I think there's some sort of collective neuroses going on in the luxury car segment at the moment. I was hoping the Porsche Cayenne would be a one-off; a flight of fancy from a designer soon to be sacked for perpetrating such a crime on the world of motoring. But sadly no. More luxury car makers are getting their feet wet in markets they have no business being in. First the Cayenne, now the Panamera - can there be a more pointless car for Porsche to make? A front-engined, 4-door saloon? Buy a Camry or a Fusion if you want one of those. They're a fraction of the price, much less likely to be stolen, have better warranties and are far more practical. It doesn't stop with Porsche though. Now we face the prospect of Lamborghini losing their marbles. For whatever reason, the Audi-owned purveyor of all things hypercar, makers of the Reventón, Murciélago, and pant-wettingly gorgeous Aventador, have decided they need to build a bloated, badly-handling, poorly-designed, ugly-looking SUV. The Urus (I'll spare you the picture, you can google it) is a really odd way to go for Lambo. I know most SUVs never go off-road but for $200,000 I'm pretty sure the most dirt a Urus will see will be the dust settling gently on it whilst parked on Rodeo Drive. Not wanting to be left out, Bugatti are getting in on the game with their 16C Galibier - essentially a four-door version of the Veyron. $1.4M for a four-door "family" car? Seriously?
But all of this pales in comparison to what's happening at my favourite maker of exotica - Aston Martin. DB9? DBS? Vanquish? V8 or V12 Vantage? Yes please - any and all of the above. But the Rapide? Why in the name of all that is handbuilt and peculiarly British would Aston want a 4-door sedan? Is it because they're copying Porsche? Are they jealous of the Panamera?
The answer to all the above stupidity of course lies in the vast inequality of wealth in certain countries. In the US, where 9% of the population have 90% of the wealth, it's hardly surprising people want to squander their money on expensive toys to be used as status symbols. "Oh honey - the Ford Escape is just too common. We simply must do better than that - I wouldn't be seen dead in anything less than a Cayenne." Where rich suckers and their money are easily separated, car makers know they can make serious bank. Porsche, Aston and Lamborghini know these vehicles are pointless but then they know the people they're selling them to are equally stupid. And if you can make a fast buck off someone, that's what capitalism is all about right?
Monday, November 12, 2012
Monday, November 5, 2012
Guest post : 2013 Audi Q5 - Subtle Success
Audi has a reputation for manufacturing luxurious, understated vehicles, and their 2013 Q5 SUV is just that. With its sleek, simple body style and superior driving capabilities, it’s both a classic and a head turner. Originally launched three years ago and not scheduled for an overhaul until 2016, the Q5 saw some minor upgrades in 2013. And while it may be predictably Audi and significantly short of revolutionary, it certainly doesn’t disappoint.
Overview
When the first Q5 hit the streets in 2008, it was nothing special by any means. Not only was it late to the compact SUV game, it didn’t offer anything that made it stand out from its competition. Nevertheless, it quickly became one of Audi’s best-selling models. Four years later, the Q5 is facing stiffer competition, which includes the Range Rover Evoque, Cadillac SRX, the BMW X3 and Infiniti’s EX35. Therefore, a few changes were necessary to give it an edge. Because Audi rarely whips out completely redesigned vehicles, it’s no surprise that the changes to the Q5 amount to little more than minor improvements. New for 2013 is a grille with slightly harsher corners, chrome lined fog lights on the front, revised LED lights on the rear, and adorning the back of the vehicle, a pair of chrome tipped exhausts. The interior upgrades include a revised steering wheel and new ignition switch design, additional interior color options, and cleaner lines throughout.
Engines
Previously, those interested in purchasing a Q5 only had the choice of two engines, either the premium 2.0L I-4 with 211-hp or the premium plus 3.2 L V-6 with 270-hp. In 2013, Audi expanded its engine options to include a hybrid and a TDI diesel, which probably won’t make it into the U.S. lineup. Additionally, they replaced the 3.2-liter V6 with a newer direct-injection, supercharged 3.0L engine. This V6 offers 268-hp and 296 lb-ft torque. Audi claims the Q5 is capable of 62 mph in 5.9 seconds and has a top speed of 146, which is pretty impressive for an SUV.
