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Seems like outside of its CUV offerings, Buick's become a repository for Opel models that can't quite hack it in the States. A Regal based on the Malibu's platform would likely be a cheaper and better-selling offering than anything Opel-based.
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May 30, 2016 05:14
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Went to go explore and test drive a 2017 Audi A4 S Line today with the intention of replacing my Focus ST. I love the restrained styling and the interior is just sublime. Coming from a Ford, the body panel gaps and alignment are hitleriffic. It's overflowing with impressive tech gimmicks but disappointed that the Google Earth virtual cockpit isn't available in Canada. I'm 6 4" and it fits like a glove. Power felt the same by seat of the pants, which is to say plenty quick. Surprisingly the drive was underwhelming. I prefer driving my Focus by a wide margin. Even the sport suspension had more body roll and you can definitely feel the weight transfer to and fro in regular driving. Also the 19" wheels make for occasional brittleness over sharp bumps. It seems the sport suspension and 19" wheels don't play well together, I dunno. I gotta say the Focus ST has a better suspension and steering (for me). I thought I wanted a semi sport luxo cruiser, but I guess I'm addicted to the frenetic drive of the ST. A bit relieved, really. I'll just keep the Focus and save a bunch of money.
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May 30, 2016 06:21
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Tubesock Holocaust posted:
Why would anyone buy that theoretical vehicle over an actual Malibu?
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May 30, 2016 07:15
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dissss posted:Why would anyone buy that theoretical vehicle over an actual Malibu? I'm thinking about the few people who still buy Buicks based on brand loyalty and not anyone who actually cross-shops. You know, the same people who have fond memories of their Park Avenues and Lesabres. Speaking of which, who the gently caress would even think about cross-shopping anything else with Buick?
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May 30, 2016 07:24
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Someone who wants a slightly nicer chevy, but doesn't want to pay the premium for a cadillac?
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May 30, 2016 08:02
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Buicks are among the most reliable cars, have nicer interiors than Acuras, and are cheaper. The question is actually why don't more people cross-shop Buicks. The answer of course is horrendous brand image.
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May 30, 2016 08:06
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Sat in a Renault Talisman wagon yesterday. Nice interior (on par with Volvo V70 top trim level), looks much better in person than on photos. Fully loaded it's much cheaper than the Germans / Volvo, whilst being more reliable than all of them. Renault has one of the best rust protection nowadays as well apparently (which is a huge deal here in Sweden). Still have to test drive one. I tried the Mégane, but found it a bit loud and plasticy on the inside, but that's a much cheaper car.
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May 30, 2016 10:29
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smooth jazz posted:Went to go explore and test drive a 2017 Audi A4 S Line today with the intention of replacing my Focus ST. No Virtual Cockpit in Canada? That's one of the best things about the car! I wouldn't buy one without it, you made the right choice. And yes, it's not fast enough as a 2L and it needs a bit more rear-bias.
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May 30, 2016 10:40
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drgitlin posted:No Virtual Cockpit in Canada? That's one of the best things about the car! I wouldn't buy one without it, you made the right choice. And yes, it's not fast enough as a 2L and it needs a bit more rear-bias. The Virtual Cockpit is available, but no Google Earth nav view because Canada doesn't have a cross county wireless network like every other country in the world. Yea the Google Earth view is a unique selling point so i am disappiont.
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May 30, 2016 11:20
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MrOnBicycle posted:Sat in a Renault Talisman wagon yesterday. Nice interior (on par with Volvo V70 top trim level), looks much better in person than on photos. Fully loaded it's much cheaper than the Germans / Volvo, whilst being more reliable than all of them. Renault has one of the best rust protection nowadays as well apparently (which is a huge deal here in Sweden). That's a very nice looking car, especially in the wagon version. I'll be looking forward to maybe buying a used one in 10-15 years, provided it comes with a decent range of non-diesel engines.
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May 30, 2016 11:34
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Wheeee posted:Buicks are among the most reliable cars, have nicer interiors than Acuras, and are cheaper. I just had a Regal for a week and it was a pretty nice ride. Decent power from the turbo 4, comfy seats, Apple car play. Thing rode amazingly quiet.
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May 30, 2016 13:42
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KozmoNaut posted:That's a very nice looking car, especially in the wagon version. I love that it has a flat-bottom steering wheel for that racecar feel. I suppose if you are really tall it's nicer?
