RichC | November 17, 2010
I’ve always enjoyed unique vehicles such as the AmphiCars of the past or the flying Super Sky Cycle motorcycle and Terrafugia Transition flying car, but didn’t realize how far the drive-able boat has come along. Some years ago I recall the Floating Cubans attempted to escape the grip of Fidel in a 1951 Chevy pickup […]
RichC | November 8, 2010
This past weekend was part chore part automotive fun. My daughter was home and it was time for a little light Volkswagen TDI tinkering … and routine oil and filter changes. All is well with her little 2001 VW Jetta TDI diesel which is now at 135,000 miles. Katelyn does love her little economical car […]
RichC | November 7, 2010
Perhaps I’ve been living in a cave or something … but just recently heard about the legal battle over the Nissan.com domain while talking with a client this week. He mentioned the story I’m sharing below after we talked about a minor frustration I was having over domain name – all ended well. I told […]
RichC | October 24, 2010
My daughter recently started tracking her 2001 Volkswagen Jetta TDI fuel economy numbers on Fuelly.com and we have both been impress at the significant improvement since replacing her tires. Although she doesn’t have a lifetime of postings for her car, the regular private calculations haven’t been near the 50 mpg mark. She (we) couldn’t be […]
RichC | October 22, 2010
I enjoyed the review from north of our border and liked what this Canadian Driver reporter had to say after driving the both the gasoline powered 2011 Volkswagen Jetta and then the TDI diesel: “Things come alive in the Jetta TDI. This engine has much more power than the Jetta 2.0L, and the throttle is […]
RichC | October 22, 2010
After spending most of the week traveling from dawn to dusk each day, I’ve been either too tired or just busy to add a few things that have been on my mind … one of which was my opinions on the firing of Juan Williams by NPR. As a FoxNews viewer and lifetime NPR listener […]
RichC | October 15, 2010
Last year about this time I reposted a series of photos highlighting what a fantastic engineering project was underway in the United States. A bridge to bypass the Hoover Dam looks to be one of the civil engineering marvels of this decade. The 1900 foot span crosses the Colorado River and connects Arizona and Nevada […]
RichC | October 12, 2010
What automotive enthusiast hasn’t chuckled at a few of Jeremy Clarkson remarks on the UK automotive program Top Gear … I’m guessing most of us? In a recent movie trailer for The Italian Job, Clarkson offers up a few more humorous moments; check out the YouTube trailer of at least the “spinnaker face” clip below.
RichC | October 11, 2010
I’ve always been impressed with the durable Subaru boxer engine and look forward to someday seeing the diesel version here in North America. For now, a new, more fuel efficient gasoline model is on it’s way in the 2011 Forester. Subaru details all-new boxer engine family The horizontally opposed engine has been a signature mainstay […]
RichC | October 9, 2010
Even with stable gasoline prices and minimal incentives, the sluggish new car buying public are still buying new diesel cars. Sales continue to increase in North America amongst the handful of European brands. Could it be that those who test drive this new breed of ‘clean diesel’ are surprised with how quiet and clean diesel […]
RichC | October 4, 2010
I’ve tracked nearly 200 fuel fill-ups while driving a 2006 Honda Pilot 4WD and have been wondering if the new tires have impacted my efficiency. I do know that the new Michelins have significantly better wet traction than the long lasting Goodyear Integrity tires that came on the SUV. In creating a quick chart, after […]
RichC | September 28, 2010
So far I’m not convinced drivers are big fans of the new complex intersections being constructed on many of today roads and highways – referred to as Superstreets. The handful of completed projects that I’ve traveled on recently seem overly complex and tailored to create accidents. A couple of examples that come to mind would […]
RichC | September 23, 2010
Nothing like a union lunch break – see video below. Let me get this straight — American automakers were bailed out by taxpayers and President Obama endorsed the workers at this Chrysler plant … yet the still overpaid union American workers aren’t appreciative enough to put in a decent day’s work? Instead according to this […]
RichC | September 23, 2010
There comes a time when many of us are faced with the decision of whether to pull the plug on one’s … [pause] CAR. (admit it, you were thinking ‘spouse’) Brenda and I have been struggling over this issue for some time now and have nursed a beloved first generation 1998 Toyota Rav4 for over […]
RichC | September 22, 2010
Here’s hoping that “the little things” remain in the 2011 Volkswagen Jetta TDI model. It must have an uplevel of trim since the base pricing will be $23,755 for the diesel compared to the much lower gasoline powered base car. With over three months and 5,342 miles on our Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup Street Edition […]
