Actually, ANY vehicle(except one with a CVT) will maintain the same RPM at any given speed regardless of load, provided said vehicle is in the same gear, i.e. no downshift. Speed is completely dependent of RPM in any given gear. Now you may need more THROTTLE to to maintain that speed on a hill, but the RPM will indeed remain constant.
That seems impossible. Any vehicle, regardless of engine, will show increased RPM when the load increases like that.
Not unless the transmission is shifted to a lower gear or there is slippage as in the CVT. My Passat TDI stays at 2100 RPM in 5th gear all the way up Interstate 8. I hold the MPH at 70 to save on gas. The MPG does go lower when pulling a long hill. The variable nature of the CVT changes engine speed to get more power to the wheels when needed. It is the same as the transmission downshifting when the engine does not have enough torque to carry the load up the hill.
The Italians build this diesel tight so fuel economy is good considering. Testing done on a green engine, so fuel economy will not be at its best. Get past 5K miles and the fuel economy improves by a several mpgs. Did on my CRD. At 1.5K took a 300 mile RT to West Virginia, got 25.5 mpg. Did the same trip at 5.8K got 28.8 mpg. Conditions (traffic) similar, temperature a little cooler, less humidity second time around. Expect this engine to be broken-in at about 8 - 10K miles.
quote moparsad-"I dispute that. VW Lupo or Audi A2 will out mpg a Prius or HCH and will also transport 3 people. Try that with and Insight!Lupo and A2"-end quote
Dispute it all you want, but you are incorrect.
Audi A2 - USA? Nope. Also honorable mention in Europe for "Ugliest Car." Another review said: "..driven frugally, the A2 can easily give an mpg rating in the low 60s.." That no better than what some people get in an HCH.
VW Lupo - USA? Nope. Just a little econobox.
Neither of those two cars, were they ON USA SHORES, would hold a candle to the Prius or the HCH by far in safety or comfort, even if they DID approach them in MPG.
An engine will maintain the same RPM with the proviso that it can produce sufficient torque and/or horsepower while under a load. If the engine cannot produce sufficient power, then the transmission must go to a lower gear to allow the engine to produce sufficient power to keep a vehicle moving under that load at the desired speed. Lower gear = more rpm.
THIS WAS JUST ONE OF MANY POSTS ABOUT THE WONDERFUL VW TDI EXPERIENCE
What things have gone wrong with the car? Turbo pipework has split twice.
Was letting water into the cabin via the pollen filter seal.
Two central locking faults.
Computer display died requiring a complete replacement unit. The function selector button on the end of the stalk is also seriously temperamental.
Gearbox oil leak left puddles on the drive at 35,000 miles.
Clutch failed at 49k (judder and "grabbing"). No clutches anywhere in the UK for 3 weeks due to "exceptional demand". A common fault in other words. Had to argue to get VW to pay up - they were trying to charge me £1,150 as it apparently damaged the flywheel too.
Water getting into both front footwells in heavy downpours (still not fixed)
Power steering fluid dropping mysteriously every couple of weeks (still not fixed)
ABS warning light comes on intermittently (still not fixed)
General comments? Good to drive, but I will be glad to see the back of it.
Cannot fault the engine. It gives excellent performance and even better economy. 55 mpg can be achieved on a motorway run at 70-80 mph in 6th. Pulls hard from nothing - near zero turbo lag. Better than many of the more modern common rail units.
Seats good on first acquaintance, but not great on long stints. Too flat and hard. Good refinement and interior quality.
Appalling reliability and dealer backup. Colleagues have Mondeos, Vectras and even Rover 75's which have had nothing like these problems. VW need to sort out their dealer's attitude too. The onus is always on me to prove the car has a fault. Almost like they refuse to accept that a VW can break down.
Had I not had these problems, I would be ina new Passat by now, but I'm not prepared to risk it at the moment.
Actually, your are a little high on the sulfur content. There is a low sulfur version of home heating oil available with a sulfur content of less than 1000 ppm. It is a bit more money but worth it. I use that one.
Check out part of the article from the link below.
