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smk4565

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Everything posted by smk4565

  1. smk4565
    Lexus's customer base came from Toyota or old folks that think 200 hp is plenty, so when you give them 268 hp V6 they think it is a lot. But anyone with a performance car isn't going to go look at Lexus, even the GS-F is like CTS v-sport or E43 sort of speed, the top Lexus performance sedan is mid level at Cadillac or the German trio. Lexus has that loyal buyer but they aren't atttracting new people, they are like Buick of the 90s clinging to a dying customer base.
  2. smk4565
    Without the alternator or drive belts that inline 6 shouldn't take up too much space, seems like an awesome engine. I think Lexus has introduced 2 engines in the past 10 years, Mercedes does 4 at one time.
  3. smk4565
    Lexus has reliability on their side, however their engines are severely dated and outmatched in the luxury game. That 3.5 V6 has been on sales for over 10 years with zero increase in horsepower. The Lexus LS V8 launched in 2007 when the S-slass launched the new 5.5 liter V8 that had more power and torque. Next year the S-class is getting it's 2nd new engine since then, the LS460 still has the same 385 hp V8, that is pathetic. V6s make more than that now.
  4. smk4565
    S-class: 2,420 Base price $96,600 A8, 7-series, Panamera, Lexus LS combined: 2,134 Average base price $78,655 Game over folks.
  5. smk4565
    70 consecutive months of sales gains!!!!! Unbelievable performance by Audi! This is the best ever sales and marketing team of all time, ever in the history of the world, bar none. No doubt they were selling A4's at $10k off sticker the last week of the month or at $299 a month leases with no money down, or selling A4's to previous Jetta TDI owners that VW "bought back" their cars. Anything to squeak out an extra 100 sales to top last year's number. When you look at this brand none of these cars sell great, the A4 and Q5 do okay, because they are in the heart of the entry lux segment but others in the segment double their numbers. The A6, A7 and A8 combined got outsold by the S-class. True story the S-class in September and October has sold more units than the A8 all year, and the A8 is $25,000 cheaper. Why even keep trying with the A8, it is over, you lost Audi, give up. They could sell A8s for $49,995 and the S-class would outsell it, they could do buy an A8 get one free and count both as sales and the S-class would outsell it still.
  6. smk4565
    The dated styling and monotonous look is hurting them, and their crossover line is a bit dated, which hurts when crossovers are hot. The 5-series is just getting clobbered and it was once good for 4,000 cars a month easy, I know it is near the end of the model cycle, but the new 5 looks the same as the current 5, I don't see how they change course there. By upsizing all their cars, they got big cars that aren't performance cars anymore, and luxury was never their strong suit.
  7. smk4565
    ATS, CTS and XTS look dead in the weeds. Judging by Impala and LaCrosse sales we are approaching the end of the large sedan. I bet the Malibu is the largest Chevy or Buick car by 2025. Maybe since GM loves to market cars as the "First Ever" G6, CT6, First Ever XT5, etc, they should run an advertising slogan for the "Last Ever" Impala and tell people to get them while they last.
  8. smk4565
    I bet Ram trucks had huge incentives on them. The rest of FCA got clobbered. Sales are cooling off, 2015 was a record year.
  9. smk4565
    Luckily, this isn't Mercedes first foray into pickups. They made this E-class pickup: And they invented trucks in 1896, as this is the first truck in the world:
  10. smk4565
    Nissan chassis, Mercedes engine and transmission and suspension and interior and body. I have no idea what they want to do with this thing, but if they wanted to put an assault on the mid-size truck market I am pretty sure they could beat anything in that segment. If Mercedes can beat the Lexus LS (with ease for the past 25 years) which is the best Toyota there is, I am pretty sure they can handle the Tacoma.
  11. smk4565
    But look at the torque in other mid-size pickups. The Tacoma, Frontier and GM twins all have NA 4-cylinders base, the GM 3.6 V6 needs to be at like 5,000 rpm to make any torque, the Tacoma and Ridgeline use Camry and Accord V6s, those don't have any low end torque either. And Mercedes has a turbo V6 with loads of toque, and diesels. Mercedes did introduce the new 48 volt engines today, the new turbo 4 should make about 265 hp, 275 lb-ft and the electric boost will help it off the line before the turbo spools, so that solves the turbo lag problem. The new Inline 6 has 408 hp, so there is lots in the arsenal to pick from.
  12. smk4565
    No one buys manuals, I agree with what everyone else has said. What Alfa needs is to actually get this car on sale, they have been talking about it for 3-4 years like it is going on sale next month.
  13. smk4565
    Buyers have short memories. Toyota had unintended acceleration and GM had intention switches that were actually causing accidents and killing people, yet people kept buying GM and Toyota product because they had a $249 a month deal on it.
