ACROSS THE POND - Suzuki Swift Sport

For those Americans who are unaware of their surroundings, Suzuki of Canada sells a version of the Chevrolet Aveo called the Swift+. (Pontiac offers the Wave - identical.) Suzuki deprives all North Americans of plenty things; fortunately for us, in some cases. But, in light of rising fuel prices; smart fortwo's entrance into the market; and the Fiat Panda 100HP only just shown here on GoodCarBadCar, we ought to know a little bit about the real Suzuki Swift.

And when it comes to The Good Car Guy @ GoodCarBadCar, the Swift Sport is most interesting. The price has risen above and beyond that of the Panda 100HP, but we're still below that of basic Mini Cooper's and a fair £3,000 below cars like the Euro-Civic and Focus. Small budget? Don't wanna bother with a car if you can't have fun? True enough, there ain't much available on our side of the pond, but Across The Pond, you can have a lot of fun with a little cash.

Swift Sport's are decently equipped inside, and under the hood you'll fire up a 1.6L, 125 bhp 4-cylinder. That little bit of power has to deal with a scant 2431 pounds. Whoop-dee-ding. The Swift Sport really is sportacious. Besides, with power windows and locks and mirrors; air-con; and audio controls on the steering wheel, what want ye more? Watch the clip - if you're in North American it'll be a while before you see a Suzuki Swift Sport in action, if ever. Enjoy the lingo.

TOKYO AUTO FREAK SHOW - Part I

Famous, perhaps even infamous, for its offbeat concept cars, this year the Tokyo Auto Show is garnering a little extra attention for its offbeat and also green, environmental nature of its concepts.

GoodCarBadCar won't attempt to offer a diatribe per or even an expose or epistle regarding these wacky concepts. How about a freak-o-meter, exemplified best by five ¥. Now, you might expect that the Japanese monetary symbol may be mockery, indicating that more ¥ is equivalent to less yen in real life. But in Japan, who really knows? Certainly not The Good Car Guy. When tastes vary as widely as the behavior of Yakuza kumichos and the youth of Osaka, anything is possible. Check back to GoodCarBadCar later for the all Toyota Tokyo Freak Show.

NISSAN PV200 - ¥¥¥









SUBARU STELLA REVESTA - ¥¥










NISSAN ROUND BOX - ¥¥¥









NISSAN PIVO 2 - ¥¥¥¥¥









SUZUKI KIZASHI 2 - ¥¥

CANADIAN BUYS NEW CHEVROLET IN OTTAWA - LEARNS LATER IT HAD BEEN DROPPED

Americans know it as the Suzuki Reno and Firenza, but in Canada, Chevrolet sold the Daewoo-developed car as the Optra and Optra5. 

Last year, Bill Jamer - one m short of a great name - bought a 2007 Optra5 from an Ottawa-area Chevrolet dealership as a new car for $21,000. Apart from the fact that few people were paying that sort of money for a new Optra last year (unless Bill's including all his fees and taxes), Bill was swindled in a major way by the Chevrolet dealer.

Of course, General Motors wants nothing to do with it. Dealers are distinct operations with no ties but for the logo on the sign. See, Bill Jamer thought he bought a new car. He was led to believe he was buying a new car. After the paint began to blister on the hood of his Chevrolet Optra5, however, Bill took the car to a Nova Scotia dealership where they discovered the hood and front bumper had been repaired at some point. 

Since Bill Jamer knew nothing of any repairs, it became quite obvious quite quickly that Jim Tubman Motors in Ottawa had reason to repair the Optra5 before Bill Jamer bought it. Strange that, by law, Bill is bound to disclose the "accident" related to his car when he attempts to sell it, but Jim Tubman Motors never felt necessary to disclose the information to Bill Jamer.

Apparently, between the GM plant and the dealership in Ottawa, Ontario, the car had come off the trailer hard. After much wrangling, Bill Jamer was offered $1,200 to pay for the cost of repairing paint blisters. He'll be taking Jim Tubman Motors to court, however. His car wasn't worth $21,000 when new, although it was impossible for him to know that, and the cost of dealing with the problem; the repairs, and that lost value all need to be reimbursed, in his mind.

Jamer says GM told him, "We only build the cars. We don’t sell them to the public." Meanwhile the dealership said, "It was damaged by the company in shipment, before we took ownership of it. We just put the new fenders on and stuff, so it’s not our problem."

External links: 

Chronicle-Herald

Jim Tubman Motors (email: jimtubmanmotors@gm.ca, phone: (613) 733-4050  

GM Canada Contact

(Jamer photo from the Chronicle-Herald)

AVOID!

Three reasons for not buying the Buick Lacrosse/Allure? To begin with, how old are you? If you're 75, you likely don't want to announce it. If you're under 40; you typically steer clear of activities and purchases which cause you to appear over 80 years of age. So.... why are you considering the Lacrosse?

Secondly, driver involvement. Well, there is none. The Buick Enclave is a gigantic crossover and few drivers would expect to derive 'fun' from such a vehicle. Lacrosse/Allure is a largish midsize sedan. Quiet Tuning is terrific, Buick. What about suspension tuning that would do more than just smother the bumps?

