regfootball

I signed up for an 'electric car test drive event'. I go, thinking Volts, Bolts, and Teslas would be available to drive (also the Pacifica hybrid). Well, there were no Chevy's there. And the only Tesla was a Model 3, which i sat in for awhile. Separate thread. No other Teslas. Wouldn't let anyone drive the Pacifica. Since they had a new Leaf, i took that for a spin. HIGHS The current Leaf is a nice, stylish, space efficient wrapper. I so wish more hatchbacks were like this, tall, without a tumbling roof in the back. So nice and roomy inside because of it. Comfy seats, particularly with the nice leather. Nice driving position. Easy to see out of. Electric drive does what it supposed to. Quiet propulsion and pleasing torque. I didn't have any issues with ride or handling though the test drive was short. I would say that makes this a great commuter car whatever the range. LOWS Some of the interior layout and design still smells from the Renault gene pool, and it's mixed with those bland goofy Japanese car genes too. And it's trying to be a goofy electric car inside yet some too. So the dash design still says 'hybrid' and could stand a more attractive and functional layout on the center stack. Plus the console is a big leg knocker. These electric car promotion events need to start to lose all the hippies and really try to become mainstream events. The mass market will not come until the cars become less hybrid looking, and so also electric cars need to shed the hipsters / hippies on the front lines of promotions. SUMMARY I would love a Volt or Bolt, but the Volt is so cramped. The Leaf is not. After many years of improvements, the Leaf is a good car to my eyes (range not considered here). The deal breaker for me is the sort of weird interior bits. The rest of the interior is not bad, so the parts of the dash they mucked up really disappoints. But maybe I just haven't been in many Nissans lately either. Overall I would say good job, keep working on the range, and please redo the dash a bit.

Let me get to the point. A short 1 mile ride of the Outlander hybrid. The Outlander is past due, the hybrid powertrain didn't make any sort of impression on me otherwise. If the powertrain is advanced, this needs a new wrapper. thanks,

I took a Sportback 2.0 Preferred FWD out for another spin.. I think by now I am thinking more clearly on what this car is about. The engine and tranny performed better and feels decently fast but it did not feel 'sporting'. For the base model that's ok, sure...i guess i get it. I can't wait to see if the new 2.0 in the Cadillac feels more lively. The ride and steering and handling are numb, particularly on the base tire and wheel package. They are not bad, because it's decently quiet and the ride is 'good'. The car feels less agile and less sporting than my regular platform mate Malibu. There is no sense of "game on" with the chassis on this car. The suspension almost can feel a bit floaty at times and the steering is easy to turn but kinda mushy. I don't think this is a different observation than the buff books have been saying. The interior criticisms in the press are about right. It's ok but does have cheapness relative to its higher pricing. IMO it would only take a little bit more with the interior to make it near lux like it should be. All the above said, I still like the packaging. The room and space, the seating position, the nice integration of the hatchback. I love the package. With the hatch though, a power hatch will be needed. In fact, sales guy seemed to think they may be adding that in a year ...... They better, it's a near lux brand and the hatch is very wieldly. This one had a moonroof, and it helps brighten the interior. On the sportback it is so small of roof panel but it is better than nothing. This Preferred I didn't have heated seats or steering wheel. It is beyond idiotic that the Preferred II with cloth seats has standard heated steering wheel, but it doesn't have heated seats. I like the car and it is low key and comfortable, but there is a missed opportunity here. This would be fantastic to offer a sport handling package on the more base level cars and it would really I think draw in the younger buyers it was intended to. The car sort of telegraphs an attitude, compared to the other Buick vehicles like the LaCrosse and Envision. It would help this model stand out and get some young buyers to the brand. I would go one further and suggest whatever new 2.0 is going in the Cadillacs be put in this (although since the Opel sale I suppose that wouldn't happen). I'd even be interested in seeing a v6 / FWD combo in a lesser trim. The GS v6 should be a twin turbo six. I have some thoughts coming up soon on how much I think Buick's option packaging for the Regal sucks. Overall I can't really bash the car, and I like it, I may get one down the road. But I think there is plenty of ways to make it better, the best place to fix it quick is ride and handling option package. I still want to try a GS someday too.

