caddycruiser

Great move, and as I've said many times, should be a TERRIFIC vehicle for a college student. Wish I had one! The 3.6L/6-speed is a surprising screamer in even the heavy Lambdas, so I can't imagine how much of a beast it'll make the much lighter Equinox/Torrent/VUE.

Interesting, at least for people like me who always wonder that question, as pertaining to anyone and everyone.

I like the coupe a lot, but somehow this looks like a disjointed Hyundai ripoff...which is really odd. I don't know why they couldn't just keep as much of the coupe's goodness as possible (even for those of you who don't like it, it's still better), and just make that a sedan. Not exactly an expected transformation of the current smooth, if boring, shape. Then again, it's a Honda, and at least it should drive and be built nicely enough to make up for it's aesthetics.

Well, just got back from driving one. Didn't get to do an extended drive like I wanted to, but the dealership was great and the salesman was probably the most knowledgeable I've met in terms of knowing the product and being able to hold a nice conversation. Best part was actually getting to drive one of the NICEST ones they had, and essentially perfect in terms of colors, an XR FWD in White Diamond Tricoat, with beige & black interior, leather, center buckets, dual sunroof, and 19" polished wheels--very, very stylish and got looks on the drive. Stickered a little over $36k, and that's definitely more stuff than we'd want, but for what it had, an INSANE deal compared to competing crossovers with less room and capability and much nicer than an overpriced Tahoe or Yukon with less room and truck dynamics. But back to the actual drive. The Acadia I drove in January was a base SLE with the 18's and the Goodyear Fortera tires, and it just sucked up every little bit of road irregularity and didn't float. The Outlook has the same suspension tuning, but this one had the optional 19's and Goodyear RS-A performance tires, and still sucked up bumps just as well but did it more crisply and it had a tad sharper feel overall. The brakes were also phenomenal, and somehow felt better than I remembered, and it had great pickup--though, even being a later unit, the shifts were somewhat goofy and it seemed confused at times. As is, wouldn't bother me, just something I noticed. That all said, I loved it, and with a combination of the dealer and the vehicle itself, actually am liking the Outlook more than the Acadia now. The interior, at least in the black or tan/black, is extremely nice, and just adds to the German luxury sedan look and feel on the road. And, as well, the doors and such are trimmed out better than the Acadia--things I've read from many people--with soft, upholstered door panels and nice textures elsewhere. I actually kept thinking I was in some kind of new VW, both from the interior design and materials, and how it firmly yet silently and absorbent went down the road. Even the wood was great, at least in combination with the tan/black, and looked real and like it should be there. Also for my first experience at a Saturn dealer, it was a really good one, and I could already see why people like it so much. Clearly told them I was shopping for my mother, and to that extent they were just as helpful if I was doing it for myself, and now I just have to work on convincing her to at least drive one herself--this is where being able to bring one home would have been key, but oh well. Stay tuned.

Didn't we already discuss that? The blue, that is...

Agreed, and I think that's just a matter of one marketing person thinking it a good way to better differentiate the "base" XE from the upper level XR, because in reality, they're almost identical aside from the black mirrors and lack of a 2nd exhaust outlet. Still, neither the base GMC or Buick models have any downgrade in trim like that, and it should just be a painted strip. It's hard to see on dark colors, but looks cheap on the light colors, as usual.

Yeah, good point, because had it not been for the 'net, I never would have known these were going to exist, and then had it not been for my random surfing, even known that they were being made and out for sale.

They're solenoid activated by an interior switch--kind of like a custom job, but they all come that way OEM.

Almost forgot about this model, until just browsing some Chevy dealer inventory and saw a few of them: http://www.countrychevrolet.com/Chevy/70248_1.html http://www.countrychevrolet.com/Chevy/77741_1.html Interesting, and could be a fun cargo van alternative for people who want something small.

This is just like the '03 White Diamond Cadillac CTS and '99 Stone White Chrysler 300M, both of which have full tan cloth/vinyl roofs... However, at least locally, nothing beats the old guy who bought a new Cool Vanilla white '05 300C Hemi, and not only has NEVER washed it--it's one of the dirtiest cars around--but also still spent the money to have a full navy blue canvas top installed. When, oh when, will these people die off...the sad part is, I know a LOT of older people who would do something like was done to this ES350 and think it's gorgeous...

And...DONE! This is the first time of finals that I've ever been done so early, as I usually have them scheduled more spread out and towards the end of finals week, but happy that it's done with. The last one wasn't so nice, but I didn't expect it to be, and now it's just hoping I did well enough overall to keep charging ahead. Now comes the fun of tearing apart a room that just shouldn't have so much stuff in it for the size, lugging things down stairs, etc., and moving back home to the beach for yet another summer. Wish everyone well that's still got some exams to go, and best of luck in all the adventures that stem from there

Oh, I love Top Gear so much it hurts...I'm always on YouTube trying to get as many episodes as I can Really idiotic video in this case, but I still love how they review things.

