smk4565
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Everything posted by smk4565
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VW News: 2019 Volkswagen Touareg Becomes Lighter and Adds More Tech
smk4565 replied to William Maley's topic in Volkswagen
The interior looks pretty sweet, very well done. -
Car and Driver clocked the M5 at 0-60 in 2.8 seconds and 10.9 seconds in the quarter mile. The CTS-V was 0-60 in 3.8 seconds with a 12.0 quarter mile in the same test. The M5 is 4288 lbs. I am sure a CT6 V8 will be in the 4500 lb range. Interestingly enough, I read this new 4.2 liter V8 takes up less space and weighs less than the 6.2L supercharged V8. So there goes the pushrod fanboy argument of the LT5 takes up less space and weighs less than a DOHC V8.
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What is up with all these coupes with B-pillars?????
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VW News: 2019 Volkswagen Touareg Becomes Lighter and Adds More Tech
smk4565 replied to William Maley's topic in Volkswagen
The Toureg is expensive, it is more like a 50% price difference. And my guess is there is a good profit margin on them. You can have both FWD and RWD SUVs, but GM already has Buick and GMC filled with FWD SUVS in the $25-45k segment, you don't really need 3 more Cadillac SUVs between $30-50k. Because I can almost guarantee Cadillac does an SUV below XT4, because XT4 is the size of a GLC or X3. -
Nope, a 4WD Escalade 5,856 lbs and a GLS63 is 5,754 lbs. But they are moving the GLS to a new platform that will cut weight for 2019 anyway, problem solved.
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I am 6'2" and can sit in the back seat of an E-class convertible, it has a very usable back seat. The C-class convertible rear seat is small, I think I tried sitting in one once and it is tight, more for kids, but at least it is there. It is no worse than the 3rd row in most SUVs which can only fit kids.
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Using Omega to make a GLE63 or X5 M or even X7 M competitor makes sense. You can put this 550 hp engine in the Escalade just for the sake of charging more money for it (and they should do that) but the Escalade will never be sporty, it is too heavy and has a solid rear axle, etc. But it works for the G-wagen, people pay $150k for it. I could see charging $150k for an Escalade V-sport, even if they sell 50 of them a month, who cares, it is a $50k upgrade for an engine and some trim, why not go for it.
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If the XT5 was rear drive then it would start at $50k instead of $40k and the XT5-V with this new 550 hp V8 would cost $110,000 which is more than they get for a CTS-V or Escalade. There is your profit margin and business case. Then the XT4 would start at $40,000, rather than the $34k or whatever it has to start at to get under the XT5 and that XT4-V could run up to $75-80k, probably more than they charge for an ATS-V. Then you get an XT4 fwd Equinox clone at $34k if you need a volume low lease price leader. Audi has longitude mount engines so their weight balance isn't destroyed like a transverse mounted engine car, and Audi's interiors aren't crap.
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If rear drive is nothing special, then build the CT6 on an Impala chassis, make a 3.6 liter 310 hp V6 the range topper and call it a day. The XT5 being priced below the CTS would be like Chevy pricing the Equinox below the Cruze. Same size class, similar under pinnings, but they jack the price of the Equinox up because it is a crossover. Cadillac does the opposite and makes the crossover cheaper than the sedan. L Agree on the tail lights, they look like the designer sneezed when drawing it, should be straight vertical like classic Cadillac tail lights, what then went for looks like it game of a Nissan or something where there is an angle just for the sake of having an angle.
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They can develop a rear drive platform to sell 15-20,000 CT6 per year globally but can’t develop a rear drive crossover platform that could be used on XT4 and XT5 and sell 200,000 units per year? Fuzzy math.
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It is but the GLE (M-class) has been a top 3 selling Mercedes for about 10-15 years and put up plenty of volume despite being $15k more than an RX or XT5. And the GLC outsells the XT5 and RX globally. XT5 should cost more than a CTS, a mid size crossover should cost more than a mid size sedan.
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That extra .2 liters is going to hurt in China where the displacement tax drastically increases over 4.0 liters. And the S63 4.0 liter makes 603 hp and 664 lb-ft. So they still got Cadillac beat and an S73 is in the works, I imagine they will save that for the next generation since it is a hybrid.
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I thought Cadillac was supposed to be serious performance and not a FWD appliance?
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WEAK competitors! The GLC and GLE have twin turbo V8s and the XT5 is closer to GLE in size than it is GLC, you could put a V8 in the XT4 even. The Alfa Romeo Stelvio has 505 hp and that is a small crossover.
