turbo200

one more time for all those that can't seem to let it go. there are simply different cities with different layouts that cause people to have to adapt differently. traffic patterns in LA are sometimes impossible to predict, always plentiful, and can spring up on a moment's notice; it's nice to have NAVI that will give me alternative routes on the dime. Further, there are NAVIs now that give traffic updates, like CTS, but that's another story. another BIG issue is the layout of LA. it's HUGE, it's a very expansive place--Southern California, with lots of attractive towns with vibrant culture to go to. A lot of people travel to different places daily for work, some travel for leisure, others travel for work less frequently. A NAVI saves time, in a city where time is never enough. Plus, we are close to major metropolitans and attractions of the world, San Diego, Las Vegas, Mexico!, San Fran, etc etc. Bottom line: priorities are different everywhere and just because you can't see the need does not mean the need doesn't exist or the other side is wrong. I just can't understand the needless bickering over a stupid issue. Learn to let go. Defending GM has caused you to take lots of mud in the face, this argument over NAVI is nothing compared to the years of quality defficiency and below average design arguments you've had to stomach. Yet you can't seem to process that GM is a company with many many flaws, and no company is without flaws, but GM, GM has shown a penchant for not changing thier ways, for many many years, just like you are now advocating they do. Get over it, and admit that GM is wrong in this case. People are offering NAVI in their lower end cars, if GM is once again late to the party, it's just a sign they still need to learn to react and spend the dollars on the product development, and most of all LISTEN TO THE CONSUMER. If Apple hadn't updated the IPOD so many times, it would never reach the massive customer acceptance it has now. If they hadn't put the money, effort, and time to listen and react they would never have become as big as they are now.

I really do like the G. It represents a screaming value as everyone knows, but as long as Infiniti skimps on the luxury and flash, they will always play second string. Back to it being an incredible performance value though, it's other attributes are that it looks refined and sophisticated, but just doesn't bring it with the salivating style that is necessary today. I think that may be what you're trying to say.....While it does still stick out because the original G was a car that stood out for its facial characteristics, so now this car follows on that legacy and is easy to spot....it's less bold and more conservative than any of its counterparts, except for maybe Lexus, whose general shape I almost prefer because of its slightly sportier character. But a car that equals BMW's performance with great reliability and an outstanding price, well that's a recipe for success no matter what you call it. As long as the style is there. On the CTS, it can compete with the 5-series, here's how. Give it a turbo DI, to make it one step above the regular high performance FE3 but one step below the screaming V-series. Take most of the suspension settings from the V, and give it a much less raw appearance on the outside, but definitely a distinct set of wheels that stand out [the new CTS lends itself incredibly well to modification, if GM plays its cards rights and releases the right package enhancements, they will only help the CTS brand] and boom you have a ~47k 390 hp sports sedans with a lot of appeal. But the lineup is so mixed up right now, who knows what kind of wrench that would throw in the product plan. I just think it would be an exciting addition to the CTS line. Hey, MB and BMW don't hold back from giving thier sedans power that exceeds or matches thier big brothers.

ACtually they commented the CTS' interior and exterior were much more stylish, much like what you find here. They picked the G35 on the basis of being more of a drivers' car, but the point spread was very minimal. This was not an article that withheld again any praise deserved of the CTS. I think they said the G's interior was stark in comparison.The G really does have a great level of quality and finish. And if you're a minimalist and haven't recently stepped foot in the competition, the design might be perfect. I was very impressed with it at the last auto show. But that was before the new CTS and C-class came out. Can you beleive the CTS, a GM car, is now being regarded as the standard for one point of design? [not just one, but I'm talking specifically the interior] This is not just any class of cars. This is a target that is constantly moving, the bar is always being set higher. This is a fast evolving, supreme class of cars, that really do evoke luxury and do thier marques justice in the price range they sit. Each manufacturer that doesn't have a winning set of full size class cars should just look at their own entry level cars and reproduce the exciting things from those in bigger more advanced cars.

it's great that the interior treatment is generating buzz from Edmunds and TCC as well as other objective measures like NVH....these are crucial to winning respect from buyers. Just think about it, imagine people who drive with friends daily or every weekend, how much respect the driver gains for his flashy car with a super quiet interior and a fantastic ride and fast engine. the NVH is surprising, I didn't know GM had paid as much attention to it.

nice, an exciting car for Chevy, FINALLY. With great reviews and great consumer response, GM can finally begin to understand the quantative difference design and great quality makes in the eyes of consumers, and how MUCH it turns off consumers to see little things like cheap climate controls that cheapen the overall appeal of the car. at least according to these early reviews, the Malibu may turn out to be a lot closer to that no compromises car the competition is consistently churning out that had been escaping GM. Finally, GM fans can exhale because we have seen GM reach a potential we all dreamed of. certainly, the Malibu has always been a great looking design [the new one]; I was one who never doubted its appeal, especially at the rear which needs to be taken in context of the other great looking face on the car, and the sexy sides, which stand out in the midsize crowd. It's all about being different and looking upscale in today's marketplace. Looking at the current crop, and the upcoming Mazda 6....the Malibu is definitely the most upscale and sexiest midsize sedan. Being good looking is about being sleek, distinct, while maintaining class. This car does all that. what's most promising is GM's attitude, and that it prevails in the marketing as well. I hadn't gotten a chance to preview the marketing before seeing it yesterday during Ugly Betty, and it is fantastic, and it's great to have it during some of the most watched and best written programming on television where America's hip is going for TV [ABC network in general].

