smk4565
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Everything posted by smk4565
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The GLA probably has the worst driving dynamics of any Mercedes not named Sprinter. Well I don't know what a G-wagen is like, I never drove one of those, but that is a tank and not really concerned with handling, fuel economy or things normal cars worry about. I actually never drove a GLA or CLA, I have sat in both, but my dealership doesn't even use them as loaners. I've driven the GLK and GL, they are both good a crossover, but no match for a car. GLA and CLA are made to help CAFE and appeal to bargain basement luxury shoppers. Notice the rest of the Mercdedes line isn't front drive. It is like how Chevy makes the front drive Cruze, but they aren't using front drive for the Camaro or Corvette. All wheel drive doesn't fix weight bias. The GLC, Macan, and X3 are all wheel drive also, but they aren't saddled with 60 or 63% of their weight over the front axel. I'd love to see a comparison of driving dynamics of an XT5 vs a Macan Turbo or an F-pace or GLC43.
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But XT5 isn't built on Alpha or Omega though, it is built on a platform shared with a GMC Acadia. I am not knocking the driving dynamics of alpha or omega, I have said all along Cadillac SUVs should be built on alpha and omega, not the Chevrolet parts bin. Because Lincoln and Lexus have built SUVs on the Ford and Toyota parts bin and they never got out of the entry lux market (aside from a 6-8 year success of the Navigator which is long over). On size the XT5 compares to the GLE and BMW X5, it doesn't hold a candle to those 2. The XT5 is like the original CTS, 5-series size for 3-series money. XT5 may compare well to a Lincoln MKX or Lexus RX350. As far as Porsche Macan goes, it is a bit hard to segment it, because it is a small SUV, but starts at $48k, and the options run it high fast. I priced out a Macan Turbo on the ridiculous Porsche model configurator, I didn't pick a wheel upgrade, got leather seats (no alcantara upgrade) premium package, a sport package, LED lights, air suspension, torque vectoring awd, sport exhaust, adaptive cruise control and Burmeister audio. The total was $101,260. I skipped over all the carbon fiber trim upgrades, customer paint, red seat belts, painted air vents, etc, I also left off the $8,000 carbon ceramic brakes and $10,200 Turbo appearance package. I could have run it up over $125,000.
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SMK, you jump to saying MB is the best approach to building an EV and yet you clearly DID NOT read the full story. BMW will have a new platform for this updated 3 series that will cover gas, diesel, plug-in and EVs. This new platform will take a page from their I series with using carbon fiber to reduce weight and improve structural rigidity. I did read the whole story. Why does an EV 3 series need a body and that accommodates an inline six engine and 8 speed transmission? The anchor points and front end bracing is a lot for a diesel engine. If you had a chassis designed for an EV, like Tesla does, you get more interior room, better weight distribution, etc. And you just shot yourself in the foot SMK, cause MB is doing just what BMW is doing and yet now your saying this is no good, so then you are admitting that the MB all in one new platform for Petrol, Diesel, Hybrid Plug-in and EV is wrong, MB needs two platforms like what BMW tried to do with the i platform before realizing they could tweak the carbon fiber system to support all formats. Ans how is this wrong again? How is MB doing what BMW is doing? Mercedes isn't making pure EV versions of the C-class and E-class. They have plug in hybrid models planned, that rely on the gas 2.0T motor. Mercedes is making a new platform that will support 2 electric sedans and 2 electric crossovers, while the current MRA platform supports C-class, E-class, and GLC. 2 separate platforms for the different power source, thus each are purpose built. BMW wants to cut corners by putting everything on one platform. The new MRE or EVA platform (whatever they decide to call it) is designed to house battery packs in it, MRA is not, so you get batteries in the trunk and under back seats and in less than ideal places. Mercedes is spending $8 billion in the next 2 years on plug-ins and EV and green powertrain (i.e. 48 volt system). Their EVs will take BMW to the woodshed, just as the S-class has done to the 7-series for the past 40 years. BMW would be better served I think turning the i3 platform into a 3-series sedan bodied product and just call it 3-series electric. Underneath the skin it would share nothing in common with a 328i, but to what the customers see it would be pretty much the same, and thus they would buy it.
