What is Digg?Sponsored by Dragon Age: Origins
Follow the Dragon Age: Origins development team on Twitter view!
twitter.com/DragonAge - EA presents BioWare's new dark fantasy epic Dragon Age: Origins. '9/10' from Game Informer.
120 Comments
- versionist, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8"How would you get out?"
You put it on and take it off just like a shirt. - ochants76, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7"I am not driving a car that has only 20hp."
here holymoo...learn something
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/question381.htm - domokunt, on 10/12/2007, -0/+320hp/450kg = 0.04444444
ford focus (wikipedia)
1.4 L Zetec-SE: 74BHP; 42.8MPG; 106MPH top speed; 14.1s 0-60
prob about 1400kg
74/1400 = 0.0528
similar power/weight ratio as a ford focus. - boohiss, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3"We're stupid, were about accelerating fast, were about breaking laws, gettting in accidents, cursing at other drivers and tailgaiting senslessly."
How about speaking for yourself only? - HamsterOfDeath, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4All the people who are insulting those who question a 20 hp car need a serious lesson in mechanics.
20 hp from a diesel is exactly the same as 20 hp from a gasoline engine. Don't quote me a howstuffworks article, I know how torque and horsepower work. It may have higher peak torque, but it will have to use longer gearing to compensate for the lower revving nature of a diesel engine. 20 hp = 20 hp, period. Diesel trucks have 500+ ft lbs of torque but they don't accelerate like a Ram SRT-10 with 500 ft lbs of torque because their low revs mean long gearing which means wheel torque suffers due to gearing...the same applies to this car. It will be slow, there is no question. 440kg does not include passengers...4 passengers would bring the weight up above 1600 lbs and it would be totally lethargic, if not unuseable...like I said, the equivalent of a Camry with about 35 hp. The 50 hp variant would have pep, but it would not be nearly as efficient, especially after it is made into a street legal car. Don't forget that low weight does not increase top speed, which is based on horsepower, drag, and the top gear ratio. The top speed of a 20 hp vehicle would be anemic.
There is nothing special about this car...it's just a lightweight, aerodynamic car with a tiny engine that is not suitable for road use. This is not news. - Svenson, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Its German ofcourse its better.
- aa90digg, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Right there you just want to say to all the big manufacturers:" In your face losers! Everybody told you it was possible!"
The main problem is that that company is gonna be bought by one of the big manufacturers, and they will bury the technology because they all have to sell their own less efficient hybrid or energy effectiv system, and eventually get the money they spend developing them back.
Any of those manufacturers would kill itself and its corporation rather than admitting that they got it wrong all along. So Admitting that that car is better? No way! - fmaxwell, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2hamsterofdeath wrote: "All the people who are insulting those who question a 20 hp car need a serious lesson in mechanics.
20 hp from a diesel is exactly the same as 20 hp from a gasoline engine. Don't quote me a howstuffworks article, I know how torque and horsepower work."
Apparently you do not as you would have understood that the shape of the torque curve is extremely important in determining performance. In any given gear, there is only a single speed at which the engine will be operating at its peak horsepower. If the torque falls off rapidly on both sides of that peak, then the performance will be less than impressive. I've ridden peaky, 2-stroke dirt bikes that were regularly outrun by 4-strokes with less horsepower but with a broader powerband. That's why diesels shine: They have an incredibly wide powerband.
hamsterofdeath wrote: "Don't forget that low weight does not increase top speed, which is based on horsepower, drag, and the top gear ratio. The top speed of a 20 hp vehicle would be anemic."
99.2mph according to the article.
hamsterofdeath wrote: "There is nothing special about this car...it's just a lightweight, aerodynamic car with a tiny engine that is not suitable for road use. This is not news."
How is a car that can approach 100mph not be suitable for road use? The original VW beetle had less than 25hp weighed much more and had horrendous aerodynamics (flat windshield, fenders that stuck out, etc.) with a cd of 0.48-0.49. It also was not nearly as safe, lacking even such amenities as seat belts. And it was used on roads all over Europe. - codyman, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2They have a 50 hp version a "GT" that is 0-60 in 9 secs... thats actually pretty damn quick (compared to standard 4 cylinders of today!). On my calculations, the GT gets 88 mpg... thats still awesome... considering it also does 120+ mph...
