http://www.leftlanenews.com/2007/02/...ino-to-return/

 

Holden VZ Ute:





It's a coin toss really. As much as I'd love to see both the Holden and Aussie Ford Utes sold stateside as reborn El Caminos/Caballeros and Rancheros respectively I just don't see it happening for several reasons.

1. I don't think there's enough of a market for either car here to justify selling them in the states. In Oz they're basically marketed as light trucks which is fine for Oz, but as we all know ladder frame, leaf spring sporting light/medium trucks from both Japan and the Big 3 are what killed the Elky here in the US to begin with.

2. The Subaru Baja didn't exactly sell too well which doesn't help the Ute's case (although the Baja was poorly marketed and underpowered from the get go).

3. While it was stupid for GM brass to think that there was a market for it in the first place, the SSR despite being more expensive than the Ute was a flop and a half. While there's a pretty big price difference between that of the Ute and the SSR the latter's lack of sales still doesn't do much to help the former's chances of being sold here.

4. While there are a lot of poseurs out there who buy trucks because they demand RWD and because for a long time GMs car lineup looked like **** it might seem like there's room for the Ute here at first. However consider that folks who might consider buying a 362hp Ute will also have the option of a similarly powered RWD Impala, possibly a new Monte Carlo, a 400hp Camaro, the G8, the GTO and a new RWD Buick. To me I think GM is better off deuglyfying the Colorado and shoving an LS2 under the hood of that thing for people who want the function of a bed and the power of a small block.

The only way I can possibly see GM selling the Ute here is

1. by discontinuing the Monte Carlo and making room in Chevy's lineup for another RWD 2 door vehicle. To me the biggest competition for a reborn Elky with a 362hp V8 that drives like a car is a reborn Monte Carlo with the same engine and seating for 4-5. The Colorado is a midsizer now so there is room beneath it for an affordable light car/truck but I think buyers would shy away from the El Camino if they could just get a Monte Carlo with similar performance for around the same price.

2. sell the 2 door Ute out of GMC dealerships as a halo vehicle. GMC has always been a Chevy trucks copycat anyway. Give the brand something to distinguish itself from the rest of GMs makes. Yes the Caballero is not as well remembered as the Elky but if that's the case then come up with a new name. Honestly I think GMC would be the perfect place to sell the Ute here in the states. Chevy is getting the Camaro and possibly a new Monte. Pontiac has a new GTO in the pipe and the smaller FWD G6 Coupe. 2 Coupes on one lot is more than enough these days. The Ute would be a Niche market product if it were sold here being that it's a strict two seater so why not give the only brand that doesn't have a 2 seater (besides Buick) a toy of their own?

3. sell the more practical 4 door Holden Crewman out of Chevy or GMC dealerships. However if GM goes with the 4 door Crewman, now the competition for the car/truck crossover becomes the midsize Colorado/Canyon.

Yah I'm a total Holden ***** which is how I know about the Crewman.

Holden VZ Crewman SS:







Finally, keep in mind that while the VE Commodore is all new Holden intends to keep the Ute and the Crewman on the older VZ architecture for a few more years as according to them they want the focus to be on the sedan. In other words GM is broke *** right now and since the Utes are the utilitarian workhorses of the Holden lineup they can be a little lazy with these cars and the folks who buy them wont mind too much.

 

 

That is the best thing I've heard in a long time.

Late in 2003 I special ordered a 2wd ZQ8 S10 Ext cab, with the 4.3L and 5-speed. That was a damned fun little truck. Later on, after the ZQ8 Colorados hit the market, I test drove one with the 5cyl and 5-speed. What a joke, it was sooo slow. My S10 came with 3.08's, and this Colorado had 3.42's, yet there was NO comparison. I've never even looke at another Colorado since.

Sad thing is my parents 6cyl TB is a good running suv. Why is it the 5cyl's suck so bad?

 

Because inline 5 cylinder motors should be left to people who know how to build inline 5 cylinder motors. You know like Volvo and up until the mid 90s Audi.

Yah I know it's comparing apples to oranges, but the 315hp 2.2L turbo 5 banger Audi dropped into its RS2 with some help from Porsche during the mid 90s eats that piece of **** under the Colorado's hood for lunch. Again I know, apples to oranges.

 

Utes are in no-way comparable to the SSR. The SSR cost over twice as much as a Ute SS would. Not to mention the Ute can handle more work and plays harder, it only weighs 3,500 lbs. It's Holden's best car.

