What Saab should be...

I hope everybody remembers that Saab was not at first an automotive company... Like BMW, and M-B, Saab started out in the aviation industry. I know I've seen the ad on TV about 1,000,000,000 times, where an F-16 jet fighter turns into the 9-7x SUV (as if you can get all of the speed and handling of a jet fighter like the f-16 into an SUV). But that’s the idea, and until know, I was sure Saab and its owner, General Motors had forgotten just what it means to have such a background. I mean come on, I know this is a blog about American cars, but while Saab is reinventing the wheel with the 9-2x, BMW is making the same wheel lighter, faster, stronger, and better then before, and they are the car to beat when it comes to sports luxury.

I think they might be on to something with this here Aero-X concept showing in Geneva. What a wonderful, sporty, innovative, and fast as all getout coupe Saab came up with. Although Saab doesn’t say if this is a stand alone one off concept, or if the basics are the same as the Opel GT (aka Saturn sky, Pontiac Solstice). I doubt it, but it never hearts to ask, maybe the Aero-X is more production ready then Saab is willing to let on.

With common lines aside, this Saab concept is one hell of a car! First let’s look at the shell... ok, nothing really new at first glance, but wait, where are the window pillars??? There are none! Saab used an innovative "jet-fighter cockpit" design to give the driver friendly coupe 180 degrees of clear vision. The cockpit's canopy opens on a central hinge moving up, and toward the front of the car (awesome!) Although nobody has any pics of the interior word is Saab chucked the traditional knob and button layout of controls and gauges in favor of a more Star-Trek way of doing things, with a plexyglass material... I have no idea how this works, and as I am stuck here in the US, I am waiting on pics from the front lines to give me a glimpse on how this thing works.

But wait, I did say this thing can move move move!!! That’s right, computer sims have placed the Aero-X's 0-60 time with that of the corvette, and M3 at 4.9 seconds! WOW! But that’s not all. Saab, in true GM fashion (now a days anyway) has developed an engine that runs on only Ethanol... as in the stuff made out of corn that is now being mixed for many of the US gas pumps at about 10%E and 90% regular gasoline. Or maybe you’re more familiar with GM's E85 program with many govt. cars and trucks and the new full sized consumer trucks (E85 is a mix of 15%e, and 85%gas). So this little sucker's only exhaust is WATER! I wouldn’t drink from a Saab anytime soon, but WOW! Oh, by the way, it's a twin turbo (anything else would just not be up to Saab's specs) V6. I don’t think the number of cylinders is really important here because the thing makes about 400 horses! Again, that’s Corvette and BMW M3 territory.

All I can really say in summary is this:

10 simple reason’s this car rocks!

1) Saab, way to go! Hope you make more like this one.

2) I want this engine sooooo bad, I hope they figure out soon if and when it will be in a production car. NOTE: the US has an Ethanol shortage so don’t be too quick to say this is the wave of the future just yet, but it is coming sooner then this writer thought.

3) I would like to see Saab get a version of the Kappa (GT, Sky, and Solstice) for it self. I know this does not go with the position I took against badge engineering, but still the more the merrier...

4) A 400 hoarse Saab!?!?!?!? I want this engine soooo bad!

5) A jet-fighter Saab actually inspired by a jet-fighter? WOW GM's designers are not so stupid after all!

6) Engine, Saab, E100, 400 hp, now!

7) All hell, can't I just have one of these things for my self?

8) Build the damn thing already!

9) One reason Saab should build this car, to quote Homer Simpson: "Don't say revenge, don't say revenge... uh, revenge?

10) I can't believe you don't build this engine already!

UP DATE: I got a hold on an interior shot, but I still have no idea what it is Saab did to rid the console of knobs and buttons and the like... but here it is, maybe you can see something I can't, even so, it is still AWESOME!

Pontiac's Summer

Even the lackluster Pontiac (you remember, the "performance division" of General Motors) is getting better and better with each passing year. Last summer when the Solstice came to production it was too little too late, The Ford Mustang had all ready taken the spot light and the Mazda MX-5 was doing bigger and better things in the small sport scar segment. Still the Solstice was selling like hotcakes, which was just what Pontiac needed in the middle of winter. So far, all of the current Pontiac vehicles and either bagged engineered (i.e. the G5, Torrent Montana SV6), stodgy "me-too" cars, (the G6) or left over from the line up of old that Lutz doesn’t know what to do with yet (the Grand Prix, Vibe).

