Flybrian

Cadillac to Unveil Stretched DTS More from the upcoming Los Angeles Auto Show later this month: Cadillac will unveil a new stretched long-wheelbase version of the Cadillac DTS sedan and will name it DTS-L. The car will be in dealerships early next year and will have the same 4.6 liter V8 engine that will produce 294 horsepower. The Cadillac DTS-L will have an extra 8 inches of space with the company’s “VIP privacy” rear seating.

GM continues to upgrade Solstice, Sky Link to Original Article @ LeftLaneNews The Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky have been a smash hit for General Motors, and the automaker is looking to keep it that way. Shortly after launching the cars, GM responded to media and consumer feedback by adding a reinforcing brace added between the transmission and differential, implementing a more usable third gear, and improving wind noise. Now, the company is making further changes to ensure continued positive reviews. According to Edmunds, GM is adding power door locks to both roadsters, as well as height-adjustable drivers' seats. The company is also said be looking at improving the cup-holders and adding a brighter radio display that won't be washed out by the sun.

I don't think anyone is doubting its street cred, just that it looks silly. I mean, honestly, it looks something done by the same type of person that makes a 'Caprice Estate SS', an 'Alpina' 325i, or an Accord 'Type R' - take a stock Forrester and WRXify it. It doesn't fit in my eyes looks-wise, but hey, to each his own.

"Go, OJ, go!" Hertz rents Broncos and other fine Ford vehicles

Of all the engine fire jokes we make, in reality that issue was confined mainly to the 1984 model year and it was usually people revving the $h! out of the engines. I think these things redlined at 5000RPM, which is not real rev-worthy if you ask any ricer. Also, the valve covers were notoriously leaky and the oil pan was rather small (3qts?). This thing was meant as a cheap econobox but looked like a cheap sports car and you don't have to look at too many Sephias and Probes to realize both demographics don't put 'maintenance' as a priority.

What's the deal with the extra plastic in the grille?

"What did you get?" "A Wheeeeee!" That alone discourages me from the Nintento. Actually, I'm going to get a PS2 before Christmas. Mine broke and since I used it as both console and DVD player, I figure the pricing shouldn't be so bad after the new one rolls out.

Yeah, its FWD. I already put 60 miles on it. I have to admit when I get rentals, I drive somewhat aimlessly for fun. God Bless America. I'm actually again just really, really surprised at how smooth the whole vehicle is - smooth ride, smooth engine (yes, the Duratec is smooth), super silky CVT. Its stunning. Freestyle vs. Murano, no question the Murano felt faster in that I guess its CVT was geared to give a big wallop at higher revs, but the tradeoff is that you have to sit there for unbearable seconds with the hammer watching the tach climb to 3000RPM before anything kicks, and it does kick. Do it a few times and you think you either broke the car or your cranium. Actually, I don't know what sucked more with the Murano - the CVT or the fuel burn. You're right about it not being extrodinarily powerful. Its not. But adequate is a great word for it. I played around with the second-row and its stupid simple to work. Compared to the system on the GM Lambdas, its clunkier and not as graceful, but seems so much simpler. I'm irritated at the rear right speaker, though. It keeps buzzing at times regardless of how I futz with the equalizer. I think the first day's impression is that I wouldn't mind it if it were a Mercury. I say that with the thinking that a Merc would have a neater interior, that a Merc would have better materials, that a Merc wouldn't look depressed. Like I said, its an unoffensive design overall, but the more you look at it, the less happy you feel. Two shades of gray inside with two shades outside combined with those droopy headlamps and I feel like cutting myself or something. It needs jazz. Badly.

See, all that sounds like blahblahblahblahblah when you look at one... Variety? They all looked the same. Originality? Get real. Cool styling elements? Like a ripoff Falcon, Dart, or Nova grille? Average quality? Try poor. Heard of rust? These things did.

Go rub up on a Kia or Hyundai. Flimsy City.

Heather Cock

Eastern European cars blow. This is proof.

CVT and yes...!

