Toyota Urban Cruiser 1.4 D-4D Options

[clarkma5]

I think we're all unavoidably biased. I don't necessarily understand it, I'm just saying, that's what many people tell me. The latest was a guy with a new Camry. Absolutely loved the way it drove, thought it was the greatest car of all time. I guess, of course, he could just be completely clueless.

Yeah, I don't think we should be taking lessons on what's good to drive from the people who wouldn't know what's good to drive if it bit them in the ass.

When it comes to enjoying a car, there's a lot of perception and preference involved, no doubt. But there is a point where people are just ignorant (I don't mean the loaded, insulting version of "ignorant", just the fact that they're unknowledgeable in the subject matter, which is true of most buyers.)

[Mitlov]

I don't think it's ignorance, I think it's subjective tastes. A floaty ride gives you isolation from road bumps and road noise. Dead steering with a bit of free play tracks straight and true, even when you sneeze. If someone looks at vehicles solely as transportation appliances, a Buick Lucerne's ride IS more pleasant than an R32's, and a Tacoma's steering IS nicer to live with than an Exige's.

That said, I don't really know how the ride or the steering is in this Urban Cruiser thing. I just can't figure out what it's supposed to be. Miniature soft-roader? That's what the "cruiser" name and the AWD suggests, but it doesn't seem durable enough for that. Little urban runabout? Then the AWD doesn't make sense anymore, since it saps fuel economy and adds weight and cost.

[Razor]

a Buick Lucerne's ride IS more pleasant than an R32's

Not trying to fanboy the shit out of this thread but I know for a fact via experience that your example is false.

[dukenukem]

Its like me trying to bake a pie by following the recipe given to me by a Michelllin 4* chef. I will have all the right ingredients but in the end its going to end up as a miserable disaster.

Uncool.

[Mitlov]

If someone looks at vehicles solely as transportation appliances, a Buick Lucerne's ride IS more pleasant than an R32's

Not trying to fanboy the shit out of this thread but I know for a fact via experience that your example is false.

Um...are you coming from the perspective of someone who thinks of cars solely as transportation appliances? The context of that statement (i.e., the introductory phrase) was kind of important.

[clarkma5]

...Mitlov, I think Razor understood what you meant. Maybe the R32 is not the most justified comparison, maybe go for a non-sport Audi or BMW or a well-sorted Honda. Basically, a Buick floats and bobs. A good car will not, whether it's sporty or not. Comfort does not have to mean unnecessary suspension movement, which it does in bad cars. People who go for that are really just ignorant of what constitutes good suspension design, and it's not a matter of them preferring comfort vs. preferring sport.

[Razor]

...Mitlov, I think Razor understood what you meant. Maybe the R32 is not the most justified comparison, maybe go for a non-sport Audi or BMW or a well-sorted Honda. Basically, a Buick floats and bobs. A good car will not, whether it's sporty or not. Comfort does not have to mean unnecessary suspension movement, which it does in bad cars. People who go for that are really just ignorant of what constitutes good suspension design, and it's not a matter of them preferring comfort vs. preferring sport.

Yeah, you got it. The Buick Lucerne has a horrid, wobbly suspension and terrible ride quality. Even the taught and sporty suspension on the R32 was more comfortable.

[Megadeus]

That said, I don't really know how the ride or the steering is in this Urban Cruiser thing. I just can't figure out what it's supposed to be. Miniature soft-roader? That's what the "cruiser" name and the AWD suggests, but it doesn't seem durable enough for that. Little urban runabout? Then the AWD doesn't make sense anymore, since it saps fuel economy and adds weight and cost.

Don't know why you're getting so hung up over this thing. It's an AWD subcompact runabout, probably aimed at the core Subaru market of all-weather, bad road driving. Not everyone wants or needs an SUV or truck. Obviously, the Urban Cruiser isn't going to tackle the Rubicon or climb the Rockies. Driving to the store in town on sunny or snowy days, and maybe a few muddy road occasionally seems the intended use. Blame the marketing dept. for trying to butch up its image with LC or FJ connotations.

[moe]

^ I wouldn't be that harsh about it. They're just tying the range together with the "Cruiser" name. It's not like they want you to believe it can go off-road, they did call it the URBAN Cruiser after all. I still think it's pretty funky, and the dynamics should be decent based on what I've read about the xD.