@fhrblig: But unlike a credenza, I don't think I'll want a Cadenza just so I can say the word itself. I'm thinking of buying a credenza just so, next time I move, I can ask my buddies to 'put the credenza over there'. I'd probably end up putting sheets, cigars and hats in it; maybe I could put something in there that people would want to borrow, just so I can tell them, 'Oh that? Should be in the credenza'. Credenza credenza credenza.
Of course, if this car can detect poison in your food, that would be pretty cool. #kiacadenza
Excellent, the Jimmy Durante edition Camry has arrived. Ha-cha-cha-cha!
Heated steering wheels? Have all the automakers gone completely off the deep end? Do they assume that we're all as soft as that? When it's cold out, I wear gloves. I know the car's going to be cold, too, so I keep the gloves on. By the time the heater's working, enough warmth has seeped through my gloves to the surface of the steering wheel that, if I so choose, I could take the gloves off and not have an icy surface to hold.
I'm betting that the steering wheel doesn't heat up much faster than that, either. And even if it does, I'll bet the steering wheel heater is one of the first things to fail, gripped and whirled and otherwise abused like that you can't expect any kind of heating element to last very long. And then it's broken, and one of the features of your car doesn't work. No thanks.
Gloves. No electricity required. Work until you take them off. Easy to get new ones if your old ones fail. No electromagnetic waves cooking your nads.
You know what, I'm bitching about the car but I'm really mad at the consumers. Toughen up you twinkies! You people unable to get your head out of your butts, read maps and brake before hitting shit is why all the cars are so frigging complex now! Brake! Turn! Figure it the hell out or get on the goddamn BUS so I don't have to de-select a bunch of ridiculous plush living "luxury" crap that makes my car less of a pleasant conveyance and more of a ridiculous "lifestyle accessory."
Cars like this contribute to the social de-evolution of humanity. Somehow we convince the manufacturers that we want more cushy goodies, who of course provide them because they want to sell more products to make more money, but in the having of the goodies, we stop perceiving them as luxuries and start to see them as necessities. And I'm telling you, it ain't so. The necessity is to be able to feed, clothe and shelter myself and my family. In the current climate, that requires a job. In the current climate, that requires a commute. In the current climate, that requires a car; since no one around here is willing to wait for a bus, there is no bus service and everyone has his own car. Et cetera.
Back up a few generations and the job was owning and operating a farm, and the commute was a fifty-yard hike to the barn. Whether you believe in the human influence on global climate change, you can't deny the human influence on economic climate change. We've heated things up for ourselves. And now we're demanding heaters to heat it up some more.
Not me, man. I'm not the cantankerous "Get off my lawn!" curmudgeon you might think - I'm trying to stem the headlong rush into irrelevance. Talk to the neighbors, roll the windows down, walk once in a while. That sort of thing. That way, when it does come time to drive, it's more of an event, an outing - the drive itself becomes part of the experience, rather than time spent idly sitting while the world rushes past and you're just trying to sprint from one optionally-necessary event to another. #kiacadenza
@Elhigh: Don't worry, I know you're a bit of a Luddite (and wouldn't have you any other way). Just thought you sounded a little extra peeved-this is a Kia, not a Rolls.
And for the record, I drove home yesterday my seat and steering wheel heated, cabin a/c'd, with an automatic transmission. And I like to think I appreciated every bit of the cosseting I was receiving.
Don't worry, my back up sensors and rain sensing windshield wipers are broken. #kiacadenza
@Elhigh: I agree with you. Mostly. But then who should decide how much is too much? As long as there are people out there who will pay for stuff OEMs will keep adding "features."
But then again, if they didn't do this we frankly would still be driving cars without even a starter motor.
Don't get me wrong I am not the kind of person who likes heated everything and power all. But I do like my little conveniences. Cruise control, heated mirrors/windows, iPod connectivity, a 6 CD changer, HID lights etc etc. Little things which make life easier and bit more bearable for you. This is one of the main reasons why I bought my SVT focus. Apart from the way it drives of course. And in the 6 years I've owned the car, not a single thing (electronics wise) has gone wrong.
