Comments for TrueDelta http://www.truedelta.com/blog Where we're going. Sun, 13 May 2012 08:04:55 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 Comment on Hidden price increase from Toyota by 8189720 http://www.truedelta.com/blog/?p=333&cpage=1#comment-16342 8189720 Sun, 13 May 2012 08:04:55 +0000 http://www.truedelta.com/blog/?p=333#comment-16342 @guyatherton: I'm a little late to the party, but looking back, and even recollecting what happened when your comment was written I'd say: you were/are bang on! @guyatherton:

I’m a little late to the party, but looking back, and even recollecting what happened when your comment was written I’d say: you were/are bang on!

]]> Comment on Audi Q5 and Volvo XC60 Prices by 8189720 http://www.truedelta.com/blog/?p=330&cpage=1#comment-16341 8189720 Sun, 13 May 2012 07:49:52 +0000 http://www.truedelta.com/blog/?p=330#comment-16341 My comment is not related to much here aside from the fact that I loved the back-and-forth. Very informative, and I love the perspective of both parties involved. Thumbs up. My comment is not related to much here aside from the fact that I loved the back-and-forth. Very informative, and I love the perspective of both parties involved.

Thumbs up.

]]> Comment on Chrome…or not by leo http://www.truedelta.com/blog/?p=236&cpage=1#comment-15871 leo Thu, 05 Apr 2012 15:21:08 +0000 http://www.truedelta.com/blog/?p=236#comment-15871 i see your head spin on other issues. why is that you cannot answer i see your head spin on other issues. why is that you cannot answer

]]> Comment on Buick Verano vs. BMW 528i xDrive: which gets better gas mileage? by guyatherton http://www.truedelta.com/blog/?p=837&cpage=1#comment-15852 guyatherton Tue, 03 Apr 2012 01:03:21 +0000 http://www.truedelta.com/blog/?p=837#comment-15852 The Buick is getting the new 2.5L engine for 2013 that the Malibu gets so that should be more efficient. Also 8 speed vs 6 speed makes a big difference as seen with the new Charger - 27mpg hwy goes to 31mpg when you go from 5 to 8 speeds. Turbo charging is also more efficient, hence why it is done - you can compare the Jetta 2.5 vs the GTi 2.0T and they get comparable fuel economy figures even though the GTi is more powerful. The Buick is getting the new 2.5L engine for 2013 that the Malibu gets so that should be more efficient. Also 8 speed vs 6 speed makes a big difference as seen with the new Charger – 27mpg hwy goes to 31mpg when you go from 5 to 8 speeds.
Turbo charging is also more efficient, hence why it is done – you can compare the Jetta 2.5 vs the GTi 2.0T and they get comparable fuel economy figures even though the GTi is more powerful.

]]> Comment on Acura: signs of intelligent life! by Bitbyadeadbee http://www.truedelta.com/blog/?p=804&cpage=1#comment-15836 Bitbyadeadbee Sun, 25 Mar 2012 20:48:16 +0000 http://www.truedelta.com/blog/?p=804#comment-15836 Good points about Acura Michael. I think they have been in the grips of an overcautious corporate culture. It reminds me of the old ways in Japan corporations. When a senior manager was not living up to expectations, they would get rid of him by kicking him upstairs. Since the early 2000's, Acura has felt like a retirement home for senior accountants. To make matters worse, they seek advice from the terribly marketing consultants. They spent millions on determining how profitable the ZDX would be, and how smart it would be to get rid of the RSX line. Interestingly, I have been servicing my car at the same Acura dealer since I bought an Integra in 1994. I have seen the salespeople devolve from gung-ho youngish people to a mostly sad and motley crew that stays on the job for mere months at a time. As for discarding the Legend and Integra names, it ranks up there with "New Coke and Edsel" in the pantheon of marketing disasters. The ILX seems to be an attempt to cover a lot of bases that Acura has lost ground on. The 2.0l version for mainstream aspirers. Though I suspect it will sell to much older clients. The hybrid, to grab a missing luxury element in compact gas/electrics, and the 2.4l manual transmission to try to claw back the tens of thousands of enthusiasts that Acura burned by discontinuing the RSX and Integra. However, at 30K for the 2.4l version of the ILX, this car has to be "amazingly great" to transcend its prosaic Civic roots. Unlike the Integra/RSX, it looks like the ILX will not have significant engineering differences from the Civic. Good points about Acura Michael. I think they have been in the grips of an overcautious corporate culture. It reminds me of the old ways in Japan corporations. When a senior manager was not living up to expectations, they would get rid of him by kicking him upstairs. Since the early 2000’s, Acura has felt like a retirement home for senior accountants. To make matters worse, they seek advice from the terribly marketing consultants. They spent millions on determining how profitable the ZDX would be, and how smart it would be to get rid of the RSX line.

Interestingly, I have been servicing my car at the same Acura dealer since I bought an Integra in 1994. I have seen the salespeople devolve from gung-ho youngish people to a mostly sad and motley crew that stays on the job for mere months at a time.

As for discarding the Legend and Integra names, it ranks up there with “New Coke and Edsel” in the pantheon of marketing disasters.

The ILX seems to be an attempt to cover a lot of bases that Acura has lost ground on. The 2.0l version for mainstream aspirers. Though I suspect it will sell to much older clients. The hybrid, to grab a missing luxury element in compact gas/electrics, and the 2.4l manual transmission to try to claw back the tens of thousands of enthusiasts that Acura burned by discontinuing the RSX and Integra.

