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Drew Dowdell

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Everything posted by Drew Dowdell

  1. Drew Dowdell
    More information about "Uber orders 24,000 Volvo XC90s"
    Volvo an Uber announced a deal where Uber will purchase 24,000 Volvo XC90 Plug-In Hybrid SUVs over 3 years to expand Uber's self-driving fleet. Uber has been testing self-driving vehicles in Pittsburgh since Autumn 2016 with human supervision in the driver seat. Over 100 such vehicles are currently in operation in the city. The deal marks the largest single order of vehicles for Geely owned Volvo. While no financial details were disclosed, the minimum retail price for an XC90 T8 Hybrid is $64,950. Volvo expects the profit margin per vehicle to be on par with traditional sales through a dealership network. Uber chose the XC90 because much of the hardware to add autonomous capabilities is already built into the car. Geely/Volvo engineers have been working closely with Uber to ensure that compatibility going forward. With a major shift in buying and driving habits coming in the future, Volvo is placing its chips on partnering with Uber to remain relevant in an industry ripe for disruption. Photo: Uber
  2. Drew Dowdell
    Buick Regal GS - 310 hp / 282 lb-ft, cylinder deactivation and start/stop. The 250hp/260tq base engine in the Regal is the top engine in the Malibu, available only when you cross the $30k mark. Otherwise in the Malibu, you're driving a 160hp/184tq 1.5T. That seems right to me. Buick Lacrosse - 310 hp / 282 lb-ft, cylinder deactivation and start/stop, 8-speed auto (Impala and XTS are still on 6-speeds), Twin-Clutch AWD same as the Focus RS. Buick Enclave - 310 hp / 282 lb-ft, cylinder deactivation and start/stop, variable suspension Buick Encore Sport Touring - gets a different tuned 1.4T with direct injection, boosts torque by 40 lb-ft over a 2,000 rpm range and horsepower by 20. This engine is not available in the Trax. As a driver of the original 1.4T, every extra bit of torque offered matters. That said, I'm not sure why you think Buick is supposed to be directly competing with Lincoln. Lincoln is supposed to be in Benz/Cadillac territory. Buick is doing well right where it is... not as expensive as Cadillac, but a lot nicer than Chevy.
  3. Drew Dowdell
    Sorry to be blunt, but you're simply wrong. The Cruze has different engines compared to the now dead Verano, and it always did. You had your choice of a 1.8 or a 1.4T in the Cruze, while the Verano got the 2.4 and 2.0T. The Verano got a more advanced suspension. Push button start with keyless entry. Heated steering wheel. Quiet tuning.... the Verano is vault like inside The Verano was not just a sticker job. The new Malibu is a generation ahead of the current Regal, but if anything it is trickle down from the current Regal in terms of powertrain. The best engine you can get in the Malibu is a de-tuned version of the best engine in the Regal. The next Regal will come with a V6... something you can't buy in any midsize "family" car from Ford, GM, or Honda. It has an advanced AWD system and suspension, plus the quiet tuning the Malibu doesn't get. I don't know where I'd get the idea that a 3.6 powered Regal is just a sticker job of a 1.5T powered Malibu. I own an Encore and I'd never buy a Trax. They cheaped out on it way too much. Buick Quiet tuning, active noise cancellation, and superior materials make all the difference in the world. Without all of that Buick Quiet tuning, you really hear how all the sausage is made under the hood, and it ain't pretty. But all of that doesn't change the fact that it was designed as the Opel/Buick first and then GM DAT got their hands on it to make a Chevy version. Lacrosse - It's on a newer lighter version of the platform than the Impala and XTS, there really is no comparison. It's got more advanced transmissions, AWD, quiet tuning, advanced variable suspension, and the newer version of GM's V6. There really is no case here for it being "just a chevy rebadge". The Enclave has all of the things I mentioned above plus an optional variable suspension... it's more like a luxury version of an Acadia Denali than a Traverse even though it shares a body shell with Traverse. It's also never has to make due with a Turbo-4 as a base engine. If you want to disqualify Buick in spite of these things, that's fine... but they are exactly the types of things that make a Lincoln a Lincoln instead of a Ford these days. Sorry, I realized I was wrong about Ford not having a V6 in a family car... I forgot about the Fusion Sport... just like everyone else has.
  4. Drew Dowdell
    If it is only available on $32k Escapes, I'm guessing the overall take rate is fairly low. That's not where the bulk of Escape sales is going to be.
  5. Drew Dowdell
    Platform sharing does not equal Rebadging Verano = rebadged Opel Astra Regal = Rebadged Opel Insignia Lacrosse = Shared platform with XTS and Impala, but is now the most advanced of the three Encore = Co-Built Opel Mokka (I don't want to say rebadged, because they were built simultaneously for both markets), that is, they put quiet tuning in from the start knowing it would be a Buick. Envision = It's own. Yes it is on Delta II platform, but it is different enough that it can't share a line with the Equinox or Terrain. Enclave = Platform shared with Traverse. That said... I'd still take an SRX over an Envision because V6 and I've long liked the SRX's looks. The Envision is fine as a vehicle but doesn't do anything to plump the front of my jeans.
  6. Drew Dowdell
    It's an option. I'd want to see what the take rate is before I'd make any conclusions.
  7. Drew Dowdell
    Off the top of my head, the Suburban/Tahoe/Yukon/Escalade (Escalade since 2015) and XT5 and CT6 have kick to open as an option. XT5, CT6, CTS, Envision, Malibu, and Volt each have optional active park assist.
  8. Drew Dowdell
    Well... they need to be consistent. I guess the MKX is next.
