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Everything posted by regfootball
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Subaru News: Subaru Announces Legacy and Outback Pricing
regfootball replied to Drew Dowdell's topic in Subaru
Subaru is masterful at coming out with new models yet they look and feel the same to their fans but are improved. Maybe it’s time to look at a Legacy but still there isn’t much to get the emotions going and that is really the Subaru brand. Practical. Will have to look at their full standard safety feature list. So many other makes now have so much more of the safety features standard than GM does. -
What have we done? 2016 Malibu 1LT 1.5t
regfootball replied to regfootball's topic in Member's Rides Showcase
I can almost barely stomach a Terrain, i really don't like the Equinox; the Regal TourX or Sportback is at this time, if all works out, destined to be my next vehicle. If i had to get into an Equinox i would make sure it was equipped correctly. An Envision is better than both the Terrain and Equinox. But now the new Explorers are coming out, i really want to see if the hype is worth it. And if a cheap deal on a Blazer (I said i would never be caught dead in a blazer) came up I would consider it. Sometimes they lease out the Enclaves cheap too. I was looking at an XT4 as well but its just a bit small. Large enough for just me but family of four occasional road vehicle its a bit small. An Atlas might be ok. Actually the FWD 4 cylinder Atlas is a good fun ride but you can't do an AWD 4 cylinder atlas. If i buy an SUV i would probably want it to have AWD. If it were a short lease i could do FWD. I could have liked a used LaCrosse but i just don't like the constrictive center console. The CTS used if it had a little more backseat room may have been something to consider more. Checked out the Hyundais again the other day. I swore i never would do Hyundais but the Palisade or Sonata that is going out before the new crazy ones come in could be late options. Accord 2.0 would be an option if Honda had blind spot monitoring, plus I just can't deal with the looks of it. I went back to looking at the Fusion also. AWD 2.0 Fusions brand new are SOOO cheap right now. Not really an SUV guy so if i got into an SUV it would be me giving in to the crowd more than seeking something i would have fun in. -
What have we done? 2016 Malibu 1LT 1.5t
regfootball replied to regfootball's topic in Member's Rides Showcase
so I am in month 37 of the 39 mo lease, and i've been shopping but avoiding dealerships and to be honest i am kind of opening up the list a bit on what i may consider next. But as the Bu crossed 44,000 the other day I think its good to sort of run down what i've learned about this car in 3 years. -it's a good car, especially for the class of vehicle it is in, but i don't give it an A, it's a B. It's got enough things about it that keeps it from being an all star. -engine, i've written about it enough. it's good for what it is and most of the time it's adequate and fine. It's smooth and runs well for a tiny turbo, and in particular for a GM four cylinder. GM is really learning how to make good four cylinder turbos. This one is capable of stupid good mpg's when conditions are right, and then in winter and cold it can really take a dive. Hot summers in city driving also, mpg and drivability takes a hit. in particular when its super hot and the A/C is running you really wish you could turn the auto stop off. The throttle linkage or whatever also feels a little like it doesn't exactly respond to your foot like it used to. The turbo still has nice mid range pick up. Overall for what it is the engine is smooth but the fact that its a small turbo means it comes off as overworked and buzzy at times. I actually believe putting the new LSY 2.0 turbo in the Malibu as a low cost option would be a great solution since that motor also gets good mpg closer to the 1.5, and it runs well on regular gas (whereby the 2.0 currently in the Malibu really likes premium). In my one test drive of the 19 with CVT it actually sounds a bit noisier at times due to the CVT or less sound deadening (it seems like it has less anyways). -transmission, the 6 speed works mostly well but over time gets slower with shifts and some other behavior that lets you know the car has miles. When you kick down on the six speed it really doesn't respond super quick. Sometimes that can be a bit dangerous so drive accordly. My CVT equipped 19 test drive revealed a difference in the way the car shifts... maybe not as great a pickup from a stop but perhaps better roll on response. In any event, the 6 speed does a good job considering it has only 6 