Better late than never I guess?

It’s fairly well known that GM’s full-size SUV’s are pretty easy to steal, specifically the Escalade as it consistently gets the unhonourable accolade of ‘most stolen vehicle’, except for this year that is. But regardless it’s consistently in the top ten most stolen.

For some reason it took GM this long to actually address the issues that make it so easy to steal an Escalade in the first place, namely making a steering column lock that actually works, an alarm system that actually comes on when when the windows get smashed, wheel locks and and encrypted key. But these new features are now standard on all Escalades which is a step in the right direction. So what if you own a Tahoe or Yukon which are equally is easy to steal? Better ensure you have great insurance coverage because GM hasn’t addressed those vehicles. Yet. Hopefully they will soon.

At least now it will take thieves longer than 14 seconds to steal an your Escalade if you’re an owner.

[General Motors]

Here we go again.

Remember when GM compared a Chevy Cruze to a previous generation Hyundai Elantra as if it was some sort of accomplishment that their new product was better than someone else’s old product? Remember when Audi did the exact same thing with their new A8 and the aging S-Class? Remember when Hennesey compared their heavily modded CTS-V to a non-modded preivous generation Porsche 911 and a non-modded Nissan GT-R?  Well apparently the apples to oranges comparisons in the auto industry isn’t going to stop any time soon as GM decided to to pit the Cadillac Escalade against… wait for it… the Mercedes-Benz C300.

GM decided to ‘prove a new standard’ by showcasing that their full-size SUV could beat the Benz in a drag race. And that’s it.

Now, again, here’s my problem with these sorts of comparisons. If you’re the type of person who wants or feels as if you need a full-size SUV then the C-class isn’t going to be found anywhere on your shopping list. So what’s the point? And vice versa, it’s not as if any C-class shoppers are going to spring for a full-size SUV just because GM proved it to be  faster in a straight line. By the way, GM conveniently left out the part when both vehicles  approached a bend in the track, didn’t they? I guess they didn’t want anyone to see the C300 absolutely slaughter the Escalade in the handling department.

And on top of it all, GM really didn’t play fair by choosing the 228 horsepower V6 trim level of the C-class against the 403 horsepower V8 of the Escalade. Why not see how the Escalade does against the 457 horsepower C-63 AMG then? Or better yet, to make it even more fair how by pitting it against the Escalades actual competition like, say, the Mercedes-Benz GL?

Honestly these kinds of nonsensical comparisons do nothing more than proof that you, as an auto company, are willing to stoop to new lows just to sell product when really, the product should be selling itself.

Click the video above to see one of the most ridiculous drag races of the year.

[Youtube]

The Chevrolet Cruze is better than the Cobalt in every way. In fact, it left quite a positive impression on me on one of my latest drive drives. But one thing that the Cobalt had the the Cruze does not is a two door brother. The Cobalt coupe helped reign in younger crowds, and while the Cruze can be considered fun to drive, it’s unlikely to attract any of the younger generation to buy one over, say, a Civic coupe. Hyundai is reportedly working on a coupe version of the new Elantra and now GM is throwing its hat into the fold.

While GM won’t confirm or deny a coupe version of the Cruze, development is said to already be underway. In fact, a production site has apparently already been selected and unfortuantely it won’t be on Canadian soil. The new Cruze coupe will be built in Michigan where the new Sonic is being built. Apparently that plant is at peak demand with workers being required to work overtime, so there is a slight possibility of the Cruze coupe heading up to Ontario for production.

Since the Cruze sedan really is all about fuel efficiency, the coupe will likely take a bit of a different angle such as a possible SS variant to combat the Civic Si. Would you like to see a two door Cruze?

[The Detroit Bureau]

By Kevin Harrison

I recently went to Vancouver for business related to my day job and I must admit, I didn’t really know what to expect. I had been to Vancouver once before but I was about 14 years old so I didn’t remember much, but there were two noticeable differences this time around.

