Robert Hall

Yes, I don't think they had any sheetmetal in common. Shared the E-body platform, but had a lot of differences. From what I've read, the E-body platform (as far as suspension, etc) had a lot in common with the B-bodies (Charger, Road Runner, Coronet, etc).

There was no '69 Challenger...Dodge had the Dart, but no 'pony car' in the late '60s. The '70 E-body Cuda looks much better than the Valiant-based A-body '67-69, IMHO. There are some similarities in design between the '70-74 E-bodies and the '69 GM F-bodies, but the E-body Cuda and Challenger are bigger, wider cars. The '70-71 Challenger is still one of my favorite designs of that era. Since the Challenger was an all-new model, there was no previous version to base the styling on. As far as 'lack of continuity' as 'Mopars fault', well, GM did the same thing--the '70 1/2 F-bodies have nothing stylistically similar to the '67-69. Sometimes radical change works well between generations of a model.

Yeah, but the manual isn't much lighter...over 3800 lbs.

Interesting that they are doing 2 different V8s of the same displacement...(LS3, L99). It seems the L99 differs in having AFM and lower hp/torque numbers. Sure is nice to see 6spd transmissions across the board and IRS. And 4 wheel discs w/ ABS standard. Alas, the V8 w/ automatic...over 3900lbs!

Good for you...personally, I'd like to have a passport from an EU country... I'd be quite happy in Wales, I think.

You would never buy a new car anyway, so it's a moot point. You still want it to be 1970...isn't going to happen.

The thing is, GW has no charisma at all..comes off as a clueless, semi-literate rube with a fake accent. I can't believe people believed his BS and voted for him...the God and guns crowd loved him, I just don't see the appeal..didn't in '00.

I wouldn't want removable panels..too much work. Hopefully, the sunroof will be a power sliding one and not a silly pop up..

Yes, I'm not liking their new stying direction..they've had many models over the last 20 years that I've liked--the TL, RL, Legend, CL, NSX..

Yes, some people on here don't seem to comprehend that simple fact. I like RWD and V8s, but I do like the current TL (and know several owners, who are well-educated 30-something professionals, not the people described in 68's juvenile rant). I'm not a big FWD fan, but I do like the looks of the current TL, love the interior, and have driven them a few times..they drive very nicely.

Again, though, whether it is a 'much better' use of money depends on the consumer's individual needs and how the product matches those needs. Not everyone has the same needs and interests in products.

IIRC, the TransPort was sold for a number of years as a Chevy in Europe. The Olds Alero was sold as a Chevy for a while also.

Correct..different products, different market niche.

True..arguably a better strategy than introducing all at once.. very few cars (in NA at least) have multiple bodystyles anymore, and very few are introduced all at the same time.

'muscle car' is a dated term, anyway. Back in the day (40 years ago), Camaros were considered 'pony cars', and mid-size cars like the GTO were 'muscle cars'. Anyway, that's neither here nor there, which is why I prefer the general term 'performance car' to describe performance cars today, rather than worry whether they fit the 'sports car', 'sports sedan', 'muscle car', etc classification.

We are talking about GM, though. BMW is small, nimble, and profitable. GM moves much slower.

Traction, more efficient engine, and nicer interior, more content are strong reasons... (the current TL interior is nicer than the G8, I'm assuming the new will be nicer). And available manual transmission, I assume.

That sounds kind of like my schedule...I'm usually up by 5-5:30, at the office between 7-8, out between 4:30-5:30. My commute is about 25 min each way. Lunch is catered free at the office, so I usually eat in (the food is usually excellent). Get home, feed the dogs, feed myself, take a dip in the pool, watch a movie or surf the web, go to bed by 10ish.. I'm probably going to take a week vacation in Sept around Labor Day...my 4 days in Florida went way too fast. Thinking of going back to Colorado, sync up w/ friends, or go up to Portland, visit friends there for a few days, then up to Vancouver and Victoria Island...could be interesting. Mountains, greenery and water would be a nice change from the desert..

Well, the marketing organisations compete with each other, no doubt..

Work has been picking up here lately at the startup...have a major release to a major bank in Europe in about 6 weeks, so there will be some OT coming up...but it's more mental exhaustion than physical... hours in front of a 24 inch computer screen in a comfy chair, fueled by caffiene... Haven't been sleeping well either this week... jet lagged from the weekend in Florida, and worn out from it..(I can't party at 38 the way I did at 20 or so)..

Maybe Chevy got concerned that the Insignia looked too good relative the Malibu and told Saturn to tone it down..

Yes..I couldn't imagine how awful life would be, esp. the teenage years without the real world experiences, both good and bad, of high school... I knew a number of people in Colorado that did home schooling, their kids seemed to have developed into Christian Stepford child zombies... Growing up in an expensive, resort oceanside community, I could have gone to a private school, but went to public school, with it's heady mix of the very rich, a few poor, a narrow middle class, jocks, nerds, geeks, overachievers, joiners, cliques, surfers, stoners, preppies, proto-yuppies, and all the sex, drugs, alcohol, & rock and roll of the '80s....I came out relatively unscathed. It was a memorable, heady experience full of highs and lows. The stuff that went on in school back in the day couldn't happen today without a lot of arrests and suspensions. It seems like high schools today have the ambience of prisons.

For me, it's the grille, really...the updated RL doesn't look better than the previous, likewise for the new TSX and the new TL compared to previous versions. The previous models were much cleaner, the new ones seem to attempt to be 'bolder' looking with the tacky shield grilles...

Ah, nice... I haven't taken the time to explore the Chevy site yet. I like both the blues and the gray.

Has the color palette been revealed yet? Besides the bright Starburst fruit chew colors, I'd love to see some more subtle color schemes... I'd like to see a dark metallic blue, a titanium gray, Enclave bronze, the CTS dark red, and that sharp, bright metallic lime-ish green that was on the Avalanche a few years ago (I don't recall the name, but it was a great color..reminded me of an old Hot Wheels Spectraflame color..I think there was a darker version also)