Autoblog Podcast #125
by Dan Roth on Apr 29th 2009 at 6:55PM 
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We're up to a buck and a quarter, and Episode #125 of the Autoblog Podcast is nearly a half-hour of value. Chris, Sam, and Dan jump in and cover a slew of recent topics. To start, Sam recounts his recent drive in a Cruze-based Volt mule. We turn our attention to Ford's stupid mileage tricks with a Fusion Hybrid before moving on to the honoring of Aston Martin's One77 at the Villa D'Este Concorso D'Eleganza. Of course, a big ol' whack of time is taken up by talk about industry happenings, both at GM and Chrysler, before we wrap up by answering some excellent questions from listeners. Hang in there for the full show, and as always, drop us a line at podcast at autoblog dot com, and don't forget our Twitter feed
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Wes Kenney 8:35PM (4/29/2009)
"...nearly a half-hour of value."
And you managed to pack all that into one hour and twenty-five minutes? Nice work, guys!
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4DSC_Man 9:00PM (4/29/2009)
The VW and Audi partnership didn't always work great, in the begining VW had been trying to move up market (ex. Phaeton). Audi didn't want VW to take some of their market share (A8). Of course that didn't work and the VW was taken away from the US market because people had a hard time spending so much for a VW anyway. Most people think of the cheap Beetle when they think of VW here in the US.
Not as big an issue in Germany and the rest of Europe. Audi/VW knew how to work the Europen market when they combined.
Your right Daimler/Chrysler didn't work because Daimler was in it for the money and Chrysler got stiffed on platform sharing or lack there of.
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jakecarolan 11:44AM (4/30/2009)
You mentioned the Mazda3 hatch w/ the 2.0 liter - that isn't an option, I'm pretty sure the 3 hatch has always had the 2.3 available as the smallest engine.
If you don't got a lot of dough but you want a fun new car, the Fit is a great option. The '09 is a great hatch and many people report mpg numbers significantly over the EPA numbers.
For that dude who wanted "a sportwagen of some sort," if he's looking to have more kids than the one upcoming, check out the Mazda5. That thing is sweet and super practical, and it comes available w/ a manual. If a WRX is out of consideration, and he wants AWD, you gotta love the Subaru Forester or Outback. The XTs have got plenty of go-fast if he wants to be sporty.
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marcus 12:49PM (4/30/2009)
Thanks for answering my question on the podcast. It is nice to know that I actually have a car at the top of my list that you guys liked. I usually pick bad cars (my intrepid as case in point) so I am really happy. I have 2 baby seats and an elderly mother in law that I cart around all the time. So the sliding doors are a big plus. I agree, if you have kids, nothing is easier than sliding doors. I have only had a short test drive in the Mazda5 so I did not get a chance to see how it really drives, but was impressed with the use of space. Not as much room as my wife's full size mini van, but more than I had expected. As for the Miata, with the top down, the top plate over the windshield runs right across the middle of my vision, and with the top up, I have to scoot WAY down to keep my head from hitting the top all the time. It is too bad. I really like the miata. oh well.
Once again, thanks for answering my email.
-Marcus
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James 9:17PM (4/30/2009)
Thanks for answering my question, I'm the guy looking for a sport wagon... I did drive the Mazda5, the drawback there was the lack of stability control availability which for me is a must. I hadn't really considered a lot of those used options you talked about so I definitely check some of them out.. I can't afford a new A4 avant but a used one does sound pretty appealing. You're also right about the Saab.. just after sending in the email I saw an ad for $9.5k off MSRP. As for the G35.. I do have a full set of snows for the winter and it's still terrible!
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David Ederer 1:56PM (5/01/2009)
Your dead on about the Chrysler/M&B take over, the Germans screwed Chrysler, then left them for dead. Hopefully the Italians are better people.
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