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Drew Dowdell

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Everything posted by Drew Dowdell

  1. Drew Dowdell
    States rights... except when states want their rights? States can pick one of two regulations. The California Regs, which 13 states follow, or the Federal Regs. Manufacturers aren't interested in building two different version, so they just build everything to the California Regs. Manufacturers also still have to build to other countries regs. So whichever country has the toughest regulations, that's what the cars will get built to. There will be some differences on the fringes... but the meat of the market... the mainstream size 4-cylinder and 6-cylinder engines will all be globalized as much as possible with minor ECM tuning at best. Changes to the CAFE standards really aren't going to result in any changes for at least the next 5 years and probably on for another 10. The next generation of engines is already well into development, and those engines are typically produced for a decade or more at a time. At best, one of the engines that is currently legal might get an extra few years reprieve before being replaced..... and nothing bad ever happens when GM or Ford leave an old, technologically out of date engine in production far beyond its expiration date. Oh goodie... I might still be able to get a 2.4 Ecotec in 2025. Put me on a waiting list.
  2. Drew Dowdell
    I skipped to the end and didn't bother with the rest. I'll probably have to delete 90% of it for being too political off the topic at hand when I do read it. I don't care if someone owns a Rolls... he can own 10 of them and I still won't care. The issue I have is his "Buy American" rhetoric while he doesn't do so himself. His car is a Rolls, his ties come from China... up until someone point out the hypocrisy, even his early MAGA hats came from China. His daughter imported 53 metric tons of merchandise from China just last year. Don't stand in front of a Cruze lecturing me about buying American and then ride off in a Rolls. I'm personally not all that wedded to the idea of buying American cars for America's sake. I have a Honda built in Ohio and a Buick built in Korea in my driveway... Buy the car that suits you best regardless of where it is built. CheersandGears.com is here to help you make that decision.
  3. Drew Dowdell
    Incorrect. Cadillac has high ATP because higher trim models are being sold.
  4. Drew Dowdell
    Everyone really wants tall station wagons, but no one wants to admit it.
  5. Drew Dowdell
    The point was the 4-cylinder v. 6-cylinder. I remain largely unconvinced by turbo 4-cylinder from any brand as true replacements for a V6... however the double-boosted 4-cylinder from Volvo is the exception to that. It's hard to describe here, but in the Cadenza, I didn't even stand a chance... it wasn't even close. I might as well have been driving a Mirage.
  6. Drew Dowdell
    On a test run while I was driving a new V6 Cadenza... Which has about the standard amount of power you'd expect from a V6... I was positively spanked by an S90 T6 AWD (the double boosted 4 cylinder). It wasn't even close. From a performance perspective, the double boosted engine has it.
  7. Drew Dowdell
    What engine issues are you hearing about? I'm curious because the XC90 and new XC60 are both on my radar. Volvo is going with supercharged, turbocharged, hybrid 4-cylinders at their top end.
  8. Drew Dowdell
    Like I said... usually. the 2.7 in the F-150 is an oddball situation because you're getting V8 power for less than V8 price. Yes it is more expensive than a base V6, but it isn't really comparable because of the big power differences. The 2.7T costs less than a V8 and gets better fuel economy. *side note... apparently you can't get the 5.0 with the new 10-speed transmission, only with the 6-speed. Odd and disappointing... I wonder why that is.
  9. Drew Dowdell
    Usually. The 2.7 is supposed to be a V8 replacement though, so it's priced accordingly and above a non-EB V6. But if someone is comparison shopping a non-EB 3.5 and a 2.7 EB, they're most likely looking at power difference rather than fuel economy. It's when someone is comparison shopping a 5.0 and a 2.7 EB that the fuel economy thing comes into play.
  10. Drew Dowdell
    The 500 is a reliability dog, I know, but that doesn't mean the entire company is like that.
  11. Drew Dowdell
    The new Volvo 4-cylinders are fantastic.
