Drew Dowdell

yeah, because there would be no product differentiation between an Omega Buick and Omega Cadillac.... just like there is no difference between an Impala and Lacrosse now.... I can't even tell them apart!!

The Navigator only gets that on premium fuel... so yea, not really acceptable for an F-150. Putting in regular means a 40 ft-lb loss in torque (based on current F-150 ratings). The ATS-V recommends premium also, but again, premium brand like Lincoln. I do expect an improvement over the current EB 3.5, but highly unlikely they'll be hitting 460 lb-ft on regular fuel unless they up the displacement a bit over the current 3.5 liters. But I just learned the 2.7 is an iron block instead of aluminum, so maybe they can dial the boost way up without causing problems. For me assuming the same displacement, 430 - 450 lb-ft on regular would be expected, 460 lb-ft would be a nice surprise, over that would be astounding but would make me wonder what the driver sacrafices to use it.

No, the Aviator will be the Aviator. MKX.....I don't know. It was it's own thing with zero heritage, so unsure there. There is a 5th Lincoln SUV coming?

I suppose the actual name doesn't matter as long as it is a name and not just letters. Maybe Versailles? But yea, the MKX definitely should have been the Aviator.

The W-Body LaCrosse had a lot of territory to cover. It had to capture N-Body Skylark, W-Body Century, W-Body Regal, and budget end G-Body LeSabre buyers... as such it could be optioned as cheaply as the old Century or up to a full on 3.6 V6 or V8. After that, the LaCrosse grew and had to take over duties for the Lucerne too. Then the Verano and Regal came in below it and allowed the LaCrosse to move up and shed the budget cars. There are new and improved Regal and Verano coming soon, so LaCrosse can move up even further in price. I don't think it needs to be downsized at all. Your fetish with overall length never makes sense. A new Park Ave or Roadmaster on Omega above LaCrosse would be good for the brand.... and such a car would sell well in China, which is always a consideration for Buick product planners.

So why offer a rental grade trim to cheapen the name plate if the take rate on the top trim is so high? And what is the take rate on a Lexus ES or MKZ mid-level trim? LaCrosse should be $35k base, move it up market already. Put it where the Aurora and Park Avenue where, those started in the mid 30s fifteen years ago. At least then there would be a window at $28-35k for the Regal. Although I still like my plan to name the midsize Buick LaCrosse and the full size one Avenir or Invicta. Rename the Verano to Regal. Dump the Verano name plate. Buck has so many good name plates in their history and they come up with crap like Verano. If anything the Convertible should be called Verano for Summer. There won't be a 4-cylinder Lacrosse in the next version, so expect a big price bump for the new car.

I never liked the Zephyr name. Obviously though anything is possible when the next gen arrives, no doubt based on new platform. A freshening was probably not a best time to introduce a name however. It was a pretty big change in appearance though... I think timing it with the reappearance of the Continental would have been good. Was it really a big change in your opinion? I mean, aside from a new fascia, there was nothing else. Even interiors pretty much stayed the same. I actually need to do a post on that. I found the interiors to be much improved in very subtle ways. I got a lot of close up pictures to showcase what I mean. I think it is enough of a visual departure from the previous MKZ that yes, they could have pulled off a name switch, and that with the Continental re-joining the lineup sharing this new look, this would have been the most appropriate time to make a switch.

I never liked the Zephyr name. Obviously though anything is possible when the next gen arrives, no doubt based on new platform. A freshening was probably not a best time to introduce a name however. It was a pretty big change in appearance though... I think timing it with the reappearance of the Continental would have been good.

GM is getting the 10-speed too, so it will not be a Ford exclusive for very long. Even with an all new block, a new 3.5 Ecoboost is not going to be putting out 460 lb-ft of torque. I'm not saying Ford can't do it, but those are Cadillac ATS-V numbers and Ford is not going to put that level of premium hardware into an F-150.

Can you guys not be dicks to each other for one whole day so I can enjoy a holiday with my family?

