Mr. Gumby

While I agree, I actually think the Element was MUCH better looking than either of these design abortions, especially the Cube. I know some guys who have to drive Cubes as company cars. We joke about how they have to drive clown cars. They hate them.

Isn't that his opinion? Like I said before, I don't agree with it, I really like Ford's design direction! The Taurus, 2011 Explorer, Mustang, 2011 Focus... Heck, the only Fords that aren't lookers are the vans, but considering their targeted demographic... I'm eagerly awaiting to see what the next gen Mustang and F-150s designs will look like.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. BORG's opinion is no more right or wrong than anyone else, even though I strongly disagree. Sure, there are universal elements of design that, when followed, lead to an over all superior composition, but as a designer, I know that the paying customer is always right. It never ceases to amaze me when I create a great design for a customer and, after a lengthy process of changes and tweaks, the customer ends up with something I'd be embarrassed to put my name on. Back on topic: I don't think the Camaro's exterior design is all that bad. If fact, it is better than most cars being made today. Do the Mustang and Challenger both look better? Without any doubt or hesitation: YES. Does the Camaro's interior suck big time? YES. But the Camaro succeeds in creating a unique presence that immediately identifies it as being a pony car, without any of the horrible blatant design rip-offs that the Japanese and Korean cars use. I doubt the Camaro will keep the sales lead over the Mustang for very long unless GM addresses some of its glaring flaws: interior design/ergonomics and the weight of the pig. I do hope they continue to improve it, same with Dodge and the Challenger.

Yeah, this is a gimmicky trim line of the Cruze, much like the XFE and SFE Silverado and F-150s, but I'm all for competition. As more and more domestic cars get impressive mpg ratings, both Chevy and Ford's image will improve with the masses of people who think all the domestics make are gas-guzzling SUVs.

Mike, I love your site and read it daily. How did the Tundra get damaged during transit? Also, how did the electric steering in the F-150 compare with the other trucks?

No surprise the F-150 won, its new drive-train is simply heads and shoulders above those two competitors. I was surprised at how nice the Ram's interior was for a base trim. It, along with the F-150, has an interior that looks relevant in this day and age. Sadly, the GMC's interior looks at least a decade old. I wouldn't buy one just because the horrid interior. It must be heart-wrenching for any GM truck fanboi right now. The Silverado and Sierra must truck on for what, 2+ years before they get upgraded? Ouch. I know where Ford will be picking up a lot of new customers with the 2011 F-150s

Me please! Where do I sign up?

Which cab and rear end configurations do the EPA use when determining estimated mpg? I'm assuming they use regular or extended cab and the highest gearing available. If so, I would expect the 5.0 F150 to get much better real world mpg in crew cab and 4x4 configurations than similarly equipped 5.3 Chevies, simply because the 5.0 wouldn't have to work nearly as hard as the 5.3 to move all that weight around.

Exactly where did I mention balding has anything to do with character? Oh, that's right, no where. "My observations of Tundra owners." <-- that's what I said and I stand by my first-hand observation. Not trying to be a smartass. As for trim levels: I notice a healthy level of higher trim F150s around here, and this isn't exactly a rich area.

Tragic. I wonder if the couple in the Blazer would have survived had they been wearing their seatbelts. I simply do not understand why people STILL don't buckle up.

Good choice! I love my '05 Screw.

And that pretty much sums up my non-scientific, completely subjective observations of Tundra owners, and truck owners in general. My observations about the majority of full size pick-up truck owners: 1) Male 2) 21+ years old 3) brand loyal 4) generally speaking, know more about the mechanical side of their vehicle than the average car owner My observations of Tundra owners: 1) Male 2) 35+ years old (edit: removed personal observation) 3) Toyota loyal 4) know diddly-squat about the mechanical side of their vehicle but think they do. And in response to that wonderful article on Tundra Headquarters: Um, what the crap is this guy smoking? YTD sales of RAM Pickups: 140,889 YTD sales of Tundra trucks: 68,645 and for more laughs, YTD Silverado: 267,715 YTD Ford F-Series: 385,879 Heck, the Toyota has only sold 21,000 more Tundras than Ford sold F-series in September alone. Yep, the Tundra is just eating up the domestic market share! Translation: "We expected Toyota to take over the market because they are Toyota and nobody knows how to build vehicles like they do. (Sees the disastrous sales results 3 years later) However, we never expected Toyota to take over the market that quickly. Yeah... it um, takes time or something. The Tundra is great, Toyota didn't fail, it's just that.... um,.... well, you see, people who don't buy Toyotas are ignorant. Yep, THAT'S why it's taking time. I love you Toyota. Have my child." Yes, because the crux of sophistication is to endlessly flap your mouth about how fast your truck is. EVERYBODY knows sophisticated people try to race anybody at every red light. :rolleyes:

Darn, not only do we have drive thru restaurants and tobacco shops around here, we also have drive thru liquor stores! Yeehaw!