Into a... The Ram got a bit irritating both as a vehicle and in the mileage department (14.5mpg average over 280mi). Early impressions of this Freestyle are that its roomy, very comfortable, puts out respectable performance, and gives a nice view of the road without being perched too high. Nissan needs to reverse engineer this CVT because its surprisingly smoooooth and graceful in performance, not curiously 'hunting' like the Murano. Designwise, like a depressed Taurus wagon, but not too bad at all. On a humorous note, the guy I always deal with at Enterprise mentioned he also had two Sonatas and then quickly said, "But I wouldn't do that to you guys. Those things are crap." He went on to mention to me how people think they look nice and how they are decent-looking, but they fall apart and people do complain about them after driving them. He then even demonstrated how the struts and a body panel squeaked already on a car with 5,000 miles. Funny stuff.

510s came factory-equipped as junk.

The Grand Duchy of Poorsalesia?

http://www.theguildofautomotiverestorers.com/55concept.html Puke-o'-rama

Agreed. Why is the Aura XR mysteriously absent?

The Kia is still pretty junky in terms of design, ergonomics, and looks. The first one was also an obese pig.

Like this...?

They test a brand-new car against two legacy models, one with a new model out in months and another coming out in a year. Talk about stacking the deck. Plus, the Camry still look like $h!.

Cimarron 325 Audi 200 1984-1986 timeframe

Nov. 8, 2006, 10:23PM -- Reuters News Service Another Hummer coming down pike 2009 launch is likely for SUV to take off-road Conceptual illustration by C&G member Mute DETROIT - General Motors Corp. will likely launch another Hummer in 2009, the head of the niche brand said Wednesday. "The new product will have unparalleled off-road capabilities," Hummer General Manager Martin Walsh said. "Like our current Hummers, it would be recognizable from a distance." The brand currently has two models: the H2 and H3. It stopped production of the H1 in June. Earlier this year, GM's activist investor Kirk Kerkorian urged the automaker to consider spinning off Hummer, which began as a high-mobility vehicle for the U.S. military. But GM executives have argued Hummer is key to its strategy as it tries to recover from a $10.6 billion 2005 loss, reverse a market share slide and return to profit in the U.S. market. Global Hummer sales rose 54 percent in the first nine months of 2006, when overall GM sales fell 2.5 percent. Walsh said the brand is "very successful" because 60 percent of Hummer buyers have never owned a GM vehicle before. "We bring them in from other brands, and then they stick within the GM family when picking their next vehicle," he said. Hummer typically targets affluent people in their 40s. The median age for an H3 buyer is 44, and 43 for an H2 owner. The average household income for H3 owners is nearly $128,000 while the average H2 buyer's household earns close to $170,000. GM product chief Bob Lutz said earlier this year Hummer needs to add two or three more models. Hummer last month started producing H3s at a plant in South Africa, which will serve all markets outside North America. Walsh said Hummer plans to launch the H3 in Australia and South Africa next year, and expects solid growth in Western European markets such as the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain over the next year. Even as GM's sales of sport utility vehicles were hurt amid high gas prices earlier this year, Hummer sales remained strong through those months. And despite the possibility of another rise in gas prices, Walsh said he does not see an immediate future for a hybrid version of any Hummer product. "We don't really see hybrid technology as an ideal platform for Hummer because it does not allow the vehicle to demonstrate true off-road capabilities," Walsh said. Yet he did say making flex-fuel capable Hummers, so they can run on gasoline or ethanol and gasoline blends, is part of the brand's future plans. Click HERE to see the C&G Designer Guild's take on the future of HUMMER

300s sell just as well as the Concorde/LHS/300M. Deal with it. Also, A FWD Malibu and RWD Impala is enough for Chevrolet. I really don't know why everyone wants the cheapo division to have four coupes and six sedans that all look generally the same anyway. Chevy is getting plenty. Let the divisions that deserve it get what they need.

I collected the average economy numbers from the EPA's website at http://www.fueleconomy.gov . They figure a mix of 60/40 city/highway driving and other conditions to arrive at that 'average,' as opposed to a rote (a+b)/2. That's why some vehicles whose highway mileage increased since 2006 have 'averages' that are the same because its not given quite as much weight.