Z-06

Roger that.

Only ZR-1, CTS-V has automatic. Fastest 'Ring lap for the CTS-V was with an auto.

I guess you gotta add the Z-28 to the list NOW?

[source: Inside Line] The Things That Buyers Want By Chris Walton, Chief Road Test Editor Email | Blog Date posted: 09-28-2009 Vehicle Tested: 2010 Chevrolet Equinox LT2 4dr SUV (2.4L 4cyl 6A) MSRP of Test Vehicle: $28,625 Price It!! What Works: Feels more substantial than competitors; interior design leads the segment; optional features of more premium crossovers What Needs Work: Falls short of observed fuel economy expectations; transmission is reluctant to downshift; steering lacks information Bottom Line: Chevrolet (finally) shows what it can do. "Remember: This 2010 Chevrolet Equinox LT2's competitors are the Honda CR-V and Nissan Rogue," he tells us. We kept repeating the words of the Chevrolet spokesman like a mantra while we were driving this compact crossover. We had a couple of good reasons. First, the compact 2010 Equinox looks and feels as if it actually belongs in the same segment as larger, better-equipped SUVs. Second, this 2010 Chevrolet Equinox LT2's frugal 2.4-liter inline-4 engine was adequate for driving slowly on city streets or cruising at a steady speed on the highway, but it kept trying to get our attention in an annoying way despite its nifty noise-canceling loop built in to the vehicle's audio system. We also kept saying the mantra to ourselves because the 2010 Chevy Equinox is better than the Honda CR-V and Nissan Rogue in so many ways. Nice Package Packaging for a midsize SUV is typically less fraught with compromises in budget or real estate compared to the thrifty compacts. So when we first took inventory of the 2010 Chevrolet Equinox LT2, we were pleased to find that it presented a different, better class of SUV. It offers many standard and optional features that aren't available for most of its direct competition. Most important, we weren't unhappy with the reedy song of the Equinox LT2's 2.4-liter direct-injection Ecotec inline-4 as it approaches its peak output of 182 horsepower at 6,700 rpm, nor with its ability to run at wide-open throttle to 60 mph in 9.3 seconds (9.0 seconds with 1 foot of rollout like on a drag strip). Even so, we had to remind ourselves that it takes patience and anticipation in traffic, because there's a fraction-of-a-second delay after you put your foot down before this 3,783-pound Equinox makes its move. That said, when you drive a 166-hp CR-V or 170-hp Rogue, there's no doubt there's a high-revving four-banger working hard to merge onto the freeway, pass on a two-lane or simply haul itself up a steep grade. The Equinox LT2 is no better (or worse) in this regard, but there's a reason this otherwise competent SUV is available with an optional ($1,500), 264-hp 3.0-liter V6. Lost in Transmission The Equinox four-cylinder's "do more with less" dynamic is compromised by a six-speed transmission that's been optimized for fuel economy rather than for strong response. Chevrolet does not stand alone in the spotlight of criticism here. Practically every new vehicle we've driven with an automatic in the past year or so, including the all-new Cadillac SRX V6 (the Equinox's stablemate), has felt as reluctant to cooperate. Most of the time, we circumvent the default transmission programming by pressing a sport button. Only the Equinox doesn't have a sport button and instead has an "Eco" button, which engages even more extreme fuel-economy programming that is meant to improve fuel economy by 1 mpg, but also makes the transmission even more stubborn about responding to your demands. Presumably, the upside to downsizing an engine and slowing the transmission's responses is improved fuel economy. According to the EPA's estimates, this front-drive 2010 Equinox LT2 with its four-cylinder engine should earn top-of-its-class mileage — 22 mpg city/32 mpg highway and 26 mpg combined. That's pretty impressive, even for a compact SUV. Yet our testing didn't come close to achieving these numbers, even though we're usually within 1 mpg of the EPA combined number. In this case, 21 mpg was the best we achieved. For comparison's sake, a 2009 Honda CR-V (FWD) earns a 23 mpg combined rating, and a front-wheel drive 2009 Nissan Rogue S earns 24 mpg. Feature Presentation But what makes the Equinox so good and so unique in the compact SUV category has nothing