caddycruiser

Classic in a way, but also...nothing like these. Not underpowered. Not underbuilt. And a beast day to day, that will, I don't know, keep going for 500,000 miles too...

Add in the service experience, and buttery operation and...yeah. Worth it.

These were a random Chrysler "surprise!" and I'm seeing them out & about now too. Good way to sneak in the AWD, and definitely, pricing is not an issue vs. some. In many markets, this may become "THE way" to get one.

Good move, Chrysler. 2020 will be a unique unicorn, as it has the guts, but not the other 2021 updates. Not a bad thing, either way.

As we discussed recently...GREATTTTT choice. Love it.

AWD and the 3.6L/8-speed in these is a pleasure, and feels even balsier, with the changes in gearing. All all the extra options and a great color combo, and check, check, check.

Awesome. Even I approve😅

These are a truly beautiful day to day ride, size, and luxury.

But:

1) Do not do the 21", etc. wheels. Adds an odd noise, etc. that isn't needed, and roughness vs. the others. Still rides well, but too big (on anything) doesn't work ideally, ever.

2) Highest Inscription, etc. models are not sellers. For good reason. This in the $55-70k range is killer, and oozes luxury and refinement vs. something like a Cadillac Acadia aka XT-whatever.

The seats...well...every other automaker should just make deals with Volvo to buy their seats, and skip the development costs. The best.

3 hours ago, regfootball said:

that is a great article.  that dual clutch destroyed all market equity that the Focus brand had, it threw it all in the toilet.  the 2011 Focus was hailed as a great new small car except the trans issues ruined any reason for those that knew to consider one, even with the rock bottom prices of the vehicle used.

all for a trans that might gain the almighty 1 or 2 mpg on the CAFE.  that is why CAFE is so sick.  CAFE HAS TOO MUCH INFLUENCE in the design and engineering.

Really though, Ford should have gotten a traditional automatic ready for the 2013 or 14 or 15 model year to replace the dual clutch.

Bad ideas from Ford, that never should have come to fruition. Waste of time, effort and resources "I have an idea!" in a crazy meeting once that should have been stopped.

They could have spent more time developing and refining the car, had they simply used an existing traditional automatic. So much extra time and effort into "it's awful. It broke again. We CAN'T sell these...ever" only to be a mess.

Oh well. At least if you go ST, etc. you'll be fine, or you can have 3 days in an Enterprise rental version before they wholesale it off, and fling it around bang bang bang lights.

Nice review, of a disposable (rare for me to ever say that) pile of...yeah.

These were a rolling disaster thanks to the guts, and good riddance.

If in ST manual form, they could be fun. Any other, "like 98% of the ones anyone actually bought" need to just fade into history, that junk transmission, etc. included:

https://hackaday.com/2020/06/03/fords-powershift-debacle/

On 5/3/2020 at 12:48 PM, dfelt said:

That is weird as the loaner I had DID NOT have it and when i INQUIRED the Dealership said it was coming in the 2021 model.

And the dealer has no clue what they're talking about...par for the course. Standard feature since 2016:

https://media.cadillac.com/media/us/en/cadillac/news.detail.html/content/Pages/news/us/en/2015/jun/0609-cadillac-car-play.html

Telluride (no question, just checks every box), and Durango gets my votes also. Telluride, no question. Durango, in current form, is one of the most refined, efficient, capable, etc. in the group, with space and capability. Solid, proven, a pleasure to drive, spacious, and add in a well baked ZF 8-speed, RWD based tank platform, etc.

The Explorer is a mess. Great on paper, great in theory, but built to 80% and they missed taking those great RWD bones, and actually refining them. Glitchy powertrain, unrefined and weird 10-speed performance, unrefined ride/handling, and garbage interior bits. Hopefully 2-3 years in it gets a rebake, and refresh to tune it up.

Traverse...rental car feel, extraordinare. Had 2016 for 3 years. The new gen has better dynamics and sharper responses, mixed with bleh cheap plastics and lack of details, ugly cheap silver wheels, plastic galore, etc. GM and Ford are in a similar spot right now with "they got so good" then..."let's go cheap, plasticky again, and who cares" downward cycle.

