regfootball

Congrats. Nice rig.

nice write up!

I think Drew's right, this market segment will be so big it will be enough to support all the entries. Also right is the notion that cars are getting so expensive and little rides like this being 25-30+ is a little outrageous, but that is the market. These things will sell because they are actually some of the cheapest cars to get new yet. A Trax ought not be 28k in the showroom, that's even a hard pill to swallow for an Equinox. Really love everyone's findings and take on this rig so far. Great to hear. I hope to get a chance to test drive one this week.

great writeup, thanks! I drove a turbo Malibu once, and it handled well, the turbo four had torque steer but had some nuts. Our van has the Chrysler Pentastar that is the same in the 200 and it is a good motor although it could use more torque. No wonder the 200 seemed to fun to drive. I wonder if over time we might see v6's come back for some folks. The mfrs have done as much as they can to make the 4 poppers smooth, but a v6 still ends up being smoother most of the time.

Motor Trend has been wrong before. Cadillac should be sure to pump up their available crossovers to sell in bunches to enable them the cash to make cars like the ATS-V+. I am sick of seeing the roads full of Audi Q's and Merc and BMW bim and buffy machines that pad their bottom lines to allow them to spend so much money making cool sedans and coupes.

HIGHS: Sexy looks Price and value at this trim level Surprised that I liked the improved interior Six cylinders came standard GIRTHY wide cabin and comfortable seats Ride wasn't bonecrushing punishing at least Nice view out the front and good side mirror visibility (despite the squashed roof) Roof did feel squashed but not as severe as I feared Not quiet inside, but not excessively loud. Cupholders, nice setup LOWS Shifter a bit notchy. I would not get this car with a stick.....stick...with the automatic Hard to drive smoothly (unless you own the car for a few weeks first I imagine) Lots of business and effort to just get it to drive smoothly. Engine sound not anything to write home about, and not terribly refined. Can the parking brake lever BE any bigger or look any cheaper Front end felt heavy, didn't feel greatly balanced, FWD cars feel better Whole car felt big and heavy actually Suspension nothing to write home about, nor was steering I get it's not a luxury car, it just felt unrefined and slapped together like old school GM Even still, the bunker feel would get old Hardly any trunk This v6 manual version is enough of a turd, it really makes you understand this car needs a v8 to tap its character. Car would suck as a daily driver SUMMARY I thought with good deals on 15 Camaros I would check one out. We know the car will be changed a great deal when the new ones come out. I was checking to see if that made it a great buy now. I would not waste any time on the LS manual. I really do believe an automatic may have made the big difference here, probably enough to transform the car (I have never much liked the GM 3.6 anyways). The v6 is nothing to write home about and the driving experience did not do anything for me. Otherwise, I was surprised that the interior did not turn me off so much. The low roof and small glass did annoy me but not as much as i had feared. The car felt cobbled together and old. The supposed refinement of the 2016 version is therefore probably well worth the wait. A friend who has rented Camaros at the airport on business before had said as much about the car. Lets hope the 16 model brings big improvements in drive and refinement all around and makes the car more than just a pretty face. C-

despite all the bad from GM here, make no mistake, this is another instance of the Dept Of Justice looking for any reason to swing a bigger axe. This has probably been enflamed as much to make a federal agency look valuable as much as anything.

I took an Impala 2.4 Eco for a spin yesterday. I was curious as I had not driven any GM cars with E Assist yet. And it seems to have the greatest benefit on a car like the Impala. The system I thought was fairly unobtrusive, however, the whole thing when the engine shuts off actually puts you in a sense of 'this no engine sound is eerie and creepy", of course you would expect no noise in a full electric. This really sort of makes me remember my old true hybrid test drives too. The whole thing of 'when is my engine on and when is it not'. I will say this, for what EAssist was engineered to do and how it works, I think it seemed to work well. Despite the loss of trunk space etc. On the Impala the trunk is large enough to offset what is lost where the LaCrosse is not. As just a 4 cylinder version of the Impala, it overall had its powertrain better sorted out than the base 2.5. Definitely not a speed demon on the on ramp or in roll on passing, the 2.4 was smooth in the stoplight to stoplight in town environment. I can't figure out why the 2.5 is so unsorted on the Malibu and Impala. The 2.4 Eco for most people would probably be just fine. Yes, the 3.6 is faster and smoother, but it's not a vast divide in usefulness. The EAssist actually has some real tangible fuel economy returns. For a car this big to be as comfortable and get the mpg it promises is something. So what gives, why did GM kill it, and why did eAssist get panned? I would imagine when it comes down to it, the cost of the system, and the notion of 'this is a good 4 cylinder powertrain, but why does it need all that extra junk'? Makes me wonder why there is not a highly refined, simple 4 cylinder powertrain that can propel a car like this with good performance, and get the same mpg without all the 'junk'? The salesguy said people were saying the v6 Impala gets about 18 mpg in town. My van gets that. The prospect of a car the size of the Impala touching 30 mpg mixed driving would be the sort of thing that could keep the sedan market healthy. V6's won't return that mpg. Neither will turbos if you lay on the gas. I still think the notion of hybrids and start stops makes people believe the car is complicated. A diesel would be fantastic in this car.....if no diesel than Chevy needs to do some serious work to get the proper 4 cylinder powertrain in this car. I know the weight of this car hurts it, but they need to develop the 2.5 to get some refinement, mpg, etc. that would make the 4 cylinder a real option for many. BTW the 2.4 eco cruised at about 1700 rpm at 70 mph. No wonder it would get good mpg highway. I could not find how to bring up the instant mpg to tell what it was getting. I am on the fence on whether i would live the 2.4 Eco......it is pretty good but leaves you wanting just a bit.......yes if the price were low enough.. it should not be an extra cost deal.........I found myself asking why there is not a really sweet 4 cylinder setup in this car.