Although chemically the same as transportation diesel, home heating oil is dyed red to distinguish it at from transportation diesel because highway fuels are subject to different taxes and fees than heating oil. Most states require a maximum sulfur content of home heating oil of 0.5 percent, but due to mixing at the refinery the average sulfur content of heating oil is about 0.2 percent. Residential heating oil came into use around the 1940s, and at present it supplies heat to about 10 percent of houses in the United States. It is mainly used as a heat source in the Northeast, where it is combusted in furnaces or burners and stored on-site in tanks.
I am sorry to hear about your trials and tribulations with VW. Frankly when I was researching to get my VW that was a major red flag. I knew the number and % of "problem" cars was indeed higher than say my Honda Civic, Toyota's
However more fairly, most of your issues are really not diesel related. I do however think that going forward VW does have to REALLY overcome this issue. As a point of comparison Honda and Toyota have far better reliability with far LESSER quality materials and fit and finish than VW!!!! So truly they do better in this very critical customer satisfaction metric than VW even has a clue on with far better quality of materials, fit and finish.
I've owned two Audis and one VW. Great fit and finish and wonderful quality. HIGH MAINTENANCE. Toyota does not have high quality interiors like and Audi but that's a fair tradeoff for a more reliable ownership experience. Say all you want about the Prius... it IS in the long run more reliable than ANY VW. If they improved their reliability I'd consider one again. My Audi allroad ate up rotors and brake pads after 10,000 miles of mainly highway driving. My sister has 36,000 miles on her Prius and has never had a problem. Brakes are like new too!! Gotta love it!!!!
I seriously considered a VW TDI Passat earlier this year. I spoke with many repair shops (non-dealer). Nearly all stated that it was a good car except that the front brakes lacked any type of durability. However, VW keeps changing the oil specs on the engine every five minutes and you become dependent on the dealer for the oil at $10 - 12/bottle. Also, accessing the oil drain plug and filter is a chore and requires ramps or a rack. Maintenance is real easy on the CRD with oil and filter readily available aftermarket.
That's good to hear. My 02 Liberty was very easy to change the oil on. Will report back on my CRD test drive. I want to try an 06 with the stability control.
VW TDIs now require very expensive oil. I also read that the warranty is void if you use straight bio diesel, but I find that hard to believe. Nearly every writeup from consumers claims high maintenance but the engine is quite durable. An engine is no good if the rest of the car falls apart. VW dealer networks is also extremely poor. That's why there Phaeton and W8 failed here.
I don't believe they were offered in diesel in the US. Many dealers do not even sell them. They are a bit expensive for the average VW buyer to consider. I guess I am lucky the Drew VW service is great. I would buy a VW from them if they were allowed to sell diesels. The service manager has a 2004 Jetta TDI he got before CA blocked the sale of diesel cars. He plans to keep it until he can buy a new one in CA.
I was looking at the Autoweek blog via the link that was posted and was struck immediately by one thing. Only one of the blogs mentioned the MY of the car, a 2001. How old are the others? They could be older, but there as no way to determine this by just looking.
It is good that you are being open minded concerning the CRD. The first year or two for the Liberty was not the greatest. Before you test drive the CRD, ask the dealer to bring tire pressure to 35 psi. Does not negatively affect the ride, but does improve handling. Will be a little noisy when cold but once warmed up, and under way, it is pretty quiet (but that is my opinion).
Europe is way ahead of the US regarding fuel efficiency of vehicles. It is understandable that you want to avoid any comparison of diesel vehicles offered in Europe as they are equal to or superior to the hybrids offered in USA. They offer better mpg, higher quality interiors are available and equal safety.
You want to argue ugly in the context of the Prius and Insight? Now THAT is FUNNY! Those two can compete in an ugly contest with the Aztec.
