What do you drive?

[71 dB]

I drive bicycle.

[Sergeant Rock]

Peter

Cool...a rocket-propelled Beetle.

Sarge

[Keemun]

I drive an automatic. 

[Sergeant Rock]

Mrs. Rock's car was declared dead a month ago. To replace it she ordered a Hyundai ix20 (a mini crossover or MPV), a 1.6 liter diesel with a six speed manual transmission. Designed in Germany (Rüsselheim) and manufactured in the Czech Republic. We picked it up today and took it out to dinner    at the Ristorante Siena in Osthofen (Italian cuisine). Left click to enlarge pics. (And yes, Mrs. Rock is a trekkie    )






Sarge

[Parsifal]

Mrs. Rock's car was declared dead a month ago. To replace it she ordered a Hyundai Ix20 (a mini crossover or MVP), a 1.6 liter diesel with a six speed manual transmission. Designed in Germany (Rüsselheim) and manufactured in the Czech Republic. We picked it up today and took it out to dinner    at the Ristorante Siena in Osthofen (Italian cuisine). Left click to enlarge pics. (And yes, Mrs. Rock is a trekkie    )






Sarge

Very cute.  Enough room inside?

[Sergeant Rock]

Very cute.  Enough room inside?

Massive (which is why she fell in love with it). Very tall, very wide, sliding back seats to increase trunk space. It actually defies the laws of physics, being bigger inside than out 

Sarge

[TheGSMoeller]

Nice car, Sarge. 

I drive a 2008 Hyundai Elentra, great car, almost 70K miles and no shop visits other than tires and oil changes.

[CaughtintheGaze]

Currently a 2005 Lancer, which I'm driving into the ground, but probably in the next year or so, this:

[Florestan]

I drive a 2008 Hyundai Elentra, great car, almost 70K miles and no shop visits other than tires and oil changes.

Exactly the same here except it's a 2004 Hyundai Accent.



(Mine is red).

[Sergeant Rock]

Nice car, Sarge. 

I drive a 2008 Hyundai Elentra, great car, almost 70K miles and no shop visits other than tires and oil changes.

Exactly the same here except it's a 2004 Hyundai Accent.

Good to know you're both happy with your cars. This is our first experience with the brand. I'm now lusting for the i40 (Sonata in the US):




Sarge

[TheGSMoeller]

I rented a Kia Soul a few weeks ago, drove it from GA to VA and back. About 18 hours behind the wheel. I laughed when I first saw the car, small and boxy, but a very smooth ride even at 80+ mph, and plenty of leg room. I believe Kia is Korean similar to Hyundai, is this right?

[Sergeant Rock]

I rented a Kia Soul a few weeks ago, drove it from GA to VA and back. About 18 hours behind the wheel. I laughed when I first saw the car, small and boxy, but a very smooth ride even at 80+ mph, and plenty of leg room. I believe Kia is Korean similar to Hyundai, is this right?

Hyundai owns a large share of Kia. Their cars share many components; many models are comparable.

Sarge

[Brian]

In November another driver pulled out in front of me and totaled my car - a '99 Camry with only 45,000 miles in thirteen years of use (!) - so now I'm rolling around in a 2013 Ford Focus. Great car, love it - fun to drive, quiet, 31.5 miles/gallon so far, all the space I need*, and the suspension smooths out Texas' crumbling infrastructure. My only complaint so far is that sometimes when I eject a CD, the radio automatically turns on. Odd, since I don't listen to radio.

*On a recent road trip, a friend and I had to transport not just our bags but $60,000 worth of stage lights for a theater in Houston. No problem!

[SonicMan46]

We've been Toyota Camry owners for years (automatic only - Susan never learned to drive a stick - mandatory for me in Michigan when taking HS driving and cars preferred by my parents) - our current two cars are now 7-8 years old, so need a replacement soon!  Like the 'roominess' of the Camry and are looking @ hybrid options (son has a Prius but we want a trunk?) - just updated my computer gear in the house, so will wait until the fall to make a decision; BUT, wanted to join this thread to seen what the suggestions may be, especially in the USA - Dave

[Brian]

We've been Toyota Camry owners for years (automatic only - Susan never learned to drive a stick - mandatory for me in Michigan when taking HS driving and cars preferred by my parents) - our current two cars are now 7-8 years old, so need a replacement soon!  Like the 'roominess' of the Camry and are looking @ hybrid options (son has a Prius but we want a trunk?) - just updated my computer gear in the house, so will wait until the fall to make a decision; BUT, wanted to join this thread to seen what the suggestions may be, especially in the USA - Dave

I had a Camry the first 7 years of my driving life, until it got totaled in November, as you can read a few posts above. After the wreck, I honestly did not look at the 2013 Camry since it was out of my price range (Corolla range), test-driving the Focus, Jetta, Mazda 3, and another car I'm forgetting. The new Focus actually handles a lot like my '99 Camry did - maybe a bit more power and acceleration, but getting behind the wheel feels really natural - not much of a learning curve to steering or pedals etc. I do hear the Fusion is very different.

My dad got car envy after I bought mine, so he went out and got a Honda Accord which feels quite luxurious inside. It's a substantially bigger car. (The Dodge Avenger, by the way, is bigger than any of the others in its class, I think; I've driven one pretty extensively and it's like having a boat.) I didn't get to test-drive it, but he's getting 35 MPG and enjoying pretty thoughtful interior design. If you're a gadget fan, you'll be happy to play with the blind-spot cameras on the side mirrors, and backup camera on the back of the car, which all feed video onto a dashboard display (but only when you're actually turning or going in reverse).

[snyprrr]

Pontiac 400

[Parsifal]

2004 Camry LX 4-door, 4 cylinder 5 speed manual transmission.  After 110,000 miles the car has never needed any repair other than routine maintenance.  Fuel economy is pretty good for a car of its size (recently got 35 mpg on a 300 mile highway trip).  A smaller car would probably do for most things, but looking at the mammoth things you see coming down the interstate (SUVs, etc) it makes me comfortable to be in a car which is large enough to give some protection in the event of an accident.

[springrite]

Bought VW cc (about the same as the Audi A4) to replace our aging Honda Accord. A beautiful car though it is really for the wife--better looking than practical as there are no convinient places to put things. Every little detail in the design is to serve the visual effect, I think.

I have been driving an automatic since I came back to China, which is probably better considering the traffic in Beijng, a city of 4.5 million cars or more. Took me a while to get used to it as just holding the steering while and step on the gas or break is just so so boring! Now I am too lazy to drive a stick shift, maybe.

[MishaK]

Good to know you're both happy with your cars. This is our first experience with the brand. I'm now lusting for the i40 (Sonata in the US):

I'm thinking about the Sonata hybrid or the Kia Optima hybrid (essentially the same thing in different packaging) as our next car, since my C230 Coupe a few pages back in this thread is getting to be a little impractical with a  family.

[Sergeant Rock]

I'm thinking about the Sonata hybrid or the Kia Optima hybrid (essentially the same thing in different packaging) as our next car

The Hyundai corporation must be tracking my online posting. They seem to know I'm lusting after the i40/Sonata because I received this in the mail today. It's damned tempting...the bastards 




Sarge