smk4565
-
Posts
13,776 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
13
Content Type
Forums
Articles
Garage
Gallery
Events
Store
Collections
Everything posted by smk4565
-
Well Cadillac is about to have a car cheaper than the CLA. I guess Cadillac wants to compete with Chevy as well by your logic. And let's see, ELR, XTS, SRX/XT5, Cadillac has just as many front drive cars as Mercedes, but they don't have nearly as many rear drive models. And I didn't move any goal post. I simply said that Cadillac needs more models, they have 1 crossover when that it the hottest segment, for example. They don't have a convertible, hatch or wagon. The product line is limited, and so are the countries they are selling in. Cadillac only has 2 countries in which they sell over 13,000 cars a year, they need to expand the footprint.
-
Quick edit, the VW Haldex system actually sends 95% power to the front wheels. Some BMWs are 36/64 split. The Cadillac STS and CTS were 40/60 splits, the ATS actually has a 30/70 split. The Jaguar all wheel drive defaults 100% rear, uses a 30/70 split in winter mode and can adjust to 50/50 if there is wheel slippage. All these systems are rear biased, because as I said, you want drive power to the back wheels.
-
If you look at most of the luxury all wheel drive systems they send more power to the back than the front. Audi Quattro is a 50-50 set up, although the R8 sends 85% to the rear wheels. A VW with all wheel drive sends about 90% power to the front wheels, and will only send more to the back if the wheels slip. BMW is a 40/60 front to rear split, Mercedes is 45/55 split, except AMG cars are 33/67. Because you want to power to the back, steering at the front. My Mercedes is rear drive, I didn't want 4matic. As far as Mercedes with all their fwd appliances, they have 3 front drive models and 18 rear drive models.
-
CTS has a sales problem. I am not sure how you fix that though. It is the biggest car in the segment, maybe it needs to shrink, get a more interesting looking rear end, better interior, I don't know. The people aren't buying it though, and even more scary is a new E-class is on sale in summer, and a new 5-series is coming shortly after that.
-
They need more products and variants for sure. I don't know why they move so slow with product roll outs. They also need to get into more markets. 1,750 cars in EU and Russia isn't going to get it done. Johan has confirmed a sub-ATS model is coming to battle the CLA and 1-series. I guess the CLA haters that say Mercedes will dilute their brand image and the CLA competes with Chevy will have to find a new argument against Mercedes product strategy.
-
I don't see how Lincoln is going to conquer luxury ride from the rwd cars. Rear drive let's you stretch the wheelbase which improves ride. Even with awd you want 60-70% of the power to the back so you are pushed and not pulled, offering smoother acceleration. And I didn't read anything in the press release about air suspension or magnetic shock absorbers. Also the 2017 Continental has fewer gears than a 2004 S-class. Mechanically the Continental just doesn't have it. 30-way seats won't save it either.
-
250 HP turbo 4 is plenty for this segment car. More than that is just going to torque steer anyway. A 1.6 turbo with 200 HP would be a good up-level engine for the Cruze sedan, and middle engine for the Hatch.
-
Traffic at an auto show booth doesn't mean sales. Every year there is a huge crowd around the Corvette at the Pittsburgh auto show, and no one around the Camry, yet the Camry still outsells the Corvette 10 to 1. I also think we can't truly judge the Continental until we know how it is priced. If they price it the same as the MKS they could have a strong contender. If it is CT6 TT V6 money, I think it is too high.
-
Once upon a time all the SUVs were body on frame, rear drive 4x4. Blazers, Explorers, etc. Then the wave of front drive unibody crossovers took over. I think Honda could win some people over. This level truck isn't used for anything heavy duty.
-
The A8 is boring, unless you like huge grilles. To me the Continental is a bit bland. I don't think people will say gee, I am going to pass on that Mercedes or Lexus and spend $70k on a Lincoln instead. For me a problem is, if Lincoln is going to cut corners on the chassis and transmission, by recycling from the Fusion parts bin, where else did they cut? And even if they didn't and did the best interior and the best seats, etc, it is like having the nicest 2nd floor possible on a house with a weak foundation.
