regfootball

why can't they do both. take risk and invest for the innovation. don't skim the R&D money off the successful products and not put it back into the big sellers. what is GM's payoff for dumping all this money of R&D into autonomous and electric? are they just doing this out of the kindness of their heart or did the government hold them ransom to do this? Or is it for PR reasons? Infuriates me that all this money going into electrics and autonomous and no one can say when in the future i can stop anywhere on the highways, plug in my car for 3 minutes, and fully charge to 300 mile range (that doesn't die in cold weather). Until that day is known, GM still has to put full effort into their ICE cars and make them competitive. Just now we'll get chevy blazer for example. where ford edge and murano have been around forever.

i love how GM is taking the profits and not putting them back into products to serve the market now, they are throwing the money for stuff people want to buy out the window at automation and electrification.

yes, this is a great platform for all the products mentioned above, but i guess FCA doesn't want to make any of them! Just starve Dodge and Chrysler and spend more on Fiat and AR. Chrysler really needs an Enclave type vehicle, and also a Ford Edge type vehicle. Dodge could use a Journey replacement. Chrysler certainly could do a 300 replacement off this. They could always continue to noodle the Charger on the platform it is on for those that like that.

DRIVEN: 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe SEL 2.4 AWD and 2.0t Limited AWD HIGHS: -Pleasant new shape, and a new larger size. Not a tweener anymore. -Value for the dollar. Sticker prices comparable to Equinox / Terrain in a much larger package. Lots of standard safety equipment that is not yet standard in even near lux or lux makes. -Nice space inside, both rows, Nice cabin width, ample leg room, nice driving position with really comfortable seats, even the back seats comfortable. Super hot heated seats. -Not a luxury interior but nice fresh design, and some interesting new materials for non-luxury. Dash plastic is nice, door plastic decent, even the fake wood in the SEL trim, even though its obviously fake, is unique and interesting; blends in to the overall level of design nicely. Fresh and interesting looking seat cloth which looks nicer than a lot of other competitors average seat cloth these days. Some of the roof / liner material simulates a linen and is a nice change from the normal stuff you see from everyone else. Excellent and precise fit of interior dash and panel pieces. -Nicely effective center stack and gauge layout. Maybe too simple for some, but very easy to use and identify. Gauge / display are crisp and look good when lit in blue. Touchscreen in a nice spot up high. -Sport drive mode is available and actually is a noticeable change in engine shift points and aggressiveness. -Nice size cargo area, very usable. Seats easily can fold down when at the passenger door. -Steering wasn't objectionable. The average consumer would be good with it. -Turbo 2.0 engine is fairly pleasing in noise and smoothness. While not much quicker seemingly than the 2.4, it does feel like a choice most owners would be far more happy with over the life of a lease or payment book. LOWS: -Lane keep assist is too damn determined to keep you in the lane; it's very aggressive to point of being creepy. Makes me concerned how well Hyundai does the safety systems in terms of reliability and proper functioning. -Really hated how the gauge lighting changed to Pontiac Excitement! red when you selected the sport drive mode. -Touchscreen is pretty small by today's standards.... it could stand to be angled up a little more to the eye, too, actually. -Even with as decent as the interior is, it clearly remains a non luxury / non aspirational interior. -2.4 engine is spunky, but pretty noisy and maybe average smoothness or below at best. In combination with a power sapping all wheel drive, it's not an endearing powertrain combo. It takes a lot of coaxing to get decent motion out of it. -2.0 engine as mentioned above is better, and is smoother overall. The issue with the 2.0 and AWD combo is that it maybe isn't as much faster than the 2.4 that it should be. I almost think they should make the 2.0t standard on all trims but the base trim. And they should try to get more tune of the 2.0 if they can. In both cases, overall, the powertrains just don't feel anything besides average or a below average in overall feel and performance. -I mentioned creepy above, in fact at the end of the day there is just an overall little bit of a creepy feel to each Hyundai I drive and this has that in spades as well. Something that is slightly unfinished and unpolished about it. But maybe it's because I am so used to driving domestic vehicles that Hyundai just feels weird each time. Sort of like, this is reverse engineered greatly sort of feel. SUMMARY: Perfectly pleasing and a more than adequate for most of Hyundai's buyer base.....those who want cheap payments, easy credit, value, good list of standard safety features, and lots of warranty. It's hard to know where this sits compared to Hondas and Toyotas etc. The size upgrade to the Sante Fe really makes it a good 'value' choice vs. a Ford Edge, for example, although I am guessing i would much prefer the Edge each time. The SF is definitely no longer a tweener you'd compare to something in the compact SUV class. The perfectly acceptable interior and the space it affords will also be seen as a plus among buyers. Drivers seeking class leading driving dynamics may not go for the Santa Fe, but those who don't really care will be absolutely fine with how it drives. It's what I call a B, scoring lots of points for value and being appealing to a wide buyer base, and having lots of space. There are many of those buyers out there. But be sure to look at other choices, many of which would be a more satisfying rig overall. the Santa Fe is still nothing aspirational for sure. It's nothing that is a great disappointment though, either.