Pricing
Though pricing details have yet to be released, MSRP for the Q5 is expected to begin around $36,000 and reach $45,000 fully loaded. The Q5 will arrive in American dealerships in fall of 2012, but the hybrid model won’t make it across the pond until later in 2013. Only 500 total hybrids will be sold by Audi for the 2013 model year.
This guest post was contributed by Brittany Larson on behalf of Audi Warwick.
Overview
When the first Q5 hit the streets in 2008, it was nothing special by any means. Not only was it late to the compact SUV game, it didn’t offer anything that made it stand out from its competition. Nevertheless, it quickly became one of Audi’s best-selling models. Four years later, the Q5 is facing stiffer competition, which includes the Range Rover Evoque, Cadillac SRX, the BMW X3 and Infiniti’s EX35. Therefore, a few changes were necessary to give it an edge. Because Audi rarely whips out completely redesigned vehicles, it’s no surprise that the changes to the Q5 amount to little more than minor improvements. New for 2013 is a grille with slightly harsher corners, chrome lined fog lights on the front, revised LED lights on the rear, and adorning the back of the vehicle, a pair of chrome tipped exhausts. The interior upgrades include a revised steering wheel and new ignition switch design, additional interior color options, and cleaner lines throughout.
Engines
Previously, those interested in purchasing a Q5 only had the choice of two engines, either the premium 2.0L I-4 with 211-hp or the premium plus 3.2 L V-6 with 270-hp. In 2013, Audi expanded its engine options to include a hybrid and a TDI diesel, which probably won’t make it into the U.S. lineup. Additionally, they replaced the 3.2-liter V6 with a newer direct-injection, supercharged 3.0L engine. This V6 offers 268-hp and 296 lb-ft torque. Audi claims the Q5 is capable of 62 mph in 5.9 seconds and has a top speed of 146, which is pretty impressive for an SUV.
Pricing
Though pricing details have yet to be released, MSRP for the Q5 is expected to begin around $36,000 and reach $45,000 fully loaded. The Q5 will arrive in American dealerships in fall of 2012, but the hybrid model won’t make it across the pond until later in 2013. Only 500 total hybrids will be sold by Audi for the 2013 model year.
This guest post was contributed by Brittany Larson on behalf of Audi Warwick.
Monday, October 29, 2012
Guest post : The DMV
The DMV can be a hassle. Long lines, paperwork, fees, and bureaucracy, aren't things many look forward to. There are ways to cut down on lost time though. From ordering products online to doing some preparatory research, sometimes the DMV can be outright avoided.
Often, a quick search online can save you a lot of time. Three things I usually look for, if I have to go in person, are the following:
1) Proper Identification
Waiting in line only to realize you don't have the correct ID with you is not a good use of time. It can vary from task to task but usually its a pretty easy search on the DMV state website. Know what you need beforehand.
2) Printable Forms
Most states will have a list of different forms and usually put up PDFs available for download. Having the form already filled out saves time at the counter. Also, there may be some information you didn't know you needed to have on there.
3) Correct Office
In smaller counties and towns there's usually only one DMV that handles everything, but for bigger cities there are sometimes smaller offices that don't manage some tasks. Contacting your DMV can save you the hassle.
Online Products
Sometimes products are available online. Some of them are from private companies or can be found on DMV's website. For example:
Driving Records
Sometimes called a Motor Vehicle Report (MVR), Driving History Report, Drivers License Check, or Driving Abstract. These are detailed records of traffic violations, license suspensions, and so on, usually used for employment purposes.
Study Material
All state DMVs have a drivers handbook that they offer with safety guidelines and traffic rules. They have all the information that are on various licensing tests. Private companies also offer study guides and practice tests. There are boating and motorcycle tests out there as well.
Traffic School
Traffic Schools can help decrease demerit points or sharpen skills before a driving test. There are online traffic school options as well services that help you find physical driving courses.
If you can't get the correct information or product online unfortunately you're going to have to go to the DMV and figure it out in person. Hopefully this guide helps, and good luck!
Often, a quick search online can save you a lot of time. Three things I usually look for, if I have to go in person, are the following:
1) Proper Identification
Waiting in line only to realize you don't have the correct ID with you is not a good use of time. It can vary from task to task but usually its a pretty easy search on the DMV state website. Know what you need beforehand.
