Jump to content
News
Reviews
Discussons
Activity
Create New...
Close

smk4565

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    13,794

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    13

 Content Type 

Everything posted by smk4565

  1. smk4565
    Well this seems to be a bit embarrassing: Volvo S90 YTD sales: 959 E-class YTD sales: 41,403 And E-class sales are down this year since the new model just went on sale late summer, and the V6 isn't even on sale yet, but will be soon, as well as this, which is faster than an M5 or CTS-V.
  2. smk4565
    I would mostly agree, it is a test that favors the Volvo based on criteria. It is almost like saying we are out to find the best 4 cylinder all wheel drive sedan for about $30k and having a loaded up subaru vs whatever else all wheel drive you can get like a bare bones Audi A3 and saying the Subaru is best. Most that want a large or even mid-size luxury car will want at least 6 cylinders, the E300 is really for the old ladies and old men that are in no hurry to get anywhere, and 6.5 seconds 0-60 is adequate, but a V6 E-class will mop the floor with a Volvo. I don't think the CT6 was unfairly treated due to price though, it was the middle priced car of the test. The CT6 is a flawed, perhaps compromised car though. MT said they like the 2.0T more than the V6, I think the 3.6 should be dropped from all Cadillac sedans, put a turbo V6 in its place.
  3. smk4565
    I miss the days when every luxury car had a V8, but I guess on the flip side a new E43 with a 3 liter engine is faster than the 5.5 liter V8 in my car and probably gets a least 5 mpg more, so progress is good too. I am surprised the Volvo beat the E300, but I do agree with MT about the all black interiors on Mercedes and preferring the light and airy Volvo interior. Mercedes needs the E43 on sale ASAP, that is the fix because the performance you get will make it worth the money. At $70k for the 4-cylinder model that car should have every luxury goodie, that is $18k in options. $70k for 4 cylinders is a big ask, the GLE43 is priced at $67k, if the E43 is the same, I think they have what they need. Not surprised by what they said about the CT6.
  4. smk4565
    I think if they were going to sell it here it would be a commercial application under the Vans division and they probably didn't see a lot of commercial pick up sales at the price point they would want. Plus they are a luxury car and crossover maker first.
  5. smk4565
    Those price cuts aren't even enough to make any difference. Dodge and Chrysler are in the same situation, these are all bad cars, and there is too much information now online where people can do their own research. It isn't like the 80s or 90s when the sales people at the dealership could persuade a buyer because all their was was car magazines doing reviews, which usually were of sports cars anyway. Dodge has 20% off MSRP right now and their sales are still in the tank. Fiat could have 50% off and the Corolla would still outsell their whole line. I would bet money that they could sell the Charger for $14,995 and the Camry would outsell it 3 to 1. No one wants these cars regardless of how they discount them.
  6. smk4565
    I would say they don't need the diesel, because the plug-in hybrid replaces it. It has the low end torque, more horsepower, gets the good gas mileage and doesn't pollute as much. So this is a better way to go than diesel. What Mercedes should focus on is a 4 cylinder plug in hybrid that would replace the 4 cylinder diesel, and they could put it in a Sprinter too. The hybrid cost isn't even that much, it is probably cheaper than making a diesel.
  7. smk4565
    Jeep is know for off road though, not performance. And I don't think the folks at the Dodge-Jeep wing of FCA can make a Jeep go around corners like this Alfa probably can. The only rear drive Jeeps are the Wrangler which isn't doing anything with performance and the Grand Cherokee, the Cherokee, Compass and Renegade are front drive Fiats and Darts.
  8. smk4565
    Tesla could become a potential buyer for FCA. In a lot of ways it makes sense, Tesla needs factories and manufacturing capacity which FCA has. They wouldn't need any of those brands except for Jeep, but they could discontinue Chrysler and Dodge, and those dealerships would still have Jeep, plus Tesla, and they could build electric Jeep. In Europe they could sell Fiats, sell off the Maserati and Alfa Romeo brands to the Chinese, sell Tesla's at Fiat Dealers.
  9. smk4565
    Post of the year and paragraph of the year right here. I almost spit Pepsi all over my screen reading about the seat back positions.
  10. smk4565
    I feel like these Alfas will never go on sale, and if they do arrive at dealerships they'll be limited supply, limited options, and just no exposure or marketing dollars and no one will buy them. You should be able to sell any crossover in the thousands with ease, people walk blindly to buy the things, but someone Alfa will be the one to build a crossover with sluggish sales.
  11. smk4565
    I think the powertrains are solid and there is value in the Genesis brad for sure. However I feel like they want from ripping off Mercedes and Infiniti styling with the 2009 Genesis, to now just ripping off more current Mercedes and Infiniti design for the new car, and they put a huge Audi grille on it. I think if they had a unique design language that was stunning they would be a lot more compelling. I still get a luxury car knock off feel from these cars.