- stonebear, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2rm999 wrote: “Doesn’t sound safe or street legal in the US, but maybe i’m wrong. I can’t imagine anything that light passing crash tests.”
That’s exactly right. By the time it conformed to US safety standards and pollution controls, the mileage would likely end up in the range of what the hybrids are offering. - Pas3n7, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Cool, but I'd be scared as hell to drive that thing past a semi on the highway
- BritOverseas, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1There we go posting before you either (a.) RTFA or (b.) know anything about power to weight ratios, not to mention diesel engines.
The little wonder that is a Lotus Elise, on average (for the bog standard model) only has 1.8 litre engine that develops around 140 horses (if I remember rightly). However, through the use of superior, lightweight materials (it weighs about 1000kg's unladen) it will out accelerate most supercars, get better fuel economy than most family cars and look far superior to nearly ALL cars. Then there are the super lightweight ones that are something in themselves....
You should look em up, you just got them (finally) in the States (legally) last year, my buddy in NC bought one after driving them in the U.K. - flipper5311, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1and you must wait until 2009
- rm999, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1"The Loremo LS is powered by a 2 cylinder Turbo Diesel engine with 20 hp and 160km/h top speed ... One reason for the low consumption is the low weight of 450kg."
Doesn't sound safe or street legal in the US, but maybe i'm wrong. I can't imagine anything that light passing crash tests. - valkraider, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1To the rest of the world:
This is my semi annual apology to you for being American. And for my retarded fellow Americans.
Please excuse us for saying things like "It might work in Europe where they don't really care about safety or the environment" - because since we are all scared of places that we have never been, it seems we actually have NO knowledge of ACTUAL places outside of our own borders. Maybe even our own state or town...
Please forgive my dumb-ass countrymen who seem incapable of noticing that VW has been winning rally races with low horsepower high torque diesel engines for years, or that Audi has one of the most impressive race cars ever with their new diesel R10.
Please ignore the fact that most Americans seem to think that we have to resort to 19th century technology when it comes to "safety" even though better design and more advanced materials might actually work better.
Forget the fact that Americans call European cars unsafe, while companies like Volvo, Volkswagen, Audi, Mercades, and BMW have been pioneering safety engineering for years. In fact many cars that are *safer* and *cleaner* than our US regs require exist all over the world - but do not pass American laws because we wrote our laws with stupid arbitrary measurements or poor language that sound good but actually do little for us.
Don't pay too much attention to the fact that even though some Americans have *seen* me accelerating to freeway speeds as fast or faster than most traffic - using my 90 horsepower diesel VW, while at the same time getting 50mpg - they don't actually comprehend it. Like the KKK, they never really see what is under the hood, and so they never pay attention to reality...
Please understand that there ARE Americans here who would like better more efficient cars, that would LIKE better city design that didn't require cars to get around and that would LIKE the entire rest of the world to not hate our guts.
Unfortunately we are few in number. But accept my apologies please, it is the best I can do - as the other Americans ignore us the way they ignore you... - unity2k, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Although I have been enjoying Digg, after having visited the comments section I am shocked to find that many of the visitors to this site are severely intellectually incapacitated. It is not just naivety, no way, this is profound and repulsive stupidity launching from the fingertips of absolute morons.
To the management team of Digg, you would do yourself a favor to warn visitors that while they may enjoy the stories featured, you cannot vouch for the veracity of the comments left on your site and that any educated human being may be so repulsed by such glaring exhibitions of blatant stupidity that they may never return to this site - stick with the stories, do not give the comment section on Digg a second glance. - sooperdooper, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1"The design of the car is very futuristic and has for instance no conventional doors."
How would you get out? - iseyce, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1"The design of the car is very futuristic and has for instance no conventional doors. "
this might present a problem. - Petrarch1603, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1This thread is full of speculation: "It will never see a US release" how would you know that? "The company is gonna be bought by one of those big manufacturers..." Are you an industry analyst?
- ochants76, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2once again.....
learn about diesel horsepower ratings
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/question381.htm
20hp isnt so bad - sirket, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1First off-
VW had a car that got 240 mpg 2 years ago. 8 HP and 2 tandem seats and it still could do 75 mph.
Hamsterofdeath: Are you for real?
"Diesel trucks have 500+ ft lbs of torque but they don't accelerate like a Ram SRT-10 with 500 ft lbs of torque because their low revs mean long gearing which means wheel torque suffers due to gearing...the same applies to this car."
