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smk4565

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Everything posted by smk4565

  1. smk4565
    I did read the next 7-series will weigh 3700 lbs due to carbon fiber usage, if they pull that off, then BMW might be back to the Ultimate Driving Machine, right now the 7-series is the bloated driving machine.
  2. smk4565
    An awful idea to build a Rolls SUV, but I am sure they will do it. To me, Rolls, Bentley, Aston Martin, Ferrari, Lambo, etc shouldn't build SUVs. But once Porsche did it, and Bentley seems to want one, and Maserati might, I guess Rolls wants to jump in. This is probably the reason Mercedes is working on a V12 GL600, they know these Bentley and Rolls SUVs are coming and they want to fight them off. There is a long wheel base Ranger Rover Autobiography also, they pumped up the Range Rover no doubt to fend of future competition.
  3. smk4565
    The chassis and powertrain are still Chevy/GMC with the exception of the Escalade having the 6.2 liter standard rather than optional, the center arm rests are the same, the body shape is basically the same, knobs to the left of the steering wheel for the lights are the same, shifter is the same, the dash shape is similar, but the Escalade has the Cadillac center stack and more wood and metal trim. The Escalade has a nice interior, and I'd say more worth the price than a Tahoe. The Tahoe starts under $50k, but Car and Driver tested one that was $70k, at that price, might as well get the Escalade, it is nicer.
  4. smk4565
    Another day, another recall.
  5. smk4565
    Agreed. Infiniti and Acura sales are weak, and at the bottom end of the luxury market, especially with Acura. Lexus relies on the RX and ES for the bulk of their volume, the IS, GS and LS aren't doing too much, and Lexus in the global market isn't making that big an impact.
  6. smk4565
    $5,000 isn't enough. I don't think I have ever heard of a 719 day supply, if they stop making them now it will still take 2 years to sell them off. And how big of a discount will they have to give in the spring of 2016 to sell a "new" 2014 ELR that has been on a lot for 2 years. Unless they put $20,000 off stickers on these ELRs they aren't going to sell. This car makes the XLR look like a sales success, and I think we all saw it coming except for GM.
  7. smk4565
    MB is pretty much what they always were. Since the beginning they have been about engineering, the S, E and SL class have basically used the same formula for 40 years with success, the C-class keeps getting better. Mercedes hasn't left what they were. Cadillac did drop quality in the 70s and 80s and lost their way, BMW still puts driving dynamics first, but they are losing focus, they could still recover quickly, but they could go the wrong way also.
  8. smk4565
    I think the per mile tax is a fairly good idea. Because a Prius weighs more than a Corvette, so if it is about road damage and wear and tear, why should the Prius driver pay 1/2 or 1/3 as much in tax as a Corvette driver? And what happens the day 50% of the cars are hybrid or electric, should 50% of drivers not pay to fund the roads they are driving on? It has to change eventually, it is possible that in 2050 that a gasoline engine is only 10% of cars, so you can't fund roads with a per gallon tax forever. They could do a hybrid tax system for now. For example, Pennsylvania has a 41 cent tax per gallon of gas, what if they dropped it to 20 cents per gallon but added a per mile tax that you paid when you registered your vehicle every year? Then you have 2 revenue streams, and can still get revenue from the EVs. You can't just keep upping the tax on gasoline because it will motivate people to move away from gasoline and switch to an alternative.
  9. smk4565
    The current 3-series is taller and wider than an E34 5-series, the E34 is 3 inches longer, weight is about the same. But the E34 was a bit small to be a mid-size car. I think the E39 was the gold standard, I don't know why they keep moving away from it. In fact instead of making these pointless Gran Turismo body styles and 4-door coupes that don't look like a coupe (at least the CC and CLS look good), BMW should remake E39 Chassis cars with a modern interior.
  10. smk4565
    The coupe I mean is the send off. They will sell those in the fall, and I suspect it won't be until spring 2015 before the CTS-V sedan goes on sale.
  11. smk4565
    I doubt they will, but there is a GL63 AMG and the GL is rumored to be getting a V12 on the next generation, so that could be 600 hp or whatever they chose to give it. There could be an argument that if Cadillac were to be a global luxury maker, for them to make a factory built armored Escalade, and an extra luxury Escalade, and perhaps both with a V12 or at least a supercharged V8 making over 550 hp, and a 8-10 speed transmission. But an armored Escalade would be serious money and how many could they sell. Because the LWB Range Rover is coming, the Bentley SUV is coming and Mercedes is readying upgrades to the GL to stop them both, there are going to be $200,000+ SUVs in the next 3-4 years.
