VenSeattle

Guys... Chevrolet is NOT a "premium" mainstream brand. Chevrolet is a mainstream (catch-all) brand. Chevrolet has some exceptional niche vehicles to spice up its average line-up: SSR, HHR, Corvette, SS-trim, etc... etc... I agree with the original post. All Chevrolet vehicles now successfully accomplish what they are intended to do: provide attractive (but inoffensive), solid, reliable, quality transportation for the average entry-level to middle-class consumer. They aren't meant to be pseudo-luxury vehicles or premium boutique alternatives (exception to the niche vehicles & SS trim) to mainstream vehicles. You guys really expect too much from each and every brand. GM is to be all things to all people.... not just Chevrolet. The line has to be drawn somewhere for Chevrolet so the other brands can begin. I'm not talking about suppressing Chevrolet either. The SS trims provide all the attributes of the same vehicle but with a more upscale/sporty finish. That's perfectly in-line with what Chevrolet should deliver. But stop expecting a Chevrolet worthy of a Cadillac Crest but with a bow-tie (such as Avalon to Lexus, or Accord to Acura). The closest thing that comes to this is the Corvette, but even the XLR is a step above the Corvette in many respects. Let Chevrolet be Chevrolet. Once you out-grow Chevrolet and move on towards Saturn, Pontiac, Buick, Cadillac, GMC, Saab, or HUMMER... be happy for everything Chevrolet offered and provided you over the years.

Eh... empowah, you're just being a tad bit TOO critical of the LaCrosse. I know you're aware that most of the things mentioned were just opinions (such as the areas that look "dated" and the seat comfort), but the Jaguar steering wheel is even less attractive than the one in the LaCrosse. The Jag's buttons are just as small as the LaCrosse's and the door handle on the X-Type is also just a door handle. The tragedy in this is that the X-Type gets away with the same flaws and is about $10k more than the LaCrosse.

Welcome to the United States of Double Standards and the United States of Constantly Appeasing the Minority.

It's disturbing to me.  Democracy is supposed to be "majority rules" but it seems different in the U.S. 

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I personally don't find it disturbing. Regardless of who is in the majority, every American deserves to have their fundamental rights protected... even if they're not in the majority.

No majority should have the ability to remove a minority's fundamental rights.

I guess he forgot that GM just hired Stephen J. Girsky back in August as a personal advisor to Rick Wagoner and the Senior management... :rolleyes:

The only cosmetic changes they made is they changed the speedometer to 140 (no idea why) 

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The same speedometer is used for Miles & Kilometers (a button on the dash switches the measurements between the two). 140 is more appropriate for kilometers (140 km = 87 mph). Why they had 120 to begin with is beyond me.

Remember this article from just last month?

The Avalon is significantly lighter and significantly more fuel efficient, though.

Still, $31K for a V8 powered Lucerne is very good value for money. The V6 versions could be cheaper, or offer the HF3.6 as standard. I'm surprised the "simple and cheap" 3800 is only $2000 less than the "complex and sophisticated" V8. I predict rebates for the V6 models soon... they probably couldn't price it lower because of the LaCrosse.

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I was just correcting a misquote. The Northstar V8 in the Lucerne is more powerful than the Avalon's V6. Especially in torque.

I agree that Avalon will be faster, but we won't know by how much until numbers come out for the Lucerne. Regardless, in the large car segment, anything in the 7.5-sec range or lower is considered effortless power.

Off topic, but damn the interior looks good in that photo.

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That is exactly what I thought when I saw the pic. The Tahoe interior looks FANTASTIC in that pic. It's hard to believe Lutz is sitting in a Chevrolet SUV instead of a luxury sedan.

The article was about as fair as fair can be. I also see that the media is slowly conceding to GM's efforts. It's about damn time.

In the past 5 years, GM has set Cadillac on fire, literally created a division that has stolen most of JEEP's off-road prestige, and increased initial & long-term reliability across the board while at the same time suffered through completely restructuring its entire organization WORLD WIDE.

Now, if the distractions of restructuring will disappear, GM might be able to build up the steam to press ahead "harder & faster" than ever before.

Chevrolet will be completely reborn once the next generation Malibu arrives… along with Saturn.

And who would have thought 5 years ago that Buick's 2006 line-up would be equal to or better than much of Cadillac's then-current 2000MY line-up??? :

Compare:

2000 Cadillac Catera
MSRP $31,010
200 hp V6

Or

2006 Buick LaCrosse CXS
MSRP: $28,435
240 hp V6

And:

2000 Cadillac Seville SLS
MSRP: $44,475
275 hp V8

Or

2006 Buick Lucerne CXS
MSRP: $35,990
275 hp V8


GM is turning around…

Well, at least Cadillac's "pretentiousness" is returning. Were any of the past few Cadillac generations EVER used as a design study for after market manufacturers? Outside of that, this interpretation of a Cadillac Fleetwood 16 is hideous.

I agree. That's my opinion as well. Having been raised Christian, I was taught that Christians were the messengers of God, but the judgment of all people was reserved for Armageddon. Think about it. If Christians were responsible for judging everybody on this planet, then why would we need Armageddon anyways? No human can really know what is in another person's heart and soul. A brief 15 minute encounter may not even lend you that gay person's name... let alone a right to condemn him/her to Hell.

