The Off Topic Topic

[Malthus]

When you get a v6 we will know it is the Malthusian version of a midlife crisis. 

Naw, I'll go straight for the V8. 

When my wife crashed our previous car, insurance gave us a loaner - a souped-up Charger with a V8. That thing was nuts.  Sucked gas like it was going out of style, of course ... so much useless power ...

[Ideologue]

Buyers will get two different key fobs. Dodge says the red one will "unlock the full 707 horsepower and torque potential of the Challenger SRT Hellcat engine; while the black key fob limits the driver to a reduced engine output of 500 horsepower."

700 hp? 

Engines are retarded powerful these days.  Even the V6s turn more hp than the V8s I used to drive, and with better mileage.

Serious question: is there any reason, other than vanity, to have a V6 in an ordinary car these days? In the olden days, a 4 cylinder engine imposed serious limitations on stuff like accelerating to pass or get on the highway, but modern engines are so much better, I never notice a problem. I drive a reasonably big car - a Forester - with a 4 cylinder engine, seems to give plenty of power.

Well, I dunno about these days, but I can say that my 2000 Camry is both more fun to drive and probably safer (since it usually has at least some reserve emergency power) than Korea's 2004 Dodge Neon.

I can also say that cars with bigger engines tend to be more fun to drive in general.  It's not just vanity, in the same sense that wanting to date someone very attractive would not solely be vanity.  (Lol women are objects--it's an analogy.)

[Admiral Yi]

I wish my 4 cylinder Fusion had some more juice, especially at the low end.

[Ideologue]

When you get a v6 we will know it is the Malthusian version of a midlife crisis. 

Naw, I'll go straight for the V8. 

When my wife crashed our previous car, insurance gave us a loaner - a souped-up Charger with a V8. That thing was nuts.  Sucked gas like it was going out of style, of course ... so much useless power ...

It drives like... America...

Anyway, we all know you're not going to buy something commonsensical like a Camaro, or even a Charger (usually considered the worst of the contemporary muscle cars, sorry MB--basing that on reviews solely), but something befitting your station, like a 911 or an R8, lest the neighbors gossip about your appearance of poverty.

[Barrister]

Buyers will get two different key fobs. Dodge says the red one will "unlock the full 707 horsepower and torque potential of the Challenger SRT Hellcat engine; while the black key fob limits the driver to a reduced engine output of 500 horsepower."

700 hp? 

Engines are retarded powerful these days.  Even the V6s turn more hp than the V8s I used to drive, and with better mileage.

Serious question: is there any reason, other than vanity, to have a V6 in an ordinary car these days? In the olden days, a 4 cylinder engine imposed serious limitations on stuff like accelerating to pass or get on the highway, but modern engines are so much better, I never notice a problem. I drive a reasonably big car - a Forester - with a 4 cylinder engine, seems to give plenty of power.

On a car, probably not.  If you're driving a truck or SUV they're heavy enough you probably still need a bigger engine.

[Ideologue]

Incidentally, I saw an R8 the other day (for the lowest end version MSRP is $80,000).  If I hadn't been with my capitalism-worshipping ex, I'd have flipped him off.  I forget that there's an enclave of rich fucks at the lake across the main drag since most of them aren't that in-your-face about it, except in terms of their preposterous mansions, which at least have the decency to stay still.

[Iormlund]

I can also say that cars with bigger engines tend to be more fun to drive in general.

Meh. Give me a lighter car any day. Something like a Lotus Exige (or even more extreme, a Caterham Super Seven).

Bends baby, bends. That's where the fun is.

[Malthus]

Buyers will get two different key fobs. Dodge says the red one will "unlock the full 707 horsepower and torque potential of the Challenger SRT Hellcat engine; while the black key fob limits the driver to a reduced engine output of 500 horsepower."

700 hp? 

Engines are retarded powerful these days.  Even the V6s turn more hp than the V8s I used to drive, and with better mileage.

Serious question: is there any reason, other than vanity, to have a V6 in an ordinary car these days? In the olden days, a 4 cylinder engine imposed serious limitations on stuff like accelerating to pass or get on the highway, but modern engines are so much better, I never notice a problem. I drive a reasonably big car - a Forester - with a 4 cylinder engine, seems to give plenty of power.

Well, I dunno about these days, but I can say that my 2000 Camry is both more fun to drive and probably safer (since it usually has at least some reserve emergency power) than Korea's 2004 Dodge Neon.

I suspect things may have changed a trifle since 2000, or even 2004.

I can also say that cars with bigger engines tend to be more fun to drive in general.  It's not just vanity, in the same sense that wanting to date someone very attractive would not solely be vanity.  (Lol women are objects--it's an analogy.)

I guess so, if you were driving on bucolic mountain roads with the wind in your hair or something. City driving is unfortunately rather unfun, no matter how big your engine is, so I'm more concerned with the rather quotidian question of whether more power is really necessary or not. 

[Malthus]

When you get a v6 we will know it is the Malthusian version of a midlife crisis. 

Naw, I'll go straight for the V8. 

When my wife crashed our previous car, insurance gave us a loaner - a souped-up Charger with a V8. That thing was nuts.  Sucked gas like it was going out of style, of course ... so much useless power ...

It drives like... America...

Anyway, we all know you're not going to buy something commonsensical like a Camaro, or even a Charger (usually considered the worst of the contemporary muscle cars, sorry MB--basing that on reviews solely), but something befitting your station, like a 911 or an R8, lest the neighbors gossip about your appearance of poverty.

A motorized stroller? Dare I live the dream? 

[DGuller]

I guess so, if you were driving on bucolic mountain roads with the wind in your hair or something. City driving is unfortunately rather unfun, no matter how big your engine is, so I'm more concerned with the rather quotidian question of whether more power is really necessary or not. 

It's not the most fun activity, but some cars are much more fun than others.  The main reason I love my Jetta, and dislike more expensive cars, is that it's fun at low speeds.  The low-end power of the 2.0 turbo engine keeps you engaged during low-speed driving in a way that most other cars don't.  That said, it's still just a 200 peak hp engine, so that's not really an argument for idiotically powerful modern muscle cars.

[DGuller]

Does anyone know how to filter news sources from Google News?  It's kind of annoying to get spammed with RT fantasy articles whenever I search for Ukrainian news.

[MadImmortalMan]

I know you can exclude sites with google search. Probably something similar.

[jimmy olsen]

[Ed Anger]

Incidentally, I saw an R8 the other day (for the lowest end version MSRP is $80,000).  If I hadn't been with my capitalism-worshipping ex, I'd have flipped him off.  I forget that there's an enclave of rich fucks at the lake across the main drag since most of them aren't that in-your-face about it, except in terms of their preposterous mansions, which at least have the decency to stay still.

I'm sure they would have cried if you did that.

[Ideologue]

I was counting on it.