smk4565
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Everything posted by smk4565
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AMG doesn't build one trick ponies that only work on a drag strip though. They build cars for the road and for race tracks with corners. That being said AMG may take the 0-60 and 1/4 mile records next year. Their little 1.6 V6 makes more power than the Demon and in a car weighing half as much. I didn't know you had a P100D, you need to find a dragstrip with a Demon next year and race it and report the results.
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Mercedes is integrating the screens into the dash now and since every just copies Mercedes then in a few years the others will too. This is a big upgrade over the current Navigator which I feel is 10 years old at this point, I am surprised they only got 200 lbs out of it.
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I thought the Model S was like 2.4 or 2.5 on 0-60 time. On 1/4 mile the Model S starts to lose a little bit, because it is so amazing off the line, but runs out of steam a little over 100 mph. I think the Model S still runs a 11 second and change quarter mile though. And excellent point that the Model S has actually seats and interior trim, and they will probably charge Model S money for this Dodge.
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While all that above sounds awesome, I have to imagine that Dodge might go bankrupt with warranty claims. Their 300 hp cars aren't reliable, I can't imagine that with 800+ hp and repeated drag runs that the engine, drivetrain and transmission won't be shot after like 20,000 miles, let alone 60,000. I give credit to FCA for creativity on how to keep a a 10 or 12 year old model going, but at some point they have to make a regular car too, or replace the LX cars, and it seems like they have nothing in the pipeline. This will help pad the profit margins for another year, which makes them more attractive to a potential buyer. It is hard to run a mass market car company on limited editions SRT's and Alfa Romeos that don't sell and Fiats that don't sell and don't make money. But if they go down, good to go down swinging.
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The weight is down over 300 lbs, so with that and the 9-speed it should be a little quicker, it is rated at 15/22 mpg with all wheel drive which is pretty thirsty. I don't like the grille, looks like the Mercedes diamond grille (which I don't like as much as their classic grille) and the logo looks like a Chrysler logo. They copied the Lexus/Nissan/Mazda "floating roof" D pillar effect, not a fan of that anywhere. Overall, the outside looks alright, it looks a bit Asian, but I think a lot of people looking for a premium, family hauler crossover will like that look. Inside looks better than a Lincoln, or Acura, looks the part of a $45-50k crossover.
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They are like Lincoln with the new face every 3 years. Keep throwing things against the wall and see what sticks product design. Maybe if their top end engine had over 290 hp, they would actually get car enthusiasts to look at their product. As it is, they are just fancy Accords, or fancy Accord Euros.
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Agreed that all cars are expensive but $29k for a Cruze is crazy. You can get a decently equipped Camry for that and the Camry will hold value like crazy, even if it drives like crap. I guess they have the Sonic and Spark for cheap cars, but as they push Cruz up market, then you have to push Malibu up, and then Impala gets squeezed and eliminated.
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Shouldn't the car detect the incapacitated driver and drive itself to the nearest hospital?
- 17 replies
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- cadillac
- ct6
- self driving
- super cruise
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Because I am interested in autonomous car technology, even though I like driving and would prefer to drive myself. I also think it would be really neat to have a car that you could drive to the airport and then have it drive itself back home and park itself in the garage. Pushing the limits of technology interests me.
- 17 replies
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- cadillac
- ct6
- self driving
- super cruise
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Well that is why I want to know how long Super Cruise is. Plus it is highway only. These current "autonomous" drive systems are really just crash avoidance nannies which are good for safety, but aren't really "self driving." Freightliner has a level 3 autonomous truck on Nevada roads now. But the real finish line is when you can get in a car, type in a destination and it just goes there.
- 17 replies
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- cadillac
- ct6
- self driving
- super cruise
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Hands free for how long? You can drive an E-class "hands free" for about 45 seconds before it wants hands on the wheel again.
- 17 replies
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- cadillac
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But a downsized turbo 4 all the time is going to be a V6 with cylinder cut off. For V-series cars, or expensive sports cars and luxury cars the CAFE numbers are less of a concern, because they are getting profit margin, which can in turn help pay any fines for missing CAFE targets or any other country's targets. And the volume is low anyway. But when you look at something like a Fusion, Camry, Rav4, etc, they are selling 300-400,000 of those a year, they need ever 1 mpg improvement they can get. And even Acadia/Enclave/Traverse combine for 150k a year, maybe 200k units, Ford probably sells that many Explorers. The pickups are going to be the killer to Ford and GM, you are going to see 2 liter turbos in F150s and Silverados by 2025. The ATS-V is rated at 17/25 mpg, there are V8s that do that or beat it. I love V8s, but this engine downsize trend isn't over. If you think about it, the carmakers have more ground to cover from 2017-2025 CAFE than they did from 2008-2015 and crossovers and SUVs are outselling cars, so they lost the ability to offset thirsty trucks with cheap cars.
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That is probably all true, but manufacturers are still going to go with the turbo 4 because they get better gas mileage, weigh less, and take up less space. If a car is designed for 4 cylinder only they can cut weight on the body and cut space under hood and apply that to the cabin. And even on something like an E-class wilhich is made to fit a V8 they dropped that 3.5 V6 in favor of 2.0t because of fuel economy regs, emissions regs and displacement tax. It isn't about what the consumer wants it is about meeting regulations to a lot of these cars.
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I think it would start over $70,000, not below. This was expected and it is cool that they make these 700 hp vehicles. But at the same time, FCA doesn't have mass market cars/crossovers that people want. Chrysler, Dodge and Fiat sales are falling off the map, even Jeep has been down this year.
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They aren't going to put a twin turbo V6 in a Buick, that is saved for top end Cadillacs. And look at what they charge for an ATS or CTS with a twin turbo V6, they are into the $70k range, a twin turbo Regal would be like $50k, no one is buying a $50k Regal because they struggle to sell $29k Regals. I would guess by 2022 the 3.6 V6 is dead, it is too thirsty to keep up with CAFE. CAFE is calling for 4-5% per year increases until 2025. Everyone is going to continue with engine down sizing and mild hybrids to get the numbers up.
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Mid size cars have grown and by designing them to be 4 cylinder only like a Sonata is, you need less hood space, you get more space in the cabin. As they stretch out these wheelbases, you get something like a Malibu that has interior space close to an Impala and thus the Impala becomes pointless, just like Azera and Taurus become pointless. Regal is big enough to replace the Lacrosse, large sedans are shrinking and never coming back. I don't see the need for a V6 Regal, it won't be any faster than a turbo 4.
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I like that they have the guts to put a V8 in a small SUV, crazy fast for a crossover. I prefer the classic Mercedes grille to the vertical one but I imagine they want to make the 63 stand out. They don't really have to cut anything because a lot of Mercedes are built off the MRA platform and they are moving toward an inline 4 and inline 6 that share parts and one V8. They make 3 different displacement V8s right now. If they cut a model it will be something like a E-class convertible if it doesn't sell. These crossovers keep selling though, coupes are getting cut by everyone.
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The price seems pretty compelling if you stay away from the Premium trim. The SE and SEL still give you a lot and keep it under $40k, which seems good compared to other 3 row SUVs. VW needs this thing to sell, they have sort of missed out on the crossover boom because the Toureg is more money than a BMW X5 and no one buys it.
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The cladding looks bad, but some market research probably told them it looks more rugged and more SUV like with cladding so they went with it The Sportback looks like a Malibu body fused with a 5-series GT rear end, not a good look. No one buys wagons anyway, I don't think this gives anyone reason to start, not really feeling the almost 4-door coupe Sportback.
