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James G. Cobb, automobiles editor, answered reader questions Jan. 28-Feb. 1. To move ahead to the most recent answer, click here.
Mr. Cobb has edited the Sunday Automobiles section since its inception in 1994, and oversees the auto pages at nytimes.com and the Wheels blog. He is also an assistant business and financial editor of The Times.
A native of Kansas and graduate of the University of Kansas, Mr. Cobb developed his automotive interest early: he learned to drive in an ancient Studebaker pickup on his family's farm — while standing up, he said, because he could not reach the pedals while seated.
Mr. Cobb came to The Times in 1986 as a copy editor. He had previously been an editor on various desks of The Detroit Free Press, including that newspaper's Sunday magazine. He recently returned to Michigan, as he does each January, to direct coverage of the North American International Auto Show.
Other editors have answered questions in this column, including Executive Editor Bill Keller, Managing Editor Jill Abramson, Managing Editor John Geddes, Assistant Managing Editor Glenn Kramon, Associate Managing Editor Charles Strum, Obituaries Editor Bill McDonald, Director of Copy Desks Merrill Perlman, Metropolitan Editor Joe Sexton, Living Editor Trish Hall, Investigations Editor Matthew Purdy, National Editor Suzanne Daley, Digital News Editor Jim Roberts and Culture Editor Sam Sifton. Their responses and those of other Times editors are on the Talk to the Newsroom page.Continue reading the main story
These discussions will continue in future weeks with other Times editors.
Maintaining Editorial Independence From Advertisers
My question: How does The New York Times keep its objectivity and critical faculties intact, given its own dependence and courting of advertisers in the automobile sector?
— Bill
A. You raise some important issues, Bill, that cut to the core of what we do. I can identify with your self-description: I spent too much of my childhood reading car magazines (often under the covers, with a flashlight, when I should have been getting my beauty sleep). Like you, I count myself as a "car guy," but one who believes that automobiles are going to have to change in fundamental ways over the next few years.
While I've seen no solid research to back this up (though it may exist), I've developed a sense over the last 12 to 18 months that the American public has turned the corner on some basic environmental issues. I see it in the calls, letters and e-mail messages that come to me: Americans are now much more concerned about the environment, especially global warming; about fuel economy; about the nation's reliance on imported oil. And that message has now become strong enough, and focused enough, that the automakers cannot ignore it.
In Detroit this month, at the North American International Auto Show, there was so much green around the displays, you might have thought it was a tropical plant exhibition. While a lot of this was simply an effort to repackage existing models and technologies (some of my colleagues call it greenwashing), and some of it was rather insincere (automakers showing cars that would run on technologies that don't exist and that aren't even in development), there was also a broader focus on serious environmental issues than I'd ever before seen at an industry event in North America.
Now to your essential question: How does The Times remain objective and critical, given its reliance on advertising?
First, it's important to understand that I work in the newsroom and, like other section editors, have virtually no contact with the advertising side. This is an important distinction, because it really frees us of any pressure to tailor articles or reviews to make them palatable to advertisers.
Indeed, I'm sure we give our counterparts on the ad side some headaches. I've learned, after the fact, of some instances in which ads were pulled because of negative car reviews or other things that advertisers didn't like. But the phrase "after the fact" is important. In each case, I learned that ads were pulled only from the companies involved, or from media reports, and not from the ad department or from my bosses.
Fact is, not once in my 14 years in this job has anyone from the ad side made any sort of suggestion about what advertisers might or might not want to read. I've heard that this sort of pressure is sometimes felt by editors at some magazines, and perhaps at some newspapers. But it doesn't happen here, which in my view is one of the greatest things about The New York Times.
Second, my colleagues and I are bound by the same conflict-of-interest rules that govern all newsroom staff at The Times. We cannot accept any favors from any company, individual or institution, including the expense-paid trips that automakers commonly extend to the automotive press when they introduce new models. (In the fairly rare instances when we attend these events, we pay our own travel and accommodations.) We even pay manufacturers "rental fees" for the use of cars that we test or review. We do this not because we have to (very few other publications do, and we were the first), but because we consider it important to maintain our independence. We don't want to be in a position where we owe anything to the companies we report on, and that includes the use of a car for a week.
Third, I have a terrific group of seasoned contributors, both on our staff and freelance. I've worked with most of them for a long time, and they're inquisitive, demanding and skeptical. You might not want any of them as your mother-in-law, but they have what my deputy, Norman Mayersohn, calls "a finely tuned bovine manure detector." Only he says it in a less polite way.
One last note before we move on: You mentioned Keith Bradsher's landmark reporting on the deficiencies and dangers of S.U.V.'s. Many readers may not know (or might have forgotten) that Keith took a lot of heat over his reporting, and he was widely vilified in Detroit by automakers, auto workers and interest groups, certainly, but also by a lot of people in the media. Yet now, just a few years later, most of his conclusions about the poor design of S.U.V.'s (especially in terms of safety) are universally accepted. The industry basically had to redesign its sport utilities because of concerns he raised, based on dogged, thorough reporting. I'm sure at times he felt very much alone, out on a limb — especially since he was living in Michigan at that time, and caught flak even from his neighbors and colleagues. But he helped to change the course of the auto industry. That's independence!
Why Not More Midsize Hybrids?
— Tracy Phillips, Boston
A. Tracy, you need to get out more. Visit some car dealerships and sample some of the fancy coffees they have nowadays. You can get a hybrid powertrain in several midsize cars, including the Toyota Camry, Nissan Altima, Saturn Aura, and the newly redesigned Chevy Malibu. There are also the Toyota Highlander and Lexus RX 400h (you can call them S.U.V.'s or you can call them crossovers or you can call them wagons). The Honda Civic Hybrid isn't exactly midsize, but it's not all that small. (Honda has discontinued the Accord Hybrid, for now.) I'm sure I've left some out, but in any case there are more on the way.
Reconsidering the Focus of Automotive Journalism
Q. With the United States economy dependent to a significant extent upon automobile production, yet threatened by out-of-control and undertaxed gasoline consumption, and all that that contradiction entails, shouldn't The Times be far more critical of the status quo and more incisive in its assessment of the auto industry's future?
An exhaustive comparative review of the Prius-style, plug-in hybrid, Tata, European diesel, hydrogen models, as they develop, would be a good start. Congestion charges and ride-sharing are important subjects to which to continuously draw attention. And while I recognize that developments toward alternative fuel and transport modalities are likely to be slow and incremental, isn't it high time that every new model review (be it a Cadillac, a Ferrari, a Toyota Highlander, a Mini Cooper, or whatever) draw primary attention to fuel economy and pollution standards?
Rather than being an offshoot of the Fashion and Style section of The Times, your Automobiles section could generate some seriously provocative and vital journalism in support of today's most pressing economic and ecological issues. With all due respect to your articulate and entertaining, though conventional and largely Amerocentric approach to automobile journalism, do you not agree that the whole subject requires radical reconsideration?
— John Isaacs, Claverack, N.Y.
A. Wow, John, you crammed a lot into your message, and you raise a lot of interesting points. Let's start at the end, with the toughest question: does our "conventional and largely Amerocentric approach" to auto journalism need some "radical reconsideration"?
