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smk4565

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Everything posted by smk4565

  1. smk4565
    They have to use a V8 and the V-series is going to need AWD. The CLS AMG and E63 AMG do 0-60 in 3.2 seconds, the Audi RS6/RS7 are 3.4 seconds 0-60, that is crazy fast. And Mercedes is switching to a 9-speed tranny next year, so if that speeds it up they are nearing the 3 second barrier on a sedan, you need AWD with launch control to get times like that.
  2. smk4565
    I think the interior on the 07-09 E-class is better than the current car, the materials are softer tough and I like the layout a bit more. I am not a big fan of the round headlight look of my car, but I couldn't afford a 2010 or newer E-class, and I would rather have the old interior than the current one, and when you are driving you can't see the front end anyway. Mercedes has crazy good build quality though, even if that rubberized plastic stuff on the dash doesn't feel or look as expensive as what is in other cars, the build quality is rock solid. I think the A6 interior looks better than the CTS and the A6 is sort of old, but then again the E-class whips the A6 in sales, so that interior isn't enough to get it done. Although how as the E250 Bluetec? One day when I no longer want a big engine, that 45 mpg is going to be really tempting, on a 22 gallon tank I'd fill up once every 5 weeks I bet.
  3. smk4565
    Every GM pickup and SUV and probably half their sedans should have a diesel option within 3 years. Not sure what is taking so long, but once the German diesels spread, they will become the new hot item like AWD has become. 20 years ago no one cared about AWD luxury cars, then Audi did Quattro, Mercedes did 4Matic and all of a sudden every Infiniti, Cadillac and Lexus had AWD on it. Diesel will be the same, when the A6 TDI gets 38 mpg and 0-60 in under 6 seconds, a E250 Bluetec gets 45 mpg and an A4 TDI and C250 bluetec follow, it will start to catch on. Someone will make a 30 mpg full size SUV, Audi and Mercedes are close now, GM should get the diesels ready to be ahead of the curve rather than behind. Sadly, I totally agree. The SUV buying public will pay it because they are stupid.
  4. smk4565
    Sounds like they want a return of Hummer. There is a narrow market for these off road or modified big trucks, so I am sure there is profit potential in there because you can jack up the price by $10,000 on a Tahoe but I get the feeling that GM is going to be really dependent on big SUVs, much like they were in 2005-2008 and that plan failed. How about focus on making a Malibu that people buy.
  5. smk4565
    GM doesn't make an all electric car though. The ELR is closer to a plug in Prius than it is a Tesla Model S. I think this is more a move to draw attention to the ELR and Cadillac because Tesla gets a lot of free media attention. But in the end, none of these electric cars are money makers, they are too limited in what they can do until someone makes a super battery that can make an electric car perform like a gas car.
  6. smk4565
    It does the Nurburgring in 7:24 or maybe even less now, that makes it a super car to me. It isn't a mid-engine V12, but it has super car performance.
  7. smk4565
    I am still not a fan of the front end, the grille looks fine, but the headlights look weird. I wish the headlights were lower and not pull back over the hood. The inside looks too much like the ATS, I think they should have made the CTS nicer than the XTS Platinum because they are going against heavyweights here and you can't hold back. The driving dynamics are where they can do some damage, but my question is does it only have the 3 modes, tour, sport and track, for everything or is each component individual? Like I just bought an E550 (previous generation) and the transmission has comfort or sport, the suspension has 3 setting, so you can be in sport plus suspension with comfort transmission.
  8. smk4565
    I like the interior design, but the Optima on the outside looks better, as does the Azera. The Cadenza exterior is boring and trying too hard to be like BMW in the front end.
  9. smk4565
    The reason they probably did it was to charge more money for the coupe. People will think a 435i is better than a 335 because the number is higher, higher the number the higher the price tag. At least that is probably what BMW is thinking. I think BMW's lineup is getting to be chaotic, 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 is crazy, for a sedan/coupe lineup. Not to mention all the GT styles, or crossovers.
  10. smk4565
    BMW's naming is getting crazy and they don't even have 3-series GT, and X4 here yet, and can't wait for the X2, because they need to fill that space between the X1 and X3. Ooh, and the 4-series Gran Coupe may be coming too, ridiculous.
  11. smk4565
    I think these have a lot of "if it ain't broke don't fix it." They have the same shape they had in 1994, the body panels look the same as the previous, just new grille and headlights, the interiors are better, a bit of an Impala vibe in the dash which is good. Their formula works, might as well milk it while they can, but I do feel like they need a diesel option or a more effective hybrid to keep gas mileage decent. Because the Toyota, Ford and Nissan big SUVs are pretty much dead, it is a dying segment. GM is going strong for now, but they don't want to end up like Ford did in this segment, best to stay ahead of the curve.
  12. smk4565
    Mercedes is the most profitable car company on a per unit basis though. They beat BMW, Audi, and smoke GM and Ford. They make something like $4,000 per car, many auto makers are under $1,000 per car. The 3-series is the only car that BMW has that outsells its Mercedes competitor (and X3 usually beats GLK), I find it funny that once they split the 3-series line, the 3-series volume will probably drop below the C-class volume. Not that it really matters, at the end of the day BMW sells the same number of cars, but marketing people like to brag about individual segment sales.
  13. smk4565
    How is that not chasing sales volume working out for Lincoln?
  14. smk4565
    What's shameful is how wholey mercedes is chasing sales volume. Because car makers are successful with fewer sales? I am sure GM would like to sell 7500 ATS per month and 5,000 CTS. Mercedes has has C, E, S-class in coupe and sedan form (and some wagons for the E) for about 40 years, the SL has been around for 60 years. They added the SLK in the 90s and added SUV as all luxury makers did. The only new look for volume is the CLA and coming GLA which is needed due to global economic downturn and fuel regulations, they need attract buyers that can't afford their expensive stuff, and they need CAFE helpers to offset the AMG cars. What they do is no different than Chevy offering the Spark and Sonic, why doesn't Chey just start with the Cruze and go to Malibu and Impala and have 3 sedans. Because they too need entry level cars and CAFE helpers, and don't want Ford, Toyota and Honda to take all the sales in the $12-18,000 segments. And I don't see how they are chasing volume when the C-class, E-class and S-class are all priced HIGHER than their competitors, they aren't trying to undercut Lexus or Cadillac or Audi on price. Lexus's whole plan was to undercut the Germans on price in hope for sales volume, that has been the philosophy since 1989.
  15. smk4565
    The 2014 Regal won't sell either. It it too expensive for that it is, why buy a 184 hp Regal over a V6 Azera or Cadenza which are only slightly bigger and have way more features, and look better. The Verano when I see it on the road actually looks better than the Regal. I think the Regal is worse then the Fusion, Accord, Optima/Sonata, Camry, etc, yet it costs a good $5,000 more than those cars.
  16. smk4565
    What is funny, is I bet with the loss of coupe/convertible sales off the 3-series chart, the C-class which for 2015 will have an all new model will outsell it. Then C-class will outsell 3-series, E-class outsells 5-series, and the S-class outsells the 7-series. Mercedes will have all 3, after about a 30 year stronghold from the 3-series.
  17. smk4565

