balthazar

WMJ- break yer piggybank, it's going up @ B-J later this month... I think it's the 27th. I always really liked the Request: the hooded headlamps, those huge horizontal areas around the bumper wings, and I'm a sucker for grillework that wraps down under. I have not seen enough pics of this car- it's only the same 3-4 that circulate around...

Must be "Spirit of American Style". On second thought, it's good, but not as great as I remembered. Was there one something like 'Premium American....' something ?? I sort of liked the Earl campaign, but there were Elements of the Weird to it.

Sorry- was only banging on those with the gag tag lines. Hence the rolleyes. I like the sound of 'The Craft of Modern Luxury', but at first read/listen, I do ponder it's exact meaning a bit... What was the past tagline that had 'American' in it? I liked that one the best out of the recent ones, and with true Buick styling heritage coming back nicely, perhaps it would not be unfitting to re-incorporate it.

That's because it IS cheap and it IS ugly.

From the pics: Not digging it. The diamond-shaped holes seems tacked on/in for the hell of it; they play off of nothing else. A very harsh shape to incorporate. Same with the chrome 'bullet strike' on the door. The roofline/trim is sweet (tho a little high). Pity they felt it needed a rear bumper- more the property of family cars whereas sports cars usually have the latitude to dispense with it. Grille texture is interesting/different. Now... is that one of those back-of-M/T-ad carpet dash covers, to hide the rips & tears ?? :wink: Overall shape is so strongly Corvette, that if you cleaned up the holes, (from pics) it'd look like a mild rebody of one.

Well, to be technical- Ford had side boxes in the '70s & '80s, so neither nissan nor GM started the pickup bed storage box. >>"Get an Avalanche then? "<< I've yet to see one up close as far as how it opens up, but every pic in that regard I've seen is intriquing. When you pull the MidGate out, is it stored onboard, or do you leave it in the garage? What's the bed length on an Avalanche with the MidGate up? Doesn't matter, I'm not in the market for a replacement truck for a long while, and overall I'm happy with my Silvie and it's overbuilt construction (2500HD DuraMax CrewCab 6.5' bed).

snicker-snicker, chortle chortle. B-because... you kno .... they're really just all REBADGES!!!! a-HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA!

{Looks at RamBox pic}... that is RED HOT. Best feature of 2008/09, hands down.

Camino's point hit me back when Pontiac starting offering a 4-dr GP. I agree- we need more 2-drs. Of course a big part of the problem is that modern cars have gotten so small & cramped, the practicality of a 2-dr has been effectively damned. And I'm not even that big on that degree of practicality.

As someone who uses a truck as it's supposed to be- I find the RamBox's a fantastic idea. Wish my SIlverado had them. Gets my vote for the greatest pickup truck advancement since the extended cab. DF- are they really lit, also? From one or both ends, I assume?

If being a '4-dr coupe' primarily consists of a lowered & 'fastback' roofline, the LaCrosse is actually more 'coupe-like' IMO than the audi, which is slightly more conventional in that aspect... tho the Buick does have a tiny 'decklid' in profile.

Interior is pretty fascinating- I love how there are lit areas all over, and even if it was actually meaningless, it's like view ports of the electro-mechanicals of the car. Most high tech-look interior I think I've ever seen.

I knew of them, but off the top of my head, not sure what years FB 2-dr were offered. I believe they started in '80. There weren't any '92-96 B-Body 2-drs... was there a '90-92 FB 2-dr ? Nice highways cruisers, always liked the lines on the coupes.

This is a bit longer, but heightwise has the same body/greenhouse proportions as the '10 LaCrosse. Can we call the LaX a "4-door coupe", too ?

Actually, I wear work boots & flannel... but I don't have any dogs. I'm also straight- that have anything to do with it? :wink: {Looks up '05 Legacy...} Meh- completely unremarkable, but I guess it's not what one would call 'unattractive'.

>>"Riiiight. I doubt if anyone gets over 17-18 with those beasts... "<< 5.3 Silverados get around 22-24 on the highway (as told to me by 2 different owners). Any reason the Tahoe shouldn't be in the same neighborhood with the same motor? -- -- -- -- -- 355 HP is a crapload of HP for a family car. Looking forward to what Ford does with EcoBoostin' in the F-Series.

>>"Well, it does give Prius buyers an upgrade path when they want to go upscale. "<< Correct me if anyone knows otherwise, but I don't see the prius being in the normal toyota 'ladder'... ie; I would think people buy it primarily because it's a hybrid, a prius and they're making a statement, not because it's a toyota persay, so I don't see many 'trading up' to even a camry hybrid. The prius just seems to operate independantly of the rest of the line. One of my mother's cousins is 61, married, with an 18-yr old daughter going to school in NJ (they live in VT). He has a prius and he's driven to NJ a few times in it already to take her to school. He could easily afford a lexus LS, nevermind a camry, but he obviously bought the prius for SOME specific reason (I did not ask).

Wow- staggeringly awful. I actually laughed out loud. See my post under the E-class thread- written before I saw this turd... but oh-so applicable. BMW all done with the so-called "flame surfacing" ?? Are those clear plastic hubcaps with flurescent green pinstripes? Let's compare: Yeah......

I've truely never been even remotely attracted to ANYTHING subaru has ever designed/marketed.

I had the plow truck all raring to go..... and nothing. Maybe 1.25".

I'm going to stand up and say this clearly - Mercedes -styling-wise- is done. From the moment that retro-block concept convert appeared a few years ago, it has been apparent. The current 'slammed' sedan, whatever the alphanumeric may be, was the future direction, but they put that language on exactly one car, then they pretend like it doesn't exist & twiddle around with all the other comparitively dated designs. Now, with this monster, it's clear they have no clue and less direction. And look at the interior smallchevy posted: cheap plastics, mismatched coloration (may be the flash), and plasticized mouse fur panels. Trash & garbage, but when you build to 50% fleet numbers in your own country, I guess it's good enough. Let 'em burn.

There are ways around that.

The acura is just strange, disharmonious & unpleasant, God; it's horrible, & the bmw is plainly dated... at least the Buick is stately and mildly fresh, and in the above 3/4 rear shots- far more upscale to my eye than the other 2. What is up with that way-up-high, huge fuel filler door on the acura, 2" from the passenger door ?? The farther a vehicle can mount a source of fumes & fuel spills from the passengers, the better, IMO. Being dead-center above the rear wheelwell also calls more visual attention to it. As far as one looking like the other- how much differentiation do any of you expect in a modern car- something unique & new ?? All the elements are shared with just minor reshuffling- of course stylistic parallels are going to be possible. There's just not a lot anyone can do (kudos to honda for trying, kudos-repro'd for issuing a hideous design for actual production). Intentional?? I don' think so. Mandated constraint? There you go.

>>"STS is simply in a big-time vacuum....."<< I truely see a lot of them here in central NJ, to the point I am wondering if there are notable geographic volume differences....

Both today: a very solid medium blue '69 Road Runner hardtop, cruising, and a white '65 Fury I 2-dr sedan.