2009 GM Vehicles Post MPG Increase; Saab Aero 4Cyl Pkg; Malibu Hybrid Gets Big Boost

[unkillsam]

Originally Posted by mgescuro

Actually.... No....Aero is the performance model and pre-dates the Viggen.

Aero is more than just a trim level. It involves modification of the suspension, lowering of the car, a more powerful engine, more aggressive performance tires, tweaks in steering response and transmission. Not to mention a body kit, better seats, and an interior trim change.

Now... are you going to tell me that this so called "Aero" model is going to incorporate all that with a less powerful engine? Or is this "Aero" going to throw down the same 280HP, but with better fuel economy in a 4-cyl package? Because I'm down with that... that's what Saab's are supposed to be in the first place. V6's should be disallowed.

SS has no cachet for Chevy. They were fooling themselves into thinking they could call a car SS becuase it had 10 HP more. IMpala SS is a joke. Cobalt SS is finally decent. SSR didn't quite have enough HP. And the list goes on.

SS has no cachet?

So let's disect your analysis.

1. SS has no cachet for Chevy.

Answer, I guarantee you that every Joe Blow associates SS with Chevy and also the SS badge with the mind-blowing performance attitude of the 60's.

2. 10 more HP = SS badge.

Answer, When has this been the case? Even the non-supercharged SS Cobalt model for 2006-2007 made 15+ more horsepower then the base model. Now all things being equal, the Cobalt base model already had class leading HP and in 2005, Honda had a 160 HP Civic Si, so a 170 HP SS model is appropriate.

3. Impala SS is a joke.

Answer, Impala SS is a joke, but only because of the lack of attention to detail, especially on the interior. HP is not the problem. Acura gives Type-S badges to 300 hp FWD cars all the time. For the fuel-economy that it get's, the Impala SS is perfectly acceptable. Remember, the 1996 Impala only had 260 HP and was much slower then today's FWD Impala.

4. SSR didn't have enough power.

Answer, It made 305 hp. for 1 year. The rest of the time it made 395 hp. Since when is that not enought. That is basically the same as the base model corvette. Is that not enough for you?

5. And the list goes on..............

Answer, what list? Chevy has always made the SS model the top performance machine of a particular lineup. Historically, has the SS always been the top performer in the segment? The answer is no. In fact, real world numbers indicate that the Z28 was right up there, if not better then the SS models in the Camaro line. Faster in a straight line? Yes.

Just because the Impala SS, a sub $30,000 car is slower then a car costing $10,000 or more then it does not meen that all SS cars are lacking.

Simalary, just because GM choose to use the SS badge on a souped up 4 cylinder car does not mean Chevy lost cachet.

[psece]

Originally Posted by unkillsam

SS has no cachet?

So let's disect your analysis.

1. SS has no cachet for Chevy.

Answer, I guarantee you that every Joe Blow associates SS with Chevy and also the SS badge with the mind-blowing performance attitude of the 60's.

2. 10 more HP = SS badge.

Answer, When has this been the case? Even the non-supercharged SS Cobalt model for 2006-2007 made 15+ more horsepower then the base model. Now all things being equal, the Cobalt base model already had class leading HP and in 2005, Honda had a 160 HP Civic Si, so a 170 HP SS model is appropriate.

3. Impala SS is a joke.

Answer, Impala SS is a joke, but only because of the lack of attention to detail, especially on the interior. HP is not the problem. Acura gives Type-S badges to 300 hp FWD cars all the time. For the fuel-economy that it get's, the Impala SS is perfectly acceptable. Remember, the 1996 Impala only had 260 HP and was much slower then today's FWD Impala.

4. SSR didn't have enough power.

Answer, It made 305 hp. for 1 year. The rest of the time it made 395 hp. Since when is that not enought. That is basically the same as the base model corvette. Is that not enough for you?

5. And the list goes on..............

Answer, what list? Chevy has always made the SS model the top performance machine of a particular lineup. Historically, has the SS always been the top performer in the segment? The answer is no. In fact, real world numbers indicate that the Z28 was right up there, if not better then the SS models in the Camaro line. Faster in a straight line? Yes.

Just because the Impala SS, a sub $30,000 car is slower then a car costing $10,000 or more then it does not meen that all SS cars are lacking.

Simalary, just because GM choose to use the SS badge on a souped up 4 cylinder car does not mean Chevy lost cachet.

All SS should mean is that nothing in the segment can come close to the performance of it. There should only be one car with the SS emblem with in the type. So the Cobalt SS should only be the 260HP version. They shouldn't have a 2.4 liter, 175 horsepower version. It should be just like the old days where it is a package option. There were plenty of old Malibu's and Chevelle's ordered with the suspension, tire and brake setup from the SS versions. They have become collectors now because of the uniqueness of the car.

