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Any love for the new Fiat Spider around here? Cuz I just bought one and 
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Oct 8, 2016 14:31
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CharlesM posted:Please post pics in the post your ride thread Done. 
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Oct 8, 2016 17:32
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Wheeee posted:It's been known forever, but now that it's known the tests can be changed and hopefully manufacturers will go back to putting real engines in things. OTOH, my Fiat Spider has a 1.4L turbo and is rated at 36 highway, 25 city - and that's almost exactly what it gets.
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Oct 15, 2016 05:28
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dissss posted:I'd bet an MX-5 would do slightly better given the same usage despite its worse official figures. To achieve that mileage, Mazda had to detune their engine to produce less horsepower and substantially less torque than a 40% smaller engine. I'll admit the Fiat engine is kind of a dog less than about 2500 RPM, but once the boost comes on it kicks all kinds of rear end.
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Oct 15, 2016 16:58
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iwentdoodie posted:The Miata is also cheaper, weighs less, handles better, and despite being down on power is quicker in every way. They're priced almost the same. The Fiat does weigh a bit more. The Fiat generally handles better due to less body roll. The Fiat was actually quicker around a course where they swapped tires with a Miata to make everything equal. The Miata feels quicker because the back end breaks loose easier and it requires more input from the driver constantly. The Fiat has a better suspension and a better engine. It's more comfortable, quieter, and refined. It's the better car in my completely unbiased and objective opinion. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wFuuAfYdnw Deteriorata fucked around with this message at 18:32 on Oct 15, 2016 |
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Oct 15, 2016 18:29
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kill me now posted:Pretty much every review out there about the Fiata and especially the Abarth model have begrudgingly said its as good or better when it comes to handling despite the extra weight. Also that its engine is much more enjoyable for day to day driving if not when being wrung out on a track. It is surprising how different the cars are despite coming off the same assembly line and sharing most of the same parts. They will have rather different appeals and neither is clearly "better" than the other by any objective criteria. They're just alternate takes on the concept. The Fiat connected with me in a way the Mazda never did.
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Oct 15, 2016 21:24
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blk posted:None of the Fiata Miata fight matters because the Fiata is ugly. Miata fanboys shouldn't get too smug. Without the Fiat investment the ND probably wouldn't have happened.
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Oct 16, 2016 17:13
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BloodBag posted:Have you posted a picture of your boxspring on bedframe looking car yet, or are you just gonna spew bullshit all day? Yes, I did, over in the Post Your Ride thread. I'll repost it here just for you! 
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Oct 16, 2016 17:25
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TheGoatTrick posted:All the other trim levels have it in black, which is fine. Classica = body-colored surround Lusso = silver Abarth = black Manuals are as rare as hens' teeth and are being sold at a premium. They can't give the automatics away.
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Oct 16, 2016 19:43
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Payne: How Fiat saved Mazda’s Miata quote:Thanks goodness for the Fiata.
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Oct 17, 2016 05:57
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Olympic Mathlete posted:I hated the ND initially but it's grown on me quite a lot to the point where I quite like it. De gustibus non disputandum est
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Oct 25, 2016 15:16
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Farking Bastage posted:I'm seriously mulling over an abarth one, then popping a tune in. 200whp/220tq+ would be insanely fun in a car that light. 160 HP/180 ft-lbs is pretty fun as is. I'm tempted to buy a tune myself, but not right away. I'm not a modder, though, and have no illusions of being Mario Andretti. The stock Lusso is plenty.
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Oct 26, 2016 02:04
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Sagebrush posted:I think it'd be cooler if it was exclusively 2L V4s, 3L V6s and 4L V8s because then they could make em all from like 70% identical parts. Mercedes is apparently just stamping out 0.5L cylinders and assembling them like Lego into whatever configuration they need.
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Oct 30, 2016 04:52
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Powershift posted:They actually predicted this happening, and are expecting a YOY drop every year for the foreseeable future. I have my doubts. It will have a limited niche in some urban areas, but I don't see it catching on generally. You only need a lawnmower for an hour once a week, but everybody shells out for one. Pride of ownership is a real thing that's not going away.
