Jump to content
News
Reviews
Discussons
Activity
Create New...
Close

Drew Dowdell

Editor-in-Chief
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    56,001

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    547

 Content Type 

Everything posted by Drew Dowdell

  1. Drew Dowdell
    If Cadillac can sell an EXT at 90k, then they should sell an EXT at 90k. Why should they leave any money on the table just to satisfy people who still won't buy ANY Cadillac and only buy Euro cars anyway?
  2. Drew Dowdell
    LOL.. gotta wonder if one would see the same gains as they did in the Cruze with the same engine. +44whp in the Encore.. damn nice. Wonder when is the 1.6L supposed to show up in the Buick? 153HP/177lbs moves it along very nice.... but 197HP would be even better I've already been told "don't hold your breath" on the 1.6T in the Encore. The new 1.4T is it for now. I don't need huge gains, but every little bit would help. Edit: Unless you got the Encore ST (which you didn't), you have 138hp, not 153.
  3. Drew Dowdell
    Thanks, I'm looking for a mild tune for the Encore now that I bought it out. I just need one that won't get fried if my partner puts 87 in instead of 91.
  4. Drew Dowdell
    While a Cadillac pickup wouldn't sell outside of North America, a new Escalade EXT would do very well for profits. The only reason it went away is because the Avalanche went away. The reason the Avalanche went away is because they didn't think they'd have the capacity in Arlington TX when the SUV production moved there (and they appear to have been right). Arlington is being expanded, but if that means a return of the Avalanche and EXT is anyone's guess. If I remember correctly..part of the reason why U saw a dip in K2XX sales was because they had to pull back on fleet sales due to capacity issues at the Arlington plant. Makes sense for an expansion.. if and only if the price of gas remains low for a while. Yup. Apparently the goal with the expansion is to double the capacity.
  5. Drew Dowdell
    Point is there are other markets.. and essentially how Toyota.. who was in turmoil in China.. has made their nut. GM should exercise the Monroe Doctrine.. put so much product down South, Central America that they want nothing else. OZ??? Pretty much Holden only.. why no Cadillacs??? They Want them. Why no Corvettes or Camaros?? They want them. Costs a lot to re-engineer a car to right-hand drive. Not economically feasible to do that for cars with such low volumes. They'd have to be able to sell the cars in all markets with RHD, and those other markets aren't really all that friendly to big American cars in the first place (Japan, UK, Bahamas)
  6. Drew Dowdell
    While a Cadillac pickup wouldn't sell outside of North America, a new Escalade EXT would do very well for profits. The only reason it went away is because the Avalanche went away. The reason the Avalanche went away is because they didn't think they'd have the capacity in Arlington TX when the SUV production moved there (and they appear to have been right). Arlington is being expanded, but if that means a return of the Avalanche and EXT is anyone's guess.
  7. Drew Dowdell
    No it does not yet have aftermarket goodies, but it's inevitable. Every other GM turbo has brand name tunes available and an unlocked ECU for private tuners. I bet the performance goodies will blow up once it's in the Cruze and other vehicles. Just one regular family sedan won't have too many aftermarket complained with knocks on their door asking for exhaust or intakes.. But it's inevitable that they will use the 1.5 in a handful of vehicles. If people get lucky it could be the performance SS option in the Sonic. That's help the aftermarket option! A tuner called Trifecta has tunes for every engine of the Malibu from 2008 through 2015 (except for the hybrids). I'm sure they're already trying to get their hands on a new Malibu to be first on the market. They also tune the Sonic and Cruze. Do you have a link to that? The ones I'm finding in google only support the Cadillacs.
  8. Drew Dowdell
    I look forward to the 2016 Cheers and Jeers. Should be a big year for us.
  9. Drew Dowdell
    I"m glad the tree is down. It was taking up too much space in my living room.
  10. Drew Dowdell
    The next step for GM is called Skip-Fire. The V8 will be able to run on as few as two cylinders. The computer decides instantaneously if the next cylinder needs to fire or not depending on power and smoothness needs.
  11. Drew Dowdell
    Indeed.... the key is that an HCCI engine cannot run in that mode all the time. It only runs in HCCI mode under light loads... put too much fuel/air mixture into the cylinder and then things don't work right. The big issue GM was having when it was working on it back in the Saturn days was the transition from HCCI to normal spark ignition. The engine worked fine in either mode, but it was the switching of modes that was less than graceful. Even then, I think that Aura would only run in HCCI at stead speed from 35 - 55 mph, but don't quote me on that. Latest computer technology I believe will change the switch over problem. Just like the days of the V8-6-4 engine which was a disaster, it was before it's time of having the electronics, computer smarts to make it work best. Today, I would not be surprised if a V8-6-4 engine would work very well and smooth. Sadly emissions is a viable issue that needs to be addressed and I think HCCI engines with alternative fuels will be a stepping stone much like CNG towards the eventual day of pure EV auto's. I can see a day when a standardized electric cell will work on any auto and you just stop as an EV station and swap cells and continue on your way. GM and Chrysler and Mercedes have been running 8-6-4 V8s since 2004..... they just skip the 6 part because there is very little benefit for a large jump in complexity. Also, in 6 mode, a V8 isn't very well balanced, so they feel harsh. It is with this technology that GM is able to build a 6.3 V8 that equals the fuel economy of Ford's 3.5 Ecoboost.
  12. Drew Dowdell
    The very latest generation of Mazdas have fantastic FANTASTIC interiors. The CX-3 far far exceeds it's class and would put an Audi Q3 to shame. Easily best in class. I sat in the new CX-9 in LA and it is every bit as good as these press photos suggest. Drew, is that nav screen move up and down into the dash? Looks like it could. Reply back from Mazda - The NAV screen does not retract into the dash.
