Jump to content
News
Reviews
Discussons
Activity
Create New...
Close

smk4565

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    13,776

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    13

 Content Type 

Everything posted by smk4565

  1. smk4565
    Jetta and Passat have 8 inches in length separating them, 183.3 and 191.9. There is a larger size gap between Civic and Accord, Cruze and Malibu, and Focus and Fusion. And no brand is looking to add more sedans, Chevy and Ford are trying to have less cars.
  2. smk4565
    Is there too big a space between the Cruze and Malibu? Ford plans on offering Focus, Fusion and Mustang as their only cars. Golf is a classic VW so it stays and Jetta and Passat is all the sedans they need. They are building that Aerton thing but it will be a sales bust. I don’t really think they need the Beetle, the current one isn’t the cheap entry level car the original Beetle was, the Polo is now that.
  3. smk4565
    Golf, Jetta, Passat and about 6 crossovers is their path to success.
  4. smk4565
    The white car in the picture looks large, the Jetta should be a small car, not a mid-size car. I am surprised it doesn't look more like a 4-door coupe, since car companies think that is what people want. So while people flee sedans like crazy for a more practical, more cargo room SUV, the car companies think the way to make a sedan more desirable is to cut the roof line so there is less space and it is less practical.
  5. smk4565
    Well that bi-tubo V6 goes back to 2014 model year in 329 hp guise, the E43 396 hp version came out for 2016. The business case is that it is cheaper to make I-6 engines because they make hundreds of thousands of I-4 engines and 75% of the parts are the same, so they can buy in bulk and build on the same line, etc. Economies of scale are better. And sure they have to meet emission laws, but that is good, they have an engine that emits less C02, uses less gas and makes more power. Road & Track from the Euro-market S-class with this engine, it made 435 hp 0-60 in 4.7 seconds and they said it can shut the engine off during coasting not just stop lights, and the start stop is unnoticeable, zero shake or vibration. They were very impressed by it.
  6. smk4565
    We don’t know any specs of this engine or the E53 and CLS53 but we do know horsepower, torque and gas mileage will be better than what is in the C43 and E43 now. That is why I am excited, the E43 (which has won comparison tests) will have had 2 model years and they will replace with something better. The CT6 twin turbo V6 came out at the same time as the E43, we the CT6 get an all new engine next year? Will the 540i? Is the Lexus GS even going to be in production next year?
  7. smk4565
    These companies can’t wait to put in their advertising how they use environmentally friendly Tesla trucks to ship goods. You watch, every Fortune 500 company that ships things by truck will buy them because they want to show how sustainable their methods are.
  8. smk4565
    I don't know why they dropped the inline six, probably because at the time V8s were more common and they did a V8 and V6 share of some sort, for a while Mercedes had a 90 degree V6 I think, before changing to the 60 degree. And they made some bad decisions in the late 90s. But it makes sense now to go back to it. And Mercedes has plug in hybrids and an updated system on the way, EV's on the way, etc. The 48 volt I-6 is a replacement for the current gas V6s as a way to get more fuel economy and even more power, which is a win-win.
  9. smk4565
    It 100% helps with economies of scale because they build so many inline 4’s. But they are also trading a 329-396 hp turbo V6 to a guesstimated 369-430 hp inline six that will be smoother and has better gas mileage. This is the the Best or Nothing at work, they don’t wait around to let something go stale or say our V6 is “good enough.” The E43 and C43 often win comparisons but they can still make them better. And that is why Mercedes is Mercedes and Cadillac and Lexus are not.
  10. smk4565
    So far Mercedes and the 2019 Audi A8 which isn't on sale are the only 48 volt cars, that is what makes them special, and years from now everyone will have it. That is the revolutionary part, they are the first ones and will lead the pack. A lot of Drew's comparisons are to hybrid cars, the Mercedes inline six isn't made to be a hybrid competitor, it is made to be a turbo V6 competitor, and in that regard is mops the floor with the competitors V6s and even the M3's inline six. Mercedes is making an 805 hp plug in hybrid V8 GT sedan if the CLS53 isn't enough powerrrrrrrr. That is somewhere Cadillac, Volvo, Lexus or BMW won't go.
  11. smk4565
    These tax credits are going to expire in a few years, by 2020 most car makers will have used up their 200,000 units anyway. So it doesn't really matter too much if they keep it in or out. Even if they get this tax bill passed, it don't know if it would even take effect next year, the government does nothing fast.
