Robert Hall

Regular lighting is cheaper and lighter weight? That could explain the ECO angle...or maybe it's just they wanted the ECO to look different..

Liking what I see w/ all 3...looking forward to seeing them in person... I'm looking forward to sitting in them...just looking at the pics, the Exec Series looks like the kind of daily driver interior I'd like to have..

LED lighting seems to be overhyped...

The regenerative braking system kind of sounds like a KERS..

Interesting...front end is a bit busy, but appropriate for a performance version. As far as the GC goes, I'd love to see a Rubicon trim level w/ big tires and black wheels, lots of ground clearance, and off-road suspension upgrades. My ideal GC would be one with Rubicon exterior trim, diesel, and the Overland interior trim.

i haven't been in or drove Brooklyn Decker and Jennifer Lawrence but at least i think its alright to speculate about preferences based on photos............ Never heard of them...porn stars or reality TV stars or something? Anyway, so if this new Malibu is an MY 2013 and it's only April 2011, it sounds like the 2012 MY is going to be shortened for the Malibu?

Hmmm...new grille is bigger, SHO grille almost reminds me of the repulsive Sonata Hybrid's maw. I prefer the current smaller grille..the SHO would have looked better w/ a mesh grille in the current smaller hole, IMO...but the trend is towards larger, more aggro grilles..

Subtle changes..guess I would have to see the grilles side by side to see the changes.

With a silver one like this, I'd probably go for the chrome R/T Classic wheels w/ red R/T style side stripes and no rear wing.

Speaking of Challenger rentals, after I signed for my midsize (which turned out to be a Mazda5) at Alamo at the Long Beach airport Saturday, I discovered they had Challengers on the lot for rent, incl. a metallic black one. I should have checked more when I did my reservation..

And the mags would easily say, "The portliest one of the bunch," and not think twice Well, it is American...we are a nation of chunky people and chunky cars.. I could stand to lose 50-75 pounds myself.. So shorter wheelbase, not much shorter overall...longer overhangs it sounds like.

'huge'? It may not be as small as the Miata or the old Z3, but it's still a pretty tiny car..these are the specs of the current model, I would expect the 4cyl one to be lighter and better balanced.. Wheelbase 2,496 mm (98.3 in) Length 4,239 mm (166.9 in) Width 1,790 mm (70.5 in) Height 1,291 mm (50.8 in) Curb weight 1,470 kg (3,241 lb) (sDrive30i manual) 1,500 kg (3,307 lb) (sDrive30i auto) 1,565 kg (3,450 lb) (sDrive35i manual) 1,585 kg (3,494 lb) (sDrive35i auto

Cool...glad you could get something you liked and also new and reliable. Good luck and may you have many enjoyable, trouble free miles ahead.

Sounds pretty good for a midsize, 4cyl car that probably weighs at least 3500lbs..

Bryan Nesbitt (I think that's his name) resembles Charlie Sheen. Winning!

Seeing that other post about the 2012 Impala getting the 3.6 and a 6spd auto, I suspect the real 2014 Impala will be the same as the 2012...w/ the updated engine and transmission, the W-body could go on another 5-10 years..(j/k)

Weren't the Impala rear quarters different, esp. around the taillights? Different decklids also, looks like. And the C-pillar and roofline on 2dr hts?

Saw a lot of interesting cars in Long Beach this weekend..at the parking for the Toyota GP of Long Beach race today, I saw 3 CTS-vs parked together--gray 4dr, silver 2dr, dk gray wagon. Saw a row of 1/2 dozen red Ferraris in the lot, ranging from '90s models to a 458 Italia..saw a sharp bright red w/ white stripes '67 Camaro SS. Yesterday leaving the airport in my strange little rental car (somehow ended up w/ a Mazda5) saw a dark '11 Mustang GT playing w/ a dark gray '10/11 Camaro SS on the 405 freeway entrance ramp..the exhaust notes of both were incredible..

If a rwd zeta impala were to happen the target is obvious..charger

Well, the main competitors for these two (Lexus RX and ES), Lincoln MKX and MKS) don't have performance versions either. Since they are just FWD/AWD models, they can't compete w/ the RWD/AWD big league models.

<cynical> One thing also to keep in mind are the big oil companies...I would think they will be doing everything they can to keep down EV adoption and sabotage EV development. </cynical>

Alternatives to the lightest metal on the periodic chart? Not many of them. Synthetic Lithium... sure... we'll put the nuclear fusion reactor in your back yard. I suppose Sodium or Potassium ion batteries could be made, as all the Alkali metals have similar properties. However, these would be heavier and tend to be more reactive... and so are closer to being a munition. I don't know, I'm not a chemist...but it's time they come up with creative solutions, think outside the box if the electric car strategy is going to be viable and widespread...

Using your analog, if gasoline was like flat screens, I was paying $1.07 for regular 87 octane in 1998, so we'd be paying 10.7 cents a gallon for 140 octane gasoline today. Unfortunately, comparing flat screens to batteries is apples to oranges. Flat screens are not stuck being made from a small group of expensive metals. Batteries are. Lithium is $300/lb before you do anything to it. How much is used in the Volt? Where will this price go if large scale Lithium battery production starts and there is not enough Lithium extraction to go around? Lithium is not exactly common and always requires expensive processing to purify it. Remember, the biggest Lithium fields are in a middle eastern country currently at war with the US. I'm not saying that there aren't potential savings here... but it ain't going to follow the flat screen price free fall. Sounds like it's time for battery companies to work on synthetic lithium or other alternatives...

Saw a very clean black w/ red interior '66-67 Lincoln Continental convertible, top down, cruising along in morning traffic...

That's what my Mom says they look like...never saw the connotation..they don't look hearse-like to me, but like a sleek wagon...