The fact is, we are always reconsidering how we do things, especially as we shift more of our attention to the auto pages at nytimes.com. The online world is especially exciting because it gives us an opportunity to try some new things without all the navel-gazing that we often feel is necessary in the printed paper, with its long traditions and more structured format.
Around a year ago, we decided to put more energy into Wheels, our auto blog; that has become the repository for, among other things, a lot of well-reasoned environmental posts by contributors and a lot of provocative comments from readers. We've noticed that green-car issues routinely get a rousing response (not so surprising, perhaps, given our well-educated readership). Is there enough interest for a separate blog on green transportation? We're looking into it.
In the printed paper, we've added a recurring GreenTech report to our rotating list of theme pages. It's a place where we look at all sorts of developments that have possible environmental consequences, from diesel advances to auto recycling. We've also done several special theme issues, basically filling the section with articles on hydrogen cars; on ethanol; on the state of electric cars; on clean diesels.
Our aim here is to separate the hype and illusion from the realities of the marketplace and the research lab. Just because cars can run on hydrogen or ethanol (they can, and do) doesn't mean that we're all going to be filling up with those fuels next year. There are huge hurdles to overcome, and sometimes it's in the interest of interest groups and corporations to make the picture seem rosier (or bleaker) than the situation may really warrant.
As for vehicle reviews, we do make a point of addressing fuel economy in every single instance, including the mega-guzzlers, and we may well add more detail about carbon dioxide and other emissions. We're keeping watch on developments in areas like congestion pricing (though of course some of that coverage falls to other desks at the paper, especially Metro, since New York City is actively considering plans for congestion pricing in Manhattan).
As for being "an offshoot of the Fashion and Style section," well, we are actually loosely affiliated with the Business and Financial News department, not Style. But increasingly, what we cover touches on issues that may also fall close to Science Times (environmental issues); the Washington bureau (regulatory affairs) and other desks at the paper.
What About Fuel Economy?
Q. What will it take for American car markers to accept that fuel economy is very important for many consumers and for our nation's future?
— Aaron Contorer, San Diego
Q. I would appreciate whatever effort it might take by those reviewing new autos to mention first of all improved fuel economy. The first glare is still horsepower and/or engine size. And an improvement of only a small percentage should be an explicit point of concern. Put some heat on the manufacturers. Change theparadigm of "wow" in the eyes of the beholder. Automobiles will have to become smaller, lighter and more modestly powered. This can only happen if reviewers wake up and shift their minds to quality and m.p.g.
— Rick Bockrath
Q. It seems that Detroit has been "greenwashing" its vehicle line-ups of late while refusing to provide real solutions to our energy and environmental crises. Why does it appear that the Autos section of The Times enthusiastically covers Detroit's feeble attempts at creating efficient vehicles and alternative fuel technologies while we only read about its efforts to block mileage standard increases in Congress in the National section? Is there an effort to provide balanced coverage of Detroit's environmental outlook in the Auto section or only to tout every small step away from its destructive products?
— Thomas Chase, New York
Q. Next to governments — and possibly superseding them at times — the automobile companies everywhere have the best economists in the world. They could have seen that oil prices would rise because of supply and demand: So, why did they not develop cars that would get better mileage instead of developing larger and more fuel consuming vehicles?
— Robert Harper, Toronto
A. Clearly there is a lot of concern about fuel economy these days, and perhaps that is the one net benefit from the high gas prices that we've all been grumbling about. In the past, a lot of people in the auto industry (and a lot of consumers) shrugged off price spikes as transitory; they now seem more likely to persist and therefore more likely to change people's behavior and priorities.
Why didn't the automakers see this coming? Great question, but one that I can't fully answer. If you've followed the industry you know that it has for many decades swung from boom to bust to boom, so there has long been a sense that no matter how bad things are now, happy days will soon return. Car companies have never been a place where rainy-day planning was a high priority. As recently as three or four years ago, I heard auto executives insist that (a) big gas-powered S.U.V.'s are here to stay; (b) Americans don't care much about fuel prices; and (c) gas would have to cost much more, perhaps $5 or $6 a gallon, before old habits would change.
I could be wrong, but I have a sense that the tide has turned, primarily because consumers are forcing the issue. Sales of big S.U.V.'s are down. Sales of full-size pickups, the one part of the market that Detroit still dominates, are soft. (Hummers and Lamborghinis attract a lot of scorn from the environmental-minded, but their numbers are small; in comparison, the huge number of full-size pickup trucks on the road, which tend to get poor mileage, account for a big chunk of gasoline consumption.) And there's the simple fact that the Detroit-based automakers are hurting, while companies with greener images (like Toyota and Honda) are thriving.
In our pages, we've been writing about real-world fuel economy for years, and E.P.A. mileage figures are a staple in the charts we often publish comparing various models. In reviews, when a vehicle's mileage seems particularly underwhelming, we often take special note of it — even when the car is a hybrid, like the Lexus LS 600h L.
And we often point out that some efficient cars make excellent alternatives to thirsty models. (The mileage of most minivans is mediocre at best; but the Mazda 5, which is a sort of shrunken minivan of the kind popular in Europe, does much better, and it's fun to drive, too.)
Mr. Chase raises a good point, though. While the automakers were lobbying against higher fuel economy standards in Washington, they were waving their green shirts in car commercials and press releases. While we noted this contradiction in passing in our coverage, we certainly could have driven the point home more emphatically.
To be honest, we sometimes view issues like this in terms of territory. Lobbying over fuel standards is a story that we leave for the paper's Washington or Detroit bureaus; we don't want to intrude into what reporters there are doing on the subject. Of course, this kind of compartmentalization doesn't always serve readers best. Thanks for pointing that out.
When Car Makers Were Into Heavy Metal
Q. Of all the things about autos that I have never seen discussed is the question of sheet metal thickness and diiferences among brands, and how this may relate to damage to cars and occupants in the event of an accident. I am old enough to remember the solid resonance of a knock against the wide gauge of the old autos. There must have been a certain time when auto sheet metal began to resemble tin foil. Any thoughts?
— Jack Starr
A. Jack, I know what you mean. Cars of the prewar era, and even those built well into the 1970s and later, had more heavy metal than Ozzfest. When I was a kid, my family inherited my grandfather's 1946 Pontiac, which could have doubled as a Sherman tank -- the steel hood and fenders were thick, unyielding and practically impervious to bumps and scrapes. (A good thing, given that my lead-footed oldest brother drove the big black beast through high school.)
Yet contrary to what one might think, such solid metal is not necessarily a good thing in terms of safety. Nowadays we know that passengers fare best in a crash when the car has "crush zones" that crumple in stages and absorb a lot of the energy created in the collision. It's like the difference between jumping off the second floor onto a stack of cardboard boxes, as opposed to jumping directly onto a concrete sidewalk.
The real reason for the shift to thinner sheet metal is weight. Today's engineers want their cars to be as slim as possible, because unnecessary pounds reduce performance and worsen mileage. It's no coincidence that metal got notably thinner in the 1970s, when Detroit went on its first crash diet after Arab oil embargoes created gas shortages.
