bobo

Here is the column-mounted tapshift for the current Duramax-equipped pickups with the 6-speed automatic:

The BMW Z8 had center-mounted gauges. The supercharged engine is not enough to save the ION. The car completely lacks refinement.

The Audi TT: from ugly to uglier. The exterior is almost French-looking.

I think he means keyless access like the XLR and Corvette have. I think that is overkill for any car.

A loaded IS350 is $45K. Without the NAV/Mark Levinson stereo, it's $41K, which is about 20% higher than I paid for my IS300 five years ago. Pricing is pretty good, but very close to the BMW 330i.

Saturn has the most compelling products coming, but they will come at a price, and will the public accept them for their price points? GM will need to have a major, convincing marketing effort coming, and these new vehicles may just cannibalize the other divisions. It's anything but a sure thing.

AWD only? All those Escalades running around L.A. don't need AWD or the mileage penalty of having it.

Halfway through the 2001 model year, when the end of Oldsmobile was announced, GM slapped a 5 year/60K mile warranty on those vehicles to assuage potential buyers. As for incentives, I would have preferred GM to make a more serious effort into their Total Value Promise. As it is, it's somewhat of a joke and is sure to disappoint. What they are offering is not enough to wean from big rebates.

Pontiac, though it has a huge amount of baggage and suffers from neglect. Saturn, though, has the most potential, and not coincidentally, is getting the most attention.

The MC concept makes me think of the Subaru SVX:

I agree that the last generation GP was the best-looking (except for the early bottom breathing SE). It was a clean design with no cladding, just subtle rocker panels. I even liked the pumpkin taillights. The only thing I didn't like was the various rear spoilers, none of which was attractive. I would have much preferred the current GP be a slightly edgier version of the last GP than the current version, which has styling that accentuates the front overhang.

I don't care for the Tundra (or Sequoia) interior at all. It's unsightly, and the material quality isn't particularly good. However, the one area where the Tundra excels is the ride quality and handling, which used to be a Chevy strength. The Tundra may not be the choice of contractors, but for weekend warriors, it is a compelling truck.

Based upon the spyspot, it will be lose quite a bit of the old fogeyness and fit more in line with the newer Lexuses.

The first factory sunroof that went over the car came from Honda with the 1985 Honda CRX Si. The concept was perfected with the 1990 Saturn, which had a glass panel that went over the roof. The main benefit of these up-and-over sunroofs is that headroom is not as compromised. But also some sporty cars, such as the Prelude, do not have a long enough roof for the panel to slide into. Sunroofs that slide into the roof have gotten thinner, so the penalty in headroom is not as great as before.

(Deleted double post--where is that delete button?)

If the Miata wasn't on the list, then I think that the Solstice would have had a fighting chance. The IS would have been a contender if it didn't lose its edge. The 3-Series was already the sports sedan out there, it the new one raises the bar. The trucks are largely unremarkable other than the hybrids and the Ridgeline. I think the Ridgeline will get it because it has new thinking in it, ugly styling notwithstanding.

Excellent pricing. I thought the IS350 would go for more than $35K.

My guess: BMW 3-Series, Ridgeline.

The Chevy bowtie in the Opel circle looks interesting, and there's even a blue bowtie in there.

A Mercedes G55 AMG. It had big chrome rims, probably 24".

Chrysler was also pushing it based on price, starting at under $12K.

The article mentioned that the M45 beat the GS in a shootout in the May issue. The current GS hasn't really gotten good press for being a drivers car. I've driven all these cars except the M45, and I'd take any of them over the STS. Not that the STS isn't a good car, but the others really shine whereas the STS seems just ok. However, Cadillac deserves credit for introducing a credible competitor, albeit one that needs a little bit more polish.

There were two versions of the Intrigue OSV. The first had a supercharged 3.5 liter Shortstar making 250 hp. The second had a 315 hp 4.6 liter Northstar.

The C6. I still have a love-hate thing going for it. One day I want to get it, the next day I don't. I took my Silverado in for service last week and I was going to talk to a salesman about the C6, but I didn't have a chance. The other vehicle that I'm infatuated with is the HHR.

4 5