vonVeezelsnider

That's been going on for almost ten years now... I remember him on CNN when Spirit and Opportunity were launched to Mars.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALCTOs2zakc Come 'n get it!

W-LaCrosse Lucerne another Impala Malibu 2LT or LTZ Saturn Aura older DTS Panther

Hey, look! Two boats in one picture.

The red, blue and brass are an attractive color combo, to be sure.

Illegal in Canada, the whole time. Not allowed, no way. Notably, vehicles such as the Quest, Villager, Corolla, Saturn and whatnot from the states equipped with such belts are deemed inadmissible, even now. Can't be imported. Canadian Spec models had to be equipped with standard style seatbelts for sale in Canada and US models don't penetrate the border. Canada didn't bend its auto-safety mandates a little to allow the potentially weaker mechanisms to be implemented into vehicles for use here. Always remember seeing them on cars as a kid during trips to California and Arizona but never understood why I didn't see them at home... now I know why.

And of course back in those days each person had relatively smaller luggage. So a trip to the airport with 6 people had six seated and all the suitcases fit in the trunk. Today, the suitcases are so large, I barely fit 2-3 in the back of my relatively large-trunked Bonneville... so the others go in the passenger area. Nothing like a super cramped 2-3 hour drive from Atlantic City to JFK to deliver 2 and their junk to the airport. If 6 were going, we'd need two cars! The first summer we had the 07 Impala we took it to the coast (four of us) and found the trunk of 19cu. ft. was *just* big enough for the luggage of four people. Quite simply the Malibu with its 15cu. ft. and oh so stupid shaped trunk opening or anything in its class could seat five but not carry the luggage for more than two. At least for its size the Cruze has a decent amount of cargo space and a reasonable shaped opening... Just wish it didn't have those god forsaken gooseneck hinges.

I think that your experiences from dealer to dealer do a good job of killing the oft held opinions that manufacturers have had in the past vis-a-vis the product selling itself.

Better than their retention rate of Oldsmobile customers IIRC

It's a trap!

I'm just mad they got rid of "Swivel 'n Go"... That was an awesome feature.

Looks like the rear deck is longer...

GOOD idea, sell this to fleets instead of the Equinox to keep residuals up.

I've had no issues with comfort in the Cruze, I've even driven a 2LT with the 1.4T back when they first came out. Very supportive and would have no problem driving for long distances considering it's a small car. Hope the Verano is even better. The seats in the Orlando are definitely different. I thought they were the same at first so I went and tried the Orlando and Cruze back to back- the seat cushions are wider and flatter in the Cruze for sure. My complaint is with the hip/thigh bolstering on the seat cushion. It feels uncomfortably tight on my hips and thighs... I'm sure I could get used to it but if it's noticeably uncomfortable for a few minutes how is it going to feel if you drive it for 6-8 hours...

Alas I didn't bring my Camera... But these are live pictures from MSN Canada at the Montreal Show.

This will certainly be a looker, certainly nice to see something other than the ubiquitous C-Class, A4 and 3-Series. What does concern me is that the XTS is supposed to be shown late this year or early next and has not been seen testing as of yet... Perhaps GM realized the priority should be the ATS?

Rattle Rattle Rattle Plastic Plastic Plastic? That's what I didn't like about the HHR/Cobalt yeeeeessssss Every time you hit a reasonably bump or dip the giant Fisher-Price plastic shelf in the back rattles and crashes and makes the bump seem twice as jarring as it would normally feel. Not to mention we've had to replace the steering column and now the switch that activates the hatch latch doesn't work, negating most of the utility my mom got the stupid car for. And it gets disappointing fuel economy. And I can't get comfortable in any of the seats. And it's ugly. It's funny you should say... after a while of ownership the plastic shelf in the Malibu Maxx does the same thing. When the weather gets better I'm going to use adhesive foam and form a bodge job to stop the rattling. Also, the Maxx is on ISS #3

Rattle Rattle Rattle Plastic Plastic Plastic? That's what I didn't like about the HHR/Cobalt

Going to be adding an LT1 Fleetwood Brougham to the fleet as soon as I can find one in acceptable condition for the right price... I graduate with my Finance degree in late 2012 and within a year would like to be in a NEW car so I can park my Impala (no way am I getting rid of this thing- sentimental attachment) and Fleetwood. Good MPGs are a must (4cyl) so probably a high spec Cruze or Malibu- maybe a Verano.

Have fun with Seattle/Portland, lots of interesting things to see there! Take a tour of the Boeing facility @ Everett if you have time.

