New cars?

[Sage]

I dunno, I like zippy cars. It's not the top-end speed I'm looking for as it is pretty rare for me to go above 90mph, it is how fast it can get me to it that is important for me.

I like driving, and I enjoy a vehicle that performs as well as my wife does. Why should I not get something that fits that description? :|

exactly! I mean, it's very very rare that I go over 110Mph. But, getting there is what matters. and it's not just getting there either, it's about the whole experience. that's why my dad likes MG's- they feel fast!

not too sure about the whole wife thing though.... 8)

 

[pascal]

I honestly do not get whats with US people and cars, here where I live (Denmark) we attempt to buy something which actually have some relation to the actual need, a 1.8L would be considered an above average sized engine.. (some years ago anyway, we are heading sligthly the wrong way as well)

Gasoline in US is cheap.

In my country 1 liter of gas is US$ 0.90

How much it is in Denmark?

 

[digitalwanderer]

not too sure about the whole wife thing though.... 8)

My wife is more of a performance driving nut than I am, and she might just be better than me. (One of these days we plan to settle that on the race track...)

She's now pushing for us to get an Armada and Z coupe.... (I'd get the Armada. )

 

[RussSchultz]

I rented an armada once, and they're pieces o-crap.

Or, at least I thought the interior was such.

 

[digitalwanderer]

I rented an armada once, and they're pieces o-crap.

Really? You don't recall which one it was, do you? They have an LE, LS, SE, & SE offroad model. The SE OR sort of looked nice after adding all the options I wanted.

 

[Sage]

My wife is more of a performance nut than I am, and she might just be better than me. (One of these days we plan to settle that on the race track...)

read carefully when i quote people. sometimes they seem to have minor.... adjustments.... must be that whole quantum "cant observe something without changing it" bit

 

[Sage]

seriously tho, digi. if your wife likes driving then go check out a 325i. Actually, if you do buy one, get a certified used one. You'll save SO much money and it's really almost no different than a brand new one. Don't be afraid of it just because it has a big fancy BMW name on it. I have driven many cars and none of them have been as enjoyable as the BMW's I've driven. Do not, however, let her drive an M3 with a F1-inspired sequential manual gearbox (SMG)! She will probably refuse to leave unless she gets to take one with her when she does

 

[pascal]

What about the new BMW 320i ? http://www.germancarfans.com/news.cfm/newsid/2050118.013/bmw/1.html

BMW 320i with high-performance four-cylinder power unit.

The new BMW 320i is the most powerful four-cylinder in the range. Based on the two-litre straight-four so far featured in the BMW 318i, this power unit is also equipped with VALVETRONIC and dual-VANOS variable camshaft adjustment, developing maximum output of 110 kW/150 bhp at 6,200 rpm and maximum torque of 200 Nm/147 lb-ft at 3,600 rpm. This accelerates the BMW 320i from 0–100 km/h in 9.0 seconds and gives the car a top speed of 220 km/h or 136 mph. Fuel consumption in the composite EU cycle is 7.4 litres/100 km or 38.2 mpg Imp. This increase in performance over the previous engine already acknowledged as very dynamic is attributable to detailed optimisation of the intake and exhaust ducts.

 

[digitalwanderer]

Nope, we're hopelessly addicted to our Nissan dealer and I have a feeling they'll offer us another deal on something we like that is just too good to pass up. (Our dealer has taken good care of us, it's been an odd but good relationship. )

 

[PC-Engine]

I honestly do not get whats with US people and cars, here where I live (Denmark) we attempt to buy something which actually have some relation to the actual need, a 1.8L would be considered an above average sized engine.. (some years ago anyway, we are heading sligthly the wrong way as well)

Gasoline in US is cheap.

In my country 1 liter of gas is US$ 0.90

How much it is in Denmark?

When you convert that to gallons it costs the same as the US. Right now 1 gallon is $2.30

What about the new BMW 320i ? http://www.germancarfans.com/news.cfm/newsid/2050118.013/bmw/1.html

BMW 320i with high-performance four-cylinder power unit.

