regfootball

So, it seems like they are screwing around with the GM Card again. https://news.gm.com/home.detail.html/Pages/news/us/en/2025/may/0520-GM-enhances-loyalty-program-unveils-GM-Rewards-Mastercard-Barclays.html are cardholders getting screwed? I can’t hardly tell from the bull$h!.

I would like to see that warm light gray platinum scheme come back. Not the lighter cool cream color.

you're 100% spot on here, they tried to walk that line with both offerings... the Impala ended up pricey for a lot of people who wanted the size and also at that time, the LaCrosse had the all wheel drive option whereas the Impala did not, which limited things greatly for the success of the Impala. Especially since the Ford 500 and 08+ Taurus had all wheel drive options, as did the Charger and Chrysler 300. Since this version of Malibu then was considered undersized for passenger space in its competitive room, is one reason it never lit up the sales charts. They did fix that with the 2016+ / current version (its been fun comparing this one vs my 2016). Even though the 2016 had the right amount of space, they pushed the seat height down a bit. I really wish they would have kept the seat hip point up at the same height as on this 2014. You can definitely feel the much shorter wheelbase of this one, but the car feels more zippy because of it. Perfect for what we want it for right now. So then rather comparing this one to its contemporaries at the time, since this is a used purchase i look at it more just as its own lens. I actually was able to purchase something used similarly priced to the smaller Cruze for about the same money, and not as large as the Impala. More solid and safer than the Cruze. That sort of tweener size works well for what we need in this case. We had the family or four in the car for a drive last weekend and it was tight. Yet the seating was comfortable. The width of the cabin is good; its primarily the leg room aspect that is difficult for the back seat passengers. The smaller wheelbase makes it zippier around town driving and parking, and the 2.5 is perfect for what is needed. The 6 speed shifts well, and with the huge gas tank with 30+ mpg you really can expect near 500 miles on a tank. At the time in the market, the smaller size was a disadvantage but now that its just a used car on the market its the right size and power and fuel economy for what is needed 95% of the time. The trunk is very big also and the rear seats fold..... nearly as much utility as if it were a hatchback. actually, it was indeed a car that was passed down from a retired person to their relative for a short period. Strangely, there is a lot of weird body scratches and things that are kind of random and don't show up in pictures but they also buffed them out and paint finished them as best they could. Not deep scratches, just very puzzling....how the hell did they get there? Car had the valve cover gasket and rocker arm control valve fixed, replaced transmission lines, and had new tires. Seemed oddly tight and good shape for steering and brakes for a used car, but i'm like 'i'll take that'! I'm not expecting it to have perfect reliability and it something costly happens, so be it. I didn't buy an extended warranty because the affordable warranties for this old of a car don't cover very much. To get a more comprehensive warranty is cost prohibitive, IMO

ah, the elusive 'wheat' interior! totally gets rid of the dreariness of the usual all black. and unfortunately, with the CVT. The Malibu CVT is actually fairly responsive, but it didn't get better mpg than the 6 speed (I had a leased 6 speed and had rented a CVT). If you can ever find a 2.0 turbo with 9 speed auto and the wheat interior with sunroof, just like this one in the blue, that would the ultimate Malibu find. There is a very few out there! I wouldn't have changed to my TourX if this car would have offered an all wheel drive solution somewhere in the model run.

Having looked a lot at the Hornet and Tonale recently (and surveying the Compass as well); it is more than welcome to bring this vehicle up in size and into the compact class. The dated chassis is a limitation on an otherwise decent vehicle (Hornet and Tonale). Maybe part of the like was we took a trip to Italy a few weeks ago (but we did not make it to the Tonale / Hornet factory). We came within a stich of buying a Hornet (nicely discounted) but I balked due to the size being just a tish too small and really digging the packaging of the new Equinox. The looks are really nice in these images. If they want this to succeed in the US, than the 2.0 motor (in whichever tune) should be the base engine. A plug in hybrid or plain would be really good to have also. If Stellantis would get their management sht together and make better product decisions for America, it would help them a lot!!!! That Carlos Tavares was bad news!

