turbo200

I would really have to look at it again to confirm, but I've had two personal meetings with that interior and it was butta. It was wonderfully finished, but there may have been a couple of pieces I wasn't thrilled about, like the seats in the G37. The standout pieces were the door panels and door armrests, padded beautifully and stuck together TIGHT, like it was never gonna move. Those two pieces felt substantial, like high quality leather with plenty of padding and give to the material and with a great texture all while maintaining a feel of "never gonna move". The same could not be said of the CTS, which I felt was generally just barely subpar compared to the competition in the "feel and quality" department. It looks nice, so GM is more than halfway there, and the quality is drastically improved, but I was disappointed to find plenty of oldschool "GM think" in the CTS interior.

the Ridgeline being already of a higher quality than either Acadia or Outlook. Enclave is a harder picture to draw, there will be some elements that are of the same quality/solid feel, but the Enclave mostly is dressed up and that's what makes it appeal. Acadia and Outlook are good looking, but the quality doesn't compare, in some ways even to the current Pilot. As is the case with all the newly released GMs, the materials have improved, and are on a par with most out there, but the leaders, as in Honda/Audi/VW/BMW/Infiniti/etc, are still the leaders.

I have a feeling the really big wheels and the proximity of the pictures is throwing off the size perspective for us and in real life it will look bigger than it does here. this may help the profile. of course, there's doane who said it looks hotter in person. and a big thumbs up to Caddy for surprising us with this concept. they needed something to create buzz. EDIT: those shots on the first page are looking fantastic. I too love the chrome element around the window, added with the no B-pillar or lack of or hidden or whatever it looks fantastic. The vent also works real well here. one more note on where this will fit in in the market. they are going after infiniti's shape but with more aggressive styling than the current one and yet retaining more elegance thanks to Caddy's superior design theme. this is easily as elegant as anything MB, Bentley, BMW put out.

Honda decided to stick to a traditional SUV shape that has worked so well in the past for Jeep and GM, in particular. This is a classic shape that is rugged, manly, and distinct all the time, because it just works. Unfortunately, it's the same love/hate relationship I have with most Hondas, they seem to do something really good with the shape, but its the features I find plain/unnattractive. The interior is all class all the way. Honda/Acura are standard-bearers for materials and they are really achieving new heights with interior design, though the end results have been as of late lacking restraint. With every new design it is clear Honda's intentions are to push the envelope and move forward. I can only see that as a good thing. This will easily move a lot of units for them.

the high powered V6s will also be lighter in weight and will help keep weight down overall on the cars. I do trust they have great V6 engines perhaps above 420 hp capabilites. They will need to have a V8, and I am sure they may use the DOHC Gen V of the smallblock instead of no V8 at all.

immediate response would be I love it, it's beautiful. i'm glad they used the V interior color scheme and I hope that sticks, I also hope those seats get that extra bit of differentiation with the materials insert and colors it appears to where over the stock CTS. I hope they choose to offer this with a sport package standard, big wheels standard, no craptacular base wheels like the sedan CTS. I hope they can know they that can charge more for this car, base price, like MB does with CLK, but don't get crazy like MB with the CLK. Starting around 36k bare bones, i.e. just heated seats no NAVI leather obviously, but no hard drive things like that, manual transmission, big wheels. Keeping the 20" and 21" rear wheels would be a GREAT option to have. But just don't dumb it down and you have a bonafind hit. That was my immediate response. My next response would be, I don't know if this or the BRX are my ideals of what a Caddy should be design wise. that said, this car at least is stunning

