Posts Tagged ‘General Motors’

Goldilocks never had it so hard.

At $27-$35 grand, the new Buick Regal has managed to squeeze itself between two very formidable bowls of porridge.

On one side of the table lies the premium sedan. These big four-doors, like the Ford Taurus, Chrysler 300, and Nissan Maxima, tend toward bold styling and powerful V6 or V8 engines.

On the other side lay small luxury cars, like the Acura TSX, Audi A3, and Volvo S40. These offer lighter fare: zippy handling, premium appointments, and an extra helping of cachet.

The Regal, with its generous size, stylish cabin, and thrifty engines, attempts to bridge these two segments. But with buyers so clearly divided, the risk is that this Buick may only appeal to a few picky eaters.

On the plus side, the Buick offers a whisper quiet cabin that makes highway miles evaporate around you. Grab hold of the Regal’s chunky steering wheel and you’ll swear that the silky smooth leather was stolen from a Lexus.

Entertainment and technology options abound, too, with a USB port for music, Bluetooth connectivity for phones, and optional sonar assist or backup camera for tight parking maneuvers. At night, the mood lighting glows a sophisticated phosphor blue.

The trunk is enormous, as well.  If you can’t fit a week’s worth of vacationing in there, I suggest you book passage on a cargo ship for your next adventure.

But given the Regal’s premium mission, I was disappointed to find such obvious cost-cutting inside the cabin. Many panels and buttons had rough, unfinished edges and the faux wood and aluminum appliques looked unconvincing in person.

At the Regal’s base price of $26,245, these trespasses would be entirely forgivable. But at the $29,980 that my optioned up CXL test car demanded, I felt somewhat cheated.

As if to make amends for the sticker shock, the Regal CXL comes powered by a modern 2.4-liter EcoTec four-cylinder engine that knocks out a frugal 30 miles per gallon on the highway.

Key to this miserly MPG is a 6-speed automatic transmission that allows the engine to sip regular unleaded while humming quietly near idle.

The transmission is eager to upshift, though, and it takes a determined right foot to elicit a downshift for faster acceleration.  And with only 182-horsepower on tap, you’ll need those lower gears frequently. Zero to sixty takes a leisurely nine seconds.

Blame all those heavy sound-deadening materials for the relaxed pace. The Regal may be as quiet as a library, but at 3,600 pounds it also weighs nearly as much as one.

Speed demons should opt for the Regal’s optional 2.0-liter turbocharged engine, which boosts output to 220-horsepower at a $2,500 hit to your bottom line. Fuel economy remains respectable at 18 miles per gallon in the city and 28 on the highway.

Fortunately, the hushed cabin and thrifty base engine makes the Regal a great highway car. I found it a smooth and confident cruiser, though the “performance-tuned” suspension did hop a bit more than I’d prefer over expansion joints.

All things considered, the 2011 Regal falls into an interesting niche. It’s nicer than a mid-range family sedan, more affordable than a luxury car, and more efficient than a big four-door.

If there’s a problem to be found with this Buick, it’s that thirty grand opens up a lot of possibilities in today’s market. The Regal’s price invites you to make a lot of tough comparisons and only you can decide if this stealthy cruiser is too hot, too cold, or just right for your palate.

The Chevy Volt, GM’s extended-range electric vehicle, is set to hit the pavement in select cities in the next six months. You can reserve your own Volt online, but what if you want to see and feel it in person first?

The Chevy Volt will be on tour this fall, with several stops across the country for you to get up close and personal with the car that GM promises will revolutionize the way we drive.

The “Volt Unplugged” tour includes a fleet of six Chevy Volts that will be available for test drives. You will also have a chance to meet with a team of engineers, designers, and others who will be on hand to share details on the Volt’s technology and story.

So which cities are on the tour?

