turbo200

this seems to be the general perception of owners. thanks for the review. there really is no car in the GM lineup, or in the rest of US brands' lineups that I can think of right now, short of a cheap minivan, that could come close to the Tek's combination of utility, efficiency, and value. Of course the value part was never intended to get as outrageous as it did, no one wants a vehicle to be as heavily discounted and universally disliked as the Aztek. Theta doesn't come close because of size [though the XL-7 comes the closest, I don't think it's as wide as the Aztek], Lambdas are too long, and too expensive. GMT 360's are trucks....so there really is no tall station wagon thingy that is inexpensive and as spacious as the Aztek was.

wow, 1100 for a civic with low miles like that is nothing for one with that few miles. jump on it! you'll be happy when you're beater runs another 140k miles with only a belt change and regular maintenence. Civics can be made to look very interesting without making them garish like the ones above.

it's so big, of course it should. Tahoe is a large sport utility, and should have a better third row seat, since that is the primary reason of getting such a large sport utility. GM should not have sacrificed the IRS.In this comparison, however, I would only choose the Tahoe. It still looks fresher and better resolved, especially at angles from the rear. EDIT: I've already seen the refreshed Expy on the road, and it did not look attractive, not even the new front. The interior, on the other hand, has a certain militaristic appeal.

this class is tough.... in terms of style this looks like it will lead. the best faces are available from Caddy, BMW, and MB...in that order followed by Audi, Volvo, Saab and all the others...in this class and with this new car. It looks great. can't wait to see more.

nav could easily be made available in both aura and malibu. i think if we all continue bitching enough about it, it might just come to fruition

this is a drug. damn these fixes that don't come fast enough. i need to get in the company and get an inside job.

OH! They bought the award! MT is biased! just kidding

i kinda wish Josh was here, he was good for an insider tip now and then, and some conflict which can always be fun to read. guilty pleasure. but ya, he'd bring something up, and that would cause insiders to chime in too. i think most who still give him heat....it's undue

that's dave foley, of Newsradio

that's true too. aura does look too much like G6, and I'm not fond of the greenhouse and rear portion of the roof, though I think the extended fender flares of the concept would help.just went over to cz28 and I confirmed some of my opinions are shared by many.

one thing we can all agree on is: thank God GM finally got around to producing good looking sedans, that can definitely compete! well, i might add. at least from a stylistic standpoint. finally the days of ugly [malibu, sorry bu owners] and odd proportions [G6] are gone!

detailing wise, the malibu has it all over the aura, it looks a bit more sophisticated and expensive. but swap out the bumper of the aura for the redline bumper, and that car is damn fine. with the new malibu, we have seen the best of what it will look like, at least the front fascia, and it's represented in this gray car. that's what i mean by potential.EDIT: remember the concept aura is supposed to be representative of what the aura redline [which by the way needs to come out soon, like this upcoming year]. i'll take that car over this one any day of the year. [except the interior of the malibu will probably be better]

I hope so. I think the only way Ford and DCX can look for positive earnings and strength in the coming years, along with ultimately viability in the next decade, is to hope for some kind of tarriff to be passed.EDIT: competition isn't getting any easier.

My friend who is only a casual car fan just said it was like GM used the Aura again. I forgot to add that this and the Aura would still be my favorite midsize sedans, but I gotta say I expected this to blow the Aura away, or at least surpass it. It didn't, to me at least. Detail-wise it's easy to confuse this with the Aura, since the same concepts are used everywhere, which is not what I'm getting at. I'm talking about the look of the car, it's not really better.

i also prefer yellowjacket's photochop. i was just saying in that thread that he was close on the final design, and he was very close, but I like that one better. I need to see the whole car.... yes, it has a great stance. yes, the details are there. yes, the fit and finish are phenomonal. yes, it looks classy, and the comparisons to audi and VW are right on. yes, i love that it has euro written all over it, and yes it looks great. BUT, I don't know, there's something about it, that lacks great character. It's the headlights that bother me that do look like every recent GM design, especially the Lucerne. And why am I getting such a Lucerne vibe from every detail.... I need to see the whole car. Right now, I'm not quite sure what all the gushing was about... and I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm almost agreeing with brewswillis here. whoa whoa, not to the extremes he's going, but saying it follows other trends is true. I feel like the Aura has more character and more potential in its design language......this is a nice family car, is very luxurious, has lots of masculinity, which is cool, but I gotta say I like the Aura's face better right now. With this picture, and at this moment. With time, I'm sure I will love this and respect it for being the right design for the right car at right time. Or will I? And does this really stand out? No.

being that there is an embargo, do you [or anyone else from the site] actually have access to the embargoed photos pre-embargo? or are we just talking about getting it when it's released?