I always like to keep an open mind. I miss the days I was able to take my Liberty on the beach. If I remember, I'll post a PIC of it at the beach last summer. I didn't air down and almost got stuck!! I was very keen to actually getting the CRD but was turned off by what seemed like endless posts of issues. I take your word that they've solved them. My Liberty was pre-lowered and I always thought it was a mistake for them to lower it. I think they caved in to CR when they claimed it had a propensity to turn over. Like I said before, the Liberty was FUN to drive in a suburban setting, but the highway ride was unsettled. After 4 model years, I am sure it rides/handles much better now. I'd only consider the diesel when ULSD is available here. Jeep even suggests that type of fuel as well. Even though it was an early build when I traded it in, it did not have ONE squeek or rattle. Headlights I rated as poor on dark roads. I hope they've remedied that. I'll let you know how I like it!!
quote moparbad-"Europe is way ahead of the US regarding fuel efficiency of vehicles"-end quote
No they are not. What Europe has is a different kind of driving pattern than the USA. No one there takes 5,000 mile vacations in their cars, as many hundreds of thousands or maybe millions of people in the USA do every year.
They can more reasonably deal with and use the smaller, boxier economy cars because of their smaller streets, their lack of huge highways, and the fact that all the cities are pressed for parking space.
The cars which are delivered to Europe and made in Europe have been adapted to the driving requirements over there, and it has nothing to do with anything happening in the USA.
Those little Euro diesels cannot, would not, WILL NOT sell in the USA, or they would be here already.
PS I did not bring up the "ugly" thing, it was from a magazine poll in Europe. The Euros think the A2 is in the top 15 ugliest, I did not say I thought that.
I actually think the Prius is very cool looking. I saw one with 16" wheels (aftermarket) and dark tint. VERY COOL. It almost has the shape of my MercC230. Same split rear window too. Gotta love it!!!
I think in your explanation you also overlook the fact that autobahn speeds can have speed limits (as in 80 mpg) (converted) to (at best) unlimited speed limits. You are correct to ignore the fact that not many American market cars can indeed do a sustained and easy 100-120 mpg, such as the Toyota Prius.So it would be interesting to know what the mpg is for a Prius at 100 mph sustained.
First, the AutoBahn is one highway in one European country, and a very small percentage of Euro drivers use that road for their daily commute at those types of speeds.
And if you are cruising 100-120, you are at that particualr moment "uncaring" about what MPG you are achieving, and had better be concerned with not ending your life in the next 5 seconds....:D
I'm referring to one car accidents, which I'd bet are highly common on that road, and when they happen at those speeds, are almost certainly deadly. Happens to Nascar guys all the time, and they are some of the best drivers on the planet Earf.
I'm referring to one car accidents, which I'd bet are highly common on that road, and when they happen at those speeds, are almost certainly deadly. Happens to Nascar guys all the time, and they are some of the best drivers on the planet Earf
You'd be wrong.... Autobahn drivers aren't trying to pass each other squeezing between a car and a wall, or negotiating curves - activities which are infinitely more dangerous than driving at high speed on a straight line.
I find this post to be paranoid and irrational. You also are not addressing the issue of MPG at 100-120, which was the major point.
Also while NASCAR drivers are probably talented and have strong hand eye and spatial coordination their race track style of driving is HARDLY adaptable for the AUTOBAHN or USA roads !!!! Although I must say we can take a lesson in survivability, where they ROUTINELY sustain car crashes at 100-150 mph and walk away.
First, the AutoBahn is one highway in one European country, and a very small percentage of Euro drivers use that road for their daily commute at those types of speeds.
1928 First use of the term “Autobahn.” HaFraBa's public relations head, Kurt Kaftan, coins the term and also uses it as the title of the organization's official magazine, which begins publication in this year. HaFraBa begins planning a Germany-wide network of free, limited access, multi-lane highways, a plan that Adolf Hitler and the [non-permissible content removed] will later claim as their own. In Germany today, there are about 11,000 km (6830 mi) of autobahn.
6830 miles of Autobahn is hardly a niche highway. For the record, Ike proposed our Interstate Highway system to be like the German Autobahn's. By the time Congress got through with it we ended up with a substandard hodge podge criss crossing the country. Much of it unsafe to drive over 60 MPH on.