Of course, the sheet metal of a car isn't all that important anymore. It's just a layer of skin really, covering important systems and safety features like side-impact beams that help to form a cage around the passenger compartment. That skin doesn't even have to be steel; some cars are swathed in aluminum, like the Audi A8 or Jaguar XJ's, and some in plastic composites (like the Corvette or older Saturns).
The Road Ahead for the Motor City
Q. Is Detroit doomed?
— Janet V., Detroit
A. Well, Janet, if you take a really long view, I suppose we all are doomed.
But in the shorter term, looking out 5 or 10 or 20 years, I can't imagine that Detroit will cease to exist. I have no crystal ball and no degree in prognostication, but the auto industry will surely remain important for a while yet, even if cars become things that run on hydrogen or cellulosic ethanol or diet cola.
It's impossible to imagine Detroit (referring not to the city per se, but as shorthand for the domestic automakers) will ever return to the glory days when it was a blue-collar paradise with lots of well-paid jobs in unionized factories. The plants are gone, or going, and the center of the auto industry has slowly shifted toward the Sun Belt, where there are nonunion assembly plants for Mercedes, BMW, Toyota, Nissan, Hyundai and so on.
But General Motors isn't going away, and Ford will survive in some form, even if it ends up in a merger. Chrysler? Who knows? But there is value in all three companies (wouldn't the Chinese or Indians love to own the Jeep name?) so even in the worst case a foreign automaker would buy all or part of them.
About That Studebaker ...
Q. Was it an M series or a 2R5?
A. I think you are referring to the series number of my father's Studebaker pickup truck. It was a 2R5, I believe — a half-ton 1951 model. (Or it could have been a '53; they all looked pretty much the same.)
Someday I'm going to own one just like it, only without the rust and the dents!
Toyota Avalon as a Hybrid?
Q. I hope you can get me some information regarding when Toyota will beshowing the Avalon as a hybrid. I presently own a Camry hybrid and am happy with it but I want to upgrade to the luxury of the Avalon. No one at Toyota will give out any information I am sure because they either don't know at the dealer level or they want to sell what they have and not have people put off their purchase.
— Norman Berger
A. Toyota's president has set a goal of selling at least a million hybrids a year within 10 years, which means that eventually almost every Toyota model will come with a hybrid powertrain, at least as an option. Still, someone I contacted at Toyota told me, "I am not aware of any Avalon hybrid in the pipeline for the immediate future."
I wouldn't be surprised to see a hybrid version of the next-generation Avalon. The current generation came out in 2005, so I'm guessing it will be at least two years before the next one.
By the way, Toyota announced at the Detroit auto show this month that it planned to produce two hybrid-only models (one Toyota and one Lexus). It also announced plans to field a demonstration fleet of plug-in hybrids that can travel considerable distances on electric power alone. General Motors is also promising that it will have a plug-in car on the market in 2010.
Energy Conservation vs. Performance
Q. I see a real dichotomy currently between an explosion in performance cars (e.g., the new Corvette ZR1, Nissan GT-R) on one hand, and the growing emphasis on fuel conservation, diesel, and hybrid technology on the other. Where are we headed in this realm, and can we look forward to such a thing as energy-conserving performance cars?
— Sam Stanley Jr., St. Louis
A. Quite observant, Mr. Stanley. Both trends (explosive increases in horsepower vs. energy-saving technologies) have been on the rise, but I suspect the breaking point for high-performance cars may be coming. For one thing, it's going to be hard for some companies to meet future fuel-economy standards with all the 400-, 500- and 600-plus-horsepower cars that they now offer. That's why Porsche is bringing out a hybrid Cayenne, and of course Audi, BMW and Mercedes are placing big bets on diesel technology that offers both strong performance and good mileage. These are the among the companies that have been engaged in a sort of horsepower arms race, partly because they discovered that special "tuner" models (BMW's M cars, Mercedes AMG models, Audi's S and RS series) could get a lot of customers to open their wallets wide. Some of these tuner models cost $20,000 or $30,000 more than the less powerful cars they are based on. That's a healthy markup.
But I don't think anyone needs to go into mourning yet for the performance car. Cars with electric or hybrid powertrains can really scoot away from a dead stop, because all the torque (that's the oomph that you feel when you hit the gas pedal) is available from the start; in a gasoline engine, the peak torque comes at much higher engine r.p.m.'s. The electric sports car from Tesla, which is supposed to go on sale this year, is said to be capable of racing from 0 to 60 m.p.h. in 5 or 6 seconds, and that's plenty quick enough for most of us.
And those of us who love small, low-slung sports cars like MG's, Miatas and Boxsters know that it can be more enjoyable to FEEL as though you are going fast, than to actually go fast. And cars like those tend to get good mileage, too.
Enthusiasm for Motorcycles
Q. As a car and motorcycle nut, I'd like to compliment your coverage,especially in the past year or so. Love the motorcycle stuff and the profiles of people and their cars. Keep up the good work!
— Ted Lambert
A. Thanks for the compliment. Our expanded motorcycle coverage has been well received — I get a sense that motorcycle enthusiasts feel ignored or marginalized by most of the mainstream media. Fortunately we can draw on the expertise of people who know a lot about the subject, especially Norman Mayersohn, my deputy, and Jerry Garrett, a frequent contributor on many subjects who lives in sunny (sometimes) Southern California. We created a theme page, called Handlebars, for motorcycle coverage.
As for the profiles, I assume you are referring to the Auto Ego feature, which is something I'd been wanting to start for many years. Last year the planets aligned: the project intrigued Richard S. Chang, our blogger-in-chief and a perceptive observer of the automotive scene, and Mark Rabiner, a terrific photographer who had moved to New York from Oregon. Together, their words and pictures create fascinating portraits of some interesting people who feel deep bonds to some interesting cars. And our Web producer, Daniel McDermon, has tweaked the format to suit the Web, creating slide shows about each car narrated by its owner.
Somehow They All Look the Same
Q. I lived in Germany for fifteen years and have assumed that what I heard there about the automobile industry was correct. I was told by many, including an engineer employee of Audi in Ingolstadt, that every five years engineering employees and designers from the major automobile companies, including the United States, Germany and Asia, get together to discuss "trends," such as headlight design, ABS, greenhouse design and many other things. If it is true, this would explain why all the mainstream cars seem to look somewhat different from one another but oddly alike with the same electronic and mechanical features. Also, if it is true why do the contents of these meetings not sneak into the various publications or do they?
— Ned Welker, Prescott, Ariz.
A. Yes, these meetings are sponsored by the Trilateral Commission, and they take place in a secluded castle in Liechtenstein while black United Nations helicopters hover overhead. Inside the conference room, black-garbed participants discuss ways to suppress amazing magnetic vortex devices that would raise the mileage of any car to at least 500 miles per gallon.
Seriously, no, there are no supersecret meetings of an automaker cabal. The auto industry is, after all, one of the most competitive industries in the world, where engineers grapple to gain a tenth of a mile per gallon in the E.P.A. ratings, where a future minivan's seat-tilting mechanism is guarded like the recipe for a hydrogen bomb. True, there are industry conferences and auto shows, where rivals get together and chat — though not to share secrets. But the homogeneity that you see is more likely a result of two other factors: the movement of designers and engineers from one company to another, taking ideas with them; and the fact that there is fair bit of larceny in this business.
