Why the Nurburgring Sucks

Posted by Jerry Cheung on November 7, 2011

In a Playstation fantasy world, one where my driving abilities match the limits of my high strung super car, I would happily run sub eight minute laps around the Nurburgring track all day. While I’m at it, I’d date the lovely Sabine Schmitz and draw love notes in the pavement with burned rubber and fill the air with the smell of high octane race fuel. I’d do this all day, every day – until I managed to single-handedly convert all dinosaur remains to CO2 at wide open throttle. Global warming be damned.

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Interview: Living with a Ferrari Daytona

Posted by Jerry Cheung on October 6, 2011

We’ve made friends with fellow car blogger Matthew over at DriveCult. The site’s full of awesome car commentary and reviews, but what grabbed our attention is Matthew’s long term test of a Ferrari Daytona. Our inquisitive minds wanted to know what it was like to live the dream: driving around in a supercar everyday. So, we asked. And our friend delivered!

Tell us a bit about yourself.

My name is Matt, I live in West London and I’m an Accountant for a pharmaceutical firm in Slough (where the original UK version of The Office was set). I’m married to the wonderful Danielle. In my spare time I write for multinational car site DriveCult, usually about my Daytona, or classic cars in general.

Matt's Ferrari Daytona alongside his dad's 365GTC/4

How’d you get into cars?

Like many people, I got into cars through my Dad who is a massive petrolhead like me. When I was young instead of reading comics I used to read my Dad’s copies of Motorsport and Classic cars magazines. The first car I ever rode in was an Aston Martin DBS Vantage that my Dad owned when I was born, nothing like starting young I guess.

What was your first car?

My first car was a Vauxhall Nova 1.3SR (also known as an Opel Corsa in many countries). I bought it because at the time, it was the only remotely sporty car I could possibly get insurance for (insurance premiums for males under 20 in the UK are enormous I think I paid over £1,000 just to insure it back in 1991). I kept that for a couple of years before going to University, at which point I got a larger Vauxhall Cavalier 1.6L. I had that for about two years before a jump to a new BMW 316i coupe (again insurance precluded getting a bigger engined version). I loved that car and kept it for about 4 years and around 45,000 miles. At 25, something rather more sporty was insurable and I traded the BMW for a Porsche 944S2. A brilliant car that was very expensive to run. I kept it that for around six years and forty thousand miles at which point it became just to uneconomic to run so I sold it (on ebay for rather more than it was probably worth) and brought another BMW 3 Series this time a 323i Cabriolet. A year later I wasn’t really using the BMW much so decided to sell it and go without a car for a short while (quite easy to do in London). I missed not having a car though, and brought Fiat Barchetta after couple of months. I kept that for a couple of years before deciding I needed a bit more power in my motoring, and traded it for an Audi TT 3.2 DSG. Fast, but a pudding when it came to handling.

Matt's Fiat Barchetta

Matt's Audi TT 3.2 DSG

What’s in your current garage?

My company now gives me Alfa Romeo Mito (I sold the TT when I got this), boring little box of a car but it does do 40mpg how ever hard you drive it, and is an ideal size for London. When I want to play there is, of course, the Daytona.

Alfa Romeo MiTo

With the background stuff out of the way, tell us about the Daytona!

Ha ha, I was wondering when you would get to the Daytona, or 365GTB/4 to give it its correct name. It was my Dad’s car he replaced the Aston with it a year after I was born (and the Daytona was also a year old for that matter). It was his first Ferrari and always my favourite one out of the twenty eight he has owned. Dad ran it as his everyday car for the first three years (and 30,000 miles) of his ownership. As all Italian cars did in those days the body started to corrode so Dad replaced it as his daily driver with another Ferrari a 365GT4 2+2 and set about having it restored for the first time. It was restored again in 1985 and then led a fairly quiet life as a classic until becoming mine when it and I were thirty (it became mine on the understanding I didn’t sell it and leave it for my kids). It was originally Dino Blue but Dad had it changed to Rosso Chiaro at the first restoration. It’s pretty much a standard car although the power steering unit from a Ferrari 400 has been added as it’s a pig at very low speeds otherwise.