• Oct. 9 and 10 – Seattle
• Oct. 13 and 14 – San Francisco
• Oct. 16 – 18 – Los Angeles
• Oct. 20 – San Diego
• Oct. 22 and 23 – San Antonio
• Oct. 24 and 25 – Houston
• Oct. 28 and 29 – Miami
• Oct. 30 – Orlando
• Oct. 29 and 30 – Washington, D.C.
• Nov. 1 – Raleigh, N.C.
• Nov. 5 – 7 – New York City
• Nov. 18 – 20 – Chicago

Don’t worry if your city or state is not included on this tour or on the first wave of production vehicles this fall. The Volt will first be sold in California, Texas, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Michigan, and Washington DC and General Motors plans to sell the Volt nationwide 12-18 months later.

You can register for your own test drive on ChevroletVoltage. Just be sure to come back and let us and other Honksters know how you liked the car!

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Miss Electric, Ph.D., loves driving clean, green machines. Follow her at MissElectric.com.

Out on the road and can’t wait to update your Facebook status?  General Motors understands your need to stay connected.

A report released today in AutoBlog indicates that GM is working on a way to integrate Facebook into its ever-expanding OnStar service. Drivers or passengers would be able to update their Facebook status via voice commands. Updates and other news items from your feed would be read aloud by OnStar’s Virtual Advisor so that you can stay up to date while on the road.

GM is reportedly working on a new text messaging feature, as well. Once a user’s phone is paired through the vehicle’s Bluetooth system, incoming text messages can be read aloud so that your hands never have to leave the steering wheel. Drivers can also choose from one of four canned messages to reply back. And you can bet that GM and other automakers are working on voice-to-text systems that can translate exactly what you say into a text message.

Would you like to see a similar Facebook or texting feature in your own car?

Image © GM Corp

Interested in the new Chevy Cruze but not sure if you’re ready to step away from the segment-leading Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla? GM has you covered with a new plan that asks 3,000 dealers to buy a new Civic and Corolla and have them on hand for comparison test drives at the dealership.

Chevrolet is clearly confident about the new Cruze. With ten air bags and top scores in European crash tests (US test results are pending), the new compact sedan promises high levels of safety. And with special sound-deadening glass and acoustic mats, the cabin will no doubt be quiet and refined. A new 1.4-liter turbocharged engine promises up to 40 miles per gallon on the highway for the special Eco model, too.

Chuck Russell, vehicle line director for Cruze, told Automotive News that the new Chevy sedan has more shoulder room than the competition and offers many of the premium features you’d normally find in a midsize car. He expects the car to appeal to folks who want to downsize without losing any gadgets or gizmos. Prices will range from $16,995 to $22,695 with shipping included.

But the big challenge will be in managing three test drives at one dealership. Sales consultants don’t like to leave the lot for long periods of time because it cuts into their selling time. There are bound to be headaches if a customer drives all three cars and then walks away.

Still, the offer to cross-shop all three cars at once is enticing. And if the 2011 Cruze is as good as GM says it is, Chevy’s got nothing to fear.

Since its launch for the 2010 model year, the Cadillac SRX has taken the midsize luxury crossover market by storm. GM boasts that the SRX outsold the Audi Q7, Mercedes M-Class, BMW X5, and Acura MDX during the first half of this year and that its projected 36-month resale value now sits 17 points higher than last year’s model.

With its chiseled good looks and abundance of hi-tech features, it’s easy to see why Cadillac has a hit on their hands.

The SRX takes after Cadillac’s striking second-generation CTS sedan, with crisp lines and a powerful stance that makes it look eager to pounce. The design is taut and muscular and dynamic. Catch a glimpse of the SRX lit up across a deserted parking lot at night and your pulse will quicken with anticipation. When’s the last time a luxury crossover did that for you?

For better or for worse, Cadillac’s direction for the SRX is 180 degrees from the segment’s perennial sales champion, the Lexus RX. Where the SRX looks hard-edged and aggressive, the RX is soft-spoken and delicate.

The difference continue inside, as well. The SRX again draws inspiration from its CTS sibling with an angular center stack that’s framed by metallic trim. The dash is covered in synthetic leather and held together with upscale French stitching that can also be found on the door pulls, seats, and steering wheel. It’s a nice touch that adds a feeling of craftsmanship, even if it is a bit overdone in places.

