Seems the entire subject was beaten to death while I was still asleep. Nevertheless I'd like to input my 2p on this matter.
For many years I've wondered why the US must produce heavy cars with big engines to carry a couple of people while the Europeans do it with less than half of each. Ironically, the US is endorsing stricter emissions. On this side of the Atlantic most BMW 7-series are 728's and 5-series are 520's while they send you the 740's and 540's putting out twice the emission and MPG; and it's the US with the strict 90kph speed limit. You only need that much torque to move the car and a 2L moves the BMW decently and up to 200+kph. The 4L you get is overkill. To the guy claiming the Golf hasn't decent torque: go down a gear or get an auto box to do it for you. Ferrari produced a V8 2.0L 328 in the eighties for their local market with twin turbo's producing as much power as the big engined model. Mercedes has a 2L and a 2.3L Kompressor engine producing identical torque & power output to the 2.8L NA with less emissions and better MPG. FWD vs. RWD: On the road it is an absolute rarity to see anyone in a RWD drive hard unless he has traction control. A mistake with a RWD costs too much and even a skilled driver can make a mistake since conditions on the road are ever-changing (rain, mud, bad asphalt..). There is a Subaru AWD turbo currently for sale here I often dream of having, but one fast driving session in the Golf leaves me thinking no one needs more speed on the road; it's just silly. On the subject of pony cars: I have an '88 GTi. Have you ever seen an '88 camaro or mustang? They might as well be thrown in the trash. Apparently their life expectancy doesn't exceed 5 years at best. BBC's top gear tested a '99 camaro and the presenter who is a talented driver (Tiff Needell) didn't dare drive it hard on the British back roads with the traction control off. He also kept complaining about the rattles and bad ride and cramped interior, etc.. US technology: I have no doubt that the US has the highest level of technology in almost all engineering fields including automotive. I don't know why they don't produce decent cars but as someone mentioned it has to do with management or marketing. Then again the USA is a leader in management and marketing... SUMMARY: There is a replacement for displacement: modern engine management systems and forced induction. Large displacement belongs on trucks since they need the torque it puts out. For drivin hard on roads: AWD --> FWD --> RWD Pony cars can be fun. For a few days at best. If you've gotten this far, thank you. > In a message dated 1/24/00 10:25:09 PM Eastern Standard Time, [email protected] > writes: > > > Remember, I'm talking about street-driven cars here- for racing, obviously, > > low end & midrange power is much less important (except in bike racing, but > > that's another discussion). Yes, FWD is awful at the dragstrip. But I still > _____________ List Sponsor: http://www.netsville.com To remove yourself from this list, send mail to [email protected] with 'unsubscribe a2_16v' in the body of your message See us on the web at http://www.a2-16v.com Visit the 16V Homepage at http://www.gti16v.org
