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Drew Dowdell

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Everything posted by Drew Dowdell

  1. Drew Dowdell
    I"m there with him on Android Auto. I've already scoped out my Android Auto options should an Avalanche join the fleet.
  2. Drew Dowdell
    Interesting, they're no longer calling the infotainment system MyLink? I asked about Intellilink at the GMC do in NYC last week and they didn't have an answer. The GMC systems are no longer branded as Intellilink. Needs some looking into. That would make a really nice looking coupe.
  3. Drew Dowdell
    That's about 90% of their recent releases. I wouldn't call the Acadia ugly.. just dull and no character compared to the prior model. Ditto Cruze. Ditto Sonic. Ditto Malibu (pretend the generation immediately prior didn't exist) Ditto Equinox and Terrain. Ditto Envison. Ditto Regal and Lacrosse. Ditto XT5. There are very few GM vehicles that I feel are a not a step backwards and most of those have been out for a while. The sweet spot for the SRX is the final year of the first generation. They gave it a facelift and nicely freshened the interior and it was still Northstar powered if you wanted. Good luck finding one because they only sold about 12.
  4. Drew Dowdell
    I like the R Nine T and the Honda CB1200 because they're modern bikes that look retro without looking like a Harley. I am not a classic Harley guy.
  5. Drew Dowdell
    That and the styling of the sedan. The 5-door I thought looked great, the sedan was awkward looking. People tend not to buy hatchbacks though.
  6. Drew Dowdell
    BMW Loaned me an R Nine T about 18 months ago and I fell in love. I'm trying to keep under 500lbs in order to use the mototote (500 lbs + 100 lbs for mototote = 600 lbs hitch weight = Avalanche / Durango / Grand Cherokee / Canyon). Since then, I've also been loaned a few Hondas and the CB1200 is a close second, but a bit too heavy. I also like the Kawasaki Vulcan S, but at 650cc, it's only a backup option. the Vulcan S can be found for like $4500 used though. The R Nine T is just about the biggest motor you can find (1200cc) on a bike under 500 lbs that isn't a pure sports bike. I've never liked riding crotch rockets. I've got too much crotch for it to be comfortable.
  7. Drew Dowdell
    But then certain Mercedes lovers would harp on Cadillac for not selling at the volumes they sell now. I never will understand why people set different standards for Cadillac than they set for Mercedes.
  8. Drew Dowdell
    I don't own it yet, but this is what I've decided on if I can ever stop having big bills biting me in the ass and Trump stops tanking the stock market. (That's not a political statement, his actions have a direct effect on the stock market in the past two months, all bad ones)
  9. Drew Dowdell
    I would love one. The downside is the gas mileage is sooooo terrible it makes long trips in them prohibitive. It's not like the Avalanche is great, but 21-22mph highway is easier to stomach than 17-18. I really wish Cadillac had kept building them with the new 6.2.
  10. Drew Dowdell
    That can be the other car. I'm not riding the motorcycle from Pittsburgh to Florida. That's why I want the mototote. Take it with me to my parents'.
  11. Drew Dowdell
    I've got an apathy softy for it. I think GM messed up on the Acadia in styling and interior. They saddled it with the weaksauce 2.5 liter 4-cylinder which I'm sure is only sold to rental fleets. The put a lame base AWD system in it and charge a bunch more for the slick twin-clutch AWD that the XT5 and Lacrosse get. Most trims come with the 6-speed auto instead of the 9-speed (From memory, only the All-Terrain can some with the 9-speed, but I could be wrong) It drives dull, it does nothing special, it gives you no reason to buy it over the competition. It is the epitome of mediocre. I would pick virtually any other vehicle in the class, including the Edge and any of the imports, over the Acadia. I'd even pick the Traverse or Enclave over the Acadia as both are substantially better looking, both come with the 9-speed, and neither get the lame 2.5 liter. It the most forgettable in the sea of forgettable crossovers out there. Yet GM sells about 12k of them a month..... so what do I know. The fact remains that it is only about $1500 more than the Edge and Ford sells about 12k Edges a month. With or without that third row... they compete with each other. Ford has an advantage here in that they also have the best selling Explorer in the same showroom, GMC no longer has direct competition to the Explorer, and the Explorer is about to get a heck of a lot better than it already is.
  12. Drew Dowdell
    It would be out of the frying pan into the fire if we moved to a crewcab Taco or Canyonado from the Encore. The Encore does the trip, but it is really snug. Whatever we buy next will have more cabin space. What I really want is some larger long distance cruiser for those trips and something smaller sportier when it is just the two of us or just me. There is a wall there that can drop down ala Avalanche style. But it has a 6,200 lbs towing capacity... so I can use a Mototote.
