I own a Mini JCW hardtop and I eagerly await the day I see one of these babies on a road in the USA, hopefully there will be no traffic and we can have some fun.

Everything anyone says about styling is of no importance to anyone else. That throws out about 50% of the postings on this thread. You should hear what they say about the Mini speedometer (fill it 2/3 with water and put a fish in it, etc., etc.).

I wish people who compare less expensive American cars to ones like this realize why the American cars usually cost less. It’s not the cost of transportation, or the labor – it’s the engineering and quality of materials. It’s like guys who compare 2 Chinese restaurants and favor the one that cost one buck less for the same dish. It’s completely beside the point, “which is better”?

Name me a brand of car which nobody ever had a problem with.

As for the Cobalt SS, it’s a decent car in its own right. I will give it credit for that, but the interior is still kinda cheap (then again, some people want a plain and simple car that’s fun to drive, and if they do more power to them), at least compared to like a jetta or something. Who knows, this might be a decent car, I’ll wait to see some reviews when it comes out. Until then I’m just not a big fan of the car.

Don’t cheer for Audi and BMW just yet neither. Audis and VWs were notorious for electrical issues and still may veer its way into the newer models. BMW latest selections, such as the 3-Series, for example, have no engine oil dipsticks. You cannot properly measure or change your own oil on one unless it is taken to the stealership. The 3-Series relies on a “add oil” indicator (shaped like a quart of oil) that alerts the driver from the instrument cluster when the oil is “supposively” low. Only problem is, the idiot light icon has not been perfected. Electrical gremlins trigger it to come on for no reason prompting owners to add oil when they weren’t suppose to causing crankcase flooding, blowing out front and rear main oil seals, ruined valve cover gasket, fouled fuel injectors and spark plugs. Interesting Nazi technology.

A tired Cavalier ( POS )

Brokeback Mountain reference that’s a good one. I agree about Audi but I wouldn’t put Mazda in the same category.

A4, if you compare the same model DSG vs. manual such as the current VW GTI, you’ll see that the DSG is 0.3s quicker than the manual. I suspect that comparing the previous R32 to the current, there are other factors at work such as weight, tires, gear ratios, etc. no human can shift quicker than the dual clutch is capable of. knock it for being less fun and less control than shifting a manual, but performance-wise, you can’t beat it.

Strange if they will use the Audi S1 name on the sporty version of the A1, because of the old and legendary Audi S1. It will destroy the cult status of the legend.