Guest Post: Old vs New – Are the Cars Getting Better?

Today I've got a guest post from the CarsoBlog.

Like me, the writer of that blog doesn't blindly buy into the hybrid hype and greenwashed marketing. Also like myself, he wants to enjoy his car, not just look for a tool to get him where he wants to go.

Be sure to look for more content from the CarsoBlog in the future as well.

Some time ago I watched a road test of the new Ford Fiesta on TV. Guy was doing a full scale review, praising Ford for a good job. Talking about the interior, trunk, drivers position, brakes, engine, fuel economy and prices… all the boring stuff. And then he said (what was in his opinion the greatest news there) about the car: New Fiesta is not heavier than the previous model! Wow, a success?

And that made me think. What happened with the motoring… if during the review they find as a success that the car didn’t get fatter? That is a real success for myself, when I look in the mirror from time to time and see that the diet is working. But with cars? All the hi-tech, aluminium, carbon fibre, computers – and they still get heavier. And needless to say: what weight does with the fun of driving.

Let’s start with the example: Volkswagen Golf GTI.

We all know the Golf GTI badge. It have been spreading around the world for over 30 years now. The concept of “Hot Hatch” class was started by the very first Golf GTI Mk1 in 1983. The car was small, cheap and fast. It had only 4 gears, small 13 inch wheels. Today You get that configuration in “shopping cart”. But it was fun! Although it had only simple 1.6 l 110 HP engine, but it weight only 800 kg (1785 lbs).

You can read the rest of the article HERE.

Diesels @ The Nurburgring 24h!

Diesels are quickly becoming more and more prevelant in endurance racing of many types. And it's not just the Audi R15 TDI vs. the Peugeot 908 HDi at LeMans, or the VW vs. Mitsu Dakar racers either.

Tomorrow (05/23/09) the 2009 edition of the Nurburgring 24h starts. There are 180 cars registered for this epic event, of which 18 are diesel powered!

In the D1T class (1.75-2.0L diesel) there are entries from BMW, Opel, Seat, & VW.

In the D2T class (2.0-2.5L) there is an entry from Toyota.

In the D3T class (2.5-3.0L) there are several BMWs and an Audi.

You can follow all the action live here: LINK

TDI Truth & Dare: Video 1

Volkswagen has opened a TDI Truth & Dare microsite on vw.com to promote their all new lineup of TDI powered vehicles. On that site you'll find links to articles featuring their TDI vehicles, TDI Cup race reports, the interactive "TDI Tank Wars", as well as videos debunking diesel myths.



Also at the microsite you'll find the TDI Toolbox which allows you to find the nearest diesel pumps as well as the lowest diesel prices. There's also a savings calculator to compare the operating cost of a TDI to others cars.

Source: Autobloggreen.com

Diesels We Can't Buy in North America

North America has been, let's face it, utterly slow in accepting diesel as an alternate fuel for passenger cars. To the average North American driver a diesel is what powers dumptrucks, farm tractors, and 18-wheeled rigs.

On the other side of the Atlantic where they average automobile driving consumer is somewhat more enlightened, diesels account for about half the passenger cars on the road.

Autobloggreen.com put together a gallery of 10 diesels available in Europe that are not sold here in North America.

Check out some of these numbers:

10) Chrysler Grand Voyager CRD - 9.4L/100km (25 mpg US)
9) Porsche Cayenne Diesel - 9.4L/100km (25 mpg US)
8) Volvo XC60 - 7.6L/100km (31 mpg US)
7) Jaguar XF S Diesel - 6.7L/100km (35 mpg US)
6) Honda Accord Tourer Type-S - 5.9L/100km (40 mpg US)
5) VW CC Blue TDi - 5.6L/100km (42 mpg US)
4) BMW 116d - 4.4L/100km (53 mpg US)
3) MINI Cooper D - 3.9L/100km (60 mpg US)
2) Ford Fiesta ecoNetic - 3.7L/100km (64 mpg US)
1) smart ForTwo CDI - 3.3L/100km (72 mpg US)

From minivans, to SUVs, to luxury sedans, to wagons, to compacts and subcompacts... each of these vehicles is sold in North America (not always the same name, but the same vehicle nonetheless) with a gasoline burning engine that doesn't even come close to the fuel economy of their diesel burning counterparts, and in some cases doesn't even match the performance numbers either.

Holy Crap! Mitsubishi pulling out of Dakar rallying!

I'm shocked!

