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balthazar

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Everything posted by balthazar

  1. balthazar
    How could 'Mercedes' possibly justify calling the "Mercedes Sprinter" a different brand?? Problem is, they sort of backed themselves into a corner; eager to trade on the good will coattails of the 'MB' name, they took a tin box Freightliner, rebadged it, and now they CAN'T omit it from sales totals or shared slips on the dealer lot. It's a thorn to the sides of the image-hucksters @ MBUSA.
  2. balthazar
    Larger vehicles generally are easier to make lower aero numbers; less abrupt transitions. - - - - - Apparently, mercedes grossly overstates these numbers. GreenCarReports tested the CLA and it's claimed .23 number is actually .30
  3. balthazar
    I'm still stuck on the reputed cost of these. They are unlikely to become remotely commonplace inside of 20 years.
  4. balthazar
    IMO, stylistically this is getting Edsel-ugly. The huge swath of black plastic mesh just looks like someone went to the hardware store when their grille got busted out, and subbed in fireplace screening. It's my #1 cheapest-looking nose of 2015. Agree with the above also- those swooshes under the head lights are completely disharmonious. Many armchair critics are going to say 'at 467 HP, might as well stay in the garage'.
  5. balthazar
    Apparently quite related: >"On the morning of November 9, 2010, a fire started in LincVolt's charging system while it was recharging at a warehouse belonging to Young. The car was damaged, but is in the process of being restored."<< There's a wikipedia page for 'Lincvolt'.
  6. balthazar
    This guy would give it a thumb's up:
  7. balthazar
    "Dream".. of whom??
  8. balthazar
    How about vs. another corporate full-line manufacturer, such as GM then? MBUSA :: + 6.7% GMCo :: +19%
  9. balthazar
    Neither here nor there overall, but to be specific; smart is smart but of course, the sprinter IS a 'mercedes'. Not sure why it's broken out separately in the totals.
  10. balthazar
    Ahhh, the old GM early '70s / Chrysler late 50's swiveling seat concept. Mercedes shows all these 'futuristic' concepts yet never builds any of them.
  11. balthazar
    Pretty positive '57 still had the oil bath air cleaner (compressed steel element, reusable indefinitely. My '64, which when I got it had been sitting since 1971, still had an oiled steel element (tho not an oil bath air cleaner).
  12. balthazar
    Ford Model A pickup, green, mild rod, clean, on trailer whizzing down highway.
  13. balthazar

    Pictures!

    balthazar replied to Enzora's topic in The Lounge

    I believe he's saying you look scholarly with the specs.
  14. balthazar
    I thought we were all on board with that concept. :shrug:
  15. balthazar
    ^ BMW certainly isn't the template I had in mind- the 3-series had variety but the other lines did not. And it's not just Chevy by far, with that we're right back to looking at BMW; the SUV lines all overlap, too.
  16. balthazar
    I can assure you; for the same dollar spent we could have more than just CUVs and sedans. In fact, judiciously planned; it could save money. Long-term/big picture planning is not at the forefront of the auto industry. I see your penchant for the hyperbolic remains steadfast: I said : 'make one (better, more varied) line out of the Sonic / Spark' and you said '72 variations of one car'.
  17. balthazar
    That's actually exactly the direction the industry needs to go in; MORE variation on LESS lines. Having 4 or 6 sedans under the same brand separated by 4" in overall length is poor resource allocation. I have a hard time justifying both a Spark & a Sonic. Fold into one, add 2 more body styles. MUCH better return on the dollar.
  18. balthazar
    I disagree. IMO if the rust is merely a hole in a fender, its an aesthetic. If the headlight falls out, it's functional/structural. The line is where the functionality of the vehicle is altered by the rust. Seat performs the same if there's padding or exposed springs- I had a daily with exposed seat springs once. Add some folded towels & a blanket over all; still drove down the road fine. NBD.
  19. balthazar
    True, but those are aesthetics, not functionalities.
  20. balthazar
    What a cool story. http://www.kare11.com/story/news/local/land-of-10000-stories/2015/01/01/prinsburg-pickup-chevy-bob-sportel-75/21169665/
  21. balthazar
    http://news.yahoo.com/51-years-wreck-7-inch-car-part-found-164436702.html
  22. balthazar
    Some have said the same thing about a Cadillac wagon, but they're stuck in the 20th Century, too. Ironically, there have been Cadillac-based wagons made steadily (tho not continually) by coachbuilders since 1941. Theyare a high-priced custom vehicle with a very small market. Nice to have the option, if that's your thing. Cadillac needs to make more specialty, custom-run vehicles. I would put the past CTS-V wagon on that list; well known, sought after, but extremely rare. They were likewise a very expensive, custom-built product with a very unusual demographic; they were never supposed to 'catch on'. In an era when a Coupe deVille started at $8600, the Mirage was right around $20,000. Consensus is 204 units were built over 2 years. That's the same volume (for a much 'weirder' vehicle) that the 2nd gen Eldorado Brougham did. - - - - - At circa 182", there's not going to be much of anything cargo-capacity-wise in an ATS wagon. I'm not saying 'don't build one' but 'don't expect many sales'.
  23. balthazar
    Yes I would agree that for Tesla Roadster, the original .36 was pretty crappy. So be interesting to see what the new roadster looks like. Course that Trans Am was also fully enclosed compared to the open air Roadster from Tesla which is what this .36 is for. So I guess a .31 for the new Roadster 3.0 removable roof version is pretty good then. Most of the pics I see on Google show a lid/roof panel, assumedly the released number is with that in place. Guess the 'formal' rear glass is killing the flow, tho the windshield looks rather upright, also. Just surprised to hear it's where it is.
  24. balthazar
    Isn't .36 cd pretty crappy for 2015? Trans Am was at .29 in 1982. IMO, this again points to the 95th percentile of automotive design progress that we are in.
  25. balthazar
    Where & how is this quantified? Please don't tell me 'sales volume' is the source.
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