There’s a lot of classics out there, what makes the Daytona special to you?

The sentimentality for my Daytona has a lot to do with my love for my particular car, but also it is an awesome car to drive. When it was new it was the fastest car in the world (independently verified) with a top speed of 175mph. It was also pretty much the best GT/Supercar you could buy with excellent handling good driving position and even a usable boot. The Lamborghini Miura may have been more outrageous looking but it has a dreadful driving position which would mean I could never drive one for more than a couple of miles. It is also said to not handle that well particularly at high speed due to front end lift. The only other real rival was the Maserati Ghibli which has a far inferior mechanical specification than the Daytona You can read for more detail on my thoughts on driving the Daytona on Drivecult.

How do you find a mechanic that you trust enough to work on it? Or do you end up doing the maintenance yourself?

I’m very lucky there, the Daytona shares its garage with my Dad’s car collection, which is currently a 2009 Ferrari California, a 1997 Ferrari 550 Maranello, two 1972 Ferrari 365 GTC/4s (one RHD and the other LHD), a Porsche 964 and a 1967 Iso Grifo GL300 currently undergoing restoration. All the cars are looked after by our mechanic Vince. He worked at Maranello Sales (the UK Ferrari importer in the UK until it was recently brought in house by Ferrari) for thirty years and also has done a couple of stints working for the McLaren F1 team. In my opinion he is the best classic Ferrari mechanic in the UK, if not the world, and the only man Dad has ever met in thirty seven years of being involved with the car who can set up the Daytona’s six twin choke Weber carburetors to run properly.

I’m completely useless when it comes to maintenance under the bonnet something I really should address although probably on something a little simpler to work on than the Daytona.

Sean asks: Do you have any specific tips (beyond regular servicing) to keep an old car in good shape?

The easiest way in my book to keep a classic in good shape is to use it. If I’ve had a month or so away and get into the Daytona, it is very grumpy particularly on starting from cold with fouled plugs and not firing on all twelve cylinders. After a few miles it gets better though. A lot of people forget that a car can deteriorate sitting still without all the fluids moving around the systems. I never understand why collectors want to pay a premium for low mileage cars, I bet they don’t drive as well as a similar car used regularly. I do try and use the Daytona as much as possible, but still never as much as I would like too. I have managed a few trips to France taking the car to the Le Mans classic in 2008 and again in 2010. I hope to do a similar tour with it again next summer.

Johnny asks: How many hours a month do you spend on upkeep?

I think I really covered that earlier, but with the Daytona servicing and other maintenance is on an as needed basis. Vince is suggesting an engine out overhaul this winter which be the first serious work the car has needed in a while. One of the advantages of the car being in the family since nearly new is that you know exactly what has been done to it over virtually its entire life, and keeping on top of things has meant it has been contrary to what you might expect it is a very reliable car.

Congratulations on your recent marriage, what does the missus think of your car hobby?

Thank you, she’s cool with it actually. Her Dad is a petrolhead and fan of Corvettes (my wife is American) so it’s something she’s used too. She is not keen on the smell of petrol the Daytona can leave you with after a long journey though.

The Cars of Mexico City

Posted by Jerry Cheung on October 4, 2011

Last week, I traveled to Mexico City and stayed for a week. My girlfriend and I soaked in the hustle and bustle of city life, ate delicious foods, and explored the country’s rich history and culture. At times, I wish I could turn off my car gawking – at the very least for vacation – but unfortunately I could not hold out. The curse came with me everywhere I went, and I was forced to gawk at some really boring cars. If Los Angeles is a car mecca of the world, then surely Mexico City is a car enthusiast’s purgatory. Read on for observations of Mexico’s best and worst rides.

One of the first cars I saw coming out of the airport was a full size Chevy Suburban. Gasoline is nationalized in Mexico, so prices were all the same at different stations with a few exceptions. I worked out the conversion to be $2.86 per gallon, which sounded like a smoking deal until I walked by a food stand that would sell me close to nine delicious tacos for that price. Would you rather travel nine miles in a Suburban in the city, or eat nine tacos? Without hesitation, I would choose the latter because the street food is amazing.

