Hey all!
I have no idea what car to do for the car blog. I can do a 2007 Mercedes-Benz C280 4MATIC, or a 2009 VW Jetta. The Mercedes I got to spend 3 glorious years with. The Jetta, a short but very sweet test drive that left me wanting it as my own....dam salesguy caught onto that =(
anyways, you choose! comment with the answer!
Monday, February 21, 2011
Sunday, February 13, 2011
2008 Lexus ES350
Sorry I am so late doing this. School has been interfering a bit. Also I needed to get the car clean so I could do this...I hope you all enjoy!
So this review will be on one of the Lexus', the ES350. It uses a 6 speed, 3.5 liter V6, front wheel drive.
The car has some good features. This one does not have the nav. system in so its a basic radio / 6 disc changer system. The system is amazing! Great sounds, and in the center console there is a AUX input, so you can hook up your iPod or phone, whatever you use to play music. Now if you don't want to take your eyes off the road to fumble around with the volume, or other controls you can use the steering wheel mounted controls. That uses the volume, favorite radio stations, bluetooth phone with voice commands (only for phone functions), mode (lets you go from FM to AM to AUX to DISC), and the voice command button. Pretty easy to use. However the hands free bluetooth is not very good. When the phone was hooked up, the person on the other end couldn't really hear you, mostly because the microphone for this is right where your right knee is! So that's a feature I hope has gotten improved throughout the years.
More on technology in the car since it is one topic I love. Well Lexus uses the push to start on all models now (except in the SC model). So you have a smartkey* for the car. Most of the time you can keep the "key" in your pocket, or purse. If you want to lock the car push the button on the door handle. To unlock it just open the door. One thing I enjoy is the summer cabin entry thing. You point the "key" at the car and hold the unlock button. All the windows, and sunroof open and lets air in, thus cooling your car. Another feature I like is when you shift the car into R the mirrors tilt down giving you good viability, great for parking and parallel parking! Put the car back into D or P and the mirrors go back to the way they were. Honestly the car is pretty good on technology..Any questions on it ask plz =)
Driving the car is comfortable with an edge of pep to it. The 6-speed automatic is very good. Up-shifts, down-shift are done very well! If you are more for a sporty ride put the car in S-mode and have fun! It starts out in 4'th gear for some odd reason, but just tap the shifter down to 1'st and get going! Very fun driving in sport mode and the car is very responsive in it. Another thing is the ride is so Lexus! That's the only way I can describe it! You can literally go over 70 mph and not really notice! Also, I gotta commend the braking power on this car! I was driving it in the dark and there was a deer in the road about 20-30 feet give or take. Now the car is equipped with brake-assist. So when I hit the brake I stopped in 2 seconds and the seatbelt kept me in place! It saved me and the deer. So if anyone from Lexus is reading this, thank you for the braking power!
Styling I think is pretty awesome. The lights in the front are beautiful and the tail lights are great. The active, curve bi-xenon's or halogen lights (cant remember) are amazing! The curves on the body of the car are seamless and give the car attitude. Chrome accents on the grill, door handles, and around the fog-lights add a elegant touch that shows Lexus means business. Inside the car is leather with nice wood touches on the center console, steering wheel, shifter, and dash area. As I mentioned before the car has elegant curves. Lexus added a curve inside on the dash that is give or take on styling. Some may not like it, it has grown on me.
The car is HUGE in my opinion. When parallel parking the mirror feature I mentioned above it great because the car is so big. Inside you have plenty of room for all passengers. Leg room, head room, knee room, whatever is there. You can easily fit in four passengers. The fifth may be snug depending on size but honestly is not that bad. Trunk space is huge as well. I go to Wildwood, NJ with my family and we pack the trunk 100% full. The trunk holds a lot, but if you are looking to put in furniture or something I would recommend getting a SUV instead. My family has tried and it either involves taking the furniture apart or damage to the interior of the car.
All in all the car is amazing. Rides great, no issues so far, good features, spacious, great styling, good resale value, etc. Its all here. So if your looking to get one I hope this has helped. I should say if you are going to use the bluetooth phone system have Lexus install your phone because it's complicated.
Any questions on the car ask =)
So this review will be on one of the Lexus', the ES350. It uses a 6 speed, 3.5 liter V6, front wheel drive.
The car has some good features. This one does not have the nav. system in so its a basic radio / 6 disc changer system. The system is amazing! Great sounds, and in the center console there is a AUX input, so you can hook up your iPod or phone, whatever you use to play music. Now if you don't want to take your eyes off the road to fumble around with the volume, or other controls you can use the steering wheel mounted controls. That uses the volume, favorite radio stations, bluetooth phone with voice commands (only for phone functions), mode (lets you go from FM to AM to AUX to DISC), and the voice command button. Pretty easy to use. However the hands free bluetooth is not very good. When the phone was hooked up, the person on the other end couldn't really hear you, mostly because the microphone for this is right where your right knee is! So that's a feature I hope has gotten improved throughout the years.