RichC | September 15, 2010
When I drove my Volkswagen diesel, I regularly filled at this renewable fuel Sunoco station on I-71 in mid-Ohio. I haven’t stopped for a while and opted to fill my Honda Pilot (regular unleaded) there today and checked biodiesel pricing. Although diesel is a few cents more than other stations around the state, biodiesel has […]
RichC | September 15, 2010
Earlier this month, the folks at TFLcar ran a non-scientific test where they compared three different fueling options in three different cars. All three vehicles are known to offer good fuel economy … but only one is fun to drive. 🙂 Unfortunately, the test doesn’t offer any high degree of accuracy due to the small […]
RichC | September 13, 2010
In this weekend’s WSJ, Dan Neil’s full page article on the 2011 Volkswagen Jetta highlighted design changes, some for “for pedestrian safety.” (see video below) The “safety” comments apply to more brands than the Volkswagen as design changes will apply to all new vehicle designs. Personally I see the “pedestrian impact” even more critical since […]
RichC | September 12, 2010
A couple CinciTDI guys stopped over on Sunday afternoon and we installed a Dieselgeek Panzer plate on Tim Hunter‘s Volkswagen Golf TDI. He waited a bit too long (in my opinion) as his TDI is now over 180,000 miles, but his VW is still a solid little commuter. His little hatchback certainly doesn’t fit his […]
RichC | September 5, 2010
A story Tweeted by a friend of mine in Wired highlights a Washington to Mexico one tank trip of 1478 miles and returned a “stunning 119.1. mpg.” We might hit 60 mpg in our VW TDI sometimes, but seeing someone double that is impressive. (thanks for the link Scott) From Washington to Mexico on 12.4 […]
RichC | September 3, 2010
Although I have nothing against an all electric vehicle for running around town or commuting in the city, one has to wonder about the components being mined, transported and produced for batteries (or the eventual waste/recycling), as well as just how the power is generated in order to charge an all-electric vehicle – Edmunds ‘Swiss […]
RichC | August 30, 2010
After reading the Winding Road review of the 2010 Audi A3 TDI, there isn’t a good reason to envy those forking over additional dollars to own the Audi (over $30K). Comments from the review: We relished the torquiness of the 2.0-liter TDI, with its 236 pound-feet of torque on tap for passing maneuvers. Strangely, this […]
RichC | August 24, 2010
Posting from a LeftLaneNews blog post … a few mechanical items make this European Peugeot unique: Fairly large 2.0L 163 HP diesel, crossover CUV design, a six-speed electronically controlled manual transmission and even an all electric zero-emissions mode with all-wheel-drive capability. With the launch of the 3008 HYbrid 4, Peugeot becomes the first automaker to […]
RichC | August 6, 2010
Probably not the most enjoyable 16 minute video clip to watch or listen to (below), but VW Product Manager Mark Jo does offer an overview of what will be included in the new ‘lower price for 2011’ Volkswagen Jetta. Hmm, the “diesel coming out later this year” comment which mean the TDI will probably not […]
RichC | August 1, 2010
Grabbed a few frame in slow motion from the TV screen with my Palm Pre this weekend; maybe it is just me, but found it funny seeing a squirrel dart out while Motorweek was filming a road test on a car. No harm …
RichC | July 30, 2010
Hmm … I’m not sure all Volkswagen Jetta TDI advocates are going to like some of these ‘cost cutting’ changes? See James Healy’s comments in his USA Today article. Among changes to keep costs down, items likely to be vilified as evidence Jetta has been “dumbed down” to get more mainstream buyers: •Rear suspension is […]
RichC | July 20, 2010
The stock OEM Goodyear Integrity tires on my Honda Pilot have giving me a good 109,000 miles of wear and I replaced them today since an ugly split started to show up. They have always driven well on everything but wet roads, especially heavy rain. Their flaw is that they seem to be unable to […]
RichC | July 17, 2010
My daughter was home with her little diesel from NEOUCOM for a few days and I took the opportunity to replace her Dunlop Sport A2 tires with a set of Goodyear’s (Eagle LS-2 – $408.00) hoping to get a little more even wear as she’ll be spending more time on the road interviewing for her […]
RichC | July 14, 2010
Have you ever thought about how countries who drive on different sides of the road deal with the “switch” when cars and trucks cross the border? Interesting “swapsy” bridges are a solution. An elegant solution to a problem I’ve often wondered about – what if two countries are next to each other and they drive […]
RichC | July 9, 2010
It is interesting to watch small cars marketed to North America grow a little in size with each generational change. Just as small cars from Japan grew from the late 1970’s to today (Camry, Accord, Civic, Corolla, etc), so did the small German Volkswagen Jetta Sedan. From the 1980’s it has grown into a very […]
