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If my choice is between plain-looking but utilitarian vs handsome and useless, I will choose the former.
In the past 18 months, drivers across the world have cracked up at least six rare $1 million Ferrari Enzos -- only 400 of which were built. In March, a California man rammed his $300,000 Lamborghini Murcielago into five parked cars; while in England, a 39-year-old driver caused an international stir among car enthusiasts by crashing a Bugatti Veyron -- an extremely rare $1.5 million turbocharged missile with a top speed of 253 miles per hour.
It's not just drunken celebrities doing the damage. On the way to an M.B.A. class near San Diego one recent morning, Nasar Aboubakare, a 40-year-old private-equity firm president, lost control of his new 550-horsepower Ford GT and wrenched it over a lane divider. "The car is like a wild animal," he says.
To compound matters, it's tough to be inconspicuous when you damage a $150,000 automobile. After Mr. Aboubakare's accident, several passing motorists snapped pictures while one leaned out the window of his pickup truck and shouted: "What an idiot!"
Police in wealthy enclaves across the country say these accidents are not unusual. A spokesman for the Beverly Hills Police Department says his officers "regularly" handle accidents involving exotic vehicles, while Sgt. Jeffrey Kelly from Boca Raton, Fla., says his department has logged two Ferrari crashes in the past two years. "We've had our fair share," he says.
WSJ's Jennifer Saranow reports on the increasing number of accidents and wealthy sports-car owners who don't just take weekend drives.
According to the California Highway Patrol, the total number of accidents involving Aston Martins, Bentleys, Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Lotuses and Maseratis rose to 141 last year, an 81% increase from 2002, while overall crashes declined statewide during that period. Porsche, BMW and Mercedes-Benz, which sell a wider range of models, saw a 22% increase during that time frame
Wall Street Journal
Regardless of the cause, anyone who wrecks one of these cars has a more immediate problem than finding a mechanic: the possibility of public humiliation. After smashing his silver Ferrari 360 into a light pole in November in Palm Beach, Fla., David Riggs says none of the 50 or so onlookers who stopped to gawk asked him if he was OK. Instead, the 42-year-old says he heard comments like "wow, you are really having a bad day," "that is really a bummer," and "your toy is broke." "Nobody is really concerned if you are hurt," Mr. Riggs says.
Car companies say they do what they can to make sure their most powerful vehicles get into the hands of experienced drivers. Buyers of Ferrari limited-production cars like the Enzo "were chosen by the factory based on their history and loyalty to Ferrari," says the spokesman, Mr. Bennett.
Wall Street Journal
Despite my bias towards diesels I may end up buying a future hybrid (most likely from Toyota/Lexus).
Why? Because 90 to 95 percent of my driving is on city roads(many times stuck behind a painfully slow streetcar). So based on my situation a hybrid would be more suitable.
Now if I moved to the burbs or worked in the burbs and did a lot of highway travelling then definitely a diesel whould be my top choice.
In terms of reliability I think this is one of the advantages Honda has over Toyota. Honda purposely tries to keep their product range offerings narrow. Just look at the limited number of platforms for their Acura line.
Reminds me of a Honda slogan from the 1980s:
Honda we make it simple
That's what is going to happen when you put cars with ridiculous amounts of power in the hands of average drivers on public roads. Give your average boater one of those jet-powered 300mph hydroplanes, and I'm sure the same thing would happen.
As far as it's upright stance... I don't see that at all. The GLK seems well-proportioned, and the X3 is clearly skinny and upright by comparison, while the the GLK appears to have a wider footprint.
The cargo space will be an interesting specification to watch, but I will bet that the GLK has plenty, as the early blurb I read indicated that it would offer a very generous amount of cargo space... and that interests me as well as hpowders.
The GLK is a looker. Best-looking small SUV I've ever seen. The only other factor would be the powertrain selections. So, if the GLK offers a terrific diesel, and the cargo capacity is good, then it's a no-brainer slam-dunk as far as I'm concerned.
I'll re-post the pics, before they get lost in a previous page:
Man, that thing looks good!!!! :shades:
TagMan
link title
TagMan
The one thing that bothers me is the "confined cockpit" they wrote about. When you are 6'2", you take notice of such comments.
I will check it out when 2008 rolls around.
However, the Acura MDX Sport could be a serious contender. Haven't read a negative review yet. It would have to really drive great and have an extremely comfortable driver's seat plus good legroom to convert me. I already know it has a lot of room back there with the second and third row seats folded.
