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smk4565

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Everything posted by smk4565

  1. smk4565
    They would need over 600 hp and over 700 lb-ft, that would make the M7 way more powerful than a Rolls-Royce, although not like Rolls-Royce owners are looking for performance. If they decide to go after the S65 AMG they better go big or go home.
  2. smk4565
    The S600 isn't really needed anymore since the bi-turbo V8 now makes about the same power as that old V12. The S600 is more about luxury and having a V12, and the dictators, I mean world leaders that buy it may not want the AMG body kits and stiffer suspension since. I would assume most S600 owners don't do the driving so maybe that is why they keep it. It looks like the S600 may debut at the Detroit auto show, it will be 6-12 inches longer than the S550 or S65, so that will be what differentiates it.
  3. smk4565
    It will target the AMG S-Class cars. That what M's are supposed to do, no? I meant what engine would they use? They already have a twin turbo V12 in the 7-series, although that engine is less powerful than the M5 engine, but only by a small margin. And they have the Alpina with 540 hp. M7 would be a better name, but they already have performance 7-series in a sense.
  4. smk4565
    M cars are getting heavy and bloated lately. They need to put the M cars on a diet, the holy grail of sports sedans are the E36 and E39 and they keep moving farther and farther away from those. Plus, what will they do with the M7, will it be more powerful and the 760Li?
  5. smk4565
    Chevy hasn't competed with the Accord/Camry in 25 years, I don't see why the next Malibu will be any different. What magic formula will they use that they didn't use in 2004, 2008, or 2013. They make an all new Malibu every 5 years and they still fall short. The Impala looks good and is roomy, and I like the interior also, but it is also in a segment with few competitors, and a shrinking segment.
  6. smk4565
    Toyota plans to make a sedan version of the GT86/Subaru BRZ, and add a 2.0 turbo engine to it. That could be interesting as it is a light weight car to begin with, and supposed they utilize one of the Subaru WRX engines in that. That would put a small cheap RWD sedan on the market. My prediction is GM keeps the RWD cars to Cadillac, Camaro and Corvette. I like RWD and wish they made more rwd cars, but I just don't see them doing it, the bean counters lover FWD products that you can make 4 versions of (see W-bodies, epsilon 1 and 2, and Lambda as examples). Maybe the Malibu should go to rear drive, no one wants the fwd one and it gets clobbered by the competition, Chevy never will build a better fwd mid-size sedan than Toyota/Honda and likely never beat the Sonata/Fusion/Altima, so why not just go rwd and attack it like that.
  7. smk4565
    The S550 has more power and torque and gets better gas mileage.
  8. smk4565
    I like this, Aston Martin makes beautiful looking cars, they just need the engine to match, now they have it. Aston engines usually seemed a bit dated, problem solved.
  9. smk4565
    Hard to say, the Lucerne was meant to replace both cars.
  10. smk4565
    Exactly. But in CR world, if it gets good mileage it is the best vehicle. If they put a pickup bed on the back of a Prius it would be the best truck on the market because it got 40 mpg, the fact that the tow capacity is 500 lbs wouldn't be relevant. This list is laughable, the best value Luxury car is an ES300h? Low MSRP compared to other luxury cars and high mpg make it valuable? Value should be judged on what you get for the money, $40k for an Avalon with an italic "L" on the front isn't good value. Based on CR thinking the Mitsubishi Mirage has the best value of any car, it costs $12,995 and gets 44 mpg, so it must be the best car for sale on the market.
  11. smk4565
    I am surprised they still make the Land Cruiser. They should kill it off along with the FJ Cruiser. I can't see why anyone would buy this over a Range Rover or Mercedes GL.
  12. smk4565
    On a related note to the naming scheme, S500 in the rest of the world is S550 here, it doesn't really make sense. Maybe 300 should mean turbo 4, 400 could be turbo V6, 500 would be turbo v8 and 600 turbo v12. A 200 level could be a turbo 3, because moving forward and probably by 2020, everything will have a turbo and I'm sure they'll be a 3 cylinder turbo CLA or C-class in one day. Diesel engines would be 250 and 350 designation.
  13. smk4565
    I like the looks of it a lot, looks like a little S-class and that is a good thing. The interior looks fine, it seems much more modern than the current car. I give them a fail on the floating nav screen, it looks like it can get broken off if you grab it. Overall I think it has good looks, and will appeal to the current M-B buyers and bring in some new ones. The uptick in size is good since the C-class was actually smaller than the CLA, this new car will be 1 inch longer than the ATS or 3-series. The engine choices look good, the turbo 4 will have enough power for the C300 crowd that doesn't care about 0-60 time, and probably still do 0-60 in 6.5 seconds, and get over 30 mpg. The C400 engine should make it fast, possibly sub 5 second 0-60 times, and the C250 Bluetec is likely coming and that will be over 45 mpg so with the 3 engines it gives a nice variety. Airmatic being an option is a fantastic idea. I have Airmatic on my car and it is awesome. I have driven the current C-class and it rides and handles pretty well, there isn't anything bad about it, but it doesn't compare to my car with Airmatic. I am not a fan of the names, I think C250 for the turbo 4 and C350 for the turbo V6 might make more sense, except the E350 is still around and the E400 has that turbo V6, and perhaps in Europe there still is a C250 that we won't ever see there. Maybe more than anything is that it seems like 80% of C-classes are C300 so they just wanted to keep it familiar.
