regfootball

heated washer nozzles/fluid is a genuine safety enhancement and is very beneficial to folks who travel in wet snow and freezing rain in mild freezing temps. I would LOVE to have it on my car. that said, its not new tech and its not something to build an ad campaign around. neither is a v8 that can only crack 60 in 7.5 (MT) because its mated to a 4 speed auto and correctme if i'm wrong but isn't it lackking vvt for low end torque also? i love the looks of the lucerne but the jury is out on whether ads focusing on this type of stuff will change minds. If Buick wanted to really play up the cold weather climate angle, then do this..... "Winter safety and convenience package" -heated mirrors -heated wiper fluid -heated seats and steering wheel -heavy duty climate control -engine block heater -quick defrost grid at base of windshield -full range stability control (should be standard on the lucerne anyways) -abs and traction control -winter driving mode in tranny if applicable -temperature display -on star -custom molded deep recess floor mats -provide a recess for a custom snow brush and scraper like VW does for umbrellas on passats that would be a lot more useful also, then they could provide a 'summer comfort package' -side rear and rear window shades -kick ass A/C -cooled and vented seats -autoventing moonroof shade -a nice 5 pound bag of ice in your crotch

sorry i didn't update the MT quotes here last night. i crashed at about 9 pm and didn't go online. i hope i can find time to throw a couple more of their quotes on here tonight.

waiting for a new solstice to arrive would be like dating elle macpherson in her prime and being apart from her for two weeks and waiting for her to arrive back at home for some catch up time. or drinking like 6 cans of red bull.

I like your optimism and thoughtful recognition of the truth, northstar. Pontiac has upgraded their machinery in useful ways, it hasn't been eintirely noticed yet. there is more work to do yet, though.

as Dr. Evil would say, "MMMM, NO .....Scott"

i am still upset i was unable to get my 500 equipped as i wanted with the side airbags. a little too rare, IMHO. it should be STANDARD. still it gets 5 star side impact without em.

anyone have a towel? I just blew chunks on my desk.

Millenia? Mazda 626? that dash has some resemblance to the dash layout in my old diamantes, too. derivitive. c'mon though, we never expected anything original from Toyota. The only reason they designed and built a 268 hp v6 was because Nissan's fabulous v6 established a benchmark and Toyota all of a sudden decided they needed to meet it. they would have never thought up building one like that on their own.

the press will point that out to us numerous times, i am sure. when GM puts a 6 speed with that Impala, it will help regain some advantage.

wow, and this new camry doesn't have rental styling all over the outside of it, either, does it.

you think the suspension, breakes, steering, engine bay etc. is all carryover? I bet it is. At least until i read otherwise. Would this new camry share its wheelbase with the current ES Lexus? If so, there's your answer.

its about as attractive as duck. and ducks are not attractive.

but remember, to get the v6 camry equipped with the luscious looking leather interior will likely be 35 grand........only a grand or two off a base STS that is discounted. just a thought. you know these things loaded to gills will have 35k plus stickers. if you lived in a southern state, you could buy a rear drive lincoln LS v8 as an option to this thing. yes this camry will be great for its 'class' but i bet there is a huge price jump that will go with it.

you forgot to add 'one or two extremely arbitrary and confusing character lines randomly on the blocky bloated side slab of the vehicle'

exactly.

no, because their criteria from review to review is suspect and limited.

again, when did digital speedometers all of a sudden become univerally ok'ed by the automotive press?

popular mechanics has better auto coverage these days from an objectivity standpoint. i cannot believe how quickly MT went from being a redneck/domestic banger book to being a full on import propaganda machine. like what 18 months?

the new S class could be the ugliest car on the road soon. conversely, the new CL whatever sedan (that rakish one) is stunning. this new C class is not much to look at. BLAH.

i like the liberty diesel and the v6/6 sp manual combo version too. since you use it for off roading it is the perfect setup for you. however, anyone in the cute ute market that never goes off road, i just don't get why you would suffer through the cramped interior and bad gas mileage when there are many cute utes that have better on road manners and space and gas mileage. like i said, its a true jeep and its a great pick for your needs (congrats)...but why folks like soccer moms would ever get one is beyond me. of course, i am full of it. i mean, if i could have a land rover LR3 for toting around town, I would dig that. so i understand the liking the off road image and aura of a jeep. jeep knows their stuff. at least until the poseur jeeps come out (compass, patriot).

the exterior is proof again that vanilla is America's favorite flavor. i gotta admit, 268hp and six speed. the dash and console look boring but very nice and the center stack is quite nice. the avalon is a duck compared to this thing. the reskinned exterior is fat and bloated and i am sure the media will find some way to praise toyota for its new grille design which seems a bit too derivitive of some of those new Chinese cars i've been seeing pictures posted of.

wow..my exact thoughts also.

in a roundabout way they liked it i think. i'll try to fin the exact verbage tomorrow (the MT is in the BR and the wife is sleeping lights out)

i'll look tomorrow, i think they said it was ok. not junk at all. not tops available.

that whole 'get a mustang' bit was uncalled for in my opinion. the GP GXP had a favorable review from C/D. they made the point of acknowledging that the GP was a good car in spite of the fact it was not RWD. they said 'yes, RWD is generally what we prefer, but this is a very good FWD performance car for those that like them'. this review of the G6 was basically, 'well, here's a review, but you're a loser if you're interested in this car...you should be looking at this instead.' you would think in the article they would say, 'Pontiac will sell you a GTO for just a little bit more if you want RWD'.