ponchoman49

Utterly predictable! I knew that GM would keep the 3800 around to the bitter end. Too bad they screwed up by not offering the SC 3800 along side it.

Shame about the Laser Blue Metallic Bordeaux Red exterior colors. Why delete the best looking wheels? Why make XM Satellite standard and then go and delete the 8 -way power driver's seat on LS and LT models? Making stabilitrak std was an obvious move as we constantly need big brother looking over our shoulders. And it sounds like GM is making the same stupid ass dumb dumb move of deleting bodyside moldings like the Asian manufacturers are doing which makes the cars look very plain and takes away side protection! At least it will still be an option, unlike the genric looking 08 Malibu. The performance suspension on the LTZ looks to be the only sensible thing to have happened to the 08 Impala!

I doubt there will even be a 2010 Chrysler!

Thats a gross exaggeration! Other than the fact that Buick copied Lexus and the previous gen Hyundai Sonata with the headlights this car is hardly bad looking. The grille was a bit small and the tail lights are pretty generic but at least the LaCrosse avoids the dull plain smooth sided look of so many newly introduced models and the 17" chrome wheels that are std on the CSX are really nice looking. The greenhouse is from the 'been there done that' crowd but so is every other mid size car. All this car needed was a more powerfull and larger grille, better head lights and a return to the long horizontal tail lights to really look better. A 224 hp 3500 V6 with extra quiet tuning would be nice for the new base engine and the 3.6 should be upgraded to the 252 hp varient ala Saturn Aura/2008 Malibu. I also hope the Lucerne gets a better standard engine or at the very least an optional 3.6 for those of us that want a more modern, and powerful V6 engine that still gets decent mileage.

I think you meant to say Camry! The Aura looks so much better than the awkward, dull plain blah sterile Camry. When an Aura comes at me going down the road, my first reaction is "wow that is sharp"! When I see one Camry I have seen them all. Except this time it looks like Miss Piggy was grafted on the front end for what passes as the grille. In all fairness neither of these cars can brag about truly great interiors. I have sat in so many Camrys and Auras and the one thing I have noticed is that interior quality varies drastically from one vehicle to the next. I'll never forget checking out 3 repurchased 2007 Camry lemon buybacks, one with only 3k miles and the others with 5K. One was a XLE V6 and the others were SE V6 versions. The XLE's glovebox was totally misaligned and 2 of the numerous cutlines in the center console were warped which meant that one piece didn't lineup with the other as if it had been subjected to years of intense heat. The 2 SE's had misaligned door panals, misaligned lower dash pieces and poor carpet fits in the rear seat on one car. Checking out various brand new CE and LE models revealed many of the same gaffes. Several Auras fared no better. One white XE had a misaligned drivers door panal, loose power window switches and the dash's endcap wafer thin platic cover was already starting to warp which exposed the inside of the dash. Yes you could actually see right inside the dash endcap it was so bad! Another XR example sported an ill fitting cup holder retractor that didn't always want to close properly, discolored dashtop and the passenger side door didn't lineup even close to the edge of the dash! So for the interior quality I would give this one a toss up and would only favor the Aura for actually offering a seat color other than the dreadful gray, tan and black.

Nice! Looks so much better than the turd Yaris and the pathetically slow and bland Honda Fit. Now lets get a 4 door model in addition to the hatchbacks and all will be well.

Now they just need to offer more interior colors, never mind about the exterior ones.

I will miss it. The last 2 door personal luxury coupe may not have been quite up to it's usual standard with all the Chevy decontenting but it was the last vestige of a much simpler time when gas was reasonably priced, products were actually made in America, Oldsmobile was still in existance, the Cutlass Supreme was the best selling car, Buick had a full lineup of popular selling vehicles, Walmarts were few and far between, quaint old downtown/mom and pop stores still existed and you actually cared about and knew who your neighbors were and tried to keep money in your community. These are sad times we live in!

I'm shocked to not see the Tundras horrible dash in the cons section. Not only does it look totally goofy, but it compromises by having controls out of reach, a Nav screen that only the passenger can use, small instrument guages and what looks like 2 dashes melded into one. Kudos on the Silverado it deserved the win because it is a far superior truck. When GM finally offers the 6 speed automatic it will be even better.

