oldshurst442

i think the rear seat hurts the sales with traditional Cadillac base. You still have a lot of those people you need to sell to. Those who grew up believing luxury meant a basic minimum amount of comfort / space. I hear people take pot shots at how small the ATS is when i go to the auto shows. We all tried to hide how much the rear seat problem hurt the outgoing Malibu and now look at the awesome press its getting for correcting a primary flaw.. interior SAE measurements always mislead. The ATS is plagued by many of the same typical GM rear seat packaging problems where the front seat is too low, the hardware is intrusive, and the floorpan (probably due to where the bracing is) has pitifully small actual footwell areas. Couple that with narrower greenhouses, fighter plane diving rooflines, ridiculously small and narrow door openings, and tank humps that stick out forward of the actual seat itself, even for the smaller, wedging yourself into an ATS backseat requires gymnastics training and inspires claustrophobia that an MRI tube could match. The ATS is the classe of car that one buys and has to show off to coworkers.....where you bring coworkers to lunch here and again. You're going to have the occasional 6 footer back there. I can't believe the high level execs at GM let that pass and go to production.....grounds for firing IMO when they should have demanded all of that be reengineered for more space. GM can't punt on these packaging issues very much more. If anything it shows piss poor engineering, can't meet structural demands and preserve ample space at the same time. They make a sturdy frame for the car to ring the 'Ring......but then its so overbuilt and bulky that there's no back seat space to indulge co workers in a chauffeur drive. I AGREE TO THIS REG 100% These quotes here is what MANY GM die hards will ignore and/or cover up and make excuses for: For the last quote, Casa has a solution....he gives no phoques for what others think of the back seat area and they could all walk home for all he cares.... To me...that is just trying to save face as he knows Cadillac flubbed the ATS in that area. The ATS is still a 4 door sedan, meant to carry....passengers. I was ALWAYS hard on the Bimmer 3 Series and the Audi A4 for them being claustrophobic compacts selling at such high prices because sheep bought them....I aint about to go soft just because Cadillac copy and pasted that formula for the ATS... For the Malibu it was worse, because the Malibu is a FAMILY hauler with not much family space hauling aspects....

They do hold up well from those owners that actually take care of them. My partner's wife's 2006 GMC Acadia was bought the first year it came out, its still going on strong and she loves it to death. He...has bought recently a Tesla Model S, she....refuses to part with her GMC Acadia.

That sounds like my kind of highway. I got it now.... The fact that the car is capable of achieving 90 mph regularly is of concern to the German Government..yet I also understood what you previously said about the necessity for the shutdowns for the engine to be protected.... SMK...that is a tad different than what VW has done... So...as it stands, its only VW and Audi with a smidgen of Porsche (VAG--short for vaginas) that has cheated... As for the "my kind of highway" statement... It would have been my kind of highway too... Unfortunately where I come from, drivers are too self centered for those kinds of speeds with no end in sight as our Quebec society does not teach proper driving ethics and proper driving skills and our government lets infrastructure deteriorate before repairs are done....and the politicians dont have the hindsight to engineer the logistics and the technology to sustain the safety and the upkeep for the entire system to succeed which includes on ramps, off ramps to joining other highway systems WITH a speed limit, rain drainage, snow removal, banked corners for higher speed sustainment, fast accident removal and ambulance accessibility and traffic flow redirection and direct/live communication etc... If any one of those things are not executed with perfection, major daily fatalities will happen. The Germans may be known for over engineering things, but they are also known for being meticulous in their engineering for the little details...and the autobahn highway system works so well in Germany because of all the little but extremely necessary little details involved. Im sorry for the rant. I felt I needed to clarify the LADDY FREAKIN DA youtube link I did....even though it was a joke I wanted to make sure that you guys know that I have the utmost respect for the German engineers (civil and traffic engineers and others) and the autobahn.

