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smk4565

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Everything posted by smk4565

  1. smk4565
    It looks a little goofy, but I think it is proportions you get with a really short overall length. The interior does look sort of cheap, but if the price is cheap, that won't be a problem. If the Nissan Cube and Scion Box are the competition, they should do fine, although the Kia Soul is a dominating force in the small box segment.
  2. smk4565
    It does look more like an Avalon which might make it look more premium. But I wouldn't call it exciting, and those engines are from like 2005.
  3. smk4565
    $25-28k for a Cruze seems like a lot to me. If it were a Verano or Malibu diesel for $28k, I think it would be a better deal. That being said, I think they should put the diesel in more vehicles, and perhaps some powertrain and transmission refinement needs done also. Should they get an 8 or 9 speed transmission for front wheel drive cars, that might solve some issues and add to the mileage.
  4. smk4565
    6.4 liter V8 and 410 hp? That is awful, there are V6s with more power, the CTS twin turbo has more power out of 3.6 liters. You'd think a "Power Wagon" would have like 500 hp. Why not put the V10 in the Ram like they used to, even if it wasn't to Viper tune, they could still have 550 hp from the V10, that would be more ridiculous and over the top.
  5. smk4565
    45 mpg is nice, but this car is boring squared. I think it is less interesting looking than the Corolla.
  6. smk4565
    This is like the 2008 STS makeover, that did basically nothing to help the car. I think they made the Cruze uglier and more Kia looking. Chevy seems to be making there cars look more Asian, I think the back of the Impala looks like a Hyundai. Chevy's design language seems to be getting lost, they either copy the South Korean brands or use 4 square rear lights and relive old school Camaro styling. Can't they imagine something more creative than that?
  7. smk4565
    The front does look a bit like the Town and Country or Routan. But overall it looks like a pretty nice van, nice dashboard for a minivan and 276 hp is pretty stout for this segment. Looks like a strong player overall.
  8. smk4565
    Looks like the front end got smashed in. A pretty weak MCE.
  9. smk4565
    I like it, I like the interior layout too. It is amazing how far small cars have come in 15 or so years. Look at a 90s (or even 2002) Cavalier or Escort and how bad they were, now you have small cars with leather, dual zone automatic climate control, Nav systems, heated seats, etc.
  10. smk4565
    To put it in perspective, the Volvo 5 cylinder went in production at the same time as the Northstar V8. I guess it is somewhat impressive that it has lasted this long, but also you realize how dated it is also.
  11. smk4565
    This whole recall thing is pretty embarrassing. I would think they would want to answer everything, solve it and move on as quickly as possible. I actually think it is worth grilling Mary Barra also, she still had high positions while all this happened, even if she wasn't at the very top. And who's to say she isn't like the previous CEO's that were looking to cash in on short term performance and leave. I think that is a big problem with GM over the past 20 years, they give these CEO's and upper management bonuses based on short term goals, so they do what makes money in the short term and don't care what happens 3-5 years later. Barra is the 6th CEO in the past 8 years, it isn't like these people care what happens 5 years later.
  12. smk4565
    I think they should do a lower priced version of the Corvette. Maybe a bit of a decontented interior and V6 or smaller V8. The Corvette's version of a Range Rover Evoqe.
  13. smk4565
    The ATS isn't doing so well because it doesn't say BMW or Mercedes on the front. The new C-class goes on sale this summer, that will put a hurt on the ATS and others in the segment, because the Lexus IS is new too, and the C-class is about 7 years old right now and still selling strong. The CTS is eating away at XTS sales I think, which makes sense, they are in the same price point and the CTS is a better car. If Cadillac wants to challenge the Germans, they can't rely on the traditional Cadillac buyer, they need new blood and they need over the top good cars. We can see that the ATS is getting beat about 5-1 by the 3-series, so they need to step it up again.
  14. smk4565
    It makes sense to have a car that competes with the S-class coupe, and the F-type is the sports car, so they need a luxury coupe. I think the XK is still a good looking car, it is like Aston Martins, they always look good.
  15. smk4565
    Pretty soon they will run out of cars to recall. They have already gone through about every Delta, Lambda and Epsilon car since 2004. The Sigma platform has somehow remained safe. I wonder what this will cost them, not only in repair costs but in loss in future sales.
