pow

The perfect car for old people--and I mean that in a good way. With EyeSight, people dining outdoors in cafes will have plenty of time to flee from the path of a confused driver unintentionally accelerating in the wrong gear.

They're framing this all wrong. It's a free upgrade. The car equivalent of a software update. Volt Mountain Lion.

Regal GS is their current halo. Big flashy wheels and turbo. The problem is all that equipment makes its price on par with proper sports sedans -- competitors that outclass it in every way. The base Regal should be more like a GS and the base LaCrosse should be more like the Touring model. Their base prices are fine; they just need more equipment and standard bling to make the value equation work. Buick ain't BMW, whose buyers are willing to spend $1,000 on front power seats.

I wish them luck. Buicks have horrible residuals, so GM typically has to dole out huge cash incentives to make their leases competitive. Not really a formula for making money. Residuals: 2012 Buick Regal: 43% 2012 Acura TSX: 57% 2012 Lexus IS250: 59% 2012 Buick LaCrosse: 43% 2012 Acura TL: 56% 2012 Lexus ES350: 56% All residuals assume 36-mo lease, 15K mi/yr.

With politics, facts don't really matter. And EVERYTHING is being made political now. What a shame.

Wow, that is absolutely hideous.

Wow, it looks great--much sportier than the previous two generations, which were more upright like mini-MPVs. The interior looks like a winner.

I've seen three Karmas on the streets so far, and each time I've been blown away by its presence and style. It's a very breathtaking design that stands out in a sea of midsize family sedans and crossovers.

New CTS will be a test to see if Cadillac can sell a $50-60K sedan in non-niche volumes. This has been a struggle for brands like Acura, Volvo, and Lincoln, but I think Cadillac can do it--think Escalade.

A8 is a much better car than XTS... regardless of powertrain layout. And besides the A8's engine is mounted longitudinally, which allows for a predictable full-time Torsen AWD system. None of which actually matters, because the XTS is Cadillac's ES350. It will sell by virtue of being large, cushy, and inexpensive compared to its similarly sized European rivals. Engineering a $100K Cadillac supersedan at this time simply doesn't make sense.

Is the top still removable? At LAIAS, I drove a Wrangler Unlimited around downtown and thought it was awesome, even though dynamically it was terrible. There's just something about the wind in your hair, panoramic visibility, and sitting so high. And, surprisingly, unlike a roadster or convertible, you're not too conspicuous driving in one, since you've got the B-pillars shielding you from nosy eyes.

I love the interior. Sporty and elegant at the same time. I love chrome and piano black and ivory leather; too bad they show fingerprints so easily. And all that chrome blinds you while driving in the sun.

CTS dimensionally may be similar to 5-series, but even compared to the previous generation, it was relatively cramped inside and was certainly not to the same caliber of engineering, equipment, prestige, pricing, etc. With the ATS being the new entry-level Cadillac sports sedan and the true 3-series competitor, the new CTS can stop being a "tweener" and rival the 5-series, E-Class, and A6 directly.

For the record, highways are money losers as well. User fees (i.e., gasoline taxes) only cover 51% of highway expenditures. The rest come from general funds. Travel by automobile, especially in rural areas, is an extraordinarily subsidized form of transportation, but we've decided it's something we value enough to collectively pay for. http://subsidyscope.org/transportation/direct-expenditures/highways/funding/analysis/

Could the Isuzu version be a GMC Canyon?

Saw a Captiva today. Seems like the old Saturns are really going around...

Regal weighs a good 400+ lbs more than Sonata. Every technology, be it direct injection, turbocharging, variable cylinder management, multi-speed transmissions, or even diesel, adds complication and cost. But you get increased efficiency and performance as a result. eAssist could be added to the new 2.5, or in fact, any engine out there, for more MPGs and more power.

There is a lot more to performance than 0-60 measurements. In normal driving, the gearing is such that you'd think there is a small 6 under the hood. Perhaps you're talking about the eAssist Regal, because I've driven the base version and thought it was incredibly sluggish.

The only thing ILX has going for it is the premium Acura badge, as its primary competitors are lowly Fords and Hyundais. Perhaps their product planners have found that buyers are more likely to buy a $26K Acura than, say, a theoretical $26K Civic EX-L Titanium. Same goes for Buick with their Verano.

eAssist is quite an upgrade to the base 2.4 SIDI motor, which is neither powerful or efficient and shouldn't exist in the first place. The only midsizer slower than the Regal (0-60 in 9.8 seconds) is the Prius. eAssist gives the Buick brand a competitive advantage and its price will only go down as that system becomes more and more common.

It casts a shadow too similar to the CR-V. It'll likely sell better than the old one, but it's less of a driver's car without SH-AWADAAEWQSHAWDY.

It's a tidy looking car; much better than the sedan.

Nice worthy upgrades! Makes the Lambdas more relevant.

No, the C-class will remain RWD; the A- and B-class have always been FWD. The new model looks pretty neat. Merc pretty much invented the premium small car, but with stylish new competition from Alfa and Citroen, it was time for them to step it up.

Their 1.4 direct-injected turbo motor sold elsewhere in the world could probably achieve the same fuel economy and performance while running on much cheaper fuel, producing lower emissions, and costing far less.