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

smk4565

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    13,730

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    11

 Content Type 

Everything posted by smk4565

  1. smk4565
    Audi makes RS models, they don't seem to sell many of them here, but I know even 5 years ago the RS6 had like 580 hp and that was the M5 and E63 still had only 500. Mercedes has had AMG trim packages for years, my car has AMG wheels, the sport body styling and the AMG engraved exhaust pipes, so that is nothing new. I don't think they need to call anything AMG Sport, that sounds lame, just offer cars with the AMG styling package as they already are. If they want to sell a C450 that is fine, but then why not just make all C400s have 367 hp, forget the lesser output engine so you don't have so many engine configurations. What is odd though is Mercedes is dropping the E550 and GL450 in favor of twin turbo V6 models. So on one hand they are dumping V8s (in the name of CAFE I'm sure) yet they want to do a sport line? I think just offer an AMG styling package option on all the models, because people might want a diesel E-class or the 2.0 turbo C-class with AMG wheels and the body kit. Audi has S-line trim packages, which is like shadow black window trim and a wheel upgrade or something. Sort of like the Lexus F-sport cars, it doesn't add any power, just trim and wheels.
  2. smk4565
    I just picked Escalade as an example, the same could apply to the Infiniti QX-Armada, the Navigator, etc. There should be a gas guzzler tax on an vehicle that gets below 18 or 20 mpg EPA combined or whatever the number is now. I think they have tiers, where the worse the fuel economy the higher the tax which I am fine with. There is probably 2 million trucks a year sold that would then get taxed, at $2500 per truck that is $5 billion to go toward road funding so our roads aren't crap. For a Ferrari buyer, the $3,000 guzzler tax is nothing, they are going to buy the car anyway and it is only 1% of the sale price. But on a pick up, that $3,000 could be 10% of the sale price, which would force automakers to boost fuel economy to avoid it.
  3. smk4565
    I think pick up truck buyers will buy pickups regardless of what gas prices are. I see a lot of trucks that are more for luxury than for construction, and I see lifted trucks modified for off road. Truck buyers will spend money on trucks and not seem to care if it gets bad mileage or if gas is expensive. Unless gas goes to $8-9 per gallon like in Europe, then sales will drop as people look for electric cars. Personally I think the gas guzzler tax should apply to trucks as well as cars. It is ridiculous that an XTS hearse has a gas guzzler tax, or an SRT Charger or a CTS-V, or any of the sports cars like Aston Martins and Ferraris that barely get driven, yet an Escalade is exempt. An Escalade isn't a work vehicle or a necessity, it is luxury/pleasure vehicle just like a sports car is. Pickups and big SUVs guzzle the most gas, put the same tax on the Tundra and watch how fast Toyota gets a new engine in there to avoid a $2500 tax on their truck. If every Silverado V8 had a $2500 tax on it, Chevy would have a 3.0 liter diesel V6 with an 8-speed in their as a no cost option within 6 months.
  4. smk4565
    I drove a Pacifica a couple times, when they got the 4.0 V6 and 6-speed it was better than the earlier models, but with the Pentastar V6 and a 9 speed automatic then it would be even better. The outside look was good, the formula of 2 rows of bucket seats and a 3rd row bench for 2 made it comfortable to seat 6, I always liked that adults could sit in the second row and it wasn't like a cramped bench seat.
  5. smk4565
    The Scion xD is dead for the 2015 model year, so that can be ruled out. I would say buy the Soul, car loan rates are low, she could stretch the payment over 5 years 6 if she had to, and at the end of the lease that Soul should only have like $12-13k owed on it. I think the Mazda 3 hatchback looks good, but the price is probably too high, those can run into the $20-25k range in a hurry. Maybe she could get one of those Mitsubishi i- miev cars, I have seen 2012 used ones for $12-13k and there would be no fuel cost, no oil changes to pay for, etc. You can lease a new one for about $189 a month. The range is only about 62 miles, but it sounds like she doesn't drive a lot of miles.
  6. smk4565
