Muffinpox posted:

I might have missed them, but if you're basing the "marginally better performing" on the 0-60 you're only slightly ignoring that this is a track package. You know, corners.

awesome-express posted:

Sorry, can't help you with the translation but there's one interesting fact (rumor?) about the SLS.

I remember reading somewhere that the SLS was originally supposed to be the new Viper back in the good ole Daimler-Chrysler days, with most of the engineering coming from Chrysler. The huge hood and tiny trunk really resemble the Viper's design.

MikeyTsi posted:

Really? LED's have an effective service life that is FAR longer than any other bulb on the market.

Cream_Filling posted:

Impreza Hatch photos just came out. Looks OK.

Dr JonboyG posted:

Next Corvette could have a 3l V8 that revs to 10k. Before everyone gets all abloobloobloo, imagine the noise that fucker would make!


http://www.autocar.co.uk/News/NewsArticle/AllCars/257498/

Openknees posted:

No Fairlady Z's though?

Seat Safety Switch posted:

Other Nissan dealers I've seen have a computer-controlled key safe, but that doesn't mean this one does.

I wonder if they stole from their overflow lot - it's always stuffed full of tons of unsold cars.

onezero posted:

Uncrate just put up a post about the new NSX, this time with a picture. Looks pretty great in my opinion.

Uncrate's words:

"It's not too often we get to say this, but if they don't build this, they're crazy. The Acura NSX Concept ($TBA) revives one of the world's best-known supercar monikers in style, with a rear-mounted V6 powerplant that's helped along by an electric motor, all-wheel-drive, the ability to apply positive or negative torque to the front wheels during cornering, a dual-clutch transmission, and lust-worthy looks. Oh, and about that "crazy" bit — the production version should arrive in within the next three years, and if that wasn't enough, they're building it in Uncrate's home state of OH."

eames posted:

A ~400hp "Cayman Turbo" in the future would be very, very interesting IMO.

SouthLAnd posted:

There's a new Viper coming and I can't loving wait!

PT6A posted:

Why shouldn't cars integrate nicely with electronic devices? Again, it doesn't compromise the experience of the auto enthusiast in any meaningful fashion, and if a tiny weight gain bothers you, just rip the entire loving stereo system out. I don't understand the sentiment around here that you have to like stripped-down, optionless cars to be an enthusiast.

Obviously iPhone integration wouldn't be my first criterion for selecting a new car, but a lovely system or no system at all could be a pretty big deal-breaker now that I'm used to having SYNC.

Guinness posted:

This is why:


Niche brand requires expensive niche parts, expensive specialty knowledge/tools, and frequent expensive service with expensive labor at expensive niche shops. Did I mention it is expensive?

Keyser S0ze posted:

I think they are finally doing it starting with the F30 Coupe which will be a 4 and M4.

Keyser S0ze posted:

No official announcement yet but it seems to be trending..........no idea of the % accuracy of any of these but none of it would surprise me if true. They definitely want to make sure we know the coupes are more exclusive than the sedans.

http://www.bimmerpost.com/spyshots/

http://www.topspeed.com/cars/bmw-4-series/ke3834.html

http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/scoop/bmw-4-series-latest-spy-pics


There is an X4 coming as well.

BonzoESC posted:

A pain-in-the-rear end engine to work on is a proud Porsche tradition, and is a compromise they make for getting the iconic shape, rear engine, rear wheel drive, and a car that doesn't instantly burst into flames when rear-ended by a duallie Ram.

Seat Safety Switch posted:

No, Honda. No! Bad company! Put it down.

Cream_Filling posted:

He's talking about cars in normal use, not garage queens. You are looking at things in a very strange way. The average daily-driven 911 or Mercedes will outlast an average Civic even under similar use cases most of the time because the quality of the materials means that they will not wear as hard or require as much maintenance. How are you missing this very simple point? Especially early 80s Civics, which often had extremely suspect rustproofing and could rust even if garaged due to water drains, etc. The unspoken condition here is under normal conditions, not ideal conditions.

kimbo305 posted:

VVEL seems to be fairly variable with the degree of lift change.


This system seems to be 2 mode, with the novelty being a roller bearing to reduce friction when in high lift mode. Compared to VTEC and VVTL that use a mechanical pin acutated by oil.

For stuff like this, it's moderately fun to see the wheel get reinvented. But where are my drat camless valves already?

grover posted:

Why are poppet valves always round and not elliptical or asymmetric or an array of smaller valves that would give proportionately more flow area?

