@Dusty_Duster: better than say an mgb engine where they put the intake and exhaust on the same side. looks like they switched positions a few years later

@GasGuzzler: not just boring, they're one of the most unpleasant tinny little things i've ever had the displeasure of sitting in. having driven both, i'd take a cobalt over a corolla any day of the week.

@dankru: Miata owner here, and I'm more than happy to admit that the Solstice alone outsold the Miata in the US (hardly fair to compare sales in markets where the Solstice didn't exist...) quite handily up until last year of production when Pontiac was cancelled. When you take the Sky into account as well, it blew the…

@Arfdog: oh, i'm sure you'd be faster with your smg transmission thinking for you, but i'd have more fun doing it. wouldn't a track be the ideal place to enjoy all of the benefits of a manual? maybe i'm wrong, though - maybe all there is to driving is pointing the car in the right direction and letting the electronics…

@Baby Beater Benz: sorry man :( [www.reuters.com]

Well, you're safe from Earl on the ISS, but it's not exactly a safe place to be...

@duurtlang: yeah, but they brought the x-type wagon here. A 3.0L with awd and a stick shift would be pretty sweet, but I'd constantly be reminded that it's the same damn engine as in my g/f's Escape... (although, it's actually a nice engine, and her soft-you-vee is reasonably quick with it).

@Arfdog: I find it interesting that you say it gets boring, yet you say you had to "fight" the transmission. As I'm generally driving a manual, I've found that it doesn't get boring - under routine driving situations it just becomes seamless and I don't even notice I'm doing it. Driving an automatic is when I end up…

Ugh, this thing looks like it might be a flop. While they might not be direct competitors, I think I'd much rather have a Fiesta with a dual clutch gearbox than an automatic Cruze. Well, at least incentives should take the price down a good deal after the first few months of low sales numbers.

@tintern: no, not "slow" but considering that the us-spec e28 M5's 0-60 time was also 6.5 seconds, it's pretty darn fast by old car standards. The 2.0 liter US NCs with 6 speeds are supposedly accelerating that quickly. No real point talking about older ones, since the article is really targeted toward cars produced…

@tintern: huh, i didn't realize that 0-60 times of 6.5 seconds were considered slow. at least it is an engaging car to drive, though (or at least i assume so, i haven't driven an nc...)

@LoganSix: I really did like my '97 Intrepid - it was a great first car, and for a full size, auto only American sedan, it had / has a pretty decent forum. It sure is a shame they didn't go ahead with the plan to make it awd... (and that there wasn't enough room in the engine bay for turbos).

@narf: I was 23 when I bought mine. No LS1 and more rust than woodgrain (actually, the wood grain was probably holding quite a bit of the sheet metal together, so don't knock it!). It was a great car, but so far is the only car I've ever sold.

@Wish my Sonata had AWD: What's funny is this actually is my father's oldsmobile. If it weren't for the constant mechanical issues (overheating, transmission sensors, electrical gremlins), it really is a great car, though - and his is black on black, which is just awesome. Performance felt fairly equal to my 3.5L 1st…

Sorry guys, but I gotta go with the Dodge Stealth RT/TT (I always liked it's funky spoiler and headlights a bit more than the 3000GT VR4). Classic '90s styling and more tech than you could shake a stick at. AWD, passive rear wheel steering, active aerodynamics, twin turbo v6 with 296 - 319 hp. That sort of thing is…

ugh, i hate zimmers and excaliburs. it's like they tried to be an american morgan but failed so miserably at producing anything of value.

@Arfdog: Anyone who thinks that you're "fighting" with the transmission doesn't know how to drive a manual properly...

@KevlarSTi: that was more of an implementation issue than a pleasure issue. i just happen to find rowing gears to be a pleasurable experience and i think i would miss it with a dsg. i don't happen to think that traction control, stability control or abs enhance my driving experience at all either (and in a light…

@impulsoren: it actually does enhance vehicle interaction - when i drive an automatic, i have to deal with it the torque converter slipping at low rpm - if it press the throttle down all the way, it downshifts - often twice, even though i may not want it to - it won't shift into top gear until i get the car up to a…

@KevlarSTi: maybe because a well designed power steering and power brake system still provides excellent feedback? you end up with much improved vehicle interaction by running a quick steering ratio with power steering than you do with either a) a yacht steering wheel that gives you enough leverage to turn your manual…