RangerVT

It really is about time someone brought this to the attention of the public. Toyota's quality has suffered as of late. Note the continual delay of the "All new Tundra" which has yet to be released. My personal opinion is they didn't want to get their truck handed back to them this year by the new Silverado and want to run for Motor Trend's 2008 Truck of the Year without competition. Did anyone else notice how quickly production delays stacked up once the new Silverado was released? Toyota knew they were going to lose in head-to-head comparisons! All that being said, previous to these recent Recalls, Toyota had their own "internal recalls" that didn't get publicized since they were referred to as "Technical Service Bulletins" instead. While I have to give Toyota their "props" though for really waking up the Big 3 to step up their own quality. That quality gap has shrunk over the past decade, and the recent JD Power Quality studies will attest to that. They were the first to the Quality Party and have reaped the benefits of that perception. And like it or not, public perception is reality. Whether or not Toyota is still the quality leader, is tough to say. These recent stories tend to show otherwise and I believe their fast growth in a race to be #1 has delivered a major blow to this quality image.

Sexay! Chop or not this will be a home run when we finally get this vehicle. Chevrolet hasn't had a lower-priced convertible since they stopped production of the trouble-ridden Cavalier Convertible. The only convertible in our beloved Gold Bow Tie Stable is the Corvette. I still think Chevy, should have received their own roadster rather than Pontiac and Saturn. Granted, the Camaro is coming.... I just think they waited a few years too long.

Who are we all kidding? GM got out of the minivan business a long time ago. They fell behind horribly when the new Caravan's came out with the Stow 'n Go flexibility, Power Doors/Hatches and (the import-favorite) Odyssey Power Sliding Rear window. GM's answer to such advances..... the Up-Blander SUV-like styling!!! No real technological advances, no new engines or transmissions, no additional conveniences or competitive advantages. The only "Advantage" became a standard DVD player for Rear Passengers. This is no shock.... let the minivan die in peace, next topic.

Chevy Tahoe Acura MDX Cadillac Escalade

That lower right pic, looks suspiciously like a Malibu "Sport" of some sort. Could it be?

I will see this vehicle in NAIAS and will wait to pass judgement until then. However, from what I've heard as a Chevy dealer firsthand... the new 3.5 V6 and 6-speed Automatic (see 2008 Equinox Sport and 2007 Saturn Aura) will be the main power plant/drivetrain for this all-new Malibu. Overall, it's a vast improvement over the current model and the design is much more aggressive than I've seen from GM in a long time.

It is refreshing to see GM banding together, get everyone on the same page, and get things done for the future! Very interesting article with good insight to the path the General should be going on from this point forward.

Very nice! Glad to see they kept it true to concept form, unlike the Lacrosse.

They're doing wha.....?!?!?! Yeah, the GM of old would've waited 3 years until the model "refresh" to make these changes, IF they deemed it worthy of such a make-over. Kudos to the new speedy processes and actually listening to consumers.

Carbiz I couldn't agree with you more. We even looked at fit and finish (panel gaps, etc.) in comparison and the new Silverado/Sierra win hands down. Their lines are tighters and their feel is better with the interior appointments. I went into this event with an open mind because I wanted to really take a step back and look at these trucks for what they were, not because of a hyped up event. Even still, I've gotta hand it to GM.... they've done a bang-up job with these new trucks.

Well today was an eventful, rainy, cold day for a Ride & Drive, but what other kind of weather are we to expect from Pittsburgh? Anyhow... Just got back from the All New Silverado Ride & Drive Event where we pit the new 900 pick-up vs. our immediate competition including: F-150, Ram and Titan. After running 2 full road courses with Acceleration, Hard Braking, Large Off-set Speed Bumps, Lower Higher Speed Bumps, Avoidance Lane-Change Manuevers, and Motor Cross-like curves, I was very impressed with the new Silverado! In terms of Acceleration the Silverado felt more powerful, had better throttle response and really had a great pedal feel. The Titan had the best sounding exhaust/engine sound in a close race (my objective mind wouldn't let me had that trophy over). Even with a Hemi, Dodge wasn't close and Ford's Triton just blew along with it's horrendous engine fan noise. In the Hard Braking test the Silverado had the least nose-dive and stayed in a straight-line down the strip with excellent stopping distance. I do have to admit that the F-150 "seemed" to do well in terms of distance, but had horrible nose dive. Also, the Ram just about shook itself off its frame trying to maintain control in this test. During the rest of the tests, the Silverado really separated itself from the Competition. The Titan seemed to perform well but had a lot of body roll through cornering and a slower suspension response rate. Another gripe was the Titan's Steering. Never before has their been a bigger discrepancy than with the Steering response and apparent turning radius. During some cornering, I doubted the Titan would even make the full turn! The F-150 was even worse in terms of Body Roll. During the majority of the turns I took, passengers had to hold onto the "Panic" handles which was not necessary in the Silverado. The F-150 took the articulating road bumps well, but the suspension seemed to wander upon returning to solid footing, giving a slight "shake" when it came back in touch with the road. Turning radius seemed comparable but the overall handling was soft and instable. The Dodge Ram performed so horribly it's not even worth mentioning. Finally, with the help of some professional drivers, the new Silverado was put through its paces using the all-new Stabilitrak with Proactive Roll Avoidance and (not new) G80 Locking Rear Differential. Not only did these two pieces of equipment work beautifully, they impressed everyone on site including the pro drivers themselves!

Nice Pics Zhawk. What is that White and Blue car towards the end of your album with the Boeing Logo? For some reason I can't seem to place it. I plan on making the trek to Detroit this coming January for the NAIAS and I'm sure many of you will be too. We'll have to share our findings after that momentus event!