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So much for my plan to go 113MPH in a new Volvo.

Buick built & tested a 525 CI V8 for production. Story goes, an engineer loaded it with 5 or 6 Division uppers and the car laid rubber many tens of feet. They decided the 455 was plenty (510 torque!) - - - - -

A Stelvio is more than an option...it works. If I one more time hear the GM Derangement of "but there will be rebates". Some people on this forum and in the world are so set in old ways, that's their immediate reply to anyone saying a GM is high priced or under featured. "But there will be rebates". No, not always. It's just overpriced and not great. Go see what's on the market. Here's a $50k Stelvio...NO WAY, in any way shape or form, vs. any $50k Blazer...should anyone ever buy a Blazer when things like this exist, and real world, is just a different level of vehicle, drive quality, features, etc. If it's too special for you...spend less...and go get a loaded Grand Cherokee, Edge, etc... https://www.alfaromeousaofdowningtown.com/new-Malvern-2019-Alfa+Romeo-Stelvio-Sport-ZASPAKAN6K7C31682 More important...if everyone stuck in GM world wants to keep saying "but there are rebates...". Sure. Go compare an actual transaction price and lease payment, real world. May be alarmed. I've yet to see any of these have any semblance of a "deal" GM over thinkers want to keep claiming. Those base & LT 2.5L ones are set for Enterprise, before long, as will the high end $50k ones.

Photos from the Cleveland Auto Show today. New cars and old cars.

Nothing like a 1971 Buick Estate Wagon, all 227 inches of her with a 455 V8 good for 355HP at 10 mpg. This station wagon as I learned is 3 inches longer than today's Chevrolet Suburban.

This is the case I bought for my XR. I love it. It's a little bulky but that's to protect it and there has to be give and take. Do I want a thin one for looks and very minimal protection or a thicker one with rubber corners that's much more protective? I definitely want to try and protect my $750 investment. Forged carbon fiber, I think it looks awesome.

Verizon had a thing on my Samsung Galaxy S3 where it would detect if I was near a Verizon store and offer to sign me in for service or send me ads for a new phone. Annoying.

Just admit that everything is cramped for you. The Model 3 is 3-series sized.

Agreed on all points. I like the consistency of Apple products... I have no interest in customizing a phone--- I'm not a teenager. I like technology that is solid and predictable. It is funny, thinking about customizing your software environment..whether a computer or phone. I remember at one time when I was young and crazy, I actually cared about such stuff--setting up my laptop, worrying about Linux distributions and packages, setups, endless minutae, etc. Now that I'm old, cynical and burned out.. I just don't care..thats why I stick w/ Apple products--they just work and you don't have to f*ck around.. I like technology that works well out of the box and doesn't require fiddling. I really can't imagine life without a smart phone...so convenient having a little computer with me at all times. I remember back in the day when I first got a cell phone 20+ years ago...it only did calls, no email or internet..seems so quaint and old-fashioned.

I realize they are at the mercy of what Ford and Chevy send... but for less than $1,000 more, they could have had an ST with CoPilot and still been less expensive than the Blazer.

^ Yes- there is a decent-size space in the seat bottom, and the one in the center armrest. - - - - - Some of Cadillac's past history in NYC- that sign is 7 STORIES TALL!

And the ads were Verizon ads IIRC. Hated that phone.

Apple phones last longer, usually, but they are not without issues. I had way more issues with apps I am using not working properly when I had iPhone than when I have my Android phones. Anyway, Apple vs Android debate is a lot like Ford vs Chevy. Guys who like one brand unlikely to get another brand

So much YES here. They do what you ask of them and they do them 99% of the time(I'll give it they aren't perfect but they seem much more reliable than any of my friends/family members Android or Google-based products. The only real issue I ever had was my battery went to crap twice. Once it was replaced the phone was like it was brand new again. Some apps would take a couple extra seconds to open but it was a 4 year old phone at that point and new/updated apps just take more hardware to keep up, I get that. This is why I couldn't justify getting a new phone for 4 years. Once it started to go a 3rd time(battery) I finally called it quits as I also just plain wanted something new again. If I'm being honest, it's more the latter. I'm not a huge picture-taker but I did want a better camera at this point as well as the 4 year old phone just didn't take the best pictures unless I was close and in good lighting.

