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Drew Dowdell

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Everything posted by Drew Dowdell

  1. Drew Dowdell
    So we're agreed then. The S-Class doesn't have a 9-speed, it has an 8-speed with a vestigial gear that is hardly ever used and only serves to cause problems.... .like an appendix.
  2. Drew Dowdell
    It's the nicest fusion money can buy. I do like these cars.
  3. Drew Dowdell
    I wonder if a 4-cylinder is suddenly acceptable to SMK in this class now that the GLC has one.
  4. Drew Dowdell
    Not really, because no one really drives in 0-60 mode. Commuting to work, my Buick Encore and a Tesla Model-S P90D have the same 0-60 times.... if we even get to 60 at all. That is True, but the thinking is if you want to compare auto to auto, zero to 60 in like auto's especially EV where you have 100% torque from zero makes them all pretty even so then the type of motor with amount of torque shows off the efficiency of the engineering so that you can give a consistent barometer on how the auto does. yes weight, aerodynamics, etc. all play a big role. I just think an EV zero to 60 is a solid gauge of an auto in comparison to petrol and the crazy RPM range of when you get full torque, full HP etc. It's an irrelevant metric to pretty much all drivers not named SMK. Look at the big deal SMK makes about 0.1 second in the S-Class over the CT6 as if it is some huge victory. It's not... it's a crushing defeat that a Cadillac V6 matches a Mercedes V8 that is 1.7 liters (more than one whole malibu engine!) larger. Furthermore, the Benz automatics skip first gear entirely unless you set the transmission to sports mode every time you get in the car. (I don't know the case on the CT6 yet). So in every day driving, you don't even get the published acceleration. The CLS I drove would even sneak back into "normal" mode after an extended period of tame driving so as not to waste gas. 0-60 might matter in a car like the Spark or even the Encore that has double digit 0-60 times, but 1/10th of one second in cars capable of anything under 6 seconds really is meaningless. I don't know about you Drew but I am always driving in 0-60 mode!!! Just got the record there are exactly two people who care about 0.1 of a second to either 60mph or 1/4 mile..whichever makes them win. My C350 did the skip first unless in sort mode and I liked it because 1st was so short it was just an unnecessary shift to feel. It was the smoothest trans I've ever driven with but it was still an unnecessary shift to be felt because in "comfort" mode you don't need the extra rpm for accelerating. I actually loved that trans. You'd be the better judge as you've driven WAAAAY more than I though. I'm definitely a comfort driver, but I am perfectly capable and skilled at putting the pedal down and keeping cool throughout. Those extra gears in the Benzes are pretty meaningless if they never get used by the blue-hairs that primarily drive the cars. I mean, what's the point of going around bragging about 7-speed or 9-speed transmissions when they don't operate that way most of the time? Yes the S-Class technically has a 9-speed, but 99.999999999% of the time it operates in 8-speed mode just like the CT6. It would be an interesting thing to do a 0-60 of the S-Class when it is not in sport mode and only using 8 of its gears as in normal driving and see how it stacks up against the CT6 3.0TT.... I'm betting it comes in slower than the Caddy....
  5. Drew Dowdell
    Because it's the only metric certain people understand even if it is just as dumb a metric as peak horsepower expressed without RPM. Electric auto's could make the 0-60 metric the gold standard as Torque is 100% from zero and so then you do not have to worry about rpm, just how fast one can get there. Not really, because no one really drives in 0-60 mode. Commuting to work, my Buick Encore and a Tesla Model-S P90D have the same 0-60 times.... if we even get to 60 at all. That is True, but the thinking is if you want to compare auto to auto, zero to 60 in like auto's especially EV where you have 100% torque from zero makes them all pretty even so then the type of motor with amount of torque shows off the efficiency of the engineering so that you can give a consistent barometer on how the auto does. yes weight, aerodynamics, etc. all play a big role. I just think an EV zero to 60 is a solid gauge of an auto in comparison to petrol and the crazy RPM range of when you get full torque, full HP etc. It's an irrelevant metric to pretty much all drivers not named SMK. Look at the big deal SMK makes about 0.1 second in the S-Class over the CT6 as if it is some huge victory. It's not... it's a crushing defeat that a Cadillac V6 matches a Mercedes V8 that is 1.7 liters (more than one whole malibu engine!) larger. Furthermore, the Benz automatics skip first gear entirely unless you set the transmission to sports mode every time you get in the car. (I don't know the case on the CT6 yet). So in every day driving, you don't even get the published acceleration. The CLS I drove would even sneak back into "normal" mode after an extended period of tame driving so as not to waste gas. 0-60 might matter in a car like the Spark or even the Encore that has double digit 0-60 times, but 1/10th of one second in cars capable of anything under 6 seconds really is meaningless.
