Car WTFs
NASCAR And Fuel Efficiency Will Never Go Together
Let me preface this article by stating that I am a NASCAR fan. But as much as I want to, I can’t go along with the connection being made between race cars and fuel efficiency. As long as they run on traditional fuels, it just doesn’t work.
That being said, I was more than a bit confused by the arrival of several NASCAR race cars at the White House this week. Of all things, the NASCAR presence was in part intended to promote vehicle efficiency. The message, brought to you with the help of NASCAR driver Ryan Blaney, was that much like in NASCAR, having the right tires on your passenger car can help save fuel, result in lower carbon emissions and reduce the risk of a crash.
Sure… but I don’t think it’s too hard to see the irony here. The message makes sense for passenger cars. But if we were really concerned about the environmental impact or fuel useage, how about starting with not allowing 43 cars that have 800 horsepower each go around a track 500 times in the name of sport?
This also brings to mind the NASCAR Green Initiative, which promoted the use of ethanol in the fuel as somehow being “green.” Sure, it’s better than nothing, but not much.
Of course, race cars aside, there are millions of offenders when it comes to driving inefficiently – which is why the message continues to be promoted. But selling that message using NASCAR seems as inefficient as the vehicles that are causing the issue.
Many of us thought that the Dodge Challenger Hellcat was about as intimidating as a car could get. After all, people couldn’t hardly get them off the lot without crashing them when they first came out. Then Dodge upped the ante with the new Demon. But aside from the raw power, there are some other interesting aspects of the new Demon.
Check out the video below for a full rundown of just how unique this car is.
Think you finally have your Mercedes names mastered? Well, a new challenge appears to be coming, friend.
How to now identify Mercedes models by name
Some moves in the northwoods of Canada by the brand appear to signal a change in the naming conventions that will be used for Mercedes and AMG models. Candian trademarks have been filed for A 40, CLA 40, SLC 40, SLC 50 and GLE 50 in addition to CLA 53, G73 and S73.
If this proves true in the states, it would signal an end to the rule of two digits for Mercedes, three-digits for AMG counterparts. The new world would be two digits, ending in a “0” for Mercedes, and two digits ending in a “3” for AMG. This supports rumors of an AMG ‘73’ model with a hybrid powertrain.
While this change isn’t terribly difficult to comprehend, it certainly makes things interesting when comparing legacy and upcoming Mercedes models. There are a lot of numbers to keep straight, and a lot of explaining to do. And the letter and number combos leave something to be desired in terms of cachet.
It makes one appreciate the simplicity of giving each vehicle an actual name, like the domestic manufacturers do. Sure, that’s how we ended up with the Chevy Nova, but what are you going to do? There are only so many names, surely one for an automobile would end up meaning “no go” in some language, right?…
I like my car. It’s a 2011 Toyota toaster, I mean Camry. If you made a list of everything a car has to do, the Camry would check all the boxes. It gets me from point A to point B with the consistency a learning golfer would envy. It’s a toaster. You put in the bread, choose your level of toastiness, push down the thingy and then wait for it to pop up. But there is one interesting thing about my car. The shifter. That’s it up there. That is definitely not conventional at all. So, what’s with Toyota’s weird shifter pattern? (more…)
-
Comparisons10 years agoFord Raptor Has No Reason To Fear The Reaper
-
Comparisons10 years agoNissan Titan Diesel Gets Ram 1500 EcoDiesel’s Sloppy Seconds
-
Comparisons10 years agoSettling The Debate: Pony Cars vs. Muscle Cars
-
New Cars9 years agoThe Ram Rebel Is Coming – But Is It Raptor Competition?
-
Comparisons9 years agoDid The 2015 Corvette Defeat The Viper In The Battle For Supercar Supremacy?
-
New Cars9 years ago2016 Honda Ridgeline Will Need More Than Design Tweaks To Succeed
-
Hot News9 years agoNissan Unveils Overhauled Maxima in Genius “Luxury Restored” Sequel
-
Comparisons9 years ago2016 Ford vs Chevy Battle Could Be The Best Yet