ponchoman49

I think most of the new Bimmers look horrible. The Lucerne is a blessing after looking at those pug ugly new Bimmers.

This car looks nice. I agree about the 3800 base model. It is going to feel underpowered. Less power, more weight and lazy 2.86:1 gears will have that effect on a large car. I'm surprised that the Northstar version with the base 3.11 gears is only rated at 17/25 when this combo used to be rated at 18/27 in the previous, heavier Deville. Honestly I think GM pulls mileage ratings out of there butt. The new Malibu is another one. The 04/05 Ecotec was rated 24/35 and the 06 drops to 24/32 which is the same highway rating as the 3500 V6. Litterally everyone with the Ecotec is geeting more than 34-35 on the highway so GM's lower ratings are puzzling in light of higher gas prices.

Try sitting in the back of the Grand Prix with the front seat moved more than half way back. And try sitting in that park bench hard back seat for more than an hour.

It just looks cheap and plain IMO. If a Cobalt and Malibu can have it why not the Impala/Monte Carlo? I don't see Ford doing it either. Check out the new Fusion. It has floor shifter indicators, trunk keyhole and really pleasant cloth seat material.

Holy smokes a bodyside door molding on a Cadillac! Say it isn't so. They finally came to there senses. Like the front end too. These new sport utes will do pretty well overall. 400hp will give this a big edge over the Navigator.

Modern America has been on the slide for years starting with the 70's. The fuel crunches. The blandification of architecture like houses, bridges, barns and buildings, the technology craze where everything HAS to be at everybodys fingertips RIGHT NOW yesterday, peoples attitudes have gone in the gutter, jobs are getting fewer and farther between, the government seems to get worse every year, constant inflation and money troubles, never ending population increases, the great melting pot, industry all going overseas, endless old warehouses and buildings that are empty reminding us of a once long time forgotten society of hard work, care and support for out country. Many of the modern generation X,Y,Z just don't have a clue. It sickens me to see a once great company be disgraced like this!

The Malibu would be nearly perfect if it had the Impalas seats and split/fold rear seat. The Impala would be great if it has softer touch lower dash plastic/door padding, floor shifter gear indicators and darker cloth fabrics.

Try driving a 4WD 4 door loaded up model with A/C and 5 people. Talk about a slug.

The 2006 Explorer and Mountaineer were redesigned! When seem from the back or sides they look almost identical. And the weird machine like interior hardly inspires confidence. The base engine/tranny are the same too. The only somewhat noteworthy change is the more powerfull V8 and 6 speed automatic though 0-60 times improve only fractionally and mileage is still low at 14/20. A half hearted attempt on Ford to call this a re-design but an ok refresh.

Exactly. This insanity with 7 and 8 speed automatics is getting out of hand. Come on people, the more gears in the tranny the bigger it's going to be and heavier. Lets not forget more complex and far far costlier to fix. The Japanese are just trying to cover up there deceptions with hp numbers that were higher than they really were and there lack of displacement and low end torque. The Europeans have 7 speed automatics and just look where their quality is; third place behind us and the Japanese brands.

I would like to see Chevy put darker tans and grays in there cloth seat options and make the lower portion of the dash look less cheap. Also I would like to see a return of gear indicators on the floor shifter as it just doesn't look right. Lastly where did the rear legroom go? These minor carpings aside I think the new Impala will do well.

This car is a disaster! Base models with those silly spoilers and plastic wheel covers! From the a-pillar forward it looks just like an Impala. The sides of the car look stupid with no door moldings. The interior is mostly a carry over save the center stack with way too much hard plastic. WHere is the Knights badge? This car with all of it's cost cutting measures is hardly going to even register a blip on the scale. Most dealers didn't even seem to care that this car wasn't out yet and most attention was on the Impala and HHR. This car gets a solid D- on it's redesign and is a disgrace to the Monte Carlo name. The only one improvement I liked is the new engines.

My advise to Toyota: figure out how to make the Prius work without taking time off on the highway before you delve into a pickup truck. But wait isn't that what we all want to see. New Toyota hybrid pickup truck being recalled right after it's launch. Would be just another nail in there coffin.

Wow that grille and rear bumper chop actually make this car look pretty decent. If only Buick did it this way from the beginning. The current LaCrosse front end just looks wimpy to me.

Why wait till late 07-early 08? Do it ASAP! Change the name back to Regal and have GS version available. Dump the limp 4T65 and use the new 6 speed automatics. Also come up with a lower priced Century version with bench seats and 211 hp 3500, optional side air bags and ABS and price it around $19995 for an entry level Buick. Most LaCrosses I see are priced at 25-30K which is rather heady for a midsize car with margial rear legroom.

