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Drew Dowdell

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Everything posted by Drew Dowdell

  1. Drew Dowdell
    Any Cruze or Sonic with the 1.4T instead of the 1.8. The Regal is 2.0T base now, so the only upgrade is a GS version and is only needed if you are a performance junky. If you're already buying a fairly loaded Verano, the 2.0T makes for a sensible upgrade, but you can only get it if you are already well into the option packages already. The Optima with the 2.0T is fast, but is a NHV nightmare... the car itself is fine, but Kia needs to work on refinement of all of its engines. The Fiesta I3 Ecoboost is a fantastic engine... better than the base-4 in NHV, drivability, and MPG. You'd never know there wasn't a big-4 under the hood... I have a review coming on this one. The IS250 engine is pathetic... 204hp at 6400rpm and 184 lb-ft at 4,800rpm from a 2.5 liter V6? For comparison, the Cadillac ATS 2.5L is equipped with a 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine good for 202 horsepower at 6,300 rpm and 190 lb.-ft. of torque at 4,400 rpm. The IS only manages 30mpg on the highway while the ATS gets 33mpg. The Jeep Ecodiesel is a nice option, but due to its pairing with other packages, it becomes a $7500 upgrade The Z/28 isn't an engine option... it's an entire car package... and one that is $70k... what a useless suggestion. The SS Camaro is sufficient enough of an upgrade for 99.99999% of people.
  2. Drew Dowdell
    The CTS has basically followed whatever 5-series was out at release time by about 1/10th of an inch to an inch in each external dimension. The two Cadillac sedans are for two different people. The XTS is for people who value size over sport (though it is far more capable than you can legally drive it anyway, and I've had it on the track) and the CTS is for people who value sport over size.
  3. Drew Dowdell
    I wouldn't call the K900 an SS competitor... not at all. It's a soft tuned suspension and the entire car is designed for comfort. If anything, the K900 would be an excellent Buick Park Avenue if it had an exterior restyle. I also think the SS is a lot more of a solid vehicle than the K900. I like the K900, but I would only ever lease one, not buy. The SS would be a solid car for years.
  4. Drew Dowdell
    I super expect a Denali version to happen. The top end model already looks very Denali now. I've been spending too much time on the GMC configurator lately
  5. Drew Dowdell
    That's ok. I'll taunt you with NEW GM pickups tomorrow.
  6. Drew Dowdell
    I was too young to like them when they were new, but they've grown on me over the years. Naturally, the Oldsmobile is the best looking version.
  7. Drew Dowdell
    Series hybrid? So all propulsion is done by the electric motors and power is supplied by the generator and batteries. It's basically an diesel locomotive setup. The diesel/gas turbine power thing I think is a non-starter. General Electric, EMD, Westinghouse, and Union Pacific all experimented with the technology with the UP being the biggest adopter. They all were found to be fuel hogs. Once the '73 Oil crisis hit, they started being removed from service. Aside from the fuel economy, they all had substantial maintenance issues. My guess, if this ever gets produced, is that they run a modern but otherwise conventional downsized diesel engine in place of the turbo.
  8. Drew Dowdell
    yeah, because a butter smooth, nicely powerful, and very efficient V8 has no business in a Cadillac. Watch for my upcoming Suburban review.
  9. Drew Dowdell
    No offense, but bull$h!. This is commonly touted as "necessary", yet it has never been show to be factual in automotive history. Oh sure, some will point to well-off brands and say 'it works for them', but that's not in anyway 'proof' of anything. No offense taken. Problem is Seville, for example, started out as smaller than the others alternative to imports, then 20 years later it was renamed SLS/STS, then CTS is supposed to be the entry-level model with the STS on top of the line, then all of a sudden an ATS comes by and the CTS takes the place of the old STS... It's been a mess... If GM had stuck with a logical progression of its old car names (Seville, DeVille, Fleetwood, for example), it wouldn't have any branding issues. Bottom line is that it's pretty irrelevant if they use alphanumeric designations or full names, as long as they're consistent and people understand which names belong in which segments. Funny thing is that, as you know, GM actually kind of did all of this logical steps branding before with their old LaSalle, Series 60, and Series 70 Cadillacs... The Jetta came out as a smaller alternative to the domestics. Years later, it has now grown to be the size of a last gen Ford Fusion. Today's Civic is bigger and heavier than an Accord from 20 years ago, while today's Accord positively dwarfs the original Acura Legend. Car names regularly change size segments, it's a natural progression over time. The CTS has moved in size right along with the 5-series and E-class they've been chasing. That the CTS is now the size of the old STS is a function of the entire segment moving in that direction rather than anything Cadillac did specifically. The CTS was originally a 5-series sized car at at 3-series price... today it is a 5-series size car at a 5-series price. That's a good thing for Cadillac.
