C-Class Wagon To USA?

I'll admit that I've been a bit distracted these days, but I don't recall hearing anything about the C-Class wagon coming to the USA. The way I kind of understood things, the GLK was going to be the cargo hauler in the C-Class space for MB in the USA. The only wagon was going to be the E-Class. Hmmm. Well, Cars.com says that we will be getting the wagon and we'll see it in Chicago. Of course, I love wagons so this would be great news. If they offered a Bluetec diesel in it, that would be even better. We'll find out soon enough as press days for Chicago start on February 6th. You can read the cars.com article here.

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Bridge Safety

First off, no baby news yet. Momma is hanging in there, by a thread, so that's keeping all of us here at ACATT's world headquarters very busy.

In the meantime, you can check out this MSNBC "Bridge Tracker" that shows the condition and inspection dates for more than 100,000 bridges in the U.S. that are crossed by at least 10,000 vehicles per day. Click here to find out whether or not your bridge passes muster.

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Driving Chrysler's Town & Country

It was a full day of testing yesterday. Amazing what a love of cars will do even if your wife is about to give birth at any moment. The van we drove was a top of the line Limited model with pretty much every bell and whistle short of a sunroof.

Some folks have complained about the boxy styling being too old school. The wife agrees with this assessment calling the exterior "unappealing." I personally rather like the new look, it's a nice return to form after an overly ovoid stage.

Things didn't start off well for the T&C as the battery was flat. No matter how the dealer tries to spin a dead battery on a brand new car, I'm always very skeptical. Maybe the interior lights were left on, but even if this was the case where is the battery rundown protection? I mean, this van is a rolling Circuit City and if any vehicle called out for battery protection its the T&C.

A quick jump and the van fired to life. I was very impressed with the tinting of the front side windows. The subtle greenish hue really classed things up in my opinion. Just pulling out of the lot and heading out on the road, I noticed that the transmission had to downshift with even a small dab of my foot. The shifts were smooth, but I found this to be a little annoying as the van didn't feel as sprightly as our Odyssey. Corning also took a back seat to the Honda, presumably in the name of improved ride comfort. As we were rolling down the freeway, I asked the sales rep to turn on the backseat Sirius TV, but he couldn't get it to work. Once we swapped drivers and I was able to fiddle with the entertainment screen, we finally got the TV to work: a promising feature once more channels are added. With so many entertainment options and flexibility built in to the system, the price some added complexity to the menus. Once you've got the system down, I think you'll be fine and will appreciate all the options Chrysler crammed in there.

The power doors, hatch and rear folding seats were nice luxuries. However, my son nearly lost his finger tips when he pressed the side door button and then jammed his finger in at the very last second! There is a disabling switch for the side door buttons, but in my opinion that switch should be mounted higher up on the pillar: it's waaaay too low if a 19 month old can reach it.

The plastics were a bit on the cheap side, but not as awful as I had expected them to be. The dash mounted shifter wasn't a problem either. All the lights inside the cabin were appreciated: you really can't have too many in a van if you ask me.

Overall we were fairly impressed with the van with a few caveats. Firstly, the van felt a little anemic even with the top of the line 4.0 V6 and I would like to see the handling tightened up a bit. Chrysler will have a new range of engines available in a few years and hopefully they'll quickly find their way into the minivans.

The worst thing about our drive, however, was sadly the dealer. They were friendly enough, but had plastered a $6,000 markup on the vehicle. I find those stickers insulting and indefensible. The salesman tried to tell me that this was one of only two Limited vans in California (maybe he said Northern California, I'm not certain). In any case, he said that they were getting "full sticker" for the vans. This markup would place the van at over $47,000. Ridiculous. A quick check of Cars Direct showed a price of around $37,000 for the van and checking Chrysler's website showed a considerable number of Limited model vans in the Bay Area. I would never buy from any store that fibbed as badly as this group did. Shameful.

