Hudson

Not a minivan.As a clue...what's your least favorite Honda product? The one you (this thread) likes to pick on the most?

Why not make one STRONGER cable rather than two weaker ones? It seems you're assuming that all cables are the same strength.I haven't measured the tensile strength of any of them, but I have to figure that the cable will hold a respectable amount of weight. And the primary reason for having only one is probably the dual-action tailgate on the Ridgeline, which could be seen as a plus. Do they have the same opinion of the F150 or Silverado 1500? Because the Titan and Tundra compare favorably to them. Of course the Toyota, Nissan, and Honda can't compete with the 3/4- and 1-ton versions of the domestic brands...but they weren't designed to either. Not yet. Consumer Reports readers are not engineers. They simply want a "yes/no" answer. And since all vehicles sold in the US fit into the "adequate" category, magazines must be nit-picky to choose one over another. There are simply no bad vehicle on the market today.

Yes and no.I'm betting you're right about Chevrolet Lambda SUV, but the other product will be Lambda-based as well. You may be surprised at what it is.

Welcome to the forum.I read much into what you've written. It seems you're looking for a bias...through your own rose-colored lenses (not that this is a bad thing..or unique). Things like the "one cable" flaw you pointed out in the Ridgeline assumes that you've broken "two cable" tailgates in the past...or that you're picking on a truck that you've not fully tested (like your complaint about the Tundra praise). Are you avoiding the Ridgeline and Titan because of what your neighbors think? And you're having a problem with the attitudes of some professional automotive writers because they don't sync up with your neighbors' opinions? Please don't take this wrong (and I'm sure you will because of the way I write it), but your bias seems as misplaced as that of the bias of your in-laws. No magazine presents just the facts, because that would be boring and nobody would read it. If you want someone to praise GM products over all else, buy one of the GM fanzines. But there are reasons for magazines like Motor Trend and Car and Driver to heap praise on Toyotas and Hondas over competitive vehicles. In some cases, the Toyota and Honda products are actually superior. In some cases, the competitive vehicles are inferior. In some cases (relatively few), the writer just doesn't like the competition. From my experience (and rightfully so), the people who frequent this site (and others like it) will present slanted beliefs in favor of GM at the expense of every other brand (even ones that are actually better). My advice, back up a step or two and compare vehicles with as little of your own bias as possible. Your in-laws obviously need to know that the fuel filter (really? the fuel filter?) should be routinely replaced in EVERY car and truck, no matter the brand or manufacturer. I like the idea of supporting the home country, but not at the expense of forcing a lesser product on myself. I earned this money and I'll spend it on the best product for the dollar...whether that's a GM product or one from Botswana. Of my two most recent auto purchases, one was built in the US (by an American manufacturer) and one was imported...and both were the best value for my dollar for their intended purposes. Good luck to you!

No, it's not. There are more import BRANDS than "domestic" brands. It's sheer numbers.

Someone else who likes Mike Doughty? Wow!While I don't have any of his solo works, I do have the three studio CDs from Soul Coughing and I find the solo stuff really good.

You have some of the details confused.When AMC was bought by Chrysler, AMC had just developed the Renault Premier from the Renault 25. Chrysler was readying the senior K-based cars: Dodge Dynasty and Chrysler New Yorker/Fifth Avenue/Imperial. Chrysler's engineers, some of who came from AMC, used the Eagle Premier as a starting point, primarily its longitudinal engine setup. This led to the replacement for the Dynasty/New Yorker where were the Chrysler LH cars. If AMC hadn't been absorbed into Chrysler, the LH cars would have been different Chrysler products and AMC would have probably had another Renault-based product (Renault Safrane?) in 1994 or 1995 to replace the Renault Premier. While I think that Jeep would have flourished in the 1990s once the SUV craze really kicked in, AMC's car products would have still dragged the company down. Unless Ghosn could have fixed it, AMC would have closed or been sold in the late 1990s, assuming that the company survived until the Grand Cherokee was ready.

Yes...it evolved into the Chrysler 300M.

