Stew

You are certainly the one on the short bus. Go back to loving GM and ignoring their faults........ like you always do (seriously, you are like the GM version of wings when it comes to GM). In respect to Drew I am done with you, you have lready made a big enough fool of yourself with your pro GM, anti-everything else attitude.....

Please do, will be looking forward to it!

How about the ecodiesel, early impressions?

Excuse me, they used tarp money that had been put in an escrow fund IN CASE they needed it. Wouldn't the best thing had been to return that to the overnment as funds that were not needed and then use their profit to pay back the loan portion?

Basically to prove a point to Casa. I caould care less and would buy a GM vehicle if I liked it. THe point is he made a remark about FCA, even though they paid theirs off sans loan, just showing he has no room to be high and mighty about it, that is all.

?? That's not really accurate and I don't see how it is relevant. They paid back part of the loan with loaned funds they weren't using.... there is nothing wrong with that. Can you both just go back to your corners? He most likely doesn't understand simple logic. A Bank loans me money. I use part of the money, and the part I don't.. I return to the bank in a lump some "payback... " I didn't even write that.. My 6 year old nephew did because even he understands the logic behind it Sorry Drew.. I hate sparring with certain less mentally fortunate types but it comes with the territory. If I didn't kno any better I'd swear S T E W spelled Vexner. Remember the commercial they aired and quickly pulled about paying their loans back? Yep, I do because when it came out they paid their government loans wih government loans, well............. At least FCA paid back what they paid back WIHOUT taking a government loan to pay their government loan. i hope you understand however you spin it that just looks bad. And when someone starts spouting insults instead of facts, it usually means they know the battle is lost and it is time to devolve into the 5th grader they were........ And less mentally fortunate? You are the one that thinks they are proving me wrong when they actually prove me right in the process. You never did explain to me how the LFX is better than the pentastar with the pentasta's equal acceleration and better FE? Sorry Drew, would let it go someone's superiority complex needed a response......

Geez guys, we have no info on picing, we haven't even seen the production model, we have no crystal balls so the thing may flop, it may be a success, the buyin public will decide with their money.

For me it would come down to the Ram Rebel, Z71 ith the 6.2 V8 (5.3 will work when it gets the 8 speed) or SHOCK a Tundra TRD Pro. I am just not a fan of the Ford for many reasons, the Current Titan is ancient, the new Titan looks like Rosanne's ass and Rosie O'Donnell's ass had an assbabyl. GMC is ok, but I like the Chevy better.

Yeah, I want to bail on all that chrome as well. Other than that, I think it looks really good and classy. It doesn't look sporty, but it looks luxury. It's wierd, i really didn't care for it at first, but it is growing on me. We need to see it the way a Continental was intended, all black.

Rebel is a bit more than i honestly expected. I would love a Hemi/4wd model. I love the idea of the deefed up front end and the extra inch of clearance on the air suspension. Laramie limited isn't really surprise as they already offer it, just with a different grill lol.

I really want to see the Conti sans that sill chrome and with a more realistic and less silly looking set of rims. I am going on a limb here. Short of the Escelade and CTS-V Caddy is also going urbo V6 across most of it's models, at least for now.

While not as nice as the sunset, here are a few more pics from this weekend. All pictures were taken with my galaxy S5, modern phone cameras are a far cry from a few years ago lol.

