boblutzfan

You and the other four people that have purchased one.

The 80's seem like only yesterday - but I would guess that there are quite a few posters on this forum that were born in the eighties and can't even remember the world before minivans and PCs. For some folks the 80's is their parents generation. I knew I was getting old when I hired a college grad girl who was born in 1983. She has little to no memory of the 80's...

I'm hoping for the 3.8L as the base engine and the new 4.0L (which is based off of the tried and true 3.5L OHC V6) as the top line engine both mated to their new (for 2008) FWD six-speed automatic. My parents have a 2004 T&C with the 3.8L and it is ok powerwise - but gets very good gas mileage - 26 HWY. The area that they need to improve is on the interior layout. My parents T&C has the navigation that is so small - basically pushed into the spot of the old Chrysler stereo. And there are too many buttons on the dash. If Chrysler could clean that up and make it all look more integrated with high quality materials they would have a winner. Also, I would like to see improvements to the comfort of the ingenious sto-n-go seats. They have the best design for folding in the market - yet they aren't as comfortable as some others. Chrysler has the chance to really make some significant leaps ahead of the competition. As has already been stated - a lot rides on this vehicle for the entire company. They have to hit the interior and powertrain dead on in order to maintain their lead. I predict they will. I will be in the market for a minivan in about two years. Do you think there is any chance that GM will have a Lambda based minivan out by then? I would love to by GM but the current vans are a joke when compared to the DCX, Honda, Toyota and even KIA offerings.

Chrysler currently has the oldest van on the market yet it is still the sales leader. The Chrysler interior and exterior styling is from 2000 - nearly seven years old. In addition, the Chrysler drivetrain is ancient. That said, the DCX vans have dominated the market since they created the market over 22 years ago. The new vans that debut in 8 months will be ground breaking. It is rumored that they will have superior powertrain options as well as a world class interior. GM and Ford should be embarrased that on Kia/Huyndia's second attempt - they come closest to matching the class leaders (DCX, Honda and Toyota) than either Ford, GM, Mazda or Nissan who have all been at it for almost two decades. Kia/Huyndai introduced this right time - take advantage of GM and Ford's failures but hit the market before DCX reignites the minivan segment.

I hope Buick offers the nice brown/tan leather interior color. It looks very classy.

GM needs to get this the update out before next fall. They would do well to have this in the dealers a year from now. It seems like they could do it - if they really wanted to. The Malibu needs an update inside and out really bad. May of 2007 as a 2008 would be perfect. As long as they get it in the dealerships by August 2007 and not any later. By the way - I like the look and layout of the interior.

I attended a conference at the Westin La Cantera Resort outside San Antonio, TX this past weekend and saw a Black Lucerne CXS with tinted windows parked next to a Lexus LS 430 and was surprised how much the two looked like they belonged in the same group. The Buick has a really good look to it that says money without being flashy or bold. All in all I was impressed with the fact that the Lexus in no way made the Buick look cheap or out of place.

None of these links open up?

I wonder what the gas mileage was on that car? Also, what was top speed? Don't make too many blanket statements... I think the Corvette has a six speed and its torque curve is great... That CTS - V in your signature also has a six speed. In fact there is a long list of cars that offer six speeds that have great torque curves. If more gears will help achieve better economy and not sacrifice performance then I am all for them. Some cars to dispell your notion of six speeds = "crappy torque curves": Lexus LS430 Cadillac STS V Cadillac CTS V Cadillac XLR V Corvette Corvette ZO6 Cadillac Escalade GMC Denali Mercedes S Class BMW 7 series Dodge Viper Toyota Avalon We all know that these cars would perform better (both economy and acceleration) if they had more forward gears: Buick Lacrosse Buick Lucerne Cadillac DTS Chevy Impala SS Chevy Tahoe Chrysler 300 STR-8 Pontiac G6 Pontiac GP

I'm not going to bash Toyota over their new six-speed until the GM six-speed hits the market and is trouble free.

