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I decided it was too nice a day to hang around inside all day, so I decided to go test drive some sedans.
I started with the Dodge Charger, which is essentially a de-wagoned Magnum in the current incarnation (I didn't ask if it came in orange with a brushguard, though). I liked the control layout a bit better, and the sight line issues were much less. However, I couldn't lower the seat enough to be comfortable with my front view (the front of the roof slopes down a bit so that the window starts lower, despite respectable head room in general), I kept slouching to avoid having the top of the window too close to eye level. As such, while it's not necessarily eliminated, there's enough little things that bug me that I'm probably not going with it either.
While testing the Charger, I discovered an effect that would not normally come up for me. Y'see, I had to open the rear driver's window to get the sticker out of the way so I could see more easily into that blindspot. But it was just a little too cool for having all the windows down. And at about 30mph I started getting a serious pressure wave thing going on as the aggressive aerodynamics of the car sucked air out of the cabin. At 40 mph, it actually started to hurt my ears. Having both rear windows open only made it worse. I ended up the rest of the test drive with both driver's side windows open and the others closed, minimizing the coldness while eliminating the pressure effect. I later experimented in my own car, and found I needed to get up to 70mph before I even NOTICED the pressure ripple, which says something about the laminar flow on the Charger.
Then I crossed town and tried out the Ford Fusion, the ads for which are desperate to keep people from thinking of the Taurus. I was going to also try the Mazda 6, but the dealer told me that the chasses for the two are pretty much the same. The Fusion has a body a little longer and a little wider for "the domestic market." "For tall and fat Americans, you mean?" I replied, and he chuckled and agreed. Since I am a tall and fat American, I decided to just test the Fusion. The 4-cylinder I tried felt a little underpowered, but not horribly so, which suggests that the V6 version would have more than enough power (I may try that one next weekend). Good handling, pretty much the same interior stuff as the Mazda 3 Wagon, unsurprisingly. The Fusion is cheaper than the Mazda 6, but not by a whole lot once you factor in the different levels of dealer incentives. However, if I decide I want a custom-made one rather than taking one off the lot, the Fusion is made in Mexico and would be ready in a month or so, while the Mazda 3 and 6 are made in Asia and take about two months since the travel time is a lot longer.
Went over my credit report after that (my credit rocks, I should be able to get the best financing deals wherever I go), and then I helped the dealer find Torsten's Alternators Page so he could look up the cars he sells. He was very impressed by the accuracy of the vehicle modes, and when he looked at Mirage I brought up the suggestion earlier on here that I test drive that GT. He laughed and said his boss had once remarked he'd let someone test drive that car for a thousand dollars...for a few seconds. The people who buy $130,000 cars do NOT test drive, in general. They come in, plop down the wad of cash (or its equivalent) and leave the lot with the car.
Then I showed him my J-Pop Jazz, triggering the quote in the subject line. Heh.
Right now, it's looking like I'm probably getting SOMETHING from the Ford/Mazda dealership, although there's still a couple of sedans I want to try before I make a decision.
I started with the Dodge Charger, which is essentially a de-wagoned Magnum in the current incarnation (I didn't ask if it came in orange with a brushguard, though). I liked the control layout a bit better, and the sight line issues were much less. However, I couldn't lower the seat enough to be comfortable with my front view (the front of the roof slopes down a bit so that the window starts lower, despite respectable head room in general), I kept slouching to avoid having the top of the window too close to eye level. As such, while it's not necessarily eliminated, there's enough little things that bug me that I'm probably not going with it either.
While testing the Charger, I discovered an effect that would not normally come up for me. Y'see, I had to open the rear driver's window to get the sticker out of the way so I could see more easily into that blindspot. But it was just a little too cool for having all the windows down. And at about 30mph I started getting a serious pressure wave thing going on as the aggressive aerodynamics of the car sucked air out of the cabin. At 40 mph, it actually started to hurt my ears. Having both rear windows open only made it worse. I ended up the rest of the test drive with both driver's side windows open and the others closed, minimizing the coldness while eliminating the pressure effect. I later experimented in my own car, and found I needed to get up to 70mph before I even NOTICED the pressure ripple, which says something about the laminar flow on the Charger.
Then I crossed town and tried out the Ford Fusion, the ads for which are desperate to keep people from thinking of the Taurus. I was going to also try the Mazda 6, but the dealer told me that the chasses for the two are pretty much the same. The Fusion has a body a little longer and a little wider for "the domestic market." "For tall and fat Americans, you mean?" I replied, and he chuckled and agreed. Since I am a tall and fat American, I decided to just test the Fusion. The 4-cylinder I tried felt a little underpowered, but not horribly so, which suggests that the V6 version would have more than enough power (I may try that one next weekend). Good handling, pretty much the same interior stuff as the Mazda 3 Wagon, unsurprisingly. The Fusion is cheaper than the Mazda 6, but not by a whole lot once you factor in the different levels of dealer incentives. However, if I decide I want a custom-made one rather than taking one off the lot, the Fusion is made in Mexico and would be ready in a month or so, while the Mazda 3 and 6 are made in Asia and take about two months since the travel time is a lot longer.
Went over my credit report after that (my credit rocks, I should be able to get the best financing deals wherever I go), and then I helped the dealer find Torsten's Alternators Page so he could look up the cars he sells. He was very impressed by the accuracy of the vehicle modes, and when he looked at Mirage I brought up the suggestion earlier on here that I test drive that GT. He laughed and said his boss had once remarked he'd let someone test drive that car for a thousand dollars...for a few seconds. The people who buy $130,000 cars do NOT test drive, in general. They come in, plop down the wad of cash (or its equivalent) and leave the lot with the car.
Then I showed him my J-Pop Jazz, triggering the quote in the subject line. Heh.
Right now, it's looking like I'm probably getting SOMETHING from the Ford/Mazda dealership, although there's still a couple of sedans I want to try before I make a decision.
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That's pretty much one of the platonic solids for automobile "Not recommended" in fact.