I completely agree with the dislike for the GMT800s, especially the trucks. Of course, I can't say I'm a fan of the 97-03 F150s either. And to give credit where credit is due, I actually think that the newer Chevy Suburban/Tahoe look very good. IMO, Chevy = better SUV, Ford = better pick up. Now, Ford could easily change that by making the Expedition more F150 like, and I don't think Chevy could just make the Silvy more Suburban like to fix it (if that makes any sense). The 2004 F150 was such a leap in design, it still looks contemporary when viewed against much younger rivals like the 2007 Silvy, 2009 RAM, and 2007 Tundra. That's probably why I bought a 2005

My predictions: By this time, GM will have their 3.0L turbo V6 ready and place it in the new Silvy. The same GM faithful that have been playing the "durability card" when dissing the 2011 F150 Ecoboost, will claim this is a brilliant move by GM and that GM proves once again that it is a leader in engines and drivetrains in the half-ton market. The new Silverado will move to 4 wheel drum brakes*. Although a few people will question the move, the die hards will applaud the decision to make the truck stop shorter (on the first stop) and save money. Besides, disc brakes are for sports cars, not "real" trucks. *except on the max tow package. In an effort to further reduce weight, the already pathetic front bumper will be completely removed and replaced by plastic. The wheel wells will remove any curves and be truly "square" due to popular demand. A beneficial side effect of the shape of the wheel wells/fenders will be the largest tire size that will fit will be 30", this will help improve fuel economy. *** Ok, but seriously. I hope they do a good job so the pressure remains on Ford to continue to improve the F-series.

I thought you were making a great tongue-in-cheek joke, but after glancing over the linked pdf file... wow, I'm stunned. Really? "What do you call a Toyota Technician?" "A zip-tie mechanic."

I was in the market for a supercrew F150 not long ago when this magic $7500 rebate news popped up. Best I could do was $3500 and that's with dealer financing. 8% vs 3% financing (what I got through a bank), doesn't take a genius to figure that one out! The prices on used 2009 screws were dropping, approaching 20k. Even though the new engines all look fantastic, I'd rather get a great deal on a 2009 with the 3v 4.6l. BTW, I ended up getting a 2005 SuperCrew, and have no intention of getting rid of it any time soon. It's a solid truck!

Reminds me of GM's truck and SUV interiors from the 80s through just recent years. Definitely not my cup of tea.

To me, Microsoft and Toyota are a lot alike. Where's the innovation coming out of either company? Apple has done lots of innovating over the years (innovate /= invent). Where would the computer world be today if it wasn't for Apple? Unfortunately Steve Jobs is a control freak which is quickly wearing the positive image of Apple. To me, Apple is the lesser of two evils, but seriously, use whatever hardware and software you like.

I was a big fan of Apple through their dark years, but I have to admit I don't care for Jobs one bit. I still love OS X and use it as my first choice, and I love the look of their hardware, but I'm definitely not a "fanboy". I just finished building my first hackintosh in fact, now I'm not sure I'll ever buy a computer from Apple again! (but you can guess which will be the primary OS on my machines). As for using a mac for a HTPC, I actually LOVE my Mac Mini as a HTPC. It's hooked up to a nice TV and internet, so we don't miss not having cable. Hulu and other internet streaming videos work great and the best part: I can store all my movies on an external hard drive (since I despise optical media, DVDs seem to always get scratched by the drop of a hair and are unusable after only a couple of years). I have optical audio coming out of the mini and going into my receiver so I get full 5.1 surround sound (if I encode the movie to take advantage of it). Anyway, Apple needs to lose Jobs' control obsession ASAP.

Yep, we had a rash of gas theft last year when prices skyrocketed, but the thieves didn't even bother with siphoning, they drilled holes directly into the gas tanks. Definitely not the brightest schmucks around because they could have easily caught themselves on fire, they got caught, and they stole primarily from a Honda dealership when there is a Toyota dealership just down the road with trucks that have larger fuel tanks and higher ground clearance.

I hardly watch any TV but I saw a couple of Avalon ads the other night. Both had actors who were the "perfect" anglo-american specimens and had ridiculously fake smiles the whole time while the atmosphere of the ads were placed in an art deco mid 20th century America setting. Just way over the top "American." It makes me want to puke any time I see a Toyota ad that tries so hard to convince us that they are just as American and apple pie loving as Ford or GM. Anyway, their website [false] advertising reminds me of this bit of ridiculousness found on Chevy's site.

LOL I loved how they fixed the dash on the passenger's side! But I think the GMI fans will be disappointed that it has Nav. Nav + pony car (apparently) = bad.

This is just more Toyota bashing! The problem is old people mistaking the brake for the accelerator. I mean, come on, this happens to every manufacturer, Toyota's just being singled out by the media and the government is conducting a witch hunt. Did I miss anything?

I really like the Command Seating and visibility in our 500. But... I have noticed that with the window rolled all the way down, I have to raise my elbow above 90 degrees to rest my arm on the window sill which is uncomfortable. My Ranger's belt line is perfect for resting the arm on the door with the window all the way down. Before the wife and I got the 500 we looked at a bunch of cars from several different manufacturers. One that we test drove was a Dodge Magnum. I really like the exterior styling but its high belt line definitely gave you the "looking through gun slit" feeling. The visibility was one of the reasons we didn't get that car (the other reason being the piss poor interior quality). We were recently looking at used trucks at our local (craptastic) Ford dealer and I showed my wife the 2010 Taurus. She felt claustrophobic just looking at it. I don't care, I still think it's one of the best looking sedans on the market!