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There's a simple rule of thumb for North America -- if it's interesting and made in Europe by an American company, we don't have it. The Fiesta is apparently about to break that rule, but by and large it's practically a law.
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# ? Jun 25, 2010 21:48 |
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# ? May 16, 2024 18:01 |
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Where's the Caravan turbo?
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# ? Jun 26, 2010 08:43 |
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el topo posted:There's a simple rule of thumb for North America -- if it's interesting and made in Europe by an American company, we don't have it. Speaking of the fiesta: http://www.freep.com/article/20100626/BUSINESS01/6260322/Ford-Fiesta-arrives-helps-complete-lineup Freep posted:The Ford Fiesta subcompact car began arriving at dealerships across the country earlier this week after a marketing campaign that began more than a year ago.
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# ? Jun 26, 2010 15:52 |
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^^^ one thing that bugs me a little is that the NA Fiesta is 200lbs heavier than the Euro one, somehow. How?! The new Grand Cherokee is good, which is good for Chrysler: http://www.speedsportlife.com/2010/06/26/2011-grand-cherokee-a-dream-come-true/
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# ? Jun 27, 2010 01:58 |
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kimbo305 posted:^^^ one thing that bugs me a little is that the NA Fiesta is 200lbs heavier than Air conditioning unit, longer and heavier bumpers for US Crash standards, bigger standard engine 1.6l vs 1.25l and bigger standard wheels 15" vs 14".
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# ? Jun 27, 2010 11:45 |
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Pretty sure A/C is standard in every non shitbox car in Europe. The rest probably explains it though.
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# ? Jun 27, 2010 12:36 |
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Blacknose posted:Pretty sure A/C is standard in every non shitbox car in Europe. The rest probably explains it though.
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# ? Jun 27, 2010 14:03 |
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Wankie posted:Air conditioning unit, longer and heavier bumpers for US Crash standards, bigger standard engine 1.6l vs 1.25l and bigger standard wheels 15" vs 14". I assume the weight comparison was between models of at least the same motor. Anything else would be unfair. Assuming that, could bumpers and wheel tack on 200 lbs? Heck, even a bigger motor, when the displacement is pretty small, that couldn't be more than 50 lbs, especially if the 1.6 is bored from the same block.
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# ? Jun 27, 2010 18:06 |
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They added some sound deadening materials and things.
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# ? Jun 27, 2010 18:19 |
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If it's the 1.6 Zetec-S, it's the same block as the 1.25. Hell, it should be lighter with bigger bores!
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# ? Jun 27, 2010 22:21 |
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Blacknose posted:Pretty sure A/C is standard in every non shitbox car in Europe. The rest probably explains it though.
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# ? Jun 28, 2010 12:31 |
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kimbo305 posted:^^^ one thing that bugs me a little is that the NA Fiesta is 200lbs heavier than the Euro one, somehow. How?!
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# ? Jun 28, 2010 16:48 |
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Frank Dillinger posted:yeah, everything in the golf class and up, basically. however, the option lists are still a mile long and you get raped for everything. I know
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# ? Jun 28, 2010 16:52 |
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anonumos posted:This thing looks good! I might consider buying a newer Jeep if they keep this up. I'm sticking with the XJ for another year or two though (15 years strong!). They look nice, I'd forgotten how expensive SUV's can be though. No wonder the automakers ended up relying on them.
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# ? Jun 28, 2010 17:36 |
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sanchez posted:They look nice, I'd forgotten how expensive SUV's can be though. No wonder the automakers ended up relying on them. I don't know if it can draw away buyers from other luxury SUVs, but it seems to do what Jeep fans would want an SUV to do, so at least Chrysler is really delivering on the Jeep image. Hope it gets Chrysler back to form instead of making GBS threads out Compasses and Nitros.
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# ? Jun 28, 2010 17:56 |
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Well, there doesn't seem to be a thread about Gordon Murray's T25 so it probably belongs in here. Gordon Murray, designer of countless winning race cars, the LCC Rocket, and the McLaren F1 road car, has been working away on a city car, the T25. Now, it is a city car. Yes it's small. Yes it would be terrible on a US freeway. That is besides the point, it is a city car. Now I've got that out the way, will it succeed as a city car? The 3 seat layout is cool, and it's Gordon loving Murray, but look at that door and then imagine what happens when you want to get out and it's raining. Or you want to go to work but there's a foot of snow on the roof, because it still rains and snows in cities. Here's what Autocar have to say: quote:It foreshadows a new era of tiny, great-to-drive economy cars as well as a highly original manufacturing process called iStream that slashes the investment, factory space and energy required for manufacturing.
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# ? Jun 29, 2010 01:10 |
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quote:but look at that door and then imagine what happens when you want to get out and it's raining. Or you want to go to work but there's a foot of snow on the roof, because it still rains and snows in cities. Okay? What would happen? If it was rain, I guess you'll get a little rain inside the cabin. If it's snow, it would just slide off the front, and you should clean off snow from the top of your car before driving in any case. The car's designers are British and have probably been wet their entire lives anyway. Other than the weird door and 3 seats, this doesn't seem all that different from any number of Japanese Kei cars, some of which even have SUPERIOR IRS HANDLING just like this one. If there was a market for this kind of thing Mazda, Suzuki and Mitsubishi would already own it.