1) The Vancouver Canucks are a way bigger deal now then they were back in 1994. That was even the year they got to the finals but the New York Rangers ultimately won the cup. I even saw a playoff game between Vancouver and Calgary but I don’t remember 100,000 people littering the streets downtown and cops high-fiving random people in the streets after a Canucks win.

2) I don’t remember there being so many rare and expensive cars being around.

Honestly, the typical cars you see around in Halifax are Civics and Corollas. But in Vancouver their Civics and Corollas are BMW’s and Benz’s. In order to stand out in this crowd you need to be driving a Lamborghini, Ferrari or Maserati to get noticed, and even then you’ll only get noticed if the car is modded to the gills.

But in fact there’s one car that will get you noticed in this performance car haven and it won’t cost you your house either. It’s the Chevy Cruze.

Since “regular” cars aren’t exactly the norm in Vancouver, they actually end up sticking out more than the Benz’s and BMW’s. And that’s exactly what happened when I picked up the Cruze LS for this review. People walking the streets almost gave themselves whiplash as they did double takes when I drove by. It got to the point where I thought the automotive equivalent of “kick me” must have been written on the side of the Cruze or something. I actually only saw one other Cruze the entire time I was in Vancouver, so the rarity of this car had something to do with it for sure, but no doubt it’s rather appealing looks had something to do with it as well.

The Cruze has an aggressive front facia – much better than the Cobalt it replaces. With the corporate bar across the grille, the oversized Chevy badge and the shapely headlights, the Cruze’s best side is definitely the front end of the car. The side profile is decent with hubcaps that don’t actually look like hubcaps (which is nice for a change) but the rear end is sort of where things go a bit astray for me. The rear tail light design does not seem like it was thought out. It kind of makes it look like, well, a $15,000 car. Match that with the unfortunate wannabe chrome on the trunk lid and a hidden tailpipe and you’re left with a pretty uninspiring rear design. Still, the overall look of the Cruze is miles kilometers ahead of the Cobalt.

Same goes for the interior. It really is a pleasant place to be. The seats are made from high quality feeling cloth, though they can start to feel a bit uncomfortable for longer trips. Interior room is plentiful for its size, though when I put the driver’s seat back to my preferred driving position, there isn’t much leg room in the rear seat.There are lots of hard plastics, however I’ll give the Cruze a pass on that considering the class its in. Black inlays along with a bright, well-lit dash help keep the interior from feeling too much like an economy car.

Speaking of economy, GM has made sure to make it a priority in the Cruze. The my base LS tester had a 1.8 litre four cylinder engine with variable valve timing that’s capable of producing 136 horsepower but returns 7.8 L/100 kms in the city and 5.4 highway. In mixed city and highway driving I returned 8.8 L/100 kms. Not so great when compared to the ratings, but that’s on par with cars like the Mazda3 and Mitsubishi Lancer. If fuel efficiency is a high priority, GM also offers an “eco” model of the Cruze which gets a 1.4 litre turbo rated at 7.2 L/100 kms city and 4.6 L/100 kms highway. If performance is your vice, then GM offers the same 1.4 litre turbo, but with more torque at lower RPMs.

The 1.8 litre is adequate for city driving, but I found it lacking a bit for highway. I was never quite confident enough that it would get up to speed while merging on the highway and the 6-speed automatic seemed to rob it of power at the most inopportune times. Shifts seemed delayed and jolty, but shifting the gears yourself helped out in this regard.

One thing that very much surprised me was, despite the jolty transmission, the Cruze can actually be a fairly fun car to drive. Handling is good. Very good, in fact. I took a drive up to Whistler and the road on the way up made me wish I was in a BMW or a Porsche, but I must admit, the Cruze handled it quite well (excuse the pun). It felt sure footed in the bends with minimal body roll. It could use a bit more feedback in the steering wheel, but it definitely is more fun to drive than, say, a Corolla. Unfortunately the slushy feeling brakes induced early braking in some corners, but the Cruze feels like a solid car for the most part.

