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Drew Dowdell

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Everything posted by Drew Dowdell

  1. Drew Dowdell
    I'm very trim-level specific in my preferences. 1. '19 Ram 1500 (Limited or Rebel), Hemi 2. '18 Ford F-150 King Ranch or Limited, 5.0 3. '19 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali or SLT, any V8 4. '18 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali or All-Terrain 5. '18 Chevy Silverado 1500 - Z71 of any trim... whatever it takes to get all that chrome off the front. 6. '19 Chevy Silverado 1500 - I might be talked into a High Country for the right deal, but I'm more likely to go for an '18 leftover instead just based on appearances.
  2. Drew Dowdell
    I'm still not seeing it. GM specifically targeted the use of aluminum in the bed material, not in body panels. GM has been using aluminum hoods and doors on other vehicles for years. If the carbon fiber bed is more dent resistant than steel or aluminum, there is no hypocrisy there. GM's original "man step" goes back to at least 2002 and was always a far simpler and graceful solution than Ford's. The Ford man step is still a rickity looking piece and is overly complicated. Having a built in cane just puts the cherry on top. Watching the video on the GMC shows it to be simpler in operation than the Ford. I'm not blown away by the GM trucks, I like the new Ram better...but GM did get these two things right.
  3. Drew Dowdell
    See, that seems just odd to me. Those should be pretty standard GM parts. Is the seat belt buckle really that different between an Envision, Encore, and Enclave? If so, then that's some pretty bad product planning there. However, I could totally see internal corporate bureaucracy doing that.
  4. Drew Dowdell
    I'm not getting what you're referencing here with the Sierra tho...
  5. Drew Dowdell
    Up until the coming 2019 Envision, the Terrain had some distinct technical advantages over the Buick, but for 2019 they are more evenly matched. I do think the Terrain is a bit overpriced, but if you can get over that, then something like a $45k Terrain Denali Turbo Diesel does have some advantages over an equivalently priced Envision. The Terrain also does feel slightly more roomy even if the numbers don't play that out. The base model engine of the Terrain is better than the base model engine of the Envision, and for some reason Buick makes you pony up for the 2.0T to get AWD when AWD can come in the 1.5T in the Terrain. Pluses and minuses all around depending on your priorities. Edit: Apparently my knowledge was out of date and you can get the 2.5 with AWD in the Envision. That must have been a first year only thing.
  6. Drew Dowdell
    Er... the Terrain does not have any naturally aspirated engines at all. It has the 1.5T, 2.0T, and 1.6TD. I was talking about the RAV4 being only NA 2.5 or Hybrid 2.5
  7. Drew Dowdell
    Don't fret. There will still be GMC work trucks. Work trucks are generally not news makers, so that's why you haven't seen anything about them. Flash (Denali) and wow (MultiPro) are what generate headlines, not base model white trucks that will be found at a local construction firm. I like the MultiPro gate, but I wonder the weight it can support. It would be good for hauling a motorcycle.
  8. Drew Dowdell
    I get that... but when I cross the $30k mark, I want more than a naturally aspirated 4-cylinder. Not an option in a RAV4
  9. Drew Dowdell
    At least in the Terrain's case, it sells at the top end of its price range.
  10. Drew Dowdell
    You know it's more than exterior length. The interior of the Kicks is most politely described as "snug".
  11. Drew Dowdell
    At lease some of the price of the Terrain comes from the powertrain. You get your choice of a naturally aspirated 4-cylinder with a 6-speed auto or a Hybrid 4-cylinder with a 6-speed auto. The Terrain at the higher prices gets you a 2.0t and 10-speed or the new Turbo-diesel. I have an issue paying $34k for a naturally aspirated 4-cylinder in a economy crossover
  12. Drew Dowdell
    The Kicks is substantially smaller than the Rogue. Much less horsepower. FWD only. Feels smaller than my Encore inside. The Rogue is a 3-row crossover these days, slightly bigger than the Chevy Equinox. Then there is the Rogue Sport, a tweener about the size of a Subaru Crosstrek or Jeep Compass.
  13. Drew Dowdell
    $37k for a RAV4 and $47k for a Terrain is overpriced.
  14. Drew Dowdell
    Love the exterior. Not sold on the interior of the Chevy, so not sure some fancy trim is going to help. Another power train announcement is coming later this month.
  15. Drew Dowdell
    And the $175 oil changes.