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Nov 2, 2016 03:16
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Reminds me of https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnDsYFjPzII
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Nov 29, 2016 23:10
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fknlo posted:I could probably easily find the info myself, but how are the new Priuseseses moving? I thankfully don't see a ton of them and I hope they're ugly enough to have killed a bit of sales momentum. I doubt it, but there's hope! Apparently Toyota sold 781 Prius Primes in November. Most places seem to think that's a pretty good result.
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Dec 2, 2016 22:43
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devtesla posted:The gas Prius is down 26%, like everything else that isn't a truck or crossover. Yeah, according to Toyota's full release, Priuses as a full model line are selling like day old, under cooked, gluten-free pancakes. 
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Dec 2, 2016 23:32
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Did a little spread sheet to compare how the new Fiat Spider is impacting Miata sales. I won't post the whole thing, but here's the summary: Sales in North America (US + Can) from June through November 2016, 2463 Spiders 4692 Miatas Total between them: 7155 Fiats are roughly 34% of Miata sales thus far. From June through November of 2015, there were 6073 Miatas sold. So the new Fiat has partially cannibalized Miata sales, but the combination of them is +18% YoY, so the partnership seems to be working thus far.
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Dec 3, 2016 16:41
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Finger Prince posted:I wonder what the actual licensing agreement is between them? Lump sum for the chassis design, or percentage of every unit sold? The engines are supplied by Fiat, but everything else is made on-site by Mazda, even if to Fiat specs. They're all coming off the same assembly line in Hiroshima, and Mazda makes multiple models of its own cars on the line. So it's all just putting parts together for them. I would guess they get a cash reimbursement from Fiat for each one made. That would be the easiest way of handling it. So more cars sold = more money for Mazda, regardless of the badge on them.
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Dec 3, 2016 18:25
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Monkey Fracas posted:I thought the big difference was the turbocharged Fiat-Chrysler engine so you can probably still blame Tony for most things that are gonna go real wrong with the Fiata 1000 miles so far on mine and not so much as a CEL. Knock on wood.
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Dec 3, 2016 22:30
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Sagebrush posted:Well you can blame CAFE, right? There's no technical disadvantage to running full-time AWD except for slightly increased drivetrain losses and 2% reduced fuel economy or whatever, but that's what they are being forced to optimize for. Some of us consider "using the least amount of fuel necessary for the job at hand" to be a virtue.
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Dec 9, 2016 21:32
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Sagebrush posted:Not if you're posting in AI, you don't. Anybody can get lots of power by wasting lots of fuel. It takes cleverness to get lots of power without wasting it. I appreciate cleverness.
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Dec 9, 2016 21:45
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Wistful of Dollars posted:I thought in Trump's America the minimum engine size would be a V8. Flathead, pushrod V8s at that, running 89 octane leaded gas.
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Dec 10, 2016 18:14
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Wheeee posted:No, people understand industry-leading long term quality and resale value just fine. I drive my cars until the wheels fall off, so I have never cared about resale value. If I buy a Toyota I'm stuck with a boring drudge-mobile for 20 years. Live fast, die young, and leave a good looking oil stain.
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Dec 16, 2016 23:52
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fyodor posted:If you aren't ok with our robotic future you are already too old, grandpa. Driving is fun. If the future ain't fun, I don't want to be in it.
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Dec 20, 2016 19:10
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Throatwarbler posted:I wish people would understand that a "platform" is just a set of measurements and specs that fix the distance from the cowl to the front axle and a couple of other things for the purposes of setting up an automated production line. It's not a "thing" that get's worn out with age or however this analogy is supposed to work. There's nothing wrong with the Charger just because certain measurements in the car's unibody have not changed for a long time. No, but over time the constraints of that setup begin to tell. Changes in the basic design (or "platform" if you prefer) have cascading impacts on many other issues and limit what you can do. It's not that the platform itself is the problem so much as its suitability to the sort of vehicle you want to build off it. Reusing old platforms saves lots of time and money in tooling and setup costs, but also limits the amount of innovation you can do. After 11 years, it's likely that most of the improvements in the performance of the car have already been added, and they're about at the limit of what they can do to continue improving the car. Thus newer model years end up being much like past ones and the line gets stale.