Despite the unexpected handling abilities, the Cruze feels comfortable and more at home in the city. It handles bumps and potholes with ease and the light steering helps to make the Cruze a bit more manoeuvrable. It’s easy to park, but the high deck lid makes backing up a bit trickier.

But at the end of the day the Cruze is a very good car. I’ve been fairly hard on GM products of the past, most notably the Cobalt, but GM has come out with a very competitive vehicle for this segment. In fact, I’d even wager to say it could beat certain vehicles in the segment.

In Vancouver, you might not fit in without a BMW or a Benz, but in a Cruze you definitely stick out for all the right reasons. It’s a car that is made for this type of environment and it does it well.

Base Price: $14,995

Pros:

• Unexpected handling abilities
• Solid on the highway
• Good interior room
• Great looking front facia
• 6-speed manual or automatic
• Variety of trim levels to please all tastes

Cons:

• Touchy transmission
• Mushy brakes
• Real world fuel economy hard to match ratings
• Uninspiring rear end design

Overall: 8.5/10

(Excuse the poor quality of the pics!)

The race for the best selling electric vehicle is starting to get a bit messy as GM is throwing a few shots Nissan’s way.

Mark Reuss recently spoke out on his opinions of the Nissan LEAF.  Says Ruess:

“[The Leaf] has a finite range and requires infrastructure and charging to run it, where the Volt is really an extended-range electric vehicle. The Volt can really be the only car you own. You better be living within a certain range for the Leaf. … It’s a lot different market, a lot different car and a completely different driver.”

Not too bad, right? A well thought out, logical answer. But Reuss unfortunately didn’t stop there when maybe he should have. He continued:

“I’m not sure if I’d put the Leaf in the hands of my three kids. Say, what if they can’t charge it? What if they get to school and can’t charge it? The Leaf is a single-purpose car”.

Not good enough for his family? Ouch. Reuss’ comments come on the heels of the recent sales release stating that the LEAF outsold the Volt in the month of April. Coincidence or carefully timed remarks?

This isn’t the first time GM has stacked the Volt up against another fuel miser. Their CEO recently said he “wouldn’t be caught dead” in a Toyota Prius and that it was a “geek-mobile”.

Sticks and stones, or will this turn people to GM showrooms?

[Nashville Business Journal]

Forbes, the people obsessed with making top 10 lists about, well everything, has just released its list of the worst vehicles on the road. How do you make such a list without accusations of being biased or opinionated? Well with the way Forbes did it, they essentially compiled six studies done by Consumer Reports on the most reliable, best and worst safety, best and worst fuel efficiency, best and worst value, and highest cost of ownership. They then compiled a top 10 list made up of seven American makes, two European makes and one Japanese make.

The Cadillac Escalade embarrassingly took the top score for least value, highest cost of ownership and worst safety scores. I’ll throw in that the Escalade is probably the easiest to steal for good measure.

The Chrysler Town & Country took worst reliability and faired pretty badly for cost of ownership. The Jeep Wrangler and Liberty scored for poor reliability and fuel economy while the Dodge Nitro and Dakota shared in those honours failures as well.

Along with the Escalade, GM took some hits with the Aveo, Colorado and Tahoe Hybrid making the list. All got marks for worst reliability, high cost of ownership and worst safety results.

The two Euros to make the list were both from Mercedes-Benz. The S-class made the list for high cost of ownership and low fuel efficiency scores while the Smart Fortwo was dinged for poor reliability and value.

The lone Japanese vehicle on the list was the Nissan Titan for poor fuel efficiency, reliability and cost of ownership.

With the exception of the three imports which are low volume sellers, people still seem to not get that the above mentioned domestics don’t excel in much. Yet they still sell in large numbers. Are there just that many stupid people out there? But before anyone starts on an anti-domestic vehicle tirade, it should be noted that not a single vehicle from Ford made the list.