I haven't had much good opportunity to populate around here lately, so much to do, so little time. We added another vehicle to the fleet the other day. What started as looking for new or slightly used ventured off into 'let's just get a bridge car' for awhile. Something that may be useful for not just my college kid, but also a budding HS kid who will be learning to drive soon. And, something that I may also be able to use to drive the 70 mile round trip to work each day and spell the miles from the van and TourX. Now we have to decide if we are going to get rid of the Grand Prix, which, it's probably time. Since the motivation here was more that I saw this on the dealer lot while I was taking new Mazda test drives. It was a good price and even with some strange body dings, it looked real good with its red color and new tires and all. And it had a sunroof, that was the ultimate hook. Surprisingly, to me it drove really nice... seemed like everything was tight on it and low miles, for cheap. This vintage of Malibu was never really top rated in its class at the time, but it had a lot of positives I overlooked at the time which I can appreciate more nowadays. But it was in a competitive market segment and so to improve even more, Chevy did a full redesign again of the Malibu for 2016. I actually did lease a 2016 Malibu LT and after all this time, its interesting to see the contrasts between the two designs in the rearview mirror of time. A couple photos here shortly.

My lot observation of the 24 Envision turned into a test drive also, last weekend. Nice rig, but like many vehicles, when price creep crowds some other vehicles that are larger and more features etc you have to understand that incentives may be needed to move the metal at some point. also got to sit in the new Enclave and Acadia both.

Nothing wrong with that idea.

Having previously worked for an apartment developer for almost 8 years in which every project we evaluated what percent of the parking to plan for and economically provide electric service load for...... It's a huge cost to just run service with adequate to a potential outlet. And our developer was interested in making the push for wiring for them. Earlier goals were 20% of parking to have future access to charging outlets. Most projects reduced to 10% of parking due to the extreme cost of the electrical service. Some even less. Retrofit installs of adequate charging infrastructure for even 50% of the parking would not be able to be borne but the owner / developer in order to keep rents in check. In order to drive mass charging locations in multifamily it would end up needing to be either mandated or subsidized or both. And still it's high cost and someone somewhere is paying for it. It becomes a question of who. Most folks will think the property owner should pay for it, which then means the renter pays for it. If taxes pay for it, then they will say if the apartment owner gets free charging infrastructure, then my house should also. Then everyone will say, its too expensive it shouldn't be mandatory. Until the entire electrical grid has been engineered to distribute EV charging to everywhere, you won't see apartments put in much more charging than they are currently.

but it will have lower emissions on the testing which seems to be driving this whole movement. GM's 2.5 after driving it yesterday does have good power; I cannot for the life of me see how this 2.0 is going to be satisfactory for this Infiniti.

