That orange car early in the video with Lambo Doors and Halos isn’t a Camaro, it’s a Cavalier.  The one about halfway through isn’t a Camaro either, it’s a Grand-Am (I’d forgotten it came in a 2-door and initially thought it was a Commodore/GTO but the engine’s the wrong-way).

Indeed. Knowing what we know it’s hard to tell people that the first model year is OK. We know everything that’s wrong with it and how long it’ll take to fix. Technically it won’t break down, but those stupid little things won’t be right. You’ll get a few more rattles, maybe your windshield will fog up at random. OEMs…

Knowing how the sausage is made is right on the money. Even with validation testing and pre-production drive fleets it seems like something goes wrong in the first year without fail. Sometimes it’s a design issue that somehow eluded the DFMEA process and sometimes it’s a supplier quality issue. The product is only so…

As you may or may not deduce from my picture, I’m impaired when it comes to making rational decisions and own a rotary, so my advice on practical matters is mostly irrelevant. I’m with you on the Miata though, I have a ‘99 that I adore.

Man, have you driven one of these? Buttermore was a cool dude, but you just can’t redeem this chassis. It’s a soft, loose, cheap pile. I’d argue the Cobalt drove better. I loved the idea of this car for a while but once I finally got in one everything felt wrong.

When they were originally planning Skyactiv-X, it seems fuel economy was at the top of regulatory minds. The US market has been somewhat borked by recent events. Cheap gas and the growth of at least marginally attractive CUVs have made tall station wagons the vehicle of choice for Americans. We’re not concerned about…

Don’t get me wrong. I want to love Subaru. I have dreams of bombing down a back road feeling like I’m in the WRC. I’ve got a co-worker that just bought an Impreza. It looks nice (and better then the 2012 civic) but man, it still FEELS cheap. Not early-2000s Mazda cheap, where the knobs will fall off, and not GM cheap…

I suppose that’s fair. I’m projecting my desire for the 2.5T/AWD/Manual combination into the conversation.

This is disappointing as the WRX isn’t available as a hatch, oh, and the interior feels cheaper then the 2012 Civic.

There’s been an AWD/Manual+Skyactiv-X sighting at the Houston Auto Show. Either engineering is trying to force their business case by sneaking cool prototypes into auto shows or we’re not really seeing the full lineup until the X releases.

There’s no awd+manual for now. Engineering has been interviewed and said it all hooks up mechanically. They’ve package protected for it.  It’s all down to the business unit to approve the additional development required for a Signature trim with 2.5T/Manual/AWD.  I think the Turbo AWD is likely eventually at least.

I honestly want to know this too. As a Mazda owner (‘99 Miata, ‘09 RX8 and ‘15 Mazda6) I’m pretty happy with the brand but somehow this car is starting to feel like a betrayal (no AWD/Manual combo, beam rear axle, executives downtalking the Speed3). Is there still Zoom-Zoom in it compared to the Civic or should I buy…

Depends a bit on where you are in Michigan. It would probably never be my first recommendation for a winter beater. A neon or focus or something on snow tires would be cheap to own and planted in the snow.

It’s been since about 2008 since I was looking at actually buying Cherokees. Seemed like most of the ones I looked at in the Detroit area had some kind of U-Joint issue. Either they clunked when I test-drove them or they listed front U-Joints as a recent service.

The 4.0 motor is supposed to run forever. I think that’s the extent of its reputation for reliability.

Miata.  It’s simple, easy to fix, and dead-nuts reliable.  I know it’s a trope, but I’ve driven my ‘99 miata autocross car far more this year then my ‘09 RX8 that’s supposed to be my daily.

The auto show used to include a number of interactive displays intended to demonstrate new technologies and features to the public. As a PR exercise I still think they make great sense. Use the space to get hands-on demonstrations of collision avoidance and active lane-keeping. I didn’t see a single mention of…

With the RF, it’s more of a Targa. If you want a true convertible, the soft top is the only way to have it right now. A hard top is a great option for certain scenarios/seasons.

As someone who was single in my 20s and got married last year at 30, the cost/benefit situation is really more interesting then you make it out to be.

I’m relatively prone to motion sickness but haven’t historically had this problem with the Katamari games.  Any chance you can get some side-by-sides together and dig into what might be causing it?  Frame rates, motion blur, camera control?  What changed in the re-release?