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

smk4565

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    13,686

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    11

 Content Type 

Everything posted by smk4565

  1. smk4565
    So why wouldn't Cadillac want to take fool's money? Suppose Cadillac made an Omega crossover that was under 5,000 lbs, had a 750 hp, 750 lb-ft V12 and could do 0-60 in 3.2 seconds with a top speed of 205 mph. Better than Corvette Z06 straight line performance in a 3 row SUV. And they sell it for $300,000 and sell 1,000 of them a year, but make $75,000 profit on each one. Take crazy rich people's money if you can get it.
  2. smk4565
    Yes, if highest April sales volume in 130 years is lackluster.
  3. smk4565
    People will buy the BMW X7 because they want a 3 row SUV and want a BMW, those people will be happy with the straight six, they just want something longer than the X5 they are trading in. I think there will also be buyers that will buy an X7 just because it has a V12, this might be 2,000 or so units world wide, but there will probably be a $50,000 up charge for the V12, that is a crazy amount of profit margin.
  4. smk4565
    This has a V12, and it makes 789 horsepower, 950 hp with the KERS unit. I think that means more than jack squat.
  5. smk4565
    Your information, as usual, is erroneous. BMW V-12 : 592 HP / 590 TRQ Cadillac V : 640 HP / 630 TRQ Already puts the smack down on the V-12, with a half-liter less displacement & 4 less cylinders. And no smoothness penalty. BMW's 12 needs a major overhaul. I think I read some rumor where BMW might up the power of the V12, as Rolls Royce will use it too. But if it is the 592 of the 760 which it probably will be, that engine does make peak torque at 1,500 rpm, which is really low. The CTS-V makes peak torque at 3,600. Regardless though, it is physically impossible to make a V8 as smooth as a V12 or an inline six for that matter. The V12 is the smoothest engine configuration. Dude U really should take a spin in the new CTS-V in Touring Mode just to understand how wrong U are. Take a rich guy with U.. cause they don't just allow test drives for the sake of doing it. While I won't claim that the LT4 is as smooth as the BMW V12, my reason for doing so is confined to the fact that I haven't tested them back to back. In driving a 760i I won;t lie.. I was certainly impressed with the NVH and power delivery.. but after driving the CTS-V for going on 3 months... I truly believe that Cadillac should forego the intro of the TTV8 they are planing and simply use the LT series engines, re-branded, as their choice of V8 But a CTS is a mid-size sedan. We are talking about a full size SUV with the X7. Put the CTS-V engine in an Escalade ESV that is 6,000 lbs and it is a different result. The engine would be working harder just in every day driving, more noise, more fuel burn. But at the same time I don't think the people buying a Supercharged V8 Escalade would care if it was noisy or 10 mpg thirsty. I also feel like the argument of "a turbo/super charged V8 is a good as a V12" is an argument made by companies without a V12. It is like when Lincoln tried to claim and Ecoboost V6 was better than the other luxury brands V8s. Lincoln had to say that since they didn't have a V8 sedan. The V12 just goes into the highest stratosphere of cars, it is the ultimate. As far as LT V8 vs a new line V8, that is a valid argument, since it is V8 vs V8. Then it is just personal preference of the engineering behind it and the power delivery of the two.
  6. smk4565
    Not too surprised but the Regal is even a slower seller than the Verano? Is Buick going to keep the Regal? I know they have an update coming, but how long will that model last? Interesting that Buick was paired with GMC so they would have a car brand and an SUV brand together, now Buick is becoming primarily an SUV brand. You might walk into a Buick-GMC showroom in 2020 and see 10 crossovers/SUVs and 2 cars.
  7. smk4565
    Why would U compare the LaX with the ATS anyway? The LaX should be viewed as a step down from the CTS. The ATS more in line with the Regal or even Verano in terms of steps. Because he seems to think that anyone with $40k to spend is going to go the same direction he is... that RWD trumps everything else including size, or that someone looking for the size and comfort of a Lacrosse is going to downsize in to a really small CLA because glowing-pointy-star. Do people not read? I would prefer an ATS over a LaCrosee, but I prefer performance over length and interior dimensions. I said you can argue one over the other. If your view of luxury is leg room and a soft ride and some tech gadgets, you may want a Kia Cadenza or similar. Different strokes for different folks.