to do with its engine, nor its transmission programming and the resulting EPA rating. No, it's the Equinox's styling, design and features that make it a standout. The list of features on our LT2 with a base MSRP of $26,190 is too long to list here, but an abridged directory of top-shelf standard items includes six airbags, stability/traction control, cast-aluminum wheels, auto headlamps, foglights, remote entry/remote start, rearview camera, eight-way power driver seat, sliding rear seats with 60/40-split and three-position recline angles, auto climate control, leather-wrapped tilt-telescoping steering wheel with audio and cruise controls, one year of OnStar's Safe and Sound with crash notification, Bluetooth for phone and a USB/aux jack. Our tester added a Chrome Appearance package that also included rear parking sonar ($695), leather seats with heated front buckets ($1,050), a power liftgate ($495) and metallic paint ($195) for a total price of $28,625. A power moonroof, a hard-drive-based navigation system and DVD rear-entertainment system are available. But the thing that can't be itemized, categorized and monetized is how well designed and presented it all is. Even with our Equinox's somber jet-black interior (the two-tone treatment is more attractive), we couldn't ignore the obvious attention to design, build quality and superior content. Soft where it should be, modeled with the appropriate amount of texture and handsomely stitched where it ought to be, the Equinox's interior is vastly superior to that of any current compact SUV, save burgeoning premium compacts like the Audi Q5. The Equinox's seating matches its premium style. The driver seat is eight-way power adjustable with lumbar adjustment, which is uncommon for its class. The rear seats offer between 1.5 inches more rear legroom than a CR-V and 4.6 inches more than a Rogue. The Chevy's 60/40-split fold seats also slide fore/aft and recline in three fixed positions. Luggage room with all seats occupied is about average at 31.4 cubic feet, and maximum cargo room behind the front seats is also about average at 63.7 cubic feet. Pick of the Litter In terms of exterior styling, we feel the Chevy plays the best riff on GM's compact SUV platform. Unlike the forced styling of the 2010 Cadillac SRX, the "I'm a truck, really I am" 2010 GMC Terrain, and the recently departed Saturn Vue, all of which are essentially the same unibody chassis with different wrappers, the Equinox looks appropriately scaled, detailed and thankfully restrained. Though out on the highway, some observed a brittle quality to the Equinox's ride. Most likely caused by a combination of the 35 psi inflation for the P225/65R17 tires (a fuel-saving practice) and compression damping that's a little too harsh, the Equinox slaps its tires on seats between concrete slabs on the freeway. Rebound damping, however, is quite good, providing a gentle return to an otherwise smooth and controlled ride. Electric-assisted power steering (EPS) — another fuel-saving measure — seems to be an elusive art to the engineers at GM. It can be done properly, as Mazda and Mini have proven, yet the Chevy Equinox has steering that feels like a driving simulator, and not a very good one at that. Sure the Equinox has light steering effort at low speed so it's easy to park, and some people might prefer its isolation from the bumps and thumps of the road surface, but it doesn't make for great driving. Of course great driving is apparently not the mission here, as the Equinox circles the skid pad with 0.78g of grip and then weaves through the slalom at just 60.2 mph. At least it comes to a halt from 60 mph in 132 feet. Another Reason To Consider GM Despite its few dynamic idiosyncrasies, we feel the 2010 Chevrolet Equinox LT2 represents yet another clear example of what GM can accomplish. It appears that the General's got some new orders. We trace the beginning of this resurgence from the 2008 Cadillac CTS right up to the 2010 Buick LaCrosse that managed to outshine a Lexus ES 350 in a recent comparison test. The mandate has changed from "Good enough is good enough" to a more courageous, "Don't just make it competitive; make it better." From its contemporary styling and class-leading features to its competitive pricing and miserly fuel economy, the 2010 Chevrolet Equinox is the right SUV for the times, and not a minute too soon for GM.

