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Drew Dowdell

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Everything posted by Drew Dowdell

  1. Drew Dowdell
    The sound of the Ford doesn't tickle my girdle any more or less than the LS7... They both sound great to me and I wouldn't be choosing one or the other based on their respective engine notes.
  2. Drew Dowdell
    Out of production and cars still for sale are two completely different things and you know that. If and when GM produces something else, we can talk again. And you know that. So I trust we will see no more posts on rumored future Ford products then? The Z/28 is pretty much a given as most of the development work is done already. Weak sauce Drew. GM advertises the ultra premium Z on the website, and that is what was compared and that is what we are discussing. Talking future product is fine, and we all do it and we all know it. I did not in any way suggest we should not. Chevy also offers the 2015 Volt on their website even though it has been out of production for months. The Mustang won against an out of production but still offered for sale Camaro Z/28. Looking at that win and ignoring the fact that the Z/28 is coming is what is weak sauce. Maybe you'd like to post a comparison test between the GT350R and the old Pontiac GTO as well? It would make as much sense if you posted a "win" in a match up between the C-Max Energi and the 2015 Volt while ignoring that the 2016 Volt is much improved.
  3. Drew Dowdell
    Building the 2017 Camaro Z/28 in three easy steps: 1. Copy - Paste chassis and suspension setup from ATS-V 2. Copy - Paste 6.3 liter S/C V8 from Corvette Z06 (Detuned to 640hp..... on paper) 3. Delete rear seat, speakers, and radio. Of course it's more involved than that in reality... but that will be the very basic formula. And looking at the ATS-V, it would mean a Z28 with 600hp - 650hp at around 3800 lbs. (I'm estimating weight to be the same as the ATS because of increased engine weight, counter balancing weight reductions elsewhere).
  4. Drew Dowdell
    Out of production and cars still for sale are two completely different things and you know that. If and when GM produces something else, we can talk again. And you know that. So I trust we will see no more posts on rumored future Ford products then? The Z/28 is pretty much a given as most of the development work is done already.
  5. Drew Dowdell
    Pontiac G6 or Saturn Aura or 2008ish Malibu. Reg doesn't like the 4-speed auto for some reason, but it's dead reliable which is important for someone shopping this type of car. Might even be able to find an elusive Pontiac G5 - the Coupe Only Pontiac Rebadge of a Cobalt. They depreciated like a rock, so you might be able to find a cheap and clean example out there.
  6. Drew Dowdell
    Happy Birthday Mr Felt!
  7. Drew Dowdell
    I agree with Wings on this one... the idea that a platform is developed for a certain car in a vacuum and then is trickled out to other cars in the future is largely a myth. There are some examples of it happening, but when it has happened, the results have typically been less than ideal. Usually a platform is designed with all planned variants in mind at conception. Where you may be seeing a "trickle" effect is when a certain vehicle's product cadence ends after another... thus the appearance of the Alpha camaro 2 years after the Alpha ATS and CTS. It is not that the Cadillac trickled down to Camaro really, but that the Zeta Camaro's planned production run wasn't yet complete at the time the ATS was released. That gave the Camaro team extra time to work on some more details and development..... but there was no real trickle down when it was planned that way from the start. Where trickle down went wrong - The Zeta Camaro is an example of it. GM made the most of it and re-launched one of their iconic vehicles, but the Zeta Camaro was always a reactionary move. It was built on a large luxury coupe/sedan platform that was not intended to be turned into a pony car.... thus, in spite of GM's skill in overcoming physics, it had a weight disadvantage from the start. Had GM planned for the Camaro to be on the Zeta platform from the start, they could have designed some weight out of it. Trickle up doesn't always work either - The Chrysler 200 is an example of this. It is built on a Fiat small car platform, and in spite of being one of the smaller vehicles in the mid-size segment, they had to throw so much steel at it to make it pass the safety regs that it is among the heaviest. It's a good car, but when you have other mid-sizers that are as cavernous inside as the Passat for less weight and better fuel economy, it puts the 200 at a disadvantage. As for the Focus RS AWD system - I am certain that it is tuned for the Focus and when used in a Buick will perform differently. The way it works just sounds like a good, safe, proactive system that will do well in Grandma's luxury sedan or in a sport minded hot hatch.... and it sounds like it is better than the Haldex systems too. Torque vectoring has been around for years. Acura offers it... even old dead Saab offered it. This new system does it a bit better, but the next result will be the same for the typical driver. Lincoln will not be the only one with torque vectoring... nor will they be the only one with a 400+ HP car with torque vectoring.
  8. Drew Dowdell
    The Focus AWD system is developed by a third party supplier called GKN ... it is not a Ford developed technology. In fact, the same system is apparently the new AWD for the LaCrosse and XT5.... so yeah.
  9. Drew Dowdell
    Had to clean up a bunch of posts and hand out some warning points. Keep it about the cars, not about the people.
  10. Drew Dowdell
    The thing is... Lincoln will take risks when developing concept cars but they (so far) have completely failed to bring any of the most acclaimed concepts to market. The 2002 Lincoln Continental Concept would have completely revitalized the brand's status. It was built on the DEW98 platform, and while some of the things like the rear doors and the trunk would not have made it into production, it would have been a fantastic flagship for Lincoln..... and it was completely buildable. Had they built it, it probably would have come out as a 2004 and stolen a lot of thunder from the Chrysler 300 at the time. Then there was the Lincoln MKR. Also quite buildable and would have done a great job coming back as a Mark-Series. Both of these show that Lincoln has the ideas... they just don't have the willpower.
  11. Drew Dowdell
    Thanks for those updates.
  12. Drew Dowdell
    Average Transaction Price = ATP At least in this context. The XT5's new interior blows a lot of the competition out of the water. And this is the current number 1 seller.....
  13. Drew Dowdell
    2017 Cadillac XT5 Interior

