Dan Neil of the LA Times recently got a chance to spend some time with the new Smart ForTwo and came away less than impressed. The performance of the little three cylinder works fine in city driving but is barely adequate for getting on the highway. The tiny two seater was designed to get around the narrower streets of old European cities but apparently doesn't get much benefit on the wider streets of Los Angeles. Dan wasn't thrilled with the fuel economy either, failing to crack 40mpg.

While the ForTwo may not be well suited to Los Angeles, there are plenty of places in the country where the diminutive size would be a big benefit. Having spent some time in Manhattan recently, I would much rather have a Smart than a Tahoe or even an Crown Victoria. Even if you can't park it perpendicular to the curb, it would certainly be easier to squeeze a ForTwo into whatever space is available in a place like Ann Arbor than even a Yaris or Fit.



[Source: Detroit News]

In Sunday's LA Times, Dan Neil exorcises his guilt over climate change with a humorous essay that does give a hint to his serious efforts in fighting a global problem. He has converted to compact fluorescent lights and recycled "everything but the cat." But over-analyzing the carbon footprint of every purchase makes him an "awful party host." What harmful emissions were spewed into the air to bring grapes from Chile or sparkling water from Germany? And enjoy a hamburger? Forget it! It leaves a carbon trail all the way to the rain forest. Even watching a little TV brings shame to his house. In the end, the Pulitzer Prize-winning auto critic is a sincere advocate of individual enterprise in addressing global warming. He appreciates Hollywood calling attention to the issue and forecasts the day when the incandescent bulb "will be as sure a sign of social backwardness as missing front teeth and mullets." Well said.

[Source: Dan Neil / Los Angeles Times]

Click on the image for a gallery of high-res images of the 2007 Mercedes-Benz E320 Bluetec.

Writing for the Los Angeles Times, Dan Neil has a good piece about the California Air Resources Board adopting the EPA's Tier II, Bin 5 emission standard two years before most of the U.S. leaving the 2007 Mercedes-Benz E320 Bluetec as out of reach for Californians. Neil points out that the new E320 Bluetec does meet the Bin 8 emissions standard and gets 45 percent(!) better fuel economy than the equivalent petrol-powered E350.

Bluetec of course is Mercedes-Benz's branding for their clean diesel technology which sees the E320 Bluetec equipped with a NOx adsorber-catalyst, exhaust gas recirculation and a particular filter. Like your average modern oil burner, the off-the-mark times and power ratings aren't all that noteworthy, but the torque is massive. Neil describes the E320's pull well, "[it] has torque like a nuclear attack sub."

As I described in my recent Volkswagen Passat TDI review, all that torque results in amazing overtaking ability, "Even while driving up a reasonable gradient doing 100 km/h with the engine ticking over at 1,500 revs in sixth, there is torque on tap to blow past other cars without the Direct Shift Gearbox (DSG) even needing to switch down if you bury your foot."

Neil describes a similar sensation in the E320, "In the passing lane, this inoffensive burgher of the interstate pulls like a BMW M3."

Analysis: The only problem with buying a huge saloon with a clean diesel engine and great fuel economy is that you probably should have bought a smaller car anyway. Switching to diesel vehicles to maintain an unsustainable love affair with big vehicles is false economy.



Click here to watch Neil eat an E320-toasted bagel.

Related:

• In the AutoblogGreen Garage: 2007 Volkswagen Passat TDI
• Green Car Journal names its favorite 2007 models
• Camry Hybrid named 2007 Canadian Car of the Year

[Source: LA Times]

The Los Angeles Times' Dan Neil recently wrote a review of the new 2007 Nissan Altima Hybrid and, well, he pretty much likes it. In many respects it's very much like a new Toyota Camry Hybrid, which is to be expected since Nissan is licensing the battery and control technology for their first hybrid vehicle from Toyota. The Altima loses some trunk space to the battery and electronics, bring it down to just over 9 cubic feet. However, the Nissan's curvier styling combined with sharper steering and handling definitely make it more of a driver's car than the more benign Camry. Follow the Read link to see the full review.

[Source: Dan Neil / Los Angeles Times]

Calling it dead-sexy, L.A. Times' Pulitzer-winning auto critic Dan Niel drained the batteries on a Tesla Roadster but came away with a positive charge in his heart and soul. In a video that accompanies his written review, Neil said, "You know, it's easy to the lose sight of the fact that this is really a historic automobile at a historic time." Allowed only a few minutes in the car in a tight urban setting, Neil poured on the volts to reach 85mph in short bursts. Neil wasn't allowed to use First gear, which would have really snapped his neck, but he assured readers that cranking the car up and over 100mph would be easy. No doubt Neil is a fan of the car and even came up with a slogan for its owners: "Stupid fun for smart people."

[Source: Dan Neil / L.A. Times]

When is a hybrid not really a hybrid? When it's a "mild" hybrid, with a battery pack that can slightly improve fuel economy, but cannot drive the car on its own. The Saturn Vue Green Line is one of these mild hybrids, and the LA Times' Dan Neil was certainly unimpressed with it. He calls the Vue "as conventional as Victorian sex", a great phrase to describe this unexciting SUV. In fact, Neil's full of clever wordings that express his dislike of this vehicle. After doing a lot of comparisons of fuel savings and hybrid premium cost, he busts out this: "As much fun as playing with a calculator is, let's stow it for now and answer the question: What's the Vue GL like from behind the wheel? Well, all things considered, I think I'd rather be under the wheels." Ouch. You can read the whole article here, and see that in the end he has more for the Vue hybrid than pure scorn, he just wishes it could be more.

Related:

• Quick review of new Vue Green Line Hybrid

[Source: LA Times/Dan Neil, hat tip to starlightmica]