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# ? Jun 29, 2010 01:23 |
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I think it's stupid. Completely unoriginal and pointless. My graduating class this year was full of this sort of crap.
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# ? Jun 29, 2010 01:26 |
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Friend of mine just bought a Midget II, which I should see for the first time in two weeks or so and which is almost exactly the same size. Be interesting for scale. For the poster two down: the friend with the Midget 2 (who fits in just fine) is 6'2". tetrapyloctomy fucked around with this message at 03:45 on Jun 29, 2010 |
# ? Jun 29, 2010 02:21 |
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Brb using my passengers' legs as a crumple zone.
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# ? Jun 29, 2010 03:29 |
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how the gently caress are you supposed to sit in that thing if you're over 5'6"
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# ? Jun 29, 2010 03:42 |
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rscott posted:how the gently caress are you supposed to sit in that thing if you're over 5'6" Jeremy fit in a peel p50. But in truth, you don't. Economical cars aren't intended for humans.
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# ? Jun 29, 2010 03:46 |
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Murray is 6'+, I think Its safe to say that tall people can fit in his cars.
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# ? Jun 29, 2010 04:33 |
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Dr JonboyG posted:I'd drive one just to pretend I'm driving an F1 or piloting a fighter jet. I dunno why, but I just love the dash layout for some reason.
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# ? Jun 29, 2010 13:30 |
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I kind of like it but it will lead to entirely new places to get door dings on your ride. Although, if you live in a place where lifted trucks are common, it's probably only a matter of time anyway. Hopefully it doesn't have retardedly expensive tires and burn out "clutch" packs like the Smart does.
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# ? Jun 29, 2010 19:13 |
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So, Tesla Motors had their IPO today, and it was Wildly Successful, raising $226 Million with shares starting at $17. The market immediately bid them up to over $22, on a day when the overall US market was down hard. This matters because it indicates that a lot of investors still think Tesla has a good shot, despite GM and Nissan both releasing all-electric cars this year which will have vastly higher production numbers (and might actually be profitable to sell for those companies). With $226M, Tesla should have enough cash to operate at their current rates of loss for at least a couple more years, too, which is critical since they need to get the Model S out in 2012 to meet the terms of its government loan. Toyota is among those investing, and it seems that NUMMI is going to re-open as a Tesla/Toyota partnership factory (which will be a very nice shot in the arm to Fremont, CA, although financially it's not the smartest place to build cars). Leperflesh fucked around with this message at 20:03 on Jun 29, 2010 |
# ? Jun 29, 2010 20:00 |
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Leperflesh posted:So, Tesla Motors had their IPO today, and it was Wildly Successful, raising $226 Million with shares starting at $17. The market immediately bid them up to over $22, on a day when the overall US market was down hard. The only reason this dog is up is so the people allowed to buy the IPO at low prices can dump the stock on average investors later and sell their positions for a quick short term profit. Classic pump and dump IPO. Electric cars are the dot com bubble of stocks for this decade. If you buy this, it should only be for a short term gain playing the IPO frenzy.
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# ? Jun 29, 2010 21:08 |
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kimbo305 posted:The new Grand Cherokee is good, which is good for Chrysler: quote:The new Pentastar V-6 develops 290 horsepower at 6,400 rpm and 260 lb-ft. of torque at 4,800...it returns 23 mpg on the freeway.
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# ? Jun 30, 2010 03:06 |
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frozenphil posted:Is Chrysler trying to go under? I mean, shouldn't your new engine be competitive with the competition? Do you mean like the Explorer with its 210HP v6, or the 4runner with its standard 170HP I4?
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# ? Jun 30, 2010 03:15 |
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angryhampster posted:Do you mean like the Explorer with its 210HP v6, or the 4runner with its standard 170HP I4? The Explorer's engine is being replaced with the new 305hp v6 that gets 31mpg highway. I'm not sure what Toyota is doing, but do people cross shop the 4runner and the Grand Cherokee?