Im not always Rock Rock 'til I drop. Michael has got me to continue until I get enough.... I wanna be startin' something Because the way he makes me feel right about now...he's knocking me off my feet. With grooviness.

wooooooooooo....the autobahn... Just kidding. A little levity never hurt anyone. But...would an Opel Zafira's owner be doing 90 mph on the autobahn... Before you answer that question...because the way you responded with this quote: Short. Direct. To the point. With a confidence in the tone of your typing, because I could sense your experience with Germany through the internet airwaves... I get the feeling that yes....yes...an Opel Zafira owner as a matter of fact WILL drive his mini-mini-van 90 mph on the autobahn... To which I have this to say...these Germans must be crazy

Yeah Drew, I thought about the same thing as you. Not in so much detail, but 90 mph stuck to my thought process. I kinda figured....who drives at 90 mph legally anyway and anyhow? And at 90 mph, I assume that fuel consumption and air pollution is probably very high for any engine as compared to driving...55 mph.(The original fuel saving CAFE speed limit in the USA.) I also realized that a Zafira is a mini-mini-van....so I dont think it be doing 90 mph on the autobahn either during normal usage.... But...it is what it is and like I said, if Opel's president statement is true, then he has nothing to worry about. I imagine its become a formality for the German Government to question sentences that contain diesel and computer software "shutting off" stuff. Anyway...let Sammy Hagar soothe us from that horrid time period when CAFE thought they were doing good. And....FERRARI Flat 12!!!

Well, I almost agree to that. If its free loafing dimwits that Im transporting, then I agree 100%. But if its my kids..sure kids tend to be free loafers too, but...hey...they are MY kids.... With that being said...I dont hang around moochers any more.....I put those freaks aside a decade ago plus when I decided to get married.... And now, its only my wife and kids in my life that Im with every single second that I can....which means, the cars that I tend to buy, need to be 100% comfortable for everybody anywhere in the car... And hence why the 2012 Buick Regal GS lost out to the 2012 Acura TL SH-AWD... And hence why the 2013 Buick Verano lost to the 2013 Ford Fusion. Two sales that would have other wise gone to Buick. I LOVED the Regal as much as the TL...the Acura did have a naturally aspirated 300 horse V6 going for it too though....I LOVE me some V6 engines sometimes... My wife LOVED the Verano as much as the Fusion....but when discussing which car best suits her needs, she already had a Mazda 3...which was slightly less tight mind you than the Verano, we went for the Fusion instead...

One could justify the German Government's skepticism toward's this.... VW killed it just about for everybody when diesel and software are mentioned together.... Its up to Opel/GM to provide answers...if what Opel president Karl-Thomas Neumann said is true: "We at Opel don't have any illegal software"....then Opel/GM, himself and maybe others like computer programmers and engineers have nothing to worry about...

I second that...Im glad you had a fine road trip. What is this "hard stop in July on the tires as they won't pass inspection" you mention?

Dear Mr. FordCosworth, Is this post a simple case of whatever monkey see, monkey do? I mean, it bothers you soooooo much that a poster loves pushrods that you have to reciprocate a post like a child? Grow the phoque up!!!! OHC and OHV engines exist...and both do a fine job when engineers make them do those special things that they do when engineers get their calculations right..and MY statement applies to BOTH OHC and OHV engines.... and they CAN co-exist without you trolling.... I mean....can YOU exist at CheersandGears without the dumb childish responses? You actually have a lot to offer....like Wings....but you wreck it with your trolling...just like Wings... Do we really need to read your childish antics everytime there is a post that goes against your logic? Because...while the ignore feature is available to all of us to use....you too, could use the ignore feature and ignore all that oppose YOUR logic... Because, the way I figure it...why should I be the one to use the ignore feature...it seems that YOU are the one that gets irked when someone goes against YOUR logic....so logically speaking....so we could avoid childish posts....USE THE IGNORE FEATURE SO YOU DONT HAVE TO READ THE POSTERS THAT ARE OPPOSITE OF YOU...and that way, all of your posts will be insightful...hopefully...

