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January 5th, 2006 | autos

I like vechicles. It seems my “perfect” vechicle changes every week or so. Besides the fact that many times the vechicles aren’t even available yet, the big problem is that they aren’t even close to being the same type of vechicle. It wouldn’t bother me if I kept debating between three or four vechicles if they were all in the same class, but I keep jumping all over the entire range of autos being offered. Here’s the current top 5.

1. Audi A3 3.2 Quattro: For a long time this has been my top choice. 250 hp, DSG transmission, quattro AWD, Bose 10-speaker stereo, leather seats, plus lower the rear seats and you have enough room to fit anything you would need…all standard. So what’s the one problem? It’s not available yet (probably Feb.) and there’s no way I’d want the currently available 2.0 model which doesn’t even have quattro available. booo.

2. Toyota FJ Cruiser: I’ve liked this SUV since I first saw concept pics of it a couple years ago. I’m glad ‘yota kept the production version similiar to the concept, except they added the one “feature” I really hate on SUVs…the spare tire on the rear hatch. This is probably the coolest SUV on the auto show circuit, but compared to the Audi A3 the performance would be crap. Yes I know it’s an unfair comparison as the FJ is set to compete with Jeep Wrangler, but that brings up another point: I very rarely venture onto off-road terrain, and when I do that terrain is still tame enough for a car to take on. Oh yeah, did I mention it also is not available yet? Wait until early spring.

3. Jaguar X-Type VDP Edition: I really like Jaguar although they always seem to be overlooked by the German big 3, Lexus, and a few others. Rightly so though. See, obviously when it comes to Jaguar I, as would anyone, would pick the S-Type, XJ, and XK over the X-Type any day, but the X-Type is the only realistic choice when looking at cost. There’s little to chose from without reaching the upper five digits price tag. Oddly enough, the X-Type is Jaguar’s only AWD offering, which is what I’m looking for. The entire X-Type series has the same ho-hum 227 hp V6. Sometimes I like the Jag best, but I know others would be better.

4. International MXT: International? They just make big semis and other work trucks, don’t they? Well they make regular trucks too, sort of. The MXT is, you might have guessed, not available yet, but it will be soon. It’s the smallest of the XT family, but the other two models make Hummers look like toys, so naturally the MXT isn’t the smallest truck around either. The concept has 300hp, racing seats (booo), and DVD player, premium sound system blah blah blah. I like it ’cause it looks different. But if I remember correctly, I could probably get that Jaguar XJ for the same price…which was already deemed too expensive.

5. Mini Cooper/Cooper S: The Mini Cooper is cool. It’s also small. A bit too small. If I owned a 2nd vechicle for hauling stuff like guitar amps and drum kits around I would get a Mini for sure. But is it really practical if it’s your only car? Nope. In most situations it would be fine. But on those few days of the year when you have to get a lot of junk into the car, the Mini is not going to work. Everytime I think about getting one I try and think about all real-life situations. But, ya know, Minis are still pretty cool.

2 Comments

  1. matches
    January 8th, 2006 at 12:58 am

    Cars are fun, and you picked some interesting (and varied!) examples. I guess given the choice, I’d still dig the A3, but I’ve heard good things about even the base Coopers. The Audi probably has the lowest profile on this list, so I think I could live with it after a pre-05 grille conversion.

    HEY did you see the new Miura?

  2. majafa
    January 9th, 2006 at 11:33 pm

    I’ve noted that I like the new Audi grilles, but I must admit after looking at those pics the pre-05 grille does look good. I think i’d prefer the pre 05 grille if i were to buy a bright color like red, royal blue, yellow etc. car as those colors can look a bit, err, different with the big black space of the new grille. But I am looking at sticking with the more standard black, silver, or even the dark grey, which all look better with the new grille, in my opinion. The coopers are cool but when I think about the times that i haul stuff around (which i admit isn’t often, but happens on occasion), it wouldn’t be a very good choice unless I had a 2nd bigger vechicle.

    I generally don’t like Lamborghini, but I must say that miura is the best looking Lambo I’ve ever seen. I really like that one.

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