I usually change out my phones every 4 to 6 years. I have been a lifelong user of Samsung Note# phones. They rock and last. Great picture quality and seem to me to be very stable and long battery life. Not an Apple fan at all, if you like decisions made for you and limited to what one can do, then Apple is fine for those that do not care about technology and want a single ecosystem to get around on. I agree with those that said once you go smartphone you will not go back and if you try you will quickly learn the pain and regret it. I moved my parents last year to smartphones. Spent time teaching them how to use it. One of the phones was defective so my mom thought she would just go back to a flip phone. Within the day quickly realized how much added work and what a pain the flip phone was in comparison to the Smartphone. My mom is back on a smartphone and loves it and has pushed into taking photos like crazy. Amazing how technology can change how people interact. Agree, storage can never be enough with all we do on our phones now.

My iPhone 6s had 64gb and I filled it up. My iPhone 7 has 128gb and so far I've only put 50.3GB on it. Most of that usage is probably the 7000+ photos synched from iCloud and my music and podcasts. Storage can never be enough.

Getting the latest will help it last longer before you need to replace it. Phones have a bit of planned obsolescence in them. You can get 3 years out of a phone, but 6 years is pushing it.... the clock doesn't start when you buy the phone, it starts when the phone was released. I agree with @ykX that once you get one, you won't want to go back. There are a bunch of business apps that could even help you in your business to speed things up.

From a 1948 Pontiac dealer planner book; how to set up your lot ~

I like the Mopar C-body fuselage styling era.....here are a couple more...the Dodge and the mega beast Imperial.

It was an ecotec. That ecotec is still being used by GM. Maybe not THAT particualr version. .But GM puts a derivative of it in everything nowadays that the Alero and Grand Am used. And it was and still is a very good engine. It has powered some very cool GM rides ever since it was introduced.Th SAAB 9-3. The Kappa twins. The Cobalt SS. The CT6 PHEV...the Fisker Karma as the gasoline powered generator...OK, the Karma is not a GM ride. Still a cool ride. Beautiful ride actually.

When buying a Chevy, the only trim worth buying is the one that trims is the WT trim The Wallet Trim.

Did someone say... FUSELAGES?

Nah RS is the only way to go, actually.

^ Automotive Royalty. - - - - - W. T. F. ~

Still looks like a Volvo... only in a movie where it had to be genericized. Needs a lower-price, entry-level model. Maybe call it the Polestar Stripper.

the quest for CAFE has had manufacturers whittling away at cabin volume and shape and size with aggression the last 10 years and for bigger people (of which there are plenty of in this country) it does make for tight cabins. The Volt for example was a pretty useless car, no wonder they have to kill it. Why not a Ford Edge or explorer sized electric car?

