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smk4565

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Everything posted by smk4565

  1. smk4565
    The engine doesn't exist, I doubt it will. Just like the V16 never existed, and most concept car engines don't ever exist. Chrysler had a 425 hp V12 for the Phaeton concept in the 1990s, not like Chrysler was going to put a V12 in anything they made. I think it hard to sell to the uber rich, when the uber rich haven't bought Cadillacs in 50 years. If this is the V-series and they want to go after the S-class coupe, where is their twin turbo V12? I don't think Cadillac should go to the uber luxury level, that is why this should have been a mid-size concept because they have a V6 and turbo V6 they can put to use. Cadillac always seems to dream up these concept cars, like the Sixteen or the Imaj, Ciel, Elmiraj, etc to try to trick people into thinking Cadillac is an elite brand, then they build a flagship based on the Chevy Impala or a sports coupe based on the Volt. Why not focus on ATS and CTS coupes, and getting the SRX back to RWD.
  2. smk4565
    The Ciel grille was better, this is a bit Mazda like. The back end is really good though. However I still say this car is too large, it is over a foot longer than a BMW 6-series, 16 inches longer than a Bentley Continental, it is even bigger than a Mercedes CL which is being killed for an S-class Coupe, so we don't know what that car will be like yet. Had they made this concept 192 inches long, you'd have a really easy path to a CTS based Eldorado coupe that could sell in the $55-70,000 range (V6 and turbo V6), with the CTS V6 sedan being
  3. smk4565
    There would be for Cadillac if the SRX was more expensive, and priced like an X5 or M-class. But then the SRX would have to go back to RWD and share CTS hardware. But they could make an ATS based rear drive SUV also, like how the X3 is. A Delta SUV makes more sense for Buick it could base around $28k and go up to $35k. Then Buick has a 3rd SUV and something in the middle of the 2 they have now, without just copying an Equinox. I think there is no shortage of buyers for these small crossovers. Look at CR-V and Rav4 sales, people that have bought them over the past 10 years will eventually trade up into a small luxury crossover. Look at how well the Lexus RX has sold, for what is basically a Camry wagon on a lift kit, people pay over $40k for it. Crossover buyers will buy anything.
  4. smk4565
    GM doesn't have a crossover priced like the GLA, the CLA is $30k, figure they'll add some for the SUV version, every car maker does, so $33k might be the base price, going to over $40k loaded. The Encore starts at $24k, the Cadillac SRX starts at $37k. The GLA competition on price is the Infiniti EX, Acura RDX, but it is smaller than those two, BMW X1 is the only direct competitor, until the Audi Q3 arrives. CLA and GLA give Mercedes and entry car, and people will buy them. It won't dilute the brand because they will still have the legendary Mercedes build quality and engineering that people want. Mercedes is so strong in the $50-150k space, and their image is so strong, the GLA won't hurt it, it will just make more people like the brand. Mercedes has 10.5 million likes on Facebook compared to BMW's 14 million, they wants some of that younger crowd.
  5. smk4565
    In a video one of the designers said there would likely be a 3rd car in the series with this and the Ciel. So I would assume a sedan is the next concept, and the 3 will all inspire what is to be their A8/7-series/XJ fighter. I for one miss the wreath.
  6. smk4565
    205 is much better than 191, IMO. 205 inches is Hyundai Equus length, they can't sell a coupe that big, no one would buy it. The press release also said it has a 4.5 liter twin turbo V8 but I wonder where they got that from since GM hasn't had a 4.5 liter V8 since the late 80s. And adding 2 cylinders to the 3.6 V6 gets you a 4.8 V8. Seems like a mythical engine.
  7. smk4565
    The rear screams return of the Eldorado. Much better than the bland CTS rear. The rear is great.
  8. smk4565
    I really like the back end, but the grille looks too big and the headlights too narrow. Not a fan of the interior, but concept car interiors are always pretty weird. I read this thing is 205 inches long, what is the point of that, it is longer than an Escalade or XTS. At first I thought this was going to become the CTS Coupe, because the CTS front end and body, with this car's C piller and trunk could work, but a CTS Coupe should be near 191 inches long.