I do get some nice perks with BMW. Tough to make a change.
Here are some GLK details from C&D:
"Unfortunately, Mercedes did not let us leave with pictures, but the spy shots here provide a pretty good idea of what to expect. At 180 inches long, 68 inches wide, and 71 inches tall, the new GLK is 10 inches shorter than an ML and 22 inches shorter than a GL. It rides on a 109-inch wheelbase—essentially sharing the platform of the new C-class including axles and suspension.
The new Mercedes GLK will not be equipped with an off-road-package; that is there will be no low range and no convential differential locks. But Mercedes’ new 4Matic system, which already is available in the S-class and will be available in the C-Class in September, will be standard. The torque distribution is expected to be split 40:60, front-to-rear. The new GLK also comes with electronic stability control, seven airbags and active headrests.
The five-seater will share the adaptive hydromechanical damper system, known as Agility Control, with the C-Class. The system automatically switches between the Comfort and Sport settings, depending on how the car is being driven. An Advanced Agility package will allow the driver to pre-select the mode.
Mercedes is expected to launch the SUV in the second half of 2008, starting with the GLK230 with a 204-hp gasoline V-6 engine for Europe. We likely won’t get that model, but U.S. Mercedes dealers should offer the GLK300 (GL280 in Europe) which uses a 228-hp 3.0-liter V-6, as well as the GLK350 with a 268-hp 3.5-liter V-6. On the diesel side, we expect to see the 224-hp GLK320 CDI BlueTec to cross the Atlantic."
Notice the very clever locations for the C&D watermarks in the pictures - GLK spy shots and info
The more I read about the GLK, the more I want it.
When the second half of 2008 rolls around, I'll check out both the X3 and the GLK, and I'll do a very serious comparison between the two.
But, I gotta say again, that GLK is freakin' good-looking, IMHO. Hope the rest of it is as up to snuff as the early write-ups indicate.
TagMan
I'm sure my wife and I will also be taking a look at one at the end of her X3 lease, and probably the diesel. The X3 is a bit better than the RX300 in terms of mpg.. but it also needs premium, so it probably equals out. The most important thing to her will be whether the GLK can match the X3's 37 foot or so turning circle.
The Infiniti EX35 will also be on our list. The VQ has never been a particularly frugal engine, but the EX has the potential to be the best driver of the small lux-ute class.
Very slick design!
DrFill
Audi clearly thinks you can have too much of a good thing: the sensational RS4 saloon is now out of production.
The 414bhp V8-powered RS4 was unveiled at the Geneva motor show in 2005, and went on sale in the UK in October of that year.
It has been a big success for Audi – not least with us here at Autocar, who have fallen for its supercar pace and agility.
The saloon was joined in summer 2006 by the RS4 Avant and cabriolet, both of which remain in production for the moment.
Though Audi hasn't admitted as much, RS4 production is being phased out to make way for the forthcoming new RS6.
The RS6 is already in advanced testing. It's believed to use a turbocharged 5.0-litre V10, and is expected to be unveiled at the Frankfurt motor show in September.
autocar
Well equipped and in diesel form it could run into the $50s. Might be the only fly in the ointment if that info is correct.
2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460
I think they mean to say that it is the end of this RS4, not the end of the RS4. Audi RS cars usually show up at the end of the model's production run, and are only around for a few years. See last gen RS6. The A4 is about to be replaced, so it makes sense for the RS4 to go away for now. I'm sure it will be back, and better than ever.
I had the chance to sample a Champion Red RS4 at our Audi dealer a while back.
This car is so aplomb in daily driving, enough to make you actually forget your driving the "hot" one. But equally, it will also remind you that it's ready to play at the most simplest stab of the throttle.
As you admitted to, I like the super-sedans versus the super-coupes in this class. Cars like the RS4, M5/stick, and CLS/E63 have really made a great class even better.
But there is better news. The RS6 is headed to our shores with one mission: To kill the M5 once again. This time, with 5.0L of turbocharged German motor. I've been waiting on this car for a while. It is supposed to be ready for the mid-life refresh cycle for the A6, right along with more powerful engines for the entire line.
