Mini One MINIMALISM

[IBrake4Rainbows]

Exactly Right - I'm for saving the planet, but I shouldnt' have to wear a badge or show people that I've made a concious decision.

It shouldn't be a decision at all.

[clutch-monkey]

i'm saving the planet; i'm a great recycler. none of my cars are new or indeed under 30 years old.

[csl177]

Originally Posted by clutch-monkey

i'm saving the planet; i'm a great recycler. none of my cars are new or indeed under 30 years old.

+1 to that... all my cars are pre-'72 and have long since returned the energy needed to build them. My point about this Mini is that it still doesn't achive what has already been done. Light, simple cars use less material to produce and 50MPG has been done in products that were also sporty. Why did Honda ever take something like the CRX out of it's lineup? Because the American market dictated more comfort, more cupholders, bigger rides to fit our fat asses. But future diesels and pure electrics are in every major manufacturer's production plans.

FWIW, speed won't go away since it's a hook to sell cars. I think Ferrer is right about acceleration and handling being paramount rather than outright speed. The speed nazis and enviro-mentalists are just a distraction encouraged by the 24/7 media machine.

The current crop of hybrids will thankfully go away; they are bigger polluters in the end than any of our old gas burners.

[Castro CyM]

Originally Posted by Ferrer

Benvingut!

I don't think the Fiesta sales will suffer, they are simply for a different audience. The 500 maybe, but then they'll get the 900cc turbo twin later this year, so we'll see how that turns out.

Even more impressive than this is the new S, which despite having 184bhp and doing 0-100km/h in 7 seconds it still only uses 5,8 litre of fuel every 100km. That's downright amazing.

Ostres, no m'ho esperava, gràcies!

You're right, I forgot the future 0.9 engine of the 500. The new S is awesome, 184 bhp and very sporty specs using less than 6 l / 100 km.

Originally Posted by IBrake4Rainbows

Certainly it's being treated far more harshly than it once was, but thats kind of my point - it's being pushed underground and there are those who would speed illegally who wreck it for the rest of us.

It's an interesting comparison because the Speed Nazi's who are keen to limit everyone and keep them in line have only recently adopted a "Green" argument to their cause - Fuel consumption non-withstanding.

When the speed nazis and enviro-mentals get together to control the way we travel - and heaven forbid restrict it, there will be trouble. Remember Ken Livingstone's plan to charge 25 pounds for people to enter London city? Remember how that (amongst other things) got him voted out?

The fact remains that, for the most part, speed is relied upon by some governments for a source of income, and the margins for error are being tightened. When there are arguments made that "excessive speed" caused an accident that could very well mean that person was travelling within the limit - but not travelling to the conditions.

I'm somewhat off topic (forgive me, I am Australian) but speed is still something that advertisers use to evoke the beauty of the automobile. Speed is not the problem, it's the sudden stop that'll kill you. As will inattention and bored drivers who spend 8 hours doing a route that could 98% of the time be safely carried out in 6.

Amazing. I agree with both of you, Ferrer and IBrakeRainbows. Let me say one more thing: sometimes a boy or a girl ho has just get the driver license and has to drive at 80kmh - 50 mph in the highways is more dangerous than a man who get the license 20 years ago and who's driving a BMW 5-Series at 160 kmh - 100 mph.

I tink Ferrer can prove it, Spanish autorities are obsessed with reducing the speed limits. They have placed speed cameras in very hidden places, for the sole purpose of raise a lot of money. Stupid speed limits; 120 kmh in highways, the same than 35 years ago, 80kmh in Barcelona surroundings but 120 kmh in poorly maintained roads. I cannot understand it.

Regards,

Castro CyM.

[Ferrer]

It's true Spanish and Catalan autorities are pretty obsessed with speed. They think that all speed of any kind kills and that they know better than you. And now with the socialist party and the green party in the government they think they can save the world. Especially preposterous are the 80km/h speed limits in the Barcelona accesses. It goes like this, you are in a nice motorway driving along with a 120km/h speed limit and all of the sudden in the same road the speed limit becomes 80km/h. And it's a variable limit meaning that if they deem it appropiate they can lower it down to 40km/h in 10km/h intervals. I was once driving in a southern Barcelona acces coming from Castelldefels and the speed limit was 80km/h and in the next panel they had lower it to 70km/h for no reason whatsoever because the traffic conditions were still the same.

However, Catalunya has one saving grace. Our motorways, which are toll roads have almost no speed cameras at all, especially in the north where I have more experience. In fact the nothern strech of the AP-7 (from Barcelona to the French border) is a very fast road where people in executive saloons drive at speeds of 160km/h and more.

[Castro CyM]

The southern stretch of the AP-7 also has not speed cameras. One year ago, they added one more lane on the AP-7, and actually is better to drive with three lanes recently paved. Catalunya is full of tolls, so we pay the toll rate and the fines for exceeding the speed limit. Last week I saw a speed-camera car of the Barcelona Police (Ferrer, here you have a list of all the hidden cars in Spanish highways, it is very useful: http://www.forocoches.com/foro/showthread.php?t=1544629 ), fortunately it didn't shot me.

Regards,

Castro CyM.