A case in point: Several years ago the chief designer at BMW, Chris Bangle, created a furor with some of his car designs, which included a high-set rear end that came to be known as the "Bangle butt." Many competitors laughed — then rushed out to copy him. If you walk through an auto show today, you'll see Bangle butts all over the place on all sorts of cars from various companies. Another example: each year at the Detroit auto show, as the press previews are winding down, the show floor is thick with engineers intent on doing some industrial espionage. They crawl all over their rivals' new vehicles, taking thousands of photographs and even quietly taking apart various pieces to see how they are made. Once on the auto show floor I sat inside a Lexus S.U.V. while, under the hood, some Japanese engineers from another automaker were taking the engine compartment apart bit by bit and cataloging everything they found. Then they quickly put it all back together and moved on.
Getting Technical
Q. In a recent article on advanced automobile technology, the writer got confused over the difference between energy and power. Even in The Times, it seems that most stories on energy issues have errors of this nature, whether on hybrid cars, wind turbines or power plants.
— Curt Austin, Chestertown, N.Y.
A. Without knowing the specific article to which you refer, I cannot comment on what you perceived as an error. Nor can I know if it was an article that came out of our corner of the New York Times forest. While I cannot deny that we sometimes make mistakes, I do believe that the technical pieces in my section have a pretty good record for accuracy. I know this because we get a lot of feedback from engineers and environmental specialists who know this stuff inside out.
As for your suggestion that we should delve into specific technical issues dealing with alternative-powered cars, we certainly have done that. Last April, we devoted a whole section to hydrogen cars with a package of stories largely reported by Don Sherman, who has been one of the top technical writers in Detroit for many years. (He's also the technical editor of Automobiles magazine, and was once editor in chief of Car and Driver.) We've given similar treatment to other technologies, and are planning some more. Our contributing writers include some engineers (like Bob Knoll, who once helped to develop the Plymouth Valiant), as well as some others who have been writing about technical subjects for decades and are highly respected in the industry (including Lindsay Brooke, Kevin Cameron, Tim Moran and John R. Quain).
Certainly there are a lot of editors around here, in several departments, with strong technical backgrounds. (Over in Science Times, the staff has more degrees than a thermometer.) I think if you asked the writers for my section, they wouldn't hesitate to tell you that my colleagues Norman Mayersohn and Jim Schembari are tough, relentless editors who perform exactly the role that you suggest.
All-Wheel-Drive Diesel From Subaru?
Q. What's the story on the rumored Subaru Diesel Outback? With Subaru all-wheel drive and the economy of a diesel, this just might be the perfect car for those of us that live where it snows — a lot, on a regular basis.
— Dave Shishim, Paonia, Colo.
Q. We want to purchase a high-mileage Subaru diesel. One Web site reported that Subaru will start delivery this year in the United Kingdom but we will have wait until 2012. Is this true? Why the long wait? Subaru has had the boxer diesel ready for a few years.
— Terry Roberts, Phoenixville, Pa.
Q. I am interested in an all-wheel-drive diesel vehicle. I have heard that Subaru will have one in '09, and I am hopeful that Mercedes will begin offering an all wheel drive diesel E-Class sedan. Do you have any information on upcoming diesel offerings from Subaru, Toyota, Audi or Mercedes?
— Barrett J. Corneille
A. I'm impressed by the number of questions about diesels — further proof that Times readers understand a good trend when they are just starting to see one! I'm saving some of those questions for a longer response later in the week, but for now I'll just note that several promising diesel vehicles are about to reach the American market. These are cleaner diesels designed to run on the low-sulfur fuel that is now available, and they will theoretically meet strict emissions standards — though, as is often the case, the story is a little more complicated than that.
At the risk of getting ahead of myself, I'll just say in brief that the main advantage of a diesel engine is that it is more efficient, so the car can travel farther on a gallon of fuel than with a comparable gasoline engine. (That's why they are immensely popular in Europe, where fuel can cost twice as much as it does here.) Diesel's downside has been comparatively higher emissions. But the new fuel and the new engine designs have gone much of the way toward equalizing the emissions gap.
As for Subaru, the chief executive of its parent company, Ikuo Mori, confirmed in Detroit this month that diesel cars are bound for the United States. In Europe, Subaru will introduce a diesel Legacy and a diesel Outback in March. A Subaru spokesman says the 2-liter engine will be the world's first boxer turbodiesel, and willl be rated at 148 horsepower, with 248 pound-feet of peak torque. ("Boxer" refers to Subaru's engine design.)
Mr. Mori said this engine would reach the American market sometime after 2010, but I'm hearing that it will be here even sooner — perhaps next year.
The Air in There
Q. I have a new Saturn Aura and I just had the first oil change done. The service department tried to sell me nitrogen for my tires ($39.95) as opposed to regular air. It says it causes the tires to last longer, among other things. What are your thoughts on this? Sounds like a scam to me.
— John Girsch, Niles, Ill.
A. Well, John, I've often joked that certain luxury car companies, whose window stickers are as long as an arm, would eventually start charging for the air in the tires. Now it doesn't seem so amusing.
I've only recently begun to hear about the push to put nitrogen in tires, though this is a common practice in Nascar. As I understand it, there are a few slight advantages. Your tires stay inflated longer, in theory, because nitrogen leaks out more slowly than air. (Of course, if you check your tire pressure regularly, as you should, that doesn't matter much.) Nor does nitrogen expand or contract as much as the tire heats and cools, so the pressure stays constant; in theory, at least, that could lengthen the tires' life a little. And the switch benefits the shareholders of companies like Air Products, which make nitrogen inflation systems for auto dealerships.
Now I won't call this a scam, because I'm sure there are people who will be happy to hand over $40 so they can tell their golf buddies that their dubs are rolling on fancy gas. But I suspect your Aura will be just as happy to have its tires fed from the 25-cent air pump at the corner gas station.
Confused About Ethanol
Q. Why is it that I read scientists say that the ethanol we produce here in the states from corn takes MORE energy to create than it gives back when you burn it, yet everybody is pushing this stuff as some kind of magic solution to our energy needs? I've also read that when cars are burning ethanol-based or supplemented fuels, their gas mileage goes down! Is that true? Sometimes I think this whole alternative fuels effort and green movement is a real profit opportunity and not really going to affect the environment at all. Isn't the federal money dedicated to promoting alternative fuels just another farming subsidy? This whole ethanol thing just confuses the heck out of me!
— Michael Bertaut
A. You're not the only one who is confused. Ethanol is a complicated matter, and lobbying by agribusiness and other interest groups doesn't necessarily make it easier to understand.
It is true that it takes a lot of energy to produce the corn that is used to make most of the ethanol now available in the United States. (Also, using corn for fuel affects food supplies and prices.)
It's also true that a gallon of ethanol contains less energy than a gallon of gasoline -- so your mileage drops when you use, say, E-85 (a blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline).
On the other hand, Brazil has successfully developed an ethanol infrastructure based on sugar cane. And there is hope for cellulosic ethanol, which would be derived from forest products, agricultural waste and even, perhaps, garbage. General Motors recently announced an investment in a cellulosic ethanol company, Coskata.