[Forbes]

Ford has recently confimed that the current generation Ranger would be the last it would produce for North America. Apparently we no longer have a market for compact pick up trucks like, say, the rest of the world does because apparently we think we need the biggest truck possible to get groceries and tow a boat 2 days of the year. Yeah, don’t get me started.

Anyway, GM has had the Colorado compact pick-up on the market for a while now which, to be honest, is a bit underwhelming in terms of, well, everything. But that doens’t mean that GM isn’t prepared to invest in a next generation version which they just introduced today in concept form.

All we know for now is that the concept dons a 2.8 litre turbo diesel under the hood which should be good for both towing an efficiency.

Now, this concept is actually developed specifically for the market in Thailand. There’s no word yet if this verison will be the one that us Canadians get or even if we will see a Colorado. That said, this would leave the compact pick-up truck segment completely open to GM so they would have a clear advantage in bringing the next generation Colorado here.

Even if this isn’t the verison we will get, GM is rumoured to keep the Colorado alive in some form or another for North America, so don’t worry pick-up truck fans.

[Autoblog]

…a previous generation Hyundai Elantra.

Which is kind of like PC saying that Windows 7 is better than Mac OS 7.6. Of course it’s better!

I don’t know why GM wasted their time and money on this ad or why no one bothered to point out to them that they are comparing apples to oranges. Not only are they comparing their new product to an old product but they’re comparing the Cruze 1LT to the base Elantra.

I’m sure GM will argue that the comparison is still valid since there are probably remaining 2010 Elantras still for sale, but I’m fairly certain that there are also 2010 Chevy Cobalts still for sale. Comparing the Cobalt to the 2010 Elantra and the Cruze to the 2011 Elantra would be more fair.

So why didn’t GM do that? Because they know they would lose in both comparisons. Ha!

While I’m sure the Cruze is a fine step up from the Cobalt, I must say the 2011 Elantra looks way more impressive.

On another note, this is the first time GM has actually targeted Hyundai in their history. Usually they go after Honda and Toyota. That says something about the product now coming out from Hyundai. You have every reason to be scared, GM. The Koreans are coming!

[Youtube]

David Akinson, CEO of GM, is apparently following in the footsteps of his predecesor Bob Lutz by making controversial off the cuff remarks.

His latest came at a public appearance at the Economic Club of Washington where commented on this thoughts of the Toyota Prius. Here’s what he said:

“We commonly refer to the geek-mobile as the Prius. And I wouldn’t be caught dead in one”.

Shots fired.

I would never own a Toyota Prius either but I’m not ignorant enough to say things like that about it. You can’t deny that the Prius is a phenomenal technicalogical breakthrough in fuel efficiency. You can’t deny that it’s currently the most fuel efficient car available in the world. Maybe you should wait to see how well the Chevy Volt does before opening your mouth.

But maybe Akinson is just being truthful. In which case, I’ll offer him another thruth:

I wouldn’t be caught dead in 95% of GM products.

[Autoblog Green]

Oh GM. Why do you make it so easy for me to make fun of you?

GM has just announced that its next generation Aveo will now be called the “Sonic”. And guess what? It’s just called the Sonic for us North Americans. It’ll still be called the Aveo worldwide.Yup, because North Americans are the only ones stupid enough to think Sonic is a cool name for a car. Not that Aveo was ever a cool name, but it was certainly better than Sonic.

Chris Perry, U.S VP of Marketing had the unfortunate job of explaining why:

“The Sonic represents a new beginning for Chevrolet in the small car segment and so we felt it was time to give it a new name. The new car is roomy, stylish and fun to drive, and Sonic is a youthful, energetic name that helps convey what this vehicle is about.”

Yes, that’s right GM. Why not name your new subcompact after a video game character that isn’t even around anymore and that only 12 year old boys know about. Good, good.