Very good point.  The fact that the Toyota has a silky smooth and very efficient V6 that makes more power to begin with than even the upgrade V8 in the Buick will be quite an embarrasment, but Buick had to work with what they could get.  Sad, but true.

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just to remind people...

Toyota Avalon
3.5-liter DOHC 24-valve Dual VVT-i V6
268 hp @ 6200 rpm
248 lb.-ft. @ 4700 rpm

Buick Lucerne
4.6L Northstar V8
275 hp @ 6,000 rpm
295 lb-ft @ 4,400 rpm

I'm sold... The price is right. For Christ's sake, the Lucerne CXS is priced the same as a Base Park Avenue... The Lucerne CXS is the equivalency to a 2004 Cadillac Seville!

I wouldn't dream of being ashamed to have a GM badge on my car.

From the "2007 SUVS AT A GLANCE" on page 1 posted by Derek77:

Cadillac Escalade models feature an exclusive luxury interior, including a unique instrument panel, instrumentation (with continuously lit white-LED backlighting), seats, door trim and center console. Escalade also receives enhanced premium materials and features, such as unique instrument lighting, fabric-covered interior pillars, available heated and cooled front seats and an available heated steering wheel (also available on Yukon Denali models). Escalade models also offer enhanced radio systems and an available DVD entertainment system that includes flip-down screens for the second- and third-row occupants.

No Navigation to my knowledge. but as for improvements, the 2006 LaCrosse now has the following features standard on CX,CXL, & CXS trim levels:

• 4yr/50k mile bumper to bumper warranty with Road Side Assistance
• OnStar equipped with 1 Year subscription
• Side Head curtain Airbags for front and back seats
• Antilock Brakes
• Traction control

Not sure of anything else that's become standard or available for the 2006MY.

Well my cute girl experience in a dark basement (well, it was lit, but we were under a blanket) WAS gross.

I almost went down her pants until she told me she was on the rag. EWWW!

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Some guys consider that a treat... I'm not one of them. :puke:

As for touching something Gross?

Creating a schedule for walks with the new puppy. If you pick her up and her bottom is wet, It's time to adjust the schedule... after you start backtracking the puppy's steps. :rolleyes: I'm at the point where I never want to know what changing a diaper is like. :(

In their time and era... they were grand. Hey, Excalibur couldn't have all the fun. :)

While they are at it, maybe they can do something reasonable and add some WIDTH to the Epsilon platform, too.

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Uh... did you read the post????????

Demant also said GM has increased the range of dimensions on Epsilon 2. The front overhang has increased by 3 or 4 inches and so has the width and road height of the vehicle.

Maybe/Maybe not empowah... this vehicle could be planned as a Delta-based Astra replacement as well.

Saturn Ion replacement?

Something forboding about that link.  I'm glad it didn't work. :unsure:

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Just google Tubgirl... if you dare. You'll see references to tubgirl & goatse.

Check urban dictionary.com if you can't find websites that actually show them. At least you'll know what they are.

I'd agree with everyone of them except the Dodge Dynasty. I still see quite a few in good condition. I'm always surprised when I see a good condition Dynasty, Fifth Avenue, & New Yorker from that particular generation. Amazingly, I see more poor condition Imperials than the others combined. The Grille is always terribly damaged and the headlight covers don't ever appear to be operable.

Moltar, I completely agree, and that's exactly what GM is trying to do with Buick... lower Buick's age demographic to the Baby Boomer generation... not to Gen X or Y. But, even then, which Baby Boomers that you're going to target? a ) The 20 year Camry & Accord buyer (typical Asian import buyer) or b ) The 20 year BMW & Mercedes buyer? (typical German import buyer) Buick is going for the 20 year Camry & Accord shoppers that are content with what Toyota & Honda have traditionally offered but now want something more... Acura's new direction doesn't really take the 20 year Accord buyer into account. Neither does L-Finesse for the 20 year Camry buyer (only the current ES really does this... which will soon be replaced). Both Acura & Lexus are targeting younger buyers (Gen X in particular) not Baby Boomers. This is an excellent opportunity for Buick to offer exactly what Baby Boomers have been use to for years while adding more style and other Buick qualities into the mix. The LaCrosse & Lucerne really do live up to that expectation.

Funny statistic that I heard on the news a few days ago... about 1 in 5 cars are bought by those 60 yrs or older (17%). They went on to say that the percentage will only increase as the Boomer demographic moves further into retirement years. They reiterated that Gen X and the Millennials are smaller generations/demographics than the Boomers. Another Statistic that I found indicated that almost half of the US population is 45 yrs old or older (49%). So, I really don’t think Buick will wither away if they can continue to attract the 45-75 year olds. Buick needs to continue to update their image and vehicles to attract what the mature premium buyer wants but in no way needs to worry about 17 year olds liking their cars.

Hello?!? ...Where's the '80s Ford Ranger? In the town of white trash (literally.. not many minorities here), they drive beat up Rangers... I see so many each day...

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What... no Pontiacs on the list? :P (j/k)