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smk4565

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Everything posted by smk4565

  1. smk4565
    The new A-class sedan which is a size smaller than this has a better interior, and all they have shown is the 200 hp version but the 300 and 400 hp versions are coming next year and will be faster than a G70, I don’t know about handling. But this is Genesis’s C-class competitor and the difference is drastic. First off the C-class has a better interior than a G90 and the C43 will out perform this thing and they have a C63.
  2. smk4565
    I don’t understand why Chrysler is still here? They can move the Pacifica to Dodge and kill the grand caravan and call it a day. An Automomous EV van makes a lot of sense for a ride sharing company that just picks up and drops off passengers places, but consumers would not buy that vehicle, a ride share company like Uber would so the vehicle brand makes no difference.
  3. smk4565
    GLA, CLA or any A-class/B-class is 4 cylinder only. The Metris is 4-cylinder and any “300” model is 4-cylinder. 400/450 models are Six cylinder and 500s are V8s.
  4. smk4565
    The problem I see with this car is the interior, it looks like it belongs in a Sonata and not a luxury car. I have not sat in one of these, I have sat in the G80 and G90 and the materials and build quality have a discount feel to them. They want BMW money for the G70 but you aren’t getting BMW interior and build quality and you aren’t getting the BMW badge. And yes the badge matters. They probably need a $5k price cut as the car is now, but I imagine there will be incentives on these and you’ll get dealers selling at $5k off sticker which could make it a good buy.
  5. smk4565
    The problem I see with this car is the interior, it looks like it belongs in a Sonata and not a luxury car. I have not sat in one of these, I have sat in the G80 and G90 and the materials and build quality have a discount feel to them. They want BMW money for the G70 but you aren’t getting BMW interior and build quality and you aren’t getting the BMW badge. And yes the badge matters. They probably need a $5k price cut as the car is now, but I imagine there will be incentives on these and you’ll get dealers selling at $5k off sticker which could make it a good buy.
  6. smk4565
    So this signals that the 550 hp CT6 will be the top of that line which I assume means the CT5-V will get the same 550 hp engine. I think Cadillac’s low sales volume on sedans/coupes hurts their ability to do a lot of performance cars or high performance cars. The CT6 is a car that might sell 20,000 globally per year, and the V-series might be 1,000 per year, so how much time and effort are they going to put into that.
  7. smk4565
    Because it is a weak turbo 4. The Silverado even has a turbo 4 now, there is no need for a V6 in a family sedan, they just make the car front heavy and no faster than a good turbo 4. And the CLA45 does 0-60 in 4.1 seconds of something in that range, that is faster than a V8 Lexus GS-F. If GM put their engineering hats on they could turbo 4 stuff like the Lacrosse and Acadia, he’ll they have a non-turbo 4 in the Acadia now. A six cylinder in today’s world should be nearing the 400 hp level.
  8. smk4565
    They have to get battery price down which is part technological advancement and part economies of scale. There isn’t enough economy of scale of $75k SUVs though. Bolt has the same problem, it is near $40k for something the size of a Chevy Sonic. They need about 20% price drops on these EV’s to get them selling.
  9. smk4565
    Almost all those cars are lousy. You can put 300 hp in a front drive suv because they are so heavy it will reduce some torque steer but most of those 300+ hp vehicles are all wheel drive and the CLA is a 4 cylinder with more power than the V6s on that list so you don’t need a V6 for a front drive car. The other issue is that NA engines are becoming obsolete, everything is getting turbocharged and electrified to the point in the 2020s the vehicles with 6 cylinders will be large trucks and performance cars. In addition I think turbo 3’s will become common place for small cars.
  10. smk4565
    Sounds like FCA heard Mercedes was doing this, and said “well they know what they are doing, let’s do the same thing” It does make total sense though, you don’t need more than 275 hp in a front wheel drive car, the chassis can’t really handle it, and you can get to 275 hp with a turbo 4 or hybrid, etc. Over 300 hp is going to be a rear drive vehicle and the inline six makes the most sense for that.
  11. smk4565
    How much would economies of scale help battery cost? Even Tesla is producing maybe 20,000 cars a month vs GM or Toyota making 600,000+ gas engines a month globally. They need more volume on these EV’s it seems.
  12. smk4565
    I bet $100 to a donut there is a Hellcat version.
  13. smk4565
    It seems pretty impressive, Audi has base and Premium trim cars, I imagine after a year a more base model at $69,900 will show up. It looks good, in and out, I still think Mercedes should price theirs at $70k and just undercut this thing.
