pow

It's even more insane over here... I went to Realtor.com to find the cheapest single-family house within our zipcode, and it's $899,000 for 3 beds and 1.75 bath that's probably 40+ years old. The chances I'll be able to buy a house here in 10-12 years is nil, I think.

Agreed... the ION is nice in a funky, cool, original sort of way. I'd like the ION shell and interior styling with the decent mechanicals and quality of the Cobalt. As far as safety, the ION gets an acceptable/poor front/side IIHS rating, while the Cobalt gets good/acceptable with optional curtains.

Or better yet, a base Fusion.

Good riddance. Now it's time for GM to release some H2 hybrids.

It's like they're trying too hard to make a design statement.

Oh, I get it: http://www.weblogsinc.com/common/images/75...943106345108120

Saab 9-2X Linear, actually. There's a $3,000 rebate now.

Cobalt 'cause it's adequately safe.

Full Test: 2007 Dodge Caliber R/T AWD Vehicle Tested: 2007 Dodge Caliber R/T 4dr Wagon AWD (2.4L 4cyl CVT) MSRP of Test Vehicle: $21,450 Price It!! What Works: Feature-packed stereo, lots of content for the money, distinctive styling. What Needs Work: Poor fit and finish inside and out, MP3 jack lost if you buy the six-CD changer, 2.4-liter engine + CVT = slow. Bottom Line: Looks great on paper, lots of useful features, but falls short in performance and build quality. Caliber: Fully Loaded By Dan Edmunds Email Date posted: 05-10-2006 Times, they are a-changing. As gas prices lurch upward, small SUVs and crossovers are popping up everywhere. Five-door compact wagons, traditionally huge sellers in Europe but dust-gatherers in U.S. showrooms, now have their big chance. In other words, Dodge's timing with the 2007 Dodge Caliber R/T AWD could not be better. This boldly styled compact wagon crossover has a ton of impressive features on its spec sheet, and it's priced to move. Our well-optioned tester came in at a respectable $21,450, which puts it head-to-head with an all-wheel drive Toyota Matrix or Pontiac Vibe. Power locked and loaded To assure SUV-addicted customers that the Caliber is not just a cuddly, warmed-over Neon replacement, Dodge has adopted an "anything but cute" styling and marketing strategy. To that end, Caliber has been given the corporate face from a Durango, with perhaps a dash of Magnum thrown in to keep the whole firearm macho persona plausible. Although we're not entirely convinced that the theme scales down well to this size, the standard P215/55R18 tires on alloy wheels are a visual home run. Inside, our Caliber R/T came standard with all of the most popular convenience features and power this and that. The controls for these items are well laid out and intuitive. We didn't have to consult the manual to figure out any of it. But Dodge has taken things a step further, adding a few uncommon tricks. A Chill Zone beverage-cooling compartment within the glovebox works OK — but only if you crank the A/C. "Disco lights" (our term) illuminate the otherwise basic front cupholders. Both drew their share of dismissive sneers, but added value. A snap-out LED flashlight that latches into a charger built into the rear hatch interior lamp housing was universally praised. Testers appreciated the numerous audio features. Our Caliber's steering wheel had very complete audio controls. We promise. Once we found them hiding on the back of the spokes they were easy to master. Cooler still was the well-designed iPod/MP3/cell phone pocket that flips forward from the center armrest. It provides a full view of an iPod screen and thumb wheel, and is located directly over a 115-volt, two-prong power outlet. Our R/T's 60/40 rear seats folded flat, opening storage space from a modest 18.5 to a respectable 48 cubic feet. If you're alone and need to carry something long, the front-passenger seatback can be folded flat as well. Dual finger pockets for closing the somewhat narrow rear hatch serve left- and right-handers equally well. Our no-sunroof R/T had plenty of headroom for our tallest staffers, but elbow space at the door was tight. Some complained that forward visibility was a little slotlike owing to a lowish windshield header. The view out the back felt "pinched" by overarching D-pillars and large, fixed rear headrests. Option misfire We thought the $320 in-dash six-disc CD/MP3 option would be a no-brainer. Instead it was a huge dud. When we grabbed our iPod and went looking for the much touted auxiliary iPod/MP3 input jack, we couldn't find it. Many calls to Dodge later, we learned that this jack is deleted when you "upgrade" to the six-disc changer. What a rip! Our advice to iPod people is to stick with the standard single-disc CD player, which has the auxiliary input jack. Other options fared better. The $400 premium sound group included a nine-speaker