I’m just speculating here, but it probably has more to do with local distribution than border crossing type stuff. When you look at it in that light, the significance of the patch becomes more evident. It’s less “hey, you can’t ride in they same place as me!” and more “screw you, I’m taking your turf and your…

It varies greatly depending on what is available locally, but I would vote for the Honda Rebel 250. Light and not very powerful, they are forgiving of novice mistakes and easy to muscle around when you need to (that applies to most other 250s too.) They are reliable and easy to work on if they do need it. It is a very…

I think that demand for used wagons will drive demand for new wagons. High used prices make buying new a relatively better value for two reasons. Less depreciation and less difference up front.

Oops, talking about different cars here, AntiLag. I was referring to the BMW in the main article. My mistake, I mixed that in with my response to the V-8 hate.

That’s imperial gallons, it translates to 35 miles per US gallon. Honestly not that impressive for a diesel compact coupe. Maybe it’s apples and oranges, but my full size sedan with a V-8 gets around 25 (give or take a mile or two.)

Thank you Doug. You have, once again, translated what we all are thinking into beautiful (well, sarcastic at least) prose. I wish SUV drivers around here would slow down for potholes. Instead, they just swerve into oncoming traffic (my horn gets a lot of use.)

I’m not entirely convinced that buyers are not considering fuel efficient vehicles because of current gas prices.

Unbalanced crank sets? Four cylinders on the inboard banks and three outboard. I’m just speculating, but it might work. Not sure what advantage they would hope to gain over the 16 cylinder version though (packaging maybe?)

Renault first developed the concept, but it was perfected in Detroit. Dodge simplified further by eliminating the cut-out and release latch entirely. It was a different time, a time when a Dodge was a working man’s car. Without such unnecessary luxuries as roofs... and “not third degree burns upon exiting the vehicle.”

Hey, don’t get me wrong. I love oversteer and wheel spin as much as anyone, but there is a time and a place. I just see every car maker throwing out the comfort to add more wheel spin, and still calling it luxury. BTW, I drive an old Cadillac because I enjoy driving it more than a gimped sports car (sports cars should…

In general, yes. However, material properties vary greatly for different alloys of both steel and aluminum. BlackLab, you were likely working with 6061 aluminum (general purpose, cheap, not very strong.) Check out some aerospace alloys, 7075-T6 has a yield strength of 63,000 psi (434 MPa,) while grade s355 structural…

It might not be the only answer, but it is a subject I am familiar with. Emissions. There are a lot of requirements that have nothing to do with what actually comes out the tailpipe. Diagnostic requirements, specifically. If you change anything that works with the powertrain in any capacity, the vehicle must have the…

Dodge would like a word with you on the rear drive V-8 thing, Kug :) I’d also be interested to know why you think luxury cars should be engaging or fun. Should they not be comfortable or luxurious? (That’s a pet peeve of mine, these days “luxury” cars are just sports cars wrapped in leather.)

It would be easier to use an existing rear wheel drive car (Miata anyone?) Replace the existing transmission with one that incorporates the electric motor and generator (pulled from a junked hybrid, most use the same setup these days.) Then throw the batteries in the trunk.

I was not aware that other countries come up with their own names for the planes. I thought the common name was given by manufacturers to refer to them easier. (H/T to The Devil Drives a Rotary.) Over here the F-15 is referred to as Eagle (Eagle 2 technically.)

The F-15 is called Eagle. The F-16 is the Fighting Falcon. I know the number is close, but they are very different planes.

"What caused the death of the big american sedan?" Emissions regulations and trucks essentially. I wrote something about this a while back:

No counting sales tax paid by the buyer you mean. There are still corporate taxes and higher costs associated with operating for both dealers and automakers. From a business standpoint, more expense means more revenue is required to stay in business.

That is not safe in a "now we're in the middle of oncoming traffic" kind of way. If the drivetrain is tough enough (and the wrangler is) it will snap back instead of blowing up. That causes you to lose traction immediately with no warning.

Having the interface change all the time is not a good idea. You look for specific information to be in a specific place when driving, and there's the catch. With this type of thing you must be 100% accurate in your predictions about when drivers will want every specific piece of information, and every driver will…