- 185 replies
-
- 2
-
-
- 2016 Detroit Auto Show
- 2017
- (and 5 more)
-
I'd say the winner is the Pacifica (A+) because the hybrid is revolutionary for the segment (even though few will buy it) and they did add a lot of technology, the multimedia for kids in the back, the 9-speed auto, they copied Honda's in car vacuum, etc. And the styling is sleek and somewhat unique for a van. Pacifica I think can really take over that segment. Stuff like the Fusion and E-class, they tweak them since they are big volume players in their segments, they will keep that going. I like what they did with the E-class, the interior and technology really push it forward and it has the familiar Mercedes look. Fusion is just a refresh, I'd give the E-class an A- because I would have liked a bit more unique styling. The Acura (D) concept is there to get headlines and make them look like a prime time luxury brand. Otherwise they would have a trio os Honda-Inspired sedans and a rebadged Pilot on their stage, and no one would pay attention to them. That precision concept is something they'll never build, but they want to keep teasing the fan base. I feel like the Buick Avista is a bit like that too, although I think they should build a 3.6 V6 Avista, a grand touring style Camaro for about $40k. I think that is a sell-able car that you can get enough volume off of. The Ridgeline (B) looks a little awkward, but it could do well with the car like ride, Honda reliability, the storage bin under the pick up bed, etc. Mid-size pickups got pretty dated, until the GM twins showed up, and after like 10 years a new Tacoma. Competition is heating up there again. Acadia (A-) I think they did right. It looks trucky as a GMC should, it moved to mid-size which is the sweet spot, and they have Enclave and Yukon there if you want bigger.
-
There is nothing about the Continental chassis that Audi isn't doing in some form or another. But they have the longitudinal engine, 8-speed automatic (even though they bought it from ZF rather than make their own), and their C/D segment platforms are a bit more capable than the VW and A4 level stuff. But the A6 and A8 aren't really lighting up the sales chart anyway. The BMW and Mercedes sedans eat up the A6 and A8, and I think in part due to the rwd chassis, 50/50 weight balance, excessive nurburgringing, etc.
-
I'd like to say thank you for running the site. I think this is the best auto discussion forum on the internet. I like Autoblog and Worldcarfans for news, but the comments sections on some of those sites are weak. This site is much more well rounded and covers topics on every brand too, and the auto show coverage and sales ticker numbers are always good. I visit this site multiple times daily, I enjoy discussion, I don't mind some cheerleading, it shows passion for your favorite brand, but we don't need any attacking or trolling.
- 185 replies
-
- 1
-
-
- 2016 Detroit Auto Show
- 2017
- (and 5 more)
-
These marketing departments need to do a better job promoting sedans, or manufacturers need to make sedans more compelling. I think crossovers in general are growing because all wheel drive and cargo space are 2 of the most desired product attributes among car buyers. You can't get all wheel drive in a Mazda 6, Camry, Accord or Malibu, but you can in an Escape, CR-V or RAV-4. I think the idea of a $90k Cadillac sedan isn't crazy, but I think the CT6 as a product falls short of that price point. $75k for a Continental is insane. It is a front drive platform with all wheel drive and a 6-speed, even with the Ecoboost V6, it has power but not the chassis to back it up. I think the CT6 and Continental will both fall flat in the market place because the German sedans will eat them up.
-
Makes sense, you see how many Denali GMC's there are. Jeep could do a lot of Overland trims, just like Ford sold a boat load of those Eddie Bauer Explorers in the 90s.
-
I think it is good that it looks more like a pickup, the old Ridgeline looked awkward and not really a truck not really an SUV. It should be a pretty strong competitor to the other mid-size pick ups, the Honda 3.5 V6 is smooth and reliable, it should have a car-like ride. It isn't my sort of vehicle, but I think it will be more successful than the last Ridgeline.
-
Congrats to Lincoln on the breakthrough of perforated seats and 6-speed automatics. The luxury world has been put on notice.
- 185 replies
-
- 4
-
-
-
- 2016 Detroit Auto Show
- 2017
- (and 5 more)
-
First: That would be the Santa Fe Sport. The regular Santa Fe comes with a 3.3L V6. Second: The two vehicles you listed are somewhat smaller than the Acadia I did think that the Cherokee was smaller, but perhaps more in line with Acadia than Grand Cherokee.. Perhaps a better comparison is the Toyota Highlander which has a 185 hp 4-cylinder as standard.
-
The 8-speed would have helped. If you have 8 gears you can get away with a less powerful engine. The Jeep Cherokee has a 184 hp 2.4 liter four, the Hyundai Santa Fe a 190 hp 2.4 liter four. I don't think the 190 hp four in the Acadia is much different than what others are offering. And they do offer a V6 if you want that. Most crossover buyers aren't looking for 300 hp and high performance. If they wanted 0-60 time and nimble handling they wouldn't be buying a mid-size crossover, they'd get a 3-series. These crossover/SUV buyers will look for cargo space and fuel economy, and not care if the 0-60 time is 9 seconds.