Farm subsidies? Now that's a subject that's REALLY complicated.
Is G.M. Really Committed to the Volt?
Q. Since General Motors withdrew support for the electric car, why should consumers believe it's serious about the Volt, the new plug-in hybrid that's supposed to be introduced in 2009 or 2010?
— Rod Such
A. Notwithstanding the fact that G.M. has sometimes promoted technologies that it later swept under the rug (rotary engines, the electric EV1, hydrogen cars on a "skateboard" platform), the company is quite sensitive about its intentions with the Volt. When Jerry Garrett referred to the car as "vaporware" on our Wheels blog, the company went, it's fair to say, ballistic.
This much is clear: G.M. has promised to have the Volt on the market in 2010, and it has special teams of engineers and designers working hard on the project. Bob Lutz, the vice chairman and product czar, is emphatic that the car will get made, and he has suggested that a breakthrough will be announced around the time of the New York auto show in March. "Let's wait for the Easter Bunny," he told auto writers last fall, responding to what he perceived as a bit of disrespect from Toyota. "Somebody's going to have egg on their face. And I don't like having egg on my face."
The holdup with the Volt, like other plug-in hybrids, has been the durability of the lithium-ion batteries that the cars require. The batteries exist as prototypes, but there have been questions about their long-term reliability — no small matter, given that the company has to provide a warranty. A battery breakthrough could give the Volt a jolt; without it, well, questions remain.
Which Vehicles Get a Test Drive?
Q. My compliments on the excellent pages you produce and the stories you have to inform in an entertaining way some of our biggest personal financial decisions. I noticed that a story last September mentioned that the Buick Enclave had the fastest turn rate of any General Motors vehicle. Right after that there was a solid "Behind the Wheel" review of the Enclave. There was a "First Glance" story almost a year earlier that mentioned G.M.'s new Lambda platform and the Enclave. I would ask you to share with us a summary of the criterion you follow when selecting vehicles to review. How much promotional push do you get from manufacturers to review their latest and greatest? Do you get "Behind the Wheel" only after the vehicle has been on the road a few months? How much is the paper is watching sales and other media attention when writing about vehicles?
— David K. McClurkin, Beachwood, Ohio
A. A lot of factors go into the selection and timing of reviews, but it's more seat-of-the-pants than you might think. I keep a list that includes most of the new or freshened cars and trucks coming out over the course of the next year or so. Of those, we ask ourselves which ones Times readers are likely to care about, which companies we haven't touched on in the recent past, and which cars may be emblematic of a broader trend that we ought to discuss.
But a crucial factor is the availability of test cars, which are usually distributed by third-party companies that handle fleets of demonstration vehicles for the manufacturers. Sometimes a car is available in Detroit and New York, but not in Boston, where the assigned writer lives. Or sometimes the cars are in Los Angeles and we have to wait until some reach the East Coast. We also prefer to drive true production vehicles, like the ones that you'll find in showrooms, not the pre-production cars that are put together on a more ad hoc basis, whose quality is probably not indicative of what you would find at a dealership, either for better or worse.
Availability is a special issue for us, given that The Times usually doesn't attend the media launch programs that are the basis for many of the car reviews you find in other publications and on other Web sites. (Not to knock those media outlets or the manufacturers, but aside from our aversion to company-paid trips to exotic destinations, we prefer to drive test cars in real-world conditions on the streets and roads we already know. After all, could you drive a Miata around Hawaii's Big Island for a couple of days and not think it's pretty swell?)
As for promotional pushes by car companies, that varies by the company and the competence of each public relations department. It's fair to say that most automakers want The Times to write about their products.
Sales are just one factor that we consider, and not necessarily a big one. Freshness and originality count for more than sales volume — consider the Mazda 5 people mover, for instance, which is a great little family hauler that hasn't sold well in this country, which is a pity. Ditto for the Audi A3.
We don't pay much attention to what other publications are featuring; we're all drawing from the same universe of new cars, after all, so we'll all eventually get around to testing the important ones.
Premium vs. Regular Gasoline
Q. Just bought a VW Passat, 4-cylinder, 2-liter turbo engine. Says it needs high-test 91-octane gasoline. Is this really necessary? What happens if I use regular?
— Harvey Bronstein
A. Great question, Harvey. Your Passat will probably run just fine on cheaper regular-grade gas, though its performance may suffer a tiny bit. (Perhaps not even enough that you'll notice.) For most cars and trucks (those whose manufacturers don't recommend premium), paying more for gas buys you almost nothing. So putting premium into a Taurus or a Civic or even a Cadillac DeVille is pointless. In cases where the manufacturer does recommend 91 octane — usually for high-performance high-compression engines, and almost always by German automakers — the chief benefit is that it lets the company advertise a higher horsepower rating.
Consider this quotation in a 2003 USA Today article from Lewis Gibbs, whom the newspaper identified as chairman of Technical Committee 7 on Fuels, part of the Society of Automotive Engineers, who also worked for Chevron for 45 years: "I personally use regular even though my owner's manual says you'll get better performance with premium."
So fill it up with regular. If you notice any roughness or knocking, you can always switch to premium.
Cars for Real People?
Q. Why do you insist on reviewing cars that 98 percent of the public have no intention of buying. I would like to hear about fuel efficient, midsized, midpriced cars that I am likely to buy, not the $300,000 Ferrari or latest Corvette, how about the recently road certified Tesla?
— David Kafrissen, Maplewood, N.J.
A. David, I suspect that a lot more people — tens of thousands more —will buy Corvettes than Teslas this year and in the foreseeable future. And Ferrari will handily outsell Tesla, too.
(We're eager to test the Tesla, by the way, but the company has yet to make one of its new electricroadsters available to us. It has also repeatedly delayed its deliveries to customers, with the first ones now set to reach customers in the spring, I think.)
As for our reviews of low-volume or exotic cars, we do try to mix things up. Last week we featured the Toyota Highlander and Highlander Hybrid, which are pretty mainstream, high-volume wagons. This Sunday we have a short take on a Lamborghini. I think the section would be rather boring if all we wrote about were Civics, Camrys and F-150 pickups. (I wonder if Frank Bruni gets letters asking him not to review the haute cuisine restaurants that 98 percent of the public has no intention of patronizing?)
Front-Wheel-Drive Sedans
Q. Curious if the automotive writers have some favorite front-wheel-drive sedans? We're thinking of going from an Audi A6 to four-wheel drive.
— Bob Braun
A. Bob, there are so many good front-drive midsize cars out there, you can hardly go wrong. Start with the new Honda Accord, which feels practically like a luxury car if you buy one well equipped. Or the Nissan Altima, the 2008 Chevy Malibu, the Saturn Aura. There's my longtime personal favorite, the Mazda 6, but it will soon be replaced with a new version.
Moving up a class or two there's the Acura TL and RL, and I like the redesigned Volvo S80 quite a lot. I'm leaving out quite a few others, including front-drive versions of the Audis. You might even feel at home in the reborn Ford Taurus, which used to be the Five Hundred. Its styling seems suspiciously similar to the Audi's.