    Sounds like the return of the Pacifica.
  7. smk4565
    The current tC is dated because it is basically the same car they had in 2005-2008. Toyota lets cars sit on the market too long and doesn't update engines or transmissions often enough. If they would keep their product fresh then it wouldn't be a problem. If you kill the Scion brand and put that money into keeping the Yaris, Corolla and Celica (which would be like a Corolla coupe to replace tC) then you could keep those models updated and relevant.
  8. smk4565
    The masses love rounded off crossovers.
  9. smk4565
    Plus the FR-S is already sold a Toyota GT86 in every other country, it would be cheaper not to market the Scion brand and to not have to rebadge a Toyota to Scion. I agree with Drew that the GT86 is going to appeal to more hard core sports car drivers and people that want a track car. The tC/Celica is going to appeal to people that want sporty looking, but easy to drive, good gas mileage, can drive in snow, etc. Having 2 sporty cars with a Toyota badge would make Toyota seem a bit less like a geriatric brand, they save the costs of marketing and running 2 brands also. A win-win for Toyota.
  10. smk4565
    I think people would care, Mercedes just set a July sales record. C-class sales are down because it is a soon to be replaced model, the 2014 model isn't even in production anymore, as production of the 2015 model started in late June. C-class sales are going to soar this fall when the 2015 hits dealers. Road & Track said the best materials in the 3-series can't even compare to the worst materials in the C-class.
  11. smk4565
    On second thought, after looking at how Scion brand sales are, Toyota should drop the whole brand and bring back the Celica. Scion only sold 5,500 cars last month, I bet they could sell 5,000 Celicas a month, if they made it look good and gave it a pair of 4-cylinder engines to pick from. Single people in their 20s that can't afford an expensive car would drop $20k on a Celica if it looked fast and sporty, even if it is slow and crap to drive.
  12. smk4565
    Well the A8 and 7-series aren't, they only sold about 500 each.
  13. smk4565
    But you can't get a 2-door Dart, Cruze, Focus, Jetta, Mazda3 or Corolla. Only the Civic and Elantra are available in coupe form; the small coupe market is pretty slim pickings. Toyota would be foolish to kill the tC, it hardly has any competitors.
  14. smk4565
    Prius is a joke of a car and terrible in crashes. I would not waste money on this product line and I would especially not waste my family or friends life by putting them into such a lousy car. I think they suck too and the batteries will sit in a landfill somewhere and contaminate the environment anyway. But the Prius has a loyal customer base, and you can't really compare it to other small cars because there are people that would buy a Prius for the "green image" alone and never think about getting a Cruze or Focus or Jetta. Toyota not only gets a lot of sales off the Prius, the Prius builds this myth that Toyota is the most fuel efficient car maker when they aren't.
  15. smk4565
    They still make the Avenger? I would assume the new 200 has a higher transaction price and fewer fleet sales than the old one, but to see no sales gain over that awful car it replaced is somewhat alarming. I think people like Jeeps and Chrysler minivans, but don't trust them on sedans yet, because the 300 is a pretty slow seller and the Dart only sells about 1/3 of what the Cruze, Focus, Elentra sell.
  16. smk4565
    S-class outsold the 7-series, A8, LS460 and XJ combined! Owning the segment.
  17. smk4565
    Cadillac has a few problems, outside of the Escalade which is selling very well. First the ATS and CTS were really targeted against the 3 and 5-series, almost to where they were copying dimensions of the 3-series, and why buy a copy when you can get the original. Secondly, Cadillac for a lot of years offered mid-size CTS at entry level price and a full size car at a mid-size price. Now that the ATS and CTS are priced a bit more in line with Lexus and the Germans, the buyers perhaps aren't willing to pay equal money for a Cadillac. XTS sales are probably down because you can get an Impala or Lacrosse which is pretty similar for way less money, and the traditional Deville buyer is dying off. This is why the XTS should be a one and done car. Thirdly, Cadillac marketing is weak, they mostly run that one "runway" ad where they show 5 different cars in a gray on a black background and barely touch on many features of the cars or try to make the brand sound appealing. The marketing department definitely isn't doing the products any favors.
