Blake Noble

My dad's old '88 S-15 and my mom's old '93 Cavalier were exceptionally dreadful. Cheap bits were everywhere and the glovebox hinges in both of them eventually broke, meaning that we had to permanently lock them shut to keep the glovebox door on. I think we might have actually lost five dollars and a Tim McGraw cassette in the Cavalier when we traded it off. Our '04 Impala had a big bag of suck for an interior too. The dash did have a nice contour that ran from left to right, but the fugly plood, the poor HVAC vent cutlines, and the general nastyness of the cloth textures in the car were awful. I remember that, after we bought it, I would occasionally find myself thinking that I was sitting in an old pickup truck.

I do like the front license plate cover and the clever use of fiber optic lighting in the rear Phoenix logo, but I could do without all of the interior mods ... and the PS2, and the underbody lighting, and the cliched KITT LEDs in the Ram Air hood. While I can say it is neat, it's just something I wouldn't do to a great car like a fourth-gen T/A.

Sorry I had to use stock photography here. I tried to grab some shots when I returned the Astra today, but someone already had the Vuebrid out on loan before I got to it. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy it as much as my last review!

No other country in the world has bought into the hype over hybrids like the United States of America. Whereas our European counterparts prefer more sensible diesels, we Americans have a Colin Farrel-esque stereotype about diesels in that they're grimy and they smell bad. I suppose that it's not entirely our fault, though. After all, when automakers tried selling diesels in passenger cars here back in the late Seventies, they were far from being an acceptable replacement for gasoline engines. They did stink like something dead, they clacked and clicked like a bag of old bones, and they were known for sometimes breaking down. They also could have arrived at a better time. We were still sore that OPEC and the government took away our muscle cars; our Camaro SS396s and Chevelle SS454s; our Pontiac GTO 455s and Trans Am 455SDs; our Dodge Chargers and Challengers; just about everything great really. We wanted them back and everything they had to offer. We didn't care about diesels. We still wanted V8s that would burn the hide right off of a bull elephant. So diesel passenger cars became a novelty here in the U.S. due to our less than romantic rendezvous with them while they rose to ultimate popularity in Europe. Europeans seemed to understand that a slightly foul odor and a little more noise were an acceptable trade-off for a cheaper fuel source and for an extended range of miles on one tank of gas. It's because of Europe we have the best diesels out there today. They aren't nasty, noisy, low-class engines anymore. In fact, they're now much better and more versatile than a gasoline engine. So while Europe bought their diesels, we bought our gas engines and left the cruder oil to big-rig truckers and Big Tex who just bought his Dodge Ram 3500 Cummins dually to impress the Joneses next door. We were comfortable with Old Grandpa Gasoline. He'd been good to us. It weren't broke so we weren't gonna fix it. Skip around in time a bit to the year 1997 in Japan. Toyota just introduced the Prius, a hybrid that ran off of a gasoline engine and an electric motor. At this time, though, gas was still cheap in America, so no one seemed to care here. It was just another small car with a novelty powertrain. After all, it was built by a car company we all thought could do no wrong and already made tin cans that could run on two drops of hi-test. There wasn't any real reason to buy one when the Preewuss landed on our soil for the 2001 model year. However, after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Hurricane Katrina, speculators that were too busy sticking their heads up their asses to realize their greed was tearing apart the world economy, and various other outraging factors, gasoline prices began to rise ... and rise, and rise, and rise, and rise The majority of Americans did nothing, just paid the higher costs and went on, waiting for the prices to eventually drop. After all, it wasn't like we had never seen something like it happen before. Some Americans, though -- the eco-conscious, granola-crunching, peace-loving, greenie weenies -- jumped on the Hybrid bandwagon, going so far as sticking butter knives in the tires of every Hummer H2 they came into contact with. If that didn't drive their point home, they'd perhaps light another one on fire and watch it blow up. Give peace a chance indeed. Along with the greenie weenies, celebrities bought them up too, officially making it hip 'n happenin to own one. Other automakers scrambled to make competitors, to find other applications for Hybrid powertrains. The car I'm writing to you about is one out of a baker's dozen of Hybrid cars that have flooded the market in recent years. The Saturn Vue Hybrid (or Vuebrid as I like to call it; Vue Green Line in Saturn speak) I've driven came almost loaded to the gills with options. It had a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, premium audio system with a six CD changer, premium wheels wrapped in low-profile tires. The only options it didn't have were all-wheel drive (which isn't available on the Vuebrid anyway), leather seats, Sat-Nav, and a sunroof. From stem to stern, it was painted in a very flamboyant Mystic Blue that advertised a vehicle that I felt needn't be advertised. After all, GM already stuck three Hybrid badges on its exterior in a few thought-out places in addition to the Green Line badge. On the other hand, I'm glad it didn't have humongous Hybrid banners pasted to its windshield and lower doors like some Hybrid SUVs I know of. The basic Vue itself is almost a completely unmolested Opel/Vauxhall Antara (GMC Terrain for you folks in the Middle East), which is based on GM's Theta platform like your Chevy Equinoxes, Pontiac Torme -- err -- Torrents, Suzuki XL-7s, and Chevy Captivas which we don't get here. The only changes made to the Antara to become the Vue are different grilles, badges, and a revised center stack to accept the (now old) GMNA corporate black-tie stereo. For the Green Line model, Saturn adds GM's mild hybrid BAS system hooked up to a 2.4 liter EcoTec four-pot. The BAS system uses an electric motor to restart the engine after being shut off at a complete stop. So while it isn't a full hybrid, it is still a clever way to save some gas or if you feel guilty that you bought an SUV, even though it's a car-based soft-roader and not a truck-based Earth bruiser. Anyway, moving