Saying a car is your benchmark does not mean you are shooting for second best. This is flawed logic on your part. As are several other statements in this thread. "If the CTS wants to compete in the 48k-70k price range, it needs to offer stuff to compete in this price range." "Even the Malibu switched from pushrod to DOHC because it wasn't as refined" [or something to that extend] These are some pretty idiotic comments, and you are quickly losing respect. I admire your need to question everything and demand more from Caddy, but pulling crap out of the air is not the way to do this. CTS is what it is. It's a helluva nice 35k-48k car. It offers a lot of what the more expensive cars offer at a significantly lower price, along with one dramatic and sweet looking design. Is it perfect? NO. You could choose to complain that it's too heavy, that's valid. You could say the interior finish isn't as great as it should be. That's valid. You could choose to say some interior elements are still old GM style [rear armrest, door panels, painted plastic center console]. you could even say the design is just refined as opposed to standout. But complaining about a lack of hybrid, diesel, rear heated seats, yada yada yada. Look if the CTS had these features it would cost 60k. It doesn't and therefore doesn't...offer those features. Don't bitch about things that aren't there.

it's that smk expects whatever vehicle Cadillac releases to do EVERYTHING everyone else does, when everyone else doesn't even do all that he expects of Cadillac. SMK: learn to love the car and just go with it. The CTS has its flaws, however, not chief among them is a lack of features. in its price class, competing against the 3-series and C-class, it offers more than enough features and has been clearly recognized as so. A hybrid and a diesel are coming, much like they are coming to Audi, Lexus, and BMW, regardless if one of those companies has one here or there [read: just because Lexus has the LS 400h does not mean Cadillac is at a loss for not having one on the CTS]

Canada prices aren't relevant to this discussion. Mileage for the Prius who's commute is a balance of city and highway is 47 mpg. Having driven with her I can tell you she drives normally, aggressive but knows how to keep her foot planted for cruising once you're up to speed [say 70 on the freeway]. That's how I drive my Civic and I'm getting 42 mpg. Were I to drive on roads that offered less stop and go, like Pacific Coast Highway for example, which road conditions-wise I would say is close to a suburban road, not a lot of stoplights mostly driving at a good speed, not too much uphill driving...I could get 60-70 mpg! I live at the foot of Hollywood Hills, on the other side, my commute includes various trips uphill, and I'm always in severe traffic. I drive hard, let's just say I usually feel the torque from my electric motor, but I reach a constant speed and stay there. Of course distractions and not being focused, and even more stop and go and heavy stoplights can have a heavy affect on my gas mileage, bringing me down to ~38 mpg. That said, LA is actually considered extreme driving conditions. It's getting to a point where there's no room, and to merge in you just go, although I have to say the people are managing it well.

at the Colorado 4-door in the background?

just what is shortsighted about hybrid tech? what is wrong with the kool aid today? that is weird. hmmm, you've got a car that gets 45mpg regularly [my civic hybrid] and a prius which attains incrementally higher figures all the way up to 50 mpg, depending on a driver's routine drive and driving habits. By the way I flog the hell out of this car. I've been meaning to write something on it, maybe a long term, just haven't found the time or dedication. But it's ridiculous to call a car "half-baked" that is incredibly practical, incredibly wonderful and easy to drive, and yet in a broad sense does help the ecosystem. [new prius owners would have chosen any other new car, in Los Angeles in particular the hybrid has been in "vogue", so the average luxury buyer suddenly became interested in a Prius.] I don't understand how a hybrid is half-baked? Prius gets 50 mpg. Comparable small cars average closer to 30 mpg. Corolla's best mileage figures from real world driving are in the low to mid 30's range, but Prius has actual torque. These cars are actually surprisingly quick, and at least mine is less devoid of feel than most any GM car.

I see the potential for hybrids with performance. the problem lies with GM's inability to get a hybrid out that focuses on efficiency. GM is always late to respond. The Prius has been selling over 100k a year since the first gen, and GM may not have a viable competitor until the 3rd gen Prius is released in the form of Volt. Who knows what the Volt will cost, and if it will even come out in a viable timeframe, and exceed efficiency offered in thier third gen Prius. The Civic Hybrid I own may seem like a laggard in accel, compared to my last car maybe, but once it gets up there it's a fun car to drive in the grand tradition of Hondas, and the power is always right there to keep that speed. For 90% of drivers, this kind of car is all that is needed, except those in need of more trunk space and bigger dimmensions inside. Civic and Prius can carry 5 comfortably and only suffer on economy on hill grades.