  10. Drew Dowdell
    Transmission mounts have been replaced in the last 18 months. Engine mounts are fine. Body some body mounts are also new. I don't have a sub-frame, this is a full frame/body on frame vehicle. Both front and rear bumpers mount to the same pieces of metal. I may have a friend follow along with me on the phone and watch for a specific tire that is vibrating, and then move it to see if the vibration follows.
  11. Drew Dowdell
    probably early next year. our mortgage is dropping by $300 a month in december plus we're getting a refund check for $1700. I have a new car already the Buick is primarily mine now... I kicked Albert back into the CR-V.
  12. Drew Dowdell
    A new car. LOL. Check the tie rods, my car had the same issue a year ago, found out it was the tie-rod. Also breaks can cause the problem. Have you seen the 2015 Toronados?! They are to die for! I'll take a look and have it checked. The shocks are relatively new... I did them the first year I owned the car. I've only put 12,000 miles on it in 3 years.
  13. Drew Dowdell
    What else can I do? The Toronado has a bad wheel vibration between 55mph and 65mph. I've already had the tires rebalanced multiple times at different places. I've replaced the steel wheels on the front and had them rebalanced again. The ball joints have less than 3k miles on them. What am I missing?
  14. Drew Dowdell
    The current guy is a sales and marketing drone... nothing more.
  15. Drew Dowdell
    A logical progression of model names? Calais, Seville, Eldorado, Deville, Fleetwood, Fleetwood Brougham. Escalade, You know what I could have gotten on board with? A return to the Series names. Cadillac ATS Coupe = Cadillac Series 32 Cadillac ATS Convertible = Cadillac Series 33 Cadillac ATS Sedan = Cadillac Series 34 Cadillac ATS Wagon = Cadillac Series 35 At once classic and also in line with the expectations of the import crowd...
  16. Drew Dowdell
    Erm, no changes applied. Please screen shot and send to me with which browser you're using
  17. Drew Dowdell
    Balth, please see my post in Editors
  18. Drew Dowdell
    ah, I misunderstood you. I thought you were implying that the ATS was somehow more costly to develop.
  19. Drew Dowdell
    There is something you may have missed SMK. It costs about the same to develop a small car chassis as it does a big one, option for option.
  20. Drew Dowdell
    Land Rover Range Rover, Evoque, Discovery, Defender Maserati - Ghibli, Quattroporte GranTurisimo Porsche - Boxter, Panamera, Cayman, Cayenne, Nissan Skyline - our Infiniti G37 Q50, Skyline Crossover - Our EX37 QX50 Volkswagen Pheaton Hyundai Genesis, Eqqus Toyota Crown
  21. Drew Dowdell
    The facts behind global climate change aren't even up for debate anymore. Just because you can find a couple Exxon sponsored scientists who will attempt to refute the facts doesn't make the other 98% of scientists wrong. Small cars can be made safe, the Chevy Sonic and Buick Encore are two that I can think of off the top of my head that have excellent crash test results. BTW, the fastest land vehicles in the world are electric and a Telsa Roadster can walk away from an Audi R8 like it's standing still.
  22. Drew Dowdell
    Probably all of the improvements that are going into the Volt.
  23. Drew Dowdell
    If Cadillac is going to continue with the Alpha names, then just call it a CTS-D and don't name the engine itself.
  24. Drew Dowdell
    need a more powerful diesel option
  25. Drew Dowdell
    I'm guessing it has to do with gearing
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