I do think that the fully loaded T&C fairs very well against equivalent models from Toyota and Honda. I would certainly consider this van when we look to replace our Odyssey. As an added bonus, we'll see the VW version of this van at the Chicago show. The VW will have improved plastics and better handling: both welcomed improvements. However, if this loaded T&C is $41k then how much will a decked out VW be? Scary.

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Driving the Nissan Rogue

I had the opportunity to take a Nissan Rogue for a short spin yesterday and I have to tell you, I was impressed! Although it wasn't an extended tour of duty, my stint behind the wheel showed a vehicle that had "I like to drive" handling and peppy acceleration. I wasn't expecting to like the Rogue as much as I did. Critics has popped off about the monochromatic interior, but the cheerfulness of the Rogue's performance diminished any negatives I might have had about the somber color scheme. Everything inside the Rogue's cabin that I touched had a quality feel about it.

I must note that my time behind the wheel was very limited. Before making any formal recommendations I'd have to spend a day or two with the little bugger. However, I've found that some vehicles can bore you within the first few minutes of taking the wheel and the Rogue certainly was not guilty of that.

I've spend considerable time behind the wheel of a 2007 CR-V and although it's a nice piece, I feel that the Nissan would be a more lively day to day companion. Customers are catching on as well. While I was at the Nissan dealer, Rogues were headed out on test drives left and right.

Now...If Nissan would just fix that grille!

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Any Day Now...

With the wife about to deliver, it's pretty busy around ACATT world headquarters. Posting will be light for awhile! See you soon!

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smart Orphans?

I’ve been a big fan of the smart city coupe/fortwo since it first arrived on the scene at the Paris Motor Show. Whenever in Europe I’d drag my friends and family all over the map so that I could spend some sitting in the coupe and roadster. After all the letter writing to Mercedes and “we’re coming/no we’re not” announcements, I was elated when it was finally announced that smart would indeed be coming to the USA. When the reservation program was announced, I hovered over my e-mail and plunked down my $99 to stake a place in line.

In August of last year, I was notified that it was time to confirm the model, color and equipment that I wanted for my smart. I selected a red metallic passion cabriolet with silver metallic tridion safety cell. I loaded up the car with pretty much everything except for the leather interior for a total of $18,050. A shipping charge of $645 brought the total to $18,695.

It’s January 2008 and my little fortwo has arrived at the dealer. Even though she is sitting on the lot, the dealer is still working out last minute details and is not ready to deliver any cars quite yet. In the meantime, I’m gripping with the reality that I may have to orphan my little car.

Several things have changed since March 2007 that have contributed to this realization. Firstly, my wife is about to deliver our second child. That would have been news to me back in March. Secondly the economy isn’t looking so perky and the idea of a $20,000 or “fun car” seems to be more and more like an extravagance I can do without.

Some buyers have been unhappy about the premium fuel requirement and the 2 year/24,000 mile warranty. I’m not so pleased about the short warranty, but neither of those items are deal killers. There are, however, other things weighing on my mind. Firstly, I always dislike buying first year cars. Even if the current generation fortwo has been on sale in Europe for a bit, the U.S. model has seen a number of changes. Secondly, financing and insurance is proving to be a bit of a challenge. My credit union has yet to make up its mind if it is going to finance smart cars. I think the answer will eventually be yes, but it might take a month or two for the CU to come to that realization itself. Thirdly, I think that the fortwo is a great candidate for stop/start, a feature already available on European models. I wouldn’t mind a few more options being available, such as leather in some color other than black.

If I do cancel now, my little smart will quickly be snapped up by another eager buyer. I’ll get my $99 deposit back and we’ll all be on our merry way. It’s really a hard decision for me because I’ve wanted that car for so long and having seen it sitting on the lot, literally with my name on a sticker, it’s hard to say no.

At various times smartusa has claimed between 30,000 and 40,000 reservation holders. The “opt out” rate that I have seen quoted is around 30%, putting the firm reservation holders counts between 21,000 and 28,000. However as any dealer will tell you, until there is ink on the contract all bets are off. In perhaps an early indicator, smarts that have already been delivered are not being bid up with wild abaondon on eBay. I'll be curious to see what the actual sales tally will be for smart in 2008.

