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smk4565

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Everything posted by smk4565

  1. smk4565
    The Fiesta ST and Miata are good choices. I'd probably take one of those for something newer, I like the Renegade too. But game over with this one.
  2. smk4565
    2012 E350 Bluetec (which had a 2.987 liter engine) if that counts for 3 liter, then I'd pick an E250 Bluetec or a 2017 E300 for everyday use. Ferrari F40 for sure, still one of the best super cars ever. Mercedes 280SL for a convertible, in silver though. And we save the best for last, the Ferrari 250 California, with a 2.95 liter V12
  3. smk4565
    Someone in Stuttgart thinks 0-60 in 4.8 seconds is too slow, so they decided to make this one with a 503 hp V8 and test it on the Nurburgring! That is how you make the Best or Nothing.
  4. smk4565
    Mercedes 2014 total without CLA/GLA and B-class (and without Sprinter) was 295,363. 2015 total without Smart/Sprinter and GLA/CLA and B-class is 285,946. That is more of a 3.3% drop for the rear drive passenger car line. Sprinter sales were up 16% in 2015. The S-class outsold the CLA last month, so that debunks the theory of Mercedes relying on fwd cars to get sales. And The E-class is the #1 selling Mercedes in history and we get a new one this year, that is going to turn the sales chart around. Plus you have C-class coupe, hybrid and convertible hitting, GLS and SLC, and SL refreshes, so most of the new product is rear drive, where as most of 2015 calendar year had a GLA that added 26,000 units vs 6,000 the prior year. But imagine if Cadillac said the next-gem CTS was going to the Malibu platform and would have a 250 hp turbo 4 standard, and a 350 hp turbo V6 as the range topper, and V-series was cancelled. How would that taste? Because essentially that is what the Cadillac crossover line is becoming.
  5. smk4565
    I think the "F" stands for failure.
  6. smk4565
    My mom had an Audi, horrible reliability. They had to redo the coils and ignition wiring at one poi t and some other engine overhaul less than a year later. Those totaled $6-8000 I think and she got rid of it a year later at 155,000 miles because she thought the turbo was about to go.
  7. smk4565
    Sales will double since it says Toyota on the front instead of Scion.
  8. smk4565
    Well first off, any sedan is better than a GS350 F, except for an Acrua RLX which you could run up over $60k. I would take the 2017 E-class first, but since we don't know pricing on it, I can't configure it. If I picked form 2016 cars, I would get a base model C63 at $65,250 and add the LED lighting package, electric trunk closer and air fragrance package for $1,400 more for a total of $66,650. And that leaves $1,000 left over for gas in the V8. After the two Mercs my third choice would be a Jaguar XF S with the 380 hp V6 and the comfort and convenience package since it has ventilated seats and soft close doors. That would come in around $66k.
  9. smk4565
    Time is the ultimate luxury.
  10. smk4565
    Maybe on the coupe it was 27%, but no way nearly 1 out of 3 of 2nd Gen CTS on the road are V-series But if it was 27%, then look at all the market Cadillac is missing by not having performance crossovers. 27% of SRX sales would be about 25,000 cars a year.
  11. smk4565
    Funny that GM makes a Corvette Z06, a Camaro ZL1, a CTS-V, Ford makes a GT350, Dodge a Hellcat Charger, and SRT Grand Cherokee, etc. There must be some reason they do that. Assume the CTS-V has a 10% take rate, that is 2,000 CTS-V's a year. That isn't very high volume, yet they build it because they want it for marketing purposes, they want all the magazines to write about it, etc. I bet if there was an XT5-V they could sell more than 2,000 a year. Mark my words, the performance crossover market will grow, because the high dollar spenders will want the most powerful or fastest thing, just like the high dollar spenders do with sedans and sports cars.
  12. smk4565
    E43 will smoke that CT6 3.0TT all day long and twice on Sunday. Has more luxury and more autonomous drive features too.
  13. smk4565
    You could try to sell your car at We Buy Any Car .com They will probably give a better value on it than a dealer will on a trade. Then just put the cash down. Might want to get financing through your bank too if they have good rates so the dealer can't try to hose you on that. Take away their trade in and financing variables, then all they have left is the price of the car.
