Wanted to get a quick post out, have been busy with work so it hasn't allowed me a lot of time to get on and write for a couple of days. But busy in the car industry is a good thing. One of the main reasons I decided to write a blog and talk about my passion for motor sports is because of the British television show called Top Gear. It is hosted by the best team of "petrol heads" as they call it that I could ever imagine. They have so much chemistry and their knowledge for cars is mind blowing, besides I can watch their show with just about anyone because even though it is a motoring show they make it entertaining for anyone. They hosts are Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May and I am pretty sure my biggest dream is to go to Europe to watch the show and to possibly meet all three of them.
My comparison today is that being fat and lazy Americans we tend not to have a care for any other part of the world unless they have something beneficial for us. It also tends to make us pretty oblivious to how good we can have it some times. For instance, while we complain that our gas prices are WAY to high at $3.79 a gallon, Britain is paying about 5.75 per gallon if not more. So when we are at the pump filling up our monster V8 land tanks, Britain is at the pumps filling up much smaller vehicles for the same price.
This being said one of my favorite episodes of Top Gear is a fuel efficiency challenge that the boys do racing from Southern Europe to Blackpool England to turn on their annual Christmas lights. Now Hammond and James loves these type of challenges where a lot of planning and coordination are involved, and Jeremy couldn't hate them any more because he loves power and speed and anything to make you have a crisis in your trousers as he puts it. Hammond shows up in a Volkswagen Polo which is mostly a 3 cylinder version of the GTI, James in a Subaru Legacy I think is what they called it in Europe which is comparable to a Outback or a Forester here, and then Jeremy shows up in a MASSIVE Jaguar XJ, with a twin turbo V6 engine because he thinks that this is the worst challenge he has ever had.
The race is about 700-800p miles long and they have to make it on one tank of gas, Hammond and James think they can do it and Jeremy is trying to run out of gas right by his home outside of London. At the end of the trip they all end up making the journey and this is the staggering part of the show to me. Richard in his VW averaged about 78 MPG, James averaged in the low 70's to high 60's and the biggest surprise Jeremy in the high 60's with a massive car and massive engine.
This brings me to my main point of the post. As Americans we still feel it is necessary to put a V8 in anything with four wheels because we will still pay for the gas that goes into them. The biggest joke that we have is calling a Chevy Silverado a Hybrid because it can get 20 MPG in the city. Europe doesn't have a choice their gas prices are very high so they have the technology to make these fuel efficient cars when they best part is, SO DO WE!! But why don't we?? Because they gas companies run our country since oil is a publicly traded commodity! Why?! Every time there is a scare in the Middle East gas prices jump 50 cents! Not to mention they control our Government and also our fuel economy because the more we pay for gas the more benefit they get! I know I may have some of this backwards but it is what I believe. They technology is out there for us to get these high mileage vehicles but we are just not taking advantage of it because as Americans we believe that the most fuel efficient vehicle is the Toyota Prius when it is not.
Hopefully soon we can get these high mileage vehicles and the Chevy Cruze is showing me signs of hope for this because the Cruze ECO just took a 48 state, 9500 mile road trip and averaged 64.4 MPG. I believe in the country and I hope that sooner than later we realize that we are the cause of this gas and oil crisis because every one who owns these big Suburbans and Excursions are mostly single or drive by themselves. I know you want to be high on the road or compensate for your less than mediocre sized boy parts, but get in a smaller car save yourself some money as well as save the oil and make everyone happier.
JM
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