Mike the Dog is sitting by the door with a pair of cow slippers, and a very sad face. was starred
Mike the Dog is sitting by the door with a pair of cow slippers, and a very sad face. was unstarred
Someone find me the series of photos where people spliced front ends from Rollers and Bentleys onto their Impalae and Malibu? I've seen them, I can't find them for the life of me.
Please reference those, then realize that if you put the front end of a Continental GT onto another car, it will suddenly begin to look remarkably like a Continental GT. Without the faux-grille applique on the front, this car looks almost completely unlike anything even remotely close to a Continental GT.
It does look remarkably like the Continental GT, but I reckon that has a lot to do with the placement of the Camo. The camo makes us draw the connections that Buick wants us to make with the car without actually having to say it themselves.
Hey, this trick worked well for Chrysler with the 300C, er I mean, poseurmobile.
Really? Another boring FWD almost-luxury midsize? I kind of thought Buick needed something to remind the planet that it still exists.
Don't get me wrong, I love the Enclave, and actually even loved driving it, but there's nothing in the lineup that's going to make anyone go, "Wow! That's a Buick?" If you think this is "just the car Buick needs", I think you either need a shot of adrenaline, or you need to get out more. This is another generic spot-filler when GM needs to roll out something exciting.
@Deartháir and his eight little drained beers: I'll stand by that comment because once you see this car in person, you'll likely change your mind. Think about the non-elderly demographic that this quasi-Continental could appeal to. I see stuck on Bentley badges in this cars future.
Okay, so what's the engine drivetrain? Does it get the 6.2L V8 and RWD? Is it a high-boosted V6 with a RWD-biased AWD setup? Nothing? Okay, then, what about the materials inside? Is it luxurious, sumptuous, comfortable, with fantastic materials and brilliant execution, or is it more GM syntho-materials that almost but not quite look completely unlike whatever they're imitating?
Look, I'm not GM-bashing. With the CTS, they've proved they can make a fucking awesome luxury car. With the G8, a killer euro-style muscle sedan. With the Malibu, a Camcordima slayer. So who does this go after? Your only argument is poseurs, and a little bit of mockery takes care of that market. I am the target demographic you speak of, and I'm not even interested.
Buick doesn't need a Corvette or something attention-grabbing, it needs a handsome midsize sedan at a moderate price that is comfortable and performs well. Essentially they need a Enclave but in 3 box and slammed to the ground
Look at the XLR it does nothing for Caddy, it looks nice and it is fast, but Cadillac really makes their money on CTS sales, and the CTS does more to make people say "that is a Cadillac?" as they actually are on the roads, and the people can actually afford to have one (and en prime it is useful for them so they can actually use one)
@SmaartAasSaabr: I agree, and I disagree. You're matching my argument in a way. I'm saying Buick needs a CTS. Not the CTS, but something like that that will make people say, "Wow, now that's a Buick!", but as something people can actually afford. I don't subscribe to "halo cars" that only 12 people in the world can afford. I want a kick-ass flagship that develops some pride in the brand. You're right, they need an Enclave in a sedan... and this ain't it. It's too bland to be inspiring, it's wrong-wheel-drive, it's lacking in the performance numbers... the luxury appointments are Chevrolet-level, not Mercedes-level... my argument is, why do I care?
@Deartháir and his eight little drained beers: Does the G8 have a "near-lux" interior option? My in-laws are shopping for a replacement for their Park Ave, and I'd love to steer them to a G8. The Vsixer is fine for them, but they want the leather/soft touch stuff, too. This LaCross could be just the car for them (yes, they're elderly).
@e30 guy: There is a "D"-level (as in A, B, C, and) option package that is leather, polished surfaces, sunroof, etc... but the G8 is not for the elderly. It is a sports sedan, with taut suspension, nimble handling and high-support seats.
@Deartháir and his eight little drained beers: Look, I think everyone here agrees that this car would be great RWD. But, I think it's target demographic doesn't care if the car is RWD. They are probably more interested in the superior traction of FWD than the better handling of RWD.
@e30 guy: I think we all would Why the V6 isn't available with a manual, I don't understand.