  18. smk4565
    Prius is a bit of a different animal, it is a smaller car, but you have people that buy a Prius to make a statement, I think Leonardo DiCaprio and Cameron Diaz both have a Prius. Scion needs small cars because they are going for young and urban buyers. The iQ is awful and should be cut, I can see the need for Yaris and Corolla and there is no Corolla coupe, so the tC sort of fills that need.
  19. smk4565
    Perhaps the best comparison for sleek roofline drag coefficients is to compare CLS vs E-class since they are the same chassis. The first-gen CLS had a drag coefficient of .30, vs .27 for the same era E-class, so the CLS design hurt aerodynamics. The current CLS and E-class are both .26 cD, so they are the same. A swept back roofline is only going to hurt backseat room in the Malibu, already a weak spot of the car. They need to get more interior space inside, without making it any bigger on the outside.
  20. smk4565
    I meant that Chevy had a 5.7 liter V8 back in the early 90s. Now they have the 5.3, and Ram and Toyota have a 5.7. But family sedans have basically cut engine size in half and increased power at the same time, while increasing fuel economy. Interiors in everything has gotten better, I'd say small cars probably saw the most improvement, look at how bad a Cavalier was and they sold that in 2003, compared to the Cruze or a Focus now. In 1994 the Silverado 4wd had a 4.3 liter V6 as the base engine, 14/18 mpg. In 2014 the Silverado 4wd has a 4.3 liter V6 with 17/22 mpg, a 3.5 mpg increase in 20 years! And from 4 gears to 6, and the transmission probably got them 2 of that 3.5 mpg. As said I give Ram some credit for putting new things into their truck, it is what has helped the Ram pass the Silverado in sales. But the diesel engine isn't a Chrysler innovation, Fiat made that engine and gave it to them. The engine is made in Italy. A smart move to use it, but without Fiat, the Ram pickup would still have a Chrysler engine from 2005 under the hood.
  21. smk4565
    How about a 2006 Subaru Baja with 210 hp turbo for $13,000? Although that seems like a ripoff too since it was probably $27,000 8 years ago.
  22. smk4565
    Some used cars are a lot and I don't get why. I do think since new cars are so expensive, that used cars are more in demand so the huge drop offs in price aren't seen as much as they used to be. I shipped a car from Florida to Pennsylvania for $650, it isn't that expensive to buy long distance and ship it, probably cheaper to ship it than to buy a plane ticket then drive 1,000 miles and spend the gas and risk wear and tear on the trip.
  23. smk4565
    Yeah, when Pontiac died, Toyota should have pumped money into Scion to make a Grand Am/G6 sort of coupe/sedan that was a little bigger than a Corolla, keep the tC fresh, they could have locked down the compact utility market before the Kia Soul ever arrived, but they missed the boat. In 10 years the brand has never really taken off. Toyota could just make the next-gen tC the Celica, dump the FR-S name and sell it as the GT86 as they do elsewhere, then add the Auris to the US lineup and you have 3 youth oriented cars under the Toyota name, no need to advertise 2 brands.
  24. smk4565
    Well the Yaris should be the only sub-compact, then the Corolla would be their small car. Chevy has Spark, Sonic and Cruze so they use a 3 car approach. Scion doesn't really need a subcompact, I don't think Toyota should position Scion as just an entry level crap brand, they should make them a sporty/fun brand. The xB and xD sucked, but most Toyota's lack style, imagination, modern powertrains, excitement, etc. If they could properly execute some products, Scion could be a solid niche brand.
  25. smk4565
    I do give credit to Ram for the diesel and 8-speed. And the 90s Ram had the Kenworth truck look which was cool for the time. Overall though pickups look about the same as they did 25 years ago, still using 5-5.7 liter V8s as they did 25 years ago, they swapped out 4-speed auto for 6 speed. It isn't as bad as full size vans like the Econoline that went 25 years with one update, but I think other segments advance faster than trucks.
×
×
  • 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