Have had some test drives and lot pics recently I just haven't had time to write or post about. It seems like car shopping is even harder than ever. There should be demo test drive locations where you can simply sample the car and not have to waste so much time. Reserve a few demos of the most popular configs of a car model and most reasonable people can get the first feel of if they like something or not from a self directed test drive at their leisure and not just a canned 4 minute route without a high speed road. Post covid also, a seeming drop in attitudes of the collective sales force. I say that, having done the car sales thing and knowing what sucks about the gig and the things your managers and bosses want you to do. Customer service in general across sales has been eroding for awhile now. that said, here's some capsule observations that I can summarize quicker than going to the topics and getting into each one. Chevy Trax - test driven twice now. Nice upbeat package and personality. Good interior space for passengers and cargo. Still a bit of a low rider but the seats are very sculpted. Chevy's new dash layouts are almost all universally excellent with the twin flat screens. Reasonably quiet inside! Good solid and stable handling and ride. When optioned lighter, the Trax is very high on the features per dollar scale. Hatchback is quite versatile. Where does the Trax falter? After initial optimism of the powertrain actually performing quite well for what it is, it sets in that yes... more go juice and an extra cylinder would do wonders for the car. Maybe many won't venture outside metro areas with it, and into higher speed limit roads. In that context as an urban get about the Trax shines. But due to the lack of deep lungs in the powertrain and the 'average' to below average mpg (at best) this car achieves.. at least on the testing..... I'd advise those who may put a lot of road miles on to check out other vehicles and ones particularly with more under the hood. The six speed auto does well in this car and the 3 cylinder at lower throttle push does ok. It's just raspy when you push it and really needs the 1.5 in this car to realize its whole potential. A stronger motor would get better mpg as well. I'm not touching on the all wheel drive topic for the Trax. Overall though, for a low priced car it does a really good job returning value for the money...if you don't option it up too much. Chevy could AT LEAST make keyless start standard on this car. new 24 Chevy traverse I tested an LS all wheel drive; sticker wasn't much more than 40 I think. Amazing value for this vehicle at this trim and price. Sure, no power seats and missing other things but the standard equipment at the LS level is insane. Heated seats and steering wheel. Standard HD surround vision. The cloth is nice! and you get a full console. I got used to the new shifter pretty quickly and it save a ton of storage room in the console. The dash layout is insanely good. I didn't get too intimate with all the displays but Chevy is making the most of digital flat screen to change ways how some things have been displayed for gauges. Interior seating and cargo space is humungous and seems even more cavernous than before. Just further proof on how seriously stupid of a mistake it was for GMC to downsize the last Acadia. Sports weekend travelers will enjoy all the space in these right size three row vehicles. I dig the new styling; its bold and it seems to be an eye catcher whereas the previous style blended in. On the road, it's a really good truck / sedan cross as far as feel. Those who like trucks will think it feels nice and wide and stable like a truck, yet the steering is well weighted and feels like a big stable sedan. View over the road is very good....I think visibility has improved here. This does feel exactly like the 'family chariot' vehicle that many are seeking and let's be honest. The three row crossover today is what the large family sedan and station wagon was decades ago. new 25 Chevy Equinox I did not drive the new Equinox but I sat in them and wow what an amazing upgrade. Wonderful increase in size and space and the interior dash and layout is so much more attractive and useful. Including the column shifter which frees up several places for your phone on the console. (PICS later). Really wish the 2.0 and a hybrid option were available for this....as it is for 2025 this will sell huge. Buick Encore GX preferred More later on this. I wanted to like it but it may already be dated and badly needs a four cylinder power plant, just like the Trax. 2024 Buick Envision Envision has been criticized for being slow to roll out the new model year and front end and interior changes. However, the new grille and redone interior are big positive upgrades and it feels like an all new vehicle from the showroom impression. It's one of GM's best interiors, honestly and feels way sportier inside. The new front end transforms the look into something that make the whole feel look longer and more low slung than before. And, they have completely redone the trim packages and they all make sense now. Even the preferred trim is well equipped and a much better value for the money than before. The Sport Touring trim really does put off a sporty vibe. Keep in mind you can't get the 2.0 that the Envision has, in the Equinox. More later. 2025 Buick Enclave Wow, what an amazing makeover! In the flesh it looks fantastic. And the interior looks great; especially in the black sport touring trim. I have not sat in it yet though. Dodge Hornet GT Awesome powertrain in a horribly mispackaged offering but Stellantis. More to come.