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For now, the Cadillac DTS outsold the 5-series at one point in time, until the market passed it by. I think there will be more demand for the rear drive luxury crossover as time goes on. The Lexus RX, MKX and XT5 will always have sales because Chevy/Buick, Ford and Toyota have big volumes of customers that will move up into those 3 vehicles, but that is where that customer will max out too. The person that buys a Lexus RX will never spend more than $50k on a car, they'll buy an RX 4 times in a row. And that sort of buyer is a commodity buyer, limited profit margin, unlike a Porsche Macan which attracts an enthusiast buyer and huge profit margin. XT5 won't do any damage in Europe, it doesn't have the driving dynamics those buyers are going to except. I would also guess with an XT3 and Xt1 on the lot, the XT5 sales will drop. Cadillac has one crossover, when most brands have 4.
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Jeep News: Jeep Reveals the Wrangler 75th Salute Concept
smk4565 replied to William Maley's topic in Jeep
That looks pretty cool, really spot on with the design.- 8 replies
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- 75th Salute Concept
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SMK, you jump to saying MB is the best approach to building an EV and yet you clearly DID NOT read the full story. BMW will have a new platform for this updated 3 series that will cover gas, diesel, plug-in and EVs. This new platform will take a page from their I series with using carbon fiber to reduce weight and improve structural rigidity. I did read the whole story. Why does an EV 3 series need a body and that accommodates an inline six engine and 8 speed transmission? The anchor points and front end bracing is a lot for a diesel engine. If you had a chassis designed for an EV, like Tesla does, you get more interior room, better weight distribution, etc.
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I don't think C & D is too far off on their assessment of the XT5. The problem is they first say for similar money you can have a Jaguar F-Pace, Porsche Macan, X3 or GLC and those are all way better. Later they do say the XT5 fairs well against the Lexus RX and Lincoln MKX. Because that is where the XT5 is, it is a2nd tier luxury crossover, competing with the mid-size front drivers. It isn't in the same league as the Rear drive crossovers. Even consider the 310 hp V6 XT5 is slower than a 241 hp GLC, it has no chance against an F-Pace or Macan. For 2nd tier luxury brand, the XT5 is probably pretty good, it just isn't ready to fight the big boys.
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Cadillac's "competitive product" can't catch the German 3 here in the USA, no chance can they catch them in German car loyal Europe. Cadillac in Europe is like Alfa Romeo in the USA. It is a tall mountain to climb. I think the 10 year warranty idea could help them get some people to take a chance on them in Europe. I'm sure they will undercut Audi in price too. Think of this too, Alfa Romeo has a sedan faster around the Nurburgring than a CTS-V, that competes with ATS-V and M3. And sales of the Alfa Quadfiglio or whatever it is called will be under 500 a month while the 3-series sells 10,000.
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What would concern me is an EV car doesn't need to be built like a gas car. You don't need as large a hood, you have different center of gravity, etc. Converting a 3-series into an EV probably gets you a compromised EV since the car is first and foremost designed to fit around an inline gas six engine with transmission tunnel. I think Mercedes has a better approach by having a dedicated electric car chassis, that way the car can be designed up to be an EV, and you can do more things with styling and interior space when not worrying about having hard points needed to accommodate an inline six. Eventually there will be more and more electric cars, in Mercedes case there could even be an Electric E-class and a gas E-class, but on difference chassis, until the day that gas just goes away. For BMW I think one day they'll have 3-series EV and no gas engine as well, you don't want to throw away the 3-series name brand equity, they need the 3-series name on an Electric car, but I wonder if they get a good car retro fitting batteries and electric motors to the current car.