speeds, but i can understand the motivations of trying the CVT (lower cost and possibly better roll on response). The Malibu doesn't come off the line great in either scenario but the only sensible way to correct that is a larger 2.0 option with 9 speed on the LT. I don't think Chevy and GM and Barra's crew is bright enough to make that smart move. The car would be flat out amazing with that powertrain. Actually the higher output version of the 1.5 and 9 speed auto would have also been good for GM to try in this car to keep high mpg and boost acceleration a bit. -interior, i do like the interior still after 3 years but i am so tired of the all black. It is just so dreadful. The cloth is actually a better option to tone down the darkness I think (mine is leather). I think if i had the nice 2 panel moonroof it would have helped immensely; it still feels like a bunker inside. 2019 on some trims has an option for light wheat interior which i saw at the auto show and was really a nice change. But it already had lots of marks on the seats, that color will be tough to keep clean. Overall GM and chevy have to learn how to get some variety in the interior environments of these cars on more of the cars available on the lot. Gauges I wish were larger, and they need to work on the menus and look of the info screen inbetween the gauges. The ipod on the dash was always perfectly functional but the interface looks old and has been updated for 2019. The shape and configuration of that screen on the dash needs a change. And its a bit out of reach. The climate controls I love, super simple but I wish my car has dualzone. And also the climate should have a display on the screen to show what functions are on and what temps etc. and should show them when carplay is in use as well. The area below the climate control and in front of the shifter is hard to make efficient use of and a bit of a reach, especially for trying to find the USB ports. The steering wheel is nice except i've grown weary of the rubberized buttons. I would prefer real buttons. I like the stalk arrangement, very simple for the wipers. Window and door lock switches are nice and better than my perception of older GM cars. The storage under the armrest is nice sized. The armrest itself is comfy, even if its thinner and a bit cheap looking. The cupholders work well and I like them as they have them set up. I like the real shift lever although it is kind of big. I have a rotary shifter in our van and have tried some other shifters and I do like the basic shift lever concept as it is. Still. -the seats, seating space and room is good, and of course more room is always nice but for the class it works. I am even comfy in the rear seats. The front seats and the driver seat in particular I don't like much anymore. They feel like they don't have enough heft, structure and padding. Therefore the support feels less than it should be. The power recline mechanism jerks, feels like its gonna go off its track or something. The lumbar pad can always be felt digging into your back, at least that's what i think it is....the cloth versions i had in my rental one time felt more comfortable. Maybe the heated seat and lumbar pads take away from the padding and support of the seat and telegraph through the material. GM was trying to engineer all parts efficiently on this light car and i think they needed to add a little bulk back into the seats and make them more comfortable and feel like they will last longer than 5 years before something breaks. The shape of the backrest and bottom is ok apart from maybe needing a bit more wdith but the rest of the seat needs work. -Carplay, its been buggy. Its almost for a separate post, and i'm glad i've had it. But i've been beta testing for 3 years I feel. You never always know if its going to work, or if it will not like the cable. Or if it will stumble all over itself during functioning. And part of it is Siri, that bitch. Like I said it could probably be a separate post. Still an overall benefit but not completely enjoyable or dependable. -trunk, nicely trimmed IMO and lots of space for the size of the car. The extremely light lid and spindly arms have remained in perfect function and felt nice and precise the whole time. Very good body engineering by GM here. -ride and handling, still like the steering a lot. at times it can feel a bit heavy. I mean, for a cheap FWD car its quite good. But its no CTS. The ride is comfortable until you start getting imperfect paving then its a crapshoot. Sometimes it can feel like a harsh dumptruck with no compliance and make loud thunks on even tiny bumps. Other times it can just feel good. This is really just what you get with this