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smk4565

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Everything posted by smk4565

  1. smk4565
    People once said the car wouldn't replace the horse either. A $60k EV S-class makes no sense, it costs $100k now. If they can do a $60k E-class EV then game one.
  2. smk4565
    All true, and 0-60 or even 1/4 mile are just a measure of power but when a Camry can run 0-60 in 5.8 seconds, a lot of cars is pretty quick in a straight line. The ride, handling and drivability are what separates the commuter cars to the performance ones. But the E43 overall has pretty similar performance numbers to the E63 of 10 years ago. So that was my original point there, it isn't really watered down. An E63 now has performance that could beat an SLS AMG of 5 years ago, which is nuts. So I think it is smart for AMG to have the 43 line, which is supposed to go to a 450 hp inline six hybrid soon (and maybe change to 53?) and then they'll even be faster. But even these 43's have more performance than a normal driver can use on normal roads. The swagger is coming back...
  3. smk4565
    I have never driven a CLA or Regal, I have sat in both, I think the CLA still has a slightly better interior mainly due to build quality and materials. The base CLA also gets 38 mpg which is really impressive. As far as the CLA45 goes, for $50,000 it does 0-60 in 4.1 seconds, and still gets 23/30 mpg, has all wheel drive and can go in the snow, and it makes 375 hp from a 2 liter 4-cylinder that is less than 1/3 the displacement of a Camaro V8. I pulled some other 0-60 times, the Camaro SS does it in 3.9 seconds, the Mustang GT does it in 4.4 and the Challenger R/T does 0-60 in 5.1 seconds, if you get the 6.4 liter Scat Pack it does 0-60 in 4.2 seconds and still loses to a CLA45. And the Camaro is the fuel economy champ of those V8s as 16/25 mpg. And the CLA45 is the worst AMG car, they have faster ones if you want sub 4-second 0-60 and Carbon ceramic brakes and air suspension with active curve control.
  4. smk4565
    The CLA still sells better than the Regal. The CLA was also based on the 2012 A-class, so at this point it is nearing the end of the life cycle, so sales should decline. Since we haven't seen the final product or price of the A-class sedan, hard to say what it is or how they'll price it. I do think it is redundant, the CLA and A-sedan will end up the same car with a different roof line. The spy photos of the A-class show a 12 inch screen on the dash similar to that of the S-class, so maybe they did fix all those interior issues. The C-class is a way better car than the CLA and worth the $10k premium. The A-class sedan is 5 inches shorter than the C-class, which is the same size of a 2003-2007 era C-class sedan.
  5. smk4565
    Here is the problem for Buick though, even if the Regal was a better car in every possible way than the CLA, cost $5,000 less, and offered 0% for 60 month financing, the CLA will still outsell it. Because one has a 3-point star on the front and the other doesn't.
  6. smk4565
    Every AMG is fast, and AMG does engine, transmission, suspension, aero, even body modifications. On an E43 there is less to be done obviously, but on a C63 for example the hood is 3 inches longer than a C300 to fit the V8. Even the E43 is faster than a 2007 E63, so it isn't like AMG is diluting anything. The current E63 accelerates faster than an SLS AMG. An AMG CLA45 or GLA45 can do 0-60 in 4.2 seconds, that is still really fast. So I don't think they are diluting anything when all these AMG's can perform.
  7. smk4565
    A 1971 280SE convertible in good condition can sell for over $300,000 now, I doubt any Eldorado are bringing that kind of money. Funny to compare the two interiors because the same kind of wood Mercedes used in the 70s and 80s in cars like these Is exactly the same gain and finish of wood that Cadillac used in the 90s in these:
  8. smk4565
    The A-class sedan could replace the CLA at $32k. They can go smaller for sure, the A-class hatchback is 169 inches long. I see no point in offering a CLA and A-class sedan, it is the same body style.
  9. smk4565
    I like Doug Demuro videos actually. And a 70s S-class convertible was better than the Eldorado.
  10. smk4565
    Competition also drives price. If batteries get cheaper, a Model S P100D could cost as much as a CTS-V, or a Model 3 could cost less than a 3-series with a gas engine. Then more and more companies will put EV's out there. I think it will happen in luxury segments first where performance and quite/NVH are more important. Once you have a bunch of EV's there will be competition among them in price. The thing is when the tide turns it will turn fast.
  11. smk4565
    They don't sell because most of them are crap. Battery tech is expected to make another breakthrough in about 5 years that could bring EV prices way down.