As an MKS replacement it is a yugggge leap over the existing product. If D6 is not ready to wear the Continental name yet, I'm okay with this car holding the title for a bit.... at least it's not MKS. And yes, I'm really glad they're using a real name. Though it they were going this route, I would have hoped they'd move the MKZ back to the Zephyr name. Edit: And MKX back to Aviator.

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Suav, you're Indian? And most importantly, you don't have an accent??? He is Canadian of Borg... he has been assimilated, eh?

Second floor, hardware, childrens wear, ladies lingerie Oh,Good morning Mr. Tyler Going down? LOL Totally not the reference I was making. We'll see if anyone gets it. I'm sure someone will... my bet is on Moltar.

Are the HHR, PT Cruiser, Kia Soul, Scion xB, and Nissan Cube cars or crossovers? What makes the Kia Soul different from say a VW Golf or Chevy Sonic 5-Door? Is is just how high the suspension is set?

It must have been old car day today. I picked up my car from the mechanic after inspection and getting some small things done, so I'm riding around in my '81. On the way home I passed a Cordoba, a '78 Coupe Deville, and a '71 Ford LTD.

Ground floor: Perfumery, stationary, and leather goods, wigs and haberdashery, kitchenware and food. Going up... First floor: Telephones, gents ready made suits, shirts, suits, ties, hats, underwear, and shoes. Going up... Second floor: Carpets, travel goods, and bedding, materials, soft furnishings, restaurants, and ties. Going down... First floor:Telephones, gents ready made suits, shirts, suits, ties, hats. Going down...

I wonder how easy they are to swap.... neat idear though

Well, I just dipped below 25mpg for the first time.... this awful Christmas traffic... stop and go and stop and wait and 3 light cycles just to get through an intersection.... I dropped to 24.8 yesterday.

Buick kinda already is. Aside from Verano and Cascada at the moment, every car they offer comes with AWD. And there are rumors that the Verano will gain it.

I would call it... "sufficient", but no, it is not ground breaking in any way. The top level K900 is $68,800 US the way I'd want it, but I wouldn't consider it any better engineered than a Chrysler 300. So for me, I'd go with the 300C Platinum V8 with every option box checked and save $20k or more in the process. The trade off being the K900 has the nicer interior but the 300 has a more controlled, yet still comfortable ride.

It's not as though they're bad cars though. I would easily recommend someone to buy a Genesis 90 if they don't give a damn about driving enthusiasm and want all the goodies for a fair price. 10 year power-train warranty most likely... and finally a luxury badge. And the interior though. That's spectacular for the price IMO. And I love good looks. A lickable interior it definitely is. Exactly... they're not bad cars... and you get a lot of car for your money. The Kia K900 would suit me for the price because I really don't care about handling... I care about comfort and effortless acceleration. But if you're looking for the upper eschelons of engineering, Hyundai/Kia isn't it... I hold no illusions that the K900 is a better engineered car than the LS or A8 or CT6.... not even in the same league.

By Drew Dowdell

I think you're blending definitions. "well engineered" isn't a fixed definition. I think, from what you've been saying in this thread, that you equate "well engineered" with "Ring burner"... some high end performance machine that will keep up with the joneses at Nurbergring. While it's currently a bit out of date, the Lexus LS is very well engineered... and would never be considered a "ring burner". It's a big, posh, well engineered luxury sedan. That said, I don't think there is sufficient evidence in either direction on the engineering level of the Continental. There simply isn't enough information to make an assessment. As for Hyundai, I don't consider them to be well engineered for their stated goals. They want to take on the best from Germany and Cadillac, and I don't think they've done that. The Genesis leaves me with the feeling that some executive took his favorite cars from competing brands, made a check list, and told his engineers to match that. "Must have RWD." "Must have V8"

So then, why bother trying to stretch the engineering envelope at all? Luxury is both subjective and objective. Objectively, a luxury car has to be able to do things that a non-luxury car cannot. Subjectively, it has to do these things in a refined manner. Otherwise, we would all be driving pods. .... again. There are different goals out there. It can take just as much engineering prowess to tune a comfortable yet controlled suspension as it can to make a ring burner.