No so much a Tow Vehicle thread, although I do give props to the F-150 in this. I attended a ride 'n drive at GM where we put competitive products side by side and compared them. We were asked to write about our findings, so here is mine.
I really just wanted to share. Should the be in Around the Campfire?
On the way to Milford Proving Grounds for the "May the Best Car Win Challenge", I wondered how worthy this event would be for an amateur guy like me. As a busy father of three young children, just having the chance to drive alone in my new G8 from Warren to Milford was a thrill in itself. I don't get out much. I asked myself, "At the end of the day, what will I have to offer?"
Shortly after I arrived, it became clear that it was the event that was doing the offering. I was there to be educated and equipped. From the beginning remarks during lunch, I felt more and more like this event was a serious effort to instill real world information about product, ours and theirs, to be talked up in social circles. In fact, Bob Lutz presented himself less of a high-ranking CEO and more of a car guy like us. His passion for our product (and anger for other things unspoken here) were a direct reflection of conversations heard among the ranks here at the design level at the Podium. Of course we all want the same thing here at GM, but Bob says it like we would. That is a refreshing, albeit controversial sometimes, change.
As a triplet father with three kids in booster seats, my vehicles must transport my family well. In the triplet community, one of the most popular vehicles is the Honda Pilot. I was eager to compare it with the Traverse so I could help other families into our product. I wanted to be able to say, "For the same money, you can get a much better product with the Traverse!" I drove the Pilot first. The styling was uninspiring both inside and out, but I was impressed with the road manners. It exuded confidence in the driver's seat and felt very smooth. My ride partner did not care for the "old pick-up truck" feeling that the rear seats had, but I was looking at this as a kid hauler with booster seats. The Pilot won't win any awards for pizzazz, but it does what it does very well. As a purpose built vehicle, and for what I was looking for, I came away with little to say negative about it. Also, it got bonus points for the small convex mirror to check on the kids. It was clear why mom's like this vehicle. It works great overall, and has minor details to please.
In comparison, the Traverse did everything the Pilot did as good or better. The styling was a clear advantage inside and out. The ride was smooth as butter while being able to carry more "stuff". It's bigger, more powerful, and actually gets better mileage than the Pilot. So what's not to like? Earlier I mentioned I wanted to say, "For the same price..." The sticker price for both vehicles showed a $7000 difference and straddled the $40,000 mark. I heard the Traverse is the bestselling vehicle in this segment, but will it remain the best when it is a few years old? It is the better vehicle, but time will tell how much people consider it that much better. I think they will.
Now onto the fun factor. I couldn't wait to lay into the Mustang GT. But first, upon sitting in it, those seats... those wonderful seats! After sitting in the 'stang, I wanted its seats in each vehicle I drove. The interior was well done. I enjoyed the throwback look all around and felt they used the dash space perfectly. Looking out the window, the fake cowl gave the view a bulky feel. It wasn't intrusive, but was noticeable at all times. It was made more evident by the amount of weight transfer upon acceleration. This car really rocked, but not in a good way. It felt big and soft when I nailed, and the front end had substantial travel. Maybe that parlayed into the feeling that this car was... slow. I floored it and immediately wondered if we had the wrong car. I asked my ride partner, "Is this the GT?" It was. I then pictured the Mustang coming home from performance school and showing his dad, an aging BOSS from yesteryear, his report card. The Boss peers down over the top edge of the card and asks, "You call yourself a V8?" Maybe I expected more, but I was unimpressed. This car looks fast and stout, but it was slow to get its legs moving, and the suspension felt mushy with throttle, braking, and turning.
The V6 Camaro (yes, the V6 Vs the GT's V8) had much of the opposite effect on me. I felt the interior was great for the driver, but bland on the passenger side. There was lots of space over there and it could use an emblem or something inspiring for the passenger's delight. But this car was stuck to the road, had minimal body roll, and felt every bit as fast as the V8 in the GT. For the price difference, which favors the V6 Camaro, this car is an absolute bargain!
Next comparison: In this corner, the best-in-segment selling, mundane looking, Dumbo-ear-mirrors wearing, with a herky jerky rod-type shift lever sticking out of the dash, premium fuel sucking, Lexus RX 350! With, I must add, a dashboard that looks like it was designed by four different people who never had a meeting. No flow. No style. I wanted out. Oh.. It drove just fine. Whoopee.
And in this corner, the all new, regular fuel-sipping, sweet-styled, superior contented, with larger wheels, impressive dashboard, and road manners you would expect in thee most upscale vehicles is the... Chevy Equinox! You were expecting the SRX? Please, it had to be a fair fight. The SRX is in another class. Our Chevy Equinox competes with the Lexus and, in my opinion, still wins the battle.
I'm trying to wrap this up and skip lots of details, but some things still need to be said. Towards the end of the day, I was picking up some not-so-good surprises. I felt our Silverado fell short of the tough look of the F-150. For the first time since I have had trucks (since '96), I see where we really need to make our next gen truck a grand slam. Is it as good? Yes. Better? In some ways, but that is subjective. Point is, the unbiased consumer will have a hard decision to make. We need to make that decision easier.
