The O.C.

My opinion on home-schooling is.......it takes away a very significant impact in the growth and maturity of young kids.....that's the process of learning how to interact with others, build relationships, and to be able to cope with life "on your own" (while you are at school without your parents around.) I just see home-schooling as the ultimate tool to create the ultimate "Mama's Boy." (Edit: NO OFFENSE to anyone on here that has home-schooled......just me thinking out loud that's all)

The CTS in the recent C&D comparo (a lighter strippy at that) ran 0-60 in 6.1 seconds with the manual. C&D admitted that the faster CTS they originally tested was a pre-production model. (Edit: For the record, C&D recorded 0-60 times of 6.9 seconds in a Mustang Coupe V6 with the 5-speed automatic.)

The center stack looks like a (Star Wars) Stormtrooper's helmet.....

Where exactly do you see Nissan/Infiniti, Toyota/Lexus, or VW/Audi/Porsche overlapping in price/positioning? I don't see it.

Good points. GM needs A LOT more focus on their brands than these simple "lifestyle" definitions. Like you said....how is Pontiac the "performance" division when you have a Camaro, Impala SS, Colbalt SS, et al? How is Buick any sort of "luxury" division when your own platform mate, DTS, clearly outscores it in interior appointments and amenities? Or when your LaCrosse doesn't really offer any sort of driving appeal or truly luxurious differences to set it apart from a loaded Impala LTZ? Where does the Yukon Denali fit (as a "premium" entry) when you already have the Escalade going after "premium" full-size SUV buyers?

Liz's "definitions" of the marketing divisions' "brand images" is just a bunch of marketing gobble-d-goop crap. (IMHO)

OK....I'll get this off my chest.....I absolutely HATE that interior. I've hated it from day one when we saw the first prototype units, and I hate it just as much now. It would be a deal-killer for me actually if not for the fact that I feel (due to GM's recent improvements) the fit-and-finish and quality of the switchgear (CTS stalks....) will be pretty nice.....but styling-wise? YUK...... OK.....now I love the exterior styling of this car! But damn, doesn't it look fat and heavy.....especially the rear? I bet this car will come in around 4,000lbs. The only feature I really don't like is the placement of the back-up lights. But that's a minor detail I guess.

I've never needed a drop of oil in my 2.0T in 26K miles.....(outside of normal oil changes as dictated by the oil life monitor.) And, you are right.....it does cool down the engine automatically after shut-off.

Regardless about what you think about the styling......that's the number one reason people buy the Prius.......because it looks so different than most other sedans on the road, the Prius owner KNOWS his neighbors, friends, and co-workers will know his vehicle is a hybrid. I think Honda showed some genius in designing their dedicated hybrid to mimic the Prius shape so closely......but, tough to tell in these pics it may be, it appears the car will be infinitely more attractive due to Honda details around the front-end styling, the greenhouse, and even the tires/wheels/front-and-rear tracks. I just hope it rides and handles alot more like a Honda than what the Prius does.

That's completely assinine. Once again, GM is behind the proverbial 8-ball. This car needs to be here NOW.....or at least sometime next year.......but 2010?

It's the same-ole-$h! with GM once again. I guess people that want an inexpensive, yet attractive and fun-to-drive compact (or subcompact) domestic car can head over to the Ford dealership and put their name on a waiting list for the new Fiesta.....\ The arrogance from GM insiders and execs, even in these tough times, is inconceivable.

Well, in showing the pic of the SRX to the other guys here at the Caddy dealership, they are all mostly enthusiastic about having this as a replacement to the current (sale-proof) SRX. Mostly favorable comments. The Invicta? I said quite awhile ago (when the concept came out) that we should hold off our accolades until we see the production car.....and I was right.....GM totally dumbed-down the design. What a wasted exercise this car is. Not an ugly car, but bland....bland....bland.....and that roofline makes it look like a hatchback.....not at ALL what I was hoping to see. Saab looks pretty cool......but certainly not the home-run Saab needs to re-invent the brand. Equinox looks good to me too.....but there's something funny about how the glass on both sides of the C-pillar is shaped...... Cruze seems to be right on the money......but I HATE those fake, blacked-out side-window "extensions" that go back further than the rear door cutout line. Ugh.

Nope. Today's turbo engines don't require any more maintenance than normally-aspirated engines.......cool-downs are a thing of the past......and oil change intervals run hand-in-hand with today's newer cars....(10K-15K miles depending on driving conditions.) (Just my own observations over 25K miles in an Audi 2.0T........)

CTS 6-speed......16.8mpg.....255 miles on tank. A4 2.0T Quattro 6-speed......22.5......335 miles on tank. However, here in Las Vegas, because I live so close to work, that's probably 90% in-town, stoplight-to-stoplight driving.

We might not know where his logic came from, but, the V8 Genesis is a $40K - $42K car.....right on top of most decently-equipped non-D.I. CTS sedans......

I don't find the XF interior "all that" at all......it's surprisingly tight inside and the gimicks like the rotating shift knob and rotating HVAC vents are just that.....gimicks. I think the vast plateau of silver plastic trim on the dash and center stack looks and feels like plastic. I don't think the dashboard or instrument cluster are very stylish..... To me, if you sit inside a current XJ, it feels like it has a real sense of occasion. Sure it may be dated, and the switchgear may be older....but you sit inside it and it feels like a Jaguar....feels special. Basically it the XF just doesn't feel special to me....I tend to feel the same way about the XK interior as well.

