As I understand it, battery efficiency is currently improving at something like 7% a year. Don’t know how linear that trend is. Not fast but not insignificant. If that rate keeps going we would have pretty impressive EV’s in 5-10 more years. They won’t hit 80-90% market saturation without major improvements in…

I love that people think a screen is a bigger failure point than dozens of buttons, knobs, external power heated mirrors, etc.  

Not collectible, I agree.... but these cars aren’t about outright speed. If you want that, buy a Mustang for the same price. They are more about the driving experience. Nice shifting manual, good seats, quality interior, high revving nice sounding engine, etc.... Nuance that a tuned Chevy Cobalt can’t quite capture.

Agree. I got past the young children/minivan phase and am back to enjoying somewhat fun cars again that can family. My last car was an MK7 GTI and now I have a tuned 328i wagon. In college I drove an 85 Civic Si, and then bought a new Integra GS-R soon after graduation. The VW and the BMW are better cars by almost…

Most modern cars have enough gears to stay in an efficient portion of the power band at either 50 or 70, but the drag force of even a slippery car increases dramatically between 50 and 70, requiring more vehicle power/gas to overcome the drag. Every car that I have owned has had it’s optimal fuel economy between 50…

Regarding your Galant, I don’t believe you.  And I said nothing about HP.  

Yep, Just configured one the way I would want it, leather, sunroof, green paint, premium audio..... and was at $210k.  And that was without all of the Porsche leather options.   Exceeding the base price of a Bentley Continental.

FYI, despite owner claims, gasoline cars also dramatically lose efficiency at those speeds.  Most graphs show around 50 mph as the most efficient speed.... and then wind resistance starts becoming a bigger factor as speed increases.  

It was probably around a $500 car originally, but they added tires, a winch, roof rack, switches, horn, exhaust, snorkel, etc.... those parts weren’t free......   and it shoots fire you guys!

E-Class wagon still comes with a rear facing third row in Murica.

Yes, David Tracy had already posted about how the towing limitation on the Gladiator is its cooling system, which is designed to tow its max rating up a 15 degree grade or something in a specific Utah mountain pass. Would likely be fine bombing around in the desert if not towing.

Like promising an electric hummer with 11,000 ft lbs of torques?

He also helped get many public protection laws passed such as the Clean Water Act and Freedom of Information Act while also shining a light on the lack of automobile safety resulting in seatbelt laws, collapsible steering columns, etc....

I don’t disagree with your post, but in the USA we have a pretty low bar for drivers training and FWD is more forgiving. As far as engine locations, front or rear can be good in a sports car, but generally a rear engine in anything requiring decent cargo space causes an issue.   Worked in the VW van, but modern…

The article says an extra 50 hp.  It likely has a flatter torque curve so paired with the 9 speed it should feel significantly faster.  

Definitely was not as comfortable as road tripping with the minivan that we had, and my height is a bit more.... average. Those kind of trips only happen once a year though, so it came down to us deciding if I wanted a fun/small car that works for 95% of the time, or something large and heavy that works 100% of the…

Believe it or not, our family drove from Indiana to Florida on vacation last year in a GTI from Indiana. Kids are 12 and 14. Supplies in a Yakima skybox. Was not bad.  These are family cars in Europe.   We had a minivan previously and sold it when the oldest went to college.

Or in some cases they just left them as essentially two separate inline 6's connected at the drive shaft... with separate ecu’s, fuel pumps, fuel rails, distributors, air sensors, throttle bodies, etc...

My last two cars have had a 2.0T (MK7 GTI and now 328i wagon) and the performance characteristics are terrific..... however even with piped in engine noise, there is only so much they could do to make them not sound like crap. Especially with direct injection giving them a diesel clatter.

Yeah, Toyota is the largest share holder of Subaru’s parent company and owns 5% of Mazda.