Low revs and long gearing only matter if you only have 2 or 3 gears. Seeing as most diesel trucks now have a minimum of 5 speeds this is less of an issue- tractor trailers obviously have many more. You probably should not be looking at the anemic diesel pickup market for examples of how to do things correctly. Subaru or Saab (I forget which) have been testing racing diesels for a variety of reasons.
Diesel pickups don't accelerate like an SRT-10 because they weigh a lot more- and because they aren't built for freaking speed- they're a damned truck. They are meant for pulling loads. On top of this most diesels are actually detuned. A simple computer upgrade can net you 100+ HP without touching anything under the hood.
Want to see a fast f*cking diesel? check out the stuff Gale Banks has been working- variable vane turbines coupled with smarter computer management and lighter components to allow far higher rev's. Couple this with the fact that you can cram all the nitrous you want to into a diesel as well as add propane and you can get some serious horsepower.
What's absolutely unbelievable is that you bring up the Dodge SRT-10. You're talking about an 8.0 Liter engine for gods sake. It gets less than pathetic gas mileage. Dump the same amount of diesel into a Gale Banks diesel with 100lbs of turbo boot and the diesel will smoke the SRT-10 any day of the week. Moreover the SRT-10 has a _pushrod_ engine! The Viper engine is an awful design for a high RPM application. Dual overhead cams allow you to achieve higher RPM and make it easier to do things like variable valve timing which are critical in an engine designed to operate over a very large RPM range. And oh yeah- diesel's have had controllable valves for years.
Assuming identical horsepower, however, which car would you rather drive? The depends on what you are doing. If you are racing at a track all day at the same speed, hey- go for the gas engine. If you are in stop and go traffic every day then the diesel will "feel" better every time. Torque is what makes driving fun- not horsepower.
As for the performance of this car? A stock British Mini of late 70's vintage weighed in at about 1500 lbs but only had 38 horsepower (and awful torque). So what! They are still a TON of fun to drive. They accelerate with plenty of gusto and are as nimble as can be.
Safety standards are the reason we have such heavy cars? Hardly. We have crazy safety standards because cars have gotten so damned heavy. People like to lug around tv sets, radios, lots of extra seats, 200 horsepower that they don't need, etc. etc. etc. My old Mini gets between 55 and 60 mpg and it was doing this in 1980. And frankly- the girls love the Mini way more than a huge SUV :)
Why does everyone in this country take their SUV to the corner market to pick up a loaf of bread? Why not have a small, inexpensive car for driving around town? We're obsessed with driving land yachts- mostly because half the people in the country can't drive and when they cause an accident they want to feel safe.
Hamsterofdeath: "The top speed of a 20 hp vehicle would be anemic."
Given that the speed limit in this country is 65 mph (or in the odd case 75 mph) what the hell do you need with a car capable of 140 mph? Moreover a car like this is obviously meant for city use and even these speeds would be unnecessary. - drbroccoli, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3An efficient and sensable car is not what the average American wants. There is no market for a 20 hp car in this country, no matter how good or useful it is. We're stupid, were about accelerating fast, were about breaking laws, gettting in accidents, cursing at other drivers and tailgaiting senslessly.
- GaymerGuy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1"Interesting technology, but the design is hmm...almost as bad as Honda's Insight. Does it really need to look like a star wars spaceship with wheels. Just make it look like a normal car and maybe somebody will actually pay the money to buy it."
I love this design, I am sick of all the "normal cars" that all look the same. There was once a time when the year make and model of a car could be known simply by looking at it! Now the body of the vehicle is the same for almost every manufacturer, as if toyota, honda, saturn, etc are all buy their cshell from Bob's Big Body Shell Inc. Theres nothing original out there anymore. I think that we should start developing the futuristic space age designs such as teh cars that were in the movie "Demolition Man" and the like...
And in regards to not wanting to buy this car because it doesnt go fast... I will gladly meet you at the next red light a little after you get there for the benefit of only having to fill my tank up once every 2 months! - wired4christ, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1a cool realistic alternative would be http://www.greasecar.com you use your own car and the equipment is cheap
- jjjjjjb, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Great fuel efficiency but:
* Manual transmission only
* No standard air-con (and look at all that glass!)
