Music (and Power) Sooth the Savage Journalist - Almost
In the last three nights I've driven three GM vehicles home -- a Saab 9-5 SportCombi, a Saturn Vue Redline and a Pontiac Solstice. And while they all had similar qualities I didn't particularly appreciate (mediocre interior materials, questionable ergonomics, unrefined drivetrains) they also all had two traits that made them hard to hate. The first is power -- as in plenty of it, and the second is audio -- as in excellent quality. It's really interesting to see how the parts sharing between these three divisions (divisions most people probably see as quite diverse) come shining through when you drive these cars back-to-back. For instance, the Saab and Saturn have the exact same rearview mirror controls, but the Saab's are on the A-pillar and the Saturn's on in the center stack. Also funny that the "premium" Saab 9-5 doesn't have any one-touch windows, but the Saturn (not really a premium brand) at least gives you a one-touch down driver's window. One interior component that was identical between all three was the audio system display (and, I suspect, the head units are either identical or nearly identical in these vehicles). That means they all have XM and they all have auxiliary audio input jacks for MP3 players (I tried the Solstice's out tonight with my iPod Shuffle -- and it worked great).
So, you have three vehicles that are at least moderately quick (the Saturn is downright fiesty under the hood) and you have three vehicles that make great 50-mile commuters because you can listen to over 200 radio channels - or whatever music you happen to have on your MP3 player. Truly amazing how just having these traits can almost make you forget the Saab's turbo lag, the Saturn's plastic-fantastic interior, and the Solstice's utter lack of interior storage space or instrumentation (no temp gauge in a sports car? And no, the digital readout you can call up with the on-board computer doesn't count). I suppose it's not a bad philsophy, as GM will certainly sell some cars to folks who are impressed by powerful engines and great stereos. Heck, if I didn't drive just about every model on the market every year it might even work on me.
To be honest, the Solstice pulls some of my heartstrings. If I wasn't concerned with resale value, it might even be on my short list of roadsters to look at purchasing. Alas, most GM vehicles hold on to value like Courtney Love holds on to her dignity.
Personally, the Solstice GXP is going to be one helluva ride. With more than enough torque and HP to counter the bloated weight of the vehicle, and Direct Injection to improve throttle response, the GXP will be downright exhilarating to drive. The voluptuous and sensuous curves of this vehicle will finally have some real grit underneath them to back up the car's sporting perceptions.
It will be interesting to see who wins the sales battle, the Pontiac Solstice, or the Saturn Solstice-clone.
for that matter, will GM build enough to satisfy demand, especially the GXP version?
Both are sold out for months, but there was a pent-up demand for an affordable american roadster. Let's see how they're doing 18 months from now.
Gotta agree about the Vue interior, I hated the spongy seats as well.
You are calling the new Vue's interior plastic fantastic? The old one had a lot to be desired but the new one is on par with anything else in it's class. What exactly is wrong with the Vue's new interior?
You also call the Vue's drivetrain unrefined but that cant be because it's a Honda drivetrain. I supposed you didnt know that, or you forgot. I guess that means the Pilot and the Odyssey have inrefined drivetrains as well since they have the same thing under the hood as the Vue.
Could you specify some of the questionable ergonomics in these vehicles? As long you can work the HVAC and audio controls it seems to me there isnt much else to learn in any car. Unlike BMW, GM isnt known for making their cars hard to use nor are they known for burying common controls in stupid places. I have been in two of the three vehicles you are talking about and I didnt see anything wrong with the interior designs.
Supposedly Saturn dealers are charging a premium for the Sky; Guess they are striking while the USA Roadster demand is Sky High.
As for egrometrics, most of the GM cars are pretty good wrt being able to find controls quickly. The Euros (with possible exception of Audi and new VW's) and some of the Japanese have been just the opposite.
I don't know what kind of orientation you received regarding the features and functions of the 9-5 you drove but my '06 9-5 sedan certainly do'es have one-touch down on driver and passenger side front windows.Audio head unit is shared with other G.M. Models...Saab retains it's unique Harmon-Kardon power and speakers.