What exactly in today's marketplace would make Buick, Pontiac, or Saturn a "core" division? Seems to me the core divisions are Chevrolet and Cadillac.

While Cadillac may be weathering the challenge better than Lincoln these days......it really has only two products to effectively hang it's hat on....CTS and Escalade. The rest of the entire line simply doesn't stack up to the competition in the marketplace. As far as the 900's, CTS, Lambdas, and Malibu......all excellent products, but none are a "niche- or segment-buster" which is what I think the article suggested was needed (like the Volt.)

To that fact, I grudgingly decided to take our 2006 M-Benz E350 that's on our used-car lot for a spin. I've never been crazy about this car....always saw it as too grampa-like for my taste.....but one thing really stood out.... I never imagined that M-Benz 3.5L V6 was so creamy smooth, revvy, powerful, and with such a nice quiet growl! Frankly it makes our 3.6L in the CTS seem like an old growly GM pushrod V6 in comparison. The D.I. engine is a little better.....but every time I test drive someone on a non-D.I. 3.6L, the engine growls noticeably....not refined like you expect.....I cringe because customers invariably comment about. Around town at light throttle, it's just fine though. Doesn't seem to be a deal-breaker though.....CTSs are still selling like hotcakes. In the last two days, we've taken in a G35 Coupe and a 525i on trade for a new CTS...!

My CTS is the same way.....steering wheel, door pulls, shifter wood is all real......that whole slab of wood on the center stack is so fake, you can even see how it's stuck onto the center stack..... Who else does this? No one that I know.....It's crazy......these are the kinds of details that GM still continually screws up (although the new CTS is now all wood thank goodness.....)

All I can say is.......ugh..... To me, it looks bloated, with a fat front end, body lines that don't compliment one-another (those fender flares and how they meet up with the beltline continuation that runs down the edge of the hood) and a bland overall profile. I'm one who actually likes the new TSX......but this new TL is about 5 steps too far "stylistically."

I have an affection for General Motors......but I'll never buy a car from them to "just" support GM, nor will I do it to "just" buy American..... A car purchase/lease is WAY too big of an outlay of money to make a decision solely on emotion for a corporation. The vehicle HAS to fit my needs and I HAVE to be excited about living with it. I bought the CTS because it was different than the "3-Series" and "C-Class" norm in SoCal....and I could still get a manual tranny in that type of car. My CTS has been a great example......98% trouble-free (except for $h!ty gas mileage) and it's still tight as a drum. Will I get another CTS 6-speed manual when my lease is up in 2 years? Well, I'll be tempted by a CTS Coupe.....but GM is gonna HAVE to fix the sloppiness in the shifter and the clutch action and the "moaning" of the engine (all reported in C&D's comparo) before I choose CTS again over Audi or BMW. The unfortunate part is, you can't find a CTS with the 6-speed manual in stock anywhere.....so if I chose to take a chance with it, I'm gonna have to live with it....however it ends up driving. (Edit: My '07 CTS does the exact same thing as the '08. In mine, the shifter is smooth and the clutch action is just fine....but if you rev it up in the lower gears and lift off the throttle and depress the clutch to shift, the engine moans and hangs onto revs....it's nowhere near as fluid or smooth to drive fast or in an aggressive manor as the Audi I have or the BMWs I had.....in those cars, you lift the gas and dip the clutch, and the revs drop IMMEDIATELY......) On the other hand....I know how stick-shift Audis and BMWs drive.....

I'm working my way through the thread.....but surprised so far no mention of the 335i Coupe! I like both the S5 and the 335i Coupe....but I think if I absolutely had to pick, it would be the BMW. I think it's slightly prettier (I am not crazy about the rear part of the roofline and c-pillar treatments on the Audi) and as nice as a V8 can be, I think the twin-turbo I-6 is the ticket. If I remember, car mags put the performance of the 335i Coupe right neck-and-neck with the S5 (it's lighter), fuel economy should be better, and fully-equipped, you are looking at around $5K - $6K less....... Maybe you want Quattro for Michigan winters.....but there's also a 335xi Coupe....or do you really need AWD? I drove a last-gen Camaro though MI winters when going to school there and never had a problem?

Well, I don't know if Toyota itself makes money on the Prius....but I can tell you dealers make HUGE money on Prius. Toyota stores here in Las Vegas have a 6-month waiting list for Prius, and that is with a $5,000 markup on each and every one. Hell, even the '05 model we just got in trade is listed at $24,995.....with 37K miles (!) and we're getting so many calls on it, it will be gone within a week or less, I bet.... (BTW.....young guy that traded the Prius in on a 3.6DI CTS!) Personally, I think people are crazy for paying that kind of money for that car. The cost of the car/fuel economy equation doesn't pencil at MSRP.....it really doesn't pencil if ur paying $5K over MSRP.....but this car is hotter than hell....STILL... Have to give kudos to Toyota for the marketing coup of probably the last century......

How 'bout Tahoe/Yukon/Escalade? Except for the front end styling, it's hard, if not impossible, to tell them apart! Although we do well with Escalades here, it is many times VERY difficult to differentiate the Escalade from Tahoe and Yukon....by enough to compensate for the $70K price tag.