Personally, though, I'd say get the GT. If you're sensible on the throttle, in my testing the GT got better gas mileage than the V6 did, and you have the added benefit of huge gobs of power when you need it.
@kumbayacars: Oh I completely understand why they did it; if I were making the decision for them, I likely would have suggested the same thing. My soul would have died a little bit, but it is the sensible choice. That's not my point.
My point is that this will not be "the car that Buick needs", It is sensible, nice, and reasonably well-built. But it's certainly not going to breathe any new life into the Buick brand, and it offers precisely nothing over, say, the Acura TL, which is one of the few other low-priced luxury cars available. Seriously, look at it that way, it's going up against the MKZ, which has all-wheel-drive (kinda), and the Acura TL, which, I believe has their SH-AWD system now. How is this vanilla almost-luxury FWD generic jelly-bean going to win the day?
Oh well. If you aren't born with a set, saying 'grow a pair' isn't going to have much of an effect. As long as they are still trying to make Buick the 'efficiency and luxury' choice, they are doing what they need to do. We aren't going to see a CTS competitor here. That would be inappropriate. Let's wait and see about this model.
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Please reference those, then realize that if you put the front end of a Continental GT onto another car, it will suddenly begin to look remarkably like a Continental GT. Without the faux-grille applique on the front, this car looks almost completely unlike anything even remotely close to a Continental GT.
12/29/08
Hey, this trick worked well for Chrysler with the 300C, er I mean, poseurmobile.
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12/29/08
I am a child. On to more important things.
"...it could be just the car Buick needs."
Really? Another boring FWD almost-luxury midsize? I kind of thought Buick needed something to remind the planet that it still exists.
Don't get me wrong, I love the Enclave, and actually even loved driving it, but there's nothing in the lineup that's going to make anyone go, "Wow! That's a Buick?" If you think this is "just the car Buick needs", I think you either need a shot of adrenaline, or you need to get out more. This is another generic spot-filler when GM needs to roll out something exciting.
12/29/08
12/29/08
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Okay, so what's the engine drivetrain? Does it get the 6.2L V8 and RWD? Is it a high-boosted V6 with a RWD-biased AWD setup? Nothing? Okay, then, what about the materials inside? Is it luxurious, sumptuous, comfortable, with fantastic materials and brilliant execution, or is it more GM syntho-materials that almost but not quite look completely unlike whatever they're imitating?
Look, I'm not GM-bashing. With the CTS, they've proved they can make a fucking awesome luxury car. With the G8, a killer euro-style muscle sedan. With the Malibu, a Camcordima slayer. So who does this go after? Your only argument is poseurs, and a little bit of mockery takes care of that market. I am the target demographic you speak of, and I'm not even interested.
12/29/08
Buick doesn't need a Corvette or something attention-grabbing, it needs a handsome midsize sedan at a moderate price that is comfortable and performs well. Essentially they need a Enclave but in 3 box and slammed to the ground
Look at the XLR it does nothing for Caddy, it looks nice and it is fast, but Cadillac really makes their money on CTS sales, and the CTS does more to make people say "that is a Cadillac?" as they actually are on the roads, and the people can actually afford to have one (and en prime it is useful for them so they can actually use one)
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Thanks for the info! I think I'm projecting my own wants a bit into the situation (I would love the G8 V6 w/ a manual trans.
12/30/08
Personally, though, I'd say get the GT. If you're sensible on the throttle, in my testing the GT got better gas mileage than the V6 did, and you have the added benefit of huge gobs of power when you need it.
12/30/08
My point is that this will not be "the car that Buick needs", It is sensible, nice, and reasonably well-built. But it's certainly not going to breathe any new life into the Buick brand, and it offers precisely nothing over, say, the Acura TL, which is one of the few other low-priced luxury cars available. Seriously, look at it that way, it's going up against the MKZ, which has all-wheel-drive (kinda), and the Acura TL, which, I believe has their SH-AWD system now. How is this vanilla almost-luxury FWD generic jelly-bean going to win the day?
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Well, you're half-right.
12/29/08
Brilliant, AGAIN, coffee, keyboard, etc etc.
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