You're saying that GM has never had a competitve vehicle and that's why they should have "folded up and put ou tthe lights years ago?" I'm saying that their minivans weren't competitive and they should have spent the money on something they can do better.I'm also saying that the first generations of minivans weren't compeititve. I'm saying that they shouldn't spend hundreds of millions or billions of dollars to make a minivan that they'll have to spend tens or hundreds of millions MORE to coerce new buyers into the fold...in a field that is ultra-competitive and shrinking. Why not spend the same money making, for example, better mid-sized sedan (where they have some market share and improvements could take a bigger bite). It takes much more than merely being competitive in the minivan market. Honda, Toyota, and Chrysler are "competitive" and they sell 800,000 minivans over four brands. Where has GM's track record proven that they can blow a market wide open (like Nissan with the Altima or Honda with the second-generation Odyssey or Toyota with the Sienna or Dodge with the 1994 Ram)? GM's track record shows fewer than 200,000 minivans sold each year for the past decade(?) utilizing up to four brands (and how many thousands MORE dealers than the competition?) at a time where the top four brands do that INDIVIDUALLY! Even Ford's best year in this market was a about decade ago. I wasn't bashing any potential minivan as much as I was making a statement on GM's past attempts and the market conditions going forward. The Lambda "crossovers" are a better idea than their previous minivan attempts.

Why? It's only slightly longer than the BIKE on its roof!

No, they don't.I'm all for compeition, the more the merrier. But if you can't play with the big boys, find another game. Ford and GM have shown over and and over that they either don't understand this market or are unwilling (or unable) to build a competitive product. They should definitely get out of the minivan market and find areas where they can actually compete. Spend their limited resources on a product that people might actually buy. The minivan market is slipping a bit. Why does GM need to be in a market that is becoming MORE competitive when they couldn't build a competitive product back when minivans were a simple concept (no power doors, no hide-away seats, no AWD, no choice in wheelbases, etc)?

And yet, the Buick will outlive the Saturn. Saturn Relay production ends in just about a month and a half.

Production of the Monte Carlo ends in June 2007. There will be no 2008 model.

The Monte Carlo ends production in June 2007.

I thought it was a prerequesite.

Not only will the new model keep the Malibu name, but the old model (which will remain in production) will revive the Classic name.

Some brochures and press kits, some magazines (about 2,500), some books (about 500), some models (about 120), some Matchbox/Hot Wheels (100 or so), and a car or two.

The next-generation Pacifica didn't work out financially.

While I'm not a fan, there is some rap and "rap" that I like. Quincy Jones' "Back on the Block" disc has some excellent rap in it (primarily the piece describing the jazz standard "Birdland," which immediately follows the rap piece). And my all-time favorite "rap" song is Anthrax's "I'm the Man" (with their cover of "Fight the Power" coming a close second).

I personally liked his work with Neil Schon. "Here to Stay" was a great album in its day.

That was the plan...that's the vehicle that has been cancelled.

I, personally, like "Hear...," probably more than OM-II. It's a good disc, but not as good as "Operation: Mindcrime," "Empire," "Warning," or "Rage for Order."Unfortunately, every third Queensryche CD seems to be an "Operation: Mindcrime" rehash. There was the first one, then "Livecrime" (CD/video boxset), then "Live Evolution" and now the "sequel." I prefer the first three in the list to this year's disc.

Then you should give this disc another spin. "The Needle Lies," "I Don't Believe in Love," and "Eyes of a Stranger" are among my favorites.

Weird.Seriously, it needs to rank among the best rock albums of all time. I still don't know why "Operation: Mindcrime" hasn't received more acclaim.

I saw Queensryche when they performed "Operation: Mindcrime" on the "Building Empires" tour in 1991. It was the best concert I've ever seen. So much so that when the Pittsburgh Press wrote a bad review of the show, I wrote a reply claiming that the review had not seen Queensryche at all (he mentioned the opening act, Suicidal Tendencies, in the review but never mentioned anything specific to Queensryche's performance). It was an excellent show. I have been disappointed by "Operation: Mindcrime II" as a record, which has prevented me from buying tickets to the new tour.