Regarding the Toyota Highlander
Q. I found Christopher Jensen's article this past Sunday on the Highlander illuminating. We have an LR Discovery with hill-descent control, which we are thinking about trading in for a Highlander Hybrid. I noted with interest the comment in the article that said, "There was also one other odd experience with the Hybrid. Going down a steep, extremely slick, snow-covered driveway at about 2 to 3 m.p.h., the front tires began to slide. The antilock brakes did not activate; nor did the electronic stability control. Cheryl pumped the brakes and kept the Hybrid from sliding out of control." I mentioned the hill-descent control earlier because we use this feature a lot on a steep driveway in the snow belt of northwestern Indiana. Is Christopher's and Cheryl's observation a fundamental issue with the Highlander...and possibly with all Hybrids using regenerative braking? Has Toyota commented on this aspect of the article? How concerned should I be with the combination of ABS and hybrid systems on steep snowy driveways (regardless of whether they have the hill-descent feature)? Any comment or other contacts to further pursue this concern would be very much appreciated.
— Brian Horwood
A. Mr. Horwood: I'm not in a position to give you an intelligent answer on this, but Chris Jensen will try. Expect to hear from him later. Thanks for your question and your interest.
Q. My husband and I are thinking about the new Toyota Highlander as our next vehicle. We are trying to decide whether the Hybrid version is worth the added expense as I have heard and read on some automotive blogs that the Hybrid is not worth it if you live in a hilly area as the electric motor does not "kick in" enough to make a difference in the mileage. We live in northern Westchester County and hilly driving is definitely something we deal with on a daily basis. We want to do the right thing and buy a more environmentally conscious car but it's a lot to spend for just a "warm and fuzzy" feeling if in the end it doesn't make a real difference for our driving needs. Any insight into this would be greatly appreciated.
— Andrea Sayago, Chappaqua, N.Y.
A. Ms. Sayago: Rather than wade into an unfamiliar swamp and give you bad information, I'll let Chris Jensen, who wrote the Highlander review we published last week, share his insights. Expect to hear from him soon.And thanks for your question and your interest.
A. CHRIS JENSEN RESPONDS: I tested the vehicles in the White Mountains and found the Highlander Hybrid to have plenty of power.
One feature of electric motors is that they provide lots of torque (what you want) almost immediately. It may be some that with hybrids with weaker electric motors (Prius and Honda Civic) there isn't enough of a boost to satisfy drivers in a hilly area.
But the electric motors on the 2008 Highlander are quite powerful. A Toyota official told me they are more powerful than any electric motor used on any Toyota previously. That would make sense given the fact that the Highlander is a somewhat large and heavy vehicle.
There are some downsides. I noted a lot of vibration from the hybrid and thought the brake pedal had an odd feel. Those things are described in the article.
The Highlander Hybrid is not cheap, as you know. I'd suggest before buying one you insist that the dealer allow you to try it in a hilly area.
Thanks for reading The Times.
Is It All About the Style?
Q. May I call you James instead of Mr. Cobb? I noticed in your slide shows from the Detroit Auto Show that style matters to you. What's wrong with me? (Perhaps I should call you Dr. Cobb.) I still drive a gray 1994 Volvo 940 turbo wagon. I love my Volvo and its four-cylinder engine that has moved me 161,000 odd miles without a problem. I like boxy. I can get all of my trash barrels in the way-back without having to tip or bend their plastic crowns for a trip to the dump. Though driving my sweet hunk feels a little like driving a truck, I feel safe in my Volvo. Safety, boxiness, reliability . . . now that's style for me!
— Jeff Nilson, Harwich, Mass.
A. Hey, Jeff — may I call you Jeff? — older Volvo wagons are boxy, practical, durable — and way cool. My colleague Norman Mayersohn also bought a '94 Volvo 940 wagon recently and he raves about it all the time. Drive yours proudly! (Now, about those unstylish trash cans....)
Questions From a Car Shopper
Q. I tremendously enjoy your reviews and their veracity. Recently I went to a local auto show as I shall be buying a car this year (an ordeal that I hate and avoid as I keep my cars for at least 10 years). I was struck by the size of the cars: the Armada by Nissan was aptly named; will it sink after a single battle like the progenitor Armada?
Questions: The soon to debut Honda Pilot will have a variable cylinder engine. Is this technology reliable and does it help significantly in mileage? Does a third seat in the crossover S.U.V.'s significantly add to their resale value? Does it make any difference as I intend to hold on to a car for 10 years?
— Bill C., St. Louis
A. Bill, like you I've always thought Armada was a particularly ridiculous name, especially for a big boat like that. Perhaps the members of the naming committee at Nissan missed World History class the day the Spanish Armada came up.
As for your questions: Variable-cylinder technology has been in use for a few years now, and so far as I know has been pretty reliable. (This is technology that shuts down part of the engine when all the cylinders aren't needed, as at cruising speeds.) You may recall that Cadillac tried this concept in 1981 on its "V8-6-4" engine with disastrous results. But today's superfast computer technology makes it all work much more seamlessly.
Honda's latest cylinder-shutdown system will let the Pilot run on 6, 4 or 3 cylinders. (The new Accord offers it, too.) Expect it to increase fuel economy by 1 or 2 m.p.g.
Finally, about third-row seats in crossovers. I don't honestly know if they improve resale value, but I hardly ever see anybody using them. Do you?
Ban the Hummer?
Q. There are some autos, such as the Hummer H2 and H3, which in my opinion are disgusting by their very nature. Still, you often review them with enthusiasm; for example, the review of a souped-up H3 touted it as a powerful, authoritative vehicle that was a welcome alternative to the tiny cars of Europe. To me, the car itself should somehow be banned from our roads. Anyway, art and music reviews often pan the entire concept of a piece of work, and aren't afraid to let us know that certain genres are better than others. I have to say, your section of the paper lostcredibility in my eyes when it reviewed the H3 with a straight face and even managed to give it a nod. You aren't afraid to pan particular autos, so why do you seem so reluctant to pan types of autos, namely, dangerous gas-guzzling poseur-mobiles?
— Brandon del Pozo, Brooklyn
A. That Hummer review, which brought heated reaction from several readers, ended this way: "The H3 Alpha is smooth, quiet and comfortable. It's also an ego machine that guzzles gas and is about the size of Liechtenstein. If you can afford the constant fuel bills and have a large parking space, it's the best Hummer yet. But, like gobbling two America-big cheeseburgers and supersize fries, it's hard not to feel guilty about it." Maybe that's a "nod" in your view, but it seems rather equivocal to me.
To that I would add this: The piece was intended to be a tongue-in-cheek counterpoint to a cover story on the very tiny microcars popular in Japan, and it was assigned to an American who has been living in Paris, where he routinely drives very small cars. Perhaps the humor didn't carry through — or perhaps the very concept of Hummers enrages some people so much that they wouldn't be satisfied until all Hummers become part of an artificial barrier reef off the coast of South Beach. If so, that speaks to General Motors' success in marketing the brand as the ultimate bad-boy machine, an image that isn't so cool anymore. The H3 really isn't monstrous, relative to many other S.U.V.'s — it's based on the TrailBlazer, which was only the fourth-largest Chevy S.U.V.
