Autoblog

Fido Approved: America's top ten pet-safe vehicles

Jonny Lieberman — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 19:41:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Safety

America's Top 10 Pet Safe vehicles - Click above for high-res image gallery

Most people don't pay it any mind, but car accidents and pets don't mix. Just like with humans, wrapping your car around a telephone pole can kill Fido dead. Or really injure the cute little guy. To draw attention to this issue, a website called Bark Buckle Up has teamed up with Edmunds.com to bring us their Top 10 Pet Safe Vehicles.

As Bark Buckle Up points out, "If you have an accident at 35 mph while toting your 60-pound unrestrained dog, your pet is capable of causing an impact of up to 2,700 pounds, slamming into the seat, the windshield, or even a passenger." Ouch. Now of course, if you have an eight pound pooch, that's only a 360 pound impact. We say "only" to illustrate how violent car crashes can be. And just imagine if you had a really big dog, like a Dogo Argentino. Assuming you got a big 160-pound satin-white boar hunter, the impact would be near the four ton range.

What do the following ten vehicles do to address pets flying through the windshield in a crash? Very little, and we don't want to get into the delusion that CUVs are somehow safer than cars. But they all offer nice amenities for pets -- stuff like room to stretch out, tri-zone climate control, fold flat rear seats, side impact airbags and rear back up cameras. As for an accident, you might want to invest in a doggy seat belt. Says Bark Buckle Up founder Christina Selter, "In the event of a sudden stop or accident, the animal can injure other passengers or be thrown through the windshield, then hinder the efforts of rescue workers or even cause another accident by escaping into the street." All ten vehicles are listed out in alphabetical order, so check 'em out in our gallery below.

Gallery: Top 10 Pet Safe Vehicles

[Source: Bark Buckle Up]

Fido Approved: America's top ten pet-safe vehicles originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 26 Aug 2009 19:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lambdas get IIHS Top Pick rating

Dan Roth — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 07:58:00 EST

Filed under: Safety, Crossover, Buick, Chevrolet, GMC, Saturn

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety took some GMC Acadias and smashed them up to see how the big crossovers hold up against immovable objects, and unlike recent tests conducted for the Chevy Equinox and Pontiac Torrent, the news is positive. An AWD Acadia SLE acted as a stand-in for all of the Lambda models - Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse, Saturn Outlook, and all Acadia trims included. It didn't matter whether the IIHS attacked the front, side, or rear - the CUV earned a "good" rating in all directions. With the standard fitment of Stabilitrak, the IIHS also bestowed a Top Safety Pick crown on GM's big haulers. The Lambas now have both a five-star rating from the NHTSA and a Top Safety Pick designator about which to brag.

[Source: Inside Line]

Lambdas get IIHS Top Pick rating originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 27 Aug 2008 07:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GMC cutting next-gen Acadia and Lambda-based SUT?

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 12:59:00 EST

Filed under: Truck, Plants/Manufacturing, Crossover, Chevrolet, GMC, Rumormill

General Motor's "commercial grade" truck unit may be losing two of its planned products, leaving some to contemplate the future of the nameplate in general. It's too early to consider GMC dead, but with the apparent cancellation of the next-generation Acadia CUV as well as the planned unibody truck inspired by the Denali XT Concept, GMC dealers are likely left wondering what, beyond the new GMC Terrain, they are supposed to be selling in the next few years. We're not all that sad to see the Acadia go as the Chevy Traverse is a better looking overall package and it makes more sense to offer the CUV as a Chevrolet anyway. What's more, with most GMC dealers also offering Buick vehicles, they'll still have the Enclave to offer potential customers.

Current rumors also predict an end to the Saturn Outlook, the slowest seller of the original Lambda-based trio, which would leave the Enclave and the Traverse as the two remaining GM crossovers. There still seems to be a good chance that Chevrolet will get an SUT based off the platform as well, so nothing too important seems to have been lost with this decision.

