Everything Carz: January 2012

Sunday, January 29, 2012

ROAD TEST.....2012 VW Jetta

Jetta SEL

I like this car more than I originally thought I would. Although it could use a bit more curves to it, the styling is decent. Still bland overall but in some colors it does resemble a cheaper Audi A4 which is not a bad car to aspire to be. The one thing I've always loved about VW is the solid way the doors shut with sort of a "thud". Having previously owned a Rabbit, a Golf, & a GTI over the years I can honestly say I've always felt very safe behind the wheel & today's Jetta is no different.
On the inside is where you can tell the bean counters within VW really chopped the product planners at the knees! For $16k, the cheap feeling is acceptable because lets face it at that price point if you're expecting Lexus levels of quality & materials then you've been smoking the peace pipe a bit too long. However, as soon as I'm asked to spend over $25k I do expect to open the glove box & not feel like in about a year my passenger will be wearing it in his/her lap. Also, I can usually figure out navigation & audio units with a fair amount of ease, but these RNS 300 series units are a whole different ball of wax.
Finally, my advice when shopping the Jetta is to check out the manual transmission models because they are a lot of fun! I'll admit I was a little gun shy when I first drove the TDI clean diesel Jetta. This was due in part to my experiencing flashbacks of the last VW diesel I drove. Other cars speeding past me honking angrily & waving not so kind hand gestures at me as I tried to conquer that long hill on the 405 fwy known as the Sepulveda Pass going no more than 45mph....IN SECOND GEAR mind you...pouring black diesel smoke out the back of my cream beige1984 Rabbit Diesel like I had cornered the market on it! VW's current clean diesel is nothing like the lackluster turtle driven soot filled diesels of yore. No sir, this thing has balls & not a speck of smoke in sight. In fact at times I think the TDI was actually quieter inside the cabin & outside at idle than the 5-cylinder version I drove. Plus lets face it.....42 MPG on the highway? C'mon that alone should get you into the dealer for a look see!

Jetta TDI SE

Pricing begins at about $16,500 for the "S" w/ no options & tops out at roughly $28,500 for the "GLI Autobahn" w/ Navigation. EPA fuel mileage ranges between as low as 24 city & as high as 42 on the hwy! That's not half bad in my opinion.

Impressive Rear Passenger & Trunk Room
Starting Price
Engaging & Fun to Drive

Again...Frustrating Audio/Navigation
Bland Styling
Leatherette feels cheap
Cheap Interior Materials

TEST VEHICLES = $24,000 (SE) / $26,000 (SEL)

2012 VW Jetta SEL

Candy White
Titan Black Leatherette

170 hp 5-cylinder
Front Wheel Drive

Power Sunroof, Windows, Door Locks, & Mirrors

Heated Seats

17" Wheels

Fender Premium Sound
Navigation

2012 VW Jetta TDI SE
Tornado Red
Titan Black Leatherette

140 hp 4-cylinder Clean Diesel
Front Wheel Drive

Power Sunroof, Windows, Door Locks, & Mirrors

Heated Seats

16" Wheels

Fender Premium Sound
Navigation

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

ROAD TEST.....2012 Nissan Versa

Versa S

I'll be as positive as I can about the all-new for 2012 Nissan Versa because it does have it's good points...unfortunately with this blogger the bad out weighs the good.
First, lets begin with its looks which are better overall than the boxy bland sedan offered in previous model years. The interior not so much. I happen to like the older version better. It felt a lot richer in materials & never felt like you were buying a cheap car. The new one not so much. IF you can find a comfortable seating arrangement it doesn't matter because without ear plugs the loud whiney drone of the CVT will drive you nuts! The carpeting is sooooo cheap...HOW CHEAP IS IT?...it's sooo cheap I'm willing to bet during normal day to day driving situations that within a years time you'll see bare metal under your feet. No kidding...it's THAT cheap! I will say for a small sedan which competes with the Ford Fiesta, Chevy Sonic & Hyundai Accent this thing has a lot of rear seat legroom. Now, how many people buying in this small car market segment actually CARE about rear seat legroom remains to be seen.
You do get quite a bit of features for whatever money you spend on the Versa. However, some other cheap sedans offered by competitors offer things like leather which you cannot get in any of the 3 Versa trim levels. The starting price in the mid $11k range is damn near unbeatable if you want a no frills base sedan to putt around town in I will give it that.
Finally, my advice when driving this thing is BUY THE STICK SHIFT if at all possible! Otherwise, wear a helmet & hope for the best when merging onto any LA freeway because it's gonna take a while for this thing to work up all 109 horsepower! Overall my opinion of the Versa is this. For a high school or college grad this car will make a parent feel secure that there loved one is driving a safe, practical, & cheap car that isn't fast enough to ever get him/her into any trouble with the law. Other than that...Nissan could have done a LOT better & lets hope they've realized this before we see the revised hatchback version sometime in mid-2013.

