Cue Jony Ive, waxing poetically about the ‘beautifully chamfered edges’...

Safety is only one criterion. Taste (of cheese) is another, and not worth less.

Can they make it capable for long-range missions AND close-range air support? And possibly a special version for the Marines?

All these ‘cute’ animals will kill you, because they distract you from the only thing that keeps you alive in the bush: look to the ground and detect that Taipan/Mulga/Tiger snake before you step on it.

That’s bullshit. The group of 3 will likely shut up if there’s a complex situation. Signal to noise ratio is usually better when you talk to live people. It’s also unlikely that you tune your radio, adjust the mirrors, AND look over your shoulder at the same time. Plenty of studies out there that show that being on…

Well - I wouldn’t say there was no tax advantage. Annual tax on your vehicle (=registration) is based on engine displacement; the smaller, the lower, of course. I remember that, back in the day, something like a 3-liter engine was considered huge, and something only the well-heeled could afford...

What about a functioning health care system, secondary education system, a free higher education system, and telecom companies that don’t constantly screw you over?

Hyundais have engines!?

Or: they could just get a few unmarked SUVs that allow officers to peek into the cars from above, and nail everyone who’s texting on the spot. Given that about every 4th or so a$$hole is texting while driving nowadays, that should provide a nice stream of revenue.

1989 Ford Taurus?

• The aircraft will supposedly cost $564 million per unit.
  

Everybody was equal in the “socialist workers’ paradise”, but those who were able to afford a Wartburg (as opposed to only a Trabant) were even more equal...

I’d wager that you can’t make THAT kind of money without being at least a leeeeetle bit evil...

Those flip-up helmets have the advantage that in an accident scenario their removal makes it less likely to do additional damage to skull/neck/spine structures.

these NOx-barfing Volkswagens

well - there are documents that show that GM was aware of the ignition key issues very early on, but deliberately (intentionally) ignored them.

Not necessarily for the engine, that’s true. It’s the other wear-and-tear stuff that can get costly with high mileage: timing belt, transmission, alternator, cv-joints, radiator...

Has anyone gone to jail in the ignition switch fiasco - ya know, the one where people got killed?

This is an add-on that is luxurious, but not necessary, and doesn’t mean anything for the quality of road handling. I think the more people rely on sensors-here-sensors-there, the less proficient they become in controlling a vehicle (which is a complex task...). You can see this every day in numerous situations. A few…

The problem is - the German engineers have somehow not realized yet how terrible roads are in the US (yeah - the common perception in Europe is that since the US is great for road-tripping, the roads must be great, too). As a result of this, parts of the suspension are under-engineered, and show excessive wear after a…