Turbos are bad?… More proof that Consumer Reports knows nothing about cars
Posted: February 6, 2013 Filed under: MEDIA RESPONSE | Tags: 0-60, Article, Chevy Cruze, Consumer Reports, Dodge Dart, Hyundai Sonata Turbo, Mind over motor, mpg, reaction, Small turbo engines, tests 9 Comments »
Consumer Reports is great resource if you want to buy a washing machine or a TV. They aren’t, however, as good at giving relevant car advice. Their automotive incompetence was one of the factors that led me to work on my own rating system. The fact is that CR’s system would rate a bicycle higher than any car in production today. There is no concern for context, or relevancy in their ratings, and now it is evident that the same is true of their tests. Today they have claimed that small turbo engines are “not delivering on the promises” (link at bottom).
CR ran tests for observed MPG and 0-60mph on various cars, both turbo and naturally aspirated (N/A). Most cars tested were front wheel drive family sedans. From their tests they claim that cars with smaller turbo engines are less efficient and slower than similar naturally aspirated cars. After looking through the test myself I can tell you that CR’s findings are overly simplistic, and that the tests themselves were not comprehensive enough to make the bold claim that small turbo engines “don’t deliver”.
My reactions and issues with their findings are as follows:
Test Driven: Toyota Prius C
Posted: June 14, 2012 Filed under: Green & Economical, TEST DRIVEN | Tags: 1, 2, 3, 4, 50, bcak, C, Car, cheap, city, Drive, eco, economical, environment, EV, friendly, green, Hatch, Hybrid, Japan, Mind, motor, mpg, Over, Prius, review, Test, Toyota 4 Comments »
Toyota Prius C: Small Car, Big City
This was my first time driving a Prius of any sort, although I have driven other hybrids. The Prius is special though because society has made into the poster child for the green car movement. The Prius C is the newest, smallest member of the Prius family, and it is selling like hotcakes right now. Like many car guys, I have always had a good deal of contempt for the Prius over the years for various reasons, but I figured it would be a good idea to at least go try one out for myself before closing the book on the car for good. What lay ahead tuned out to be an interesting experience. Read the rest of this entry »
A Prius, a Veyron, and an MP4-12C walk into a bar…
Posted: February 22, 2012 Filed under: AUTOMOTIVE INSIGHTS | Tags: 0-60, 12C, 458, acceleration, audacious, Birdman, Bugatti, Car, Celebrity, Chris Harris, Cruise, culture, dollars, Driver, fake, Ferrari, hired, Horsepower, Italia, Mclaren, million, Mind, motor, MP4, MP4-12C, mpg, Nick, numbers, ostentatious, Over, Pop, Price, Prius, review, ruin, speed, Sport, Status, sticker, Super, Symbol, Tom, top, Veyron, Walker, Window 1 Comment »
Tom Cruise and his Veyron on the red carpet
That is a silly title, I know, but it does beg the question as to why I would put those three specific cars together at all? The answer lies in how they all have a similar reason for their existence, to be a number. Each was meant to achieve some specific measure of performance that would define the car to the world. While all three have been successful in achieving their tangible goals they have all wound up becoming relics of a more regimented and boring existence. They all cater to an increasingly soulless and superficial world where people judge everything from a bunch of numbers on sheet of paper or a computer screen, and not so much from actual experiences. Read the rest of this entry »
Cars 101: Cruise Control
Posted: August 17, 2011 Filed under: CARS 101 | Tags: Adaptive, Cars 101, Cruise Control, driving, Ice, Laser, Mind over motor, mpg, Radar-Guided, Rain, Snow, speed, Tips Leave a comment »
How often should you really be using this? Well, read on, folks.
Cruise control has been around since the Sixties, but it has evolved as the car around it has evolved. It’s useful for long, punishing drives, such as one I took just yesterday from northern New Jersey to Long Beach Island. That said, there are some times when it’s useful, and others when it should be avoided. Read the rest of this entry »
Cars 101: Hypermiling
Posted: August 12, 2011 Filed under: CARS 101 | Tags: Car, Cars 101, Diesel, driving, Gas, Gas Prices, Hybrid, mileage, Mind over motor, mpg, Saving Money Leave a comment »
Anyone knows that saving gas saves money. Of course, those of us who have hybrids are occasionally so obsessed with it that they will do whatever is necessary to keep their MPG up and their costs down. Here’s a couple of ways to bring up your gas mileage without a lot of extra work. Read the rest of this entry »
Test Driven: Mini Countryman S
Posted: July 28, 2011 Filed under: Sports and Executive, TEST DRIVEN | Tags: 182hp, 30, 4, all, All4, big, British, Cooper, Countryman, Crossover, four, Juke, Mind, Mind over motor, Mini, motor, mpg, Nissan, Over, S, seat, Small, SUV, UK 1 Comment »
Mini Countryman S
The Countryman is a big Mini, their entry into the emerging small crossover market. Honestly, for this new segment of SUV hot hatches, the Countryman is pretty much the poster child. I would be very disappointed in Mini if they didn’t have a car in this segment because it seems like it is literally tailor-made for them. All of the haters who say it is too big are comparing it to the Cooper, which is stupid because they don’t take part in the same market segment at all. Read the rest of this entry »
Test Driven: Chevrolet Volt
Posted: July 17, 2011 Filed under: Green & Economical, TEST DRIVEN | Tags: Car, Chevrolet, Chevy, electric, Fuel, full, Gas, generator, green, Hybrid, mileage, Mind over motor, mpg, Sporty, Torque, Volt 3 Comments »
The Chevrolet Volt, savior of AMERICA!!!!
This is one I have been waiting to do for a while now, the much hyped Volt from Chevy. I knew of course that the Volt was a new sort of hybrid car and I knew that its design was far superior to that of other hybrids already on sale, like the Prius. However, the way it drove surprised the hell out of me. What I expected was a mushy, slow econobox, what I got was totally different. Read the rest of this entry »
