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Drew Dowdell

Editor-in-Chief
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Everything posted by Drew Dowdell

  1. Drew Dowdell
    Yup. Been going to NAIAS every year since 2007. I may bring the Toronado up for woodward cruise this year.
  2. Drew Dowdell
    I liked the early 80s 6 series
  3. Drew Dowdell
    I'm just done with lag. I know they aren't slow. Yes I've been to Michigan, I just didn't remember where you live.
  4. Drew Dowdell
    No, it's as I said, it's their answer to Designo. Select a GLS550 and select Designo and all the options required to match what the XC90 Excellence has ($109k and a heated steering wheel is still optional on a GLS?) and you're up at $110k. That seems exactly right to me. Mercedes doesn't even offer you a Crystal gear selector knob, so clearly the Volvo is better. I'm not going to knock the E-class as it is clearly an excellent car. The S90 stands up well against it in interior comfort. It has some of the best contoured seats I've experienced. It isn't meant, in its current configuration, to be a sport sedan. It is clearly built for comfort. It also is larger than the E-Class like the CT6 is. So the fact that you cannot see value in that is unsurprising. The GLC has less interior room than my Encore or even the XC40 much less the XC60. You must be a shorter guy and pack light to always prefer these cramped German cars over their larger competition at the same price. Because of the airy feel of the cabin, the XC60 even feels bigger than it is inside. Cinderella, you've lost a shoe. Could you be any more of a brand whore? I don't need to explain my purchases to anyone... and if I did feel the need, the explanation is simple. I picked the better car. As far as the other Germans... I'd pick an Enclave or Nautilus or GLE or XC60 or QX50 or Grand Cherokee Summit or XT5 over a Q5 every day of the week.... don't be putting that pile up on a pedestal... and I don't even like the XT5. The newest X5 looks compelling, but BMW interiors are about as cheerful as a graveyard on a wet Sunday.
  5. Drew Dowdell
    And China. Most of the E-classes are for livery use there. E-Classes (Along with XTS) are even replacing Town Cars here in Pittsburgh for Black Car service.
  6. Drew Dowdell
    I've already started my on boycott of all 4-cylinder turbos that are meant to replace V6es. The CTS is a great driving car if you have good roads. The roads around me are very poor, so with the stiffer suspension, it makes the car a bit too jumpy over road imperfections. So if those two things aren't issues for you, I'd say go for it.
  7. Drew Dowdell
    Most E class sales are 4 cylinder. The E63 is irrelevant to the sales mix. They could drop it and you wouldn't notice the difference in the numbers.
  8. Drew Dowdell
    The Excellence trim is not competition for AMG, it's not trying to be. It's competition for Designo. An S60 Polestar is most likely aimed at M3, S4 but will be the only awd plug-in hybrid option in the bunch. That makes it very interesting to me.
  9. Drew Dowdell
    Sorry guys, i had to remove the spec chart, it was causing some weird formatting issue on the site.
  10. Drew Dowdell
    I like that big coupes are making a comeback, but can we get some real usable rear seat headroom? See my signature on an example of how to do it.
  11. Drew Dowdell
    It's being downsized also to be a tweener car. There is nothing at all wrong with the CT6 interior aside from seats that might be a bit too firm. Plus, it drives itself, has 4 wheel steering, and a plug in hybrid capable of 40+ miles of EV range. Benz doesn't.
  12. Drew Dowdell
    No. It's the fanboi's problem for promulgating the idea that every car has to be exactly the same in order to compete. You are one of the most guilty of this phenomenon. You cannot accept the fact that cars can be different sizes, favor comfort over handling, use technology in a different way than your pet brand. You cannot admit that the CT6 is a competitor to the E-Class and 5-series because you can't get over the extra room it offers... somehow that disqualifies the car even though it is in the same price range. No, they didn't. This is why you have no credibility. Luxury SUVs released before or the same time the M-Class (1997): Acura SLX (1995) Oldsmobile Bravada (1990) Infiniti QX4 (1997) Land Rover Range Rover (1994) Jeep Grand Wagoneer (1980) - say what you will about the brand, it was definitely a luxury suv with its pricing. It cost more than a base Eldorado or Mark VII. Jeep Grand Wagoneer (1993) - the Grand Cherokee based Grand Wagoneer was a separate nameplate and the luxury version. No they didn't. People like you insisted they had to copy... that the only valid entry in that class had to be certain dimensions and certain suspension tuning, and certain number of gears in the gearbox. You have repeatedly insisted that the old CTS and 3-series didn't compete because the CTS was 4 or 5 inches longer. Well, you're flat out wrong. I leased a CTS because I didn't want the cramped interior of the 3-series. I leased the CTS because it was a bit more compliant over these awful pittsburgh roads. Cadillac went from near zero in that segment to selling 60k CTSes a year. They were taking sales from someone. There is no such thing as a 4-door coupe. What you're thinking of is a 4-door fastback and Cadillac was doing those way back when Germany was being turned into a pile of rubble. Oldsmobile has done them multiple times, Eagle has done them, Rover has done them, Citroen has done them. You even owned a nameplate that previously was a 4-door fastback. I laugh at the term as there is no such thing as a 4-door crossover coupe. First, if we're going to call them that, then again, none of the Germans were first. Even if you don't want to count the AMC Eagle SX, there is still the Acura ZDX (2010) which came out 5 years before the GLE coupe and the same year as the X6. Furthermore, if that Audi Q8 is a crossover coupe, then someone needs to send a memo to Infiniti about changing their marketing because they've been building that body style since 2002 with the FX/QX70. And then still, there is the Suzuki X90, an ugly looking SUV that by being 2 doors and 2 seats has more of a claim to the "crossover coupe" name than any of the modern vehicles. In short, Germany is in no way the leader for this completely misnamed body-style. So still.... wrong all around.
