The O.C.

Prolly so..... I'm not sure what "letter" I'm supposed to use....I'm talking 18-28yr olds....I guess....is that "Y?" "Z?" Damn I don't know.....all I know is that I'm too old (37) to fit into any of those classifications.....LOL

Exactly. So my WHOLE point is.....why did GM spend the money to develop this +/- feature? Why not leave it off and just leave "Drive" and "Low" positions in the shift gate like are there now? To me....it's a wasted feature....IF it won't hold the gear you select.

Whatever you want to call it...it's a cop-out....and a bean-counter move. If you are going to offer "manual control" then make it a true "manual control" like your competitors do...... GEEEEEZZZZZ

I'm surprised you don't like this Japanese rice-burner..... ???????????? <note HEAVY sarcasm>

"drinkin' the GM kool-aid......drinkin' the GM kool-aid......drinkin' the GM kool-aid...." Anyone doubting the potential success of a next-generation Pilot is a FOOL.

.....and the Chevy Aveo is a beauty contestant? Get REAL.....

Hmmmm.... I guess it looks good... But I wonder, more importantly, where is GM's response to this (and the Edge?) Equinox/Torrent simply won't cut the mustard..... Lambdas are awesome.....but too big and expensive. Where is GM going to play in this segment?

Center stack and door panels. On all AURAs I've been in, the armrest on the door panel pulls away (!) from the actual door panel if you put any pressure on it.....POOR fit-and-finish. Malibu seems to have adapted the same door panels. Also, the center stack looks depressingly cheap compared to Camry, and perhaps more importantly, the new Accord.

While I was at the Caddy store getting serviced, I sat in a new STS....and I was totally disgusted.... The materials were certainly not what you could call "premium" and the woodgrain trim even had a rough, uneven fit around the center stack. Who does GM think they are going to sell this car to? In some ways, the STS is much worse than my CTS. Even with my CTS, I can point to the "avantgarde" styling of the interior with the "unique" dot-matrix trim to the soft-touch materials.....but the STS is just struggling to match the fit-and-finish, styling, and quality of most mainstream midsize sedans......

Sorry....to me, your post is nonsense..... If you are going to offer your consumers an ability to "manually shift gears" then give them the opportunity to control what gear they are in. Otherwise, they can leave it in "Drive."

Nope....the refresh in '06 brought the ZF 6-speed auto to BMW in the X5.....

Expect this car to be more dramatic than what this pic shows. My friend that works for Audi says that the greenhouse/profile is much more dramatic than the current A4 (in the pic it looks almost the same.) Let's wait and see what more pics bring to the table. I've spent all last weekend in my ex's A4 2.0T 6-speed S-Line/Titanium package car.....and I'm quite surprised as it is a wonderful driving car. I've always thought highly of the 2.0T in it's latest configuration.....and it's peppy nature is only augmented by the 29mpg average for the weekend that I got driving it around. Compared to my CTS Sport, it has a much more tied-down feel on the freeway...much stiffer suspension....but with not much loss in ride quality. It feels eager to cut-and-thrust through southern CA traffic. At the limit, the CTS more than holds it's own....with a fun-to-drive RWD feel and a tuning to the suspension that's quite deft at the limits....but that feels softer than the A4 at more normal speeds. Up the speed in the curves in the A4, and FWD-based understeer sets in.....limiting the fun. If the new A4 carries some of the advantages in handling of the new A5 platform, it will be a good entry into the segment. One main difference.....the Audi got way more looks from young, punk, Gen"Xers".....the Caddy? Doesn't get many looks at all.......

This may be me reaching a bit....but I'm guessing since they share the same platform, Pontiac is using the same version of the 3.6L that goes into the Suzuki XL-7. Suzuki builds the engine in Japan. Perhaps GM is sourcing this engine from the same assembly plant....since they are on the same platform? It's the 3.6L we all know and love....just some of them for Suzuki (and maybe now Pontiac) are built in Japan.

OK....going back to Fly's previous post.....holding the gear is nice....because....it gives you complete control over the transmission (like one of the true virtues of a traditional manual transmission.) For example, the geography in SoCal is varied....with many hilly areas, etc. If I'm towing my Seadoos, for example, and going up over the toll road (which cuts through the local mountains here) I can go to manual shift mode and lock the tranny into, say, 5th gear to pull the grade...and in a true "manual shift" mode, it won't "hunt" annoyingly between say 4th or 5th, etc. You can use as much throttle as you need to pull the grade without worrying about the tranny still cycling between a lower gear(s) and what you've "locked" it into. If you want lower gears available, leave the damn thing in "drive"....or, gasp, manually grab a lower gear yourself when necessary. If I'm in "manual shift" mode, I don't want the computer trying to determine when I need a downshift....but in the Enclave, the computer is still in control. Your last sentance.....Balthazar.....is why a manual shift mode was designed in the first place.....to give YOU the decision on IF you need to shift again. Ironically, the 6-speed in the X5 is "smart" enough that going up over the toll road, I don't even HAVE to move it into manual shift mode. The tranny will downshift to 4th or 5th as I start climbing the grade....and WILL HOLD IT THERE in the optimal gear until I crest the grade without even hunting. This is even in normal "drive." It's a very intuitive transmission and one of the best ever I've ever driven.

