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Drew Dowdell

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Everything posted by Drew Dowdell

  1. Drew Dowdell
    The old one is still a fine car and I'd have no problem owning a brand new one today. I actually prefer it's more upright look compared to the low slung 2016 model, but that is just a personal preference. The good news is the old model continues on as the Cruze Limited for the rental fleets.
  2. Drew Dowdell
    It's mostly for Chinese and other Asian market consumption.
  3. Drew Dowdell
    No... hatchbacks and wagons have two different definitions. That's why VW makes a Golf hatchback and a Golf Wagon. A wagon is a sedan length car with the roof extended back to the rear. A hatchback is a sedan with most of the trunk chopped off. The angle of the rear glass has little to do with the definition either way. There are wagons with sharply sloped rear glass and there are hatches with vertical rear glass and vice versa.
  4. Drew Dowdell
    The Bolt is a hatchback.
  5. Drew Dowdell
    Isn't this how the Lexus RX Hybrid works?
  6. Drew Dowdell
    Er.. no. The new Pilot is a lot less quiet than the old one.
  7. Drew Dowdell
    It's a problem across the entire Honda lineup right now.
  8. Drew Dowdell
    1991 is still 25 years ago, not 10. For the record; the Suburban is 81 years old and the Wagoneer is 50. I did say mid-size. I did say in 1985 you could count the number of mid-size on your hands. - S-10 Blazer and Ford Bronco II were out in 1983, XJ Cherokee and Toyota 4Runner in 1984, Nissan Pathfinder in 1985, Mitsu/Dodge Montero in 1985. That was essentially it in 1985.. 6 mid-size SUVs 1989 - Geo Tracker, Second gen 4Runner 1991 is when the boom really started - The Explorer really exploded the popularity of the segment. Also in 1991 - The Isuzu Trooper and Rodeo. Oldsmobile Bravada joins in the 1991 refresh attempting to be the first attempt at a luxury mid-size. Land Rover Discovery I 1993 the Honda Passport, Grand Cherokee, Kia Sportage, 1994 Toyota RAV4, Subaru Outback, 1995 Honda CR-V, Second Generation of GM Mid-sizers, Second gen Nissan Pathfinder, Acura SLX, Second Generation Explorer, Third Gen 4Runner 1996 Infiniti QX4, Mercury Mountaineer, Land Rover Freelander 1997 The king of the Mid-Lux segment the Lexus RX, Dodge Durango, Lincoln Navigator, Mercedes M-Class, Subaru Forester 1998 - Land Rover Discovery II 1999 - Second Generation Grand Cherokee, Cadillac Escalade, BMW X5 2000 - Acura MDX, Pontiac Aztek, Buick Rendezvous, Toyota Highlander, Ford Escape/Mariner After 2000 it gets far too complicated to continue the chart. 2000 - 1985 = 15 years. If I continued to 2002, there would have been examples from more dead brands than there were models available in 1985. (Saturn, Isuzu, Mercury, Pontiac, Hummer, Geo, Suzuki, Oldsmobile)
  9. Drew Dowdell
    What's wrong with Skoda? They're just VWs with leftover Buick grilles.
  10. Drew Dowdell
    No, not really. In 1985 you could count the number of mid-size SUV/Crossovers on one hand, today, you'd need an excel spreadsheet just for the ones that are no longer in production. 1985 is…. 30 years ago. For the record; I stated "a minimum of 30 years for H/EVs to hit 51% of the market. I got what you posted DD, but I just don't see a massive huge swell pushing H/EVs over 50% of the U.S. market in a mere 10 years. There is a considerable list of obstacles to overcome. Even Tesla's 400,000 pre-orders --if condensed into a single year-- is only 1 percent of the market by itself, and 400,000 is 8 times Tesla's output last year. In order to 'make it' in 10 years, H/EVS would have to increase marketshare 50%/yr : '15 : .6% '16 : .9% '17 : 1.4% '18 : 2.1% '19 : 3.2% '20 : 4.7% '21 : 7.1% '22 : 10.6% '23 : 16.0% '24 : 24% '25 : 36% '26 : 54% And the huge surge in SUVs started in the early 90s.
  11. Drew Dowdell
    The fact that you consider the Cruze and Civic and "either or" speaks volumes for where Chevy once was and where they are today. However, I'm guessing that an extended drive in the Civic would show you the amount of road noise that the Honda has compared to the Cruze.
  12. Drew Dowdell
    No, not really. In 1985 you could count the number of mid-size SUV/Crossovers on one hand, today, you'd need an excel spreadsheet just for the ones that are no longer in production. Look at the adoption of Turbo-4 cylinders since 1980.... flat line and then huge spike.
