caddycruiser

This is definatley an odd car...it has an outstanding interior, very high quality, one of the best AWD systems around, and is very refined. BUT, and strange as it is, it is quite cramped inside, still lacking a bit under the hood, and VERY blandly styled. As far as the latter is concerned, it's never a good sign when your flagship vehicle is regarded as the most boring and bubbled car in the line, with the lower line TL, TSX, and even RSX always generally considered to be a lot better looking. Even if it just had styling along the lines of the crisp and taut TL but a bit more exotic, and then interior room that you naturally expect in a car of this class, it would sell VERY well at $50k. As is, it comes off as quite the odd mixture...

Well, if there was an actual buying demand...that might help. Actually, even a little more advertising would help to get that...

THOSE are what I want to crawl around in...a new Suburban Take all that I found damn impressive about the Tahoe but actually give it some real interior space...we'll take a Summit White 2wd 1LT model Suburban, please

Yeah...right....along with some nasty fit & finish in some parts, and not nearly as high grade of tightness and solidity. Just because something is squishy doesn't necessarily make it high end in a car... A big critic myself, the only thing that really bugs me about the Lucerne's interior is the black pod in the center of the dash that just sticks out too much. Softer stuff typically does give off a more luxurious feel, but go check out a BMW or VW sometime...not a whole lot that's "squishy", but they always still come off as damn nice and high end. The Lucerne is a terrific car, no doubt, but I think it'd be more productive to focus on issues like the sub-200 hp V6, antique 4-speed, and that homely looking bubble of a nose than constantly doing piece by piece analysis of which little interior piece is soft or not soft enough...

Hmm...that stinks. I would say your best bet is just to sell that one back to someone who DOES have the luxury amp and wants a Nav, and try and get the proper one you need. OR, this site/guy sells them in kit form, and he might be able to help you in terms of figuring out a way to get the luxury version working in your Rainier if you email them: http://www.jpcustoms.com/store/customer/home.php

Hmm...there is a HUGE difference in the look of the standard 18's vs. the 22's....the 18's look even smaller, for some reason, than the 17's do on a last gen truck. vs. The white one almost looks doofy with the standard wheels...weird...

Well, on the larger GMT-800 trucks (Tahoe, Yukon, etc.), there are 2 different Nav models: the one for all the "basic" amp BOSE systems and the one for the "luxury" amp BOSE systems. They look identical, but are NOT interchangeable. Did you happen to get a "luxury" Y91/Y92 option one then? If so, that's why it won't work, and isn't going to without some significant modifications (if anything at all). Where did you get it from?

Some of that doesn't sound too bad, but pale blue for an SS? I sure hope you're kidding... And the same for the wheels. I really like the upper LT and all LTZ ones a lot too, but the SS ones are very fitting of it's sportier, meatier image, and actually seem to be very well liked, so you're probably in the minority on that one. It'll only be the second model year, so I wouldn't expect anything more than maybe a new color or one new minor option, so don't look for much...especially in the way of styling changes.

Yeah, this, or something a lot like it, was seen quite a while ago...and was ruled to be just a unique powertrain testing mule. There's no such thing as a "wide body CTS" and I really wouldn't think there'd ever be a reason for one, especially given that a new CTS is just right around the corner.

Probably true, because the LT was always the popular model until the Z71 came along with the same equipment but a much sportier look, and people liked that. That's why when you look around anymore, Z71 models are the main ones you see. So, those same owners probably just want to see how much "burlier" the Z71 package will make a new one, until they buy.

No, not yet. Shouldn't be much longer, though, I would think.

Didn't null mine, and I specifically dug through it all a bit and knocked on all the pieces. Was definately better than any domestic truck I looked at, and most of the cars, and right on par with the typical Honda...not flashy, but very well trimmed, high quality pieces and fits, and just very fitting with the rest of the vehicle overall. I still like it, and has been said before, for the bulk of people who do buy trucks and crossover things like the Avalanche, they mostly only ever use them for "car purposes" anyway, and this is a great fit. No, it isn't as bare bones and classically rugged as something like a Colorado or Dakota might be, but that was never the intent. It stands out as something that fits what a real buyer actually uses such a vehicle for. Styling is a little odd, but I think, at least, on something with such a theme, it works.

It is most definately a terrific truck, as should all the others in the line when they come out. After seeing a few in person, the pricing doesn't seem too far out of where it should be, but there's definately been a lot of people coming in to dealers, saying how nice they are, and then asking "where's the rebate", which I still think is inevitable, as soon as the buzz wears off. I do wonder about the fuel economy thing though...numbers are better, but just like the Impala SS and the Grand Prix GXP, real world owners seem less than impressed. I'm thinking it may just be a "needs to be broken in" kind of thing, but I guess we'll see as each of the DOD-using cars ages a bit more.