Versa SL

Pricing begins at about $12,000 for the "S" w/ no options to just over $17,000 for the "SL" w/ Tech Package. EPA fuel mileage is rated at 30/38.

Somewhat Better Looking
Impressive Rear Passenger Room
Starting Price
Fuel Mileage

SLOW AS SHIT!
Loud CVT
Uncomfortable Seats
Really Cheap Carpets
Meaningless "Pure Drive" Badge

TEST VEHICLES = $12,000 (S) / $17,000 (SL)

2012 Nissan Versa S

Super Black
Charcoal Cloth

110 hp 4-cylinder
Front Wheel Drive

15” Wheel Covers

Manual Windows, Door Locks, & Mirrors

2-speaker Audio
Air Conditioning

2012 Nissan Versa SL

Titanium
Sandstone Cloth

110 hp 4-cylinder
Front Wheel Drive

15” Alloy Wheels

Fog Lamps

Chrome Grille & Door Handles

Remote Keyless Entry

Cruise Control

Power Windows, Door Locks, & Mirrors

4-speaker Audio
Bluetooth

Tech Package ($700)

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

THE STATION WAGON...Finale

AMC

Eagle

DODGE

Diplomat

Aspen

PLYMOUTH

Volare

FORD

Pinto Squire

LTD

OLDSMOBILE

Cutlass Cruiser

CHEVROLET

Monza Estate

PONTIAC

Astre Safari

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

THE STATION WAGON...part III

AMC

Concord

Pacer

FORD

LTD II Squire

OLDSMOBILE

Custom Cruiser

PONTIAC

Grand LeMans Safari

Grand Safari

Monday, January 16, 2012

THE STATION WAGON...part II

GOT WOOD? On your wagon that is. Today's post continues my tribute to all things station wagon & here are a few more people moving gems...enjoy!

PLYMOUTH

Sport Satellite

Fury Sport Suburban

FORD

Custom 500 Ranch Wagon

BUICK

Estate Wagon

CHEVROLET

Kingswood Estate

PONTIAC

Executive Safari

Sunday, January 15, 2012

THE STATION WAGON

Just about all of us remember riding in and/or owning a station wagon at least one time in our lives. Names like "Country Squire" or "Sport Suburban", some seated 6 passengers, or 9 passengers, had big metal roof racks, or fake wood grain paneling along the sides, plus usually a big V8 too!

This is the first of several posts paying tribute to those BIG 'OL HONKIN WAGONS that took us all over the country & back plus a few smaller ones thrown in for fun too...enjoy!

CHRYSLER

Town & Country

DODGE

Monaco

FORD

LTD Country Squire

MERCURY

Colony Park

BUICK

Sport Wagon

CHEVROLET

Caprice Estate

OLDSMOBILE

Vista Cruiser

PONTIAC

Bonneville Safari

AMC

Ambassador SST

Saturday, January 14, 2012

ROAD TEST...2012 VW Beetle

Beetle 2.5L

When it comes to small fuel efficient no nonsense cars the Volkswagen Beetle is the car that started it all. VW continues to roll out waves of successful new products and the redesign of the Beetle for 2012 is sure to be another hit. The overall appearance of the car is more aggressive or "butch" in nature. It's still as round as always but now with more of a squat to it than before. This is no longer the "chick" car they used to call the previous generation New Beetle (1998-2010). There are still lots of retro touches from 18" wheels that look like over sized hubcaps from the 70's, to the additional upper glove box referred to as the "Käferfach glovebox".
This Beetle drives like a cheaper GTI. Same motor just more reserved overall. The familiar 2.5 liter 5-cylinder engine sounds a bit coarse & the bigger wheels/tires add to the engine being a tad noisier than I believe it should be. This engine will work fine for most Beetle buyers, but if you want a Beetle w/ some balls, shop the Turbo model. The familiar 2.0 liter Turbocharged 4-cylinder is the same 200hp engine found in other VW models & in many current Audi products as well.
The interior features durable leather looking vinyl or in VW speak "leatherette" for the 2.5 models & real leather in the Turbo. The seats are comfortable & visibility is great throughout despite the now lower roof design. The option packages are now grouped into each trim level resulting in essentially there being no options or option packages ordered separately like before & of course like most cars offered from Germany the packages can get pricey.
Yes times sure have changed & now so has the little Beetle that once charmed the pants off the driving public many years ago. Overall, I consider the 2012 Beetle an affordable, practical, & fun to drive alternative to the Audi TT.

Beetle Turbo

Pricing begins at about $20,000 for the "2.5" w/ no options to just over $30,000 for the "Turbo" equipped w/ the Sunroof, Navigation, & Fender Audio. Gas mileage figures come in at 22 city/31 hwy approximately.