The Solstice gets a little boost to add to what little hype it saw last winter with a firt in a long time supper charger that give this little car what it should have had before... POWER! The new trim line "GXP" gets unofficial estimates of about 260 hp and lb-ft of torque, wonderful when you are reminded that a standard Solstice gets 177 hp and 166 lb-ft of torque. the basic package is not messed with either, with only duel chrome pipes sticking out of the back, a small lip read spoiler, and black trim around the fog lights are added. This solstice is said to run 0-60 in about 5.5 seconds, which would put this small roadster back in competition with the benchmark of this segment, the MX-5. The only down side, is the 5,000 boost in price that also cuts any "for the price" statements you may hear from Pontiac dealers when comparing it to the MX-5.

If you want to sport around with more then just your girl in the passenger seat (think of it as a double date) then you may want to opt for the new G-6 coupe. Based on the G-6 sedan (which is it self a Malibu) this is the first Pontiac (after the firebird) to get a 6 speed manual. This car is also fun to drive, if you don’t mind the use of hard plastic (there are acres of it around and in the back), then you will not mind paying close to $30,000 for the top of the line GTP which gives you leather, the 6-seed, and the "big V6" as my sales rep told me. (In case you’re wondering, no, I did not buy it). The coupe is only for looks, as the GTP sedan and convertible all have the same drive train. The G-6/Malibu is a strong platform indeed, and General Motors did a good job designing all of the cars on this platform. The best part, is the boxy, refrigerator design was dropped for the G-6 and the G6 coupe is even sleeker. the wrap around tail lights and the fast back rear window and deck lid give this Pontiac the "fast even when parked" look Pontiac has been missing since the late 1960's (sorry Firebird, Grand AM, Grand Prix guys, those cars didn’t make the grade even when they where new).

If you want to go camping, and racing, then buy a Chevy pick up and a new GTO before they sell out. Or you can pick up a Vibe, or Torrent. I looked at the Vibe as an everyday car to replace my Mazda Protege5 (I know, but it's built by Ford, so it's ok). When the Vibe debuted with the Toyoda Matrix in 2003, it was a nice contender. Three years later, and an update is long over due, and not even it's Matrix twin is doing well. The last of modern equipment, like the new radio/CD player with 2.5mm aux jack (standard in the Cobalt) are causing buyers to look closer to the other not so nice features. The VVT-i (Variable Valve Timing with intelligence) is an awesome engine, but that kind of technology is not so exotic anymore and the poor performance numbers may cause Bob Lutz to cancel this car in favor of the badge engineered Torrent. The only problem I see with the Torrent is that it is the same as the Chevy Equinox in every way only the cross bar with bowtie is replaced by the duel kidney with arrow head.

So what’s New for Pontiac? a new G8 based on the New Zeta platform that was supposed to be dead but is alive and underdevelopment as the new Camaro and maybe a second try (or third if you include the original) at the GTO and possibly rear drive full sized Chevy Impala and/or Monte Carlo. The Grand Prix will either die or be rebuilt on the new Zeta platform, which will mean the new(er) Lacrosse by Buick will too. And the Vibe may be killed or at the least given the ecotech engine in light of the competition. If Zeta is indeed dead, and General Motors just fluked us with the Camaro, then a G8 may be produced on the Caddy DTS/Buick Lucerne platform.

Traffic camras...

I know what your all thinking, and I agree... "I dont think a camra should do the work of the cops". Then again, we all said that cops should be stoping real crime, and not giving out tickets, right. So what about this thing in Scottsdale on the loop 101 highway? Some projections say the city will be earning about one million *pinky to lips* dollars with this thing! thats a lot of money. That beggs the question, is this a money making ploy, or is speeding so bad there would never be enough cops to stop it?