on and away from the boring stuff ... The 2.4L EcoTec manages to churn out 172 horses and 167 pound-feet of torque. That's not too bad for a four cylinder. It wasn't too long ago that such numbers were V6 territory. However, first impressions makes it seem as if it's a little bit on the gutless side. Acceleration is there and you can use it, but this is no Saturn V Rocket. Taking off from a dead stop after the engine wakes back up, you can go, but sometimes you find yourself wanting to get off the line maybe just a little bit faster. Of course, the Vuebrid is actually one heavy SUV, so I'm not really all that surprised by this. The four-pot has its work cut out for it hauling the crossover's heavy, fat ass around. Happily, you might occasionally find yourself speeding a bit while cruising, after the engine builds up some steam and the transmission reaches fourth gear. Speaking of the tranny, it's a good transmission. This goes without saying, though. GM deserves praise for their transmissions. The Vuebrid always shifts smooth and linear. It doesn't buck when it shifts gears, it doesn't make you wonder if something's broken. In fact, as I'm sitting here writing about it, I feel like I'm watching paint dry. I very rarely find anything to complain about when it comes to any automatic transmission GM puts in anything it builds. Back to the engine, it's a four-cylinder, so of course it makes sounds like a four-cylinder. Because most of the power is hanging out in the higher registers, it has to be spun up quite high to make it work. And when you do that, it buzzes. It's not the loudest four-cylinder I've found myself piloting, but it's not the quietest either. At times, it gets a bit tiring to listen to. At times, you feel bad that it has such a heavy workload. Sometimes you wonder if it might just stop trying to be the little engine that could. I think liposuction would be a good idea. However, despite it being the little the chunk of heavy metal that it is, it does get good fuel economy. If you drive with the goal to keep the Eco light in the instrument cluster on, you can get mixed results of 28 to 29 mpg. That's damn good gas mileage. At first, the BAS system at work feels a little bit alien, but it slowly grows on you. Then you begin to realize, it's a brilliant way to make an engine more fuel efficient without installing a full-on hybrid system. I don't think it needs the hybrid tag, though. Maybe another name is in order? Someone should throw the marketing guys a five-dollar bill their way so that they can think of another cute name. I also wonder why GM wouldn't make this an option on other models. I have to admit that a V6 Camaro with a BAS option would be a neat coupe to own. Well, no ... and yes. The Vuebrid does feel much, much taller than it does wider, so it has a center of gravity that I think is somewhere between the headrests and the moon. You don't have to look too hard to find body-roll and hard cornering can be a little bit scary. To think all of that extra blubber would keep the little guy a little better planted would be wrong, wrong, wrong. Spirited driving is something I wouldn't advise. In fact, if you drive this thing like you stole it, you could easily pull an Edmund Fitzgerald with it and capsize the old dingy. No freak waves required, however. The suspension, though, is great in a straight line, a truly American trait to what is a very Teutonic truckster at heart. Bumps and potholes are made as painless as possible. The ride isn't too cushy and borders on being quite firm. The tires generate a little bit of road noise, but it isn't too intrusive. There isn't anything to whine about when it comes to the brakes, either. The pedal never feels spongy and things aren't too sensitive. They work as a set of four-wheel discs should. And, for once, GM's electronic steering system doesn't feel like complete garbage. While it still doesn't have the tight, weighted feel and good feedback of a traditional hydraulic system, it no longer feels numb and unattached from the rest of the car. However, it still feels like there is way too much slack somewhere in between the front wheels and the steering wheel. Turns never feel spot-on responsive. While I normally say avoid anything resembling a steer-by-wire setup, this one is passable. Well, almost anyway. The Vuebrid's interior is a decent place to be. Panel gaps are quite uniform and the overall design is pretty pleasant to the eye with perhaps a dash of Pontiac in the round vents that flank the outer edges and the set upon the center stack. Come to think of it, it was stupid for GM not to use a similar design in the Chevroliac Torrenox. For you religious dash humpers, soft touch materials are abound everywhere except the lower dash and the grab handles (those handles must be an Opel thing) so don't place your man vegetables (or your woman oyster) anywhere around those areas. You could develop dash burn. All of the switchgear has a nice texture except for any button you push, like say on the radio. However, operating the turn signals, wiper stalk, and any sort of knob feels like you're operating something with decent quality. The gauge needles, which appear red but are slightly transparent on their sides, are a nice touch as well. The chrome detailing around the vents and gauges also helps to liven things up. The seats are standard Opel-sourced goodness with great support and good grip. You'll never have a complaining back on any trip anywhere. However, I have my complaints. As with the Astra I drove last time, I don't much care for the flat silver paint that covers the center stack. Maybe a little bit of gloss would be in order here to liven things up. But after seeing the Opel Antara's interior, I have to say, I like its center stack design much better. It looks a little bit more interesting than it's American cousin and most certainly better thought out. Here's something that GM didn't need to change but did anyway. Is it the best cute-ute ever? No. Is it the worst ever? No again. The Vuebrid is a very solid middle ground in this segment. While the new 2010 Chevy Equinox and GMC Terrain have surpassed it as well as Ford's Escape hybrid without a hybrid system, it's still a solid buy. It doesn't look as ugly as a RAV4 or a CR-V (which, then again, what does?) and it isn't a total dog like a Jeep Compass. The only other sort of neutral choice is the Nissan Rogue, which isn't pretty either, but it's not the ugliest thing to roll around on four-wheels. You could do better in the forms of the two aforementioned GM twins or maybe lose a few mpg and buy a VW Tiguan. In the end, if you slap your money down on one of these, I don't think you'll regret it.