I believe it is selling on both aspects. If it was a crappy truck, it wouldn't sell despite price and size. i loved the Z71 I rove and it had basically everything I would want plus some. Well... no... I feel that the GM trucks are rather expensive for their size. As some have pointed out, full-size trucks aren't much more expensive. The GMers are selling in-spite of their price... not because they are cheap. I still disagree. The Colorado i drove was an extended cab Z71, it had all the power stuff, my-link, backup camera, tow package, locking rear, a few dealer add-ons (bright exhaust tip, yadded, yadda), and it still was only 34k. price a silverado out with all this truck had and i would bet you are 10k more in price. Heck, i have priced out a minimal options regular cab Z71 and sticker was over 40k and it didn't have everything the Colorado had. I used to think they were overpriced myself, but GM has reall stuffed a LOT of content for the price in these trucks. Another thing besides price and size is that these are such sublime driving trucks. Super smooth, excellent ride, beautiful interior, etc, etc. As I said, they have raised the bar. Anyways, back to the topic at hand. If FCA does a midsize, they have to do the Wrangler based pickup. There are people just salivating at this thing, especially paired with the Ecodiesel. they can make a Dakota off the same platform with more traditional styling and higher focus on the on-road portion of things. I'm with you on this one. The Colorado/Canyon twins are priced right. They start just above $20k, you can get a capable V6 for $30k. The Silverado LT with a double cab starts at $35k. There's a perfectly reasonable gap in segment pricing, significantly more than people pay between compact, midsize, and fullsize cars. The difference between a $23k compact sedan and a $23k midsizer is vast, people make a choice for their priorities. The monthly sales prove there's minimal canibalizing between Chevy's truck models. This is all correct, if people were abandoning 1/2 tons for the midsizers we would be seeing decreasing Silverado sales instead of increased. It is very interesting and i am sure other manufacturers are watching very closely here.

Corner reached and back on topic. I was reading some interesting info on Allpar about some of the dealys. IMHO, it is more repositioning of priorities. Per them he new Journey and probabl other Dodge models are going to be based on a platorm shared with Alfa an hat is the cause of some of the delays. Also, it seems, per my post earlier, they are working to get some updated/new engines out.