First off, i hope for the best for Sergio and his family. Manley seems well qualified to assume this role. I hope the transition goes ok, down the road, I wonder if this alters the course FCA seems to be on with regards to starving Chrysler and Dodge.

getting more used to this, and as usual, its a Honda it will sell a bunch. i like the Traverse / Enclave myself.

20 more years

I would get one over a Camry. And its an ok choice and not bad. But if I look at 2019 models, I would get a Malibu, Fusion, Accord, Mazda6, Altima, maybe even Passat before this. Hyundai's draw is easy credit and bigger warranties. If we look at Hyundai's development long term, its that they are fully accepted as a mainstream middle of the road vanilla device, so their cars don't look out of place and have no big flaws. If they continue to prove out as reliable as the mean average, which they likely are, then over time they wipe away any stigma of being cheaper end. All they want is to be mainstream and volume and each successive year they just perform to mainstream market factors is just the greater chance they survive and can over time leverage more and more their corporate advantages....cheaper to develop and build vehicles than some other more established makers. When the thinning of the auto herd happens again, Hyundai will likely be one of the 5-7 automakers / brands that survives. That's why volume and market share matter as much as profitability per unit.

May need to try one of these again soon, the 2.0... and give it some more deliberation....

DRIVEN 2016 Buick Envision Premium I 2.0t AWD 15k miles HIGHS -One of the more favorable impressions of me with the oft used 2.0t in a GM vehicle. A very strong point on this vehicle. It fit the character of the vehicle well. Smooth, nice power and torque, and tranny behaved well. It sort of changed my impression of that powertrain as it seemed to fit here better as opposed to being in a 'sport sedan'. -Comfy seats (with nice leather and design), this is supposed to be what Buick is for. And feels very solid. -Quiet cabin, this is supposed to be what Buick is for. -Supple ride and very smooth steering, this is supposed to be what Buick is for. One of the better riding and steering GM vehicles I have driven in the last few years. -Leg and head room is generous in front and rear rows, this is supposed to be what Buick is for -As far as interior fit and design, I thought the door panels were finished nicely, and I LOVED the armrest and the way it opened. I loved the lower part of the dash with the climate controls, with its actual easy to use buttons. -Tidy size crossover size that is successful for the Equinox means a nicely usable trunk area as you would expect in the compact SUV class. -Rides high like CUV's are supposed to, but lots of glass area to see out of. -A tangible difference in feel vs. its internal GM competition, the Terrain and the Equinox. -To drive one by choice is a great way to come out to the world that you are on the doorstep of AARP member availability. LOWS -Styling was dated in 2016 already, looked like a 2012 vehicle. The 2019 updates are welcome but it still looks dated. -Windows are large but the whole vehicle rides high. Someone like my mom, smaller and older, may have a hard time seeing vehicles and things lower than the windows as they are. This could be a comment about a lot of higher riding CUV's in general I guess. You just need to set your mirrors well. -Like the Equinox and Terrain, it feels a bit narrow at time in the front row to my larger corn fed bod. I know it's a compact, but some of the other compacts feel wider. -OK, yes, it feels solid, but it also feels a bit porky. I have to see what the curb weight is. -What is it with GM and its 'angel of death' black interiors? Seriously GM, SO MUCH BLACK! (and not good on a 90 degree day). The monotony of darkness may force you to off yourself. -Area below cargo load floor is not seemingly well used. Especially if yours doesn't come with a spare. I think they could lower the floor of the trunk some a package it better. -This may seem petty, but honestly, the rest of the cabin is nice... but the upper part of the dash is on the cusp of being a true deal breaker. The AWFUL and DISASTROUS swaths of plastic forest.. otherwise known as PLOOD. REALLY? Wow, so fake, and so large, and so TERRIBLE. And stop it with the strange angle of the cheap looking touchscreen oriented towards the driver. By simply redesigning just the upper portion of the center of the dash to something with symmetry and exorcising swaths of PLOOD would go a long way to fixing the sole things that are revolting about the interior of this vehicle. These also happen to be the parts of the interior you see the most. Honestly. DEAL BREAKER.. damn near. This could easily be the worst application of fake wood in the auto industry today. -Do they REALLY have to make them in China? And make them look like they are from China? -Can you use 87 octane....... or is premium required..... -Laughable pricing and packaging, although this is getting sorted out in each successive year, and as we all know, its for padding the price for all the huge GM incentives we love. Every once in a while though, you wonder if they would sell even better and maybe even more profitably if they got the prices set up right for the market in the MSRP and not rely so much on the incentives. And does it price itself out of its market if it can't compete in the luxury pricing tiers? SUMMARY I mean, really overall this a pretty nice vehicle for a compact CUV and so its sort of a "Is this competing with Acura, Mercedes, and Audi or is it competing with more Expensive Escapes and CRv's?". So you'll probably argue one or the other of those. I mean, if you hump German cars of course you won't give much cred to a Chevy Equinox stablemate. If you like a tinny RAV4 or CRv the Envision will feel luxurious. How does it line up to the Compass and Cherokee? I decided to simply evaluate it as a Buick. Before I drove it, I was skeptical as to whether the Envision felt solid, and was comfortable and quiet, and steered and rode well. In that aspect it surprised me, and did well. Along with a strong and inobtrusive powertrain, were my strongest impressions. The 2012 styling is a demerit. The terrible upper dashboard ruined what is otherwise a stong impression of the overall cabin. And ruins it enough to make me pause and wonder if I'd dislike it so much if I owned it that i would regret buying it. The answer could very well be yes. Or not. It's so on the line...... There are SO many other choices out there. This is a surprisingly good vehicle that deserves punishment for the interior mistakes. I'll give it a B or B+ but GM fans, know that this would be a pleasing vehicle for you, if you can live with the horrible PLOOD and other bipolar interior mistakes. And that is also considering whether or not you take issue with where it is built. Just for the record, nothing about the vehicle (ok, apart from the styling) tipped me off that it was built in China / Korea / Mexico and not MUHRICA .