Taking the ultra cheap, and ultra convenient metro ($0.25 takes you anywhere), it quickly became clear that the Suburban is not this city’s most common car. There were many A and B segment cars, tiny subcompacts contributing to one of the most polluted cities in the world. Most of them were nothing to write home about. A Ford Ka here, a Chevy Matiz there. Every once in a while, a Audi A1 might make your head turn, but even that’s less exciting than even most compacts in the US.

Overwhelmingly, the car du jour in the gridlocked city was the mid 90’s 3rd generation Nissan Sentra, named the unpronounceable Tsuru locally. Nissan has a strong showing in the Mexican market, and I would not be surprised if the redesigned 2012 Versa sells well here.

The other popular manufacturer in the country is VW. There are many 4th generation Jettas out on the street, but the real surprise is the number of original VW Beetles. The popular fleet Taxi used to be the original Beetle until the government banned 2-door vehicles in a successful attempt to phase out the air cooled pollution menace. It’s a shame because it’s still fun to see and hear them drive down the street, even though if they are miserable cars compared to modern alternatives.

So there you have it. Mexico City’s a great place to visit, but has one of the most boring car cultures.

“Yeah man, El Camino”

Posted by Jerry Cheung on September 27, 2011

Not to be confused with the American Indian people living in Utah and Colorado, a Ute is a “utility” vehicle – the U in SUV. The Ute formula is simple: take a car, rip out everything behind the driver, and jam a truck bed to the back. You get the utility of a small pickup, but the benefits of a car – smoother ride, better handling, and increased fuel economy. Pioneered by the folks Down Under, the Ute was invented when a farmer’s wife asked for “a vehicle to go to church in on a Sunday and which can carry our pigs to market on Mondays”. Alas, the Ute has been extinct in the US market since the last Subaru Baja was spotted in the wild sometime circa 2006. But times are a changing, and even if pig farming has gone out of fashion, automakers have new incentives to reconsider bringing the Ute back stateside.

Before we jump into the reasons and analysis, let’s have Senor Brad Pitt introduce what a Ute is.

That’s right, Mr. Pitt didn’t want something bland and boring like a Chrysler. He wanted something a little more authentic, a little more Mexican. If we squint between the lines of the script, we could translate “Mexican” to mean “totally awesome”.

And being totally awesome is what bringing the Ute to the US is all about. The Ute probably won’t win any high volume sales awards, but it does serve as a good halo car and a gateway purchase to a brand. All manufacturers in the last decade have been trying to capture the imagination of a young buyer. Once a young buyer is hooked, the idea is to funnel them into more expensive vehicles in the lineup as their lifestyles change. One can imagine the marketing department hard at work shaping the ideal buyer: handsome, recent college graduate, loves being social and outdoors, wants to stand out and be an individual. What car can we build to stir his emotions and attract him to our brand?

One of the first answers to this question was the Pontiac Aztec. In retrospect, the Aztec was not the correct answer. It flopped terribly in sales and to this day, that infamously boxy bottom continues to haunt it’s original designers. But the car wasn’t entirely to blame. As other manufacturers have discovered, it is possible to build a lower volume and inexpensive halo car that attracts younger buyers to a brand. Honda had their Element, Nissan with it’s highly accoladed Juke, and lest we forget, Toyota created Scion – an entire sub-brand whose primary mission is to attract buyers into the Toyota family. The successes of these experiments have varied, but all have drummed up significant buzz and chatter in the media.

No brainer that a Ute would take the namesake of it’s grandfather “El Camino”

GM has a great opportunity on their hands. They own the Holden brand in Australia, maker of the bonkers HSV Maloo. It’s got attitude, and the performance to back it up. Capable of running 168 MPH, it’s got the record for the world’s fastest pickup truck. Bringing a heavily detuned or modified version of this ute to the US could fill a gap in GM’s current portfolio. Combine an attractive price (less than $20k starting MSRP) with a ute’s utility and unique styling, and first time buyers will have to do a double take. Let’s hope that GM does their homework and takes a risk. Who knows, one day, you’ll be able to point out to your driveway and say, “Yeah man, it’s an El Camino”.