Have had some test drives and lot pics recently I just haven't had time to write or post about. It seems like car shopping is even harder than ever. There should be demo test drive locations where you can simply sample the car and not have to waste so much time. Reserve a few demos of the most popular configs of a car model and most reasonable people can get the first feel of if they like something or not from a self directed test drive at their leisure and not just a canned 4 minute route without a high speed road. Post covid also, a seeming drop in attitudes of the collective sales force. I say that, having done the car sales thing and knowing what sucks about the gig and the things your managers and bosses want you to do. Customer service in general across sales has been eroding for awhile now. that said, here's some capsule observations that I can summarize quicker than going to the topics and getting into each one. Chevy Trax - test driven twice now. Nice upbeat package and personality. Good interior space for passengers and cargo. Still a bit of a low rider but the seats are very sculpted. Chevy's new dash layouts are almost all universally excellent with the twin flat screens. Reasonably quiet inside! Good solid and stable handling and ride. When optioned lighter, the Trax is very high on the features per dollar scale. Hatchback is quite versatile. Where does the Trax falter? After initial optimism of the powertrain actually performing quite well for what it is, it sets in that yes... more go juice and an extra cylinder would do wonders for the car. Maybe many won't venture outside metro areas with it, and into higher speed limit roads. In that context as an urban get about the Trax shines. But due to the lack of deep lungs in the powertrain and the 'average' to below average mpg (at best) this car achieves.. at least on the testing..... I'd advise those who may put a lot of road miles on to check out other vehicles and ones particularly with more under the hood. The six speed auto does well in this car and the 3 cylinder at lower throttle push does ok. It's just raspy when you push it and really needs the 1.5 in this car to realize its whole potential. A stronger motor would get better mpg as well. I'm not touching on the all wheel drive topic for the Trax. new 24 Chevy traverse I tested an LS all wheel drive; sticker wasn't much more than 40 I think. Amazing value for this vehicle at this trim and price. Sure, no power seats and missing other things but the standard equipment at the LS level is insane. Heated seats and steering wheel. Standard HD surround vision. The cloth is nice! and you get a full console. I got used to the new shifter pretty quickly and it save a ton of storage room in the console. The dash layout is insanely good. I didn't get too intimate with all the displays but Chevy is making the most of digital flat screen to change ways how some things have been displayed for gauges. Interior seating and cargo space is humungous and seems even more cavernous than before. Just further proof on how seriously stupid of a mistake it was for GMC to downsize the last Acadia. Sports weekend travelers will enjoy all the space in these right size three row vehicles. I dig the new styling; its bold and it seems to be an eye catcher whereas the previous style blended in. On the road, it's a really good truck / sedan cross as far as feel. Those who like trucks will think it feels nice and wide and stable like a truck, yet the steering is well weighted and feels like a big stable sedan. View over the road is very good....I think visibility has improved here. This does feel exactly like the 'family chariot' vehicle that many are seeking and let's be honest. The three row crossover today is what the large family sedan and station wagon was decades ago. new 25 Chevy Equinox I did not drive the new Equinox but I sat in them and wow what an amazing upgrade. Wonderful increase in size and space and the interior dash and layout is so much more attractive and useful. Including the column shifter which frees up several places for your phone on the console. (PICS later) Buick Encore GX preferred More later on this. I wanted to like it but it may already be dated and badly needs a four cylinder power plant, just like the Trax. Dodge Hornet GT Awesome powertrain in a horribly mispackaged offering but Stellantis. More to come.

More 25 equinox pics - Chevy got the packing right; size is amazing...nice and large inside. MUCH improved interior. Wider, more leg room, seemingly more headroom, nice trunk. And the inevitable half a dozen places to put your phone. Drove a traverse with the new shifter, I think people will like the new shifter a lot (although I still dig having a console shifter for a seden or more sporty car).

hybrid bugs on that vehicle are why I have never taken a deep interest in it. Maybe as a second vehicle; but even then I don't want to be a beta tester....which, they've been beta testing the pacifica hybrid for like 8 model years now. bring it on; chevy got this one right!

big up-charge for the hybrid..... waiting for late model year incentives for the hybrids should help equal out the price if you can wait.

Here’s some recent ‘on the lot’ pics of the new Enclave I've also seen a blue one with the blue/tan interior. Really nice and functional interior by the looks of it; I haven't been in one of these yet but I was in a new 24 Envision with the big screen makeover and it's a fantastic interior now on that one.

I've warmed up to this more and more. Even if the front end / grille is a little extreme and non Trad Buick, it actually comes off like some other brands. Side profile as well. I think Buick's distinction with these new front ends is to become sort of anonymously familiar with other brands like Toyota and Subaru, but different enough so it looks unique vs other GM stuff. I am ok with the side profile now too, mostly. It's generic but not badly done. About as good as you can expect. The interior looks nice in pictures but I wonder if the dash materials will be cheap looking. I like the idea of a big screen but it is a bit blob-like in its shape. But that is the distinguishing feature of Buick interiors now. I like the Traverse and Acadia interiors also, but the Enclave's is unique enough to appeal to someone who doesn't want the usual Chevy or GMC look.

