regfootball

well, if the 9-5 is downsized to 9-3 size now, then take the price down too. make the 9-3 affordable. in defense of Saab. i have tested a few in the last couple weeks and liked them a lot. the problem is GM's pricing structure. maybe they want to take all saabs down in size as entry level caddies. make the 9-5 less cushy than the CTS and let caddy take off from there.

at least the volvos are interesting

if we're gonna praise FWD lux cars now then at least get an Audi (German, real lux car) and not an Accord with metal console trim. its so ok to praise honda for making FWD cars, no one else. Honda has no RWD sedans. Hey, Hyundai does!

empowah, you're a tough nut to crack. keep it in perspective. this is an econocar! i am so WOW at this. the tax credit is wonderful news. if diesel ever goes down to 3.75 or 3.50...OMG it'd be so nice if VW can stick it to toyotas ass with this.

yet for the same money, the G8 is a much better use of money. more car and performance, unless you're obsessed with nav and a vtec logo on the engine cover. and love it when consumer reports reaffirms your decision.

dude, the G8 is drop dead gorgeous and is not a muscle car styling exercise. if anything its a GM interpretation of BMW forms. The g8 looks in proper company parked next to any BMW. the TL....not at all. its a visual abortion.

TL's interior is nice but not nearly on par with say, Audi. Its basically a tarted up Accord with metal trim. G8's is not all that bad. More spartan, but certainly not out of place. I think the G8 would have the Accord super trumped if it gets the same engine tranny combo that the Camaro is getting, and I fully expect that to be the case in 2010.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/review...-tsx-2009_N.htm

9-3 has no rear passenger space now. To downsize it even more makes no sense.

BINGO. the aura sales have gone up with the high gas prices and the intro of the 4 cylinder and dropping of prices. and yes, the beancounters got scared. they were afraid again of giving the customers more than what they expected instead of the GM usual (what we can get away with cheaply). if this insignia does not come to this market in tact, then officially i am done with GM. if the insignia hit the sales floor tomorrow here in the US or when it does in Europe, AS IS, would almost singlehandedly revive GM assuming the prices were good. GM can't punch their way out of a paper bag however. One thing, maybe there is a plan to sell the aura and insignia side by side for awhile.

again, there is not a reason to consider this when a g8 GT or GXP is available with better performance at a lower price. unless you want snow traction and were simply upset with the visual abortion nissan did to the maxima.

HHR has the cargo and passenger space and friendly seating positions the cobalt lacks. you can justify the turbo upgrade price for more than just the engine. the cobalt is a small small car that has no benefit in packaging like the HHR has. The HHR SS and cobalt SS are both lookers on the outside. i bemoan the lack of leather, heated seats, and an armrest. at these prices i expect that. and these things would sell x2 if they had sync. on my test drive.....i agreed with a lot of what hyperv had to say. but here is some detail the engine is smooth and not really boomy or noisy. it is not liquid glass smooth like any 6, but its not really behind any competitors 4. folks, for GM to produce a 4 with such a desirable performance in its cheaper models is amazing and new. the turbo did not spool up without lag, compared to the saab i drove recently, but its not a brutish engine either so its very easy to drive easy or stomp on it and have it go. no qualms about the motor. the clutch was a tad heavy but fairly easy to get used to. the shifter was the deal breaker for me. I missed several shifts, even while being obsessive about not missing them. its notchy and not buttery. The 5-4 downshift is a shift that should be like butter. Yet i was rebuffed several times. the shifter knob could stand to be more stylish than a saab leftover IMHO. its placement was right in your hand and yes indeed those throws are short! my they are. i liked the sport seat but g0d damn, can i please get an armrest? fukn ay. must be the same assholes that left it off the asstra. fire the dip$h!s who do this, please. rear seats are perfection for two adults. i had heard complaints about visibility outside the vehicle on other sites but i think i acclimated to it fairly well. i thought considering the small windshield, the view was semi-panoramic. LOVED the LARGE sunroof....perfect size on this vehicle. ONe thing to note GM does not often at all get, the HHR had nice large mirrors. Even the Lambdas have puny mirrors so this is a huge plus. I liked the rest of the dash and controls.....the cupholder locations, the shifter and parking brake, the radio and the dashtop storage bin. the dash bin i use a lot on the 500 and it becomes a neccessity when you get used to it. Plastics are chevy like.....but i didnt feel it overbearing due to the silver seat accents lightening up the interior. I want the red accents anyways. Power window swtiches are back where God intended them to be, on the door. DId i mention this little trucklet is HOT LOOKING? Just about wet my pants when he pulled it out, it was all black and gleaming. one thought. why cant chevy take a current gen 9-3 and just build the HHR on that? turbo and all? guess i want a sportcombi with leg room in the back, huh. the steering was darned good with just a bit of numbness but not bad. I did like the steering wheel. Good size and nice to grip. The ride had some initial harshness that i did not like but i need to tell myself, duh, this is a performance vehicle. A little too much interior cabin noise, but again same thing. the engine sound is very nice, i don't mind that. i think chevy could stand to drop the price about 2k across the board on this. This is a very sweet little ride. I could enjoy this, but where is my fircking armrest dammit? and heated seats too please. The 09 gets bluetooth and usb, right?