  13. Drew Dowdell
    Every time these come up it makes me want to go find a barely used Bravada, 9-7x, or Rainier. They still are good looking SUVs.
  14. Drew Dowdell
    I get that you've had a hate boner for the Acadia since it was released, but really, it is GM's most direct competitor to the Edge. You wouldn't consider the Rogue to be a different segment from the Equinox just because it has a 3rd row. They sell at the nearly the same price and at nearly the same numbers.
  15. Drew Dowdell
    It's a luxury item that is hard to live without once you've had it a while. In @Paolino's case, he had it on his old Lacrosse and I believe his parent's Lucerne and is wondering why it isn't on the new one. The easiest way to apply Rainex is to buy the rainex washer fluid and use as normal.
  16. Drew Dowdell
    ATS 2.0T RWD - 3,373 lbs ATS 3.6 RWD - 3,461 lbs So 88lbs with that change alone.
  17. Drew Dowdell
    Once a month or every other month. We do trips from Pittsburgh to DC to my partner's sisters and his parents no longer do long distance drives.
  18. Drew Dowdell
    In the case of the F150, there are still all of the turbo equipment to account for. Most F150s are already sold in Ecoboost form... go going from 2.7EB to 2.3EB is really just dropping one turbo. I have a meeting, but I'll see if I can find an example of what you're looking for. I'm thinking ATS 2.0T v. V6 or Camaro 2.0T v V6 will likely be the examples used.
  19. Drew Dowdell
    Yes it would be additional development costs of course... but just like we now have 25 "different" sizes of crossover in a single brand that are mere inches apart in size, I think it would sell. Imagine another Ford truck, the F-100 say, that is 5% smaller than the F150 but has a more light duty build that cuts 10% - 15% of the weight out. If the truck maxes out at 5k or 6k towing capactiy, they can build components lighter. The F150 right now ranges from 5,500 lbs to 12,000 lbs towing, but even on the 5,500 lbs configuration, there is no difference in major components like drive shaft, differential, frame, axle, suspension... etc. So the 5,500 lbs capable truck lugs around a lot of extra weight that it will never be able to utilize. If Ford could swap out a bunch of those components for lighter duty parts, they could save a significant amount of weight, and weight is the biggest killer of fuel economy. The truck could probably be powered by the 2.3 liter 4-cylinder as a base engine and save additional weight over a V6. Once you don't have to engineer the platform to handle such high weights, it cascades a lot of vehicle mass away. Cutting 15% of the weight out of a SuperCrew 4x4 2.7 Ecoboost drops the weight 720 lbs from 4805 to 4085. That would be huge. Even a 10% drop would be 480 lbs. The Ranger is the quick and dirty answer to the problem, however, it doesn't address the needs of passenger space or bed volume that get people into an F-150 in the first place. The Crewcab is not suitable for putting my inlaws in for 5 hour drives.
  20. Drew Dowdell
    A Grand Cherokee EXT would be the bomb! Give it a 6,000 lb tow rating and it would be perfect.
  21. Drew Dowdell
    Weight, yes, but also capabilities. I'm not against increasing the capabilities of the 150/1500 series trucks, however there is no lower alternative for those who do not need such capacity... the mall runners... etc. A trimmer F150 / Sierra 1000 would be fine for a lot of these McMansion garage queen trucks. Heck, still load them up with the Lincoln level goodies, but they don't need the frame capacity to tow 10,000 lbs. The mid-size trucks are still too small for those who purchase the full sizers. I'm exactly in that demographic. I want a truck capable of putting a motorcycle in the back, but I don't need huge towing capacity. At the same time, I need a real back seat that can be used for long distance travel, the Colorado/Ranger/Taco can't really offer that. The F150 is overkill.
  22. Drew Dowdell
    Any further personal attacks will result in warning points being handed out.
  23. Drew Dowdell
    Originally, yes it was only on the GLI. They did bring it back to the entire lineup. I don't know when, but I just checked the site and all the '17s have IRS.
  24. Drew Dowdell
    Acadia is only an optional 3-row. In terms of overall bulk, they feel pretty darn close. Most of that 5.5 inches lost would be in the cargo area, so to the passengers, they'll feel largely the same. Edge, Grand Cherokee, Acadia, Murano, all sit roughly in the same space.
  25. Drew Dowdell
    Titles in general don't impress me... this one though.... If I accept....
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