  12. Drew Dowdell
    As I mentioned, any relaxation of CAFE is going to do next to nothing for manufacturers. California is going to get to keep it's waiver and about a dozen other states follow the California standards. You can't even buy California specific cars anymore.... They just build them all to that standard. Trump is again, over promising and under delivering.
  13. Drew Dowdell
    Not what we're taking about here @hyperv6.
  14. Drew Dowdell
    I doubt it, Enclave is showing there. But it's gotta be soon.
  15. Drew Dowdell
    There is nothing left or right about pointing out the hypocrisy of a man who tells people to "Buy American" but doesn't buy American himself. It's not even political. Romney told people to buy American and he would roll around in Yukon Denalis and DTSes.... McCain had a CTS.... Obama had a 300 and an Escape Hybrid prior to becoming President. Four Presidential candidates there, across the political spectrum... only one can be called a hypocrite about his automotive purchases against the backdrop of his rhetoric.
  16. Drew Dowdell
    I had two friends with similar vintage Firebirds that couldn't stay running when making right hand turns at suburban speeds. I'm still willing to forget about quality problems from 3 decades ago and give GM and Alfa a chance.
  17. Drew Dowdell
    This segment doesn't care about 0-60 times. The top 3 players are V6 fwd based cars. Adding a 400 HP variant would increase sales of each by a fraction of a percent. It's just not worth it.
  18. Drew Dowdell
    Cadillac beats the MKX in sales.
  19. Drew Dowdell
    gah... you have a point there. Tour Cross makes me think this would be the "sports activity vehicle" version of the LaCrosse.
  20. Drew Dowdell
    Really? A 1976? Come on now... if we're going to expect people to stop bringing up the Cadillac Cimerron or 8-6-4 in every CTS-V review, we need to let a 1976 Alfa go too. As I said earlier... a faulty sunroof switch isn't that big of a deal. My 2nd year CTS had a similar issue and it was otherwise rock solid after the sunroof dial was replaced under warranty. (I wish they'd bring that dial back as a sunroof control, so much better than the pushbutton)
  21. Drew Dowdell
    So what? S-Classes are used as taxis. An excellent platform is an excellent platform. The Edge and Explorer are both at the top of their game with Explorer being the best seller in its segment. This generation of MKX no longer has the same body shell as the Edge, so it is unique in that regard. I too wish that Cadillac would put the 3.6TT in the XT5, but I'm not going to pity Cadillac being beaten in performance by Lincoln when Lincoln is putting out a fantastic product. The MDX is a less than mediocre SUV now... I don't know how Acura sells any of them except for people who refuse to look at anything else. Nearly any similarly sized luxury SUV you can name is better than the MDX. Even some of the "consumer" brand SUVs like Explorer and Grand Cherokee are superior in top trim. I'd even rate the new Acadia Denali better than the MDX and my enthusiasm for the Acadia is about as bright as a night light. My enthusiasm for the XT5 is similarly dim. Why is the MDX so bad? Because they used the badly underbaked Pilot platform. Sure the Pilot is selling okay, but I suspect that it is mostly out of Honda brand loyalty more than anything else. MDX v. MKX... two luxury vehicles that share a platform with more plebian models with very different outcomes.
  22. Drew Dowdell
    Why is that sad? The MKX is an excellent vehicle. I'd put it above the MDX and RX, particularly in top trim.
  23. Drew Dowdell
    That makes the new Regal sound promising from a performance standpoint. We're in a bit of a jam with what we're going to do about our current car situation and I'm trying to hold out until the new Regal arrives. About not being able to defeat start/stop. I wonder how much of that is an EPA thing. Like do they get bonus points from the EPA for not offering a disable?
  24. Drew Dowdell
    I too prefer Tour Ex rather than Tour Cross.
  25. Drew Dowdell
    No... that would not be the case. A lot of work goes into creating a modern body shell. Just having a different rear hatch is enough to push that cost over $1,000. An Escalade Sedan with a trunk? That's an idea I can get behind if Cadillac decided to invent it.... again...
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