regfootball

For kicks, Car and Driver compared the Euro spec 330d turbo diesel to the 330i and full road test. They got 38 mpg combined and over 40 highway mpg at times. To top it off, it got 0-60 in 6.0 seconds and passing times were quicker than the gas version because of the monstrous torque. And yet, the USA and Califronia etc. tries to do everything they can to kill diesels. Just when we get 'clean diesel' now the regulations become like 10 times as hard to meet. Its enough to p1ss ya off. I would love to have a 3 series diesel with stick and AWD if they had one here. Between the greenies and the government and the scared oil companies, how are we ever gonna get ahead and make any progress in this country? Car And Driver still liked the gas version better because its more 'interactive' and revs wonderfully and they love shifting etc.....(they are all boy racers)...but said for most other folks they might prefer the less fussy and wonderfully torquey diesel.

toyota, the recall king?

totally. between the civic and this sentra. its ludicrous how much the ion was copied.

wow. this has got to be embarassing for them. I'd be fine if they rot and die. let's hope the new Tundra is three or four times as recall worthy.

That Mazda3 and 5 could really use some more ponies..........

will the new outlander do well? the current one isn't bad actually. In some ways its nicer than the Vibe. the new outlander has high feature content and is way cheaper than the RAV4.

The Compass / Caliber is meant to compete with the Vibe/Matrix and HHR and PTC etc. I think. The Patriot is meant to go head to head with the 4 cylinder versions of the Vue, CRV, and Escape I think. I like that the Patriot is a Caliber with real headroom and a view out the windows. I would take a Patriot over a soft looking Forester any day I think. I like the HHR but the windows don't allow much view out and the hood is too long, some of those inches should have been returned to the cabin. I'd like it if the HHR was about 2 inches wider in the cabin too. PT Cruiser is stil neat except the interior is kinda whack now. A little cheesy. I'd like the Vibe if it didn't have the wheezer Toyota wuss motor in it. Great space utilization in it though. I don't like all the cladding. Do we include the Fit?

Here's a topic to discuss all the neat small to mid economical crossovers available. Which do you like, which do you not. Vue Element HHR PT Cruiser Caliber Compass Patriot Escape Outlander CRV Equinox Mazda5 Forester I like what the new Jeep patriot offers. I've always like the VUE, and the new hybrid should be cool. The new RAV4 sucks. It does have hp but its interior is a mess and still no rear bumper.

the topic is minvans and most contemporary minivan buyers don't go for the truck chassis/rwd based configs like the astro was. nor the dutch doors either. the astro was a niche product. caravan/sienna/odyssey define the segment. gm should duplicate that formula. the GMC savana or chevy express would be your cup of tea now.

ex coworkers Astro was POS. was always in the shop. i know this because i used to give him rides to pick it up FREQUENTLY. current co worker who bought a lightly used one (10k miles on it) about 2 years ago hates it and wants it gone. Says its a POS. sucks fuel and the drivetrain needed a bunch of work. I've ridden in both, kids in shop class could build a tighter go kart. my sister in law has one too, but its older (from the Paleozoic i think) and she uses it to schlep flowers around. I can't make a big judgment on that one other than to say it sure looks like a POS and that sometimes she can't get it started or keep it running.

saturn's new ad campaign is awesome.

plenty of Grand Marquis are available for 16 grand in snow country here in MN.......during the winter months. brand new. 17 grand if you can't bring your uncle's AARP card.

in my opinion GM's cars fail consistently on many aspects, but one that never gets mentioned enough (but was inferred a few posts above) is inefficient packaging. part of that is inheriting the W chassis. Long useless hood/overhang. Cramped passenger quarters. low firewall that's too far into the cabin. i believe that poorly packaged inefficient space allocation in a car tends to affect ones judgment of the ergonomics of the car. I think then that opinion tends to carry out for the entire car. thorw in cheap plastic, dated mechanicals, dated proportions and you've got a car that's ripe for ripping. Even if its a decent car. People subliminally judge a car's fit around their body. If things seem wierd or out of place, or not proportionate or accessible to their seating position, the car is perceived as off. Just think of how much better the car would be if it got all those other things right.

the astro was horrid.

isn't it now that onstar sends you emails of your vehicle diagnostics? maybe some folks even think those are 'problems'

Lucerne is doing very well here. Still a lot of those are to 70+ geysers who finally got tired of owning 4 of the last body style of LeSabres. Still a legit sale though. Over time the Lucerne should continue to outsell those other cars, except for maybe the 500/mtgo. Once ford pulls its head out of its arse and gets the 3.5 in there and some styling tweaks, (and I'd like a new dash too), sales will explode. I predict a 50% gain in sales. The charger is heinous looking. 300 sales are already going down. In about a year when the 'smoky burnout and beer bunch' has all got their Chargers to go with their jacked up Ram in the garage (yes, with the Calvin peeing sticker) we'll see those sales take a dive too. azera-yuck. you must like cool whip and miracle whip then too. live a little, try real whipped cream and mayo.

great car otherwise my guess is BMW laid off overtuning the turbo motor, so those want to can chip it and easily pull 400+ hp.

the topic title had me stoked, but the story was a bit different

cmon fly, post that clock radio pic again. i think kohl's is selling them on the 'lowest prices of the season' this week again

so is this just like the Al Gore movie? A politican doing powerpoint about some global crisis espousing liberal points of view?

I sh1t my pants it was so funny!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i hope it goes down another 80 bucks a share

sounds like a good reason to me to fire em all. if they can't structure their organization to react or act fast, then 'get a new structure' in the organization.