Fit and finish in the car I drove was very good but still not quite in the same league as the Lexus. Some of the plastics felt tinny and not all of the seams along the dash were perfectly uniform. Still, these are nitpicks on an otherwise excellent design.

Adding a bit of theater is an optional navigation system with a crisp LCD screen that motors into view only when needed. When not in use for directions or the optional rearview camera, it slides back down halfway and becomes a conventional readout for audio and HVAC.

Parked in the center of the speedometer is a beautiful LCD display that displays trip computer functions like fuel economy, tire pressure, and even the speed limit of the road you’re traveling on. Set a destination on the navigation system and the display will show the next turn on your route so that your eyes don’t have to wander far. It’s a gorgeous piece of kit that’s well integrated and very handy.

Crossover vehicles are hugely popular as family cars and Cadillac wisely added a few family-friendly features. The optional rear seat entertainment system, for example, features two screens that can run independent video sources in case Johnny wants to watch a movie while Susie plugs in a video game console.

Your kids won’t mind the back seat but taller adults may. Headroom is tight due to the sporty roofline and space-stealing UltraView panoramic sunroof. That sunroof affords a lovely view for everyone, but because it comes standard on all but the base model SRX, shoppers should consider how often they’ll be transporting tall adults in the rear seat.

Speaking of height, Moms and Dads will no doubt love the power rear cargo door, which makes loading and unloading a one-touch affair and can be programmed to open part-way. This selectable height setting can really come in handy if your garage has low-hanging pipes or storage racks that might otherwise wreck a nice paint job.

As you’d expect of a Cadillac, the SRX comes loaded to the gills with safety features. Anti-lock brakes, traction control, and electronic stability control are all standard – as are front, side, and side-curtain air bags. The SRX was also named a Top Safety Pick by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, an award that requires top scores in four different types of crashes.

Out on the road, the Cadillac’s standard 3.0-liter V6 engine produces a competitive 265-horsepower but only 223 lb-ft of torque, meaning that you have to rev the engine a bit to really get moving. The 6-speed automatic transmission proves an unwilling partner, though, stubbornly refusing to downshift as it tries to preserve fuel economy. Acceleration is fine for most situations but I found the sluggish transmission frustrating when trying to slice my way through heavy LA traffic.

The conservative transmission tuning is a shame because the SRX rides on an athletic chassis that really comes alive when you pick up the pace. If anything, this playful spirit is what sets the edgy Cadillac most apart from the soft and isolated Lexus.

There’s an optional turbocharged V6 engine that boosts horsepower to 300 and torque to 295 but it requires a substantial amount of optional equipment and results in a sticker price that’s about $15,000 over the base SRX. Fuel economy also drops to an abysmal 15 mpg in the city and 22 on the highway. Considering that most other competitors can meet or exceed the turbocharged Cadillac’s performance with their base engines, the upgrade hardly seems worth it.

Standard on the turbo models and optional with the standard V6 is a new all-wheel drive system that is among the most sophisticated in the segment. It collects 200 readings per second from twenty sensors and routes power among the wheels with surgical precision. A fancy electronic limited-slip differential on the rear axle shuffles power side-to-side as you corner.

The net effect is an almost surreal feeling of agility and control. This Caddy loves to dance and the all-wheel drive system’s boost to roadholding and traction makes it well worth the $2,500 that it adds to the bottom line.

Even with options like the all-wheel drive system, rearview camera, navigation, and UltraView sunroof; the Cadillac SRX is priced competitively for the segment. Base models with the standard V6 and front-wheel drive start at $33,830 though most buyers will find themselves in the low-$40k range, right in the heart of Lexus RX territory.

By standing so close to the Lexus in terms of price, Cadillac is inviting comparisons. You’ll need to decide if you want soft and civilized or edgy and fun. And though you’ll have to sacrifice some speed and refinement to get it, the Cadillac SRX is a compelling choice for buyers who want an edgier alternative to the luxury crossover status quo.

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Photos courtesy GM