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Comments
Why doesn't GM make more cars with Manual transmission?
Regarding manual vs automatic transmission...after reading the many postings at Edmunds, I'd have to think that there are more people that prefer manuals than the manual cars themselves. It seems that I can always find people at Edmunds lamenting the lack of cars with available manual tranny.
It also seems that more foreign manufacturers offer more manuals than domestic companies. During a recent trip to Germany, I had to drool over the fact that most cars, even the largest mercedes, had manual transmissions. I had to laugh at the car rental counter in Frankfurt when an American couple was griping because they could not rent a car with automatic transmission.
As for Getrag, GM Europe bought the company a few years ago and it was a good thing as GM North America was struggling with it's manual transmissions.
There is an element out there that prefers the performance/experience of the manual tranny. GM seems to hold back in this area, only offering the 6+ cylinder manual tranny for the camaro, vette, trans am, and now the Caddy CTS. Of course, you can get it on the 4 cyl. economy cars. However, foreign companies offer the manual on a host of v-6 sedans.
As a result, I am forced to consider the caddy CTS, if I can hold out (I need the 4 doors for a bundle of joy expected in January) until the early spring. The only drawback to that car (that I can see) is the small trunk. Alero trunk is 14.6 cubic feet, vs 12.8 for the CTS. Imagine that...Alero with a bigger trunk than a caddy?!
About European V6-equipped cars being available with manual transmission (the bigger the engine, the much smaller the volume), if gas costs $7 per gallon it would be important for most people to get each MPG.
However, as for the performance and economy, IMO, in an engine with over 200lb.ft of torque it's academic whether it has manual or automatic.
But it's definetely a turn off to me to see elegant sedans with 2l I4 engines! For gosh's sake, Mercedes sells there an E200 and BMW, a 520!
:^PAlero's sold in Europe must all be 4 cyl models. Can't imagine the V6s would sell well.
:^PEvandro, you are right about the people here that praise the "european way". Any time they want to argue against something (private health care, right to gun ownership, size of cars) they always say we are "behind" Europeans. Well, when I think of European things such as these, I also tend to think of a "behind".
I love visiting, but I don't think I could live there
;^)Do you think I can replace the white ones on the Alero with amber bulbs? I have looked closely at the Intrigue/Alero bulbs (through the headlight housing) and they appear very different. I am also curious as to how this might effect headlight performance.
I expect to take delivery on a new Alero in the next few weeks, and think it would look really cool with Amber lights. Any advice would be appreciated.
Anyone looking for a decent mid-size range car for a great price would be sill not to look at the Alero though. Current lease/finance rates make it a real value for a fun car.
How are you liking the car so far?
What are you currently driving?
Let me know when you P/U the car. Love to hear your impressions. The Alero would be a second car for us also, likely mostly driven by my wife.
When the mirror is replaced, does it work awhile and then vibrate after a few weeks?
It always intrigued me because if I'd try to shake the mirror with my hands, it would be firm, not loose.
Anyway, it was never so bad to annoy me.
Braking was solid throughout. Altogether very reassuring, and the Arctic Alpins handled 2" of snow quite well also, although they do feel a bit "squirmy" on snow. Not so on wet or even icy pavement, but that's what they're designed for.
One thing I did find, however, was that I had to put the defroster on max. speed and max. heat to keep the top of the windshield and the right side from icing up. It wasn't that cold out, so you had to open the front windows a crack to keep from roasting yourself.
Since I have never spent much time in a vehicle with traction control...how do you know when it engages?
Does the traction control apply the brakes, or does it reduce engine speed to control the spin?
I test drove an Alero a few weeks ago with the traction control on. I tried to spin the tires, but no luck. I almost thought the car was a bit weak, but then I turned off the traction control, and I was squeeling the tires at will!
One drawback is when you are trying to make quick acceleration to avoid another vehicle and it cuts in. It takes longer to drop back to normal than it did to engage. Scary!!.
It's about like ABS. Not a real improvement for an experienced driver. ABS vehicles take longer to stop than non ABS vehicles. They are somewhat effective on glare ice, but I wind up pumping the brake pedal as I always have.
If the wheels are spinning get off the accelerator, unless you need the feel and smell of where the rubber meets the road.
Just opinions:
Also I have not disabled the day time running lamps yet, nor the automatic lights on and off. I'm grown up now and feel as though I should be able to make those decisions about when it's dark or not.
As for DRLs, they save lives in sunshine and in darkness. Disconnect them if you wish, but people will see you better with them on.
"There's been a lot of concern lately about the anti-lock braking system in the newer vehicles," said Janie Harris, traffic safety specialist for the Texas Agricultural Extension Service. "The manufacturers of the vehicles feel this is a very good safety feature, however there has been some controversy about the braking system, and whether they actually work or not."
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has issued statements claiming anti-lock brakes do not provide a substantially shorter stopping distance on dry pavement nor have they reduced the number of crashes in vehicle insurance claims.
General Motors has released statements saying that their anti- lock brakes will give shorter stopping distances with the exception of gravel roads where stopping distances may be longer, but the driver will still benefit from increased steerability.
From your posts around the board, I'm getting the feeling your agenda here is an anti-government / safety crusade.
(1) reduce engine speed, by reducing the fuel input or (at lower speeds) shifting to a higher gear
(2) applying brakes to the spinning wheel
On other topics...
With regards to ABS - I've seen fairly recent test results by Car and Driver, MotorWeek, some government bodies, etc. for several makes/models of cars. The results are pretty much what you'd expect: on loose surfaces where there's better traction underneath (sand or gravel on pavement or packed dirt, snow on pavement or packed dirt) LOCKED wheels will dig through the loose stuff and slow you down on the higher traction surface underneath.
In all other conditions ABS provides shorter stopping distances and, as dindak pointed out, you can still steer your car. I'm not sure how many people take advantage of that latter point in panic situations.
Whenever I drive in heavily urbanized areas, which is where most people live and work these days, I'm amazed at how little stopping distance people allow while driving. When the distance between vehicles is only one car length, ABS is not going to make any difference. Similarly, if people are driving too fast for the road conditions, ABS will not make any difference. If vehicles hit each other or go off the road 5 mph slower, that wont show up in any "incidence" stats now will it?
I've also noticed that it only limits engine power after applying the brakes for a couple of seconds and the wheels still tended to spin. Top notch system, if you ask me!
About the ABS, one cannot pump the brakes several times per second independently for each wheel. IOW, the statement "I can do better" is plain bogus.
Just today I had to brake over uneven pavement with only one side of the car and it remained going in a straight line. Try that manually!