Buick

2010 Buick LaCrosse

 Buick 

Buick

1973 great, Buick Biviera

Classic car: Buick Skylark Coupê

Buick Regal

1987 Buick Grand National

Buick History
Buick originated as an independent motor car manufacturer, the 'Buick Motor Company, incorporated on May 19, 1903 by Scottish-American David Dunbar Buick (who invented the overhead valve engine on which the company's success was based), Detroit , Michigan. Later that year, the struggling company was purchased by James H. Whiting (1842-1919), who moved it to his hometown of Flint, Michigan, and brought in William C. Durant in 1904 to manage its new acquisition. Buick sold his stock for a small sum upon departure, and died in modest circumstances twenty-five years later.
Durant after the acquisition of Buick soon became the largest car maker in America. Using the profits from this, Durant embarked on a series of corporate acquisitions, calling the new mega-corporation General Motors.
At first, manufacturers understand that General Motors competed against each other, that soon ended with Durant. He wanted to be a General Motors division to target one class of each purchaser, and in his new scheme Buick was near the top, only one was the Cadillac brand had more prestige.
In 1911, Buick introduced its first closed-body car,  four years ahead of Ford.  In 1929, Buick Motor Division launched the Marquette sister brand, designed to bridge the price gap between Buick and Oldsmobile, however , Marquette was discontinued in 1930.
Today Buick retains that position in the GM lineup. The target of the Buick was a client who wanted a comfortable car, but possibly not quite rich enough to afford a Cadillac or not desiring the ostentation of one, and I wanted a car on the market definitely above the norm. Buick is one of the oldest brands in the world, as the Mercedes-Benz, Renault, Peugeot, Cadillac, Daimler and the discontinued Oldsmobile.
Speculation  existed, however, as to whether GM will eliminate the Buick brand to cut costs. This followed the temporary suspension of GM's planned Zeta project to develop new rear wheel drive cars fitting the Buick market niche . GM also has started consolidating of Buick, Pontiac and GMC trucks into a single dealer franchises, which makes it simple to eliminate the Buick brand without leaving dealers devoid of product. However, with the development of the Zeta platform still ongoing (including the development of the 2006 VE Commodore and Chevrolet Camaro), it may be likely that Buick will survive still.
Buick began consolidating its lineup in 2005, replacing the Century and Regal with the LaCrosse (known as the Buick Allure in Canada), and the LeSabre and Park Avenue with the Lucerne in 2006. Both of its SUVs, the Rendezvous and Rainier were discontinued in 2007 to make way for the new 2008 Enclave, while the slow-selling Terraza minivan also was abandoned in 2008. That leaves the marque with just three models in the United States. There have been rumors about Edmund'seMotor Trend Buick will have a roadster sedan in 2010, which could mean that the marque survive beyond May 2009.
There is speculation that future Buick models will have interior and exterior designs with an increasing influence of China Buick. This is due to the overwhelming success of the Buick and a high reputation in China. Motor Authority has also written that it will introduce the Buick Excelle Buick in the United States in 2008.

Ford

Ford

Ford Flex

2006 Ford Fusion

2009 new Ford Fiesta

2009 Ford Focus Rs

Ford Gt

The classic Ford Mustang

Ford Fiesta

Ford Mustang gt 500

Ford logo

Ford Mustang Shelby GT500

Chevrolet

Chevrolet Cobalt. tuning

1967 Chevrolet Impala

Chevrolet Volt. Amazing electric car.

Chevrolet Spark, nice small car

2008 Chevrolet Camaro engine picture

Chevrolet Corvette 2009

New 2011 Chevrolet Cruze, wallpaper

Chevrolet Logo

Cheap car Chevrolet  ( 2009)

Chevrolet Camaro 2008

Chevrolet

Gm Chevrolet Captiva

Chevrolet Malibu LTZ Review

One week.

300-plus miles.

Ten or more hours of total seat time.

I confess.

I thought it was a V6.

