regfootball

I've had to do that too. I can't believe the horror looks on people's faces when you ask them to consider a domestic. Its like i could have killed their spouse. I almost want to say f@#k OFF, idiots. In any case, conversely, just about everyone who rides in my 500 who has never been in my car or knows what it is says, 'what is this'? IT'S A FORD? and they all universally like it, even in spite of the fact its a half baked effort. So i think the perception problem is branding. American brands have been so bread and butter for so long and people's concept of luxury has advanced faster than the domestics have put it into their cars. Couple that with the notion that folks now, even if they are middle class, do not want anything that shows they are middle class. EVERYONE wants a 'luxury car'. Case in point. I work with a really smoking hot redhead gal who is in the market for a car. Her Pontiac is her college car and because that is the case, she will not tolerate antying other than an aspirational brand now. Even though she has no budget. So, she is shopping for used Lexus and Saabs (VW is not 'good enough' for her). I would love to really show her some good cars for her (I think a new Altima coupe would be perfect for her) but she is fixated on status. She wants a 4 year old G35 but the new Altima would be a much better solution for her, considering warranty, cost of repair, service, etc. I am befuddled by it all. I don't even pretend to get it anymore. But its that way with clothing too. So cars are just fashion and lfestyle accessories to 99% of the crowd. And I blame it on women mostly. They usually control our penises and pursestrings. How else would crap like Hyundias make inroads in our country. Soft and cuddly.

its so ridiculous that GM will make 1,000,000 of those cheap looking radios and stuff it into everything and the 100 dollar pioneer head unit at best buy looks nicer. I can't believe they are saving THAT much on spitting that cheesy unit out globally on EVERY FRICKING car. otherwise, this car is very shanghai meets daewoo meets saturn L.

well, anytime someone buys new its worth congrats. The main thing is she is happy. Its amazing some of the deals going on right now. I saw an ad for new 06 pacificas for 18 grand today. That's alot of car for the money. And the 07 4.0 upgrade is a good powertrain, I've driven it. Mits dealer was ad'ing new 06 Endeavor AWD's for 22 grand. Sizable solid crossover rig for the dough w/ massive warranty. Chrysler vans have never been cheaper than now. Even though they are dated, they are a great value. New from 13 grand on up. 14 grand off Chevy Silverado hybrids. Once you get past the 20 or 30 hot selling cars its amazing the competent cars that can be had for MUCH cheaper. New Maxx's for a little over 17 grand. Loaded Mountaineers for 24k. New Grand Marquis for 17 grand. Even new rigs like the CX-7 already coming in around 22 grand to start. New 500's for 20k. New Fusions for closer to 15k. New 300's for 21g. Even new Siennas (and other Toyotas) they are needing to slash prices on now to move them. That's why I still cringe at spending over 20g's on any vehicle. Something like a Saturn Outlook which I really dig but is much closer to 30-40k than 20k. No one has $$$$$ for that much car. No one I know anyways.

wow. great report.

i think the Impala will be flet heavy and SS heavy for the small block buffs.

DAMN. GM is GETTING THE MESSAGE styling-check features-check engines and powertrain-check interior-check hope the price is ok!

hope the dealers are open new years day. might try to find one to drive.

you sure that ain't a high school picture of Buickman, his first job doing car detailing at a flint buick dealer? or bagging groceries....... or, its ENZYTE bob.....

I love driving sticks, but its often tough to buy one. I think it would still behoove GM and Ford etc. to offer at least one of each of the following.....and a competent suspension and handling pkg for a good price mid sized front drive sedan with high powered six and manual tranny mid sized front drive basic sedan with decent road manners and four cylinder / stick compact performance sedan and coupe with a stick basic compact sedan and coupe with a stick one or two rear drive performance sedan / coupes (not camaros) you could argue right now that GM/Ford in combo does have a lot of this covered already. I would say they both are missing on a good midsize sedan with DOHC motor and 6 speed. The G6 GTP has the pushrod motor and a klunky shifter supposedly. Plus the car could stand to be a hare bigger and nicer. Seeing the pics of the new Malibu, I would enjoy being able to have one with the 3.6 and a stick, if they ever offer one. I actually would totally dig an AWD v8 version of my 500 in black, lowered an inch or so, with a 6 speed manual. Or a 310hp direct injection duratec front wheel drive version with a 6 speed manual. I think Chrylser ought to make a stick version of the 300.....a v6, twin turbo six.

i think the irony is that for this rig, CR can only PREDICT that the FJ is reliable due to the Toyota tag on the vehicle...but they were NOT happy with the fact that a toyota is not a wussified urbo-lib-greenie cruiser. They complained about its hard ride and noise and such, well DUH its a truck. CR wants to pigeonhole Toyota into only making Camry's and Corollas. That's why I think this is so significant. Toyota is branching out and CR does NOT like that.

see, now you don't have to fantasize about that LaCrosse then, you aspire for this Chevy!

ah,...... hey, i did have a honda 3 wheeler when i was in high school though........ nice thread!

writers don't know squat, that's why they write. plus they are stubbornly wed to the notion of their own thoughts being 100% right all the time. armchair QB's is what they are, mostly. egotistical ones.

OH NO THE HONDA INFILTRAITORS ARE SCARED......

yup.

a prius would be your worst enemy in a winter storm. cold weather discharging your electrical power. an inadaquate engine for driving through rough blizzards. small light chassis that would get beat all to hell on snowy roads and pothole infested roads. tiny tires and light wheels that would get bent all to hell.

camLEE has no tunk. HYBRID PREEUS NEED BIG TUNK TO HAUL OFF LEASE COM POOTERS.

having owned TWO diamantes I think the references to this being a diamante clone is overblown in terms of the back end. The back end looks a hell of a lot more like a Lucerne / Stretch Jetta / TL to me than any of the Diamantes i had. I wish those pricks at Edmunds would shut their traps and state things correctly.

