Sunday, August 31, 2008

A Keen Grasp Of The Obvious

"Friends Of The Earth" have done a study as part of their forlesspollutingcars.com initiative and have come up with the following revelation after questioning 5000 people in various Eurpean countries:

Two thirds believe that lowered fuel consumption would allow citizens to spend their money in other ways, which would help the economy.

Wow! That's brilliant! Who ever could have imagined that money NOT spent on gas could subsequently be spent on something else far more interesting?

Monday, August 25, 2008

Open Your Mind!


And avoid backseats!

Monday, August 11, 2008

Cool Diesel News!

I came across some cool diesel news on Autoblog.com this afternoon. While diesels are still in for a long fight to gain acceptance in North America (as opposed to outnumbering gasoline powered cars in Europe), the dim light at the end of the tunnel is slowly brightening.

All of VWs TDI powered cars, as well as Mercedes Bluetec vehicles, now qualify for a federal alternative-powertrain tax credit. (I would assume that the soon to be released Audi TDI cars will get the same benefits as they are essentially VW engines under the hood.)

Oddly enough, several Ford hybrids like the Escape hybrid two-wheel drive qualify for 2 to 3 times as much of a rebate. Perhaps a little favoritism? Seems like it to me.

Also today, there's a great myth debunking video on GMNext.com pointing out that there are no real legitimate reasons for diesel to be the "outcast" fuel that it still is here in North American.

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Performance + >50mpg + Exclusivity = ALPINA

Start with a 3 series BMW coupé & a 1 series diesel powerplant.

Then put it in the capable hands of the ever subtle BMW tuner ALPINA and let them work a little magic. The result is an even better looking Beemer that still gets well over 50 miles per gallon (52.3 to be exact, or 5.4L/100km) while putting out 214 horsepower and 330 lb-ft of torque, which is enough to propel the coupé from zero to 60 in less than 7 seconds and keeps pushing it all the way to a 152 mph (244 kph) top speed.

Oh, and don't forget that APLINA is only going to make 100 of them, so you'd better get your name to them ASAP... if you live in Europe.

LINK

Getting Better Mileage Is As Easy Changing Your Driving Habits

As I often say, there's no need to sacrifice your driving enjoyment to the tree-hugging hybrid gods just to get better gas mileage. While it's true that commuting in a huge car with a gas guzzling V8 is generally pointless, fuel efficient driving can still make a dent in the economy of that pointless car. Of course, making a responsible choice when buying a vehicle in the first place helps too.

But regardless of what car you drive, changing your driving habits can help keep money in your pocket.

Monday, August 4, 2008

Popular Mechanics tests the TT TDi!

After two weeks out of my office, I'd like to say it feels great to be back.... but I can't. It's Monday. Monday never feels great. Perhaps tomorrow will.

In any case, Popular Mechanics got tired of waiting for Audi to bring the diesel powered TT over here for a test, so they went over there to try it out. And they liked it!

A killer looking sports coupe that can top 40 mpg (US mpg no less)... what's not to like?

Read the full article HERE.