What is Digg?241 Comments
- dmoffitt, on 05/07/2008, -3/+48We need more cars like this and less Yukon/Tahoe/Hummer/Excursion etc. Full-size trucks ABSOLUTELY have a place, towing, construction or landscaping etc, but NOT as commuter vehicles...
- flaquito, on 05/07/2008, -4/+39It would only be dangerous because of all the a**holes driving Hummer's and Escalade's. If everyone drove a sensible sized car, smaller cars would be much safer. For the record, the Smart car is safer than most mid-sized cars because of it's frame construction. You don't know anything about the construction of this VW, so this might be equally safe.
- kbull, on 05/07/2008, -1/+32I believe that falls under the category of towing.
- dboy3587, on 05/07/2008, -2/+30you mean like the lady next door who drives an F-350 everyday to work...........4 blocks away.......may i add that she is fat
- dtele, on 05/07/2008, -5/+24Looks nice and still looks like a veedub :)
- inactive, on 05/07/2008, -2/+21Many small cars are actually safer than their larger brethren; the idea that small cars are unsafe is a common misconception – the Smart Car is a good example, despite its lilliputian scale its very safe.
- directrix13, on 05/07/2008, -2/+20Your post makes no sense.
- aspec, on 05/07/2008, -1/+19I'd drive it. My commute is entirely city. I doubt I would take this thing out on the highway, but if they keep the price under 20gs, I'd be more than happy to look like a fool and drive the savings to the bank.
- DeFex, on 05/07/2008, -0/+16aerodynamic efficiency. its one of the best improvements.
- ColorBlind, on 05/07/2008, -1/+17The rear wheels never change direction. Having them streamlined drops the coefficient of the vehicle.
- imnojezus, on 05/07/2008, -4/+16"Not in America you won't"
Funny, I remember hearing the same thing about the Smart Car. - majordickhead, on 05/07/2008, -5/+17do you mean POLO???
You moron, you don't even know what you want.. get it right before complaining.
IT IS A POLO, NOT A POGO! - frasermoo, on 05/07/2008, -1/+12I had a pogo, but I would never have taken it on the freeway. Generally I got about 3 or 4 bounces before I fell of. My sister was much better at it.
- DreKor, on 05/07/2008, -1/+12Those were some of the most confusing statistics I've ever read. I can see where you're going with this, but work on the presentation.
200 miles with gas at $4.00/gal
My Camry (27mpg) = $29.63
VW1L (200mpg) = $4.00
200 miles with gas at $10.00/gal
My Camry = $74.07
VW1L = $10.00 - TRScheel, on 05/07/2008, -0/+10Continuing on this... lets say the life of the car is 150,000 miles and they have equal maintenance costs... so...
Lifetime Cost @ $4/gal:
Camry: $22,222
VW1L: $3000
Lifetime cost @ $10/gal
Camry: $55,555
VW1L: $7500
Even if we say global warming doesn't exist... that sounds like a great deal on a purely monetary basis - fireman8871, on 05/07/2008, -6/+15The future is bright. Aptera has a 300 mpg car coming THIS Year
http://ApteraForum.com - diggB, on 05/07/2008, -0/+9I call shotgun! Oh, wait ...
- robbiemuffin, on 05/07/2008, -1/+10don't forget to fill up the gas tank when you get the oil changed in that thing :) damn, I want one
- BigRamzy, on 05/07/2008, -0/+8A perfect solution for driving within cities. Sometimes, during traffic jams, i see like 5 mercedes in a column, with one person in each of them. And people wonder why traffic is so slow.
- earlycj5, on 05/07/2008, -1/+9Aerodynamics.
- AlexanderBlue, on 05/07/2008, -0/+8Actually, I think we should consider taxing vehicles as they do in the UK: by weight.
- DeFex, on 05/07/2008, -6/+13they should be banned from the city, or do like london and charge them 4 times as much to come in the city.
- wavenger, on 05/07/2008, -0/+6The problem with SUVs is that they put a lot of mass and power in the hands of an amateur driver. Fatigue aside, truckers are much more likely to be good drivers because it's their job and because they usually need a commercial vehicle license. Plus, they're more agile than freight. You're not any more dead if you hit a semi, after all.
As for putting freight on rails, I totally agree, but we could have a LOT more trains if we hadn't removed so much rail infrastructure. - apetrie, on 05/07/2008, -1/+7The lesson being, you're a jackass who attracts jackass friends.
- inactive, on 05/07/2008, -3/+9News flash: people on motorcycles also ride in tandem. That's basically what this is, a motorcycle with the skin of a car.
BTW the Volt is vaporware if I've ever seen it. They even run ads for it like they build it...and have a small disclaimer at the bottom saying it's not for sale yet. They've been touting it for years now. Where is it? Duke Nukem Forever. - takamalak, on 05/07/2008, -4/+10Ah, you suffer from small penis? Not to worry, judging from all the other small dicked fellows in huge cars, you are not alone.
- brufleth, on 05/07/2008, -2/+8Often only collision performance is examined. The fact that smaller cars can often avoid collisions is often ignored. My Subaru Impreza handles better on a wet or icy road than the average truck or SUV. I'm far less likely to slide off into a tree or another vehicle.
- psykiv, on 05/07/2008, -0/+6Considering the H1 runs on diesel, you won't be getting very far.