And to add, the RS5 will in no doubt add to the greatness of the RS4, as it affords bettter weight distribution, lighter weight, and upgraded transmissions. And there will be S4/RS4 variants in the next A4 generation
I see where you are back to the suv...Is it because of the comfort, height view, and space for other people, or possibly for that trip back North? I just visuallly see you in the bmw five sedan, with the powerful engine.....No one really seems to want to do anything about the pollution issue, and on a basis of comparison, we drivers that drive say ten thousand miles a year do not use that many gallons of gasoline. Now the big trucks really do use alot...Your friend Tony ps I am very pleased with the Audi`s dependability...Better than my past Lexus cars and suv, and a pleasant surprise....I wonder what I`l do the next go around??
Well equipped and in diesel form it could run into the $50s. Might be the only fly in the ointment if that info is correct.
The X3 starts at $38k, and you can easily hit $48K with options. Also, remember that exchange rates have absolutely nothing to do with MSRP in a given market. Our 335i starts at $38K. In Britain, it starts at £31K, obviously not even close. Mercedes won't price themselves out of the market.
Any idea what the transmission choices will be? Are they going to use "R-tronic" like in the R8? Beating the M5 shouldn't even be that much of a challenge for them this time, it is definitely not universally beloved like the last one.
An X3 can indeed equip itself into the 50's, as I've done so many times with the build-your-own configurator. Of course, some of those options are unnecessary.
I just saw a grahite gray colored X3 on the road, and it looked pretty good to me. I don't think it is as attractive as the GLK, but I don't agree with some of you that it is an ugly duckling. Quite the opposite... I really like its looks, but again the GLK is the real knockout in the looks department.
That X3 could end up with a twin-turbo diesel that would be very hard to turn down. It's all too early to know, but as we get closer, my impatience seems to grow on me. I am quite anxious to get one, and I have to wait a little over a year to do so.
TagMan
I'm thinking about possibly getting a NYC apartment as a second home somewhere down the road. This is only in the planning stage at this time. My value side is telling me I could probably get a decent price with the RE market quite a bit subdued lately.
The SUV will then come in quite handy going back and forth with all my stuff.
At this time the reviews have been quite positive on the X3 and I will drive it early in 2008. Perhaps that new MB competitor of the X3, the GLK, also. It is the first serious competitor to the X3. I would have to see some positive reviews, however, for me to be interested enough to drive the MB, since it is an unproven entity. But it does have the X3 beaten in the looks dept.
Yes I do like the 545i, but even with the fold down rear seat, the cargo room is seriously lacking. And I have already tried every possible maneuver (triple axle,anyone?) in this vehicle. I'm running out of things to do.
Looking forward to the first reviews.
The X3 finally gets a serious competitor! Great news! Should jolt BMW into making the 2008 X3 even better! I can't lose!
Hopefully, the GLK will have about 70 cu ft of cargo space like the X3.
If the car mags. love the GLK, I will have to drive one in 2008.
You and the wife are splitting up? What would you do without the rum cake?
Seriously though, consider that the X3 has 71 cubic feet of cargo space according to BMW, but the current Mercedes GL offers 83.3 and the smaller ML offers 72.4.
Since the GLK is likely to be smaller than the ML, then it seems likely that it's cargo capacity would be less than the ML's 72.4, in which case it would likely be less than the X3's 71 as well.
How much less is to be seen, but I don't think the other SUVs are going to bring down the X3 from being the cargo champion. To illustrate this even further, the Infiniti FX35 offers 64.5 cubic feet of cargo space.
The X3 seems to offer a generous amount of cargo space... Their secret must be that they sacrificed all the passenger room and they made the driver's seat and cockpit for a midget. No way your 6'2" frame will fit... unless you make yourself the cargo!! LOL.
Anyway, BMW has done a good job with the cargo space, and you've made it clear that you need every drop of space you can get.
TagMan
Your logic is hard to argue with (though others around here have surely tried!
Is there any SUV out there that you can really love for pure style? I can't. A few nice ones, but none that blow me away.
It's always nice to drive a car that looks good. But, I still think you are being harder on the X3 than it deserves. It's a good looking SUV, IMO. I just think the GLK is better-looking at this point, at least based upon the pics. They are both near the tops in appearance, IMO. The X3 dresses up nicely with the aero package, or whatever it's called... and it looks darned good with it. I kept seeing a few that looked particularly good, and then I realized that it was some sort of sport appearance package.
When I checked online, there is a choice of getting that package as some sort of sport package with the rougher riding stiffer suspension, or just as an appearance option without the ride package.
Besides, we don't know how or if they'll market the diesel anyway... and if so, what features would be standard or optional.
I still think the X3 is a terrific choice no matter what anybody here says.
