Lately I've been thinking it'd be cool if my next vehicle wore an American badge. I'm worried about the domestic economy, want to do my share to put people back to work. And it seems a bailout-chastened Detroit is finally getting it.
Now working closely with European divisions, U.S. auto makers are setting the bar higher, building stylish, fun and innovative vehicles that foreign-car buyers like me might actually enjoy (as opposed to tolerate) and maybe even (gasp!) brag about.
Last weekend, I returned to the Philly auto show (continuing through Sunday at the Pennsylvania Convention Center) with one thought in mind: to find an American car I'd like to call my own.
I slid in early on press preview day, before the official opening to soak up each model at leisure and even take a couple for a spin. Here's the best I found.
NOT YOUR GRANDDAD'S: GM killed off Pontiac, Saturn and Hummer and sold off Saab last year, making the company's field of U.S. entries at this year's show a lot easier to navigate.
GM is putting lots of resources into a revitalized Buick. This brand survived because it's HUGE in China and is being repositioned here as an apt competitor to Audi and Acura.
Never thought I'd like a Buick Regal (your typical "Pop-Pop" car), but the new-gen, 2011 rendering ($26,000 to $29,000) has nicely sculpted lines, with an especially appealing, Jaguar/Infinitilike hindquarter. The interior is posh, too.
On my test drive, Regal proved super quiet (long a Buick bragging point) and jolt-absorbent. But the tuning avoided that squishy disconnect that long made this line a joke with car enthusiasts.