i drove an HHR SS manual yesterday. a nice little honey of a vehicle. will post more later.

i like the current liberty, but gas. the canvas top is the bomb. i see no fords. i drove an 09 escape with the engine and tranny and handling upgrades the other day. the butchiness of the packaging of the escape coming out of the liberty to her may be appealing. 22k off a 27k list for an 09 v6 w/ 240hp, 6 speed auto, sync and lots of utility and a sunroof with sedan like handling and good mpg might be a nice transition for her from the trucky liberty to the kind of half hearted trucky escape. the salesguy who was with me was even impressed since it was his first ride in an 09. he said he could tell the engine had tons more snap and the ride was greatly improved. to me it steered and soaked bumps up like a car. just a tall one. incredibly refined and sedan like. edge too......cheaper models. neighbor has an sx4 and loves it. jetta sportwagen? forester is nice. the vw's and gm stuff always appeals to me. i test drove an HHR SS manual today and that was a major hoot. a lovely little car. do you think she'd like a plain HHR? or an HHR SS auto? big rebates right now. she might like the outlander too. real cargo space, big warranty, nicer than the RAV4 and much more useful than the rogue, IMHO. does an equinox sport or torrent GXP register here? i had an extended spin in an astra xr 5 door the other day, great car but if she gravtitates to it, take it out on a solid 20+ miles run and drive the thing at 75+ on the freeway and see if you can tolerate the 4000 rpms on the tach. that's tiring. that and no armrest = deal breaker, even with the cool as hell sunroof. 9-3 sportcombi?

aura / cts rear maxima / m35 side mazda / cheese slicer front yet the it will outsell the cheaper g8 (which probably performs better as well as looks way better)

so, we'll add another BRAND but you suggest we need to cut pontiac and buick etc.

i really wish we were talking about crap asian brands going away. hyundai kia toyota honda acura lexus

now can we PLEASE get this 300hp v6 and manual tranny in the G8?

wow, between enzl and pcs, if we added buickman into the mix, we'd have one hell of a writing team for a daily woe is me soap opera. it would have no end and no beginning, but a lot of diabolical plots along the way. i just test drove an HHR SS over lunch, fun car! Its a shame we have to talk about GM needing to cut models when their product is coming around and we have SH-T like corollas kias and camrys on the market.

there always comes a point where the cost of doing business is too much but the icing on the cake is probably excess regulation and lawmaking. hopefully this will stem CA's desire to extend their tentacles to the rest of our great nation with all the crap like bullying others into extreme emmissions regs etc.

some don't want cheap chevys. some don't want or can afford caddies. you need the inbetween.

i like this car a lot and the v6 / 6sp would be my choice. i don't like the interior, it looks cheap and i dislike the design also. seats in particular look cheap. why didn't they use the G8 seats? i will reserve final judgement on the interior till i get in one. car is heavy. new mustangs sell for 17k. i dont think we'll see any camaros close to that cheap.

spent some more time in an Astra XR today, about 25 miles or so. i have to say i like the car, the exceptions being the gearbox is sometimes reluctant. the -deal breaker- (this is a price thing) is the engine. 4000 rpm at 80+ mph where most traffic goes on the freeway is not acceptable. too much booming. its not coarse, but it just is too much. give me the saab 2.0 t motor with a 6 speed manual in this car and i would be giddy. the astra really needs the extra gear, and also i blew the upshift to 2 3 times, i could not guide the shifter into 2 without really having to think about it. the rest of the car? Love it. needs an armrest badly . love the interior, badly! roll stiffness could be better in turns. BRAKES ARE PHENOMENAL. cupholders? weird radio? i could get used to it. bottom line, love the packaging and the manners, if its cheap enough its worth putting up with the engine. its a quiet honey in intown driving. get past 60-65 and its not enough. needs more grunt off the line too but for an econocar its ok, so at the right price this car is a wonder.

COOL!

THAT IS A LOVELY TRUCK! CONGRATS!