  14. smk4565
    The CLA is the size of a Verano though. The Regal is in an odd spot, priced like an Impala, Avalon, or Azera but not as big, and not as sporty or luxurious perhaps as an Acura, Volvo or Lincoln. The CLA though might swallow up a lot of sales in that $30-35k segment because there is no strong player there, and on brand name alone it wins.
  15. smk4565
    220 lbs, the body structure of the new C-class is 154 lbs lighter than the current model, I assume part of that weight drop would be C300 going from a V6 to a turbo 4. That would make the C300 4Matic about 3500 lbs with 24/32 mpg numbers assuming 20% gain over 20/27 that it currently gets. If they take 220 lbs off the C350 rwd then they are at 3400 lbs, which would be quite good with the turbo V6, that thing would fly. But I fear they'll put 4Matic on everything, which adds weight. I just don't think the 2.5 liter does the ATS any good. They should make the 2.0T the standard engine, the 3.6 V6 is dated is almost time to replace that with maybe a smaller turbo V6, and they need a diesel or hybrid, preferably a diesel.
  16. smk4565
    I guess it makes sense since the MKX is about $40k. If a Lincoln Fusion is $36,000, a Lincoln Escape might as well be $33,000. But with options at $37-40k it seems pricey for what you get. However, people love crossovers and will buy them.
  17. smk4565
    Agreed the 3.6 will be thirsty and overpowered soon, it is old news. Mercedes announced the C-class engines today, along with a 220 lb drop in weight and claimed 20% improvement in fuel economy. But the C300 gets weak mpg now, so 20% better than that isn't too big a deal. 2.0 turbo 4 with 235 hp, 273 lb-ft 3.0 turbo V6 with 329 hp and 354 lb-ft The 2.1 liter diesel with 200 hp and 369 lb-ft is expected to be added also.
  18. smk4565
    XTS, SRX, ELR, they have it covered.
  19. smk4565
    But is it good enough to be in a Mercedes or BMW? GM often does this "good enough" thinking or cuts corners because they think it is acceptable. But being better than previous Cadillacs isn't the goal, being better than Mercedes and BMW is the goal. I agree with Dwight, 2 versions of the 2.0T would make sense, that is what BMW is doing with the 3-series. Plus the 3-series has a diesel that if a buyer is looking for MPG as a top priority, the ATS is in trouble as the 328d and 2015 C250 Bluetec get 45 mpg. So perhaps 2.0 diesel is in order more so than two versions of a gas turbo four.
  20. smk4565
    Pretty good write up. I thought all along that the 2.5 liter doesn't belong in a Cadillac. I haven't used CUE but everyone that does says it is frustrating, they need to rethink that. I like having dedicated buttons, and not everything on a screen. If anything climate control could be all on the screen, because with automatic modes you can set a temperature and forget about it, but radio stations and volume that you might change a lot need physical buttons I think. I think the ATS interior feels more cramped than the German trio, not by much, but it just seems like there is a little more space in the German cars, especially in the back seat. New C-class next year, so it will be interesting to see what they do, and it should have a 9-speed transmission, the ATS is going to need an upgrade quickly.
  21. smk4565
    I am not a fan of the big air intake scoops in the lower bumper that almost every car company is doing now. The increase in torque should really make this car quick. Gotta wonder about the electric power steering, it seems like everything with electric leaves people wishing it was hydraulic.
  22. smk4565
    I would agree. I don't think any Mercedes hits dealerships without the premium 1 package on it, so depending on the model that will add $2-4k to the base price. Plus the CLA can easily be optioned to $40,000 and that is where most IS and ES sell, not that they are direct competitors but they are in the same price point. And Lexus has almost no sales above $50,000 the Lexus Land Cruiser bombed and the LS460 has class average sales with the lowest price in the class besides the Equus. In the "segments traditionally associated with luxury" the E-class and S-class are crushing Lexus.
  23. smk4565
    The ones I see on the road usually have an older driver, in their 70s usually. So I think there is a buyer there that likes a big softer riding car. The Lincoln or Cadillac buyer that likes full size and rear drive and either can't afford or just won't spend $80-90k on a big car will like the Equus I think. And if you had a Town Car or Fleetwood way back and like the big rwd feel, I can see them buying this instead of an XTS or MKS.
  24. smk4565
    The next GM engine to die will probably be the 3.6 V6. By 2020 I would think everything will be turbo except for your base 3 or 4 cylinder in entry level cars. Probably no one thought full size cars or Cadillacs would lose V8s, but they did. I bet the next-gen Lambdas have a turbo four under the hood, maybe a V6 option for the 2010s, but around 2020, the V6 might be as rare as a V8 is now.
  25. smk4565
    But only on the V-sport and optional on the 3.6. And not available on the turbo 4, or ATS or Escalade. Most of the luxury segment has 7 or 8 speeds, and Mercedes will have 9 on the 2015 models. Even Chrysler, Dodge and Hyundai have 8-speeds. It seems that Cadillac should have 8-speed standard across the line, if brands below can offer it.
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