The O.C.

......in your opinion...... I don't like the looks of it.....at all...... Other than that, a nice new crossover....

I'd take the Passat's EXCELLENT new 2.0L turbo L4 any day over GM's pushrod 3.5L V6. I've driven the new 2.0T and it's drastically improved in performance, smoothness, NVH, and lack-of-turbo lag over the old 1.8T. AND, it may have "only" 200hp, but it moves like a scalded cat in either the Passat I've been in, or the Jetta 2.0T model I was in.....

yeah.....Outlook and SKY both show much better integration of the center stack into the dashboards..... The AURA's design just makes it look cheaper....

Actually the radio controls (and other switchgear) are quite nice and have a solid, upscale feel. I think it's the goofy placement of the radio on the dash that makes it look cheap...

That's an AWESOME video! I actually spanked a new Porsche 911 the other day pretty easily in my C6 convertible 6-speed. It was from rolling start.... 911s are fast no doubt....but they post those good C&D acceleration numbers based primarily on their superior launch due to the rear-engine, RWD traction. Catch one from a rolling start, and the Corvette's torque just destroys it. Now, the 911 would probably put up a good fight if we were continuing on to say 100mph and over....but this was around town from like 5mph up to 70 until I backed off....(speed limit was 55mph.) I wouldn't want to try to drag one from a "prepared" stoplight grand prix. If the 911 driver knew how to really drive, he could get a GREAT "hole shot" and I'd have to really hope that I launched the C6 JUST right to avoid too much wheelspin....

OMG....just yesterday I was bored so I went thru a bunch of the dealerships at the Irvine Auto Center and I sat inside a new Civic Si Coupe at the Honda store. I'm not a big fan of the instrument cluster(s) in the new Civic but I've got to tell you that for less than $21K, the Civic just dripped quality and class in every way that the Cobalt doesn't.....and the Cobalt SS is the same price....and the SS Supercharged is a few grand more expensive than the Si. It's one of those VERY hard to quantify, subjective opinions.....but the Civic just felt like it was built to such a much higher quality standard. The seats....the shifter.....the small-diameter steering wheel......the HVAC and radio controls.....the sound of the doors closing....the dash and door panel materials....the way the trim panels fit SOLID with no flimsiness to them....even the action of the inside door handles for goodness sakes..... I still think I'd be more inclined to purchase a Mazdaspeed3 or a Golf GTi before I would the Civic Si.....but there's no way I can deny that this is a first-class little vehicle....WHATEVER you guys or I may think about it's actual styling..... Cobalt is pitiful in comparison. Harsh? Maybe. But it's true. Cobalt coupe DOES win the exterior styling battle in my eyes.....but that's about the only battle it wins. You can't even begin to compare the interiors....the Cobalt is so inferior to the Honda.

....and you know what? Our S500 wasn't even that special to drive or ride in. Sure it DID drive well, was quiet, and rode nicely.....but so do many other cars for a lot less money. I'll put it this way.....we are WAY more enthusiastic about the X5 in comparison because the X5 does it's intended job (sport-sedan like SUV) with alot more success than the S500 does IT'S job (full-size luxury ride.) The X5 truly is like driving a BMW 5-series sport sedan on stilts. AND the 4.4L V8 engine and 6-speed automatic seem perfectly tuned together. The thing even has a domestic-V8-like exhaust burble. It's just a neat vehicle....and we both have commented that for $30K-some-odd less than the Benz, we each WAY enjoyed driving the X5 ANY time over the S500.

I think that was one of the major points a few of us on here were debating..... It's hard to keep, or even attract, strong and new talent when you have a less-than-desirable locale to require them to relocate to.

Well, I don't know if "bias" is exactly the right word, but you are correct in the assumption that I am no big fan of the Cobalt. But that being the case, it didn't drive me to "make up" my criticisms of the car. They were real and what I experienced. I think the coupe is attractive, and I've always liked any of the Ecotec engines. Other than that, I think it's a very cheaply-designed econocar that lacks the substantial look and feel of most of it's (mostly import) competitors. The interior is junk.....the seats are flabby and unsupportive....the controls are chintzy.....and the structure on every one I've driven does NOT give me a very good feeling of solidity. The whole car to me feels obviously built to a price. Not much of an improvement over the Cavalier I'm afraid.....except in the looks department.....which it IS a big improvement in that area at least....

