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Top Gear America to Build 70MPG Car Out of a 1971 VW Rabbit for $7,000
Plug-in Prius Averaging 65 mpg in Tests, 15 More Than Standard Model
Nissan's Eco Gas Pedal Fights Back To Help You Save Gas

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Evil J, Prince of Half Truths and Lord of Low-Light Environments
02/20/09

In reply to Top Gear America to Build 70MPG Car Out of a 1971 VW Rabbit for $7,000
I think it's *a bit* unfair to compare gasoline hybrids to diesel.

That said, I think modern diesels are better bang-for-buck, enviros be damned.
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Deartháir II
02/20/09

@Evil J: Sorry... why is it unfair? Not trying to pick an argument, I just completely don't follow your logic. They are the two available fuel-saving options, (with diesel being the far more sensible, logical, rational and environmentally-friendly choice for anyone with two brain-cells to rub together) so I'd say it's always fair to compare them.
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Evil J, Prince of Half Truths and Lord of Low-Light Environments
02/20/09

@Deartháir: If we kill Auto Insider, can we have Murilee bac...:
Well, I guess I didn't really explain that correctly, and I should be a bit more clear:

It's not "unfair" so much as it is an apples-to-oranges comparison... in regards to the tech/cost/results thing.

I guess I was more looking at the 'Oh, well the Civic Hybrid only gets you 50 mpg and it's nearly three four times as much!' thing and going... well, while technically correct, it's very different, more advanced, and more expensive tech than even a modern TDI engine... plus, lets face it, the HCH probably is a tad more comfortable than an '81 Rabbit.

That said, I'd take the Rabbit over a Prius, and diesel over a hybrid.

Make sense?
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este
02/20/09

@Evil J:

HA! Its not apples to oranges... its engine vs engine. Its fair and its about time people wake up. Di vs Hy tech and cost are on par when you look at Euro vs Japan (ignore USA because we have no small car diesels or good hybrids). Mercedes 3.0L V6 Diesel is a very modern engine, Honda's Hybrid just looks new.

Diesels are more effiecient, cheaper, cleaner, longer lasting, etc etc. They are not used more in the US because of public perception stemming back to what GM did with their V8-Diesels in the 80's, look it up.

Hybrids are PURE marketing (imo like Obama), they lack any substance or true longevity, but people beleive it because they refuse to really look into it. The shear environmental footprint of all those batteries alone is reason to back away.
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Deartháir II
02/20/09

@este: Ooooh, except for the Obama cheap-shot, you would have been my first Gizmodo heart-clickie.
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Saxon_P
02/20/09

In reply to Top Gear America to Build 70MPG Car Out of a 1971 VW Rabbit for $7,000
I don't know if the Top Gear gang coming back to America is a good idea. Anyone remember their trip from Miami to New Orleans?
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GitEmSteveDave_My Brute Dojo CDIAFIFE
02/20/09

@Saxon_P: Their main problem was putting Hillary's name on a car.
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A Pimp Named DaveR
02/20/09

@Saxon_P: I seriously thought they were going to get themselves killed in that one....
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Saboth
02/20/09

In reply to Top Gear America to Build 70MPG Car Out of a 1971 VW Rabbit for $7,000
Makes sense to me. Take the lightweight body of an older car, the technology of a newer car, then massage it. Too bad we are forced to have so much "safety" gear on cars these days or they'd weigh 1900-2000 lbs instead of 3,000. Imagine a car that weighed around 2,200 lbs that had a hybrid electric/turbo diesel motor.
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Xeno
02/20/09

@Saboth: You are not forced to buy those features. You could just buy an Ariel Atom.
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Deartháir II
02/20/09

@Xeno: Se7en. All the awesome, more speed, less pretentiousness.
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daqman
02/20/09

In reply to Top Gear America to Build 70MPG Car Out of a 1971 VW Rabbit for $7,000
I wonder why this gets better mileage than my 2005 TDI golf since it has the same sized engine and is the same sized car? I get 40 MPG and even allowing for US gallons being smaller than UK gallons that's still only 48 miles per UK gallon.
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something_unique_and_descriptive
02/20/09

@daqman: A) you're golf is WAY bigger than a '71 rabbit... I don't think you can actually buy a car that small anymore. B) All that stuff that keeps you safe in your '05 should you get into an accident weighs a metric f**k-ton... they didn't have any of that crap in '71 so the rabbit weighs next to nothing.

