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smk4565

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Everything posted by smk4565

  1. smk4565
    Which begs the question... do you believe that GM will be able to render a better Turbo 6 than BMW is putting in the new M3? FYI, by starting with a conventional V6 the GM engine already has some disadvantages -- not being able to use one larger turbo instead of two smaller ones for greater efficiency and responsiveness, not being able to use a sequential twin-turbo setup efficiently because the exhaust exits from both sides, etc. On the other hand, GM already has a V8 engine that is better than BMW's Turbo 6 or Turbo V8s. Better as in -- lighter, smaller, similarly powerful, no turbo lag, no less efficient and cheaper to build. To not use it in the ATS-V will be like folding a pair of aces in a poker game when the flop has no pairs and is not a flush magnet. But then, people have been known to do that... LOL GM's engine won't be better, an you mentioned many of the reasons. A straight six is going to beat a V6 in smoothness and vibration every day of the week, and the BMW inline six has been the gold standard of engines for about 30 years. Most automakers want a V6 though so they can use it in FWD cars, so Toyota, Ford, VW, GM, etc aren't going to make an inline 6, thus they are always fighting with 1 arm tied their back so to speak. I think Cadillac so wants to be like BMW and Mercedes they will copy anything they do, but really they need to be Cadillac. At the same time, I think they could put the 550 hp CTS-V engine in the ATS-V and the M3 will still outsell it and sell for a higher price simply because of the badge on the hood.
  2. smk4565
    GM still has a lot of brands and models to advertise, and it still seems like they focus on the new ones and forget the others. I'd take the money wasted on GMC Sierra advertising and send that to Buick. Double spending to advertise the Sierra and Silverado so they can compete against each other still makes no sense to me. I know GM will argue they need both, but people used to say they needed Pontiac because Pontiac buyers won't buy a Chevy now Pontiac is gone and Chevy and GM are stronger for it.
  3. smk4565
    They might as well show the ILX, TSX, TL, RLX, and RDX all the door. Close the whole brand down, no one will miss it. It does make sense to make the TL smaller, it is fairly big, if the ILX is around 180 inch length, and the RLX is 196, the TL could slot in around 190 inches long, which is very midsize. That is actually very close to how Buick has their cars sized. Still not sure why you'd buy an Acura, they are just the Japanese Lincoln, waiting for extinction.
  4. smk4565
    The ATS-V will have 6 cylinders because the M3 does. The M3 decides what the rest do, Cadillac basically copied every dimension of the last-gen 3-series when developing the ATS. BMW has the formula down, Cadillac (and the others) are trying to copy it. But the original always seems to be better.
  5. smk4565