I always liked the Allanté. Preferably with the Northstar of course.

I much prefer the Buick version as a coupe and the Pontiac Bonneville SSE as a sedan. and the Oldsmobile version aint too shabby either. For that time period that is.... And yes I realize that what I posted are all versions of 1987 and 1988 vintage and not of 1986... And...I also realize that the C, H and even the K platform of that time were not the same platforms, but they were indeed related... So...with all that badge engineering and cutting corners from that time frame with GM and that particular car in question....Id rather the 3.8 V6 rather than that 4.1 liter V8 in Buick coupe and Olds and Pontiac sedan form. I dont want that Cadillac at all....so JEERS for me!

Hey Rougeriver...thanx for the HNIC nod... This year....so much for Hockey Night in Canada, eh? With that being said, I want the Saint-Louis Blues to win the Stanley Cup this year! And I much a appreciated your story about your dad and Habs Great #9. I got my own story about Maurice to share. Sometime in the early 1990s, before the old Montreal Forum was dismantled, I was walking in front of it with my then girlfriend...she was a fresh conquest. When we reached the front doors, and who was walking out? Yup...Mr. Maurice Richard... My girlfriend and I stopped to let the old gentleman walk by as I stood, speechless and in awe, when finally words came out of my mouth. I shouted to her: "DO YOU KNOW WHO THAT IS?" "No." she replied coldly. "NO???!!!" I barked back. "He is MAURICE RICHARD!!! Just THE best hockey player to EVER PLAY THE GAME!!!" He heard me say that to her. He looked at me, smiled at me ever so slightly, tipped his fedora hat at me and continued on his merry way. A couple of years later, the Habs move their house to a brand new location and building, and he passes away. Im still saddened by that last part. PS: I loved your pocket rocket reference!!! PSS: Detroit has a great #9 of their own. I dont have any stories about Mr. Hockey to share, but I do know he is extremely sick. For awhile now. He is still getting those Gordie Howe hat tricks.... 1 goal. 1 assist. 1 fight. Continue fighting Mr. Howe!!!

Im beginning to warm over with the styling of the R32. Its a little raw and rough around the edges styling wise as where The R33 and R34 have dialed it in. Like I said, the R32 is slowly captivating me. I saw a couple of them over the week-end and they...look good. Id say as good as a GM G-Body from the 1980s. A tad less refined and stylish, but very comparable. The R33 and R34 are just superbly done... Performance wise as well as styling design!!! The GT-R...I NOW find it ugly. When it came out...what? A decade ago? I liked the styling....liked...not loved....the design did not blow me away, but it was...likeable. Over the years though, I fell outta love with... 1. I realized that its a HUGE car...muscle car proportions. Usually I dont have a problem with that, however, the GT-R IS kinda the continuation of the SKYLINE bloodline...INFINITI G35 aside, Skylines are smallish Japanese flavoured muscle cars... The GT-R is a....well...its a start of something new...I could respect that too....HOWEVER... 2. The car is too digital for my tastes...too Playstation 4 Grand Turismo 6 for me to respect it. Its fantastic for what it is. Not my style is what Im saying. If I want a big car, a muscle car, Id just get the biggest baddest muscle car there is...a Dodge Challenger Hellcat. Its the real deal. I dont care if the Hellcat aint as fast or doesnt turn the corners as well. It does the one thing I want it to do FLAWLESSLY...and that is it being one bad ass ride. A REAL muscle car ride. Complete with a big honking loping V8. You cant say that with the GT-R... 3. The GT-R is soooooo digital...its impressive actually, however, hell will NEVER be unleashed unless the GT-R's GPS acknowledges its on a racetrack.. With the Hellcat, Satan is riding shotgun with you at all times. I do have to say though, if Nissan does decide to electrify the powertrain on the next gen GT-R, then it would definitely befit the persona of the car, its all electronic performance anyway...its a personality trait that I could start respecting the GT-R again.

