There goes GM trying to build fuel efficient cars. What are they thinking? I remember when Buick Park Avenues (full size sedans) were doing over 30 MPG in 1994. Most of them run over 200,000 miles and people still want big $ for them…

woah woah only 20% better than a commodore? is there a more fuel efficient engine that they have that we dont for the G8? 20% isnt alot…

thats because it is not an Acura/Honda. Now those things rule.

Actually, everything and everybody rule, compare to Daewoo. The only is less inspiring Romanian build Dacia circa 1970-2000, starring in “Borat”, the movie.

Question: Can they put a LS2 6 litre in her?

I have my little bitch Flipper posting Hes a lil slow so take it easy on him

The Epica was an Epic Fail here in Aus…

What makes them think their version of the Cruze will sell any better?

I’ll reserve my opinion until I see the production model. Sorry GM, but the Cruze is one of the most bland vehicles you’ve come out with that I can remember. Say, a lot of their vehicles like the Aztek were ugly- but definitely not bland.

Ummm… have you looked at a 4-cylinder Cobalt sedan jayjc08? The Cruze is world’s better looking than that thing. I’m not going to say that the Cruze is the sexiest sedan I’ve ever laid eyes on, but it’s a definite step up in looks vs. the generic Cobalt sedan which is about as bland as the segment has. Even the absolutely horrid Focus sedan looks a bit more adventurous than the Cobalt. Even the Cobalt coupe, which I cross-shopped (not as ungainly or bulbous as the sedan… sedan looks like a baby orca), looks a bit like the previous generation Cavalier which itself was labelled bland. The Cruze’s shape is at the very least 2x’s as adventurous as the Cobalt it’s replacing. Whether that means more sales or not is anyone’s guess… but at least GM is trying.

Moral of the story… we can’t hold judgment on the Cruze until it ships but it does look much improved inside/out vs. previous efforts. If it makes at least the progress that GM did with the Malibu and Aura vs. the rest of their cars, it’ll be a marked improvement over anything prior. Now we just need GM to give it something with some cahonies that’s still economical. The Cobalt SS is a good balance in terms of performance and economy (just not quality and reliability… true, it’s better than the Cavalier, but that’s not saying much), GM needs a package available for it comparable to this.

I still want to cry that GM finally had the nerve to bring the Astra over (and best yet… not decontent the materials used to the point it looks like it’s made out of Fisher Price plastic), which is sexy as hell, but since they produce it in Europe where the unfavorable Dollar->Euro exists… we end up with a base model Astra for the price of a Civic Si. So many of us yearned for an Astra Redline (nee-VXR) and that is but a dream for most of us still. By the time they put that model into play, the car would cost as much as a VW GTI without the reputation. Not good…

Oh and GM… park Pontiac and bring us the above sedan as a Saturn (or an Opel or Vauxhall or Holden or whatever you want to call it) to compliment the next Astra. Build both the Astra and this new sedan here. Use the Pontiac/Buick/GMC dealer network to sell Saturns/Vauxhall’s/Opels or whatever you want to call it in areas where no existing Saturn dealers are available. Just as important, change the pricing from no dicker at Saturn/V/H/O to just like the rest of GM. I guarantee Saturn sales will spike after Pontiac is dead and they’ll have a far more modern lineup than what you’d get by killing Saturn and replacing it with Pontiac where 3/4 of the product is either ancient, done as well or better elsewhere, or garbage (the G8 and Vibe = their only saving graces… the G8 would make a fine Impala replacement which is also long in the tooth, and the Vibe could slot in nearly anywhere). It’s the closest fit to Pontiac in pricing and it has half the dealer network, little wonder Saturn can’t outsell Pontiac’s crap they have parked on lots. LoL The Aura is definitely miiiiiiiiles better than the G6, but it’s not anywhere near $7k better after you haggle the Pontiac salesman out of the keys, his trousers, and take a few ballpoint pens with you.

IVIIVI4ck3y27- The Cobalt is bland looking. The Cavalier was bland looking. The Cruze is bland looking. Personally, I like the Cobalt’s styling better. The Cruze basically is more of a replacement for the Daewoo Lacetti- you’ll see the styling similarities.

“Heavily stylized” is a massive understatement considering the production model will look EXACTLY like the Cruze, save for that Acura grille they plan to graft on.