Well, the Maxx sure is nice. You couldn't go wrong with that. One idea......Would she like a Mazda 6 hatchback. It's comparable to the Maxx in terms of utility, even if the engine is a bit of a groaner. Isn't if funny how something like gauges can ruin one's feelings about a car?

please please try forddirect.com and type in her zipcode and try to find an edge if the santa fe is what she wants. the first edges shipping are the under 30k price points, possibly one with AWD just under 30. i would stick a fork in myself if anyone bought a santa fe and at least did not drive the edge first. they are in stores now, you just need to find one. i really think she may find the freestyle appealing in some ways also and those will sell low to mid to high 20's. I KNOW, its a FORD, but man, its not a HYUNDAI then. would she like an XL7? that's one way to go GM and it might be a good size for her. It would be like getting a good nox. And its in her price range. I can understand the apprehension on the endeavor, but its a solid vehicle for the price, for what they sell them for, used anyways. Is the CX7 too hip for her? The CX7 is cool at first but when you find out its almost just a puffy mazda6 wagon, the appeal wanes. Hey, maybe she's SPortcombi material.......... I bet she would be thrilled with the SRX by the way. that would be a good choice too.

AB

as long as its not a VW you should be ok. VW's can't even seem to maintain combustion.

WOW. That was my first impression on setting my eyes on a new 2007 Outlook. Trucky, sporty, muscular, athletic. Aggressive. All in one shape. It has tight gaps and seams too. I will say this, if looks have anything to do with sales success, then this thing will succeed. It looks great. On the outside. What about the inside? Well, mostly the same types of impressions. I can confirm this, the black interior I saw through the window maybe looked like the plastics quality could stand to be a LITTLE bit nicer. The design of the dash and sweep of the doors looked really nice though. It looked as if the center stack and console were quite nice, despite the parts bin controls on the radio etc. It looks like a great place to be spending time behind the steering wheel. Very cocoon like. Packaging wise, I would say for a crossover, its perfect. Well, a few caveats.....as perfect as it can be for a CROSSOVER SUV. The center row does indeed look far too low (a compromise for the too high floor and sliding seat). I can't see adults being happy sitting on those low chairs with what also appears to be a shortage of leg room. The third row did not look adult sized either but at least the cushion seemed a bit higher. It seems as though there is usable space behind the third row. I wonder how exactly plywood will fit in this thing with the hatch closed, but they say it does so who am I to know? I think if we compare this thing to a Pilot in terms of packaging, it probably has the Pilot beat. What I am more curious about is comparing this to the Freestyle. You could assume this thing hammers the Freestyle on usability, but now after seeing one I would guess that this is the case.....the second and third row are probably pretty close in overall head room and leg room, with the outlook being wider. I would guess the FS's lower floor helps it come close to the overall comfort for passengers that the Outlook will have....and have a higher second row seat. Cargo wise, the Outlook appears to have a higher load floor, but a higher roof as well and is wider so it will have more usuable space. But we know the Outlook is much heavier. So it ought to have more room. So I am left thinking they really could have benefitted from dropping the floor to increase the seat height in the rear two rows. And there's the rub. Its now all too obvious why this platform is not seeing a minivan. There are many who have suggested this is an adequate minivan stand in. Its not. Not in any way. It still does not have the packaging a desired van has. The floor is too high, the load floor is too high. The seating is not stow and go flexible. Simply trying to add a sliding door would be a joke. The cargo area while large is still not van voluminous. And that's all ok, because for a CROSSOVER SUV, its the perfect package. its just that this package may be too heavy and have too high a floor for a van. This is a stunning looking vehicle. It looks compact for its actual size and what it can contain. Its a winner on style. If you want an SUV with a nice console and 3 rows of seats but don't want anything to do with a van, this is it. If you think you are sold on the need for the ultimate versatility of a van, don't kid yourself into thinking this is a seamless replacement. There is a compromise to be had for the pretty crossover package. What is most pleasing about the Outlook is that its way better looking outside than the dumpy ass MDX (or was that an XL7?) and it has an interior that is very passable and pretty well done all things considered. It gets much better real world mpg than the fuel sucking MDX (which got 13 mpg C/D Feb 07) and is much cheaper. An MDX would in no way be worth 10 grand more. Unless you're a dumbass. I really like this outlook. I would like the Acadia version, can't wait to drive it. Just hope I never have to sit in the second row on the low ass chairs. This is probably about as close to a home run GM ever gets on product presentation. I hope all the Honda Pilot bangers go cry in the corner and sip their latte's and piss and moan about how their lovely girl pansy truck has been usurped by the General.

just like i mentioned awhile ago, it is very Jetta esque. A very TL/Jetta/TSX vibe. You know, this car should do well as long as they don't only sell it with pushrods. It actually might be the sexiest looking midsize out there, exterior wise. it should appeal to east coasters and west coasters and import fans assuming those types' heads aren't so far up their ass's that they won't even give this car a fair shake because the looks ARE there. hope the interior quality is ok. it's looking like an Aura in drag, but the design pictures look good. Once the new Accord comes out the butchers in the press will be all over it. At least they could get rid of the cheap ass 3 spoke with an upgraded design.

this is a much nicer looking 'FJ Cruiser'