3 hour time difference here so i'm up late anyways what an ineresting day...

have you seen the materials in either of the Astras [MCE or pre]? I hope so too, from pictures they look pretty decent, but pictures have a way of decieving. I haven't sat in Rabbit, but I know what the rest of the line is, and that being said it's probably perfect. It will be hard to top that. Civic also has great plastics, great consistency, the plastics are hard but not shallow, they feel solid and strong and have a nice texture. Both are definitely best in class. I think GM can get away with not as nice of plastics if the car is priced a step below both Civic and Rabbit, after all these are the most expensive in the class.

ya, no one here is claiming anyone tried to deceive anyone, and I know it was clear from the beginning this was one person's opinion. However, I read for tone, and the tone of the first post, combined with the changed title of the thread, imply more than just an opinion. It's not a big deal, and I'm really not trying to insult or start something with Yellowjacket, just that I'm anal retentive about tone [even though I don't always correct my own], and it comes across like fact because of the word choice. This could cause some casual readers to believe the truth is what you are stating with the first post. That's all.Yellowjacket, I'm really not trying to start something. As others have pointed out the beltline is clearly not the same as the gently arching beltline of the Malibu spy shots that resembles the MB CLS beltline. Also, the front end is distrubingly close to Saturn and Opel. That would be my evidence to the contrary, however, the chop you've presented is excellent, and you have provided great evidence, and I personally think it's a nice looking car. Above I also posted why I think you're close to the real Malibu, because of the close resemblence to the SS concept that GM said they would be using in their future design. As to what ah-ha said, there's only one way you can take a no. No means no. You can take it whatever way you want to, but I'm not trying to start a beef with you or anything, it's just what I beleive. I did add that his winky could have meant something, but then someone above chimed in and said that's his signature, which also makes sense. Ultimately, it's up to him if he wants to clear up that his no meant just no. BUT, I was just adding my thought, for the sake of balance and clarity for other readers [not that I think most couldn't figure out on thier own]. EDIT: if you left the first post as is, I'm sure it wouldn't be a big deal. This is after all not Businessweek or CNN. In fact, it might invite some of the insiders to come and discredit/approve, meanwhile giving us more information.

Toyota and Honda sell not on style, not on handling/power, not on excitement/pizazz/character.......they sell on reputation. Hard-earned, disciplined earned reputation for great engineering, durability, and efficiency, among other things.Pontiac, GM, Chrysler, Ford, et al. must find something appealing that stands out in thier products to get to the market and yell it at the streets.....all the while meeting all the standards for efficiency, refinement, quality, and safety. AND trying to improve on thier durability standards, as this is yet another quantitive measure that has yet to improve dramatically and be proven for the domestics. Pontiac and GM had some pretty great, dramatic cars in the '60's. The designs were simple yet characterful. The original Firebird is one of my favorite designs ever, and I still think those curves, those elegant hips, that mysterious face, all dressed in black would be a perfect look for Pontiac. They just have to rediscover thier mojo. In an endless quest to manage thier brands and make the most of nothing with small changes, GM robbed thier products of identity in the 80's, maybe as far back as the 70's; it has been struggling to get back on track since that time. Pontiac has a crapper identity right now, though they are greatly being helped by each cool car they come out with, Solstice and GTO are two, the only ones that could be considered cool. G6 coupe is not bad, not bad, but its hampered by a feminine look in all the other versions of the G6 line, and the coupe itself is awkward, and also the Pontiac face is worn, worn worn. Get rid of it. Redo it. I personally think the Zeta Commodore would be a great transition car, it's beautiful, sleek, dramatic....but it needs definitely more character to be agressive like a Pontiac should be. That said, it's more Pontiac than any Pontiac currently sold, as it's more aggressive and stealth than any other Pontiac sold currently, especially in the SS trims. The original Firebird was very stealthy and very aggressive at the same time, a great combination of simple design with aggressiveness and tension to convey athleticism, strength, and attitude. EDIT: your idea of Audi with a better nose is basically what I'm talking about. Audis are very simple design, with lots of character.

another thing to recall about future Chevy designs is the implementation of the SS concept fascia that is right above me. There have been numerous allussions to the fact that SS would be incorporated. And yes, you look at the grille and it is proportioned and shaped exactly the same as in the spy shots of the Malibu. What's even more interesting to me, is the headlight shape and style you came up with for your chop are very similar to the SS concept as well, at least in overall shape, presentation, and placement in relation to the grille and hood....

when the title of this thread said, "according to me," it was clear this is speculation. now the wording has changed, and the first post comes off as if it has some fountain, just enough to make us believe it might have some fountain of truth, for the casual observer. i would change it to refect that this is all speculation. oh, and ah-ha did shoot you down. at least he says no. the original point of the first post was the belief that the Omega chop was indeed just a doctored version of the official Malibu shots.......and thus his response was "no". the winky at the end could be taken to mean anything, although it COULD mean the chop you've made really is ultimately close, but that your belief that the chop was based off the official Malibu shots was incorrect........

well, i would have said hell ya if ah-ha hadn't said anything [care to complement us with more of your presence? ]. still, this looks great as a chevy, and from the details you pointed out, it sure as hell looks like it could theoretically match! and this chop is great, would make a great malibu, it's only a little too close to the last gen s-class, but it's niiice

exactly! the old silvia was an awesome car, incredibly well engineered for its time. i would buy an s13 today just for a get around car that's fun but gets great mileage.

pa-dum psh That video that was posted with the made up girl is scary. I liked her after the makeup though, she just didn't seem very happy, maybe some happiness would have improved her look just a bit more. ya know? Chris, I saw the humor in posting this. no big deal.