Karl's Daily Log Book - READ ONLY

2391 messages, Last post on Nov 30, 2005 at 6:50 AM

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What is this discussion about? Coupe, Sedan, SUV

Karl Brauer is the Editor in Chief of Edmunds.com, which means he finds himself in a different vehicle almost every day of the week. If you want a daily road test review regarding the latest cars and trucks to hit the market, along with commentary on everything from auto industry happenings to L.A. drivers to his latest close encounter with Johnny Law, this is the place to be.

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#2360 of 2391 GM Turning the Corner? by editor_karl Oct 30, 2005 (2:47 pm)
In the past two weeks I've driven five different GM cars...and I must say that I really liked them all. Not, "really liked them, as GM cars go" or "really liked them, despite their GM-ness." No, I just plain liked them. 2006 Corvette Z06 -- Of course many will say this car is a unique offering from GM, or that at $70,000 it better be good, but even so the car means nothing to most normal people. Whatever. This car offers masssive performance regardless of its price point. The fact that it's among the 10 quickest cars ever made, but anywhere from 1/2 to 1/12 the cost of the other nine is damn impressive. I wish it had a better transmission, but it's easier to live with on a daily basis than most of the other nine "quickest cars" too. Very cool car! 2006 Pontiac Solstice -- I know our comparison test put the Miata ahead of the Solstice, but I personally would take the Solstice any day over the Miata -- and twice on Sunday. Great value, great styling, great interior design, excellent performance. Both the engine and transmission could be better, but they aren't terrible -- or even bad -- and at this price point the car is simply a great value. 2006 Pontiac Torrent -- I already liked the Equinox, so this isn't a big surprise, but after driving this car 150 miles I got out of it and couldn't think of anything I could seriously mark it down for. Some of the interior plastics could be better, but just like with the Z06 and Solstice it represents a solid value overall. Great engine/tranny, solid handling and ride quality, comfortable seats, great sound system. Just a fine SUV by every important measurement. 2006 Chevy Trailblazer SS -- This car was just plain fun! We had it at the track Friday for instrumented testing, and it was very fast (low 14s in the 1/4 mile). It also had a great automatic transmission with some of the most rewarding upshifts I've felt since driving the shift-kitted 727 torqueflight in my GTX. It really slingshots forward during upshifts (without feeling at all harsh or "clunky"), which is exactly how a performance automatic should feel. Handling was solid, and it even looked really cool, too, with the upgraded wheel/tire package. I turned off the traction and stability control (our test car was rear-wheel drive) and couldn't stop grinning as I was steering it with the throttle at our test facility. I was actually running the "sell" conversation with the wife through my head after driving it. "But honey, think of all the room for carrying the kids' bikes when going to the park with them." 2006 Impala SS -- While not a redesign, GM did wonders with the existing platform. Steering feel is much better than I expected -- and "good" by any standards for a 2006 family sedan. Firm and responsive without being too heavy. Interior design/materials were also good, as was seat comfort. The V8 in the SS was excellent in terms of torque and smoothness, and despite the high power output there was no torque steer when flooring it from a dead stop. Very impresive! I wish it had a more controlled ride quality (especially since this was the "SS" version), and the brakes could have been stronger (it took 140 feet to stop from 60 mph). But neither of those items will be issues for 90-plus percent of customers 90-plus percent of the time. The rest of the time this car will offer more comfort, interior room and performance than comparably priced family sedans. Anyway, I'm still not a huge fan of some of their recent introductions (HHR, Grand Prix GXP, Cobalt), but I thought it was worth noting that everything I drove from GM in the past two weeks I really liked -- certainly more than I expected to. Maybe we're past the "darkest" and into the "dawn"... Replies to this message: imidazol97 (Oct 30, 2005 2:50 pm) savetheland (Oct 30, 2005 4:54 pm) bigdaddycoats (Oct 31, 2005 6:59 am) editor_karl (Oct 31, 2005 7:08 am) bigdaddycoats (Oct 31, 2005 7:15 am) and 2 more... redmaxx (Oct 31, 2005 3:10 pm) navigator89 (Oct 31, 2005 10:37 am) phillyone (Oct 31, 2005 2:50 pm) phillyone (Oct 31, 2005 2:49 pm) hammen2 (Oct 31, 2005 6:37 pm) editor_karl (Nov 01, 2005 1:53 pm) phillyone (Nov 01, 2005 2:55 pm) hammen2 (Oct 31, 2005 6:50 pm)
#2361 of 2391 Re: GM Turning the Corner? [editor_karl] by imidazol97 Oct 30, 2005 (2:50 pm)
Replying to: editor_karl (Oct 30, 2005 2:47 pm) Karl, I had to read the first paragraph twice. I didn't believe what I was reading! Good.
#2362 of 2391 Re: GM Turning the Corner? [editor_karl] by savetheland Oct 30, 2005 (4:54 pm)
Replying to: editor_karl (Oct 30, 2005 2:47 pm) Karl, what do you think about Pontiac G6 GTP?