How to Live With a 40 Year Old Supercar

Posted by Jerry Cheung on September 12, 2011

We’ve made friends with fellow car blogger Matthew over at DriveCult. The site’s full of awesome car commentary and reviews,but what grabbed our attention is Matthew’s long term test of a Ferrari Daytona. We’re itching to learn more about it, and we’ll cover the story in our inaugural “Car Enthusiast Interview” series post. Here’s a chance for you to ask questions about what it’s like to live with a classic super-car, and anything else about Matthew’s automotive background. If you have a burning question, submit it in the comments and we’ll fit it into our interview questions next week. In the meantime, don’t forget to check out DriveCult.

Riddle Answer: The Ultimate Hipster Machine

Posted by Jerry Cheung on September 2, 2011

Last week, we posted a riddle for what a hipster would drive. Many have speculated in the past on what the perfect hipster machine can be. There have been good choices, weird choices, and hilarious choices. We may never know if there really is one true hipster mobile to rule them all. But what we do know is that there’s one quirky car that’ll come closer than others. Click through the jump to find out our answer.

1992 Geo Metro XFI - 3 cylinders of pure non-performance

Surprised? We were definitely flabbergasted when we first heard the answer. But after stretching our brains and squinting our eyes, it’s clear that the Geo Metro checks all the right hipster boxes. It is authentic in it’s purpose as an economy car, but incredibly mediocre and unattractive to any normal person.

Nope, doesn't look any better from the rear

The Grandfather of Hard Plastics

The lowly Metro started life as a Suzuki Cultus in other markets before being transplanted in the US with as a GM product under the Geo name in 1989. It’s 1.0L three cylinder engine choked and sputtered all the way up to it’s 5100 RPM redline to achieve 55 HP. The particular trim level a real hipster would buy is the detuned XFI. That’s not a typo. The XFI sacrifices six horses to appease the fuel economy gods. The result: 43 mpg city and 51 mpg highway. Car and Driver published a comparison review with a 2010 Honda Insight, a 2010 Toyota Prius, and a 1998 Geo Metro. Guess who won the mileage comparison?

Exterior styling this bland hasn’t been attempted before or since. GM likely had a committee dedicated to ensuring the lowest possible list price at the expense of any stylish flair. A three year old with crayons can probably achieve a design more daring.

But it’s blandness and singularity in purpose is what makes the Metro the best hipster mobile. The next time you hear an anemic sounding engine pull up alongside you, glance over. Odds are good the driver will have an ugly haircut and a t-shirt with an ironic print.

Why are Used Car Prices so High?

Posted by Jerry Cheung on September 1, 2011

Traditionally, buying a used car has always been a smart financial move. The depreciation on a new car fades faster than that new car smell. As soon as a shiny new car rolls off the dealer lots, a heavy chunk of money will have already have evaporated. While many sources will suggest that a car will be fully depreciated in five years, even buying a lightly used one to two year old car will usually yield significant savings from the base price. Lately however, the good deals have gone missing. Ben agrees that the market has gone bonkers as well. Fortunately for us, it’s definitely a sellers market out there. For example, in April 2010 KBB rated a 2006 Accord with 44k miles to sell for $13,825. Fast forward to today and 60k miles on the clock. KBB now lists it for $14,725. In what crazy alternate universe can you buy a car, drive it 16k miles, turn around and sell it for a $900 profit? Clearly, this is a climate where buyers have to be wary if they want to get a good deal. Read on to see why prices have gone bonkers, and how you can save some money on your next car.

Cash for Clunkers

In an effort to take older vehicles off the road and spur new car purchases and cut down on older car emissions, the federal government implemented a old car buy back program in 2009. As the name suggests, consumers would be given cash for purchasing a new vehicle if they agreed to scrap their older car. There were eligibility guidelines for vehicles to qualify, but the program became an overnight success with more than $2.8 billion reimbursed in rebates, and over 690,000 dealer transactions. While that may be a drop in bucket of the overall number of cars in the US, if you’re looking for an older model truck of SUV, some good buys may have already been sent to the crusher.

