Drew Dowdell

Gm really needs to make some sort of competitor to this..

has anyone seen one in person yet in the wild?

w00t! Sign me up for a Carvan Blacktop Edition!!

so.. the numbers in AMG mean absolutely nothing now?

I dunno, I see a big improvement in this one.

Again, there is a reason and method behind those plastics. I got a very detailed explanation from Dodge about it. I'll try and hurry up and get the review out this week.

Exactly! And the Econoline rides terribly too. The Savana/Safari aren't lookers either, but they at least have a Suburban-esque ride to them. I'll give a hint as to why the ProMaster (the big one) might sell better than you guys here expect. It is unusually nimble for its size.

Because its much cheaper than sheet metal? The entire nose of the van is plastic, unpainted, black, cobbled up plastic. Seriously, what's the logic? All these white refrigerator boxes, all intently cheaply made/looking. You'll just have to wait for my chair arm gripping review!

Cadillac is being very conservative with production and sales estimates.

There is actual logical reasoning behind the Promaster nose and why it looks the way it does.

I think the diesel option for the Verano is coming anyway, but that is clearly not a GS version.

Good name! This reminds me to get my Promaster preview done.

It still amazes me that I can get around town at all with a 0-60 nearly double that of the Corolla. But like most people, I don't do full throttle acceleration after every stop sign, stop light, or yield. I expect that most people buying a plug-in EV aren't either.

The Verano Turbo does have suspension re-working. It wouldn't take much more to make it into a GS. We've already been told flat out that there will not be an AWD Verano due to the rear suspension setup.

Acura's biggest problem is Benz.. not Buick.. not Lexus. Why would you buy an ILX when for just a little more money or pretty much the same lease payment you could get a CLA? I can pick up an RDX for $399 a month or a GLX for $399 a month.... and that's way before we get to RLX v. E-Class comparisons. Forget all of SMK's unimportant numbers/fetures that he likes to get stuck on and think of it from a badge snob's perspective. The CLA doesn't even have to be a good, much less great, car to beat Acura in this segment. It simply has to start reliably for the first 36 months of ownership till the lease is up. Acura is peddling mildly re-worked Civics and CR-Vs with broughmy leather. Even the Cadillacs that SMK likes to knock on (SRX and XTS) feel like Cadillacs when you sit in them and drive them. People don't sit in an XTS and say "this feels like an Impala" The ILX and RDX feel like Hondas. Acura simply cannot compete with Benz or Cadillac or Lexus in this area for that reason alone. Horsepower doesn't matter, quality barely matters, FWD/RWD/AWD doesn't matter....

The GTR is already at $106k and the new track versions will probably be pushing the price up some.

If one is spending $119k base on a car like this, they can afford 91 octane. But at the same time, I think Chevy could (and should) charge more if there is room for it.

First step is admitting you have a problem.

I like it.

Happy Birthday Rivman!

Great ideas Dwight, some probably a bit too expensive for Verano, but Regal or Lacrosse maybe. Still, a bump in power output that we already know the 2.0T is capable of wouldn't hurt either.

It was actually a standard RWD transmission (A THM400 in fact) turned 180 degrees and chopped off just aft of the torque converter. The torque converter stays with the engine and drives the transmission via a nylon cog/steel chain setup that requires no idler pulley. The FWD version, called THM425, shared lots of internal components with its RWD brother.

290 would be no problem

the Verano Turbo is already pretty close to GS material. Some upmarket seats, suspension control, and maybe a bit more boost would be all it really needs.

Spotted this in the neighborhood we were staying in for the holiday.