After watching this years absolutely amazing rally, featuring a battle of the diesel titans between Mitsubishi and VW, as well as the privateer BMW X-Raids, I'm stunned to read that Mitsu are pulling out of cross country rallying.

This was their first year running diesels (compared to Volkswagen who've run them for years), and despite some setbacks, as well as finishing off the podium, I'd sincerely hoped they'd be back to challenge VW in 2010.

Source.

EVs & Diesels in Detroit

I've been closely following autobloggreen.com for the past couple of days as they cover the eco side of the Detroit International Auto Show. It's pretty cool to see the concepts, but even cooler to see the cars that are actually going to be found in dealer showroom this year.

You can check it out yourself HERE, or click the links below to specific articles.

MB Unveils Concept BlueZero

The Lotus... er, I mean Dodge Circuit
57 Miles Per Gallon Roadster: The BlueSport from VW

More Pics of VW's Diesel Performance Roadster

Audi A3 TDI Coming to US Dealers in '09

ED smart (a poor choice of acronyms)

Fisker Karma & Karma-S (will these ever been seen on a road near you?)

Clash Of The (Diesel) Titans

The 2009 edition of the infamous Dakar Rally (formerly Paris-Dakar) kicks off in just over 6 hours from the time I'm writing this. Competing in that event will be Volkswagen with their TDI Touareg, and for the first time, Mitsubishi in the clean diesel powered Racing Lancer. They formerly entered this rally-raid event in a conventional gasoline powered Pajero. This is the first time two clean diesels will be facing off in the Dakar and it's shaping up to be an epic battle between these two powerhouses.

And just take a look at this video of the Racing Lancer!



That's about as much fun in a 4 wheeled vehicle as can be had!

Clean Diesel Gets Dirty!

Hmm... fishnets!

As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, Volkswagen entered a Clean Diesel powered Touareg in the Baja for the very first time and finished a respectable 13th in their class out of 26 starters.

Autoblog.com has a full article up now about their experience covering the event and watching the TDI (relatively) quietly perform.

Even better than that though, is this video from streetfire.net all about Volkswagen Motorsport's involvement with the project. It's awesome to see them stepping up with absolute commitment to developing and fielding ultra high performance diesel engines in racing.


Volkswagen TDI Touareg at the Baja 1000

VW Touareg TDI's First Outting

Last weekend was the 41st running of the Baja 1000 race in Mexico.

It was also the first time in the event's history that a Clean Diesel powered vehicle successfully competed in, and completed, the event. VW's Touareg TDI placed 13th in it's class of 26 trucks.

This Touareg TDI was powered by a 550-hp 5.5l V12 diesel, which is quite a bit more substantial than their forthcoming Dakar entry, but still... clean diesels are slowly but surely becoming an integral part of endurance motorsports.

LINK

VW Jetta TDI Sets Guinness Record

Congrats to Helen and John Taylor, who set a new World Record by driving their 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI around the United States (the lower 48) while achieving a record setting overall fuel mileage of 58.82 miles per US gallon. That is 70.64 miles per Imperial gallon, or 3.99L/100km.

The trip of over 9,400 miles used just 11 tanks of gas and cost them only US$653.06.

You can learn more about them and read a journal of their entire trip on their official website.

(Image courtesy vw.ca)

Diesel station wagon? Cool? You bet!

Honestly now, is this not a great looking car?

Admittedly, not everyone loves a wagon, and some people just don't like zee Germans, but still... this Jetta is one sweet looking ride.

For all the people who used to use the "I can't buy a compact car, I have to buy an SUV to fit my _______ stuff" excuse when shopping for a new vehicle, Volkswagen presents the Jetta Sportwagen.

Why are I talking about it here though? Because not only does this wagon looks great, but early estimates put the fuel consumption somewhere around 40-45 miles per (US) gallon. That's roughly 48-54 miles per (Imp) gallon. Or 5.88-5.22 liters/100km.

Yes, it's a diesel. But you can forget the old stereotypes about diesels being noisy, smelly, and spewing sooty black smoke. The latest generation of turbo-diesels from Europe are as clean and as quiet as an equivalent gasoline engine, with similar tailpipe emissions.

Performance wise, the 2.0L puts out 140 hp and a very impressive 258 lb-ft of torque. You'll be able to load this wagon to the gills and it'll still go without much effort at all. Mate that power-plant to the 6-speed gearbox (manual or DSG automatic) and the usual German "feel" and you've got a potentially fun car beneath you.

To read more, as well as see a few more pictures, click HERE.