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Jan 18, 2017 16:11
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Raluek posted:Haha, that's kind of funny to think of. Chrysler, trying to be luxury. I can accept them being their Oldsmobile, but I don't imagine they'd ever be able to pull off a Cadillac. They used to have the Imperial line as their Cadillac equivalent, but it withered and died by 1980 or so. The name reappeared briefly in the 90s, but as just a model name.
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Jan 19, 2017 03:08
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Twerk from Home posted:That's not bad, I had a single taillight broken on my base-ish 2013 V6 Mustang and insurance paid a parts cost of a little more than $1k for just the single taillight assembly, was about a $4k repair in total. That's how you can total a car by backing into a light pole in a parking lot at 5 mph.
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Jan 20, 2017 17:11
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ilkhan posted:I've had that thought every time I see a mitsu for the last 10 years. Chevy sold more Impalas alone last year than Mitsubishi sold in total (in the US).
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Jan 29, 2017 06:02
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1500quidporsche posted:I love the fact that SUVs have come full circle and just look like minivans now. The people who swore they would never own a minivan kept insisting that their SUVs should be taller and wider, with easy access to a third row of seats for hauling kids to soccer games. They'll still call them SUVs, though, so buyers can pretend they're young and rebellious and not at all like their parents.
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Feb 10, 2017 04:17
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Q_res posted:I seriously can't figure this out, so somebody please tell me, why the hell PSA is trying to buy Opel/Vauxhall? They're making money again and something must be done about it.
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Feb 16, 2017 23:32
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Proud Christian Mom posted:i still cant get over that grill but thats really not the worst car ever made, especially for lexus The grill looks like chain mail. And it's crying. 
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Feb 22, 2017 17:06
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mobby_6kl posted:I thought everyone already realized that smaller engines get worse fuel economy and higher emissions in practice? WTF Ford. That article seems primarily focused on diesels. Gasoline engines are inherently lower in emissions so the tradeoffs are different. Here's a presentation suggesting a 3-cylinder turbo with direct gasoline injection is the best way to meet emissions, economy, and drivability. Ford seems to have seen it.
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Feb 24, 2017 19:53
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davebo posted:Has there ever been an i9 in anything? According to Wiki, they've been made by Rolls-Royce for marine diesels.
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Feb 25, 2017 00:10
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A Porsche station wagon just seems so wrong. 
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Mar 2, 2017 04:44
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Pontius Pilate posted:Why's premium so much more expensive these days? Feel like it always was around 10 cents for each higher grade so regular at $2 and premium $2.20. But now, at least in Chicago, premium pushes an extra dollar. Some weird refinery bottleneck? More cars are being sold that need (or at least prefer) premium. Greater demand without a greater supply = higher prices. Refineries will gradually adapt and start cranking out more premium eventually.
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Mar 11, 2017 21:55
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CornHolio posted:You know what's weird, for my R/T, if I'd opted for the 8-speed automatic, not only would it only require regular 87 octane, but it would have cylinder deactivation too. But because I wanted the 6-speed, for some reason the manual states that it requires premium. No cylinder deactivation, either. Anybody know why the manual would need premium? I would assume it's because with the automatic the ECU can control the gear and RPM to avoid detonation, but with a manual it has to play it safe.
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Mar 13, 2017 02:18
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Elephanthead posted:Is your mom willing to marry an alfa mechanic? Some cars are worth the time and money spent maintaining them.
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Mar 13, 2017 14:43
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tijag posted:Of course that Alpha is not one of those cars. 
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Mar 13, 2017 16:14
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| # ¿ May 12, 2024 22:08 |
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Olympic Mathlete posted:I feel like engines need more moving parts, is there any way we can add more moving parts in the deepest reaches of the engine block? Yeah, this sounds real reassuring: quote:While many automakers have experimented with compound connecting-rod and moving-cylinder mechanisms, Infiniti appears to be the first to solve the durability issues associated with a crankcase stuffed with links and levers, along with three times the typical number of bearings. 
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Mar 15, 2017 16:08
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