class of car. Econo ride and feel. I do believe it is one of the better rides and drives in the class, its just that i think this is partially why crossovers are so popular. They feel like they ride and drive cushier. The malibu chassis is great and deserves and sport tuned steering and suspension that take it from being a commodity priced experience to something athletic and a comfortable responsive sport sedan with ride compliance. The 2.0 LSY motor and a well tuned ride and handling package would make a really good real RS package for this car I believe. -brakes.. fantastic brakes. firm feel, stop well. But actually the pedal can be too hard at times and be hard on your feet. It's that firm. But the brakes are great...you used to never be able to say that about GM cars. -winter ability. The car did well in winter the first couple years but this year i needed snows because otherwise it was so light and skating so much. The very thing that helps the car feel agile and gives it efficiency makes it an occasional bear to deal with in winter. The snow tires did help a lot. But just be sure to know a large light car with fwd in winter you may want something heavier. -mpg. in the last 6-9 months the mpg has dropped overall. by 1-2 i think. Overall the life of the car will probably average out to 30 mpg which is good for a large car. And this is through winters and about 2/3 city driving. I think for a little more heft on the car, and a larger motor i would give up 3-4 mpg and be ok with it. If the CVT can get back more mpg then that's ok too. If not, what is the point of the CVT. -durability. aside from the getting the oil leaks fixed a few times, and the engine computer fix for the potential piston issues it seems to holding well. That said if i would be to keep this car i would get a lot of maintenance / fluids etc, done on it. I had one incident where the autostop malfunctioned and the brakes gave out and the car died. I was able to restart it and things came back...but it was a slightly unsettling incident at a left turn that i was fortunately able to not have accident. End game, GM won't do many more updates to this car in a dying class but I know if they put in a new dash, put the moonroofs in more cars on the lot, set up their option packages better, gave it a more sophisticated ride, and offered a low priced 2.0 option with the LSY i think they can keep growing interest in this car. By 2022 model they should look at a full reskin though. And GM won't i bet. -
i wonder if someone will develop one of those rear of cargo box gate type things that extend out the back of the bed when the tailgate is down. People who had explorer sporttracs and chevy avalanches had them a lot of the time. since you can change the tops over the seating area, i wonder if someone will develop a system to put a matching style top over the bed.
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GM News: GM Shelves Diesel Option for Equinox and Terrain
regfootball replied to William Maley's topic in General Motors
well, back in 2013 when gas was 4 bucks i think this would have gone over more. I drove one for a short drive once, and it felt peppy, but the numbers don't suggest it's fast. It was decently smooth if i remember. Far better option than the 1.5 in the equinox, at least when it's AWD. Knowing GM they probably limit the shit out of your options when you choose the diesel. I'm willing to bet this is the end forever of diesel in GM cars for anything besides pickups from now on. -
i still know plenty of folks like us that have a van. declining segment, yes. But there is still very few models. Odyssey, Sienna, Chrysler buyers all like them. That said. I think they could stand to add AWD to them, and that might help them regain new interest. The Sienna is odd that way in that at least in the past it added run flat tires. If they keep the price of the AWD down, the sliding doors alone make many folks go to a van vs an SUV. That said (part duex) now that our kids are getting older etc. I could see an Enclave or Atlas etc. in the future to replace the Chrysler. The kids can be trusted to not fling doors open into other cars these days. Chrysler needs to make a 3 row SUV off the Pacifica platform. Sometimes the van is TOO big for everyday outings. Maybe the next step in vans is to try to reduce the size 5% while figuring out how to keep nearly the same usable space. noteworthy, the Voyager does not have Sto N Go. One way to keep PAcifica resale from tanking while cheapening the base trims is to rename the base trim to another model and stripping the features out of that. They can pump up the Pacifica MSRP's and the Voyager can become the cheap lease special.
