Car and Driver new RL review

[SLSduke82]

http://www.caranddriver.com/article....&page_number=1

Another member on here pointed me to the new C&D article. It compares the RL, Cobalt, SRT-4, WRX, and RSX.

And ranked them in that order. The imports seem to have won, again.

I still like my RL

I think the one sentence describing the SRT-4 was hilarious:

The Dodge was a perfect marvel on our Ohio handling loop and a perfect nightmare on the drive down—hobbled by the omnipresent lawn-mower exhaust drone, the let's-get-it-on ride, the rock-hard brake pedal, the torque steer off the line, the dense steering at low speeds, and the onlookers who assume you're a sociopath looking for a school bus to ram.

So...discuss!

--Jon

[DrKb00sT]

I'll have to check that link out. I love these comparisons that are going on. Last one had the RSX at the top of the list and the RL on the end. Sometimes I wonder why I read them but then I remember I just can't help myself. Thanks for the post.

[urbanmonkeygod04]

That Car & Driver review was more than a little skewed - they just beat up on GM cars and are always worshipping the damn "H" (as in Honda, or in this case, "A" as in Acura, but close enough). They even preface the comparo with a "don't send hate mail" line. Pathetic.

I am really losing respect for that car magazine; the imagine if they think it's one way, that's the be-all-end-all and they're right. Personally, I wouldn't trade my Redline for an RSX any day - they're too vanilla, you see them everywhere, and nobody cares.

I really did like that line about the SRT-4 though, that's witty at least.

[Vita]

they also concluded the Cobalt to have the worst torque steer (via GPS, as opposed to SRT) in an old articlce, so i don't want to know what they think of the RL. (was that C&D?)

[SLSduke82]

Originally Posted by DrKb00sT

I'll have to check that link out. I love these comparisons that are going on. Last one had the RSX at the top of the list and the RL on the end. Sometimes I wonder why I read them but then I remember I just can't help myself. Thanks for the post.

By ranked in that order, I meant the RL got last place, the RSX first

[Kevinedwards05]

Well it's a given that the Saturn will rank last regardless. When GM first decided to build the Saturn Sky, they built the model, and left all brand insignia's off of the car. They asked a group of people how they felt about GM releasing this particular car. Out of a possible 5.0 ranking, it received a 4.5. The same day, they installed the Saturn insignia on the vehicle, and asked the same question of a same size group of people. The ranking was a 3.0. When asked why, the answer came as a generalization that the quality of a Saturn was extremely lacking, followed by a slow responsiveness to incorporate TSB's and recall campaigns on their vehicles. I was in a meeting with the General Manager of the company I work for this week, and he used this particular instance to clarify how important it is to Brand your product, and follow through with excellence in quality and customer support. Yeah, a lot of these magazines are biased, but more so because of the stereotypical look at a Saturn from the start.

[SLSduke82]

And that, Kev, makes beating other cars--whenever we beat them--all the more fun, and even keeping up with cars people look upon "positively."

They should have a sleeper rating, too

[DrKb00sT]

Originally Posted by SLSduke82

By ranked in that order, I meant the RL got last place, the RSX first

Yeah I started readind and realized I'd read blurbs on this article before,lol. I thought it was a new one or something. Silly me,lol.

[Kevinedwards05]

I agree with you on that. I just wish Saturn would do something with these things to boost their image, and boost the desire to make aftermarket parts for it. I had the priviledge of putting my RL against a Lamborghini this weekend. Knowing there was no way I could even begin to keep up, but wanting to have the fun none the less, I cut her loose from a stop. The Lambo was gone by the time my tires stopped spinning. A second run from a 30 mph roll, and I was watching the lambo quickly disappear from sight. What rich people's kids do with their money....lol. I can only dream of a ride like that. Still fun though.

[dipolley]

Another good example with the Saturn brand lacking is our insurance. When I first got my RL it was not in the insurance system so they made it a QC3 instead. I went to progressive and my insurence went down almost $80 a month. 6 months later it went up $30. I asked why, and the lady told me that "Saturn doesn't make sports cars. it took us a while to catch on to what a redline actually is." And that is why my rates went up. I did enjoy it when they didn't have a clue. LOL. How much would we all be payig if we had Mustangs, or RSX, or WRX, or evo, ETC?