Poll: What is the antithesis of the VX?

[wekilled]

Couldnt find a poll on the site for this. I'll go first.

I think the PT Cruiser is it. The next Cadillac for not-quite-senior citizens. Its got everything, a Neon chassis and a toned-down "safe" plastic nostalgic version of the cool rods of yesteryear. (If you own one dont take it personally-I am occasionally forced to drive my wifes Kia mini van.) THAT sucks!

[thebear54]

The ultimate would have to be the KIA Rio. The ultimate city/commuter vehicle...no fun at all.
John

[Tyler]

I'd say that 2 door Suzuki, not Samurai, (X something) that had the removable top and 2 seats. Those make me laugh.

Ty

[jim.LR>AR]

i don't know what antithesis is

[Lisa K]

The GEO!!!

[mbeach]

The RAV4. Especially the 2-door ones. I had a guy(?) driving one give me the thumbs-up the other day. I was afraid to acknowledge him, so I just kept on pickin' my nose.

[Jolly Roger VX'er]

antithesis: The direct or exact opposite...

I think that the direct opposite of the VehiCROSS is the Infinity FX35 (V6)...or FX45 (V8).

The VX is a 2-door, Off-road capable 4X4 with decent street smarts when left stock (no lift).

The FX is a 4-door On-road capable AWD (Car&Driver says almost indistinquishable from Nissan 350Z when behind the wheel) with minimal off-road abilities.

I'd love to own both!

[WyrreJ]

Don't forget the Mojo Nixon definition of antithesis: The Evil Anti-Elvis.

Clearly the evil anti-vx is the hummer-2 - boxy, bulky, strong yuppie appeal, worse gas mileage, even more over-priced, bad on-road handling.

[Heraclid]

I don't know. It's hard to say because there are just so many variables. I think the Suzuki X90 isn't different enough from the VX. It's a 2-door 4WD vehicle that is, by most accounts, fun to drive. But then again some who've had other cars I'm about to list claimed to love 'em too. The FX35 and FX45 have the sporty, bold styling thing in common with the VX. Both are arguably still SUV's.

Yugo... in a head-on with a moped, you'd lose, and it was about the LEAST rugged thing ever put on the road. They did have rear window heat to keep your hands warm while you pushed, though. 0-60 in 14.0 sec, 60-0 braking in something around 200 ft for this car is very unimpressive. 4 cyl, 50 hp. About 30 mpg ain't bad, but it is way worse than it should be for THIS car.

Geo Metro/Suzuki Swift. A whopping 55 hp 3-cyl engine, 45-50 mpg, plain as can be, also a 14 sec car and also a car most everything else would obliterate.

Subaru Justy - pretty pitiful, about 75 hp, but it was available in 4WD...

Ford Explorer - yeah, it's a SUV and all, but when you're this commonplace, this plain-looking and consistently rated one of the worst SUV's for off-road use, you're not anything much like a VX.

The perfect antithesis for the VX probably needs to be...

relatively common
fuel-efficient
very plain-looking
fragile and horrible for off-road use
a car (or car-based/unibody)
a poor-handling vehicle
generally not fun to drive

[Ldub]

Jeez Heraclid, I think you just described my first wifes Ford Granada!

[nocturnalVX]

The perfect antithesis for the VX probably needs to be...

relatively common
fuel-efficient
very plain-looking
fragile and horrible for off-road use
a car (or car-based/unibody)
a poor-handling vehicle
generally not fun to drive

Can you say minivan? I knew you could! They may be truck-based, but otherwise they fit. No-fun, practical, dime-a-dozen vehicles that (even if they came AWD) would not fare well in Moab.

[thebear54]

I voted earlier for the KIA Rio(vote still stands) but...has anyone ever heard of a DAF Daffodil? 2 cylinder, 30 horsepower, 0-60 in (I'll let you do the math , 2 door, automatic/variomatic transmission. I have one: . Luckily it will be only a show car when I get finished, not a daily driver.
John

[Heraclid]

Can you say minivan? I knew you could! They may be truck-based, but otherwise they fit. No-fun, practical, dime-a-dozen vehicles that (even if they came AWD) would not fare well in Moab.

There are several car-based minivans out there. In fact, are there any that aren't? I can't think of one. The Toyota Sienna and Lexus RX300 ride on extended Camry platforms. The Toyota Highlander is basically a larger RX300 underneath the sheetmetal, so the minivan/SUV gene pool starts getting muddy. The Honda Pilot is based on the Odyssey, and the Odyssey rides on an extended Accord platform, etc. etc.

I think if I had to pick a minivan to pick on right now, I'd go with the Ford Freestyle because it's a very half-hearted attempt to sell what is still a Windstar.

Picking a good antithesis for the VX is very subjective. Do you pick something as totally different from a VX in as many ways as possible? Or something similar (or masquerading as similar) that is 180 degrees opposite in philosophy and just aimed in another direction entirely?

