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Drew Dowdell

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Everything posted by Drew Dowdell

  1. Drew Dowdell
    It's fad... just like fender vents were a fad 10 years ago.
  2. Drew Dowdell
    +1.... how are the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango on different lists when they both use the same uConnect system?
  3. Drew Dowdell
    That'd be cause they're not prohibited. I think only the TPK prohibits them through side regulations... 601.15 Vehicles excluded from the Turnpike (a) During adverse weather conditions, recreational vehicles, motorcycles, vehicles towing trailers, tandem trailers, buses and Class 9 vehicles may be excluded from parts or all of the Turnpike System. Vehicles may be excluded from the Turnpike System to effect proper snow removal or to remedy hazardous situations. Unsafe vehicles may be excluded at any time. (b) Class 9 vehicles are prohibited from using the Turnpike System except by special permit from the Commission, as indicated in § 601.1 and § 601.14 (Class 9 Vehicles). (c) Vehicles which are not capable of maintaining a speed of at least 15 miles per hour below the posted speed limit on level roadway are prohibited from using the Turnpike system. (d) No non-motorized vehicles are permitted to be operated on the Turnpike System.
  4. Drew Dowdell
    E-Golf - Range 112 miles, starting price $30k, $11k more than a base Golf Focus Electric - Range 118 miles city / 96 miles highway, starting price $29k, however, Ford is giving them away with $10k worth of incentives right now Fiat 500E - Range 87 miles, starting price $32,600 and only sold in California All of those fit in classification #2 of "usable range", "Normal looking", "substantially more expensive than platform mates". Range is still a factor. Anything between 40 miles and 100 miles I consider usable, but not great. Anything over 200 will be able to suit most typical drivers, even if they don't realize it yet. The Volt gets around the range issue by having the regenerator, it looks like a fancy Cruze, but it is still rather pricey compared to a Cruze. The three you mentioned still have range anxiety issues being lower than the 200 mile mark. The Bolt is the first in this price class to get over 200 miles to a charge.... my argument is that it would sell even better if it looked more like a normal car instead of an egg. I personally don't think it looks bad, but I don't think it has visual appeal to the mass market. Bolt powertrain in a Malibu at only a slight premium over an LT model (say something around like the price premium of buying a diesel), and you'd start to see some real movement in sales. In my own case, I'd like a plug-in, but there are none yet that meet the requirements within our budget. The closest I can get right now is the new XC60 PHEV. SMART is just dumb anyway, the sales there have been tanking for years and dealers who saw the opportunity to exit, did so. If I were a Benz dealer, I wouldn't have kept SMART around absent any announcement that they were going to expand the brand into a family car brand. There are no statistics to back up either claim since the vehicles I am referring to do not exist on the market.
  5. Drew Dowdell
    Me too... but only if the avalanche was a relatively exclusive vehicle.... no LS trims... LT or High Country only.
  6. Drew Dowdell
    I do want a Cadillac truck, but only if it is something like the EXT which can't be found anywhere else in the GM lineup. I would not want a rebadged Denali in the Cadillac lineup.
  7. Drew Dowdell
    Not just a stop-gap. They are the stepping stone. They help create demand for the plug-in infrastructure that is currently lacking.
  8. Drew Dowdell
    I just realized, I forgot the BMW i3... but it's okay, so did everyone else on the planet.
  9. Drew Dowdell
    The earlier Escalades were likely more capable than the later ones as they were more closely related to the Tahoe and such. The recent one is much more of a soft-roader unless you start making modifications via wheels and removing air-dams and such.