Honestly, If one REALLY wants to be honest about it..... One has to weigh all the positives and all the negatives of BOTH and one has to consider what is his engineering requirements before one makes a conclusion...and not a conclusion of what argument of which is better than the other...but a conclusion of what works BEST for YOUR ENGINEERING REQUIREMENTS.... When one does not look at it that way, one is ignorant no matter what type of fanboy one is... I dont want to insult you or nuthin', but that what you just spew ......was one ignorant statement. PERIOD. I know one thing buddy... That pushrods work damn well for Chevrolet...in the context that Chevy uses them!!! Hell...it even works DAMN well for Dodge and the Hellcat for what Dodge wants it to be... And if you want to deny any of that... Ill just redirect you to YOUR comment.

Honestly, If one REALLY wants to be honest about it..... One has to weigh all the positives and all the negatives of BOTH and one has to consider what is his engineering requirements before one makes a conclusion...and not a conclusion of what argument of which is better than the other...but a conclusion of what works BEST for YOUR ENGINEERING REQUIREMENTS.... When one does not look at it that way, one is ignorant no matter what type of fanboy one is... I dont want to insult you or nuthin', but that what you just spew ......was one ignorant statement. PERIOD.

Brick on wheels is right!!! It looks like it could be a next generation Dodge Caliber...

Sometimes, I get the (creative juices...flowing) (me being smug)

Its a shame Cadillac did not use this car's sex appeal to its fullest potential. Drew... You mentioned to SMK that they'd have a much bigger redesign challenge than what SMK suggests... The ELR is based off of the 1st generation Volt platform which in itself is based on the 1st generation Cruze platform. Am I correct with this assumption? If Im correct, what SMK is suggesting....couldnt Cadillac/GM and Chevy move parts around to make it happen? Unless of course all that swapping being made on an "outdated" platform is not worth the hassle...

Call it ugly. Call it fugly. Call it boring and dull. Call it any, anytime...because it's real. At least Hyundai Corp. when they tease us with something sexy and provocative... They has the to produce. Unlike Buick and Cadillac with their sexy and provocative stuff. They tease us... and then they kick us... to tell us there is no Riviera, No Ciel, No El Miraj, No Avenir and no Avista. Bunch of

That stop light in the back there wouldnt be legal in Québec... It have to be in French. I dont know really...Im just having fun.. But you never know in Québec with their crazy language laws!

Maybe those 2 key people were fired... Maybe those 2 key people were responsible for the Model X snafus.... And....are any of us, or any other critic or analyst, economic or otherwise, amateur or professional, working for Tesla and know for 100% certainty at what prices the Model3 should sell for Tesla to make a profit? Other than those questions I posed, points very well taken... The rest....is just assumptions, worries, gossip, wishful thinking on both sides of the coin, and unnecessary drama... Time will tell what is gonna become of Tesla, the Model 3, the production numbers, the delivery dates and the profits.... Guesstimating intelligently is still assuming... As for Henry with a "Y" instead of Henri with an "i"... I think en français des fois...(sometimes) Henri Richard...younger brother of Maurice Richard... 11 Stanley Cup champion Henri is.... Henri-Bourassa Metro Station in Montréal You could see how I would flub Mr. Ford's name... Vive le Québec Libre I say...

But....but...what does that car have to do with Tesla, the Model S, X or 3? ....or even the Roadster? Or are you eluding that Elon Musk will run-a-away with the $400 000 000 Model 3 deposits and hide on Mars? Because he has a rocket ship.... Because you are forgetting one thing Reg... $400 000 000 is a drop in the bucket for what Tesla the company has already invested in to make sure the Model 3 is a sales success and a hit and delivered to its customers... Starting with..already delivered...several thousand cars already with many boutiques and service centers all OVER THE WORLD!!! Supercharging stations...all over the world, financed mostly by themselves As opposed to 1 dealership for Elio Motors from that pic you posted! Its OK....maybe Elon and Tesla chose the wrong country produce its cars and batteries... Maybe Elon should have gone.....lets say....to France instead... This way...some of you Americans could continue to whine that there are no manufacturing jobs left in the USA...

