Recent Comments:
Push Me, Pull You: R&T investigates the comings and goings of gear changes {Autoblog}
Dec 1st 2009 9:55AM Considering that the whole premise of Manual Mode is the replication of manual shifting, Forwards for lower gear and Backward for higher gear make the most sense. 2nd gear is directly BACKWARD of 1st, an upshift, 4th gear is directly BACKWARD of 3rd, an upshift, and so on and so forth. Since you cannot replicate the shifting action of crossing from one gate to the next (eg from 2nd to 3rd) in an automatic, there is no other logical 'manual mode' option. Pushing forward and expecting a higher gear would be an unnatural sensation as you would not have crossed to the right.
Thats for standard folk anyway, but i'm pretty sure our V8 supercar series in Australia run sequential boxes with a Forward = down, Backward = up shift pattern also.
Paddles, left = down, right = up. I think both column and wheel mounted are valid, both Lamborghini + Ferrari are column, but F1 uses wheel mounted. Depends how many turns lock-to-lock, and turning radius and all those important figures. Still on the fence personally.
One reason I could never own a BMW is those stupid Multi Function Shift Paddles (MFSP), or Mother F*cking Sh!t Paddles.
REPORT: Ford preparing cops for life after Crown Vic, has police sample Taurus {Autoblog}
Aug 28th 2009 11:44AM The G8 is a pretty heavy duty sedan. It is built for Australian roads, where potholes can devour wheels, if not cars. It also doubles as a taxi down under, because they are so mechanically solid and love top cop abuse, passengers and luggage. They are the perfect highway patrol vehicles down here also, generally in V8 guise.
VIDEO: Top Gear flogs the Vauxhall VXR8 Bathurst and HSV Maloo {Autoblog}
Aug 3rd 2009 6:08AM The Clubsport R8, GTS, Senator, Grange, Tourer R8 and Maloo all share the magical 6.2 LS3. They are all modified and sold under the brand HSV (Holden Special Vehicles), similar to AMG or M divisions, except HSV is independently owned (by Tom Walkinshaw's company). They did release a rare, less than 140 production run W427 model featuring the LS7. So far there are no plans to release an LS9 powered model.
Which makes me sad :(
Toyota's Bill Reinert lets loose on ethanol, li-ion batteries, plug-in vehicles {Autoblog}
Jul 18th 2009 11:54PM Typical "Ours is better than yours" exec talk.
Only problem is he is wrong, because his companies NiMH batteries are terrible for both the environment, energy performance and longevity. Li-Ion has it all over NiMH and there is nothing he can do about it. Why not let an actual engineer with a clue speak. Stupid PR people.
Also, it's not that hard to tune a modern engine for 100% ethanol and bingo, renewable fuel. Hardly the dumbest idea of the lot. Of course you still have the maintenance and oil lubrication requirements. Why not an E100 hybrid? Sure ethanol doesn't have the raw energy of petroleum but at least we don't have to refine oil to make it.
Seems to me Toyota is getting jealous about all the upcoming hybrids that feature better utilization of the technology than their Pious (sic).
Telstra keeps pushing, moves to 5.8Mbps on the uplink {Engadget Mobile}
Jun 29th 2009 11:28AM It is basically the only network that actually lets you make and receive calls/text. The other networks have great plans to make up for their lackluster coverage, which is in 90% of cases, below acceptable. You get what you pay for.
Top 7 Good Cars From "Bad GM" {Autoblog}
Jun 3rd 2009 12:54PM If Chevy sold the G8, hopefully they would use a bumper more like the original Australian design. At the moment it looks like a sad, hardcore BMW fan cut out two kidneys and threw them in the bumper. As an Australian, that is just not right.
http://www.carpw.com/pictures/holden/Commodore_SS_V_2007_3.jpg
That's how it is done, yankee-doodles :)
VIDEO: Jay Leno takes EcoJet out for a spin {Autoblog}
Jun 3rd 2009 12:24AM errr, worst park ever?
First Drive: 2010 Jaguar XFR, XKR and one of the best V8s on the market {Autoblog}
May 30th 2009 9:41AM Ha! I've been saying this for years.
Solution?
Diesel or AMG (preferably 55 or 65), can't lose!
High five for torque!
VIDEO: Top Gear Australia electric car build-off, Aussie rules style {Autoblog}
May 28th 2009 4:36PM true that.
but to get technical, its also 'metre' in all the lands that use kilometres.
Stuka, KPH is wrong because km/h isnt an acronym, it is a unit of measurement. KPH is an abbreviation used only to appease the minds of those stuck in mph.
China's Great Wall readying high-riding four-door coupe? {Autoblog}
Apr 13th 2009 1:43AM i cant say this is a coupe at all. the back is just too high. simply cutting a line from the front wheel arch to the boot also doesn't make it a coupe. there is too much headroom in the back.
its a sedan.
with ford's new headlights, a skoda grille, clearly it was the product of a failed abortion.
