pow

Here's the Passat SE with the faux metal, leatherette, and low line RNS-315 nav: No pics yet of the base S model, but... "The upper and lower instrument areas are visually distinguished by various decorative accents, depending on the equipment version. Decorative elements in “Titan” design are used in the S version; the elegant “Titan Silver Printed” decor is used in the SE version, wood décor “Autumn Nut Burl” is featured in the exclusive SEL version. The accents not only upgrade the instruments, but also the center console as well as the door trim panels. The seats are exceptionally comfortable. Even in the base version, the driver’s seat is adjustable eight ways, including lumbar support." Automatic climate control will be standard on all models.

I still think the new US Passat's interior is best-in-class. The design may be conservative, but there are still a lot of high quality details. The RCD-510 touch-screen radio (even without nav) is top notch, that steering wheel is awesome, the lounge seats remind me of 1970s Lamborghini, and I like the tasteful use of thin chrome accents and piano black trim. All in all, it looks like a pleasant and luxurious place to be, in contrast to the overstyled Sonata, the mess of buttons that is the Accord, or the sheer lack of detail in the Camry.

My concern is that even if the Verano/Astra has a nice interior by C-segment standards, it's only average by D-segment standards, which the Verano is priced directly against. GM is going to have to convince buyers that a Buick badge equates to luxury... something I feel they'll have a hard time doing, since most consider it more a liability than an asset.

Yeah, I'd rather have a Meriva. The mediocrity is to be expected, as everywhere outside of US and Canada, Chevrolet is the budget brand that replaced Daewoo. Opel is more on par with Ford.

I'd rather see the Verano de-chromed as an Astra to compete against the Focus, Golf, etc. But strangely, GM priced the Cruze right in line with the Ford and Volkswagen, even though it was supposed to be the "high value" car.

I think the sedan looks great, especially in white with the blacked out roof. I see it's lost the triangle window that the old Civic had in favor of a bigger A-pillar. The 2012 Focus has something similar; wonder how that affects visibility.

Yesterday I borrowed a "new" car with 5,000 miles on it, and even though it was just a Scion xB, it was a nice change from the 95,000 mile car I usually drive. It was nice being in a car free of rattles, window pitting, tramlining, engine vibrations, and worn out upholstery. I suppose I could spend thousands on my car taking the interior apart, replacing the windshield, getting new control arm bushings and ball joints, new engine mounts and new upholstery, and make it like new again, but it's just not worth it on a car worth $7,000.

Pushing forward the windshield also increases the perception of interior space.

The quarter windows make sense on a hatch, like the Astra on which the Verano is a variant of. Adding a trunk to a tallish, space efficient hatchback is never pretty -- see the previous generation Jetta, or the current Fiesta, Versa, and Yaris sedans -- but they've done a decent job here. Big wheels help.

I think this would make a nice Verano sedan companion...

They've already announced trim levels, and the SE TDI with six-speed manual seems to really hit a sweet spot. Touch-screen radio, 43 MPG, leatherette, metal trim, fog lights, big wheels. Perfect highway cruiser slash family car. I'm going to guess $26K including destination.

To me, it shares the same design language that VW uses on the latest Polo and Sharan, and there's nothing really about the design that's Americanized. There might be fewer features, and it's certainly bigger, but its looks are consistent with every other European Volkswagen, from the corporate mug to the wheel arch flares. If you cover the C-pillar kink and squint, its profile resembles that of the new A8. It's long, low, and wide... and I like how the character line on the side lowers toward the rear, giving it a stately look.

People buy the RX in spite of its looks. People buy the SRX because of its flashy Cadillac looks. That was pure conjecture, but hey, it's the internet...

It's simple, understated elegance. I like it, apart from the fact it's absolutely massive.

Wonder what the VIN plate says. Michigan or Opel?

The sedan looks like something SAIC-GM would make for the Chinese market. The hatch isn't bad... a huge improvement over the current Aveo.

No one knows what to compare it against. Essentially, this is a four-door version of the Astra, which means it should compete against mainstream C-segment cars like the Focus and Golf. However, because it's painted brown and has chrome all over, it's a Buick, which apparently makes it more premium than the Ford or Volkswagen. Yet you can't compare the Astra to A3 or IS, which are in a completely different league. It's stuck somewhere in between. I think Buick can frame the Verano as a Focus and Golf competitor for those who aspire to have an Audi or Lexus but would like to save money. The trouble is, if they price the Verano too close to large mainstream family sedans, people might choose the additional space of an Accord or Sonata over the "premium" Buick badge.

Yeah, last time I checked, Opel competes against Ford and VW, not Audi.

Yes, like this? Now that's a Verano I'd be interested in..

They updated it to include pictures of the actual thing. Don't know how it's different from the Excelle GT -- maybe bigger wheels, lower suspension, more chrome, or Photoshop -- but somehow it looks better, almost passable, with none of the awkward proportions seen in the Chinese car. The interior "wood" is atrocious, though. I wish it luck in the marketplace. There are larger, more powerful cars out there with similar levels of equipment (Hyundai Sonata...), and Buick lists the IS250 and A3 as primary competitors, which is laughable.

At 15K units per month, I think it's safe to say the Prius is no longer a niche vehicle. It's Toyota's fourth best selling vehicle, only behind Camry, Corolla, and RAV4. Hope the Volt sees the same success.

Culture and values ≠ Government Otherwise you'd be seeing the same $h! coming out of the ROC. The appalling work conditions in the PRC and the substandard products coming out of the PRC have more to do with government corruption, lack of regulation, greed from business leaders both from within and outside, and poverty. Most Chinese are still closed to the outside world and only recently have they started opening up. Give time for some reforms to occur, and I think you'll see a drastic difference, or at least in terms of product quality / safety and workers conditions.

Edmunds recently track tested the Q5 with the new 2.0T and eight-speed automatic: 0-60 in 6.8 seconds, quicker than SRX Turbo, and 20/27 MPG compared to 15/22 for the Caddy.

There are examples of this all around the world. Ford chose to pinch pennies and knowingly manufactured a vehicle, the Pinto, that would explode when rear ended. Ford knew they should have made Explorer roofs stronger, but they figured at $200,000 per human life, it wasn't worth it. On the subject of food, been to a modern slaughterhouse lately? In a USDA study, 78.6% of factory ground beef contained microbes spread by fecal matter. Why? There is $h! in your Big Mac.

Hope that mirror is mounted well enough to sustain a crash...