regfootball

Suzuki wants divorce

in any case, GM having the small car market covered with able entries is sort of rare. Add in Verano and....WOOT!

that car is Teh sEX IF YOU DON'T BUY IT I MAY HAVE TO And I may or may not be serious.

Does anyone think the Cruze and Sonic will COMPETE with each other or COMPLEMENT each other? discuss. I am thinking COMPLEMENT although I do think if the Sonic is good, it will cannibalize a few Cruze sales. What my guess is, most Sonics will come with the 1.8 and fries, and the bulk of Cruze with the 1.4 turbo will be the sales there. Maybe the proper question is, in retail sales, will Cobalt + Aveo be killed by Sonic + Cruze.

nice review. focus is a good effort from ford.

Buick's priorities.... Smaller crossover Astra coupe Astra wagon (to compete with Jetta SW) regal coupe? I would put a Regal wagon after that, although i would like to see it here.

one customer i had one day was driving a new ecoboost truck. my question, do you like it. the answer was basically gushing about how good the truck was. loved the f-150, loved the turbo, loved the power, and 24 mpg. our ford stores, the ecoboost trucks are often sold before they get them off the trailer. if they do hit the lot, i doubt they stay beyond 5 days or so.

i liked the regal wagon but admit it probably would not sell much. and if this means we get the astra wagon here, then its not all bad. the astra wagon looked to be nicer looking and more space efficient. less pricey and better head to head vs. a jetta wagon

i would so take this car at 30k...... If the turbo malibu feels 90% like this car.......

Tested, base 9-5 sedan...MSRP roughly 40k (closeout price roughly 30k), 2.0 turbo 4, 220hp, 6 speed man.... HIGHS Smooth engine and powertrain Nice shifter and clutch, nice knob to grab and hold. Good cabin room front and back Borderline sexy exterior style Lots of equipment Saab starter button now between the legs....er, seats......! That Eurocar smell inside..... Big trunk that is nicely appointed. Drivers seat is widely adjustable and generally comfortable. Other seats are pleasing firm. Decent visibility out the front and sides, under the premise of a car with not very large side glass. Dash layout, which differs from the Regal, is not too bad of a layout. Green dash lighting!!!!! Pull in all gears, no turbo lag really. Quiet inside, feels planted Big discounts fuel efficient Unique, one of a kind Has a good amount of euro feel A no excuses well made solid car LOWS There is just something missing inside the cabin with the interior, just really not quite yet up to par for a car with the high MSRP's...... Cheap looking radio (base unit) Control layouts maybe low for some folks, dash design in general is a bit odd and strange compared to current trends. Has 'enough' power but could use more Steering wheel is not thick enough (base model) and the leather wrap felt cheap. Seat leather is a bit cheap Plastics are a bit cheap Actually smells like the Regal inside Not much of a window to look out the rear. Visibility could be just a bit better..... Drivers seat is a bit hard to get adjusted right Seating in general could stand to be more contoured. Steering was not light enough for my tastes and really was probably lacking feel IMO....sorta numb (this was not a sport package) "If you had just driven this side by side with a Regal turbo manual, you would swear it's the same car"....not much difference in personality or feel MSRP! way too high Car just lacks the presentation and the utter feel of the German elites, IOW maybe not enough Euro feel Being one of a kind is one thing, but do you want to be an orphan? Yes, it does have some GM overtones lurking...... SUMMARY Not at all a failure, but not making a splash, and too much like its Opel / Buick cousins. I was second guessing this car until I drove it, and I am glad I did. Now, i did not drive the more prevalent expensively trimmed ones. So I am evaluating this car on my impression as a lesser price car you can actually buy in comparison to a CC, Regal, TSX, etc. It probably is behind BMW and Mercedes by a noticeable amount as a pure luxury car. But it's hard for me to say with certainty if that's the 3 series / C Class or 5 series / E class. It doesn't possess that leaden feel of the prime German metal. That's ok, I actually prefer this. As one who loves GM Epsilon cars, and has always wanted a 93 (but with more legroom), this car strikes a chord with me. But the ultimate question is "why would I take this over a Regal"? Rear seat room perhaps. That might be the only reason, aside from whatever pricing dynamics are in place at the time. A Regal GS is likely a way better deal. A more pedestrian Regal selling for the same price raises a real problem. The cars are just way too similar in the drive. Like Grand Ams and Aleros, its like the same car in a slightly different shape. And in this case, although I did not think i would like having the choice, I actually do. I'd gladly drive this car. I endorse this vehicle and Saab sticking around because of it. However, Saab desperately needs to inject some unique personality into the car, and they need to get the interior to be nicer. What they have is a start. There is a need to take it to the next level in a big way in order to stick around. My own personal rating is B+ (dings for wishes for more power and better steering), I have market adjusted it vs. it's 'intended competition' to a B-. Just to be certain though, I would gladly drive one.....but I can't buy it at a Buick dealer either............which has essentially 'the same' car........

