I went to test drive a Mazda CX7 yesterday. The car is nice - peppy - a lot different to the Honda Element. It's because of the turbocharged engine of course. What was entertaining was when the salesman started to tell me about the VVT engine. According to "Chuck", that meant variable vent tubes, which as he described it, was the difference between the size of your airway when you are breathing normally, and the size of your airway when you are panting for breath whilst running. Say what? The Mazda engine is able to alter the size of it's intake manifold depending on how hard I'm breathing?
Well I suppose it was a nice try. He got the 'variable' part of it right at least. What he was trying to describe of course was variable valve timing. More zippy engine performance requires more fuel-air mix, which requires altered and lengthened valve opening timing.
The closest thing to what he was describing (I think) is the variable length intake tubes on the Yamaha R1 motorbike. Or he could have just been pulling it out of his arse. Either way, he was trying to sell me a product he clearly didn't know anything about.