the meat of the market for hybrids is not powerful and efficient as the Accord Hybrid proved, but efficient and high mileage while maintaining a high level of affordability as Prius and Civic Hybrid have proven. Prius now sells almost as well as a Civic, better than Cobalt, better than Impala [at the retail level] and any other GM car [again at the retail level, not sure about what it would look like including fleet numbers]. My point was not to say those cars weren't popular, but much like the HHR, pointless exercises that diverted funds from making the actual cars they were based on into truly world class cars, and perhaps we wouldn't be in the predicament we are in now with Cadillac, Zeta platform, etc..... let's face it, less models with better quality tp make more profit, which in turn would have helped create excess profit to create the right cars GM is now missing in key segments, and less models would mean less distractions like the GMC XUV.

have to agree on the style with BV. it's too girlish this time around, and that's what I think sold the last Vue, those rugged classic SUV vibes, of course to a bunch of girls nonetheless. Still, the Vue is classy and good looking in the right trim, it's just not a homerun, and it has bad touches, like an excessively tall beltline that makes it look tippy, and a terribly Korean profile, all things that have been likely mentioned before

where are the small car hybrids? where are the 60 mpg hybrids, like the Prius currently blazing a fire of sales for Toyota in SoCal? where are the car hybrids, where the real market demand is for these types of cars? GM is always late to a segment, cough RWD cars cough, and always releases pointless exercises on the way to getting to the meat of the market, read Malibu Maxx, Aztek, mild hybrids, etc moving on to this car, a quick check of the fuel economy reveals stats of 16/22 for the 3.6. Doing the math I guess revels figures something like 24/33 mileage, which would be pretty good and enough to compete with the Escape while offering much higher performance overall. That's good. this vehicle is good. let's just hope the pricing stays sane.

nobody aside from those within GM can comment on the fit and finish. clearly the fit will work in the end, GM has demonstrated with Malibu and others they've got that together. finish-wise, these are all new materials going into the cars that nobody has ever touched before, there isn't even a corporate stereo in there. I'd say for a ~20k product this looks pretty damn good. Combined with the level of performance and great exterior design, this car will be nothing but an attention getter and sales knockout, even if gas touches $5. Going back to the materials, I'd understand if this were something like the current Malibu where a lot of the materials appear to come out of the Aura, then we could all have some type of expectation for the quality, but you can't deduce quality from a picture of an all-new product using all-new materials. And you know what, judging from the attention to detail of design, I'd guess even if the materials aren't the greatest, the Camaro will nonetheless be a thrilling place to sit in while its performance thrills you. It is a little too big for me though. That's not a knock against the size of the Camaro or potential weight. I know not what those stats are, and from looks wise I think it looks right. It's just me, I'd like something Alpha-sized please. I do however see the need for RWD cars priced and sized affordably [25k-45k]. GM is making a big mistake by cancelling product, if it has and will continue to do so. LX car sales are in the tanker because those aren't truly desirable cars, hampered by poor performing powertrains, poor gas mileage, poor interiors, and outlandish exterior designs. Notice the 300 with its more understated suit and semi-acceptable interior design soldiers on though and continues to sell moderately well.

cobbled together it may be, but a looker it is. The interior seems to follow the Mustang a little too closely in offering all retro touches, but the design is thorough, moreso than any other GM interior we've seen to date, aside from CTS and the upcoming Lacrosse. There is no touch that doesn't seem fitting and it looks like an environment everyone from CEOs can find techy and cool to the average guy wanting to impress his friends.....it's not at all unattractive. it does remind me of the 4th gen a little too much, but I'm sure that impression will go away once we see a finished version. We haven't seen a finished version but people are jumping to many conclusions.