  12. smk4565
    Agreed with that, the S-class runs in the $200,000+ range, the bare bones model is $98 grand. It is in the upper echelon where Cadillac, Lexus and even Audi are not.
  13. smk4565
    Small crossover is a booming segment, but I don't think this will match up to what BMW and Mercedes are already selling. And really, Alfa Romeo has the same problem as Dodge/Chrysler. Alfa Romeo in unable to compete with BMW, Benz and Audi, just like Dodge/Chrsyler can't compete with Honda, Toyota and Ford. This thing has a ton of power which is great, but they'll charge $80,000 for the V6, and you can get a Porsche or AMG product for that money, and you'll get the performance, with better reliability and better interiors, resale, etc.
  14. smk4565
    This is such easy profit margin it is an I brainer. Truck buyers will pay $45-50k for what is basically a $30k truck with a lift kit and big tires. A Tacoma TRD is over $45k and it has a Camry power train and Camry level or below interior, but costs $20k more, easy money.
  15. smk4565
    Same 0-60 as the S550e, similar MPGe of 65 vs 63. The S550e is the cheapest and slowest S-class though, the S550e is $20k more than the CT6 plug in because it is a class higher of car. CT6 isn't really an S-class competitor, it is E-class prices.
  16. smk4565
    I love how the F-type looks, like the XK's, I like Jaguar styling overall, but I don't like how this looks. The F-pace is far better looking, this doesn't even look like an SUV. On the flip side, 400 hp, 516 lb-ft and 90 kWh batter are all very good.
  17. smk4565
    Takes a while to get an electric car built from scratch basically. The Bolt isn't going to compete with Tesla. A Cadillac sedan Tesla fighter would have to have performance above the CTS-V, that isn't something they would just draw up in a year or two. Probably more like a 4 year plan.
  18. smk4565
    The specs are good, I think the price is a bit steep. By making this the most expensive engine option, you can pretty much guarantee that it will be the least popular engine option. I always thought they should price this on par with the turbo V6 which is about $68,000 to start.
  19. smk4565
    Well the S-class isn't a sports car, but the AMG versions should hang with a Panamera Executive just fine in a straight line. The Panamera is a fast car, no denying it, but the 4S sport Chrono that does 0-60 in 4.2 seconds is also S550 money and 8-9 inches shorter of a car. Put an E63 against the Panamera 4S and they are closer in size and the same price, and the E63 will own it.
  20. smk4565
    Still looks ugly, the rear isn't as bad as before, but still not good. If they put the inline six in the S-class next year, it will have 408 hp, a lot more than the 330 in the Panamera. And the S550 will have 476 hp next year, sort of stomps on the Panamera S. Porsche seemed to have forgot the power.
  21. smk4565
    They will sell tons of them. People want small crossovers.
  22. smk4565
    I don't know if the Continental is all that good though, and it's base is $45, but most are probably like $55k, a loaded Lexus LS is probably $50k with every option box checked. Plus it is a lot bigger car, the ES350 is smaller than an MKZ, just slightly. So given that, why buy a Continental, when you can just get an MKZ with the same engine and it looks the same and is $10k cheaper. Lincoln isn't giving any reason for people to spend $60k or more on a car, it has a Ford Chassis, with a Ford chassis and engine the Continental should have Audi A8 level interior to ask $60k because you aren't getting anything out of the powertrain.
  23. smk4565
    The first part of that statement is true. I don't know about how "premium" anything Ford makes is though.
  24. smk4565
    Think of this, the Buick Lesabre was on sale when the first LX Dodge Magnum went on sale, and I think 2005 was the first year of the W-body Lacrosse and the Lucerne came in 2006. Buick has replaced the Lacrosse 2 more times since then and Chrysler/Dodge still have the same basic car. The LX was based on a Mercedes chassis (w210 I think) they have done 3 new chassis since then. Chrysler is so hopeless, you can't compete with 20 year old stuff, they'll be selling Chargers for $19,999 in another year or two. This is also Sergio hoping some white knight will ride in and save him with a merger and a line of established good cars that's he can rebadge. But Honda or Hyundai aren't walking through the door with a line of fresh sedans and crossovers for them to add some chrome and leather and sell as Chrylsers.
  25. smk4565
    I meant 6 cylinder model, not 5 cylinder.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.

Hey there, we noticed you're using an ad-blocker. We're a small site that is supported by ads or subscriptions. We rely on these to pay for server costs and vehicle reviews.  Please consider whitelisting us in your ad-blocker, or if you really like what you see, you can pick up one of our subscriptions for just $1.75 a month or $15 a year. It may not seem like a lot, but it goes a long way to help support real, honest content, that isn't generated by an AI bot.

See you out there.

Drew
Editor-in-Chief

I've whitelisted
Continue without support

Write what you are looking for and press enter or click the search icon to begin your search