Drew Dowdell

If the platform doesn't matter, why not build the Corvette of a Cruze platform and charge $75,000 for it. If they built a Corvette of a lower GM platform or put a combo 4-cylinder/electric motor in it there would be outrage in the streets. Even talk of a turbo V6 Corvette was sacrilege. Yet if Cadillac makes their most expensive car a 2-seat sports car based off a Chevy costing less than half as much, it is okay. Maybe Cadillac should charge $150,000 for the new Escalade while they are at it.

Why is it ok for Audi to build their sports car, the TT, off a VW platform?

It is all about intent. The ELR is not intended to be a sports car, ever. For the vehicle it is intended to be, the Delta platform is quite capable. You forget that the Cobalt SS was beating BMWs around the 'Ring when it first came out. That platform, a full revision behind today's version, was able to handle the job.. I see no reason why it couldn't handle the job of a E-REV at Cadillac as long as all the touchy feely bits have been upgraded accordingly...and they have.

I'm surprised you don't like the ELR though, it has a suede headliner, and that is what makes the E-class so much better than the old CTS.... or so you've told us.

If Cadillac ever did a 2 seat roadster, I expect them to use the Corvette Stingray platform. Why wouldn't they use one of the best sports cars out there as a starting point to build a Cadillac Sports car.

To be fair to Fiat, Mini has been at it for 12 years longer.

can I hear some cheers for diesel?

I think the "move up" works more for mainstream brands. I could see someone starting with a Sonic then moving to a Cruze or Malibu, or to the Equinox when the 1st kid comes along and then Traverse when the second kid arrives. No one moves from a 3er to a 5er just because they had a kid.

Wonder how long they are going to persist with the flop that is the 1series?

BMW is a fitting illustration of the fallacy of the theory that people 'trade up' from the entry-level model (1) thru the 7series. Here we see no one buys the 1, the 3 sells well, they 'lose' fully half their customers at 5-series time, and they lose 80% of THAT at 7-series time. See; a fallacy.

Are they losing them or are they buying the same model over and over?

Who cares what it's based on as long as the platform is solid? Only the touchy feely bits matter. Someone with the means and desire for an ELR is not going to refuse to buy one because it is distantly related to the Cobalt.

Ocn got it before I did.. and I can confirm the different transmission gearing. The Eco Cruze models have a taller 6th gear.

Maybe not East Coast, but it might find a niche on the West Coast. Anyway, the price seems ludicrous for what it is under the pretty face.

Why would you want or need a more powerful range extender? That's not what provides the twisting force to the wheels at all. It could be a supercharged Stingray engine and the acceration ability of the ELR would be exactly the same.

??? I thought we read that GM stated that the gas engine does directly power the wheels when it is needed. Unless I missed something published later.

Here is my old article about the Volt Powertrain

The key point:

The main physical motivation for the Volt comes from a 142hp traction motor. An additional 73 hp can be added on from a second motor if the driver applies more than 80% throttle. If the driver applies 100% throttle with a full battery.... the gasoline engine is still sitting on the sidelines doing nothing. At normal driving speeds, the traction motor is more than enough to hustle the Volt around.

One of the benefits of electric motors is awesome low end torque. A well designed electric motor will have it's maximum amount of torque at zero rpm. Thus as an electric motor increases in RPM, it gradually loses it's torque output. At 70 mph, the Volt's traction motor is turning over 6,000 rpm. Volt's engineering team discovered that this wasn't a very energy efficient rpm to operate at. So at speeds above 70 mph, they couple the smaller, second motor, and reduce the rpm of the primary traction motor. This gains the Volt about 1 to 2 miles of electric only range at 70+ mph.

So where does the controversy lie? It's in the arrangement of the electric motors. That smaller motor mentioned above is usually the generator when the Volt is in regeneration mode. Since you're going nowhere if the battery is drained, the gas engine kicks in to recharge the battery, only if you're going over 70mph, the generator is already in use propelling the car. So the gasoline engine assists the secondary motor which is assisting the primary motor. It's this physical connection to what essentially a dual use component that is sending the likes of Edmunds and Jalopnik into a froth, but in reality gives the Volt a 15% increase in efficiency.

Not at all for acceleration. Only in a very specific situation. When the vehicle is in regeneration mode and traveling above highway speeds (80 mph if I recall without looking it up). Nothing a big engine would really be a benefit to.

Why would you want or need a more powerful range extender? That's not what provides the twisting force to the wheels at all. It could be a supercharged Stingray engine and the acceration ability of the ELR would be exactly the same.

The Impala is based on the XTS, not the other way around.

I expect Motorola to change the way Android phones are marketed. There isn't a model of theirs out now that I'd want, but if Google makes the right changes there, they could be on the list next time.

As far as backing up pics, I put dropbox on my phone and have the pictures automatically upload when I'm on wifi.

What did you lose? I didn't notice anything lost on my S4

She asked questions that the public wants to know. Highlighting the fact that diesel is more expensive at the pump is a valid concern, as well as how diesel faces a perception problem in the US and represents only a small portion of overall vehicle sales.

Agreed... they were softball questions really... but she still came off as a ditz

I bought NovaLauncher years ago as a replacement for SenseUI from HTC... I use that instead of Touchwiz now on my Samsung.

Eventually, I'm getting I'll root my phone and put stock Android on the phone instead.

I'm sure that's why Cadillac is limiting sales to major metros first.

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I'm sure the Queen is not amused. She has a few of these.

There is a big difference in interior, they added the 8-speed transmissions, and the diesel.... along with an exterior freshening and a host of tech upgrades

Not really mild in my view.

try another browser or has something changed at the office?

and she probably got in her ES350 and drove home completely oblivious.

HAH! And that was the car Dan rushed out in the first place and damaged the brand with!

Well.. do you have a 5s?

About iPhone "just works" - iPhone 5S users report 'Blue Screen Of Death' reboots

I think they chose poorly.