My next review is almost here ...

I actually noticed this. The Astra loaner only has 17,000 miles on it, so it still does have that new car smell. I can't exactly put my finger on what the Astra's new car smell reminds me of, though. I want to say it smells ... sweeter than a new North American or Mexican made car.

I can't believe I'm saying this but if we get this ... ... here in the States as Buick with a similar formula like I mentioned in my write-up, I wouldn't completely hate driving one until a proper and trim Camaro debuts. Why do I feel dirty now?

I suppose its strange that working on music usually helps me sleep. I always go to bed earlier when I'm trying to fix something I don't like in the structure or mixing of a song I'm doing.

I used to have that problem quite a lot when I was in school, still had a job, and a relationship (read: used to have a life). Usually when I got in that state of mind, I'd maybe give up on sleeping that night, maybe take a short nap and wake up, take a shower, and push on through the day, making sure to drink anything that could be a good pick-me-up. It isn't fun, I'll say that. It's also very hard not to just shut-down and crash when you get the chance.

Very irregular. One night I might go to bed at 2 a.m. The next night 5 a.m. The next night 3 ... ish. I'll admit, it's a little old, but I can't seem to get myself out of it. Additionally, I didn't sleep at all last night. Knowing that I had to leave at 8 a.m. to get to Lexington by 9 and knowing that I usually don't wake up until noon, I decided not to take the chance and pulled an all-nighter. I've probably downed a portion of my body weight in caffeine today. I also haven't taken one nap either. Oddly, I smoke less and eat less when I'm sleep deprived.

Thanks everyone for the kind words. It really means a whole lot. I noticed two typos that squeaked by me after proof-reading it. I'll make sure the next review I'll have up tomorrow doesn't repeat that same error.

I'm sure someone will find it useful. After all, you can buy one used and I think this is one of the best buys on the used car market as far as compact cars go.

You're welcome!