[Source: GM Inside News]

GMC cutting next-gen Acadia and Lambda-based SUT? originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 30 Jun 2008 12:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GM laying off 1,000 workers at Lansing crossover plant

Chris Shunk — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 09:01:00 EST

Filed under: Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Crossover, Buick, GMC, Saturn, UAW/Unions

GM's Lambda crossover vehicles are selling well, yet the company has decided to cut one of three shifts at its Lansing plant where the vehicles are produced. The move will cut 1,000 jobs by the end of the year, of which 497 were temporary anyway. The remaining 510 low-seniority workers will either be sent to another plant, or they will enter the jobs bank. The Buick Enclave, Saturn Outlook, and GMC Acadia have sold at an average of 13,000 units per month for the past few months, and the Enclave has been sitting on dealer lots just a bit less than a month before selling. The Detroit News quoted GM spokesman Tom Wickham as saying that demand is not slacking, and that the third shift was viewed as a temporary measure to meet initial demand for three vehicles.

[Source: Detroit News]

GM laying off 1,000 workers at Lansing crossover plant originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 23 Oct 2007 09:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lutz lets a bit of Edmunds survey slip, GM takes 13 first place picks

Chris Tutor — Fri, 04 May 2007 09:24:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying

Sometimes news is just too good to keep to yourself. Just ask GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz. With his company supposedly claiming 13 spots on Edmund's Consumers' Most Wanted list, Lutz just had to brag a bit on the corporate blog before the winners were made public.

And he should brag. Most other car of the year awards are chosen by us automotive writers who usually prefer horsepower over hip room. As the name implies, Edmund's CMW awards are chosen by the car-buying public. And despite not voting with their wallets, the car-buying public who visits Edmund's really like their GMs.

The GMC Acadia got Most Significant vehicle of the year, beating out Honda's Fit, the Toyota Camry Hybrid, the Ford Edge and the Toyota Tundra.

Click through to see Edmund's press release as well as the other category winners.

[Source: Edmunds, GM FastLane Blog]

Continue reading Lutz lets a bit of Edmunds survey slip, GM takes 13 first place picks

Lutz lets a bit of Edmunds survey slip, GM takes 13 first place picks originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 04 May 2007 09:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AutoWeek drives the 2008 Buick Enclave first

Frank Filipponio — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 13:33:00 EST

Filed under: Crossover, Buick

click above image for more high-res pics of the 2008 Buick Enclave

Thinking outside the box a bit, AutoWeek figured that if a customer can drive down to his or her local Buick dealer and purchase a new 2008 Buick Enclave, there's no good reason to wait until GM's embargo on ride evaluations lifts at the end of May before having a go at one themselves. So they visited a local dealer, test drove one and reported the findings for those of us interested in learning about this highly anticipated new Buick ASAP. There was a bit of backlash the last time AutoWeek did this when they reviewed the 2007 Chevy Silverado well ahead of its embargo lifting, but we'll have to wait and see if anyone, including GM, cares much this time. Embargo breaking seems to be the norm these days and the rules are ever-changing. So what did they think of the Enclave?

Follow the jump for the rest of the summary, and make sure you click through the read link for the full write-up.

[Source: AutoWeek]

Gallery: 2008 Buick Enclave

Continue reading AutoWeek drives the 2008 Buick Enclave first

AutoWeek drives the 2008 Buick Enclave first originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 24 Apr 2007 13:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GM recalls Saturn Outlook and GMC Acadia for faulty airbag sensors

John Neff — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 18:02:00 EST

Filed under: Recalls, Crossover, GM, GMC, Saturn

The KickingTires blog at Cars.com is reporting GM has recalled its new 2007 Saturn Outlook and GMC Acadia full-size CUVs for potentially faulty airbag sensors. The problem is reportedly software related, meaning it can be fixed with a trip to the dealer and a quick patch, but every single unit sold since they went on sale in December is affected by the recall. Letters went out yesterday to owners of the Saturn Outlook and will be sent on February 28th for GMC Acadia owners.

This is not a recall mandated by the NHTSA, but rather one initiated by GM itself after the problem was discovered internally. The potentialy faulty sensor in question controls the front airbags' deployment. While this potentially faulty sensor in the Outlook and Acadia could cause injury, GM apparently caught it quickly and the fix should be cheap, easy and fast for them to apply to every vehicle affected by the recall.