The Torrent needs to be dropped - the Nox should get the 3.5L from the Aura as the base engine with a new higher quality interior. The SS should offer the 3.9L. It is really a shame that their cousin over at Suzuki will get a 3.6L, the Vue will get the Honda V6 while the Nox/Torrent are left with an ancient 3.4L engine from China that is crap. And you wonder why GM still has huge issues to deal with?

No kidding. The Aura is the best GM sedan available for sale without the Cadillac badge on it. I want an Aura XR with every option!!!!

I am disappointed in the production version. It lacks the style of the concept. I had hopes of the Aura competing with the likes of Acura - but now it is clearly obvious that Saturn is content to compete with the dull styling of the Camry. I now have much lower expectations for the interior. Now... thankfully we haven't seen a concept of the Outlook so the disappointment will be minimal there. What about the Enclave?! They said that was basically production just like the Aura... how much will that get dilluted? I wish GM would style vehicles with the bold machismo that Chrysler does. The Aura looks just like another plain sedan. I hope the interior is high quality... it seems as though the Aura is about as bland as the G6.

Who in the world in responsible for Pontiac pictures? First the GXP coupe problem and now this? Makes you wonder if the Pontiac PR guys are working for some other company on the side? This is ridiculous. Now about that tacky key holder... would Toyota sell something so... cheesy looking? Quite frankly this kind of thing is part of the perception thing with GM. I realize that you need to sell branded merchandise - but this? Come on - there has to be more creative less low class items they could sell. GM - don't just remove the picture - remove the product.

I signed up for it. I hope there are pics and details of the Outlook.

Good point.

Cadillac absolutely needs to replace the 4-speed unit in the DTS. It is just not right that Cadillac still sells a car with only a 4-speed unit.

True - and GM already has a nice RWD 6-speed.

The point is that the rest of Caddilacs car line has fewer gears: DTS - Ancient (but reliable) 4-speed STS - 5-speed CTS - 5-speed Lexus is about to come out with an 8-speed auto in the LS - yet the biggest (not the best) cadillac has just a 4-speed. And GM wonders why the car magazines don't take them seriously. Don't get me wrong, I am glad Saturn is coming out with these new 6-speed automatics - it is just that Cadillac should have had 6-speeds before the rest of the GM cars. To clarify - the STS-V and XLR have a RWD-6 speed automatic... so you can't really compare the two transmissions.

All in all - this transmission sounds great. I am glad that Saturn has two really good vehicles to debut this in.

I imagine that the six speed will be a slow release just like in the new GMT-900 SUVs. I can't believe the Tahoe doesn't have it yet. So far, the only vehicles we know that will get it for sure next year are the Aura with the 3.6L (the smaller engine will undoubtedly be stuck with the four speed) and the trio of Lambda CUVs. GM desperately needs to get this into the Lucerne, DTS, Impala, Malibu, Lacrosse, G6 and GP. I seriously doubt that will happen. It will be best case for the DTS to get it next year.

OMG!!! I can't believe that the GM marketing department would miss this? Didn't any engineers look at these before released to the press? Bob Lutz? How did you miss this? That picture needs to be fixed ASAP. This will get picked up on and will contribute to the "perception" that GM doesn't know what it is doing.

How can the same company that produced the Soltice, Sky, Aura and Enclave turn out something so bad? I hope the Pontiac stand is far away from Saturn - I don't want this thing showing up in any photographs of the new Saturn lineup at NY.

Yeah, someones black 80's Porsche Turbo is missing its Whale Tale.

It is just ok. I am disapointed that they didn't update the center stack on the inside. The sterior and HVAC controls are terrible when compared to the newer GM offerings. The beak on this thing seems to large to me. Also, the mesh grills don't seem to line up - they look awkward for some reason. Now that Cadillac is on solid, Saturn and Buick in the works GM needs to turn some serious design power to Pontiac. The only good looking and correctly proportioned vehicle in the entire line-up is the Soltice. The GP and G6 look awkward and the SV6 and Torrent don't belong. I can't wait until the GP is replaced with a higher class offering.