- Nougat, on 05/07/2008, -2/+8I'll believe it when I see it.
VW started the Fox several years behind schedule, and it was plagued with production problems (because they were getting parts from Brazil, which were often not available), which drove the price up well beyond what it was originally intended to be, and the car sold weakly.
The Rabbit line, which was a replacement for the air-cooled Beetle, had similar issues - late, production problems (low quality assembly in Mexico), overpriced from where it was supposed to be. The car sold better than the Fox, but never as good as the Type 1.
Then the New Beetle. I worked at a VW dealer from 1990 to 1995. We started seeing promotional materials for that car in 1991; the car was supposed to be introduced for the 1992 model year. It was supposed to come out with one of three engines: gas, diesel, diesel-electric hybrid. The first models didn't come out until 1998, and they were - wait for it - far above the originally intended price.
I wonder what will happen with this one. If it goes into production at all, I'll put my money on 2016 - long after other manufacturers have introduced similar models - and that it will cost 25% to 50% more than them, too. - silveravnt, on 05/07/2008, -0/+6Well:
A. it will be TUV approved so it will be safe for the occupant.
b. It will be lightweight so it will likely be pushed rather than crushing.
c. If the truck were to roll over it well it wouldn't make a difference if it were three times as big. - wendelgee2, on 05/07/2008, -1/+6Yeah, you're just breathing the exhaust.
- brufleth, on 05/07/2008, -0/+5I saw an SUV the other day that had been hit by an 18 wheeler. I really doubt anyone survived that crash either.
- cpcouvillion, on 05/07/2008, -0/+5The article says that speculation is that it will have a 500CC diesel. Still, I drive a GTI, which is small for the USA, and sometimes feel like all I can see out the window is truck and SUV wheels. The drivers of those SUVs and trucks are typically drinking Starbucks, talking on the phone or both. It becomes a matter of safety. If I were in Europe, where smaller cars are the norm (my GTI is mid-sized there), I wouldn't have a problem with it.
- Paranoidmarvin, on 05/07/2008, -2/+7Since it's VW, I'm sure we can safely bet it will be a safe car
- GeorgeStone2, on 05/07/2008, -2/+7Pogo? or polo.
- SammyJr, on 05/07/2008, -0/+5Nice car != big car, jackass and if you need a car to attract women, then you're lacking. I never had any trouble getting dates when I was driving a Chevy Cavalier.
- takamalak, on 05/07/2008, -0/+5I don't know. With a 75 mph top speed, this shouldn't do too badly on the highways. Most of the country still has 65 mph speed limits, and this is much better protected than riding a motorcycle.
- frasermoo, on 05/07/2008, -0/+5Excellent article. Thanks for that.
Quote "According to Bradsher, internal industry market research concluded that S.U.V.s tend to be bought by people who are insecure, vain, self-centered, and self-absorbed, who are frequently nervous about their marriages, and who lack confidence in their driving skills."
BOOYAKA ! - apetrie, on 05/07/2008, -0/+5..and you're pretty much ***** no matter what you are driving if you get hit with one of those things. Besides, those people are trained to drive those vehicles, and they aren't the ***** driving their SUVs while talking on the phone/putting on make up/doing other ***** they shouldn't be and making everyone else unsafe.
- silveravnt, on 05/07/2008, -2/+7True. Any German car has to undergo the harshest testing before it can be on the street. Those smart cars do better in crash tests than most America cars which are much larger. It's basically a cage.
- takamalak, on 05/07/2008, -0/+5That applies to any car. Collisions at 75 are just a bad idea in general.
- takamalak, on 05/07/2008, -0/+5That was brilliant.
- mohammadahsan, on 05/07/2008, -0/+4this is cool, as long as it'll be priced appropriately. I'm so sick and tired of seeing hybrids/plug-ins being released all with a $10k price bump on the car. gas prices are soaring on a daily basis wtf is the point of spending that much more money!? GAH@#@
- wendelgee2, on 05/07/2008, -2/+6Big and Bad by Malcolm Gladwell.
How the S.U.V. ran over automotive safety.
http://gladwell.com/2004/2004_01_12_a_suv.html - aptmunich, on 05/07/2008, -0/+4You mean Audi - VW's little brother?
(VW owns Audi and a slew of other car makers) - statstudent, on 05/07/2008, -1/+5SUVs don't appeal to me but that doesn't mean you won't see them in america. this car doesn't appeal to you but that doesn't mean it won't appeal to others.
- Homerr, on 05/07/2008, -3/+7I'm very glad to see this from a major manufacturer. However, where is the American response? We've been told all our lives that we are the best and innovative.
Well America, whadda you got? Or was it all hot air...? - avdp, on 05/07/2008, -1/+5I know you specifically said "mid sized truck", but the reality is that you don't stand much (if any at all whatsoever) chance against a truck in your SUV either. You just have the perception of being safer, sorry to burst your bubble.
- inactive, on 05/07/2008, -2/+6They actually *do* have a place as commuter vehicles...but only for small, remote parts of the population. I used to live in such an area and having a 4WD Jeep or truck was a *must*. Definitely NOT for city, though.
- oo00mige00oo, on 05/07/2008, -0/+4you can take it off, reduce aerodynamics and waste more gas if you like!!
-
Show 51 - 100 of 241 discussions
Check out the new & improved 
© Digg Inc. 2009
— Content created and posted by Digg users is