Chrysler is for sale? Well not exactly. Dr. Z was asked to do “something” about the company. He then followed that with a press statement saying all offers are on the table. Not necessarily for sale. Any way I don’t want to talk about that, it is everywhere in the media. I want to bring to light some of my opinions on where Chrysler went wrong. Remember these vehicles…

Yes, they are still for sale and on the lots. When the Pacifica came out it was a segment buster much like the original Caravan. The first crossover as we know them today. They called it a sports tourer trying hard to stay far away from the station wagon stigma. How did it do? Not real good. I am not sure why, it is the perfect middle aged demographic vehicle. Mature design, low to the ground, good egress/ingess and one of Chrysler’s best looking interiors. I don’t think the marketing group knew what they had, how good it could be, or how to sell it. Meanwhile all of the competitors have made their versions and are doing great.

Same goes for the Crossfire. Great design, a little over priced and marketed using Celine Dion as the spokes person. How many 60 year old ladies want a little 2 door roadster? This could have been a hot car. Some said that frivolous 2 door sports cars don’t sell anymore….hello, what about the Solstice/Sky brothers. Sold out before they hit the lots.

What a terrible waste to see great designs be left to the curb by horrible marketing. Marketers have the power to make or break a company. Hey Dr. Z this would be the first step, a new marketing group. Jeep, Dodge, and Chrysler all have unique brand character. More so than most brands in the industry. I just wish they would embrace it.

I went on a ride and drive with the Honda Fit this week. I put over 200 miles on the vehicle, driving on every type of road Michigan has to offer. The vehicle was the sportier version with the plastic body kit and metallic paint. Sticker just under $16,000 MSRP.

At first glance this car seems like just another new face in the Economy Box segment. Once I opened the door, I was surprised to find that the vehicle looked like at least a $23,000 car.

The most exciting aspect of the vehicle interior was the IP. There is a nice and intuitive user interface for the radio and HVAC. It looks very “techie” and very fresh. The materials are great as well. The IP has a very nice matte paint on the hood over the instrument cluster and a very nice technical pattern over the rest of the IP. I am so happy to see materials not trying to be anything they are not. They did not put horrible leather grain all over the car; rather they let the materials be what they are. Cruise control is mounted clearly on the steering wheel. A little more about the controls. The radio knob is like a dial, with the functions on the outside of the dial; it works rather well, and is very fresh. The user interface and button placement for all of the controls seemed like they were taken right from a new type of computer, which is nice to see, and beautiful to look at.

Attention to detail is what the IP is all about. There is a nice blue ambient glow theme that comes from the gauge pods and other controls. The steering wheel has very nice stitching on it, reminiscent of a car much more expensive. One little craftsmanship issue there, the thread was a little loose, and poked my hand a bit (fix that shit Honda)

Function is the name of the game for the little mighty car. The rear and front seats have more function then I have ever experienced in a vehicle, which make this little guy flexible. The back is just big enough for me to lie down in when the seats are folded flat, and the 2ns row cushion also flips up, and allows for good storage capacity behind the 1st row seats.

The ride is typical of an ECONO BOX, pretty much shit. The cars tall proportion, small wheels, high center of gravity, and light steering make for a bobbing and weaving effect on the highway. (NOTE: there were 40MPH winds the day of testing) Still the vehicle’s motor struggles to make this little guy move. The one attempt I made to break 100 MPH ( safely of course on a closed course ) was a long climb, with the vehicle barely able to crest the 100 mph mark, but then again this is not what the car was made for.

Concluding notes……. For just under $16,000, this car does everything well with a little style, and features you don’t even find in cars much more expensive. It is almost the exact polar opposite of economy vehicles of the past (or in GM and Fords cast present and future) this vehicle really steps up the game in an entry level vehicle, and will raise the bar for all future economy cars.

Even if you are not in the market for a new vehicle this car is worth a trip to your local Honda dealership to just check out.

Here is the fit’s main page

Scott Digital

So I was checking out some new vehicles today and began to feel as if I had see them some where before. After taking a moment I realized the new Audi A5 with its un-german-like wavy lines had a very similar theme to…………… the Hyundai Elantra. I can see copying BMW or ???, but Hyundai? Of course Audi did it better, but hey, the Hyundai owner can now compare their car to an Audi.

Here is another, this is the Honda Crossroad to be launched in Japan. Why would Honda want or need to “borrow” Ford’s new mouth-o-metal (plastic). Hopefully it won’t make its way here, we don’t need 2 brace faces.

I am not going anywhere with this, I just wanted to vent. It’s the end of the day.

Mazda has had some really great designs come out over the past few years….RX8, Mazda 3, CX7, and now the CX9. They have a great brand identity and keep their vehicles true to the DNA that makes up the brand. I came across this photo of the CX9 showing how it was based off of their minivan.

You can see how the hard points are all the same but the aesthetic is radically different. They kept the minivan size but turned it into a modern crossover design. If only GM would have done it this way instead of slapping a new face on an undeserving vehicle.

Mazda didn’t use any short cuts and it paid off.

Although I would never drive a minivan, their version actually looks pretty good. The CX9 is a true minivan underneath, just don’t tell the people who are buying it.

Kudos to Mazda, zoom zoom