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smk4565

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Everything posted by smk4565

  1. smk4565
    You don't have to have a high revving DOHC cam engine, DOHC engines can still make torque, mine makes 391 lb-ft form 2800-5000 rpm. The new E450 has 369 lb-ft from 1,800-5,800 so it is flatter, but a lower peak too from the smaller engine. But it is all brands, the 2025 Equinox/Terrain have a 175 hp turbo 4 and 10 years ago they had a 182 hp NA 4-cylinder or a 301 hp V6. Every car brand is taking power away in the name of fuel economy and emissions. Which is good to have better economy and emissions. But I think what might push people to EV's faster is that gas cars will all be electrified or hybrid and be super heavy and super complex to work on like the new C63, and they will be expensive to buy and expensive to maintain.
  2. smk4565
    I haven't seen an EV9 or EV6 in one of my shops so I don't know what the repair cost is like on them. Hyundais and Kias tend to have a high repair cost in general because their parts are expensive. A door on a Tucson is about $2400 compared to a Rav4 is about $900, any Subaru is about $800. Hyundais and Kias also you plastic radiator supports, they break almost always in an impact, compared to Chevy, Toyota, Subaru use steel. I did look up the price of an EV9 headlight, they are $2500. But it is only 1 unit. The Tucson and Santa Cruz that do the split headlight and signal lamp cost about $1600 each and usually if one breaks the other does too, so you are looking at about $3200 for the set. I had a '23 Tucson that needed a bumper, grille, the 4 lights and a hood, probably a rad support too from hitting a deer, fenders and structure were fine, and it was like $13,000 in damage. On a CR-V or Forester that is probably a $6,000 repair.
  3. smk4565
    Perhaps the Godzilla engines will last that long, but it will depend on what rivals come out with also, that engine may not be competitive in 5 years. But I could see 10 more years of gas V8s in the Super Duty's, they'll be long gone in an F150, the 2025 Ram has no V8, the Silverado probably won't in 5 years, they are already pushing the 4-cylinder Silverado.
  4. smk4565
    GM's turbo 4 is a better move, but that 3.6 V6 had issues anyway so I don't think it is as hard to replace, compared to the VQ engines that were great in their day but are past their prime now. But everyone does this, and 2024 Mercedes E350 makes 13 less horsepower than a 2007 E350 and nearly 50 less hp than a 2012 E350. The goal is all fuel economy and reducing emissions now, big engines are dead, and it's kind of sad.
  5. smk4565
    Diesel V8 will continue, I wouldn't be surprised if Ford doesn't have a gas V8 by 2030 because the Mustang coupe will probably be dead by then since it is their worst seller, and they won't justify R&D on it (unless they joint develop it with Toyota or Nissan or someone) and the F150 will be V6 only.
  6. smk4565
    That V8 won't last long, the Super Duty will go V6 hybrid and they'll probably make the hybrid system standard, plug-in hybrid optional as a way to raise MSRP and make more money.
  7. smk4565
    Kill those V6's. People were sad to see the V8 go, I think the V6 is about 5 years behind it. And what may accelerate the switch to EV's is that every gas car will be a 3 or 4 cylinder turbo and even performance cars like the M5 will be plug in hybrids and so freaking heavy, no one will really want it.
  8. smk4565
    I think the problem with this screens = luxury trend that is going on with everyone is that these screens will probably all look dated in 10 years.
  9. smk4565
    That's hella ugly, but people will buy it because it says "off road" Look at how it tackles that gravel road that a Nissan Sentra could easily navigate.
  10. smk4565
    True, but some larger apartment complexes or parking garages could put in level 2 chargers, maybe even level 1 for places like an airport extended parking. If people have their car sit 12 hours at their apartment, or 8 hours in a parking garage while at work, there is opportunity there also for charing without having to build out expensive super chargers. And really it is rural America that should be embracing EV's way more because there aren't many gas stations when you get into farm country, you might have to drive 30-40 minutes to find a gas station in some parts of rural America, but they have houses with electricity and can easily charge.
  11. smk4565
    This is good news, they need to get these chargers built because even though most people would charge at home, you still need the charge network big enough so range anxiety isn't a thing. Because really people have charge anxiety, I think 300 miles is plenty of range and all these EV's do that, Ford's research I think said people drive more than 150 miles in a day only days per year. So no sense buying cars with huge batteries that are super expensive, if the chargers are there and you can easily recharge if out away from home.
