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metalangel

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Variable Geometry Turbo!

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Used by Volkswagen in their excellent TDI engines. Info Link

I had one in my Skoda Octavia 1.9TDI. pic. 'Only' 110bhp but it climbed hills faster than my Celica does now. There wasn't really any turbo lag, the turbo worked continuously for all but the most gentle acceleration. Even driving down the street accelerating from a stop sign I could hear it whistling.

The only problem is the vanes can get clogged with soot and dirt, and stick in place, but it was a great engine and I miss it sometimes. I wish my Celica had a turbo :(
 
Technology is amazing.

What is really sad is, you guys on the other side of the pond get all the cool small cars, whereas us fat, lazy 'Merkins drive big-ass trucks, SUV's, Caprice wagons, and luxury cars.

It was not until recently when fuel prices skyrocketed and now everyone is buying all the small cars, but we don't have many choices. The Chevy Cruze 1.8 turbo is selling like crazy.
 
See, as a Canadian I think that all European cars look the same - they're all ugly little hatchbacks. All city cars look like the Renault Clio, all average-sized cars look like the Ford Focus hatchback (very very few cars have a proper trunk with a lid in the UK), and all big cars look like a Mercedes S Class. It's soooooo boring, hardly anyone makes sports cars any more, they just take a normal car and factory tune it. The Focus RS or Civic Type R or Fabia VRS might be amazing cars but they're still based on a car your mother would go to the grocery storey in.

I read North American car sites, see the Camaros and Mustangs and Chargers, but also stuff with unusual styling like Lincoln's new lineup and then I look at the completely homogenous lineup of, say, Ford Europe, and there is nothing I like! My favourites were Pontiacs (my mother had a Firebird) and they started doing good small cars that also looked good.

Ford Europe. Vauxhall (Opel, GM Europe). Look at them! They're all boring and look the same!

I couldn't believe the rave reviews the Ford Fiesta got in the US press. In Europe it's considered one of the most boring cars ever made. I had the most recent version as a loaner while my car was being fixed, and it felt so cheap and nasty, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone, my toothbrush is made of nicer plastic than that interior.

Buy a Volkswagen TDI if you want a good little city car. You won't believe how smooth they are and how fast they go. The nasty old diesels of the 80s (our neighbour had a Rabbit that would make all our windows shake when she started it) are a thing of the past.
 
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Few years ago, I bought a 1987 Caprice wagon from someone. I saw that they decided to keep their Civic and sold the wagon. I was happy. That was my first full size wagon I owned.

I did own a 1993 Passat GLX VR6. It was pretty fast, but too many electrical problems. It was a nice car, but I'm very involved in bicycles so the car was sold. Spent $$ on a van.
 
green427 said:
Technology is amazing.

What is really sad is, you guys on the other side of the pond get all the cool small cars, whereas us fat, lazy 'Merkins drive big-ass trucks, SUV's, Caprice wagons, and luxury cars.

It was not until recently when fuel prices skyrocketed and now everyone is buying all the small cars, but we don't have many choices. The Chevy Cruze 1.8 turbo is selling like crazy.
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now companies are starting to sell small cars.
 
Jiro said:
now companies are starting to sell small cars.
Click to expand...

Small cars are a lot bigger than they used to be. One of the most popular cars in the UK is the Ford Ka, which is tiny. It's also an old design, the new design is only slightly smaller than the current Fiesta. Consider the original and new Mini.

I remember driving an old Peugeot 106 owned by a company I worked for. It felt so flimsy, I wouldn't have felt safe on the highway in it because it would crumple like a Coke can!
 
Nasty? I had to disagree because I had one back then and do miss it. LOL It is not a fast car, that is why I seldom get speeding ticket on VW Jetta Diesel without Turbo. I averaged 58MPG on my old Jetta. Mind you I got at least 600 miles on single 11 gallon tank, how can I complain?

metalangel said:
The nasty old diesels of the 80s (our neighbour had a Rabbit that would make all our windows shake when she started it) are a thing of the past.
Click to expand...
 
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