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Drew Dowdell

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Everything posted by Drew Dowdell

  1. I really really like the new XC90. If Volvo can get people into the showroom to look at it, it could put some real hurt on the BMW X5 and Mercedes ML GLE
  2. If it had AWD, I would be perfectly happy with a Volt. In sport mode it its performance characteristics are roughly similar to a 210hp gas powered sedan. I've even considered it as a replacement for the Encore, but then there is the no AWD sticking point. We just had the electrical service upgraded in the house 2 weeks ago. We were on 60amp fuses and upgraded to 150amp breaker service. I made sure they set aside a provision for a future plug-in car. Good Move. CT6 PHEV??? I think that car is gonna be damn sweet. I think I'm more excited for this one than the V Outside of my budget unfortunately. Not sure if the Plug-In will be AWD though.
  3. It's simple. If you want to save on shipping costs, build the plant on the continent you are targeting as your biggest growth market. Volvo has no where to go in the U.S. but up, they already have a plant or two in China... so makes sense to build the next plant here.
  4. Honda has twice notified us of the need to replace the airbag inflator in our CR-V, but they never seem to have the part in stock. I'll probably sell the vehicle before it ever gets replaced.
  5. I don't think it would be quite SS level, but it would be a good upgrade for the current RS. 200 hp, maybe boosted up t o 215hp and 206 lb-ft of torque at 1700rpm, maybe use an overboost option like the Cruze diesel to bump that up too.... That would be perfectly acceptable for a a 2800 lb. hatchback.
  6. If it had AWD, I would be perfectly happy with a Volt. In sport mode it its performance characteristics are roughly similar to a 210hp gas powered sedan. I've even considered it as a replacement for the Encore, but then there is the no AWD sticking point. We just had the electrical service upgraded in the house 2 weeks ago. We were on 60amp fuses and upgraded to 150amp breaker service. I made sure they set aside a provision for a future plug-in car.
  7. It's interesting because from all my Toronado talk in other places, the original drums in '66 were scary bad with fading and just overall insufficient for the size of the car. Many '66 owners seem to retrofit (futurefit?) their '66 with later model disks that swap over exactly. On my car, the issue is the opposite. The rear drums are fine, the rear disks are fine, but the rear calipers tend to leak and fail easily.. and sometimes people will swap them from disk to drum... (the rare oddballs like me who likes the '79 - '85 model)
  8. The average person can barely handle a 180hp Camry at 6/10ths. While I'm fairly skilled (for an amateur, I didn't land the ATS-V into a wall like the Jalopnik reporter did with the Camaro, but I was still going all out) at hustling a high-horsepower car around a track, I find myself perfectly content for my daily drivers to be sedate, lower horsepower cars. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't want to live with a 700hp car day in and day out. The highest horsepower car that interests me personally is either the Chrysler 300C Hemi or the Cadillac XTS V-Sport... and even the V-Sport is a bit much.
  9. You're in good company with the Olds love here. [sharedmedia=garage:vehicles:70] I have a little of both
  10. Cadillac does need more crossovers. Jaguar is still fairly niche, but they are putting new product into the meat of the market. This is the way for them to grow. Put a supercharger on the existing V8, up the content in the already swank Platinum edition, and call it a day. The new Escalade is doing well and I think it is well positioned against the threat of a BMW X7.
  11. Neat! And Welcome Back JamesB!
  12. +1
  13. Seriously, it can't be that hard. I know the 2.0T won't fit in the sonic, but the new 1.6T would be a nice mill in there. Raise the boost a bit and gear it right and it will be a great little pocket rocket without needing to spend a lot of cash.
  14. I think Cadillac needs different kinds of pairings. Rather than being a Cadillac/Chevy dealer, they need to get in with the luxury dealership groups. It needs to be Cadillac, Jaguar, Land Rover, BMW,.... or like I saw in a suburb north of Chicago - Cadillac, Bentley, Rolls Royce, Spyker "My" Cadillac dealership used to be a Cadillac-Oldsmobile dealer. I haven't been up that way in a long time, but the dealership is/was one of the late 60's early 70's designs and really stood out as old and decrepit next to the sparkling new MB, and Jaguar, and BMW dealerships on the same road. Even the Honda and Mazda dealers seemed nicer.
  15. +3.6TT I don't think they're going to drop that one so soon after intro... and they have two distinct versions of it... the V-Sport version and the V-Series version. The internals are different enough that the V-Series version gets its own engine code.
  16. I also have a better name for it. Buick Verano GS
  17. I've been told that the current Cruze chassis cannot support AWD, but otherwise I like the idea. I don't think GM would go to that extreme on the hp though.
  18. Exactly. Smaller displacement would be more welcome in other markets. There could be substitutions. The ATS-V, for instance, could have had a V8.. excuse the pun. Cadillac wants their own engine family.. thus it got the TTV6. As a future CTS-V Gen3 owner, I'm actually wondering if they are gonna come in year two with a TTV8 Actually, I've been told there was another reason for going with the TTV6 and it is entirely technical. Once I post my ATS-V story you'll see why.
  19. The turbo v8 is going to be smaller displacement than current CTS-V V8, so I don't think that it will get that engine.
  20. Interesting question. Seems like such a good engine to let go.
  21. normally, you should be able to just drop the raw Youtube link in the box and the software will embed it for you. If it doesn't work, myself or a moderator will be along to fix it if needed.
  22. Welcome to our two newest members! If you do have software issues, I'm rarely far away from an internet connection (and if I am, I get the shakes). I'm constantly tinkering with the site to get better performance and layout from it, but in general, it just runs. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to PM me.
  23. With the 8-speed being so fast at shifting, I wouldn't be surprised at it beating a row-your-own with fewer gears model.
  24. The way the cars are sent to the press fleets is not at all like how people buy them except for the rare niche vehicles. No one buys a Regal AWD Turbo Premium-II with every option box checked including things like Active Cruise Control for $44k.... but that's the only way I ever see them in the press fleet. It is a bit of a disservice to the readership, but it's not like we get to pick the cars that are sent to us. That $52k ATS in 2013 was likely the most expensive ATS on the Cadillac lot at that point, but ATS V6es can be had for $10k cheaper. You clearly haven't spent any length of time in an ATS though since you keep saying to dump the 2.0T.... the 2.0T is actually the better engine to get if you want a driver's car. It won't win drag races against a V6 model, but it is better balanced for handling.
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Drew
Editor-in-Chief

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