Accelerate Mpls

In my short time on this earth, the Buick Regal has never been a car that seemed like it was sport injected. Yet for some years that was the marketing that went along with the nameplate. Sure, from 1997 to 2004 you could get a supercharged V-6 in a Regal. But did that really make it sporty?

Now we have a new Regal, and yes, it is sport injected. At least that is what the marketing tells us. I recently spent a week with the new Regal to see if the marketing really translates to the pavement. Read More…

As I mentioned in my first review, the new Equinox is class leading, improving heavily over the original version.  When equipped with the four cylinder, the Equinox is a great vehicle.  The mileage is top of the pack in the 5-seat, SUV class and exclusive features are great, but the real question is how does the Equinox perform with a V6 engine?

The interior of the LTZ tester I had was two tone black and cream.  The leather seats were comfortable and looked terrific.  The dash was hard plastic but still looked good:  hard plastic is not out of place for this segment.  The center stack lit up at night in a cool blue but is never overpowering. The center console is able to swallow a fifteen inch laptop whole!  There is no question the interior is well designed.  One of the nice features was the back seat’s flexibility.  The back seat has the ability to slide back and forth like front seats to either create more legroom for  passengers or more cargo room in the rear.

The exterior has a strong character line that runs from the front fender to the rear.  The styling is round and a more conservative appearance than its brother, the GMC Terrain.  The headlights in the upper trim levels have projector low beams with fog lamps that put out a surprising amount of light on the road.  The exterior chrome accents on the bumpers, door handles, mirrors and luggage rail inserts all add to the great exterior looks.  The exaggerated fender flares are not aggressive and yet add to the Equinox’s stance.  The dual exhaust, only available on the V6 model, peeks out from the rear bumper with the dual chrome tips, adding the perfect finish to the rear end.

The Equinox I had was equipped with the optional V6 which costs $1,500 and puts out 264 hp and 222 ft-lb.  Combined with all wheel drive, the V6 model is rated at 17/24 mpg.  I averaged 17 in the city and 20 on the highway but I am sure it would beat the rated mpg on the highway if the cruise control was not set at 77 mph.  Both the four cylinder and the V6 models put the power out through a one choice six speed transmission with manual shift capabilities.  The transmission programming is inconsistent, sometimes pulling away from a stoplight, it would rev to 4000 rpm and then perform a lazy shift while pulling away. But then I observed at the next stoplight, while pulling away in the same manner, a quick shift occurred at 2500 rpm.  This inconsistency improved under hard acceleration and the transmission shifts quickly at redline, so, it was only under light or partial acceleration that the transmission and the shifts were slow and lazy.  Even when using the manual shift, the shifts were again lazy, reacting slowly and taking its time to make the change.

The LTZ model already has most optional equipment included as standard but the model I had was also equipped with 19″ chrome clad aluminum wheels for $900.  They looked good and finished off the exterior chrome accents well.  The total sticker price on the model I had was $32,940 and had everything other then optional rear seat entertainment.

The new Equinox is selling as fast as GM can produce them and is class leading in many respects.  The V6 provides more low end torque which means less revving of the engine to get underway although you do take a hit in the fuel mileage numbers when opting for the V6.  The real story with the Equinox is the four cylinder engine, without a question.  Some of the competition’s V6 options offer slightly better fuel economy numbers than the V6 in the Equinox but that does not change the fact that the overall package is very competitive.  Overall, I would be torn with which engine to choose if I was purchasing an Equinox although I would suggest test driving both. It really comes down to what is important; extra power, especially in the low revs, or overall fuel economy.  One thing is for sure: this new Equinox is quite an upgrade.  Now if only the transmission programming was as great as the rest of the vehicle.

Full Disclosure- The review vehicle was provided by General Motors

2010 GMC Terrain

Many people have asked me why Pontiac and Saturn are being killed and GMC gets to live.  To many on the outside it does not make perfect sense though the answer is quite simple.  GMC makes money while Pontiac and Saturn do not.  The response I got to that was about how GMC products are mostly rebadged Chevrolet products so how can they make money.  Again a simple answer with two parts.  GMC is not really cross shopped with Chevrolet according to GM.  Also GMC is aimed to be one step above Chevrolet “offering more premium content then Chevy” according to Annalisa Bluhm who works for GM, so that means slightly higher base prices.

The last generation Chevrolet Equinox had a brother and it was the Pontiac Torrent which was about as class competitive as the last generation Equinox was, which was not very.  With Pontiac dead and gone spreading the development costs of the new Equinox with another vehicle was key.  GMC has been successful with the Lambda based Acadia and thus it was logical to make the new Equinox’s brother a GMC.  The new 2010 Terrain, moves GMC into a new segment and gives another vehicle to add to the now empty Pontiac showroom floor space.