Quick Test: 2008 Saturn Astra XE Back Story: Our humble family sedan, the trusty 2007 Saturn Aura XE V6, has been in the shop numerous times over the past two months for issues that have been plaguing everything from the audio system to the braking system to, just today, the on-board computer system (for a braking system-related problem). The first stop at the service department was a grueling five hour visit late last month, while the technicians tested the car out for two bad speakers, a bad stereo, a concerning grinding noise when you push on the brake pedal and shift into reverse or park, and taillights that came on when you pressed the gas pedal, but not the brake pedal. After Quantrell Saturn of Lexington handed it back to us, still with each of those cancerous gremlins taking a huge collective dump on the car's up-to-that-point good quality, they told us we'd have to come back in the following days for another visit while they waited for a huge slew of parts to be delivered. That second visit warranted a them giving us a loaner while they waited for a brand new braking system-related switch that was going bad to be delivered overnight. The first car they loaned us was a ninety-five percent fully-loaded 2008 Saturn Vue Hybrid in What-The-Hell Mystic Blue, a color that was loud and proud and drew attention to a car that I felt that didn't need to be so loudly advertised, as if it wasn't already with various, clearly visible Hybrid badges stuck to its doors and rump. My overall impressions of the Vuebrid are surprisingly quite good, although I'd never actually buy one. I think it's also due a write-up as well. So imagine my dismay when Quantrell didn't give us the keys to it today after they told us there was yet another overnight wait in store for the Aura as the on-board computer had started to sour and was causing the brake lights to, yet again, malfunction, causing them to not shut off as advertised. Ever. Instead of the cheeky blue cute-ute that I found a strange acceptance for, they gave us a swtichblade-style key that went to a dark blue hatchback, none other than an Astra five-door, the most ungainly member, in my opinion, of the Astra line-up. The following are my impressions of the car. Q: So, what's the car got as far as features go? A: This particular example of the Americanized Astra is just a few notches above having, well, nothing. It has cloth seats, the basic audio system, power windows and the oh-so-Euro central locking doors. As far as options go, it has air-conditioning, which was something that should have been standard as it was a stupidly expensive option on the Astra (the sticker price reads just a few bucks under a grand), and, strangely enough, heated seats. It's also sports a Made-In-Japan automatic. Yeah. Whoopity-do. There's no leather surfaces anywhere. No sunroof. No CD changer. No traction control. Not that any of that stuff is actually very important to me, but it doesn't even have a set of attractive rims and tires (that is a must for me). It just has ugly plastic hubcaps painted in Drab Sliver that would look more appropriate on a Volkswagen Golf or Beetle, really. It has the 1.8 liter four-cylinder, which was the only engine available for the Astra here, that feels like it could barely blend a smoothie and sounds like a YardMan mowing down a hay field when accelerating. Q: Uh, yikes, I guess? Could you maybe elaborate on the powertrain more? That particular bit doesn't sound good so far ... A: You're damned tootin' it doesn't sound good. Literally. When you're taking off from a dead stop and trying your damned best to wring the little 1.8 liter jerk of what little power it does have so that you don't get hit by that truck or that bus, the four-cylinder's annoying buzz seems to continuously bleed through the firewall and all of that sound-deadening material that lines it. You can almost hear the engine complaining, saying, "If you do that one more time, I swear, I'm going to call the Union and go on strike. Just you watch." All of the juice, especially torque it seems, is cowering way up in the rev range, just begging for you not to even get near it. Maybe I'm just too used to a V8's willingness to giddy-up-n-go the minute you say when, but this car reminds me of all of the reasons why I'm not a fan of your basic four-cylinder engine in anything with a gas pedal and four wheels. There is a bright side, though. When cruising at Interstate speeds, the buzz sort of goes away. Well, only to be replaced by the gawd-awful howl of the Good Year American Eagle tires. The transmission is nothing but standard GM goodness. That's to be expected, though. Usually, GM transmissions, regardless of weather if it's the old three-speed auto from the '70s, the four-speed that GM used for, like, ever, or the new six-speed they're putting in everything now, shift smooth and work as near-perfect as a good transmission should. No qualms here ... except for the fact that you seem to lose a truckload of gas mileage with it. The window sticker shows mileage ratings that aren't any that much better than our Aura and that oh-so-low tech center-mounted DIC shows an average MPG that's one less than what we usually get in the Aura. I think