they picked a great shop to customize it; this looks better than Pontiac's own G6 Street coupe GXP or whatever that is called. This is tasteful and bold; unique and fashionable. They chose the right mods to make it more aggressive while keeping its streamlined look intact.

nice article. extremely well written and thoughtful points. this hybrid is clearly the best looking of the bunch, and if released with the aformentioned targets of 80 mpg, should see huge success. I think 500k units with the right marketing would not be an unreasonable prediction. The Prius does almost 150k, and with a pretty horrid, if futuristic, design. That's also with a lot less mpgs. This could be the car to bring people back to average economy/midsize cars at GM.

what would jim dollinger have to say about all this? his eyes are probably spinning from all the different kinds of people this car is attracting s

i can't say enough for how happy I am with this marketing launch. The ideas posted above are phenomonal---one day takeover, ads posted on skyscrapers----GM embracing the potential to market to Americans of all classes and scope. Americans that are the trendsetters--in the most congested cities where a rolling advertisement is as good as selling the car to 100 more people. The most expensive Malibu with the best two tones need to be featured prominently. The honest tag lines are great too--the whole line about we're tired of being a foreign car in our country-fan-freakin-tastic.

the thing about this interior is the materials are very consistent and very high quality. they feel solid to pull on, they feel soft and expensive, and the design is very classy and very modern and again luxurious looking and feeling. all of this amounts to a car that solidly fits into its price range. the accord is the same; having just sat in the base base model i know the materials are superb....the design may look drab in base form, but throw some chrome and flash from the upper trim levels and that interior will be NICE. the Malibu on the other hand looks nice from afar but in these pictures the details show-everything from the craptacular seat fabric to the plain door panels to the glossy plastic housing to the window controls to the cheap unintegrated look of the radio/climate controls. saying this meets the standards of the last gen outgoing mazda 6 or last altima is not good--both those cars were poor for thier time. on the plus side, the two tone really does dress up the style of the inteiror, and the exterior is probably the best looking midsize sedan out there.

it looks great. the sharpened lines, fresh face, and more Matrix-like stance sharply improve the aesthetics. The Vibe from before is a mommy-vehicle, whereas the Matrix really lends itself to customization. Part of the problem was the tired face; this new face is much better than before; still I'm hoping Pontiac can redefine its face soon. The sloping front window is a stupid design cue...needs to go away.

I look forward to a much more visually appealing Malibu. However, I must say on the inside the Accord is still as practical and smart as ever. The cloth is a great fabric, high quality and tightly fit. the interior all seemed like a solid fit. But it wasn't outstanding, it was sorta dull actually, but I was in an LX, the lowline model. No trimming in that interior, to be expected, since it's lowline. I like it, but it's really just an evolution of what was there before, which leaves the door wide open.

okay got to see the accord in person. and i completely agree with what northstar was thinking about it. I was wrong about the whole "triumvirate" thing. The Accord seems to be nice in motion, and that is also because the angle I was most able to appreciate on the road was the one from behind and side perspective. However, up close the details don't all flow completely. It all works just not to a good point. The car is more interesting than before, but I actually think the Camry may be better looking now.....again up close. From afar like Northie was saying it can look good, but close up the details are evident and their kinda mish mashy.

After reading comments here, I guess I'm going to have to go take a deeper look at Accord. I saw it driving by on the road the other day, and I had a very positive reaction to it. But I guess to really live with myself, I'll need to be certain of what I'm saying. However, my initial impression was of a triumvirate of leading cars in design in the midsize mecca: Camry, Accord, and Altima. All for different reasons hitting spot on thier market; going in exactly the right trend to what needed to be done for each car's buyer base. Camry I will get lambasted for; well if previous buyers didn't like it they would have fled like they did the 96 Taurus, instead the Camry is doing better than before. Why not? It's a very elegant stylish sedan with one quirk in the nose. Still the nose is immediately distinguishable and friendly and not at all offensive, and even a little sporty. Yes the whole of the message of the design of Camry says I'm sporty without sacrificing any elegance or luxury. In any event, I look forward to seeing Accord and Malibu in person soon.

