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Drew Dowdell

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Everything posted by Drew Dowdell

  1. Drew Dowdell
    Neat! And Welcome Back JamesB!
  2. Drew Dowdell

    2015 Regal Turbo

    Drew Dowdell replied to CSpec's topic in Buick

    +1
  3. Drew Dowdell
    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.
  4. Drew Dowdell
    Is #2 a buckminster car?
  5. Drew Dowdell
    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.
  6. Drew Dowdell
    +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.
  7. Drew Dowdell
    I also have a better name for it. Buick Verano GS
  8. Drew Dowdell
    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.
  9. Drew Dowdell
    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.
  10. Drew Dowdell
    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.
  11. Drew Dowdell
    Interesting question. Seems like such a good engine to let go.
  12. Drew Dowdell
    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.
  13. Drew Dowdell
    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.
  14. Drew Dowdell
    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.
  15. Drew Dowdell
    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.
  16. Drew Dowdell
    If this comment was for me - Good and that's what it should. But when you thumb the nose, you go one up, not one down. 3.6 is not a proper engine to go thumb the nose at when there are other powerful engines from the competitors. The 3.6 ATS is $7k less than a C400 4Matic. Start adding options and the delta between the two grows larger because Benz options are more expensive. The ATS 3.6 is a V6 at C300 price, or a 328i price, or A4 2.0T price.... Now, now let us not go there. There's a difference between price and performance and I'm not talking about the former. This tweener mentality is what has got people like one of the posters on this thread talking about how the Cadillacs should be $5,000 to 6,000 less than what they are currently priced. ATS 2.5 has BMW 320, IS250, nothing from other competitors. You have the 2.0T for 328, A4 2.0T, C300, etc. And then the 3.6 competing with the C400, IS350, S4, 335i (340i). If you match or offer the performance better than the competitors with less price then your performance value coefficient is excellent. When you have performance and value lower than competitors, then you are making excuses. I've said a few times now that I wouldn't cry if the 2.5 went away and the 2.0T was made the base. I would even be okay with the 1.6T being the replacement for the 2.5 because it has fuel economy and low end torque on its side, and when turned long ways could probably get another 10 horsepower squeezed out of it. That isn't what we're arguing here, we're arguing 6-cylinders. If I have $43k in my hand and I want a luxury car with a V6 (and let's admit, there are those out there with the "no 4-cylinder luxury car" mentality), none of the Germans can satisfy that. BMW gets the closest, but then I get a car with vinyl seats and basically no options. To get the performance you are talking about from Mercedes, I have to spend at minimum $7,000 more. I can get the performance without the options at BMW for $3k more, but if I want real leather and a few other things, I'm back to spending $7,000 or more just to get the same stuff I get in the ATS. Cadillac will have 3 additional engines to satisfy the performance needs and will likely exceed the performance of the Germans.
  17. Drew Dowdell
    The new 3.6 just got shared with the Camaro; so much for being only Cadillac and Buick exclusive. So how would you say when the 3.6 got clobbered by other force induced competitors to which it was compared to? Man, there's nothing wrong with the vehicle, the car should have been tested with other engine. Do you mean ATS-V vs the S4 or 340 or C400 or XE supercharged? Priceless! When you price the engine equivalent to its competitors, when you portray the car with that engine to be similar to the force induced motors of equivalent horsepowers, then you should at least be par with them on performance, not down and give an excuse of other choices. In this case the 3.6 is equivalent to the cars mentioned above and it fails in performance. When I've asked about the 3.0TT for the ATS as a V-Sport model, I was told with a wink and a nudge "We don't discuss un-announced product". And there is also always this: The Plug-In Hybrid is comprised of a 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder engine and two electric motors. A new rear wheel electric variable transmission and 18.4 kWh battery finish off the powertrain. Total output is rated at 335 horsepower and 432 pound-feet of torque. Good. But till then the 3.6 is going to be a weak duckling. Which is why it is priced against the competitors' 4-bangers.
  18. Drew Dowdell
    You can't base anything from these new cars on the 2015 ATS 6-Speed auto. The two new 8-speeds seem to be some of the best on the market with incredibly fast shifts and a wider range of ratios. My mpg focused highway run in the ATS-V 8-Speed Auto returned some incredible fuel economy numbers (65mph, fairly flat, driving normally with cruise control). Yup. That's what I was saying. The 8speed yields some pretty decent improvements all around so far. I think we are going to see improved ATS and Camaro speeds with this tranny. The extra HP will help as well. We are talking a 335HP 3400-3500lb vehicle that gain nice HP from a few bolt-ons sure to come and a pocket tune. I won't even get into the potential of the 2.0L Turbo. Some at other sites are trying to act as tho the sky is falling based on the Iron Duke from 32 years ago... That engine put out 88hp.. this is not that engine.. and it has proven itself to be quite nice in performance in various heavier applications It's not just "an 8-Speed", it's these 8-Speeds. The new 8-Speed Hydromatics seem to have been worth waiting for. The 8-speed in the CTS V-Sport was competent, but not stellar. This new 8-speed can shift as fast or faster than the Porsche dual-clutch.