  16. Drew Dowdell
    We need to fund a Kickstarter to buy Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep/Ram and make Ralph Gilles CEO
  17. Drew Dowdell
    The Volt may not make sense in that situation new, but for a $13k car with 30k miles it's really compelling. It's also built better than the Cruze. I know Balthazar had previously eliminated the Regal otherwise I would have suggested it. Veranos have the same cost/age/miles equation as the Volt, but don't get the fuel economy and are not a hatchback. A Fusion could work, but I was trying to keep it within the size restriction Balthazar mentioned.
  18. Drew Dowdell
    If Geely could do for Dodge/Chrysler/Jeep/Ram what they did for Volvo.... yes I would definitely take them over Fiat.
  19. Drew Dowdell
    As with all things, it depends on how you use it. If you already own a boat or camper that you tow often... if you are using your truck for hauling work like my parents do.... then diesel will make up the cost sooner. Using a gasoline turbo V6 in that way will cause the fuel economy to drop much faster than it would with a diesel. That said, I want to remind people that you should never measure the ROI in years but in miles. I have a friend who leases his vehicles and barely does 20k miles in 3 years where as Balth might do 20k in a year.
  20. Drew Dowdell
    They already severely restrict older gasoline cars in cities. Your inspection sticker comes with a certain color, Red, Yellow, Green, or (I think) Blue. Blue is for EVs. R/Y/G is based on emissions and carbon levels and older cars usually can't keep up. Red cars aren't allowed in City centers during certain hours, typically the workday hours. Classics get special passes, but have to meet other requirements such as maximum mileage per year, etc.
  21. Drew Dowdell
    The engine revs do change, but entirely independent of the vehicular motion. It seems to be programmed to have different RPM levels depending on the demand at a given moment. If the battery is near depletion and you are pulling up a long hill at highway speed, the engine will run at a higher RPM than if it is just regenerating at a leisurely pace. Depletion in a Volt does not mean that the battery has gone to zero. GM left a reserve in there, so the engine will run even at 30% just to keep the battery well managed. On the rolling hills here in PA, and being gentle on it, I've managed 75 mpg on a depleted battery. Edit: First Gen Volts also ask for premium fuel. This is largely because they operate at a higher than typical RPM when the engine is running and it is more efficient to run higher octane / higher compression. The current generation Volt added direct injection and no longer has the premium fuel requirement...it operates just fine on regular.
  22. Drew Dowdell
    Probably Jeeps as well. All Jeeps are technically classified as light trucks, so while the Renegade and Compass will probably never get diesels, the Wrangler and Grand Cherokee still probably could. This announcement really means just no Chrysler 300, Alfa Romeo Guilia, or Maserati Ghibli diesels.... in Europe, no Fiat 500 diesels. So it's a much smaller announcement than it appears.
  23. Drew Dowdell
    You never need to charge the Volt ever. Just fill it with gas and it's a normal car. I have a friend in Columbus who has one and doesn't have a charging station. He just drives it like it were a hybrid and if he happens to go to a shopping center that has a charging station, he plugs in because it is cheaper than gasoline, but not required. As long as you can remember to put gas in it, you can weld the plug-in door shut and forget about it. The reason I like the Volt is that it feels much more solid than a Cruze. It shouldn't since it is on the same platform, but it does. It will get the best fuel economy you can get for the price range you're looking at. Also, being a hatchback, it can haul stuff better than a Cruze can. $10k - $15k for a solid safe hatchback that easily gets 40mpg without trying. I think you should reconsider and look into it more. Edit: One minor technical note.... the Volt is not a hybrid. It is an EV with an onboard generator. 99.9% of driving in a Volt is done by the electric motor only. There is one specific scenario where the gasoline engine and electric motor basically do a torque converter lock for efficiency reasons. (80+ mph, battery at or near depletion threshold). A Hybrid blends propulsion from two sources, the Volt does not.
  24. Drew Dowdell
    Yeah, that is a pain, but you can at least adjust the volume from the steering wheel.... my issue with the poor design of this interface there is that we're so accustom to the big dial being the volume and in this case it is the driving mode dial. How often does one need to change that, even in an NSX, that it needs to be a giant, centrally located dial like that? The climate control buttons are convenient but.. here... let me get a pen out of my pocket so I can jab the heated seats that are tiny buttons down in the center console instead of next to the rest of the HVAC controls.
  25. Drew Dowdell
    G-Class is to Jeep Wrangler as GLB is to Jeep Renegade As for the metal speaker..... there is of course my personal favorite, the first generation Toronado.
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