Decreased Supply

Thanks to the recession in 2008, many consumers who would have bought a new vehicle have decided to hold on to their cars a little longer. And who can blame them? With unstable finances it the horizon, it makes economic sense to keep a good running car that’s paid off rather than to go back to monthly payments. Unfortunately in 2011, it also means there are fewer cars going off of three year leases available on the used car markets. The same is true for cars that are bought and paid for. If no one wants to sell, it’s intuitive when prices are going up.

Increased Demand

mob mentality hurts wallets

As if the a drop in used car supplies weren’t bad enough, demand has also increased because of the recession. When the old jalopy finally gives out, many Americans can’t afford to go back on those pricey monthly payments for new cars. So they look for a used car. But if everyone decides they want to buy a used car at the same time, it doesn’t take long for sellers and auctions to realize they can command a higher price for the same goods.

How to Save

Ideally, it’s best not be rushed into buying anything, especially a purchase as big as a car. The longer you can wait, and the more you’re willing to walk away from a deal, the less likely you’ll make a regretful buy. That said, if you’re in a rush to buy a car in the current market, it can be really tough to find one for a reasonable price. With used car prices at record level highs, it may be one of the few times it could be worth weighing the convenience and peace of mind of buying a new car. If the list price is too high on a new model, your best bets are to look for unpopular models, or finding a new car that’s an older model and trying to cut down on inventory. As always, if you can manage to maintain your existing car and minimize the damage to your wallet, that’s probably the best bet to financially sanity. Good luck and happy hunting!

Riddle: The Ultimate Hipster Machine

Posted by Jerry Cheung on August 22, 2011

A friend posed a riddle: How do I buy a car that doesn’t damage my hipster credibility?

Disclaimer: This riddle has been dramatized for your entertainment. The riddle asking friend is not a hipster. No hipsters were hurt in the writing of this article.

On the surface, this appears to be a facetious question. But in reality, it’s a very real problem hipsters face. To buy a mode of transport other than a fixed-gear bicycle is to commit hipster seppaku. Unfortunately, that stylish fixie is really just a very mediocre bicycle. Without a car, the Hipster drastically limits what indie music venues she visits. Without indie music, her carefully honed musical tastes would go unshared. And most importantly, without a common social gathering place, where could she enjoy, genuinely and without irony, an ice cold Pabst Blue Ribbon?

While the jury is still out on the merits of PBR, it’s clear that the hipster image is difficult to create, and takes constant vigilance to maintain. A poor car choice could erase years of hard earned credibility and relabel a respected hipster to a mere yuppie sellout.

Contestent #1

With these stakes in mind, the first hipster-mobile candidate is the Toyota Prius. With it’s “saving the world” branding, it suits the Hipster mindset. However, the Prius is only a solution to half the hipster problem. Christian Lorentzen of “Time Out New York” once defined hipsterism as:

“Under the guise of “irony”, hipsterism fetishizes the authentic and regurgitates it with a winking inauthenticity.”

To be a successful hipster, every action one takes must be unarguably “authentic” in a literal sense, but also simultaneously shunned by the general public. For example, the Lotus Elise is a car very true to it’s sports car aspirations. Lotus’s founder, Colin Chapman, practiced his mantra of “To add speed, add lightness” in his cars. As a result, any car enthusiast will inevitably use the words “pure” and “authentic” while describing the diminutive racer. Yet authenticity is only half of the hipster equation. A true hipster would not be seen driving an Elise because mainstream culture also covets it. Therein lies the problem: a worthy hipster-mobile needs to be absolutely authentic in purpose, while being a complete flop in execution and sales.

Great handing, but no iPod hookup to listen to the Decemberists...

Like the Elise, the Prius also has an authentic goal, albeit a non-sporting one. Unfortunately, also like the Elise, the Prius soundly fails the second half of the requirements. It’s been a runaway success around the world, with over 2 million units sold by the end of 2010. It’s a good car and normal people want it, making it’s effective irony value nil. So we’re back to square one.