    From the album: 2017 Cadillac XT5

  14. Drew Dowdell

    2017 Cadillac XT5

    Images added to a gallery album owned by Drew Dowdell in Gallery

  15. Drew Dowdell
    Audi MLB hosts: A4/A5/Q5 - Sedan/Coupe/Convertible/Crossover in FWD or AWD forms - Everything from 4 cylinders to 8 cylinders available. Audi Q7 and Porsche Macan and Bentley Bentaga- AWD with RWD bias - 6 to 12 cylinders available The old D1/D3 platforms (the distinction being the material of the body panels) A8 - FWD/AWD Phaeton - RWD/AWD
  16. Drew Dowdell
    While their profit has increased for the last several years as well. Gotta suck when that happens. Thanks for saving another down vote for me. For someone who trumps up profits so much when it comes to Ford, it sure is sweet irony that you would down vote the same kind of statement when it is NOT about Ford. Fact is that while volume is down, profits are up for Cadillac. maybe you were downvoted for another reason. ATP's and the price of lettuce in China has what to do with the fact that customers are flocking to CUV's, and Cadillac is behind the development 8-ball there. That's a simple fact. This *huge* step up is replacing the second best selling CUV in the segment.
  17. Drew Dowdell
    Lincoln didn't need to show something at LA..... not every manufacturer does a press conference at every show. Infiniti and Honda didn't even do theirs at the show.
  18. Drew Dowdell
    Because there are people out there who will buy a sack of cow dung as long as it has a 3 point star on it.... and then they get to Pretendz that it is the best thing ever.
  19. Drew Dowdell
    Says some. Truth is, when 700,000 people roll through NAIAS snapping a gazillion cell phone pics, they will all include one design language for sedan. Nobody, except us ridiculous forum dwellers, cares which was first. Well.. for 2 of their 3 sedans that is. One will still be the current one as far as I know. So that isn't "all". "Some" might say, " this looks like the new MKZ I just saw" when what I (and most of us) thought what they would be going for would have been the other way around. "This looks like the Continental" or "This looks similar to their biggest baddest brother in the stable." I doubt MKS will be on display at NAIAS. cap, do you honestly believe a few weeks matter to the public today, let alone in 5, 10 25 years? How about this, what if they revealed both at the same time? Would that be better for Conti reveal at NAIAS? What about the fact then, that they would have had nothing at LA? Lots to consider. You can’t just assume one plan will be best. During press days? No the MKS probably won't be there.... but when it is open to the public? Sure, it will be there.
  20. Drew Dowdell
    How is this for revolutionary: A platform that is so flexible so as to allow sedans, coupes, CUV's across several size categories, and more importantly, flexible enough to be offered with any vehicle drivetrain combination they would like, exclusively even. And the best part is, minimal development costs. No $20B investment needed here. I have plenty of money in the pot for Lincoln. I advise similar. Urm.... It's not revolutionary. It's called the Chrysler K-Car platform. It's called the VW MQB and MLB platforms. It's called the Toyota K Platform (Camry et al.) Let's not go around thinking that this is the 2015 version of the Ford Model-T.... the concept has been around and in production for 35+ years really? Will any of those listed give you the POTENTIAL OPTION of a FWD or RWD sedan, sold simultaneously through a SINGLE brand? Can? Yes. The MLB platform can. Audi doesn't do it that way for marketing reasons... but yes MLB can do it.