Just a few quick reviews i have done over the last few months, originally shared on MT forums. 2015 Audi A3 2.0T Quattro So, my brother had this car as his loaner while his A5 was being worked on at the closest Audi dealership.............. which is around 200 miles away. He had to return it Saturday and pick his car up. I got to spend a good solid 2 hours driving it. Exterior: the A3 is a good looking car with nice detailing on the exterior. It does have a stubby butt and is kind of tall, but not bad at all. Interior: I have mixed emotions here. The quality was very good and I love the newest version of MMI (I prefer it over touchscreens). It was very easy to navigate and looked great. A huge update from the 11 A5. I liked the pop-up screen at the top, but I prefer the older design in the A5 better (screen is nearly as big and intergrated into the dash.). The cupholders are located side by side right under the climate control buttons which means they get blocked out by taller drinks. The seats did not seem as comfortable as the A5 and seemed smaller,though i did appreciate the lumbar on both front seats and the fact it could be moved up and down. The center console juts out towards the front and despite the tilt and telescoping steering wheel I could not find a position where it did not jab into my knee. Otherwise room up front was good and despite me being 6.0feet tall and my brother 6.2 headroom was excellent, even with the sunroof. The drive: I also have mixed feelings here too: He good: It handled well, it felt considerably quicker than the A5, and the steering felt excellent. The ride was very good making most bumps felt more than heard, though it had a little more body-roll than I expected. The bad: I have no idea who decided on the calibration for the gas and brake pedals, but they need to revisit both. The brakes were strong and felt goof, but the pedal was so sensitive they were impossible to adjust to and breathing on it would send you through the windshield. The gas pedal was just the opposite. Yes the engine had some slight turbo lag, but half throttle should get you moving quickly, but to get it going it seemed to take more. At least that was easy to adapt to and was not a problem at all. Overall: My brother liked this more than the A5, I am the opposite. i think the interior looks nicer in the A5 and the seats are more comfortable, the pedals are progressive. I liked but just could not love it. Also, this car had quite a few options that drove the price to right at $43k. 2015 Chevrolet Colorado Z71: Was heading home today and decided to see what the Chevy dealer had in stock. Was admiring a beautiful Z71 when the salesman opened it up and then offered a test-drive. I, of course, accepted. Truck: LT Z71 extended cab 4x4 V6. The interior: Wow, I really loved the interior. Only complaint is that the shifter is a little awkwardly placed, otherwise very nice! It had the Mylink which looked great and had a very nice and high res backup camera. It also had power seats with a cloth/leather mix. The seats were some of the best seats I think I have ever been in. Very comfortable and supportive, not to mention very handsome and felt of high quality. A comfortable seating position was a snap to find. The front had more than enough room. It had 2 small jumpseats in the rear and being a mid-size the room was of course pretty tight. They nailed the exterior. It appeared to have more ground clearance than the other LT 4x4 which I had origionally stopped to look at, but was not a Z71. it was already sold. The Z71 rims look amazing on this truck and I loved the blackedout grill. Of course the first thing that would happen is that front spoiler would have to go, don't care if it costs me an MPG. The drive: I have no other way to describe this truck but smooth and solid. It literally felt like some luxury cars I have been in. The steering felt just right. It had just the right heft, no dead spot on center, and actually had some feel. I know people complain about the 3.6 in this truck, but I must say that it worked EXTREMELY well in this application. I was even impressed by the sound, very throaty and better than 3.6 GM DI i have been in before. It was not lacking in the low end and had excellent passing power and mid range punch. This was probably the best shifting verion of the GM 6 speed auto I have experienced. No problem shifting down and responded very well. It was an absolute joy to drive. Price: It was a little over 34k. It had a towing package, and a couple other dealer added options (mud flaps, exhaust tip, yadda, yadda). Honestly you could not get a fullsize extended cab with this content for anywhere near this price. Overall: I 100% understand Motor trend's choice of this truck for their truck of the year trophy. it has burnt the old book on mid-size trucks and completely rewritten it. Before you naysay this truck, DRIVE IT! I can guarantee you WILL be impressed! If I was in the market right now, this would be in driveway right now. unfortunately my plans for a new(er) truck purchase have been put off for a while, but that should give time for some to hit the used lots and maybe eventually get some rebates. Right now, here anyways, they generally don't last aa week on the lot. 2015 Challenger V6 w/Track pack So, I stopped at the local Mopar dealer to see what they had in stock. They had 3 15 challengers, all V6 models. So I was looking and the salesman comes over and asks me if I wanted to drive it, I couldn't pass it up. Was originally looking at a lower option SXT because it was parked next to a 2014 SXT (more on that in a few). There was an SXT plus with the Track Pak on the other side of a Charger and I told him that is the one I want to drive. This was a nicely loaded SXT plus and I was happy to see the track pak on it. Anyway, here are some impressions from looking it over and the drive. Exterior: Man oh man I never realized such relatively minor tweaks could make such a huge difference. The split taillights with the black surround doesn't just sing retro, it screams it from the rooftops! The slimmer split grill and larger lower air intake simply add a new level of aggressiveness to the Challenger. Then there are the details. One of those details is the lower portion of the rear bumper. There is sculpting that the 14 lacked that really