as much as magazines rave about the V6 engines in midsize cars and the car companies use it as a marketing point.....the V6s are slow sellers and not anywhere near the majority of what Accords or Camrys sell. The Accord and Camrys sell on the basis that the 4 cyl engine is peppy, refined, practical, long lasting, and surprisingly efficient. It is an amazing and legendary combination that no one has duplicated. NO ONE. No, no one is going to buy those cars for power, but when you want a terrific combination of pep, refinement, and efficiency, in a large 4 door sedan, there really is no better. The stat is about 85% for Camry and somewhere near that figure for Accord. When I worked at Honda, the ratio was like 9 for 1 4cyl to 6cyl. No one can overestimate the importance of GM getting an engine that can live up to the 4 cyl at honda and Toyota------they have built their house off the back of 4 cyl engines in four cars Corrola, Camry, Civic, and Accord. To think of how long and how far they have come on cheap and economical but highly sophisticated as a reputation for thier 4 cyl engines is astounding.

this car is exciting! maybe on my short list of next cars, as long as it can outdo the A3 in other departments besides a huge and welcome price advantage, and on looks cause I'm sold on both there [yes I'm sick of the Civic already, it's not me ...........] before anybody wets thier pants about the "Ion is the worst car" line... notice the direct juxtaposition to Astra is a terrific car, we love it. It's done for effect, comic effect. The astra is awesome. sad that the others aren't joining it though. it would be nice if GM took the money saved from the retirees and invested some of it into CARS. the more Saturn keeps knocking at the door with great product the better they are. cool cars like this twintop and meriva, zafira have a real place in the American market, as well as in GM's lineup.

someone in this thread who thinks the lacrosse looks more exciting or unique than Camry needs to get thier eyes checked. the lacrosse really does not look like it belongs in this century. compare it to modern design like in the altima, G35, camry....and you will see what I mean. Yes, the Camry is a better design than the Lax; maybe in base form the Camry is pretty dull, but the straightforward elegant lines are still in place and the Camry still looks like a fresh upscale family car, even in base form. The Lax looks like a rental car that should have been out of production years ago, along with many others in the GM lineup. I like the Lucerne a lot more; it looks stately. But it blends in too too much and doesn't look like a car costing up to 40k should look like. Also, there is no pretense of nimble-ness with it. Finally the design aesthetic, the look that's supposed to signify it's a Buick, is not there. It looks like any other car. For all these reasons, the Lucerne fails to draw almost anybody but blue-hair comfort-seekers in. Even those buyers are rapidly being ceded to Lex/Toy.

i love this guy. for the side of me that GM [and others] has taught to be a dour realist and lower my expectations, I always find myself

who woulda thunk it? give a brand a car that sets itself apart but also is right on with the trends and you have a success. guess a car that is ten years behind the current design fads is a lesson well learned [Lucerne Lacrosse]. of course both Pontiac and Buick have life in them. Throw $h! at consumers and they will run away and not give you second notice. Throw a nice piece of filet for sirloin prices and you've got a deal.

I won't say what I'm thinking....avoiding that piece the rest of the interior really looks great, its' just that that piece really does a good job of killing the asthetic appeal.

CTS is getting a hybrid version as well as diesel. get over it. the engine choices in the CTS are not its fault. In fact, the car has no faults, as long as you don't want a 3-series. As you say, no matter how well engineered the CTS is, a car weighing 400 lbs more will not match a small athletic sedan of the 3's caliber. If that's what you want, and you want a Cadillac, you will have to wait for the Alpha Cadillac.

just saw one driving one the road. have to say it's one of GM's best styled cars. it has a distinguished and muscular presence on the road. but the front gets a little busy, I will need more time to look at the front, but I think it's the portholes that are the only really extraneous thing. So I don't think the front is busy, it just has something too much. But it's a great looking ride, and it really doesn't get lost in the sea of crossovers coming out now. Like the Edge it is different enough to be fresh. But it's better than Edge imo. great to here they've also got an excellent driving crossover on thier hands.

casa de cadillac sherman oaksI don't know if anyone noticed I tried to embed my negativity deep in the positivity of the post. My gut feeling is that the details aren't enough to really create a craze, like I feel the first one created.

on the subject of the range of CTS'; in person this car looks pretty massive. I look at it and think Cadillac's E-Class, but really it looks just a bit larger, the more dramatically uplifted beltline helps the rear doors especially look larger and add to the large feel of this car. Not saying it doesn't look nimble, but image-wise, it definitely looks like it belongs in the A4/5-series/E-class category. It definitely points to the need for a small Cadillac sedan. With the pricing where it is, a coupe that were to start around 37k even, and a wagon, would really help launch an assault. The problem is, they can't come too soon for Caddy. I would like some significant interior differences along the lines of CLK to C-class, that way the coupe and wagon's exclusivity and value are even that much higher. All the little differences help justify the price difference.

If fuel economy were the primary concern, and my budget was 15k, I might try to get a cobalt negotiated down, maybe an LT with the nicer wheels. there are plenty of consumer reviews online showing cobalt to consistently get above 30 mpg highway. If i had to stick to Japan, i would look at a last gen civic, there's no way a decently equipped new one will go for $15k; besides I don't really get the "youth feel" from the new gen as much, or as little, as I did from the last gen. if i had to get a hatch I would forsake economy and get the last SI.