boblutzfan

The Sebring has a great interior...the exterior is too busy. To much Saturn ION in the roofline. The Pacifica is ok. Glad if finally got some more power in the top engine. It will need it if it hopes to have any chance against the much better looking (inside and out) Buick Enclave early next year. The Aspen is ok. I can't fault Chrysler for taking the Durango and trying to get a higher transaction price out of the truck. Remember that is what GMC did with the Denali and then Cadillac did with the Escalade. The Aspen is much better inside and out in terms of differentiation than the first Denali and Escalade. The problem is that while the Denali, Escalade and Navigator have all been on the market long enough to establish some credibility and following... the Aspen is new and entering a market plagued by $3.00/gallon gas. The Denali, Escalade and Navigator got to cut their teeth when gas was much much cheaper. I think the Aspen will suffer.

Not yet...but since the NAV fits in the same space as the corporate radio I suspect GM will get in there by the end of the first model year. Maybe by this fall. It really surprises me that GM will offer the navigation on the MCE Equinox and Torrent - but not on this Sedan. The Aura has everything else the competitioni has - except a navigation unit. This is easily fixed. Hopefully Saturn will fix this ASAP before the Media and the competition has time to design campaigns against this car. Curiously the Lucerne was launched without a Navigation unit...I believe it is available now.

Ok, there are some similarities... but the real comparison won't be between Saturn and Mercedes. It will be between Saturn, Honda and Toyota. The Mercedes picture is not relevant to what the prospective buyers will be shopping.

The correct term is platform engineering. The Cobalt/G5 and Equinox/Torrent are badge engineered jobs... The Aura uses the G6 platform and powertrains - but the exterior and interior are completely different. The is a fine example of vehilces sharing a common platform. The Autoweek article is glowing. This is an excellent sedan. GM is clearly on the road to recovery. Since when have they ever invested this much effort in a sedan outside of anything from the Cadillac brand. The car I see taking the biggest hit is the Buick Lacrosse. This car is more luxurious, better engineered, offers a better engine and transmission options (the 3.6L in this application makes more power and has a better transmission. The car is on a more modern platform, has a bigger interior (the Lacrosse back seat is cramped) and the car is cheaper!!! Who in their right mind would buy a Lacrosse over this. Rumor is that the next generation Lacrosse will be based on the EPII. That can't get here fast enough. I really doubt that the Lacrosse Super will do much to save the sales for the Lacrosse.

With the move to more economical cars - the key to success is going to be having a high class interior. If this car comes to the states - the Cobalt is dead in the water. I agree that the exterior is boring - but consumers will be impressed with this interior. I sure hope the Cobalt refresh for 2008 is impressive. The Corolla has incredible brand equity, achieves nearly 40 MPG without a hybrid powertrain and is a pretty useful size (not pint sized like the Fit and Yaris). This will be the new growth area as oil continues its skyward march. The interior pictures scares me more than anything. GM can not let up. Interiors are getting good - but not nearly good enough.

Agreed, but it won't be hard to build a car that looks better inside and out than the current Malibu. If it weren't better - there would be no future for GM.

I have not heard this explicitly - more putting the pieces together. GM has stated that six speed auto transmission production will ramp up significantly over the next two years - right now they are prioritizing all new or significantly updated vehicles to get them, such as Aura, Lambda and the high end trucks. Since the Lucerne and DTS debuted last year - they will be set for their mid cycle refresh for the 2008 model year. By next fall - I expect that all premium vehicles - be it trucks or sedans will be rid of the old four speed. We know that right now it is the production capacity that is keeping them from the existing cars. The Lucerne and DTS are image cars for GM and when they receive their MCE they will get upgraded powertrains - just as the G6 is getting for this year. By the 2008 model year - expect most of GM sedans to have a version of the FWD six speed transmission. Cadillac isn't going to sell a $45K sedan with a lower transmission than a G6. The 2008 model year is going to be Buicks big come back - the Enclave, Updated LuCerne and LaCrosse Super. The LaCrosse and the shared W-body platform mates are the only ones that have been specifically earmarked for replacement by Zeta cars and or Epsilon II as in the case of the LaCrosse. They will not get new transmissions becuase they have been tagged for replacement. The LuCerne and DTS on the other hand compete in segments that demand continued refinement and are relatively new - If I am wrong about this - and I hope I'm not - then GM will doom the success that the LuCerne is having right now. We all know that the LuCerne will be around for four more years until it moves to RWD - Buick can not compete with the Lexus ES and Avalone with a four speed forever...