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If the XT5 was based on the CTS and cost $49,000 base, sort of like what a BMW X5 is, then they could get 2 crossovers under XT5 easily. With the XT5 priced starting in the high 30s, hard to get 2 vehicles below that without one of those being $29-31k. I figure Cadillac will roll out a Lincoln MKC/Lexus NX/Acura RDX fighter that is around $35k, which makes sense, but to go below that you have to get down to $30k. As far as Mercedes goes, they had the 300SL Gullwing which in the 50s was one of the fastest cars in the world, in the 60s they had the 600 Grosser, the best 4 door car in the world at the time, and the most expensive. So they had built up some name when they got here, and the S-class and SL roadster of the late 60s and 70s were good cars. By the 80s they had the Americans worried and they passed them by in the 90s, and left them in the dust in the 2000s. No way Cadillac can overtake any of the German 3 in sales in Europe, in 20-30 years. They could sell CTS-Vs for the price of a Golf diesel in Germany and not outsell BMW.
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Cadillac priced the XT5 like the GLC, so if there are 2 products below XT5, looks like Cadillac will have a GLA competitor and sub-GLA competitor. The GLA may not be a very high bar, but I doubt Cadillac will do any better with a Trax based crossover or Cruze based crossover which I'd imagine will be their XT1 and XT3 respectively. The CLA and GLA are weak by Mercedes standards, but the worst Mercedes is still better than most of what anyone else does.
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Ford GT is an exotic, the rest of their line up now and through history is not.
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Tall mountain to climb here. I think they'd do well by offering a 10 year warranty on Cadillacs in Europe. In addition to dealerships they need to give people a reason to look at their cars. It helped Hyundai and Kia here, although I'd go a step farther and do 10 year bumper to bumper warranty for Cadillac Europe. On 1,000 or 2,000 cars a year it isn't going to cost much anyway. Two crossovers below the $39,000 XT5. I hope all those GLA bashers are ready for a $30k Cadillac SUV with a 1.6 liter engine.
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Bentley News: Bentley Mulsanne To Swap V8 for Electric Power?
smk4565 replied to William Maley's topic in Bentley
This would probably be 2020 or after offering, by that point battery range will improve, price will fall. It makes sense since the Mulsanne is already huge and heavy, weight and price are not a worry. If they can pack 800 lb-ft of electric torque and silent operation, I think most Mulsanne buyers will like that. And range isn't even that big a deal, how many miles will they ever go in one, probably half of Mulsanne owners have a privet jet. -
Mustang is not expensive nor dies it have power and performance in the top 5% of car models. Corvette Z06 performance level I'd say is enough to get to that level, but the Corvette isn't rare. Ferrari, Lamborghini, Koenegsegg, Paganism, McLaren, I'd call exotics. They are on another level of performance and rare.
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Audi News: Rumorpile: Audi's Latest V8 Could Be Its Last
smk4565 replied to William Maley's topic in Volkswagen
Sad that the V8 will die in most places, even the V6 could die in a lot of applications by 2025. Audi/Porsche/Bentley/Lambo though I would think would have use for a V8, that is weak on their part to give up on it. Most business for Mercedes though. I think the V8 will still have a place for high end sports cars, like $100k+ territory, even though I think electric will get more and more popular and engine downsizing will continue. -
Just out of curiosity... what do you consider an "exotic"? I had this discussion with my friends awhile back and it seems everybody has a different perspective of the phrase "exotic car". I would consider exotic a combination of rare, expensive, powerful, bold/unique styling, and capability or performance beyond 95% of other cars. Or some combination of those traits. I think an exotic has to stand out looks wise, but also be in that top 5% of performance.