Honestly, they could probably get 70mpg out of it just by swapping the engine and gutting it.
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Undercloacker
02/20/09

In reply to Top Gear America to Build 70MPG Car Out of a 1971 VW Rabbit for $7,000
ECONOMIC CRYSIS FTW!!!!
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Hello Mister Walrus
02/20/09

@Undercloacker: Crysis?
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ripfire
02/20/09

@Hello Mister Walrus: Can the economy run crysis?
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Xeno
02/20/09

In reply to Top Gear America to Build 70MPG Car Out of a 1971 VW Rabbit for $7,000
I live Top Gear. This however is not as cool as the flying car they made. Flying car as in strapped on to a giant rocked and made up to look like a space shuttle. Launch ~8min in..

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A Pimp Named DaveR
02/20/09

@Xeno: I'm with you. That was the most impressive model rocket I've ever seen.
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cddude
02/20/09

In reply to Top Gear America to Build 70MPG Car Out of a 1971 VW Rabbit for $7,000
why didn't they choose a 1970 Rabbit instead of 71 to make their tri-fecta of 70 complete?
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Ellipsis marks are ... my friends
02/20/09

@cddude: That's because VW didn't make a Rabbit until 1974. The car in the Top Gear article is an '81, as pointed out in the article.

I drove an '81 for a while. Earplugs were my best friend on the highway to help tame road noise so it didn't come between me and my AM stations.
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GitEmSteveDave_My Brute Dojo CDIAFIFE
02/20/09

@cddude: B/c the British Pound/ Euro isn't a 1:1 exchange for the US $.
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thunder; now eta-powered
02/20/09

@riflehunter: You beat me to it. The title contradicts the 2nd paragraph; a 28-year-old 1971 model? They were still making SuperBeetles in '71.

In my post-college poor-as-a-churchmouse days I drove a '76 Rabbit; shocks were bad in the back so the thing hopped like the furry kind any time you hit any imperfection in the pavement. And the floorboards... When I first brought it home I pulled out the floor mats to clean out the interior and ended up taking most of what was left of the sheet metal with them.
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Kaiser-Machead
02/20/09

In reply to Top Gear America to Build 70MPG Car Out of a 1971 VW Rabbit for $7,000
I love the VW Rabbit. I say bring it.
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Hello Mister Walrus
02/20/09

In reply to Top Gear America to Build 70MPG Car Out of a 1971 VW Rabbit for $7,000
Does the $7000 include labor, health care and pension contributions to the Top Gear staff?
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Jrsy Devil's Advocate®
02/03/09

In reply to Plug-in Prius Averaging 65 mpg in Tests, 15 More Than Standard Model
We just need to start building the tube transportation system from Futurama.

After that the only 'pollution' we'll need to be concerned with is when someone rips one while in transit..
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cuttothechase
02/03/09

In reply to Plug-in Prius Averaging 65 mpg in Tests, 15 More Than Standard Model
How about the fact that it takes more resources and is much less efficient in the long run to buy a new Toyota Prius than it is to buy a used car. The amount of resources and pollution that is put into building a Prius is way higher than any other consumer car. This is without taking into consideration how wasteful it is when the batteries don't hold a charge anymore(about 8 - 10 years down the line) and you either a)get a new car or b)throw out the old ones and get new batteries. But either a or b isn't very wasteful right?
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ceilingFANBOY
02/03/09

@cuttothechase: The problem with the used car case is that the reason you can buy a used car is that someone else went out and bought a new car. The offset of carbon emissions from producing the car is lost due to the fact that a new car was still purchased. The life of the batteries in hybrids combined with the amount of gas saved is enough to offset the amount of extra pollution created by producing a battery.
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cdoggoblingbling
02/03/09

In reply to Plug-in Prius Averaging 65 mpg in Tests, 15 More Than Standard Model
Prius...plug in?

