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riviera74

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Everything posted by riviera74

  1. riviera74
    Wise decision on Cadillac's part. BMW and Daimler do not have the same options Caddy does in terms of leaving certain segments to other marques within the same corporation.
  2. riviera74
    Nissan needs to realize that the days of picking off disgruntled GM and Ford buyers is long over. It is a helluva lot more competitive now.
  3. riviera74
    So this is Honda's answer to badge engineering. Not working all that well, is it?
  4. riviera74
    Let us get two things straight: CAFE itself is thoroughly lame and deserves to be repealed NOW. Second, V8 power is great but unnecessary because most people cannot afford $3.50 for regular and $4 for premium for a gallon of gas. If I were in the market right now, I would get a Chrysler 300 or a Hyundai Genesis (sedan) with the v6 because the v8 is unnecessary AND fuel economy is somewhat better. Yes, there is a price premium for v8 engines in virtually every car that offers one now. One reason the v8 can be safely replaced by 4cyl engines is that of rising safety standards over the last 25 years or so. Higher safety standards tend to make cars themselves heavier, regardless of engine size or type. Compare a a Chevy Citation or Chevette to today's Spark: from a safety stanpoint there is no comparison. The only penalty is weight. As for a $40K Impala, I am unsurprised by this but I would like to see if the car itself merits such a price by being in one. I do think that GM should push the Malibu much harder and sell more of those (like 4:1 is a good ratio) to allow the 2014 Impala to be more exclusive than it is currently.
  5. riviera74
    Yes, Yes and Hell Yes, respectively. Europe, unlike the USA, is at best heading towards a depression and at worst stagflation. Maybe both, who knows? If I were GM, I would ditch Europe, let the continent implode economically (and the Euro die) and then buy when there is blood on the streets. Europe has far too many problems, especially given that the car market is essentially dying over there.
  6. riviera74
    A Buick convertible any of us could buy. That concept is intriguing as a convertible though.
  7. riviera74
    You know, I am wondering why Lexus needs this F-Sport. That is not Lexus's business model or anything. In fact, The RX was meant for comfort luxury, not sport luxury. I would so replace that lame dash with a MUCH larger screen and ditch the entire concept of an F-Sport immediately. If I want sport in a luxury CUV, that is what a BMW X3/X5 is for, not a Lexus. Remember when the first-gen SRX was released, it did not sell very well because it aped BMW. Once Cadillac shifted to aping the RX, SRX sales boomed. Sport in a luxury CUV is simply unnecessary. And I HATE that Predator grill!
  8. riviera74
    When was the last Riviera convertible anyways? That may well be what is coming that is special. As for the looks of the car, the concepts are definitely within our grasp of what the new Buick has become. I do wish that the e-Assist would just leave: it is simply not good enough. Now, the 2-mode Hybrid is actually better, but I think GM killed that a few years back. This trend towards 4cyl is especially annoying. I know that we no longer need V8 power on most cars, but the 4cyl engines (with or without e-Assist) still underimpress.
  9. riviera74
    But will a 4cyl be enough? I have sat in an Encore it is surprisingly roomy for the external size (not Equinox/Terrain roomy, but still). I would probably go for a compact CUV underneath the Nox/Terrain twins instead and have the Nox/Terrain drop 500 pounds at least.
  10. riviera74
    ^QFT. Why wait?
  11. riviera74
    GM is in a bind. They cannot get bigger because of the Traverse and Acadia. If the Equinox and Terrain dropped about 500-1000 pounds, that would solve most of their issues. Now, the real question is whether the Equinox and Terrain will drop weight by getting smaller instead of finding actual weight savings by other means.
  12. riviera74
    Mostly good for Australia. The Chevy SS should be manufactured in NA so that the 90-day wait can be cut down to 30 days or even fewer. Otherwise, good idea all around.
  13. riviera74
    I wonder how long it will take for the LT1 to reach other vehicles that take a V8. I also wonder if they will create an LT1 derivative for a V6 application. Nothing against the 3.6 HF V6, but a V6 derivative of the LT1 could be the best V6 (especially in the torque department) since the Buick V8-derived 3800 V6.
  14. riviera74
    Given the OP, the Equinox has come a VERY LONG way from its (rather lame) 2005 origins. I personally would avoid any of the 2010-12 ones with that pitiful 3L V6; they seem like the lame 3400 version in the previous generation Equinox. A question: would you buy/recommend an Equinox or a Terrain?
  15. riviera74
    Do cars really need 9 or 10 speed transmissions? Or does that sound better to justify higher prices for when they need replacement? Color me skeptical on these. Now on a tractor-trailer with 18 speeds, that works just on torque alone. But a 9/10 speed on a car, really? Pass.
  16. riviera74
    Exactly, Dwightlooi. I have never, for the life of me, understood why anyone would settle for a subcompact car in the USA ever. There is no point, especially since a three year old used midsize car could handle that and you save yourself a lot of tiny car hassle. BTW, what are the fuel savings of a Chevy Spark vs a Sonic anyways? They don't seem large enough to justify going subcompact. Dropping from a large truck to a midsize CUV or sedan makes far more sense at every level. Subcompacts, no. I am very pleased that customers are increasingly rejecting the false choice that is the subcompact car.
  17. riviera74
    A refined Camaro? Since when? Maybe it is a bias from the F-body era, but a Camaro is not supposed to be refined..... is it?
  18. riviera74
    I am curious as to how GM will price the new Colorado/Canyon. The last generation was priced much too close to the Silverado/Sierra. A $5000-7000 distance between the midsize and fullsize trucks should help immensely.
  19. riviera74
    Ponchoman49, I could not agree more. The newest Lucerne is nowadays a Cadillac XTS. I would still make the argument that the XTS should have been a second-gen Lucerne, but GM did not see it that way. I kinda like the newer LaCrosse; it just seems more like a midsize car than a large car. The 2014 Impala seems to otherwise fill the bill for those of us who lack Cadillac $$$ for the XTS.
  20. riviera74
    I would like to know the answer to this Q: Does GM currently have a supercharged 3.6L V6? If so, in which vehicles? If not, why not? Would a supercharged 3.6L V6 not be better than a TT3.6?
  21. riviera74
    Depending on your needs, either go for the Escalade EXT or wait for the next-gen Sierra. Hummers were a questionable idea even when they were selling like hotcakes.
  22. riviera74
    Fantastic idea to put a modern diesel in these midsize pickups. Expect good sales if they follow through.
  23. riviera74
    A 1980 Cadillac Seville is UGLY?! WTF?! You CANNOT be serious. As for the rest of the list (both of them), I could not agree more about those exterior turds on wheels. N.B. The 2001 Trans Am looks way too butch to be a car (and is somewhat misshapen).
  24. riviera74
    Wrangler aside, I actually agree with that list. I would not touch any of those vehicles with a 10 foot pole. GM for the most part has superior vehicles that would easily displace these antitheses of all-stars. As for the likes of the Spark and the Smart ForTwo, why buy one?
  25. riviera74
    In this era of satellite nav systems and Google Maps on smartphones, is OnStar really just obsolete in some respects? Are Nav systems just plain obsolete in the smartphone era? It seems that there are only two advantages of nav systems: one can use it without being distracted AND a car nav uses an 7-8" screen, rather than the 5" or smaller smartphone screen. Is that enough anymore?
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