When I picked my 2002 530i up in Munich I managed to accrue enough miles on it during my trip to Paris and back to be able to open it up on the AutoBahn. With the cruise control set at 125 mph I was getting just a hair under 24 mpg. Not too shabby.
By the way, speaking of European AutoRoutes, true, I saw very few outside of Germany that didn't have a speed limit. That said, even in France where the speed limit was something like 85, I was being passed by way more than half of the traffic in my attempt to keep my new car under 100 for the duration of its break-in period.
As for folks not being able to commute on high speed roads, ummmm, horse hockey! Every place in western Europe that I've either worked in or traveled to has used the high speed AutoRoutes for the basic means of commuting. While the limits are lower the closer you get to town, even the midtown limits (say running through Stuttgart) are higher than the highest limits we have here in the States. I once had an office just off the main AutoBahn in Leinfelden-Echterdingen, between the Stuttgart airport (right where the limit was reduced) and Stuttgart itself, and we used to watch out of the window all day long at cars entering town at an easy 150!
Happens to Nascar guys all the time, and they are some of the best drivers on the planet Earf.
This isn't like you to make so many errors in posting in a single day. There have only been 32 deaths in the 50 year history of NASCAR. With only one (Dale Earnhardt)in the last 5 years. It is less likely to die in a NASCAR race than getting crushed in your hybrid by a Hummer while driving to the grocery store.
PS 11 of those deaths were not racing, plane crash etc on the way to the track.
My point remains - the little econoboxes which drive in the European cities with their small streets and small parking spots is the reason those cars are popular there, plus the diesel fuel tax breaks.
Not too many Lupos on the AutoBahn going 100 MPH, and if so, those guys are eedeeots....
Dude, your credibility is slipping by the minute. You might want to quit while you're ahead.
"Face the FACTS - VERY FEW Euros drive the AutoBahn as a daily commute."
Obviously you've never driven on any of the AutoRoutes in Europe at rush hour.
"That's WHY they can get away with those little bitty econobox diesels that no one would buy here."
Yeah, right! Even after I was able to open up my American Spec 530i (then electronically limited to 128) on the AutoBahn, I saw lots of those little bitty econobox diesels passing me over there in the left lane (yes, the AutoBahn has more than one lane in each direction).
Not sure where you mean. Once you're out of the metro areas, the interstate in the USA are a joy to drive on. The speed limits are TOO low. Even where I live, people go 75-80 everday and that is what I have to do just to keep up with traffic. 60 MPG??? LOL!!!
Last summer I had the pleasure of driving the autobahn in Eastern Germany. I drove from Warnamunde (sp) to Berlin. Most of the stretch I drove on was 2 lanes in each direction. Most cars in the left are going over 100. I was staying to the right and going 100-110. I went as high as 120, but the car I had wasn't that great. It was a Hertz rental Focus type vehicle that actually DID have ESP. I wish the drivers were as good here as there.
Anytime someone says "Yeah right" I know I've got them going....:D
Here is a fact no one can dispute:
Those cars are NOT here in the USA, and if the car makers thought they could make money selling those cars HERE, they would BE here.
The reason might be debated amongst you diesel lovers, but the REAL reason is that no one would buy the cars here because the driving we do is different, and those cars do not fit our lifestyle or our highway system, period.
I'm not saying no one would like the cars - but they would not sell in numbers large enough to make it profitable to send them over here or go through the trouble of retrofitting the North American plants to build them.
"People in the USA do not want little econobox diesels."
The 330D Wagon is my choice. Nothing Japan has to offer comes close. That is why the Japanese buy BMW instead of Lexus.
At a stroke the 330d demolishes the myth that diesel engines will always sound well, like diesel engines. Thankfully the 3.0-litre powerplant under the 330d's bonnet neither clatters nor chatters. And when it does speak, it's with a potent six-pot growl. However, there's nothing lazy about the acceleration and sixty takes just 7.8 seconds with the top speed at twice the legal limit — 141mph.
I think they buy BMWs instead of Lexuses because Lexus just now this August 2005 started selling Lexuses in Japan....