previous review of a 2013 Encore by me here DRIVEN 2017 Buick Encore Essence AWD Leather 1.4t (about 7k miles) HIGHS Still has distinct and snazzy styling. Interior updates made a nice interior even nicer, despite random cheaper plastics. retains the popular crossover friendly seat height and step in. Still a good view all around. No cabin claustrophobia here. Still greatly manueverable and parkable. Still a very good amount of room inside in the passenger compartment (GM does not typically package interior space real effectively for every vehicle) Reasonably quite inside, thanks to Quiet Tuning. Decently quiet while cruising. Driver's seat felt great to this big bod and the armrest was comfy. The seats in my Malibu suck so these were a treat. Overall for a crossover nice driving position. Rear accommodations surprisingly effective too. Just enough powertrain to get by? Some may sign off on that statement (let's debate that below....) LOWS From 2013.... "This base 138hp 1.4 is not the right engine....it's adequate for a bare minimum"..... Sometimes it is smooth and other times it exposes itself as economy. Powertrain lacks some smoothness AT TIMES and lets a little too much noise and vibration into the cabin, mostly while stopped at the stoplight. I would enjoy 2 extra inches of girth. Just sayin...... The climate control buttons were a bit small and cramped and seem like they would take a bit of study to get used to using. Memory seat on driver's side. But no power recline. That is equally as stupid as the heated steering wheel without heated seats on the Regal Sportback Preferred II. 2013 compliant again, ..."Why can't we have a Chevy equivalent? This would sell 100k units a year easy." WAS I RIGHT????? 2013 comment again, ... "At this price, the lower end Escapes look really good." And now there is way more competitors as well. SUMMARY Below is my summary from the 2013 review I did..... I have to compliment GM, the ATS i drove last week and this Encore, both very good vehicles through and through. Both a bit shy on grunt but still despite that very satisfying and well focused vehicles. The Encore is tapping basically a new segment, one that has huge potential. In my short sales experience, I found out how many people wanted a small crossover type vehicle. They wanted something smaller, easy to drive and park, something they could see out of easily and sit up high and see the road....but not something so huge they felt out of control or intimidated. Something that was easy to get in and out of, and something that they could occasionally fold the seat down in the back and carry a big box or two. No one's really tried too hard at doing that yet in this size. But the market is there and this really is about as close to hitting the bullseye as you can get. This is sort of the template for this kind of vehicle in my mind. The only thing GM has missed the boat on initially with this vehicle is lack of engine spunk, and some lack of driving feel and excitement. My only other reservation is the price. As good as the Encore is at a basic level, it's just pricey IMO. 31 grand and still no AWD....2-3 grand too high I think. Until they up the power and make it a little more interesting to drive. Despite marketing this vehicle to younger folks, I think this vehicle might acquire the rep of a geriatric's ride. Maybe that's ok....but I do see more than a handful of old timers driving Veranos too. Maybe that means Buick is attracting new fans in addition to keeping some of it's old ones. Functionally everyday, the lack of power is probably the only thing most of the buyers of this vehicle will have remorse about after a purchase. A bit of finessing of some NVH and powertrain and keeping an eye on the price / value relationship, and managing sales volume and market pricing will be key for this vehicle. I'd be rushing a 1.6t or 1.8t to this thing pronto. Even a diesel might do the trick in this thing. I am pretty tempted to give it an A for what they did do on this thing. But when i consider the slightly ambitious pricing and all the alternatives out there I stick on a B+. The higher price will limit the volume of sales to those who really are looking for a premium crossover in a smaller package. Me, I'd try to stick to a more basic Escape or Outlander Sport and save a bunch of dough. The Buick does feel more premium though, that is for sure. The underlying issue is why the Trax is not hitting the market. GM really should not be excused of that question. How'd I do before? ^^^^^ What is surprising to me is that despite all the new competition, the Encore still seems to be to be a desirable type of vehicle; to me it is still an attractive entry. However, despite the recent styling and interior tweaks (both extremely successful and attractive) the powertrain department should have received a bit more attention. I say this full well knowing there is another upgraded 1.4t available, which i have not driven. I guess I would counter by saying perhaps they should have used the 1.5t from the GMC Terrain and Equinox as the optional motor. So perhaps I will test drive another Encore with the upgraded 1.4. I think a little more cabin width / luxury and stronger and smoother powertrain are really the only things apart from fixing the incentively padded pricing that Buick could tend to and reap a benefit from. And so for the next version of this vehicle which may arrive in a year or two, if they can simply keep the things that make this vehicle a success and just improve on those things (and even possibly a slightly nicer cabin), I still see this as a viable entry for the Buick showroom. I drove an Envision for the first time right before this, and I can say honestly they are two different vehicles and each is desirable in its own way. So I wish to see Buick improve the Encore, and I believe it will still be a huge part of Buick continuing on into the future. If they just make the right improvements.

