Drew Dowdell

Knowing out Troll for the past 10 years, I can tell U that he, despite being raised on GM's dime, will do anything to pump-up Ford product no matter what it is. He is the same person that once tried to convince me that the Escalade.. was in danger.. of being discontinued ..after the debut of that ugly Lincoln MKT. Yes.. I said MKT. The one that most will only be caught DEAD in.. literally Complete lie. Never said anything close to this, and you keep repeating this again and again and I keep debunking it. And speaking of brand bias........ Unfortunately, we do have more than one person here who trolls.....

Where would you like me to move this since it appears to be in the wrong thread?

The advantages of the 2-mode hybrids weren't really to be seen in highway driving anyway... there was to be some highway MPG increase, but not a substantial one.... so both were testing it wrong. The 2-mode could run as electric only up to 30 mph. All of the improvements in FE would have been seen in city/suburban driving under light loads. Also, the 2-mode didn't have the battery power that the CT6 PHEV does. The new system can also run the CT6 to 75mph in EV mode. You figure in an Escalade it should be able to do at least 50 mph. I remember SMK whining about how the 2-mode was "only a 4-speed", but it wasn't. It was 2 CVTs and 2 planetary gear sets capable of a broad range of ratios. I wonder if he'll bring up a similar complaint on this one.

You returned broccoli?

I got a promotion today.... sort of. I finally got the title and job description to match what I've actually been doing for the past 24 months. At the same time I got assigned to an important new project that will finally get me the visibility in what I do. not a bad way to end a week.

Point of reference. In May of thise year, I updated from 60 amp service with fuses to 150 amp service with breakers. This also required replacing the exterior meter box and mast head. I had two brand new GFI recepticals added to the front of the house as well (no outlets before) and a whole house surge protector is inclded. Price - $1900 all in.

2002

The new powertrain is hardly run of the mill. The V6 has start/stop and cylinder deactivation mated to a brand new 8-speed. With a huge drop in curb weight, this big sedan is likely to be QUICK (like running mid-14s) and still achieve over 20/30 mpg. I'm sorry... is that really considered quick these days? My 11 year old Avalon would run mid-14s and hit 60 in about 6 seconds (and would do over 31 mpg highway), which is likely where the new LaCrosse will be at. I wasn't wowed by that car's power, so I'm not going to be wowed by this either. The current LaCrosse is a 2-ton porker, so losing 300lbs merely brings it back down to average weight and performance for the class. Again, there's nothing exciting here. It's a run-of-the-mill powertrain in every single way for the year 2017. Kthxbai. What I would really like to see is the MKZ's powertrain with the LaCrosse's body. Perfect boulevard cruiser. Second the idea that your 2010HP 2004 Avalon is going to be faster than the new LaX, while getting superior fuel economy is ridiculous. The 2004 Camry SE barely pulled it off with a 14.6 seconds @ 97.0 mph, and was lighter. This Lacrosse, should certainly improve upon the numbers laid by my heavier Impala.. Fuel economy is certainly going into the 30s.. I love the idea of Run of the Mill when is incorporating start/stop, cylinder deactivation and an 8-speed tranny.. all wrapped in a sweet honey bun of an exterior. U want 12 second 1/4 miles.. go buy a Cadillac.. or even a Chevy. Buick is about smooth luxury. Everyone doesn't need their car to be a performance car.. and that's coming from some one who predominately has REAL performance cars. Excuse my typo, I meant 10 year old. My 2005 Avalon weighed a hair over 3600lbs, was rated at 280 hp, quoted at 14.6 seconds @ 99 mph in the quarter and 6.0 seconds to 60, and was rated at 22/31 mpg. I'm not saying the LaCrosse won't be able to match it, I simply don't see it exceeding it by much, if at all. Also, for what it's worth, 10 years on, and the Avalon hasn't improved upon itself either. It is also just run-of-the-mill these days. It's not necessarily a bad thing for Buick to do the same, but there's nothing exciting here besides an 8 speed auto that others have had for years. With Buick itself stating they are perfectly happy with the LaCrosse being their flagship sedan, I would've expected more... a risk or two. Instead, it's been played safe, likely to keep its current cult of owners happy. Meanwhile, Lincoln, which is basically just a Buick competitor these days, is taking those risks... It's just too bad they don't have a better stylist. I'm not sure there will be a big bump in highway fuel economy. It will probably be conservatively rated around 31-32 mpg highway. However it's city MPG should improve lending to an improvement in combined fuel economy. Shutting off the engine at a stop and running on 4-cylinders from 25 mph - 65 mph at steady speed will help. Look at where the current Lacrosse (3.6 V6 - 6Auto) is compared to the Cadillac CTS with an 8-speed, Start-Stop, and AFM. The Cadillac added Start/Stop and AFM to get a 2mpg combined increase. However, weight remained the same and the transmission, while new, has the same number of gears. Now look at the ATS changes. It went from a 6-speed auto to an 8-speed auto and gained Start-Stop and AFM. Weight stayed the same. It too gained a 2 mpg bump in fuel economy. So the 2017 Lacrosse gains an 8-speed + AFM + Start/Stop while also losing a few hundred pounds plus some minor aero tweaks. A 2mpg increase over the current model can be the least expected while there is certainly the possibility for more if they put a taller final drive ratio than the CTS/ATS into it.

The reason it wouldn't, in my opinion, is to push the technology out there to more people and then the little better CAFE score if they sell more as well. As small of a bump it would be...a better score is a better score. That would be GM taking a hit on profits though. I think they'll justify the price increase by limiting the powertrain to the highest of trims... Platinum and Premium Luxury. The 3.0TT is available in Luxury, Premium Luxury, and Platinum.