[Source: KickingTires.com]

GM recalls Saturn Outlook and GMC Acadia for faulty airbag sensors originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 23 Feb 2007 18:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chicago Auto Show: MotorWeek Drivers Choice Awards

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 19:58:00 EST

Filed under: Chicago Auto Show, Chevrolet, GMC, Honda, Hyundai, Infiniti, Jaguar, Kia, Lexus, Porsche, Saturn, Toyota

We must admit that we were a bit surprised that MotorWeek's award for "Best Car of the Year" went to the Honda Fit. But, we suppose that it, uh, fits. We know, that was way too easy - feel free to mock us in the comments, we can take it. Here is the complete list of winners:

Best of the Year: Honda Fit
Best Small Car: wait for it... Honda Fit
Best Family Sedan: Saturn Aura
Best Minivan: Hyundai Entourage/Kia Sedona
Best Convertible: Volkswagen Eos
Best Luxury Sedan: Lexus LS
Best Sports Sedan: Infiniti G35
Best Performance Car: Ford Shelby GT500
Best Small Utility: Honda CR-V
Best Large Utility: Chevrolet Tahoe/GMC Yukon
Best Crossover Utility: GMC Acadia/Saturn Outlook
Best Pickup Truck: Chevrolet Silverado/GMC Sierra
Best Eco-Friendly: Toyota Motor Corporation
Best Dream Machine: Jaguar XKR, Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano, Porsche 911 Turbo

We can't say that we agree with many of these choices, but we didn't choose them, MotorWeek's editors did. We just typed them for your benefit, 'cause we're cool like that.

Chicago Auto Show: MotorWeek Drivers Choice Awards originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 07 Feb 2007 19:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bad motor mount halts sale of Saturn Outlook and GMC Acadia

Frank Filipponio — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 12:27:00 EST

Filed under: Crossover, GM

While we applaud carmakers that can streamline the design and production process to bring new vehicles to market quicker, we don't like thinking that they're skimping on the important stuff in the process. First Ford made all kinds of hoopla over their interesting and capable Edge (and it's Lincoln doppelganger, the MKX) only to have it delayed by production line "hiccups." That model is seen as being so important to Ford's future that we lauded the company for taking its time to fix the problems before it released the product. Fortunately production resumed relatively quickly and the CUVs have been leaving the plant at a healthy clip.

Now we learn that GM is going through a similar "hiccup" with their new crossovers, the Saturn Outlook and GMC Acadia. Unfortunately, this problem has presented itself after some of the vehicles have already been delivered to dealers, who have been instructed to hold the CUVs on lots until a fix can be applied.

The problem has been traced to a situation where water freezes atop one of the engine mounts, which can result in NVH issues. With only around 550 of the crossovers in dealer lots dealerships, it's not a huge problem; but it's these little things that can weigh heavily on consumers' minds. Drilling a few drainage holes will alleviate the water pooling and take care of the problem. The fix can be made right at the dealer according to the report. Sales should resume in a matter of days.

[Source: Automotive News, sub req]

Bad motor mount halts sale of Saturn Outlook and GMC Acadia originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 12 Dec 2006 12:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GMC Acadia will get Denali treatment plus V8

Scott Davis — Thu, 07 Dec 2006 16:01:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Crossover, Buick, GM, GMC

After a day behind the wheel of the new GMC Acadia crossover SUV, the folks at Popular Mechanics report some new information that snuck out in a conversation with a particularly chatty GM staffer.

He revealed that the Acadia will get the Denali treatment and, along with the usual trim level upgrades, a V8. The more interesting news is that the V8 under the hood of the Acadia Denali, and most assuredly the Buick Enclave as well, will be from an entirely new engine family being developed for transverse applications.

He stopped short of giving up specs, but the 3.6-liter V6 as tuned for use in the new crossovers makes 275 horsepower, so figure 300+ for sure. Hey General, how about 400?

Thanks to Ben at Popular Mechanics for the heads-up!

[Source: Ben Stewart / Popular Mechanics]

GMC Acadia will get Denali treatment plus V8 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 07 Dec 2006 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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What's in a name? GM wrestles with crossover designation

Frank Filipponio — Fri, 13 Oct 2006 16:02:00 EST

Filed under: Trends, SUV, Wagon, Crossover, GM

GM is apparently just as confused as the rest of us when it comes to naming that crossover/CUV/sport wagon/tall-wagon-thingy sitting in the driveway. In general, a crossover is a unibody vehicle that looks like an SUV, but handles and gets fuel mileage more like a car. SUVs are body-on-frame vehicles, generally built on a truck platform. The differences are sometimes minute, but that is only part of the problem. The bigger problem here is what to call this segment as a whole.