Well, if so, I can't imagine it is ANYWHERE near as bad as most GM trucks at least used to be. There was no "feel" whatsoever, more like you were stepping on a partially deflated beach ball and then, eventually, by some act of god, the brakes began to apply some pressure. The reason for this was actually explained in one or two professional mag reviews of the new '07 Tahoe a month or so ago, and said what all was changed to alleviate it, so it definately was a known and ungoing problem...but one that never should have been there from day one if GM engineering had done their job properly. Actually, I always wondered how a GM tech guy, for instance, could drive one during testing and think it was even close to being alright...because I drove older gen trucks from the 90's that had brakes that felt so much stronger, it just baffled me.

That makes sense, and is what I think a lot of people end up doing...the Tahoe is kind of short, but the Suburban is a little too much, so they just go for the smaller one. Haha, I know what that's like, minus 1 person in the similarly Vette-powered Caddy... :thumbsup: I'll just have to buy a wagon next...

Well, coming from personal experience, the brakes on the '99 and up GMT-800 models are SO, SO bad, it really would be a nightmare if there was any kind of a failure in the system. Our '02 Avalanche, which was completely in spec, used to scare the everliving crap out of me, even when puttering around town at very low speeds, because the brake pedal was so mushy and had so much excess travel, you'd always wonder when and if you were actually going to stop. That said, the pedal feel is massively improved on our '04 Suburban with the Hydroboost feature (really an odd stopgap, of sorts, instead of a real fix), but still have a bit of mush. Not nearly as much as the Avalanche, but not what they should be still. Apparently this is a fixed issue on the new '07s, but still...don't discount the so called "melodramatic" words of some owners. As for this issue itself, it doesn't sound all that hard to fix, but the odd spread of who's eligible and who isn't is quite odd.

Haha...well, at least you are driving a "shorty" right now with the Tahoe. Most days of the week, for instance, my mother and her purse are the only two items occupying the inside of her Suburban, but many a times arrise where we do really need ALL of the space and more--like when I move back and forth from college. I think a Tahoe would work for my dad, as he's even said it would, but as a family vehicle for us, that's a major no. I can see the shorter length being easier to manuever and even a bit sportier to drive, but there's just no usuable room in one unless you get a 5-seater. The 3rd seat is worthless and there's no space behind it, but everyone still has to have one, so I guess that's why they offer it--completely different story in the Suburban however. Regardless (sorry for the little rant there), hope you continue to enjoy it! P.S., is it attracting any extra attention from people when you drive it, or are they already a common site where you live?

Wow, you must have been around 2 many typical GM cars for a while...1-touch sunroofs have pretty much become the norm for quite some time now. That said, glad to hear you're enjoying it so much that little things like that are knocking your socks off! Haha, yeah. Didn't start out that way, but after mom bought an Avalanche, dad bought a Roadmaster and a Fleetwood, then mom got a Suburban, and just a month ago I bought Fleetwood #2...we've been told our driveway looks like the president has come over to visit :AH-HA_wink:

I had similar feelings just SITTING in a few at the auto show. Can't wait to drive one. And yes, even though the prices do seem a little high still, I'm changing my mind on that issue after seeing them...WOW, was all I could say. Knocks our '04 out of the ball park and into the scrap heap almost...

Great. The driving dynamics have always been there (there IS a reason why Car and Driver, the mag so many despise around here, has names it top luxury 'ute 3 years in a row... :AH-HA_wink: ), but with a subpar interior and a high price. They already started working on the inflated price, and now the interior and a wider choice of optioning is on the way...GREAT news I think this should seal the deal on further award winning, at least as long as no competitor does anything drastic at the same time.

Should be a good seller, especially for the price. And very good that GM finally has some worthwile Hybrid options coming for those who want them. I think the price advantage factor they were able to attain should get them the most attention of all.

As for the whole minivan issue, why in the everliving hell are they so sure NOW that 4 is 2 too many, but thought they were all necessary just over a year ago? Not that it would have been a lot, but think what the morons could have saved by only making the 2 versions in the first place Strangely enough, as much of poorly designed antique vans they are, the inteiors are oddly beautiful in most every model, especially the Terrazza--which also has that whole extra sound deadening thing going for it. Too bad the adaptability of the interior packaging is about as good as minivans from 10 years ago, that they've had SO many electrical problems (go check out any owner boards for them--alternators are just one bug ), along with build quality issues (moldings simply falling off, pieces coming undone, etc.) Kill the Buick and Pontiac now, brush up the look of the Chevy a bit, and give the Saturn the Buick's interior and sound deadening, and those two should at least live on competently until being put down...hopefully before too long.

Yeah, pretty much. They already sell it in Canada, so it should come here without modification...just a Cobalt with a different grille piece snapped in, new taillights, and the typically ugly red lighting added to the inside gauges. One thing is for sure--it definately won't help Pontiac much at all in the way of having a full lineup of "WOW" cars like they need...

Well, they do end up conducting a lot of hot weather testing around areas like that, so it isn't that out of the ordinary. And, by the way, he took these pics a couple days after New Year's. But, yeah, too darn bad there isn't any interior shots, because he could have even made money off of those...

Same here, even though I originally thought it might be too blocky--I think it'll end up looking very nice and sophisticated, though, if very Opel like. I've been catching hell for saying it on the Buick board, but the Enclave just has a few too MANY odd curves on it for me...