A good antithesis for the VX may be something along the lines of a Buick Rendezvous. The Rendezvous is an attempt to merge the minivan with the SUV, and it is basically for people who need a minivan but hate minivans. The MDX and Pilot borrow some from the Odyssey and so on, but the Rendezvous probably has more parts lifted directly from minivans than any other wannabe SUV. Word is that they handle horribly, with lots of body roll, have no road feel, and lots of understeer. The interior materials are lackluster and the seats aren't comfortable. The leather you can get in it as an option is low-grade. It is at best a very average pseudo-SUV, and in this age of crossover cute-utes, it's a bit of an ugly duckling. It is a blood-brother to the Pontiac Aztek, which doesn't help it any. You expect a certain something in a Buick and it falls short, whereas the VX exceeded expectations. You can get it in AWD, but that's not quite the same as 4WD, and it's not even fit for light off-road duty. I think there's a huge contrast in just the image between Buicks and Isuzus, too. Buicks conjure up Park Avenues, Regals... luxury cars that float down the road and are driven pretty much by old folks. Think Isuzu and you think of Amigo, Rodeo, Trooper, VehiCROSS. Rugged vehicles for active people who are young at heart. Very different.

[Raque Thomas]

I don't think the Rendezvouz or its sibling the Aztec was ever meant to pretend to be an off-road vehicle. I think like the Volvos and such, it was marketed to be a capable on road vehicle for rain, snow and other adverse road conditions. Of course, that's the marketing hype. It is really another vehicle they thought they could get the yuppie crowd interested in. The ones (as you mentioned) that need a minivan, but consider themselves too young or "hip" to drive a minivan. Unfortunately, the execution fell a little short. At first glance, a decked out Rendezvouz doesn't look too bad - but the more you look, the worse it looks. Poor quality, poor design, poor materials, etc, etc, etc. GM has been very guilty over the years of building some vehicles of questionable design and cosmetic quality - kind of reminds me of the boat or RV industry, when you see a boat that looks pretty sharp, but you start really looking closely, you see all the short cuts they took and how poor the real quality is.

Now please don't think I'm liking the looks of the Rendezvous - NOT - just saying that it was not intended or marketed to be an off-road vehicle. And - I think it's stable mate, the Aztec is the ugliest vehicle on the planet - AND they sold a HELL of a lot more of them than the VX!!!!!

Actually, the ex came home with a new Rendezvouz after totalling the Escalade a few years ago and wanted me to buy it. It looked pretty good at first, but like I said, the more I looked, the less I liked it. The price was ridiculous in my mind at over $30k! Remember the Lumina APV and siblings? That's what it reminded me of. I'm rambling here, but if you've ever driven one of those (Lumina APV, etc first generation) the steering wheel is off-center to the left, it is a VERY odd feeling to drive one!

[Heraclid]

I don't think I disagree with any of what you said. But here's what I said:

Picking a good antithesis for the VX is very subjective. Do you pick something as totally different from a VX in as many ways as possible? Or something similar (or masquerading as similar) that is 180 degrees opposite in philosophy and just aimed in another direction entirely?

This gets to what I was trying to say about how subjective this is. The first set of criteria would lead to something that in almost every imaginable way is opposite a VX, and you could end up with a Geo Metro or whatever. I consider the Rendezvous to fit the second set of criteria, where you have something roughly the same (it's supposedly a SUV), but the ideas and goals behind it are totally counter to everything the VX represents. I don't think anyone would peg a Buick to be a serious off-road vehicle. But I still think it is a classic case of something trying to have a little bit of appeal to a lot of people rather than settling on one thing and doing it well (a lot of appeal to fewer people). So it ends up being very average.

The Rendezvous is not a true four-wheel drive, but it is available in all-wheel drive. Buick's own website touts the Rendezvous's "On-Demand All-Wheel Drive" system, which sounds suspiciously like our own Torque-On-Demand setup, but in reality is a bit different. The VX system is full-time, distributes power to the wheels that need it, and has selectable high or low range gearing. The Rendezvous system is full-time, distributes power to the wheels that need it, and is without a low range gearing option.

I didn't used to know what the difference was between AWD and 4WD. I suspect that some people may actually get a Rendezvous and believe it is the equivalent of 4WD and think they can go wherever with it. Yes, it would take totally overlooking the minimal ground clearance and other signs that it isn't meant to do it, but I think we all know there are some people clueless enough.

AWD systems are lighter, but they lack the low range gearing of 4WD. AWD is full-time. 4WD may or may not be. Many regular SUV's and pickups still have selectable part-time 4WD, although many newer 4WD's are full-time. AWD is good for snow and dirt roads. But if it has big rocks, deep sand, or steep inclines, you still need 4WD.