I suspect so. The vehicle in the spy shot is very far along in the developmental process. I would be surprised if GM waited 13 or 14 months to put this on the market. Next spring seems like the most likely date. I have asked the question also and gotten no response. It seems like GM is being very tight lipped about their sedan plans for next year. But lets look at the pipeline: Saturn 2007 Aura - on sale now 2008 Aura - to have a Green and Red line 2008 Astra? - unkown but seems very likely Chevy 2008 Malibu - development appears to be done. Car probably uses much of the engineering for the Aura - so is probably near production ready. I suspect an introduction next spring for the the car with conventional powertrains and a hybrid to follow next fall. 2009 Impala - will probably debut 1st quarter of 2008 on the new RWD platform Cadillac 2008 CTS - spring debut with the CTS-V to follow a year later. Coupe details still under wraps. I suspect it will follow by six months or so. 2008 STS - summer debut like the SRX this year - updated inside and out 2008 DTS - summer debut with a new six speed transmission and updated Northstar Pontiac 2009 GP - will probably debut 1st quarter of 2008 on the new RWD platform Next G6 will be on Epsilon II - can't wait. Buick 2008 Lucerne - summer debut with a new six speed transmission and updated Northstar. Possible that Buick will finally drop the 3.8L in favor of the 3.6L as the base engine. 2008 LaCrosse Super - early spring 2007 debut with updated inside and out along with the rumored V8 engine. All this points to a renewed focus on sedans that starts with the Aura now. Spring of 2007 is just 7/8 months away. All brands will be getting very competitive sedans and I'm sure the next Malibu will be excellent.

V8 not likely. I'd rather see a competitive V6 like the 3.6L in the Aura and G6 mated to the new six speed auto. The Impala will always carry the V8 package - not the Malibu.

No it won't be on Epsilon II. The 2008 Malibu will be the last car developed on the Epsilon I platform. The next generation Saab 9-5 will be the first to use the Epsilon II followed by the next generation Pontiac G6 and Buick LaCrosse. I don't have any issues with the Epsilon I platform - my problem is with the powertrains and interiors that have been placed on these. It seems as though GM is finally taking care of this. The Aura is a huge improvement over the Malibu and G6. I hope that this 2008 Malibu gets a good interior and six speed auto.

This seems pretty far along for a fall 2007 introduction. Any chance we will see this as an early 2008 early next spring?

Tell me again why Mercury exists any more? How can they justify the marketing of the Montego if they are only selling 1,880/month. Pathetic. Way to go Buick. Just wait until the Enclave and Lacrosse Super come out. Buick might be back to selling nearly 30K a month.

I doubt it. The Acadia will undoubtedly takes sales away from the Yukon. The Yukon XL should be safe...as will the Yukon Denali. The Yukon and Tahoe's are already piling up on dealer lots. The Lambda's will be great for GM - but may be harmful for the GMT-900s.

I love it how people are already criticizing the Lambda's and yet no one has driven one - much less sat inside one. These are coming to market with a surprising amount of attention to detail. And for all of those out there that are critical of the weight - what do you think the next generation Honda Pilot and Toyota Highlander will do with their next generations in 2008? I wager that they will be slightly larger to offer a more useable third row - which will add weight. What that means is that they will be in the same weight category as the already right sized Lambdas. The fuel economy is spot on with this segment. The interiors are beautiful. Powertrains are modern. What else do the skeptics want from GM? A full size CUV with a five star crash rating all around, 50 mpg, all leather interior - no plastics, a 200,000 mile warranty all for about $20,000?! Give me a break. For once GM is bringing a line of vehicles to market that appear to be the size of where the segment is going and have world class powertrains and interiors. Lets wait just a few more months and see how they drive and most importantly - sell - before we bash our home team. I for one will take an Acadia SLT - black on black.

Are you serious? I mean - the GS (aside from the color of the wood) has a much nicer interior than the STS and the LS just blows away practically everything else out there. Forget S-Class or 7 Series - those are the cars the original 1989 LS400 was going after. The new LS 460L is going after Maybach. Just think about the way this is designed with the features - especially the back seat. Cadillac needs to really step it up if they are going to compete with the Major luxury players. The next CTS is a ray of hope - but the STS doesn't cut it - in terms of interior refinement. Come on Cadillac - give us a full size RWD luxury sedan - make the STS your midsize offering...

Because the people that buy Escalades will still buy them with fake wood. Evidently - the buyers of the SRX demand more attention to detail. That said, it still seems like the Escalade should have real wood.

Time for some comparison shots. Can someone please post comparison shots of the old and new dash side by side? Thanks.

This is due to the extra controls on the driver's door. Plus it gives a nice grab bar for the passenger. The driver has that nice steering wheel. God I love the interior.

Unbelievable. I love this more than the Enclave. The interior looks great as does the front end view. I am amazed at the technology and options that this CUV has. This will be a huge boost to GMC sales. So...will GMC bring out a Denali version next year? If so - that is the one I want!!!

Do you have the dates of when the production of saleable units began?

The car looks production ready. I wonder how many other people "noticed" this and said "wow - that's a Saturn!"

As is becoming the norm for GM vehicles - they look better in real life (even from a cell phone camera) than in the press releases and introductions. Why can't GM capture the beauty of their cars with all the money the spend on advertising. This dark blue with the chrome and black leather interior is beautiful!! So much better than the matte finish vehicle they showed with the brown leather and wood back in NY.

I can't wait to see this as the next Pontiac GP! Wouldn't that be sweet!! It looks about the same size - but much better - even with the camo.

It seems like the recent pictures of the Acadia should be on this thread instead of the new one on the home page.

The Acadia is the leading contender for my next family car. I hope it has a muscular stance that is classy - especially in Denali trim which I hope comes out with a V8. I want to see pictures of this without the camo...