Since I don't need quite as much cargo room as you, I'll look at the X3 and the GLK for the other more typical reasons.
BTW, I'm glad your wife will FedEx you some rum cake to go along with the Kona. Nothing like a little caffeine and alcohol to go hand-in-hand. I've done some of my best driving (and posting) that way. LOL.
TagMan
That sounds like a fun plan, a bit of cold weather, then the sunny South....Make sure to get a parking space with it---just a thought---..Further a less descript car would get less attention from the mean people....With your appreciation of the opera, and other fine things N. Y. is a fine place...As for me I enjoy the mixing pot of the Americas Miami....Tony
Winging our way leftward tomorrow to visit my family in SoCal. I won't miss my TL as I will be driving my Dad's former (now my brother's) TL! Dad traded his '05 TL for an '07 Camry Hybrid and waxes poetic about it. Unbelievable mpg he's seeing for his road trips to Palm Desert and his new weekend/vacation home there.
The times, they are a changin'.
Have a great weekend, next post probably from Santa Monica... I'll say "Hi" to Paris for y'all... :sick:
'21 Dark Blue/Black Audi A7 PHEV (mine); '22 White/Beige BMW X3 (hers); '20 Estoril Blue/Oyster BMW M240xi 'Vert (Ours, read: hers in 'vert weather; mine during Nor'easters...)
C&D mentioned the cockpit is a bit tight. I'll have to find out for myself when the 2008 version hits the showrooms.
As long as folks continue to flock to the less practical X5, BMW will continue to offer excellent support on X3 leases.
I have to agree with you again: One doesn't want a 545i, A8 or 911 over there. That's for sure. Also, the insurance premiums for any nice vehicle is like triple what I pay down here in Florida. Maybe a second hand car of some vintage.
It's not easy! A lot of things to think about. I don't want to find my X3 one morning without its 20 way adjustable comfort seats! "Hey! Those barber chairs look just like my X3's comfort seats!" LOL!!!
I've heard two different things.
On one hand, I hear that the next-gen DSG will be the sole transmission. Then I hear that the RS6 could possibly offer a true 6-speed manual and possibly the R-tronic.
I would hope that they would offer the 6-speed and the DSG. But the R-tronic seems more of a realistic approach as I don't think Audi has figured out a way for the DSG to handle that much of a torque load. Similar to the debacle that MB is going through with the 7-G.
I figure that it would use the R-tronic/e-gear type transmission and 6-speed stick.
Had it not been for my perks in the legal system's parking arrangement, there is no telling what would've happened to some of my rides, or my wallet. I have a friend who spends roughly 300 bucks a week for parking in front of his art studio. Yikes!
Moreover, I rarely drive the Audi's or Jag to the City when I'm working. I just pedal along in a boring, stale Honda Accord V6
BTW: There are some serious deals here in NYC in the condo/apt. market. I know that's hard to believe, but even NY has felt the cringe of the market going sour.
Actually with NYC's fine transportation system, I wouldn't even need a car. I could always rent one when necessary. My plan is to buy in one of the boroughs (Queens or Bklyn) where I can hop a subway and be in midtown in 20 minutes.
I would leave my BMW in Florida.
Recently, I was going to park at the Hicksville LIRR station, when I was told the parking area is for monthly paying customers only!
http://www.wiesmann-mf.com/index/STRAND_09.jpg
http://www.wiesmann-mf.com/egtstart.html
Regards,
Jose
I like the interiors a lot, as well as the old British exterior shape, but I could do without that S-Type grill.
The center gauge cluster with 5 small gauges on top and two larger gauges below is terrific, IMO.
I've never heard of these cars, until now. :surprise:
TagMan
2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460
The manufacturer says the production will grow above 200 vehicles per year to cope with demand in 2008. Prices are € 93,400 for the roadster and 113,900 for the GT. Only 14 dealers, from Madrid to St Petersburg.
Regards,
Jose
No, houdini, you don't like the S-Type grill, and you never have. LOL.
TagMan
Freedom, not climate, is at risk
By Vaclav Klaus, President of the Czech Republic
Financial Times
We are living in strange times. One exceptionally warm winter is enough – irrespective of the fact that in the course of the 20th century the global temperature increased only by 0.6 per cent – for the environmentalists and their followers to suggest radical measures to do something about the weather, and to do it right now.