  9. smk4565
    In their eyes they need to attract younger buyers or risk losing sales to Audi, BMW or the entry-lux brands. If they have no car for $30-35,000 then those buyers will go elsewhere. But look at the price on their other cars. C-class, E-class and S-class all have the highest base price in their respective classes, their SUVs cost more than their BMW or Audi counterparts and the GL and Escalade price overlap pretty closely. They aren't going to push their current models down, so they need the CLA and GLA.
  10. smk4565
    More expensive though, and the GLA does 0-60 n 6.4 seconds, that is quick for a crossover, it beats the 308 hp Cadillac SRX, let alone any of these small SUVs.
  11. smk4565
    It is for women and younger people. CUVs in most cases don't make sense, doesn't matter what brand is making it. There was a Top Gear episode where Jeremy drove a BMW X6 and made the comment how it has less room than a 5-series wagon, gets worse gas mileage, handles worse and is slower, yet costs more. He tried to drive the X6 up a grass hill and in snow, in both cases it cost stuck and it had AWD. This year they looked at some other small crossovers, from Mazda, Toyota, Honda, etc, and the same thing holds true, a Civic is quicker, handles better, gets better mileage and is cheaper than a CR-V. Yet people will pay a premium for small crossovers. Buick Encore is another good example, it sells at nearly the same rate as the Verano, but the Verano has more power, better fuel economy, is larger and has more features on it and costs less. There is a small crossover market, women think they are safer, fools think they are better in snow, or they think because it is a box, it has more cargo room than the trunk of a car, when most of that cargo space is useless anyway. So Mercedes wants a slice of the small crossover market. Why should they let Acura or Buick or Lincoln or whoever have it, when they can build a better vehicle and force those brands out.
  12. smk4565
    I am not a fan of the styling, in the CLA it works, but not so much here. It does give Mercedes a cheaper and more gas friendly crossover to sell though and that could win buyers, especially since the GLK is very blocky and this is rounded off. But the GLK diesel gets like 33 mpg, so they have a gas friendly SUV already. As far as the name, it makes sense, GL stands for "Geländewagen Luxus" German for luxury SUV. Add a K for Kompakt so that is how they get the GL and GLK names. Same way they have an SL roadster and SLK. GLA I guess is Luxury SUV on A-class platform, so it sort of works.
  13. smk4565
    Encore is doing well, imagine if the engine had some more power to it. But it sits in a space there there aren't any direct competitors, which I think is a good thing. I wonder how long until they put the Regal out of its misery, that thing is bombing, as is the Malibu. You need to bring your A-game in that midsize car segment. The ATS seems a bit lackluster for being a new model and the entry Cadillac, but I think the cramped interior and front end styling hurt it. I am curious how the new CTS will sell with the higher price, and how that ATS-CTS-XTS will shake out and if all 3 will sell 2900 a month like they just did. I read the old Impala was still being sold along with the new one, which I don't know why but must be like when they did Malibu Classic and sold 2 Malibus for a while. That 12,000 Impalas might be due to the old ones being sold.
  14. smk4565
    I would take a 328d over an i3 because the 3-series looks better, and is cheaper, and faster. I'd take a 328d over a 328i because the diesel has far more torque and gets about 10 mpg more. The only hard decision would be 335i performance vs 328d efficiency. The C-class will go down the same road, the new model will have the turbo diesel 4, which is 201 hp and 369 lb-ft, if that gets 45 mpg, how much appeal is there for the 300 hp/273 lb-ft V6 at 29 mpg. The good news is some good stuff is coming, I think it is exciting to see 45 mpg on something that isn't a Geo Metro or a Prius.
  15. smk4565
    I just read the 328d is rated at 32/45 mpg, I'd rather have that for less money than an electric car with low range. But that being said there are fools out there, and people in California or big cities that will buy it just because it is electric and says BMW on it.
