pow

BTW, I wonder how the new LS460 would fare, since it already has auto lane-keep assist, self-parking, radar cruise control, and rear-end crash preparation.

Cool. The local high school here competes, too, in an Acura MDX donated by parents. http://www.palosverdeshigh.net/darpa/Palos...rs_homepage.htm I believe a Touareg "won" it last year... meaning it didn't crash.

Cool. One of our neighbors has a Honda FCX, and it's not exactly good-looking.

Sebring specs aren't compelling enough... didn't the FWD 300C make like 260 horses five years ago?

Oh, what about the SAAB 9-3 SportCombi?

Impala SS is a niche high-performance vehicle. A more "apples-to-apples" comparison would be the 233 hp 3.9 LTZ, or even better, the Malibu LTZ.

Have you considered a slightly used Touareg, X3, or X5? If you want new, there's the Mazda CX-7 (~$23,500) and Ford Escape Hybrid (~$25,000).

One thing that would really make C&G more efficient and user-friendly is the scroll-mouse-over-topic-and-read-the-first-few-lines-of-a-post function. Is that possible with MKPortal? C&G's by far the most time consuming forum to get through.

Go! Go! Go! Ole Ole Ole! Here! We! Go!

Well Frank, here's your stats: 0-60: Impala=6.4s Camry=6.5s Accord=7.6s Slalom: Camry=60.5mph Impala=62.6mph Accord=64.6mph Noise @ Idle Impala=44.5db Accord=46.5db Camry=46.5db Noise @ full throttle Impala=73.7db Camry=73.9db Accord=74.7db Noise @ 70mph Impala=68.0db Accord=70.0db Camry=70.0db Braking (as rated by Edmunds) Camry=Excellent Impala=Good Accord=Poor Impala was a 1st place finisher in 4 categories & a 2nd place finisher in the remaining 2 categories (it never finished last; unlike the Camry & Accord). I'm willing to bet those GM engineers did their job. It's too bad that wannabe-reviewers like yourself can't be objective enough to realize it. Unlike yourself, I'll be happy to back myself up with FACTUAL STATISTICS instead of using subjective, misleading OPINIONS: Camry & Accord: http://www.edmunds.com/apps/vdpcontainers/...0/pageNumber=12 Impala: http://www.edmunds.com/apps/vdpcontainers/...52/pageNumber=5 Seeing how poorly you faired on this exercise, for the sake of your readership, I can only wish you the best of luck on your next "review". 186890[/snapback] He reviewed the Impala LS, not the 303-hp SS, as articulated in his first paragraph... "If you want to judge a restaurant, don’t order the chef’s specialty. Go for the hamburger or the omelet. If the man in the funny hat prepares these prosaic dishes with the same passion he puts into his Suprème de Turbot Rôti aux Asperges Vertes et à l'Ail en Chemise, you have a winner. The same applies to cars. If you want to judge an automaker’s prowess, check their basic models. Scope the ones with standard engines and base interiors that hide in the back of the lots. A few miles behind the wheel tells you more about the manufacturer’s passion for product than anything their spinmongers could ever publish. Which brings us to the Impala LS." Your "factual statistics" are much more misleading than opinions, since, well, you call them "facts."

My "conventional wisdom" ranking (excludes new '07s, apart from AURA; don't know enough about Altima or Sebring)... 1. Accord 2. Passat 3. Aura 4. Legacy 5. Camry 6. Fusion/Milan 7. Mazda6 8. Sonata 9. G6 10. Impala 11. LaCrosse 12. Galant 13. Grand Prix 14. Optima 15. Malibu 16. Verona What I'd most likely buy myself, factoring in CarsDirect/TMV pricing, etc... 1. Passat 2.0T ($21k) 2. Fusion I4 S ($16k) 3. Aura XR ($24k) 4. Sonata GLS V6 ($17k) 5. Accord V6 SE ($22k) 6. Impala SS ($23K) 7. Mazda 6 s V6 ($18K) 8. Camry SE V6 ($25k) 9. Grand Prix GXP ($25K) 10. Legacy GT ($26K) 11. G6 Base ($15k) 12. Optima LX ($14.5k) 13. LaCrosse CX ($20k) 14. Malibu LT ($16.5k) 15. Galant DE ($18.5k) 16. Verona Base ($17.5k)

Around here, GMC is much, much more upscale than Buick.

Awww... is it because he found your beloved Toyota too loud?

I saw my first one today... with Enterprise plates.

There's $3000 between MSRP and invoice, so "$500 off sticker" would be $2500 profit...

Apparently, '07s get a shorter 3rd gear.

I think it's kinda cool in a hideously cheesy Pimp-my-ride sort-of-way.

Cool.

Plus, the fact that one hears the Northstar doesn't make the cabin any noisier per se, but rather it's an additional pitch or tone in the background, no higher in decibel. A truly sophisticated car should always have aural feedback, IMO, without being intrusive.

ABS has saved me more than a few times from hidden stop signs. And nothing's scarier than locking the front wheels while braking to a full stop during a downhill corner, a la in my non-ABS Volvo.

There's more to successful acoustic engineering than making a car quiet. Here's an article on BMW that explains it all nicely... http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:WdJX-Er...lient=firefox-a

Honda Element with a "Hummer H5" decal on the back window.

Actual "base" price is $27,650, before trim levels. And for the as-tested price of their Z4, they could have gotten the 330-hp M roadster. Congrats to GM for the win... the SKY RL would be an even stronger competitor.

Wow, the sound of that V6 reminds me of Maserati's V8 from the outside. And it's interesting to note how they brought along a 545i, M35, and last-gen 530i... if the CTS is gonna target the mid-lux segment, the STS is pretty much screwed. Edit: There's an IS in there, too.

Wow, they've definitely made an effort with the design. This engine will eventually make it to the Odyssey... who would have thought 6 years ago that minivans would be delivering 270 (Sienna) to 300 horses?