Then Telluride...well...

Any automaker. Just take a Telluride, and do that. It checks every box properly, right, and is priced bizarrely normal too, less than others. $60k Enclave with bleh guts (used to set an example) or $43k Telluride that feels worth $10k more, and is nicer day to day. No question.

On 4/7/2020 at 6:08 PM, dfelt said:

Took the SS in for service today at my Cadillac dealer and got a 2020 Escalade ESV as a loaner, only 1,185 miles on it. Have to say I love the interior color, the Mocha Brown with black dash. 

Disappointment was that I thought it had Android play and nope that comes in the 2021 model. Have become so used to it in my SS that not having it in the Caddy was a disappointment.

Someone had traded in a cherry First generation Subaru STI with 16,000 miles on it. Was nice for such an old bug eye sports car.

XT6 CUV's are everywhere there. They had 30 of them in their loaner fleet, another 15 were Escalades and I got the newest one since they had so many.

I now wish I had taken the time to walk the lot and snap pictures as the used auto section was a who's who of the German CUV kind. It was very surprising to see so many German auto's there. The other auto that was there, 7 to be specific was the Italian Alfa Stelvio. All traded in early and when I asked the sales Manager who was there to close the CT6 V deal, he told me they were all being shipped out to wholesale as they just have way too many broken issues and reliability was terrible. They would rather deal with the BMW and Mercedes-Benz issues over Alfa.

Makes me think that Alfa will end up in the grave again by 2025.

2020 Escalade has Android auto, and CarPlay, but that can be a finnicky head unit and it doesn't always work super easily. It is there, though.

Confirmed. Crossed 11,500 miles on the 2020 Outback Onyx XT Turbo, since late October pick up. Going back to a soon to be built, non turbo 2.5L 2020 Outback Limited with more equipment--extendable thigh bolster, Harmon Kardon, etc. I have missed. 3000-3500 miles a month is a continued good R&D liveability test.

Power, either way, is fine. Waiting on an ETA.

1 hour ago, balthazar said:

What does "Decent blah looks but simple" mean?

Too many words...to say...inoffensive, basic, and blah. But, not terrible. Not intricate. Not ornate. Very blocky, and inoffensive to the point it could be any model from any brand.

My Thursday...in Long Island, saw 4 back to back, morning, afternoon and night freshly purchased, and rolling along. Oddly, in person, the shape is better than a current/latest CTS, but and looks considerably smaller.

Must be a decent lease rate on them, if I'm seeing real customer driven examples around Long Island, NY.

Each year of these, were different refinements and improvements, and in the CT6 owner fold, most know and state 100% of the time avoid at all costs an 8 speed model, as they've been nothing but problems. Pricing has adjusted accordingly, and there's very little demand, yet for a big car, it's a very unique proposition to buy vs. german, etc.

3.0TT or 3.6L both work well. Decent blah looks but simple, and if you can find the right combination of mass depreciation, without clunks or with resolved transmission issues, and you like sitting low in a big car vs. something taller, is a unique buy.

On 2/7/2019 at 3:17 PM, Drew Dowdell said:

I want to like these, but they drive just so poorly.

Everyone says this, repeatedly, but doesn't seem to affect sales. I think the Hybrid is likely better (as in most Toyotas). Just a mix match of "meh", in your opinion?

They're everywhere. Goes to show, this size, this price, this look, this capability, etc. is far and away a better, more comfortable and functional daily for most people, than a cramped low sedan...even if the driving dynamics (interestingly) don't get fully baked.

By far, still the best, most thought out, most refined, minivan, platform, features, etc. of any on the market. The Sienna is solid but old. The Odyssey, is, well, Honda. The Pacifica always gets "I just really like it..." vibes, and is thoroughly baked.

Add AWD. Refine it even further. Add more luxury to the already great interior. Stow & Go...and...yes, that works. Have missed them not offering AWD since before Stow & Go, as these have always been a great combo in Chrysler vans.

