Let's collect some thoughts on how the rags slant coverage. I will write the scathing indictment if no one else wants to.
Here's a good example. In a CNN Money article that lists "10 great buys for college grads" they nitpick at the Saturn Aura's interior and slam all GM cars in general:
http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2007/autos/0705/gallery.starter_cars/index.html"The Aura doesn't look or drive like any Saturn - or any GM car, for that matter - you've tried before.
If you want to nitpick, there are some cheap plastics here and there. But there's real attention to detail in the Aura's warm and inviting cabin."
Now I'm all for calling it like it is with cars like the Chevy Trailblazer's awful interior. And I suppose a GM fan should be happy that a GM car even made the list. But like every positive Cadillac CTS review when it was launched that just HAD to mention the Cimmaron, they have to throw in some jabs with the praise for a car that won multiple awards and never struck me as having cheap plastics in it.
Contrast to the KIA Rondo - no mention of "cheap plastics", because we all know that KIAs wouldn't have any of those, and actually all of the other offerings in the list.
The biggest surprise is the way the Ford Fusion is praised, however. Almost makes me think the author drives one, or puts a lot of stock in CR. Actually the list itself is surprising. Usually for these "Top 10" lists from CNN, etc. you'll see half of them as some brand of Toyota or Honda.
Actually for more examples of long held grudges against GM, just type "cadillac cts cimmaron" in a Google search. You'll see it pop up everywhere.
I actually recall an article/preview on the Pontiac Solstice that said "Pontiac to bring back RWD compact performance" with a photo of the Chevrolet Chevette-twin, the Pontiac T1000 mentioned.
This is a sneaky way for the auto journalists to keep their paradigm of "Detroit Sucks" intact.
Cobalt vs. Cavalier? Fair enough. It was a direct transition, and the Cavalier deserved to be hammered after riding on the same platform for so long. But why does the auto industry feel the need to go back to cars like the Vega, T1000, or the Cimmaron to contrast to new GM cars?
Why not bring up the Toyota Tercel or Paseo for new Toyota compact reviews? If we're going to go back to the early 80's, why not mention the way Toyota/Honda cars were prone to rusting out and why we rarely see "classic" Japanese cars (with the exception of a Nissan/Datsun Z here and there) still driving around from that era?
How about the way KIA and Hyundai reviews now pretty much have cast aside references to cars of just 10 years ago, while Detroit still gets negative references to cars from decades ago?
My problem with the automotive press is that they have a long memory for Detroit filled with grudges, and a short, selective memory for Asian imports despite the fact that quality has risen across the board for everyone, and drastically.
There you go Ultra, my 2 cents.
