Drew Dowdell

I also want to point out that not all AWD systems are the same. Honda's system is very mild. Haldex systems are very good. The system GM put in the Encore/Trax is excellent due to the way they tune it. I know the system Ford put in the Escape is very good (I've seen the tests)... and if that system is also used in the larger Fords, it's capabilities should carry over. The new Dual-Clutch system GM, Ford, and Land Rover are using in some vehicles looks to be the best new system out there. Jeep has multiple systems for their crossovers ranging from "meh" to "rock climber".

Subaru's have one of the best crash safety records around and have for years. They are a Japanese Volvo in that regard. There really is no extra cost in running snow tires, just an early cost. You extend the life of your summer tires by 10s of thousands of miles of vehicle travel (If you drive 14,000 miles a year, in theory, you only put 7,000 miles on your summer tires)... that means a 40,000 mile set of summer tires will last 5 years instead of 2.5 years.

Welcome back old timer!

More profitable….. but will that actually mean PROFITABLE?? Again, the entire development costs of the factory and everything is being put on the Model-S right now. The cars themselves are likely profitable per unit after you take out the factory construction costs etc. That's the reason Tesla as a whole is unprofitable right now... they don't have high enough sales yet to spread the physical costs around.

No one is claiming that Telsa can lose money indefinitely, but likewise, no one should be surprised that they are still losing money today. They're still in factory building mode which is about as capital intensive as you can get. Compare that to GM's Lordstown plant which has been building cars since before I was born, the costs of building and multiple-retrofits of that plant have been amortized out ages ago. Scion died because with sales so low, it wasn't profitable to continue even the brand name.... but in that case we're talking low volume of $20,000 cars, not $80,000 cars. Even if the Model 3 is unprofitable, or just breaks even, it improves the overall financial health of Tesla. It's going to share a bunch of parts... particularly the expensive batteries and motors the Model S and Model X use... and make those vehicles more profitable.

Erm... that's exactly what Tesla is working on doing. That's why they're building the biggest battery factory in the world. There's been a ton of start up and R&D costs to get things running. Even if you were trying to start up a gas powered car company on a single model, all of the R&D and initial investment would kill your profit for the first decade or so. I doubt even GM or Toyota makes much in terms of profits on a car run lower than 50,000 vehicles, that's a big reason why Scion died... and they'd be negative if they weren't sharing parts and resources with other vehicles.

There are times when AWD is really needed... here in Pittsburgh, with my street and driveway... it's a must, because I have to go uphill, both ways, in the snow. (not kidding) But I still put snow tires on my cars because going uphill also means going downhill.....

The biggest thing for me is NO DIESEL SMELL! I swear... the buses in Pittsburgh pump the diesel exhaust directly into the passenger cabin.

This is a Continental thread, can we keep the Cadillac ads in their own thread?

As I tell everyone who makes that claim.... "All cars have all wheel stop.... so buy snow tires"

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I don't believe so. I don't want to sound all fan-boy-like but why in the hell so people buy their stuff, for the most part???? I know none of it is junk but it's all just about out classed by everything else because of how stagnant they let their stuff get. Their bread and butter Ram 1500 is actually just getting old at this point. The other two just seem so much better overall to me. The LX cars are still great and get excellent fuel economy for their size... only the Avalon beats them in my experience, but the Avalon has other downsides. The 200S and 200C are excellent as well as long as you're not shopping for cubic feet of passenger room. And even though the Journey is old, they've kept it fairly updated... it's the only vehicle of that size with a V6 (plus if you like the power, minus if you're looking for fuel economy) and it is one of the least expensive vehicles you can get with a 3rd row unless you go with a Mitsubishi. The 4-cylinder is meh, but there's nothing inherently bad about the car. The LX cars are just so...old... now though. Isn't everything around it at least 3-5 years newer? I know they just had a big refresh a year or so ago to make it look more modern(and they do look pretty dang good). The 200 is leaving. Journey is being compared to a Mitsubishi.. 'nuff said. Hahaha http://www.caranddriver.com/comparisons/2009-nissan-murano-vs-ford-edge-dodge-journey-mazda-cx-7-and-hyundai-santa-fe-comparison-tests Back in 2009 they still had it ranked poorly! I'll admit, some of this is bias as the Journey is one of my least favorite vehicles ever, let alone still being made and sold. It's like a van with different doors. I feel like there was zero effort to give it any style or character. They just slapped the cross-like grill on a very standard shaped box. Yes, it's got space for days for the dollar but that's about it. At least that is the only selling point that I can see. Space:Dollar ratio is favorable. Lots of cars are sold on value rather than being the newest. That old Car and Driver test is a head scratcher... the Journey is at minimum $9,000 cheaper than the rest of those (except the mazda for which I didn't see a price). I have no problem with an old platform hanging around when it is a good one... and in the case of the LX cars, it is a great one. They can do everything an Avalon or Impala or Maxima can do and more. Their primary downfall is some questionable materials choices on the interior... but that is a business decision by FCA, not a platform issue

