thatjerryguy

Before a Jeep Grand Wagoneer Trackhawk can haul ass FCA needs to get off theirs and actually build the Grand Wagoneer.

I don't agree with our current ethanol program either, but there are other ways to make ethanol without impacting food prices.

GM doesn't need to reinvent the wheel to improve their CAFE numbers. How about GM makes all their conventional internal combustion engines FlexFuel so they can use E85, as well as equipping them all with direct injection, HCCI technology and Active Fuel Management. If Honda can make an OHC engine that can run on half its cylinders GM should be able to as well. Hybrids, electrics and other alternate fuel vehicles would only add to GM's CAFE numbers. Wider use of their 6-spd tranny, as well as putting some of their porkier cars (pretty much all of them) on diets so they come in a few hundred lbs lighter can't hurt, either.

TOPIC: Okay, so what should GM do with Hummer? That's easy. Turn Hummer into GM's Jeep® competitor, primarily a Wrangler competitor. Kill the H2 and H3 and concentrate on the upcoming H4. Build a short-wheelbase version with 2 removable doors to compete with the 2-dr Wrangler, a long-wheelbase 4-dr version to compete with the 4-dr Wrangler, and a pickup version built on the 4-dr's long wheelbase but with the 2-dr's cab plus 2 rear suicide doors. 3 light-weight, honest-to-God 4x4 off-roaders with a choice of a DOHC V6, V8 (both with Active Fuel Management) or diesel engine, with either a 6 spd manual or 6 spd automatic and a full-line of accessories. Am I jumping the gun?

Why not offer the 5 spoke, 18" wheels offered on the Pontiac G6 Coupe on the AURA? http://www.pontiac.com/g6coupe/specs_wheels.jsp The tires on both cars are the same size, so the wheels are interchangable. Just replace the Pontiac logo with the Saturn logo. And why doesn't the AURA offer dual-zone climate control? It seems the fixes necessary to vastly improve what is already a good car aren't all that complicated. All it takes is Mr. Lutz's OK. So far here's my list: 1) 5 spoke wheels 2) piano black/dark gray interior trim 3) bigger and deeper cupholders 4) more substantial body side molding 5) let's add wheel opening molding, too 6) dual-zone climate control

Aside from my earlier suggestions –– another alloy wheel design (preferably a 5 or 6 spoke design) for the XR, piano black and/or dark grey wood trim, and new cupholders –– I'd like to add one more. I'd like to see wider and more substantial bodyside molding (after all, it isn't polymer anymore). I think the current design is too thin. Make it body color for the XE, and body color with a chrome accent strip for the XR.

I saw the AURA at the NY Auto Show today (it was love at first sight), and I agree with the rims change – the 5 spokes from the SKY would look awesome on the AURA. While I don't hate the current XR rims, I think a choice would be most welcome. As far as the interior trim, I'm not crazy about the brown wood, though it is on par with what I saw in the in the competition from Asia, and much better than the painful-looking nacho-chip colored plastiwood in the Camry, which is ghastly. All I would do is offer the paino black trim in place of the wood trim. That's easy enough. Equally easy would be a gray/black wood trim, like what was offered a few years back on special edition, DVD-equipped L300s. That dark gray wood trim was called Black Cherry. I liked it so much I ordered it for my '02 L300 to replace it's standard brown wood trim. With the black leather it looks great. Another fix I'd like to see are new cupholders, and that's easy enough to do – just redesign the plastic insert. The cupholders are too small. I could barely fit a water bottle in them. Mr. Lutz, take a look at the cupholders in the Honda Accord. They're the cars best feature, and I'd like to see that design in the AURA. Other than that, the AURA is a solid hit, and definite competition for the big guns in this field.