  13. Drew Dowdell
    Yes, the I30 was the ES equivilent, and IMHO, a nicer vehicle than the ES of the time. But they dropped that to try and pursue German car drivers who will never defect their brands and built this instead. The Lexus GS was still a pretty attractive piece at the time, but had just given up its inline 6 in favor of a V6.
  14. Drew Dowdell
    (Slightly) Better looking than a Jaguar, but not as good reliability. I really want to be impressed with these new Alfas... I was in love with the 159s.... but these just fail to impress me.
  15. Drew Dowdell
    Some may recall that Infiniti went the other direction. They dropped the relatively popular I30 in favor of the M35 in a bid to look "credible" to the BMW-Über-Alles kids. Look where it got them.
  16. Drew Dowdell
    It's also the reason used prices are increasing. The people who do want sedans are playing the depreciation game to get the price to be more reasonable.
  17. Drew Dowdell
    The problem is that people aren't willing to spend what manufacturers are asking for new compact cars. I tested a Cruze hatchback RS Redline edition. It was a great car, but the sticker price was $27k. That is insane for a Cruze, or any Focus that isn't an RS. Civics can crest $30k now. A Trax and a Sonic cost roughly the same to engineer and (labor costs being the same) build. But people will pay more for a Trax than for a Sonic. Chevy could offer rebates on a Trax that bring the price all the way down to the sticker price of a Sonic and still make money on it. It's not that people don't want sedans, it's that manufacturers are making more money on SUVs and fake crossovers.
  18. Drew Dowdell
    That blip was around 2004 when Cadillac finally produced a car that handled very well and could compete on the track with a smaller 3-series. The domestic haters needed a reason to dislike the CTS and thus the “It’s too big” mantra was born... and though the CTS was a perfectly capable and comfortable handler, the drum beat started for Cadillac to produce a “true” 3-series competitor... basically, do the CTS, but make it as cramped as a 3-series of the day. The same drums are being pounded at the CT6, a car that competes with the 5-series, but is larger, more comfortable, and in more than a few ways, more advanced. But “OMG it’s 8 inches longer... there is no way it could possibly compete with a 5-series”. Fun Fact: The CT6 Platinum has a turning radius and inch and a quarter smaller than the RWD 5-series. The CT6 without 4-wheel steering has radius slightly less than the AWD 5-series (20.0 v. 20.1) The original IS was sold as a Toyota in Japan and was renowned for its handling, but with tinny doors and no sound deadening, it didn’t fit the Lexus theme. Queue up the “we want a 3-series” drums and Lexus increased the weight, and started dumbing down the handling. The first few generations of GS were fantastic vehicles. The I6 base models were melted butter smooth and with the legendary Lexus reliability. But they weren’t “Teutonic”.... for those of you playing at home, that means “German”. This has always been about moving goal posts so the whole industry has to copy what the popular kids are doing. I’m sure the guy who bought a 10 year old Benz will be in here soon to give us his take on what new car buyers should do. (They’re shopping for a Corolla... he’ll tell them they should buy an S-Class)
  19. Drew Dowdell
    What kind of seasoning do you want on your crow when the specs finally come out? The base FWD XTS has a 60/40 front/rear weight distribution. There is no way an AWD 4 cylinder with electric motors and batteries in the back is going to be 60/40. Further, you reveal your ignorance about Volvo’s powertrains. The electric motors are in the back and only drive the back wheels, so not all of that power is going to the front, it’s split front/back, but they operate independently. (The RX operates this way also). It’s about as close to symterical as you can get without Quattro. Additionally, the system can favor the rear wheels for power delivery. The Polstar 1 coupe with the concept version of this same power train has a 50/50 split and weight distribution. In summary....
  20. Drew Dowdell
    It seems to be inconsistent, some of the notices work fine.
  21. Drew Dowdell
    I just noticed the same issue on Android. I’m looking into it. Edit: It’s not doing it for me on Safari on my iPad.
  22. Drew Dowdell
    Cadillac already had an EV and has a Plug in hybrid you can buy today.
  23. Drew Dowdell
  24. Drew Dowdell
    494 lb-ft of torque at what is likely a VERY low RPM which is still significantly more than either the C63 or M3. No one is going to care which wheels are driving because they’ll be more worried about keeping them from spinning even with AWD. You really need to get over your horsepower fetish with all of this EV tech coming. Torque is the number to compare now.
  25. Drew Dowdell
    The GC Overland in that dark green with the saddle brown interior....
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