  6. Drew Dowdell
    If the VW scandal has made anything clear, it's that you never take extreme performance claims by manufacturers without a huge helping of salt.
  7. Drew Dowdell
  8. Drew Dowdell
    Because it's the only metric certain people understand even if it is just as dumb a metric as peak horsepower expressed without RPM. Electric auto's could make the 0-60 metric the gold standard as Torque is 100% from zero and so then you do not have to worry about rpm, just how fast one can get there. Not really, because no one really drives in 0-60 mode. Commuting to work, my Buick Encore and a Tesla Model-S P90D have the same 0-60 times.... if we even get to 60 at all.
  9. Drew Dowdell
    Welcome back!
  10. Drew Dowdell
    I dunno... we had been told repeatedly over the last few months that GM would not get access to the 10-speed for a while after its release.
  11. Drew Dowdell
    Because it's the only metric certain people understand even if it is just as dumb a metric as peak horsepower expressed without RPM.
  12. Drew Dowdell
    For the most part, I do not like most fish. However one of my favorite things to grill is Swordfish. I cover it in butter, lemon, and a bit of chive and grill it. Other than that, I like big sloppy cheeseburgers with various types of cheese and/or rub. I have a pizza stone and will sometimes grill pizza too with homemade dough.
  13. Drew Dowdell
    Guys, keep in mind development cadences. The CTS-V, the Cadillac with the greatest similarities to the powertrain in the ZL1 would have needed to finish validation testing over 2 years ago to go into the 2015 model year car. SMK, the FWD automatic will be a 9-speed I believe. Also.... so much for GM having to wait a while before it gets access to the 10-Speed like some people told us would be the case.
  14. Drew Dowdell
    3.0TT isn't the fastest CT6. 4.0TT is coming.Right and I all along said they need a Dohc V8, I'd like to see it in a CTS VSport or Escalade too. But there were several people on CT6 threads a few months back saying the TT V6 would outrun their German V8s because of lower weight, and I knew that wouldn't be the case and it isn't.The German three also all offer a 6 liter 12 cylinder. That might not be for the CT6 to worry about but they need to remember that on CT8. You just looooooove cherry picking. The RWD S550 with a twin turbo V8 is 0.1 seconds faster than an AWD CT6 3.0TT. A statistical tie.. Cadillac caught a RWD 4.7 liter Bi-Turbo Benz V8 using an AWD 3.0 liter twin-turbo V6 and did so with a 49hp and 116 lb-ft of torque deficit. yes, the weight matters. It's funny that you only see the 0.1 seconds while I see all of the extra grunt Mercedes has to use just to catch a Cadillac V6. Mercedes is throwing a lot more metal to get to 4.9 seconds than Cadillac is to get to 5.0. Astonishingly, that also means that the CT6 AWD 3.0TT is only 0.3 seconds slower to 60 than the S65 V12... The fastest S-Class is the S63 though, because it has AWD. It's best 0 - 60 is 4.6 seconds. That gives Cadillac lots of room to maneuver. If they cared about the 0.1 seconds that much, then the 3.6TT is just an email from JDN away. Then there is the 4.0TT also coming and that's not even the V-series model. S550 with or without awd has been clocked at 4.8 seconds, the coupe for some reason is 4.5 seconds, even though it doesn't weigh any less. The 9-speed cars are faster though, I think when the sedan switches transmissions it will be closer to 4.6 seconds. But if we want to cherry pick, an Audi A8L 4.0 (not an S8) can do 0-60 in 4.0 seconds and posts better fuel economy than a CT6. 29 mpg highway on the V8 Audi, 26 on the CT6, both are 18 city. But as I said, many thought the 3.0TT V6 would outrun the Germans, it doesn't. I'll listen to and agree with that the 3.0TT V6 is a nice mid-level engine choice on a Cadillac sedan or could be good on a large crossover. And I know the V8 is coming, I hope it comes soon. So when the CT6 4.0TT comes out, then we'll have to compare it to an A8L 4.0..... in the MEANTIME, the Audi A8 3.0 is clocked at 6.4 seconds while the CT6 3.0 is clocked at 5.0 seconds..... so yes, the 3.0TT CT6 very much outran that german. Edit: I've gotta take that back. Three glasses of wine in and I should have realized that the A8 3.0 at 6.4 seconds is a TDI which Audi can't even legally sell anymore. Edit 2: Don't post while drinking Drew... the GASSER Audi 3.0 has a 0-60 time of 5.5 seconds.... so my point stands.
