Mk3s are where I got into VWs. My dad bought a 98 Jetta TDI brand new in 1998. It looked dated even when they were new in 1993, so by 1998, they looked REAL dated.

Once again, point right over the head. What’s 0.125 g of NOx and NMHC combined compared to 200g/mi of CO2 in the grand scheme of things? If you have a natural gas stove in your house, you’re inhaling far more NOx inside your house than you are from any diesel on the road, but do you feel ill from it? Nope.

CO will kill…

It’s buried on CARB’s website, but here:

I believe somewhere on the EPA or CARB’s website there is an interesting map showing what the MPG equivalent the average gas car would have to achieve to emit the same amount of CO2 as an electric car. Pretty fascinating map. There are many spots in the Mid West, for example, where you’d only need to do mid 30s MPGs…

Never been the biggest NASCAR fan, but I will say some of the most entertaining races I’ve watched are the NASCAR trucks at the big tracks (Daytona, Talladega). The trucks have such shit aerodynamics that they weren’t required to have restrictor plates. They got full engine power though I think they were never allowed…

The throttle bodies on these are designed to mount to the same carbureted-style intakes by rules design. Either way, a restriction in air flow is going to also require a reduction in fuel to keep the engine at its stoichiometric ratio.

You mean their pre-emptively closing several traditional plants relating to ICE-vehicle production while those products are still selling very well because they’re specifically shifting their focus to electrification isn’t something you took as being legitimate?

I’m sorry, but if your old-timey fond memories of the Blazer nameplate are from the old K5 era, then apparently you were still asleep when GM already ruined any cool factor the Blazer name had when they decided to base it off the S10.

Those were tragic shitboxes, interiors with the worst meh quality 90s plastics…

VWs had their fixes applied. Only the gen 1 4 cylinders suffered on fuel economy due to not having a DEF/SCR system to reduce NOx. All the rest had minimal effect on fuel economy.

I’m normally a diesel fanboy, but this one makes little sense. The fuel economy numbers aren’t great for what you’re getting. A 4 cylinder in a vehicle that size should be able to do mid 30s bare minimum without trying.

Yep, good ol body-on-frame for ya with a stick axle in the back with coil springs. People who off road can appreciate that, although it does have independent front suspension, which does make it steer and handle quite a lot more nicely on the highway.

Less horsepower, yes. But that’s because diesels don’t rev very high. Horsepower is work over time (RPMs). Torque is raw work.

Let’s see...

What’s kind of funny is in the grand scheme of things, overtaking was much improved with the introduction of DRS. People still bitch about the lack of overtakes, but if you were to watch races from the 90s and 2000s, the vaunted V10 era so many like to look back on with rose tinted glasses, the overtaking was way…

They are a bit funky, that’s for sure. I kinda like them, though. I remember watching the racing versions at Sebring a couple times in the mid 2000s (man, I miss ALMS). That Audi V8 does make some good noises when opened up like that.

Right to repair laws aren’t necessarily meant for individual owners (but they can benefit from it), but meant to open doors for independent repair shops to be able to repair vehicles without having impossible red tape/proprietary tools the general public can’t buy just to be able to communicate and diagnose the issue.

Sorry to have missed the race. Will have to catch the replay stream later.

May this day be forever known as the first mention of anyone even thinking for a brief moment that a Chrysler 200 might someday be considered a classic instead of the vague, shitty, rental-car quality, sort-of American car... with some Italian influence.

Endurance racing and circuit racing with races a couple hundred miles or more are where ICE will continue to make more sense than battery electric for a long time yet. Simple physics of weight, range and recharge times make it far more compelling in favor of ICE.

Plus, while yes, the big low down torque of electric…

I’d vote this COTD if there was such an option.