  12. smk4565
    My guess is 6 speed auto or manual. This is a chassis and engine of the old CTS, I can't see them trying to put in no hardware for a 500 car run. They will just give it some special paint and body moldings and keep the mechanics the same. I am not even sure why it will be around for 2015, when they have a new CTS, the current body style CTS-V should be on sale this fall, why not co-develop the V-series with the base model car and get it out sooner.
  13. smk4565
    The XTS is the size of a 7-series though. Let's see the CTS alone outsell the 5-series, then Cadillac has a claim. The 3-series is dominating the ATS and IS350 like they don't even exist. But the 7-series and 5-series are down because Mercedes is up, the E-class is way up and the S-class is outselling the 7-series, A8 and LS460 combined. I think BMW has lost track of themselves. The 3-series isn't the car it used to be, even though it still sells strong. The 5-series has gotten too big and heavy. They are trading fun to drive for bigger sizes and electric steering and softer suspension. The current 3-series looks about the size of a 90s 5-series.
  14. smk4565
    But it is still a Tahoe at the end of the day. I would challenge Cadillac to build a car that doesn't have and engine from Chevrolet. The 2.0T, 3.6 V6, 6.2 V8, the Volt powertrain is all Chevy running gear. The Twin Turbo V6 is the only exception so at least they have that. Interesting though that they seem to have designed it to accommodate a diesel, but I suspect the engine bay shares a lot with the Tahoe and Silverado, so I would think GM has to be putting a diesel in the pick ups at least, if not the SUVs also. You'd think Cadillac would want a diesel since the Mercedes GL has a diesel and is the #1 seller in this class.
  15. smk4565
    The Grand Cherokee is built on a chassis derived form the Mercedes M-class, and the M-class has basically the same off road abilities. No way a GC can match a G-wagen which was an army vehicle for off road. The Hummer could if it were still here, and perhaps an F150 Raptor also.
  16. smk4565
    Unionist is fine for a mid size or small pickup. A Grand Cherokee is unibody and can go off road and tow 7500 lbs, you can get the needed capabilities from unibody. Ride comfort and gas mileage are bigger factors that max tow capacity for a small truck, I don't think.I ever saw a Tacoma, Frontier or Ranger towing something.
  17. smk4565
    The Grand Cherokee has limited slip diffs, G–wagen has 3 locking differentials. The Range Rover is pretty tough, I think it's the only thing that could keep up with the G550 off road.
  18. smk4565
    The G-wagen might be the best off roader for sale right now.
  19. smk4565
    Exactly. The American 3-series doesn't look different than a European one. An E-class sold in China doesn't have a different body than the one sold in Germany, etc. The point of global cars is to sell the same car around the globe.
  20. smk4565
    They should make a rear engine SUV based off the 911.
  21. smk4565
    Why even change it, the fact that it has been the same for 35 years seems to be part of the appeal. But some width or length would help since it is so tall, aluminum would help on the weight, and the powertrains will of course change because they are the same that are used in other Benzes. Hopefully the looks dont' change very much, the old school look seems to be why people buy it, because it is awful on fuel economy and value, an M-class is probably a better daily driver at half the price. Off Road is another story though.
  22. smk4565
    It is like they are just trying to copy Hyundai or Honda. GM designers have no imagination when it comes to designing small cars, and typical GM refresh, add some LED lights and chrome strips or some venti-ports or body cladding to make a boring car look more dramatic.
  23. smk4565
    The Impala is a good car, looks good, has a well laid out interior and is very roomy also, and not too expensive. I haven't driven one, but from looks and interior it is better than an Avalon or Taurus. The Kia Cadenza is pretty nice in that segment too, but a bit blingy. The Malibu has probably the smallest interior in it's class, there is more room in any of its competitors, the Optima and Fusion are lookers, the Malibu looks like a rental car. The CamCord have crazy resale value, the Malibu obviously doesn't. Plus you have mid-size sedans with hybrid and diesel models pushing 45 mpg or more, the Malibu gets 36 at best, not the end of the world, but the Malibu doesn't have any wow factor to make it stand out.
  24. smk4565
    The Malibu actually sells well for the car that it is. The Malibu is not a very good car, at least not as good a a Camry, Accord, Altima, Fusion, Sonata, Optima or Passat, and they still sold nearly 20,000 Malibus. I am surprised that it isn't more like 12-15,000 a month.
  25. smk4565
    Mercedes makes a factory limo, with or without armor. The advantage to the armored S-class limo is it is built from the ground up as an armored limo, where as most other armored limos are just added the armor plating in an after market shop. The S-class Guard (limo or standard length) also has cool features like internal air supply and external fire extinguisher in case of gas or napalm attack. I do believe they are only sold in Europe and the Middle East.
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