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smk4565

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Everything posted by smk4565

  1. smk4565
    I wonder if she wishes should could have a nicer car than a Corvette, but doesn't want to buy a car from another car maker.
  2. smk4565
    But there won't be an Escalade with the LT4 and even if there were, there is an AMG GL63 to top that and likely a V12 GL600 on the way, and last I checked GM, Ford and Toyota don't have a V12 in the arsenal to compete with that. The Navigator and other big SUVs have gotten tired because the companies that make them got lazy, that is true. But if you were planning on making a luxury SUV, why would you choose a pick up chassis as your base? Pick up trucks don't really scream luxury ride and handling. This is why the NAvigator should move to a unibody chassis, they could probably cut 1,000 lbs of weight, while still using the Ecoboost 3.5 liter and make a better riding, better handling, quick, more fuel efficient SUV than the Escalade, and maybe Lincoln could get back in the game.
  3. smk4565
    Camrys are front wheel drive. Formula 1 cars are rear wheel drive.
  4. smk4565
    MT also tested the V6 GL450 vs the V8 Escalade. Put the GL550 in there and it wins all the performance categories, although that might not have changed their outcome. I do agree with MT that that GL interior is looking a bit dated, it is too utilitarian looking. The C-class and S-class have really moved away from that back to a luxury design though. The Escalade is the best executed and best marketed body on frame SUV, and that is why it has had success. They have also kept the formula the same and improved it over the generations. The other big body on frame SUVs just look hopelessly dated by comparison to the Range Rover and GL. And the BMW X7 is coming. Look at where the Navigator, Infiniti QX and Lexus LX570 were 10 years ago, compared to now. They are all falling in sales, they could all be gone in another 10 years.
  5. smk4565
    What Lincoln should do it move the Navigator to the Explorer platform to make it a unibody SUV. The Explorer is the same width as the Navigator, but the Navigator is 8 inches longer. I am sure they could lengthen the Explorer a little bit, even if it was to 203 inch overall length. Then you can use the 2.7 and 3.5 liter Ecoboost V6s because there is less weight to pull around, the ride, handling and fuel economy would be better, and they could probably price it in the $50s, rather than low $60s. That would create a better selling vehicle. The Navigator and Escalade had big early success because they were able to sell on bling factor and bigger was better. But just like the body on frame sedans (Town Car, Fleetwood, Brougham) got put out to pasture because the unibody imports were better, the same will soon happen to SUVs. The Infiniti QX80 and Lexus GX and LX are basically all dead, while the German SUVs thrive, and Jaguar, Bentley, Maserati, and Lamborghini are all getting into the mix. Lincoln's path to crossover success is the MKC (renamed) starting around $33k, MKX becomes Aviator starting at $42k, Explorer based Navigator starting at $55k. That creates a small-medium-large set up, undercuts the Germans on price, keeps the MKC and MKX priced like a Lexus or Acura.
  6. smk4565
    AWD has benefit in bad weather over RWD, but if you put summer only tires on an all wheel drive car, what happened to Clarkson in the X6 will happen, doesn't matter if you have 8 wheel drive if the tires have no grip. As far as the X1 vs SRX, they aren't the same class. The X1 is cheaper and 14 inches shorter in length. The X1 is smaller than an ATS, the Mercedes GLA is even smaller, almost Buick Encore sized.
  7. smk4565
    The Continental will probably be priced too high to be a livery vehicle. They might push the MKS into that category. The MKT needs no replacement, they have a MKC, MKX and Navagator, that gives them a small, medium, large SUV trio.
  8. smk4565
    All these countries shaded in blue use the G-class in their military.
  9. smk4565
    Peak hp numbers are misleading. The power band matters more because rarely are you driving with the engine at 6,000 rpm. Plus torque affects acceleration, horsepower affects top speed. Torque is the more important thing to compare.
  10. smk4565
    ^^ True dat.
  11. smk4565
    The G-class as it is, is what the fan base wants. There is no reason to change it. The Jeep Wrangler has looked the same for 35 years and it is the iconic Jeep and still has a loyal fan base. If you want a modern unibody luxury crossover, Mercedes has the GL. G-class production is also sub-contracted out to Austria, it doesn't come from Stuttgart. What I didn't know until I did some research is the company that assembles it also makes the Mini Countryman and Pacemen. In the past they made Aston Martin Rapide, BMW X3, Jeep Grand Cherokee/Commander, Saab 9-3 convertible, and the early 4matic Benzes. I think the G63 6x6 is built by Brabus.
  12. smk4565
    Lincoln's rebirth plan will be under funded. Cadillac and Lincoln both face the problem of not enough R&D dollars. Lincoln will never get into the tier 1 luxury brands, I am not even sure they'll still be selling Lincolns in 10 years.
  13. smk4565
    RWD is the answer, it is just that Cadillac doesn't have brand cache and they just now are moving to 8-speed transmission and they don't have hybrids, diesels, DOHC V8, V12, convertible, etc. Their product line is still thin and powertrains to reliant on what Chevy uses. Lincoln will not be able to sell this car in the $60-80k range if that is the target price, too high for a fwd based car. As far as China goes, The Continental or CT6 won't sell there because they don't have 4 rings on the grille.
  14. smk4565
    Are they replacing the MKS with the Continental? or is the Continental supposed to be a $60,000 car above the MKS? Which would make it more of a K900 or Equus competitor, or what is the expected price point?