It looks better overall to me than the outgoing version. And kudos to Dodge for not copying the endless tirade of dull, bland smooth sided garbage thats been pumped out the past couple of years. They kept the body ridge and optional molding thank goodness too for those of us that care what our vehicles will look like down the road. The 290 hp 4.7 looks to be a winner but I wish the interior was less tupperware looking though.

It looks like something from the 90's! The wheels and powertrain are great and the interior, sans the relentless black lung charcoal look, are done right. The side is generic and the exterior overall is just another rehash of a rehash.

The little ones will love it! It is bland beyond belief and very un-Pontiac like, save the grille and nostrils.

Neither do I! The plain trimless sides belong on Toyotas, not GM's. Buicks need some side pizazz on the side view.

AT least the new Avenger/Sebring offer bodyside moldings as an option. I saw models with and without at our local car show. It looks like the new 08 Malibu doesn't even have them on the top LTZ model which sucks. Not only does the molding break up the blandness of the doors but it also protects the middle of the door sides where most other car doors meet yours when opened. I have seen tons of 06 Ford 500's that had there moldings deleted part way through 2006 with up to 6 door jams where the moldings used to be. This look horrible. The current Monte Carlo seems to fare even worse. Toyota introduced the current Avalon and Camry without bodyside moldings and according to 2 local dealers got so many complaints that Toyota now offers a $195.00 option for both cars and most everone delivered has them. The smooth plain look is ok on some sports cars but not on ever god forsaken new model that comes out. It's one thing to not like all the plastic cladding of the 90's but to strip off trim and decontent every single new model is ludicrous in the extreme.

Lutz is out of ideas. Thats rich! I could come up with 20 ideas right now that would increase sales of each GM brand and the number one idea: quit copying Toyota and other Asian manufacturers styling and blandness. If people want a dull bland looking appliance they more than likely will buy a Toyota. Styling american cars like Asian cars will not increase sales. Making american cars reliable, bulletproof and solidly built like most Asian cars used to be will help sell cars and build a quality reputation. Lutz has helped GM's interiors for the most part and introduced a few halo cars yet 3800's, 4 speed automatics, constant cost cutting(no glove box lights, floor shift indicators, bodyside moldings, trunk key cylinders etc), goofy option packages, lack of product for Buick and Pontiac still exists even with over 5 years at the helm. The new 2008 Chevy Malibu is a classic example of what is wrong at GM right now. It looks like a Camry or VW and brings nothing new to the table for styling. It's interior looks pretty but is plagued with all the same old problems the Epsilon has faced since 2004 and we all know what those problems are. It gets a stretched wheelbase from the current car yet LOSES space on several interior dimensions! It doesn't offer several high tech features that todays computer/technology generation are looking for such as a touch screen NAV or keyless start. It gets a larger base engine but with less power than any 2007 version of the Ecotec 2.4. It's top and only engine option, the 3.6, brings plenty of power to the table but it has less power than the Camry, Altima, 2008 Taurus/Sable and probably the new 2008 Accord too. Worse it gets lower gas mileage than most of those competitors even before the new 2008 mileage standards are even factored in with a 28 highway rating from it's 2007 Aura counterpart. And the worst part of the redesign, no Max or wagon version. I have a bad feeling that once the newness wears off this car and people start to realize that it is yet another stop gap from GM, it will soon wither and fade away as another has been that will always finish near the bottom of most comparisons. Compromise good enough cars will never win sales over from the competition. First class, no excuse vehicles with cutting edge technology, powertrains, better not worse fuel economy, high quality and style will ultimately sell the product in the end. And this is the root of my dissapointment with many newly introduced vehicles.

Looks like Toyota has blandified/uglified it's entire lineup save the old Corolla which acutally still looks like a somewhat normal car. The Scions are turds with a new shade of lipstick for the new model year. Toyotas ever increasing sales just defy logic. My buddy who is a prison guard says it's the drugs of the 60's and 70's that has totally messed up peoples senses, culture, taste and common sense. Judging by the way that things have been going in the world I would say that he is on to something here!