Holden Ute SS (two-door)
Curb Weight - 3,582 lbs
Max Payload - 1,433 lbs
Max Towing - 3,527 lbs

Holden Crewman SS (four-door)
Curb Weight - 4,049 lbs
Max Payload - 1,543 lbs
Max Towing - 5,511 lbs

I had the pleasure of driving a VY Ute SS when I was in Sydney a few years ago and it blew me away. It is an exceptional car. I would have purchased one instead of a GTO had GM been selling it here.

The Ute has many advantages. It's cheaper and lighter than the Monaro was (and the Commodore too) and performed better. It also does most of what a truck will do with none of the drawbacks like gross handling and horrible fuel consumption.

One other big plus, the Ute has loads style. It would be completely unique on our roads.

I understand GM's reluctance to stick an old name on the Ute, but I really doubt the El Camino name has the same iconic reverence and fanatical following the GTO name does. Selling it as a GMC would be incredibly stupid. The GMC brand should not be diluted by selling cars. Make no mistake, the Ute IS a car.





It's got Chevrolet written all over it, even the old ones look like perfect El Caminos with the bowties Australians put on them.

I don't see why Chevrolet couldn't move 30,000 of these a year easily. That's not many cars and it's about all Holden has the capacity to build.

 

HOT ROD and GMHTP summed it up best when they drove the Ute SS a few years ago.

------

By Jeff Koch
Photography: David Freiburger, Jeff Koch

This is the Holden Utility SS, built by GM’s Australia-based branch for its home market. We had one for a day in LA before it was sent back to Oz; GM reps gave us a laundry list of unofficial reasons this car will probably never come to this country. We’ve got our own list of why it should.

1. Chevy Would Sell the Hell Out of It: We drove one around Southern California for a day right after Power Tour ended, and if we had a dollar for every Power Tourer who told us they’d buy one, we could buy one ourselves. If they felt the need, Chevy could limit U.S. production—say, 25,000 a year—and send demand skyrocketing. It’d be an instant legend.

2. Body Style Choice: Holden of Australia builds and sells two-door Monaro coupes, four-door Commodore sedans and wagons, and the snazzy Utility hybrid seen here. Substitute Camaro for Monaro, Chevelle for Commodore, and El Camino for Utility, maybe Nomad for Commodore wagon, and you’d have a marketing coup that would have the 800,000-odd readers of this magazine screaming for the nearest Chevy dealer, cash in hand.

3. Rear-Wheel Drive: This could be the car that HOT ROD readers have been clamoring for since the Impala SS went away. Corvettes are beyond the affordability of most people reading this; like the girls in Playboy, Vettes are made of plastic and are nice to look at, but not many readers get to take one home. And Camaros, for all their good points, have about a year left to live, partly because not every kid with a speed jones can afford an insurance payment that tops their monthly car payment. What else does Chevy offer? The SSR? If you’re one of the 10,000 people who can get one in their first year of production and feel like waiting until 2003, sure. The rest of us want something now.

4. V-8 Power: In fact, it’s the same 5.7L LS1 V-8 under the hood of your Camaro and Corvette, but detuned to about 300 hp. In our test, it delivered 260-odd horsepower at the rear wheels thanks in part to restrictive inlet and exhaust systems. A quick spin around the block taught us that, seat of the pants, our 4L60E-backed Phantom (black metallic) Utility SS wasn’t as outright quick as a comparable F-body, but then between the restrictive plumbing and the extra weight, we didn’t expect it would be. And it’s nothing that can’t be changed. Which leads us to….

5. There’s Already a Speed-Parts Aftermarket: The Australian supercar will respond to any LS1 bolt-on, from pulleys to, say, just dropping a 385-horse LS6 in and being done with it. The trannies are the same, too: The T56 six-speed is available, as is the 4L60E four-speed auto with overdrive. Exhaust companies would spit out less restrictive bolt-on systems faster than you can say “see you at SEMA.”

6. Chevy Likes to Sell Trucks. Buyers Dig Trucks. Here’s a Truck: Singling out the Utility SS in particular, it hauls 1,500 pounds worth of stuff in its 7-foot bed. (More utilitarian models will haul 1,800 pounds.) In a recent lunch meeting we had with some Chevy marketing guys in Detroit, they were disappointed to note that HOT ROD doesn’t do much with trucks. Guys, here’s a truck that we’ll gladly be all over—the new Avalanche, 8100 engine or not, ain’t quite our bag.