makes that area look MUCH better! On models with the spoiler, it is a newer design. It is taller, better fitting with a couple inch dip in the center that makes a bigger difference than one would imagine compared to the smaller basic spoiler on the 08-14s. Overall, BEAUTIFUL car that looks much more cohesive than the 08-14 models. Interior: Is this the same car? I never had an issue with the od Challenger's interior....... until now. WOW! Everything looks rich and high quality and feels it too. The shapes and design are pleasing. The huge 8.4 inch touch screen in the center is easy to see and vibrant. The steering wheel feels amazing in your hands. The materials on it are top notch and the size just fits perfectly in my hands. The shifter looks great and feels good on your hand and the detents leave doubt what drivemode you are in, overall VERY impressed. Honestly, this interior is everybit as good as the Audi, More so in some areas. The seats were very comfortable and feel great. The leather was soft to touch and again of very high quality. Getting a comfortable driving position with the seat and power tilt and telescoping steering wheel was a cinch. My one issue was trying to figure out why the seatback control was manual, though the rest was power with power lumbar. Unfortunately I didn't really play with the features as I was so excited to hit the road! Anyway, on to the drive. The drive: Just pulling out I knew this felt different from previous Challengers I had driven. The electric steering is weighted perfectly and turns in is more lively. The brakes were a bit of an adjustment as they seemed grabby at first, then again I drive a 13 year old pickup with 250k miles, so that is relative. I take the turn out onto the highway and everything feels very solid. the transmission is buttery smooth, yet eager to downshift when called upon. The ride is smooth, yet tout, no doubt the track pak has some starch in it's suspenders. Then we make a turn onto one of my favorite test driver spots, a curvey uphill 3 or so mile road leading to the local airport. I immediately switch to the paddle shifters. The response is great, no lag time and no waiting, though one big drawback of so many gears is that it takes a few flips to get down to the gear you want. It did a VERY good job of holding the gears as well. Only had 1 automatic upshift while using them. The transmission is just as much of a peach here as it is in the A5! The pentastar V6 pulled smartly and ever harder as the revs climbed and the 8 speed allowed it to be kept in it's power band, I was more impressed than i thought I would be and it even had a great sound to it, though certainly no Hemi! The handling shocked me, but in a VERY good way. Yes, there was some roll, but it was VERY slight. Grip was impressive and it just stuck like glue to the pavement. Turn in was surprisingly adept and eager, and I don't just mean for such a big car, it was very impressive. I do wonder how the extra couple hundred pounds of Hemi would effect this though. Anyway, I was not pushing it anywhere near the limits (public road and the salesman was with me), but I couldn't believe how well it went around corners. I thought the previous Challengers were decent handlers, but this is whole 'nother level. It was truly smile inducing! The brakes gave more than enough stopping power and the V6 had no problem powering the big Challenger out of turns. The car simply didn't feel as big as it is. IMHO, the new steering rack had a lot to do with that (along with the updated suspension of course). As I said, the steering is perfectly weighted, whether moving through a parking lot or taking long switchbacks. There is also no slack on center and it just tracks amazingly well. If you judge this car and call it a non-handling pig without driving it, you are doing yourself a MAJOR disservice! Overall: I have to say I am impressed. Everything about this car seems so well thought out and sorted. The exterior upgrades have a bigger impact than one would think, the interior is top notch with amazing quality, and the drive is shocking it's so good. One thing specific to the Challenger I can say is this. I would have never considered the V6 before, but after this drive it is on my mind! I hated getting out because I just wanted the hit the highway and just go while finding some nice curvey stretches along the way. The Challenger has finally found it's way and the direction it has traveled is a VERY good one! On another note got to see the 15 ATS coupe and 15 Mustang in person. The ATS is simply beautiful It looks better than it does in pictures because there are a lot of details they just do not "pop" in photos, this may be the hit Cadillac needs. I hope so anyways. The 15 Mustang is also a handsome car, given the 2 they had were base V6s with no fog lights and 18 inch torque thrust style rims. It looks so wide and menacing in person and I am sure the lower and bigger rimmed PP models look fantastic. Anyways, i hope you enjoy my review of the Challenger as much as I enjoyed driving it! I am waiting on the Ford store to get an ecoboost as I am very curious about that model the most and yes, it must have the performance package! 2012 Ford F-150 SXT 4x4 5.0 So, i have decided to get rid of the Z71 and 97 F-150 and get something newer. First test drive was a 2012 F-150 STX 4x4. just going to do a plus and minus on this one. 49k miles, extremely clean. Likes: Loved the 5.0 and the room. It had plenty of power and drove well enough. The cabin was spacious and I have always loved he look of the STX. The ride was pretty smooth and it really reminded me a lo of my 07 in the drive. I also like the fact i the manual locking rear diff. The blindspot mirrors were incredibly useful. Dislikes: Steering is way over-boosted with a nasty deadspot on center. I was no a fan of the basic interior, especially the dash. it was cheap feeling and i did not care for the small slit at the to for the clock, stereo etc. All the headrests made backing up a tough proposition, though I am sure the rear ones can be removed. Tracking could have been better, it seemed to want to wonder. Overall: i liked it, but I didn't love it. I did love the 5.0o in it and that keeps it in the running, though I really want a regular cab 4x4. Still want to drive a 13+ ram and a newer Silverado.

