OT- Cars

[sdsurfer]

What does everyone think of the 2011/2012 Kia Sorento?

I know there was a thread, but it seemed to be mostly geared towards Gary “The Masochist” Busey and less about the cars.

Any insight anyone can share?

My wife is looking at various SUV’s and gunning for one. They look like they’ve stepped up their game a bit lately and the price is still right.

As much as I want to buy American I happened to look in the doorjamb of my Chevy Silverado the a while back and it says it’s made in Canada believe it or not. Thanks!

[Coronita]

[quote=sdsurfer]What does everyone think of the 2011/2012 Kia Sorento?

I know there was a thread, but it seemed to be mostly geared towards Gary “The Masochist” Busey and less about the cars.

Any insight anyone can share?

My wife is looking at various SUV’s and gunning for one. They look like they’ve stepped up their game a bit lately and the price is still right.

As much as I want to buy American I happened to look in the doorjamb of my Chevy Silverado the a while back and it says it’s made in Canada believe it or not. Thanks![/quote]

I looked extensively at the Ford Edge… I really like the Ford Edge, minus the MyTouch system. Drove it . Really liked it.

[sdsurfer]

The edge is pretty sweet, but for some reason my wife likes the “seats 7” option of the sorento. I think they are both priced similarly and get about the same gas mileage.

[Ren]

I’m of the opinion that a daily driver should be as safe as reasonably possible, so I wouldn’t consider one so old that it doesn’t have side curtain airbags. With a project/track car, however, I’d be the first to rip out airbags to save weight.

After 15 cars, most of them used, I’ve decided I prefer the fit, finish, technology, etc. of a brand new car. It’s worth the premium to me. It’s also nice knowing where they’ve been. With performance cars, you never know what’s been done to them. I always trade before reaching 100k.

[Coronita]

[quote=sdsurfer]The edge is pretty sweet, but for some reason my wife likes the “seats 7” option of the sorento. I think they are both priced similarly and get about the same gas mileage.[/quote]

Trust me. The seat 7 is a gimmick… Find anyone that owns an acura mdx or similar that has a third row, and ask them how often they use the third row and I’d be surprised if anyone uses them in a meaningful way. If your wife wants 7 seats, you’ll be better served with a minivan or with a real, full size SUV….

Here’s the issue. If you have a kid with a kid car seat. You would probably end up putting the car seat in the second row. Because putting it in the 3rd row would limit your trunk space. The moment you put the car seat in the second row, you would probably then make the decision to put the car seat as far away from the side curtain airbags as much as possible. That would mean putting the car seat in the middle.

And finally, the moment you put the car seat in the middle, you can’t fold down the second row seat to get into the third row, making it a real PITA to get into the third row..And anyone who is asked to sit in the third row is already not going to be thrilled about it…

So most likely, the third row will always stay stored away (with the extra added weight you carry)…

I refuse to put anyone in the third row…Because if anyone rear ended me, you’re pretty much sentencing the person/people sitting in the third row to paralysis or worse… The point of an bigger car is safer crumple zone. Anyone sitting in a third row won’t have any room should you get rear ended.

[sdsurfer]

[quote=flu][quote=sdsurfer]The edge is pretty sweet, but for some reason my wife likes the “seats 7” option of the sorento. I think they are both priced similarly and get about the same gas mileage.[/quote]

Trust me. The seat 7 is a gimmick… Find anyone that owns an acura mdx or similar that has a third row, and ask them how often they use the third row and I’d be surprised if anyone uses them in a meaningful way. If your wife wants 7 seats, you’ll be better served with a minivan or with a real, full size SUV….

Here’s the issue. If you have a kid with a kid car seat. You would probably end up putting the car seat in the second row. Because putting it in the 3rd row would limit your trunk space. The moment you put the car seat in the second row, you would probably then make the decision to put the car seat as far away from the side curtain airbags as much as possible. That would mean putting the car seat in the middle.

