Recent Comments:
Honda bringing more Fits stateside {Autoblog Green}
Jun 26th 2008 10:04PM I just got an '08 Fit back in May after I crashed my Acura RSX. I drive 66 miles to and from work from Lansing, MI to Ann Arbor. In the mornings, I take the freeway at 70-80mph. In the evenings I take the backroads, topping out at 61mph (well I try to, sans cruise control). So far I've been able to average 40.2mpg. If I took backroads both ways, I'm sure I'd see more. At this point I only have 8000 miles on it, so we'll see if it improves as the engine breaks in.
I achieved 38mpg in my RSX on the same commute, but it was shortly after that that I crashed it. The great thing about the fit is if I drive 70-80mph on the freeway on long trips, I still average at least 36mpg, compared to the 32mpg in the RSX. What really puts the Fit over the top is its cargo capacity to size ratio.
Honda boosting Fit production to meet U.S. demand {Autoblog}
Jun 25th 2008 7:09PM I just got an '08 Fit back in May. I drive 66 miles to and from work. In the mornings, I take the freeway at 70-80mph. In the evenings I take the backroads, topping out at 61mph (well I try to, sans cruise control). So far I've been able to average 40.2mpg. If I took backroads both ways, I'm sure I'd see more. At this point I only have 8000 miles on it, so we'll see if it improves as the engine breaks in.
One commenter said that the Fit is too underpowered and would be a "hauler." While it's not as speedy as my '03 RSX was, it does keep up with freeway traffic as long as you're not afraid of high RPMs.
It has an amazing hauling ability. Much better than my RSX. The rear doors also give you better access to the back than a 2-door hatch.
FuelFrog tracks your gas consumption, Twitters {Autoblog Green}
May 20th 2008 10:43PM Although it's a bit buggy, I've been using mymilemarker.com for the past year. To me it seems a lot better because you enter your total mileage at each fill-up instead of how many miles since last fill-up. That way, you don't have to remember to reset your trip odometer or do the math.
Are Hypermilers a menace on the road? {Autoblog Green}
May 7th 2008 10:40PM I have a confession to make. I recently totaled my Acura RSX because I was too worried about fuel economy. A guy ahead of me slowed down to turn at an intersection. I didn't want to lose any momentum so I passed him on the left assuming he was going to turn right. He ended up turning left and I tried to evade him but ended up in the ditch, hitting a concrete culvert.
More details here: http://dkastner.wordpress.com/2008/04/26/crash/
I was so disappointed because the RSX was such a good car and I was able to squeeze 38mpg out of it.
To replace it I bought a Honda Fit. Hopefully I can get 40mpg and not put it in the ditch.
Self-service bicycle rental system coming to Washington DC {Autoblog Green}
Apr 28th 2008 10:01PM Kevin, DC is very flat until you get past Georgetown and in the area around Rock Creek Park. Most of it is occupying filled-in tidal flats!
They have these sort of things in European cities like Munich and Vienna. It's a great idea and I hope it takes off here.
Jason Bateman trades in the stair car for a BMW Hydrogen 7 {Autoblog Green}
Mar 17th 2008 6:17PM At least in a BMW he won't have to watch out for hop-ons.
Blast from the past: 1991 CNN report on GM Impact {Autoblog Green}
Mar 10th 2008 6:58PM Greg, you should read "The Toyota Way." By no means am I a Toyota apologist, but the book details Toyota's core philosophies and one of them is to try and make business decisions that are beneficial to society, whether it's unobtrusive factories or cars that pollute less. It was one of their motivations for bringing the Prius to market.
Now, it really didn't make sense for Toyota to release a hybrid when gas prices weren't very high (1997) and environmentalism wasn't as big of a deal. They poured massive amounts of R&D into the project and beat their own expectations on time to market. Despite a slow start, the Prius became a runaway success for Toyota in past couple of years.
What I'm getting at is, from a pure profit-making standpoint, the Prius didn't make much sense back in 1997. However, it was a car more beneficial for the environment and it ended up becoming the market leader in a new segment. Who knows how successful the EV1 could have been?
Blast from the past: 1991 CNN report on GM Impact {Autoblog Green}
Mar 9th 2008 11:30PM How appropriate! I just visited the R.E. Olds Transportation museum in Lansing yesterday. They have an EV1/Impact model on display there, plugged into a powering station and next to an easel that describes how it worked. What I found interesting is that the batteries for the car were mounted in a 'T' shape along the middle of the body (where the transaxle would be if it were RWD) and along the rear wheel axle.
Picture I took: http://twitxr.com/image/12308/
R.E. Olds Museum: http://www.reoldsmuseum.org/
GM and Toyota: Don't expect fuel cells any time soon {Autoblog Green}
Mar 6th 2008 10:43PM Hydrogen still has one advantage: instant refueling. Unless you want to exchange battery packs along the way, refilling a car with hydrogen will be faster than plugging a battery into the grid.
Carmakers dumping the idea of performance hybrids {Autoblog Green}
Dec 28th 2007 11:24PM Uh, the article actually says that before, auto makers were only touting performance benefits and that now they'll be touting performance and environmental benefits. That's exactly how Honda pitched the CR-Z concept.
