pow

After reading 'blu's review, I also went to the VW dealer to test-drive the Rabbit, a base 2.5 3-door automatic. Overall, I thought it was a nice, practical car with a hint of sportiness and character. The suspension was surprisingly firm compared to past "springy" VWs, and I liked the driving position. However, there was more road noise than I expected, and the brakes were too soft feeling. For $15K, though, it's a steal.

I posted it right here... http://www.cheersandgears.com/forums/index...?showtopic=9654

What's impressive is how Hyundai is the CURRENT safety king by having the only mainstream family sedan and econobox with standard ESP (and side curtain bags). 2006, not 2010, is NOW.

They'd do well in France.

IIHS side crash results, 6/18... Impala: Good Avalon: Good Lucerne: Acceptable Azera: Acceptable LaCrosse: Marginal 300 w/ SAB: Marginal 300 w/o SAB: Poor 500 w/o SAB: Poor (Good w/ SAB) Crown Vic w/o SAB: Poor http://www.iihs.org/news/rss/pr061806.html So much for BOF...

The 2005 Tucson, which was released late '04, had standard ESP. It appears that Hyundai engineered subsequent vehicles, like the '06 Sonata, also with ESP in mind, well before GM's 2005 announcement. BTW, the only '05 GM sedans with ESP were Cadillacs and Saabs. Very likely... currently, the Kia Sedona, Sorento, Sportage, and Optima have ESP available. That leaves just the Rio and Spectra; ESP can be added midcycle, as evidenced by the Sorento (and Torrent, Trailblazer, and so on). My point isn't to bother over itty-bitty details, but rather acknowledge Hyundai/Kia's surprising commitment to safety by offering advanced features throughout their model line. At the moment, no other manufacturer offers 75% of their models with standard ESP. GM should also be commended for their 2010 deadline, especially considering the number of brands they have, but rival manufacturers are quietly offering similar ESP availability.

But it's true. The 2.0 DI turbo 91z4me refers to is a Saab engine.

But at least it's doing better than any other Cadillac. The fact the BLS is based on a common Saab makes buying from an unknown brand less daunting.

Yeah, I don't get your point. To me, it seems like GM is behind by not offering ESP on any of their '07 Chevrolet sedans. And Hyundai started offering ESP well before GM "responded" with their 2010 deadline. Because of their smaller lineup, I wouldn't be surprised if Hyundai beat them to 100% by 2 years.

Cadillac BLS a bust in Europe? Despite lowering expectations for its Euro-only BLS sedan all the way down to around 7,000 to 10,000 units annually, it appears Cadillac was still a bit too optimistic with the car's chances for success in the old country. The FWD sedan that's based on the Saab 9-3 and built alongside the Swede in the company's Trollhatan factory has sold a little over 400 units after being on sale since April, with the month of May being its first full sales month. Trollhatan has slowed its production of the car down to 30 units a week. When the BLS launched the factory was producing that many cars per day. At this pace GM/Saab is on track to produce only 1,560 cars a year, a number well off any of GM's original targets. Despite the slow start, the BLS is still the best selling Cadillac in Europe so far this year. The BLS has also been fairly well received by the European automotive press and dealers are reporting many requests for test drives, so don't count out Cadillac's chances for success in Europe just yet. http://www.autoblog.com/2006/06/15/cadilla...bust-in-europe/

My biggest concern is the term "racing" being thrown around. Driving aggressively, accelerating quickly from a stop, or passing someone on a road is not "racing."

For '07... Accent - standard side airbags/side curtains, ABS Elantra - standard side airbags/side curtains, ABS/TC/ESP Sonata - standard side airbags/side curtains, ABS/TC/ESP Azera - standard side airbags/side curtains, ABS/TC/ESP Tucson - standard side airbags/side curtains, ABS/TC/ESP Santa Fe - standard side airbags/side curtains, ABS/TC/ESP Entourage - standard side airbags/side curtains, ABS/TC/ESP Tiburon - standard side airbags, ABS Against comparable '07 Chevys... Aveo - standard side airbags, optional ABS Cobalt - optional side curtains, optional ABS/TC Malibu - optional side airbags, standard side curtains, standard ABS/TC Impala - standard side curtains, standard ABS/TC Equinox - optional side curtains, standard ABS/TC/ESP Uplander - optional f/r side airbags, standard ABS/TC, optional ESP

That said, Toyota responds to criticism a lot sooner than GM.

The other funny thing about the Tundra is the fact that its (permafrost) is melting because of Global Warming... probably due to (in part) large SUV's Kill the tundra by buying a Tundra!

But the difference is... none of Hyundai's competitors offer ESP as standard equipment.

I saw my first "new" Mountaineer yesterday... I peered inside, and it WAS nice.

The IS was tuned with VDIM in mind, which is said to predict instability and maintain balance of the vehicle. Or, in other words, Lexus used electronics to compensate for chassis shortcomings, and apparently, the IS is rather skittish with the system turned off. Still, an "off" button would be welcome on a track or dyno.

Cover it in black tape and garbage bags... then wait for CD & Co. to follow you around. Then have C&G speculate. "It's a Camaro mule!!!!"

True... the 20's pretty much make the Tahoe.

Last-gen A8s are relatively cheap used, although I'm not sure how reliable they are. You could always buy an extended warranty. Here's an '01 A8L with 60K miles for $20K in NY: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2001-Audi-A...1QQcmdZViewItem

The new C70 seems to be doing really well, too. Hardtop convertibles are "in" this summer, and VW needs to hurry up sending the EOS here.

Yeah, my aunt has a S550 "Launch Edition" and it's stunning in person, both inside and out. I love the designo touches (graphite paint, black/cream interior, extended leather, matte wood) and the glass roof, but sadly it doesn't have Distronic. Between that and the 7-series, I'd have a hard time.

Toyota sells American-made and American-designed cars in Japan, too... the Avalon.

If you have a rear wiper, maybe angle the sprayer so that it hits the person behind you.

Yeah, Pontiac shouldn't neglect the growing segment of hot I4 FWD/AWD cars like the RSX, GTI, SRT-4, EVO, and WRX.