Drew Dowdell
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Everything posted by Drew Dowdell
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From the album: 2025 Porsche Taycan
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From the album: 2025 Porsche Taycan
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From the album: 2025 Porsche Taycan
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From the album: 2025 Porsche Taycan
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From the album: 2025 Porsche Taycan
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From the album: 2025 Porsche Taycan
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From the album: 2025 Porsche Taycan
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From the album: 2025 Porsche Taycan
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From the album: 2025 Porsche Taycan
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From the album: 2025 Porsche Taycan
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From the album: 2025 Porsche Taycan
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From the album: 2025 Porsche Taycan
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From the album: 2025 Porsche Taycan
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From the album: 2025 Porsche Taycan
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From the album: 2025 Porsche Taycan
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From the album: 2025 Porsche Taycan
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Heavy. Luxury. SUV. Built by a domestic. And GM already has this tech. Doesn't leave a lot of options. -
That stopped being true for most front-wheel drive based AWD vehicles 10 years ago. Most AWD systems now are dual-clutch or some variation on haldex. Even my Encore could send 50% of the torque to the back and did so at every launch, it didn't wait for slip. The 200C and the Envision are two more that I know of that have this. The Ioniq 6 is also larger inside than a Sonata despite being smaller outside. They could probably make a smaller version of it (if they hadn't already screwed up the naming scheme... maybe Ioniq 5 sedan) and sell it closer to the Sonata's price point. But Hyundai doesn't want to keep making those $249 a month lease deal models anymore anyway. Jeep killed the Renegade and Cherokee because they are trying to force Jeep up market and because Jeep has failed in China. Part of the economies of scale for Jeep included China sales, and for the first few years of the Renegade it was selling well there.... until it wasn't. The other problem is that the platforms the Renegade and Cherokee are on are being phased out without Fiat support. Compass is next.
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Both my Avalanche and my 300C have snow tires. My driveway is steep and my neighborhood is in a microclimate. I'll have snow/ice when the Waterfront, just 5 miles away, has rain. I'm also a skier, so if/when we ever do get snow, I'm out in the mountains.
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Lincoln News: 2025 Lincoln Aviator Gets New Wings and Cockpit
Drew Dowdell replied to Drew Dowdell's topic in Lincoln
I think they did a really nice job on this. Look at the etching in the wood. Apparently, each trim level gets a different pattern so you can be extra snobby about it. One nice dial for volume control, and the rest can be controlled by voice. And I know that most designs try to blend away the HVAC vents, but look at those! They look purposeful and somewhat deco/retro. Triple thumbs up on something simple that adds loads of character to the design. Shame the PHEV is gone. It was positively the best driving comfort vehicle this side of a '77 Mark V. Absolutely effortless power and it erased road imperfections, though that may have mostly been the Air Glide suspension that this still has available. -
Same. I find the Trax kind of pointless since I can't buy it in AWD, and for my area I really need it. If I'm going to buy a hatchback, I'll buy a hatchback, not a wannabe crossover. The saving grace for the Trax on this list is that is one of only two that doesn't have a CVT. The Jetta will be the comfort king here. They're the most spacious of the bunch, ride really well, have a pleasant powertrain, and I wouldn't even mind rowing my own gears for once.
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There are some smoothness concerns with a single rotor setup. I could only see that being something they did for low cost hybrids. Not the luxury push they are going for.
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This unit is specifically for the rear axle location. Here's my further speculation as to why Lincoln would go this way. Ford already has a front unit ready for the Lightning. They don't need a second design, and the unit from the F-150 Lightning would be fine as the lower power front unit for cruising speed in a Navigator, this is done for efficiency. Also, keep in mind that a Navigator is not a Hummer. While 2,000 horsepower would be neat, it's not really the target demographic that would be more concerned with range. A Navigator owner would sniff and say "Anything over 900 hp is sufficient. I need the range to get me to the Country Club and back." The total horsepower of the current F-150 Lightning's combined units is lower than this single unit. The Lightning's rear unit is set up for independent rear suspension and the drive unit there looks a heck of a lot like this one above. Even though the drive unit might be capable of 972 horsepower, I think it is likely that Lincoln would govern that to a lower top end for range preservation purposes. The Escalade IQ is rated for 750 horsepower and 785 pound-feet of torque in Velocity Max mode. Expect the Lincoln crew to tune it in such a way as to beat Cadillac either on range or max power, if not both. Range is largely dictated by battery size, and Cadillac is already going to need people to send in their old iPhones just to keep up with the battery needs of that beast.
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Ford killing the Escape is a dumb move, but they're doing it because they think they can move those drivers to the Bronco sport, which is less car for more money because it's "cute". The Edge is just the last vestige of that platform. I do think it will come back as the Nautilus clone. It's the same platform as the current Escape and the R&D is already done. K5 was just a rename of Optima. That said, I am 190% sure that it will have a direct EV replacement based on the Ioniq 6. Hyundai will try to move Sonata buyers to Ioniq 6 also.
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In a vague press release today, automobile supplier Magna announced they have signed a contract with a North American based vehicle manufacturer to produce a high-power, electrified, rear-drive unit for a high-end vehicle at an unnamed brand, with production commencing "in the next couple of years". While details of the vehicle are cagey, there are some clues as to where the drive unit might end up. Based on Magna's eDS Duo, the unit will utilize 800v architecture and be capable of roughly 974 horsepower and a mind-blowing 5,900 lb-ft of torque. Comprised of 2 motors, 2 gearboxes, and 2 inverters, the drive unit is built to be placed at the rear axle, but unlike Magna's eBeam unit, is set up for an independent rear suspension. This tells us that the Magna contract is for a luxury, full-size product with rear-drive and a need for high and low range. From here, we can speculate: It's unlikely that General Motors needs such a unit as they already have the Hummer products in production, and the Escalade IQ has already been announced, so there would be no need for Manga to be circumspect about the announcement. Ditto Tesla, the CyberTruck is already in production and wouldn't need this announcement. The Stellantis STLA-Large platform is 800-volt capable, and Ram has recently been talking about adding hybrid options to the Ram 1500 series line-up over and above the RAM 1500 REV. However, we don't think a Ram 1500 would get an independent rear suspension. Could it be for an EV Grand Wagoneer? We think if Stellantis is the customer in this case, a Grand Wagoneer EV is the most likely recipient. We think Lincoln is the most likely recipient at this point. Ford's EV platform is not yet 800-volt capable. However, they are hard at work on the next generation of their EV platforms. With the rest of the industry coalescing around 800-volt architecture, we think it is unlikely that they won't go there also. Additionally, the crosstown rival Cadillac, with their new Escalade IQ, could be making Lincoln green with envy. Additionally, while building components in-house might make sense for a higher-volume model like the Ford F-150 Lightning, a lower-volume vehicle such as a Lincoln Navigator EV would make sense to outsource components to Magna for. Magna and Ford have a long-standing partnership, with Magna even setting up shop at some of Ford's facilities in Michigan. Magna already provides a significant amount of components to the F-150 Lightning. The timing sounds right for Lincoln. In May of 2021, Lincoln announced they would be working on a Navigator EV, but no date was set for release. It would also match with the product cadence at Ford for the 2026-2027 time frame. What do you think? Which U.S. manufacturer needs a low-volume, high-power, rear-drive EV unit for a luxury product? View full article