RichC | July 6, 2010
The electrical and mechanical release locking mechanism on my daughter’s 2001 Volkswagen Jetta TDI’s trunk malfunctioned last week and after further digging I noticed a broken plastic part. The complex linkage has both an electrical plunger and key lock that controls the latch. Unfortunately the poorly engineered (IMHO) plastic part broke off (click image below […]
RichC | June 30, 2010
Including a Posterous.com update from my car groups local website. I’ve been wanting to try linking in this way to see how well Posterous reposts. The popular automotive website Autoblog has put the 2010 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup Street Edition in their long-term garage and will be posting on their findings over the coming months. […]
RichC | June 24, 2010
For many A3 and A4 Volkswagen Golf TDI diesel lovers, it was good to see the TDI badge back on the North American version of their favorite economical and comfortable hatchback — some are glad to see the Golf badge as well. Boston.com‘s car reviewer Bill Griffith came to a similar conclusion in his recent […]
RichC | June 15, 2010
This bit of automotive news is eye opening … If you use standard tap water in your windshield washer fluid reservoir instead of a cleaner, you may have effectively turned your vehicle into a biological weapon. Sure, that sounds cool and all, but according to BBC News, the only person you’re going to be hurting […]
RichC | June 14, 2010
Fully redesigned 2011 Volkswagen Jetta is set to go on sale in October. Volkswagen says pricing will start around $16,000. It features best-in-class rear legroom thanks to a longer wheelbase. From Insideline.com: HERNDON, Virginia — Information and pictures of the fully redesigned 2011 Volkswagen Jetta leaked onto the Internet today ahead of the car’s official premiere […]
RichC | June 13, 2010
When it comes to endurance, it is hard to top a diesel engine, a fact know by truckers, commercial equipment owners and a few fortunate automobile owners. The endurance fact was once again reinforced by Audi R10 TDIs Audi R15 TDIs winning their ninth Le Mans 24 Hours race this weekend – dominating and taking […]
RichC | June 12, 2010
I’ve been putting a few more miles on the Honda Pilot than usual, for both work and personal travel, which has me thinking about diesel cars and the soon to expire tax incentives on a few models. It would be nice to have a new Volkswagen Jetta TDI or Sportwagen TDI, but with the slowdown […]
RichC | June 9, 2010
I enjoyed the “Auto Examiner” review of the limited edition 2010 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup Edition review partly because it was a car I’ve had an interest in. Unfortunately the truly limited production will keep it away from most would be buyers in that they are only taking building after receiving orders — “The Jetta […]
RichC | June 8, 2010
The German Auto Club found CNG Fiat Panda to be the most Economical Car in Europe for real world driving conditions. Perhaps before U.S. driivers rush to plug-in electric models for commuting and around town driving we should be looking at a few more ‘current technology’ CNG vehicles? The German equivalent of AAA — Allgemeiner […]
RichC | June 4, 2010
Worth mentioning if you’re considering a new Volkswagen TDI this year … via cincitdi.com Posted via web from richc’s posterous
RichC | June 2, 2010
Speaking of “more government,” how about adding a few more thousand dollars to the price of a car? Do we really need another electronic gadget … a black box … for our cars? (Neil Cavuto video clip below)
RichC | May 28, 2010
Read an article about the 2010 Ford Fusion winning the honors of being the Edmonds.com Consumers’ Top Rated award (as well as Motortrend Car of the Year) and had to chuckle noticing the dash storage compartment. Perhaps it’s just my lame sense of humor … anyway the items in the dash storage box did make […]
RichC | May 23, 2010
Local Cincinnati (Blue Ash), Ohio company advancing to next level of competition for Progressive Insurance Automotive X Prize competition. The AMP electric racer has advanced to the “Knockout” Qualifying Stage of the intense multi-stage Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE competition. The competition will pit some of the world’s most fuel efficient vehicles against one another […]
RichC | May 18, 2010
Oil is ‘cheap’ according to graphs depicting Unleaded Gasoline against the dollar this past year (right) and crude oil over the past two years (below). The crisis in Europe and lack of robust economic recovery worldwide is contributing to high inventories and the faltering Spring rally in oil. Lackluster demand aside, oil production countries remain […]
RichC | May 14, 2010
Mahindra & Mahindra to be the first company to sell a small pickup truck made in India to the U.S. market. A company spokesperson announced that they intend to sell their compact diesel pickup truck here by the end of the year. The company’s president of auto and farm equipment, Pawan Goenka, stated that the […]