* 0-100 kms in 19 seconds on the standard model
In reality, I wonder if people are willing to forego these "standard" features to save fuel costs. Good on them for trying though! - coheedcollapse, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I signed up for the mailing list so that if by chance this little jewel does come out in America, it'll probably be time for a new car for me. Right now I'm in an Acura Legend, a quick little luxury/sports car, but I'd gladly switch it over for one of these babies. I don't need to go over 100 miles per hour, and I rarely ever do (the last time I remember going 100+ was when I was testing what It'd max out on when I had first gotten it). I don't care about HP, the speed statistics are fine for me, and I'm sick of spending more money on gas than what the car is worth.
- sapo916, on 10/12/2007, -3/+4Once again digg gets flooded by retards who dont know *****... If you dont know what you are talking about or only think you do, keep it to yourself. What your dad does for a living doesnt qualify you as *****, thats just a little note for you kids out there.
- danbt79, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2*ahem
Attention America! Your car industry and approach to cars is strange. Really strange. I have lived on both sides of the Atlantic and here's what I've noticed:
1. You have a complete lack of understanding that larger horsepower/engine capacity does not always make a better car.
2. Big cars are not always safer than little ones. Compare: http://www.bridger.us/2002/12/16/CrashTestingMINICooperVsFordF150
(and what's the obsession with getting run over by a semi in a small car that I keep hearing? You do allow motor bikes on your roads!)
3. You NEED cars like this. You will have cars like this in the future. The oil is running out and you guys are in more trouble than most.
Here's an interesting fact: a village in the Brazilian rain forest has more in common with a European/Asian/African town than with American towns - from a town planning point of view.
You built most of your settlements AFTER the car was invented - nowhere else is like that. Could you actually walk from your house to somewhere that sells food in less than 15/20Min's? How many people can or can't?
The American love affair with the car is borne of necessity. Couple that with your industries' apparent inability to build a car that features fuel economy over cup holders means that in 10 years time you'll all be driving these. Get used to them! :) - KenC411, on 09/06/2008, -0/+10-60 in 20 seconds. So you're not allowed to go on the highway.
- TridenTBoy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0No air conditioning, no power windows, no nothing.. and diesel fuel costs more than conventional fuel in the US. Plus I'd be suprised if that thing conforms to any sort of safety standards.
Chompy
Dude! You can't get into any type of crash with the speed this thing goes! - porplem, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0w00t 1000th digg. Cool car.
- snapcase, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Only 20hp?
At such a low weight I'd be afraid to take this thing over a bridge. Back in 1989 a 1987 Yugo blew off the Mackinac Bridge. I could see that happening with this car, even with its aerodynamics. - anthonyb415, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0TURBO DIESEL!
+digg. - BritOverseas, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I think he will have to catch some of it, but my little "princess", no REALLY she thinks she is a princess, especially after going to Disney for Xmas, already calls me "Father", not Daddy "Father".....
And yes, I know exactly what you mean, I ahve been all over the Gulf (the Arabian one) and for my mind, the most frightening place in the world to drive was Saudi. The Saudi driving test consists of.... An eye test like you get at the optometrist, only not as good, and, if you are illiterate, instead of letters, there are pictures, of little dogs and houses and stuff, bizarre...
Oh, and there is no legal MINIMUM driving age, if you are male and you apply, you get a licence. I have seen what looks like 9 year olds driving big Yank Tanks around at 100mph, they can barely see above the steering wheel, truly frightening... - ryogahibiki, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I'd buy one at 13k!
- johndi, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I've lived in 4 different countries and visited countless others (including Great Britain which I liked) and my wife is Filipino. What I've noticed is that people around the world are generally stubborn, but well meaning. I'd pitty him if he isn't a least a bit intractable.
Right now I work in Qatar and any car without a good deal of get up and go would be promptly ran off the road by a mix of drivers that are Indian, Pakistani, English, Scottish, Iranian, and from countless other countries. If you didn't get run over you'd be stuck at a round about. They are only two ways to get into traffic here intimidation (big truck) and gunning it. Why did they did they put roundy rounds in a city as impatient as Doha? - BritOverseas, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0True, true, that is why my house works. My Wife knows she is right all the time and I am certain I am, so we both must be right, right?
What is most worrying is the fact that my Daughter is catching it too (nearly three), only she has a hybrid version "AmerEnglish". You know, the almost pompous "are you stupid" look for the English, mixed in with the "***** you" look for the American, this can't be good.....
