Recent Comments:
Do American cars in Europe sip less fuel? {Autoblog Green}
Jul 24th 2008 12:03PM Phil,
I've been using this rule of thumb since the EPA update their test methods a fair bit ago and I believe you may be interpreting the rule of thumb as an opinion of the author's rather than based on hard numbers.
What the author of the article is say is not "You cannot achieve EU extra-urban cycle milage figures in America." Rather, they are suggesting "If you wish to get an estimate of how a car which is only rated in the EU would perform in a EPA test, use the following rule of thumb..."
To arrive at the suggested rule of thumb, the author isn't stating an opinion but basing their rule of thumb on the inspection of the data that they presented.
Kia Forte details hit the web - bigger, more frugal {Autoblog}
Jul 15th 2008 11:12AM 38.5 mpg (US) isn't bad for the diesel engine considering that this isn't some tiny hatchback. Furthermore, it gets more horsepower than the gasoline variety (which converts to 33 mpg - still good.) What is not to like?
Also, I've spent a fair amount of time comparing the EU fuel economy numbers to US EPA numbers. As a rule of thumb, the EPA Highway is roughly equal to EU Combine Cycle and the EPA city is equal to EU Urban. They are usually within about 10% of those numbers. So, anyone here can go to vcacarfueldata.org, look up the numbers of any EU only vehicle and get an idea of what it would translate to if the EPA were to rate it.
Officially Official: Harley-Davidson purchases MV Agusta, Cagiva {Autoblog}
Jul 11th 2008 2:24PM I love both HD and MV Agusta machinery, but as a consumer, both brands get passed in my consideration due to high prices and less than great (but not terrible) reliability.
This is like the Dennis Rodman & Carmen Electra marriage. It appears perfect in an odd kind of way. I just hope this marriage, unlike Rodman & Electra, actually last last!
GM tells the Feds that the Volt and plug-ins aren't going to help with CAFE {Autoblog}
Jul 10th 2008 6:50PM Glad to see GM has a massive amount of confidence in its breakthrough technology!
Los Angeles Times kills autos section {Autoblog}
Jul 10th 2008 10:00AM Which is exactly the reason why I always have a bit of suspicion when it comes to the large circulation magazines like MotorTrend, Car and Driver, et al. Their pages are stuffed with manufacturer's adverts so does that mean they are a bit nicer in their criticisms in order not to disgruntle the people who give them their money? I feel that their comparison test come out in true, unbiased ranking but the write-ups - which we auto enthusiast take the most note of - could certainly be rounded off to keep the sharp stuff from making the automakers mad.
It doesn't look like Autoblog is gets too much money from the manufacturers so I feel like we get pretty honest reviews for the "In the Autoblog Garage" post, but since Autoblog is now really starting to make a name for itself in the respectable automotive press and get quality test vehicles at higher frequency - does that mean the bloggers take it easy not to offend anyone in order to not dirty their ever increasing positive image? People may hate Consumers Report sometimes, but the fact that they purchase all the vehicles themselves and don't take a dime from advert money really makes me give their opinion extra weight at times.
And maybe the LA Times should realize that maybe they are scaring away subscribers with their often slanted and biased news reporting. No body likes to be told what to think. At least they are keeping Niel's column abet moved to the business section.
KTM preparing low-cost, clean city cars and SUV {Autoblog}
Jul 9th 2008 12:32PM "KTM" and "Low Cost" in the same sentence? That's a new one for me.
They are an innovative company so I'm sure whatever they bring to market will be worth their development time and money.
With crisis looming, GM may unveil Volt for 100th anniversary {Autoblog}
Jul 7th 2008 4:34PM So GM is going to show it even though it could make them look even worse in 12-18 months when it's $40-50k and not up to the expectations that they set for themselves now?
Risky...I sure hope they don't end up with egg all over their (bankrupt) faces.
BMW 335i wagon won't be coming Stateside {Autoblog}
Jul 3rd 2008 4:22PM Not really a massive disappointment.
First (re)-introduce the idea of wagons being as capable as SUVs. Once that's caught on, then introduce the idea of wagons being as capable as SUVs AND can scoot to 60 in under 5 seconds. One step at a time here...
By the Numbers June 2008: Not That Bad Edition {Autoblog}
Jul 1st 2008 5:58PM One statistic that I wish was also posted was the overall change in total sales. This would allow us to compare the individual groups' performance to the overall picture.
ROUSH develops vehicle to increase horse power {Autoblog}
Jun 30th 2008 5:30PM Tomorrow is July 1st, not April 1st.