I can say that, sometimes, smaller isn't always better. Humorously, the Vuebrid we got before the Astra, seemed to be slighty better on gas than either one of them. I will add that there are worse four-cylinder econoboxes out there, though. The Toyota Corolla is, hands down, the Gutless Supreme King in this class. Q: That doesn't sound good. I'm still not turning away just yet, though. Can you tell us about how it handles? Things of that sort? Maybe there's something good there, huh? A: Yeah, actually there is. The steering is decently weighted with good feedback. You grip a fat wheel and with an effortless nudge left or right, you go left or right. For more spirited driving through curves, just hold on tight and steer, steer, steer. This car doesn't handle like an underpowered five-door econobox. It almost handles ... kinda sporty, kinda spirited. It handles like a go-cart, just without the pep to back it up. The ride isn't cushy, but it isn't spine shattering stiff either. It's quite well-poised. This car also has very little body-roll. That leaves me wondering just how the guys over at Opel tuned what is a surprisingly good suspension. I wish the Aura was as good here. The brakes, though, tend to be a little bit touchy. If you just tap them, you come to a stop with a hard jerk. This could have used some work. If this thing had the old Cobalt SS's supercharged 2.0L EcoTec, the six-speed manual, and a well-balanced all-wheel drive system, I actually might not be ashamed to shamefully park one in a far corner of my driveway and tool around in it during the winter while my rear-drive behemoths hibernate. Q: Ah! So it does have a redeeming quality after all! What about that interior, though? A: You shouldn't have asked. Yeah, I know. For once GM has made a small car that has an interior which isn't made out of old gum wrappers and melted down Tupperware. Three-quarters of the dash is at least covered by soft-touch plastics, so if you feel the need to mosey on out late at night to do some nude grinding on the passenger side dashpad or above that stupid DIC, then you'll be feelin' alright. The pillar trim is covered with a nice woven material that matches the headliner (thank God rat fur is a thing of the past). The doors always slam with a vault-like thud. Most everything does seem to feel buttoned-down and almost as sturdy as an old end-table. And my God, those seats. Like the Vuebrid we had, the seats are nice, firm, and supportive without being as rock-hard as a Central Park park bench. I could sleep in those seats if I had to. You always get out of the car with a back that feels refreshed and ready to go. They also grip your body quite well. It's short of just having a Swedish masseuse in the seat back from being perfect. Here's something else the Opel guys got right. They can make a damn good set of seats. However, the grab handles are rather brittle to the touch and feel as cheap as cheap gets whereas other cars pay attention to this area and try to make them feel as substantial as possible. It is a "high-traffic" area after all. There is no center armrest, so your right elbow always winds up falling down what feels like an endless pit. I'd trade that stupid, awkward cupholder for an actual armrest, thanks. You only have one color option for the Astra's Teutonic guts: grey and grey, with extra grey. I would image that this is what it would feel like to be Santa Claus stuck in a chimney at Christmastime. The design itself isn't something I'd really write home about, either. Yes, it is one leap and half of a bound above the Cobalt, but it sort of feels like everything is carved out of one solid block of plastic. Then there's the center stack. The stereo and HVAC panels don't exactly have the best fit in the world either. They always seem to appear to be off-centered, crooked. The stereo controls themselves also feel cheap. The volume knob makes a chintzy click with each turn, like something is broken-off back there. Every button feels cheap to the touch. The silver paint looks dull and cheap too. Was it too much to ask for some Piano Black accents, like in the Sky? And maybe use actual rubber covers for all of the buttons? The ugliest thing about the center stack, though, is the DIC that I've been randomly bitching about. The uber-pixelated font is ugly and you have three different ones for three different bits of information, so not only is it ugly, it isn't uniform. Oddly enough, the odometer on the DIC and the odometer between the speedo and tach didn't sync up by some few odd miles. Go figure. Q: Well, what's your overall verdict? A: Honestly, you can do far worse than picking up one of these. You could buy a new Hyundai Elantra or Toyota Corolla, for example. This is also better than a Focus, I think. It most certainly looks better, even as the ungainly five-door. Yes, you could also do a little bit better as well. The Mazda 3 might have the dumbest front fascia ever, but it's still a sporty compact car that, now, doesn't look awkward (except for the front) as a sedan if four-doors and an actual truck matter to you. I say that, in the end, if you want a nice, used compact car, pick up the three-door model. Overall, you won't regret it.