    Doors!

    smk4565 replied to ocnblu's topic in Cadillac

    I just had a thought, it still has less power than an Equus. Maybe the ad should be the 2 of those drag racing, since people that buy either are likely to drag race on their way to Walgreens or bingo.
  18. smk4565

    Doors!

    smk4565 replied to ocnblu's topic in Cadillac

    Agreed that the music wasn't too good. I am not sure why they now try to market the XTS as a sports sedan, when the CTS is here for that. Cadillac falls into the same luxury car ad trap that Lexus and Audi do, they put a BMW or Mercedes in the background and make some claim on how their car does something better. The leaders advertise based on the merit of the brand image or the product attributes. The followers make a claim like "the Lexus IS350 has more horsepower than a 335i" but big deal, it is a slower car with worse handling, but Lexus has to try to make some comparative claim because the car is vanilla and no one buys it.
  19. smk4565
    BMW is on SUV overload, I don't think SUVs are the ultimate driving machine.
  20. smk4565
    I like it, looks really nice, a bit of SLS in the tail lights, and CL was a lame name anyway, better to be S-class Coupe like it used to be.
  21. smk4565
    They should just close this brand down already. The product line is terrible, the advertising is terrible, they have no consistent design language, and no strategy for the future. They can't compete with the German and Japanese luxury brands, they can't keep up with the money those brands spend, and those brands have a big lead already. So that leaves them to battle Buick and Chrysler, and I don't think Lincoln can even do that, their lineup is worse than Buick's and the Fusion is actually nicer than the Lincoln version.
  22. smk4565
    We are going to leave that one in the closet.
  23. smk4565
    There was a Cadillac Calais in the late 60s, early 70s. I don't like the name, but they don't have a lot of names in the arsenal that are any good besides Eldorado and Fleetwood.
  24. smk4565
    I don't think it would really sell, these hybrid sports cars cost a lot, and are more novelty cars. Is there a business case for it? Most Corvette buyers are 55-65 years old and fans of old school muscle cars. It could attract new buyers, but I think if you were going to go with a hybrid, you'd want a boosted V6 or a smaller engine than what is in there now. I suppose come 2025 everything will have a hybrid or diesel option to hit the CAFE target.
  25. smk4565
    So is this going to race in some Euro touring car series, or is this for wanna be race car drivers to take to track days?
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