I know they probably weren’t referring to Sonic the Hedgehog when they came up with this name, but that’s what most people think of. I think it’s time for some sort of Alphanumeric system at GM. They’re clearly running out of names.

If you wanna check out with the “Sonic” is gonna look like, hit the jump for a pic.

[General Motors]

Recently, the Highway Data Loss Institute released its list of the top 10 and least 10 stolen vehicles for this year and the Cadillac Escalade got the undesirable distinction of most stolen vehicle (the Volvo S80 was the least stolen, by the way).

Well an investigative report has been released which now looks closer at why and how Escalades are such an easy target for car theives. And their findings show that it’s not just the Escalade which is easy to steal, all full-size SUV’s from GM have the same problem. As such, insuring a full-size GM SUV will cost you an arm and a leg and your genitals. To give you an idea, on average, most insurance companies spend about $146 per year per vehicle for teft claims. But for the Escalade, the average is a whopping $11,934 per theft claim. If you are stupid enough to like an Escalade enough to buy one, then I’m glad the permiums are so high because you get what you deserve.

So, how do theives do it? Well, apparently it’s extraordinarily easy to break the metal pin that locks the steering column in place while in park. One good yank of the column-mounted gear shift, and voila. Once that’s done, the lack of a steering wheel lock enables the thief to move the steering wheel when the vehicle isn’t even turned on. And if that weren’t enough, the alarm system apparently does not go off when the window is smashed in. Well done, GM. Well done.

So once all of that is completed you can then maneouver the Escalde onto a flatbed or hook it up to a tow truck and away you go. Or, you can push the Escalade into a more dark and deserted area while you strip the Escalade for costly parts.

So now that you know how to do it, uhhh, don’t.

[WXYZ Action News]

I’m not going to fall back on the tired cliche of pointing out that Buick’s are generally made and marketed for, um, more seasoned individuals, but I must admit – this new Regal GS is definitely not made for your grandfather.

The regular Regal has been out for a while, and while it’s a fine machine in its own right, it really doesn’t do a whole lot to stir the soul. The Regal GS is here to fix that.

First, the best news. GM has decided to give the Regal GS a manual transmission option! That’s right, a 6-speed manual is actually available in a Buick. So, it has one piece of the performance puzzle down. What else does it have? Well it will get a 2.0 litre turbocharged Ecotech 4 cylinder which will make 255 horsepower and 295 pound feet of torque. Good torque numbers, but let’s hope the turbo doesn’t kick in too late and that the ecotech is actually able to let its hair down every once in a while.

Here’s a bit of bad news though. The Regal GS will be front-wheel drive only. Aww, you were so close to an excellent performance recipe, GM. With that said, it will use the same front-wheel drive system that the 2011 Saab 9-5 gets and from what I read, it can hold its own. GM says they didn’t bother with AWD because they added a high performance strut system which they claim works just as good as an AWD car in hanlding situatutions, plus it keeps cost down.

On top of decent styling, you can get optional 20 inch rims (although hopefully they aren’t chrome like the ones pictured above) and a host of luxury features.

How much will it cost? We’ll have to wait and see. Until then, decent effort GM.

[General Motors]

GM’s supposed savior, the Chevrolet Volt, is very nearly ready to hit the production lines and dealer lots – as early as next month in the States in fact. But a new revelation has Volt enthusiasts and auto journalists alike fuming.

Since the announcement of the Volt about three year’s ago, GM marketed it as a full on electric vehicle that had a gasoline engine meant to be used as a range extender. In other words, the gas engine did not power the wheels at all, it just generated power for the electric motor in the event it ran out of juice before you were able to plug it in. GM was asked time and time again whether the gas engine powered the wheels at all, and while GM didn’t outright say no, the typical non-answers and PR language for years made it seem like indeed it was just a range extender.