Accord is amazingly well executed inside and outside....I happen to think the new exterior design is damned attractive....very Acura-esque....good-looking....and sporty.

....step up in interior quality.....I've been in numerous AURAs (which will most likely share materials) and have seen Malibu up close at the auto show.

No..... The "manual shift mode" sucks. Sure...you can manually pick gears.....but it will still downshift to a lower gear if you give it enough gas. Sometimes, at low speeds, I'd like full-power in second gear for merging or accelerating from a low speed.....but even in manual shift mode, you give it full power, and it slams down into first gear....just like in normal "drive." Same thing happens at freeway speeds....no matter what gear you've chosen in manual shift mode.....it will still downshift just as if it were in "drive." In our X5, for example, in manual shift mode, the car will hold any gear you pick no matter.....it will run up to the rev-limiter, and it won't downshift no matter how hard you mash the gas. The only time it will override you is if, say, you slow to a stop but are still in 5th or 4th gear, etc. To me....THAT'S how a "manual shift mode" should work.

I agree.....a nice touch! I didn't get any pics taken unfortunately.....but we all know what the rig looks like.....

I agree with you on the perception challenge.....especially as I live in SoCal too......but I have to tell you, for the most part, Malibu tells a telling story....it's attractive (ass aside) and should prove to have a solid chassis....good handling.....great powertrains..... ....but I have to say the interior really worries me. It's nice looking with the swooping curves and the two-tone accents......but the center stack controls are cheap-looking....and the fit-and-finish, if not significantly better than AURA, will seriously disappoint. Accord ('08) has raised the bar yet again on interior execution....and the Camry, for all it's detractors on here, is still a step above this new Malibu. Let's hope for the best......

Ooooooo.....don't get me started......lol You can't begin to compare execution, material quality, fit-and-finish between the old Passat interior and the Cobalt (or Impala.)

