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Drew Dowdell

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Everything posted by Drew Dowdell

  1. I have been a Star Trek fan since I was 10 years old. I basically pretend the lastest movies don't exist. I was so disappointed in the second one that I never even bothered to see the 3rd. I get that it is a different timeline... but even in a different timeline, physics don't change. The way the ships move doesn't change. The tech may look different, but a warp core is still a warp core and the physics of warp drive were very very very well explained in the original cannon. These seem to be more James Bond movies in space rather than Star Trek.... and the producers have forgotten that the Enterprise is the main character... not spock, not kirk.... It says so right in the opening credits... "These are the voyages of the Star Ship.... Enterprise...."
  2. It's not like the Pentastar is a particularly compact engine. It's one of the best general purpose V6es on the market, but it is rather large. I think both the Ford 3.7 and GM 3.6 are smaller, if only slightly. The Toyota and Hondas are much smaller
  3. It really could be either. I'm sure V8 sales of all of the LX cars can't be more than about 20%.... AWD being even 20% of V8s is probably optimistic. So 1/25th of the cars being sold in that power train configuration really doesn't make for a good business case. The 8-Speed AWD is actually more compact than the 5-speed AWD when you account for the forward drive shaft. In the 8-speed it is integrated into the transmission, in the 5-speed, it's external. It's kinda a moot point now anyway... the LX cars are headed for the dust bin at the end of this generation... and I'm rather sad about that. If my business takes off next year like I hope, maybe I'll pick up a 300C Hemi to use as a daily since I don't want to wheel a truck around everywhere...... heck, I've got 6 garages.... I might as well use them.
  4. My co-workers with the TDI have decided to keep it till the very last second and drive the snot out of it and then take the payout towards a new Jetta.
  5. I was told by an FCA rep that the take rate on the older V8-AWD setup was too low for them to bother certifying the new setup. Not sure if it's true or not, but sounded reasonable.
  6. After today...I need this more than ever. What's the point of trying to make sure someone doesn't fail when they have no interest in succeeding.
  7. Bull Dog or Diesel Engine? We report, you decide.
  8. Golf All-Track is for people bored with their Subarus or downsizing out of crossovers but can't go to Subaru for pre-conceived notions about masculinity.
  9. It's all off-the-shelf parts. This is the technological equivalent of Chevy adding AWD to the Camaro by using ATS parts.... and likely as equally not difficult.
  10. They're just last year's VWs anyway.... bringing them over would be like VW trying to rebuild the Mercury brand in the US.
  11. I'm just trying to keep it in top shape for its age so I can get a decent price for it when I sell it for a Sierra or Avalanche.
  12. You're the one spreading FUD and you do it in every EV thread that happens on this site.... I'm tired of hearing you repeat it as if it were a truth...... Most hybrids run into the 200k miles before any significant battery degradation happens. Teslas are routinely running to 150k miles without issue... and I capped it there just because there simply aren't many 200k mile Teslas yet.
  13. It's called under promising and over delivering. Being with Ford, I'd expect you to not understand how that works. There is a decade of experience with hybrids out there.... 40% is simply not the norm for battery degradation.
  14. Happy Birthday! @Cory Wolfe is 28 today... hard to believe he's been here since he was at least 16.
  15. It's not just the warranty.... the need isn't there. Civics did have an issue with their batteries losing range, but the Escapes, Fusions, Camrys, and Pruii don't suffer the same effect. We've had this discussion multiple times before. The batteries in the hybrid Taxis generally last the life of the taxi. They have much more frequent charge/discharge cycles too.
  16. All of us buying early gifts for ourselves. I just got my first new laptop in 7 years. Really happy with it.
  17. Even Ford has stated that they've had a minuscule number of hybrid battery replacements in Fusions and Escapes.
  18. "Could" and "Do" aren't the same thing. The Volts and Tesla don't have that level of degradation. GM is under promising here so they can over deliver later. Interesting. I'm having problems with rusted out fuel lines on my CR-V. I've had them replaced, but the car is still not right and will be going back for the fourth time.... there is still a bit of a leak somewhere..and now they're going to try a new fuel pump.. coincidentally, my range isn't as far as it once was. Funny what age does to cars.
  19. Okay... he alleges it... but based on what evidence? Going uphill when towing the emissions are higher? Newsflash, all engines emit more per mile when under load. If the emissions per mile meet the EPA test, then that's that.
  20. You must be shorter than I am because I felt there was no headroom in the back.
  21. The Ford EcoSport is better, the Chevrolet Trax is better, the Nissan Juke is better, the Jeep Renegade is better, the Honda HR-V is better, the Mazda CX3 is better. They all start at $20k. They all have AWD available. Most have the same or better horsepower.... or a turbo-4 that has sufficient low end grunt. All except the Juke have more room. All have nicer looking interiors. The Subaru Crosstrek is only $1,500 more. It's not like the C-HR is a particularly attractive or "cute" vehicle like a MiniCooper. Just about the only thing that will sell this vehicle to people is the Toyota badge. This is something you get your teenage daughter if you live in Plano Texas and are negotiating a deal on a Tundra for yourself.

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