I do really think, like the previous SRX, Cadillac has a hit in spades with the XT5. I have been researching previous SRX for my mother, it seems those had a lot of issues. I hope the XT5 is solid in the reliability department. This is packaged like the Ford Edge, but is nicer (probably like the MKx). This type and size of crossover is the modern day large sedan with the amount of utility people want and consider luxury. There really is no limit to how many of these Cadillac can sell depending on how exclusive they want to make them. I would enjoy a V model of the XT5. I know some don't feel there's a market but honestly a 3.0 twin turbo six version of this with amped up handling and such they would sell a few of those as well. I am concerned about that mpg. I recall from my time selling used cars that a lot of the GM powered v6 SUV's with the 3.6 didn't get great mileage then. Example, the second gen Saturn Vue. The Ford's of the same ilk didn't get any better either. It seems that despite a decade of new technology, with the v6 and AWD, the fuel economy is still a concern, despite what the EPA estimates may say. That is a deterrent for some I think. Nice write up. The XT4 while being a lesser ride than the XT5 will be on the short list of consideration for my next ride.

i want my art and science back, how is this 'Cadillac' it might be a transformers camaro cadillac. sheesh

i love me a good conspiracy theory but come to think of it, it sounds like something GM would do..... LOL

yes there is definitely a tipping point on where you cut off the 4 and stay with a 6. Ford Edge seems ok with the 2.0 turbo but I would never put a turbo four in a Grand Cherokee. why the XT4 will sell well in the compact class..... \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

