New Blazer

Datsun310Guy said:

Nothing was as soul crushing as when the Daewoo Pontiac LeMans came back. 

Well now I see where the Aztec body lines came from

TJL said:

I swear if you take this Kia Soul turbo model and look at a Imperial Storm Trooper you can see similarities. I think a white/black combo on a Kia Soul turbo with an imperial badge on the back would be hilarious.

My s10 Blazer was the biggest piece of junk I ever owned. 

kevinatfms said:

TJL said:

I swear if you take this Kia Soul turbo model and look at a Imperial Storm Trooper you can see similarities. I think a white/black combo on a Kia Soul turbo with an imperial badge on the back would be hilarious.

There are more than one of the older body style wearing that livery around here

In reply to STM317 :

For speed, sure. They're pretty much bricks that can't handle the track, though

Dootz said:

In reply to STM317 :

For speed, sure. They're pretty much bricks that can't handle the track, though

All of these things are 2.5 ton family haulers with high centers of gravity. They're not track rats and nobody seriously uses them for that. That being said the current GC SRT has a 'Ring time 1 sec faster than a Cayenne GTS and is 30k cheaper before you start checking Porche's notorious options list: 

https://fastestlaps.com/tests/m3nl258gcvhh

Datsun310Guy said:

Nothing was as soul crushing as when the Daewoo Pontiac LeMans came back. 

That car would have been rad if GM would have allowed the DOHC engine to be bolted in.  Or, heck, the Sunbird Turbo version of the SOHC engine.  But no, they didn't want to compete against VW GTIs, they just wanted something to advertise a low price

JimS said:

My s10 Blazer was the biggest piece of junk I ever owned. 

Apparently you never owned a first generation Pontiac Grand Am.   

Datsun310Guy said:

Nothing was as soul crushing as when the Daewoo Pontiac LeMans came back. 

Yea...and then there's this:

Frankly, the last-gen Eclipse already sullied the nameplate, so it isn't a total loss.

It definitely seems like every other company has also launched launched a "youth-oriented" CUV/small SUV that may be redundant to their other cars.  That kinked C-pillar is definitley a trend.

Datsun310Guy said:

JimS said:

My s10 Blazer was the biggest piece of junk I ever owned. 

Apparently you never owned a first generation Pontiac Grand Am.   

That (besides being a stretched Cavalier) was actually a third generation Grand Am, maybe fourth.  They started that name in the 1970s, IIRC.

Hoondavan said:

Datsun310Guy said:

Nothing was as soul crushing as when the Daewoo Pontiac LeMans came back. 

Yea...and then there's this:

Frankly, the last-gen Eclipse already sullied the nameplate, so it isn't a total loss.

It definitely seems like every other company has also launched launched a "youth-oriented" CUV/small SUV that may be redundant to their other cars.  That kinked C-pillar is definitley a trend.

 

 

 

Instead of CX40, Mazda should name the new CUV the "Miata-Cross" :D

I’m not going to get into another pointless argument against the auto industry making what people want and selling the in droves, just a couple of points on two of the vehicles being lambasted here. 

knurled already mentioned the 88-94 Pontiac LeMans was just a rebadged Daewoo LeMans which was actually a dumbed down Euro  84-91 Opel Kadett / Vauxhal Astra which was one of the best hot hatches of the 80’s with a 150hp 16v 2,000 engine. It was the car for kids to steal before the Escort Cossie  It won group A  and N in national and international racing and rallying. They now have a massive following. 

Also I don’t get the hate for the new KL Cherokee. It’s a brilliant vehicle with actual ability. Also it’s not selling out the heritage, it fits into the lineup and market place (I’m talking XJ not SJ here) just like the original did. Don’t forget that while we got the Liberty, the KK and KJ were still called Cherokee for the rest of the world.   Finally personal opinion the series I KL is the best looking SUV in a long time. I find it a shame that they’ve dumbed it down for the series II cars.

Most of the complaints I've heard about the KL have nothing to do with it being a bad vehicle, simply that it's ugly.  And some complain that if it's going to be so different from the previous Cherokees we got, it should get a new name (compared to the much more gradual change the Grand Cherokee saw). 

rslifkin said:

Most of the complaints I've heard about the KL have nothing to do with it being a bad vehicle, simply that it's ugly.

that’s OK. Most people are wrong

it’s the best looking SUV in a long time. 

In reply to Knurled. :

You are correct.  I forgot about the earlier Grand Ams.  

Adrian_Thompson said:

rslifkin said:

Most of the complaints I've heard about the KL have nothing to do with it being a bad vehicle, simply that it's ugly.

that’s OK. Most people are wrong

it’s the best looking SUV in a long time. 

I kind of liked the KL's looks after a while. It was recognizable as a Jeep but distinguishable from the rest of their lineup and looked sufficiently tough