Boston Acoustics system with subwoofer and a pair of Musicgate speakers that swung down from the open hatch to amplify tailgating. Sneer-inducing for some, but they worked. Another $400 gave us the Driver Convenience Group, a grab bag of gadgets. Niftiest among them was the real-time tire-pressure readout on the dash. For $150, our car sported Sunburst Orange Pearl exterior paint. But checking that box brings the color inside onto the center stack and seat inserts. More sneers, but that's why there are color choices, right? If our tester had been black or silver we think the treatment would have been a hit instead of a miss. Another miss was our test car's iffy fit and finish. Yes, it was a pilot production car, but even with that caveat, we found many items of concern, from oversized and inconsistent body panel gaps to an ill-fitting airbag cover and a reluctant seatbelt retractor. Faster than a speeding…Prius? It's hard to tell if the Caliber R/T's larger four-cylinder engine hit the target or not. It looks decent on paper, especially when compared to a Toyota Matrix or Mazda 3: 2.4 liters, 172 horsepower at 6,000 rpm, 165 pound-feet of torque at 4,400 rpm, DOHC, dual variable valve timing. But during testing, acceleration was more sluggish than the specs suggest. The Caliber's 10.1-second 0-60-mph time was unimpressive. The last AWD Toyota Matrix we tested returned 11 seconds with a much wimpier 1.8-liter, 123-hp engine. At the end of the quarter-mile, the gap shrunk to only 0.4 second, but 49 horsepower should produce a bigger advantage. Heck, a Toyota Prius gets to 60 in 10.4 seconds. We doubt it's due to the bulk of the Caliber R/T's all-wheel-drive system, which features an electronically controlled coupling (ECC) and variable torque split. Experience shows that superior AWD launch traction offsets the extra mass — especially on a front driver. So what's the deal? True, the 3,308-pound curb weight of our Caliber R/T AWD is some 300 pounds greater than an all-wheel-drive Matrix. But the Dodge still has a 26 percent better power-to-weight ratio — 5.2 hp per 100 pounds versus 4.1. Shooting blanks The culprit seems to be the mandatory continuously variable transmission (CVT), which, more than any other we've driven, had the effect of severing the visceral connection between driver and power plant. Depressing the gas pedal did not change the drone of the engine or move the tach much, as acceleration was instead accomplished by a computer altering the CVT ratio. We felt about as involved as a taxi passenger asking the cabbie to step on it. Autostick manual mode is provided, but on this CVT the simulated shifts felt especially, well, simulated. It was a tad faster this way, so we used it for our acceleration tests. This sort of behavior is fine for fuel-sipping hybrids like the Toyota Prius, but the Caliber R/T is the allegedly sporty model with 18-inch tires, "sport suspension" and "performance steering." But it isn't much of a fuel sipper. Caliber R/T AWD estimated ratings are 23 city/26 highway, while the Matrix AWD returns 25/30. During our week with the car, we saw an average of 21.5 mpg. If all-wheel drive doesn't interest you, front-wheel-drive R/T models are scheduled for July. There are two-wheel-drive units with manual transmission available now, but only with the 1.8-liter engine. Spin stabilized As a daily driver, the Caliber R/T is balanced and competent enough. The steering is reasonably linear. Ride comfort was just a little firm over L.A. freeways, but in the ballpark. But nothing made us want to go charging around on back roads on our time off. Commute to home, park it, wait for tomorrow, drive to work, repeat. Handling and steering didn't exactly live up to "sport" and "performance" expectations. We only managed 0.75 lateral g on the skid pad, with those 18-inch tires complaining loudly all the way. Understeer was strong, especially accelerating out of a corner. Our 64.2-mph slalom run was OK for the class, but we experienced mucho body roll. Braking performance is also a mixed bag. Our Caliber R/T's four-wheel disc brakes hauled it to a stop from 60 mph in just 120 feet, but pedal effort is high and the brakes feel wooden. Total recoil If Dodge's aim for the Caliber was to terminate the Neon from our collective minds and replace it with something more purposeful and less cute, it has certainly hit its target. But in the end, our initial enthusiasm for the 2006 Dodge Caliber R/T and its inviting array of features was softened by its underwhelming performance, fun-robbing CVT and the quality shortcomings of our preproduction tester. Hopefully that enthusiasm will be relit when we test the turbocharged SRT version sometime this summer. http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drive...rticleId=115318