With a 6-pack of PBR to synchronize my thinking with the thought process of a hipster, I started the search for the elusive hipster ride. The new MiniCooper and the new Fiat 500 immediately failed the popularity test. There was a glimmer of hope for the absolutely rubbish Smart ForTwo, but even that car has a cult following in urban areas. Somewhere between beer five or six, I caved and asked my friend for the answer.

When the answer was revealed, it instantly clicked for me. This mid-90s car had a clear purpose, which was to be economical and fuel efficient. At the same time, it still managed to be universally recognized as a terrible car. What car was it? If you have a guess, send it into contact@rockyroadblog.com. The winner will receive a virtual pat on the back, as well as 200 Rocky Points.

Update: Can’t figure it out? Here’s the solution.

5 Best Cars During a Zombie Apocalypse

Posted by Jerry Cheung on August 17, 2011

The story’s always the same: you wake up in an abandoned hospital. In your weakened state, you stumble down a hallway whose walls are filled with messages scrawled in blood. Your stomach sinks as it slowly dawns on you that the rest of the world has been overrun by the undead.

But here’s the twist: what would you drive during a zombie apocalypse? Suppose you find the mangled body of Jeremy Clarkson from Top Gear – his cold hands clutching a ring of car keys. Inspecting the keychain shows that Mr. Clarkson had carefully considered his getaway options. Some choices are obvious, like the Ford Raptor and Land Rover Defender, but the other choices are not. You hear a faint growling from a distance, but the volume is growing at an alarming rate. You yank the entire keyring out of his hands and make a mad dash into the parking garage to make your final decision.

#1 Ford SVT Raptor

Raptor smash, Raptor smush

Even if you don’t care about cars, choosing a truck named “Raptor” is common sense when the undead start crawling towards you. The Raptor is based on the most popular selling truck in America, the Ford F-150. The frame has been widened by 7″ and beefed up to handle off-road duties. The skid plate and extra wide grille can be retrofitted to cause maximum zombie carnage. Unfortunately, the mileage is so terrible that you’ll have to expose yourself to danger at every gas station.

Pros: truck utility, hauls up to 8,000 pounds, general badass-ery.

Cons: truck bed exposed to zombie attack. 13 MPG.

Bottom Line: Cool before the zombies came, cool when zombies arrives, and will remain cool even after all life ends as humans know it.

#2 Jetta Sportwagon TDI

Das Auto to escape ze zombies

Efficiency is probably at the bottom of your car shopping list with the undead hot on your heels. However, gas stations will quickly be deserted. While a hybrid Prius would yield great fuel economy numbers, the Jetta Sportwagon TDI is the smarter choice. The available diesel engine will reach hybrid-like MPG’s (up to 42 MPG), but can also burn waste vegetable oil. This will allow you to sneak into McDonalds and use their deep-fryer grease as fuel in a pinch. While you’re there, don’t forget to hoard what few chick McNuggets are left in this world in it’s spacious trunk – 67 cubic feet if you fold down the rear seats. That’s a lot of nuggets.

Pros: good MPG, spacious wagon storage, heated seats, diesel powered

Cons: dodgy VW reliability, sporty rims a liability on unpaved roads

Bottom Line: A stylish and good choice in urban areas.

#3 “The Beast”

Don't be fooled, those flags are really zombie kill-sticks

Cadillac’s slogan of “Standard of the World” stopped being a true statement since Lexus came in and ate their market. But this is no ordinary Cadillac. In fact, the limo is built on top of a General Motors medium-duty commercial truck chassis, with the exterior and interior sourcing many parts from Cadillac. Many defensive measures are built in including run flat tires, doors that weigh as much as Boeing 757 cabin door, tear gas from the front bumpers, and night vision. Communication equipment is available, and the entire vehicle can be locked down like a vault.

Pros: supreme comfort for up to 7 even post apocalypse, run flat tires, bullet proof (in case other survivors turn on you)

Cons: not enough ground clearance, too heavy, 8 MPG, lack of replacement parts, lousy breakover angle, no lift kits available

Bottom Line: If it’s good enough for our president, it’s going enough for me.