  16. smk4565
    I like the wreath, and I like the current logo. The shield or crest if you will looks modern, and I think the wreath and crest is a good combo
  17. smk4565
    At $64k I'd take a Hyundai Equus over this. Which makes me think, has any magazine or website done a comparison test with a Hyundai Equus in it? Because on price, you'd compare it to a XTS and Acura RL, on size more Lexus LS460L.
  18. smk4565
    It can steer itself and navigate traffic on it's own up to 31 mph, but if you take your hands off the wheel for 10 seconds it will disengage the system. Plus it has the radar cruise control, and lane keep assist for the higher speeds. But it will drive it self and I read a test that said with the magic body control turned on, they hit a speed bump at 30 mph and didn't feel it. The others in the segment can't do either of those things. Plus you won't be able to buy a 7-series or A8 convertible, but there will be an S-class convertible. Perhaps Cadillac can jump into that segment with the Ciel.
  19. smk4565
    I am curious if Cadillac's car will be better than the Equus, who has been at it for a few years now, and has a 429 hp DOHC V8. Cadillac has a twin-turbo V6, but V6 is not V8, and many in this class will just want a V8. The other question is will it be better than a Lexus LS, which has had about 25 years on the market to build a following. I think $65-70k is low, no other car in this class except for the Equus is in the $65k range. The S-class may have been discounting some, but it still has a higher transaction price than any other car in the class, and that last year it was in it's 7th model year, competing against an A8, 7-series and XJ that were all redesigned for 2012. Few cars in year number 7 still dominate the class, the CTS was redesigned more recently than the W221 S-class, and look how dated it looks now, how sales have tanked even with discounts. The new S-class also just moved the goal post, it can drive itself, and the A8, 7-series, LS460 and XJ can't.
  20. smk4565
    I like the updated dash and center stack. It gives it more their own look, and less Lexus copy, and the wood doesn't look so cheesy. It is no S-class and never will be, but it is sort of close to the Lexus LS, and for $61,000 that, is the price of a loaded XTS, and you do get 429 hp, rear drive and the 8-speed. I think the car has great value for money, although the people at this price point and above aren't shopping value.
  21. smk4565
    There shouldn't be a Jaguar SUV, just like there shouldn't be a Bentley, Rolls Royce or Maserati or Aston Martin SUV. The Porsche SUV is bad enough.
  22. smk4565
    I like that leaders lead and the rest rebadge, good line. These commercial vans seem all the rage, maybe in 10 years time we won't even have small cars, but instead the Transit Connect and the Puegeot Partner will take the place of Civics and Rav4's. Some of these car companies seem more interested in getting a commercial van than they do in building a good mid-size car. You'd think that the Cruze diesel would be a good basis for a van, because if you took that chassis and strengthened it and beefed up the suspension, all you have to do is convert the unibody to a box and you have a van, with the desired torque and fuel economy that the business customer needs.
  23. smk4565
    Horrible idea, Jaguar builds sports cars, and sports/luxury sedans. Jaguar has always been XJ luxury sedans and the XK120/140, the E-Type, now the XK and F-type. They have Land Rover for SUVs, what the Freelander/LR2 thing, LR3, Range Rover, Range Rover Sport, and 3 and 5 door Evoque are not enough SUVs? On a side note, the Range Rover Supercharged does 0-60 in 4.7 seconds, that is crazy fast for a 5,000 lb SUV, so why do they need a Jaguar version. What is next a Land Rover 2 seat roadster?
  24. smk4565
    The coolest thing about the S-class is that there will be this version that will post Prius beating fuel economy, the S250 bluetec gets over 40 mpg in Europe, and at the other end they offer a twin turbo V12. So in the same model they have the greenest luxury car, and they also have the most powerful.
  25. smk4565
    To dfelt's point, I don't think the Dodge car lineup is too appealing to the US market either. I think the US car market, especially as 2025 CAFE standards draw near, is going to become more like Europe's car market. Fiat's lineup may not appeal to the US market now, but as the current 18-25 year olds start buying new cars over the next 5-10 years, they may like something like a Fiat.
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