OK.... so getting a flickering budgetary green light over here at Rancho Balthy, so I headed up the road & was soon sitting in an all black '19 Silverado 1500 LT. And I got a shiny brochure I can lay on the floor on my belly, kick my feet around & read. The Good :: • that rear seat 'storage' bulkhead is only attached to the floor with a couple screws & will pop right out. Hopefully there's no sensors for the rear belts, as I would yank the rear seat ASAP. • The rear of the crew cab is huge- must be about 6" deeper than my '04. • Most configurations don't have the stupid, space-wasting console / console shifter, thank god. • Interior is NOT filled with as much soft-touchy-feely materials that have decidedly less durability as I was afraid of. I hate it when car people try & dictate what truck people should have/want. • Front seat room & comfort is pretty good, IMO. • I had no issues with exterior visison/site lines (tho the rearview is kinda small), but will be better able to tell on a test drive. • Dealer can install larger rims; I was wondering of the different diameter tires would be a computer issue. Guess they can reflash. The Questionable :: • Bed is deeper than mine & other generations, to the point I would look at the costs to LOWER the truck a few inches. • The 2nd upper glove box is basically useless because the vertical box's rear 'wall' is the door- I don't have any idea what you'd put in there that wouldn't tumble out. Your only going to use about 20% of it's volume. Should have open down like a drawbridge. • There's no lower dash cubbies or ashtray. I don't smoke, but I like cubbies. • I'd love to see Chevy / GMC incorporate a MUCH larger slider rear window. I have to tip my hat- the tundra models where the entire rear window goes down flush is a fantastic idea (maybe the tundra's ONLY good idea, ever). In this limited exposure, it looks pretty good. Will stop in the GMC dealer soon and see how fingerprinty I can get a few Sierras

2019 for the Cherokee, it looks like according to Wikipedia. With the facelift it got UConnect 4 with Apple Car Play and Android Auto. Looks like the Grand Cherokee got that for 2018.

See- I mostly look at them as a source of big cube motors. I owned a running '72 Riviera boattail; white, black vinyl half roof, 455, black interior - had been smacked in the rear quarter. It was totally fixable if one got a new quarter... but I was only thinking of putting it's 455/th400 into my '59. I line a '59 coupe next to a '72 Riviera, and I almost can't focus on the '72.

Yeah, in the real world torque is way more useful than horsepower... I remember a few times driving my sister's Trax in AZ w/ the metered stop lights on ramps and the challenge of getting up to speed to get on the freeway... my old Jeep was passable....but the DTS excelled in the ramp-to-freeway dash...

$38750 + 3,875 = $42,625 (plus $1200 destination fees??) And that's IF the "base price" version comes out first, instead of only trims costing $10K-15K more. I'd fully expect only circa $55K versions for the first 2-3 years, if past history is legitimate.

Nice... a place in NY I'd like to visit again is Letchworth State Park and the Gennessee River in Wyoming County, NY (pic below).. I visited there 20 years ago when I was at a wedding in the Buffalo area. I was up in Western NY last year to Dunkirk, saw the lighthouse and some beaches...a short drive from Cleveland. Want to go to Chautauqua Lake and Niagara Falls this summer.

Status being the biggest reason IMHO.

I would have never believed that little 4 cylinders Aleros would go the distance, seeing so many on the road to this day. Great going, Olds!

@Drew Dowdell @trinacriabob Last new model from Oldsmobile? Bravada came out in 2002. Produced until 2004. The Aurora came out in 2001 until 2003. The Alero in 1999 up until 2004 and the Intrigue in 1997 as a 1998 model until 2002. (The Silhouette in 1997) So Oldsmobile's last new model was in fact the Bravada. And none got a refresh of any kind. Intrigue got a Shortstar V6 after the 1st year run with a Buick 3800. The Aurora dumped the Shortstar V6 in its final year run. I do not know if the Bravada got something axed but I do know that the last 2 years of the Alero's production run, the Alero lost its 4 wheel disc brakes that it had for drums in the back. But...last off the line, the last Oldsmobile ever built was an Alero. April 29, 2004. And if talking about nameplates...well, the Alero is in fact the last new name plate ever introduced by Oldsmobile. The Bravada came out in 1990 as a 1991, the Aurora in 1995, the Intrigue in 1997.The Silhouette in 1989. The Alero in 1999. And all the workers that built it, signed it. 7 I believe its in a museum honoring other Oldsmobiles currently.

It's because it has those wheel flares.

Not always; this would look terrible with skirts~

Right now there is no rock-solid need to buy a Tesla, as opposed to a car with an ICE. Tesla has some issues but the rest of the industry will soldier on without them.