Arrrrggg, I wish one of the 500 improvements was at least offering the customer a bodyside molding. Ever stinking one of these in the used lot without the molding have 3-5 door jams right where the molding used to be on the 2005 models. Why can't we have the option to have it instead of being forced to go without because it is a new stupid fad. I do like the name change back to the old Taurus and Sable which makes sense and the engine upgrade in way overdue.

I'll have to see it in person. The hood nostrils seem as odds with the rather plain generic looking side of the car. It's a Holden so we can't expect Pontiac styling save the grille and front end. The powertrain, rear drive and interior are a first rate job though just wish the side of the car looked a bit less bland.

When I say litterally everyone, I meant everyone that writes in on the online forums, everyone that I have owned, everyone that my friends and family or co workers have owned. There are many TSB's for these items. It is such an epidemic on the W-bodies that most shops in my area carry the lube kit and updated seal and average 5-10 of these cars per day. ISS shafts are to W-bodies as intake failures are to 3100, 3400 and 3800's. I have even driven the new style Grand Prix with the dreaded clunky steering that feels loose when turning ie; ISS trouble. Thank goodness GM finally fixed the intake problems on the series III 3800's.

It seems that the W-bodies are notorious for strut mounts and bearings and intermediate steering shaft failures. Litterally everyone that has owned one has had these issues with them. Depending on how many miles are on your car you may want to take your current car in for service to see if they will clear up some of these issues if the warrenty is still valid. I took my 1998 in and for around $100.00 lubed the ISS shaft which cleared up a lot of front end noises, clunks and looseness in the steering. Any good service station should be able to install struts for a reasonable sum if your warrenty is out.

The Monte Carlo was the last true mid size personal luxury coupe and shame on GM for letting it rot and decontenting the hell out of it. The name Monte Carlo and Cutlass and Regal mean a lot to me and bring back memories of far happier times when cars actually were distinctive and had style and interior color. It's a shame that they didn't always perform well(Grand Nationals excluded of course) and rotted out in the rust belts. I would have bought a new Monte Carlo if Chevy built it the way they used to: floor shift indicators, glove box light, bodyside moldings, no rear spolier, optional wood interior trim, padded armrests etc. I will be totally upset with GM if they drop the Monte Carlo name for good and slap the name Chevelle on some imported Asian clone with no style whatsoever. It's pretty bad when not even one mid size coupe can't be sold in sufficeint quantities and getting harder and harder to be a car enthusiasts these days when all my favorite types of cars are being retired.

I agree 100%. There is nothing wrong at all with the DTS that a 6 speed automatic upgrade and maybe a few more ponies wouldn't fix. The STS is dull with it's plain slab side styling. People that buy a Cadillac want chrome, expansive proportions, elegance and flair. When I see a DTS going down the road this is what I see. When I see a STS or SRX, I see plain, monotone German or Asian and thats fine for the sporty driver. But id Cadillac wants to keep sales up they will always need something like the DTS/Deville in there lineup.

If only we could have Buicks that scared the Asian marques.

Actually the 1999-2005 grand Am 3400 put out 170 hp in SE trim and 175 with Ram Air in GT's. Lets not forget the Kias V6 is only 2.7 liters which is much smaller than most everything out there. Also it weights less than the G6, Aura. Toyotas 2006 Camry needed 3.0 liters to get 190 hp. The 2.7 is also rated at a fairly thrifty 22/30 mpg. Styling opinions are like assholes, everyones got one. The Kias styling is more original than the new 2008 Malibu which trys so hard to be a Camry or a VW Jetta/Passat that it will get lost in any crowd of sedans. Is the Optima a gotta have car? No way. But neither is any other sedan in this comparo. For my money the Aura XE delivers the best bang for the buch, best styling, price for feature content and it handles quite well for it's weight. Plus I like my cars to not look like dull plain looking slab sided wonders that will have more dings and dents than I have car payments.

Looks like they have ruined the C-Class now!