Drew Dowdell
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Everything posted by Drew Dowdell
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There are 50-state emissions, but there are also California emissions that have been adopted by 7 or 8 other states. -
I agree here that a 50-state standard is best, but at the same time, the 50-state standard needs to take into account the needs of the states with the worst air quality. So while California should not be dictating policy for the entire country, the entire country does need to follow a standard that protects California air (And Texas, even if they don't care to do it on their own). We also need national fuel blend standards, or at least much larger regional standards. Having 50 states with 50 blend requirements for 3+ different grades of fuel is horribly inefficient. There is no reason the gasoline I buy in NJ should be different in composition than the gasoline I buy in PA. I feel like most of the manufacturers have gone too far with engine downsizing. Unlike @ocnblu I am not against electrification, in fact I see some strong benefits to it. However, putting these tiny displacement turbo engines is not having the results promised. Either they need to bring the displacement back up or they need to add electrification to the tiny engines to give them a boost. The tiny engines are just playing to the EPA test and do not produce the same results in the real world. Driven normally, the little 1.4s and 1.5s get over worked and burn just as much, or more, fuel than a bigger displacement non-turbo.
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- california
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Sure, price is variable... budget generally isn't. Someone walking in to buy a $38k entry-luxury AWD crossover isn't going to suddenly pony up to the $42,900 it takes to get into a GLC 4Matic. That's more than a 10% price increase and something like that just doesn't happen much. So if you're stuck at a specific max price, as most people are, that is generally going to eliminate the next size up at Mercedes, BMW, and Audi. So at Cadillac, you end up getting more room and more power for your dollar. I'm not the biggest fan of the XT4, it'll do well, but it didn't light my fire the way I wish it did. Still, if I'm spending $38k on a crossover and my choices are XT4, GLA, Q3, or X2 (X3 is $42.6k for AWD), I'll pick the XT4 every day of the week and twice on Sundays. It just offers more room, more power, and more amenities for the same price. The GLC and X3 are out of my budget so there is no point comparing them.... and if they are in my budget, then Cadillac offers another level of size, comfort, and power that still exceeds the imports. I'll point out that NONE of the Germans base entries in the GLA/X2/Q3 price class offer more power than the XT4, only BMW comes close. Yes there are option up engines available on some, but as noted in this article, Cadillac isn't done with releases yet. For $38k, all you're getting from MB or Audi is about 200 horsepower... about the same as a Honda Civic SI. Also, none of the Germans can claim any sort of handling advantage of RWD... Cadillac, the Germans, Infiniti, Lexus, are all front drivers. People simply don't shop for vehicles with tape measures. If you were shopping in this class, would you reject an option for being 3" bigger than its competition? I don't think any sane person would. The only reason to pick one of the Germans over the Cadillac (or Infiniti QX30 for that matter, it is $4k cheaper than the virtually identical GLA) is badge snobbery, and for that, there is nothing I can say that will convince an irrational person to do a rational thing.
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My second choice might be good for you. Kawasaki built it to be adjustable for people of different heights. There are 3 seating positions, three pedal positions, and two different handle bar positions available. You can ride out of the dealer with a bike literally customized for your particular stature. I took one out for a spin that was already set up for me and I thought it was a super comfortable bike. It runs the Kawasaki Ninja 650 2-cylinder engine and has a very interesting feel. On the used market, they are very inexpensive... generally between $4,000 - $6,000. The BMW I posted above runs $9,000 to $11,000 used, so it is harder to pull the trigger on that. Kawasaki Vulcan S
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Why are we still comparing on direct size, particularly exterior dimensions, and not on price? The XT4 is priced against the GLA and is a reasonable, but not excessively so, amount roomier. Not so much that you think you're buying the next size class up, but enough that you can put your friends in the back where you can't with the GLA. Their base prices will only be about $1,000 or less apart. The XT5 is priced directly against the GLC. From memory, their starting prices are less than $500 apart. The XT5 is roomier inside than the GLC. Why is having more space with equal or better luxury being considered a disadvantage for Cadillac?!?! It makes no sense! People like to rage on the ATS for the small back seat, but the back seat of the ATS is positively Fleetwood like compared to the CLA that Mercedes offers at the same price. Let's see, I have $38k to spend, do I get a mediocre '96 Taurus-wannabe with Front wheel drive and cramped interior or do I get a distinctive car, slightly larger, with more power and rear wheel drive that rides on what is generally considered to be one of the best handling platforms in production today? Well the Cadillac is slightly longer outside, so that must be in the next size class up, I better go with the '96 Taurus wannabe. Tough call...
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There is a huge size difference with an XT4/Highlander. Not so much between XT4/gla XT5/GLC.
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You know what? I almost bought a GLC... Nevermind the fact that it's $15k more than my Encore.... When I whipped out the tape measure, the Encore being shorter made it the winner.
