The O.C.

Good luck with everything bud! Keep your faith.....it can make you stronger than you can imagine.......

Oh GAWD......you still have that thing?

I'm not sure of the sales numbers......but I can just tell you from my experience it's a major deal-killer. Sure I did make a lofty assessment.....but I'm gaining valuable experience now that I'm actually dealing with and listening to customers. I've lost 5 Escalade deals on this issue alone and I've only been here a few weeks. It's why I think EVERY GM exec (and Ford exec, etc.) should spend time at a dealership. In time, I mean like a month at least. So you can get a REAL feel for what the real world is like. Selling is all about overcoming objections. But this is one issue that is VERY difficult to overcome (re...my post above about people not caring about the solid rear axle being better for towing, etc.) It's simply seen as an inferior, cheap, and cumbersome design for the rear suspension/third-row-seat. Positives for Escalade? Seem to be powertrain......interior and exterior styling. That's about the two advantages. Both vehicles offer similar, damn near identical features. Both score really well in that regard.

I'm not sure what you mean. But the GMT-900 setup for the rear suspension/third-row seat is the BIGGEST deal breaker I've seen in any car in a long time. For right or for wrong, I've had people in love with the Escalade....only to back out because the third-row doesn't power-fold into the floor, the seats are bulky to remove and install, and if you take them out, you have to store them in your garage or something. AND, if you take them out for cargo reasons, then get to your destination.....then want to carry a bunch of people around.....guess what? You can't. Your Escalade is pretty much a 4-seater (because the vast majority that we order/get are the ones with the two captain's chairs in the second row.) I'll tell you this from my experience. People don't give a $h! that the solid-axle rear suspension is supposed to be "better for towing." As far as they are concerned, Expedition and Navigator don't have any problem towing large loads. And....even though I personally love the way the Escalade rides and handles, Ford and the others are doing their homework overtime.....drilling in to customers that the independent rear suspension in their SUVs is far superior to ours in terms of ride and handling. Customers hear that....and bring it up to me many times. That's one glass of "kool-aid" the consumers are drinking in bulk. How GM missed this mark so terribly.....on a vehicle (all the GMT-900s) that are really so far superior in most other ways......is a testament to the lack of competence in GM product planners/engineers/managers that has lead us to so many uncompetitive GM vehicles over the years.

Hmmmm....and someone tell me again why unions are ANY good these days?

I know I've been a proponent of in-dash navigation systems on here......but since being at the Cadillac store, I'm seeing how popular with consumers they really are. Now granted it's Cadillac....which is premium.....but we are finding that Escalades have to be ordered 100% with navigation.....CTSs have to have it too, unless you are ordering a "price-leader" CTS or something similar. Even on DTS (!) the "old person's" Cadillac....we are getting crap because we simply don't have enough DTSs with navigation. NOW....if we could only get a power-folding-into-the-floor third-row seat in the Escalade, I won't continue to lose customers to the GL450 and Navigator.

This car, the '09 CTS V-Series, is a PRIME EXAMPLE of the kind of product planning that GM has needed to do in order to recapture their glory from the imports..... .....and that is, not only match the competition, but beat the living pants off of them! This car is so over the top, it's going to really pull in alot of people (well, relative to how many they actually build of the V) that would not have considered a GM product before. I honestly believe you'll have guys in their M5s and AMG Benzs seriously considering this car....as fast as those cars are, this one spanks them..... Now....I don't believe that Cobalts or G6s or Malibus need to go 0-60 in 3.9secs to beat their contemporaries in the marketplace, but they need the same kind of dedication to excellence in development that obviously went into this new CTS-V. That's what GM has been lacking......

This FWD/RWD issue has always been around......I remember when the first of GM's new downsized FWD luxury cars were introduced....and how many "traditional" RWD owners were dismayed.....claiming the cars wouldn't ride as good, tow as good, or be as reliable (fwd CV joints, etc.) I think we are seeing the trend go full circle. More and more consumers are once again clammoring for RWD in their premium or large car choices...........or in other words, consumers are once again considering RWD to be "the" premium driveline configuration. Something Acura is seemingly realizing that they need to finally accept.