Add 50th Anniversary to it and you are looking at some price appreciation in near future.

True. May I add Apple vs. Windows and I-Phone vs. Others to it?

LS2 + 6 Speed Tranny = Want Those trucks are really light probably 3,400 lbs. That would be one wicked machine to drive. Get it Mr. Blu.

Congrats to BV. Considering his talent, he deserves it.

Yeah 3.6L could be better too - I just added the LNF in the mix because it has been already proved to be race worthy and its tuning possibilities are limitless. I can see the car being close to 3,000 lb if Kappa could. The car need not be bigger than the Kappa, but you are right 3,200 - 3,300 lb would be more realistic.

Not to get off the topic - but does anyone else think that GM needs a car to take on 370Z with a venerable powertrain of LNF 2.0 Turbo DI with 325hp +/-, 6-speed transmissions and price that is not touching $50k? The weight should not exceed 3,000 lbs and should be on par with Porsche Cayman when it comes to handling. The base price of this car could start at $25k, with price jumping on to $35k for a fully loaded convertible. That will suffice many a race junkies since Solstice has now been a dearly departed.

LA Autoshow will be farewelling the year 2009 which possibly christened itself as the bloodbath for the Automobile History. With the end of dreariness comes a hope for new models and better cars for all of us - with the dream that 2010 will not be as bad and that automanufacturers . What cars do you think GM will debut or would you like GM to debut at the LA Autoshow 2009? Do you think GM has something up its restructured sleeves which will give some us enthusiasm and excitement for us or just reinforce sentiments in some of us that GM is competing for appliance king badge with Toyota? GM will be a stronger force in this year's Autoshow circuit with a display of better products, which all of us want in one way or other. I personally think GM will possibly show off the ATS, Cruze SS and coupe, Viva in flesh, and Buick Astra, Insignia with an outside hope of GMT360 replacement. Chime in.

Come to Florida and your dream shall be duly fulfilled enough to give you aphrodisiac for rest of your life.

I can understand what you are saying. Camaro has the power advantage over the Mustang for a while to give better performance advantage over the Ford. With the updated Ford powertrain, Camaro may be found wanting. That 350-400 lb difference between the Camaro and the Mustang will always be a deficit as horsepowers can always go up by adding more, but the weight in the chasis/body cannot. The heavy zeta was not an ideal base for Camaro, but given the constraints, GM engineers have done a fabulous job for the vehicle's dynamics. I still feel Camaro is a strong design, and a very well done and thoughtout car for GM. Interior is not a solid point and level of quality can improve. I think that the interior should have been more modern. But I can live with the car as a boulevard cruiser with occassional times in the curvy mountains rather than a race junky.

Speechless. Tina Fey reference is awesome. "And I can see China from my Japanese installer's house... "

I have to say that the SX-4 sedan and Swift are probably the better Suzukis - and I am in the same boat as you are. I drove a couple of them with 5-speed manuals when I was in India. While not great handlers, they are very nimble and danceworthy. The steerings are pretty precise and the gear shift feel is top notch. I will go to a length to say the gear shifts give the feel of two generation older civic's precise shifter. I like the Swift better despite of my despise for smaller cars, but it is a car worth putzing around in a city like Bombay. So I can understand where Reg is coming from, but Suzuki quality still sucks. The dashboard material is very bad, interior gaps are bigger than other Japanese cars, and the doors feel like the wardrobes from Ikea.

Scratch TSX it would be partially good had they not ruined the front. MDX is a an awkward but good design. The rest of Acura lineup is horrendously ugly. While not on par with the Aztec, the ZDX is on top of the list for disgustingly ugly vehicles.

Someone listening here. I agree wholeheartedly on this issue.

Why do you need TV when you have ?

Congrats.