  10. Drew Dowdell
    I really am starting to think that at the moment it is lack of selection rather than lack of interest. If Honda / Toyota / Chevrolet build a completely EV Accord / Camry / Malibu or RAV4 / CR-V / Equinox with range over 200 miles, I really do believe interest in EVs would increase dramatically. Right now, consumers have few choices for plug-ins: 1. Good range, odd Looking / Ugly, but relatively inexpensive - Bolt, Leaf 2.0 2. usable range, normal looking, relatively expensive compared to platform mates - Pacifica Hybrid, Volt, Fusion Energie, CMax 3. "why bother?", normal looking, relatively expensive compared to platform mates - Plug-in Pruis, Honda Accord PHEV 4. "why bother?" range, normal looking, expensive options - All of the BMW and Mercedes plug-ins. Volvo has a bit more range, but not much. 5. Good range, normal looking, expensive - Tesla 6. usable range, normal looking, expensive - CT6 PHEV With the exception of the Fusion Energi, there is nothing here in the meat of the market. No crossovers except for the expensive Model X and the Euros. Nothing AWD except for the Teslas and Euros. No trucks. If there is a lack of interest by consumers in making purchases, I'd argue it is because there is a lack of anything interesting to buy.
  11. Drew Dowdell
    These luxury trucks still have to be capable. So yes, they could probably add the massaging seats from the new navigator, but there aren't going to be any changes under the skin that would reduce capability.
  12. Drew Dowdell
    So how was it?
  13. Drew Dowdell
    Land Cruiser sells globally to a lot more locations than Audi does. It also shares a lot of parts with other Toyotas. It is one of the few truly global vehicles out there that doesn't change much from country to country and sells everywhere.
  14. Drew Dowdell
    updated with chart that was missing from last month
  15. Drew Dowdell
    It's a shame because they're both great vehicles.
  16. Drew Dowdell
    It's not a crossover though... it's a fake one. The Niro and Soul are fake crossovers also, but at least they aren't ugly.
  17. Drew Dowdell
    Alfa has been a sunk brand for 15 years. He is using money from Jeep and Ram to necromance the brand. I wouldn't be surprised if he tried Lancia next (down to just selling the rebadged 300 as the Thema, only in Italy)
  18. Drew Dowdell
    Nearly all of the modern ones, if not absolutely all of them, allow you to customize how much information is on the display. From experience with the GM ones, you can cut the information down to just speed, or also include fuel and rpm and iPod track or navigation directions.
  19. Drew Dowdell
    Some of that has to do with designers and executives moving around from brand to brand. Hyundai and Kia have picked off more than one German designer.... and I swear that everything JDN touches starts to feel vaguely similar. The pony cars you mention trade heavily on their classic heritage and almost have to pick design cues up from their predecessors in order to succeed. Some day, in about 15 years, we'll be talking about the new Mustang or Camaro which looks like it came from the early 80s. The pony cars and muscle cars that didn't pull from their heritage have all failed. (GTO, Magnum, SS, SHO).
  20. Drew Dowdell
    Did the regular Yaris get canceled or something? It pains me to see that the C-HR sells so well compared to the Corolla IM. The C-HR is less useful, it's ugly, has a rather spartan interior, and worst of all... it's a fake crossover. With no AWD available, it's just a tall, ungainly hatchback.
  21. Drew Dowdell
    He's not saying that is isn't good. He's saying that he wouldn't want to pay for it because he doesn't find it useful. I kinda agree with him here, but also with the caveat that there are good HUDs and distracting HUDs, so not only would it be something I'm skeptical about paying for, I would also cast a critical eye on if it was a good one or a bad one.
  22. Drew Dowdell
    eh... only if done well..... the bad ones can be distracting
  23. Drew Dowdell
    It was only a matter of time... even a non-HD Yukon XL Denali can get to $80k. The 2018 Expedition MAX Platinum goes to $84k
  24. Drew Dowdell
    I'm only going into the office once a week anymore... it is so bad where I was moved to "to be closer to my team". They aren't my team, we just have the same titles. My teams are in the UK, Houston, Toronto, NJ.... I have no team in Pittsburgh. My boss is in London, his boss is in Houston, his boss' boss is in London.
  25. Drew Dowdell
    The *worst* "invention" ever inflicted on office workers is the open office concept. I have no less than 7 loud conversations going on around me right now. Every. Single. Person. is on a different conference call, yet each call seems to be covering roughly the same subjects.
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