7. It Rides and Handles Good, Like a Car Should: Again singling out the Utility, since it’s the one we got to drive, having a B-body-like 115.7-inch wheelbase helps smooth out the bumps. Nothing with a wheelbase that long, especially a two-seater, should be included in a recipe for hot cornering, but it’s far firmer in the twisties than a comparable-length ’90s Impala SS. Again, no one’s going to pretend it corners like an F-body, but for something with a ¾-ton payload, the Utility is an eye-opener. The control and confidence you feel on any surface other than fresh tarmac is thanks largely to the fully independent rear suspension. There’s no protest, as there might be with a solid axle with lateral and gravitational forces pulling in different directions simultaneously; each wheel simply does its own thing, gets the power down, and you’re gone. Though a solid axle will always be top choice on the strip, for everyday driving, an independent setup is so much more comfortable to deal with. It’s got a tad of wheelhop, but we’re sure the aftermarket could solve that, too.

8. It’s Got Comfort and Quality: There’s plenty of room for all shapes and sizes of drivers and passengers in what looks, from the outside, to be a diminutive cabin. Head, leg, and elbow room are all fine, even with a couple of widebody staffers in the comfy red leather SS seats. Simple, modern design encourages the faultless ergonomics (even driving on the wrong side of the cabin). No new design ground is being broken, and as a result there’s nothing that looks freaky; the photo just looks like we’ve flipped it the wrong way ’round. Even the plastics and switchgear feel a notch or two above standard GM U.S. fare. The red gauges and seats are a bit much for the staff’s tastes (and that speedo is in kilometers, not miles, per hour—sorry), but that’s about it for criticism inside.

9. It Looks Bloody Fantastic: No, it doesn’t have the chiseled edges of (insert your favorite ’60s car here that this will never be as good as, no matter what). Yes, it’s modern. We’re in the 21st century. Most of us are OK with that.

10. It’s Affordable: You know, $36,490 sounds like a lot of money until you realize it’s in Australian dollars. A V-8 SS Utility (with stick or automatic, your choice) clocks in at less than $19,000 U.S. That’s cheaper than a Camaro, plus you can chuck more stuff in the back, whether it’s cargo, as with the Utility, or people, as with the Commodore and Monaro. A stick V-6 Ute (the tried-and-true 3.8L, also American-sourced) is about $12,000 U.S.—or the same money as a Focus… or a Cavalier. Ahem.

11. Minimal Engineering Dollars Are Needed for Federalization: It’s complete and on sale now. The engines are built in America and shipped to Australia, so clearly the powertrains can be tweaked to our own particular emissions specifications. Plus, did you know that Holden builds lefthand-drive versions of the Commodore and its variants? Saudi Arabia buys Holdens by the shipload: They’re badged as Chevrolets there, and are sold with Bow Ties on the hood. The only catch could conceivably be crash-testing, but Commodore is on a global GM platform (shared with the current Cadillac Catera), so the basics are already in place. (Or just equip ’em with ’roo bars.) Compare the cost of getting Holdens to pass U.S. crash regs to the cost of the emergency last-minute facelift on the ’02 Aztek.

12. Enthusiast Buzz Would Be Everywhere: The Chevrolet name would be on everyone’s lips as America’s bargain performance division, and it would set the market on its ear. This thing would drive traffic to the showroom, thereby (in theory) selling Cavaliers to every kid who aspires to own a Ute in a few years. It’s a smaller step from Cavalier to Commodore than it is to Corvette. Plus, thanks to Internet chat rooms, they would practically sell themselves via the hype machine. GM might look to one of its satellites, Subaru, for a parallel. After years of hype, the turbocharged, all-wheel-drive WRX has been unleashed in this country (see Roddin’ at Random, Aug. ’01). Dealers are charging thousands over sticker for the few they get, and the little bug-eyed beasts are turning up in enthusiasts’ hands nationwide. Why? Right car, right price, right time, right hype—hype that the car more than lives up to. Think it couldn’t happen with the Ute?

13. It Rocks: But then, you already knew that.

 

If it makes you mad that GM's most affordable performance cars are off limits to Americans, then don't read this.

