M. Schneider Posted May 30, 2009 Share Posted May 30, 2009 Feel sorry for you guys in the US... But the industry isn´t just f***ing you for laughs. It´s the normal process being a tiny minority in a country with bad taste, fat asses and love for plasic interior, as long as it´s got a V8 or fit a soccerteam and a ton of K-mart groceries. Of course this is more of a compliment to u guys than a description of your fellow compatriot:) +1. In a broad stroke kinda way this post describes the US car buyer to the tee. "hey,,,, here's 99 cent's .... get me that Bucket-O-Coke special at the 7-11 store" Cheers, Mike |`94 E-Class Coupe |`98 Carrera 993 C2S |`14 Cayman S |`20 Outback Touring XT | All Debadged | Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IwannaSportSedan Posted May 30, 2009 Share Posted May 30, 2009 The thing is... A non-discerning car buyer, as described... will likely buy what ever is available that they can afford. A discerning enthusiast will not, and expects the best possible for the dollar. The non-discerning buyer typically follows what they hear about. An Enthusiast talks about what they like. So building the best car possible for the target market segment, and optioning it for an enthusiast's taste in context of the car's intended purpose... how exactly does that shun the non-discerning buyer? Catering to the un-decided is a bogus premise. The un-decided are not the people that should be catered to, they are un-decided for their own reasons, and will follow those who are more discerning. Build for the people who KNOW, and then the people who don't know, or don't care... get better products anyway. Building for the lowest common denominator is a bullcrap strategy, and that is what the car companies are doing, including the domestics having dug their graves by it. America is easy to target for having lazy consumers... and there certainly are some... like anywhere else where the people have two coins to rub together. But the US also has one of the biggest, most diverse automotive enthusiast cultures in the world. and the means to buy the products that they like, at least so far. So... copping out and blaming the american consumer is just as easy, and as incorrect, as building cars for the sheeple, instead of the enthusiasts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommyh Posted May 30, 2009 Share Posted May 30, 2009 Maybe SOA is doing this on purpose so that they also can run themselves into the ground and get a nice fat bailout check. Martin Luther - "Who loves not women, wine and song remains a fool his whole life long." EL4NFZT7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShrinerMonkey Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 Ummmm, yeah. Looks like I will be holding onto my 2006 2.5i Wagon for a LOOOONG time if this is the direction that Subaru is going with their designs. Boring, ugly, Toyota like, milk toast mobiles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdvictor Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 I dont normally like wagons, but that new Legacy wagon actually looks good to me. Especially with the STI bits http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f30/trev2/1-43.jpg Damn. I wouldn't mind that. Then again, i'm in a minority. Stupid americans with their propensity for SUVs and large cars Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D_J Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 The new Legacy wagon would be a home run if it wasn't for those goofy batmobile headlights. It looks like something from a cartoon. lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
issai Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 What a fickle crowd-- I thought I left all that behind when I waved sayonara to the BMW crowd and jumped ship to Subaru LOL. Interesting how some car designs are accentuated positively in brighter colors, and others in darker colors. I love the wagon redesign, especially in brighter colors. The white one looks HOT. To me the Legacy tends to look better in silver / white. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atc5 Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 Do want! http://carview-img02.bmcdn.jp/minkara/usercar/000/000/463/076/463076/p1.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 Me do not. The JDM wagon exterior is passable, and with some external mods and lowering has potential to look decent. But still looks like a minivan from most angles. It's too tall. And the interior makes me http://www.clicksmilies.com/s1106/wuerg/vomit-smiley-019.gif And the list of "improvements" such as cable shifter, electric brake are virtual deal breakers. "Virtual" because we're not going to see this car here anyway... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Syndicate Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 ...I'm liking the look, but would have liked to see the rear glass continued back to the hatch though. I'm not seeing any minivan vibe whatsoever (I spent 8-hours in one yesterday and there is no resemblance), but I will concur that I think the '10 is a tad too tall. I'd like the wagon even more if it were available stateside. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 I should say compact wagon or space wagon segment. Non-existent here, but popular in Japan and Europe. Looks like something like Renault Scenic or JDM Mazda MPV, or JDM Honda Odessey. http://www.japanesesportcars.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/mazda-mpv-011508.jpghttp://www.itechnews.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/honda-jdm-odyssey.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viber Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 Hell, maybe the wagon and crossover revolution will result in Mazda throwing their hat in. That would be hot as hell... http://carview-img02.bmcdn.jp/carlife/images/usercar/321860/p1.jpg http://carview-img02.bmcdn.jp/carlife/images/usercar/295927/p1.jpg http://carview-img02.bmcdn.jp/carlife/images/usercar/274803/p1.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommyh Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 The Mazda6 wagon was already a failure in the American market, why the heck would they try it again? Martin Luther - "Who loves not women, wine and song remains a fool his whole life long." EL4NFZT7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IwannaSportSedan Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 The Mazda6 wagon was already a failure in the American market, why the heck would they try it again? Yeah, because market conditions, and opinions never change, and products never should be intelligently improved to have more merit... What if Thomas Edison had said that about the first ~1000 times he tried to make the lightbulb work, before he actually found the right mix... But as long as the Japanese companies seem to have a desire to sell something different in the US than the rest of the world... we'll continue to get the dumbed-down products. ROW also gets the 5-door sedan of the much more attractive ROW Mazda 6. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viber Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 The Mazda6 wagon was already a failure in the American market, why the heck would they try it again? A lot has changed since 2005. Had you told me there was a market for the Honda FIT back then, I would have laughed at you There are a huge number of hatchbacks on the market no. Many of those people will graduate to a wagon or crossover now that SUV, and Super SUV's are in decline, and will be further in decline with the higher CAFE standards, carbon taxing, and rising gas prices. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D_J Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 That Mazda looks almost exactly like the Venza - not my cup of tea but yea a million times better than fat SUV gas hogs that get 5 mpg. If they made more of these and actually had them on the lots in more than 10 cities, they would sell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bebopper Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 The new Legacy wagon would be a home run if it wasn't for those goofy batmobile headlights. It looks like something from a cartoon. lol I can get past the goofy headlights if the driving dynamics are very good. It is a shame that those of us who want an AWD wagon (and not a truck!) will be forced to BMW, Audi or maybe the new Honda "crossover." Why is it that Audi and BMW each offer AWD wagons in two model ranges in the US, and Subaru who has higher sales volumes, has given up. I have owned three Legacy wagons because I like wagons and I like Subaru reliability. The Outback has nothing for me, so I guess i will be moving on in the next year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viber Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 I can get past the goofy headlights if the driving dynamics are very good. It is a shame that those of us who want an AWD wagon (and not a truck!) will be forced to BMW, Audi or maybe the new Honda "crossover." Why is it that Audi and BMW each offer AWD wagons in two model ranges in the US, and Subaru who has higher sales volumes, has given up. I have owned three Legacy wagons because I like wagons and I like Subaru reliability. The Outback has nothing for me, so I guess i will be moving on in the next year. Subaru sank the Legacy Wagon by having way too much overlapping product that cannibalized each other due to customer confusion. Plus the Legacy wagon had the weakest ad campaign, which also hurt customer awareness Look at what toyota is doing with the Venza. Its a wagon that has zero competition within the Toyota family. When Honda does its wagon it too will have the stage all to itself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommyh Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 Look at what toyota is doing with the Venza. Its a wagon that has zero competition within the Toyota family. Matrix. Martin Luther - "Who loves not women, wine and song remains a fool his whole life long." EL4NFZT7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viber Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 Matrix. Not even close. There is no overlap in price tag, features, size, passenger room, cargo capacity, or power Sit inside and the differences hit like a sledgehammer http://z.about.com/d/cars/1/0/E/2/1/tms_09matrix_s_int.jpg http://autoshow.roadfly.com/wp-content/gallery/2009-toyota-venza/toyota-venza-interior.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bebopper Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 Subaru sank the Legacy Wagon by having way too much overlapping product that cannibalized each other due to customer confusion. Plus the Legacy wagon had the weakest ad campaign, which also hurt customer awareness Look at what toyota is doing with the Venza. Its a wagon that has zero competition within the Toyota family. When Honda does its wagon it too will have the stage all to itself. Good points. It seems to me that the Legacy GT wagon has a strong enthusiast following. Every brand needs folks like us who support the brand. Nothing against Outback drivers, but the ones I know are usually more after the utility, then the sport. I don't know about the actual sales volumes, but I know I see Legacy GT wagons more often then Outback XT's. It just bums me out that I will not be able to get a replacement for the wagon I have enjoyed driving over the last five years. I was really looking forward to the next evolution of the Legacy wagon. I test drove an '09 A4 Avant and the drivetrain feels no more civilized than my 5 year old Subaru. I drove a BMW 328ix Wagon, and subjective opinions about looks aside, the engine is silky smooth, but the cramped back seat barely seats two and the cargo area is small. Subaru is really showing their ignorance of their customer base. The Legacy GT Wagon won rave reviews from many car magazines in '05 and '06. More than one auto mag writer bought Legacy GT wagons, including Steve Thompson from Autoweek. It is just a shame we won't get the wagon that other parts of the world will get to enjoy. Alright, I'm done complaining! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viber Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 Good points. It seems to me that the Legacy GT wagon has a strong enthusiast following. Every brand needs folks like us who support the brand. Nothing against Outback drivers, but the ones I know are usually more after the utility, then the sport. I don't know about the actual sales volumes, but I know I see Legacy GT wagons more often then Outback XT's. It just bums me out that I will not be able to get a replacement for the wagon I have enjoyed driving over the last five years. I was really looking forward to the next evolution of the Legacy wagon. I test drove an '09 A4 Avant and the drivetrain feels no more civilized than my 5 year old Subaru. I drove a BMW 328ix Wagon, and subjective opinions about looks aside, the engine is silky smooth, but the cramped back seat barely seats two and the cargo area is small. Subaru is really showing their ignorance of their customer base. The Legacy GT Wagon won rave reviews from many car magazines in '05 and '06. More than one auto mag writer bought Legacy GT wagons, including Steve Thompson from Autoweek. It is just a shame we won't get the wagon that other parts of the world will get to enjoy. Alright, I'm done complaining! Now would be a smart time to bring a wagon back to the USA. SUV's are in decline. Now that gas prices are back on the rise, people will be reminded why 15mpg SUV's are a bad idea. The Forester is now a crossover and is in a different segment altogether. Plus the interior is crap. Yeah there is the Outback, and I personally think Subaru should do away with the "Tall Legacy Wagon with Cladding" strategy, but all in all, the market is ripe for a Legacy wagon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest heightsgtltd Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 The new CTS sportwagon looks like an interesting option for people..I might check it out though I dont know how I would feel about telling people that I drove a cadillac Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjiz Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 Im sorry, but what is with the Aloha on the Mazda6? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bebopper Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 The new CTS sportwagon looks like an interesting option for people..I might check it out though I dont know how I would feel about telling people that I drove a cadillac You know, I thought the exact same thing! I always put function before form in my car choices, but it would have to drive pretty darn good for me to get past the "edgy" styling...http://www.cadillac.com/cadillacjsp/experience/news_2010_cts_sport_wagon.jsp? Plus, I haven't owned an American brand car in about 32 years. I don't know if I could change that now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.