  9. Drew Dowdell
  10. Drew Dowdell
    The most recent generation of Hondas has majorly skimped on sound deadening material, with the exception of the very latest Accord. The current Pilot, CR-V, and Civic are terrible for those of us who don't like road and engine noise My big V8 is very nicely quiet... just a torquey hum from under the hood.
  11. Drew Dowdell
    **Cough** Honda **cough**
  12. Drew Dowdell
    Can I get one that sounds like a Quad-4 about 10,000 miles overdue for an oil change? Or one that sounds like a steam engine.
  13. Drew Dowdell
    I don't think the Bolt EV is soul sucking at all. It's a hoot to scamper around in because the torque comes on so strong.... more so than any 4-cylinder mid-size.
  14. Drew Dowdell
    Teo? I'm surprised that the Prius V is going away. They must have sold well in Pittsburgh, I see a fair amount of them here.
  15. Drew Dowdell
    I'm talking about the packaging rather than the material of the part. most of those probably came in a simple box if in a box at all
  16. Drew Dowdell
    Thanks... I hate our excessive use of plastic. I got the battery cable for the Honda yesterday and it came in no less than 3 layers of plastic and a cardboard box (Plastic outside the box, the box, foam padding, plastic bag, car part)..... for the negative cable.... for a car.... It's going in an engine bay of a 14 year old vehicle. Do they think I'm hanging it on my Christmas tree?
  17. Drew Dowdell
    The Cheby picture was a comparison to the over-complex Ford solution... I wasn't citing it as an example of a solution without a problem. I had the Chevy example on my Avalanche and it did lower things just enough to make it more comfortable getting in and out of the back. The Avalanche also had a convenient grab handle at the top of the bed wall... no need for a post sticking out of the top of the tailgate Man-Step.
  18. Drew Dowdell
    You're about 3 decades late. The Generic Asian Sedan put most of the sameness into cars that we have today.
  19. Drew Dowdell
    I don't believe that globalism is a danger persay, but I do believe we've taken it way too far coupled with the disposable society. It's not cars where I think we've gone too far... it's the plastic fork. We as a society have decided that it is more cost/time effective to: 1. Pump oil out of the ground. 2. Ship that oil to a processing center that turns a portion of that oil into liquid Polystyrene. 3. Ship that Polystyrene to another processing facility that forms the polystyrene into a fork. 4. Cut down a tree 5. Pulp the tree 6. Ship the pulp to a processing center 7. turn the pulp into cardboard. 8. Print lettering on the cardboard and shape it into a box 9. Ship the boxes to the plastic fork factory 10. Pack the forks into boxes 11. Ship the boxes to warehouse distribution centers 12. Ship the boxes to stores 13. Drive to store to buy plastic forks 14. Use plastic fork once and throw away. F O U R T E E N major steps just so we can avoid: 1. Wash the metal Fork. I hate plastic forks and I avoid them whenever possible... everytime I am handed one at a restaurant all of those steps go through my mind. They, to me, are the biggest worst example of what is terrible about globalism.... the fact that all of that can be made cheaper (Time = money) than just washing a metal fork. The fact that Buick builds vehicles in China or S. Korea for consumption in the US is small fry by comparison.
  20. Drew Dowdell
    So what you're saying is that even the Amish are more forward thinking about energy than you are? I like the rumble of a big fat V8 just as much as you do, but I also admit that the Bolt and Pacifica Hybrid powertrains thoroughly impressed me and I'd have no trouble with either powertrain as a daily driver..... I wouldn't want the rest of the car personally because neither of them are my style, but the powertrains were good enough for me to toss the idea around in my head a bit. I think the way you present your argument is what gets the reactions you get. There are rational reasons for moving forward with EVs, there are fewer to be had for holding on to ICEs longer than necessary. EVs are going to be a growing part of the automotive landscape. What you and I think about EVs is not going to change the timeframe of that happening.
  21. Drew Dowdell
    Ford's "man" step: Chevy's step Chrysler swivel seats. Nearly every electronic shifter that isn't just a dial.
  22. Drew Dowdell
    There have been plenty of automotive options that fit that definition
  23. Drew Dowdell
    Will fossil based products still be in production in 2050? Yes, almost certainly Will their production per capita be substantially lower than today? Also yes, almost certainly Will they be the primary fuel for personal (non-commercial) transportation? No, almost certainly not. All of us here are tainted with the specialist point of view. We're all automotive enthusiasts. We see the world in Camaros and Mustangs, S-Classes and CT6es, F-150s and Silverados..... But auto manufacturers have a very different viewpoint. They see the world in Fusions, Camries, Accords, Focuses, Corollas, and Civics. Those traditional sedan sales may be plateauing, but take away the marketing malarky, and what is an Escape really? It's just a tall Focus with an inflated price. Ditto Corolla / RAV4...or even Dart / Compass So once one stops separating those models and admits they are essentially the same vehicle, you realize that the market is, by far, a whole bunch of bland beige 4-bangers. 99.99998% of people who buy those cars do. not. care. what powers their car as long as it gets them from point a to point b, is reliable, and is cheap. I know I've said it before, but the moment a manufacturer is able to deliver on that EV trifecta while being priced similar to an ICE, the countdown timer on the ICE will have started. It doesn't matter what those of us on automotive enthusiast sites think about it.
  24. Drew Dowdell
    As always. Your mileage may vary.
  25. Drew Dowdell
    oh this is totally a "lifestyle" truck option.... You know, someone who needs a 1500 to haul their kayak and 6 bags of mulch.
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