  14. smk4565
    Not at all surprised by this. Lane departure warnings, or even an autonomous steer system to avoid accidents will probably become mandated in the 2020s also. This will of course keep pushing the cost of cars up. On a related not, without meaning to get too political, we can mandate auto braking to cut down on the 35,000 people a year killed in car accidents, which I support. But then we can't mandate a fingerprint or handprint recognition pad on the handle of every fire arm, so they can't be fired unless the registered owner's fingerprint is on it? Seems like that would cut down the 35,000 gun deaths a year in the US.
  15. smk4565
    My issue with the CT6 was all the fan boys saying that the CT6 V6 would be faster than the German V8s. I all along said that V6 wasn't enough and the car needed a V8. But so many still said, no way, because it weighs the same as a CTS it would be fast. Well the TT V6 is slower than all the German V8s, the S550 is the slowest one. The CT6 is just an odd car anyway, it doesn't really compete with an of the big German sedans, it is priced more like an E-class but is a foot longer. Maybe it is better compared to an E-class. As far as the Benz transmission goes, you use all 7 gears in the standard setting, only if you use comfort does it skip first gear, and not when under full throttle. They have 2 reverse gears because they are engineered unlike any other car. What if you wanted to go 55 mph in reverse? Mercedes engineers their cars beyond the limits of normal driving.
  16. smk4565
    Who the hell needs to compete with niche vehicles like the C63 and X5 M? Seriously? Why worry about the 0.5% volume? I love how you have to continually try to compare anything Cadillac does to the most expensive examples from the German competition, when that is just a fallacy argument. So why is there an ATS-V or CTS-V, those are .5% volume cars. Seeing as crossovers have over taken sedans in sales, there is not more volume in the crossover market than there is in the sedan market. Since BMW built their image on the M3 and M5, while Cadillac sold front wheel drive boats, one brand soared and the other sank. Same thing will happen with crossovers. The luxury crossovers with the prestige will draw appeal, people will buy the better performing vehicle as well.
  17. smk4565
    I probably would have gone with C400 and GLC400 for the turbo 6 models, but they do have symmetry within the line. C43 sedan and coupe, convertible on the way, GLC43, and SLC43 all with the same powertrain, E43 and likely GLE43 with a slight power bump. They are creating an entire AMG-lite line up, I think the enthusiasts will like this, and I think their sales will rise. 0-60 in 4.8 is pretty quick for an SUV and there is supposed to be a V8 model on the way. That will really stick it to the SQ5 and X3.
  18. smk4565
    The ZL1 I am sure will smoke a GT350, but the GT350 I bet will be a lot cheaper. The GT350 is $48k base, Chevy will probably charge $60k for this. I think these 2 cars mostly sell on Ford vs Chevy loyalties and styling. I think the Mustang has a better interior and better sight lines, you can actually see out of it. But the Camaro whips it on power and the 10-speed auto is a big step up from the 6 in the Mustang. I know there are fans of these cars, and collectors of these cars that will pay $60-70k for a top end Mustang or Camaro, but at the end of the day it is still a Camaro or Mustang to me. You could get a Corvette or Porsche Boxster for that kind of money, maybe a used 911 that will hold value, etc. $70k can get you a lot of car, I just wouldn't put that kind of money into either the Mustang to Camaro.
  19. smk4565
    Will there be an LT4 V8 in the XT5 to compete with the GLE63 and X5 M? I'd guess no V8 fits in he C1xx platform, maybe they can get the XTS V-sport engine in there, that is as good as it gets, and you still have FWD handling and FWD weight bias. You have a Grand Cherokee SRT with 475 hp, Levante with 424 hp, Range Rover SVR with 550 hp, GLE63 with 577 hp, X5 M with 560 hp, Cayenne Turbo S with 570 hp, Jaguar F-pace only has 380 hp, but you know they'll drop a V8 in there eventually. There is a wave of performance crossovers out there, probably more coming. Cadillac isn't in this arena, they are basically a Lexus-Lincoln fighter in the $40-50k range.