Congratulations, Brother!! Glad to know it wasn't some personal/family illness/issue.. Must just be the pessimist in me thinking if somebody is missing it is because of a problem not a promotion.. Oh and other benefits, 3 - 4 days a week work from home will be nice, as will the shift from 80% - 90% travel to 10% travel.... My last scheduled trip ends on June 4th and then I get to work in my PJs most days. That totally rocks! I dont think Id ever be able to get any job done if I was working from home. Its awesome that Drew gets to do that....its just that Im the type of guy that NEEDS to LEAVE the house to go to work. If I stay home, in PJs, then its a day off....its a clean and wax the car day, its stay home and watch Star Wars or Good Fellas or The Terminator for the millionth time or just post at Cheers and Gears the whole day...its called laziness. However, I put on my restaurant uniform on, I leave the house, I get to the store, and Im a work-a-holic....unless a bunch of car guys walk-in with the whatever prized toy they arrive in and I chit chat the day/night away... I've been a work-a-holic all of my adult life. Even when I'm not at work, I'm working... whether it be on actual office stuff, or my rental properties, or C&G, or my other websites, or my consulting clients.... It doesn't really matter where I am, as long as I have a power outlet and an internet connection, I can work. In this new job, I made sure to make it clear that "work from home" does not necessarily mean my own home..... which means I can go spend a week in Germany at the place I say and still work. *sent from my living room floor on my work laptop while I'm ripping DVDs into my Media center PC.

The ES is a giant disappointment once you drive it. The ride is way way too firm for the class, it bangs over bumps which echo into the cabin..and it has lost its quietness that it has a reputation for. Friends of mind have one and let me use it when I'm in town. It feels like a big Toyota with extra leather. Won't the Continental feel like a big Fusion with extra leather? No.. if the material choices of the auto show cars remains the same in production, it will be a big step over Fusion. The Fusion Platinum is nice, and probably among the best in its class for its interior do-up, but there are still obvious base Fusion parts that stick out. I don't get any of that from the Continental. I am hard pressed to find any carry over parts from the Fusion on the Continental. If I wasn't told that this was on the Fusion platform, I probably wouldn't have guessed it.... none of the hard points line up or are obvious. There is more obvious parts sharing / platform sharing going on between the Maserati Ghibli and Chrysler 300 than there is Fusion/Continental. Lincoln did a terrific job on hiding the origins of the platform that they probably could have claimed it was a new platform and non-of us would be any the wiser.