I mean, sure I like the fact that it isn't run by petrol. But it is indirectly being fueled by oil, with electricity being primarily created from coal.

The SOLUTION?!? Honda Clarity FCX!

This car is the blueprint for the future of motor vehicles. A zero emission vehicle that only expels water vapors through the tail pipe.

Being powered by Hydrogen, there is an abundant amount, compared to fossil fuels that will run short on supply in the not to distant future.

Although its only sold in California, it needs to be brought into other states for production. Go watch the last episode of Top Gear Season 12, and you'll see what I'm talking about!
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OMG! Ponies!
02/03/09

@rougheo: Unfortunately, you need to expend fuel to make the hydrogen fuel cells. Making it from water sounds easy, until you consider that the double ionic bond in an H2O molecule is extraordinarily strong.

So where are you going to get the energy to make the hydrogen fuel cells?
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ceilingFANBOY
02/03/09

@rougheo: Hydrogen cars may be the wave of the future, but they aren't ready yet. While I am sure the tech will improve, it currently requires too much energy to remove hydrogen from water.
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shorty6049
02/03/09

In reply to Plug-in Prius Averaging 65 mpg in Tests, 15 More Than Standard Model
whats the advantage of a plug-in hybrid? can you drive it on battery like the Volt, or does it still only use electric when you're doing city driving and things?
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ceilingFANBOY
02/03/09

@shorty6049: Most likely this saves gas by cutting down on weight by eliminating the generators that would be needed on a non plug-in hybrid and no gas is being used to generate electricity.
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OMG! Ponies!
02/03/09

In reply to Plug-in Prius Averaging 65 mpg in Tests, 15 More Than Standard Model
It's gotta be better than this solar hybrid I saw on the street today

Works fine in August. In February, not so much.
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ERIFNOMI
02/03/09

@OMG! Ponies!: It's probably a plug-in charged by electricity from solar panels at home.
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OMG! Ponies!
02/03/09

@ERIFNOMI: I have no idea where the solar power comes in. I saw it on the street today while trudging through the snow to get some lunch.

Personally, I think it's Nuclear Man's Prius.
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ceilingFANBOY
02/03/09

@OMG! Ponies!: There is still sun in February. Now, the fact that the driver has yet to wipe the snow off of the roof doesn't help things, but if you are a safe driver you wouldn't be driving around with snow on your roof.
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OMG! Ponies!
02/03/09

@ceilingFANBOY: He wasn't driving at all. He just didn't park close enough to the curb. And as for the snow on the roof, five hours later, it's still snowing in Long Island.
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Jrsy Devil's Advocate®
02/03/09

@OMG! Ponies!: It's fueled by bacon grease in the winter months.

Sure, she may not look like much but you can smell her coming a mile away..
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ceilingFANBOY
02/03/09

@OMG! Ponies!: I'm surprised there is no ticket on that car with the way it's parked. Now, if only they had some way of keeping the car clear of snow for as long as possible while parked they could improve efficiency by letting the batteries charge while the car is parked. I'm sure once the car is moving, though, the snow on the top shouldn't be an issue.
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ninjagin
02/03/09

In reply to Plug-in Prius Averaging 65 mpg in Tests, 15 More Than Standard Model
My GF drives an old Honda Insight that gets better mileage than that. I dig the plug-in thing, though.
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Serolf Divad
02/03/09

@ninjagin:

Where do you put the kids?
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