these seats look sweet these not so much is it vinyl or leather wow can they even do some stitching maybe? will that glossy black plastic be what ends up in the CT5???

it looks like its probably better than this recycled garbage can black shiny plastic with 5 cent vinyl pouch the seats on the CT6 are stitched nice. give em credit for that. Can't find nice seat finish on many ATS and CTS

Whoa! Maybe T-bar shifters are gonna become cool again!!! Admittedly GM always took a rap from the buff books for them

yes, Pontiac had its own G 3 series. EXCITEMENT

https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2018/12/genesis-the-brand-that-barely-exists-in-sales-slow-ascent/ https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2018/07/genesis-hits-the-partial-reset-button-as-it-awaits-2019-models/ this explains some of what is going on.

it seems you have to get a platinum or V series to get something with better materials (ie anything you'd consider luxury). Cadillac has never really done great detailing or super precise assembly and gap quality. But in particular, base and lower trim Cadillacs don't really have anything greatly exceeding low and mid level brands as far as leather and plastics quality, etc. one example is the plastic seatbacks on the CT6. that's not even hyundai quality and they trim their interiors with lots of that stuff. the bar keeps increasing on interiors, interiors has never been anything Cadillac has beaten the competition in, and they seem to be losing ground to more and more competitors

So Jeep is pricing their cars like GM.... "keep jacking up the price"

where are the FINS??? BLADES?

there is a limit to how much you can price a wrangler. due it being not luxury

OMG WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE????

ah, i knew this would get some responses. i will say this, yes it's still a hyundai. but it's not as fauxly done as the older Genesis. This new one looks better, so Hyundai is doing a better job on the presentation. When i said it looks like an Infinity or Alfa Romeo, i should have said it looks like them but actually comes off looking better than both. And then there is those fringe low volume marques like Jaguar.... some of the parts of their product look polished and well manufactured, and then there are parts of their assembly that can look imprecise. The assembly fit quality of the G70 looks improved over the other Genesis and the fit quality over looks like it may be quite good. at 43 grand for an all wheel drive 250hp, with huge moonroof and some other nice bits, come on, even the BMW's look like cheap shit inside. It's not original design on the outside either, i get that, but nor is it a huge out there mistake. A BMW 3 series can look like an econocar when specced at a certain price. And if that is the case, this Genesis may look better in comparison. Imagine how foolish Cadillac will look if the new CT5 is complete trash, particularly the interior. If the Hyundai looks better than the Cadillac then really Cadillac may be on life support.

https://www.automobilemag.com/news/2018-volkswagen-atlas-2-0t-se-review-one-week/ https://www.ellsworthamerican.com/living/auto-reviews/on-the-road-review-vw-atlas-2-0t/ https://www.cars.com/articles/2018-volkswagen-atlas-20t-quick-spin-does-it-really-need-a-v-6-1420698468737/