I am willing to bet that sewing job was not performed on an assembly line. . And you think it makes it okay given that this was the car they chose to show the automotive world? Pre-production cars are just that... pre-production. There is a possibility of changes to the assembly process or the assembly process not even been fully developed yet. ALL manufacturers have pre-production cars that they use to show the public and press.....and all of them have flaws in assembly. I will never judge a car show debut car on assembly quality, ever. Sometimes the manufacturer let the Press drive these pre-production cars. Often times, they won't even have a VIN because they are due to be crushed after a certain time. The manufacturer will put a disclaimer sticker in the car somewhere indicating that it is pre-production... and yes.. there will be flaws. Once the actual production Continentals start rolling out, then we can have a looksee to judge. I understand that but I've seen a lot of preproduction cars and I think what makes this error obvious is the contrast from the stitching to the door panel color. Just looks way too obvious and it would bug me to no end. I would certainly hope this does not happen to a production model. It doesn't even phase me because it was likely done by hand in a design studio on a tight schedule. It really is a non-issue in a pre-production car.

Congratulations, Brother!! Glad to know it wasn't some personal/family illness/issue.. Must just be the pessimist in me thinking if somebody is missing it is because of a problem not a promotion.. Oh and other benefits, 3 - 4 days a week work from home will be nice, as will the shift from 80% - 90% travel to 10% travel.... My last scheduled trip ends on June 4th and then I get to work in my PJs most days.

I am willing to bet that sewing job was not performed on an assembly line. . And you think it makes it okay given that this was the car they chose to show the automotive world? Pre-production cars are just that... pre-production. There is a possibility of changes to the assembly process or the assembly process not even been fully developed yet. ALL manufacturers have pre-production cars that they use to show the public and press.....and all of them have flaws in assembly. I will never judge a car show debut car on assembly quality, ever. Sometimes the manufacturer let the Press drive these pre-production cars. Often times, they won't even have a VIN because they are due to be crushed after a certain time. The manufacturer will put a disclaimer sticker in the car somewhere indicating that it is pre-production... and yes.. there will be flaws. Once the actual production Continentals start rolling out, then we can have a looksee to judge.

Well... wait a minute... Why would that be trouble only in Germany? An emission control system that shuts off after 22 minutes should be just as illegal anywhere....

Ram's got a Hemi.... and even given its age, is a great engine in that truck. Ram's got a light duty diesel. Ram's got a fantastic 8-speed. Ram's 3.6 V6 is pretty darn good too as far as V6 trucks go. Ram's air suspension is superb. Ram's got a Rambox (but to be fair, Chevy did it first and then gave up up on it) Ram's got the best highway ride even without the air suspension.

It was asked by ccap41 in another thread "Drew, how are you doing?!". I'm good, thanks for asking. I'm sure my absence of late has been rather conspicuous, but I'm still keeping a side-eye on things here. You're in capable hands with William and Sus... William txts me if there is any issue that needs to be looked at. Long story short - I got a promotion and a big raise (yay!), but I am working both my former job and my new job simultaneously until the beginning of June. I've been in my old position for 10 years as of May 25th, so there is a lot of information to dump on the guy who is replacing succeeding me. It's often joked in the office that if we were ever to close, I'd be the last one out because I'm the only one who knows where all of the skeletons are hidden. Anyway, I'm still here... you should start to see more of me again in mid-May.

It's the same powertrain in the new XT5. Paolino went and looked up the RPO codes for the transmissions and the Lacrosse and Malibu 2.0T match.... so whoever told me the transmission in the 8-speed Malibu wasn't capable of AWD got it wrong.

Bell ordered one, eh?? Gettin rid of the ole Jag. That's exciting! I wish there was a good way to connect back to the handful of MT guys, like Bell, to keep in contact with them. Invite them here.

The ES is a giant disappointment once you drive it. The ride is way way too firm for the class, it bangs over bumps which echo into the cabin..and it has lost its quietness that it has a reputation for. Friends of mind have one and let me use it when I'm in town. It feels like a big Toyota with extra leather.

Oh just gag me with the base 2.5.... it doesn't belong in the ATS and it doesn't belong here. Use the 1.6T, it has the same total horsepower with a much more agreeable torque curve. Probably would beat the 2.5 on MPGs too....

I'm confused about the 8-speed auto... unless its a different unit from the one in the new Malibu Turbo 2.0t, they claimed it wasn't capable of AWD.