In the past year, Al Gore’s so-called “documentary” film was shown in cinemas worldwide, Britain’s – more or less Tony Blair’s – Stern report was published, the fourth report of the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change was put together and the Group of Eight summit announced ambitions to do something about the weather. Rational and freedom-loving people have to respond. The dictates of political correctness are strict and only one permitted truth, not for the first time in human history, is imposed on us. Everything else is denounced.
The author Michael Crichton stated it clearly: “the greatest challenge facing mankind is the challenge of distinguishing reality from fantasy, truth from propaganda”. I feel the same way, because global warming hysteria has become a prime example of the truth versus propaganda problem. It requires courage to oppose the “established” truth, although a lot of people – including top-class scientists – see the issue of climate change entirely differently. They protest against the arrogance of those who advocate the global warming hypothesis and relate it to human activities.
As someone who lived under communism for most of his life, I feel obliged to say that I see the biggest threat to freedom, democracy, the market economy and prosperity now in ambitious environmentalism, not in communism. This ideology wants to replace the free and spontaneous evolution of mankind by a sort of central (now global) planning.
The environmentalists ask for immediate political action because they do not believe in the long-term positive impact of economic growth and ignore both the technological progress that future generations will undoubtedly enjoy, and the proven fact that the higher the wealth of society, the higher is the quality of the environment. They are Malthusian pessimists.
The scientists should help us and take into consideration the political effects of their scientific opinions. They have an obligation to declare their political and value assumptions and how much they have affected their selection and interpretation of scientific evidence.
Does it make any sense to speak about warming of the Earth when we see it in the context of the evolution of our planet over hundreds of millions of years? Every child is taught at school about temperature variations, about the ice ages, about the much warmer climate in the Middle Ages. All of us have noticed that even during our life-time temperature changes occur (in both directions).
Due to advances in technology, increases in disposable wealth, the rationality of institutions and the ability of countries to organise themselves, the adaptability of human society has been radically increased. It will continue to increase and will solve any potential consequences of mild climate changes.
I agree with Professor Richard Lindzen from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who said: “future generations will wonder in bemused amazement that the early 21st century’s developed world went into hysterical panic over a globally averaged temperature increase of a few tenths of a degree, and, on the basis of gross exaggerations of highly uncertain computer projections combined into implausible chains of inference, proceeded to contemplate a roll-back of the industrial age”.
The issue of global warming is more about social than natural sciences and more about man and his freedom than about tenths of a degree Celsius changes in average global temperature.
As a witness to today’s worldwide debate on climate change, I suggest the following:
■Small climate changes do not demand far-reaching restrictive measures
■Any suppression of freedom and democracy should be avoided
■Instead of organising people from above, let us allow everyone to live as he wants
■Let us resist the politicisation of science and oppose the term “scientific consensus”, which is always achieved only by a loud minority, never by a silent majority
■Instead of speaking about “the environment”, let us be attentive to it in our personal behaviour
■Let us be humble but confident in the spontaneous evolution of human society. Let us trust its rationality and not try to slow it down or divert it in any direction
■Let us not scare ourselves with catastrophic forecasts, or use them to defend and promote irrational interventions in human lives.
Anyways folks I am leaving for a trip tomorrow. So I will be gone for a while.
Take care.
Now, let me shoot straight with you here. First off, let me reveal to you that I am generally a conservative. I don't go for a lot of that crazy liberal anything goes mentality.
But, I don't see treehuggers causing a rollback of the industrial revolution here. What I do see is the same kind of benefit that NASA has brought to the average citizen. If anything, the technology of environmental awareness will bring many technological benefits to us all, as well as the possibility of being good for our individual health and the health of the planet.
There is no harm to being efficient and resourceful and environmentally aware. Recently, the insurance companies have begun to realize that there is less damage and liability when companies are environmentally aware, and it saves money in the long run.
I suppose you and I do not know the REAL truth behind the scientists' debate over climate change and its real causes. But, I do think that there is more potential harm by ignoring the possibilities than by being energy efficient and careful about greenhouse gases.
It is just logical enough for me to consider that pollution tends to be bad for the environment, regardless of whether or not it is going to cause a catastrophe.
It is logical enough for me to consider that resources are not limitless, and it makes some sense to conserve and not be wasteful.
I don't need to be a scientist to realize these logical things. They are common sense.
IMHO.
TagMan
2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460
I don't see myself turning down one of these beauties, however. The cab.looks just perfect for Florida sunshine.
What's the price tag on the cab.?
7-year old son (sports are the best thing on earth, and I agree in part), and 14-year old daughter (OMG, just pray).
TagMan