  8. smk4565
    Why would U compare the LaX with the ATS anyway? The LaX should be viewed as a step down from the CTS. The ATS more in line with the Regal or even Verano in terms of steps. ATS and LaCrosse are the same price. That is why I brought those two up for the gray area that exists between mainstream brand and luxury brand. Same comparison could be made with an Avalon and an IS250.
  9. smk4565
    I said a while ago that they need a 4-cylinder Wrangler. This was more horsepower than I was expecting. I think they need a base 4 cylinder with like 200 hp (for 2 door models), but the Wrangler also needs to lose some weight and size. In the 70s, 80s, 90s, there was always an entry level Wrangler, now it is like a $30k base model with a 280 hp V6. They priced a lot of former fans out of the market I think.
  10. smk4565
    If you can rent a 300 or Maxima and enjoy driving it, that is probably the way to go. If the rental was crappy, you are better off in your own car.
  11. smk4565
    I know Mercedes tests every car they make on the Nurburgring. But they test them in ever climate and every type of terrain too. Some of these car companies are all about Nurburgring, I think Renault had a Meganne or Clio Sport that was the Nurburgring edition with a diagram of the track layout on the outside of the car.
  12. smk4565
    I think the big question is would you rather spend 900 miles in your own car or 900 in the rental spec Dodge/Chrysler product. I'd rather drive my own car than a rental. However if you don't care which car you spend 900 miles in, I'd probably rent something for the $250, gas would probably be the same either way.
  13. smk4565
    A BMW fan will argue Nurburgring = more better. I am a Mercedes fan, not a BMW fan. To me the good thing about the X7 is it pushes Mercedes to up the ante on the GLS.
  14. smk4565
    Will they test the Escalade-V on the Nurburgring?
  15. smk4565
    It isn't that bad of a loss, but at some point they need to get this production up. I think buyers and the share holders are still willing to wait, but if this time next year they are losing money and struggling to fill orders, there might be some revolt. On the flip side, if Elon can meet his 90,000 unit goal and the 500,000 by 2020 or whatever he is shooting for, they could hit it big and make money hand over fist. It will be interesting to see how it plays out, I hope they succeed, I like the idea of more wide spread electric cars (good electric cars, not crap like the Leaf).
  16. smk4565
    I didn't say better power delivery, but the BMW V12 torque hits really low so it should pull pretty well off the line. The 600 hp comes in at 5500 rpm on the BMW also, it is hitting it's peak sooner, so that can help make up the 40 hp difference. Not totally, but the overall power is close. The Rolls-Royce SUV could have over 760 lb-ft of torque, that could be a whole other animal, and the BMW won't get that tune it sounds like. The thing with the X7 V12 is what is the completion? Mercedes could do a GLS65 and out power it. A GLS600 Maybach would have less power. But they haven't decided anything, and any of that would be next generation of GLS in 2019. Cadillac could put the CTS-V engine in the Escalde, but look at the weight, at near 6,000 lbs no way would it be as fast as a unibody X7. And a V12 is a V12. There is something special about that regardless of the power rating. I am excited for the X7 in that it will force Mercedes to up their game with the GLS, but the downside is BMW is probably going to steal GLS sales.
  17. smk4565
    Agree with all that, except for the Q50, they have that new 400 hp V6, although that would cost a lot more than a Maxima. Where you get the gray areas are LaCrosse vs ATS. Depending on your view of luxury, you could argue either one over the other. I would say the ATS is more luxurious though due to the badge, material quality, driving experience. Small interior, but I don't think size = luxury like it did in the 80s. Once you get to $50,000 and up cars, you start to get the materials, build quality, performance, size, etc, you get it all. That $32-42k range has a lot of gray area of bottom end luxury brand cars and loaded up mainstream brand cars.
