Student loans are definitely a factor here. What amazes me though is how the universities themselves somehow escape almost all scrutiny when it comes to the cost of college tuition. Many elite colleges and universities have endowments large enough to cover every student full-freight, or at least substantially reduce…

The traction problem may not be as bad as you think. The GT350 has more power than the M3, but the Bimmer delivers a huge wallop of midrange torque whereas the GT350's N/A engine is far more linear. I haven’t driven a GT350, but in my experience the sudden midrange power from the turbocharged S55 ///M engine can make…

It’s a bit more complicated than that. US companies who sign away their IP to gain market access have little to stand on (and were foolish to think it wouldn’t hurt them long term). True IP theft comes more in the form of hacking/cyber-espionage, selective regulatory enforcement on foreign firms, government…

You’re probably right, but that idea still makes me want to vomit...

1st Gear: I totally understand the need to act on China’s various trade infringements; free trade works if both sides play by the same rules. We’ve needed to confront China’s IP theft and other behaviors for a long time.

Agreed, this fills a nice space in the market. I just hope enough people buy it.

The big advantage of an I6 IMHO is its intrinsically balanced design: smoother, more refined, free-revving. Usually sounds more characterful too IMHO, though some of that could have to do with I6s tending to be in high performance / luxury cars and many V6s existing in workaday sedans and CUVs with no performance…

Just about as good as an inline-6, given who makes it and what it goes into. Can’t argue with 60+ years of Zuffenhausen ass-kicking.

Going with the V6 for packaging reason makes sense in a FWD car, e.g. most sedans or crossovers. Having said that, I’d take an inherently balanced engine and the refinement it brings 10 times out of 10 if the vehicle’s configuration allowed for it.

Ok, this wins.

It made GTIs and Jetta awfully nose heavy, but I’ll give the VR6 this: it sounded awesome, made plenty of torque, and sure beat the hell outta the 1.8T four for reliability (don’t ask me know I found out....)

Only if you wish to saddle yourself with that other bane of enthusiast driving, front wheel drive (or FWD-based AWD) :P

Trying to make as much sense as I can before it gets banned from the interwebz! the people don’t appreciate it much these days

Inline-6 = how to properly arrange 6 cylinders.

4th Gear: here’s my theory why auto sales are falling during a strong economy. Many people held off buying new cars during the big recession, and as a result the American passenger auto fleet’s average age hit an all-time high. Once the economy got better and fuel prices stayed down, many people decided to make the…

Would you take it over a well-spec’d GT PP1, PP2, or Bullitt, assuming it would be your commuter car at least half the time?

I’m not claiming Uber’s business model will work long term (it has its risks), just noting that taxi services had no viable competition until technology allowed ridesharing to happen. There’s clearly demand among customers for something cheaper/faster/more convenient than traditional taxis. Someone will attempt to…

Sorry to hear yours bombed out. Personally I’d never buy a CVT in a performance-oriented Subaru, not because it’s unreliable but because it kills the party almost before it can start.

The 2.0L turbo version is damn cool - I’d love that powertrain in my WRX, as long as it came with the manual.

The taxi business wasn’t “disrupted” because the technology didn’t exist to disrupt it. No one could create an easily accessible platform for consumers to access ride-sharing until the magic combo of smartphones, GPS, and broadband got into nearly everyone’s’ hands.