The car I wanted to keep driving all the way home? The CTS Wagon! I had to look behind me to see what I was yanking around the pylons because I certainly could not feel the greenhouse. What a fun ride!
There is a lot to read here and I have filled this space enough for now. Suffice to say, I did come away with some lasting impressions. We ARE at least as good as the competition and, in many cases, much better. We just need to keep doing what we're doing and let the consumer take notice. It won't happen overnight, but as ambassadors, we need to help that effort. It should be easy to do because the GM that once built vehicles that people drive... now builds vehicles that drive people!
2004 2500 GMC Savanna 6.0 / 3.73
2001 Mallard 30E
Wife,
Triplets born 10-14-02 (2 girls, one boy)
Older daughter born in 1985
Choc lab named Kia (No, NOT after the car!) http://mywebpages.comcast.net/babies3/index.htm
I concur...nice write up. Sounds like you put a lot of thought into it. Its pretty obvious you do not work for Consumer Reports. They hate everything Made in the USA it seems.
________
2008 F 250 FX4 4WD, V10, 4.10 Tow Command
35' 2007 Crossroads Cruiser CT32SB
Wonderful Wife and 3 small kids
Very well written!!! And I believe it is right at home in this section!!
I've heard this before and certainly makes me proud that American cars are just as good if not better than the imports.
2010 F150 Super Cab XLT 5.4 4X4 Short Box
2010 18' Springdale Rugged Terrain
1988 Nortstar 8' pop up TC
Honda 2000 26th Marines RVN 69-70 Semper Fi M-14 was the only Woodstock I saw in 1969.
Let me get this straight. He went to a GM comparison day and essentially found every GM product there to be superior to the product brought in as a competitor. I do not find this well written at all. I do find it to seem cut and pasted from a GM press release with the exception of a few inserted refrences to his children and his G8. To come out and say the V6 Camaro outperformed the Mustang GT borders on rediculous seeing as the GT has been neck and neck over all with the V8 RS Camaro in every shoot out that has been published.
I saw his comment re the camaro vs mustang, as the Camaro is better priced, potentially as much fun as the more expensive mustang.
Along with, not sure about your experience driving, but I have found that in some instances, a V6 s SB 8 or a SB8 vs a BB8, the smaller motor being able to wind up quicker, will pull a person off the line initially better, with the bigger Cube/HP motor doing better in the long run. Or a better geared small motor rig will be quicker initially etc.
This is kind of how my old 81 GMC c2500 with a 292 I6 muncie 4 sp vs my 89 c3500 with a 454 and th400 was. The 292 initally on a flat or it could climb steeper hills before stalling out than the 454. BUT< put the 454 on a freeway grade, needless to say the 454 did better. So depending upon you needs, ie city vs freeway driving, both won the which felt/was the better combo. I can say the same thing about my 05 dmax vs my old 96 6.5td. Off the line, the 6.5 is a bit better, but the dmax does out pull/point the 6.5 in longer runs.
While to a degree the OPs bias does show, he did in his opinion, say where a GM is worst or better than the competition. Like ALL reviews, some will agree, some will not! Take them for what they are worth!
Marty
05 Chev CC D/A LS Dooley
92 Navistar dump truck, 7.3L 7 sp, 4.33 gears with a Detroit no spin
00 Chev C2500, V5700, 4L80E, 4.10, base truck, no options!
92 Red-e-haul 12K equipment trailer
3 Single axle utility trailers
To be honest is reads as GM had ringers, the others were off the rack. I have read reviews, not CR, on the Equinox as well and none are mistaking it for a Lexus in any area. I am not hating on GM BTW. I do agree the Pilot is overrated for what they are trying to call it. IMHO there is no excuse for a V6 midsized SUV to get that kind of mileage and I do know that the interior layout of someof the Lexus products can leave smething to be desired. The RX styling does not exactly bowl me over either.
His entire description of his experience reminds me of my own opinion of today's GM. They built a lot of throw together vehicles aimed at a disappearing market of people who didn't want to know the competition was building much better products only a few years ago. Today is totally different. If someone can keep an open mind, one can be easily reminded that GM's new products are indeed as fine as those from mainly Honda and Toyota. Sure the Impala, Silverado, Corvette and a few others are getting long in the tooth and need to be replaced, but their new mainstream sedans, SUV's and economy cars are pretty much class leaders. Those words "class leader" are certainly not words I believed would ever describe General Motors under its previous stale leadership. Government bailout, or not, GM will emerge from all this a world class leader building products more and more people will desire. They set the bar a couple generations ago, that same bar is in sight for them again today.
After having compared the 09 Equniox to the 09 Escape. I found the Equniox to be severly lacking in every way. In short it SUXed. The Ford was better in EVERY way.
However. After looking at the new 2010. The Equinox has caught up with the Ford. It is as nice inside, and the ergonomics have inproved 100%. They do still have some issues with some coloum levers being too busy, but still better.
As for the traverse. it is a very nice vehicle, with the same stuff as the E, and the same problems. The problem with these vehicles is the price. It is hard to compete with similar equiped vehicles, and charge thousands more for them.
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