I was on a road trip last week, and got some photos of my box beside a ford flex. I kinda don't mind em, and they are totally similar

Can't wait till ford comes out with the twin turbo 6 cylinder in 2010......

I would post pics, but don't know how.

 

Remember size doesnt matter

 

Looks very similar to the Hako to me , of course the front end is different, but very obvious to me where they got their "inspiration." I like the concept behind it, but alas it is still a Ford.

 

10 YR 100,000, CANT BEAT THAT , slam it to the asphalt
wheels custom paint , people will do the same thing
ooo nice car but its ugly as hell

 

I'm sorry but I still don't see it. The Kia is virtually the same as an xB. It looks to have the exact same dimensions when you're standing next to it as an xB does. I don't see how the Flex looks the same as an xB. It has a longer nose, much longer body, it's wider, has 3 row seating, a V6, bigger wheels and tires... To me it looks much more like a modernized old Ford Fairlane station wagon than an xB. The Flex is also inspired by the Ford Fairlane concept car so the Fairlane station wagon inspiration seems accurate.

 

Ford makes good cars..




Usually cars that have great warranties like that have them for a reason. They know that they have a bad reputation for reliability so they offer a long warranty so you know repairs are free if something was to happen.

 

The flex looks MUCH less xB like in this latest pic than it did in the first one.

The Kia, the dimensions may be the same, but it's just FUGLY as hell.

 

lol! When I saw the Flex on the road I thought that is what my xB will look like when it grows up. Nissan has there version too, the Nissan Cube. Check it out

 

17 in the citry and 24 on the highway and people wonder why american cars have to be bailed out again!?

 

lol.......

 

Kia amanti = Jaguar wannabe
>.<

I could have sworn that at warped tour that the front resembled more of a xD... but i was clearly mistaken.

 

i would actually buy the KIA over the xB2.....but i would choose NEITHER over MY box!

 

Not impressed with the Kia or the Ford....would take my XB2 over both ANY day Hey wait...I already did LOL

 

And there is the Nissan CUBE

http://www.nissanusa.com/cube/?dcp=p...urVirtualCube/

But I gotta admit the brochure is kinda awesome!

 

The reason why car makers do this is because you have to go with what sells. Right now, Scions are not selling very good, but if you are a car designer, you start copying what has been selling and then put subtle differentials on it. Do I think it is wrong, yes, as an xb2 owner, being different is my life, with these copies hitting the road, it will be hard to tell what car is what until you are right on top of them.

It will never change, this has been happening for years and years. It is just like music, once you run out of ideas, you start recording cover tunes and remixes of older songs. I would not be surprised if Chevy and Huandei (sp) get involved before too long.

My 2 cents

 

I just went and saw the Soul today at a Kia dealership. It wasn't the American vesion, but the Korean deisel version. It was cool looking, but i didn't like the interior all that much. I'm interested in feeling how it drives though.

 

If we really want to figure out who copied who, remember that the bB came out after the Nissan Cube, so it would be Ford and Kia copying Toyota copying Nissan.

For that matter, they all copied the VW Freidolin.

Competition is good, and I'm really happy that both Nissan and Kia are giving Toyota a reason to regret creating the Fatchick xB2 and denying the US market the new version of the bB.

 

it's cool the xB 2 is bland and deserves to be copied , hopefully badly so .

ruin both vehicles reputations

 

Yep, but I sure wish that I had a 100K warranty on my xB1. It would have reduced the pain of the bad rear wheel bearing and door locks, both of which failed after the 3-year warranty expired. No car should have wheel bearing problems before 100K miles, but Toyota seems to have turned this into a profit center on xBs.

If Toyota quality was _really_ as good as they claim, they would have no problem matching Kia's warranty. It's called "putting your money where your mouth is" and Toyota isn't doing it.

 

sucks about your wheel bearing . why don't you let a sub 100 dollar part that ANY shadetree mechanic could replace in less than an hour ruin your joy for an otherwise pretty darned good vehicle.

sounds fun and fair an unbiased. sounds like a complaint . stuff happens.


my xb is SLAMMED on the ground on RACE suspension and i have 80,000 VERY hard miles on my xB and have only had one out of warranty problem....


oh and the large warranty thing about putting your money where your mouth is . it's called not having to do so when your cars for the damnded most part are SOLID .


I work for an auto promotion company and have been told STRAIGHT up from a chrysler corporate trainer that the warranty they have implemented (lifetime powertrain) is cheaper for them (chrysler dodge jeep) than actually building better cars.