I think there will eventually be an amped up 2.0 turbo 4. Since this engine is all new they are starting with one state of tune. Regarding the Chrysler v6. The new 3.6 in our Pacifica improved over what was already a good engine. Better power delivery. Better mpg. Better trans. Is way quicker. For a normal aspirated v6 it’s not bad. I do think fca could use a twin turbo six. But I wouldn’t replace the v6 with a turbo 4 in any of the larger fca products.

the XT4 has huge rear seat numbers for a compact. Even if the trunk got compromised some, everyone knows you can fold the rear seat. Caddy purposely returned more space to the back seat vs. trunk. For this reason alone, the XT4 should do gangbusters. Especially after all the flack Cadillac took for no back seat in the ATS . XT4 replaces ATS as Cadillacs 'port of entry'. So the main critique of car with no back seat has been remedied.

and then coupled with huge rise in electricity rates we'll be back at square one and EV's won't be cheaper to drive than gas

inevitably, what is lost in funding the gas tax has to be made up with EV's and make no mistake, they will (states and feds) go for the jugular on taxing EV's once they become closer to mainstream. we should be at a point right now where EV charging network development is taking place, but for some reason, it's not. We need EV charging locations as convenient and plentiful as gas pumps, and we need to be able to fill cars in a short time. It would be nice if the charging types and networks were global in some way so we don't have differing standards across the pond. Part of me believes this horse chasing autonomous vehicles has taken development money away from making battery development cheaper and more miles. On some sick level, the Dr. Evils of the world really want all vehicles autonomous. As much for nefarious reasons as not. I would otherwise foresee that no matter how well developed battery tech and changing networks become, I don't see ICE cars going away in the US at least for 30-40 years. So we have to figure out how to get our roads and charging / fuel networks to coexist for either and function that way for the next 30-40 years. That also includes revenue for roads, bridges etc. That money has to come from gas and EV drivers both.

despite the fact that the similarly sized Rogue it shares the showroom with, which is a CUV by the way, sold over 400,000 units last year....... the Murano which is in much higher price classes still sold 80,000 or so units. that's a sizable market and its growing. Chevy should have had a Ford Edge / Murano competitor by 2011 at the latest. Not 2019. the last Blazers and Trailblazers were among the junkiest vehicles GM has ever built.

Anybody mooaning about what this new Blazer is should actually sit back and ask themselves why it took Chevy 16 model years to put out a competitor for this 16 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nissan_Murano

the all new 2.0t in the XT4 is probably exclusive to Cadillac for a bit. then maybe it spreads to this? no one was pining for this crap anymore

yeah using the boat anchor 2.5 in the engine mix is a disappointment. Ford Edge has standard 2.0 twin scroll turbo. 2.5 should have been killed already. Apparently they want to keep making them and amortize more cost out of it. As i mentioned above, it's puzzling that Chevy has gone turbo crazy and then there is not a turbo option on this thing. Makes no sense. a very trucklike steering wheel in a Camaro-esque crossover. That's why my wtf. another piece and part they didn't need to re-use. the camaro touchscreen. this would have been a great opportunity to put in a larger touchscreen arrangement.

Yeah. This wasn’t totally the form and shape I was thinking but nonetheless it is interestIng and distinctive and most importantly it should drag buts into the Chevy showrooms again. I love the swagger I like that they chose the blazer name. I like the concept of a dash similar to new Camaro but I think there is some miscues there with it. More of my thoughts to address that later. Is the 2.5 like the lacrosse with the mild hybrid? v6 was needed but I think the new design 2.0 from the xt4 would be a good choice on the base engine. All of a sudden, a new Chevy without a turbo option. Wtf with that steering wheel. Looks like nice trunk room This may be what sticks a fork in the Impala Even if this styling has a short shelf life we all should be glad this is coming to Chevy showrooms. Without something like this to feed a hot segment and drive new traffic Chevy may have been heading for the dustbin or at minimum being a truck only brand.

nice, the exterior while nice goes to a longer trunk with a small upright greenhouse and a bit of a Dodge Charger look to it that I think looks less sleek than the 'trunkless' look of many sedans now, but overall not a deal breaker and it is really consistent with the look and proportions of the S90. interior wise, Volvo keeps doing nice interiors that to me look better than the Germans etc. and this continues on. I would rather see Volvo sell cars than BMW or Mercedes gaining more market share so sure, this is ok by me.