Well, now comes official word that the GM’s gas engine does in fact power the rear wheels. A lot of people feel quite miffed. Why? Well as mentioned, this was supposed to be GM’s halo car – a car that used a unique technology that no one had attempted in any production vehicle for the main purpose of ultimate efficiency. One of the main downsides of electric vehicles (EV’s) after all, is “range anxiety”. Meaning the driver always has a fear of running out of juice before they are able to make it back home or to a charging station. GM made it seems like it came up with a solution to that problem by having the gasoline engine act as a generator of sorts. Since that is no longer true, the Volt is not, by definition, a full electric vehicle anymore. It is a plug-in hybrid. Those interested in the Volt and those reporting on it, understandably, feel led on or lied to even. Chevy’s response is that they couldn’t reveal information about the Volt’s power train for patent publishing reasons, but now that they have it, they revealed the true nature of the power train.

My personal point of view is not quite as animated as other car blogs. Apparently Inside Line feels lied to, frustrated and have strong feelings of disbelief while Jalopnik went and photoshopped the Volt to look like the devil. However, as a fellow car enthusiast and automotive journalist, I must agree, this really is quite the disappointment. It’s not because it’s wrong for the Volt to be a plug-in hybrid, it’s because it has been force fed to us as a full on EV for years. It’s almost like having a friend who brags about working at the White House, but then you find out he’s just the janitor. Not a lie per se, but definitely misleading.

I have defended the Chevy Volt in the past against fools like Rush Limbaugh, but I’ve also been quite critical as well. This new revelation has me feeling a bit let down. I wanted the Chevy Volt to succeed and I wanted it to offer a breakthrough in power train technology. Turns out it’s just using technology that Toyota, Volvo, and Honda have been working on for years. It’s not so much the fact that the Volt isn’t a full on EV with a range extender, it’s the fact that it has apparently come to light that no one is working on such a feat when we thought GM was the whole time. Quite the let down GM. Here’s hoping the Volt will still save you as much as you think it will.

[General Motors]

Set to officially debut at the Los Angeles Motor Show in November, a Saab nut over at Saabs United was actually able to snag a pic of the production version.

Now under the ownership of Spyker, it seemsthings are chugging along quite nicely for Saab after being dangerously close to death. Spyker seems to be respecting the overall Saab design philosophy that makes Saab such quirky loveable cars.

Since this Saab was planned and developped under General Motors, it actually shares the same platform as the Cadillac SRX. It is expected to get possibly the same 2.8 litre turbocharged V6, however the 2.0 litre turbocarged inline four found in the 2010 9-5 is also a possibility, what with efficiency being on the mind of everyone. As the ‘X’ in the name suggests, AWD will be standard.

[Saabs United]

The all-electric E-tron is expected to make production in the next few years, promising to be an efficient alternative to those who value performance but have a concern for the environment and how much they spend on gas. It is said to have similar performance of the Audi R8 but uses absolutely no gas. Cool idea.

What wasn’t a cool idea though, was naming it E-tron. While the name sounds cool and futuristic, obviously the whole world doesn’t speak English. Which means that different words have different meanings in cultures across the world. Audi is finding that out the hard way.

Turns out in French Etron is slang for feces. Obviously having a car named after excrement is not ideal. It would give way to way too many puns such as “that car is a piece of shit.” This isn’t the first time Audi has screwed up names. Remember when they insensitively created the Green Police? The same guy responsible for that in Audi’s research department must’ve come up with the Etrons name.

This also isn’t the first time a new car’s name meant something hilariously different in another language. GM came to the startling realization that the name of its top selling sedan, the LaCrosee, means rather crudely to masturbate in la Francais Quebecois. Luckily for GM, they came to this realization before the LaCross went on sale and named it the Allure in our market. Since then, GM has decided that LaCrosse will be the name of here and Canada too. They apparently don’t care about Quebec culture or references anymore.

[Green Car Ports]