Yeah... Saturday, had Solid Mechanics II followed by Vibrations. Today, I have the third and last, Heat Transfer later this afternoon, then DONE. So, if I scribble out enough today for a decent grade, all will be well and I'm off to packing and home to the beach.

Such as the tan & black, which is my pick of the 3? With this, I think the wood actually looks very "in place", or at least more so than the blue & gray or the all black.

Yep, I'll second that, ESPECIALLY the last one--that was our deal with the Malibu.

Funny you mention that...ever since my brother bought his '86 Regal Limited, old guy 1 owner special, he has gotten CONSTANT offers from people to buy it, everywhere he goes. Time to time people comment on my car, but never have I seen anything like the attention it gets, even in stock light blue-dark blue-wire hubcap form. Okay, hijack done...

Hmm...not very familiar with older things, but I'll say '69 Chevelle/Malibu. My father bought one back in '00 when he was looking for a light project himself, and was very particular about getting just what he thought was the best looking, etc. year--and I agreed. Was a fun car, and really did look better sorted than other years and even other models of the same era, IMHO. Even bought it quite cheaply (either $3 or 4k) in Jersey, as an original old lady's car. We sold it to a lady in NH who wanted to surprise her husband with it--it still needed painted and such, but was nice for the price--and they were thrilled. Waiting for the car carrier to come pick it up: Fulfills the classic, muscle, popular, etc. roles very well. But you'll probably get a lot of other ideas, and it'll be interesting to see them. This makes me wish we still had it, and had gone through with the color change, etc. Oh well, then we never would have had the '93 Fleetwood...

Exactly true. I even log in GMBuypower daily and can watch the Acadias disappear one after the other, let alone being in the Acadia forum and listening to all the people ordering, searching, doing dealer trades, etc. The Acadia is just an incredible sales leader right now. The Saturn seems to fluctuate a bit more, largely because of the more sparse dealers and MSRP thing, but still does well. Hopefully I'll be able to do a better comparison, even of Saturn directly to GMC before long, if not also Buick.

A sign of the times..."older people" now buy their Devilles on Ebay Sorry, just had to. Glad it all was a successful transaction then!

Very true, and that's just like our Fleetwoods--it's very thinly placed, but it wouldn't look better if it was missing. Some cars it does just fit, and others not. On second thought, I actually do like it in a lot of cars, in reality. With and without, there is a huge difference in the "warmness", which is how I always describe it. Back to the Outlook, here's a good direct comparison of the silver vs. the wood, in an XE and then XR interior: I like both, actually, and both just give off a different flair. One's more modern and techie, and the other is warmer and more luxurious...even though both are essentially just the same Ebony cloth interior.

Hope all goes well, flight included

Good point, I guess they just want to more replicate a lot of the imports that offer either wood or metallic trim. Of course, a lot of those imports also use real world, but a lot of people still do see the wood as making the interior look warmer, and I concur. It's not the most techy look, but done well it adds to the luxury idea. Is kind of strange with where Saturn is seemingly trying to go, though. Of course, if wood in cars went away, I wouldn't be heart broken, but offering a variety is still good. Just too bad the only car they do it properly with--or at least used to--is the Impala of all things, with a no cost metallic or fake wood choice.

Agreed, and the GMC still wins with me from a purely stylistic point of view, just not on the equipment aspect of a lower model as just too much is stripped. But, that hasn't ruled one out, and it's definitely on the list. In that, I think the Outlook is very much the same, but made with a Euro flair of sorts, with some lines dulled down a bit, and the chrome and such stripped away largely. All 3 definitely appeal in different ways, which is a great thing.

Yeah, base XE Outlooks all get the silver trim, and XR trims get the wood. I'd prefer the silver choice in all, but that's just how it goes. I also want to see an Enclave. Don't think I'll make it out on my exploration trip today, but from all that I've seen, the "base" CX Enclave is terrific, and would be another perfect fit.

Yes! Same here! Mine is actually fairly into cars, or at least was years ago, but definitely has some odd views. Like over Thanksgiving when we had a little Cadillac discussion, and I mentioned that the Deville/DTS was the only remaining FWD model, but that will be changing before long. "Oh, really? I wonder why. I think the FWD would be a lot more popular than RWD ones, especially places like here in western PA with the snow and all," he said. I tried to simply explain weight balance, handling, and even how a lot of new stability systems, not to mention optional AWD, can be great on their own, but just got a blank stare. Oh well, you can't convince everyone. That's still the same deal with the ever prevalent "Honda and Toyota just have more efficient cars overall" mantra, which won't ever seem to go away. A perfect example was a situation someone mentioned in the new Acadia owners group, where someone said a stranger was admiring their new Acadia then asked "Why not the Pilot that gets better gas mileage?" Number one it's just not as strong of a package, and number two, the Pilot actually doesn't have the mpg ratings or the real world performance to match the new Lambdas in that regard...yet the perception-misconception continues.