Lexus To The Rescue
Losing luster in the luxury market at home, Toyota is rolling out the marque to fight European imports
This summer, Toyota will begin fighting back. Its weapon of choice is Lexus. Sure, the marque has been around since 1989, but it was designed mainly with the U.S. market in mind, and Toyota has never sold vehicles under that name in Japan. The carmaker will remedy that starting on Aug. 30, launching a pair of Lexus models -- the GS sedan and SC convertible -- previously sold under the names Aristo and Soarer. They will be followed in September by the sporty Lexus IS sedan -- now called the Altezza -- and top-of-the-line LS sedan (a.k.a. Celsior) next summer. Toyota aims to initially sell around 60,000 Lexus-branded vehicles a year in Japan. "After 15 years of success in the U.S., we're ready," says Hiroshi Nishiyama, the Toyota managing officer in charge of the Lexus rollout. "We're hoping to pull new customers into the luxury-car area."
Those cars are NOT here in the USA, and if the car makers thought they could make money selling those cars HERE, they would BE here.
The reason might be debated amongst you diesel lovers, but the REAL reason is that no one would buy the cars here because the driving we do is different, and those cars do not fit our lifestyle or our highway system, period
The Accord sells diesels in Europe. Your very own Civic is also sold in Europe with a diesel. Do people not want them in N/A? Don't you ?
The REAL reason they aren't here is dirty fuel. Let me add one more "Yeah, right!!"
Diesels have too much bad karma in the USA, we already know that.
If the Accord Diesel and Civic Diesel start selling here AFTER clean diesel is here and AFTER the five "no new diesel sales allowed" states change their stand, those cars might sell in about the percentage that diesels are getting now.
Before those two important things happen, those cars will not sell here and that's why they are not sold here.
It's going to take a few years for those cars to eventually get here. By that time, hybrids will even have a larger marketshare footprint. It will take Madison Avenue Execs lots of long nights to come up with a slick ad campaign to convince Americans to buy cars with they conceive as truck engines.
Even if after clean diesel arrives and those five states do not certify diesels, I see no reason why the other forty-five states cannot sell them. If there is a need and desire for high mpg cars and diesels are one of those that fit the bill, bring them in. The law in those five states is hypocritical anyway. You cannot buy a brand new diesel car off of the showroom floor, but you can buy one with 7501 miles on it, damn near good as new in my view.
As to Honda diesels, especially the 2.2L, that if I understand correctly is a new in-house diesel. Honda has been building LDD engines under license from someone else. I maybe wrong about this. If it is true, then I would wait a few years to see how that in-house diesel pans out before I would buy it. I know Honda makes some small single and twin cylinder industrial diesel engines.
V.M. Motori makes the diesel in the CRD. They have been making diesels since 1947. Chrysler, before they merged with Daimler has been using their engines since the early 1990's if not longer with great success in the European market.
There are several dealers in CA that specialize in VW TDI late model cars with just over 7500 miles. This one is priced to sell at just about $5000 over what you can buy a new 2006 Golf TDI for in the other 45 states. Looks like CA buyers are not spoofed by bad Karma. In fact the biggest market is the Bay area, where all the "Greenies" are hanging out. Check out used cars in CA there are a lot of these great deals. I love it. Just a 1100 more miles and mine goes on the block. If I do that enough times I will be able to buy that 330d Estate Wagon when it arrives late next year.
2004 Golf TDI Price $24,995 Body Style Hatchback Mileage 7,771 Exterior Color Gray Engine 4 Cylinder Diesel Drive Type 2 wheel drive - front Fuel Type Diesel Doors Four Door Stock No. V6250 VIN 9BWGR61J344016423
Comments
Not unless the transmission is shifted to a lower gear or there is slippage as in the CVT. My Passat TDI stays at 2100 RPM in 5th gear all the way up Interstate 8. I hold the MPH at 70 to save on gas. The MPG does go lower when pulling a long hill. The variable nature of the CVT changes engine speed to get more power to the wheels when needed. It is the same as the transmission downshifting when the engine does not have enough torque to carry the load up the hill.
Dispute it all you want, but you are incorrect.