  18. smk4565
    BMW's V12 is a bit weak, they should be getting more power from it, even though it is tuned for low end torque and smoothness. Mercedes V12 is better and hasn't had a power bump in nearly a decade, although it is supposed to. Even the Mercedes 4.0 V8 is supposed to make 577 or 612 hp next year.
  19. smk4565
    Crossovers aren't enough of an MPG penalty for people to stay way. And even more so, buyers are choosing an Escape over a Fusion at the same price point. The buyers are taking the smaller vehicle on the inferior chassis (in theory) with not as nice an interior but all is ignored because it is a crossover. Fusion is larger, more luxurious, better platform, the buyers don't care. The subcompact crossover will emerge to rob sales from cars like Corolla, Civic and Focus. Ford and Toyota both have sub compact SUVs in the works, Chevy has Traxx, Honda has HR-V.
  20. smk4565
    The quality of the materials in the interior is exactly my point. A Cadenza has nicer materials than an Optima. An Avalon has nicer materials than a Camry. A Maxima has nicer materials than an Altima... etc. A Lacrosse has nicer materials than an Impala and a Regal has nicer materials than a Malibu. Agreed. And a Lexus ES nicer than an Avalon, and Infiniti Q50 nicer than a Maxima, etc. You can get luxury features like a heated steering wheel in a Kia Forte, doesn't make the Forte a luxury car. It is harder to say what is more luxurious a Cadenza or an A4 the Cadenza probably has more equipment and features, the A4 better build quality or materials. In that overlap price point in the mid $30s buyers could have different opinions of luxury. I still think materials and driving experience are what set the true luxury cars apart, which is why I think a rear drive chassis is important, because you can create that premium feel, long wheel base for smoother ride, 50/50 weight balance for better handling. These are the things a Toyota Avalon can't do, the Avalon will still drive like a Camry.
  21. smk4565
    Your information, as usual, is erroneous. BMW V-12 : 592 HP / 590 TRQ Cadillac V : 640 HP / 630 TRQ Already puts the smack down on the V-12, with a half-liter less displacement & 4 less cylinders. And no smoothness penalty. BMW's 12 needs a major overhaul. I think I read some rumor where BMW might up the power of the V12, as Rolls Royce will use it too. But if it is the 592 of the 760 which it probably will be, that engine does make peak torque at 1,500 rpm, which is really low. The CTS-V makes peak torque at 3,600. Regardless though, it is physically impossible to make a V8 as smooth as a V12 or an inline six for that matter. The V12 is the smoothest engine configuration.
  22. smk4565
    As far as luxury, my point was that the lines are blurred now. 15 years ago, when a mainstream sedan had sunroof and a leather power heated seat as the only options and that was about as good as it got, it was easy to see. Luxury cars had nav systems, cooled seats, automatic climate, bose stereos etc. But today, you can get cooled seats, heated steering wheel, sat-nav, and a panoramic sunroof in a Kia Optima. I think the luxury aspect now is more in the quality of the materials on the interior, and how the car drives. This is where the luxury brans separate themselves from the mainstream.
  23. smk4565
    I like Balthazaar's large coupe idea best, and do agree they need a convertible. I think they should do an Eldorado full size coupe/convertible, something big and over the top like the Rolls Royce Phantom Drophead, but more along the lines of CT6 turbo V6 pricing, like $70,000 range.
  24. smk4565
    True Dat. Johan would probably trade his first born for such an engine.
  25. smk4565
    Then why price the LaCrosse and Regal like they do? Regal was around $30k base and they dropped the price because sales were so bad. If Buick wants to compete with Lexus, they should price the LaCrosse dollar for dollar with the ES350. Make the LaCrosee $37,950 base price, if people always buy a loaded model, sales shouldn't suffer. As far as Sierra Denali (and cars like Maxima and Cadenza) depends on what your definition of luxury is. It used to be that leather heated seats and power seats, locks and windows was luxury. Now any car has that. If luxury means performance those cars don't fit that. ,
×
×
  • Create New...

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