  15. Drew Dowdell
    disappointing, but not surprising
  16. Drew Dowdell
    3.0TT isn't the fastest CT6. 4.0TT is coming.Right and I all along said they need a Dohc V8, I'd like to see it in a CTS VSport or Escalade too. But there were several people on CT6 threads a few months back saying the TT V6 would outrun their German V8s because of lower weight, and I knew that wouldn't be the case and it isn't.The German three also all offer a 6 liter 12 cylinder. That might not be for the CT6 to worry about but they need to remember that on CT8. You just looooooove cherry picking. The RWD S550 with a twin turbo V8 is 0.1 seconds faster than an AWD CT6 3.0TT. A statistical tie.. Cadillac caught a RWD 4.7 liter Bi-Turbo Benz V8 using an AWD 3.0 liter twin-turbo V6 and did so with a 49hp and 116 lb-ft of torque deficit. yes, the weight matters. It's funny that you only see the 0.1 seconds while I see all of the extra grunt Mercedes has to use just to catch a Cadillac V6. Mercedes is throwing a lot more metal to get to 4.9 seconds than Cadillac is to get to 5.0. Astonishingly, that also means that the CT6 AWD 3.0TT is only 0.3 seconds slower to 60 than the S65 V12... The fastest S-Class is the S63 though, because it has AWD. It's best 0 - 60 is 4.6 seconds. That gives Cadillac lots of room to maneuver. If they cared about the 0.1 seconds that much, then the 3.6TT is just an email from JDN away. Then there is the 4.0TT also coming and that's not even the V-series model.
  17. Drew Dowdell
    I would think that after 10+ years, we'd be able to joke with each other.
  18. Drew Dowdell
    I think Reg would find a school bus cramped somehow....
  19. Drew Dowdell
    The HP is an improvement over the outgoing van, now 295 verse 283. Torque remains the same at 260 lb-ft. The pentastar has been available in 295hp and 305hp tunes before, but not with these changes integrated. It sounds like these were mostly efficiency related improvements that also happen to improve power a bit.
  20. Drew Dowdell
    I'm curious about that part. I haven't seen any info on what the revisions are. Edit: Found 'em - "For 2016, FCA released an updated version of the 3.6 L engine for the Jeep Grand Cherokee. This engine now featured two-stage variable valve lift (VVL), a cooled EGR, a new intake manifold, new fuel injectors, and new coil packs. It also features upgrades to the variable valve timing (VVT) system, an increased compression ratio (11.3:1), lower internal friction and lower weight. These improvements help to increase power as well as efficiency."
  21. Drew Dowdell
    Edit: Look how handsome and proud that tri-color Buick logo is on the front of the 2017 LaCrosse!
  22. Drew Dowdell
    It's still waterfall, just blacked out If you really don't see it blacked out is it really there? LOL! ..... yes The Encore pictures we've seen so far are really tiny. I expect the grille to be a virtual copy of the 2017 Lacrosse.
  23. Drew Dowdell
    The last time the Ventiports were functional was the 2008 - 2009 Buick LaCrosse Super.
  24. Drew Dowdell
    Oh look! A suppository with chrome!
  25. Drew Dowdell
    My condolences.
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