Finally, other cars. Other cars offer plenty of reason to avoid an Allure. Honda's Accord or a Subaru Legacy would provide the aura of youthfulness with driver enjoyment. The Lacrosse will, however, keep you safe.



Saab makes a car which it entitles the 9-5. I once drove inside an old 9000 Turbo. It felt really fast. The turbo lag was so sick it was awesome. The 9-5 isn't much different, a decade.5 later. Yikes, isn't that enough reason? Do I need to give you three reasons to avoid the Saab 9-5? Here's four.

1. It looks familiar. Like a 1994 Saab 9000 kind of familiar.
2. 2008 Cadillac CTS (A fellow General Motors car - a car GM whose development GM invested in.)
3. Audi A6
4. It's not a jet.
   

Suzuki makes a thing - a car I guess - called the Aerio. They also have the Reno, Forenza, and SX4. The SX4 is basically a better Aerio. And the SX4 is still available as a hatch. With all-wheel drive. And a lower base price. The Aerio looks like the type of vehicle that European automakers stop making, then license the building of it to some south-Asian country to market as their own. The Aerio would make a great Perodua flagship. I need no other justification for naming the Aerio as a Must-Avoid.

No humans were harmed in the making of the following video. Fortunately, a car was.

STRANGE TIMING FOR TRUCK ADVERTISING IN MONTHLY MAGS

Depressing though the good-looking Mazda CX-7's test numbers from Motor Trend's September issue may be (0-60mph in 7.7 and 17 miles per gallon), especially in light of the Subaru Forester's impressive statistics (0-60 in 6.6 and 19.6 mpg), it's downright alarming the extent to which low mpg vehicles were advertised in the issue that's already on newsstands.

It's not a hard case to make: heavily market the products that you're struggling to sell. Make the buyers aware. On the other hand, expensive advertising directed toward an ever-shrinking market - especially when the products mentioned are already very well-known.... now that seems a little bit silly.

Surely different marketing executives would present differing views on the merits of extensive truck advertising. In a year when the long-time best-selling vehicle in America, Ford's F-150, has been out-sold by four cars over the last couple months, some of the numbers you'll see below are surprising.

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2 - pages of advertising GMC placed inside the cover for the Acadia, a 19mpg large crossover

2 - pages of advertising Mercedes-Benz placed for the 15mpg C63 AMG

1 - page of advertising for the Cadillac Escalade Hybrid, a 20.5mpg SUV

12 - pages of advertising (including a centrefold) for the Chevrolet Silverado which is, at best, a 17.5mpg pick-up truck

1 - page of advertising for the Cadillac CTS, a 22mpg luxury sedan

2 - pages of advertising Dodge placed with business-reply mail for the Ram pickup

1 - page of advertising for the 19mpg Honda Pilot

1 - page of combined advertising for the 22mpg Nissan Maxima and the GT-R

1 - page of advertising for the Infiniti FX which is, at best, a 19mpg sporty crossover

1 - page of advertising for the Toyota Matrix, a small hatchback that can achieve a combined 29mpg

1 - page of advertising for the new Kia Borrego, a body-on-frame large SUV that's available with a V8 but can touch 19mpg with a V6

1 - page of advertising for the 26mpg Suzuki SX4 on the inside of the back cover

1 - page of advertising for the 25.5mpg Acura TSX on the back cover

18.8 - average (best) combined MPG rating of the first five vehicles you'll see advertised in Motor Trend's September issue

22.8 - average (best) combined MPG rating for the final seven vehicles you'll see advertisied in MT/09

WHO BUILDS THEM TOUGH? SMALL, THIRSTY, SUVs

Simply put, "truck-based" SUVs are generally perceived to be less economical at the fuel pumps. These days, the worse the vehicle's efficiency; the more likely it is that sales numbers for that vehicle are dwindling. Phrases like "truck-based" or "body-on-frame" or simply "real SUV" stand in stark contrast to increasingly common terms like "crossover" CUV" or "crossover utes". 

Does the perception match reality if applied to the smallest examples of tall-bodied, lofty-drive driving position, usually all-wheel drive vehicles? In a word..... yes. While not necessarily the most fuel efficient or least fuel efficient drivetrain combinations for each vehicle are applied here (many transmission choices make little or no difference these days; sometimes the engine doesn't either), this sampling of vehicles are relatively well known and position themselves as tough or carlike. 

(Check out AutoEnergy to see the real life difference between the Nissan Xterra and Nissan Rogue)

Except for one, that is. Suzuki wants you to think that its Grand Vitara is in between; merging the best of tough with the best of car.  Guess what - the fuel efficiency story agrees with Suzuki, dropping the Grand Vitara in between the tough SUVs and the more car-like CUVs.

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Hummer H3 V8 - 14mpg

Jeep Wrangler 6-spd man - 16mpg 

Toyota FJ Cruiser man -16mpg

Nissan Xterra man - 17mpg

Dodge Nitro 4.0L - 17mpg

Suzuki Grand Vitara man - 18mpg

Ford Escape - 19mpg

Hyundai Santa Fe - 19mpg

Kia Sportage - 19mpg

Toyota RAV4 - 21mpg

Honda CR-V - 22mpg