  16. smk4565
    Reminds me a lot of a Hyundai and the big lower grill is a lot like what Ford uses. I don't get these huge lower grille opening, they look ugly. It has some Dart in it too as shown by the picture. Chevy seems to have no design language, and the cars are looking more and more Asian too. The interior looks improved, but the outside is so bland no one will notice what this car even is.
  17. smk4565
    Ford, GM, Chrysler/Fiat will remain, one of them could possibly buy Tesla or a small company like Volvo or Mazda (and I know Ford went down that road before). I could also see Volvo, Citroen/Puegot or Mitsubishi even going out of business if they don't partner up with someone. VW group is huge, they will be around and could buy another existing brand, but they have ever price tier covered pretty well and don't really need anyone else. Toyota will probably buy Subaru to expand their AWD and sports car offerings. Nissan/Renault could merger with Daimler, but I don't think they will.
  18. smk4565
    Makes you wonder what is wrong with the new cars. I am sure they cur corners like crazy because they were headed towards bankruptcy, but the Cruze is post bankruptcy and on the list now too. As is the new 2014 Silverado and 2015 Tahoe/Yukon. Don't they have engineers that test this stuff to make sure it works? 5 million cars in 2 months, even it costs just $200 per car to fix, that is a a $1 billion bill.
  19. smk4565
    Another case of GM being cheap coming back to bite them in the ass. You'd think by now they would have learned to get it right the first time.
  20. smk4565
    I know someone that recently bought a 2008 tC because she needed a used car under $10k and there isn't a lot sporty looking with low miles in that price range. There is a lot of back seat leg room, more than a lot of full size sedans, and the dual moonroof is cool. Other than that the interior is cheap and basic. They drive a little like the Grand Am to me, sort of punchy off the line, stiffer ride, and a little noisy. This isn't at all my kind of car, but I can see why people in their early 20s buy them. I think the Hyundai Veloster is better at the mission of being a cheap and sporty looking coupe to appeal to young people. The problem with the under $20k segment is the Corolla and Cruze seem built for people in their 50s or 60s, they just have an old image to me. The Mazda 3 and Focus can't be bought in a coupe, only a hatch. So you either have to over pay for a Civic coupe or buy a Scion or Hyundai, or Kia Forte.
  21. smk4565
    I have heard good things about Continental DWS also, it seems like they are one of the top all season tires. Michelin makes a good tire, but they aren't cheap. I bought Pirelli P Zero Nero a few times for my Aurora, because they are comparable to a Michelin and usually like $130.
  22. smk4565
    They might as well just shut this brand down. As long as your top seller is a mechanical twin to an Accord but with a goofy center console you are not a contender to the German luxury brands. Acura doesn't have 1 unique chassis, engine or transmission in the group, the body panels even look the same as Hondas. I don't get why anyone would buy a Lincoln or Acura, you could buy the Ford or Honda and save $10,000 or go buy a Cadillac, Infiniti or German car instead.
  23. smk4565
    I like a metal needle gauge, I am not a fan of the computer screen gauges. But it seems like all cars will go that route eventually. I assume you have the V6 then.
  24. smk4565
    I wouldn't drive that if they paid me $5800 to take it.
  25. smk4565
    The 2013 model is obviously going to sell at a discount because the 2014 model is a big leap forward. Look at what 2013 Silverados are selling for, even the new 2014 Silverados have 15% off MSRP incentives this month. Mercedes operates at about a 7% margin, compared to BMW and Audi which are over 10%, but understandable with Audi, most of the mechanicals are shared with VW, and BMW doesn't have too many engines or platforms, it is pretty streamlined. Mercedes most profitable car line is the S-class though, and obviously the AMG models and high end ones help that. The 2014 S-class according to Truecar.com is selling at .5% below MSRP, $93,000 for an average sale price for the base model, A V8 A8 is $81,000, V8 7-series is $84,000 and an LS460 at $71,000 for average sale price. The Lexus is so far dated and behind it is more like the Hyundai Equus at this point, the A8 sales are awful, the 7-series is hanging on since BMW has a loyal following and they do offer 6 cylinder and diesel options that are cheaper. The Porsche Panamera is the only one that averages over $90,000 and it sells fairly well in the class, probably since it isn't at all like the S-class. If Infiniti wants to go into the $100,000 segment, then they need to think Panamera or Quattroporte, because they can't build a better luxury car than an S-class, but they might be able to make a 4 door luxury GT-R style car that is a sport alternative.
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