that sounds really great. change the idea of the mainstream model to one with a 3.0 DI with 220 hp and over 32 mpg highway, starting at 26k. offer dual mode hybrid version with 3.0 DI, more hp, 44 mpg at least, $33k. eat the costs of the hybrids, watch them fly. the upgraded LLT with 304 hp sounds like a hot model, with hot power, average American really does not need that level of power. perhaps a 2.2 DI with 180 hp and over 35 mpg if it can be achieved could be offered, at 25k. there you have a plan that includes Zeta in a volume sense realistically and raises the price of Chevys for the new high mileage high gasoline priced world. The current Impy is no flagship, but that is known. One last thing, have the style reflect a truly desirable American sedan! unique and beautiful, No Commodore warm-over, athletic as it may be. I already thought Commodore style wasn't really enough to command real volume in America.

there is no way in hell GM would kill a V8 DOHC engine far far in development for the vaunted Cadillac brand. I think it's safe to say the Northstar replacement is safe

i don't know about that. though in a sense a cool vehicle at buick like the enclave is sorta kinda in a roundabout way bringing buzz and making buick cool...there are still people who just would not shop buick because it has a stigma. however reversable that stigma has been proven to be by the enclave, gmc is not damaged goods, they have a name that is recognizable for making both utalitarian vehicles and cool trucks. buick still equates old man cars...just now it also deals with a suave sophisticated comfortable and powerful SUV. now if that graphyte were also to be released.....

it was not Edmunds reviewing the car, but a test panel of Joe Shmoes, average people. The point Siegen is trying to make about a color taking away or adding to the desirability is correct. The right color can do wonders for a car. But in this case, your argument is flawed. I've seen the Accord in several different colors, and the red color in particular is dull. [there is a dark purple on the uplevel model that looks stunning though] I tend to get the same impression from the sheetmetal, "icy". I think it's very techno and engaging but there's almost no feeling to it, like a robot almost. The direction they are heading in is great, they are right at the head of trends it seems, the Accord is as contemporary as the Malibu but not as fun? [in terms of just the lines not the concept or style] I don't know if that's quite the word I want to use, but the bottom line is down to the sheetmetal and the way its curved, the Accord says techno saavy and the Malibu says I want to romance you softly. The front end also isn't as appealing, the character and expression aren't appealing, it doesn't call at you or inspire confidence like Malibu. Color-wise, the Malibu really does look great in most colors. I've seen most again in person, and so far the gray on the hybrid and base models isn't all that attractive, but the upper level silver works great. The dark gray is one of the classy colors for Camry that works well at imparting luxury while showing off the lines. The red drowns out the tension of the lines and the red offered is too deep and boring. The same goes for Accord, their red is just a heckuva lot more conservative than the aggressive red GM chose for Malibu; it goes without saying the marketers were aiming in different directions when the imaging for both cars was being put together. While the cars are going to appeal to different crowds, the people did say the Malibu and Accord shared one similar trait, an engaging drive. That's one thing I'm glad to hear confirmed from a number of different sources here. It means good things for the upcoming EP II cars.

as one tester put it, Malibu is the sexier youthful sedan for young families...Accord is for those looking for less risk and more familiarity.

you have great talent, but I'm not a fan of the Pontiac look you went for with the fascia. It is played. It looks like it would make a good looking convertible but it would lose too much charm and Solstice character and become another bland Pontiac.

the traverse really makes me mad because they just should have introd a Theta three row SUV for Chevy. no need for another Lambda SUV...and they already have a Tahoe which is essentially the same field of competitors only less spacious and less gas efficient. The Traverse will only canabilize the "highly profitable" T900. It just seems like more poor product thinking from GM. 4 entrants competing for a similar crowd of people. Equinox should be called Tracker and be smaller [i don't like the Equinox name anymore, to complicated], the Traverse should be Trailblazer and be basically an extended version of Theta [suzuki XL-7], Tahoe should be the next step up with the next version receiving IRS and weight saving materials [price should remain the same, if they're so profitable, GM can eat some of the cost, and Escalade would make up some for this], and then of course the classic Suburban. Simple enough. Chevy could even have something based on Sub-Theta, the little SUVs with coupe profiles like the T2x, and then still have a MPV 7 passenger, and maybe even a new HHR based on Gamma with more real useable space and better gas mileage.