jpvbs

Just thinking out loud. If Ford has decided a very large pushrod V8 is something they want for Mustang/F150, why would they decide to go with a smaller bore/destroked 7.3? If you were going to go big, why not just go with an alloy 7.3? Go big or go home. Was that extra .5l just a bridge too far? That makes me think the idea that the 6.8 being an upgraded 6.2 makes sense. I believe when the 6.2 was released the word was they engineered it to go up to 7.0l. A coyote-ized 6.8 could reasonably make 600+ hp NA.

I've been away from BON for awhile, but thought I'd share my latest acquisition, a 1996 F150. Having spent most of its life in the rust belt, it is pretty rusty, but compared to a lot of trucks in this generation, it isn't too bad. Basic specs: Single cab 8' bed 4x4 5.0 V8 5 speed manual (!!!) 247k mile Paid $1000 So it is really well used, but the positive thing is that the former owner is a coworker of mine and he ordered it to his specs and bought it new. It was his baby and even though he could easily afford a new one (be did finally buy a 2019 F150), he put the money into replacing and upgrading everything on this one. When I picked it up we spent an hour over and under the truck pointing out everything he had replaced, down to the springs behind the cruise control buttons. He also just put brand new Cooper mud tires on it this summer. It runs, drives, and brakes great. I'm not planning to use it more than for occasional dog hauling and miscellaneous chores. I expect it will work great for that.

I'm another one that is disappointed by this. I'm not a CUV guy. I can accept the financial calculus of the decision, but I don't like it. I feel it lessens the overall brand. I thought a larger Focus might have been a good compromise to cover both compact and midsize. Oh well.

More '18s are getting to the track and they are really fast. Here's an 11.85@119.5

Is there any international displacement taxation/registration laws that would be reason to favor the 2.3eb vs. the 2.7eb? In the U.S. market I think higher hp/performance would be a driving force for the decision, but in the rest of the world, a lower boost, more efficient 2.3eb could be more desirable. Also, what the weight ends up at (aluminum intensive or not?) will likely make difference in the engine selections.

You can probably knock off some time off the 60ft too.

What was your trap speed and how does it compare to the MKS trap speeds?

It would basically be the Escalade 6.2 with the new 10 speed, right? http://www.motortrend.com/cars/cadillac/escalade/2015/the-big-test-large-luxury-suvs/ In this comparison a couple years ago the Escalade just edged out the Navigator on 0-60 - 5.9 to 6.2. That was with the Cadillac having a 300lb weight advantage and an 8 speed vs a 6 speed. I think the 2018 Expedition will lose enough weight to hang pretty close to a 6.2 Tahoe, no high dollar option package required.

I have to imagine a Venn diagram of the group of people that would buy a hatchback and the group that would buy a Buick has a pretty small intersection. Buick has a little better history with Wagons though.

If they were going to start from scratch and build a new pushrod engine, and that engine was designed specifically for use in class 4-7, wouldn't they design it to be larger than 7.0l?