-
The south american trailblazer is based on the Colorado and it's no featherweight. The Acadia is FWD/AWD on the heavily modified Lambda platform, I'm not sure GM's new coding for it. It's on a new platform called C1XX. No real sharing with Lambda to speak of. Shared with the new XT5. Here are my shots of the GMC Acadia from the show. To me, this is the biggest evidence that the Terrain will shrink significantly next refresh. In 5-passenger trim, the Acadia is dangerously close to the Terrain in interior room with almost all of the extra space happening behind the 2nd row. seems like the wheelbase and length are Dodge Journey sized more than anything. If the width of the vehicle is comparable to the Journey, then in fact yes, it's going down towards Terrain sized. In another thread somewhere, I suggested what GM was probably doing was something along the lines of the last XL-7......something more akin to a stretched equinox. Dimensions maybe not far off that? (i have yet to see the width of the 17 Acadia). GM's not going to lower the price, but it will move a whole size class down. This does not seem like a recipe for success. Time will tell. I just remember when the Lambdas came out. Everyone loved the package. People traded in their Blazers and Envoys and Raniers and stuff en masse. People like my wife's boss when they get kids go to buy the first CUV and gush over the new Acadia they get because adults can sit in the third row. Wanted the GMC because they didn't want the Chevy and they wanted something trucky. Now GM is taking that away. Take away the size, the style, etc. Makes no sense. A 2017 with a 3.6 may end up getting 1 mpg more on the EPA. In the real world, you may or may not see that either. Ask an owner of a 2008 Saturn Vue V6 if they get any better mpg than someone driving a 2008 Acadia. Yeah, it's not going to get hardly nay better real world mpg. Of course I am of the mindset that the Terrain and Equinox shouldn't downsize (their interior space). Escape is a nice garagable size but some may find it a bit small. CRv has nice space but the whole package their is a tin rattle trap. GM can take the weight out of their products without making them into CRv's. I get that the product groups are global now, but GM is seriously cutting themselves in the foot on this one. I guess its time to pick up a Dodge Journey. you driven anything with the 2.5? There's a reason its being banished to the trucks and CUV's....... The 2.5 is good enough for the Cadillac ATS, must be good enough for a GMC truck. I drove a Malibu rental with a 2.5 once. I guess it was fine in that, I wouldn't want one though. They had to put some kind of 4 cylinder in it. I guess they could have used a turbo 4 but maybe thought it would raise cost and get worse fuel economy, or require more maintenance.
-
The guy that likes 3-different sizes of sausage thinks the Continental is boring....... Lincoln must be doing something right. Well when you have the best looking full size sedan on the market, the classiest looking small luxury sedan on the market, might as well make the middle sedan look similar. Mercedes has interesting looking interiors again. From 2010 to 2014 they got boring, the interiors are fantastic again. They have a sort of bland looking car on top of a stretched Fusion platform. I am also not that excited because I know they'll price it higher than they should, and it won't sell, and this car will be forgotten about, unless they can push a bunch to the Hertz Gold lots in 3-4 years.
-
Yawn, it looks pretty boring inside and out. I don't find much interesting about it. They better use aggressive pricing, or it will just disappear in the marketplace.
-
Everything is going to have a 4-cylinder. If you want to complain you could complain that it is not turbocharged. But I think the 2.5 liter four is the right base engine. I'd guess they want to lower the price a bit and set up shop in the mid-size segment. I think Terrain will shrink to Escape size. And this makes sense. People are used to a Terrain costing X and an Acadia costing Y. When you slide them down the Acadia costing X seems like great value. The opposite of adding $10k to the CTS and being surprised that buyers went away.
-
Looks a lot like an Explorer from the front and side, the tail lights remind me of Durango and Grand Cherokee. Overall it looks good, and GM needs a true mid size SUV and this is it. I'd imagine the Terrain/Equinox is shrinking also. Buick will have the Enclave as the full size. It cuts down overlap which I think is good. Plus Cadillac is getting more crossovers and you want to drive the money toward the higher margin Caddies if possible.
-
Not making Alpha RHD compatible when they wanted to make Cadillac a global brand makes no sense from the start. However, they make a Camaro, they make an ATS. It wouldn't take that much to make a Buick coupe on the same chassis, same wheel base as Camaro, same 3.6 V6 and transmission as Camaro. You put a new body on it, put the LaCrosse dashboard in it, soften the suspension from the Camaro and you are done. GM knows badge engineering better than anyone else. They could have this car on sale in 2 years if they wanted to. As far as Cadillac goes, the CT6 is coming out this year, they could have made it a bolder, more luxurious car, but they played it safe. They could have co-developed a coupe to launch with it, but they didn't. Adding a body style to an existing vehicle isn't that hard. And GM has proved they can do it, the Camaro and Corvette convertibles were on sale within months of the coupe.