[source: Inside Line] Subcompact Is No Longer a Four-Letter Word Ford Fiesta (Euro Version) vs. Honda Fit By Jason Kavanagh, Engineering Editor Date posted: 09-20-2009 Proponents of the subcompact car will tell you that its low purchase price and handy dimensions deliver a combination that can't be matched for efficiency and practicality. Its detractors turn up their noses because they don't want to drive a slow, cramped tin box. Taking up the ground between these camps are two modern examples of the subcompact car that demonstrate that driving enjoyment and frugality don't have to be mutually exclusive: the 2009 Honda Fit and 2009 Ford Fiesta. The former is one of the best small cars you can buy. So is the latter, with one crucial caveat for those of us here in the land of baseball and apple pie — you can't yet buy one here. A New Challenger Faces the Best of the Establishment The 2009 Ford Fiesta serves as Ford's entry in the so-called B-segment, positioned just below the Focus in terms of size and price. Though a sales darling in Europe, the Fiesta has been absent in the subcompact-averse U.S. market. Then the world went to hell, and Ford reconsidered. Only the Blue Oval knows the gory details of how the Fiesta will be equipped when it's finally sold Stateside as a 2011 model. And it's not talking. As such, we've take some liberties in this comparison test. The Squeeze Lime green Fiesta you see here is a Euro-spec four-door hatchback in range-topping Titanium trim, equipped with leather upholstery, keyless entry, rain-sensing wipers and automatic climate control. There's no guarantee that you'll be able to buy a Fiesta outfitted exactly like this one when the model finally appears on the floor at dealerships in the U.S. Also, its $19,358 as-tested price tag is an estimate we conjured up based on the Fiesta's positioning overseas. The 2009 Ford Fiesta has been developed as a true world car, so differences in specification across global markets are minimized in an effort to reduce development costs and time-to-market. Although details are thin on the ground, we do know that the 2011 Ford Fiesta for the U.S. will be a tweaked version of today's Fiesta and will be powered by a 1.6-liter engine similar to the one in our Kermit green car. From the size of its shadow to its low-impact $18,820 blow to the wallet, the 2009 Honda Fit matches up very well to the Fiesta. Although our Fit is equipped with no options per se, Honda crafts its model lineup such that options are bundled together and offered as trim levels. Hence the navigation system and upsized 16-inch wheels found on our top-of-the-line Fit Sport. If you're a regular visitor to Inside Line, you'll recognize the blazing metallic orange 2009 Honda Fit Sport as a resident of our long-term test fleet. Don't cry foul over the 11,000 miles on our Fit's clock, as neither of these cars is exactly brand-spanking new. The Fiesta in this test is a refugee from Ford's Fiesta Movement program and its odometer reads more than 17,000 miles. Delivering on the Small-Car Promise Although the handling numbers we extracted from these cars don't reveal a huge chasm in performance between them, there's an asterisk — the Fiesta's stability control can't be disengaged, and this puts an artificial cap on its ultimate capabilities. As such, the Fiesta's modest 0.81g grip on our skid pad and 65.5-mph slalom speed could otherwise have been grippier and quicker yet. (Dear Ford: Include a button to switch off ESP for the U.S.-spec Fiesta.) Still, the 2,443-pound Fiesta is the more rewarding drive here. Its steering is a benchmark in this class, from the weighting of its effort to the immediate and linear response of the chassis. Paired with firm-yet-compliant suspenders, the Fiesta feels at once substantial and lithe. You're reminded of a more expensive car in the way this car takes to the road. Keep in mind our 2009 Ford Fiesta tester is on summer tires, which do more than simply increase outright grip at the expense of tire life; they also contribute to the Fiesta's superior steering feel and short braking distances (118 feet from 60 mph). (Dear Ford: The Fiesta's steering and handling are key factors underpinning its appeal. Don't neuter the U.S.-spec car's spunkiness by specifying crappy tires or stuffing marshmallows in its suspension.) The 2,511-pound 2009 Honda Fit is a similarly nimble little thing. Its steering is quick around center and the little bugger can even be coaxed into a neutral cornering stance if you get rowdy and abrupt with it when the stability control has been switched off. Threading our slalom cones at 64.4 mph and generating 0.82g on our skid pad, the Fit makes the most of its 185/55R16 all-season tires. Its braking performance is mediocre, consuming 138 feet to reach a standstill from 60 mph. Performance numbers don't tell you much about the way these cars drive in day-to-day use, though. The Fit's comically low-effort shift linkage could have come straight out of an arcade, and its steering needs constant subtle corrections to keep the car traveling in a straight line. It's nervous where the Fiesta is confident. The bottom line is that the Fiesta has moved the needle of small-car dynamics and