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smk4565

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Everything posted by smk4565

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
  8. 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.
  9. 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.
  10. 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.
  11. 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.
  12. 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.
  13. 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.
  14. 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.
  15. 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.
  16. smk4565
    The Model S would make a great police car due to the speed, interior space, and limited maintenance needs, however look at the cost. Since Tesla gave them the car it isn't costing them anything, but to buy 100 or 200 cars at $100,000 each is going to piss off tax payers. Imagine if they bought Range Rover or S-class police cars, that would tick people off. Maybe when Tesla Model 3 arrives and they can get a $45,000 sedan or the Model Y crossover, then it becomes a viable option.
  17. smk4565
    I'd assume they will still be under 2 liter engines, but they have probably found they can rev it less and put less stress on a 1.6 liter, than they do on a boosted like crazy 1.2 or 1.4 that revs higher. I don't think they'll be going back to widespread V6s.
  18. smk4565
    The question is does the current E-class buyer base want this, or do they want a regular E-class wagon. I don't know if a $70k wagon is going to steal a lot of crossover sales, there aren't a lot of crossovers in that price point, and it is a small market. E-class wagon buyers are one of Mercedes most affluent customers though, so they'll want to keep those people happy.
  19. smk4565
    VTEC + Turbo equals a million horsepower per liter and the best gas mileage ever. In all seriousness, I think the 1.5L makes an impressive amount of power for a small engine, and probably will post a high fuel economy number too. I don't get why you have 2 engine choices with basically the same power output. It seems redundant. It would have made more sense to offer the 1.5L turbo and a 1.9 liter turbo with like 220 hp as an option. Other than that it looks like a CR-V and the inside looks nice for the class, I am sure they will sell tons of them.
  20. smk4565
    But will it cost $30,000? GM loves price diesels sky high, and diesel cars have a short window until they won't be emission compliant. I don't think they'll sell many due to price and lack of marketing.
  21. smk4565
    Not surprised at all. First off most people drive places they know, they drive back and forth from work, to the grocery store, to family's house, etc. They don't need NAV for 90% of their driving. Secondly, almost everyone has a phone that is as new or newer than their car, so their phone will probably have a better nav system anyway.
  22. smk4565
    It was too big to begin with and they made it larger? 137 lb weight loss is good, but it could have used like a 250 lb weight loss. And that interior looks the same as the current car. I don't think anything changed. Less powerful and less gears than an E-class too.
  23. smk4565
    As Germany goes, so will go the EU. They have so much influence, they hold up the EU economy. Sweden and Norway were looking at gas powered car sales bans around 2025, so other countries are on board. I think 2025 is too soon, but 2030 is still 13+ years away, by then electric cars will be much more viable and affordable. Eventually all cars will be EV, they are just pushing the envelop faster. The other thing to consider is they can say by 2030 they will ban gas cars, then in 2025, they can say we'll push it back to 2032 to give automakers more time, but you have to put that deadline out there, you can always push back, but you can't pull a deadline ahead. I am fine with an all EV car fleet, less pollution is great, less noise is great, less buying oil of all the corrupt governments and terrorists of the Middle East is great too. It will be a big win all around when we all have EV cars. The EV cars just have to be affordable, you have to have $20,000 EV cars for people.
  24. smk4565
    Mercedes has some wagon loyalists, this why the E-class wagon remains, and that is an affluent buyer group. If the Sales person tells a buyer this is the new XF crossover sport, some dopes will buy it just because they think it is a crossover. Call anything a crossover and give it awd and the sheep will line up to buy it.
  25. smk4565
    It's not a wagon, it is a low roof sport crossover. If they call it a crossover they will sell 1 million units.
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