Audi A2 - USA? Nope. Also honorable mention in Europe for "Ugliest Car." Another review said: "..driven frugally, the A2 can easily give an mpg rating in the low 60s.." That no better than what some people get in an HCH.
VW Lupo - USA? Nope. Just a little econobox.
Neither of those two cars, were they ON USA SHORES, would hold a candle to the Prius or the HCH by far in safety or comfort, even if they DID approach them in MPG.
What things have gone wrong with the car? Turbo pipework has split twice.
Was letting water into the cabin via the pollen filter seal.
Two central locking faults.
Computer display died requiring a complete replacement unit. The function selector button on the end of the stalk is also seriously temperamental.
Gearbox oil leak left puddles on the drive at 35,000 miles.
Clutch failed at 49k (judder and "grabbing"). No clutches anywhere in the UK for 3 weeks due to "exceptional demand". A common fault in other words. Had to argue to get VW to pay up - they were trying to charge me £1,150 as it apparently damaged the flywheel too.
Water getting into both front footwells in heavy downpours (still not fixed)
Power steering fluid dropping mysteriously every couple of weeks (still not fixed)
ABS warning light comes on intermittently (still not fixed)
General comments? Good to drive, but I will be glad to see the back of it.
Cannot fault the engine. It gives excellent performance and even better economy. 55 mpg can be achieved on a motorway run at 70-80 mph in 6th. Pulls hard from nothing - near zero turbo lag. Better than many of the more modern common rail units.
Seats good on first acquaintance, but not great on long stints. Too flat and hard. Good refinement and interior quality.
Appalling reliability and dealer backup. Colleagues have Mondeos, Vectras and even Rover 75's which have had nothing like these problems. VW need to sort out their dealer's attitude too. The onus is always on me to prove the car has a fault. Almost like they refuse to accept that a VW can break down.
Had I not had these problems, I would be ina new Passat by now, but I'm not prepared to risk it at the moment.
Very disappointed with the car, and with VW.
Check out part of the article from the link below.
link title
Although chemically the same as transportation diesel, home heating oil is dyed red to distinguish it at from transportation diesel because highway fuels are subject to different taxes and fees than heating oil. Most states require a maximum sulfur content of home heating oil of 0.5 percent, but due to mixing at the refinery the average sulfur content of heating oil is about 0.2 percent. Residential heating oil came into use around the 1940s, and at present it supplies heat to about 10 percent of houses in the United States. It is mainly used as a heat source in the Northeast, where it is combusted in furnaces or burners and stored on-site in tanks.
However more fairly, most of your issues are really not diesel related. I do however think that going forward VW does have to REALLY overcome this issue. As a point of comparison Honda and Toyota have far better reliability with far LESSER quality materials and fit and finish than VW!!!! So truly they do better in this very critical customer satisfaction metric than VW even has a clue on with far better quality of materials, fit and finish.
VW TDIs now require very expensive oil. I also read that the warranty is void if you use straight bio diesel, but I find that hard to believe. Nearly every writeup from consumers claims high maintenance but the engine is quite durable. An engine is no good if the rest of the car falls apart. VW dealer networks is also extremely poor. That's why there Phaeton and W8 failed here.
I don't believe they were offered in diesel in the US. Many dealers do not even sell them. They are a bit expensive for the average VW buyer to consider. I guess I am lucky the Drew VW service is great. I would buy a VW from them if they were allowed to sell diesels. The service manager has a 2004 Jetta TDI he got before CA blocked the sale of diesel cars. He plans to keep it until he can buy a new one in CA.
It is good that you are being open minded concerning the CRD. The first year or two for the Liberty was not the greatest. Before you test drive the CRD, ask the dealer to bring tire pressure to 35 psi. Does not negatively affect the ride, but does improve handling. Will be a little noisy when cold but once warmed up, and under way, it is pretty quiet (but that is my opinion).
They offer better mpg, higher quality interiors are available and equal safety.
You want to argue ugly in the context of the Prius and Insight? Now THAT is FUNNY! Those two can compete in an ugly contest with the Aztec.
They failed due to their cost, not dealer network or reliability.