However, at 30K for the 2.4l version of the ILX, this car has to be “amazingly great” to transcend its prosaic Civic roots. Unlike the Integra/RSX, it looks like the ILX will not have significant engineering differences from the Civic.

]]> Comment on Lexus: still lost by Bitbyadeadbee http://www.truedelta.com/blog/?p=798&cpage=1#comment-15835 Bitbyadeadbee Sun, 25 Mar 2012 20:35:17 +0000 http://www.truedelta.com/blog/?p=798#comment-15835 Very funny Michael. I walked into a Lexus dealership recently and I felt like I was entering a tomb. The building with its sheer black glass and high jutting parapet reminded me of Egyptian or Babylonian architecture. When I went to their website to check on something - the same thing happened. Who would have thought that a website configurator could feel like funeral planning. Anyway, the car I was checking out, the CT200H was absurdly overpriced in anything but undernourished base trim. So I got the heck out of there. I felt 10 years younger just leaving the premises. Very funny Michael. I walked into a Lexus dealership recently and I felt like I was entering a tomb. The building with its sheer black glass and high jutting parapet reminded me of Egyptian or Babylonian architecture. When I went to their website to check on something – the same thing happened. Who would have thought that a website configurator could feel like funeral planning. Anyway, the car I was checking out, the CT200H was absurdly overpriced in anything but undernourished base trim. So I got the heck out of there. I felt 10 years younger just leaving the premises.

]]> Comment on Should you avoid the Audi Q5? by jim http://www.truedelta.com/blog/?p=833&cpage=1#comment-15814 jim Thu, 15 Mar 2012 13:29:46 +0000 http://www.truedelta.com/blog/?p=833#comment-15814 Michael: Thank you for your timely post on the Audi Q5's true reliability. The unnamed other source is of course Consumer Report which,in their latest April 2012 Auto Issue, "black balled" the Q5 and also placed it on their list of most unreliable cars to avoid, despite ranking it tops in performance among sporty SUVs. The Q5, with the V6 engine only, did have a serious water pump problem in 2009 and early 2010 model year production. Later V6 2010's,all 2011's, 2012's and 4 cylinder engines in all years did not exhibit this problem. I have three Q5's in my family ( one each 2010,2011 and 2012) have all have been flawless so far. CR has black balled this car based on outdated, two and three year old data. It is their rating which is unreliable, not this car. Michael:
Thank you for your timely post on the Audi Q5’s true reliability. The unnamed other source is of course Consumer Report which,in their latest April 2012 Auto Issue, “black balled” the Q5 and also placed it on their list of most unreliable cars to avoid, despite ranking it tops in performance among sporty SUVs.

The Q5, with the V6 engine only, did have a serious water pump problem in 2009 and early 2010 model year production. Later V6 2010’s,all 2011’s, 2012’s and 4 cylinder engines in all years did not exhibit this problem. I have three Q5’s in my family ( one each 2010,2011 and 2012) have all have been flawless so far. CR has black balled this car based on outdated, two and three year old data. It is their rating which is unreliable, not this car.

]]> Comment on A UK vehicle reliability survey by 8189720 http://www.truedelta.com/blog/?p=254&cpage=1#comment-15504 8189720 Thu, 02 Feb 2012 10:41:18 +0000 http://www.truedelta.com/blog/?p=254#comment-15504 I agree with Michael. It's kind of like asking how reliable your car is based on the number of flat tires you get. Really? I agree with Michael. It’s kind of like asking how reliable your car is based on the number of flat tires you get.

Really?

]]> Comment on Acura: signs of intelligent life! by Brendan http://www.truedelta.com/blog/?p=804&cpage=1#comment-15432 Brendan Tue, 17 Jan 2012 02:11:07 +0000 http://www.truedelta.com/blog/?p=804#comment-15432 Couldn't agree with anything this more. Since 2009, Acura's cars have been looking more and more like a poorly designed American brand, catered to older people. They've been big and luxury looking, and lost the sporty appeal they had 5 years ago. Hopefully they're bring the heart of Honda (usually considered racing/performance) back. Couldn’t agree with anything this more. Since 2009, Acura’s cars have been looking more and more like a poorly designed American brand, catered to older people. They’ve been big and luxury looking, and lost the sporty appeal they had 5 years ago. Hopefully they’re bring the heart of Honda (usually considered racing/performance) back.

]]> Comment on Chevrolet will understand Gen Y… by Michael http://www.truedelta.com/blog/?p=785&cpage=1#comment-15424 Michael Wed, 11 Jan 2012 07:14:19 +0000 http://www.truedelta.com/blog/?p=785#comment-15424 Your criticism of the CODE is a common one--the best comment I read was on Twitter, I think: "Is there any angle from which the CODE doesn't look like four different cars bolted together?" I can't say I disagree with this. But I so much want SOMEONE to offer an affordable rear-wheel-drive compact. And I do see where they were trying to go with the CODE, and like the basic concept, if not so much the detailed execution. Your criticism of the CODE is a common one–the best comment I read was on Twitter, I think: “Is there any angle from which the CODE doesn’t look like four different cars bolted together?” I can’t say I disagree with this. But I so much want SOMEONE to offer an affordable rear-wheel-drive compact. And I do see where they were trying to go with the CODE, and like the basic concept, if not so much the detailed execution.

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