  21. Drew Dowdell
    Explain all of the risks involved in rebadging a car as opposed to making their own platforms? I feel like they do the opposite of taking risks. Don't get me wrong, I REALLY like the MKC and MKX but that doesn't mean they have taken any serious risks with anything in their lineup. The biggest risk will be the Continental. lol, Classic 'Bong Camaro plug. Risks? Sure. Looking back a few years, there was plenty of risk. Some of which good, some not so. 1. Navigator was a risk, and really started the full sized luxury SUV segment 2. Blackwood was quite the risk 3. LS was a risk, and huge departure from the Town Cars of that day. 4. Original EcoBoost was a Lincoln MKS, very risky too. 5. MKX was somewhat risky. 6. Several design languages (and designers), also a risk. 7. Hybrids 8. 400 hp sedans with sophisticated AWD systems are the latest. 9. Aluminum bodied SUV soon. 10. Did I miss anything? 11. oh yeah, MKT was a huge risk. Anyway, far more risky than what they were doing in 1995, when sales were high and competition was low. And going forward, what they are doing with flexible platforms would hardly be considered risky, but in fact brilliant. So risk is not just throwing an existing V8 into a low volume niche sedan. 3. The LS wasn't a risk, it was a much needed jump and Lincoln threw it away. 4. A 350 hp luxury car isn't a risk, it is almost a requirement. 5. The MKX came out in 2006 - 6 years after the Acura MDX, 9 years after the Lexus RX, and 2 years after the Cadillac SRX. 7. Putting a hybrid in a luxury car is not a risk. 8. 400hp sedan with AWD is not a risk in the luxury segment, that availability is a requirement. 11. MKT was there to replace the outgoing Town Car. Canceling the TC with no direct replacement was the risk.
  22. Drew Dowdell
    How is this for revolutionary: A platform that is so flexible so as to allow sedans, coupes, CUV's across several size categories, and more importantly, flexible enough to be offered with any vehicle drivetrain combination they would like, exclusively even. And the best part is, minimal development costs. No $20B investment needed here. I have plenty of money in the pot for Lincoln. I advise similar. Urm.... It's not revolutionary. It's called the Chrysler K-Car platform. It's called the VW MQB and MLB platforms. It's called the Toyota K Platform (Camry et al.) Let's not go around thinking that this is the 2015 version of the Ford Model-T.... the concept has been around and in production for 35+ years
  23. Drew Dowdell
    Continental first in Detroit MKZ second in NYC I wouldn't go that far.
  24. Drew Dowdell
    Again, you miss (or willfully ignore) the part about ATP.
  25. Drew Dowdell
    False. Globally, Cadillac sales are up 16%. In the US, sales are flat but average transaction prices are up $7,000 per unit over the last 12 months... and that's after a huge jump in the prior 12 months. Escalade transaction prices are up $20k over the previous model. Selling the same number of vehicles but at a $7k increase in price is a really good position to be in.
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