Now, if they would have been hybrids, I'm sure they would have been a smashing success.
No they are not. What Europe has is a different kind of driving pattern than the USA. No one there takes 5,000 mile vacations in their cars, as many hundreds of thousands or maybe millions of people in the USA do every year.
They can more reasonably deal with and use the smaller, boxier economy cars because of their smaller streets, their lack of huge highways, and the fact that all the cities are pressed for parking space.
The cars which are delivered to Europe and made in Europe have been adapted to the driving requirements over there, and it has nothing to do with anything happening in the USA.
Those little Euro diesels cannot, would not, WILL NOT sell in the USA, or they would be here already.
PS
I did not bring up the "ugly" thing, it was from a magazine poll in Europe. The Euros think the A2 is in the top 15 ugliest, I did not say I thought that.
The A8 at Audi dealerships is not selling too badly!
If Toyota attempted to sell a car with the price of a Phaeton at its own dealerships and not as a Lexus, I can assure you it would fail too!
At higher prices , North Americans will demand premium/luxury customer services. That is why Toyota and VW have their Lexus and Audi brands!
And if you are cruising 100-120, you are at that particualr moment "uncaring" about what MPG you are achieving, and had better be concerned with not ending your life in the next 5 seconds....:D
I remember seeing stats that the risk of being a fatality in the autobahn is less than on a speed limited road in Germany!
Speed is good and it promotes puntuality!
Lets see, 584 miles in 6.5 hours 12.1 gals, Jetta TDI. Rocky Mountains, CO.
You'd be wrong....
Autobahn drivers aren't trying to pass each other squeezing between a car and a wall, or negotiating curves - activities which are infinitely more dangerous than driving at high speed on a straight line.
Also while NASCAR drivers are probably talented and have strong hand eye and spatial coordination their race track style of driving is HARDLY adaptable for the AUTOBAHN or USA roads !!!! Although I must say we can take a lesson in survivability, where they ROUTINELY sustain car crashes at 100-150 mph and walk away.
1928
First use of the term “Autobahn.” HaFraBa's public relations head, Kurt Kaftan, coins the term and also uses it as the title of the organization's official magazine, which begins publication in this year. HaFraBa begins planning a Germany-wide network of free, limited access, multi-lane highways, a plan that Adolf Hitler and the [non-permissible content removed] will later claim as their own. In Germany today, there are about 11,000 km (6830 mi) of autobahn.
6830 miles of Autobahn is hardly a niche highway. For the record, Ike proposed our Interstate Highway system to be like the German Autobahn's. By the time Congress got through with it we ended up with a substandard hodge podge criss crossing the country. Much of it unsafe to drive over 60 MPH on.
By the way, speaking of European AutoRoutes, true, I saw very few outside of Germany that didn't have a speed limit. That said, even in France where the speed limit was something like 85, I was being passed by way more than half of the traffic in my attempt to keep my new car under 100 for the duration of its break-in period.
As for folks not being able to commute on high speed roads, ummmm, horse hockey! Every place in western Europe that I've either worked in or traveled to has used the high speed AutoRoutes for the basic means of commuting. While the limits are lower the closer you get to town, even the midtown limits (say running through Stuttgart) are higher than the highest limits we have here in the States. I once had an office just off the main AutoBahn in Leinfelden-Echterdingen, between the Stuttgart airport (right where the limit was reduced) and Stuttgart itself, and we used to watch out of the window all day long at cars entering town at an easy 150!
Best Regards,
Shipo
This isn't like you to make so many errors in posting in a single day. There have only been 32 deaths in the 50 year history of NASCAR. With only one (Dale Earnhardt)in the last 5 years. It is less likely to die in a NASCAR race than getting crushed in your hybrid by a Hummer while driving to the grocery store.
PS
11 of those deaths were not racing, plane crash etc on the way to the track.
Face the FACTS - VERY FEW Euros drive the AutoBahn as a daily commute.
That's WHY they can get away with those little bitty econobox diesels that no one would buy here.
Not too many Lupos on the AutoBahn going 100 MPH, and if so, those guys are eedeeots....