As Cadillac's renaissance enters Phase Two, can its products really compete against the best from BMW, AMG Mercedes and Lexus? By DAN CARNEY Email Date posted: 05-11-2006 Since the launch of Cadillac's revitalized models such as the Escalade and the CTS, the company has promised to return to its one-time benchmark, "The Standard of the World." Today, that means beating competition from BMW (including the company's M performance division), Mercedes-Benz (likewise AMG) and Lexus. The thinking at GM goes like this: If the company can take on the likes of the BMW M5, Mercedes' SL65 AMG and Lexus' LX 470 SUV, then surely the company's other brands can beat their respective competitors. There is significant validity to this thesis. Cadillac sales have increased 37 percent since 2001 and the company outsold Mercedes-Benz in the U.S. in 2005. The cars are smarter-looking and more rewarding to drive than ever. Cadillac's success is in stark contrast to its rapidly fading crosstown rival Lincoln, which sold barely more than half as many cars as Cadillac last year. The problem with Cadillac, GM and domestic manufacturers in general, however, is the unfortunate tendency to benchmark against one's own previous products, rather than against the latest and future BMW M3, Mercedes CLK63 AMG and Lexus GS 450h. Those are the cars that must be defeated in the showrooms for the company to succeed. Admit it: You've asked yourself this question With the launch of the new 2007 Escalade, Cadillac has announced the beginning of Phase Two of its renaissance. But the question that can rightly be posed regarding Phase One is whether it was truly the miracle Cadillac claims, or just a mirage that is apt to dissipate in the face of increasingly fierce foreign competition. The question is not asked out of some pro-import bias, but out of the belief that only by topping the competition, feature for feature and dollar for dollar, can Cadillac reclaim its stake as the "Standard of the World." The company is reaching for that banner now, but some product shortcomings may suggest that the reach is still premature. Today's Cadillac lineup is excellent, with the popular Escalade, zoomy XLR and sporty CTS. GM is justifiably proud of the achievements since the dim days of the Eldorado, Fleetwood and Catera. "It is hard to remember now, but six years ago Cadillac was still literally on the ropes," recalled Detroit gadfly and publisher of the Autoextremist.com blog, Peter DeLorenzo. "Their vehicles were out of touch," he said. "Cadillac was strictly a deteriorating country club brand. But now they have street presence." Phase Two oversights That is true enough, but "better than ever" doesn't always equate to "best in class" in the American luxury market. "In round two we have to come out with no-excuses products," proclaimed Cadillac General Manager Jim Taylor. "In this round, if we miss something we have to take our lumps and stand tall." Cadillac knows, for example, that it must stand tall in the face of some hiccups in the all-new Renaissance Phase Two-era Escalade. The power windows have no one-touch express-up function, like those you'd find, for example, on every Volkswagen Jetta, for all four windows. The steering wheel tilt is not only manual rather than power adjustable, it adjusts in the huge, clunky increments one might associate with some commercial truck. The key has no built-in remote control functions, like those you'd find on, say, a Toyota Yaris economy car. Instead, the Phase Two Escalade's key ring includes a key and old-fashioned separate fob with the remote functions. The good news here is that the antiquated key fob isn't present as the result of some negligent oversight. Cadillac will replace the keys in all its models with ones that incorporate remote functions, but because of the differing engineering schedules for each model, those keys won't be available until summer, explained Taylor. Such is the case with all of the product details that Cadillac realizes are needed, but absent. "It isn't generally