In the early days of SUVs, some people called all of them Jeeps. They were trucks for passenger vehicle duty, exemplified by the Jeep Cherokee. As more manufacturers started offering them, a slew of nicknames popped up to represent the segment, but SUV ended up being the one that stuck. Despite the fact that "sport" more often refers to what you can do with the stuff you are hauling, rather than how the thing drives.

So now we are faced with a similar dilemma in the emerging crossover category. GM ad execs are trying to figure out the best way to pitch their new entries in the field. GM has three new crossovers (the Saturn Outlook, GMC Acadia and Buick Enclave) coming out at the end of the year that they are not sure how to label. "We changed the SRX advertising for Cadillac earlier this summer to call it a crossover," Mike Jackson, GM North America's vice president of marketing and advertising, said in an interview with Automotive News.

Read on for more after the jump...

[Source: Autoweek]

Continue reading What's in a name? GM wrestles with crossover designation

What's in a name? GM wrestles with crossover designation originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 13 Oct 2006 16:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Seven models for 2007 that could change everything

Erin Mays — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 06:51:00 EST

Filed under: Trends, Minivan/Van, Sedan, SUV, Truck, Crossover

It's crunch time in the auto industry, there's no doubt about that. The Detroit Free Press' Mark Phelan paints the picture in the simplest -- yet starkest -- terms possible when he lays out the seven models that can make or break the profits of the major automakers.

Chevrolet Silverado: Chevy's best-selling pick-up accounts for a HUGE amount of sales and market share for General Motors, and despite its class-leading fuel economy, gas prices and other factors are shifting buyers away from full-size pick-ups.

Toyota Tundra: This full-size pickup supplies jobs to thousands of people in Indiana and Texas, true, but its real significance is as a market share cannibal to the Dodge Ram, Ford F-150 and Chevrolet Silverado. The difference is that Toyota doesn't need the Tundra to make it, but the Big 3 need their trucks to do well in order to stabilize.

Ford Edge: It's one of just a few new Ford vehicles hitting the market this year, while other automakers like Toyota and Chrysler seem to have one vehicle after another hitting the streets and infiltrating consumers' consciousnesses. More importantly, the Edge's job is to pick up those customers leaving their Explorers and other larger trucks behind.

Honda Accord: With the new Camry out, it's easy to see that Honda must step it up with the Accord to keep its status as the better-designed, better-performing alternative to the Toyota Camry. The Koreans may not be hot on Honda's heels yet in terms of sales, but with the bold(er) design of the Camry and the less expensive Hyundai and Kia models to choose from, Honda has a tall order to fill with next year's Accord.

Nissan Altima: Nissan might have experienced a comeback thanks to risky design and impressive performance. The Altima? Not so much, at least as of late. Nissan's got a lot on its plate if it wants to put itself back on the import sedan map.

Chrysler Town and Country/Dodge Caravan: It survived the SUV craze, but can it survive crossovers? And more importantly, can it survive the import minivan craze? The Chrysler Town & Country is a pillar of strength for Chrysler, but it will be hard-pressed to stay there.

Buick Enclave/GMC Acadia/Saturn Outlook: They're GM's answer to the Honda Pilot, Toyota Highlander and Lexus RX330, and critics say they have the styling and fuel economy to be true contenders. Considering the importance of the segment, GM seems to be putting its best foot forward.

[Source: Detroit Free Press]

Seven models for 2007 that could change everything originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 05 Sep 2006 06:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Spy Shots: 2008 Buick Enclave

John Neff — Wed, 19 Jul 2006 07:02:00 EST

Filed under: Spy Photos, SUV, Buick

We've seen the 2007 Saturn Outlook. We've seen the 2007 GMC Acadia. We've been waiting on the final member of this triad, and while General Motors hasn't officially unveiled the 2008 Buick Enclave, we do have these excellent spy shots from Cheers and Gears. Not only do these shots show an exterior that differs little from the Buick Enclave concept that debuted at the 2006 Detroit auto show, but we also get a peek at the interior, which looks markedly more luxurious than its down market siblings. C&G is reporting that while the Enclave will share virtually all of its mechanicals with Outlook and Acadia, including a 3.6-liter V6 and six-speed automatic, GM is keeping a V8 in reserves for the 2009 model year that will put even more distance between the Enclave and its Lambda platform mates.

[Source: Cheers and Gears]

Spy Shots: 2008 Buick Enclave originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 19 Jul 2006 07:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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