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May 30, 2016 14:05
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KozmoNaut posted:That's a very nice looking car, especially in the wagon version. I might be looking at one when they start coming off leases. Since a fully loaded one is "only" 350k SEK ($42k, but we probably have much more taxes), the leasers will take the hit the first 3 years and by that time there is still 2 years left on the new car warranty. Just sat in one again just now to show the girlfriend, who loved it. Also test drove an Hyundai i40, which was pretty decent. The automatic was pretty nice, but I still can't get over the choppy stops (especially with start / stop function) in automatics. That center console is pretty horrid though, and I bump my knee on it constantly. fyodor posted:I love that it has a flat-bottom steering wheel for that racecar feel. I suppose if you are really tall it's nicer? I'm 6' 4" and I sat like a king in it. My dad (who is also pretty tall) sat behind me and had loads of room. I've tried sitting behind my settings as well, and it was very comfortable. Really loved the center touch screen. Not too big, very responsive. Also an A/C fridge in the center storage with room for at least 2x50cl bottles. Pretty cool.
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May 30, 2016 16:00
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KozmoNaut posted:That's a very nice looking car, especially in the wagon version. I'm sure you'll find a clean, low mileage one at the estate sale of the average Buick buyer. E: I appreciate that Buick is trying to 'youth up' their market share with some fellow kids inspired marketing, but until they bring back a proper grand national, they can go play shuffleboard and not get called by their grandkids on the weekends.
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May 30, 2016 16:54
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BloodBag posted:I'm sure you'll find a clean, low mileage one at the estate sale of the average Buick buyer. There aren't a lot of Buick buyers in Europe  And I was referring to the Talisman.I just looked it up, and apparently we're only getting the 150hk gasoline engine in Denmark, not the 200hk one because gently caress you, dieselgate never happened, apparently. We get the full line of diesels, obviously.
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May 30, 2016 17:52
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Last weekend Alfa Giulia was available for test drives at 166 dealers in Italy. Apparently they had 34 000 visitors, 8000 test drives and 3000 orders. 70% of the orders included a trade-in, in 50% of them the trade in was a Audi/BMW/MB. Among them the most commonly traded-in brand was BMW. 90% of the orders was for "Giulia Super", 3% "Quadrifoglio".
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May 30, 2016 20:47
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What percentage of the cars broke down?
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May 30, 2016 22:21
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Disgruntled Bovine posted:What percentage of the cars broke down? Somehow, 104%
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May 31, 2016 03:33
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BloodBag posted:I'm sure you'll find a clean, low mileage one at the estate sale of the average Buick buyer. Seriously. Make a proper GNX (!!) and find some other Richard Rawlings type rear end in a top hat to market it and watch the youths pour in. They should hire me!
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May 31, 2016 03:49
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So basically a Buick Camaro but a twin turbo v6?
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May 31, 2016 03:50
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So did gm ever reassemble their performance cars team or is that pretty much dead now?
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May 31, 2016 04:45
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Christobevii3 posted:So basically a Buick Camaro but a twin turbo v6? Yes. And you can have any color you want so long as it's black.
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May 31, 2016 05:08
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I really don't think GM has or has ever had a problem with "performance" vehicles, regardless of how they want to organize their personel. The problem right now is that the market demands more SUVs of all kinds, and GM didn't have enough of them. Forum posters are always whining that there's no new Lincoln Mustang or whatever but Ford has at least made sure Lincoln has all the SUVs it needs and Lincoln is actually doing well, almost catching up with Cadillac despite having fewer models. The products are finally starting to make it though - there are three new SUVs based on the new D2xx or whatever platform, the XT5, Envision and Acadia, and they all look pretty decent but they should have been here last year. As it stands now they still desperately need at least an Escalade coupe, or maybe an Escalade "sport" a la Range Rover Sport, and they need to at least give it the supercharged engine. The market has spoken and what people want are vehicles with the horrible handling and fuel economy of an SUV but without any of the utility. The Traverse also needs an update, and they need a Cruze-based compact SUV to slot between the Equinox and Trax. A new Trailblazer built on the Canyon/Colorado would also do well as a Jeep competitor.
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May 31, 2016 06:04
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Throatwarbler posted:I really don't think GM has or has ever had a problem with "performance" vehicles, regardless of how they want to organize their personel. The problem right now is that the market demands more SUVs of all kinds, and GM didn't have enough of them. Forum posters are always whining that there's no new Lincoln Mustang or whatever but Ford has at least made sure Lincoln has all the SUVs it needs and Lincoln is actually doing well, almost catching up with Cadillac despite having fewer models. This is probably a political and management issue - the same reason rhey were forced to sell Hummer. Either strsight politics and/ or inexperienced management probably didn't realize that you're supposed to say one thing and do another in regards to having lots of giant suvs because people love that poo poo. So they didn't have enough in the pipeline from 5-8 years ago.