The answer: BOTH. I dont care what your city tells you, traffic camras are always a money making ploy, they are cheep (free after the cost of install is made up in tickets) because the city does not need to pay camras wages, or provide a uniform, or a partol car or moter cycle. the camras are more efficent as well, because they dont need to take bathroom stops or lunch braeaks. The other side to this little problem, is in some areas, like the loops 101 and 202 in AZ, there is a major speeding problem, and a city cant just put in a speed bump on a high way to send cars flying. Also the number of cops nessary to curve the speeding problem in Scottsdale would by so high that no real crime, would get noticed. In the end, people will forget about the camras, and wonder why they are all of a sudden driving the speed limmit.

Winter Wonder Land for less the $30K

With almost the entire Northeast getting hit with the blizzard of 2006 it's going to be one heck of a job clearing the streets! With plow trucks and salt trucks lining the roads, let’s grab a cup of hot coco and a warm blanket and sit in front of the computer and price out some four or all wheel drive SUV's. "But what about the national average of $2.50 for a gallon of gas, I traded in my Explorer for a Puris because of I didn’t want to pay at the pump" you say? Well the Big three have you covered.

As European and Japanese manufactures tried to play catch-up to the big three in terms of truck based SUV's, America was still one step ahead... Ford and Chevy and even Dodge and Jeep knew that there was a market for the small imported crossover SUV. Now the imports are trying to figure out how in the world did the big three get the small SUV to sell when they could not. It's simple really; while the imports where trying to market cheep the big three are marketing design.

Before we get too far into the reviews and the final prices, I would like to take a time out and describe the difference between the four types of power transfer. First, rear wheel drive; the engine in mounted in a front-to-rear configuration and the transmission is mounted just aft of the firewall. a drive shaft connects the transmission to a differential which splits the power to the rear wheels and allowing one wheel to slip so the car can turn corners. Second is front wheel drive where the engine is (in most modern cars) mounted transversely, or passenger-to-driver side configuration. In place of the standard style transmission is a trans-axle which combines the transmission and the differential. Third is four wheel drive, which is set up similar to rear wheel drive, only just aft of the transmission is a transfer case which through a set of gears splits the power direction. half to the rear diff, half to the front now connected to a diff. Fourth is all wheel drive. Most all wheel drive setups are similar to front wheel drive but now a drive shaft connects the front trans-axle to a rear trans-axle. all four wheels turn, but are now controlled by an on board computer. There are no diffs at all and this set up is not recommended for anything but road and light trail use.

Now for the fun stuff, for this post, I have selected some of the strongest domestic sellers in the compact SUV segment. First up is the Chevy Equinox. This wonderful little SUV comes in two models the LS and the LT. the LS is the basic no frills compact SUV, but for the extra thousand dollars you are better off getting the LT1, and if you want to ride in high Chevy fashion, the LT2 gives you standard power seats, auto dimming mirrors, 17in wheels, and a leather wrapped steering wheel. The best bet for a bad weather SUV that is still fun to drive in the summer and can haul all your stuff without breaking your budget at the pump is the LT1 with a few options.

All of the Equinox's come with GM's 3400 V6 in a front drive configuration with traction control or all wheel drive (see above). The most important thing to note is the fuel economy. The Equinox will bring you 19 city and 24 highway per gallon with the front wheel drive and 18/23 with the all wheel drive. Not bad considering the trailblazer will get you about 18 in mixed use.

The Equinox is not just a quirky import wannabe either, this little monster is fun to drive, and turning diameter of 40 feet is quick and responsive (for SUV's). With the rear seats locked upright, you can shove almost 36 cu-ft of your favorite sports gear and four of your tailgate buddies in comfort. With the rear seats folded down you almost double your space with a grand total of 67 cu-ft. Still not enough you say? You want to tow your boat too??? Well Chevy has you covered there too, with a max trailer weight of 3,500 pounds you can take along everything you need to go camping and lake fishing and still have room leftover.

GM worked hard in the interior to make it look and feel better than past experiences, but still has a lot of shortcomings. The dash is simple and to the point, but the radio is confusing and controls are mounted too low. The many different ways to configure the seats helps, and the rear seats even move fore or aft 8"! Leather can only be ordered on the LT2, and the plastics are still cheep looking no matter how improved they are from the older Chevy’s. My biggest complaint is the door panels, as almost rubber like plastic covers them; get a scratch in that and your brand new baby will be sacred for life.

