riviera74

^QFT. Lincoln's problem is Ford Management: apparently they do NOT want to learn the lessons Cadillac had to learn in the '90s and Acura has to deal with now. Lincolns do not sell because they are upgraded Fords with no unique selling point. Why should any (non-Ford) customer buy a Lincoln again?!

What features are in the Luxury series and the Executive series of the 300?

Seen the Camaro lately? How about the upcoming Chevy SS? GM may well have answered the bell for you.

If I were to buy a new 300, which one should I buy: the 300 Limited or the 300C? No, I do not want an SRT8 version. The biggest difference between the 300 Limited and the 300C is v6/8AT vs. v8/5AT. Any thoughts on this?

Then what would you call the Hyundai Genesis sedan?

Oh Hell NO! Hideous, just hideous.

How anyone thinks they can or should outrun a train is beyond me. Just stop at the tracks when one is coming. You have options; the train operator does not.

It is all about priorities. Take the Cruze Eco. For an extra 1-3 MPG (YMMV), you pay an extra $800 and a lower-rent interior. Competitors have made similar tradeoffs in their ECO-trim vehicles. I find it interesting that people actually buy into this when they could spend their money on higher-end trim levels (and by extension a better car) and say forget saving 1-3 MPG. If I were buying new, I would reject the ECO models for a lot of reasons, including the poor ROI for the consumer. Then again, if I want real MPG savings, I would learn how to use a manual transmission and buy a car equipped with one.

Q: When will the real Cadillac flagship be at the local dealer? I like the XTS for what it is, but a flagship it is not. I hope we do not have to wait too long for that.

A long-wheelbase version should be a Buick (if not Cadillac) flagship, period. If the Chinese can get a Park Avenue based on the LWB Commodore, why can't the good old USA?

I sense much anger when referring to this band, all for the reasons stated above. Karmic payback is still a major bitch.

Translation: Stay tuned to GM announcements and ignore the whines of the CAW/UAW .

Common sense says texting while driving is stupid. The problem is is that those who text and drive need public transportation so that they can avoid harming others. A simple ban on texting while driving at state level should suffice.

The XTS is an upgraded upscale Buick LaCrosse. Comparing the XTS to an Audi A6 or an E-class Mercedes is product suicide. The real question in my mind is why GM cannot put new engines in alongside the new cars, requiring customers to wait a year. Why is that so? Since Opel is where it seems all 4cyl and 6cyl work resides, why can't GM simply move Opel R&D to the USA, ditch Opel (and Vauxhall) entirely, and abandon the comatose automotive marketplace that is Europe?

Dfelt, your timing on generations is probably much more accurate than mine. Apologies.

The sad beginning of the end of a great nameplate started here. Not because the car itself is bad, but it seems so . . . . small.

I think the real issue is that Baby Boomers (as opposed to their elders) for the most part hate full-size cars, so the market has shrunken dramatically. (Also BOF cars died everywhere by 1997, Panthers excluded.) This is the same generation that embraced minivans and SUVs and CUVs instead of full size cars over the past 30 years. To them, a Fusion or Malibu is big enough, unless they go CUV. The difference between 1980 and now is that size has gone vertical, which is what Baby Boomers want. I actually like my 99 Park Avenue Ultra (most of the time) for what it is, and I would get a Chrysler 300 if I were buying brand new for two simple reasons: full size and RWD. The new Chevy SS cannot come soon enough. Because Baby Boomers are where the money is for the car market, automakers have to appeal to them, hence the Japanification of the midsize car and the dramatic shrinkage (and near-extinction) of full sized cars. How GM considers the new LaCrosse fullsize when the Lucerne is actually bigger is beyond me. I personally think that if GM is going to make big cars, make them fully sized insde and out. We may never return to 207" Park Avenues, but don't insult our intelligence by claiming the LaCrosse is full size when it feels like a midsizer once you get in.

Lexus buyers are where Toyota buyers go to retire. There are better choices out there, but they don't see it that way. They read CR as if it were the Bible and become lifelong Toyota/Lexus customers. Indeed, Lexus is the triumph of soullessness in cars over those that at least have one. Lexus buyers want an appliance, not a car. Neither GM nor the Germans can change their minds once those buyers join the Lexus hive-mind.

Most people would rather NOT pay extra for what they consider safety features than actually pay for them. I suspect that there will be a mandate for these systems sometime in the next 5-10 years for free.

Maybe this is karmic payback for Lars Ulrich v. Napster in 1999. IDK.

Too bad NIssan did not bother federalizing Skylines until Infiniti brought them over for legal sale a few years ago. Shame about those Skylines.

An SRT Dart? Why would anyone buy that? A FWD compact car that goes fast? What is this, 1981?! Ditching the T&C for a more luxurious crossover is much more interesting. I suspect people would still get the 2014/15 Enclave instead.

Well, most ads care too much about how a woman would feel if you buy their product. Sad but true.

In Toyota's case, they could bet the farm that the Prius would be successful because at the same time they started selling pickup trucks and SUVs in large quantities (and presumably large profits). While it is true that the Tundra has never sold in numbers that would scare GM or Ford trucks, that decision partially subsidized the Prius until gas prices spiked and demand caught up. For GM, there really is no need for an XTS hybrid because few hybrids other than the Prius sell in large enough numbers to be justified with few if any subsidies. Just ask Honda. Volt 2.0 in five years might be able to be scaled up to Cadillac price levels, but then GM will have to compete with the Fiskers and Teslas of the world (assuming they survive). The real elephant in the room is that the batteries are not good enough for long-term propulsion use anyways, hence why the EV-1 failed so miserably. Also, no one has made an electric car that could survive Detroit/Minneapolis winters without requiring long daily charges and very limited distances on pure electricity.

Any changes you have noticed over the years, such as the switch from 3400v6 with a 4AT to 3.6v6 with a 6AT?