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Drew Dowdell

Editor-in-Chief
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Everything posted by Drew Dowdell

  1. Drew Dowdell
    Happy Birthday @caddycruiser Good meeting you a few weeks ago, hope you have a good one.
  2. Drew Dowdell
    This. You know what would turn the ES's fortunes around? The debut of an attractive new grille design that eventually is adopted by the entire brand.
  3. Drew Dowdell
    The woman on the right is soooo me..... .not that I'd remember his name anyway
  4. Drew Dowdell
    Chances are slim
  5. Drew Dowdell
    I can't even tell with anything online anymore.... have to be so serious about everything and take it as it as written.
  6. Drew Dowdell
    They made them, yes. But they were meant for testing only and they specifically warned VW against using them in production.
  7. Drew Dowdell
    That.... is unfortunate.
  8. Drew Dowdell
    Which is exactly why Toyota shouldn't bother spending the money to change it. Sometimes, the status quo really is sufficient and spending money just to change it doesn't have any ROI.
  9. Drew Dowdell
    My point is that the numbers you are looking at are unreliable. Both companies use TSBs and Recalls, however what constitutes a recall v. TSB is inconsistent. Thus, only looking at the number of recalls per vehicles sold doesn't give an accurate picture. It could be AMC v. Datsun v. Trabant for all I care... if companies aren't treating the issues the same, then the numbers per brand are meaningless for comparison.
  10. Drew Dowdell
    The sedan market as a whole is in decline. Adding a 2.5T isn't going to change that. Fusion sales weren't turned around by the Fusion Sport. Accord sales slid after dropping the V6 in favor of a 2.0t... and in a car that I believe is the current best in class. Mazda 6 sales are not going to explode with the intro of a 2.3t. Altima isn't going to take over the market by dropping their V6. Cherokee is not going to suddenly eclipse the CR-V now that a 2.0T is available in addition to a V6. The previous generation Navigator couldn't be saved by its Turbo V6. The number of vehicles where sales stayed flat or fell after switching to a turbo-4 is far far greater than vehicles that increased in sales after a switch to turbo-4 from a V6. You latch on to these single aspects as if that one single thing is the sole arbiter of the fate of a vehicle. Not only that, but you stake your position on something that is demonstrably wrong.
  11. Drew Dowdell
    I do want to correct one thing above. Volvo is not aiming for 100% EV, they are aiming for 100% electrified. That means hybrid, even as little as an eAssist type setup. Ram's Etorque counts as electrified and it's just eAssist.
  12. Drew Dowdell
    That should be a recall also, you're making my point for me.
  13. Drew Dowdell
    So what? It works. It's reliable. It's cost effective. It performs excellently both in acceleration and MPG. It is incredibly smooth. I don't care if it was designed 1979. You simply want change for change sake. If I buy a 2019 ES, I'm not getting a 10 year old V6.... I'm getting a new V6 that was built just a few months ago. Does it perform the way I want? Yes? Good! Sold. You care about things that no one else who actually buys cars actually cares about.
  14. Drew Dowdell
    Engine platforms aren't just an app that you can download...."Oh, I'll just develop a 2.5 liter turbo V6 today!" It takes hundreds of millions of dollars and has to fit with global designs. A 2.5 liter turbo V6 isn't doing to do much if any better than a 3.5 liter naturally aspirated. The Camry V6 does substantially better on the highway than its EPA rating. I have routinely gotten 35mpg highway out of the old Avalon with the 6-speed driving it like I stole it. That 3.5 is used in a whole bunch of Toyota vehicles. The ES being the best selling in its segment, I wouldn't want to change the formula much if I were Lexus. Changing from a 3.5 V6 to a Turbo-4 isn't going to increase sales for them and buyers who want fuel economy will just buy the hybrid. There is literally zero financial or practical reason for Lexus to do what you suggest.
  15. Drew Dowdell
    There has always been something slightly redeeming to me about both the Outlander and Outlander Sport. Yes they're dated, but they do their jobs well especially for the price you'll pay and the warranty that comes with it. It's kinda buying a poor man's LR Defender in 2017.... You don't expect much in creature comforts, but you get everything you expect and enough capability to get you there.
  16. Drew Dowdell
    can we talk about the naming? I'm getting dizzy....
  17. Drew Dowdell
    What is the business case? Sell it to me in cost savings or additional sales. Keep in mind that the ES and Avalon V6 are already capable of Low-mid-30s in mpg on the highway. The full Hybrid without a turbo only manages to increase that to 41. The V6 is in use in a bunch of other cars on this platform. V6es are smoother than 4-cylinders and smoothness is something Lexus has a reputation for. So what is the benefit to Toyota or to the customer to engineer a different engine into it?
  18. Drew Dowdell
    Because we all know you need at least 350 hp to get to the Old Country Buffet after bingo. This is the exact target market where enough horsepower is plenty. One thing that I'll give Toyota here is that their 3.5 V6 outperforms its spec sheet. The Avalon is way faster than it ever needs to be. With the 8-Speed and lighter weight over the previous model, this ES should satisfy the performance needs of the target market while still being very fuel efficient. But hey, maybe they should spend $15k more to get a lower power Benz with plastic seats.
  19. Drew Dowdell
    I think all of them could should be recalls, but only 1/3rd of them were. The Tacoma tailgate could fail with as little as 150 lbs of weight on it... that means, me standing on the tailgate could potentially collapse it and I would be injured, probably severely.... but it was just a TSB. See now why I don't put much stock in number of recalls per vehicles sold?
  20. Drew Dowdell
    No, the ones that they give out the free oil changes for are more serious than a typical TSB. My point is that just having a recall does not indicate the severity of the issue. The only recall on my Buick has been the passenger seat bolt may not be torqued to spec. Toyota has issued a TSB for brake lights not coming on due to incorrect brake pedal installation and Tacoma tailgates that collapse under weight. Which of those should be a recall and which should be a TSB? That is not the same thing as saying a lower number of problems. And in the case of GM, they recalled vehicles that didn't necessarily need to be recalled to err on the side of caution.
  21. Drew Dowdell
    That's overly simplistic and I'm surprised you would suggest that. Toyota and Honda have issued secret recalls for years. They issue a TSB and then send out mass mailers to owners for a free oil change and fix the issue as part of the oil change. None of those numbers show up in the list above. When GM did its ignition recall, they recalled far more than they had to. They recalled the Alero, Grand Am, and Intrigue, but those had dash mounted ignitions which were different than the rest of the fleet and not part of the overall issue. In both cases, it's a matter of PR. GM recalled more than they needed to appear to be doing something. Honda/Toyota hid theirs via TSBs to avoid the publicity. Jaguar recalled vehicles to place a sticker, something that could have been a TSB. In the end, it means the number of recalls per vehicle sold is not an accurate way to judge.
  22. Drew Dowdell
    Number of recalls per vehicle sold doesn't tell you anything. Jaguar recalled the S-Type once to place a missing sticker in the engine bay that basically read "Don't drink the antifreeze". I think they should have left the sticker off and let the problem of people drinking antifreeze sort itself out.
  23. Drew Dowdell
    A lot more Camryish in these pictures than in the preview picture from last week.
  24. Drew Dowdell
    CPO loaded 300S or 300C V6 can be had for about $24k - $27k. Knowing the cars you like, that might suit you.
  25. Drew Dowdell
    I hope so!
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