  14. smk4565
    Of course they are making an SUV. They could probably make 2 of them. The V6 is going to be the Alfa Romeo with a hybrid electric motor I assume, that has been rumored for a while with 600 hp. Mercedes is throwing down the gauntlet with their hyper car so will be interesting to see how Ferrari responds.
  15. smk4565
    Motor Authority has a spy photo of the EQ S, but it is so heavily wrapped up you can't tell anything, I tried to post it but it didn't work.
  16. smk4565
    They can make a better EV if it is on a dedicated EV platform, then they can get more space inside and have a flat floor, rather than something with a transmission and exhaust tunnel. Plus you get a front trunk for whatever that is worth, the EQ C doesn't have that. I think at some point the lines will merge when there is no more gasoline car. I could see the 2027 the S-class becoming EV only, and then phase out the EQ S at the same time. Unless that doesn't happen until the 2030s. What needs to happen is the AMG version of these electric cars.
  17. smk4565
    This won't have a Maybach variant but the long standing rumor has been that the GLS will get a Maybach version. They also trademarked GLS73, among with other "73" models which is believed to be the 800 hp hybrid V8 to replace the V12.
  18. smk4565
    How much maintenance is there on a Lexus during the first 20,000 miles when they claim how low maintenance their cars are? And I assume the insurance is based on a group average, so if you are good driver without accidents you are paying more for insurance than you would on open market.
  19. smk4565
    They will price it too high, I don't even need to see what they will charge to know it won't be worth it. They are leasing NX's at $339 a month, plus it has a warranty that covers repairs, although not routine maintenance, but that is basically oil changes on a brand new car. And the NX is larger and nicer than the UX, I bet the UX has $299 a month lease deals and they will try to sell a subscription to it for $600 a month.
  20. smk4565
    No plastic body cladding on this trim, so I am glad there is the option to get rid of it.
  21. smk4565
    In the 70s-90s V8’s were rather common though. The V8 of then also made in the 250-305 hp range for a lot of those years. Those are V6 numbers now, or even turbo 4 numbers now. V8’s today are not that common, mostly only in high dollar luxury sedans or sports cars and full size trucks which is changing quickly. Back in the 80s every Cadillac (minus the Cimarron) had a V8, now most Cadillacs are V6 and they sell more 4’s than 8’s. Times changed and the Camaro is stuck in the past trying to be a V8 car but a V8 car of today is super expensive which is not what the Camaro should be.
  22. smk4565
    Diesel is just dead, PR has killed it, no auto maker wants to try to sell it.
  23. smk4565
    It is cost savings yes, but inline six is the smoothest engine there is and this one here makes 362 hp/369 lb-ft and they will put a 429 hp/384 lb-ft version in the GLE53. It is quite the combo of power and fuel economy. Really, GM could do the same thing, what do they need V6's for? If the XT5 was on a rear drive chassis they could put an I-6 in it, and all GM's trucks, the Cadillac CT4, CT5, CT6, and Corvette and Camaro are rear drive. The only place they "need" a V6 is on the Lambda SUVs, but you could do turbo 4 with electric assist or hybrid there if you had to, especially in the 2020s when the engine downsizing really hits. The Impala and LaCrosse will probably be dead by then, if they are still here a turbo 4 is enough there too.
  24. smk4565
    "What's happening in the sport car segment, there's a lot more volume in the low-to-mid part of the market. We do a phenomenal job with our loaded SS's, and it's great business for us, but the reality is there's an awful lot of people who just want a great looking sports car somewhere in that $30,000 range, and that's what we're going to deliver," said Steve Majoros Yeah, no sh!t sherlock. The Camaro used to be about being an affordable sports car, then they wanted it to be about putting 500-600 hp V8s in there and charging $70,000 for it, but that is what the Corvette is for. The Camaro's focus should have always been $25-50k price range, they lost focus. Nothing they do will help Camaro sales unless they totally redesign the car to give it more interior room and windows you can see out of. The Camaro has a disproportionate number of male buyers )or potential buyers), mostly older male buyers, which means you have a lot of larger people trying to fit in this car. Every year at the auto show I see guys in their 50s and 60s saying the Cadillac CTS is too small, not enough head room, too hard to get in and out of, etc. Compare that to a Camaro. If people can't fit in it or can't see out of it, doesn't matter what the price is.
  25. smk4565
    The shape is 100% GLE, easily recognizable. Looks like they went a little heavy on the plastic body cladding though, not sure about that because the current GLE doesn't have that. It would be have been nice to have the 48 volt on the 4-cylinder where that electric boost would help, but the inline six is the engine to get anyway. The air suspension and new tech sound awesome, and the interior is awesome. 3rd row seat now which I think they really needed as an option.
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