But personally, I would never buy a car loaded (like the Amanti) with gizmos and electronics. Especially if it's used.
I expect this to be both attractive and useful, sort of like a nice piece of furniture typically placed in a formal dining room and intended to hold one's flatware, china, and that can also be utilized as a buffet table. #kiacadenza
@send lawyers, guns, and money: Do you know why Kia and Hyundai are gaining market share? Because they are producing Boring, nicely finished, rolling appliances that carry a 10 year powertrain warranty. Enthusiasts will not embrace appliances, but the average consumer does.
Hyundai has thrown the enthusiast a couple of bones lately, with the Genesis Coupe and V8 Sedan, but they know where the real meat in the market is, boring appliances.
The 2011 Sonata, the Kia Soul, the Forte Koup, and this thing are all pointing to a brighter future for the Korean Twins. #kiacadenza
@send lawyers, guns, and money: Sorry to say this, but I think that most Kias and Hyundais will outlive Chevy Cobalts, Ford Focus, or Dodge Calibers. They are almost (notice I said almost) at the same level as Honda and Toyota. #kiacadenza
South Korean politics shows that Hyundai-Kia will not be able to keep low costs per unit for long. Most likely korean labor organizations will eventually win out, but unlike American unions Korean labor is very noble. Labor had to start from scratch and dig themselves out of brutal working conditions. One of SK's most contreversial movies is based on that labor struggle.
Hyundai climbed to #4 for the month of July in Australia (up a staggering 65% compared to July 2008) although they remain 5th for the year to date (up by about 15% on 2008 overall): that's behind Toyota, Holden (GM), Ford and Mazda in that order. It looks to me like a lot of fleet buying is shifting over to Hyundai.
Seems to be predominantly on the back of the Getz, i30 and their SUVs, the only manufacturer to see an increase in SUV sales here for 2009. I guess some people want cheaper cars but just can't bring themselves to give up the SUV.
At least the i30 is reportedly a reasonable car, but the massive numbers of the Getz and Santa Fe that will be clogging up the roads is a bit depressing.
I wonder if its just a coincidence that 6 of the top 10 automakers are controlled by their multigenerational founding families?
(Hyundai-Kia, Peugeot-Citroen, Ford, Suzuki, Toyota, VW to an extent)- bring it to 7 out of 10 if you include the Honda family's sizeable shareholding, though none hold management roles.
Is it that firms with family backing take a longer-range view of things than simply the next quarter's results, or is it just seeing a pattern that isn't there?
10/19/09
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10/19/09
@OldeEnglishD: I dunno. I'm willing to bet this is still better. #kiacadenza
10/19/09
@OldeEnglishD: O RLY? #kiacadenza
10/19/09
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10/19/09
Besides, I don't think I'll be able to think of anything other than "moss-covered three-handled family credenza" whenever I hear Cadenza. #kiacadenza
10/19/09
Of course, if this car can detect poison in your food, that would be pretty cool. #kiacadenza
10/19/09
10/19/09
Heated steering wheels? Have all the automakers gone completely off the deep end? Do they assume that we're all as soft as that? When it's cold out, I wear gloves. I know the car's going to be cold, too, so I keep the gloves on. By the time the heater's working, enough warmth has seeped through my gloves to the surface of the steering wheel that, if I so choose, I could take the gloves off and not have an icy surface to hold.
I'm betting that the steering wheel doesn't heat up much faster than that, either. And even if it does, I'll bet the steering wheel heater is one of the first things to fail, gripped and whirled and otherwise abused like that you can't expect any kind of heating element to last very long. And then it's broken, and one of the features of your car doesn't work. No thanks.
Gloves. No electricity required. Work until you take them off. Easy to get new ones if your old ones fail. No electromagnetic waves cooking your nads.
You know what, I'm bitching about the car but I'm really mad at the consumers. Toughen up you twinkies! You people unable to get your head out of your butts, read maps and brake before hitting shit is why all the cars are so frigging complex now! Brake! Turn! Figure it the hell out or get on the goddamn BUS so I don't have to de-select a bunch of ridiculous plush living "luxury" crap that makes my car less of a pleasant conveyance and more of a ridiculous "lifestyle accessory."
