Ferrari Mailing List: Re: MB GL450Ferrari Digest, Vol 31, Issue 55

[Adam Green (flatcrank]

On Mon, Mar 2, 2009 at 12:53 PM, LS <lashdeep [at] yahoo.com> wrote:

>
> "Still, I was pleased to have a credible "full size" alternative to buying
> yet another Chev/Ford with a design perfect in only one engineering goal:
> they self-destruct at exact mile and minute of the warranty coverage."
>
> Funny comment.
>
> What preconceptions does everyone or even the public adhere to? I guess a
> lot of the images of the 70s/80s exist today. Do they get passed down
> through family or through the "expert" journalists in the magazines?


And only meant as a funny comment.  You don't have to be an avid car nut to
know that Ford has turned around quality to now rival or better the Euro
makers, GM still has problems across the board and runs on "legacy" designs
for lack of R&D budget, Chrysler benefited from MB while MB went through too
many years of woeful QA until entirely new models arrived circa 2005.

Still, if you take the time to drive a selection of them, you can see where
the euro maker designers were finding fresh ideas (although sometimes the
production engineers come along and spoil things like the back seat folding
of the Cayenne) while the domestic SUVs today look to me like products
following, not leading.  I could counterpoint that by saying the Volvo got
some good ideas from Ford (sliding second row middle seat for a baby booster
to come forward between "mom and dad" in the front seats) and MB clearly saw
the market acceptance of the electric fold flat third row in the Fords and
copied it.  And all those tough SUVs have quaint and dainty soccer-mom
mini-vans to thank for the important stuff like the electric rear hatch
lifter.  I might change my opinion on this, but recently having a Toyota
Sienna (whatever the loaded model is) as a loaner while the Cayenne gets a
tire replaced, I looked around at all the nifty little things (sliding side
doors on motors, no finger jams, easy child seat LATCH setup, hooks that can
actually hold a suit on a hanger as well as every electronic gadget that's a
line-item option from Porsche (bluetooth, back-up camera, automatic cruise
like Distronic, AWD, you name it) and it doesn't take much research to
realize the whole Toyota costs about the same as just the price of those
options added to the basic Cayenne!  Aargh!  And still the auto industry
analysts say that the next shoe to drop is that sticker prices will have to
come down 30% to reflect the lower buying power of the US car buyer in the
coming years.  Grim stuff.

For me, given the utilitarian needs for our SUVs -- and looking down the
barrel of two "frugal" economic years ahead -- I expect I'll be looker
closer at a Ford Expedition EL and maybe throwing a Whipple supercharger on
it.  I did this with a 2001 Chevy Tahoe and the result was 400hp+ and a lot
of fun as well as easy towing, but mpg was no fun, even back then, plus you
have to go through the brakes and suspension.  The diesel Excursion
continues to hold the crown for towing in an SUV, so I'm reluctant to sell
and I don't see anyone building anything like that behemoth ever again.  I
feel like finding another '05, low mileage one and "stockpiling" it.  At
current prices, they're basically free.  The consequent divorce, however,
would not come so cheap.

Anyway, that's enough from me on anything and everything NFC.  Sorry!