  12. smk4565
    That makes a lot of sense, but a lot have problems packaging an inline six on a front wheel drive car, I seem to remember the early Volvo S80s using a 2.9 liter inline six on a front driver, but other than that I can't think of any. And most car companies just want to have an engine they can use in front and rear drive. So the big guys like Ford, Toyota and GM won't go there. But there is no reason to make everything front drive either, you could build the Malibu or Camry on a rear drive platform and offer all wheel drive, but also that segment of car is dumping V6s anyway, so if you only need a six for a full size car or truck or SUV then it makes sense to go inline.
  13. smk4565
    The 4 cylinder is getting a bump too, rumor is 299 hp, it will be more than competitive among the C-class and GLC competition, and enough for a base E-class for the seniors that don't care about HP. The new 6 will be the base engine for a GLS and S-class or SL class. The new six is rumored for 430ish hp that is plenty for mid-level E-class or base level S-class. And price of a Mercedes doesn't matter, they are priced higher than every competitor and outsell them all.
  14. smk4565
    Not only 400 hp, it will make more than that. And cost too, this is way cheaper than a plug in hybrid. This engine isn’t made to compete with hybrids this is made to compete with the 535i, the GM 3.6 twin turbo, whatever Audi V6 they are using this week. The impressive thing is this is their regular 6 cylinder, no doubt with 2 levels of tune for use in a GLS450 and E53 for example. And Mercedes doesn’t red a replacement for the V8 because they offer more V8 models than any other manufacturer. Even the GLC has a V8
  15. smk4565
    It is a nice update, more leg and hip room, the new G-wagon is 5 inches longer, but that still makes it barely larger than a GLE or X5 and cut 350 lbs of weight, so all pluses there. The interior looks much better than before, current decade styling and they kept the classic grab bar and locking diff switches, so the original DNA is still there. This will probably be the #1 selling car in Beverly Hills and Dubai in 2018.
  16. smk4565
    It isn't anymore AMG than they have now, because the E43 and GLE43 type cars will be replaced with the E53 and GLE53. This is exciting news because the 362-396 hp turbo V6 is being replaced buy a 400+ inline six hybrid. More power, more gas mileage, smoother engine, that is a big win. Will be curious if they replace the C43 with a C53, or if the 53's are only on mid-size cars. Because they can't do an S53, the S560 is still more powerful than it.
  17. smk4565
    Problem is anything Toyota makes with a base price of $50k or up is a sales disaster because at the end of the day these are just fancy Toyotas. People will pay $40k for an Avalon350 errr ES350 or $359 a month for an IS250 lease but the GX, GS, LX, LS, LC are massive duds.
  18. smk4565
    Really the 911 makes perfect sense for a hybrid, you can stick a battery and motor under the hood up front since there is no engine there. And maybe downsize the Flat 6 in back to save some weight, or you save it by not running a drive shaft from the back to the front wheels.
  19. smk4565
    They are, the Lexus UX goes on sale in 2018.
  20. smk4565
    I am pretty sure the 2025 Silverado will have a 4-cylinder standard.
  21. smk4565
    It does cost too much, and looks like yesterday's Nissan Juke which doesn't help, and these things have like an 11 second 0-60 time which can't be too fun to drive. So there isn't much going for the CH-R, plus the name is forgettable, and a RAV4 is like $3k more which in dealership speak is "only another $29 per month"
  22. smk4565
    Build 1 out of 3? Build all 3! Toyota should build 50 new crossovers to appease the masses.
  23. smk4565
    I wonder how much more cost would be involved with a full carbon fiber bed compared to steel or aluminum beds used in trucks now. A carbon fiber bed would be stronger than a steel one, but probably crazy expensive.
  24. smk4565
    Agreed. The fuel economy or CO2 isn’t the problem. Electric is going to take over, no reason to spend money on a dying power train. They have plans for a V8 hybrid with 800 hp, no need for a V12.
  25. smk4565
    MKC competitor.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.

Hey there, we noticed you're using an ad-blocker. We're a small site that is supported by ads or subscriptions. We rely on these to pay for server costs and vehicle reviews.  Please consider whitelisting us in your ad-blocker, or if you really like what you see, you can pick up one of our subscriptions for just $1.75 a month or $15 a year. It may not seem like a lot, but it goes a long way to help support real, honest content, that isn't generated by an AI bot.

See you out there.

Drew
Editor-in-Chief

I've whitelisted
Continue without support

Write what you are looking for and press enter or click the search icon to begin your search