  13. Drew Dowdell
    They used to... and they should never have stopped.
  14. Drew Dowdell
    Armchair CEO drives GM back into bankruptcy. Every model GMC sells that has a Denali trim sells at minimum 25% in Denali trim. Denali is pure profit for GM. Customers clearly like the product. Cadillac is getting product... vehicle designs are not an app you can just download in 30 seconds.
  15. Drew Dowdell
    Good that they're using the better 1.4T. It should be a good engine for that car and good fuel economy.
  16. Drew Dowdell
    So-so fuel economy..? Really? Motor Trend's "Real MPG" tested it at 30mpg highway and 25 combined. I know it's just your opinion but personally, I think that's damn good. That truck is rated better than my little CUV. Yes, fuel costs more, but it's still a truck that can to real truck things, unlike my Escape. That's why my dad bought a Tacoma. He just didn't need more than that and a half ton would have easily cost probably 10k more for all he wanted.I just built and F150 XLT with just 4wd, extended cab(like his Tacoma- not 4 doors), and he needed a 6ft minimum bed. And it was almost 38k. Either starting with the XL and adding the power locks and $h! or just starting with an XLT Basicslly brought the price up to 38k. His Tacoma, I believe, was 26-27k. And that's the thing.... I want a full size, but my other half is reluctant to drive something that large in the event we need to switch cars. I feel like a mid-size would be too small, but if I went that way would want it fully loaded... not a Denali, but a Duramax Canyon SLT. In that config, it would be about the most towing worthy vehicle of its size.
  17. Drew Dowdell
    The new AWD system in this and LaCrosse and XT5 is supposed to be more fuel efficient as well.
  18. Drew Dowdell
    I don't know, I imagine my 3 row SUV filled with kids, party goers, etc. But I imagine more prestige and suits in a luxury sedan and better tipping. Don't count on tipping as an Uber driver, it's rare and Uber the Company discourages it. The commercial insurance will cost you a bunch. If you don't want to get lower end types, you can do Uber Select. The kids won't ping you. Just trust me on this one, I've researched it a lot. On profitability, getting a premium branded, used, 3-row SUV with a bunch of miles is your best bet. If you're just doing this to get yourself into a new luxury car.... just don't do it at all.
  19. Drew Dowdell
    Remember, this has been out for a year in China and the 8-speed isn't being built there yet. I expect everything in the first two years of this car to be limited to what they are selling in China. The entire move is about capturing market share. I fully expect to see changes to the model when/if production moves here.
  20. Drew Dowdell
    Bet they had to ride it hard to hit a mid eight 0-60, Plus some of the competition is a full sec faster to the same mark...... 8 speed in the 2.0 accounts for some manuf cost difference but it's still a bunch more even setting that aside. By early fall there should be a lot of leftover 2.0's on lots with healthy rebates. Not making the point about class performance, just about what is "adequate" for merging and driving comfortably. IMO, they should have stuck to their guns with the 2.5L in the Malibu and put the 1.5T in the new Cruze Premier trim as an upgrade. But for argument sake, 8.5 sec 0-60 and 16.5 1/4 mile would have been as fast or faster than almost all base-engine midsize or compact cars in 2010. Average was 8.7-9.5 sec. For argument sake, my Encore's 0-60 is 10.5 seconds and Buick can barely build enough of them. It also doesn't tell the whole story. In the Encore, they geared the lower gears with really short ratios, so scooting around the city is spirited, it's only on a long highway on-ramp where you notice any power deficiency. Even though the Buick is slower to 60 than our Honda buy a full second, if you ask Albert which car feels faster, he'll tell you the Buick. I have to admit, I had to go look up the 0-60 times because I thought they were pretty much equal. 0-60 isn't a really useful metric because that's not how you drive. I haven't driven the 1.5T Malibu yet, but if the gearing is set up like the Encore, I'm sure it will feel fine to most drivers. For those who want more, there's the 2.0T.
  21. Drew Dowdell
    Buying an S-Class = Losing 25k per year for 2 years Buying an Escalade = Losing 16k per year for 3 years You don't need to work for a bank to figure out which is better for you financially.
  22. Drew Dowdell
    Uber Black requires commercial insurance and possibly a taxi medallion depending on location. Get a 3 row crossover from a luxury brand and you can drive UberX, UberXL, and Uber Select... All without the commercial insurance requirements. XL and Select charge higher rates.
  23. Drew Dowdell
    Size. A lot of people feel that full size trucks are too big to wheel around. It's a big reason I have a hard time selling a full size at home no matter how much I may want one. My other half just won't drive something that big.
  24. Drew Dowdell
    The fact that AWD is standard isn't mentioned except on one small bullet point on an obscure page. The premium groups as the only option packages available, along with AWD standard, give an indicator of expected price. I think most people assumed it would have a low point of entry with cloth seats and FWD. It is news that it won't be like that.
  25. Drew Dowdell
    Or why buy a new instead of CPO S-Class when I would lose an entire E-Class in the process?
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.

Hey there, we noticed you're using an ad-blocker. We're a small site that is supported by ads or subscriptions. We rely on these to pay for server costs and vehicle reviews.  Please consider whitelisting us in your ad-blocker, or if you really like what you see, you can pick up one of our subscriptions for just $1.75 a month or $15 a year. It may not seem like a lot, but it goes a long way to help support real, honest content, that isn't generated by an AI bot.

See you out there.

Drew
Editor-in-Chief

I've whitelisted
Continue without support

Write what you are looking for and press enter or click the search icon to begin your search