Imagine my surprise, then, when breaking out my notes and the window sticker from GM to find that the more-than-adequate acceleration and creamy smoothness I loved so much in the Chevrolet Malibu LTZ...was from a four-cylinder engine.

The 2.4 liter DOHC Ecotec is nothing short of a revelation...and puts Malibu in the same ballpark as the Honda Accord (most of which are sold with fours).

But wait! There's more! Teamed (as the test car was) with a six-speed automatic transmission, the Malibu gets an EPA estimated 22 city/33 highway miles per gallon...which is 2 MPG better in both city and highway than the four-cylinder Honda and gets it a place on the TireKicker Top Ten Fuel Savers list. Or did, until it was bumped off by the Toyota Corolla XLE Sedan.

The LTZ brings a lot of features to the party...18 inch wheels, touring tires, chrome exhaust tip, automatic climate control, a premium audio system, XM Satellite Radio, Bluetooth and more. Base price: $27,550. Price as tested (with two options, the Rear Power Package...great for laptop or game-toting passengers...and Red Jewel Tintcoat paint): $28,745. And in my book, every bit a match for the Accord (which I love). And then there's the five-star crash ratings (four stars for rollover).

So which would I choose? Hey, if GM can build a family sedan this good, this satisfying, this right on the mark, I wouldn't penalize them (especially now, when their survival is at stake) by buying the competition. They've earned every dollar they can make on the Malibu.

Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Review

The second car I ever tested as a professional TireKicker 11 years ago was the 1998 Corvette. Zero to 60 was 5.3 seconds. Top speed was 171 miles per hour. Price tag: $45,000 as equipped.

It was the fastest, most incredible thing I'd ever driven.

Well, 11 years can change a lot. I've driven 1,375 cars since then, for starters. But the Corvette has changed too...especially when you step up to the Z06. Try zero to 60 in 3.7 seconds. Top speed 198 miles per hour. And the price tag? $82,065 as equipped.

As Carroll Shelby used to say, speed costs money.

Actually, the base price of a Z06 is $72,405...but the one GM sent me for a week had a $6,515 "3LZ Premium Equipment Group" (Upgraded Bose audio system, power telescoping steering wheel, heated seats, memory package, universal home remote, side impact airbags, a luggage shade and parcel net, Bluetooth, and a custom leather-wrapped interior). There was also $1,995 worth of Z06 Original Chrome Aluminum wheels and $300 for Atomic Orange Metallic paint (which looked stunning in direct sunlight).

I'd love to tell you what this car is like at wide open throttle, but c'mon...half throttle is enough to jeopardize your future of a licensed driver in less than the time it took to read this sentence. Way less. Let's just say that this is Chuck Yeager jet jockey X-15 rocket stuff. Brute strength in a candy-colored wrapper.

It's also surprisingly livable for what began essentially as the track version of the 'Vette (standard Corvettes still start around $46,000 base price, though it will take you 4.1 seconds to get to 60 and you surrender 8 miles per hour of top speed...can you live with only 190?).

And, the factoid that I love to use to shock people with: It gets great mileage. The EPA says 15 city/24 highway. If you can square that with 505 horsepower in less than ten seconds, congratulations...that piece of data alone can usually launch a ten minute argument.

Look, Corvettes not only aren't for everybody, they aren't for most people. That's the point. It's an exercise in awe...executed precisely because they (the engineers) can (or at least could).

I have only two questions: How much more incredible is the ZR1 (630 horsepower)? And will GM be making these (or any) cars much longer?

We should all hope so.

Toyota Corolla Matrix XRS/Pontiac Vibe GT Review

The above could probably make a pretty good puzzle. You know..."find at least x number of differences between these two pictures".

Well, I'll jump straight to the answers. The top picture is the Toyota Corolla Matrix and the bottom shot is the Pontiac Vibe GT. And, apart from some exterior styling cues, they are the same vehicle.