  19. Drew Dowdell
    If this comment was for me - Good and that's what it should. But when you thumb the nose, you go one up, not one down. 3.6 is not a proper engine to go thumb the nose at when there are other powerful engines from the competitors. The 3.6 ATS is $7k less than a C400 4Matic. Start adding options and the delta between the two grows larger because Benz options are more expensive. The ATS 3.6 is a V6 at C300 price, or a 328i price, or A4 2.0T price....
  20. Drew Dowdell
    The new 3.6 just got shared with the Camaro; so much for being only Cadillac and Buick exclusive. So how would you say when the 3.6 got clobbered by other force induced competitors to which it was compared to? Man, there's nothing wrong with the vehicle, the car should have been tested with other engine. Do you mean ATS-V vs the S4 or 340 or C400 or XE supercharged? Priceless! When you price the engine equivalent to its competitors, when you portray the car with that engine to be similar to the force induced motors of equivalent horsepowers, then you should at least be par with them on performance, not down and give an excuse of other choices. In this case the 3.6 is equivalent to the cars mentioned above and it fails in performance. When I've asked about the 3.0TT for the ATS as a V-Sport model, I was told with a wink and a nudge "We don't discuss un-announced product". And there is also always this: The Plug-In Hybrid is comprised of a 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder engine and two electric motors. A new rear wheel electric variable transmission and 18.4 kWh battery finish off the powertrain. Total output is rated at 335 horsepower and 432 pound-feet of torque.
  21. Drew Dowdell
    You can't base anything from these new cars on the 2015 ATS 6-Speed auto. The two new 8-speeds seem to be some of the best on the market with incredibly fast shifts and a wider range of ratios. My mpg focused highway run in the ATS-V 8-Speed Auto returned some incredible fuel economy numbers (65mph, fairly flat, driving normally with cruise control).
  22. Drew Dowdell
    Almost all highway travel? I did 85 highway miles in a GMC Canyon All-Terrain V6 this past week and the DIC claimed 23.9
  23. Drew Dowdell
    I think you'll be waiting for the Tesla Model 3. It will be in the $35k range.
  24. Drew Dowdell
    Cadillac is very intentionally NOT following the German model at this point... they are actively thumbing their nose at it.
  25. Drew Dowdell
    That engine is uncompetitive with the force-induced engines from the competitors. And he still soldiers on this site. There are 4 engine choices in the ATS with 2 more coming in the future. If you don't like that V6, there will be no less than 5 other engines to choose from. In my experience, the 2.0T is the best choice in the ATS, excluding the V-series, as it keeps the car lighter and still has satisfying thrust. I also want to say that you are badly pre-judging it. There is more to the powertrain than just the engine and my assessment of the new 8-speed auto coming to Cadillac is that it is a whole new level of good. In sport mode it can shift as fast or faster than the Porsche DCT and it has a wider range of gear ratios than the previous 6-speed. Drew, a transmission cannot add to what the engine lacks. The competitors are already offering 8 speeds, don't have SAE numbers to abide by, thereby providing more power than advertised. Is it cheating? Yes, you bet it is, but GM has to respond and the 3.6 is a 38 special in the battle of 45s. Besides that, isn't that's what got GM into problem? The lack of full commitment. The peak torque of the new 3.6 is less than the torque of the 2.0T. That is unacceptable. The truth is this engine as much as GM claims is new, which it is possibly, is not going to be an exclusive Cadillac and therefore was "needed" by the bean counters to make financial sense. "If you don't like that V6, there will be no less than 5 other engines to choose from." Why stop there? No, I will find some other company that will. And that's going to be everyone else except Cadillac. I'll give you even better, why even offer that engine? It'll save you typing to defend that decision, since ATS has already 5 other engine choices, according to you. We have had this discussion before, and there's no contest that GM has messed this one up. Even the Cadillac Fan here who is supporter of the two bozos in charge at its helm claims that too. 2.5, 2.0T, 3.6, 3.0TT (highly likely), 3.6TT, 2.0T-Hybrid, I4-Diesel, V6-Diesel There is nothing messed up with the 3.6 V6 as long as other options are available too. There is nothing wrong with offering an additional option. Don't like it? Don't buy it. And yes, the engine is remaining Cadillac exclusive for now and when it does get shared will only be shared with upper end Buick... something along the lines of an Avenir and possibly Lacrosse.
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