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May 31, 2016 07:17
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Mange Mite posted:This is probably a political and management issue - the same reason rhey were forced to sell Hummer. Either strsight politics and/ or inexperienced management probably didn't realize that you're supposed to say one thing and do another in regards to having lots of giant suvs because people love that poo poo. So they didn't have enough in the pipeline from 5-8 years ago. They didn't sell Hummer. 
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May 31, 2016 08:02
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The time to resurrect Hummer is now.
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May 31, 2016 08:33
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Mange Mite posted:This is probably a political and management issue - the same reason rhey were forced to sell Hummer. Either strsight politics and/ or inexperienced management probably didn't realize that you're supposed to say one thing and do another in regards to having lots of giant suvs because people love that poo poo. So they didn't have enough in the pipeline from 5-8 years ago. Isn't the captivia the cruze SUV?
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May 31, 2016 12:33
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fyodor posted:Seriously. Make a proper GNX (!!) and find some other Richard Rawlings type rear end in a top hat to market it and watch the youths pour in. They should hire me! The fact that Buick pulled off the impossible and started a nearly legendary performance sub-brand/nameplate in the depths of the performance malaise of the eighties, and has COMPLETELY ABANDONED IT is so GM it isn't even funny. Here, GM, take this: Buick T-type: Alpha platform RWD version, with the new LGW 3.0L Twin Turbo V6 (404hp/400ftlbs) from the CT6. Buick Grand National: Alpha platform AWD, notional LGW with more power, better suspension, more standard options, etc. Buick GNX: Same as the GN, but with a magnetic suspension like the new ZL1, additional lightening, no stereo, AC delete, nav delete, more power, more fluid coolers, wheel/tire package set to kill, etc. Only comes in black, and slightly darker black. Thanks GM, you can just send me the check.
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May 31, 2016 12:52
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cool a conservative hundred million dollars to sell fourteen hundred cars annually, i am sure mary barra is stoked to hear from you
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May 31, 2016 13:09
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Shame no one but me would buy one.
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May 31, 2016 13:35
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:cool a conservative hundred million dollars to sell fourteen hundred cars annually, i am sure mary barra is stoked to hear from you I don't necessarily disagree with you that it won't pan out, but I will point out that FCA probably won't break even on Hellcat development, either. The purpose of halo cars (like this theorized GNX) is not to make money on said halo car. Buick needs to be a viable brand to people in their 30s and 40s that are going to buy an Accord-but-oh-wait-thus-Buick-is-as-nice-as-an-Acura-for-the-same-price. Attractive, exciting, products that drive positive press and discussion are the way to do that. But the new NSX still won't help Acura sell an RL 
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May 31, 2016 14:19
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I don't disagree either, but a good halo car has to be part of an overall brand strategy. Sedans sell like garbage, and Buick is already committed to FWD platforms. An Alpha Buick would cannibalize sales from the Cadillac brand, which is far more important to GM's overall success. The place to put a serious halo car is Cadillac, which they already do with the V-line. Investing a ton of money in a sedan is not going to be very beneficial for the Buick brand as a whole. I get that people on this forum are stoked about the GN, but I don't think Buick's target urban yuppie / suburban young family havers demographic is gonna turn out to see the car. (Most of my friends are squarely in Buick's sights and I think maybe two of them would know what the GN is). Doing a production Avenir-like Enclave replacement SUV to launch new styling for the brand would probably be the best possible move for Buick. Buick doesn't want to sell you an Accord replacement. They want to sell you a nicer CR-V, or they want you to save a buck or two on an RX/NX. How not to do a halo car: Alfa 4C. Great car, innovative, cool, a true expression of the brand. Released in the US when there are no other Alfas to purchase or even true dedicated Alfa dealers. eyebeem posted:But the new NSX still won't help Acura sell an RL Exactly - without good product and a viable brand strategy (other than Slightly Nicer Hondas), your halo car is a waste.
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May 31, 2016 14:40
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Throatwarbler posted:I really don't think GM has or has ever had a problem with "performance" vehicles, regardless of how they want to organize their personel. The problem right now is that the market demands more SUVs of all kinds, and GM didn't have enough of them. Forum posters are always whining that there's no new Lincoln Mustang or whatever but Ford has at least made sure Lincoln has all the SUVs it needs and Lincoln is actually doing well, almost catching up with Cadillac despite having fewer models. I was only talking about revamping their image which is what Buick is trying to do. Halo cars are for branding/image.