2) Printable Forms
Most states will have a list of different forms and usually put up PDFs available for download. Having the form already filled out saves time at the counter. Also, there may be some information you didn't know you needed to have on there.
3) Correct Office
In smaller counties and towns there's usually only one DMV that handles everything, but for bigger cities there are sometimes smaller offices that don't manage some tasks. Contacting your DMV can save you the hassle.
Online Products
Sometimes products are available online. Some of them are from private companies or can be found on DMV's website. For example:
Driving Records
Sometimes called a Motor Vehicle Report (MVR), Driving History Report, Drivers License Check, or Driving Abstract. These are detailed records of traffic violations, license suspensions, and so on, usually used for employment purposes.
Study Material
All state DMVs have a drivers handbook that they offer with safety guidelines and traffic rules. They have all the information that are on various licensing tests. Private companies also offer study guides and practice tests. There are boating and motorcycle tests out there as well.
Traffic School
Traffic Schools can help decrease demerit points or sharpen skills before a driving test. There are online traffic school options as well services that help you find physical driving courses.
If you can't get the correct information or product online unfortunately you're going to have to go to the DMV and figure it out in person. Hopefully this guide helps, and good luck!
Monday, October 22, 2012
So NBC has acquired F1 coverage rights. Wonderful.
It's hard to denote sarcasm on the internet, but trust me, the 'wonderful' in the title of this week's post is very definitely sarcastic.
Right now, to watch F1 in America, we have either Speed Channel, Fox (who own Speed) or internet piracy. Speed do a pretty good job. They have a pre-race show, the entire race, the podium ceremony and the post-race interviews. The commentators are a good blend of people. Bob Varsha is sometimes outwitted by Hobbs and Matchett but that's mostly because he doesn't get the English humour and sarcasm.
Fox on the other hand are awful. The race coverage starts normally as the cars are forming up after the formation lap, and runs to about a minute after the first car crosses the finish line. No pre-race, no podium, no post-race interviews. The race itself is diced up into hundreds of pieces by the commercials - about 30% more than we get on Speed.
Now I refer you back to what NBC did to the Olympics this year. Their coverage was so awful that it was just an embarrassment. Their streaming service choked regularly, they couldn't show stuff in the right order at the right time and their commentary team was wooden and so idiotically banal that my wife and I just sat staring at the TV shouting "shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!". They kept talking in the wrong places (over other announcements) and they knew nothing about any of the sports or athletes. Their coverage of the opening and closing ceremonies was an editing nightmare (a good hour missing from each), and this is the team who are going to take on F1. I think we know where this is going to end up.
In defence of NBC acquiring F1, most people point out that the Formula 1 association control the TV feed so we ought to be fine. This is true, but then the Olympics was a controlled feed and that didn't stop NBC from turning it into an unwatchable train wreck.
With F1 going to NBC we face the prospect of a major network screwing it up worse than Fox did to the point where, like the Olympics, the only way to see the actual events will be to pirate them online. I'd rather not have to do that, but if it comes to it, I have no problem with it. As a matter of fact, Speed's coverage of F1 is one of the last remaining reasons we have a satellite box and haven't cut the cord to go to something like Amazon or Hulu. If NBC do their usual quality job next year, I see a future full of downloaded content for my household.
Right now, to watch F1 in America, we have either Speed Channel, Fox (who own Speed) or internet piracy. Speed do a pretty good job. They have a pre-race show, the entire race, the podium ceremony and the post-race interviews. The commentators are a good blend of people. Bob Varsha is sometimes outwitted by Hobbs and Matchett but that's mostly because he doesn't get the English humour and sarcasm.
Fox on the other hand are awful. The race coverage starts normally as the cars are forming up after the formation lap, and runs to about a minute after the first car crosses the finish line. No pre-race, no podium, no post-race interviews. The race itself is diced up into hundreds of pieces by the commercials - about 30% more than we get on Speed.
Now I refer you back to what NBC did to the Olympics this year. Their coverage was so awful that it was just an embarrassment. Their streaming service choked regularly, they couldn't show stuff in the right order at the right time and their commentary team was wooden and so idiotically banal that my wife and I just sat staring at the TV shouting "shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!". They kept talking in the wrong places (over other announcements) and they knew nothing about any of the sports or athletes. Their coverage of the opening and closing ceremonies was an editing nightmare (a good hour missing from each), and this is the team who are going to take on F1. I think we know where this is going to end up.
