AAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!
HA HA ping
But you won’t get that “smug, self righteous happy” feeling driving the BMW and lauds of jealous approval from your eco friends..........
The EU very cleverly made its gasoline-powered vehicle emission standards identical to those of California, but the Diesel thing is a hodge-podge. To me it is unconscionable that different states have different standards. Why have an EPA or a DOT if I can't buy what I want in any state? One other thing this article inadvertently points out: the shocking (shocking, I tell you) demand for off-the line acceleration that is corrupting our fleet economy averages. In the olden days, 0-60 in 10 seconds was considered the Gold Standard of acceleration. Now every dumb little KIA/Civic/Corolla can beat that.
The author clearly thinks 8secs to 60 is an eternity! My question: "WHY?" If every American car where to have a lower ratio rear,(say 2.7-1, with a higher ratio overdrive top, say .6-1, we would suddenly have much better highway mileage, even if more leisurely acceleration.
Why this acceleration mania? Some of the greatest sports cars of the 1960s took a whole 12 seconds to hit 60 ... nothing wrong with that!
Before you wet yourself, let’s try the same test here. You can have a VW Jetta instead of the Beemer, since diesel Jettas are actually sold here. Washington, D.C. to Boston, 441 miles. No 75MPH highways speeds, no 100MPH coasts down the alps.
Also, note the .45 pence difference in fuel costs. They paind 4.99 for diesel and 4.81 for gasoline. Try finding diesel that is only .18 more than gasoline.