  15. smk4565
    The S-class has too much power for the other guys to beat with 4 and 6 cylinder engines. An S550 does 0-60 in 4.8 seconds, pretty quick for a big car, and they have faster models. A lighter weight 7-series with a 600 hp V12 could be a threat, but I doubt they put more hp in the 7-series than a Rolls-Royce, so the V12 will probably have like 540 hp. One has to wonder though what the quest for light weight will do to ride quality or sound deadening. Because in this segment luxury still comes first, and there is a image thing with a 4 or even V6, they seem common. Just like a V12 is a status symbol because it is so rare and high end.
  16. smk4565
    What does a CT6 3.0 TT with all wheel drive, 4 power heated/cooled seats, the 34 speaker stereo, panoramic glass roof, tray tables, dvd screens, etc weigh? All that stuff adds weight. Car and Driver tested a CTS 2.0t rear drive that was 3731 lbs, 64 less than that is 3677. All wheel drive adds 150-200 lbs plus all the luxury goodies, bigger engine, and the weight will rise. The S-class can hammer all these cars on power though. Jaguar and Audi tried the aluminum body thing, BMW is getting the 7-series back down in weight, that is all well in good. But if you put a small engine in, then you don't have an advantage. It is like saying the Miata is 800 lbs lighter than a Corvette, doesn't matter the Corvette kills it on power.
  17. smk4565
    The S-class is a luxury car, of course the the magic body control and air springs are going to go for comfort. That is the hallmark of the S-class, that legendary ride quality.
  18. smk4565
    What Clarkson proved in his X6 test is how over rated all wheel drive is. Tires matter more. Obviously 4 drive wheels gives better traction thatn 2 all other things being equal. But people over rate all wheel drive. My car has 245/40 ZR18 tires in the front and 265/35 ZR18 in the rear. With summer tires it would be useless. With Blizzaks I have driven it through 2 winters of snow without much of any problem. Getting up a hill from a stop can be a challenge. But the tires are what matter for grip, not the drive wheels.
  19. smk4565
    Magic body control is the S-class suspension that scans the road ahead to adjust the suspension before hitting a bump. That is where the real magic is.
  20. smk4565
    A turbo 4 in any full size luxury sedan is terrible. Turbo 4s are in entry lux sedans and family sedans, why would you want that in a full size car. As I put earlier, the only way to pass a turbo 4 as acceptable is if you had 100-150 hp electric motor packaged with it so you can sell the efficiency aspect of it, but still have over 350 hp and torque, which for a base model is okay. But a flagship sedan should have over 400 hp. We also don't know what the CT6 actually weighs. Lets see what the production models weigh and actually performance test data.
  21. smk4565
    And outside of the USA none of that stuff sells. Jeep is the only brand they could sell outside of the USA. Which makes it the only brand of value in the FCA portfolio. Sergio is trying to merge because he knows FCA can't survive as is. With longer and longer product cycles, too many brands, too many single market products, he knows the clock is ticking. No one is buying what he is selling though.
  22. smk4565
    I know the 8-series wasn't a roadster or sports car, it was a big executive coupe. And as much as like to see Mercedes clear out and monopolize the luxury 2 door segment from $60-120,000, it would still be nice if BMW had an 8-series or even a Z8 style car. Something with some cool factor, rather than their sedans that all look the same and their SUVs that all look the same. And I know BMW has the i8, so I do give them credit for building what looks like a concept car and actually putting it on sale.
  23. smk4565
    Wrong - Above 275hp, you need Hi-Per strut.. maybe. And that argument negates the entire Audi lineup if it were true. The XTS V-Sport is very nearly track ready and it is FWD based. The SRX sux so bad that it outsells its competitors, the GLK, X3, and Q5, regularly.... even at the tail end of its production run. Put an XTS V-sport on a track against a CTS V-sport and who wins? The SRX is bigger than those 3 Germans, and I think the Lexus RX and SRX both benefit from a lot of people liking Toyota or Chevy crossovers (or fwd crossovers in general) and it is a logical move up. But with the Q3, GLA, and X1 in place it allows the GLC, X3, Q5 to grow a little, add more content, more power etc. The Germans over time have a way of wearing down the market and winning people over.
  24. smk4565
    This post just shows you have no knowledge about the company.............. at all............ What does FCA do better than the other guys? VW makes better small cars than Fiat. If you are looking for South American or European sales, the Up!, Polo, Golf, etc are a lot more competitive. VW's global weakness is on mid-size to large sedans in the USA and they don't have a pick up truck or minivan. Toyota has all the bases covered, Honda does cars and minivans better than FCA, GM and Ford do cars and trucks better than FCA. None of the big 5 car companies need FCA. Jeep is the one prize that any company could use, because people buy Jeep for the look, the brand image, the off road recognition, etc. It wouldn't matter if the Jeep had a Pentastar V6 or a Ford V6 or Toyota V6 under the hood. Jeep could fit in with almost any of the big carmakers and not be an overlap to their existing product lines.
  25. smk4565
    The 850 was always to be a grand tourer, it was the coupe version of the 7-series. BMW has no product like that now. Actually the S-class coupe is the only product on the market like that now other than a DB9 or Maserati Gran Turismo, which are smaller sports cars. The 6-series is ugly, the 6-series gran coupe is nearly the size of a 7-series, that makes no sense. But perhaps Mercedes is just cornering the grand tourer market with the SL and S-class coupe. The Jag XK is gone, Lexus SC is gone, XLR gone, 8-series gone. One by one they all tumbled.
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