Being the brother to the Equinox has its advantages.  The interior of the new Equinox is already more then class competitive it is class leading and so changes were not really necessary to compete in this area.  With a few upgraded materials here and there and some different graining and texture on some dash panels the interior was a nice place before the switch from Chevrolet to GMC.  The exterior styling is what really differentiates the Terrain from the Equinox.  With bold, blocky, in your face looks, the Terrain is much more controversially styled then the Equinox.  With a blunt front end and squared off fenders, the Terrain is much less curvaceous and soft compared with the Equinox.  The huge overly exaggerated fender flares continue this blocky bold styling down the side and towards the rear.  Speaking of the rear again much blockier and more bluntly styled then the Equinox.  The styling seems to be a love it or hate it with everyone having a opinion.  Many people on Twitter seem to thing this is not a good looking rig with one person even saying they thought it was the ugliest vehicle on the road today.  I would not personally go that far but it is definitely in your face and styled differently.

During the Terrain’s stay this week I had a road trip down to Hudson, IA to visit some friends and family.  With the cruise control set the Terrain was a comfortable highway cruiser lugging along at 75mpg I was averaging 26.3 mpg.  It is worth noting that it was chilly here during the trip and this probably affected the gas milage slightly.  The Terrain utilizes the same exact engine choices as the Equinox either the 2.4L four cylinder or the optional 3.0L V6 both engines are feature great new technology.  Utilizing VVT (variable valve timing) and direct injection both these engines are class leading in gas milage ratings.  The Terrain I had was rated at 20/29 mpg due to the all wheel drive.  Without the all wheel drive ratings would have been 22/32 mpg.  The Terrain also utilizes the great six speed automatic used in the Equinox.  Since I had the four cylinder it had the “eco” button which changes shift points. The Terrain drove smoother and I enjoyed the way the transmission worked while in eco mode much more then when not.  According to GM eco mode earns you one mile per gallon more in gas milage.

The Terrain I had was a SLE2 with a few option packages including the convenience package, trailering equipment package, cargo management package, and 18″ machined aluminum wheels.  The sticker price on this particular vehicle was $29,630.  This vehicle was far from stripped yet is only one step above the base SLE with a few option packages.  The convenience package put in heated seats which were great when the temperature dipped into the low 30′s during the week. Also in that package was the remote vehicle start which again was great when the temperatures got into the 30′s.  Bluetooth was another great standard feature in this particular vehicle.  In this writers opinion bluetooth should be standard in every car for safety reasons.  Many cars have fog lights but not many do much for the driver.  The fog lights on the Terrain surprised me adding a lot of extra light on the ground in front of you.  Much more then you would expect especially considering how tiny they are.

At the end of the day we have a platform mate to the Equinox.  It is more controversially styled and is priced about $1,810 more in base price.  I feel the styling is good but then again I think the Mercedes Benz GLK is good looking and that thing is a chiseled block, so blocky does not bother me.  With a premium look and feel this classy vehicle has what it takes to beat the competition.  The looks are polarizing which gets you noticed and that is exactly what GM needs for the GMC Terrain, people noticing it.  Like the Equinox with better fuel economy and overall execution then the main competition mainly Toyota Rav4 and Honda CR-V the Terrain is a great option in a crowded segment.  My recommendation, if the Equinox is not your taste in style check the Terrain before you look else where.

As posted late last week, I was fortunate enough to be invited by GM to an exciting event. The event started with GM showing some of the products and technologies coming in the near future. Pictures were not allowed in the design center.

2010 GMC Terrain

Front and center in the GMC design studio was a design concept, a Denali trim of the Acadia crossover. It had a body kit and larger chrome wheels with the mandatory chrome grill and wood inside. I can see this trim level coming soon and it was rather good looking. Next up was the 2010 Terrain the GMC version of the new 2010 Chevy Equinox. The exterior of the Terrain is better looking in person than it is in pictures. The interior had soft materials and a clean look. Equipped with the four cylinder, the Terrain will achieve 32 mpg on the highway, quite impressive. The most interesting vehicle was a clay model without a name. It looked reminicent of the Kia Soul. It was boxy and short with little to no overhangs and like no other current GMC. Even though is was not bad looking, I do not see it fitting in with the rest of GMC unless the future products are considerably different than the current lineup, which could happen.