That is the 'shark fin' you finally recognize........ I think if the Equinox EV is priced well (considering incentives and subsidized leases) I think it has a real chance to move in some volume. Its shape is a little more un-GM (looks a bit like the Kia EV6) and may resonate with the lower end EV buyer more. It appears to have a lot of room inside, and a really good dash layout. Let's see if GM scales back production numbers WAYYY back or if they decide to subsidize the living daylights out of their EV lines and just produce a lot of them. They should do the latter, the rate of EV adoption is going to be slow for awhile again but you can win people with incentives. We are likely to see all of these new GM EV's pretty much untouched for the next ten years (except for batteries and motors). They can't kill any of these models because they would receive backlash after the EV1 axing. They'll just have to plan for like a 10 year production run of all of the models. Which is fine. They can get some desperate leases on the BlazerEV or Equinox EV set up for like 249 and not much down and I'd get one as a third car / weekly commute / good weather car and just use it to keep miles off my other cars. Ultimately I'd like a hybrid....gonna look at the 25 Camry when it comes out as a commuter, AWD plus hybrid and 45 mpg I'd be up for that. The 25 Equinox should have been offered with a plug in hybrid or even a plain hybrid.

I had seen first of the new traverses about 4 weeks ago but forgot to load pictures here . Lot trolling just now. The equinox EV is here now , not sure why we have the Blazer EV then since they are about the same interior size. Silverado EV in work truck trim sure looks meh. the new traverses here I’ve seen have been front drive only, explains why they haven’t sold yet. Anyone here is snow country will look to get AWD.

https://newparts.com/articles/gm-3-6-v6-problems-and-known-issues/ I thought this was somewhat interesting when reading about the history of the 3.6

RENTAL!!!!! This will be interesting; since I had a 2016…..

these are some images out there on the net with predictions for the pending Pacifica heavy refresh in 25 or 26. I sort of dig the red with black roof look.

in two days, THREE year VANIVERSARY! New cars, buy or lease, are pretty unobtainable nowadays. Sales wanted me to reup the lease for 300 more bucks /mo. MSRP's through the roof, for the same thing. And weirdly, there is not much for color availability for a replacement, in other than black and white these days. No can do. Took advantage of the really cheap buyout price and now are owners. Sitting about 29,000 miles. Using as a daily driver 2 days a week now, and the Regal 3 days a week. Still enjoying this ride and its been knock on wood, no issues. Last fall I bought OEM wheels for cheap for winter rubber... but never did get the tires this year as winter has been so mild and without snow. But next winter I'll be able to get some X-Ice or Blizzaks. Love the comfortable seats. And the higher ride height is a nice welcome contrast vs the Regal. The Harmon Kardon sound is really good. Far better than the junk Bose (redundant term, I know) in the Regal. Pacifica sales were really good last year, and this vehicle will remain in the Chrysler lineup for the foreseeable future. In fact, there is a major refresh now coming out in 2025 or 2026. I can't wait to see what it may be. Some rumor renderings look good, some others don't. Part of the reason for the buyout was GM hasn't gotten their new Acadia and Traverse out yet. Painfully slow getting them to market! And the Enclave too! 3 times now and technically this is the 4th time we could have looked to get into the GM three row products. The Pacific is just easy to drive and own. Rides great, quiet. May look to replace the TourX one of these days when GM finally gets those new 3 rows to the market. Our last three vacations, we've rented Pacificas also. The front drivers pull amazing highway mpg when your doing interstate driving. Have still had interest in the plug in version.....I think they still have teething issues with them, but also..they are heavy due to the battery and you lose stow n Go as well as all wheel drive. I was interested in test driving a Sienna hybrid, but you can never find one on a lot. Plus, the Sienna interior is ghastly.

Recent oil change again. Sitting at about 43,000 miles now. The dealership has a great car wash!

The CT4-V blackwing uses the 3.6 twin turbo v6