By Johnny Hunkins
Photography: Johnny Hunkins

When I first laid eyes on the 2001 Holden SS Ute, I thought I had died and gone to car-guy heaven. Stylistically, it's a cross between a Chevy El Camino and a 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix. Mechanically, it's a cross between a Camaro Z28 and a C5 Corvette. Checkbookwise, it's the equivalent of $20,000 US dollars. The only problem is that you can't buy one--here.

Holden, GM's Australian division, has been making bad-*** cars for years. The fuel crunches of the '70s and '80s that so crippled the American performance car market never hit Australia, and as a result many of the tarmac pounders that crawl the streets Down Under perform like the musclecars of yore. Think of it like this: Australia is just like the United States, only it's been in a cool parallel universe for the past 25 years. There, automakers like GM and Ford make car-guy cars at a price virtually everyone can afford.

The SS Ute is a member of Holden's rear wheel drive family of cars known generally as the Commodore/Calais line-up. (The current Holden range also contains a slew of other cars, which we'll explain later on.) This means they all share similar (if not identical) chassis, suspensions, powertrains, and styling. In understanding the Holden vehicle line, it helps to abandon your current notion of American platform engineering and branding; most of GM's US cars have totally different platforms, manufacturing plants, powertrains and styling, which means less economy of scale, subcontracting and shipping nightmares, lots of marketing tomfoolery, and extra cost passed on to you and me. The Aussies cut right to the meat of things: the cars are all the same, so pick your price/trim level and pick your engine (think Chevrolet circa 1957).

The SS Ute is an engineering marvel, considering its modest cost. Like all rear wheel drive Holdens, it's based on the unit-body GM2800 platform, which is a highly-evolved Opel Omega chassis. Sharp readers will recall that the current Cadillac Catera is based on the GM2800, albeit with an emasculated Opel 3.0-liter engine. Among the SS Ute's technological goodies are a fully independent suspension (that's right, the SS Ute has IRS, like all the vehicles in the Commodore VX range), traction control, ABS, a 312-hp LS1 V8, and your choice of 4L60E automatic or T-56 manual 6-speed transmission.

If it's starting to sound like the Ute SS is a souped-up modern-day El Camino, you'd be right. With a curb weight of 3574 lbs., the 225kW (312-hp) Camaro-spec LS1 easily pushes this little truckster to high 13s, that's with an automatic trans and numerically-low 3.08 gears according to our smug Australian friends. The unfairness of it all jumped right in our face when we had the miraculous opportunity to drive an SS Ute for most of the day. The chance came during an innocuous press junket sponsored by Vortec Powertrain. The invitation to fly down to beautiful Pasadena was ostensibly to introduce us to the 2002 Z06 Corvette (which we'll drag test for you at a later date) and to sample such inspired Vortech-powered products as industrial fork lifts and swamp boats. As an afterthought, one of the few remaining fun-loving GM techies (a Motorsports guy if you must know) had the presence of mind to snag a 2001 Holden SS Ute which had concurrently completed some hot-weather testing at the Mesa, Arizona proving grounds.

Considering that this sole pilot-line vehicle was shipped to the US at great expense to GM, we were surprised that our request was granted, so we made the most of our one-day shore leave. We immediately squirted off to the Angeles National Forest near Glendora, California for some impromptu testing on some curvy mountain roads. We found out just how good the IRS and the four-wheel vented disc brakes in the Ute SS really are, and that's saying something considering that we were a bit woozy driving from the "wrong" side of the car. Within 30 seconds, I was acclimated to the right-hand drive. It's not really that hard to get used to; the position of the turn stalk on the right side of the steering column was the only freaky thing to remember. (We're guessing a manual 6-speed would take a little more getting used to--perhaps a minute or two.) Most fun of all was heading back to civilization after the photo shoot. We cruised through the streets of Glendora, West Covina and Pasadena on a Friday night and got tons of stares and compliments.