Jesus.. Did I miss the ELR being brought up in a conversation ? It was a waste of time. Basically there should have never been an ELR, as beautiful as it is... especially when you had the new Voltec powertrain sitting in the wings getting ready to come out in the CT6. Fact is... ELR should have been the ATS coupe or sub ATS sports car with a normal power train. A PERSONAL LUXURY COUPE. Nice. The ATS Coupe is the ATS coupe. I get the impression from the cut-away model that I saw, that this system in the CT6 is pretty bulky. I'm not sure how well it will scale down to an ATS sized vehicle. CTS would probably be the smallest it can go. The reason for this is the battery size/shape.

There is no reason to being comparing the ELR to the CT6. The ELR, while good looking IMO, was a limited use vehicle because it was a coupe and coupes of all types are hard sells. The only compromise I can see in the CT6 is in the trunk space due to the battery.

Out with my Cadillac bud at the bar last night. He wouldn't give me a number, but I asked about it in context of the 3.0TT... as in higher or lower than that engine. It will cost more than the 3.0TT. And when you think about it... why wouldn't it? A twin turbo V6 costs a lot less to make than a new twin-motor hybrid transmission and a Voltec size battery.

They won't. They already were working on this car and then gave it to Fiat instead. Alfa is apparently getting their own platform.

Don't quote me on this, but I believe I remember something about the PHEV being offered only in the upper two trims. So that will bump the price up a bit.

When the Cadillac CT6 was originally shown in the US back in March, we only saw the standard gasoline models while the plug-in hybrid was shown in Shanghai. Cadillac brought it to the LA Auto Show with some updated information. First, let's review some information about the CT6 Plug-In. The Cadillac CT6 Plug-In uses the same type of liquid cooled batteries found in the Chevrolet Volt. It packs the same number of them as well, 192 cells. Unlike the Volt's T-shape battery configuration, the CT6's are stacked on top of each other directly over the rear axle. Naturally, total battery output also matches the Volt at 18.4 kWh of juice. This is more than double the battery capacity of the Mercede-Benz S550 Plug-In hybrid's 8.7 kWh. Cadillac says that recharging the CT6 from empty will take about 5 hours on 240v service depending on ambient temperatures. The electric drive part of the equation is handled by a new EVT (Electric Variable Transmission). The EVT has two 100 horsepower electric motors which, combined with power from the gasoline engine, channel power through three planetary gear sets via 5-clutches to the rear wheels. All-wheel drive will not be offered. Those of you who remember the details of GM's older 2-Mode hybrid system might recognize this setup and while the new EVT is not an evolution of that design, Cadillac did take lessons from the 2-mode when designing this system. The gasoline engine is a version of the 2 liter turbo 4-cylinder found in the base model CT6. Cadillac does not quote the output of the gasoline engine independently, stating only the combined system rating of 335 horsepower and 432 lb-ft of torque. Zero to 60 mph is expected to be about 5.3 seconds. Top speed in electric only mode is 75 mph while overall top speed is 150 mph. Cadillac says that the EPA estimated EV range for the CT6 will be about 30 miles and combined system fuel economy is estimated at 65 MPGe. These are favorable numbers compared to the S550e's EPA estimated ratings of 14 miles in EV mode and 58 MPGe. Drivers have three drive modes available. Normal and Sport are self-explanatory, while Hold tells the system to save battery power for use later. Like in the Cadillac ELR, the driver will be able to use paddles on the steering wheel to engage regen-on-demand, a sort of hand brake combined with battery recharging. Pricing for the 2016 Cadillac CT6 gasoline models was released two weeks ago, but pricing for the Plug-In hybrid is not yet available. The 2016 Cadillac CT6 goes on sale in March 2016 with the Plug-In hybrid going on sale later in the year. Source: Cadillac Media View full article

I think this is the biggest danger to the Escape because I bet that Kia will price it aggressively

That's why I don't like combining threads.

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The seats and door panels are both really nice but when I bring my eyes to the center stack, it just looks too much like the Fusion (plain jane looking) while the rest of the interior is five steps above that. Kind of messes with the cohesiveness of the rest of the interior to me. The whole interior wrap around from the doors to the dash has always screamed Fusion to me, because not only were some of the Ford's buttons carried over, but it's clear everything uses the same hard points. Vents, trim details, center stack, door paneling. It's like Chevy and GMC except everyone at Lincoln pretends it's not the same car underneath getting marked up to 3-series pricing. Now obviously that's an exaggeration, but the point is no true luxury brand allows mainstream underpinnings to show through so blatantly. I thought about this a bit and then went googling images just to see..... and you're right. On the MKZ/Fusion, there is just too much similarity... it looks like you could even take a door panel interior from one, swap it into the other, and the trim pieces would still line up perfectly. Compare this to the Avalon/ES and the dashboards are substantially different, even with screens and vents in different locations. The same goes for the Impala/LaCrosse/XTS... the hard points don't line up on any of them. The Chrysler LX sedans line up the same, but they shaped the dash differently enough so as to disguise it better. Put the two next to each other and the points match up, but there is just enough distinction in the shapes to matter.

All of GM's car platforms are going through substantial weight reductions

One thing I have to give Lincoln props for here is the interior, specifically the seats in the Black Label models. The level of craftsmanship they've put into those seats is fantastic. They would absolutely be at home in a Designo trimmed Mercedes-Benz.

Better than the new Sentra and current Corolla, not as good as the new Cruze and Civic.

Gross v. Net

Same penalty box, now with Apple Car Play and Android Auto.