sciguy_0504

What's that disease? GMCCSD?

Exactly, fly. You kill 4 people and then "change your life around" by dismissing gang violence and lecturing kids about it so you shouldn't be punished for what you've done. Truth is, he refuses to even snitch in his fellow gang members which would do a lot more than lecturing kids on gang violence. Race is also playing a huge factor in this. If it wasn't an African American sitting in there we wouldn't be hearing anything about this.

For me, it's that it is not as significant as other entries. Sure, I hate the sedan styling, interior styling and hybrid rims (or lack of) but a new Civic is like a new F150, Corvette or Camry...you know it's probably going to be top-notch and best in-class so there's nothing significant about it.

I'm growing tired of these Euro/German designs, no offense. They look so cold. It seems like they're basically the same from gen-to-gen with little things changed. I'm also growing tired of Benz.

I got the same strangest feeling, Joe. I think if we combine the insider thread with the Weekly Insider Review thing (turbie's idea) it would be very cool. Instead of going through 10 pages of people arguing and guessing, just one thread with insider info (perhaps one that no can reply to?) is a good idea.

Tahoe/Suburban pair look great.

I guess Chevy designers get their inspiration from Wal-Mart then.

I have a feeling this thread is going to explode.

Very nice gauges and center stack.

Gotta love the kool-aid drinkers. Petra, in one paragraph you blast the availability of a Toyota subcompact and then in another you wonder why anyone (like GM?) would bring a brand-new truck to market due to high gas prices. What do you want? The next-gen Highlander will move up in size to compete with the Lambda's. On the outset the Rav4 might take sales away from it but once everything is said and done there will be two seperate crossovers. At least the "stolen" sales stay within the company. I really don't know why this is so hard to understand. I could see the next-gen Camry easily attaining 500,000 sales with the hybrid model. The Camry hybrid is not going to be the V6 power with I4 fuel consumption method that Honda used on the Accord hybrid, at least in the beginning. The Camry hybrid will have 192 net horsepower so it's more in line with the economical method Toyota used for the Prius. With rollercoaster gas prices this will help sales. Some people would love to have the Prius but don't like it's styling or wagon-esque setup. We'll see if your predictions about the FJ come true but it's not your normal Toyota and will attract a lot of attention, especially if rappers and sports stars get ahold of it (if they can like the Commander, they can like this). People will come to the Toyota showroom looking for the FJ and leave with something totally different. The 300 effect. Rumors are everywhere about the next-gen Tundra, from HD models to size to configuration. Toyota is not going to build a new plant just to put out another T100 or current Tundra mistake. You may not like them but they're not that stupid. Like you guys have said, we'll see.

Harrassing insiders won't get you many fans on C&G.

That's hilarious.

I love this little experiment. Perhaps each of us in our own corner of the country could do the same thing? I'll be on it tomorrow.

Already have these but thanks.

I'm going to have to go with the G6 GTP, if you can afford it. If you can't, take the Malibu MAXX.

It just looks alright to me (not a fan of the front) but I like how it looks so much more aggressive than the Mustang. In a way it looks like Ford designed the new Mustang to appear as if it's sad, knowing that a dominatrix-like Camaro was being planned.

Didn't even notice the dull Escalade doors. Get some wood on there like the Lucerne has and get rid of that random silver spot in front of the passenger! I'm going with the Caddy, too. Wow...a GM interior that pretty much beats a Benz.

And now for the Pontiac fans...

I think we need to wait until we hear the full story on all of these rumors and speculation. If the Malibu is being delayed in order to redo it (make it more competitive) than I'm all for it, it's a lot better than releasing another half-assed model. If cars are being delayed so GM can cut down costs in the platform sharing area, I'm for that, too. The "tip of the iceberg" comment is not good, though. We need more information.

Exactly. A nice spread so people can choose the power and MPG they want.

The CLS won the MT comparison in the January issue. MT said the STS' interior upgrade looked like it was stuck on, something along those lines. The CLS blew the STS-V away performance-wise.

MT test drove the new Yaris sedan and while the review isn't that positive it looks a hell of a lot better than the Echo and, arguably, any other small car out there. Still looks weird, though. I still wouldn't purchase a new car that cheap. A nice, used midsize car fits the bill perfectly.

No, it doesn't. Tissue, anyone?

No car small car looks normal.

No one is saying the center stack makes it or breaks it for them. I'm saying it looks rediculous because the rest of the car is great, then I get to that area and think, "what happened?" Honestly, look at the gauges, look at the flow of the dashboard and then look at the center stack. Beautiful, beautiful, tacked-on. I understand the need to keep costs down and to use the same switchgear, but does there need to be a swath of black plastic surrounding the corporate controls? Of course, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. As I pointed out in my original post, I was judging based on the pictures. I sat in the Avalon at last year's Philly Auto Show and didn't have any problems. I'll sit in the Lucerne at this year's show so I can compare the two. No one mentioned anything about how a car's center stack design makes the car high quality. To the average buyer, however, interior design can make all the difference. They don't know about the Buick plant quality awards or JD Power rankings, all they know is what they like and how they feel. When I look at the Avalon compared to the Lucerne, I see a difference of perceived quality, not actual quality, but perceived quality. Some people on the boards were wondering why MT didn't give the Lucerne COTY. Besides the obvious bias on MT's part (I've read the article), do you really think they'd give that award to a car whose platform was created a decade ago? Sure there may not be anything inherently wrong with the G-body but it's that notion that it isn't good enough. The Lucerne is a very fair opponent to the Avalon, probably the only large FWD car that is. The 500 and Montego can't compete because of their powertrains and possibly their interiors. The Maxima can't compete because of its interior. The Lucerne isn't a joke for the price. The only thing that could be considered a joke is the base engine for the Lucerne. Yes, yes, it has the Northstar but what if people don't want a V8? I guess we'll agree to disagree.