No screwing around, here it is.
First, look at it. I have to echo the sentiments of the Gawker boys--it's a damn good looking car. The front end has some of that classic American aggression, and you can see a shadow of the Camaro's hips in the rear quarter panels. It's a sculpted, purposeful design that, in that dark Imperial Blue, makes the car look very classy. Inside it's much of the same--the dash looks great and as the car is based on GM's Super Epsilon II, it should be very roomy.
Unfortunately things start to fall apart in powertrain. First, it's still front wheel drive. Second, the two base market engines are underpowered (a 195HP 2.5L four or 182HP 2.4L four with eAssist stop-start tech). At least the top level engine has plenty of grunt--GM's now ubiquitous 3.6L V6 making 303 HP.
Overall I'd call it a mixed bag. They positively nailed the styling, but the powertrain is a big fail for me--much like the Caddy XTS it's based on. While I'm betting more people will buy this one thanks to its dashing good looks, I'll be willing to bet after the first couple years, the majority of these cars will once again have Hertz license plates.
No comments:
Post a Comment