Wait...what? Toyota and Pontiac? The same car? Yep. This is the current fruit of a partnership between GM and Toyota going back to the 1980s, which produced the short-lived Geo. The cars are built here in the U.S. (the Toyotas in Detroit and the Pontiac in Fremont, California, near San Francisco), using 61% American parts and 39% Japanese.

Essentially, it's a five-door hatchback version of a Corolla (which is why that name is part of the Toyota version). If you need a competitor to help pigeonhole the Corolla Matrix/Vibe, the Chrysler PT Cruiser is probably the one to think of: We're talking small sedans made more versatile with the hatchback. And the Matrix/Vibe, especially the new for 2009 models, are more fun to drive.

The Pontiac gets the edge because of little things like OnStar, 3 months free of XM Satellite Radio and bigger things like a better warranty. But it's not likely to break and the Toyota is likely to have better resale value, for no reason other than brand prejudices. Dealers can sell used Toyotas better than used Pontiacs, even when they're the same car.

Pick either and you'll get an EPA estimated 21 city/29 highway miles per gallon with an automatic transmission (inexplicably, the number drops to 21/28 with a stick), the same standard features and the same options, more or less. Base prices are within a few hundred dollars of each other (the XRS and GT are the top of the line and start around $21,000...you can get the base models of Matrix/Vibe for the low $16,000s).

If you've driven the previous generation Matrix/Vibe, test drive the new '09...both are hugely improved.

Cadillac Escalade Hybrid Review

The temptation was huge to simply let the picture above be the review: A Cadillac Escalade, the ultimate Sumo-class luxury SUV, with the word "H Y B R I D" emblazoned on it.

That would be the easy way out, though. The Cadillac Escalade Hybrid deserves...heck, demands...some serious discussion. After all, the mass perception of hybrids revolves around cars like the Toyota Prius...small fuel-sipping machines that, while luxurious by the standards of even a decade ago, make a show of shunning wretched excess.

Sure, the movement has been to larger hybrid vehicles of late...from the Ford Escape Hybrid to the Nissan Altima Hybrid, but those haven't fully penetrated the public consciousness yet.

And yes, the Lexus LH600 L hybrid sedan, at $105,000 plus, is somewhat more of an apparent contradiction than the Escalade Hybrid, but it's largely invisible...looking like its gasoline-powered variant, the LS460, it slips through traffic unnoticed.

Not the Cadillac Escalade Hybrid. There are NINE...count them...NINE exterior badges proclaiming the word "H Y B R I D", prompting the inevitable questions from fellow motorists, who then have to deal with the answers:

A base price of $72,865.

A curb weight of 5,717 pounds.

403 horsepower from a 6.2 liter V8 gasoline engine.

0 to 60 in 6.8 seconds.

So what could the payoff possibly be? Where's the hybrid come in here? With an EPA estimated 20 miles per gallon city, 21 highway.

Now those aren't earth-shaking numbers, certainly not compared to misers like the Prius (which gets 48 city/45 highway). It misses the TireKicker Top Ten Fuel Saver list. But it is a 50% improvement in mileage compared to the gasoline-powered Escalade, which beats the 38% improvement GM's engineers got with the Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid (although the Chevy's raw mpg numbers are higher).

So, if you have to have a Cadillac Escalade, the Hybrid has its upside in gas savings. Which leaves the question: Do you? Have to have one, I mean?

Well, "have to" is a loaded phrase. As I walked around the Escalade Hybrid when it arrived, looking over the GM PR materials, I was thinking about what a tough sell this particular vehicle was likely to be.

Then I spent a week driving it.

Lord help me, I want one. If GM wants a "yes" vote on bailout money, they just need to send 100 of these to the Senate wing of the United States Capitol with notes saying "Return whenever...or not." The Escalade is luxury and refinement taken to a degree where I'd argue that it's the best car to wear a Cadillac badge in at least 40 years. It imparts a sense that you're not just driving any old thing...you're driving a Cadillac. And covering 150 miles while barely seeing the fuel gague needle move off "F" is a bonus.