In defence of NBC acquiring F1, most people point out that the Formula 1 association control the TV feed so we ought to be fine. This is true, but then the Olympics was a controlled feed and that didn't stop NBC from turning it into an unwatchable train wreck.
With F1 going to NBC we face the prospect of a major network screwing it up worse than Fox did to the point where, like the Olympics, the only way to see the actual events will be to pirate them online. I'd rather not have to do that, but if it comes to it, I have no problem with it. As a matter of fact, Speed's coverage of F1 is one of the last remaining reasons we have a satellite box and haven't cut the cord to go to something like Amazon or Hulu. If NBC do their usual quality job next year, I see a future full of downloaded content for my household.
Monday, October 15, 2012
Remember that time you had trouble getting petrol? Sorry about that.
If you're a reader in the UK, you'll likely have no problem remembering the fuel protests back in 2000. Did you know I was the instigator of what ballooned into a national crisis? A crisis that had fuel drivers blockading their own refineries? That had airports shut down because they had no fuel for the aircraft? That caused Blair to finally admit he was propping up the National Health Service with money fleeced from motorists? The crisis that, for the first and only time in the recent memory of UK fuel pricing, caused the government to drop the tax rate? Yeah you can blame me for that.
Late spring 2000, a colleague of mine and I were moaning one morning about the price of petrol at the time and we decided that apathy had ruled long enough and that it was time to do something about it. We set up a website called Boycott The Pumps and filled it with interesting facts and figures. At the time I was running the Speedtrap Bible - a site I later sold - so I had rather a large following of readers. One simple email to all those readers was all it took. We decided to organise a pump boycott - a mechanism that has notoriously failed to go anywhere every time it was tried before, because of apathy. "But if I don't buy petrol today, I'll just buy it tomorrow, so what's the point?". The point isn't that you're buying petrol on another day, it's that you're sending your elected officials a very clear message. And holy crap this time it actually worked. It went nationwide when the Daily Mail picked up the original email from me, and publicised it on the AP Wire and the front page of their paper on the same day. The Sun, Mirror, Star and Telegraph all then picked it up and it just ballooned from there. I must have given 100 radio and newspaper interviews and I was on TV for what seemed like 3 weeks straight from local news stories to the BBC nationally. What really caught the attention of the public though was when the farmers and truckers started to get vocal - rolling roadblocks on the motorways, blockaded refineries and such. At that point it had a much snappier name - wish we'd thought of this originally, but we didn't - it became Dump The Pumps. I had to distance myself from it at that point because the press were invading every aspect of my life, and my family's life, and the life of a lot of my friends. But by that point it didn't matter - the damage had been done. By September 2000 there were queues at petrol stations all across the country. WW2 jerry cans were the hot item to buy and military surplus stores ran out of them. Shortages were everywhere, the refineries were blockaded, trucks were being turned away in France, aircraft weren't landing. Blair even went on TV and told everyone not to panic, and that was brilliant because then people really started to panic. That was when the army reserve were called out to try to maintain some order and use their fuel trucks to supply forecourts across the country.
So what was the point of it all? On the day of the original protest, it worked - petrol retailers all across the country reported much, much less take than normal. I proved that one person can make a difference. Yes the price of petrol has continued to go up ever since, and the drop in fuel duty at the time was only 1p. But put that into perspective : no government before or since has ever lowered fuel duty. It's not the amount that counts. It's that I forced them to do it using a grass-roots campaign. Even today's UK government is extremely wary of what happened in 2000, to the point where I've seen it referred to several times since in a "we don't want that to happen again" sort of way.
An album of the various newspaper headlines is here if you're curious. Dump the pumps. The local paper - the Bracknell news - has the story of me giving up the initial protest.