2010 Buick Lacrosse

The center vehicle in the Buick studio was the new 2010 Buick Lacrosse which should be hitting dealerships soon. The new Lacrosse is gorgeous with tight panel gaps and great character lines. It is a car that will be competing with the Lexus ES350, the lines on this Lacrosse are much bolder. The interior has a soft touch dash and has a quality feel. Impressive! I felt the seat tracks looked unfinished. They were completely uncovered and looked as if things could get caught in the tracks. We viewed four other vehicles, two crossovers and two sedans. One of the crossovers was basically a re-badged Saturn Vue which will be launching as a Buick next year, and it will come as the first plug-in hybrid suv in 2011. It was truly unsightly and reminds me of things (re-badging) that was wrong with the “old GM.” The other crossover will launch in 12-16 months as a baby Enclave which itself is a good looking vehicle. The other two vehicles that are coming within the next 10-24 months include a midsize sedan based on the European Opel Insignia. This midsize sedan could very well wear the Regal name. The second vehicle will launch later and will be based on the new the European Opel Astra. They had two interior styling bucks for the two sedans, both of which were as good looking as the new 2010 Lacrosse. Buick seems to have gotten their mojo back in the styling department other then the re-badged Vue.

2010 Chevy Spark

The predictable future vehicles, such as the convertible Camaro coming 2nd quarter of next year and the Chevy Spark small car, was there as well. I was surprised to see a next generation Aveo, which happened to be a hatchback. The rear end was practically the same as the current generation while the front end was much more aggressive. The front end reminded me of the current generation Mitsubishi Lancer. The headlights were good looking but not very aerodynamic. The vehicle that caught me off guard was the next generation Malibu. It is drop dead gorgeous! It has a little BMW in the rear end and the front end is straight European design. The exterior was impressive and the interior had three real interior styling bucks. Had I not seen it with my own eyes, I would never believe it was a Chevy interior. Keep in mind that these were production designs, not concepts. Arriving in 2011 as a 2012, the next Malibu is going to be a winner.

2009 CTS-V

The Cadillac CTS coupe will arrive next spring. It will be accompanied by a CTS-V coupe which, of course, is exciting for any enthusiast. Next the new 2010 SRX and CTS sportwagon, both of which should be arriving in dealerships now. I personally love wagons. After the presentation, I asked the director of Cadillac about the possibility of a CTS-V sportwagon. During our conversation, he informed me that there was a CTS-V sportwagon on campus and it is a shade of black. He also said that “if” a CTS-V sportwagon was to go into production, he would guess it would be in dealerships next summer. I would not say that is a promise but darn closer than “no we have no plans on making one and have not studied it as a business case.” Here’s hoping for a CTS-V sportwagon.

Three new Cadillacs were revealed to us. The first was the sportwagon. The next was a BMW 3 series fighter dubbed ATS, which will come in both coupe and sedan forms. The car is similar looking to a CTS with a more evolved look. I could see the ATS coming with a turbo and naturally aspirated four cylinder as well as direct injection six cylinder engines. The proper wheels (rear wheels) will be receiving the power and all wheel drive will be a option. The last was a car that will compete with the BMW 7 series, dubbed XTS. It will replace the quickly aging STS/DTS sedans. The styling of the XTS is reminiscent of the Cadillac Sixteen concept from years back but without the long hood. Both cars were good looking and have real potential.

Joel Feder & Bob Lutz

I had a conversation with Bob Lutz and questioned him about the future of the now dead Pontiac G8. He informed me that the response to them killing it has been overwhelming, and they are working hard to figure out how to incorporate it in the Chevy lineup in the future. Mentioning how it will die with Pontiac but could be coming back as a Chevy. He went on to say it would have big brakes, a big V8 and quickly adding, no V6 option. This would be an aggressive sports car without a doubt, the four door of Corvettes (no it will not wear the Corvette name). Though he mentioned it would most likely be expensive and probably a niche product, making only enough for demand. My question is when and how much!? I asked about the Caprice name and styling of the Asian market Caprice and he said it was not aggressive enough and would not happen. This conversation was informal and is in no way a final green light for production.

Lastly the Millford proving grounds. I drove the Camaro SS with the 6 speed. First order of business was to turn off the traction control completely. Dropping the clutch and smokey burn outs are easy to accomplish. The car is definitely heavy but carries its weight well through the slalom. While the brakes definitely got toasty and you could smell the burn, they never gave up or made me nervous of losing effectiveness. Had I been on the track longer it could have been a different story. Next the CTS-V with a automatic. I felt this handicapped the cars potential on the track. On the other hand, the automatic shifts quickly and zips around when driving it in the city on a daily basis.

After this event it is safe to say, I can say I feel GM has a real future and great product in the pipeline. The only true questionable vehicle was the re-badged Vue. Two big take aways here are that the G8 may not be dead after all and the CTS-V sportwagon is more then a possibility! I would say Toyota should be put on notice because the next Malibu and new Equinox are truly world cars.