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# ? Jun 30, 2010 04:21 |
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frozenphil posted:The Explorer's engine is being replaced with the new 305hp v6 that gets 31mpg highway. I'm not sure what Toyota is doing, but do people cross shop the 4runner and the Grand Cherokee? Well the 4runner is another midsize SUV with some off-road credentials, although it is live axle/BOF while the GC is Uni-body with IRS (as is the new explorer). The current 4runner that came out in 2009 is available with a 170hp I4/4 speed auto or a 270hp 4.0l V6 with a 5 speed auto. The other one that I can think of is the Nissan Pathfinder, which has either a 270hp 4.0l V6 or a 310hp V8, both with a 5 speed auto. So I'd say other than this Ford Explorer that doesn't exist yet, the new GC compared quite favorably, although it would have been nice if they had been able to bring it out 2 years ago like they originally planned before going bankrupt. Based on hat I've seen, the interior of the new GC is much better than it's competitors, and it looks much better on the outside too. You can also get fancy rock climbing air suspension (the Toyota has this as well), and the Hemi option is always nice. If I were in the market for such a vehicle I would buy it. The one weakness I can see is that the 5 speed Mercedes auto is getting a bit long in the tooth, although in this particular segment it's still pretty competitive. Chrysler is getting the new ZF 8 speed auto online (A new Chrysler automatic transmission with *8* speeds? Sign me the gently caress up. ) and a 6.4l SRT8 is in the wings too. EDIT: The Chinese love all Grand Cherokees and this new one is going to sell like hotcakes over there. Unfortunately, MB still owns the Jeep assembly plant in China. Throatwarbler fucked around with this message at 04:39 on Jun 30, 2010 |
# ? Jun 30, 2010 04:36 |
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Speaking of which, the new SRT8. http://blogs.insideline.com/straightline/2010/06/spy-photos-2012-jeep-grand-cherokee-srt-8.html The center exhaust has been removed to you can now tow stuff with it too. Jesus Christ I want to buy and drive the poo poo out of one of these God drat. It's a Cayenne/X5M for people who aren't terrible. Throatwarbler fucked around with this message at 14:02 on Jun 30, 2010 |
# ? Jun 30, 2010 13:59 |
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A5H posted:I think it's stupid. Completely unoriginal and pointless. Supposedly, the 'iStream' manufacturing process is the revolutionary bit here, and keeps the cost way down. I don't know, $9,000 for a car that gets 74 mpg seems pretty nice in terms of cost/benefit ratio. Hell, people buy plenty of Smart Cars and they are inferior in pretty much every way.
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# ? Jun 30, 2010 15:30 |
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frozenphil posted:The Explorer's engine is being replaced with the new 305hp v6 that gets 31mpg highway. I'm not sure what Toyota is doing, but do people cross shop the 4runner and the Grand Cherokee? The new explorer is going to get 31mpg highway with a gas engine? Have they turned it into a crossover? I think you've posted the mustang figure. Do people really care about 10-15hp and ft/lb between engines, assuming it's not detuned to 280hp or so for the explorer. They've always had nicer interiors than anything from Ford or especially GM as well. sanchez fucked around with this message at 15:58 on Jun 30, 2010 |
# ? Jun 30, 2010 15:52 |
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sanchez posted:The new explorer is going to get 31mpg highway with a gas engine? Have they turned it into a crossover? I think you've posted the mustang figure. Do people really care about 10-15hp and ft/lb between engines, assuming it's not detuned to 280hp or so for the explorer. What I'm saying is that it seems weird to me that you would build a brand new engine and not make it better than existing engines in your category.
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# ? Jun 30, 2010 16:20 |
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frozenphil posted:What I'm saying is that it seems weird to me that you would build a brand new engine and not make it better than existing engines in your category. It is better than the existing engines though? Compare it to the current Ford 4.0 or the Chrysler 3.7
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# ? Jun 30, 2010 16:25 |
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sanchez posted:It is better than the existing engines though? Compare it to the current Ford 4.0 or the Chrysler 3.7 Yeah, it's better than those, but Ford and Chevy have both released new engines. Whatever, I'm not really invested in this discussion as I don't really give a poo poo about the SUV market. They're such a niche vehicle that represent a real danger to others on the road and have gained popularity due to vanity and ignorance. They're basically the anti-AI.
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# ? Jun 30, 2010 16:32 |
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frozenphil posted:Yeah, it's better than those, but Ford and Chevy have both released new engines. So you're upset that the new base engine in the 2011 GC is on par with other new v6 engines from Ford and Chevy?
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# ? Jun 30, 2010 18:08 |
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kill me now posted:So you're upset that the new base engine in the 2011 GC is on par with other new v6 engines from Ford and Chevy? ... More like Chrysler's new engine is the worst of the Big 3's new engines. Which goes back to my comment about Chrysler not really trying to stay afloat.
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# ? Jun 30, 2010 18:16 |
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# ? May 16, 2024 18:01 |
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frozenphil posted:... So i was just looking at this article for the 2011 Explorer and it says that the base engine in the explorer is going to be a 2.0L ecoboost putting out 230hp and a V6 putting out 285... Leftlane news posted:The 2.0-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder offering will offer around 230 horsepower and 240 lb-ft of torque, while maintaining excellent fuel economy compared to the outgoing model’s slightly less powerful 4.0-liter V6. The premium engine, the 3.5-liter V6, will share new Ti-VCT technology for increased output and efficiency, with horsepower rated at 285. That said, power wise the v6 in the GC beats the poo poo out of the I4 in the Explorer as a base engine. Oh and its also slightly more powerful then the next level engine for the explorer too. A far as Chevy is concerend i dont even know what vehicle is supposed to be matching up with the GC because they really dont make a midsized SUV anymore. Just full sized and crossovers. You're comparing the engines that are being put in the pony cars to one being put in an SUV. Im sure when the pentastar V6 gets put in the Challenger it will be over 300hp too.
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# ? Jun 30, 2010 18:47 |