Late spring 2000, a colleague of mine and I were moaning one morning about the price of petrol at the time and we decided that apathy had ruled long enough and that it was time to do something about it. We set up a website called Boycott The Pumps and filled it with interesting facts and figures. At the time I was running the Speedtrap Bible - a site I later sold - so I had rather a large following of readers. One simple email to all those readers was all it took. We decided to organise a pump boycott - a mechanism that has notoriously failed to go anywhere every time it was tried before, because of apathy. "But if I don't buy petrol today, I'll just buy it tomorrow, so what's the point?". The point isn't that you're buying petrol on another day, it's that you're sending your elected officials a very clear message. And holy crap this time it actually worked. It went nationwide when the Daily Mail picked up the original email from me, and publicised it on the AP Wire and the front page of their paper on the same day. The Sun, Mirror, Star and Telegraph all then picked it up and it just ballooned from there. I must have given 100 radio and newspaper interviews and I was on TV for what seemed like 3 weeks straight from local news stories to the BBC nationally. What really caught the attention of the public though was when the farmers and truckers started to get vocal - rolling roadblocks on the motorways, blockaded refineries and such. At that point it had a much snappier name - wish we'd thought of this originally, but we didn't - it became Dump The Pumps. I had to distance myself from it at that point because the press were invading every aspect of my life, and my family's life, and the life of a lot of my friends. But by that point it didn't matter - the damage had been done. By September 2000 there were queues at petrol stations all across the country. WW2 jerry cans were the hot item to buy and military surplus stores ran out of them. Shortages were everywhere, the refineries were blockaded, trucks were being turned away in France, aircraft weren't landing. Blair even went on TV and told everyone not to panic, and that was brilliant because then people really started to panic. That was when the army reserve were called out to try to maintain some order and use their fuel trucks to supply forecourts across the country.
So what was the point of it all? On the day of the original protest, it worked - petrol retailers all across the country reported much, much less take than normal. I proved that one person can make a difference. Yes the price of petrol has continued to go up ever since, and the drop in fuel duty at the time was only 1p. But put that into perspective : no government before or since has ever lowered fuel duty. It's not the amount that counts. It's that I forced them to do it using a grass-roots campaign. Even today's UK government is extremely wary of what happened in 2000, to the point where I've seen it referred to several times since in a "we don't want that to happen again" sort of way.
An album of the various newspaper headlines is here if you're curious. Dump the pumps. The local paper - the Bracknell news - has the story of me giving up the initial protest.
Monday, October 8, 2012
If you can't drive on mountain roads, then don't.
Last weekend we went up into the mountains, "leaf peeping" to see the fall colours on all the trees up there. It was a popular weekend to do it so the roads were choked but none more so than the road we were on trying to get down from a popular destination. In front of me was a Porsche, and in front of him was a minivan with the most terrified, inexperienced driver I've come across in years. This wasn't just your typically bad Utah driver - this was a level of bad that was so dangerous this person should have had his license and vehicle taken away. For the 99.99% of the population that don't live where I do, open up Google earth an search for the Alpine Scenic Highway in Utah. It's a fairly narrow mountain road but it's easily wide enough to get two good-sized US vehicles past each other - pickups, minivans etc. From Sundance Resort down to Provo is about 18 miles and typically takes 30 to 40 minutes or so to complete in a car. Last weekend, it took us 90 minutes. The minivan driver would stop as soon as he came to a corner (there's hundreds of them) or whenever he saw a vehicle coming the other way. He properly had no idea how wide (or narrow) his vehicle was and seemed to be in permanent fear of "falling off" the road. When he was moving, we were crawling along at a good 8 to 9 miles per hour. When we got to the downhill stretch, he had his foot on the brake constantly for 40 minutes. The smell of his cooked brake linings penetrated the air in our car even with the a/c set to recycle. Not only did he have zero idea how to drive on a mountain road, but he also had no idea what he'd done to his brakes. Add to that he had no idea about local laws regarding how many vehicles you can tailback before you have to pull over, or even basic common decency to look in the mirror once in a while and realise what he'd done.
This highlighted an interesting point - people who are properly poor drivers are so bad they don't realise it. This guy had no business being on a mountain road - he was a danger to himself, the people in his van with him and everyone else on the road around him. But entitlement, ignorance, stupidity or selfishness put him there and he had no idea he was doing anything wrong. As someone once said - "you can't compensate for stupid".
This highlighted an interesting point - people who are properly poor drivers are so bad they don't realise it. This guy had no business being on a mountain road - he was a danger to himself, the people in his van with him and everyone else on the road around him. But entitlement, ignorance, stupidity or selfishness put him there and he had no idea he was doing anything wrong. As someone once said - "you can't compensate for stupid".
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)