El Kabong

Those who like it like it a lot. For some the exterior styling and sight lines will always be dealbreakers. And I get it-it ain't for everybody. But the interior is world's better. The sight lines are better. The styling is more nuanced. And it sounds like D-Day when you fire it up. Throw in the awesome chassis and sub four seconds to 60 and it's a tall order to top.

Eleven grand to be precise. But they're a dealer-installed option. That dealership does a lot of performance stuff. In fact if you take a close look behind the full-car shot you'll see a new CTS-V and a couple of Callaway SUVs.

It's pretty impressive in the flesh. I wouldn't get it with the sunroof and those rims all the same.

It's kind of ridiculous, really. Shave off the cash and weight of the sunroof and automatic transmission and it's dominance is beyond dispute. And after sitting in one a coupla days ago I concur with their take on the interior.

The perfect machine for lining some ridge. Guabi not included.

First, the background: -they drive the Tail of the Dragon, so no messing around there, -the Camaro had an automatic, the Mustang had the PP, and thus the stickshift. And this is what they concluded: "If we're going to eat forest in either of these two, we're more likely to do so in the Mustang. Bowman can't believe that a car that felt so right last year is now 'loose and wallowy.'" "After two days driving over the relief left behind by the Great Buzzard, there's no doubt the Camaro, with its Cadillac platform and Corvette engine, is the thoroughbred of its class. We can't believe it. The Camaro is almost too composed. The balance is sublime. It's refined and exciting. Has this once fat lout of a car become a bona fide sports car? Did that just happen? It happened." http://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/reviews/a27655/2016-chevrolet-camaro-ss-vs-2016-ford-mustang-gt/

It was nice. Now it's gone.

The Escalade, along with (possibly) the Range Rover, are the vehicles that call the shots in this segment. Therefore the BOF/unibody question is largely moot-customers like the Slade as it is, thank you very much. Cool trumps the rest.

"The body motions never let you forget it’s a long, large car, heaving along to its own tune. It’s more than capable of tilting heavily from side to side and bucking from fore to aft in a manner rarely seen on a modern-day four-door. But the suspension does a commendable job controlling the comfort setup, even during aggressive driving. Testing director Kim Reynolds was certainly scratching his head after having a go around the figure eight. 'It turns in quickly, doesn’t understeer too much, and is quite responsive,' he said. 'Surprising. Turn-in in particular is strangely quick and nice. Brakes feel OK, but stopping power seems pretty good, too.'" More at the link: http://www.motortrend.com/news/2016-chevrolet-impala-ltz-v6-first-test-review/

Some pics: And no, the 21" rims aren't factory.

Oh yeah: the frameless interior rear view mirror? Nice detail.

I'm talking about the MT comparo from a while back. I believe the RR has the blown 6 but hey, at that price it deserved to lose with that engine.

Thanks to the fine folks at my fave Chevy dealership I was able to get a bit of static seat time in the new Alpha. I even got to fire it up in the showroom because the sales guy was a bit insane. "I wouldn't do this for a kid but you've had some pretty cool cars and you know what you're talking about." Well, ok. Anyhoo, the impressions: -the interior plastics are a nice step up from my Zeta, but no, they're not going to give the Stjngray sleepless nights. -sight lines are a bit better than the old car. The view over the hood in particular is better. -it sounds like D-Day when it starts up. -the shifter action is pretty direct, again: better than the old car. -the vent controls are as clever in real life as they are in pics. -the car looks much more sculpted in real life. But I wouldn't get one in white. ...and that's about it off the top of my head.

Dood. The Escalade smokes Range Rovers. Ain't no Benz touching it.

Another link to the photos here: http://www.automobilemag.com/features/news/lincoln-continental-spied-in-production-form-before-detroit-debut/

The new Genesis sedan looks more convincing as a luxury ride. And to think that there were some who thought the Continental was going to be this great styling breakthrough for Lincoln. So disappointing.

They say it starts at 38 grand, but you won't find one like that on any dealer lot. The reality is that Benz has nothing to match the Escalade. The G-class is too crude and their other stuff just can't measure up.

Mercedes-Benz would be hard-pressed to build anything in an SUV for 55 large, never mind an electric one.

Anyone who looked at the platform they were planning to use for the production car knew that was going to happen. Ford continues to disappoint.

True dat. A few years ago on a death march project, the lead developer was downing at least 4-5 Monster drinks every morning and working 90-100 hrs a week...one day about 7 weeks in, he started bleeding from his nose and mouth in a meeting then passed out...ended getting carried out of the conference room on a stretcher by an ambulance team... Monsters are my drink of choice. Red Bull gives you wings... and buggy eyes. The B Vitamins in Monster kinda smooth out the rush the other crap gives you.

Two to three days out of every twelve is how I use 'em. I know guys who slam several per day. THAT ain't good.

Saw a '16 CTS-V in the showroom two weeks ago. Crazy wheels.

Urban Dictionary. Yeesh

The thing with an electric motor is that you probably have only two connections: one for your power feed, and one for your motor control unit. There's no fluids to worry about so there's no hoses and clamps, and uncoupling the CV joints isn't too awful. So much easier than an engine.

Energy drinks on an empty stomach don't agree with me.