Please listen though this and try to digest it http://atvs.vg.no/player/index.php?id=9520

You mean an inefficient car, right?

There are efficient American cars, and I believe there are inefficient cars in other countries.

Just sayin.

ohyeat. but the "motor volum is everything", detriotish attitude is still crap

well, yes..
The "detroitish" attitude definitely is crap.

tChr wrote:ohyeat. but the "motor volum is everything", detriotish attitude is still crap

I know somebody driving an old huge Volvo with an annoyingly thirsty engine. So what does this video have especially to do with US cars?

Well, you wanted us to digest this video: changing of the environment. We're gonna die

It is about the US. The biggest country not to endorse the Kyoto Protocol, a country where Diesel is hardly used, possibly due to lobbying by the oil industry, a country where automatics are far more popular than manuals, a country where the best selling vehicle is a pickup truck, where hatchbacks are considered a sin, where a 'sports' car will have a 5.7 litre V8 that does 20mpg and still only has 200bhp and has the suspension from a Roman chariot, where driving round a banked oval all afternoon in 2 tonne cars with engines specially imported from the 1950's that have only this year changed to running on unleaded is considered sport, where the Toyota Prius was basterdised so that it is not able to utilise the electric motor correctly like in the rest of the world.

The big three US car makers (Ford, GM, Chrysler) are all in such financial troubles that American cars will have to change. Either the US car makers will change their vehicles or they'll go bust in which case the choice will be European or Asian cars which would sort the problem out.

Yes, so not all other cars are frugal and I know this as I've recently got a Mercedes C220CDI as a company car, a car which has a useless automatic transmission and despite being a diesel, still only does 39mpg EU combined.

I still see not that big difference. Look at the german oh so "state-of-the-art" Audi Q7 4.2 FSI and you will see that the germans build the same crap, regarding the engines and their environment friendlyness. They're gasoline guzzlers and CO² blowers as well. And the only reasons why you don't see more of those cars in europe is simply their prices!

If I would live in the US, I'd also buy rather a tank than a hatchback...

Urmel... wrote:

tChr wrote:ohyeat. but the "motor volum is everything", detriotish attitude is still crap

I know somebody driving an old huge Volvo with an annoyingly thirsty engine. So what does this video have especially to do with US cars?

Well i can run on pure bio-ethanol at least when I'm done modyfying the engine (all i have to do is change the timing and injection a little, noe that is true swedish engineering

Ed wrote:It is about the US. The biggest country not to endorse the Kyoto Protocol,

Bush's arguement is that we aren't going for it because China and India are exempt. China will surpass us in greenhouse gas emisision sometime between now and 2010, and India is projected to really have some major growth. Of course, I'm sure the lobbyists and the oil industry do have a lot of sway here too.

It, or something like it might have a chance with the next president.

a country where Diesel is hardly used, possibly due to lobbying by the oil industry,

Don't forget we also have lousy diesel fuel. I don't know about lobbying, but a lot of the distaste for diesels is becaue of the lousy diesels produced domestically from the late 70's to the mid 80's, and because of the difficulties (real or percieved) of starting them in cold weather.. In some areas, diesel is cheaper than gasoline, so I bet Toyota and company could pull off a marketing campaign and sell some decent diesels.

a country where automatics are far more popular than manuals,

Is there really that much of an efficiency advantage?

where hatchbacks are considered a sin,

Not true.

where driving round a banked oval all afternoon in 2 tonne cars with engines specially imported from the 1950's that have only this year changed to running on unleaded is considered sport,

I don't get it either. We're not all Larry the Cable Guy.

The big three US car makers (Ford, GM, Chrysler) are all in such financial troubles that American cars will have to change. Either the US car makers will change their vehicles or they'll go bust in which case the choice will be European or Asian cars which would sort the problem out.

Yep. Well, unless the government bails them out.

You also forgot to mention a general lack of efficient public transportation.

I drive an "american car" . It was built in Mexico, engine and drivetrain was developed by isuzu. I had a hard time finding a manual, but I got my hands on one. It is a hatchback, and puts down 175 bhp. Most of the reasons why we have so low HP on this side of the pond is due to stricter emissions. NASCAR SUCKS!!

I drive a Chrysler PT Cruiser, which gets a piddly 20mpg. I'd love to get a Toyota Yaris or some similar model that gets ~40mpg, but between college and gas money, it's probably going to be a bit of time before I can invest in an efficient car. Remember, much of the youth of America either get

A. A used deathtrap because that's all they can afford, or
B. What their parents get them.

Even when they buy their first "real" car, it may not be a golden paragon of fuel efficiency, because cheap is still the issue. But kudos to Toyota for making the Yaris fuel efficient and reasonably priced.

Fuel efficiency will definitely fly with he youth of America when somebody releases a $5000 car that trims all the fat from most cars and just leaves it with a green engine.

supposedly someone has a hummer with the license plate '7mpg'

Ed wrote: where hatchbacks are considered a sin, where a 'sports' car will have a 5.7 litre V8 that does 20mpg and still only has 200bhp and has the suspension from a Roman chariot.

lmao!

that made me laugh so much, thank you...but it's also so true

tChr wrote:

Urmel... wrote:

tChr wrote:ohyeat. but the "motor volum is everything", detriotish attitude is still crap

I know somebody driving an old huge Volvo with an annoyingly thirsty engine. So what does this video have especially to do with US cars?

Well i can run on pure bio-ethanol at least when I'm done modyfying the engine (all i have to do is change the timing and injection a little, noe that is true swedish engineering

Your car is going to blow up...i can see it coming now.

k0jak wrote:Your car is going to blow up...i can see it coming now.

Bio ethanol isn't more likely to blow up though. However, one of the best examples of a bio-ethanol powered car will try it's hardest to kill you at any opportunity:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koenigsegg_CCXR
http://www.topgear.com/content/features ... /05/1.html

Got to love Swedish ideas on saving the environment...

but we need the ethanol for... well you know...

duh. I dont know. So would you please..

New shop idea:

Nexuiz shot glasses.

uhm... how much does a CCX cost?

kozak6 wrote:New shop idea:

Nexuiz shot glasses.

comes with a free bottle of electrobeer