I believe it is selling on both aspects. If it was a crappy truck, it wouldn't sell despite price and size. i loved the Z71 I rove and it had basically everything I would want plus some. Well... no... I feel that the GM trucks are rather expensive for their size. As some have pointed out, full-size trucks aren't much more expensive. The GMers are selling in-spite of their price... not because they are cheap. I still disagree. The Colorado i drove was an extended cab Z71, it had all the power stuff, my-link, backup camera, tow package, locking rear, a few dealer add-ons (bright exhaust tip, yadded, yadda), and it still was only 34k. price a silverado out with all this truck had and i would bet you are 10k more in price. Heck, i have priced out a minimal options regular cab Z71 and sticker was over 40k and it didn't have everything the Colorado had. I used to think they were overpriced myself, but GM has reall stuffed a LOT of content for the price in these trucks. Another thing besides price and size is that these are such sublime driving trucks. Super smooth, excellent ride, beautiful interior, etc, etc. As I said, they have raised the bar. Anyways, back to the topic at hand. If FCA does a midsize, they have to do the Wrangler based pickup. There are people just salivating at this thing, especially paired with the Ecodiesel. they can make a Dakota off the same platform with more traditional styling and higher focus on the on-road portion of things.

ROFL, let's see. 6.4 Hemi, nearly 500 HP NA, 5.7 Hemi, nearly 400 HP NA and dynos show the same for the Challengers despite the official ratings, 3.6 pentastar super smooth, powerful, and all are reliable. 2.4 world engine vs GM's newer 3.5 in the Malibu? Power and the general feel is the same and the World engines are proven in reliablility too. World class 7 speed ZF Auto shared with high end makers? CHECK and having it since 2011 when 2014 was GM's first use of an 8 speed. Go hump GM in the GM threads please and get off your high horse, don't ou have to defend in some later recall about ignitions that, unlike the others, comes straigh from GM and NOT suppliers..... PS; Wings is running circles around ou on this forum...... Sorry. I missed a whole bunch of this drivel. Got be honest with U.. the Hemi has power, but the cars that it goes into are $h!ty and fat... or is it fat and $h!ty when it comes to driving in anything outside of a straight line.. and even in that it more often than not gets its ass handed to it by a Chevy or Ford overall. 485HP and 475lbs of Bump.. and still cannot manage more than a 1/10th of a sec more leeway in 0-60 versus the 60HP/55lb ft less LS3 powered Camaro.. or even less torque and and 50HP less Mustang, and just equals the Camaro SS in the 1/4... then to top it off, takes longer to brake.. gets worse F/E, and YUP.. throw in a curve.. and see ya later Chally.. don't roll yourself. To the transmissions. Are U really celebrating the fact that Chrysler went to an OE and had them build a sourced transmission for them as opposed to building it themselves??? Americans.. Foregone conclusion in a nutshell. Yeah.. I prefer an Outback steak over one I char-grilled with my own mixture of seasonings, and properly aged meat any day of the week. LMFAO The only drivel here is coming from you. Those fat pigs are as light or lighter than most cars in their size range. Remember we are talking fullsize cars here with 5 seats and a real trunk, not a 4 seat compact Mustang or Camaro. Oh, since the 6th gen isn't out yet, speaking of cars that ARE pigs, how about that Camaro? uch smaller than te Challenger, but with aluminum blocked engines and it still isn't that much lighter.... At least there is a reason the Mopar cars are heavy, because they are BIG RWD cars. And FYI, the 8 speed, used by Land Rover, Jag, etc, etc was actually not completely developed by ZF but was co-developed between hem. And it they still had 8 speeds 3 years beore GM, so you attempt at massaging the subject is incorrect. And didn't GM pay back it's government loans.............. by taking out MORE government loans? Oops, didn't realize that was common knowledge did ya. See, ou are simply a GM humper, period. I can resepect what they have done vehicle-wise, though knowing a few people with newer GMs I am actually not sold on the quality of their current vehicles yet. Oh, and an FYI, those 485 HP pigs are running around 12 flat with the 8 speed auto, hasn't been a Camaro SS yet that can even come close to touching that.....

