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Drew Dowdell

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Everything posted by Drew Dowdell

  1. Drew Dowdell
    It's an early production model on a brand new platform without any direct predecessor. I wouldn't get too hung up on a sunroof issue. Similarly, my 2004 CTS had a faulty sunroof switch that had to be replaced early in its life but that was literally the only warranty repair I had in 48k miles of ownership.
  2. Drew Dowdell
    Spotted this today.
  3. Drew Dowdell
    I think it will be Traverse size.
  4. Drew Dowdell
    The key thing about the avalanche was it's versatility. It is a full 2ft shorter than any crew-cab pickup with an 8ft bed. That means it can fit in places those bigger trucks can't, but still has all the utility of them. The only thing it couldn't be was a crew-cab with an 8ft bed both at the same time. But how often is that really needed if you're not a contractor? No, GM done messed up when they cancelled that truck. They still have crazy good resale and they haven't been in production for 4 years now.
  5. Drew Dowdell
    Both. Since January 24th I've been zig zag going all over the country with very long hours in each location. I've been ill since mid February. At the moment, I still can't breathe properly from the chest pain, so cardio is out.
  6. Drew Dowdell
    I really want to get back to it. I'm so worn down lately from a intense work schedule and being ill. I feel like a phone with 2% battery left.
  7. Drew Dowdell
    The main problem I see with this plan is that it means that GM might be moving away from models that only sell in one market (like the US) in favor of models that sell globally. While that might work for something like a Cruze or Encore, some models are very market specific... like Suburban and Tahoe. The fascination with high volumes at the expense of variety greatly hurts consumer choice. Yes... I'm still stewing about the cancelation of the Avalanche.... it still makes no sense.
  8. Drew Dowdell
    The XTS and Impala being on the chopping block is fairly obvious. If the XTS goes, so does the Impala... and probably Lacrosse next time around. Think about it, the Epsilon chassis can't have that much life left to it. It's solid, but exceptionally heavy for the class even after the latest round of weight cutting, and too narrow for the cars they are trying to use it on. This is my own conjecture but, I'd expect one last refresh for the Impala and XTS, while the Lacrosse is already on it's last iteration on this platform before all three head off to the great used car lot in the sky. After that, who knows? Maybe greater use of the next generation of Alpha or Omega?
  9. Drew Dowdell
    Nissan has been dumping to rental fleets like crazy the past few years. I wouldn't be surprised to hear of Infiniti doing the same. I drove the Q50 and Q60 back to back and they seemed to be very different cars... the Q50 as you described while the Q60 was substantially better. They're on the same FM platform, but there seems to be a significant difference in development work between the two.
  10. Drew Dowdell
    This wasn't a press car, but @Anthony Fongaro can correct me if I'm wrong.
  11. Drew Dowdell
    Good write-up. I think the start-stop button being on the wheel was due to the relationship Alfa-Romeo and Ferrari had while this vehicle was being developed. A lot of Ferrari went into this vehicle before Serg sold off that brand. It was probably 97% done by the time of the sale.
  12. Drew Dowdell
    Well congratulations on getting married at least! I've done this drive many many times all the way down to Key West from my parent's place in Miami. It is, unfortunately, not a sporting drive at all. Cars I've had on this drive: Sebring Convertible (both 2nd gen and 3rd gen) Mustang Convertible (more than a few) Challenger Lincoln MKS Chrysler 300 Cadillac DTS Mercedes GL (supplied by Benz, not a rental) Jeep Wrangler soft top
  13. Drew Dowdell
    What was the new technology in a spring of insufficient tension in an ignition switch? Even the Toyota unintended acceleration wouldn't have changed things had the car had a physical throttle cable instead of drive by wire.... a floormat certainly isn't high tech.
  14. Drew Dowdell
    They are, by far, the norm. You don't see a manufacturer throwing a bunch of new technology at a vehicle and then have it end up less safe than its predecessor. The only time you see a vehicle with less power, the engine has been drastically downsized. Sure, the Mitsubishi Mirage may not be all that safe nor powerful... but even then, it is leagues better than the Mirage of 15 years ago which was rated one of the worst vehicles in its day in crash tests.
  15. Drew Dowdell
    and safer, and more efficient, and quieter, and more powerful, and cleaner, and more reliable
  16. Drew Dowdell
    I was going through old pictures today and found this one of GM's new 9-speed fwd auto.... With my cocktail for size comparison. Look how small it is.
  17. Drew Dowdell
    Next refresh on those. There is an XTS refresh coming, so I might expect that to get the first 9-speed in the Epsilon cars. Cadillac is doing yearly rolling changes to their cars, so the XT5 could be right there behind it. for the RWD cars, Cadillac is sticking with the 8-speed for the moment, which is fine with me because it is an excellent transmission.
  18. Drew Dowdell
    GM's new 9-speed has all sorts of patents on it because they managed to get 9 forward gears while using about half the parts one would expect in a transmission with that many speeds. I don't understand the full technical ramifications of what GM did, but apparently it is fairly groundbreaking transmission design. It's seriously tiny as far as transmissions go. Physically, there's no reason they couldn't fit it in cars as small as the Spark or Adam, though they won't do it for cost reasons.
  19. Drew Dowdell
    Well there is also talk of Holden as a brand going away too... so if this is the current course, I wouldn't be surprised to see GM shed 3 brands (Opel, Vauxhall, Holden) and then just do 2 or 3 brands in all markets except US which also gets GMC. China could support Chevy/Buick/Cadillac, Australia and Middle East could support Chevy and Cadillac. Buick could even make a return to Europe for select models like Verano, Encore, and Regal.
  20. Drew Dowdell
    well, I still think this whole thing is an attempt to scare the German unions and government. Also... how sad is it that Mary may have found a buyer for Opel, but Serg couldn't find a buyer for all of FCA?
  21. Drew Dowdell
    you can even get CPO S-classes with low mileage for that money. I actually prefer the looks of the GLC over the XT5, but I wouldn't call it particularly better. It's just my subjective opinion on styling
  22. Drew Dowdell
    Heck, a CPO CLS for that money. Or a CTS V-sport. Or a heck of alot of Continental. Or a rather nice Genesis G80 V6 AWD.
  23. Drew Dowdell
    C&D's GLA45 tester had an as-tested price of $67k I can think of about 200 other vehicles I would choose over the GLA45 for that price.
  24. Drew Dowdell
    Most consumers can't even handle a Corolla at 7/10th, so even an Envision is well above their skill grade. RWD v FWD has nothing to do with vehicle ride. The Explorer and Durango ride equally well. You are correct that it is a crowded segment, but even if Cadillac put the XTS V-Sport engine in an XT3, it wouldn't make a difference to the buyers of the segment and would not increase sales in any measurable way. That isn't going to be the way the Cadillac wins sales. Furthermore, the XT5 is mostly not being sold at base prices. The mid-level trims are where the bulk of the sales are and the Platinums are doing fairly well.
  25. Drew Dowdell
    Because luxury crossovers aren't performance oriented in 95% of sales. The orientation of the engine doesn't matter. Last warning. Get back on topic. We're talking about compact entry-lux crossovers here. You're limited to the GLA if you want to discuss Benz.
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