The base cloth seats are certainly nothing to write home about, and the headrests are just old blocks that don't adjust much (that did bug me), but comfy is this car's mantra.

Touch it up with a few more new things, or even the commonly optioned leather/alcantara seats with bigger bolsters, etc. and you're still good to go.

Can't go wrong with this platform. In a world of tiny turbos, bizarre transmissions, etc., a well baked RWD gut that's beyond proven, a perfect ZF originated 8 speed, still up to date features, etc. they're in their own class. Pardon me, while I go try to see if I can get a rental one again......

Love. This. Car.

Still one of my favorite rentals, and put 5,900 miles on a 2017 Challenger R/T Hemi base with no options...LOVED it. Comfy. Solid. Hemi. Perfect 8 speed. Useful daily, without being a slot car.

And, oddly enough, the best gas mileage recorded in any rental, 29.6 mpg from western PA back to Philly...back in 2017. Great car.

Had another recently, in July, an AWD 3.6L...and loved it too. Sharp, quick, smooth, felt powerful, moreso than a RWD V6 I had before. Always a fave.

Oldie but a goodie...

Oh, to be an Infiniti dealer right now...terrifying.

It's not an easy market, so for any brand, getting your act together and focused is vital. When you're not doing what you should, the numbers only more clearly show it...

Foretelling the new larger crossover they've rumored for years, maybe?

Thinking of which 2020 Outback I want to order next...

Had a 2020 Outback Limited 2.5. Now in my GREEEN 2020 Onyx XT Turbo. Thinking Touring next time, either engine...hmm. Perfect size and fit for me, more than I expected, and more space and comfort with height than several crossovers. The turbo 2.4 is a beast on the highway, but those thigh extenders in the new Limited/Touring leather seats are...a must have.

Friend just crossed 130,000 in her 2014 Grand Cherokee Limited this week...title in the mail...and still not sure what she might want next time. I said keep going, it'll be fine...and in 5 years, not a lot of competition has checked as many boxes into as great of a package yet. Wants a bit bigger, but doesn't like the Durango. Bouncing around ideas.

On 12/12/2019 at 2:45 PM, Robert Hall said:

And on the opposite end of the spectrum, they are supposedly working on Tahoe/Suburban sized models with the Ram-based Wagoneer/Grand Wagoneer...but those rumors have been going around for what seems like a decade...

Exists, and getting closer...Ram guts plus IRS...

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a29953140/jeep-grand-wagoneer-spied/

Small ones? Great too. Renegade kind of covers that already, but alas. Whatever works.

These are everywhere in the northeast, which is expected. Enjoyed a last model year last gen base model Santa Fe I had last year for a few thousand miles, so these are just better in every way.

Still adjusting to the looks, but good ute. The 2.0T has gotten strange over the years, and isn't very well balanced, but the 2.4L is fine.

CX-9 oozes luxury, polish, refinement and "I want to drive that".

I enjoyed my 2011 back in the day with the 3.7L, and always thought even back then it was better built and more refined than things on the market like the MDX, etc. Now it really us.

Having driven and ridden in them all, CX-9 is the most comfortable, best seats, etc. rolling down the road, but not the biggest, no. I'm 6'3" and interior comfort is 110% vital, wrap around seats, console, etc. included. Middle row in these is super comfy, too. It's bigger than a Jeep Grand Cherokee but shorter than a Durango, Explorer, etc., etc. so "just right" for many.

What do you think of the 2.5T in real world day to day, use? Sound, feel, power, off the line, passing on highway...etc.?

Nice review. The change in looks on these has really made a difference, and taken it up a few notches, especially in hatchback form.

Many Toyota owners complain of the infotainment, but now that it has CarPlay, other than the 50 shades of gray, any other feedback or not memorable?

Use any of the standard safety systems? Beep heavy or noticeable?

How's the HTRAC AWD in snow, normal driving, etc? Does it front back, side to side or?