really enjoyed this. and surprised he shares the same view about old cars, old styles, etc. ... move on!

 

Fun Video. Note Grand Tour episode 1 is available

 

Good video. I've always liked James May...especially his articles on different automotive systems and how they work. He explains it for the uninitiated very well. He's also not a clown like his colleague Jeremy Clarkson, but much more serious about cars.

When they asked him what car he'd own for the rest of his life, I came pretty close to predicting it before he even answered. I would have guessed a BMW 330i or 335i....he actually said a BMW 320i.

I do disagree with him, though, on two things. First is on his view of automotive diesels. His mind seems fixated on the diesels of several decades ago, on their traditional problems. The reality, today, though, is that most diesels, except for the added low-RPM torque, are virtually indistinguishable from gasoline engines in how they start and operate. And I also disagree with his comment about people "moving on". Although, newer usuallyisbetter with diesels, that is not necessarily the case with other things automotive. Newer is not always better....and, sometimes, people prefer older things for a reason.

 

Eh, newer diesels have their own set of issues, mostly emissions related. The equipment that is mandated in order to keep the NOX and CO2 emissions down puts a lot of additional cost, reduces MPG, and introduces a whole bunch of failure prone, complicated systems that weren't there prior to 2007. It's fundamentally changed the use case for a diesel, and IMO it's really hard to justify buying one unless you absolutely NEED it to haul really heavy loads on a regular basis. The EGR(different operation than a gas motor EGR), DPF, and SCR systems on these engines are really expensive to maintain and replace. It causes issues for users who idle their vehicles for an extended period(utilities, construction, etc), and it introduces premature wear into the engine(dumping fuel during the exhaust stroke in order to burn the soot out of the DPF. This lets diesel fuel get past the piston rings and into the crank case.) They're still more fuel efficient than gas engines, but not as much as they used to be. And the fuel is more expensive.

I think diesel pickups are pretty neat, and I've long admired them. But unless I were towing 10,000+ lbs on a regular basis, I'd never own one now.

 

Yes, I agree that the periodic urea-solution requirement is one thing that modern diesels need that older ones didn't. But, in terms of how they start and run, there is simply no comparison between a modern Bluetec diesel and one from decades ago. IMO it is a bogus argument.

 

Anyhow, back to James May. He really seems to like the Alpine. Too bad we don't get it in the American market......or, if we do, I'm not aware of it.

 

Oh agreed, they start almost like a gas engine now in most cases. This is mostly due to the progress in the fuel systems.

 

the slowest man... IN THE WORLD!!!

 

who drove the veyron at top speed.

 

That's what made it funny.

 

....and lived to tell about it.