american_driver

They all share the same physics......

Electric Car? Six Speed?

This is not a insight or Traditional Hybrid. This builds on the EV-1 knowledge and adds a way to power the motor and charge the batteries with a small combustion engine. This is a different idea that will exploit the Billion Dollar investment of the 90's that resulted in a good car that nobody (but Ed Begley Jr.) wanted. This erases the range issue. It's the electric car for the rest of us!

Too bad people weren't buying 'em. John Rock had a the right idea. He just wasn't allowed to finish.

I was into the second page before I understood how it could happen.... LOL

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/hot_li...eturns_car_news

The C pillar is a little fat for my taste. It is a good looking car!

You may be right

Too bad none of the marketing geniuses did an image search on Google (Go ahead, you know you want to!)

The level may be high and it maybe milky. You could look at the the oil-fill cap and see if there is moisture or goo condensing on it. Good luck!

http://www.autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dll/arti.../339324355/1056 "After dissolving its relationship with Subaru that would have led to a Tribeca-based crossover, Saab went to work on one of its own. The result is the 9-4X BioPower concept. Not surprisingly, Saab also uses a green theme by equipping the concept with an E85-burning, 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder. Don't let the relatively small engine size deceive you because Saab employs its "rightsizing" techniques to extract 300 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque from the engine. Power is delivered to the wheels through Saab's all-wheel-drive system with electronic rear limited-slip differential that debuted on the 9-3. Saab kept the concept's styling clean and simple, devoid of roof racks and molding. Saab designers drew inspiration from the company's popular Aero X concept. The interior has seating for four, flush-mounted controls for an uncluttered look, a panoramic glass roof and a storage system for ski equipment developed with input from professional skiers." Pictures Too!

Too bad none of the marketing geniuses did an image search on Google (Go ahead, you know you want to!)

Who blew the embargo? Its all over the major sites since this afternoon.

Our local dealer has a Black HHR SS on the lot. It doesn't have any pricing information on the sticker. It looks good!