Took some time to attend the Calgary Auto Show tonight and I got a chance to see a couple vehicles that haven't really been seen up until this point. You might be interested to hear about the Orlando for example... Here's a summary of my thoughts. Golf Estate Absolutely love this car, would be perfect for me. Nice compact wagon, especially a Diesel with real solid MPG. It's disappointing more automakers don't make wagons these days. Are you listening GM? Regal Wagon, Coupe, and Convertible would be nice. 9-5 This is a REALLY elegant car, and the presence is even better in person. LOVE the digital cockpit inspired digital speedometer 300 Feels big, great quality interior, this was a low-spec model with the all microfiber seats, not sure how I feel about that. Also like the use of dark woodgrain accents which are much less played than the standard fare Walnut. Big chrome strip looks less awkward in person Grand Cherokee Absolutely gorgeous... Great use of wood and love the steering wheel. Also in a class of its own now that the Explorer has been wussified. 200 Convertible Really nice, no garish elements of the sedan or the previous Sebring. Really comfortable front seats and the back seats are reasonable. Good storage with the top up and the roofline is nice. Interior quality is top notch, too bad its saddled with the old shift knob and infotainment system. Could see myself purchasing one (hardtop) if I lived in a less $h!ty climate. RDX No... just no. Mazda2 Lots of exposed painted steel in interior takes away from quality look of the car Regal Great interior build quality, seats still not feeling quite right... like the seat is not giving enough thigh support Equinox Really comfortable front seats but it feels a little more tight in there than the previous gen when it comes to hip and shoulder room. Overall still very roomy and could potentially be a wildcard for my car search in a couple years Orlando BIG disappointment. Interior build quality is equal to the Cruze but the seats must be Euro... I'm not a big guy (5'11 average BMI) but the seats pinch my hips and it was uncomfortable for a few minutes let alone a road trip. Cheap flimsy front armrests but reasonable rear seat legroom (both rows really). Rear visibility and cargo with third row up is unexceptional, otherwise good. Just get an Equinox. You people in America are just as well for not getting it. Cruze LTZ Still bullish on this car, they had an LTZ RS in one of my favorite colors, the Crystal Red color. Quality as good as other Cruzes I've been exposed to, switchgear has really good tactile feel and quite frankly I like the upholstered dash. No flimsy buttons or stalks. This car is the contender to beat for my purchase in couple years. They had another LTZ with all the airbags deployed to illustrate how fracking many there are Malibu Getting long in the tooth compared to the other Chevrolet cars parked amongst it (but still solid)... Replacement will be exciting to see Volt Solid quality interior and quite frankly, more plausible engineering than Leaf. If a price drop is associated with the Volt V2.0 I will be interested in possibly buying one. Sonic REALLY awkward styling profile, especially at C-Pillar. Rear door handles look cheap and quite frankly I found the Fiesta to be more aesthetically pleasing, and have better interior quality. Also it doesn't have that GAY gauge pod thing. Big negative points for that. I'm sure it's a solid offering but I think that the Fiesta from a superficial standpoint is a more mature, and euro looking car compared to the Sonic which def. shows Korean roots. Impala, DTS and Lucerne As a large-car guy I still like these three a lot (hell I drive one of them daily), but GM must be ashamed of them because there wasn't one Impala, Lucerne, or DTS for display.

If gas prices make the Fleetwood I eventually buy cheaper I don't think I could be happier...

Am I the only one who thinks this thing looks like a Tundra?

http://www.insideline.com/ford/focus/2012/comparison-test-2011-chevrolet-cruze-ltz-vs-2012-ford-focus-titanium.html It's obvious that they would give the win to the Focus but I'm going to play devil's advocate on a few points... -MyFordTouch has been universally panned as overly complicated by numerous sources... Certainly moreso than the Cruze's NAV system -In my humble opinion the Cruze has a MUCH more classy and refined looking interior than the Focus. I think it's ugly... In the case of the blurple color scheme, possibly deal-breaker ugly; every other review says (contrary to IL) that the Cruze in fact has the better quality plastics. While we're on the subject the Malibu interior is also classier than the Fusion. -The 2.0L engine has more horsepower (160) but continues the stupid sorry trend of having torque numbers LOWER than the HP number rather than higher. From my experience I've found that the ideal combination for good around town guts is to have the torque higher than the horsepower. IL stated that the bottom end was weak on the Focus.

I actually like the Burgundy but not the Garnet... I like the light blue as well... for some reason that bright red just screams at me. I'm a bit too conservative I guess.