[unkillsam]

Originally Posted by psece

All SS should mean is that nothing in the segment can come close to the performance of it. There should only be one car with the SS emblem with in the type. So the Cobalt SS should only be the 260HP version. They shouldn't have a 2.4 liter, 175 horsepower version. It should be just like the old days where it is a package option. There were plenty of old Malibu's and Chevelle's ordered with the suspension, tire and brake setup from the SS versions. They have become collectors now because of the uniqueness of the car.

Your view is antiquidated.

Si does not mean top dog performance
Spec V does not mean top dog performance
XRS does not mean top dog performance
Neither does SVT (170 hp Focus anyone?)
The SRT name has been tainted by the Calibur as well.

Given the above example's from the other top 6 nameplates, what exactly is Chevy supposed to badge their sporty cars?

Name me 1 Chevy SS Car that has been dragged thru the mud as much as some of the "sporty" import nameplates.

[mbukukanyau]

Originally Posted by FenwickHockey65

Okay...the Malibu Hybrid gets 1 MPG Highway better than the regular Malibu...and only 4 MPG city better.
Christ. Just make it Two-Mode for God's sake and give it near 40 MPG.

it gets better than camry hybrid on the highway.. thats huge, consindering the price difference

[psece]

Originally Posted by unkillsam

Your view is antiquidated.

Si does not mean top dog performance
Spec V does not mean top dog performance
XRS does not mean top dog performance
Neither does SVT (170 hp Focus anyone?)
The SRT name has been tainted by the Calibur as well.

Given the above example's from the other top 6 nameplates, what exactly is Chevy supposed to badge their sporty cars?

Name me 1 Chevy SS Car that has been dragged thru the mud as much as some of the "sporty" import nameplates.

Antiquated? If you sell a diluted version of something, you are bringing it down in value. A 170 horsepower Cobalt with a SS tag means that the 260 horsepower version is a little less special. Keep the SS version the top dog.

[unkillsam]

Originally Posted by psece

Antiquated? If you sell a diluted version of something, you are bringing it down in value. A 170 horsepower Cobalt with a SS tag means that the 260 horsepower version is a little less special. Keep the SS version the top dog.

Um, they did. It is now the "sport" model. They also didn't turn the Equinox into a SS model. Where is all your animosity coming from dude?

Seriously, GM does not have a SS car with less then 235 HP, the automatic HHR SS. Why are you complaining?

[nsap]

Originally Posted by psece

Antiquated? If you sell a diluted version of something, you are bringing it down in value. A 170 horsepower Cobalt with a SS tag means that the 260 horsepower version is a little less special. Keep the SS version the top dog.

That would be Cobalt Sport, not SS. Quite a difference...

[psece]

Originally Posted by unkillsam

Um, they did. It is now the "sport" model. They also didn't turn the Equinox into a SS model. Where is all your animosity coming from dude?

Seriously, GM does not have a SS car with less then 235 HP, the automatic HHR SS. Why are you complaining?

I promise you it's not animosity. It's my ignorance. I thought they were still selling the SS with the 2.4. Between my ignorance and the fact that I now have twice the workload at work means that I don't read posts properly before I reply. Sorry for being an idiot....

[USA1Fan]

Originally Posted by CaptainDan

I'm sure the Malibu can beat that. But what your car was capable of getting at a certain speed on the highway, isn't the same thing as the standard EPA highway fuel economy test cycle.

Good thing someone mentioned that. My 08 LTZ 3.6l DOES get 30 on the highway. So far it hovers between 30 and 31 for most of my (all-highway, nearly all speedlimit / cruise control) driving, with a best of 32.1 for the last tank. Mix in more than 5% or so of 'city' driving, and it drops a bit, but even so my worst tank so far was over 25 mpg (26 is the EPA highway number).

[Michael_S]

Originally Posted by sschr

I found an interesting article on how long you have to own the Hybrid cars to recoup the cost difference. Interesting reading.
http://autos.aol.com/article/green/_...06091809990002

The article doesn't take into account standard features on the hybrid models.

The Yukon and Tahoe hybrids have all of the features of the second highest trim levels of the non-hybird Yukon and Tahoe and some of the features on the top non-hybrid trims. So the price gap is not $15,000.

The same is true for the Malibu hybrid or the Civic hybrid. Both are optioned much better than the base Malibu and Civic, respectively.

If you're looking strictly to maximize your money savings and you don't care about those other features, buy a used economy car.