Buick need an absolute clone of the Astra coupe here, no softening or Americanization like is being done with the sedan. I would say the wagon is needed also. Just import the wagon and hatch in low volumes and keep the Opel ness.

nice truck! CONGRATS

lol....really not sure why they ended up in bed to start with. that must explain why none of the product is getting updated

i think it seems priced well out of the chute, has lots of luxury / coddling items for the GM lovers who can't afford a Caddy nor want a RWD caddy. Buick Cimmaron? Maybe....but it should do well. Buick will only want to hit sales targets. Might be the best blend of luxury yet economy and price out there if this works out. Heated steering wheel? sweet. Folks in the northern climes gush over $h! that makes winter driving less painful.....what some folks think is stupid....like remote start and automatic activating heated seats might make more difference on the sales charts than 0-60. For sure this car will embarrass the Jetta in terms interior nice and luxury and refinement. My only concern is position with the Regal and such. Base Regals will have to go up? Is the Regal much larger? NOW may be the best time ever to get the Regal if half what this Verano does is just jack up the price of the Regal. THis car does look classier than the Focus. I like the Focus, but it's a bit bland and egglike yet overdone at the same time. IMO the Cruze is today's Grand Am and this is probably today's Alero.

rather have the smart than a mini........

took in a Smart car.....had never driven one......wow, what a trip. the drive itself, as far as the cabin and visibility, not bad, you feel secure in traffic even though there is not much car. The powertrain is a huge deficit to the car. a small three popper and worthless tranny really make the car a toy. the style and design is neat though. Handling is not all bad! The car does give the impression of a tarted up golf cart but methinks its not all far off into being something interesting. HIGHS- unique, useful and innovative package LOWS- junk powertrain (mostly the tranny), lack of solidity truth is as urban cars its hard to think of a better package. Now invest in real mechanicals... If GM did this car with the cruze turbo.......... If I lived in an urban setting and had this as a second car and the powertrain was real I would have no issues owning one. I would like to see GM do this kind of car. Honestly.

ROCK ON BOB!

a BMW virgin that wants to step right into an M5? lol walk b4 u can run.......

what is the update on your driving impressions?

chick car. chicks fresh outta college / sorority can't quite afford the X3 yet

look at that short stubby knob, so much girth, it feels great to work through the gears......... cruze shifter is really good. congrats again Blu, that is a sweet ride. (JEALOUSY)

actually the MKX and MKT are very nice machines. as far as the MKT whenever i go visit the sister ship they will usually have an MKt on the floor that is simply drop dead stunning. the price is just wayyyyyy too high for a family hauler (that isn't much different than a Flex or Explorer). So when you look at 50-60k, you're either gonna go German or prob go larger. One day when i was driving around a more posh part of town, i actually saw 3 MKt's on the same day. I tend to think the MKt is simply not marketed much either. Now if you are looking for a slightly used program car at some point maybe the MKt will be sold off that way. Get a great deal on a cool ride. In the meantime it is also the starting point for Ford to introduce and amortize some of its new tech like park assist and ecoboost....so they can eventually show up on the cheaper stuff. one other trend i notice is third row vehicles, i think are cooling a bit in terms of demand. Useful, but they make the vehicle large and thirsty and I think some folks are hitting a ceiling on large and thirsty. The MKs needs an image of its own and a personality. IMO it needs a new interior, it also needs some styling cues that make it stand out. They can still ride that car out for 3 more years if they really make it better. They need to back off on the Taurus a bit in how well that is equipped too. The MKz is the dud IMO. Long term they should reduce the sedan count......at least make a car that is in the 3 series / ATS class with RWD platform and then also an MKs sized sedan with RWD bias. Lincoln needs an image car like a couple or convertible. The MKs can live on and the MKt if it can survive may be nice but i dont know if it will. A smaller crossover will probably be a need. I hedge on whether a third sedan is a need.

7 bucks more.....! not bad. can't wait!

gray cloth in the cruze to me is a looker....

leasing was a smart way to get a Saab. they are already offering 10k off the just released 9-5....