I’m a car enthusiast that’s ridiculously picky about his cars and am perpetually ‘shopping’ for the next one.
I’m currently obsessing over the VW Golf Sportwagen TDi with AWD that is said to be arriving in show rooms near you for the 2016 model year. It’ll be pokier than my current Jetta GLX but I’m not sure that will matter very much given the traffic on my daily commutes. It’ll for sure be better on gas and handle every bit as well too. All the luxuries and creature comforts will be there. Plus the utility of a wagon when I need it. Which isn’t often but I’ve always been a fan of the wagon and prefer it to the wobbly driving characteristics of the SUV.
So fantasy cars aside - yes, I’m looking at you Maserati - what’s in your realistic automotive shopping cart these days?
I don’t think I’ll be in the car market any time soon, but that Golf SportWagon does look interesting. If we had to get a new car today, the Volt would be high on my list, but the limited back seat space would probably be an issue. We’d probably end up going for another Prius, maybe the Prius V for the added space in the back.
May I suggest that a car that can actually drive, at highway speeds, for some non-trivial distance, on battery power is a lot more fun to drive than the plug-in Prius.
VW camper. The Vanagon-era ones used to be so cheap about 10 years ago, so I figured I’d always be able to pick one up but the prices have been going through the roof. One of these days I’ll snatch a reasonably priced one up off craigslist before it disappears 5 minutes later.
Yeah, one of the problems I sometimes have talking to other “car guys” is that I have absolutely zero need for speed. Give me quirky and slow any day.
Well, they didn’t just redesign it, they got rid of it. It’s widely speculated that once the sales of the current sedan-only WRX’s start flagging they’ll bring the hatchback back.
Yeah - got rid of the hatch, and lowered the roofline. Took me right outta the prospective market. Specially when I can buy me my Monza for a qtr of the price!
You are spot on re: them old VW busses/campers. Add them to the list of cars a lotta folk wish they had bought cheap a decade ago.
Of course, you could always get yerself a Greenbrier!
I’ll be interested in the Honda HR-V when it comes out later this year. It’s a crossover based on the Fit. I will lose interest if the back end is as small as the superficially similar Nissan Juke, though.
Is it just me, or does that Golf Sportwagen look like the first-generation Ford Focus wagon?
Ha, yeah. The Focus was kind of back when the eternal “curvy vs boxy” pendulum of automotive styling was just starting to swing from curvy to boxy whereas the Sportwagen seems to be one of the early signs we’re swinging back to curvy.
Can you actually plug in the Prius? I just visited a Prius dealer last week, mentioned plugging it in, and he said you don’t plug in a Prius because it’s a hybrid.
I hope they do bring it back. I drive a 2012 WRX Hatchback right now, and love it. If it got written off for some reason, I’d be looking for another one of the same generation. The new engine and transmission are sexy, but I don’t really think I can fit a 4x12 instrument cab in the trunk of the coupe.
Ok, I’d probably pick up a hatchback STI of that generation.