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The Range Rover is a legit off roader for sure, one of the best out there. The real Range Rover, as I call it, that starts at $85k sold 1,044 units last month. The Range Rover Sport that starts at $64k sold 1,500, and that isn't a true off roader, and the $41k Range Rover Evoque isn't even a Range Rover. So if we look at the real Range Rover it outsells the G-wagen by 3 to 1, but starts $35,000 cheaper too. I think the GLS can hold its own off road, they do sell an off road package for it. It is no Range Rover, but it could mop the floor with a Lexus RX or Acura MDX or any of those car based crossovers.
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It is low volume for sure, but so are Rolls-Royces, Bentleys, Ferraris, Aston Martins, Audi R8s, Acura NSX, Lamborghinis, etc. The G-glass is an exotic car in the SUV world. There are several V12 sports cars out there, mid-engine supercars, etc. But until the Bentley Bentayga hit the market, get G-class was the only exotic SUV out there. That's what makes it special, and the Bentley can't go off road, there is still nothing like a G-class. As far as the Ranger Rover goes, the better comparison is probably to the GLS, even though the GLS is a little bigger, they line up more on price, features, etc.
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First off, G-wagen buyers could care less about depreciation. The NBAer that makes $18 million a year doesn't care, Kim Kardashian doesn't care, Sylvester Stallone doesn't care, etc. It could get 4 mpg and they wouldn't care. The fact that it is expensive is what makes it appealing. Car and Driver just had an article on depreciation after 3 years, industry average is to retain 53% of value. The G-class is in most cases going to be above that. I just did a search on Auto trader for G550 within 100 miles of Pittsburgh. There aren't many, but a 2014 is $89,900, a 2012 is $79,900 and there are a pair of 2003's for $35,000. That is a 13 year old truck still selling for $35,000. Using the 2012 model, it is still worth 67% of what it was new after 4 years. For fun, the top 6 in resale value are Toyota FJ Cruiser (98%), Toyota Tacoma (77%), Jeep Wrangler (76%), Toyota 4Runner (75%), Honda Ridgeline (74%) Range Rover (72%). A pair of Subarus, the Avalanche and Tundra round out the top 10. The 10 worst in resale are Smart ForTwo, Suzuki Grand Vitara, Suzuki Kizashi, Chevy Impala, Suzuki SX4, Chevy Caprice, Fiat 500, Lincoln MKS, Chevy Sonic, Ford Fiesta. For large SUV, the GMC Yukon was the worst, Toyota Sequoia was best, for luxury SUV, Lincoln Navigator was worst, Range Rover best.
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All I know is I want a boat with a garage door. The genius to the G-wagen is that once the V12 went on sale and Schwarzenegger buys one, then a guy like Stallone looks inferior in his G63, so then he has to go buy a G65. Kim and Kanye will need one too.
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They should build it. It is good to build something crazy and push the limits of engineering.
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The G-wagon sells great for a $145,000 vehicle. Look at BMW i8 or Audi R8 sales. Or Bentley Continental sales. Norhing in this price range is high volume and they do have global sales, they are probably selling over 10,000 globally, and these have to have $20,000+ margins.
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The G-wagen is getting a new chassis next year. This will be the first major update since 1979. And really that is probably more for compliance reasons and keeping parts similar to other models that are newer. Demand is huge for the G-wagen and sales are increasing. No reason to change what is successful.
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I don't see a 4 or 6 cylinder in the Escalade. Or a 2.0T in the Corvette. Because buyers of those cars want a V8. The current G-wagon is so heavy, a V6 isn't enough. There is a turbo V6 diesel in Europe, but the current weight is around 5800 lbs or something, if they take 440 pounds out then the turbo 6 becomes a more viable option. However that would have a low take rate still, the people buying a G-wagon want a V8, or V12 even. They also aren't bilking customers, they are giving the customers what they want. The people buying G-wagons want a 560 hp V8 retro off road tank. The G is unique vehicle with no rival really, that is why people pay top dollar for it, and sales keep climbing. That is why it sells. The more outdated it is, the better it sells.
