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smk4565

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Everything posted by smk4565

  1. smk4565
    No minivan and an uncompetitive Malibu hurt a lot. GM misses in key family segments, and they basically always have. They do well on SUVs, but need to focus on some core models. Cadillac has got a couple new cars, but they can't compete with Lexus or the Germans on volume, and Ford right now is beating Chevy in just about every segment except Impala vs Taurus.
  2. smk4565
    315 hp sent to the rear wheels has me intrigued. I am interested to see what it looks like at least. In a world where 9 out of 10 new cars are FWD sedans with a 4 cylinder it is nice to see a RWD sports car every once in a while.
  3. smk4565
    That is just too much money for a Camaro. That is Corvette Z06 money.
  4. smk4565
    There was rumor that the A8 would be RWD in the next generation around 2017. I feel like Audi is the German Acura, at the end of the day it is still a VW with AWD, much like an Acura is an AWD Honda.
  5. smk4565
    They could build it, but would it sell? GM builds a business case for everything, I think they have to see sales of the CTS-V and ATS-V before they can think about a V black series. Plus all the Black Series AMG cars have been 2 doors, Cadillac doesn't really have any sports cars right now.
  6. smk4565
    Maybe the old one, but I doubt the new one, the new XJ looks sweet.
  7. smk4565
    Maybe they will make a RWD platform; they had previously stated the A8 needed a new chassis and a redo to compete with the S-class, and that was before the 2014 S-class even came out. My guess is electric cars in a big part of that, maybe a diesel-electric hybrid powertrain. Audi Q1 or A1 could be in there, and the usual updates to existing models. It sounds like a lot of money until you think that is over 5 years, so $6 billion a year. Mercedes spends that much a year anyway.
  8. smk4565
    On Top Gear they once read the warning letter that comes with the CLK Black Series, it was rather funny and basically said never drive the car on wet roads or with traction control off. Some of the Black series cars have carbon fiber drive shafts and carbon fiber body kits, so it is more about weight savings and aero kits, and some increase in power, plus the suspensions are super stiff. You have to wonder if there is a marker for Cadillac to do this. They only have 2 V-series products in 2015 model year with the ATS and CTS, and they are both sedans, they aren't track cars. If a CTS is going to $70,000 now, you are probably looking at $90,000 for a CTS-V, a car above that could be in the $115k range and does anyone want to pay $115k for a CTS? Plus the suspension would probably be stiffer than a Corvette Z06 and the rear seat possibly deleted to save weight, it just doesn't seem like a Cadillac sort of thing to do.
  9. smk4565
    The Volkswagen CC is the surprise on the list. Electric cars lose value quickly, as do high dollar luxury cars that the masses buying a used car are going to be afraid of, and the wealthy will just buy a new one. I am surprised the Volt isn't on there, I have seen 2012 Volts under $25k, from $40k new, that is retaining about 60% after 2 years.
  10. 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.
  11. 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.
  12. 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.
  13. 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?
  14. 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.
  15. 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.
  16. smk4565
    The S550 has more power and torque and gets better gas mileage.
  17. 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.
  18. smk4565
    Hard to say, the Lucerne was meant to replace both cars.
  19. 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.
  20. 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.
  21. 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.
  22. 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.
  23. 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.
  24. 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.
  25. 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.
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