Saturn has been known for it's dent resistant panals, no dicker price, good customer service, huge panals gaps and noisy 4 bangers. Now if they can produce solid products that are a cut above competitors and deliver that same customer satisfaction and buying experience I would actually consider one. Throw in a better warrenty and I would be sold.

The point here is that all the 3800 defenders seem to be forgetting that this is 2006 not 1996. Hell the 1996 3800 engine had more hp and torque and was in a lighter car so at the time produced good power for a luxury car. A 2006 full size porker of a car that weights nearly 3900 lbs, uses lazy 2.86:1 gears and the same old tranny will produce lackluster acceleration at best, especially with 10 less hp. Why do people settle for second best? It's so obvious GM did this for cost cutting reasons and to use up all the remaining 3800's. No excuse whatsoever to have not used the excellent 3.6 with 240-250hp to at least be in the same ballpark as the Avalon.

My buddy works at a Chevy dealer and says the major turn offs for many customers is lack of long bed option, too expensive, horrid interior with no padding whatsoever and god aweful cheap seat material, limited towing and lackluster power on 4 door models. Also some people commented on the weird sounds that 3500 makes on the test drive. On that note my curiosity got the better of me so I rented a 2005 Colorado 4WD 4 door 1SB package fleet model for 3 days. It was a very handsome truck overall with the sport red paint, optional bodyside moldings, alloys and no white letter tires. I was instantly turned off the momment I turned the key and the 3500 L5 throbbed to life. It reminded me of my parents old Tech-IV 2.5 Olds Ciera, loud and throbby. Out on the road I was impressed overall with the ride and handling. This truck had the smaller quieter riding tires which don't appear to be available to the public. They afforded a surprisingly compliant ride. Interior room was good. Seat comfort acceptable. The material on the seats felt and looked very cheap. The door panals equally so with no padding whatsoever. The dash was well laid out but it looks like these new gen of smaller trucks aren't giving us full guage clusters anymore. The Dakota is no exception to this either. Back seat room with my front seat moved half way back was ok but not as good as the Dakotas. Gas mileage was good at 20 mpg overall but a good friend of mine has a fully loaded Siera with the 5.3 and routinely sees 19-20 in combined driving with that so this trucks mileage was not outstanding. Power improved slightly the more I drove the truck to acceptable levels and the engine even seemed to idle better. My truck only had 1500 miles on the clock so maybe the engine needed more break in miles. Overall my pro and con chart would look like this: Pros- nice styling, decent gas mileage, roomy interior, ride/handling better than expected Cons- powertrain refinement not as good as Dakotas V8, engine could use more power, tranny needs to be replaced with more modern 5 speed auto with closer spaced gears, interior materials lackluster, towing capacity behind all others, no 4 wheel disk brakes, no longer bed option, pricey.

Getting so sick of Ford and there barely different new models and been there done that styling. Also sick of so many darned SUV's and crossovers!

7.1 seconds is with a tailwind going downhill. I have driven tons of these and they aren't that fast. Motor Trend and GM & Basher use calculations to get these numbers under ideal, perfect conditions. They published this in an issue a few years back because a disgruntled 3800 owner with a 00 Monte Carlo SS with a 200 hp 3800 took his car to a track and couldn't come anywhere close to the 7.6 second 0-60 time that they got. The best he saw was 8.2 seconds and 8.4 when full temps where reached. This was a fully broken in car with over 10K miles too. I have owned numerous cars with this engine and NEVER broke the 8.0 second mark with any one of them. The s/c Parks are the heaviest G-bodies at nearly 3900 lbs so my recorded 7.8-8.0 second time seems to bear fruit. AT 43K list I would expect more than an an outdated 1996 spec engine and even more outdated 4 speed automatic tranny. This is after all the same drivetrain that my buds 1997 Grand Prix GTP had. A car that at the time he paid a little over 22K for brand new.

I wouldn't even consider this car without the V8

I wouldn't exactly say that the 3800 explodes with authority. After all this is a portly sedan weighting in at close to 3700 lbs. My parents have a 2001 base SE model that I have driven numerous times. It has the lazier 2.86:1 gears. It gets a pretty decent jump off the line but can barely break loose those 16" tires with foot to the floor driving. Midrange punch seems to be this cars favorite spot like when your going 30 and nail the throttle, kicking down into first gear. Performance at higher speeds isn't as good as my 02 Intrigue will spank my folks Bonny in any highway passing maneuver I can find. Your 3.05:1 geared car probably has more off the line snap if anything.

That blue GTP sedan is sweet. The chrome 18" wheels are icing on the cake. The leather interior takes care of 2 pet peaves I have with the lower end models with rock hard harsh cloth material and manual seat adjustments. Can't wait to hear your comments.

That is a sweet looking 80 T/A

I do much prefer the Silverados seats to the F-150's cheap cloth material but the rest of the F-150 interior does seem more modern.