More on technology in the car since it is one topic I love. Well Lexus uses the push to start on all models now (except in the SC model). So you have a smartkey* for the car. Most of the time you can keep the "key" in your pocket, or purse. If you want to lock the car push the button on the door handle. To unlock it just open the door. One thing I enjoy is the summer cabin entry thing. You point the "key" at the car and hold the unlock button. All the windows, and sunroof open and lets air in, thus cooling your car. Another feature I like is when you shift the car into R the mirrors tilt down giving you good viability, great for parking and parallel parking! Put the car back into D or P and the mirrors go back to the way they were. Honestly the car is pretty good on technology..Any questions on it ask plz =)
Driving the car is comfortable with an edge of pep to it. The 6-speed automatic is very good. Up-shifts, down-shift are done very well! If you are more for a sporty ride put the car in S-mode and have fun! It starts out in 4'th gear for some odd reason, but just tap the shifter down to 1'st and get going! Very fun driving in sport mode and the car is very responsive in it. Another thing is the ride is so Lexus! That's the only way I can describe it! You can literally go over 70 mph and not really notice! Also, I gotta commend the braking power on this car! I was driving it in the dark and there was a deer in the road about 20-30 feet give or take. Now the car is equipped with brake-assist. So when I hit the brake I stopped in 2 seconds and the seatbelt kept me in place! It saved me and the deer. So if anyone from Lexus is reading this, thank you for the braking power!
Styling I think is pretty awesome. The lights in the front are beautiful and the tail lights are great. The active, curve bi-xenon's or halogen lights (cant remember) are amazing! The curves on the body of the car are seamless and give the car attitude. Chrome accents on the grill, door handles, and around the fog-lights add a elegant touch that shows Lexus means business. Inside the car is leather with nice wood touches on the center console, steering wheel, shifter, and dash area. As I mentioned before the car has elegant curves. Lexus added a curve inside on the dash that is give or take on styling. Some may not like it, it has grown on me.
The car is HUGE in my opinion. When parallel parking the mirror feature I mentioned above it great because the car is so big. Inside you have plenty of room for all passengers. Leg room, head room, knee room, whatever is there. You can easily fit in four passengers. The fifth may be snug depending on size but honestly is not that bad. Trunk space is huge as well. I go to Wildwood, NJ with my family and we pack the trunk 100% full. The trunk holds a lot, but if you are looking to put in furniture or something I would recommend getting a SUV instead. My family has tried and it either involves taking the furniture apart or damage to the interior of the car.
All in all the car is amazing. Rides great, no issues so far, good features, spacious, great styling, good resale value, etc. Its all here. So if your looking to get one I hope this has helped. I should say if you are going to use the bluetooth phone system have Lexus install your phone because it's complicated.
Any questions on the car ask =)
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
2009 Chevy Cobalt 1LT coupe
Driving it is usually a fun thing to do. Put your foot to the floor and enjoy a very good acceleration. Braking is pretty good as well. I notice the up-shifts and downshifts while driving but aren't to noticeable so the ride is still good. The ride is sporty, agile, and fun. It has a nice peppy ride that's fun to drive around curves and on the highway. The car is great on pavement on does pretty good on very light off-roading. The most off road I've done is to get to parks near me, or a old mostly dirt road. However, get the car in snow and its a different story. Driving in the snow I cant go above 25mph. Otherwise I slide around like crazy. Actually hit a curb on our first big snowfall. So if you are living where there is snow drive cautiously.
Taking care of the car is simple. I keep it maintained by the dealership (who knows how much longer that will last) and I keep it clean inside and out.
Styling is cool. I chose the coupe because it looked better then the sedan. I mention below about the antenna confusion, but the exterior looks nice. Trunk space is good with the 60/40 rear seats that can be put down for added trunk space. I really wish sometimes the trunk opening wasn't so limited. It would be awesome if the trunk opening was that of a hatchback, Like in the Scion TC coupe. Interior design is lacking compared to a Honda Civic. The inside has plastics that have odd gaps if I had a screwdriver could pry right apart (not that I have tried). The inside is nice though. The radio works great with the TONS of favorites you can set up. Also the automatic lights work good and the controls are well laid out and easy to understand.
Now somethings that I do not understand about the car is it has two antennas, the Onstar antenna which looks like a cool antenna. Then you have the old looking one that just sticks off the back, makes styling in my mind outdated. Also, you can unlock the trunk three ways: key fob, in car button, or key. Now when you use the key the alarm goes off. The car is unlocked and the alarm goes off. Odd in my mind. This may be a wiring issue but occasionally when I have my high beams on and I have my signal on for a right hand turn the lights shut off and the orange lights are on, I am basically driving in the dark.
Other then listed above I have had 2 issues with the car. A couple months ago my whole shifter broke. I went to back up and I wasn't moving. No my E-brake wasn't on. The shifter indicator (a red thing moved when you shift) was broken as well. So the only way I knew I was in certain gears was by how many clicks I heard. OK four clicks I am in drive. So long story short I needed a new shifter. Thank god I am under warranty. Car wasn't even two yet and the shifter broke. Also I have had one accident with my car. My car has Onstar crash response. In my accident I hit a guy making a illegal u-turn. Well no one answered me from Onstar like in the commercials.
All in all the car I have mixed feelings on. I usually love the car. It is fun to drive, but if you are looking for good resale value go to Toyota or Scion. My car is two years old end of last month and still runs great and its all good; as it should. Now comparing it to the other cars I have driven (I learned driving a 2007 Mercedes C280 4MATIC) this car can easily be beat. But for a compact car and the price category and everything it does great. Chevy replaced the Cobalt with the Cruze. So if your looking at a used one I hope my review helped.
Next week look for my review on: 2007 Lexus ES350.
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