A 2.0 litre engine is considered large in Europe We have cars with 1.4 1.2 and even 1.0 litre engines. Some brands are even selling 0.8 litre engines. Distances here are smaller and fuel is more expensive.
And since there are practically no SUV's it's quite safe to drive a small well designed car with a smal engine.
Just like you say, you don't need a 2000 kg, 3.0 litre vehicle to get from A to B.
I went 222 km/h in the Autobahn in a 136 HP Peugeot 406 2.0 L with automatic gearbox, so really what is the NEED for more than 2.0 L anyway? There is none.
Name one modern car that is sold without hood insulation fitted as standard.
I have to agree with Nest18 in that the list would be to long. Most North American manufactures strive to make quiet cars and engines and only a few have any insulation. The Japanese cars try to be even more quiet and my last one also had no insulation.
Probably if Diesel engines where more available they would need an extra cone of silence
By the way I never did get an explanation of buzzcock and what is unbalanced
I have to agree with Nest18 in that the list would be to long. Most North American manufactures strive to make quiet cars and engines and only a few have any insulation. The Japanese cars try to be even more quiet and my last one also had no insulation.
Probably if Diesel engines where more available they would need an extra cone of silence
By the way I never did get an explanation of buzzcock and what is unbalanced
Bill
Well Bill it is a bit of a story.
Buzzcock is the name of a punk band (1975 - 1981) that had some success this side of the Atlantic. The Sex Pistols, another punk band from the same era, had a hit single called "Never Mind The Bollocks". The BBC combined the bands name and the singles name for the name of a comedy show called Never Mind The Buzzcock so you could say it is a polite way of saying "bollocks".
What I mean by "unbalanced" is that it vibrates a lot. I am referring to the diesel engine not the petrol.
For the record, I think the B class has many nice features but the power train combination of the diesel engine and the continuously variable auto transmission is not one of Mercedes better efforts.
The local Mercedes dealer arranged a meeting for me with a visiting factory engineer to discuss my complaints. The engineer admitted that they had a problem with noise and vibration which would not be solved until the replacement B Class was launched with a new diesel engine (probably a joint effort with BMW).
Regarding my invitation to name one modern car that does not have hood insulation I should have inserted the word "European".
By the way I live in Ireland.
Last edited by Tristan5 : 08-02-2008 at 12:40 PM.
Reason: spelling error
Buzzcock is the name of a punk band (1975 - 1981) that had some success this side of the Atlantic. The Sex Pistols, another punk band from the same era, had a hit single called "Never Mind The Bollocks". The BBC combined the bands name and the singles name for the name of a comedy show called Never Mind The Buzzcock so you could say it is a polite way of saying "bollocks".
What I mean by "unbalanced" is that it vibrates a lot. I am referring to the diesel engine not the petrol.
For the record, I think the B class has many nice features but the power train combination of the diesel engine and the continuously variable auto transmission is not one of Mercedes better efforts.
The local Mercedes dealer arranged a meeting for me with a visiting factory engineer to discuss my complaints. The engineer admitted that they had a problem with noise and vibration which would not be solved until the replacement B Class was launched with a new diesel engine (probably a joint effort with BMW).
Regarding my invitation to name one modern car that does not have hood insulation I should have inserted the word "European".
By the way I live in Ireland.
Hi Bill,
Just in case you guys over there do not use the word in the same way as us:
"Bollocks" is a word of Anglo Saxon origin, meaning "testicles". The word is often used figuratively in English, as a noun to mean "nonsense", an expletive following a minor accident or misfortune, or an adjective to mean "poor quality" or "useless". Similarly, the common phrases "Bollocks to that!" or "That's a load of old bollocks" express a distaste for a certain task, subject or opinion. Conversely, the word also figures in idiomatic phrases such as "the dog's bollocks" and "top bollock", which express the opposite, namely admiration, pleasure or approval.
Just in case you guys over there do not use the word in the same way as us:
"Bollocks" is a word of Anglo Saxon origin, meaning "testicles". The word is often used figuratively in English, as a noun to mean "nonsense", an expletive following a minor accident or misfortune, or an adjective to mean "poor quality" or "useless". Similarly, the common phrases "Bollocks to that!" or "That's a load of old bollocks" express a distaste for a certain task, subject or opinion. Conversely, the word also figures in idiomatic phrases such as "the dog's bollocks" and "top bollock", which express the opposite, namely admiration, pleasure or approval.
Hi Bill again,
Some more about "bollix" from Wikipedia - the last, I promise:
The word is sometimes spelled as bollox or bollix usually in order to make it appear less vulgar. In this case its meaning is "to bungle", for example, "The project was going well, but my boss bollixed it up." This is the sense in which the term "bollix" is generally used in American English, where the term "bollocks" is generally known only from the title of the Sex Pistols album, and its original meaning is almost unknown. "Bollixed up" is sometimes considered an out-of-date expression[citation needed] that has largely been replaced by phrases such as "screwed up," as the latter term has gradually lost most of its previously vulgar connotation. This spelling remains current in Ireland, however, for example in the phrase "You're a bollix" (fool or unpleasant person).
"Bollix" may also be used to refer to a particularly nasty or awkward person, particularly in rural Ireland, as in "He's a right Bollix, is that father Ted" or in the traditional sense, referring to testicles (as in standard English)"Ah Jaze!! right in me bollix!".
Bollocks! can be used as a standalone interjection to express strong disagreement. It dismisses a statement as nonsense, similar to "bullshit", but much stronger in its emphasis and implications. This can be expanded, for example, to "What a complete and utter load of bollocks!" An expression with a similar meaning is "Yer ballax!" (Your bollocks). "Bollocking" can be used to describe someone receiving a telling off or dressing down. Example: "I didn't do my homework. My teacher gave me a right bollocking."
Just in case you guys over there do not use the word in the same way as us:
"Bollocks" is a word of Anglo Saxon origin, meaning "testicles". The word is often used figuratively in English, as a noun to mean "nonsense", an expletive following a minor accident or misfortune, or an adjective to mean "poor quality" or "useless". /QUOTE]
AHHH I think I understand, the Irish think the testicles are "useless". ..
We have cars with 1.4 1.2 and even 1.0 litre engines. Some brands are even selling 0.8 litre engines. Distances here are smaller and fuel is more expensive. 
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