And finally, the moment you put the car seat in the middle, you can’t fold down the second row seat to get into the third row, making it a real PITA to get into the third row..And anyone who is asked to sit in the third row is already not going to be thrilled about it…

So most likely, the third row will always stay stored away (with the extra added weight you carry)…

I refuse to put anyone in the third row…Because if anyone rear ended me, you’re pretty much sentencing the person/people sitting in the third row to paralysis or worse… The point of an bigger car is safer crumple zone. Anyone sitting in a third row won’t have any room should you get rear ended.[/quote]
Thank you Flu! Very sound advice and I get to say that I read it on a blog so it did not come from me! I hear ya on the minivan. I think minivans are great…fit lots of surfboards too!

[an]

[quote=flu]Trust me. The seat 7 is a gimmick… Find anyone that owns an acura mdx or similar that has a third row, and ask them how often they use the third row and I’d be surprised if anyone uses them in a meaningful way. If your wife wants 7 seats, you’ll be better served with a minivan or with a real, full size SUV….

Here’s the issue. If you have a kid with a kid car seat. You would probably end up putting the car seat in the second row. Because putting it in the 3rd row would limit your trunk space. The moment you put the car seat in the second row, you would probably then make the decision to put the car seat as far away from the side curtain airbags as much as possible. That would mean putting the car seat in the middle.

And finally, the moment you put the car seat in the middle, you can’t fold down the second row seat to get into the third row, making it a real PITA to get into the third row..And anyone who is asked to sit in the third row is already not going to be thrilled about it…

So most likely, the third row will always stay stored away (with the extra added weight you carry)…

I refuse to put anyone in the third row…Because if anyone rear ended me, you’re pretty much sentencing the person/people sitting in the third row to paralysis or worse… The point of an bigger car is safer crumple zone. Anyone sitting in a third row won’t have any room should you get rear ended.[/quote]
I totally agree. I have a MDX and the only time I use the 3rd row is when we wanted to go out with a couple of people and they don’t want to drive (take 2 cars). Most of the time, the 3rd row stay stowed away. The leg room in the 3rd row is so horrible anyways, that only people shorter than 5′ can fit in there comfortably. The thing about those SUV that have 3rd row though, is that their “trunk” tend to be larger than the ones with only 2 rows. The Honda Pilot 3rd row is much better than the MDX 3rd row though.

WRT car seat and access to 3rd row, that’s just poor design on Acura part. The new Infiniti JX will let you slide one seat forward even with a car seat in it, to access the 3rd row. If you have 2 kids, then you don’t really have a choice in putting them in the middle. So they both will be on the side.

To truly seat 7 comfortable, like you, I’d say minivan or a true full size SUV like the Armada/QX/etc.

[an]

Since this thread is all about cars, I’d like to actually thank president Obama for increasing the fuel standard. Unlike what most think, my gratitude has nothing to do with saving the earth or increasing MPG. The side effect of this drive for higher CAFE standard is lighter cars and A LOT more usage of turbo. Cars have gotten heavier and heavier over the last 20-30 years and this standard is finally reversing that trend. Also, to improve MPG, auto maker will have to start using smaller and smaller engines. Automakers knows that people won’t accept loss of performance, just because of CAFE standard. So, more and more are employing smaller engines pare up with turbo(s).

This is great news for car enthusiast like myself. We all know it’s very hard to lighten up a car, so having it lighter straight out of the factory is a better base to start from. Then there’s the turbo variable. We all also know that it’s much easier to get more power from turbo cars than NA cars. We all also know it’s a freaking PITA to deal with CARB in Cali, so adding an aftermarket turbo kit is a big no-no, since very few cars have CARB legal turbo kits. So, having more cars coming with turbo from the factory is fantastic for us who like to get more power and not deal with CARB. When it’s time to smog, just put back the stock map and you’re good to go. Then after you got your car smogged, then you just put back the tuned map. Also, your standard I/E mods gains you much more power in a turbo cars than N/A cars.

I’m going to be getting a different car in a few years and the cars I’m keeping my eyes on are: 335i, M3 4 door, M5, G30t sedan.

So, once again, thank you Mr. President.