  14. smk4565
    The Touareg is really expensive, that was always the problem with it. It cots as much as a Mercedes GLE and is the same size. Which one are people going to buy? The Touareg is smaller than the Acadia, it is actually closer in size to the Equinox and starts at $50k. It is just too much money for a VW mid-size crossover. If they price the Atlas competitive with Ford and Chevy, they might sell some.
  15. smk4565
    I think it makes more sense as commercial, but given the concept interiors, they could easily make luxury trucks, and they could probably sell a lot of pick ups. Pickups are a big segment with few players, and there is no luxury truck. You can run a Tacoma over $40,000 easily, if Mercedes sold their truck for $50k it would be a huge value, most pickup trucks are over priced due to brand loyalty and few players in the segment. If Mercedes really wanted a pickup truck and didn't have the Nissan alliance, they could build a unibody truck off the GLS chassis. If Honda can build a capable truck (that is probably best in class when it comes to storage and ride and handling and fuel economy) off the Pilot chassis, I am sure Mercedes can build a truck off the much more rugged GLS chassis. Plus Mercedes has an army of high torque at low rpm engines to pick from. Here is a fun fact, the Mercedes 2.0T engine makes more torque (at much lower rpm) than the optional V6 in the Tundra, Canyon/Colorado or the V6 in the Ridgeline. The Mercedes 9-speed automatic would be best in class too, and they have the 362 hp, 369 lb-ft V6 to use as an option, plus the diesels. They really could dominate the segment.
  16. smk4565
    The outside looks boring and bland, but crossover buyers may not care. The inside looks nice, it is a simple design interior but looks appealing. The engines are fine, the Acadia has 197 hp base, this beats that by 40 hp, and I doubt Pilot or Highlander buyers know the horsepower rating of their vehicle. The 280 hp V6 is adequate for the segment, especially with how VW/Audi gear that 8-speed transmission.
  17. smk4565
    I still think if Mercedes sells a truck in the USA, it will be at the Sprinter/Metris dealers and be a commercial use vehicle. Cadillac already had a pick up and dropped it, I don't think they would have success with a pick up because they would never be able to make it different enough from a GMC or Chevy. I think for the vast majority of pickup truck buyers a Cadillac or Mercedes or even a Lincoln is "too fancy" for them, and they feel more comfortable in a Chevy or Ford. It is like how a lot of people are more comfortable in jeans and a t-shirt than they are in a suit. I think a luxury pick up won't sell a lot, but Mercedes could move some commercial pickups because Mercedes commercial vehicles are the best in the business.
  18. smk4565
    I like the 90s BMW 8-series, they still look good today. But rather than make it look like a 8-series, BMW will probably make it look like a big 435i. I am interested to see it, but they should probably save their money because they won't beat the S-class.
  19. smk4565
    I like the design from a pillar back a lot, but I too am not a fan of the similar looking front ends. I think they should have split the E-class headlights like they did from 1996-2013, that would have made it look different. I still like the S-class style grille and raised hood ornament.
  20. smk4565
    The E63 S stops at 186 mph because it is limited there. The E63 does beat the CTS-V in 0-60 time, it beats the M5 too. I don't think Mercedes has anything to apologize for when it comes to performance. I'd guess with all wheel drive it will beat the CTS-V around a lot of race tracks too. On interior there is no car in the segment that touches the E-class. I wonder if people will still think MB has failed when the AMG hyper car comes out. I'd like to see Cadillac, Audi, BMW, Ferrari or anyone else try to compete with a car using the Mercedes Formula 1 engine. Bring it on. The other Formula 1 teams can't beat Mercedes, a road car has zero chance.
  21. smk4565
    I would like to see the classic Mercedes horizontal slat grille, I think it looks better than a black plastic slats covered by a chrome bar. Other than grille, I think they nailed it on everything else. I like the drift mode for those that want a 100% rear drive, and you have the standard 31/69 split. I do hope there is another wheel option, being a Mercedes I imagine there will be.
  22. smk4565
    I think they actually look pretty good, and I have always been more against a Mercedes pickup. I also would have thought the pickup would have the same interior as a Metris and just be plain jane commercial vehicle. These actually look pretty interesting as they have a more luxury trim and an off road trim. I think both would actually do well in the USA if they decide to sell them here. A US model would need a gas engine, but their current 4 and 6 cylinder gas engines would beat any of those currently offered by the competition.
  23. smk4565
    Shocked that CR named Lexus and Toyota the top 2 in reliability. What is interesting about Buick is the Enclave and Lacrosse are the only 2 made in America, most of their cars are from other countries or other GM brands. Audi as the 4th most reliable brand is laughable. CR should pay Audi owners out of pocket repair costs during the first 50,000 miles if they want to back up that claim.
  24. smk4565
    They will talk these 25,000 people into buying a new Q7 with the turbo 4 so that they can have their 1487th consecutive month of sales gains.
  25. smk4565
    Even still, they could buy pursuit Porsche 911's for cheaper. They can't spend $100k on police cars. When you can get a Tesla (or any electric car) for under $50k then I think they make a great police car.
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