I wasn't bashing the RAV4, or at least that wasn't my intent. I think it's one of most sensible options out there if you're in the SUV market.

My comment was directed at "CUV's" like GM's Lambda platform based line, the Caddy SRX, the Ford Edge/Lincoln MKX, the BMW X3/X5/X6, the Toyota Highlander, or the Nissan Murano. Sure they're car based, generally handle better, and get marginally better mileage than truck based SUV's, but they're still SUV's. Dubbing them "CUV's" is just a weak attempt at pretending that they're part of a brand new vehicle segment, free of SUV stigma, and that's just not true.

They're definitely an improvement, but really don't help much in reducing dependence on imported fossil fuels.

Does replacing the "S" with a "C" make it get better gas mileage?

Call it anything you want, car-based or not, but it's still an SUV.

Probably too late, but if they're going to try Mercury desperately needs an emblem that doesn't look so 1987..

Well said psarhjinian, I couldn't agree with you more.

The Rover 45 was essentially a Civic since it was a restyled Rover 400 which was a result of Rover's relationship with Honda.

Um, no by "reckless driver" they're talking about you. Yeah, people driving too slow are frustrating I'll absolutely give you that, but there is absolutely no excuse for tailgating - it's flat out obnoxious and juvenile, not to mention dangerous. Honestly, have did you take high school physics? No matter how amazing your brakes are, it's impossible for you not to rear-end someone if you're following close enough to do a rectal exam.

You have no idea what you're talking about. "Hecho/a" is the past participle, not the 3rd person singular (which would be "hace"). Past participle agrees with the gender of the noun.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Past_participle#Spanish

Absolutely, a lot better looking than the sedan.

Wolfsburg Editions are special editions that have extra features at a cost lower than what those features would cost if added as options.

Wolfsburg is the town in the Lower Saxony region in north-central Germany where Volkswagen is based.

If VW really wanted in on the minivan market (and I'm not sure why they do) I think their money would've been better spent building an American version of the Touran with the 2.0FTSI standard (and an optional 2.0TDI) and marketing it as a competitor to the Mazda5.

That said, given what they had to work with, I think they did a decent job. The interior looks a lot better than the Caravan/T&C, but still below par for VW.