So....CTS went in for some minor warranty work....and I snagged a brand-spanking-new Enclave CXL as a loaner!!!!! It's so refreshing and exciting to get into a brand-new GM product and have such a strong "feel-good" reaction because the product is not only good-looking, but makes you feel so good to sit in and drive. This is a new GM product that really needs no excuses.........and man does it get looks on the road! The Enclave is so impressive in person and when you are behind the wheel, it made me search out RX350s, BMW X5s, and Audi Q7s.....just to see those owners' reactions to this sylish new Buick. The sales people at a Ford/Lincoln store I was at (to see a client) were ALL over the Enclave....and very complimentary of it....especially as it relates to their MKX...... Since everyone knows that I'm pretty critical of GM products, I'll list the negatives here first. Note, however, that none are deal-breakers........and there are VERY FEW negatives to begin with. * There is a stronger-than-expected level of engine vibration through the steering wheel (not torque steer....but vibration) at heavy-to-full throttle....either in accelerating from a stop, or merging onto a freeway. At low speeds and gradual acceleration, the 3.6L is as smooth-as-silk and as good as anything out there though. * The tranny fairly sucks.....probably the one biggest detriment to the vehicle. It's nice to have the 6 speeds and you can tell that the closer gear ratios help acceleration in what is quite a heavy vehicle saddled with V6-level torque. However, like the reviews have said....it does hunt WAY too much....it does resist downshifts....and if you force a downshift into first or second gear (say from slow speeds and you need a sudden burst of power) it slams into gear in a way that is not befitting a luxury vehicle. Again, same as the engine.....at very low speeds and very gradual acceleration it's smooth-as-silk. The engine and tranny just lose their composure if you up level of driving aggressiveness because you need to merge, respond, or pass someone. * HVAC control buttons are too small to easily hit while you are driving. Also, the fan speeds seem so noisy....especially relative to how whisper quiet the Enclave is. * Speaking of noisy, the power seat controls groan and moan loudly when you use them....and they are rough...like the seat is moving over "bumps" in the seat track. Surely a cost-cutting decision....as if you've ever used the power seat controls in a Lexus, for example, they are much quieter and smoother. * Interior fit-and-finish for the most part are excellent....but some glaring faults stand out....like the plastic/aluminum trim that spans the dashboard underneath the woodgrain comes together unceremoniously RIGHT underneath the clock....and the cutline as a result stands out like bad acne on a teenager's face....AND it doesn't align properly either. Second, the plastic trim on where the sides of the center stack line up with the console plastic trim was so far out of alignment on both sides...you almost wonder if they designed it that way. Maybe they did....but it still looks shoddy. * Don't like the manual gear-change buttons on the side of the shifter. I'm always hitting them to shift the transmission....because that's where I'm used to the shift button to be on most console shifters....then I have to realize the shift button is on the backside of the shift lever. Give me a manual gate to the right like most other manufacturers do. And now....? Some notable positives! * It's the small attention to detail that the Enclave showcases that most, if any, GM products have lacked in the past.....like the three-blink turn signal "tap" function when you don't need to fully activate the turn signals. Also, I like the "one-twist" ignition....where you don't have to hold the key in the "on" position until the starter catches. LOVE the way the gauge markers light up in flourescent torquoise....even in the daytime. Adds a classy touch to the gauges without resorting to full-on Lexus-type displays. Also, the nicely integrated turn-signal repeaters in the mirrors. * It's ironic that the Buick with the BEST ride-and-handling setup is it's heaviest....the Enclave....! GM really nailed the chassis and suspension settings on the Enclave. There is about zero float or wallow at freeway speeds, and the vehicle feels quite nimble in modest curves. In fact, the suspension has a degree of firmness in it that I wasn't expecting. Certainly not as aggressive or responsive as, say a BMW X5....but far less floaty and a bit sportier than a Lexus RX350. Some big bumps will bring forth some impact harshness.....but the vehicle's utter disregard for smaller bumps and ridges is so impressive it makes up for any harshness that might find it's way in the cabin due to some larger hits. * The powertrain is just fine to me. Other than the negatives mentioned above, I find the performance to be more-than acceptable for this class of vehicle. In fact, even around town and off-the-line...performance is nice....but if you get the 3.6L up into the heart of the powerband, say on the freeway, and floor it at 65-70 and hold it up to 90, the engine shows some real surprising spunk and a solid push in the backside. Could it use a V8? Sure....and a nice V8 burble out of the exhausts would only enhance the appeal of the Enclave. But as it stands now, the 3.6L is a fine engine for this vehicle. (And, while it certainly doesn't accelerate as strongly as my CTS, very ironically, this version of the 3.6L V6 revs with much more gusto and eagerness than the version I have in my CTS.....! Why that is, I don't know. My CTS feels almost pushrod-like in the way it revs to redline. The Enclave's version scampers for the redline.) * The exterior and interior styling of the Enclave is about as well-executed as any product GM has ever designed......exterior is HIGH on style, but avoids an over-abundance of cutlines or gratuitous moldings or old-Pontiac-style ribbed plastic. The interior is really hard to fault overall. And FINALLY, someone has designed a GREY GM interior that actually looks good, is attractive, and offers nice contrasts between (darker) dash plastics and (lighter) seats, door panels, and floorboards. * Did I mention that the Enclave is f*cking quiet on the road? The biggest compliment I can give this vehicle? For once....I'm in a (relatively) low-trim-level of product (CXL with leather, but FWD, no moonroof, base wheels, no stereo upgrade, etc.).....and I don't feel like I'm driving a rental-queen....! I really feel like I'm driving a classy automobile. That's not something I can say for ANY low-trim-level GM product right now. The Enclave, more than any other GM product, even Corvette I would argue, shows that GM knows how to be world-class. Now they just have to MAKE SURE they translate that down to the smallest and least-expensive level.

This is GREAT news! Now if they can only fix that ass on that car.....LOL If the car is supposed to hit showrooms IN November, why is the embargo date on driving impressions 11-2-07? I would expect we'd start seeing driving impressions NOW....a couple of months ahead of introduction.....you know....help shore up public interest! What's GM doing?

....but I've LIVED with one.....so that's what I base MY opinions on. Let's put it to you this way......one year may not be a long time....but in one year and 20,000 miles, I've had more problems with my $41K Cadillac CTS than I did with my $19K Focus......(that was...NO problems with the Ford...no matter how minor.) Not saying I don't still love the Caddy....but it's no reliability king....that's for sure.....whereas at the same age and same mileage, the Focus was FLAWLESS. Regardless......Astra looks to be a winner. Let's hope so....

I think you are WAY out of touch on this one Fly.... Focus is the best American compact this land has ever seen.....bar none. In fact, I had an SVT 3-door for a year and it was one of my most favorite cars I've EVER owned.......drove way more like a cut-rate BMW than a "domestic compact." Oh...in that years' time....I had not one single problem, no matter how minor. I also recommended my friend to get a Focus ZX3 quite a few years' ago. He was cash-strapped....and got a nice-looking black-on-black hatch but with most of the basic stuff in it. He ran it for 200K miles with nary a hiccup. I didn't ask him for a detailed list of what maybe he got repaired in that time.....but he loved it enough that he just bought a new '07 ZX3.....and loves it. Can't say much more than that.....

Thru May of this year.....29.2% fleet penetration for LaCrosse.