That banana is making me horny...... Seriously....now I'm looking at the U.S. Virgin Islands.....St. Croix, St. Thomas, or St. Barts... American flies down there so I can use my frequent-flier points.....

Well, the X5 3.0 is not that much lighter and feels amazingly peppy with it's 225hp 3.0L inline-six.... But then again, BMWs have always felt quicker and more powerful than their (probably conservative) power ratings.

First the AURA.... Now the SKY.... I bet there's a TON of pissed-off Pontiac dealers out there.....

And probably is a main contributor to the 18/27 ratings. The new Camry V6 gets 22/31 with the more-powerful 268hp 3.5L and 6-speed auto.

It will be the kiss-of-death for this car in GM's ongoing public-perception battle. They would have been FAR better off with a standard 170hp 2.4L Ecotec with the same 6-speed automatic that the HF V6 gets. And DAMN what's with the curb weights of 3,500 and 3,600 lbs....? Dulls performance, dulls handling, dulls economy. How did these cars get so heavy?

I think this thing looks better than either GL-class OR Audi Q7.....! This interior is also FAR superior to the new AURA's.....but it doesn't beat the Benz. The new GL-class interior is pretty first-class and is shared with the ML-class (which I've sat in quite a few.) The ONLY part I'm not fond of is how the rear doors go almost straight down (like a Suburban's rear doors.) Even though they don't need it, I wish for styling's sake, they had designed in a rear-door-"curve" like say a Tahoe has, but a Suburban doesn't.

Nah....they are pretty much the same crappy controls. (At least the '06 G6 GTP rental I had used the same crap controls.) If GM just put the AURA center stack controls in the G6, they'd fix one of my few issues I have with the G6 interior.

Okay now looking at it longer.....I don't like how the center stack "fits" in the center of the dash. I don't mind the actual controls....they look good...it's just the way it's all situated in the dash panel....looks like it was "forced." It would look better if you replaced the woodgrain on the dash with some other sort of black or grey textured plastic or something.....the center stack wouldn't stand out as much then.

As far as the fits, actual production cars should be better. This car is surely pre-production or a pilot model. I'm holding off final judgement on the interior until I see it in some more normal colors....like black and/or beige for example.

I agree with you, Ven.....I like GM's new center stack controls (Lucerne, AURA, Impala) and think they are far superior to what we have in Malibu/G6/Cobalt.

The base 3.5L pushrod engine and 4-speed auto WILL be this car's kiss-of-death in GM's ongoing public-perception battle.... WHAT were they thinking? I would have MUCH preferred to see the 2.4L, 170hp Ecotec as the base engine....giving them a strong showing compared to the competition's base 4cyls....and why not make the 6-speed auto standard with the 4-banger as well? Then you have an up-to-date, efficient, powerful, and perception-matching-or-beating base powertrain. Other than that, (and it's a big one) the car looks to be a winner. I LOVE the exterior styling and while the interior looks quite conservative, it also looks to be GM's finest interior execution yet on a small-to-midsize product. I'd put the interior slightly below the new Camry and the current Accord....but I'd put it at least equal to the Mazda6 and (new last year) Altima's. I think this interior even beats the new FoMoCo triplets (Fusion, Milan, Zephyr.) LOVE the upmarket 3.6L HF V6 and 6-speed auto. However, where's the 6-speed manual option?????????????????????????? I can't wait to see this car in varying colors and interior trims......

Thinking about Fire Island again.......with flights SO cheap between L.A. and N.Y., I can come spend a long-weekend ANY time out on Fire Island.... So maybe I'll try to plan that trip also sometime soon. Would you really come meet me? But I'd probably rather spend a whole week somewhere a bit different.....(I've been to New York a-gazillion times.)

The only part of Florida I like is Miami/Miami Beach. The rest is quite boring and sleepy for me.....I've been to Tampa (parents retired there), Orlando, Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale.... Miami was cool because it was a bit edgy.....and Miami Beach was simply funky. I've NOT been to Key West though and heard that WAS pretty cool....

Nah....I'm from Dallas.....been there/done that...

Hmmm......that's an option I hadn't considered....... But it would be great to meet you....! :AH-HA_wink: What's Fire Island like? Is it resort-like? Is it more urban? How would you describe it...?

They OBVIOUSLY weren't racing you....