http://corporatenews.pressroom.toyota.com/releases/tms+march+2017+sales+chart.download (it is a .PDF file. ) PLANO, Texas (April 3, 2017) Toyota Motor North America (TMNA) Inc., today reported its U.S. March 2017 sales of 215,224 units, a decrease of 2.1 percent from March 2016 on a volume basis. With the same number of selling days in March 2017 compared to March 2016, sales were down 2.1 percent on a daily selling rate (DSR) basis. Toyota division posted March 2017 sales of 187,289 units, down 1.2 percent on a volume and DSR basis. The industry might see its first dip below a 17 million SAAR since June 2016, although it will likely be nearly flat to last March, said Jack Hollis, group vice president and general manager, Toyota division. The Toyota division set a new light truck record for the month and quarter as we saw SUV sales sizzle with a best-ever March for RAV4, Highlander, and 4Runner, all up double digits. Lexus posted sales of 27,935 units, down 7.5 percent on a volume and DSR basis. In March, luxury utility vehicles continued to move off dealer lots, said Jeff Bracken, Lexus group vice president and general manager. NX posted sales up 24 percent, and GX rose by 31 percent as our dealers met customers needs with better inventory during our Command Performance Sales Event. March 2017 Highlights: Camry posts sales of 35,648 units Corolla records sales of over 30,000 units TMNA, Toyota, and Lexus divisions all post new March record for light truck sales RAV4 sales rise 10.3 percent; a best-ever March and first quarter Highlander up 20.8 percent; a best-ever March and first quarter 4Runner up 25.5 percent; posts best-ever March and first quarter Tacoma sales of 16,728 Lexus luxury utility vehicles up 9.5 percent for the month NX up 24 percent for the month, sets new best ever March RX posts sales of 9,445 units GX gains 31 percent in March, up 5.7 percent in first quarter LX up almost 21 percent for the month Like other manufactures, car sales are down. Camry, Avalon, Corolla, Prius down. Every Lexus car is down. SUVs up 15% Tacoma and Tundra both down. 4Runner is up 25% to 12k units which I found interesting. Is there still any talk of Ford building a 4Runner type vehicle as an add-on to the Ranger/Bronco?

I think Ford would miss a big opportunity if they don't offer the 2.7eb. The V6 engines in the Tacoma and Canyonados is certainly adequate, but that is it. Neither offer a powertrain option that is really aspirational. The 2.7 would really differentiate the Ranger. And further, it seems even more important for the Bronco. If Ford hopes to sell them for high transaction prices, it will need something more than just adequate.

Ram sold 46k pickups last month so it outsold the Silverado brand. I don't know if Ram had better deals last month or if there is a true buyer preference for the Ram over the Chevy. The Silverado has had some significant refreshes in the last few years while the Ram has had some mechanical upgrades but it still looks the same as it did in 2009.

Do we think this 7.0l will be a 4v DOHC design? For truck applications it probably doesn't need huge HP numbers, but they could use the tiVCT to pump up the low end significantly.

but if it becomes that Buick only exists in the Chinese market, it could lose whatever street-cred they have as American luxury. You could be right though, they just like the American style and don't care if it actually exists in the U.S.

I think one of the reason Chinese buyers choose Buicks is that they symbolize American-style luxury. If GM were to eliminate Buick from their U.S. portfolio, would Chinese buyers care? I don't know if it would have an immediate impact, but if they became a Chinese-only brand, they may lose some of that cachet in time.

Camaro down 24% ATS down 37% CTS down 38% That platform isn't performing well. Actually, every Cadillac is down minus the new XT5. Buick doesn't look so hot either. With the market trends right now, GMC is probably in a good spot.

How strong are Fiesta sales in Mexico and central America? I doesn't seem like the U.S. sales alone would justify investment in a significant update. If they are particularly popular in other markets that Cuautitlán supplies maybe upgrading would be reasonable. Otherwise, a situation similar to the U.S. continuing the C170 Focus would make sense. Where do U.S. market Fiesta STs come from? I thought I read they came from a European plant. If the U.S. doesn't get the new Fiesta, hopefully Ford figures out a way to continue to make the current one somewhere else for North America.

My feeling is that the few extra minutes you might have to spend waiting for a recharge on an occasional long road trip would be an acceptable trade off for all the minutes I save by not having to make routine stops at gas stations the rest of the year.

Actually, maybe they can... http://www.autonews.com/article/20170227/RETAIL/170229860/gm-dials-up-discounts-on-pickups-as-rivals-tread-on-turf

Apparently in the EU Ford is not allowed to advertise the HP during overboost. That is why the otherwise identical current 1.6l is rated lower there. The new 1.5l Dragon is now rated equal to the old U.S. 1.6l. Does the Dragon have an overboost feature? If it does, then the 1.5l will actually have a nice power increase.

True. I thought I did write that in my reply but apparently the thought didn't get to my keyboard.