[Coronita]

[quote=AN]
WRT car seat and access to 3rd row, that’s just poor design on Acura part. The new Infiniti JX will let you slide one seat forward even with a car seat in it, to access the 3rd row.
[/quote]

Didn’t know that about the JX… My X5 has the same issue if I put the car seat in the middle as the MDX. Actually, I have a bigger problem…Basically, if you put the car seat in the middle, people can’t it’s hard for people on either side to buckle up because the car seat I’m using covers the seatbelt buckles on both sides…Probably an issue with my car seat. I opted not to get the third row because I didn’t use the third row on the MDX when I had it….And of course, BMW charges for everything. The seats, the cushions, the air you breathe in it…etc.etc.etc.

[paramount]

[quote=flu]

I refuse to put anyone in the third row…Because if anyone rear ended me, you’re pretty much sentencing the person/people sitting in the third row to paralysis or worse… The point of an bigger car is safer crumple zone. Anyone sitting in a third row won’t have any room should you get rear ended.[/quote]

Flu you are absolutely correct on this point; as I was reading your response I was hoping you’d mention this serious issue.

The 3rd row seat can be very dangerous. In fact, I believe it’s the most deadly seat position in a vehicle.

I have a 7 passenger Sienna, and as the family has grown my oldest ends up sitting in the 3rd row and I’m not happy about it at all and looking to either get an 8 passenger minivan or a crossover.

I’ve been trying to talk my wife into a 535i or Mercedes wagon too.

Either way, I don’t like the quad seat setup in many minivans and SUV’s when you regularly have to use the 3rd row because the 2nd row only seats 2.

[briansd1]

Interesting article on the future of the electric car.

General Motors has temporarily suspended production of the plug-in electric Chevy Volt because of low sales. Nissan’s all-electric Leaf is struggling in the market. A number of start-up electric vehicle and battery companies have folded. And the federal government has slowed its multibillion-dollar program of support for advanced technology vehicles in the face of market setbacks and heavy political criticism.

The $41,000 Volt, in particular, has become a target of conservatives. Glenn Beck called the Volt “crappy.” Rush Limbaugh accused General Motors of “trying to kill its customers” by selling an unsafe car. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said while campaigning for president in Georgia last month that the Volt was too small to handle a gun rack (a claim proved wrong repeatedly on YouTube).

Americans sure are spending a lot of money on cars and fuel.
There was a thread earlier about real estate investment. If a family took one car out of service (or drove cheaper more fuel efficient cars) they could buy an investment property, that when paid off, would become a cash cow. Do that several times over a working career and you can have a nice real estate portfolio.

Instead Americans sink all their money in wasteful automobiles.

“With Americans paying $250 a month to fill up on gasoline when electricity can do the job in a Volt for $50 a month, why are we being told electric cars are failures? Who could possibly be behind this?”

[paramount]

[quote=briansd1]

Instead Americans sink all their money in wasteful automobiles.

[/quote]

Apparently you’ve never driven a BMW…

[briansd1]

[quote=paramount][quote=briansd1]

Instead Americans sink all their money in wasteful automobiles.

[/quote]

Apparently you’ve never driven a BMW…[/quote]

I was making a comment on the general priorities in our economy. It was not a statement about personal choice.

[paramount]

[quote=briansd1][quote=paramount][quote=briansd1]

Instead Americans sink all their money in wasteful automobiles.

[/quote]

Apparently you’ve never driven a BMW…[/quote]

I was making a comment on the general priorities in our economy. It was not a statement about personal choice.[/quote]

I think your point about who is talking down electric cars is well taken; but what is the true cost of an electric car/mile vs gas/diesel (fuel efficient) car?

I like the Volt, but it needs to cost 20k, not 41k.

[LAAFTERHOURS]

41k for a volt? Wow, who would toss that kind of money at that thing (apologies to anyone who has). When the volt was originally in concept, it looked solid. Once it hit the market, it looked like the rest of chevy’s plastic arsenal. My personal opinion is they could have really done some damage with that car if it was visually striking but they failed miserably. If you are truly interested in electric, why not hold out for a tesla model s? I am putting off a second car for the household as long as I can and that is hopefully long enough to get in on a second phase of the model s (helps to work from home and have my parents handicap van as a free car when necessary).

[Author]

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