Re: quattro system?

[Eliot Lim <eliot@u.washington.edu>]

> Baloney.

[etc]

no disagreement over its real advantages over a car.  my gripes are
that:

1) they don't have to meet any kind of fuel economy or safety standard

2) they are also exempt from having to make any significant
technology advances unlike cars.  leaf springs were around
since the horse drawn carriage, before the invention of the
internal combustion engine and before the invention of the
damper.  live axle rear ends in cars died with v*lv*.
barn door aerodynamics.  need more?

3) the outrageous prices charged for such antiquated technology
that's had 50 years or more to amortize itself...

it appears to me that people don't know or care about these things
and that's what i find lamentable.  of course the magazines
would never dream about comparing one of these to a modern car.

> I rarely see an
> SUV being driven like a sports car;

you should have seen all the first time owners here when the snow hit.  first
they think they are invincible and go around tailgating people.  by the
first afternoon, most of them had spun out into the ditch.  (i'm being
sarcastic, but there were far fewer of them on my commute home and
i did see many in the ditch)

> Now I agree, some people do buy SUV's because they perceive
> them to be a fasion statement. 
> Not anywhere near the amount of people who buy
> Lexus' or 3 series BMW's.  Nomex on

go to a luxury car dealership and ask them where the market has gone.
why is acura, lexus, mercedes (and jaguar for a while) lining up
SUV's?

i maintain that most of these will never be used under the
conditions where they would be superior to a car.  i don't
have any problems with those who actually use it in the
way it was intended.  you don't see me bashing semi trucks,
do you?


eliot