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It's a matter of addressing what the competition offers. I think as enthusiasts, we ccan all agree that a true control auto is expected, no? I'm not shopping in that end of the auto market, but my guess is that the other cross-shopped vehicles have it.We're not selling to typical GM nor Buick buyer with this car.

BV- Why hit your head against a wall? The irony is that all of this personal "I saw this" anecdotal stuff is that it means ZERO. I'm in and out of domestic products ALL DAY LONG. When Honda/Acura has something to fear, I'm certain someone over at American Honda will notice...those guys actually pay attention consistently.

Love the Magnum. Cheap but cheerful interior(, especially if some other guy took the 35%+ depreciation in the first year) I've got my eye on a couple of color/option combos that periodically appear at auction...I just don't quite need that 2nd car, yet. The Magnum is really a 5 door, a stylish successor to the Rover 3500 or original Saab 9000, rather than a wagon. Magnums are slaves to their fashion sense, in that the practicality is limited by style choices, but they're neat cars nonetheless.

The fact that the STS got this much attention probably puts the DTS/STS replacement as an '11 or '12 intro, which is kind of depressing, too.The CTS (and derivatives) are Caddy's best chance to go international (assuming proper diesels) & capture entry level lux buyers here in the States. I'm sure someone at GM noticed that the 3-series is BMWs bread & butter and the A4 lead Audi's renaissance or that the G is a sales pacesetter for Infiniti---or maybe they haven't?

As a parent, I can only tell you that the 'crossover' paradigm works real well with baby seats and misc. gear--I think the h-point is somehow more ergonomic....but I can tell you the height, weight and drag of an AWD/4wd set-up make most of the ones of driven mediocre 'Cars' in the truest sense of the word. I love wagons. There. I've admitted it. But I can see why SUV escappees love em (X-over's, that is)

Or, there's simply a limited market for 2 seaters with no trunk space and the smart money is going to a dealer with better service, better buying experience, little ADM and, possibly, a little better image? (I also happen to think the Sky is better looking & I get the sense that Pontiac is the stepchild of the GMC-Buick-Ponitac stores...)

The new CTS renders this car a moot point, as only CPO's & massive rebates make the STS an eventual decent buy. More a commentary on the CTS' excellence, but the STS will remain a laggard. Might it have been a better bet to leave the STS alone and pull ahead planned coupe, 'vert & wagon CTS'?

Now that's an ad campaign! Perhaps the General can learn from their mistakes regarding intro's (Aura, anyone?). I'm interested to see how this works out---will the 'bu steal sales from the Impala or will it truly make inroads against the Japanese/Korean competition?

I've now gotten about 400 miles to judge handling...I'd say it has a decent feel to it. Better than the HHR I recently drove, probably closer in feel to the Escape or Focus, two 'regular' cars I've had some extensive seat time in, both with similar 'h' points, so the feel was comparable.It's no canyon carver, and while it feels breathless above 70, it wasn't unhappy to go there. It felt stable, planted, although you can't escape the fact that it's a little taller than a true 'car'. I was most impressed by the way it takes road irregularities in stride, as potholes and expansion joints were heard, not really felt. For a car with relatively large (215/55 18") and squat rubber, you never got the sense that it was overtired or that the tram-lining sometimes present in such a setup was there. It had a somewhat european feel, like a Golf--- (I just got 22MPG this tank, 40/60 city/hwy)

Perhaps I'm a victim of low expectations, but I was expecting the absolute worst when the Compass keys became available, but I chose it because I was curious to see what all the consternation was about...It is a perfectly acceptable economy car offering, and, while I agree that the interior is awfully cheap, it is well constructed---uniform gaps and everything feels like it'll work for a while, at least. The CVT feels like it needs a reboot, but the autostick does make a big difference and the CVT would be a total disaster without it---I suspect the tranny has a 'learning curve' to figure out the driver's style, so I'm going to give it a few more miles to figure me out. While it's not their best effort, I'm not sure that I'd rather be driving around in a Liberty, Commander or GC, which I find ponderous and unfun to drive (I'm a car guy at heart).

I've also found that the Compass looks much better on the road, especially from the front quarter view and certain offset side views. It's also color sensitive, looking much better in metallics and dark colors.The front, however, does look like a squirrelly Jeep storing a winter harvest....

Some good news and bad news: Good news- Killer A/C, the CVT's manual mode works well, decent space and an iPod jack that comes in handy for my sat radio. Bad news- CVT feels weird in the daily drive, 19MPG in mixed driving & an uneasy feeling that the cost-cutting has gone beyond the cheap plastics in the interior (although at 10k miles, the car is relatively tight).

Duly noted. :AH-HA_wink:Here's CAR magazine's take on the near term plans for Saab...sounds interesting.... http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/secret_new_ca...=933&page=1

For as long as the impression that Saab is an 'upscale' brand lasts, GM will keep it. It's not it's US presence, but its international scope that appeals to GM now. With Opel/Vauxhall being squeezed as a mid-market brand in Europe (ironically, partially by Chevy), Saab is 'needed' to keep BMW, Volvo et al. intenders in the GM fold. I predict that the latest cycle of products will be GM's last attempt to pump real life into Saab---then it'll be dumped if the fixes don't work. Saab is an interesting case study in mismanaged product and expectations...My dad owned an '86 900 and loved the car...I just think that Saab missed the boat as a practical, sporty maker, rather than a true euro-sport company. Missing the SUV/CUV crazes when your signature products used to be hatches that were foul-weather beasts is a deep irony that haunts this marque.

It's the 'cash cow' part that keeps the development $ coming, guy.I don't like Hummer because it's become another brand distraction, however, I can't argue that the economics aren't attractive. These are big profit makers for GM. I think the worldwide rep of Hummer will improve when: a. We get our military out of the current, incredibly unpopular quagmire we elected to get into; b. When the H4 and diesels are available to make these types of vehicles make sense in most countries.