I don't see the point in panning an entire class of vehicles (like big S.U.V.'s) just because some people don't like them. It certainly seems foolish to many of us (me included) for a family of two, three or four to use a Suburban to go to the mall. But there are plenty of people who do need Suburbans — for their large families, for their sports teams, for their businesses, for towing large boats or trailers. Who am I to decide, in a market-driven economy, that they don't have a right to choose to drive what they want? I've been hearing from a lot of people advocating vehicle bans, but I wonder if they are thinking through the consequences of living in a system where the government limits choices to such an extent? (A steep gas tax might accomplish the same result, without the heavy arm of government, but that's another matter entirely.)
Considering the Acura MDX
Q. I'm in the market for a mid-sized S.U.V., preferably one with seven seats. I have settled on the Acura MDX with the technology package. What are your impressions of this vehicle? Any other vehicles like this you might want to suggest instead?
— A.R. Gill
A. The MDX is quite impressive, and with an excellent V-6 engine it gets better mileage than its V-8 competitors. If I were shopping for something in that size and price class it would by on my short list.
Shopping for a Hybrid
Q. Is this a good time to buy a hybrid auto or will there be better choices in the near future? I am thinking of getting a 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid.
— Michael McKee
A. Yes to both your questions. The Escape Hybrid is a nice package if you need a smallish S.U.V. But if you wait, you can expect to have more alternatives in six months or a year. A lot more hybrids will be coming to market.
Chinese Automakers
Q. Recently, I have lived and traveled abroad in Asia. As I'm sure you know, the automobile industry is just blooming in many Asian countries in comparison to America. China in particular has many fake cars, like the fake Chevrolet. In Shanghai, I see more authenticity, but still a push for continued use of the public transit system. With all of the country's economic and automobile boom, what do you see for the future of cars in China?
— Saul Sugarman, Sacramento, Calif.
Q. What I'm curious about is the new trickle of Chinese cars on the radar. In terms of meeting U.S. regs – and consumer expectations – how far off are they before dealer networks are set up here?Cars are more complex than guitars, for sure, but some of the Chinese-made Martin and Gibson clones now on the market are pretty fair instruments and cost about one-fifth of the U.S.-made so-called "classics." So I think it's a matter of time before they start to out-Chevy Chevrolet, n'est-ce pas?
— Marty Kleinman, Park Slope, Brooklyn
A. Saul, you have lived in China recently; I should be asking you this question. I know that the Chinese car market is booming, and that the industry there remains in a bit of a free-for-all, with a lot of blatant design piracy and patent infringement. I suspect that will all get sorted out in fairly short order; it will have to, if the Chinese expect to export cars in high volume to Western markets.
Several Chinese automakers had cars and trucks on display at the Detroit auto show last month, and it's safe to say they're not ready for prime time in this country. They're still rather primitive by our standards. Gaps between body panels are large and inconsistent. Paint jobs are awful. The interiors look, feel and smell cheap. And I doubt that any of the cars shown in Detroit could meet federal crash standards.
Several models reminded me of some of the very early Korean imports of the early 1990s. But China's homegrown cars are definitely improving, and quickly.
Some companies are starting to set up dealer networks here, though I get a sense that they are somewhat overoptimistic about how quickly they will have customers, and how much money they will make. Still, I've heard it said that it took 20 years for the Japanese to crack the American market, and 10 years for the Koreans. It's quite possible the Chinese could do it in 5 or less.
M.P.G. Claims vs. Actual M.P.G.
Q. I'd like to know how can new car manufacturers claim unrealistic miles-per-gallon figures on the window stickers? Example: a few months ago I got a new Nissan Altima with a sticker claim of 34 m.p.g. I have yet to do better than 27 m.p.g. Seems like some kind of fraud or misleading advertising. What can the consumers do?
— Charlie Cronin
A. Charlie, the mileage on the window stickers is calculated based on test procedures established by the Environmental Protection Agency. You'll be glad to know that the testing was revised for the 2008 model year to make it much more reflective of actual driving conditions. That's why the mileage estimates of most vehicles dropped this year. But the new figures do seem to be much closer to what you'd get in the real world.
Safety of Mazda 5?
Q. I am considering buying a Mazda 5, as it is the only "mini" minivan on the market, with three rows of seats. I need space to transport four or five children on occasion, but I want something more fuel efficient than a large minivan (like an Odyssey or a Sienna) for general use. However, the Mazda 5 has not been crash-tested by either Consumers Union or the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration. How concerned should I be about not having that data to consider? The vehicle is equipped with side air curtains in all three rows, and it is marketed and sold in the European Union, where safety standards are high. As a parent, I want to ensure that I am purchasing a vehicle that is as safe as possible within its class.
— Dorothy V.
A. As I noted elsewhere, Dorothy, I am a big fan of the Mazda 5, and I applaud your effort to get a more efficient van. I hadn't noticed that the 5 has not been crash-tested, either by the government or by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. That is something to consider, but in my view the fact that it has side-mounted air curtain bags, front to rear, is a factor in its favor. Research has shown that these bags markedly improve one's odds of surviving a side-impact crash, and they reduce the severity of injuries.
Reliability of Reviews
Q. I have long valued Road & Track car tests for being very good at giving me a sense of how I would react to the car if I drove it, having read about and driven many such cars in the past. That is to say, their reviews are very consistent, which I have always assumed is because they are a group product, even if written by one person. My sense is that your reviews are more often the product of one person's reaction, and thus somewhat more likely to be idiosyncratic — and thus less reliable as a buying guide, for example. Any thoughts?
— Dave Anderson, Los Angeles
A. Dave, I wouldn't quarrel with anything you've said. Though on occasion we've done some group reviews, with several testers driving vehicles at the same time in the same place, our critiques are usually one writer's opinion with perhaps a tiny bit of tempering by the editor. Road & Track does great work, as do Car and Driver and some other auto publications, but writing about cars is the entire focus of their publications, and they have sizable staffs to do it. We have a more seat-of-the-pants operation.
But then we aren't pretending to be the only source you need to make an educated decision about a car. If it were me who was preparing to plunk down $20,000 or $50,000 I'd want to read the opinions of a variety of reviewers. If the car is really good, you are likely to find general agreement on it. That's true internally, too; I and the other editors here may not agree 100 percent with the writers on every review, but we almost never have fundamental differences of opinion.
Studebakers and Electric Cars
Q. > I, too, learned to drive on a Studebaker, a 1951 Commander with an automatic transmission and the powerful 239 V-8. Our next car was a 1960 Lark four-door. Today, I drive two cars. A 2001 Chrysler Sebring Limited convertible and a restored 1960 Studebaker Lark V-8 convertible. It is almost 100 percent original. The restorer put in an electronic ignition and disk brakes on the front. That is about it.
Thanks for running a great department.
— Bob Russano, Bloomington, Ill.
A. Bob, I'd love to see your Lark. All those old Studebakers had great style, especially for a low-price brand. You raise a great point about electric power plants, though. A lot of people think that an electric car leaves no carbon footprint, but of course that's not the case if you are recharging with electricity from a dirty coal-fired power plant. There are no free lunches, at least not yet. This is why some people find hydrogen so attractive, if the many obstacles to its adoption can be overcome.