LFX is superior.. and U need to stop quoting the 305HP number as it is a FWD only application that U are comparing to Pentastars that come close with RWD vehicles. The comparison U should be making is the RWD GM vehicles to the RWD FCAs 323HP Camaro vs 305 HP Challenger, the GM engine with a 6% advantage. . before the new one arrives giving it a solid 10% advantage with Start/Stop.. and AFM I am not reading all your GM humping, but that peak HP number doesn't mean much when an auomatic Camaro coupe runs the same times as the heavier CHallenger, oops, and the Camaro gets worse FE, tell me again how the LFX is superior? GM humping? When me and GM get together we do a helluva lot more than Hump.. I leave her loins wet and sticky everytime... Chrysler? That Skanky ass whore. Been passed around more times than a 9 year old boy, being advertised as virgin at an ancient Roman bath house... As for fuel economy... Again 2 extra cogs will do that for u... Not to mention the less amount of HP. V6 Challenger could get taken down by effin Corolla lol 2 extra cogs? It still gets bettter fe with the same or LESS cogs! ANd they both whored out to the government so watch what you say about a whore...... And what about that continual reeming GM keeps getting over their faulty safety prctices? Maybe they should both wear a condom....... One who humpeth GM hath nothing to say against another maker.

I believe it is selling on both aspects. If it was a crappy truck, it wouldn't sell despite price and size. i loved the Z71 I rove and it had basically everything I would want plus some.

Read here: http://allparnews.com/index.php/2015/06/pentastar-upgrade-pug-28901

Isn't AWD going to be standard o n the Continental? IMHO, the future of luxury is AWD, yes more RWD based AWD, but FWD based can be made to be decent. IMHO, until RWD is ready, they should just go standard AWD across the board.

Not exactly, a lot had to do with price. At the time the difference between a midsize and fullsize was very small. that could easily change now since fullsize trucks have gotten ridiculously expensive, that is where they have to be careful. IMHO, if we see a midsize truck from FCA it will be a Jeep wrangler based truck or a shared platform between ram an Jeep. the interesting thing, they can do thise. underneath the skin the 2WD and 4x4 3rd gen Dakotas were totally different trucks. they could do the same for a Ram and Jeep truck. I'm not buying (ahem) the pricing argument. Based on what I see up here a loaded Canyon/Colorado up here rings in about the same as a reasonably-equipped half-ton. I think the production bottleneck Mopar is now facing as far as its trucks go is also a bit of a factor. Ram production is now maxed out, and I don't know how much flexibility Toledo would have to build a Wrangler-based pickup. No, I was talking about the last gen Dakota, etc. The Colorado really is a bargain and I was actually surprised at the amount of equipment the 34k Colorado I drove had. And yes, prodcution could be the hickup. Did they ever actually explain that discuised midsize mule spotted a few weeks ago?

As a stop-gap, and I may catch flack for this, outside of the Focus RS, use HAT AWD tech on Lincolns and onl lincolns. I know that would mean no performance FUsion, but it could reall help set the MKZ/Continental apart.

Woot woot! CHEVY! Crap, i own a Silverado!!!!

Not exactly, a lot had to do with price. At the time the difference between a midsize and fullsize was very small. that could easily change now since fullsize trucks have gotten ridiculously expensive, that is where they have to be careful. IMHO, if we see a midsize truck from FCA it will be a Jeep wrangler based truck or a shared platform between ram an Jeep. the interesting thing, they can do thise. underneath the skin the 2WD and 4x4 3rd gen Dakotas were totally different trucks. they could do the same for a Ram and Jeep truck.