I have yet to meet a vehicle with a blue interior that I liked, until today.

 

I think the new design language comes together much more nicely on the GV70 than the new G70. Might quibble with the wheels just a scoche if I'm nitpicking. Really nice overall. I would definitely consider it if I was looking for that kind of vehicle.

 

GV70 videos all over the place now, but 4DRZ's was actually the first one I saw.

You know, as something very nice but not exceptional or special, even the turbo inline 4 would be a fine vehicle. Felt the same way about the mid-model Stelvio.

 

I agree. I like the G70, but the styling on the GV70 is cleaner.

I have yet to drive the 4cyl, but it still has 300 hp, so it probably won't drive too differently.

 

The new Lotus Emira gets released today at 7:30 BST which should be 1:30 CST. Being a diehard Lotus fan my entire life (Thank you 007 with your amazing Esprits!) has me just a bit excited. Well, that and the fact that the last new car they released was the Evora all the way back in 2008!?! It is supposed to start around $75k, so a fair amount more than a CT4-V blackwing. I hope this thing is really really good. It's going to have to be to convince me to get one instead of a new Nissan Z.

 

Did any of you catch the release of the new Elantra N (first 7 minutes)? It is a really good video about the passion of driving, but it appears as if they really did their homework and invested a lot into the handling and performance of this car. I bet it puts up some really good handling numbers. Then I started thinking, they claim 0-62 mph in 5.3 seconds, the new $45k Golf R does 0-62 in 4.7 seconds, and the $82k Lotus Emira does 0-60 in 4.5 seconds. This car might just be a huge sleeper if it does hit the market at the claimed starting price near $30k.

 

That's the manufacturers claim, Euro spec cars have hit 4.0 seconds.

That Elantra N is a good looking car. Hyundai is really upped their game in the last couple years.

 

I was eyeballing a new Elantra on the road yesterday. Interesting looking, sure, but just too much automotive Origami for me to actually like the design. The words "over-styled" applies here.

On a side note, I also saw my first Mustang Mach-e in the wild yesterday. It actually looked good in black with those frosted tails.

 

Those are manufacturers claims for all of the cars. Hyundai has turned out hit after hit recently. It is impressive. Now about that mid-engine supercar they claim to be working on...

You are right about the regular Elantra- I have described it as origami a number of times, I think maybe even in a video of the Elantra N Line I did a week or so ago. I am hoping the more aggressive looks with the aero adds, bigger wheels, and brakes help with the styling. Too early to tell as I am not a fan of the light powder blue they keep advertising. I'll have to see it in red or black.

 

The last few posts piqued my interest in the 2.5l turbo sonata. I swore off the brand a decade ago after an unfavorable experience with a kia optima s[u]x. The damn thing would not drive straight no matter what. This was a design feature.

Sat in a sonata N today (2.5L turbo, 4dr sedan). The reviews are all peaches and roses. Never actually got to the test drive as apparently all the 2.5L turbos are not road worthy with the current recall in progress - this one had a build date of Jan 2021. Recall pertaining to a fuel pipe potentially leaking issue. Sitting in it however revealed severe console/knee/leg intrusion issues. I'm 6' tall, but many of these newer cars have wide center consoles/stacks which does not align well with a properly adjusted seat for my preferred seating position. The late model accord is just as bad. Mazda cx5 (and cx9) is cramped on both sides (door and console). The G70 fits comfortably but dealers want msrp. I don't want the car that bad. I'm sure eventually something will come along that works well.

 

Speaking of fun 4 doors, here is some not so great news about the STI. Supposedly now it will only have 345 hp instead of 400. It is also going to be their last non-hybrid car. (This seems to be a trend.) And lets hope it does not look like the picture below. https://carbuzz.com/news/new-subaru-...han-we-thought




Thankfully, the Z proto still looks amazing and it sounds like Nissan is stealing the Auto Show in Chicago this weekend with the car on display as well as the new Frontier and Ariya. I am tempted to drive down this weekend just to see the Z proto in person, but it would be about 7+ hours of driving down and back. The last time I went to that show was to see the release of the GT-R. After hearing the latest news about the new STI and the cost of the new Lotus Emira, I think the Z has the best chance of being my next car. Unfortunately, it is nowhere near as practical as the STI, Elantra N, or Golf R. But there is still plenty of time for those cars to change my mind once I get behind the wheel.

 

Don't get me wrong, I'm very into the new Z. The overall design really works for me. And the things that didn't, I'm turning around on (like the headlights). But there's one element of this design that bugs me (no pun), and that's the large expanse of painted plastic at each front corner. If anyone has ever owned a car that you commuted during highway rush hour, you know what kinds of chips and nicks and bugs collect as damaged paint in an area like that.

I know, there are remedies with vinyl and more cautious driving, but still... it bugs me.

 

That's disappointing. The top of the line S209 has 341 hp, so no big power upgrade, looks are meh. Maybe we'll get lucky and it will have a nice interior at least.

 

So are you actively looking right now? Keep us posted if you're searching, I'd like to know your thoughts on what you test drive.

 

Lol.. I've been activity looking since about a month after selling you the G! At the time nothing really appealed to me.

Part of the problem is I don't know what I want. Test driven a few suv's but that's not really my thing. At this point I think they're all too big, too heavy, pigs on gas. What ever I get still needs to be practical - functional back seat and trunk.

Driven a sonata N line from a different dealer. Was able to get the seat adjusted more favorably and didn't experience the issue I posted about earlier. Just goes to show, sitting and driving in a car are very different. The car was quite fast. The engine is rated at 300 horsepower and 311 pound-feet of torque. Curb weight on the car around #3500. Lots of room in the rear and 16 cu ft trunk. 8 spd oil based dct trans, 22/32 mpg. Talk about lightning fast shifts. The reviews say this thing roasts tires like nothing. I don't know about that. Throttle control is an analog function, not binary So, I do like the car and would seriously consider it. Dealers are asking over msrp. I will not pay that for a kia/hyundai product. I don't want it that bad. Also, this engine is new for this year so need to give it time to work the bugs out.

I'll probably miss out on the inflated trade in value of the accord. That's ok. I rather pay more for a car with fewer bugs. Or who knows maybe some other sedan will pique my interest by then.