RichC | May 11, 2010
We’ve seen the engineering students at Stanford University work with ‘self-driving’ VWs before, like in the DARPA challenge and computerized driving … but how about parallel parking the hard way. Posted via email from richc’s posterous
RichC | May 9, 2010
My wife’s aging 1998 Toyota Rav4 has been a great car for 215,000 miles. We’ve had minimal maintenance over the years and although it is showing signs (and has been) of heavy use, it’s still running strong. The Rav4 has offered both my kids a good platform to “learn to drive” and has seen its […]
RichC | May 5, 2010
According to an article in this mornings WSJ, the Mullin Automotive Museum in Oxnard California paid between $30-40 million for a 1936 Bugatti 57SC, making it the highest ‘known’ selling price for a car. Posted via email from richc’s posterous
RichC | May 1, 2010
A few years ago when I posted about the opening of AMP Electric Vehicles in my backyard of Blue Ash, Ohio (Cincinnati), the company company was in the planning stages of electrifying two place vehicles like the Pontiac Solace and Saturn Sky. As technology and battery technology improved, so did their vision in building useful […]
RichC | April 25, 2010
An article in AutoblogGreen highlighted some positive research on developing a greener diesel fuel.or really an additive that improves petroleum diesel fuel. According to the article, Michael Boot, a doctoral student and researcher from Technische Universiteit Eindhoven (TU/e) in the Netherlands, calls this new fuel Cyclox. It’s actually a blend of petroleum diesel and 10% […]
RichC | April 15, 2010
I was reading a column in SmartMoney magazine by James Stewart after he attended the New York Auto Show about the return of profits to the automotive industry, at least some of them. It may be in part due to a cycle of replacing their aging cars and in part due to a renewed focus […]
RichC | April 11, 2010
Although the cost to bring a diesel Subaru to the US is high (new model, service training and parts inventory, etc) but knowing how Volkswagen diesel buyers love their little diesels, the fit for Subaru and their loyal following seems perfect. Who driving a Subaru doesn’t want 40 mpg in a solidly build 4 wheel […]
RichC | April 9, 2010
Mark Phelan, a columnist at the Detroit Free Press, offered a balanced article on the small A3 TDI by Audi. I’ve been ogling the luxury hatchback as an eventual daily driver for my long jaunts. Disappointingly the lack of the excellent Audi Quattro feature and high price for a small car has shying away. Still, […]
RichC | April 1, 2010
I’m looking forward to the new Volkswagen TDI diesel Passat replacement in 2011 … built in America I might add. VW’s North American CEO, Stefan Jacoby, let slip that the yet-to-be-named Passat replacement – currently known as the “New Mid-Size Sedan” (NMS) – will be available with a diesel in both the U.S. and Canada […]
RichC | March 30, 2010
Following their 2005 DARPA research, Stanford University has continued to work with Volkswagen in pushing the envelope wish computer controlled automobiles (previous post). In a FoxNews story on computer controlled racing cars and Pike’s Peak, I recalled the success VWs have had on this mountain climb in the past (Touareg TDIs and RallyTDI).
RichC | March 27, 2010
I’ve been pondering how we will eventually sell my wife’s 1998 Toyota RAV4 with a quarter million miles? I think this might work! 😀
RichC | March 22, 2010
Might just have to run over to Indiana and see what they are like — no, I’m not planning a personal “high speed” test! 🙂 BMW to provide engines for police-vehicle startup in Indiana David Shepardson / Detroit News Washington Bureau Washington — BMW AG will provide diesel engines and powertrain systems to Carbon Motors […]
RichC | March 12, 2010
It’s hard to do much better than grab 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place at what many consider to be the toughest race on the planet: The Dakar Rally. This impressive and resounding victory marks another important step on the road to dispelling the myths that still linger around what TDI clean diesel technology can do. […]
RichC | March 11, 2010
One of the noticeable economic signs for average Americans that our economy might be in recovery is the rise of fuel prices. An article in this mornings Wall Street Journal stated that “Gasoline prices are throttling toward $3 a gallon” and that “gasoline futures have rallied 21% since hitting a low in February to close […]
RichC | February 27, 2010
Starting February 27th, Volkswagen will be implementing a "Think Blue" marketing campaign stressing the company’s focus on "sustainable mobility" which to CinciTDI and TDIClub members highlights the fuel efficiency of VW TDI diesel vehicles and the environmental awareness of new "clean diesel" TDIs and biodiesel fuel options. Volkswagen is building on the "BlueMotion" label and […]