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

smk4565

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    13,800

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    14

 Content Type 

Everything posted by smk4565

  1. smk4565
    I still don't get why they aren't using their rear drive chassis to build crossovers, rather than build them off front wheel drive Chevy platforms. Well actually, I know why they do it, because it is cheaper and most crossover buyers are dopes and don't know the difference. However, if you want to be the standard of the world, and topple the Germans, you don't do that with the Epsion chassis. The Epsilon chassis can't even topple the Fusion.
  2. smk4565
    It seems like they hit a lot of positive marks on ride, handling and agility. I think it was Automobile's review that said how the interior of the CT6 is a let down because it isn't on par with the big Germans. But it is a lot cheaper than the big Germans. It falls in size and price against the Equus and K900, but it handles much better than those cars, and the interior easily seems on par or better than the Koreans in that price class. So I think they have them beat at the discount full size sedan game. I think though an E-class has technology and interior quality better than a CT6, the 5-series and A6 aren't slouches either. I think Cadillac is going to try and steal people that want mid-size car performance in a full size car package. But I am not sure there are so many "sport sedan" buyers that want a full size car. I guess on one hand they are trying to carve out a niche, but I think it could be hard to steal sales off the establishment, they'll probably steal more sales off the XTS or CTS.
  3. smk4565
    I feel like Cadillac's recent strategy has been to copy what others had work. Lexus RX sells big, the SRX basically copies the name, similar size, price, fwd v6 set up, etc. The ATS and CTS were made to copy the 3 and 5 series. The XTS was a split between catering to Deville buyers, but also copying the Lexus ES, which is a dressed up Avalon, as the XTS is a dressed up Lacrosse/Impala. XTS was also a stop gap product, I am not sure what CT6 is. To me CT6 is 7-series size for 5-series money, just as the CTS used to be 5-series size for 3-series money. I'm not really sure what the point of going back down that road is. I don't think Cadillac has a real plan other than to mimic the Germans size segments for crossovers and sedans, and undercut them on price in the process.
  4. smk4565
    I'm not so sure the CT6 will be a game changer, or even do a whole lot to steal from the Germans or Lexus. But I am quite interested to read the reviews and see the test drive videos, and see the comparisons.
  5. smk4565
    Actually in thinking about it, almost any car that added a DOHC engine got better. The C4 Corvette with the 1991 ZR-1 had a DOHC V8 and get better. The Pontiac Torrent GXP, Bonneville GXP, Buick Lucerne Super, Malibu when it switched from the 3500 V6 to the 3.6 DOHC, even Mercedes when they dropped the 3.2 V6 and 5.0 SOHC twin spark V6 and V8 for the DOHC 3.5 and 5.5 V6 and V8s.
  6. smk4565
    A lot of luxury cars sell well, and the luxury market overall seems to be growing. People pay $85k for a Cadillac version of the Tahoe, just like people will pay $40k for a BMW 3-series that is the same size a a $20,000 Mazda 3. I think there are always people willing to pay more money for more performance or more luxury. A Camaro can do 90% of what a Corvette can do, but they still sell 30,000 Corvettes a year.
  7. smk4565
    The GXP Torrant has the 3.6 DOHC rather than the 3.4 Pushrod.... it was made specifically to appease SMK. I just looked up the Torrent GXP, it is better than I thought. 264 hp and 250 lb-ft at 2,300 rpm. The DOHC design really makes it a winner. Also remember the Saturn Vue Red Line which had a Honda sourced 3.5 liter V6 with V-Tech! Too bad they never put the Northstar V8 in an SUV, besides the SRX, which the gen 1 SRX is probably under $10,000 now, but probably high miles.
  8. smk4565
    That is right, I forgot there was a Torrent GXP. I almost forgot about GXP Pontiacs altogether, and I just suddenly had a Northstar Bonneville flashback. I think the GXP Torrent had like 245 hp V6, but that is just working off memory.
  9. smk4565
    I hear that a SUPER/Sports CAR is in the works after 2020.. that will be the "STx" Line But what about the XTS? or the Dodge Charger SXT? or the SRX?
  10. smk4565
    XT5 should be priced $10,000 above SRX, the XT3 would be smaller like ATS size and priced where the current SRX is, that still allows for a compact $32k crossover around 178 inches long. Make a 3 row crossover and that gives you 4 total.
  11. smk4565
    Ellinghouse says there are going to be 2 crossovers below XT5 and a 3 row crossover above XT5. He said there could even be a 5th crossover in the line-up, that would also be above XT5. I am curious how they price the XT5, because if they price it against the Lexus RX it is going to be hard to get 2 vehicles below that.
  12. smk4565
    I just think once you build 2 cars in China, it is easy to build 3 or 4, and then they are going down that road. Johan told Car and Driver that they are working on a 4.2 liter bi-turbo V8 with upper 400s horsepower for the CT6. They need that ASAP, and I'd actually like to see them put that in the CTS V-sport and ATS-V. Then the 3.0 TT V6 can be the mid-level engine in the CTS and ATS, and the 2.0T would be the base engine. Then you don't really need the 3.6 V6 anymore, and Cadillac sedans would be all turbo.
  13. smk4565
    The Infiniti names were always a bit jumbled. I can hardly keep straight what is what in their line up. They don't market their products well, and basically every Infiniti gets miss-mashed together because they all have a similar name with no meaning. And as far as some aspiration stepping stone, what a joke that is. They think the Q50 buyer aspires to buy a Q60 the next time (which is a 2 door) then buy a Q70, a big four door, and then buy a Q80 that doesn't exist so they buy a Genesis G90 instead? I think that moving up thing is a myth anyway. If you love the 3-series, you will probably keep buying 3-series because you like the nimble handling and sportiness. I don't know if a 3-series buyer wants a 7-series that is 2 feet longer and weighs 5,000 lbs.