After another 50 miles, I going to try and get an MPG estimate this afternoon. In the meanwhile, I'd say my low expectations have definitely been exceeded...The interior plastics clearly need some work and the cargo area is a bit small, but I've been able to fit everything I need to, given the quick fold down seating in back. The budget stereo also has the steering wheel controls, the underfloor area for cargo can hide a thing or two and the ride, while no sportscar, is more than perfectly adequate around town, as even with low profile 18" rims, city potholes get absorbed. It's a little noisy on rough or textured surfaces, but there's nothing about this vehicle that a few dollars in upgrades and perhaps a few more HP couldn't cure. People seem to like the way it looks too....especially women, so I guess DCX wasn't too far off in its attempt to market to them...

I've put about 100 miles on it, now. Lots of hgwy driving...it drives like a decent economy car, no more, no less. With 2 adults & some cargo, it had OK power (the CVT is interesting....and the Autostick --6 simulated gears-- is actually quite useful & fairly intuitive to use. The first real passing situation was interesting, as the engine droned at about 3500rpm, neither rising or falling. I didn't have an issue with the engine itself (although I haven't topped off to check the mileage yet) but its certainly not Honda smooth. The interior is what I'd call 'cheap & cheerful', and the vehicle has enough stuff to play with & nooks and crannies that it looks like some real thought went into a lot of the interior features---the flashlight is genius, the ipod holder pretty cool, it has a real 2-prong outlet & my home Sirius unit is sitting on the open cubby in the dash. I'm not even hating the styling too much--I think this is the type of vehicle that looks much better in the real world, but still not great. I'll go B- as an overall...perhaps I had low expectations, but its not a bad ride in all.

Was that Toyota or Nissan that bombed PH? Or BMW that killed millions? Or GM that murdered Natives with Small Pox ridden blankets?C'mon, dude. I pray for GM to invent the better mousetrap. We'll see if the batteries are commercially viable before I worry about anyone's theoretical range...The Chinese will have a high speed all electric vehicle on the market NEXT year....so this all may have already been done by someone else...

There's a deep irony in GM being first with the EV-1 --....as with consumer electronics. perhaps we should be somewhat resigned to the fact that Japan has done a wonderful job of refining an idea... Does anyone know which management genius signed his name to stopping (eviserating)that program?

Depending upon your state, you should just Lemon Law the car. If your state is like mine, you can get ALL of your payments & your loan paid off, minus a mileage charge.I wouldn't even sweat it, just file (probably at your local AG's Office.) ...This sad story summarizes my fears that the 'new, re-energized' GM is really the old GM with a decent paint job. If GM is listening, maybe you should contact this guy, huh?

Agreed. There are definitely some awkward angles--it should have been a 3 door--but it clearly doesn't photo well, at all. In my first days of seat time, I can tell you the seats are comfortable (and kudos to DCX for the height & lumbar adjustment) , the CVT not nearly as bad as advertised and it handles in a very car-like fashion--no sense that you're perched on a height like some small CUVs... Gotta say, I'm surprised at my generally positive impressions, though I would be remiss if I didn't comment on some of the varience in shutlines and alignment of body panels...most look fine, but a glimpse of daylight is possible under the hood at certain angles and the rear hatch not as tightly aligned as it should be.

Just got into one of these, silver, with all options except upgraded stereo and sunroof. Interior is cheap...perhaps not as bad as the early build Calibers, but not great. On my short ride from the yard to here, it seemed tight, no rattles (@10k) and the CVT seemed fine in town....I'm going to fill up the gas tank, get a read on mileage in mixed use and update you guys when I've had more seat time....

Point taken, and I agree that 40k for a Passat is a joke. That being said, you wou;ld think that there'd be enough disgruntled VW owners out there that the Saturn could make sense for....there's an expectation that things like Nav, Lights that steer or even AWD be available with alot of shoppers, whether they elect to buy them or not...

The Aura is a good car, that needed to be great and supported by a marketing program that was coherent and sustained.If the Saturn customer base wanted a 4 cylinder, why wasn't it there to begin with? I agree it should have one, but if we're to buy the move upmarket, why not have the 6 speed man/auto available at launch? The TSX is a much better product on a number of levels. It's GM kool-aid time if you regard these vehicles as comparable. And both the Passat & TSX have features that are not available on Saturn's 'import fighter' that might justify the price differential. GM should not have let this car out without the high-line options that would be EXPECTED by cross-shoppers (if there are many). I personally like the Aura...but GM has botched another lauch of a savior product. Let's be completely honest--if they wanted to reinvent Saturn, the Aura, Outlook & Sky should be wonderful places to start....have you seen the sales figures? It's embarassing and people should be fired. They needed to put $ in to relaunch Saturn, instead they used limited launch budgets for individual products that got lost in the shuffle, media-wise.

Where to begin...1. Saturn is supposed to be moving upmarket...so the 6 speed auto should be there. This is another example of GM backtracking...could it have anything to do with Aura's disappointing sales so far? 2. This either should have been there from the start or not done at all. GM again missed an opportunity to have a value/MPG leader, so now they're going to go back and step on the Malibu's toes at its launch! 3. The hybrid is officially a waste of time with this measure. 4. GM's 'solid' start? When and what have they started? The solid start would have been selling GMT900's without incentives for a year or two...a solid start would be Saturn selling 100% more vehicles, as they have doubled the lineup! The last thing GM needs is more excuses...(ie 'we're reducing fleet sales", "the price of gas", "Toyota's massive incentives on Tundra"). This comapny needs a change at the top, someone willing to take a chance or two...this death by a thousand cuts is painful to watch!