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DRIVEN: 2019 Cadillac XT4 Premium Luxury AWD 2.0t
regfootball replied to regfootball's topic in Reader Reviews
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DRIVEN: 2019 Cadillac XT4 Premium Luxury AWD 2.0t
regfootball replied to regfootball's topic in Reader Reviews
you go out and find one of these bad boys and you see how really awful GM does colors. and you're like, 'i would definitely consider one of these colored interiors, if they didn't look so cheap quality awful'. these computer images are terribly flattering, fake leather coats from Sears have nicer material quality also missing, a picture of the typical chevy ASS GRAY (otherwise officially referred to as Ash Gray in their specs) -
DRIVEN: 2019 Cadillac XT4 Premium Luxury AWD 2.0t
regfootball replied to regfootball's topic in Reader Reviews
that's because GM's plastics and leathers are cheap to start with and when its not tan, gray or black it looks that much more like ass. If the leather and plastics were better quality the unique colors would look a lot better. I sat in a Stelvio with the red leather awhile back and all the red interior and leather looked really good. GM never really pulls off colors well because they don't execute. -
it's CRAZY the mpg on a huge cavernous heavy minivan, that 26.3 is mix of city / highway over many miles, the 32.5 was a long stretch of about 80 miles on a trip last weekend. and a nice strong smooth and quiet v6. The carplay hadn't worked in several months and then my wife said the car did itself and over the air update the other day. And after that, the screen apps were updated and some new things, and the Carplay fixed itself and started working again. WIN no trip to the dealer.
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Actually I never really saw the resemblance to the Accord before but you hit the nail on the head!
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https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a14513016/2018-buick-lacrosse-eassist-hybrid-test-review/ gm still haz eassist
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GM had BAS a long time ago. Now, Audi will have it and it will become the most applauded idea out there.
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Barra strikes again
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Quick Drive: 2019 Mitsubishi Outlander SEL S-AWC
regfootball replied to William Maley's topic in Reviews
Rogue and Outlander, two of the 'best value' crossovers with third row and some space out there. And yes that includes the CVT. I admire said value, but even I can't pop for an outlander any more these days. They badly need a new version. By the time they do, it will be outdated by a generation.- 5 replies
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DRIVEN: 2019 Cadillac XT4 Premium Luxury AWD 2.0t
regfootball replied to regfootball's topic in Reader Reviews
Yes, they are in the Barra Erra -
DRIVEN: 2019 Cadillac XT4 Premium Luxury AWD 2.0t
regfootball replied to regfootball's topic in Reader Reviews
GM standard SEA OF BLACK. DEATH BLACK interiors, GM's specialty! -
DRIVEN: 2019 Cadillac XT4 Premium Luxury AWD 2.0t
regfootball replied to regfootball's topic in Reader Reviews
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DRIVEN: 2019 Cadillac XT4 Premium Luxury AWD 2.0t
regfootball replied to regfootball's topic in Reader Reviews
If an automaker offers both cloth and leather, at least make the cloth offering nice enough. Buick>Kia on the pecking order. Buick’s cloth should be nicer than what you can find in a random Kia. And yes you can get leather if you choose but then if you are a premium brand why offer the cloth if it’s shitty cloth -
DRIVEN: 2019 Cadillac XT4 Premium Luxury AWD 2.0t
regfootball replied to regfootball's topic in Reader Reviews
i do respect the choice aspect here. But I think to omit even the option of the safety equipment on the base trim for something that is standard on Kias, is quite GM like and frustrating as hell. GM in general. I would love a Regal TourX wagon. But the TourX with cloth, you can't get heated seats on as an option. Not a big deal really except that often the TourX in cloth is even stickering at 37k on the lot, and I'm sorry, a 37k MSRP vehicle. Especially a mid lux brand like buick....Dual Zone climate and heated seats should be in that vehicle at 37,000. And a nicer seat material than ratty cloth that even Suzuki wouldn't put in their cars. On the Silverado they sell so many of them they can afford to have so many different configurations. On the XT4, the heated seats option covers the front and rear seats. Now that i like as Cadillac doing something in line with luxury. Both rows. I've had blind spot monitor on both my cars now and have gotten used to it to 'assist' me in checking my blind spot better. It does IMO save me some close calls, it's a feature I absolutely want to have. It's most useful function is when you are passing it helps you to be more confident in the space you have before you pull back in front of someone. I think there are some aftermarket blind spot systems out there. But back to my point, Cadillacs IMO ought to have them, at least available on every trim. I think standard, and maybe able to be disabled by the user if desired.