The part where the car gets t-boned is over the top. Is it bad that I sort of laughed at that? I mean, I've seen much worse around the 'net than this.

The interior should have been like that to start with. Very nice upgrades. There is nothing to hate about what you've done.

It's not very well executed. A little more fabrication could have went into making the sheetmetal match a little better. That little black strip of whatever that is ruins it.

I like this better:

THIS. We had to deal with this same issue last month when a few folks in administration decided to favor one member over the whole memberbase. We wound up losing a great, classic C&G personality because of it. It should have never been repeated, but here were are again, beating the same goddamned dead horse. What don't you guys understand? Quit trying to protect PCS. Anyone can be an armchair analyst on GM and make accurate predictions if they follow GM close enough (and I mean close enough). Hell, I've made predictions on GM in the past before PCS did and they came out right. What does that tell you? Until you meet this man in person, he's no more than vaporware.

Pffttt ... I hopped on this bandwagon yesterday. Nice to see you guys join me. http://www.cheersandgears.com/index.php?showtopic=43115

Happy Birthday, Cort.

Thanks for deleting my post guys. If you want a post gone, PM me first instead with a reason and I will take care of it. This is why other members have left. Oh, wait. I forgot whose thread this is ... right.

Anyway, I'll believe it when I see it. I'll still have fun with it anyway, though. To sum it up: Pro: The Commodore will still be sold in the United States. Con: You can buy one retired from chasing stolen Ford Mustangs, speeding after idiots on a foot chase, and pulling over punk ass teenagers going 5 over the limit with 200,000 miles and most everything broken 10 years from when they finally get here. Expect to pony up for some paint too. Pro: In that case I can buy one cheap, right? Say for about Three-Kay or so? Con: See above. Expect to dump another Three-Kay into fixing a broken-this and a broken-that and into turning the zebra into a thoroughbred. Costing a grand total of six-thousand dollars, you should really go out and buy something classic instead. Jalopnik sucks. I'm better.

There's a problem with your design. The glasshouse-to-body ratio is not right. There's too much glasshouse and it makes the car looks too top-heavy and tall. Other than that, I didn't see much difference between A and B. You seem to have some details right, though. I like some of the lines and the flared fenders. It reminds me of an old 1970 Chevelle that got shrunk in the wash.