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Let Me Top That Off For You: Rental Car Ripoff?

MSNBC's Red Tape Chronicles has a story about some rental car agencies charging an extra fee to consumers who return their cars with a full tank. This "top-off fee" is being charged even if consumers present evidence they have that the tank is full.

Here's a sample of the "gotcha" text:

"Gasoline Policy: Vehicle must be returned with full tank or local refueling charge applies. If car is returned full a $2.00 top off fee will be applied." As they'd say on South Park, "You Bastards!"

The customer went all "paperboy" on the company "I want my two dollars" and he eventually got the money back (more on principle than anything else).


According to Dollar / Thrifty the rental agency that charged the fee was a franchisee and has some leeway to assess such charges. Currently corporate owned Dollar/Thrifty do not assess the fee.

This new level of creativity in the rental business arrives at the same time that consumers are complaining about increasingly crappier cars on rental lots.

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Deflation! Gas For $.001 per gallon

A West Virginia gas station clerk was giving her friends gas at a tenth of a cent per gallon, that cost the station owner at least $40,000 in lost revenue. On early Sunday mornings the clerk would lower the price per gallon to .001 and then allow friends and family to pump away. The scheme has apparently been going on for months.

source: wsaz

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Interiors A-Go-Go: Chrysler Revamps Its Lineup

Chrysler is trying to right some wrongs and is stepping up to the plate when it comes to interiors. The Jeep Compass and Patriot will be treated to refreshed interiors this fall (the Caliber will follow). As for the Sebring and Avenger, the new interiors might be appearing VERY soon. My friend Drew over at Left Lane News had a chance to speak with Chrysler's Jim Press and according to Press we should see the new interiors in February.

Now this is my own opinion, but don't expect HUGE CHANGES in these cars. Basically, you'll see better textures and some softer plastics in the elbow areas. Certainly these improvements will be welcome, but the overall design of the interiors will remain the same. I'm fairly sure of these points because while it is relatively simple to change the textures and quality of plastics, it would be much more complex to change actual shapes or layouts inside.

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Please Don't Run Across Freeways

It seems like a simple rule to follow, but 2008 isn't starting out so well for Bay Area freeways. Two pedestrians have died while trying to cross busy freeways in the last three days. One pedestrian was trying to cross an eight lane freeway for unknown reasons while another person was trying to get to the center divide after he had crashed. Full story can be found here.

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GM Goes Mega With "GM Collections"

Automotive News is running a story regarding a GM strategy to gather all of its brands under one roof. The big stores, rumored to be called "GM Collections," would allow GM to maintain a high profile in cities where real estate is costly The big stores also would help GM organize its dealerships around four brand groups: Chevrolet, Buick-Pontiac-GMC, Saturn and Cadillac-Hummer-Saab.

The AN story did not cite any particular markets as being the first to get the superstores. However, I can tell you that GM, in March of last year, purchased a large 22 acre tract of land from Tyco Electronics' Menlo Park, CA campus. Over the years Menlo Park has lost all of its dealerships, including Cadillac, Buick, Pontiac, GM and Chevrolet. Sure seems like MP would be an ideal candidate for GM Collections, now doesn't it? Also, the NADA conference is held just up the road in San Francisco. Hmmm. Stay Tuned!

sources: automotive news, menlo park press release

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Safeway Converts Fleet to Biodiesel

Safeway announced on Friday that it has converted its entire California and U.S. truck fleet to cleaner-burning biodiesel fuel. Safeway's trucks will use a blend of biodiesel that is 20 percent vegetable-based, in this case mostly from soy oil produced in the Midwest, and 80 percent petroleum-diesel-based. "We picked soy because it is domestic, it creates jobs, it's clean and it's renewable," said Joe Pettus, Safeway's senior vice president for fuel and energy.

Biofuels' effectiveness in reducing greenhouse gas emissions are still in question because of the amount of energy that goes into growing crops that will be converted into biofuels. In addtion, costs of a broad range of products are increasing because the biofuel industry is competing with food companies for corn and other crops. For example, prices of soybean oil have skyrocketed because many farmers who had farmed the crop have switched to producing more corn for ethanol. The European Union is considering a ban on certain biofuel imports that don't meet "a minimum level of greenhouse gas savings."