something that is missed," Taylor said. "There is usually a story around it." That means that there is some production capacity, engineering commonality or corporate intrigue sort of obstacle that prevented Cadillac from executing on that particular detail. So Cadillac folks aren't blind to the competition, or stupid, or careless; they are bogged down by GM's bureaucracy. "But consumers don't care" about the source of the shortcomings, acknowledges Taylor. Fulfilling present expectations At the same time, the "overall integrity and design" of the Escalade are so strong that customers will forgive these oversights, asserts DeLorenzo. But the company might not find luxury sedan buyers as forgiving as SUV buyers. Certainly, at the prices of the high-performance "V" models, Cadillac buyers have the right to be extremely discerning, and some expectations have yet to be fulfilled. Take the new STS-V, for example. It has the same horsepower rating as the mighty Mercedes-Benz E55 AMG, but it doesn't deliver the same visceral thrill that taunts the driver into misbehaving. The Mercedes-Benz E55, BMW M5 and M3, and Caddy's own CTS-V snarl and snap, reminding the driver of the potential under his right foot. The STS-V seems to doze off, like a Pompano Beach retiree in his La-Z-Boy — still sharp as ever, just taking a little rest. Once roused, the STS-V can deliver the goods, but it is far too easy to draw the wrong conclusion from its quiet cruising attitude. Defining a future direction One way that Cadillac can truly take the fight to Europe's Old World prestige powers is to compete in their markets. The company has taken that step with the development of the Saab-derived BLS, a compact front-drive sedan that gives European Cadillac dealers the four-cylinder and diesel engines they need to attract customers in the volume to justify selling the brand. Meanwhile, they will be able to show off CTS and STS models that a few of those shoppers might consider. At home, Cadillac will soon roll out a higher-performance CTS-V, followed by a new CTS that will reinforce the current model's many strengths, while correcting its obvious weaknesses, such as the cheap-looking interior. Perhaps that car will be the first, true no-excuses example of Cadillac's Phase Two hardware. "The next-generation CTS will have to have bulletproof execution" to sustain the renaissance, agreed Cadillac's Taylor. DeLorenzo, who has seen a preview of the CTS, says he thinks it will. "I think this vehicle is the first direct threat to the BMW 3 Series," he predicted. Cadillac fans, and anyone who thinks GM can punch its way out of the corner it has backed into, hope he is right. http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Featu...rticleId=114950

Agreed... if Buick and Cadillac made equal cars in terms of quality, performance, refinement, etc, I'd probably go for the more conservative Buick. But since that's not gonna happen, I'm hoping the next CTS isn't overly bling.

The orange one would make a nice sub-$20K GT.

And the hydrogen concept car thing.

CVT

Is this done by the same researching group that said a Hummer H3 is more eco-friendly than a Civic?

Edmunds are consistently slower than other mags. I suspect they don't brake-torque their vehicles.

That'll be like making the poll "What's your favorite car company?" and offering "GM/Toyota", "Ford/Honda", "Chrysler/Kia", and "BMW/Suzuki" as the choices.

Yep...

The Spyder is nice, but the regular Brera is still hotter, IMO.

The interior is really not-bad, but the exterior is waaaay too Korean.

C/D did an interesting piece on their Cayenne Turbo S experience in Dubai:

Not all turban-wearers think the same, even if they look the same.

Some of the headings are a bit contrived (like "NOW no route at all"), but it's good to see a different variation. And the "THEN peace... NOW love" was a bit shaky.

Maybe it'll be a mini-Sprinter...

They probably meant telescoping wheel; the Entourage's tilts. The third-row does fold into the floor, but the second rows do not.