There is a light at the end of the tunnel when you see the bottom line, and I like it. Specked out with LT2 trim, leather, XM radio, On Star and a convenience package, the MSRP came t0 $28,280 but according to Edmunds the same spec has a TMV of $26,914. I'm sure I can get about another $500 out of the dealer when the day is over.

Don’t like the idea of General Motors going bankrupt, and defaulting on warrants? That’s ok too, because there are plenty of small SUV's made by Jeep, Dodge, and Ford all with four or all wheel drive.

Lets look at what Chevy's oldest rival, Ford, has to offer us. This contender comes in the form of the Ford Escape, as in escape from the ordinary. The Ford is a little cheaper at a MSRP of $28,040 and Edmunds TMV of $26,650 and for February; Ford is giving $2000 cash to buyers and $500 cash to those who finance with Ford Mo. Co. Not bad really, and you get a lot in that little package...

The best part is even with the AWD configuration (see above), this little Ford gets about 20 city, and 24 highway miles to the gallon. A lot better than the Chevy, and you can haul just as much if you check the "no boundaries" package which will give you 3500 lb tow capacity, a receiver hitch (an option in the Chevy) with wire harness, and all season tires. Check off the leather pack in the XLT or better models and you’re rolling down the road in Ford Fashion!

While the Chevy is totally modern and fresh, the ford (being an older design) has a less active interior. about the only thing I liked about the Ford Escape was the position of the radio and HVAC controls and the fact that if I get a tan interior, I get a tan dashboard. The seats are nice, nicer than the Chevy's, but I feel like I am in a larger truck, and not in a more nimble compact SUV. Power comes from either an inline 4 making 153hp at 5,300 rpm and 152lb-ft of torque at 4250 rpm, or a V6 making 200hp at 6000 rpm, and 193lb-ft at 4,850 rpm.

Cargo may be a little bit of a problem with the Escape. You can only get 29.3 cu-ft of your favorite gear behind the rear seats; only 62.8 if you leave your friends behind and fold the read seats. the fully independent suspension may temp you to get out and go off roading but be careful, the weak all wheel drive may cause some headaches if you get too hardcore oh the open range.

What About Jeep you ask, after all Jeep is the all American little truck that could right? well yes, and no. it all depends on what kind of small SUV you want from Jeep, if you go the Wrangler then you want off road capabilities, if you go with the Liberty, then you want to haul your soccer kids around. the best way to defuse this dispute among jeep buyers is to simply make the statement that a Cj-7 is for kids, and a Liberty is for adults (or rather the ones with the money).

The Liberty, in true American capitalist style has a truck load of options, no pun intended of course. It's almost impossible to choose what options are the best, but if you go for the limited, you might want to check off one of the three, that’s right three "quick order" packages. these are all good in their own way, but I went with the option 22G which loaded up this Jeep nicely but also broke the bank with the highest MSRP so far of $29,185, and an Edmunds TMV of $28,070. there is a 2,500 cash back offer that’s makes this Jeep a little easier to buy.

This Jeep is also the OLDEST design of the three so far. When the Cherokee stopped running in 2001, the Jeep brand had to fill the void left by one of the best selling Jeeps ever. Enter the Liberty in all its wannbe Wrangler glory! This funny looking Jeep reminds the older among us why some towns banned trucks and SUV's (other than the repair man's) from being on the street back in the good ol days. That was back when trucks where ugly and SUV's where ugly-er trucks with roofs over the cargo bed. when I look at the Liberty, I cringe a little at how Jeep messed up their only but best selling point--it was a box on wheels. (This is now trying to be fixed with the Commander, but not very well)

The Jeep is the only SUV here that can say for sure it is a true 4x4. Jeep's have always offered duel locking diffs sine that technology was available, and since 1941 jeeps have been going in and out of some of the worst areas. The Jeep brand is engrained into every American in some way or another... Maybe you had an uncle in WWII, or maybe you or your friend drove a Wrangler in high school, but how ever the way, this little truck has a lot to live up to. Standard Jeeps have four gears to select from. There are the traditional 2 high, 4 high and 4 low, plus a jeep exclusive neutral. The neutral is so you can tow your jeep behind a camper or such with out having to disconnect the driveshaft, COOL! Because of the awesomeness that is four wheel drive, this Jeep can do things the Ford and Chevy can only dream about right out of the box, including rock trails.