    2014 Forte EX

    smk4565 replied to RjION's topic in The Lounge

    I think Kia is doing a lot of good cars right now and they do give you a lot of equipment for the price. Motor Trend just named the Cadenza best in class (although Car and Driver said it was 5th out of 6 in the same group of cars MT drove). I think the powertrain offered in the Forte one of the best in the segment, the Cruze has less power than a 2004 Cobalt, sot of a backwards move there. I like the Elentra and Focus a lot in this segment, but the Forte is cheaper and gives you more for the money over the Focus. I think you made a good buy.
  6. smk4565
    My guess is the ATS-V bases around $60k, they'll keep it lower than the M3 because they have to to get people to consider it. And in reality, the ATS-V should be as fast as a CTS-V in a straight line or around the Nurburring, or the M3 is going to blow it away. If the ATS-V runs like a current CTS-V, I see no problem in charging $65k for it. It is Cadillac, not Chevy, it isn't supposed to be cheap. Let's also remember that most BMW's make more power than they claim, and they get a lot of acceleration out of their cars. Car and Driver had the 335i at 4.6 seconds 0-60 and Motor Trend had 4.8 seconds. So either that engine is underrated or the drivetrain is full of smoke and mirrors and witch craft.
  7. smk4565
    So basically, no one on a board full of GM fans who like sports cars wants to buy one. If GM fans are turned off by it, the mass public probably won't even notice its existence. I see two problems. The first is the Impala looks better than the SS, the SS looks a bit more rental car than it does Super Sport. Second problem is people looking for sports cars or sport sedans aren't really looking for the big V8 sedan anymore. It is more about light weight and agile handling and turbo 4-cylinders nowadays. I think at $45k a lot of people would rather have a 3-series or ATS than a 4200 lb, 17 ft long V8 sedan that goes well in a straight line and that's it.
  8. smk4565
    The S-Type was so ugly and frumpy looking though, hard to imagine a Jaguar looking so bad but it did. I drove a Lincoln LS V8 but that V8 had Ford engine sound and the window switches reminded me of a Taurus, but it was a nice driving car. I just found a 2006 LS with 60k miles and it was only $11,900. They were always good deals on the used market. I guess the Genesis has now has replaced it as the V6/V8 near luxury sedan that is cheap used.
  9. smk4565
    Cars like this depreciate quickly though, see Genesis, Charger/300C and Pontiac G8 as examples. Probably in 3 years you'll be able to snag one for the price of a base Malibu.
  10. smk4565
    I figured once BMW announced the M3 would get a 6 cylinder, that the ATS-V would also. The CTS V-sport powertrain is my guess, but you wonder if 420 hp is enough. It will be if it can beat the M3 in the corners, but the M3 since the day it was born has won in the corners.
  11. smk4565
    Since I have had my car almost 10 years, I figure I'll keep my next one a while. A few years ago I thought about getting a new car so I was between Lincoln LS and 1st gen CTS, but didn't like either enough, so I spent some money to fix mine and decided to keep it. The Aurora will need new tires, oil change, check engine light is on, check gas cap light on, it needs airflow sensors, etc. So it is either put $1500 into it or get a new car this fall. I figure a 2009 Mercedes is going to last longer than a 2009 CTS or Genesis or other 4 year old luxury car, or even a new Hyundai for that matter. I don't want a FWD car, and affordable rear drive sedans are few and far between, because I don't want a Charger/300, nor do I want a used 3-series, I don't like BMW styling.
  12. smk4565
    Priced about where the Genesis R-spec is, so not surprising.
  13. smk4565
    Recent Mercs are rated pretty high in reliability by JD Power and some others. The 2009 E-class has good scores, it was at the end of the model run and they had the bugs worked out by then. I did find a 2006 STS-V for $21,000, but I don't want that. I've thought about the Genesis since it has the 10 year warranty and and cooled driver's seat, and for some stupid reason only the V8 E-class has the cooled driver's seat, (not on E350's) and E550's are hard to find and are thirsty and I could probably never use the power.
  14. smk4565
    The Genesis does lack passion and soul. They put in the engineering work, the luxury features, the double glazed windows, the big V8, etc, but they forgot the heart and soul. Sort of the opposite of an Alfa Romeo, which has the flair and forgot the engineering.
  15. smk4565
    Cadillac's gains seem to be at the expense of Infiniti, who really dropped. Even though Cadillac is shooting for the Germans, I think their sales growth will come form the decline of Acura, Lincoln and Infiniti. The luxury market is only so big, and Mercedes and BMW are still growing in the USA, however those other 3 brands are weak and ripe for the picking. I've seen a couple new Impala's on the road, so I wonder what the mix of old and new is in that 10,000 sold. Nevertheless, the execs have to be worried about over 30% drops for the Impala and Malibu and they are brand new vehicles. Although the Impala should drop in sales but go up in profit.
  16. smk4565
    I sort of wondered why the CTS didn't come up before, but I just figured you didn't like the current one and 2007 was too old. Since I am looking for under $25k rear drive cars I thought about one too, but I am not a a big fan of the bulky styling and like how the Genesis V8 more. But I need to drive an E-class because I think that is what I'll end up with. I'll probably keep the car 10 years, and Mercedes last forever.
  17. smk4565
    The Impala is terrible. It screams rental car. Some cars are cool, and probably 80% are appliances that no one else aspires to have. The 300C has some cool factor to it, even though it isn't really my cup of tea. The Passat with the 5 spoke wheels looks expensive and has that German build quality expensive look to it that makes people turn their heads to look at it.
  18. smk4565
    The sad thing is the Chrysler 300 diesel exists in Europe as the Lancia Thema with a 239 hp V6 and 400 lb-ft of torque. 2008-09 CTS are under $25k, I imagine 2010 LaCrosse's must be also.
  19. smk4565
    Every GM sedan pre 2008 is pretty bad by today's standards. I did just have a thought though, the 2005-2010 STS sells for dirt cheap now, and it does give you a fairly nice interior with a lot of equipment. Plus most people that bought that car were 70 and parked it in a garage, so there are many low miles, clean examples to pick from. They ride a little soft for my liking but Drew likes a soft ride.
  20. smk4565
    Is it a 2003 Buick Regal Joseph Abboud or early 2000s Park Avenue Ultra?
  21. smk4565
    What about a 1992 Rolls-Royce Silver Spur. Those are around $20-25k and have a roomy interior and pillowy ride. Mid 2000s BMW 7-series and Audi A8 can be had for $25k.
  22. smk4565
    Drive a Genesis, they are really good, and the V8 is really powerful. I like the car a lot, but it just seems too boring for me, and it is a little soft. And the odd thing about the Genesis, is it feels sort of soft in corners, because it has a little body roll, but in straight lines the suspension seems to firm up. It should be the opposite, but none the less, they are a nice driving car, and pretty cheap used. If it was more interesting I think it would be my top choice, but every time I see one I just think it looks so bland. Buick Lucerne? Those have to sell for dirt cheap on the used market. But there is a reason for that.
  23. smk4565
    I am really impressed though how far this class of cars has come in the past 10-15 years. Look back at a 2002 Malibu and how terrible it was compared to the interior in this car. Or the Altima, Sonata, or Taurus of the late 90s, to early 2000s and how terrible they were. Most of this class was cloth seats and plastic wheel covers and power locks and windows were your luxury features. Now they all have 17"-18" alloys, sat-nav, touch screens, leather seats with stitching, voice control, lane keep assist, etc. Cars have come a long way.
  24. smk4565
    I like the new front end more than the old one, I still dislike the back end since nothing changed there. The new front is better to me, but the Impala looks way better, but more importantly, the Fusion, Sonata and Optima still look better and that is the real competition because the Camry and Accord will sell no matter what. They made good improvements, but they did so to a car that was in the back of the class. The Malibu is probably still average at best, but the Mazda 6 is getting a lot of awards and good press, the Passat is loved by auto journalists, the new Accord has been well received, the Camry sells no matter what and is back to it's 400,000 a year pace, the new Altima is strong, the Fusion really stepped up and sells nearly 30,000 a month, and the Sonata/Optima are still strong sellers. I still don't think the Malibu is better than any of those cars.
  25. smk4565
    The Cruze itself isn't that good of a car to me, adding the diesel isn't going to make it better than a Passat, which has more room, more features, looks better, etc. If you take MPG out of the equation, the Cruze is no where near the car a Passat or Chrysler 300 are. It's too bad the Passat CC didn't offer a diesel. I haven't driven a Passat or 300, but I've sat in both at auto shows, I think the Passat has better build quality, and the 300/Charger to me seem really tall and wide, my car is big, but it looks little parked next to a 300 or Charger.
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