Chevy Volt Panned...

That's actually quite good

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Dirk

http://www.neopax.com/technomage/ - My new book - Magick and Technology

No big deal. My '93 Eagle Vision TSi (4.0l, 32V) would do that, even at over

3300lbs.

Yes. It's like a racehorse, sleek and poweful and not very reliable. In the last three months, they have replaced the mechatronics twice, then the entire transmission. Luckily, all in warranty.

But it's red!

ftp://jjlarkin.lmi.net/A3a.jpg

The transmission, at least in theory, is cool:

Two parallel gear trains, odd and even gears, two clutches, no torque converter.

John

hway.

is going

o

Go read how the Prius works again because unless they changed it a lot, it has 1 planetary gear set with no disengage clutch of any variety. One motor generator is directly on the crankshaft of the engine driving the sun gear. The other electric motor drives the ring gear and the output shaft comes from the planet carrier. There is no 'neutral' or 'reverse'. When sitting stopped with the engine running (cold) the ring gear is turning backwards to allow the wheels to be stopped. 'Reverse' runs the ring gear motor backwards. 'Neutral' is a state of the computer essentially allowing the ring gear to free- wheel. No computer, no go.

G=B2

At 3.2L A3 was geared purely for maximum acceleration. 6th gear is about right for cruising at 25 to 35 MPH. Cruising at 75 MPH is revving the engine almost halfway to redline with minimal combustion pressure.

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It would make a lot more sense for US automakers to learn again how to get optimum power and low pollution out of smaller engines. 40mpg fleet average is not an unreasonable target for petrol engines.

I find that in the US to get anything like typical European car acceleration requires at least an engine of twice the capacity. Something is wrong and includes poor aerodynamics, sloppy suspension and lousy transmission. US made cars are something of a cruel joke played on an unsuspecting captive population.

Aerodynamic shapes are actually elegant. Merkins seem to like their cars ugly and angular. Most have all the styling detail of a housebrick.

Take your Chevy to the levy... (same goes for all of GM)

Regards, Martin Brown

I'm surprised. One of the things that convinced me about Audi after running other makes is how reliable they are and how few parts you need. Have a lifetime collection of tools in the garage right back to motorcycle days that see very little use now, whereas with the Alfa GTV6, nearly every weekend saw the bonnet open. Overall cost of ownership has been almost nil in comparison. Audi is a true engineer's car. So many cars you look at with a critical engineer's eye are crap under the skin these days.

Had considered mercedes at one stage, but i'm not really old enough yet :-)...

Regards,

Chris

Not familiar with that model, but i've driven an S8, which is a 4.2 V8. Phenomenal grunt in just about any (tiptronic) gear and beautifull understated all ali bodyshell.

Sorry to the greenies, but quick, agile cars are just so much fun. A racehorse rather than donkey, please :-)...

Regards,

Chris

[snip]

Don't do it. Every new model year, here in the Arizona desert heat, Mercedes leads the pack in electronics infant mortality, followed very closely by GM models.

If you want a heavy duty luxury "saloon" take a look at Infiniti M45 or M56.

Drive one, they're quite sporty in their handling.

Audi's, BMW's and Mercedes are money sinks... only purchased by pompous asses who think more expensive signifies "best".

Not that my Infiniti Q45 was cheap... $62,290, often described as "It's stealth luxury. If you live to be noticed, spend your sixty grand elsewhere." ...Jim Thompson

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| James E.Thompson, CTO                            |    mens     |
| Analog Innovations, Inc.                         |     et      |
| Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems  |    manus    |
| Phoenix, Arizona  85048    Skype: Contacts Only  |             |
| Voice:(480)460-2350  Fax: Available upon request |  Brass Rat  |
| E-mail Icon at http://www.analog-innovations.com |    1962     |

      Remember: Once you go over the hill, you pick up speed

Americans won't buy many cars like that. Gas costs abiut half of what it does in Europe. It would be sensible to have higher gas taxes here, but even Obama rails against that.

American cars are actually pretty good lately. Quality of Ford and GM cars is better than Audi, BMW, or Mercedes. SUVs are excellent for what they do, namely haul five kids and their ski gear 300 miles in the snow, with meals and movies on the way.

