Drew Dowdell

Do we at least get some mid-cycle refreshes?

I should have put what, where?

Bluetooth... seriously. just because I'm willing to dump 60k on a car doesn't mean I want to pay through the nose for a cell phone I can only use while driving.<onstar> with a seperate number from the one I normally use.

Reg, It's not so much a "defense of farming" but a disgust towards the Saudis that drives me. If GM could build a car that ran on British Beef, I'd be all for it as long as it was resonably enviromentally sound <or at least no worse then gas> and didn't come from unstable middle easter countries.

Ford offering RWD what? Their newest RWD platform is already 6-7 years old. Oh goodie, they've got the Mustang. Not bad for the 4th try! on the platform.

truth.

The Aura is a slightly polished G6/9-3. The only thing really new about it is the 6-speed. Everything else is parts bin.

See... I'm all about the '58 Buicks and Olds myself.

talk about putting all your eggs in one basket

You really need to not base your impressing of 4-cylinders on those cars. Really Paulie, those are 3 out of the 4 worst 4cylinders that I can think of off the top of my head. <the 4th being the Quad-4>

ugly but competent

Actually, in the question of "whose property is Ben Roethlisberger's body?", the answer is "The NFL".

I think the 4 cylinder, 5-speed Milan is probably the most European feeling/looking American car out there.

Interesting that there aren't any Subarus. Excellent crash test results <the Jap Volvo>, and the ability to avoid an accident in the first place, plus the lowest center of gravity available this side of Lotus.

I might be able to go.

Better performance than any automatic in: 1. Power delivery 2. Smooth operation 3. gas mileage 4. lower weight It sounds more complex than an auto, but really, it's just a manual with two clutches and an unconventional <not complex> setup.

Pauli, I wouldn't worry about the 6-speed too much. If there is one thing GM can do and do well, it's an automatic transmission. I vote: LAX Aura Milan

J.C. Whitney Look: "When something looks added on to the car, it looks out of place, it looks like an afterthought." (Ralph Gilles, DaimlerChrysler) Puffilate: "When we sit there and review a surface and we think it's too hollow or flat, we say we have to puffilate that." (Ralph Gilles) Unobtainium: "A designer type of material you can shape in any way or fashion. It has virtually no cost, and it really helps us to get our designs forward. However, the engineers just despise that." (Pat Schiavone, Ford) Looks like an RV: "Anything where I don't like the trim, or if it feels like it's not bolted on correctly, or it doesn't have the fit and finish, I say 'man that reminds me of an RV." (Pat Schiavone, Ford) Goiter: "An unexpected bulging of the clay that, although previously invisible, becomes visually magnetic by virtue of being pointed out by one's boss." (Kevin George, Ford) link

They were specifically not meant for use while in motion. The idea was that you only used this device while parked. All the ads I saw for it featured a family having a picnic right next to their convertible... naturally with the record playing.

dash mounted record player... I believe it played 16rpm records.

While I've never driven a DSG, I'd imagine that those crafty engineers over at VW have anticipated that scenario. Slowing down does happen on occasion and I would imagine that is a fairly major design criterion for a transmission to be able to handle.

A manualmatic system is just a traditional automatic that allows you to control the up and downshifts either through padled or by wiggling the gear selector back and forth. A DSG is two manual transmissions side by side with two clutches. One transmission has 1st, 3rd, and 5th gear. The other transmission has 2nd, 4th, and 6th gear. The clutches are traditional manual transmission clutches except they are activated, electronically, by the computer. You start in first gear, the second transmission is already in second gear. To shift, the computer rapidly disengages the first transmission's clutch while also engaging the second transmission's clutch. While in second gear, the first transmission shifts from 1st to 3rd and waits for power to be passed back to it. The The transmissions pass power back and forth through the gears all the way up to 6th. This dual clutch, dual transmission setup can shift gears faster than any human could.

EclipseImpreza RX-8? Technically not a 4 cylinder....but...

Mercury Montego <with the 3.5> G35 Coupe Mercury Milan <4 cylinder-5speed> Lincoln Towncar Mazda RX-8 Volkswagen Pheaton