The first thing people are blown over by is the Ute's good looks. Then they realize that nobody is driving the car. Then they realize that the passenger is really the driver; that's when the light bulb turns on and the questions start coming in like a Vietcong artillery salvo. The most memorable moment was pulling up to the valet parking attendant at the Ritz-Carlton in Pasadena. The look on the attendant's face was priceless as he mentally masticated over the thought of parking this job while sitting in the "passenger seat." Hell, the shock value of a right-hand drive alone is worth owning one here in the US!One other thing: we actually got a chance to drag test the SS Ute. A makeshift 1/8-mile drag strip had been set up in the parking lot of Irwindale Speedway. (Bad idea guys, let's stick to roundy-round!) Using a vacuum-tube timing system which was undoubtedly left over from the original Irwindale Dragway, we clocked a lackluster 9.70 at 76 mph. (That was with a really hot motor and lots of non-driving newspaper suits flogging it before us.) Did we mention no traction compound or even a burn box? Obviously, under proper testing conditions, we have no doubt that the SS Ute could pound off innumerable 13-second ETs given its power and weight.

Are You "Holden" On?

The parking lot of the Irwindale Speedway made for a lousy drag strip, but we gave it the old college try anyway and came away with a 9.70/76. That's way off the pace for a 13-second run, but we had to share it with about 40 other American journalists, all of whom had to do a gratuitous burnout.

We must admit that our experience with the Holden SS Ute was our first introduction to anything Holden. However, we didn't feel so bad about our ignorance when we discovered that nobody at the GM press function knew a damn thing about it either. Our research data came via the world wide web, largely through www.holden.com.au. (The "au" tells your computer to look at Australian sites. Don't forget to punch it in on your browser!)

What we immediately discovered is that the Australian market--and Holden in particular--is literally jam-packed with performance bargains. We became giddy with the possibilities. Literally the entire mid-size and large car range at Holden is available with a choice of two killer engines.

Turns out the LS1 isn't the only performance powertrain. Just under the 225kW LS1 (called alternately the Generation III V8 or the Heritage V8 in Australia), is the Ecotec supercharged V6. Rated at 171 kW (that's 240 hp for us Yanks), the Ecotec supercharged V6 is none other than the Eaton-inflated 3.8-liter Buick V6 found in the Pontiac Grand Prix GTP and the Regal GS. The big difference is that it's driven by the proper wheels via a Hydramatic 4L60E. Even more exciting is that next year's Australian version of the blown V6 will be uprated to 200 kW (approximately 270 hp) and be available with a 5-speed tiptronic automatic trans. The combination of Holden cars and powertrains is staggering. It's like the old days when you checked off the order blank with whatever engine you wanted. You can get pretty much every car in the line-up with any engine, from the bottom of the line Executive VX, to the top of the line Caprice. Make sure you're sitting down for this next one--preferrably with a box of tissues: We priced out a Holden Executive VX (the entry-level four-door sedan) with the 312-hp LS1, automatic four-speed trans, air conditioning, power windows and door locks, dual airbags (they're optional in Australia), traction control, limited slip differential, FE2 performance suspension, standard IRS, and cop-sized 205/65R15 tires (for the sleeper look) and came up with a list price equivalent to $19,730 US dollars. Un-frigging-believable.

 

Why so cheap? Other than a trio of econo boxes, GM's entire vehicle line-up in Australia is based on this one platform--the Opel Omega-derived GM2800. Australia being a modest-sized market (only 19 million blokes total), GM correctly decided to limit the number of platforms to keep costs down. Costs are further reduced by importing all of its engines from the US--the number of those also being limited to just three across the entire Commodore line. (The entry level is the Ecotec V6, a renamed naturally-aspirated 3800 Buick, rated here at 200 hp.)

One last tidbit of heart-wrenching technical info. The powertrains for the LS1-powered Commodores are directly from the F-body parts bin, that is to say the engine and trans (both A4 and M6) are the same as Camaro and Firebird. There are only minor differences in calibration due to the reduced quality of Australian fuel.

Just Call It A Commodore

You wouldn't know from looking at the engine cover, but the SS Ute has a 312-hp LS1 under it. It's the same one that's in the F-body, but with a slightly different calibration. The engine cover, called a "turtle" by our Australian mates, causes heat build-up and reduced performance. Removing it is usually the first "mod" performed.

Like we said before, try not to get all confused by Holden nomenclature. If you really need help, there are web sites you can go to for enlightenment. We found the "Unofficial Commodore Archive" (www.uq.net.au~zznweber/commodore/index.html) to be extremely helpful in sorting out the names and dates. Also, Holden's official site (www.holden.com.au) gave us the low-down on the current VX range. ("Range" is an Australian term for "car line," but also makes additional inference to the year or years it was built.)

