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Drew Dowdell

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Everything posted by Drew Dowdell

  1. Drew Dowdell
    No, I don't think I am. That gen TL is one of their better products. The current TLX is probably the best of all the consumer Acuras currently.
  2. Drew Dowdell
    Sounds like the engines aren't global.. not the platform.
  3. Drew Dowdell
    Oh you mean like how Cadillac is not building RHD ATS/CTS and Chevy isn't building RHD Camaros? At least Ford tried instead of being like GM and saying Eff it...
  4. Drew Dowdell
    If they had to re-route the exhaust in a strange and sub-optimal way due to steering gear, it would exactly explain why.
  5. Drew Dowdell
    I like it!
  6. Drew Dowdell
    I think we'll see the Avenir packages in just a few months. You're barking up the wrong tree trying to diss the first gen CTS to me. I leased a 2004 for 4 years and it was flawless for me. I get that stylistically it doesn't appeal to most people. What it lacked in interior against the TL, it more than made up for in handling and driving prowess. I have a lot of fond memories of that car. That said... I'm less interested in what Acura did back then and more interested in what they're doing now. Each year I get to drive these cars back to back to compare them and Acura is slipping. The new MDX doesn't beat the current Enclave except in techie stuff like entertainment systems and active lane control, much less beat whatever Buick is coming up with next. Even up against and Acadia Denali, I'd put the Acura just barely close, but I'd take an equivalently priced Jeep Grand Cherokee over either of them easily. (Base price of MDX FWD $44k, Base price of Grand Cherokee Overland 4x2 $44k, Loaded MDX AWD $58k, Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit 4x4 Hemi $58k) On my RLX test car, the plastics and assembly were a full 2 generations behind if it where a Honda. It was absolutely the worst built luxury car interior in memory. I've railed on the Lincoln MKS for its terrible interior materials, but at least they all remained in place. The last really great RL ended in 2004.
  7. Drew Dowdell
    and front wheel drive at that!
  8. Drew Dowdell
    It really does look like a shrunken Karma
  9. Drew Dowdell
    Check out the current RLX and new MDX in person then. The pictures may seem fine, but really examine the materials and build quality.... You'll see what I'm talking about.
  10. Drew Dowdell
    Sorry, I really feel that Acura's ship has sailed on interior quality. The RLX is a basket case that even an Accord would be embarrassed by. It's outclassed by the MKZ much less the Continental. RDX v. MKC goes to Lincoln. Same with MDX v. MKX. The MDX feels more like a Pilot rebadge than ever. The TLX is the lone bright(er) spot in the Acura lineup but even then the MKZ can be optioned up nicer and so can the Lacrosse. I'm basing this purely on interiors btw.
  11. Drew Dowdell
    It's a Nissan built truck. You'll probably get Nissan engines.
  12. Drew Dowdell
    I didn't leave out anything. It's a link to your comment and it cuts off words depending on your screen size.
  13. Drew Dowdell
    This is the remark I took issue with:
  14. Drew Dowdell
    I would agree that many of the pictures out there are less than flattering of the Continental. I believe I even mentioned back in Detroit that the Continental was substantially better looking in person than the pictures. Some cars that look good are difficult to photograph well, rarely is the reverse the case without photo manipulation, but it does happen (the Volvo XC90 looks great either way, but looks better in photographs than in person). I do think Zac's photos are some of the more flattering photos I have seen yet. I wouldn't say there is excessive chrome... nor would I say that I eat an excessive amount of chocolate chip cookies.... but maybe just a tiny bit too much. If I were Lincoln's design lead, I'd probably drop the chrome from the bottom of the doors and offer a blacked out grille insert while keeping the ring and emblem chrome. Some people like chrome, some people like none. Aside from NSX which really isn't luxury in the traditional sense aside from the fact that it is a luxury to own one, I'd agree with you here. I'd say that Buick comes closer than Acura these days because I really hate what Acura has done with their interiors. The Navigator I feel is too far behind the times to really count at the moment, but that is being rectified soon I believe.
  15. Drew Dowdell
    The author of the article is a personal friend of mine and he actually splits an AirBnB with William and I during the Detroit Auto Show.... I'll send on your regards for his article. The problem is that you don't allow anyone to have a negative opinion on something subjective like appearance of any FoMoCo product.
  16. Drew Dowdell
    Did someone with brand new dark blue jeans rub their butt all over that seat?
  17. Drew Dowdell
    You have the Escape 2.0, right? 2.0 - 2.5 is a pretty typical displacement for that class of vehicle. I'm talking about SMK suggesting putting a 2.0T in place of a 3.7 V6 in a fairly heavy truck. Most reviewers mention the turbo lag in the M-B CLA that is unquenched until you put it into sport mode... what does sport mode do? It puts the engine in a lower gear so the turbos are already spooled up. I know we've discussed throttle position programming before. Just because your foot is less than half way into the pedal doesn't mean the throttle is only half way open.
  18. Drew Dowdell
    Slightly off topic, but you're falling into a trap that I fell into before with regards to turbo engines and dyno charts. The Benz 2.0T, while I agree is torquey... is only so between half and full throttle*. You've got to spool up the turbos before you get that power. At any throttle position less than half*, the turbos aren't really spooled up much and all you're driving is a naturally aspirated, 2.0 liter 4-cylinder. Put that into a Frontier or Tacoma and it's going to feel really soft. They can overcome this somewhat with gearing and making really short 1st and 2nd gears, but then fuel economy suffers and the transmission feels busy. This situation applies anywhere there is an uncommonly small engine displacement that is compensated for via turbos. Basically, this will be significantly more pronounced when 2 liter turbo replaces a 3.7 V6 than it would be when a 3 liter turbo V6 replaces a 3.5 liter N/A V6. It's why I would get a 5.0 in an F-150 instead of an Ecoboost 2.7 or 3.5. *approximately
  19. Drew Dowdell
    About the same number of people who still miss Pontiac or Oldsmobile?
  20. Drew Dowdell
    Electric motive power is growing whether you like it or not.
  21. Drew Dowdell
    The more expensive electric car sells within 900 units of an entire "youth and sporty" brand that base prices about $10k less Toyota sells more Prii in 2 months than Mini sells cars in an entire year. Even a 20% take rate on the Fusion Hybrid would outnumber the number of Minis sold in a year. And that's just three models...
  22. Drew Dowdell
    There aren't any Audis I would own outside of warranty (nor Benz nor BMW for that matter)
  23. Drew Dowdell
    I'd swap the Rover into 2nd, Benz 3rd, Lexus 4th.
  24. Drew Dowdell
    I don't know why we're comparing a Benz CONCEPT to a Chevrolet production vehicle. It's not like what you see here is what is going to be on dealer lots. It will be toned down a lot and if the QX30 is any indicator, have a lot of Nissan switchgear in it. The GMC Canyon Denali is already a nice place to spend your day. A new interior, front clip, and some rear blade tail lights would be all it takes for Cadillac to match or beat this effort by Benz. and yes, I'd be all over something like this like white on rice...
  25. Drew Dowdell
    I'd be a lot more comfortable owning a Lincoln outside of warranty than an Audi.
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