The style is lacking a lot though because of the age of this SUV. Than again the Style was never something to brag about, most people hated it wanting something more like the very outdated Cherokee. the round headlights are moved as far out and up as possible, and the Wrangler like fender flairs give this jeep an unnecessary fat look to it. The interior has bad plastics, and weird positions for the HVAC controls.

Cargo room was also lacking in this 4x4 if you and your friends wanted to go camping for the weekend, to get all of your gear in, you would have to leave at least two of your buddies home there is only 31cu-ft behind the rear sears but 69 with them folded. That better than the Ford, but not as good as the Chevy and no where near the older Cherokee’s 34/66.

So what about Dodge? well there is no offering as yet from Dodge, but the 2007 Nitro is going to be fun to test drive!

Mind if I barrow a few billion dollars?

There is too much happening in the GM camp to even write I summary on. Here are the web page links, read the articals if you dare.

Yahoo! stocks: GM

CNNmoney: GM's fate, a Hail Mary

CNNmoney: The tragedy of General Motors

Business Report: US unions hits back at GM, Ford

Detroit Free Press: UAW head, "Delphi chap. 11 unneeded

The Detroit News: Delphi loses $1.1 billion in Dec.

I will update this as more reports come out.

The all Japinese made Swedish.... American???

Because General Motors now has complete control over Saab and about a one third control in Subaru it was no surprise a few years ago when the Saab 9-2^X introduced. And because Saab is a General Motors division that “is very important to the General Motors brand” All American has no problem saying that the 9-2 ^X is in fact an American automobile.

Why General Motors thought that the 9-2 ^X would sell is beyond anyone here at All American. Despite the apparent lack of good decision making on General Motors part, it looks like the 9-2 ^X is here to stay. Whenever a 9-2 ^X passes by, I can’t help but think I would like to get behind the wheel of one. Some, my self included, have dubbed the 9-2 ^X the Saabaru and they are right. What can be better than all of the best standard futures in a Subaru with all of the best amenities of a Saab?

What General Motors did was took the Subaru Impreza Sport Wagon plans and gave them to Saab’s design and engineering teams and told them to make it a Saab with out going over budget. What Saab’s design team did was work mostly on the out side of the vehicle. A nip here and a tuck there allowed them to modify the rear body panels just enough to where when you see one on the road, you know it’s a Saab. The team put in the distinctive Saab front clip including the cornering lamps, lower profile hood scoop in the Aero model and if that was not enough, you can even get xenon headlights.

As for the interior, the rest of the design team’s budget was put into making the Impreza Sport Wagon more upscale. Two tone cloth or leather seats and a different center console are the first two things to be changed. The team put remodeled the cup holders so our supper double whammy ultra mega large sodas will stay in place and not spill on full pile weave carpeting. Just about the only thing that was not at least looked at was the ignition key position, which was kept on the steering column and not put on the center console where Saab owners think it should be.

The engineering team put their budget to work with a lot of sound dampening material and trying to smooth out the rattling flat four-cylinder engine. What General Motors got from Saab was a rebadged Subaru Impreza that looked a little different, weighed a lot more, and a car that Saab buyers hated. The number one complaint: move the ignition key. The number two complaint: it’s not Swedish.

I don’t blame General Motors or Saab for producing the 9-2^X at all. If they had been noble and produced an Idealistic entry level Saab, All American would be writing a review on the 9-2 concept and not the actual car. Time was the only thing Saab was thinking of when they asked the General for some help with a cheep luxury car. Time is what they got; the Audi A3 was introduced only last year as an ’06 model, and BMW is still telling Americans to wait for the 2 series. If that’s a bad thing, Saab should be wrong more often.

The only problem is with this car is the price per pound. The plastics are not as upscale as the A3 or the BMW’s and I know I would like to see a wood trim option, but only real wood would do, also some more interior colors besides black and gray two-tone. What Saab is known for is in this editor’s eyes was never luxury, but that’s been slowly changing over the last 15 to 20 years. Now Saab competes in a high scale market and must keep up appearances. If they can convince enough Americans that the 9-2X is not just a rebadged Subaru then they made it, but the real test (the BMW 2 series) is yet to come.