It's about $5,000 less comparably-equipped.....that's not insignificant for a vehicle that shares a large portion of it's architecture, not to mention it's fabulous engines, with it's more expensive 3-series cousin.....

Can't be that much worse than an AWD setup with a 300hp V6...?

OK....in fairness to Camry.... Styling is subjective.....as far as value? Seems that quite a few people every year find the Camry to offer excellent value as a new-vehicle purchase..... Driving capabilities? It may not be the most exciting car to drive, but it's certainly, I'd say, better than "average."

What about ALL those other midsize sedan buyers that DIDN'T choose Lumina? Wonder why they made their decision to avoid the Lumina as their purchase choice? If GM had engineered and designed a far better product....they could have still satisfied those aforementioned 90%.....and maybe even kept a whole hell of a lot of the others......

I happen to believe that's true. No one truly builds a "bad" car these days reliability wise...... But....I believe GM is getting cruxified because a vast majority of their products, while certainly as reliable as anything out there.....don't have the features, or fit-and-finish, or powertrain refinement, or the <pick your gripe> to compete as effectively in the marketplace as they should or need to. (I'm referring to cars such as the Cobalts, Impalas, Lucerne/DTSs, G6s, of the world.....)

My point being....."just good enough" wasn't good enough back in the 80's and 90's any more than it's good enough in the 2000's. And if you've read any of my posts on the Malibu, I've praised that car overly strongly (with the exception of a few interior nitpicks.) But like Enzl said.....as good as the Malibu is.....is it strong enough to turn around the slide? Or just slow it down or stop the slide?

I TOTALLY disagree. In today's industry, "just good enough" is a death sentence.

TAURUS. CAMRY. ACCORD. Not to mention the fact that as GM has attempted to improve the competitiveness of their midsize cars (to a more-or-less unsuccessful degree until Malibu/AURA came out)....those other guys have only gotten better and better. And Altima has come onto the scene as well.

Uh....what does that have to do with "GM Advertising Cobalt Fuel Economy?"

That's fine if you are a Lumina or W-Body enthusiast. That's NOT fine if you are trying to engineer, design, and develop a midsize sedan that's effectively competent enough to take on the leaders in the segment.

LOL....I was adding a comment to my comment......

Seems generally speaking.....people either gravitate towards the CTS......or they are old-fogeys attracted to DTS. STS seems kinda lost in the brand....

Agreed TOTALLY. Other than the STS being a bit soft, there's not much wrong with the way it drives. It's just the lackluster interior and bland/boring styling (compared to CTS.)

It's funny.....here in Las Vegas, I keep the A/C at 84 (!) inside the house.....and while a bit warm, with shorts on, it's okay. Turn it down just to 80- 81, and it seems downright cool in the house. That surprises me.....maybe the lack of humidity makes relatively high temps inside the air conditioned house feel cooler.....when in CA (which isn't that humid either, but more than Las Vegas) I would keep the A/C at around 70- 72- 74 degrees. Here, I'm happy with 81 or so.

About 97 and near zero humidity in my new home town.....(Las Vegas.) I've learned that anything up to 100 or so is hot, but actually still pleasant.....with wonderful, breezy evenings..... It's already been 106 and 103 here.....about a week to ten days ago......

One more thing for you guys to know about me....... C&G is the ONLY blog/car site that I go to.....at all.....or that I've EVER gone to. I'm a huge BMW fan, yes. But I don't go post on BMW sites. Yes, I say good things about Honda and sometimes (gasp) Toyota on here.......but I don't go post on Honda or Toyota sites......same with Audi.....etc, etc. It's not like I'm "bashing" GM on some random Toyota/Honda/BMW/Audi/Ford/Chrysler blog sites...... (I think you get my drift.....for whatever it's worth.)