workable climate controls though!

Sunday, January 6, 2013

Week of December 31st

Well to my surprise there was actually work to do New Years Eve. So that's good.

12/31/12


  • 2010 Mazda CX-9 AWD: Great dynamic feel. AWD system is un-obtrusive and really solid. I'm really starting to take a like to this thing. I hate CUV's, but this is fun to drive. If I suddenly discovered I had 3-4 illegitimate children, this is the vehicle I'd buy.
  •  2010 Volkswagen Jetta TDi Cup Edition: More visual bark than performance bite. It's just a TDi version of the Jetta GLI with a big goofy front clip. It's still VW nice, but "Cup Edition" Just looks a bit silly.
Looks like the race car, If you squint.....

1/1/13

Office Chair Jousting, Yea, it's a thing!

1/2/13


  • 2002 Chevy Silverado 1500 w/20" Rims: Yea, somebody did this, and yea then we bought it. Ride was smoother than I expected, but braking was poor with the big heavy rims.
Luxury?
  • 2000 Ford Windstar: Has a very solid feel. Conveys strength and protection. Doesn't necessarily deliver mind you....
  • 2008 Nissan Altima 3.5 SE: These cars continue to impress, Great CVT, Great Engine, but steering is a bit light.
  • 2007 Dodge Nitro SLT 4x4: Even tighter than it's sibling Jeep. No shoulder or foot room. It's like they designed this thing to not be used.

1/3/13

  • 2009 Toyota Venza: Neat styling for a tall wagon CUV. Drives well and has good power. Really feels like it was designed by the group that did the Prius.
  • 2003 Honda Pilot: Smart storage layout, doesn't drive too tippy. This doesn't have that fake "Truck-ey" feeling many of these kinds of cars do.
  • 2011 Hyundai Sonata SE: Smooth, comfortable, with great interior design and trim. The back light (the rear window) has distortion dead center. 
  • 2008 Nissan Altima 3.5 SE: You just don't need the V6 with the Nissan CVT. Save the money.

1/4/13

  • 2009 Saturn Outlook: Build quality and design is on par with VW/Audi. You can defiantly tell that the latter saturns were pulled out of the European arm of GM.
  • 2007 Audi A4 2.0T Quattro: Engine has nowhere near the pull of the BMW 2.0 Turbo. Chassis is tight and fun to drive, like a sharper VW Passat. Not a whole lot of knee room though. But, I love the hard click of the buttons in the Audi.
  • 2008 Chrysler PT Cruiser: It drives like a really top heavy Neon, which it is. The Retro interior has a good novelty factor, but overall it kinda looks like it was trying too hard. I will say though, Chryslers cheap interior materials don't seem so bad in the retro style. 

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Week of September 10th

9/10/12

  • 2001 Toyota Camry LE: Bland, but not sloppy.
  • 2006 Buick Terraza: Lower rent Minivan, Blah....
  • 2009 BMW X6 5.0 Twin-Turbo: POWAH!!!! I still don't get it though?
  • Mercedes-Benz C240: Very Meh...may as well get a Camry.

9/11/12

  • 2006 Acura TSX: Tight, Responsive, Low drivetrain inertia. Like, but TINY.
  • 2004 AUDI A4 Quattro 1.8T: Great drive. I really like the solid 'CLICK' of the buttons.
  • 2006 Lincoln Mark LT: WHY? Total Shit for it's price.

9/12/12

  • 2005 Chevy Equinox: I suppose it is at least unoffensive, but competent.
  • 2007 Cadillac Escalade: Intoxicating Exhaust sound. The Perfect long haul towing machine. Everything I hated about the Lincoln Mark LT I love in this.
  • 2010 Lexus RX350: Toyota makes an Ok unibody truck. So save your money.

9/13/12

  • 2001 Nissan Altima SE: Great turn in, good dynamics. Mazda isn't the only game in town it seems.
  • 2004 Volvo V40 Wagon: Built like one big machined piece of billet steel! Solid, positive feel, super stiff and confident brakes. -LOVE-
  • 2009 Lexus ES350: Still just an Avalon with a nicer interior.
  • 2003 Chevy Avalanche: Great tow vehicle for the price, But THIRSTY!

9/14/12

  • 2009 BMW 328i: Freude am Fahren!
  • 2011 Ford Ranger Sport 4x4: Good light truck.
  • 2008 Honda Accord 4dr: Better than Toyota, but still kinda dull.