Did a little car shopping today.....

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Had some time to burn (for a change) today so I went to Reliable Chevrolet to check out the Camaro "demo" they got in recently. It's an orange SS.

I have to say that I really like the finished product for the most part. The exterior was very well screwed together and I think they made a good choice with the beefy 5-spoke wheels. Nice seats, like the dash and center stack. The one thing I was able to find dislike for during the 5-minutes we had the car is the cheap plastic decorator panels on the insides of the doors. I don't know what that was supposed to look like, but it has a very tacked-on appearance and I'm sure is easily scratched....and maybe even easily cracked. It was the cheapest plastic I found inside and they really should re-think it. My only other small disappointment is that this particular car was equipped with the regular halogen headlights. I prefer the look of the projector beam units, which apparently are a part of some option package. Personally, I think they should be standard on the SS and an option on the V6, but that's one man's opinion. Other than that, I really liked what I saw. It was almost surreal to finally see a REAL Camaro in person and watch it drive through the service department garage. It seems like I've been seeing this car in magazines for years....oh wait...I have. They're anticipating the arrival of a few more SS's over the next couple of weeks and they encouraged me to come drive one. I also really enjoyed gawking at the dark grey ZR1 they have on the showroom floor, behind ropes of course. What a gorgeous piece.

Next up was Huffines Hyundai to check out the coupe in person. They had a big variety on hand, all the way from a 2.0 Base all the way up to a 3.8 Track. I drove the lime green 2.0 with the 6-speed. I have to say...this car looks INCREDIBLE in person in white and silver, with the spoiler. Without the spoiler looks kinda naked. Love the wheels too. I thought the red would capture my attention, but I didn't think it looked all that great in person. The yellow is definitely an acquired taste.

I was a little let down by the 2.0. I wasn't expecting it to snap my neck, but what I did expect is for the engine to make up its mind what it wants to do with the inputs it gets from my right foot. Acceleration was sporatic, with lack of a better term. During normal or slightly spirited acceleration, you'd feel a surge of power, then it would back off, then it would take off again..repeatedly. It was as if the ECU couldn't decide what it wanted to tell the engine. It's what I would expect from an ECU that hadn't 'learned' its mapping yet, even though this car had about 45 miles on it. Just when I lost hope of being even mildly impressed with the power, I attempted a jackrabbit start from a light to get ahead of some traffic, and it had NO trouble lighting up the rear tires. I guess the ECU finally woke up near the end of my test drive. At one point during the drive, I got the impression that the A/C compressor was causing the power fluctuations, and if that's true, they really need to look at that more closely. I had hopes for liking the turbo 4 more, but it's looking like if I go with a Genesis someday, I might have to be the 3.8. It was nice to get back into my car after the test drive, as my turbo 4 does what its told. :)

I then parked the 2.0 and went into the showroom and sat in a white 3.8 Grand Touring. Not fond of the leather color, but those are some of the most comfortable seats I've ever sat in. Supportive and firm to all the right places...I'm sure I could do a long trip in that car. Love the dash and console materials, love the small diameter steering wheel. I really liked everything about the interior. Headroom was a pleasant surprise...plenty for me. I was expecting the tight fit of a G35 coupe where my hair brushes the ceiling unless I lay the seat back. Not in the Genesis..it's good for 6' +. My only letdown was the lack of a telescoping wheel. The trunk is wide and deep, IF you can get an object through the narrow (top to bottom) opening.

'Twas a good car shopping day. Wish I'd had time to drive a 3.8, but I'm sure I'll get around to it. :)
 
I don't even remember seeing a sticker. The windows were rolled down the whole time we were there. The car had just arrived back at the dealership from some event it had been trucked to earlier in the day. It was being cleaned on the inside and was taken away from us to be washed, so I took in all the scenery I could while it was sitting still. It was literally a whirlwind walkaround.
 
Hyundai AC compressors draw a TON of power. It's a common kvetch among Elantra owners that AC on = getting out-accelerated by a snail. Recirculate works wonders, however.

With the 2.0T acting as a low-compression N/A engine most of the time, I'm not surprised.
 
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