I dont like I HATE, DESPISE...LOATHE SUVs....but to be a good sport, Ill play this game. There are only 4 mid-sized SUVs that I wouldnt mind owning...well, "wouldnt mind owning" is a very strong sentence that may not be that accurate. Wouldnt mind being seen in....driver's side or even passenger side. I wont mention the Wrangler because in this case, the Wrangler does not fit the mold for what the purpose of this thread is. So no Frisky, I wont circumvent the idea behind your thread like I usually do... Jeep Grand Cherokee Ford Edge And if the budget permits for this thread: Cadillac XT5

The Model X... I think Musk himself admitted he kinda let the hooplah surrounding Tesla and its popularity make poor decisions on it. He confessed they over engineered the car. http://www.businessinsider.com/musk-model-x-not-sure-tesla-will-make-2016-2 "There was some hubris with the Model X," Musk said. "We over-engineered the car."According to the Tesla CEO, everything from the seals around the windows to the construction of the second-row seats proved to be hurdles.But Musk said the company overcame these issues, which led to a redesign of certain window seals and the insourcing of seat construction. Musk told journalists it was so hard to put together that Tesla probably shouldn't have made it in the first place. When was the last time we heard from a traditional automobile manufacturer say it how it is and admit to errors? Self admittance. Not from a court order... Tesla self polices itself and learns from their missteps...well, it seems to be this way on the outside.... So...when I read stuff like self tap dancing on a rudderless boat...I kinda get upset... OK...with that drama outta the way... Im sure part of their fiscal well being, or lack their of, is because of the high costs of the technology involved. And the high costs of constructing the biggest building in the world. And then furnishing it with all kinds of very high tech furniture such as robots and sensors and stuff... And then single handily making an infrastructure....worldwide..or at least in two countries that I know of... And of course cost over runs...which every manufacturer of any kind of product will experience...but especially a start-up. No longer a start-up? Whatever I says....the Model S....it may need a skin re-do, it still represents the first real car produced as a start-up... The Ford Model T....took 2 decades to be replaced with very minor exterior details changed in that 2 decade span...I realize that what I just said about the Model T and 2 decades is very open to discussion, but to that I say.....semantics.... The Model 3....is still fresh.... Its a small step above vapor ware at this point...I agree. However, I dont feel comfortable in doubting what Elon Musk has to say about the Model 3 as I doubt that Elon Musk is on the same footing as one called Sergio... The Model S, as a first real car Tesla ever produced just about....perfect. Relatively flawless...and I repeat...the first ever REAL car Tesla produced, and that is why I say it is flawless. The Model X seems to have had the glitzes that a first real attempt at car building should have had....but Elon Musk is fully aware of all that... I also think its foolish to doubt the power that the Tesla brand name holds. 400 000 people took pre-orders on a Model 3. Delays? The power of Tesla tells me that MOST of the people will wait for the Model 3 regardless the waiting time. The Chevrolet Bolt? Well, the Tesla brand name for ELECTRIC vehicles is waaaaaay more prestigious and powerful than a Chevrolet Bolt or Volt....and actually, for the short term, a Model S has just as much prestige as a Camaro or Corvette. Meaning, a Model 3 has a waiting period? Well, when a Chevy guy has to wait for the new Vette or Camaro to come out, and there might be a delay or recall or stop sale, such as it happened with the heat soak issues on the C7 Z06, did those guys run out to buy Ford Mustangs or Porsche Caymans? No....no they did not! Model 3 is at bat...will it hit a home run? For Tesla's sake, it better at least make contact with the ball... Like you said though....State of the Union status indeed....