in doing so has made the Fit feel more toylike by comparison. Not Terribly Quick by the Clock Similarly, the Fiesta's acceleration also suffers from its non-defeatable traction control. It reached 60 mph in 9.4 seconds (9.1 seconds with 1 foot of rollout like on a drag strip) and the quarter-mile in 16.9 at 82.1 mph in our testing, results which aren't far off the Honda's sprints of 9.5 seconds (9.4 seconds with rollout) and 16.9 seconds at 81.1 mph. This performance by the 2009 Honda Fit is a few tenths off the pace we measured when it was new, suggesting that perhaps the launch surface at our testing facility had more bite back then. Nobody's going to be launching these things drag-strip-style, so the dead-heat acceleration numbers are a bit misleading. In the real world of stop-and-go traffic and squirting around trucks on the freeway, the 2009 Ford Fiesta is much more eager than the Honda Fit. Low-end torque is surprisingly ample in the Fiesta's 1.6-liter mill, an engine of uncanny smoothness with a deliciously fruity intake note. Keeping up in the Fit isn't as rewarding, whether it's in terms of these abstractions or actual velocity. Our Fiesta tester's 1.6-liter four produces 118 horsepower and 112 pound-feet of torque on the U.S. equivalent of about 90-octane fuel. (Dear Ford: Honda found 117 hp and 106 lb-ft from its 1.5-liter engine on 87 octane. Find a way to retain the sauce's spice on 87-octane fuel.) The Fiesta's five-speed manual shifts somewhat more like a real gearbox than the Fit's, though the linkage is a bit more vague and there's a shorter-ratio 5th gear that results in more revs at freeway speeds than U.S. consumers will be accustomed to. A slightly taller gear would also deliver better fuel economy during those long trips for which the sophisticated Fiesta is well-suited. In Practice If the 2009 Ford Fiesta has the Fit beat in terms of dynamics, the tables turn when it comes to utility. The Honda Fit is simply a small miracle of packaging. This is a small car that doesn't fall victim to the usual small-car compromises. Its unusually large door apertures and low floor ease ingress, practically presenting the driver seat to your bum. Once you're inside, the Fit's breezier cabin has noticeably more elbow room and slightly better sight lines than in the high-waisted Fiesta. Both headroom and legroom are noticeably more crowded in the Fiesta's backseat than in the Fit. The cargo area of the 2009 Honda Fit also edges the Fiesta. When the backseat is up, there's little difference in volume between the two cars, but the Fit flat-out embarrasses the Fiesta when the seat is stowed. Honda's articulating backseat transforms the space behind the front seats into a flat, low loading floor, while the Fiesta's thick rear seatbacks simply flop forward, forming a cargo volume shaped more like a pinched wedge. Cabin material quality is generally better in the Ford and the layout presents more gracefully than the Fit's polarizing design aesthetic. Save for the Fiesta center stack's chintzy silver plastic, you're surrounded mostly by textured black surfaces that appear richer than those in the Honda. However, the Honda's secondary controls — window switches, wiper interface, center stack controls — are more consistently located right where you expect them and operate more intuitively. (Dear Ford: Rethink the Fiesta's secondary controls for the U.S market.) A New Phenomenon In a way, this comparison is a matter of horses for courses, as each car has distinct strengths that will appeal to different buyers — the Fit for its practicality and the Fiesta for its superior driving experience. The 2009 Ford Fiesta emerges victorious because it sweats the small stuff. Steering feel isn't something its buyer would expect, yet the Fiesta delivers. Same goes for its soothing engine note. Or the way the steering wheel feels custom-made for your hands, or the mechanical sound of the door latch. In the Fiesta, Ford has elevated the subcompact concept to something that's a bit more special than even the very accomplished 2009 Honda Fit. True, factoring in the pivotal issues of equipment and cost here has involved some hocus-pocus. Yet the Fiesta's lead in our scoring is such that Ford will have to comprehensively botch things up on the value front for the 2011 Ford Fiesta to fail in the U.S. If Ford could rejigger the Fiesta's backseat to perform the shenanigans of the one in the Fit, it would really be onto something. (Dear Ford...)

Noice Matey. Like everyone else has said I love the subtle interior changes. Very well done. Now I feel like owning one and making those changes. Great job overall. Those Pontiac Badges are beautiful in silver.

HB

I Got VEE! Cadillac CTS Sportswagon to Get the V Treatment GM CEO Fritz Henderson just confirmed that, in addition to the CTS-V Coupe, there could also be a Cadillac CTS-V SportWagon. Discuss it here.GM CEO Fritz Henderson just confirmed that, in addition to yesterday's news on the CTS-V Coupe, there could also be a Cadillac CTS-V SportWagon. Let the heavens be praised. Cadillac CTS-V Sportswagon is a go.

Why don't you get the car and if the dieselengine craps, putting the Duramax as a replacement would be a great project.