zircon

Just got back from Europe. I rented a new Audi A4 with a 1.9 turbo diesel. It was a base version of the car, and appeared bigger (our A6?) than the typical A4 here. While the interior lacked most (almost all) features in the TSX, that car kicked ass. My wife sat quietly - holding the above-window handle - as we cruised the Alps' hairpins in Austria and France (mind you, a Maserati did blow by me at such a clip, I couldn't get a pic of it).

All this made me think how the TSX would fair (I will take delivery of mine in the fall). Based upon my drives of the TSX, I think he turbo diesel would kill it in low end torque but be killed by it higher up in the rev band (I ran out of throttle on one pass as the engine had peaked - the TSX would have kept building torque).

3 final points: 1) gas mileage in this turbo diesel was simply unbelievable - 2000km of driving on about $100 worth of fuel). 2) our roads truly suck in Ontario (and elsewhere). Over the course of all the Euro driving in 4 countries, I came across perhaps 1 km of road that was not perfect. 3) we ought to boost the speed limit to 130km on the 401, and put photo radar on it if necessary. The Swiss system is realy, really efficient. If not this, then I suggest developing an autobahn.

fdl

Diesels are definately good at 2 things, torque and fuel economy. This is why the europeans love them, with their mountain climbing roads and high fuel prices.

jonas

Never mind the roads and the speed limit in Europe... the best part is their drivers actually know how to drive on the highway... yes they ONLY use the left lane for PASSING... aka the "lane discipline" is absolutely amazing there (especially in Germany)


AND yes we are way overdue for incrasing our speed limits here... i mean even the cops don't stop you for doing 120 on the 400 series highways...

fdl

I find that on the US interstate freeways they know how to drive as well and keep off the left lane. I think its a Canadian thing to have morons driving slowly in the left lane. Actually..it might even just be a Toronto thing.

TsXtian

i totally agree with you guys....there are too many morons staying on the passing lanes. it's definitely an ontario thing. i've driven in the states and they are pretty good with "lane discipline."

also bumping up the speed limit to 120km/h would be sweet. but that would just make us drive 140km/h.

larchmont

Sorry to "disappoint" you, but it's very common in the New York City area.

But very uncommon elsewhere in NY State.

gogozy

ya, some break when flash high beam, some just stay there and stay there, or give when horn it....
road is terrible, i call it "tripple ripple" ...... i remember road surface was much better 10 years ago, am i right?

zircon

Figure this out: why do we waste public money on cops sitting, bored, waiting for some guy to go past doing 130 or 140km/hr on a divided highway? It is an insane waste of money. Why do the cops not put the same (actually, more) effort into eliminating the idiots who go 100 in the left lane and will not move to the right to allow faster cars to pass? Our North American system is so grossly inefficient, it boggles the mind. I think the highways in Germany and Switzerland etc are much safer than ours despite the higher speed because traffic location is closely mated to speed - slower vehicles to the right, faster on the left. We have idiots blocking left lanes, then other idiots doing triple lanbe changes to get around the blockages. Boy, if I were running for re-election as premier of Ontario....

gogozy

oh, and if i flash turn signal, the car behind me speed up to "fill" the gap so i can't make a pass.....

DEVO

Lane discipline in the U.S??? Are you kidding me? Wearing your rosey glasses? I make more passes on the right then on the left. Lane discipline my eye.

crisco

THis is a good thread.
I've had a long standing frustration with the diminishing quality of our roads here in Canada. The government has really neglected this aspect of our infrastructure over the past decade. The contrast with the road quality in Europe is atounding. Its also quite apparent with some regions in the US. I lived in Nashville for 4 years - the highway system there was so smooth, multi-laned and was given a facelift every few years. Our 400 series highways in Ontario are about as good as their secondary highway setups.

On the other hand - something to consider:
We have to contend with sub-zero temps for a significant part of the year - which dramatically reduces the half-life of the ashphalt.

With respect to the speed limits - I couldn't agree more. A minimum of 120 is needed on the 400 series highways. The old 100 limit is based partly on outdated braking distances from cars decades ago. Today's ABS, disc brakes technology makes stopping distances much much shorter. Bottom line - I think most people who cruise at 120-135 are paying far better attention to the road than those being lulled to sleep at 100.

Lane discipline - yup, we need better education for new (and older) drivers regarding the proper use of the left lane.