Drew Dowdell

There aren't performance vehicles for the average joe. The Charger Hellcat costs as much as an ATS-V. A Grand Cherokee Trackhawk is in CTS-V territory... or might as well be as much as it matters to the Average Joe. It doesn't matter that FCA is using their Average Joe brand names, they still cost as much as a Cadillac performance vehicle. And Joe can barely handle an Impala V6 at full throttle.

What isn't changed is the vehicles that would be canceled. Everything on the list is among GM's slowest retail sellers. If they cancel the Cruze... there is no reason to keep Lordstown. I am surprised but not really that the CT6 is on the cut list. The XTS we've known about for a while.... if Impala and XTS go, then there is no business case for Lacrosse. From there it snowballs. No Cruze = No Volt. No Volt + No Impala + No Lacrosse = CT6 alone at Hamtramck, which just doesn't add up. My guess is that if ANY of these vehicles survive, it will be the CT6 because it is the newest, but they'll build it in China and ship it over.

After simmering on this a bit more.... this is going to have serious political implications in 2020. In the last 14 presidential elections, Ohio has gone with the ultimate winner in the election. Trump won the county where Lordstown sits by 6,000 votes. One would think it could also have a significant impact on the mood of the constituents of Michigan in 2 years time. It is entirely possible that the next presidential election was just decided today.

They put a load of money into Detroit-Hamtramck to make it one of the most advanced plants in North America. I'm surprised they're closing it instead of moving other product there. I get their reasoning for cutting the vehicles they're cutting, but why not build the inevitable CUVs/SUVs in that plant? It moved once Camaro moved to a platform shared with Cadillac..... in 2015, not 2012.

210 lb-ft from a 1.3 liter ?!?

Fiat released details this morning of the 2019 Fiat 500x due to be shown at the 2018 Los Angeles Auto Show this week. The primary upgrade is an all-new 1.3 liter turbo-charged 4-cylinder which produces 178 horsepower and a class-leading 210 lb-ft of torque. This new standard engine comes with engine stop-start (ESS) and Fiat's MultiAir III valve action. All-Wheel drive now comes standard. Additional upgrades on the 2019 Fiat 500X include: New front and rear fascia LED Daytime running lights Three new wheel options and three new exterior paint colors (Italia Blue, Vibrante Green, and Milano Ivory) Adaptive cruise control and front park assist available Uconnect 4 with 7-inch touchscreen that includes Apple CarPlay and Android Auto The 2019 Fiat 500 starts at $25,785 MSRP and will arrive in dealerships in Spring 2019. View full article

Great write up!

Cruze will be. I only expect it to be with us until April once bonus gets paid.

Albert's dad isn't allowed to drive anymore, so we'll be taking his Cruze until we decide what we're doing. Albert and I either drive together to work or he takes the bus, so a second daily driver isn't super important for now. If he gets a new job he is going for, that will change things.

More room in the driveway.

Would a CyberMonday sale on membership encourage more people to sign up for the Ad-Free version of the site?

We now have a social stream that works similar to the Facebook feed. You can see it on the right side of most pages or you can get to a full page view from Social Stream tab under the Activity tab.

Will they have pastries at least? Volvo usually has the best cinnamon buns.

When everyone sits up high, no one sits up high.

Saving Maserati and Alfa was a fools errand run by Sergio.

I can't get a gauge on the size of this from the pictures.... Is it closer to an Armada or a Durango in size? If it is Armada sized, this could be an interesting new entry. I think less so if it is Durango sized just because there are so many entries at that level that are excellent. Pilot and Traverse will eat it for lunch.

Sold it.... CR-V is finally gone.

Because it's hard to drive without putting your foot in it. Stick a pebble in the turbo impeller and see how satisfying a 2.7 liter 4-cylinder Silverado is to drive. The boost is necessary even in average driving, and that is when you start to suck fuel.

Just like the Avalanche.... a 2013 LTZ with 45k miles can still command over $35k. I've seen nicely kept Escalade EXTs in the $60k range. They've both been out of production for 5 years.

Due to be fully revealed on November 28th, the first uncamouflaged pictures of the Hyundai Palisade have leaked out on a Russian website. Positioned as Hyundai's flagship SUV, the Palisade is an 8-passenger crossover designed to compete with the likes of the Chevrolet Tahoe, Ford Expedition, Nissan Armada, and Dodge Durango. We saw a preview of the Palisade in the Hyundai HDX-2 Grandmaster Concept. Power is expected to come from one of Hyundai's V6es. The Palisade effectively replaces the Sante Fe XL and will share components with the upcoming Kia Telluride. View full article

Performance is more than straight line. In my experience, the V6 versions of both of these cars have trouble keeping traction as it is under full throttle from stop.

I agree with most of what you said, but the bolded part is incorrect. For 2019, you can get a 3.0TT on the new Sport model which comes in at $67k instead of the $87k of the Platinum. On the 2018 model, the 3.0TT was available on the Premium Luxury trim for $70k.

That's terrible.... I get the point they're trying to make... that the Terrain is powerful for its size.... but they don't do a good job of making it.