I am not sure why there has to be such an extreme to create a big expensive trim level when a lot of folks who want a cool fast ride just want more power, maybe better steering and suspension / wheels, and maybe even a sunroof. Maybe instead of the RS trim being just body tack ons, it could have an engine upgrade. Most simply, how about a bare Cruze, with a lone engine option for a 1.8t or 2.0t. Then, a wheel / tire package to some nicer 18's and tires that are decent (not top of the line). Maybe 4 wheel discs. then, offer the MT as an option. Then have a bundle package for discounts on addition of moonroof and high end sound on the stereo. Maybe a power seat is in there. I don't think we have to create a full SS if we take say the LT and just give it a couple options, which are mostly for an engine upgrade. I've always thought cars like the Cruze were worthy of a limited production, manual transmission specific package which not be a full bore performance model, but just some moderate upgrades to the plebian models of which they are twin.

Focus ST is a fantastic car but at some point it crowds price points of other cars (like say for example base Camaro or an LT vs. a Focus ST). Also the key demographic for such cars has been broke (millenialz and younger set) for awhile now. They car barely scrape the cash for a Sonic. If they hit the jackpot, then they want to go right to the 3 series or Merc CLA. I do think the 3 door Astra OPC would be a fantastic addition to the Buick lineup here.

we wax about why Cadillac's sales are down and think it's because of a whole bunch of things, but really its because they have no crossovers, Jaguar is even starting to put more into crossovers now than sedans. Sedans have become what coupes used to be, 'impractical sports cars'. So many markets are female driven, that's why crossovers have taken over the auto market too.

ATS= fix Cue, fix pricing and packages, new dash but most importantly, give the car some leg room in the back. The ATS-L body should become the ATS sedan. American lux car intenders have always wanted some room in their car and the ATS doesn't have enough and it would improve sales if it did.

55-60 MSRP would have been fine. The interior is gorgeous as is the exterior. Based on style alone, it would have sold alright out of the box marketed that way.

I like that the Camaro does not have a huge front end overhang. It's very athletic looking that way. New Mustang still has a sort of big looking overbite in comparison.

The mustang loses the styling battle it looks like ass in comparison

Word!

Perfection. We should be all glad this car exists in the age of electrics and driverless cars. I love this car inside and out. It's bold where the mustang is flaccid. Go GM! This would be an awesome daily driver. Spread the word! This is the new age of the muscle car. Want mpg? U got it. Want to shred tires? You got it. Be glad this exists in the governmental environment we have. GM is hitting it out of the park. Malibu, Volt, Cruze, now this. Spread the word! I even love the Lexus/toyota like interior. This should bring in some Asian Car fans too.

nice write up.

i loved that one. Transit SHO lol

agree with Drew here. Buick can do both, within reason. That 2011 Regal manual I test drove a few weeks ago was just about perfect for me. Fairly quite and nice riding, but not a floater. Still very luxurious. Regal is the best car for it. One that car is redone, lightened etc., it will improve in the market i think. Its not marketed now, and its tight in the rear seat, but the car is a nice size for between small and barge. Adjustable suspensions is one way a lux car maker can do both, cush and sport. I wonder if Cadillacs new rep as drivers cars is taking away from their old cush rep, and affecting their sales.

maybe we are on the dawn of a time where many car model lines get plug in hybrid options.

current Cruze is a classic chevy design and might be the best received Chevy design this decade. However, it was looking dated. This follows up on it, leaves a more laid back look for something cab forwardy (which I hope is coming back). It brings in a futuristic look on the same platform and guts mainly which is amazing. It manages to look American and yet comparable to Asian cars at the same time (like the Civic most particularly). This helps Chevy win over new buyers, particularly Asian intenders. The car also has a youthful look, so will lure in younger buyers as well. If you look at the Volt interior, the Cruze interior will be very close to that also. Its a home run inside and out. With good looks inside and out, new tech and powertrains, more space, this should be a good seller for Chevy. They will overprice it though, and not produce enough for launch plus the existing Cruze will continue...so all that will conspire for a typically slow botched GM car launch. Real curious to see if the diesel actually carries over. If it does, i bet it will hit 50 mpg rating. Fantastic strategy to bring the Cruze and Volt together. Now the Volt is basically a Cruze hatch. Maybe the Cruze will get a hatch option. The grennhouse design of the new Cruze would easily adapt to a coupe (2 door, ahem) as well without much fuss. I think they should bring the 2 door to market too.

here's that review http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2015-jeep-renegade-sport-4x4-14t-manual-test-review dealer i bought my cobalt from sent email about 1,000 down, 99 dollar a month lease deals on chevy trax LS FWD, wonder if they want to keep selling units before this renegade gets too popular

Regal is a better car than it gets credit for. motor trend gave the 14's great accolades. If you are willing to look at used, there are a lot of great prices on lightly used 2014 Regals...........

In that eassist on buicks thread i started in Buick forum, this was what i posted I am not convinced all these regals are being 'traded in'. I did recongnize there were a buttload of 2014 regals for good deals, but i bet they were fleet vehicles or otherwise dealer vehicles that were titled and then turned used. I can't help but think there is a sub story behind this. The Regal is a good vehicle and the only thing i can think is some old farts bought Regals thinking they were floaters and then found out they were not and maybe wanted the bigger backseat of the lacrosse too. GM prob built a whole batch of 14 regals non turbo for fleets only and those are the used regals we see being 'traded in'. a few turbos in the mix too.