Power Hungry Americans

[Ti Kan]

Huw Powell writes:
> > I wouldn't necessarily say that we're power-hungry, but with the
> > large amount of stop-and-go traffic and such, it's nice to have
> > a powerful car that accelerates well to get through traffic.
> ...
> > The other thing is, with Toyota Camrys, Honda Accords and Ford
> > Tauruses all available with 200hp, you need more power to justify
> > the higher cost of European imports like the Audis. Heck, I have
> > to get my 200q chipped in order to keep the performance level above
> > those "family sedans." I'm tired of having Nissan Maximas able to
> > keep up with me on the highway.
> 
> and there's your answer.  It's called "keeping up with the Joneses," or
> keeping ahead of them, as the case may be.  

Indeed.  Sometimes I wonder about the mentality of some drivers.
As soon as the light turns green, it's pedal to the metal, only
to stop at the next red light.  They really aren't getting to their
destination any faster, but they are using more fuel, and perhaps
increased wear and tear on the drivetrain.  Moreover, I seem to
notice this more with SUVs...

-Ti
01 S4 2.7 biturbo quattro
84 5000S 2.1 turbo
80 4000 2.0
96 A4 2.8 quattro (sold but not forgotten)
-- 
    ///  Ti Kan                Vorsprung durch Technik
   ///   AMB Research Laboratories, Sunnyvale, CA. USA
  ///    ti at amb.org
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