Safeway is also utilizing solar and wind power, ramping up recycling and utilizing technology such as LED lighting to help conserve.

Safeway has committed to reducing its carbon emissions by 1.5 percent each year from 2006 to 2010, for a 6 percent reduction, Pettus said.

sources: sfgate, mercury news, bizjournals, safeway

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They're Here....smarts unloading

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More Power Captain! 9,004 Diesel Powered Vehicles Head Back To The Farm

Have you experienced a loss of power and an inability to restart? Are you driving a 2007 Mercedes-Benz E320, GL320, R320 and ML320? If you are, then your Mercedes dealer would like to see you! Mercedes is recalling 9,004 diesel powered vehicles because a faulty crankshaft sensor could fail, causing the above symptoms. I'd still take one!

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2009 Dodge Ram

The 2009 Dodge Ram is a hit in my book. The exterior has been nicely updated and the interior, while maybe not class leading, is vastly improved. This new pickup will not only retain the Ram faithful but I think it will bring in some new buyers as well.

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Yak Attack

I don't know what the Michigan Yak is all about. Perhaps someone can clue me in. Anways, I met the Yak here at the Dodge Ram display. Charming fellow.

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Ford Explorer America Concept

Well, you know I'm a sucker for a sliding door and the Explorer America does have one. Unfortunately, Ford has all but renounced these convenient doors, so don't expect to see this feature on the production model. That crazy Green Goblin globe in the dash will hopefully never be seen from again. Is it a hit? Oh, I don't know. It's a logical step for the Explorer to take, even if Ford already has a lot of crossover-ish vehicles already. However, the Explorer America really doesn't move the needle anywhere as a concept and for that I'm going to rate it a miss. Had this been an actual production model, I'd probably have given it a neutral rating.

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Honda Pilot Prototype

Honda has done well with the current Pilot and this model just wants to keep the good times rolling. Sure there are a few things that will change between this model and production, but it won't amount to much. Frankly, the Pilot does little for me either as the current model or this new and improved one. I'd opt for a little more hot sauce with the likes of a Mazda CX-9. The most exciting thing will be the diesel engine that will eventually be tucked under the hood. For its vanilla looks, I really can't rate this thing a hit or a miss and Honda is probably pretty happy with that.

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Volkswagen's New Van: So If I Called the Town & Country The Routan Would You Give Me More Money?

That's the question that VW will be asking its buyers very shortly when it introduces its Chrysler-based van called the Routan. Like Volkswagen's other Crack Jack names as of late there is an explanation, Routan is supposedly the word "route" combined with the "an" suffix so that it matches the global standards set by Touran and Sharan. Global naming has worked so well with the Golf, er I mean Rabbit, right?

In all fairness, the van will have a new interior and some exterior and suspension tweaks. As reported in a previous story, those interiors are "a lot nicer" than their Chrysler counterparts. If the above picture is to be trusted, the van might be a bit shorter as well? I'm actually looking forward to this one. Yeah, yeah it's a rebadge, but the Chryco vans are about a buck fifty in interior trimmings and suspension tweaks from being on my consideration list, this VW may fix those issues. The question is "How much?" We'll find out more about the vans very shortly at the Chicago Auto Show.

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smart fortwo Extended Warranty Pricing

Update: I am being told that the extended warranty does not include the same coverage and there is a $100 deductible per visit once you are past the 2/24 warranty. Read the fine print very carefully before signing up for anything!

Awhile ago I discussed my disappointment with the standard 2 year / 24,000 mile warranty on smart fortwo’s delivered to U.S. customers. We now have the pricing for the extended warranty. According to my dealer contact, these options will extend the bumper to bumper warranty and will include all the same coverage.

Please take the "same coverage" claim with a grain of salt because the sales representative I spoke with is still learning the ropes and I don't get a high level of confidence from him. The prices have been independently confirmed, so you can at least take that info to the bank.