  12. smk4565
    That's an exciting purchase, EV is tempting to me, but I still think all these current Gen EV's are too expensive compared to ICE cars. If they can cut weight and cost 15% then I think the flood gates open on EV sales.
  13. smk4565
    But none of these cars with headlights in the bumpers look good. It isn't like the Hyundai Kona, this Enclave, Mitsubishi Outlander, Kia Rio, etc are ranking up there with a Ferrari 599 or Aston Martin DB9 for best styled cars of the past 20 years. And it adds parts cost too, when you they should be trying to cut cost to make a more competitive priced car.
  14. smk4565
    Another problem is no rear window, in addition to the styling and everything on a touch screen. Polestar keeps putting out new models but none of these actually sell. Maybe they should build 1 car that people want to buy, rather than Polstar 1-7 that combine to sell like 1,000 cars a year.
  15. smk4565
    Not a fan of the new look of Buick with the big grilles, but I wasn't a fan of old Buick styling either. Also, STOP putting headlights in bumpers! The 2015 Cherokee did it, then no the car in history ever should have done it.
  16. smk4565
    Yawn.
  17. smk4565
    Plastic cladding = off road. Instead of killing the Sonata, they should just put plastic body cladding down the side and raise the price by $10k and call it the Sonata HD Overlander X. Instant hit.
  18. smk4565
    I think it looks kind of dated because they are stuck with an old frame and body, they can put a lot of new on top, but the old bones are still in there. I don't see this as jump starting the brand, Infiniti looks more dead than Nissan is, because neither brand has anything new or exciting. It is a lot of carry over powertrains, carry over chassis, that they just keep trying to dress up. And I wonder if in 5-10 years time, luxury cars will have physical buttons, and not all these screens. Because sub $30k Kia's are loaded with touch screens now, the cheap cars are all screens all over the place because they are cheap. Designing and having actual physical buttons and tactile things you can touch costs money.
  19. smk4565
    Not just Tesla, but the F150 Lightning and Silverado EV were going to be $40k, then were like $70k. The Ford Maverick was $19,995 promised and is now about $25k with destination. Car companies like to create buzz at a launch, and promise one thing, then deliver another.
  20. smk4565
    Potential home run if they really do charge $45,000 for it and it gets the $7500 tax credit. Then we are talking $37,500 starting price, that will undercut a well equipped Ford Escape or Toyota Rav4. But not available until 2026? 2 years away so I wont' be surprised if the price is $50k by the time it comes out because all these companies oversell the base MSRP then the price skyrockets.
  21. smk4565
    Dodge CEO said a police version is “on their radar.” So it sounds like they will do another police version, they probably need to poll departments and see how much demand there is and whether they want to do it as EV or ICE. Personally I would think EV so these police departments can save on gas and the Explorer kind of corners the ICE market but the EV police car market isn’t really tapped.
  22. smk4565
    That could be true, they might give up on the Charger Police car and just let Ford have that market.
  23. smk4565
    Bigger battery for a $400 price cut is a nice deal. All these first gen EV's need more battery and lower cost and I also feel like anyone buying a 2023 EV is going to have a really dated cat come 2028 when the battery tech really gets better and the prices drop.
  24. smk4565
    Jaguar is dead, I don't know how the dealers go 1 year with just the I-Pace in production even if they have old stock of ICE cars lingering around a while. And I feel like EV launches are always delayed, so mid-2025 could be fall 2025, and a GT car like the Taycan probably won't sell because no one wants a big Jaguar sedan and it will probably cost twice as much as a Tesla Model S and half half the range and performance. I just think the product planners are Jaguar are clueless and the brand hasn't really been relevant for 10 years. They brand will be gone in 5 years.
  25. smk4565
    I think the front looks a little off, like if you put a red light bar across the front it would look like the back of the car. Kind of looks like a rear bumper on the front of the car. Overall it looks like it would appeal to Charger fans, the interior looks on par with the price point they are going for in a large car. This is a pretty large car though over 206 inches long I think and over 5800 lbs for the EV version. I don't know how much appeal there is for a huge, 3 ton sedan but I guess we will find out. I imagine they'll come out with a turbo 4 version in a year or two for the fleet sale crowd, or a the 4XE powertrain for the police package to help drive some volume.
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