  14. smk4565
    Pontiac Torrent. Those have to be dirt cheap at this point.
  15. smk4565
    What happened to the Taurus?
  16. smk4565
    And yet the people that sell the Ghost, Phantom, Mulsanne, Panamera, Cayenne, Aventador, Gallardo, Rapide, Range Rover, and Quattroporte are international.
  17. smk4565
    Who is all this BMW shadowing supposed to appeal to, that's going to sign for a Cadillac? These folks want a misshapen & bloated 4-dr hatchback, they can march over to BMW for their fat dozen sedans and kindergarten naming schemes. Again: Cadillac does not "Need" to answer all 43 models at BMW. I agree. BMW's history is the 3-series, I actually thought the coupes and convertibles should have stayed 3-series. That is their bread and butter product, variants of it are a good thing, but I don't like the 4-series split, and a 4-door 4-series is just stupid. I also don't get why Cadillac wants to be so much like BMW. It is like they sat around the product development table at Cadillac and said Joe says "we need a BMW X5 competitor." Then Sally says "oh I have a great idea, lets make an SUV the same size and call it XT5! Then buyers will know it matches up to a BMW X5, and by putting a "T" in there we can't get sued for trademark infringement." Then Joe says "great idea Sally, and we can make an XT1 and an XT3 as well to compete with the X1 and X3!!!" It's pathetic. Even in their own brand "Escalade" is there most recognizable and successful product. Yet they don't want to follow use of word names, or pay homage to the Eldorados and Fleetwoods of the past (which were mostly good cars until the mid 80s). This copy BMW will get them no where. Cadillac should be Cadillac. I don't think they need 43 models, but they need 3 crossovers plus Escalade on the SUV side, 4 car lines and some sort of sports car.
  18. smk4565
    Freightliner has over 40% market share for class 6 and 7 trucks in the USA. If you add Western Star, Daimler is nearing 50% market share on semi-trucks. Easily the #1 truck maker in the USA. As far as names go, what I don't like about CT1, CT2, CT3, etc is people want to fill all 9 slots. If you had Eldorado, Seville, Lasalle, Fleetwood, etc then you would just build the cars you want to build that have a proper place in the market. I will say a slight problem with Cadillac's line up is the XT5 is probably going to be around $40k and is mid-size, XTS is $45k and full size, mid-size CTS CTS at $45k starting even a CT6 starts at $56k. So you have all these mid to full size products in the 40s and 50s. They need small and compact, they have to go down in price to the low 30s because they have no where else to go.
  19. smk4565
    I would only offer a gas 4-cylinder in a base 2 door wrangler, hard top or soft top. Not in the higher trims or 4-door. Probably not the pickup. But look at FCA's CAFE situation too. What do they make that gets good fuel economy and sells in volume? The Dart has lousy volume, the Fiat brand is a sales joke. So they are going to have to find fuel economy gains in Jeeps, Rams and 300s and Chargers.
  20. smk4565
    I would hope they get 25 mpg. An S550 4matic gets 26 mpg and has a V8 with a lot more power and it is a bigger car. Audi A8L with a 450 hp V8 is 19/29 mpg. If Audi can get 29 mpg with 450 hp, Lincoln better hope for 30 mpg out of the 400 hp V6.
  21. smk4565
    The Wrangler in the 80s and 90s always had an entry level price 4 cylinder model. It seems now like the Wrangler got big and they want to see 4-door v6 Wranglers. I still think the 2.4 liter Tigershark with the rwd 8-speed would give decent enough acceleration, near 30 mpg highway and low base price. And there has to be a 4-cylinder diesel in the FCA empire, that they could put in a Wrangler.
  22. smk4565
    Maybe the sub ATS will be offered in a hatchback. I don't think anyone has a rear drive hot hatch, so it would be unique. The CLA is 183 inches long, but it also has fwd overhang also, a rwd chassis would have less. If you look back to the 2002-2007 C-class or the early 2000s 3-series they were about 178 inches long. Cadillac could make a 179 inch long car, plus if it is 4-cylinder only you don't have as much weight or hood space to worry about. The ATS could be 184 inches long and there is still a size gap (and power gap) between it and the new car.
  23. smk4565
    So if the CTS has more sales in China than in the USA, should they move all CTS production to China as well? I get why they are doing it with the Envision, they need a crossover yesterday and this is the fastest way to do it. As far as the CT6 goes, they might sell 20 plug in hybrids a month, so I get not wanting factory tooling for that. I just think if it works here, what is to top GM for building every Cruze in China and shipping it here? Once you go down that road it is hard to turn back.
  24. smk4565
    I wouldn't move to China, just as I wouldn't buy a car made in China. And I owned 2 American cars before the German one. And before I bought my E-class I also drove a 2010 Genesis 4.6, 2010 CTS and 2010 or 11 MKZ. The MKZ was obviously the worst car, felt like driving a Fusion, I did like the V8 aspect of the Genesis, but it was just too boring of a car, and the CTS just didn't have enough power form the 3.6, unless it was at 5,000 rpm. So I didn't just default to a German car. But I liked the E-class the best. I wonder how many cars GM decides to make in China and import. This is the 2nd one, what if there is a 3rd, 4th, or 5th?
  25. smk4565
    A Cadillac sold in the USA, made in China is sad. I think this is the beginning of the slippery slope. Envision and CT6, then in a few years it could be the Regal and LaCrosse, etc. Once they start producing cars on the cheap in China they'll keep it going if they can get away with selling them. I would not buy a Chinese made car.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.

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