Getting 20 miles per gallon in the city out of a three-ton, 400-plus horsepower SUV is something that I would have classified as "the dog riding the bicycle". It doesn't matter how well he does it, it's just that it can be done at all. But the Escalade blows that away by being a really great car that makes you want it. And if that's not proof that American car-building ingenuity is alive and well, then I don't know what is.

Chevrolet Cobalt SS Sedan Review

Before the cries of "sacrilege!" begin over Chevrolet putting the legendary SS (Super Sport) badge on a lowly Cobalt begin...read this review. This is not another botched attempt by an American automaker to put a once-glorious name on a substandard product. This one's from the car guys at GM...not the accountants or marketing types.

Most agree that the Cobalt, in base form, is a huge improvement over the late, unlamented Cavalier, but that it's not a standout in the crowded field of compacts in 2009.

Drive the SS. You'll find yourself wondering what more anybody could ask.

The Cobalt SS comes with a 2-liter Turbo making 260 horsepower and 260 pounds-feet of torque at a nice, low 2,000 RPM. That's serious off-the-line power. Chevrolet went to Brembo for the brakes (four-piston calipers with performance rotors and pads), specified 18 inch wheels with performance tires and a performance handling suspension system.

Results? The Cobalt SS holds the lap record for a compact car at Germany's famed Nurburgring: 8:22.85. Meaning it's not only fast in a straight line, it handles.

A bare-bones racer? Nope. Bluetooth hands-free cellular capability is standard. So's a year of OnStar's Safe & Sound service, titanium-face sport gauges including an A-pillar mounted boost gauge, premium cloth GM Performance Division seats, a strong audio system with XM Satellite Radio and more.

Price?

You ready?

Really?

Okay...

$23,435.

Nope. Not a typo. Twenty-three thousand, four hundred thirty five dollars.

Oh, and the EPA says 22 mpg city, 30 highway...and my experience over a week says that's close, if not dead on.

This is the performance bargain of our times. Here's hoping a lot of buyers make Chevrolet very, very happy that they let the car guys call the shots on this one.

Saturn Astra XR Review

Small cars needn't be cheap. Not as in price tag, but as in materials and craftsmanship. Unfortunately, there's a history in this country of domestic automakers not doing their best work on small cars and of foreign automakers "Americanizing" the products they sell here (the low point of which had to have been the 1978 VW Rabbit and its color-keyed "Americans like this stuff" interior).

GM should be applauded for what it's done with the Saturn Astra. It has taken the car known as the Opel Astra in Germany, put it on a boat and shipped it to the States. Period. Yes, that means you actually have to read the owner's manual to find out what the symbols on the controls represent. But it also means that the controls haven't been switched out for cheaper plastics, that the suspension pieces haven't been traded for ones giving a softer ride at the expense of control and that stuff the Europeans get standard can't be made optional.

The Astra is exceptionally well-equipped. The 5-door XR comes with a 1.8 liter 16-valve four cylinder engine and a 5-speed manual, four-wheel anti-lock disc brakes, remote keyless entry, tire pressure monitor, a theft deterrent system, air conditioning, cruise control, power windows, power door locks, a seven-speaker AM/FM/CD/mp3 audio system and 16 inch alloy wheels. The 3-door comes with all that, but with 17 inch alloy wheels.

You don't get something for nothing, of course, so the base price is where some of the competition reaches the bottom line...$16,925 for the 5-door and $17,875 for the 3-door. But stop there, with the cars as equipped, and you're about even. Our testers had upgraded sound systems, automatic transmissions and sunroofs added...the 3-door got a leather interior. If it was our money, we'd pass on all that (okay, we might spring the $595 for the Advanced Audio Package).

No, the Astra's not a pavement-burner with that 1.8 liter four...but it's more than adequate...and the EPA says both the 3-door and the 5-door will get 24 miles per gallon in the city and 30 on the highway. And they both feel like they're carved out of solid blocks of steel. German engineering and all that. GM deserves to be rewarded for leaving well enough alone with the Astra. Hopefully, hundreds of thousands of customers will do just that.