...and they cough and wheeze remembering the smoke cloud of the old VW diesels... :) I remember those days, took my drivers test in a diesel Rabbit. They have definitely come a long way. My old 2000 Bug TDI with the Kerma injectors was actually darned fast. It would accelerate quickly up I70 out of Denver.

Diesels do not tolerate lugging? What planet is that true on?

A redline of 4500rpm, ideally used in low-rpm torque intensive applications, peak torque at 1,300rpm. A design of motor that is FAMOUS for lugging. As someone who's owned several diesels, and worked on them, I can tell you that you're flat out wrong.

Is the irony of wasting gas on a 2000 mile trip to talk to people about saving gas somehow missed here?

It's interesting how the tree-huggers have become the most closed-minded group out there these days. The article brings up good points, and issues for discussion, yet the eco-Inquisition is ever so anxious to find a heretic and flay him. But in the end the original article is MUCH more open to alternative opinions than most of the narrow minded responses here. Just because you're green doesn't mean you're open minded, or somehow enlightened.

A couple of things to consider:
Cars make up a small fraction of the greenhouse emissions, other sources are MUCH larger. But cars are an easy target for the lazy rebel. For example, just switching office lighting in the US from florescent to PC or LED would have a MUCH bigger impact on energy consumption and emissions than taking every SUV off the road and replacing it with a Honda Fit. (granted, LED isn't viable on that scale yet, but give it time)

Consumption is having a MUCH larger impact on the environment than CO2 emissions. Deforestation, loss of habitat, scarcity of resources, these are all MUCH bigger issues. Just because Al Gore didn't make a conveniently deceptive movie about it doesn't mean it isn't an issue.

The most efficient recycling is to never consume, keep your old car and all the resources that would be needed to create a new car won't be consumed.

Yes, there is a breakpoint at which a car becomes too old, but 5 years? What kind of panzy spoiled little baby thinks a 5 year old car is too old? Man up and learn to work on your own car.

LEV and ULEV cars have been around since the 90's. The difference in emissions between a Honda Civic made in the 90's and one made now really isn't that big. Especially when you compare it to the amount of resources consumed to create that 09 Civic. A 1990 Honda CRX HF gets 50mpg and has low emissions.

Perhaps a smarter approach would be to keep your car better maintained. Of your O2 sensor or EGR goes out your emissions go WAY up. Improperly maintained cars account for a LOT more emissions than you think.

There are good arguments on both sides, but if you actually think buying a new car every 5 years is somehow environmentally sound...well, as they say, de Nile is more than just a river in Egypt...

Yup, and BMW is bringing the 335d not the 320d, and Mercedes has the e320cdi not the c200cdi. The 4-cylinder diesels get upwards of 46 mpg and have plenty 240+ ft/lbs of torque. I drove a chipped TDI for a while and the engine was great, the rest of the car was junk unfortunately, so the TDI is out for me. I just wish BMW and Mercedes would get a clue and bring the 4-cylinder diesels to the US, I think those would sell a LOT better than the 6-cylinder models. Despite championing diesels in Europe, the Euro makers are likely to get overtaken by the Japanese in the US when they bring their diesels here.

And there is that little issue that Government is ALWAYS less efficient than private business. If the government were in the oil business, you'd be paying $8/gallon...

That ones a little old, the new one has HDMI and h.264

http://www.tvixbox.com/product_details.php?product_id=18

This is quite possibly the dumbest thing ever written...

The US highway system has been a keystone of our economic development and prosperity. If we didn't have a good infrastructure system we'd be Mexico.

Love biodiesel, but the idea of making out of animals is pretty morbid to me. Would love to fry them up in a skillet, but the idea of using them for such a mechanical purpose is definitely weird.

However, the smug, elitist, drivel this guy is spouting makes me want to fry up a pound of bacon just to spite him. "Gaia's good earth"???...this is definitely this guys' religion.

Yeah, and then we will discover that creating a slideshow is a lot easier than doing something tangible.

If we go by Gore's political record, a Jeep Wrangler will end up costing $50k