  13. Drew Dowdell
    The closest thing I can get to a Roadmaster Estate these days, I suppose it will have to do.
  14. Drew Dowdell
    Look at it this way. Technology/advancment in hybrids/EVs is all well & good, but you still have to get people to BUY THEM. Hybrids have been here for 15 years now, and while everyone is jumping to offer 1 or more EVs, last year hybrids/electrics only grabbed .6 of the market. Stated again :: 15 years = 0.6% of the market. So 10-20 years to reach 51% is just about completely out of the realm of possibility. My guess is a minimum of 30 years. Trend lines do not have to be linear
  15. Drew Dowdell
    Well that's one way to fix the tarnished Volkswagen brand in the US. Sell the same cars as Skodas instead.
  16. Drew Dowdell
    I see Hybrids as taking over for larger displacement engines. I see the T8 as a V8 replacement that gets V6 like fuel economy.
  17. Drew Dowdell
    This pretty lady took Best in Show at the Allegheny Rockets Oldsmobile Club 2016 Spring Show today
  18. Drew Dowdell
    Everyone has EVs in the cards.
  19. Drew Dowdell
    Lambdas don't use the LFX V6, they use the LLT. What "unresolved issues" are you referring to? There are some timing chain stretching issues with the Lambdas... and all of the earlier 3.6es even. GM has been dropping the ball on this one by only extending the timing chain warranty on some models but not others. The biggest difference between the Traverse/Acadia and the Enclave is the addition of Buick's quiet tuning. Not that the Chevy and GMC are particularly loud, but the Enclave is whisper quiet and serene inside.. it really is ... an Enclave.
  20. Drew Dowdell
    "Doubling of electric rates" sounds like a lot... but it really isn't when you consider that rather minuscule increase is over 15 years. I'll also note that those rates probably don't include delivery, which is a separate charge. 1000kwH of electricity would cost you $40.30 in generation in 2000 and $85.30 today. It works out to be a yearly increase of $33.75 per year over 16 years. I just can't get excited about that. If only everything else increased in price at such a slow pace. So add an electric car to the household.. most people report their electric bill increasing by $25 to $35 a month, but their gasoline bills plummet, sometimes to zero. Friends of mine, one of whom is an Editor at Cars.com, are on their second Volt lease. They buy gas every three months and reported an electric bill increase of $30 a month. They traded in an old Pathfinder that was costing them $400 a month just to fuel. It was simple math for them. Volt Lease + Electricity Bill Increase < Pathfinder Fuel costs. Even if electricity rates doubled again... not over 15 years, but next year.... you're looking at $60 a month to run an EV. The math still works.
  21. Drew Dowdell
    Over time, I am becoming less and less convinced of the claimed advantages of turbo-charging.
  22. Drew Dowdell
    False - Your local utility may have raised rates on you, but on average, the price of electricity has gone up 5 cents a kWh since 2001. (7c/kWh in 2001, 12c/kWh 2016). That's a third of a penny per kWh per year over 15 years..... not exactly soaring rates. Half the states have free(er) market electricity. There are over 250 energy companies operating and competing in Texas. In just my zip code I have 91 different energy plans available to me through a multitude of different companies. My current plan is a 100% wind generation supplier who is cheaper than coal. If you don't have a competitive energy market in your state, write your state representatives.
  23. Drew Dowdell
    Supercharging was never "free". It was included with the price of the Model S. Keep in mind that early base model Model-S did not have access to supercharging either, you had to pay a $2,500 upgrade fee to either upgrade your base Model-S or pay for the more expensive trim-line to the tune of $15k or more. Most Supercharger stations have solar generation, so the cost of the actual electric commodity is really cheap to Tesla. (They sell electricity the utility when cars aren't charging, they buy electricity from the utility at night). Even still, at household rates, it costs about a penny a mile to "fill up" a Tesla. At those rates, would cost Tesla about $2.60 per fill-up if a P90D rolls in with 0 miles left of range. A 60KW car (range = 208 miles) with the $2,500 Supercharger upgrade would cost Tesla about $2.08 to fill from zero. That means a 60KW Model-S owner would have to visit the supercharger 1,202 times, filling up from zero each and every time, before Tesla was out of the money on the electricity cost. Mind you, that's at household rates which Tesla probably pays less than. The big cost to Tesla is in the building of the supercharger stations... but once those are amortized out, the remaining upkeep and electricity costs are minimal. Assuming the Model-3 (Why isn't it the Model-4 btw? Don't we count the roadster?) is a 60KW car, they could charge $5 to fill it up at a super charger station and it would be profitable for them.
  24. Drew Dowdell
    For long term data storage, I use cloud based solutions.
  25. Drew Dowdell
    I won't be keeping the laptop for infinity. Three to four years at best.
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