  20. smk4565
    Any new Lincoln is a horrible buy. However a used Lincoln can be a very good buy as 2013 models could cost 50% of what it did new. Plus it should still be under warranty even if it isn't a certified one. You could get a 2013 MKZ for low $20s, I've seen 2012 MKZ's for $16,000. At those prices they look like a good deal, but it is still a fancy Fusion.
  21. smk4565
    I think U hit the nail on the head.. but I also believe that we will see 2017 Caddys with the tranny as well. In particular a simultaneous launch of the TTV8 and 10Speed in the CT6 "VSport." Keep in mind simple logic.. the ZL1 is the first 2017 high-end V8 model announced. The GS, another announced '17, doesn't have the same config as other cars.. and has the exclusive TR6070 7speed Manual Tranny due to the tranny being behind the driver instead of under him/her. It could arrive with the V8 in CT6, the risk Cadillac has is they can't have any flaws or issues with a new transmission. They are on fragile ground as it is, anything faulty and the press will pick it apart and they can't risk buyers leaving for the import brands. The Camaro's fan base is pretty set, there is really one other option which is the Mustang, perhaps Corvette. But it could be good to work out any bugs on a low volume Camaro rather than on the prestige products that need to maintain the high image. I'd expect that 10-speed to go into every rwd product GM makes from Silverado to ATS to Corvette. Anything to help CAFE, and I think also the 10-speed in the Silverado could signal the end of the V8 in the Silverado except for HD versions. They can't have the #1 selling product at GM with a 5.3 liter V8 and hit a 50 mpg CAFE number.
  22. smk4565
    Tesla uses a 1-speed transmission. With electric motors you don't need gears.
  23. smk4565
    As far as XT7 goes, (which reminds me of Suzuki XL7) I guess this means no alpha or omega platform crossover. Cadillac just gets a fancier version of the Buick Enclave, to go with their fancy Acadia, and no doubt the new Equinox will shrink in size to D2xx and spawn a Cadillac XT3. And as DeNysschen says "we can do it really quickly, rather than starting from scratch." PR spin for badge jobs are quicker and cheaper to put out than building a Cadillac crossover on a Cadillac platform. How does Cadillac go against BMW, Mercedes-AMG, Jaguar, SVR Land Rovers, Porsche and Maserati SUVs with FWD V6 product? Any credibility gained by the ATS-V and CTS-V sort of goes out the window then the crossover side of the stable lacks performance.
  24. smk4565
    A 4 cylinder in the XT5 makes total sense. Lincoln has a turbo 4, Lexus probably will soon in the RX. If the CT6 and CTS which are both more expensive than XT5 and more geared to performance than XT5, then I don't see why the XT5 wouldn't have the same engine. Plus the 2.0T has a better torque curve than the 3.6 V6, and most of these crossover buyers don't care about the engine, they might prefer a 4-cylinder to get better gas mileage. The GLC 4-cylinder makes sense since the GLC is a small vehicle. The GLC is the size of an ATS, the turbo 4 is adequate for the size vehicle and type of buyer. There is an AMG GLC43 with a 362 hp V6 and 0-60 time of 4.8 seconds. That probably beats any small crossover other than the Macan Turbo which is like $80,000. There have also been spy photos of them testing a GLC63 with a 500 hp V8. Not sure why you'd want a 500 hp V8 in a compact crossover, but they'll build it, and they'll destroy the X3, Q5 and Porsche Macan.
  25. smk4565
    The 2016 S-class has a 7 speed actually, the 2017 models will switch to the 9 speed that is in some cars already. But I did check my owner's manual and test it. In comfort setting from a dead stop, if you floor it, the car will launch in 1st gear. However if in comfort and rolling at 5-10 mph and floor it, it stays in 2nd. If you want to use first then just keep it in sport. The benefit of that comfort setting is 2nd gear launches in snow or slippery roads, which is more beneficial to the rear drove cars bug could help with add ones too. It also is favorable to the elderly that want a more sedate drive. Also to consider is every Mercedes has paddle shifters so you can pick your gear also. And they also have two speed reverse, so comfort setting would reverse in 2nd gear and not be as quick.
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