#2363 of 2391 Re: GM Turning the Corner? [editor_karl] by bigdaddycoats Oct 31, 2005 (6:59 am)
Replying to: editor_karl (Oct 30, 2005 2:47 pm) Good to hear your positive comments. I must say, I am surprised you liked the Impala SS and the Torrent. Did you like the steering on the Torrent? I could not stand (steering wise) the Nox I drove - the electric steering felt horrible and sloppy. That is one of my complaints with the Malibu as well. So, have you driven a G6 GTP? I have yet to see any reviews on this vehicle yet. I am really curious if the conventional steering system has had a positive effect on the G6. Maybe I should go drive one myself - the local dealer has a dozen or so, amazingly even 4 with the manual. Replies to this message: editor_karl (Oct 31, 2005 7:08 am) bigdaddycoats (Oct 31, 2005 7:15 am) hammen2 (Oct 31, 2005 6:59 pm) editor_karl (Nov 01, 2005 1:55 pm) redmaxx (Oct 31, 2005 3:10 pm)
#2364 of 2391 Re: GM Turning the Corner? [bigdaddycoats] by editor_karl Oct 31, 2005 (7:08 am)
Replying to: bigdaddycoats (Oct 31, 2005 6:59 am) Do the Equinox and Torrent definitely use the same steering system? I don't rememeber loving or hating the Chevy's system, but I felt like the Torrent's was fine. Remember, I'm more fogiving of SUVs because, well, they're SUVs. The Impala SS steering was better than "fine"; in fact, I'd have to call it "good" (which really surprised me...) I haven't driven the G6 GTP yet, but another editor did and he said it was pretty good. We're getting one in a few weeks so I'll know soon enogh... Replies to this message: bigdaddycoats (Oct 31, 2005 7:15 am) hammen2 (Oct 31, 2005 6:59 pm) editor_karl (Nov 01, 2005 1:55 pm) redmaxx (Oct 31, 2005 3:10 pm)
#2365 of 2391 Re: GM Turning the Corner? [editor_karl] by bigdaddycoats Oct 31, 2005 (7:15 am)
Replying to: editor_karl (Oct 31, 2005 7:08 am) Wow - online a little early this morning? Did you ever look into whether or not the spy pics of the 07 Envoy are really the Envoy or are they indeed the Acadia? Replies to this message: hammen2 (Oct 31, 2005 6:59 pm) editor_karl (Nov 01, 2005 1:55 pm)
#2366 of 2391 Torrent by ateixeira Oct 31, 2005 (9:21 am)
While a HUGE improvement over the Aztek, I think they could have done better than an old V6 made in China. At least give it the 3500 from the Malibu. That plus the cargo area tower eat up half the potential cargo space. Some minor re-packaging and it could be a lot better. Just swap out the engine and re-do the shock towers so they're not so huge. -juice
#2367 of 2391 Re: GM Turning the Corner? [editor_karl] by navigator89 Oct 31, 2005 (10:37 am)
Replying to: editor_karl (Oct 30, 2005 2:47 pm) I agree with you there, GM does have some good products in the market now, and many more to come. They have yet to bring out the Pontiac G6 coupe and convertible, Buick Lucerne, Saturn Aura, Sky, Cadillac DTS, STS-V, XLR-V and the latest batch of fullsize SUVs and trucks. Btw, if you've seen the pictures you will agree that they look really nice, especially the interiors. I'd say the domestic manufacturers are hitting homeruns in terms of having new products in the line. Ford doesn't have too much in the future, mainly because most of their cars were just introduced or redesigned. Chrysler will flood the market next year, and so will GM. Replies to this message: phillyone (Oct 31, 2005 2:50 pm)
#2368 of 2391 Re: GM Turning the Corner? [editor_karl] by phillyone Oct 31, 2005 (2:49 pm)
Replying to: editor_karl (Oct 30, 2005 2:47 pm) Those comments you made about GM products seem a little hard to believe. I would have to check those vehicles out for myself to know for sure. I dont really understand how you could like the Impala but not the GXP. Arent they basically the same V8 powered front drivers on ancient platforms with nothing but sheetmetal to differentiate them? I am seeing a lot of Impalas around and it looks decent, no worse than any Accord and Camry I guess. I would like to see a comparison between the Impala and the 500 or the Impala vs Camry vs Accord. If you think the impala is decent what is your beef with the cobalt? I dont see how the Impala is any more modern or competent than the Cobalt. At least the cobalt is on a modern platform and features modern DOHC engines. Two print mags have the same family sedan comparison in their December issues and the results were the same. The finishing order was Accord, Fusion, Sonota and Camry. Do you agree with thos results Karl? I'm sure you have driven all of these models. Just as I thought, the Fusion isnt going to be able to beat the Accord or Altima in any tests because of it's engine. It just doesnt have enough power to run with the Accord V6. A while back I proposed a comparison between the TL, Passat V6 and Maxima. Any thoughts on that? I also like the idea of a Fusion vs G6 vs Accord comparison. Replies to this message: hammen2 (Oct 31, 2005 6:37 pm) editor_karl (Nov 01, 2005 1:53 pm) phillyone (Nov 01, 2005 2:55 pm)
#2369 of 2391 Re: GM Turning the Corner? [navigator89] by phillyone Oct 31, 2005 (2:50 pm)
Replying to: navigator89 (Oct 31, 2005 10:37 am) Actually the G6 coupe is already out, as is the DTS. I have seen both on the road. The STS-V comes out this month, and the Lucerne next month.