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Toyota News: 2019 Toyota Yaris Sedan Drops the iA
Drew Dowdell replied to William Maley's topic in Toyota
It still works well enough for me. -
1.5T + CVT v. 1.5T + CVT 2.0T + 9speed v. 2.0T + 10speed Hybrid CVT v. Hybrid CVT The offerings are pretty darn close. Each one has pluses and minuses. The Malibu and Accord are quite competitive here. For the interior, add in the newest Mazda 6 and you have probably the three top interiors in the segment.
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There is nothing wrong with offering square footage for the luxury dollar. It's kinda what they've been known for for the past 80 years. You can buy some micro car with plastic seats from Germany or you can stretch out in American luxury for the same price. You know what is absolutely ridiculous? The "bigger" GLC (17.6) has a foot less cargo room than my tiny Encore (18.8). The GLC also has less headroom in all positions and less front leg room. For being so much larger, the GLC only has 2 additional inches of rear leg room. The Encore manages all of that while being about 14 inches shorter than the GLC. RWD doesn't have packaging issues you say? For the same price as the GLC at Cadillac, you get an XT5 which is bigger than the GLC in nearly every dimension, still get all the luxury goodies, and aren't saddled with a lowly 4-cylinder. Keep in mind I don't even like the XT5 that much, but I can still recognize its success in the marketplace.
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Malibu and Accord power train options are pretty near evenly matched. Probably more so than any other in the class.
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CVTs are only any decent when there is some relatively good low end torque. The 1.5T isn't spectacular in that regard. The only Chevy I like with that face is the Traverse.
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Honestly, I wouldn't bother. If you're going to rip the dashboard apart anyway, then just put something modern in.
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You tell me. The XT5 outsold the GLC and the X3 individually that it is priced against. RWD introduces packaging issues for the passenger compartment. Cadillac does what it always has... offer a size, comfort, and power advantage over the German imports for the of the same price. The XT4 will do the same against the cramped and tiny GLA. You can't get over the fact that people don't shop for cars with a measuring tape, but with their checkbook. If you're writing a check for $35k or $45k, you don't care what the exterior length is... you want the most comfort and amenities for your dollar. Cadillac offers that.
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?? The Accord has a 1.5T and CVT. So it's not like they're going to get a different transmission there. I assume it is a cost thing. CVTs are cheap and they're great for fuel economy. The 9-speed has got to be an expensive piece of machinery. Altima, Accord, Legacy, and now Malibu are all using CVTs.
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Crutchfield is great for that. the newer Cadillacs aren't all that compatible with aftermarket head units, but the Avalanches are fine.
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Guys, I've split the motorcycle chat into a new dedicated forum. I've been wanting to have a motorcycle discussion section here for a while, so since we got into it today, I figured now is as good a time as any. The dedicated motorcycle forum - feel free to start new threads in here that might be more specific than "general discussion". A general motorcycle discussion thread where the conversation from this thread was moved to.
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- epa
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I've been wanting to start this section for a while and never got around to it. This thread is for general motorcycle discussion. Feel free to add additional discussions to this forum for other motorcycle new/topics/etc as you see fit. Eventually, I plan to add news coverage and expand the section further.
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The local Ural dealer invited me to a test drive event later in the month for these. Definitely going to go.
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I"m there with him on Android Auto. I've already scoped out my Android Auto options should an Avalanche join the fleet.
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Interesting, they're no longer calling the infotainment system MyLink? I asked about Intellilink at the GMC do in NYC last week and they didn't have an answer. The GMC systems are no longer branded as Intellilink. Needs some looking into. That would make a really nice looking coupe.
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That's about 90% of their recent releases. I wouldn't call the Acadia ugly.. just dull and no character compared to the prior model. Ditto Cruze. Ditto Sonic. Ditto Malibu (pretend the generation immediately prior didn't exist) Ditto Equinox and Terrain. Ditto Envison. Ditto Regal and Lacrosse. Ditto XT5. There are very few GM vehicles that I feel are a not a step backwards and most of those have been out for a while. The sweet spot for the SRX is the final year of the first generation. They gave it a facelift and nicely freshened the interior and it was still Northstar powered if you wanted. Good luck finding one because they only sold about 12.
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I like the R Nine T and the Honda CB1200 because they're modern bikes that look retro without looking like a Harley. I am not a classic Harley guy.
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That and the styling of the sedan. The 5-door I thought looked great, the sedan was awkward looking. People tend not to buy hatchbacks though.
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- chevrolet
- chevrolet sonic
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BMW Loaned me an R Nine T about 18 months ago and I fell in love. I'm trying to keep under 500lbs in order to use the mototote (500 lbs + 100 lbs for mototote = 600 lbs hitch weight = Avalanche / Durango / Grand Cherokee / Canyon). Since then, I've also been loaned a few Hondas and the CB1200 is a close second, but a bit too heavy. I also like the Kawasaki Vulcan S, but at 650cc, it's only a backup option. the Vulcan S can be found for like $4500 used though. The R Nine T is just about the biggest motor you can find (1200cc) on a bike under 500 lbs that isn't a pure sports bike. I've never liked riding crotch rockets. I've got too much crotch for it to be comfortable.