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Everyone likes LED lights, more power and bigger screens, so nice little improvements.
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I have been saying for 10 years that Cadillac needs a DOHC V8, finally they have one, better late than never, but I feel like this car is about 3 years too late, they should have had this at launch time of the CT6. Will this engine be in the XT5? Oh wait, it won't work since the XT5 is wrong wheel drive, poor product planning strikes again! At least they got the powertrain right in the CT6 finally, I would make the 3.0TT the base engine, dump the 3.6 V6. And when CT5 arrives go with a turbo 4 base, 3.0TT V6 middle, and 4.2 V8 V-series or V-sport. I'd put this new V8 in the Escalade too, and if this is the CT6 V-sport, is there a CT6 V coming with more power? But how many of these will they sell? The world hasn't shown much demand for $100k+ Cadillac sedans, but you have to build it first and hope they will come.
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I don't get the point of this car, I guess maybe they sell them in Asia, but for this market it really makes no sense. People aren't going to pay $70k for a Kia as shown by the sales, and Hyundai and Kia both just keep copying German car styling, but people that want to buy something that looks like a German car, will just buy a German car, not some knockoff. If anything Kia should make the K900 look radical as can be, like a concept car from 2030. At least it would stand out, this just blends in and gets forgotten.
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These subscription plans don't work, because you are paying way more than a lease price to basically lease a car that comes with a warranty anyway. A subscription service only works for autonomous cars in which case you don't actually own the car, it comes to pick you up when you need a ride. Then in effect 4 or 5 people could be sharing one S-class and each person pays $400 a month for rides in it, then it makes sense to buy a subscription service.
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Audi News: Audi's W12 To Have Its Last Hurrah in New A8
smk4565 replied to William Maley's topic in Audi
There probably won't even be a 4-cylinder in 20250. -
Audi News: Audi's W12 To Have Its Last Hurrah in New A8
smk4565 replied to William Maley's topic in Audi
12 and 10 cylinder will be the first to go, V8 sales are shrinking by the year. I think V8s will hold on until the day the gas engine dies. -
Lincoln News: Rumorpile: Lincoln Continental To Be One and Done?
smk4565 replied to William Maley's topic in Lincoln
The Continental name wasn't the problem, the lackluster car built on a Fusion chassis was.- 58 replies
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The E-class isn't a racer either, you could put an E53 into the grand tourer category too. And it does 0-60 .5 seconds faster than the LC500. The E53 makes 429 hp and 384 lb-ft with the gas engine, the electric motor adds 21 hp and 184 lb-ft, not sure what the combined output is.
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E53 will be on sale shortly and could technically qualify as a hybrid since it has an electric motor on bored but I wouldn’t call it one. The Lexus V8 is from yesteryear with no torque, the E53 is a faster car but AMG has more 500 hp V8 models than any other brand if that is your desire.
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The Cadillacs have lower quality interiors with cheaper materials than this car. Cadillac doesn't have a car with this level of luxury, maybe you can argue a CT6 platinum is in the ballpark but then that is a $90k car and not a coupe. I do think if Cadillac put the effort out, they could make an Eldorado off the Omega chassis to beat this car. But then the elephant in the room is still the S-class coupe and the 8-series is coming back. So you have to beat those guys too, although if Cadillac did an Eldorado I would size and price is against an E-class coupe because there is more volume in that size and price segment.
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Here is the huge problem with this car, Lexus wants you to think it is an S-class coupe competitor, but cheaper therefor a good value. Problem is the LC500 is the roughly the size as an E-class coupe (the LC is 3 inches shorter and lower, but 3 inches wider). The E53 coupe is faster and a better performer than the LC500, has all the same luxury features and one can argue styling or which interior is better, but that is mostly subjective. So really you have the Lexus version of the E53 coupe with less performance for more money. The S-class coupe is over a foot longer than this car, way better equipped, and way more powerful and much faster. And the reason the Lexus LS sedan doesn't sell now is because it looks too radical for the 80 year olds that buy it, and again, no optional engines, weak performance, low rent, dated, clutster-bleep ergonomics interior. If they want to challenge the S-class they better step their game up. Not surprising because the Civic Type R is pretty quick on a track, especially any tight tracks without big straight aways, and Lexus couldn't find performance if they walked into the Ferrari factory in Marenello.