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drive...photopanel..1.* The 2008 Chevrolet HHR SS does not want to kill you. This cannot be said of all its competitors. We don't want to name names here, so let's just say that the HHR SS has really only one direct competitor, the Dodge Caliber SRT-4. This competitor acts like a drug-addled co-driver who grabs the steering wheel and saws wildly if you dare to use more than a feather's touch of throttle. What the hell are we talking about? Why our old buddy torque steer, of course — that troublesome houseguest of powerful front-drive cars. But the HHR SS badly wants to be your friend. And despite a few rough edges, it's a pretty genial companion. Power to the (Less Old) People With a turbocharged 2.0-liter pumping a healthy 260 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque into its bones, the 2008 Chevrolet HHR SS promised to be a fair amount more raucous than it turned out to be. Certainly there are moments at full whack when the steering starts thinking about its independence. And you will feel some unwanted reticence through the little wagon's little steering wheel. But that's it. It's a good thing, too, because the engineers at GM's Performance Division who tinkered with this PT Cruiser clone didn't intend for the HHR SS to be an all-out tuner car. They'll save that for the next Cobalt SS, which will also be powered by this same 2.0-liter turbo. In contrast, Chevrolet expects that the average HHR SS buyer will be in his 40s, pretty much like the buyers of the Chrysler PT Cruiser. And unlike SRT-4 or the Mazdaspeed Mazda3 (another competitor, Chevy says), the HHR is available with an automatic transmission. In fact, the company says it expects 70 percent of SS buyers to opt for the slushbox instead of the Saab-supplied five-speed manual. Once you combine all this with quasi-retro styling and a dramatically larger cargo hold than these competitors, you quickly realize the HHR SS is a pretty unique proposition. That its standard 18-inch wheels are available only in a glinting high polish must mean something as well. Driven The downside to the SS's relative docility is that it doesn't feel as fast as the 285-hp Caliber, which explodes with that characteristic turbo rush shortly before trying to steer you clear off the road. Chevrolet estimates that the 3,280-pound (with manual transmission) SS will get to 60 mph in 6.3 seconds. If we can achieve this number when we strap our test gear to the car, it will only be a tenth of a second off the Caliber's pace. And, according to Chevy, the HHR SS will only be a couple of tenths behind the SRT-4 through the quarter-mile — 14.8 seconds vs. the 14.6 seconds we got from the Dodge. The HHR SS's standard traction and stability control system has four settings: everything on (the default mode); traction control off; traction and stability control off; and competitive driving mode. The competitive driving mode is accessed by two stabs at the traction control button on the center stack, and it backs off the threshold at which the stability control intervenes and also initiates a launch control program. At a stop with the clutch and gas pedals fully depressed, the engine revs to 4,100 rpm and holds steady. Release the clutch and the system allows some wheelspin, yet retards the engine spark to prevent overpowering the front tires. All you need to do to make speed is keep your right foot planted. The system works pretty well, although it isn't foolproof. Dump the clutch too quickly and the engine bogs for a second. Ease off the pedal too gingerly and the cabin will fill with vaporized clutch lining. The system can't tell how grippy the pavement is either, so 4,100 rpm is the compromise because it covers as many situations as possible. The SS also incorporates what racers call no-lift shift, as in don't lift off the gas while shifting. If you can retrain your right leg to stay planted, the system works smoothly. The turbo never gets a chance to rest, so there's no waiting for the power to come back on in your new, taller gear. Chevy reckons this system saves a bit of time on each shift — something on the order of a couple flaps of a hummingbird's wings, we imagine. Driving Around Corners Chevy makes a big deal of the HHR SS's somewhat unlikely pedigree as a veteran of the Nürburgring Nordschleife, noting that the trucklet holds the class record around the tortured north loop (8:43.52 minutes). The idea that there's really a defined class into which the HHR SS fits is, um, tenuous. But the SS's development on that most famous of test tracks does indicate Chevy's lofty goals. We drove the HHR SS on one of the road courses at the compound of the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving at Firebird International Raceway in Arizona and, well, the thing handles pretty nicely. This is still a tall front-driver that carries 59 percent of its weight over the front axle, so it's no Formula Ford. But given these caveats and the pedestrian nature of its strut-type front suspension and torsion-beam rear axle, the thing is really capable around the track. The development team added bigger antiroll bars front and rear and stiffer springs and shocks all around, and the SS is more willing to rotate into the corners than the vast majority of front-drive cars. It's also genuinely fun. Driving around town or even on snaking mountain roads, the HHR feels handy enough and seems to ride well. But despite the bigger bars, the car still rolls a fair amount in corners. And the HHR's pseudo-SUV high seating position exaggerates this impression. Steering and Other Matters of Significance The HHR SS's steering ratio is 14.8:1, much quicker than the standard HHR and quicker than the SRT-4, too. And commanded through the smaller-than-standard steering wheel, the SS feels lively, although GM's electric-boosted unit still feels artificial and not entirely progressive. The shift linkage for the five-speed manual transmission has also gotten a taste of the performance pie. Its throws are shorter than the standard unit and the shift lever has been moved forward and upward on the center console. It's not the slickest shifter, but the throws are very short and its synchros are up to quick shifting. The tachometer, which looks smaller than some Panerai wristwatches we've seen, is not easily read. The SS's four-wheel disc brakes are pretty reasonable, but a Brembo brake package will be offered as an option sometime in the spring of 2008, which brings larger front rotors and calipers. Living the Dream Chevy has dressed up the inside a bit with two-tone interior trim, including a startling black-and-bright-red combination. The seats, while more supportive than the standard units, are no match for the sweet Recaros that were originally offered on the old Cobalt SS Supercharged. We want those back, bad. There's no hiding the HHR's proletarian origins, especially in interior materials that are a little cheap-looking. Then there's the wind and the road noise. And could somebody please mount a grab handle into this thing? We're not sure who is going to buy the 2008 Chevrolet HHR SS. It's not likely to be us. We'd trade the Chevy's big cargo hold and cushier ride for the locked-down, precision feel and high-quality interior of the Mazdaspeed 3 any day. At a starting price of $22,995 including destination, the SS is reasonably priced. Apparently Dodge thought that was a reasonable price for a turbocharged hot hatch, too, since the SRT-4 starts at exactly the same number of dollars. The Mazdaspeed 3 is cheaper by less than $100. Yet, somehow despite their similarities in price, power and configuration, these are three vastly different animals. Edmunds attended a manufacturer-sponsored event, to which selected members of the press were invited, to facilitate this report.

At 140 mph!!! See the Chevy Cobalt SS do a hot lap in the Nurburgring. This is a GM shot video. I like the way it gets airborne at about the 7:30 section. Its John Heinricy driving in the wet. He is probably GM's hottest-shoed driver. Enjoy!

A button for this a button for that, pretty soon somebody will what to add i-drive or mmi. Have you seen a Mercedes or audi manual lately?

The highs: high fashion looks, no-excuses interior details, agile moves on the road, adult size seating in back The lows: no cancel button on the cruise, (dah, hit the set and resume buttons at the same time) Nice articleQ

Once they get the lots filled with Malibu's, the obvious question is - "How will chevy sell any Impala's?" The Malibu appears to be that good!

http://www.topspeed.com/cars/saturn/saturn-ion-ar11737.html

Annie Rae has 4 of the revolution Cobalts. The new blue with the silver stripes looks nice. http://www.autotrader.com/dealers/dda/deta...5&cardist=0

And I hope Chrysler isn't exporting the Sebring sedan seen in the window reflection. I don't think we need to give the rest of the world another reason to hate America.....

The local Pontiac Dealer has a Back Torrent GXP. Looks nice, but I'm not to crazy about the Reverse power domes on the hood. Looks like it'll catch and hold water............

Dealership had a fourdoor version. Interesting. The best thing I can say is the street edition appears to be a $900 stand alone option. So it comes down to a matter of taste (or lack of...).

Anyone seen one at a dealership? I saw a Torrent GXP last night.