  12. smk4565
    Really they could do this now if they wanted, if they are just going to put th eMKZ hybrid powertrain into MKC, MKX and Continental. Hopefully they do more than that though. BMW just announced they are building 12 EV's by 2025, and Lincoln is considering 1 EV? I don't think Ford cares much about Lincoln.
  13. smk4565
    The CLA isn't a bad car, it just isn't as good as an E-class, and that is probably why people dump on it. The Malibu can't perform like a Corvette, doesn't mean the Malibu is crap. I still would like to see them dump the 4-door coupe, dump the CLA name and go with A-class, just like they go with C-class and E-class. And an A sedan would be roomier and more practical than the fake coupe CLA. And really the best looking A-class is the hatchback, bring that here if they want to appeal to millennials.
  14. smk4565
    The Aurora was mentioned earlier, which was like entry-lux, the thing the Aurora had going for it was full size, Cadillac derived V8, and it actually handled better than a STS or DTS of that time. But the Aurora was no 3-series or C230 competitor, it was Lexus ES competitor maybe, or Lincoln Continental of the day. I liked my Aurora, but it was a bit too big, I prefer a smaller car to that. I'd rather the CLA get killed off, and they do an A-class sedan (and maybe hatchback) for the US market. I think that is a stronger play and 4-door coupe is way over done anyway.
  15. smk4565
    The C230 hatch/coupe was a bad car, looked ugly, cheap interior.
  16. smk4565
    The front end is awful. This is one ugly BMW and BMW has been better a little better as of late in the styling department. If they put the V12 in this thing it will give it some juice. The inside looks like an Art Deco 5-series, doesn't look 7-series level. I have to see the production version of this and the 2019 GLS to really compare.
  17. smk4565
    I meant a whole size class apart, not that Regal was full size. Even Mazda has those commercials with the badges covered and people test driving one of their cars compared to an Audi, Infiniti, or Mercedes. All these brands want to compare to Mercedes and Audi, even Audi makes Mercedes comparisons in their ads. If Mercedes wasn't the top dog, all these companies wouldn't want to be like them. I do appreciate that Buick and Cadillac recently have not mentioned another car brand in their ads. I hate the Chevy ads with the blind test drives or Toyota/Ford comparisons.
  18. smk4565
    Buick doesn't have a car the size of the CLA or C-class, the Regal in ever dimension is within 1 inch of the E-class. The Mercedes of similar size to the LaCrosse is the S-class, and the Mercedes of similar size to Enclave is GLS. Buick is a far cry from Benz on those. If Buick was competing with Mercedes (Audi, BMW, Lexus too) then GM wouldn't need Cadillac. But Cadillac is better than Buick and can't topple the Germans or Lexus. I have wished for years that Cadillac was on the up, Cadillac was my favorite luxury brand until around the 2008ish time frame when the 2nd Gen CTS I didn't care for much, the STS got a watered down refresh, the XLR-V was under-powered, SRX went to front drive. And the competition kept improving. I have always liked Jaguars too, I always liked the styling and I liked the old style Jags with loads of wood trim, the new XE and XF are black plastic city inside them.
  19. smk4565
    Crossover/SUV is the number 1 selling body style and sedan is number 2. These two make up like 70% of sales with pick up, van, hatchback, convertible, coupe making up the rest. Gotta go where the volume is if you want EV sales. If Nissan made the Altima an EV for $35k it would outsell Leaf 3 to 1 easily.
  20. smk4565
    I am not mad that is just a full size class and $7,000 in price between those 2 cars. The Camry has the same size gap and about $9,000 price gap, and I don't think people are cross shopping Camrys with Mercedes either.
  21. smk4565
    How come all these EV's are hatchbacks, when that is probably the lowest selling body style outside of 2 seat convertible. Even the Mercedes EQ A is another compact hatchback. Here is a tip, make small crossovers and mid-size sedans and EV sales will explode. Tesla figured that out, has 450,000 wait list. The only reason I don't care much about the Mercedes hatchback, is because I know a crossover and small and mid-size sedans are coming right after.
  22. smk4565
    2018 Buick Regal $25,915 base MSRP Dimensions 192.9" x 73.3" x 57.3" 2018 Mercedes CLA $32,700 base MSRP Dimensions 182.3" x 70.0: x 56.6" Direct competition!!!
  23. smk4565
    It looks better than the first Leaf but Nissan has some crazy design language right now.
  24. smk4565
    Does the Toyota Avalon compete with the ATS?
  25. smk4565
    I think the pricing is quite good. They are $8,000 under the Bolt for a car larger than the Bolt and giving up 87 miles of range, when most people won't top 150 miles a day anyway. I am curious to see what the 60 kWh battery with 225 mile range costs. This is an ugly car though.
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