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May 31, 2016 14:59
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The Fiero had the potential to rule, but GM didn't want it faster than a corvette I think the answer here is that we need to get rid of the Corvette
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May 31, 2016 14:59
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But I like the Corvette.
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May 31, 2016 15:37
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Coredump posted:But I like the Corvette. All things must come to pass
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May 31, 2016 15:39
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Christobevii3 posted:Isn't the captivia the cruze SUV? No the captiva is still riding on the ancient theta platform from 10 years ago
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May 31, 2016 15:53
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:I don't disagree either, but a good halo car has to be part of an overall brand strategy. Sedans sell like garbage, and Buick is already committed to FWD platforms. An Alpha Buick would cannibalize sales from the Cadillac brand, which is far more important to GM's overall success. The place to put a serious halo car is Cadillac, which they already do with the V-line. Investing a ton of money in a sedan is not going to be very beneficial for the Buick brand as a whole. I think the NSX is pretty cool and no less of a halo car than most other halo cars - I don't really believe myself that halo cars really sell regular cars for any brand but other people seem to so whatevs. I think both Acura and Lincoln do pretty well considering the amount of investment their parent companies put into them. It's a better idea than what GM is doing with Cadillac, that is putting a huge amount of money into trying to become the next BMW and failing. Lincoln is close to Cadillac in sales and Acura is above them I think. What Buick should have done is drop the XTS-Vsport drivetrain into the Enclave and called it the Roadmaster. That would have been an actual legit halo car that would still be relevant and sell units and be profitable. Also the Chevy SS should have been released as a new Park Avenue or Lesabre. The SS interior is already nicer than most Buicks anyway and the price point would have been right, and it doesn't directly compete with any Cadillac models. Christobevii3 posted:Isn't the captivia the cruze SUV? The Captiva wasn't related to the Cruze, no. eyebeem posted:I don't necessarily disagree with you that it won't pan out, but I will point out that FCA probably won't break even on Hellcat development, either. The Hellcat was probably a bad idea in that if there is a single person at Chrysler who isn't working 24/7 to get the next Dodge Journey and Jeep Compass out the door even one day sooner then that person is doing the wrong thing. That being said the Hellcat isn't that much of a leap over the regular SRT and as soon as they bring out the Hellcat Grand Cherokee and Wrangler that program will pay for itself 100x over just like the AMG G-wagen. Compared to the ludicrous poo poo that GM does, like say introducing the Chevrolet brand to Europe to compete with itself and then cancelling it a couple of years later because of some dumb office politics (  ) the Hellcat is pretty tame.
Throatwarbler fucked around with this message at 16:06 on May 31, 2016 |
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May 31, 2016 16:03
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:I don't disagree either, but a good halo car has to be part of an overall brand strategy. Sedans sell like garbage, and Buick is already committed to FWD platforms. An Alpha Buick would cannibalize sales from the Cadillac brand, which is far more important to GM's overall success. The place to put a serious halo car is Cadillac, which they already do with the V-line. Investing a ton of money in a sedan is not going to be very beneficial for the Buick brand as a whole. In terms of halos, Buick has put out some interesting concepts like the RWD Avista coupe and the flagship Avenir. On the other hand, a small production GN based off one of their existing models isn't utterly implausible. The GN was a Regal offshoot, and the current Regal is an Opel Insignia. Opel already makes the Insignia OPC, which is AWD and has a TT V6 rated at around 320 hp. And a high-power Regal makes at least a little sense, since they're trying to position the Regal as the sportier entry level option in the Buick line, the equivalent to a 3-series. So a GN would be like an M3 tryign to draw in young customers as well as the lucrative nostalgia market.
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May 31, 2016 16:07
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:How not to do a halo car: Alfa 4C. Great car, innovative, cool, a true expression of the brand. Released in the US when there are no other Alfas to purchase or even true dedicated Alfa dealers. Don't forget the thing where they supposedly cost $55k but they're all $65k+ without dealer markups. Top Hats Monthly posted:The Fiero had the potential to rule, but GM didn't want it faster than a corvette GM being over the thing where other cars can't be faster than the Vette is pretty awesome and would actually allow them to get away with making it mid engined and more expensive like the latest yet ever present rumors hint at. On the other hand, doubling the price of a base Corvette would really piss a lot of old people off.
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May 31, 2016 16:10
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