Recent Comments:
Geneva '08 Preview: Alfa Romeo 159 goes on a diet, drops nearly 100 lbs {Autoblog Green}
Feb 23rd 2008 12:29PM My apologies for the weight error. I had it for the previous-generation RS4.
Geneva '08 Preview: Alfa Romeo 159 goes on a diet, drops nearly 100 lbs {Autoblog Green}
Feb 23rd 2008 9:00AM Maybe before you call people names, you'd check your OWN facts before blathering. The Audi RS4's curb weight is 1620 kg, which puts it at around 3571 lbs.
So with that correction, let's recap, shall we?: By your own other numbers that I didn't bother to verify, since it makes my point perfectly (maybe I
should, since if you get one wrong, it puts all the others into question), the Alfa tips the scales heavier than all its segment competition. Did I say anymore than that?
And although I have not driven a 159 specifically, I have been at the wheel for over 7000 km in its little brother the 147 JTD-M while touring
around Europe last year, and it was an absolute delight.
Daring to make the same preconceived conclusion as you have about me, I'd venture say you haven't driven ANY contemporary Alfas (i.e. offered after Alfa's U.S. withdrawal) at all.
Enjoy the foot in your mouth.
Geneva '08 Preview: Alfa Romeo 159 goes on a diet, drops nearly 100 lbs {Autoblog Green}
Feb 21st 2008 2:26PM The 159 that precedes this was a heavy pig compared to its segment competition to begin with. 100 pounds should have been trimmed off from the get go. Better late than never, though.
Are hydraulic hybrids more efficient than electric hybrids? {Autoblog Green}
Sep 10th 2007 6:39AM I was all with the story until the claim of improved mileage in the order of 60% and 90% reduced emissions, at which point I just groaned, rolled my eyes and dismissed it as another wishful pie-in-the-sky.
P.S.: I'm saying this from the standpoint of someone who is working for a company that has worked with the EPA on a hydraulic-drive vehicle. Look through your own article archives to see which company I'm talking about.
Frankfurt Preview: The AC Schnitzer GP3.10 runs on LPG {Autoblog Green}
Sep 8th 2007 5:34PM Actually, LPG (and its other name derivatives) has a slightly higher octane rating than high-test gasoline.
Frankfurt preview: Bioconcept Mustang GT RTD {Autoblog}
Sep 8th 2007 5:13PM The horsepower and torque figures together make me suspicious if there is an error in one of the numbers, or if it's even a Diesel (read compression ignition) engine. If we consider that most automotive Diesel engines produce peak horsepower at around 4000 RPM, then the engine is having its peak torque and HP at approximately the same RPM. Maybe this is done to limit maximum torque for drivetrain reliability, but it would nonetheless make for a very unusual torque curve for a Diesel. And who would be supplying the engine? Ford itself?
Frankfurt preview: Volkswagen Caddy Max and Max Life {Autoblog}
Sep 7th 2007 9:22AM 320mm for wheelbase is less than the diameter of a single tire.
LiquidPiston might improve ICE efficiency 250 percent {Autoblog Green}
Sep 5th 2007 8:54AM @Peter, sorry but your state-of-the-art figure of 20% thermal efficiency might have been appropriate in the 1920s.
Passenger car Diesels are close to 45%, which gasoline DI engines can reach the mid-to-upper-30% range. Larger engines are doing even better, with marine applications over 50% thermal efficiency and research engines looking to reach 60% with exhaust heat recovery. All numbers stated above are peak values.
The problem is that engine that operate on any thermodynamic cycle, no matter what kind they are, do not deliver their peak efficiency where they are called to most frequently operate, that is, at part load.
Good luck finding a qualified engineer who would grab the line to apply for a job...
Editorial: Why must cars continue to get larger and larger? {Autoblog Green}
Sep 4th 2007 3:32AM "There is a cycle in the automotive industry of enlarging cars with each and every redesign."
A cycle reverts upon itself, like during the late 1970s when ever larger cars got a rude awakening with the combined onslaught of an oil crisis and smaller cars from Japan and Europe coming into the North American market.
Either you're right, Jeremy, that this is a cycle and the house of cards will fall again, or if we can expect ever larger cars for the foreseeable future, then the use of the term cycle is not appropriate here than perhaps "trend" or "pandemic."
At 65 feet, this is the longest bus in California {Autoblog Green}
Aug 29th 2007 1:38AM My city in Germany runs a fleet of double-bend buses manufactured by Dutch company Van Hool that are 25 meters (about 82 feet long). The capacity is said to be 184 passengers. I ride this bus regularly, and the use of this massive bus is all the more impressive in a very compact city by North American standards. Being a passenger and watching it slip through traffic with mere inches of clearance to other vehicles and negotiating corner turns are pretty amazing!
Link below contains a picture and some information about the buses.
http://tinyurl.com/3by7qu
North American buses are dinosaurs to the state-of-the-art in Europe, and I can say this as a resident on both sides of the Atlantic AND user of public transport.