3 year/36,000 miles - $395

4 year/48,000 miles - $695

5 year/60,000 miles - $995

5 year/75,000 miles - $1195

5 year/100,000 miles - $1595

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Chrysler Concepts

I'm lumping all of Chrysler's headliner concepts into one post because that's just how much I think of them. The vehicles are really flights of fancy and while there is nothing inherently wrong with that, Chrysler needs concepts of substance if you ask me. I guess if I had to pick one, it would be the orange Dodge Zeo. My rating, a "miss." Forget about these me-three, eco-wannabees as they really don't tell us very much.

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Nissan Forum Concept

I had a chance to chat with a couple of Nissan representatives to discuss their Forum concept. I was attracted to the design because of my family's need for a minivan. We have found that for us a minivan is still the best solution and it would be great to drive around in something a bit more stylish that what is available today.

My first question stemmed around the B-Pillarless design. Is it possible for production? I got a lot of shrugged shoulders and "Don't know about the safety ramifications" type quotes from folks gathered at the stand. I will tell you this, Nissan has show several van concepts with the missing pillar. It's true that it could all be for show, but I wouldn't completely count this feature out. Stay tuned.

Next up is the overall richness of design on the interior. Would Nissan consider marketing such a vehicle? The vibes I got from the design staff were much more positive with this question. Nissan is very keen to try and break out of the minivan death spiral and due something unique. When the first generation Quest debuted it had a wild instrument panel that didn't exactly wow buyers. Nissan changed things around inside during a model refresh and it helped the van gain traction, but the Quest has never been a really big player in the segment.

While standing around and looking at the Forum, the music coming out of the van was sounding great. Bose has done a fab job of integrating its FreeSpace outdoor audio system into the edge of the sliding doors (above photo) for tailgate parties. There is the now famous and practical "time out" button that allows the driver to silence all media and broadcast their message to the troops, interior surveillance cameras "eyes of mom" and the silly microwave in the console. The rotating pedestal middle row seats are a show car treat as well.

If the Forum did have an engine, it could be diesel says Nissan. The first Nissan product to get a diesel here in the U.S. will be the Maxima, so it wouldn't be stretch to see the Quest offered with an oil burner. I would be very interested in a diesel van myself.

I'm going with a big "hit" rating for this concept. Hats off to Nissan for not abandoning the idea of the minivan. Would a luxo-treatment for a minivan gain a lot of buyers or continue to relegate Nissan to a small niche of a decreasing market? That is the question that product planners must answer before something like this Forum hits the streets. My hunch is that we will see something similar to the Forum coming from Nissan in the next few years.

Long live sliding doors!

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Astra Top Tether...My Final Post On This Subject

In my last post on this subject, I had wondered if the top tether covers on the back of the Astra's rear seat were indeed tethered to the seat when removed. The answer is yes they are and the tether felt fairly secure, so they won't snap off. These covers are key to protecting your cargo.

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BMW X6

You can probably tell by the fact that I only have one picture of the X6 that I didn't bother with it very much. I just can't stand the way the X6 looks! Whereas the Range Rover Sport is an uber sexy, less spacious, Land RoverLR3 based vehicle, the X6 is a hideous, less spacious, X5. I've read some articles where reviewers really liked the looks of this monster. Whatever...A Miss!

I've included a couple of press shots so that you can see the horror for yourself.

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Kia Borrego

With every other manufacturer showing off their green hardware, this body on frame Borrego with an available V8 sure seems like a fish out of water. The 3.8 liter V6 can tow 5,000 pounds while you can drag 7,500 pounds with the 4.6-liter V8. If you've got a trailer or a boat, that could come in handy. While the Borrego may fit in a small niche of the market, I've got to rate this later comer a miss.

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Cadillac CTS Coupe Concept

Another hit from Detroit '08. This is a very sharp car in pictures and in person. If leaked UAW documents are to be believed, production of this vehicle should start around 2009, perhaps as a 2010 model. I forecast that a CTS wagon concept will show up at either the Geneva or Paris auto show this year.

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