Americans can buy VWs, Smart Cars, Japanese cars, whatever, and many do. I drive an Audi, and it gets 20 MPG on the highway, less in the city. A Ford Focus, or even a small SUV, would do much better. The Ford would be more reliable, too. I bought my wife a Honda Fit, maybe the best car in the world.

"Merkin" is generally taken as a gross insult.

John

Exactly. If my Audi breaks, which it does, I'll just get it fixed. Life is too short to drive boring sedans.

John

The Q45 is an Infiniti, 4.5 liter V-8, haul-ass, tight sports suspension, but BIG... seats 5 _comfortably_, plus all their luggage.

I really enjoy my 110mph trips to Yuma (for Joerg, sort of like the "3:10 to Yuma" ;-) ...Jim Thompson

--
| James E.Thompson, CTO                            |    mens     |
| Analog Innovations, Inc.                         |     et      |
| Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems  |    manus    |
| Phoenix, Arizona  85048    Skype: Contacts Only  |             |
| Voice:(480)460-2350  Fax: Available upon request |  Brass Rat  |
| E-mail Icon at http://www.analog-innovations.com |    1962     |

      Remember: Once you go over the hill, you pick up speed

I'm optimistic it will settle down, now that the tranny is working right. And the a/c finally works. It's a joy to drive. In rain or mud or snow, nothing can catch it.

My only complaint, from an engineer's viewpoint, is that the electronics is way over the top, with horrible human interfaces and bizarre complexity. The damned thing is always outguessing me. I envy th control panel on my wife's Fit: if she wants it warmer, or wants the front glass defrosted, she just twists a knob. I have to look down and push about 40 buttons.

No, no!

John

I've seen the claim of 156 MPH top speed. I don't think I'll test that, with snow tires. It is good for passing trucks at 7000 feet on mountain roads.

John

Car electronics design is often poor. Therefore, I prefer cars with the least amount in electronics. What's not there can't break.

Not true at all. I just spoke to the guy who now has my old Audi. It's a big fat station wagon, largest model they had back then. It is now 24 years old. Problems? None. Major expenses? None. Same as it was when I drove it.

They have a mandatory and rather strict roadworthiness test every two years and it always passes with flying colors. No rust either.

Mine was well under $20k. I did not buy it to be noticed but because I needed a fuel-efficient station wagon that can haul half a ton of gear without breaking a sweat. I regularly got around 35mpg.

The present car (SUV) was about $18k in 1997, zero problems in all the

14 year. Not even a burnt out dome light bulb. Unfortunately it slurps a lot more than my Audi, about 25mpg on CA gas and 28mpg on out-of-state gas.

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

"gmail" domain blocked because of excessive spam.
Use another domain or send PM.

I take it that you've never been in a Corvette then.

[...]

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

"gmail" domain blocked because of excessive spam.
Use another domain or send PM.

The key phrase here is "... now 24 years old." Times have changed.

Isn't Californication grand ?:-) ...Jim Thompson

--
| James E.Thompson, CTO                            |    mens     |
| Analog Innovations, Inc.                         |     et      |
| Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems  |    manus    |
| Phoenix, Arizona  85048    Skype: Contacts Only  |             |
| Voice:(480)460-2350  Fax: Available upon request |  Brass Rat  |
| E-mail Icon at http://www.analog-innovations.com |    1962     |

      Remember: Once you go over the hill, you pick up speed

You can still find cars with a low number of electronics modules in there. I did, with ease, in 1997.

[...]

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

"gmail" domain blocked because of excessive spam.
Use another domain or send PM.

$62K is a lot of money for a little-old-lady-mobile. My A3 cost less than half that (used, admittedly) and kicks ass. It's like it doesn't have wheels, it has four claws. Part of the rear seat folds down, so you can throw three or four pairs of skis in through the hatch without hassling with the ski rack. I don't understand why anybody would buy any car that's not a hatchback.

Engineer's Ski Week II starts tomorrow. I have guys flying in from Tennessee and Mississippi, which should be interesting.

John