Yummers posted:

When you have a flashy car that attracts attention, people come at you for different reasons under the guise of friendship -- you have to be able to determine which "friends" are fair-weathered. In the case of this story, I was hanging out with some sloppy drunks who don't appreciate other peoples stuff and were pathetically lingering around my car trying to catch pussy shrapnel. Lesson learned/never again/moving on. I'm going to another game tonight with a different group of friends and they're all about taking BART. Those are my people!

Hog Obituary posted:

CUPHOLDERS

Keyser S0ze posted:

Not getting the IS-F hate - at least Toyota is trying something, ^{even though I'd never buy one}

Nait Sirhc posted:

Triples in bikes are a much different story than triples in cars. Four cylinders in bikes sound a lot better than they do in cars, because of reasons. The Geo Metro had a 3-cyl and man let me tell you about that motor and how great it sounded

Devyl posted:

Since everyone loves cutaways:




The funny thing about this is according to GM, they went out and polled a bunch of people and asked if they'd prefer a twin turbo V6 or a N/A V8 for the next Corvette and (according to GM) everyone said they wanted a V8. Another feature of the motor is an 11.5:1 comp ratio and an estimated 26 mpg! Not too shabby for a Corvette.

Devyl posted:

You didn't hear this from me; but GM has the new LT1 in development with some serious turbocharging going on.

Powershift posted:

no, the majority are probably mid-high level management at any of the big oil companies. there are a lot of areas near downtown calgary where they are ripping out 60 year old 600 square foot houses, and building 3 million dollar 6000+ square foot mansions on the lot. King ranch, harley davidson, and platinum f-150s are a fairly common sight, and these are $70,000 vehicles.

PT6A posted:

That sure is A Car. I don't know if they could've made it any more generic-looking.

But it doesn't look actively bad, which represents an improvement.

IOwnCalculus posted:

Interesting approach to 'why low compression' - you're basically making the tradeoff of drastically advanced injection timing compared to a high-compression diesel.

If it really works out that well in practice, I bet it helps them lower the weight of the engine compared to most diesels since it isn't having to stand up to 16:1+ compression ratios with forced induction on top of it.

quote:

Due to its low compression ratio, the maximum in-cylinder combustion pressure for SKYACTIV-D is lower than the current diesel, realizing significant weight reduction through structural optimization.

For example, it became possible to change the cylinder block’s material to aluminum, which saved 25kg (vs.current diesel). The cylinder head became 3kg lighter with thinner walls and an integrated exhaust manifold. As for the reciprocating parts, the weight of the pistons were reduced by 25%.

The crankshaft had its main journal diameter reduced from 60mm to 52mm, achieving a 25% weight reduction. As a result, the mechanical friction was greatly reduced to the same level as an average gasoline engine.

angryhampster posted:

Ahh..guess I can't speak for the older models. My '04 6i (with the 4-cylinder) gets around 31 on the highway and 25 in town. Perfectly acceptable for a mid-sized sedan.

Guinness posted:

I think it looks really pretty great, though still a little mixed on those side vents.

The bummer is that it is almost undoubtedly going to be much more expensive than the 3-series coupe has traditionally been, taking a page out of Audi's book with the A4/A5. The 3 coupe has always carried a small premium over the 3 sedan, but typically with a few more standard features, but I bet the gap will be a lot wider now with the 3/4 seres split. Hopefully BMW really differentiate it from the 3-series to make up for the price increase, like a lot more standard "premium" features and maybe more aggressive engine tunes (since it's all turbos now)?

ynotony posted:

Sure, but what niche would that be filling? Price point is not a niche.

Wheeee posted:

As to the RAM, they're more popular in Canada than they are in America but I still can't think of much reason to buy one over a Ford or GM product unless you just have to have the mini-semi style.

Cream_Filling posted:

Throatwarbler posted:

It's kind of odd now(since it's gone) but up to the last gen the B7 was cheaper than the V12 760Li.

sanchez posted:

This is stupid, the G35/37 is a good car in its own right.

kimcicle posted:

It't not best in class, but you can get a fully loaded sedan for cheaper than a barebones BMW / Audi / MB. It's really a case of you get what you pay for.

Throatwarbler posted:

considering 60%+ of BMWs are leased the BMW/MBZ people are probably not paying that much more for their cars. Either the Germans just get better resale or they are subventing their residuals.

KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:

That being said, I don't like it, but I imagine that it looks better in person, right??