"Face the FACTS - VERY FEW Euros drive the AutoBahn as a daily commute."
Obviously you've never driven on any of the AutoRoutes in Europe at rush hour.
"That's WHY they can get away with those little bitty econobox diesels that no one would buy here."
Yeah, right! Even after I was able to open up my American Spec 530i (then electronically limited to 128) on the AutoBahn, I saw lots of those little bitty econobox diesels passing me over there in the left lane (yes, the AutoBahn has more than one lane in each direction).
Best Regards,
Shipo
Not sure where you mean. Once you're out of the metro areas, the interstate in the USA are a joy to drive on. The speed limits are TOO low. Even where I live, people go 75-80 everday and that is what I have to do just to keep up with traffic. 60 MPG??? LOL!!!
Here is a fact no one can dispute:
Those cars are NOT here in the USA, and if the car makers thought they could make money selling those cars HERE, they would BE here.
The reason might be debated amongst you diesel lovers, but the REAL reason is that no one would buy the cars here because the driving we do is different, and those cars do not fit our lifestyle or our highway system, period.
Me, give me a 330d any day of the week and I'll go away happy with my mouth firmly shut. ;-)
Best Regards,
Shipo
"People in the USA do not want little econobox diesels."
At a stroke the 330d demolishes the myth that diesel engines will always sound well, like diesel engines. Thankfully the 3.0-litre powerplant under the 330d's bonnet neither clatters nor chatters.
And when it does speak, it's with a potent six-pot growl. However, there's nothing lazy about the acceleration and sixty takes just 7.8 seconds with the top speed at twice the legal
limit — 141mph.
http://www.motorbar.co.uk/330tour.htm
Lexus To The Rescue
Losing luster in the luxury market at home, Toyota is rolling out the marque to fight European imports
This summer, Toyota will begin fighting back. Its weapon of choice is Lexus. Sure, the marque has been around since 1989, but it was designed mainly with the U.S. market in mind, and Toyota has never sold vehicles under that name in Japan. The carmaker will remedy that starting on Aug. 30, launching a pair of Lexus models -- the GS sedan and SC convertible -- previously sold under the names Aristo and Soarer. They will be followed in September by the sporty Lexus IS sedan -- now called the Altezza -- and top-of-the-line LS sedan (a.k.a. Celsior) next summer. Toyota aims to initially sell around 60,000 Lexus-branded vehicles a year in Japan. "After 15 years of success in the U.S., we're ready," says Hiroshi Nishiyama, the Toyota managing officer in charge of the Lexus rollout. "We're hoping to pull new customers into the luxury-car area."
The reason might be debated amongst you diesel lovers, but the REAL reason is that no one would buy the cars here because the driving we do is different, and those cars do not fit our lifestyle or our highway system, period
The Accord sells diesels in Europe. Your very own Civic is also sold in Europe with a diesel.
Do people not want them in N/A? Don't you ?
The REAL reason they aren't here is dirty fuel.
Let me add one more "Yeah, right!!"
If the Accord Diesel and Civic Diesel start selling here AFTER clean diesel is here and AFTER the five "no new diesel sales allowed" states change their stand, those cars might sell in about the percentage that diesels are getting now.
Before those two important things happen, those cars will not sell here and that's why they are not sold here.
As to Honda diesels, especially the 2.2L, that if I understand correctly is a new in-house diesel. Honda has been building LDD engines under license from someone else. I maybe wrong about this. If it is true, then I would wait a few years to see how that in-house diesel pans out before I would buy it. I know Honda makes some small single and twin cylinder industrial diesel engines.
V.M. Motori makes the diesel in the CRD. They have been making diesels since 1947. Chrysler, before they merged with Daimler has been using their engines since the early 1990's if not longer with great success in the European market.
2004 Golf TDI
Price $24,995
Body Style Hatchback
Mileage 7,771
Exterior Color Gray
Engine 4 Cylinder Diesel
Drive Type 2 wheel drive - front
Fuel Type Diesel
Doors Four Door
Stock No. V6250
VIN 9BWGR61J344016423