The new BMW 320i is the most powerful four-cylinder in the range. Based on the two-litre straight-four so far featured in the BMW 318i, this power unit is also equipped with VALVETRONIC and dual-VANOS variable camshaft adjustment, developing maximum output of 110 kW/150 bhp at 6,200 rpm and maximum torque of 200 Nm/147 lb-ft at 3,600 rpm. This accelerates the BMW 320i from 0–100 km/h in 9.0 seconds and gives the car a top speed of 220 km/h or 136 mph. Fuel consumption in the composite EU cycle is 7.4 litres/100 km or 38.2 mpg Imp. This increase in performance over the previous engine already acknowledged as very dynamic is attributable to detailed optimisation of the intake and exhaust ducts.

That engine is ok. It certainly is anything to write home about. There are 1.8 liter engines out on the market that put out 190 bhp...

 

[digitalwanderer]

0–100 km/h in 9.0 seconds

100km/h is about 60mph, right? If so, my mini-van could stomp all over that thing off the line!

 

[Citrous]

Nine seconds is hideous.

 

[Blopztar]

As some other said, I think its crazy with the US-fuel-consuming cars. Monster engines and monster cars.

I´ve just bought a car actually. A Hyundai Getz 1.5L Diesel. It weights 1,005 ton and can go 22,7 KM pr. litre (random drive. 27KM if its on highway). Top speed is 170KM/h and accelerates from 0-100 in 15 seconds.

THAT is a economic car! Still, the torque/nM is 192 wich is pretty good if you ask me.

Fuel where I live, cost much more than in USA. But even if it was the same, I would be pissed off, if I had to stop constantly at a gas-station. How long does your monster-cars in USA drive? 75KM per tank? Crazy!

 

[Blopztar]

Does US-people even know what "diesel" is !?? Probably not!

And why is it you call benzin "gasoline" ? And how many litres is 1 gallon?

 

[cristic]

A gallon is like 3.7-3.8 litres, I think... and yes Diesel cars are not very popular in the US. I think that's because of the outragesly low fuel prices that they practice there. On the other hand AFAIK US car owners don't have pay taxes proportional to the engine size and the pollution level of the car. I might be wrong here, but this explains why large engines are more popular than in other places...

 

[Simon F]

And why is it you call benzin "gasoline" ??

Who knows why the US call petrol "gas". Usually seems like a liquid to me.

And how many litres is 1 gallon

A gallon is ~4.5 litres, except in the US where it's smaller for some reason.

 

[Diplo]

Why not spend a fraction of the money of the cost of a big-engined car on advanced driving lessons? Then you would learn how to drive properly without needing to compensate with a ridiculously large-engined vehicle?

Also, who merges with traffic on a motorway (highway) from stand-still? So who cares what the 0-60 speed is? It's the 30 - 70 range that is important.

 

[Mariner]

In the past, Diesel engines have been fuel efficient but very slow. Modern diesel engines are somewhat different, however.

I drive a BMW 320d (turbo-diesel) which, in comparison to the 320i (petrol) version is a little less powerful (150bhp vs 163bhp) and not quite as quick off the mark (0-60mph in 8.9 instead of 8.3). However, it is around 50% more fuel efficient than the petrol version which saves fuel costs somewhat, to say the least (claimed figures of 35.8mpg urban and 49.6mpg combined cycle). It also has about 70% of the CO2 emissions of the petrol version. Note that the gallons here are British gallons which are a bit larger (15% or thereabouts, I think) than US gallons.

One thing the diesel does have is a huge amount of torque compared to the petrol version (243lb ft vs 155 lb ft). This means it has great overtaking 'grunt' in the mid gears.

The only downside to diesels at present is they are a little noisy when idling and getting off the mark. Once you are cruising they are fine. I believe Honda have developed a quiet diesel engine, however, so I assume the other manufacturers will follow this with their own.

One thing I would say is that if you live somewhere which is icy a lot of the time, it is NOT a good idea to get a BMW. As a rear-wheel drive car it is a little dodgy in the snow/ice to say the least!

 

[Simon F]

One thing I would say is that if you live somewhere which is icy a lot of the time, it is NOT a good idea to get a BMW. As a rear-wheel drive car it is a little dodgy in the snow/ice to say the least!

But the adverts always claim how great their "near perfect 50:50 weight distribution" is

 

[Guden Oden]

Nine seconds is hideous.

How often do you really need to go 0-100km/h in less than 9 seconds? If it's penis size you're in need of increasing, I heard there's herbal remedies to be bought over the internet that'll do the trick much cheaper than a fast-accelerating car...