#4 Mid 90’s Beige Toyota Camry

yawn...

Ah, the nondescript Camry. While it may not be fast or strong, it makes up for it’s deficiencies with a stellar reliability record.

Pros: unlimited used parts. so bland that even a zombie won’t notice it…

Cons: …your rescuers might not see you either

Bottom Line: A unsexy, but sensible choice.

#5 Land Rover Defender

zombie in headlights?

Used by militaries around the world, and also by hardcore off-road enthusiasts, the iconic Defender is ready for any physical challenge. With an attached snorkel, the Defender can ford across rivers. It’s advanced oil system allows it to ascend and descend at extreme angles, and still properly lubricate all the essential drive components. Built for durability, the Defender will go anywhere and last forever.

Pros: tried and proven. sold in over 140 countries.

Cons: spartan interior means rough winters

Bottom Line: It looks like it belongs in a zombie movie.

#6 Bonus Ride: Ferrari FF

let's drive to a desert oasis!

With all the doom and gloom in the air, why not take a deep breath and assess your situation. Infrastructure has ground to a halt. All modern conveniences have vanished or stopped working. Odds are good that even if you play it safe, you’ll trip up one day and get a nasty bite when you least expect it. So why not have a little fun before you get eaten. The FF is the most “practical” Ferrari to date. With seating for four, you can spend your last days with loved ones swathed in Alcantara. The trick AWD system means that you’ll be able to generate smile inducing hoonery even in sand and snow.

Pros: The last toy on earth.

Cons: Sonorous Ferrari exhaust noises likely to draw unwanted attention. Every other attribute that makes an Ferrari awesome.

Bottom Line: Live a little, the Ferrari won’t bite.

Diesel Cars: Too Late for the US Market

Posted by Jerry Cheung on August 14, 2011

Diesel. The word evokes memories of black soot shooting out of tail pipes. Or at least, that’s the diesel of yesteryear. The rush to produce more fuel frugal engines during the early 70s’ oil crisis led to a large numbers of premature engine failures and a lasting legacy for the diesel engines years after the oil embargo ended. The engines failed from poor lubrication, stress failures, and filtration systems that couldn’t handle potential water and unwanted particulates in the diesel fuel. Some owners and mechanics, confused by technical differences, did improper maintenance and repairs that also caused premature failures. Fortunately, those smelly and dirty memories of diesel are banished to the past with today’s modern diesel technologies like common-rail injection, advanced filtration systems, and consistent quality fuel. Manufacturers have also wised up to make owners prove proper lubrication and maintenance before honoring their warranty.

While diesel may be the lifeblood of commercial transport, consumers in the market for a passenger car have only a handful of choices, and only the VW lineup being affordable to a middle income family. The VW lineup of Golf, Jetta, Passat are available with the TDI (turbo direct injected) diesel engine. The mileage numbers are impressive, with the Jetta able to squeeze out 30 mpg in the city and 42 on the highway. Unfortunately for diesel fans, gas engines are undergoing a renaissance. Several new contenders in the sub-compact and compact segment are hitting 40 mpg highway, numbers previously reserved for diesels and hybrids. Hyundai alone promises 3 non-hybrid gas models that will join the 40 mpg club (2012 Accent, 2012 Elantra, and the upcoming Veloster). Chevy and Ford are both part of the 40 mpg club with the special edition Cruze Eco, and Focus SFE respectively.

Even with these impressive new choices, Chevy has confirmed that it will bring a diesel version of it’s bestselling Cruze stateside. There’s no official EPA mileage numbers for the Cruze diesel, but with the Eco already certified for 40 MPG, it’ll be difficult to differentiate the two models. It’s also likely that the diesel version will cost more than the Eco.

So a diesel passenger car costs more, isn’t more frugal at the pump, and doesn’t give perform better than it’s gasoline counterpart. Oh, it also sounds like a tractor. In the US market, the conditions just aren’t ripe for a diesel revolution. And with so many efficient choices from competitors, diesel cars will always be a niche segment.

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