Maybe my boy will be different... - johndi, on 10/12/2007, -0/+00-100 mph
Corvette 4.7 sec
Honda Fatboy 7.2
Ford Escort 9.0
Certain Death 19.0
any questions?
Actually, the GT version isn't too bad it matches a Ford Escort. Of course we are stubborn we got it from the British, have you seen a mirror lately? The Aussies got it too, I'm seeing a pattern. - BritOverseas, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0>It won't compensate for those with penis size issues. But then not everyone needs a big fast car to feel >good about themselves. :P
Unfortunately, thats just the problem. Americans as a whole are some of the most stubborn people known to man (I know, I am married to one). If it is not another American trying to make them understand a different point of view (and even then they don't like to listen too well), then basically they don't want to know and you are some kind of "god damned foreign idiot". They blatantly choose inferior technology because it IS American and then complain when it doesn't work/gets overtaken by "some foreign idiot" in a superior device, that is not patriotism, that is stupidity.
Insularity is not a good thing to covet. Most of the rest of the developed world realises that there may be better choices out there. They may not come from their own country but any informed customer would realise that and make a choice to buy the best he can, that is why I have mostly Asian electronics, they are better. I just don't understand buying something that you know is inferior just to buy American (even though most big corporations are multinationals now and the money you spend is not necessarily staying in the States).
Me, I bought a huge ass QX56 (5.6L V8 315 horses, lovely sound when you put your foot down), does 19mpg highway (*****), but we only do about 5000-7000 miles a year so it's manageable.
At the end of this year (when I don't have to stow all the crap that comes with two small kids, bags, more bags, strollers, blah blah blah), it is a Cayenne for me. Not allowed to have a Cayman, my wife thinks I would be out trying to pick up women but it is still a Porsche, kind of (27 Highway=50% better).. - johndi, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0"oh power wise... dont care as long as i can get from a to b.."
I hear bicycles don't even need fuel - hasbeen, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0What I don't understand is why all these fuel efficient cars look so damn ugly. I understand that they may have some unique overall shape for aerodynamic purposes, but you could still make them look good. I have yet to see one that doesn't look like crap.
- mc1123, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0thats pretty cool. maybe we won't have to use corn-gas after all!
- colinmhayes, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0no thank you, my miata's small enough.
- sirket, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0A motorcycle that gets 157 mpg? Who are you kidding? 60 mpg's is a lot for a motorcycle.
- justin22290, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0deuterium... you are completely retarded... that's all i have to say about you..
I think i would by this car if i could afford it... people automatically think that the heavier a car is the more safe it is... Not any more.... of course common sense it is going to have an effect. But a lot of safety comes from the way the car is built and crash zones were the car it self gets squashed so the occupants are safe just inside a really ***** up car..... all it needs is some neons!
oh power wise... dont care as long as i can get from a to b.. - ihate2regist, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0"LOOKS A LOT BETTER THAN THE PRIUS!!"
it's still ugly - HappyScrappy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Diesel HP is NOT different from gas.
Yeah, Diesels tend to make far less HP (and more torque), but an HP is an HP. And HP in concert with gearing determines top speed and acceleration.
This thing WILL be a slug, Diesel or no.
Honestly, I'm filing this with the T-Zero. A joke. It's not a car, it's a motorcycle with a cowling. If I wanted a motorcycle, I could get one that's nearly as efficient as this and a lot faster.
It's not difficult to strip a car down and make it perform better. People do this to race cars all the time. If they did that and change the gearing up instead of down, they'd get great mpg. But that doesn't mean you want to ride in it.
By the time you get done adding the stuff you need in this car in order to drive it daily (like safety devices), it'll end up nearer to the Elise weight. And that car isn't exactly comfortable to drive day to day either.
Again, if you want great mpg, get a motorcycle. That's what you're getting here anyway. - thespottedelf, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0HOLY CRAP WOOOOW
THAT AMAZING - mosigma, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0i dont speak all that metric gibberish, so i went to google to find out what all the numbers translates into. And I don't have a clue if 20hp is good or bad. but what i found out from google is that this little wind up car can go 807 miles on a 5 gallon tank. What! you can only put 5 gallons in this and go over 800 miles ! SWEET! But avoid highway driving, because top speed is under 100 mph.
- jervin, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Come on 20hp.....
-
Show 51 - 100 of 120 discussions
© Digg Inc. 2009
— Content created and posted by Digg users is