Whoo! Okay, I feel better now. Sorry guys.
10/19/09
10/19/09
Cars like this contribute to the social de-evolution of humanity. Somehow we convince the manufacturers that we want more cushy goodies, who of course provide them because they want to sell more products to make more money, but in the having of the goodies, we stop perceiving them as luxuries and start to see them as necessities. And I'm telling you, it ain't so. The necessity is to be able to feed, clothe and shelter myself and my family. In the current climate, that requires a job. In the current climate, that requires a commute. In the current climate, that requires a car; since no one around here is willing to wait for a bus, there is no bus service and everyone has his own car. Et cetera.
Back up a few generations and the job was owning and operating a farm, and the commute was a fifty-yard hike to the barn. Whether you believe in the human influence on global climate change, you can't deny the human influence on economic climate change. We've heated things up for ourselves. And now we're demanding heaters to heat it up some more.
Not me, man. I'm not the cantankerous "Get off my lawn!" curmudgeon you might think - I'm trying to stem the headlong rush into irrelevance. Talk to the neighbors, roll the windows down, walk once in a while. That sort of thing. That way, when it does come time to drive, it's more of an event, an outing - the drive itself becomes part of the experience, rather than time spent idly sitting while the world rushes past and you're just trying to sprint from one optionally-necessary event to another. #kiacadenza
10/19/09
And for the record, I drove home yesterday my seat and steering wheel heated, cabin a/c'd, with an automatic transmission. And I like to think I appreciated every bit of the cosseting I was receiving.
Don't worry, my back up sensors and rain sensing windshield wipers are broken. #kiacadenza
10/19/09
But then again, if they didn't do this we frankly would still be driving cars without even a starter motor.
Don't get me wrong I am not the kind of person who likes heated everything and power all. But I do like my little conveniences. Cruise control, heated mirrors/windows, iPod connectivity, a 6 CD changer, HID lights etc etc. Little things which make life easier and bit more bearable for you. This is one of the main reasons why I bought my SVT focus. Apart from the way it drives of course. And in the 6 years I've owned the car, not a single thing (electronics wise) has gone wrong.
But personally, I would never buy a car loaded (like the Amanti) with gizmos and electronics. Especially if it's used.
10/19/09
10/19/09
10/19/09
10/19/09
10/19/09
But in stereotypical fashion, missing the 'R'. #kiacadenza
10/19/09
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10/19/09
This makes me sad.
The Amanti had one thing going for it...LED front turn signals. I need to find one in junkyard to put said turn indicators to good use. #kiacadenza
10/19/09
Hyundai has thrown the enthusiast a couple of bones lately, with the Genesis Coupe and V8 Sedan, but they know where the real meat in the market is, boring appliances.
The 2011 Sonata, the Kia Soul, the Forte Koup, and this thing are all pointing to a brighter future for the Korean Twins. #kiacadenza
10/19/09
It's a low-budget, Wal-Martesque car which is not designed to last longer than the payments...if that long.
If you've gotta have inexpensive wheels, shop used. Nobody needs a new car. A different one, sure, but new, no. #kiacadenza
10/19/09
08/19/09
08/18/09
Seems to be predominantly on the back of the Getz, i30 and their SUVs, the only manufacturer to see an increase in SUV sales here for 2009. I guess some people want cheaper cars but just can't bring themselves to give up the SUV.
At least the i30 is reportedly a reasonable car, but the massive numbers of the Getz and Santa Fe that will be clogging up the roads is a bit depressing.
08/18/09
(Hyundai-Kia, Peugeot-Citroen, Ford, Suzuki, Toyota, VW to an extent)- bring it to 7 out of 10 if you include the Honda family's sizeable shareholding, though none hold management roles.
Is it that firms with family backing take a longer-range view of things than simply the next quarter's results, or is it just seeing a pattern that isn't there?
08/18/09
And they are the largest producers of diesels sold in the USA. With manual or DSG in almost all the cars they sell.
Koinki-Dink? I Think Knot.
08/18/09
Hosers.