Drew Dowdell

yet still cheaper than having to pay a CAFE fine for all those G8s people are snapping up.

The problem with VW/Audi interior materials <mostly VW> is that they don't hold up over time. Sure they look great on the showroom floor, but after about 4 years when that airbag cover is curling away from the dash and the scratches in the material from a finger nail and the cupholder that no longer works and the power mirrow switches that have fallen off..... they don't look quite as nice. Conversely, the G6's interior may look like tupperware... but after 4 years and some armor all, it'll still looks like new tupperware.

Speaking of stunningly wrong.....

The main reason I vote against banning him for now is that he does provide articles, news, and insight. However, he does post, in some cases, specifically to antagonize other members of this board. Buickman was banned for trolling with his stunningly wrong predictions and commentary.

I'm definitely not a Honda guy, but I do have to give credit where credit is due. The Accord coupe is a looker...

Good thing it'd be in an Astra then. 150hp in an Astra would be better than the 138hp it's got now.

Don't tempt me... I have an itchy trigger finger.

I loved the magnum from the outside. I loved the hemi powertrain. What scared me away was the horrid interior. I could totally see myself getting a Pontiac Safari. After the 2009 CTS Coupe, my next choice would be a 9-3 SportCombi Aero. You all are going to be REALLY surprised at what my next car is for the remainder of my stay in the U.S. :AH-HA_wink: No tattling Camino!

As the owner of an automatic CTS, I have to disagree. The CTS's automatic is far more intelligent than the Cooper's. The CTS in sport mode, even without paddle shifters, seems to read your mind about holding a lower gear or shifting up. It will hold a gear all the way up to red-line and let you run there for quite a while before self preservation mode kicks in, calls you an idiot, and it upshifts. All that said, this entire thread was directed at the normally BMW humping O.C. who was criticizing the rocker button manu-matic mode in the Enlcave... and just showing him that BMW does the same thing with the Cooper, only not as smoothly and not as smartly. My favorite FlexCar is still Camino's Civic Hybrid. I've taken out a Toyota Solara Convertible once and it was a complete pile. If I take it again I'm bringing my camera and writing a review of that one. For one, the shifter is just plain idiotic just for the sake of being "modern". For two, the thing had more body flex and cowl shake than my 160k mile Cutlass Convertible.

+ engine access. They had that door open at one point while I was there....

What would be the point then? If it's just going to perform the same and get the same fuel economy.... why not just stick with the existing engine?

anyone else think it looks like they ripped the headlights off the Zetas?

... and not going to be available in the US.

it's completely underwhelming compared to the CTS Coupe... Officially Official: 2008 Mercedes-Benz CLC Mercedes-Benz has officially unveiled the 2008 CLC-Class, the Euro-market successor to the now-defunct C-Class Sports Coupe. Well, we should clarify that. It's not completely defunct in that its architecture has been carried over for the new car, meaning the CLC does not share underpinnings with the new-gen C-Class. Still, Mercedes boasts that the car features 1,100 "newly-developed or enhanced" components, including the direct steering system introduced on the freshened SLK. The changes are intended to give the car a different feel than its predecessor. At first glance, it's clear that Mercedes is trying to leave the past behind, looks-wise. Sure, the coupe profile is carried over, but the sharp-looking face of the new C-Class finds its way onto the CLC's front end. Out back, fresh taillamps also keep up the family resemblance to the new C. An updated interior greets occupants, with available features like DVD or hard drive-based nav, iPod integration, and an in-dash SD card slot. The entertainment, communications and nav systems can all be operated by voice command, too. Buyers can choose from four engines -- 2 gas and 2 diesel, all with improved fuel economy -- matched with six-speed manual gearboxes as standard equipment. Drivers who opt for automatics get a 5-speed unit for 4-cylinder engines or MB's 7-speed auto for the 6-cylinders. An available sports package dresses things up with enhancements like 18" wheels and also adds paddle shifters to the steering wheel for cars with automatic transmissions. The Brazilian-built CLC goes on sale in Europe this May. No plans have been mentioned regarding a possible US-market return, and given that the last-gen didn't sell particularly well here, that is completely unsurprising. The Mercedes press release is pasted after the jump.

Still... if it only gets 35mpg combined. It's not likely that the highway mileage would drop much. It'd be the city cycle that would suffer most.

I have no idea how long I've been here... but I was here for a while B.C.

QUOTE(balthazar @ Jan 27 2008, 10:52 PM) [snapback]361750[/snapback] Not sure why I hang around, might just be the free coffee & donuts. They aren't free! What? Do you think this is a Saturn dealership or something?

Fleet 'em Toyota... taste the sweet sweet cocaine.

It's an idiotic manuver. There is nothing that makes Buick and the G8 and Camaro mutually exclusive. Not even production capacity. Oshawa, LGR, and Hammtrack have more than enough capacity..... and then there's always Wilmington... which I hear may have more capacity available soon.

Selling the horse to keep the cart.

I have a friend who is really really into antiques and keeping his house "period" He has and uses a 1930s GE refridgerator in his kitchen. Just one of these:

uhm.... great... you overproduced. Is Hyundai going to release a similar press release?

but... why? Buick has already proven they can sell... with waiting lists even... when they're given world class product. Why should GM not take advantage of that? The Lucerne still outsells everything in it's class except the heavily fleeted 300 and the new, fixed, LaCrosse/Regal is on it's way. What's GM gonna do if there are waiting lists for the G8.... and they sell everyone they build without incentives? Two years later introduce a FWD Epsilon Wide G8 and try to get that pig to fly?

why are you *happy* about GM no longer being able to sell popular cars?