For comparison, see my previous review of the Atlas 3.6 SE here DRIVEN: 2018 Volkswagen Atlas 2.0t S FWD, $32,030 HIGHS: A conservative, butch, truckish shape that works well for the large 3 row crossover segment, on VW's first honest try. A+ on vehicle packaging. Considering the physical size, and usage of space; 3 spacious rows, usable cargo, great seating options (still applies). Very easy to get in and out of. Second row slides forward and backward. Genius how it can tilt forward for good access to third row, which can have real leg room for adults when all three rows are set up well. (still applies) Seating height in second row and leg and foot space is fine even for large Murchan midwestern men. Second row is wide, too. 7 out to lunch, no problem (still applies). So much room inside and packaged well. WIDE ARMREST! ELBOW ROOM! Large windows and great visibility coupled with a just right stance and driving position. Center console is big and wide, despite wide seats, no loss of leg space due to console (CX-9 please take notes). (STILL APPLIES). So nice and airy inside. Reminds me of the old Mitsubishi Endeavor but with a third row. Interior in Titan Black cloth is quite plain, but at the same time, it is plain done ok, and functionally its simple and well laid out, when it's at this price point. At higher trims and price points, yes, let's second guess it a bit. Lots less bulk than the v6. And the steering is just a delight for this kind of vehicle. Just about perfect quickness on the rack, and you can actually feel things through the wheel. Plus, it feels light for it's size. Still doesn't feel totally like a sedan, but the 2.0 is among the lighter feeling large SUV's. It might be the only one in its class to actually be enjoyable to PILOT. See what i did there? Why does this seem to drive entirely different than the v6 version? Nice brakes, great feel. Autostop can be turned off. This is becoming more common. YAY The 2.0 actually has some scoot. And it can either be nice and smooth on the highway at cruising speed, or rather vocal and gnarly sounding if you lean on it. Like your spouse, it's growly when you first wake it up, but if you back off and be nice to it, it settles in and is easy going and agreeable. Transmission will kick down if you ask it too without much delay. When it settles in at cruise speeds its not all that strained. And it's fairly quiet inside. LOWS: Ride can be a bit bouncy sometimes. Sort of antithetical to the sharp steering. See gnarly powertrain comments above. It does suck that for as basically decent as the powertrain is, if it wasn't growly and a bit smoother this package would really be a rock star. S model does not have keyless access and start. Having to stick a key in a lock and turn it, that is a bygone era. For that reason alone, and the lack of blind spot monitors, i would need to go to the next trim. And with that comes leatherette, too. BOOYAH SUMMARY: While the four cylinder 2.0 S model is very different in character vs. the more trimmed up 3.6 v6 versions, it still does the main parts the same. Functional, roomy, efficient, comfortable, easy to see out of, etc. Some folks don't need or want the added weight and drag of AWD (ironic I say this as a new winter storm is dumping inches of the white stuff as we speak). Having the less expensive, less trimmed front drive only version, done decently like it is here just allows some customers to move up easier from the compact SUV class for more room with less $$$, and have something enjoyable to drive for the price too. While the powertrain performs better than expected, I knock it a bit for it's added growlyness. If VW could retune that sound a bit to something enjoyable, and add keyless to the 'S' trim are the most notable flaws, that's not much to nitpick. Rather strange, between this, and the new Tiguan, I am beginning to like some VW's again. This was surprisingly delightful, for what it is. A-

Damn if it's not a good looking car. In the flesh. Sort of an Alfa Romeo / Infinity cross up, but they did a nice job with it (at 43k with LOTS of stuff on it). Interior was locked but to be honest the inside of it looked surprisingly good as well. Lots of surface development and good basic layout. Strangely, the rear seat bottom is very deep, so there will be more leg room back there than meets the eye. There is some Korea faux German finishes and switchgear in there you can detect through the glass, but still, why is this a nicer interior than in most Cadillacs? Knowing that anyone with a beating heart and chromosomes can get credit on a Hyundai, they well sell many of them. In fact, sales dude told me first 12 they got were gone within the month. And yet Cadillacs can often sit for 12-24 months on the lot sometimes. I tend to think Motor Trend got a lot of ad revenue for naming this car, car of the year. MT and C/D seem to be pushing a lot of positive Hyundai and Kia articles lately. But also at face value, this car as it is has a nice account for itself in the showroom. I think it shows nicer than a Lexus or Infinity and seems like it could sit in the company of a German car too. Hyundai evidently can build and market an entry luxe car and people are lining up for one. Should be telling to see if the new Cadillac CT5 is a market dud when that comes out. Will be hard to find one of these G70's for a test drive for awhile I am afraid.....

“Aluminum hardening”. Lol let’s see if it’s durable when it comes out.

i'm not 100% sure, but i believe you can turn off those things, at least the cross path warnings.

it is the sort of thing that reinforces a deserved or undeserved stereotype. Hyundai wants to be a big boy with a new Genesis G70 and get awards, etc. they have to get by this just like GM would if it were them.

i don't think diesel is what people look to in a Sante Fe so this makes sense. Bigger question is Hyundai already has two underperforming motors in this otherwise nice new model. Why do a third motor with limited consumer benefit when the optional turbo upgrade engine in a newly redesigned model is called out as underpowered and unrefined?

Since the CT6 may end up being sourced from China if it stays, it would be a direct result of what this tariff ends up as. I also believe the future fate of a Buick Envision and Enspire depend on this. If the tariff stays low I bet we see a redesigned Envision, and an all new Enspire like the concept.

i think there is actually a contract with PSA on how long they supply Regals to the US. They can always cancel a contract, sure. It is clear that GM has no interest in marketing or pricing and packaging the Regal to actually succeed.

Acura could get by with one sedan. Old TL sized. No one will miss the ILX or RLX.