Here's a primer. Australians rarely refer to their Holdens by model year. They go by "range," also known as a "series." For instance, the LS1 made its first appearance in the Holden Commodore/Calais in 1998, which began the VT II series. The VT series (including VT I and VT II) ran from September 1997 to September 2000. We're now on the VX series (September 2000 to present). The next series will be the VY series. (Technically, the SS Ute is a VU series as it was designed just prior to the VX series, even though it was actually introduced to the public after the VX.) Series built previous to the VT offered Australian-specific powerplants (VP, 1991-1993; VR, 1993-1995; VS, 1995-1997), which is why until recently, Holdens rarely drew attention from American audiences. Now that GM is trying to share powertrains across its international divisions (i.e., LS1 Vortec and Buick V6), we now have reason to be curious--and envious, but we digress.

There is just one rearwheel drive platform at Holden, which is broken down into a short- and a long-wheelbase variant. The short wheelbase variant (at 2788mm) is the basis for the Executive Sedan, Acclaim Sedan, Commodore S, Commodore SS, Commodore Equipe Sedan, Berlina Sedan and Calais, while the long-wheelbase version (2939mm) is home to the Executive Wagon, Acclaim Wagon, Commodore Equipe Wagon, Berlina Wagon, Ute, S Ute, SS Ute, Statesman and top-of-the-line Caprice. Both short- and long-wheelbase RWD variants share the LS1 as either standard equipment or an available option. Every single one of them, we might add, features IRS and four-wheel disc brakes as standard equipment. Now imagine if you could get a 5.7-liter LS1 in everything from a Grand Prix SE to a Cadillac STS and you've pretty much got the picture.

One interesting idiosyncrasy about the RWD Holden line-up is that--with the exception of the Ute--all of them have at least four doors, a curious predilection in the Australian population towards practicality. Holden is currently readying a two-door version of the Commodore called the Monaro, whose entry into the market coincides not-so-coincidentally with the death of the Camaro and Firebird in 2003. (It also arrives simultaneously with a tiptronic 5-speed automatic which will be available on Holden's entire RWD range.) America is truly up the creek without a paddle when that happens.

Rubbing Salt In The Wound

It's kind of weird driving a right-hand drive car, but you get used to it in a hurry. You don't get used to the killer performance and outrageous good looks. Oh, those are leather seats, and the list price for a fully loaded Holden SS Ute is under $25,000 US.

Lest you think the US can't have a version of the Commodore or Caprice on account of the export cost or the inability to engineer a left-hand drive version, you would be absolutely incorrect.

We discovered that LHD versions of both are available in the Middle East. Citizens of OPEC nations can enter a Chevrolet showroom and drive off with a choice of an LS1-powered Lumina SS (basically a rebadged and desmogged Commodore SS) or an LS1-powered Caprice SS (see sidebar). Crash worthiness a problem you say? Nope. Holden has engineered side impact airbags for their RWD cars--an option which easily satisfies future US crash standards. So what in God's name is keeping GM from giving us the goods? We've asked them on several occasions, including at the Vortec Power press junket where we cornered several engineers at a posh cocktail party. As you might imagine, they were far more talkative about the Z06, which has a price tag more than twice as high as the SS Ute.

But there's always hope for the new Cadillac CTS (and more affordable domestics to be spun off from the upcoming Sigma platform) which will be built at GM's spanking new Lansing Grand River plant. Sigma, which is an evolutionary derivative of the GM2800, shares many engineering elements with the Holden RWD line and will appear in Cadillac showrooms sometime in 2003. A natural you might think for the LS1. The LS1 engine is built in nearby St. Catherines, they already fit like a glove into the Holden version, and we want 'em.

Unfortunately--for the foreseeable future--the only engine to be offered in the CTS is the relatively anemic, naturally-aspirated 3.2-liter Opel V6. That's a modest increase in displacement from the current 3.0-liter Opel in the current Catera, but it's a long, long way from a 5.7-liter LS1, or even the forthcoming supercharged 270-hp V6 Ecotec, which will be the mid-level engine in Holdens. We are totally miffed by this move in light of Cadillac's huge push into both motorsports and the highly-competitive European market. Will GM USA ever come to its senses and give us what we want, or will enthusiasts be driven in increasing numbers to new affordable competitors like the Subaru WRX, Focus SVT and Acura RSX? Right now, GM's affordable-performance gun is loaded with only one bullet: the Pontiac Vibe GT. We don't think it will be enough. Do you?