Drew Dowdell

Ah, you're right. Passat 2.0 turbo. I thought the Passat was using the same 5-cylinder the Jetta has now. However, I think even the old Malibu outsold the Passat even subtracting fleets.

When the Genesis can handle with the 5-series, 3-series, or CTS, then we'll talk. Why do you ignore the fact that while the 3er does accellerate faster than the heavier and larger CTS, the CTS matches it overall in handling? Is it not an accomplishment that Cadillac has built a car as large and as heavy as the 5-series that still handles with the 3er? Or did Cadillac pay off Newton this year to get pass...?

How about this SMK... Cadillac does not have an entry lux vehicle to sell.... will you stop comparing it to the 3-series then? Cadillac sells a CTS and a CTS-L <psst, everyone else, it's really an STS> That will stop your whining about not having a DOHC V8, bluetooth, surround sound <completely useless feature>, etc etc. and cover BMW up to the higher end of the 5-series at which point the CTS-L-V can take over.

you mean like the 4-cylinder, 4-speed auto Camry that Toyota makes? The 6-speed-4cylinder combo will be here in about 2 months, it will then be the first in the segment with this combination. While that cure your diaper rash?

but think of the children!

not everyone wants RWD? why is it so hard for enthusiasts to understand this? Should GM really give up competing against the Camry, ES, Accord, Avalon, and Maxima? The Japanese imports make porker SUVS that handle terrible compared to the GM ones. The GM 6.0 litre V8 gets good or better gas mileage than many smaller displacement imports. your problem is that you expect everything to handle as well or better than the 3-series/5-series, at the reliability level of Buick, with the interior from BMW <lord knows why..>, the technological sophistication of BMW/MB/Lexus combined, and the fuel efficiency of a Prius, for the price of a Cobalt. You have completely unrealistic expectations for GM that none of the auto makers meet all of individually, much less in the combined form you expect from GM. Here are some qualifiers for you? Why can't BMW just make a car where I can change my own oil? Why can't BMW just make a car that I don't have to spend $38k before I'm upgraded out of "leatherette"? Why can't Mercedes just build a car that isn't ranked with Kia for reliability? Why can't Lexus just build a car that has at least slightly more personality than mayo on white? Why can't Infiniti just make a car that doesn't make me feel like I've magically been transported into an uplevel Altima once I get behind the wheel? Why can't Audi just build a car that doesn't have so many electrical bugs that you could film Gremlins 3 in an A6? Just go buy the 3-series everyone on this board knows you want. You'll be happier that way, we won't have to listen to you pull engine specification wish lists out of your ass, and I won't have to waste my day pwning your every post.

it doesn't have to appeal to everyone....if it did, it would be a camry

Actually, the latest upper level W-bodies handle fairly well for large front drivers. It's just that everyone expects every car to out handle the 3-series and it's crap if it can't... or only comes close... or just beats it in some areas but not others <see: every SMK post about the '08 CTS>. A Lacrosse Super would be a very comfortable, very capable, very fast commuter car that won't take you to the bank every time you need service or a fill up. Having reliability at the same level of Lexus doesn't hurt either. More comfortable than a 3-series, more fuel efficient than an S600, same fuel efficiency as a 3-series but doesn't require premium fuel, doesn't require a BMW/MB dealer for something as simple as an oil change, more reliable than both.

There are no "run of the mill" rear drive cars anymore. They're all "sport tuned" or something high end Euro spec. The last "run of the mill" rear drive car from GM was the '96 B-bodies. The only "run of the mill" RWD car left are the Ford Panthers... and I'll bet that even the base LaCrosse handles better than those.

sharebuilder.com allows you to easily to cost based buying... the method Warren Buffet recommends.

it's a very boring day at work....

$85,000 in US dollars.... off to Saudi Arabia.... The Lacrosse Super may lag behind the S600 by 1 second to 60, however, you'll still get there promptly with 157mph top speed and the best handling W-body ever. When you're not in a rush, you get 25mpg highway and the Super's worst city rating is the same as the S600's combined average rating. All of this is moot though as the very idea of needing, or even wanting, a V12 for commuter duty is asinine. How fun is that commute going to be when you're coming down Rt. 28 into the city? or waiting in the traffic piled up behind the Squirrel Hill Tunnels like I would have to every morning if I didn't take the bus.....* *Pittsburgh references... but he lives here so he'll know what I mean even if he doesn't respond.

when there are more buttons on your steering wheel and dash then there are on your computer's keyboard.... there is a problem. In the above picture I count 76.... that's just the ones I can see.

that sentence makes baby jesus cry...

Viper just doesn't have the legend... or sales.. of the 'vette.

He was leaving it in 4th or 5th for long stretches of road when the incredibly torquey diesel we were in can handle 6th at 45mph. He would do that so he could use engine braking if we needed to slow down slightly for a curve. When I was driving I would shift 1st - 3rd - 4th or 5th - 6th. I would leave it in 6th as much as possible for fuel economy reasons... we were not in a sporty car.

you really are a glutton for punishment aren't you?

not the RWD one.. no. none of the new Caddys since the first CTS have less than a 5-speed except for the '06 DTS... which was really just a refresh.

The new Saab-Hummer-Cadillac here in Pittsburgh is very nice. It's all in one building with 3 different "faces" angling away from each other but connected in back via a common "service and delivery" area. The Cadillac store is all glass and stainless steel. Very modern, very chic. It has giant.. and I mean large enough to drive a lifted Escalade through, set dual sliding glass doors that woosh open in a Star Trek like fashion as you walk up to them. It's relatively small inside compared to most of the mega dealers you see, but easily the classiest I've been in. The Saab store is like walking into Sweden. It's basically an IKEA catalog store. Very attractive if that's your thing... and for most Saab customers, I expect it is. The Hummer store looks ruggadized and old school industrial. I've never bothered to go inside, but there is a pile of rocks out front with a Hummer parked with one or two wheels on it. In the center of the building is a delivery and quick service area. It's open, airy, and glassy. Lots of natural light. The few times I've been in there it has been positively spotless. There is nearly always a car sitting in there waiting for it's new owners. Each of the individual stores feels small... like a boutique. I'm sure that is on purpose. Overall, if GM replicates this setup country wide, I'm sure they will do well.

aww... how sweet... Tina and Ed '06.

Only the most recent S-classes have been good for reliability. Most of the previous generation S-class had very poor reliability. It was the S-class, M-Class, and C-class that really put the hurt on Mercedes' image. To their credit, the S-class issues appear to have been addressed..... however an '03 model doesn't make that cut.

Who needs a V12 to sit on the freeway idling? He said luxury commuter car, not personal jet.

Top speed of the Lacrosse is higher. A Corvette can out accelerate a Concord jet liner from 0-60, but I'm pretty sure we can all agree on which one is faster. Who said Cadillac isn't getting a hybrid or two?

It was never the content, but the tone that mattered.

Now I know I made a joke about the Volt being powered by 200 cans of Red Bull..... but basically, the Volt battery technology is the same concept as what Tesla is doing. It's a series of lithium ion batteries strung together.