Does the panel approve?

The Toerag Turbo S doesn't appear to have shown up yet, neither does the Cayenne V10D. Thank f*ck.

The day Porsche makes a diesel will be an incredibly sad one. I'm upset enough that Maserati are thinking of putting the Toerag diesel into the Quattroporte [1]

There are about to be a lot more Ford=Fiats soon.

T'other way around.

Ford can't design a small car that doesn't rust or a decent engine, so they paid Fiat to do it for them.

It's even being built by Polski-Fiat. But won't get the 'hot' engine options.

Probably cheaper to get Fiat to do the basic design then get Richard Parry Jones to make it handle properly.

I imagine it will get a hot engine, but it won't be a Fiat motor.

Lincoln Towncar stretch...

.. actually, they can be pretty bloody good on fuel on the motorway.

I'd save about £120 a month if I replaced the Scorpio with a Mondeo / Xantia / 406 TD, but I can't be arsed. The Scorp saves me around £150 a month compared to the Rangie fuel bill...

What's the savings pot for?

Not necessarily. Sometimes, yes, sometimes not.

Remind me to never take life balance advice from you.

Much more important things than changing cars - mine is for an apartment somewhere hot and laid back when I retire early.

Mostly, IME.

Says the bean counter.

In the price department, yes.

Wrong. Fiat can't make something that won't fall apart, ride smoothly nor handle. Come to think of it the best Fiat engines have GM engineering involved.

Pot, kettle, black.

No, because you'd find some reason or otherwise to dislike it. We have you down to a tee. You don't like whatever it is that I have. So meh.

Ford were stumped when it came to designing a new small car, so they turned to Fiat, who already had one, but were willing to let Ford buy into it.

The GM derived Fiat lumps are well on their way out the door now - mostly because they're almost universally hated.

No it doesn't. VAG's coolant gauges are one of the most annoying of the lot. You have cold, warming up, a little cool, normal, warm and call dealer. That's it. It simply moves between the stages in bumps, there's no subtle clue whatsoever.

Try a non VAG machine where the auto wipers don't just go on or off. Maybe something with GM heritage like a Vectra?

Of course you do. Bet you don't have a use for self-washing headlights either.

That can't be a VW for 2 reasons:

-little scumbags would have nicked the Very Wicked-sign

AND

- there is the Merc-logo on the top of that craft!

;-)

Tom De Moor

Well, yes, but....

You've had a Ka, an Accord and a Vauhaab 3-alier over the last few years.

Don't think many would like any of those.

I had a Golf+ that threw the fanbelt, which drives the water-pump.

It was visibly climbing over the last mile or so of my journey, just as a temp. gauge should.

That day was ages ago: Porsche Maus V2

Ok: they borrowed the engine from Mercedes Benz.

The reasonS to swap from petrol to diesel in the Maus are identical to those why cars now are swapping their petrol engine for diesels.

The time of the petrol is gone, the age of the diesel has begun.

Petrol has become a real nuissance since car weigh more than 1800 kg or since engines develop more than 400 HP: there is no enough room in the car to store the fuel and its sheer weightdifference between empty and full becomes a headscratcher for balance and suspension.

The old plane-theme on fuel (AvGas) still stands unchallenged: 100 HP equated at 25 l/Hr, 200 HP 50l/Hr etc.

A diesel needs less on full chat and uses close to nothing when poddling about.

As to the obvious safety risk when having 100-150 l of fuel along: check the internet for burning Ferrari's, Lamborghini's and the like. The US- military found out the same much earilier on.

Petrol remains - and even that is challenged- the fuel for small, cheap engines who do not have to develop much power or for the lightweight sprinters.

Real world (fast and long) motoring: get a diesel.

As to Porsche and Maserati: they aim to survive and sell. They simply do not have the option to oppose diesel. I might even add that their bigger cars (the Cayenne to be precise) will be a far more interesting drive "dieseled" then the actual non-turbood ons.

Yes: the Cayenne Turbo rocks. A friend had one for about 6 months: the fuel bill didn't matter to him as he uses plastic. Filling the beast up EACH day (meaning after 250-300 km limping to a fuel station) took his liking away.

He traded in for a 911 Turbo... not because he wanted one but the Porsche dealership couldn't refuse to take his Cayenne in exchange for a decent sum (which all other flatly did).

Your dislike of diesel is a bit old-fashioned and you are fighting a lost battle.

Waht fuel a car burns is not important: the amount of power and fuelflow are key factors.

Tom De Moor

And would be at least be double as good if they were diesels.

I can honestly not think of one valid reason why such a barge should have a petrol engine.

Tom De Moor