Sooooooo....., falling well under the radar is Tesla's performance. In December they sold 32,600 vehicles. In January, that PLUNGED by 75%, to 8,325. February saw yet more blood, dropping to 7,650. Feb; slightly shorter month, some rough weather in the northern half of the nation, but not this bad. Of course the take-away --and we saw this with the Georgia state credit discontinuance and the 90% (IIRC) EV drop there-- is that the vast majority of buyers AREN'T in EVs to do The Greater Good, they are in it for a 'deal'. At least, such could be argued. Tesla is throwing some levers (layoffs, store closings, price drops) to try and stem the bleeding, but if volume is their key to profitability, they've just been set back almost a year. Last time the Model 3 sold less than the 5750 it did in Feb was April 2018.

Shawangunk Mountains, Ulster County NY ~

Yeah, I hate fender skirts on vehicles that didn't come with them..but the guy was in his 80s so who knows...at least he didn't go full JC Whitney on it.

Agreed on the GP. Bonne certainly was creamy- but 2 strikes for me; I hate 'baby blue' and the chromed, non-factory fender skirts simply ruin it. 60 secs and 2 discus throws later and the car would rise 2 full letter grades. - - - - - RE Subaru in general- they certainly have cultivated a long history of being torturously ugly.

Blazer seems fast though. I would not order the 21" whills, I'd stick with the standard 20". I think it's a better looking whill. The optional 20" black whill on lower Blazer trims is way too generic/aftermarket looking. In lower trims, the Ford is definitely the nicer vehicle. I love the optional machined/black whill on the Edge.

Had a good time at the Cleveland Auto Show. Pictures here. The Blazer and XT4 look better in person than in photos. And both as spec'd were close to $50k. (Blazer Premier FWD was $48k). First time I'd seen the new Silverados (regular or HD) in person...they look huge and strange in person, esp. the weirdness of the front fender corners and that vertical vent below the lights. The white Corvette ZR1 was striking. At the Buick stand, they had not one but two Cascadas..maybe the same two as last year. They had a red Regal GS, looked good though the seats looked weird with the grilles in the upper part w/ chrome surrounds. I guess I overlooked the GMC stand. Saw them last year. Liked sitting in the CT6 and CTS. I like the revised lighting and fascias on the CT6. Sat in the back seat of the CT6, funny...there is a recessed area ahead of the rear window my head fits in, but if I lean forward my head hits the raised surround for the rear sunroof. Lots of legroom in front and rear. As always, I enjoyed time at the FCA stand...they had a Gladiator on display. Several new Wranglers, a couple GCs, a Compass Trailhawk (neat!), green Challenger GT, a couple Chargers, a 300. The new Ram 3500 Mega Cab Limited was mega-huge. And brown The new Aviator looks really good in person. As does the new Explorer ST. Both were locked. The Shelby GT500 was on display, locked w/ dark window tint. Sat in a Bullitt (last year it was on a dais and locked). The Edge ST looks good, in that same sharp blue as the Explorer ST. They had an orange Ranger 4dr 4x4 on a dais, none you could sit in though. I hadn't paid much attention to them before, but the Accord and Insight look really good in person inside and out. I really liked the Volvos, esp. the S90 and V90 CC. Sat in both, along w/ the S60 and XC60...S60 felt tight inside, seat wasn't all the way back. I like their interior colors and materials. The classic car display (in a separate section of the massive hall) was nice, some 60s-70s big Buicks and Pontiacs stood out. After leaving, I realized I had completely missed the Mazda stand, would have liked to have sat in a couple models.

Well to be fair, just like any new design, the highest-price trims are put on the lots first to try to bait the early adopters. Sinister plot.

I agree that it's coming! Too much ancillary evidence, as you mentioned. Plus I've never seen as much testing for ANY of the other ME Corvette programs. I just hope the FE version remains alongside of it- the current car blows me away in person.

One-off prototype Studebaker : 1947 / 1970x / now ~