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Drew Dowdell

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Everything posted by Drew Dowdell

  1. Drew Dowdell
    GM could sell 10,000 of them a year here at full MSRP and additional dealer markup. It wouldn't make Camino happy moneywise, but if you're already throwing a bunch of PPVs on a boat, there is no harm sending over some Utes too. Advertising needs would be minimal because of pent up, 20 years worth of demand.
  2. Drew Dowdell
    Lordstown is way below capacity as a percentage of floor space though they've tapped the upper capacity of the line that is currently installed there. Moving the Cruze somewhere else was always an option for that reason. GM needs to find some additional production to put there eventually.
  3. Drew Dowdell
    That is.... Unlikely. Edit: Let me amend my post. It is entirely possible that those will be the first vehicles to get the 1.6t and the Cruze gets it later. But the 1.4t will be replaced soon. It is an Iron block engine of older design with its first generation going back to 1996. They don't currently have a direct injection version of the Family-0 in production, but they've fiddled with the design enough that it is possible. Keep in mind that the 1.6T is rumoured to have close to 200hp and lots of low end torque, so this would be a range topping engine in the Cruze rather than an Eco replacement. The 1.6T is just part of a family of engines that are coming out, so expect other displacements, including one that just happen to also be 1.4 litres, to be possible. Edit 2: The 1.6T makes 221 ft-lb at 1700rpm. If they made it a 2.0T, that would be in VW diesel territory for torque.
  4. Drew Dowdell
    I was hoping for more of a visual update on this one, but the engine changes sound good.
  5. Drew Dowdell
    Is the diesel even available?
  6. Drew Dowdell
    I came back to look at this again... that interior still looks about as close as you can get to an Audi without buying the real thing.
  7. Drew Dowdell
    So glad they aren't going to change the name AGAIN
  8. Drew Dowdell
    MPG is actually expected to go up as the new 1.6T will be gaining direct injection and possibly another cog in the auto.
  9. Drew Dowdell
    It is an unusually packaged car. The Atlantic is much more conventional, though you may still not for as it has an interior just slightly larger than a 3-series.
  10. Drew Dowdell
    For my area, I can get $0.0707/kwh for "100% clean energy" which is blended wind and hydro. With the employee discount I get through work, I can get "dirty energy" for $0.0679/kwh Yeah, cuz hydro is dirt cheap. You willing to pay 2-4x as much as you do for a large percentage of solar? Solar isn't an option for me here. I'll have to look up rates in NJ.
  11. Drew Dowdell
    So far, so good.
  12. Drew Dowdell
    There is a different engine coming to replace the 1.4... a new 1.6T
  13. Drew Dowdell
    I'm not at all claiming that that Passat is a sporty handler. It's a big comfy family car. With leatherette, demure conservative interior, and the diesel under the hood, it actually reminds me of the big Benz diesels of old... but with actual pickup and no black smoke.
  14. Drew Dowdell
    why would you make that assumption? If it came to Oshawa it would likely be because it is sharing with Camaro.
  15. Drew Dowdell
    It seems like Kia and Hyundai know how to make their two lineups different.
  16. Drew Dowdell
    I have no such concerns on the Passat.
  17. Drew Dowdell
    I still want to drive one to experience it. My guess is that it is the most luxurious feeling and driving of the Mini-van crowd. Yes you can load a Sienna up, but a lot of the materials other than seating surfaces in the Sienna are cheapo carry over from the base model.
  18. Drew Dowdell
    Not surprising for this generation.
  19. Drew Dowdell
    One of my issues with the Malibu not mentioned in the review is weight. The Malibu is easily the smallest of its declared competitors, yet it weighs the most. Malibu 1LT - 3439 Malibu Eco 2SA - 3602 Kia Optima - 3223 Volkswagen Passat 2.5 SE A/T - 3221 Hyundai Sonata GLS - 3199 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid - 3457 2012 Nissan Altima - 3180 2013 Nissan Altima - 3187
  20. Drew Dowdell
    But at 100 years old it is still approx. 2 time more life-span than coal and nuke plants, and 3 to 4 times more life-span than estimated life of a solar plant. The problem with addition of more turbines is location and is the dammed water capable to handle the capacity? You do not want the lake to be empty. One thing to look at is regenerative turbines. I.e. placing turbines at two different elevations. So when turbine at higher elevation spits water out, it can be siphoned on to another smaller turbine sitting at a lower elevation. I love hydro plants for their simplicity and efficiency. We were doing research on some old hydro dams and I was amazed to know that the actual operational efficiency of the turbines can be close to 98% with modern bearings, and lubes. That is unheard of in any other source. These are river spillways so the water is flowing constantly. No more than a 15 foot drop, but most are lower than that. They sit every 5 to 15 miles along the rivers here. We're not talking about lighting up all of Pittsburgh with them, but it is energy that is literally passing us by.
  21. Drew Dowdell
    The 2008-2012 Malibu was still Epsilon 1. The first Epsilon 2 car produced was the current Lacrosse. You've forgotten Vectra and Insignia as Epsilon 1 and 2 respectively as well.
  22. Drew Dowdell
    There is still lots of room for smaller scale hydro. It doesn't all have to be hover damn size projects. A high percentage of the dams and locks on the rivers around me are pushing 100 years old and are in danger of failing right now. When they are rebuilt, they could incorporate small scale hydro. Since we need to rebuilt them anyway, why not throw a few turbines in them to generate electricity?
  23. Drew Dowdell
    Seems like a relatively simple fix. At least they reacted faster than GM or Toyota would have.
  24. Drew Dowdell
    Look at all the hollywood types that drive around in Pruises and Escalade Hybrids. There is a market for it.
  25. Drew Dowdell
    This looks pretty darn close..... but probably a bit pricey for a car you don't intend to restore. http://compare.ebay.com/like/270790768594?var=lv&ltyp=AllFixedPriceItemTypes&var=sbar I can keep my eye out for you at the Olds meets or Carlisle if I go.
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