A Couple of Follow-Ups
Q. As a follow-up to "Bill's" post at the start of your on-line discussion — entitled "Maintaining Editorial Independence From Advertisers — I have a couple of point-of-information questions:
Regarding terrific writing and editorial independence, your only journalistic competition may be Dan Neil, the astute and wonderful reviewer for The Los Angeles Times.
— Chris Kane, Irvine, Calif.
A. There used to be a content-sharing arrangement between nytimes.com and edmunds.com, and features from both sites were integrated so that viewers could click on the best of both. That arrangement ended about a year ago. On our site now, if you use the "new car search" function, you can find ratings from J.D. Power & Associates and reviews and other information from Consumer Reports. We will be adding more useful content in the future.
As for your second question, we produce an Automobiles section each Sunday with (usually) five partial pages of editorial content. That's for papers that are distributed in the New York City area and along parts of the East Coast. For other editions (like the National Edition you would get in California), there's a single page of editorial content tucked inside another section, like Sports. But what is left out is still available online at nytimes.com/autos. I'd encourage you to read it in both places. Home subscriptions are available!
As for Dan Neil, did you know that before he went to that other Times (and won a Pulitzer Prize), he was a regular contributor here? It pains me to say nice things about the competition, but Dan is one of the smartest, brightest writers I've ever worked with, and he remains a good friend. You Californians are lucky to have him.
Fighting Government Regulation
Q. I have a simple question that may need some explanation:
Every time I hear a car company whining (and paying their lobbyists millions) trying to avoid regulation or even goals, I remember my lunch with Richard Gadeselli.
— Jim Hayes
A. I'm not sure what your question is, Jim, but your observation is priceless. Automakers seem to almost reflexively resist regulation even if it is clearly to their long-term benefit. It seems obvious that whatever the deficiencies of today's cars, they really are cleaner, safer and more efficient than they would have been without some prodding.
Why Are Some Ford Models Unavailable in U.S.?
Q. If Ford can produce good cars overseas, why not in the U.S.A.? Why not take the engineering from Mazda and Ford Europe and bring the same cars here? The cost of engineering would be reduced and America would get a better product.
— Sheldon K. Feldman
Q. The Ford Mondeo is a beautiful car that has received very good reviewsin the British press. Can you give a rational explanation why it is notavailable in the United States. I understand that may be a differencein pollution control requirements but certaimly that could bestraightened out.
— Jim Tarsney
A. No, Jim, I can't give a rational explanation. And yes, Sheldon, I have asked the same question myself.
But the last time Ford tried to sell a Mondeo here (renamed the Ford Contour and Mercury Mystique), sales were disappointing. It seemed that Americans wanted a bigger car with a bigger back seat.
Finding Fords to Be Blah
Q. Can you tell when Ford is going to start designing cars that are exciting? All I see on their lots are trucks and Mustangs. Since I don't have children I don't need an Explorer (I drove one for six years and don't want another one). I am woefully under-impressed with the Focus and Taurus and the Mercury/Lincolns don't light my fire. I find this sad because I come from a family that purchased Fords for years. In fact I grew up with the Galaxie 500, LTD, Grand Marquis, Town Car, Capri, Torino, Cyclone and the like. Now I see nothing from this company that I want to buy.
What's more depressing is that Ford is in partnership with Volvo and Mazda and each has excellent products. I am seriously considering buying a 2008 Mazda MX-5 (Miata) with the steel top and manual transmission The car drives wonderfully, is purchased reasonably, can be used daily, and is reliable.
— Ricky A. Parks
A. If Ford's showrooms have seemed a little bland the last two or three years, save for all the Mustangs, it's because the company was dealing with a truly serious financial crisis and just didn't have much money for product development. (General Motors had a similar dry spell in the 1990s, after suffering huge losses.)
Ford still has troubles, but it finally seems to have some interesting cars in the pipeline again. Concept versions of the Verve, a small Euro-style sedan and hatchback, were among the highlights of the Detroit auto show this year. It has the Flex wagon coming out this year and a new F-150 pickup on the way. Its design studios are turning out interesting concept cars and crossovers, like the pretty slick Explorer America, a smaller, more carlike Explorer.
Like you, I'd like to see Ford bring some of its European models here, including the terrific Focus that is sold there. (We Americans are getting a rather bland Focus based on an older platform.) I agree that Volvo and Mazda are doing some great cars now, and they're Fords, too, in a sense. I agree, too, on the MX-5, which is among the industry leaders in smiles per gallon.
How Do Hydrogen Cars Work?
Q. James, we've seen the ads by G.M. and others on the move toward hybrid vehicles, ethanol-based vehicles and even hydrogen fuel cell demonstration vehicles. In your view, will there be an engine or fuel source that wins out as the "standard gasoline replacement" looking forward? I want a vehicle that allows me to buy energy from a domestic source, yet the economics of ethanol are questionable based on corn use, and there may not be enough lithium out there to produce battery powered vehicles economically. That leaves us with hydrogen. What is hydrogen? Can we make it from sources in the U.S.A. like wind, solar and nuclear? How do hydrogen fuel cells work?
— Tom Nicolay
A. Tom, I could spend the next week at my keyboard and not fully answer your questions. Nor am I an expert on hydrogen. But we have published a lot on the subject in the last year, including a special hydrogen issue in April 2007. We also published an enlightening road test of Honda's latest fuel cell concept car, by Norman Mayersohn, last Dec. 9. If you search our Web site you will find much of this. To help get you started, try these links:"On the Road, Hope for a Zero Pollution Car," "At Milepost 1 on the Hydrogen Highway," "Hydrogen Car Is Here, a Bit Ahead of Its Time" and "A Microbrewery for Hydrogen."
All About Diesels
Q. I am perplexed that in the United States our automakers, government and media continue to trumpet the benefits of hybrid vehicles. Meanwhile the rest of the world is experiencing undeniably superior fuel economy from comparatively simple, inexpensive and durable diesel power plants. Why no diesels in the U.S. market? I can say from my personal point of view as a consumer that I would die for a subcompact diesel that gets 50-plus m.p.g. There are millions of these running through cities worldwide. When will I be able to pick one up here? Is there anExxon/G.M./Ford/Congressional conspiracy that must be broken before this happens?
— Tom Nolan
Q. Why, when 50 percent of passenger cars sold in Europe are diesel, has the American brain trust found this fact so hard to understand? Other than Volkswagen, I can think of no other passenger car offering diesel except for the unattainable Mercedes Benz.
— Lary Waldman
Q. I will shortly have to purchase a highly efficient car — 50 m.p.g. orbetter. It is my understanding that some of the diesel automobiles in Europe attain that efficiency or even surpass it. Is that correct? If so, what brands would you recommend?
— Bill Brown
Q. My travels often take me to either the United Kingdom or Argentina, where Iusually get around in a small-displacement (four-cylinder) turbodiesel truck or S.U.V. They are well suited for highway (cruise at 70-plus m.p.h.), pull mightily when the going gets nasty, are reasonably quiet, yet achieve 25-30 m.p.g. I know there are many exhaust/emission related reasons why diesel-powered vehicles by these makers are not sold here. I still cannot fathom why, for example, Toyota or Land Rover cannot perceive and act on the potential market here in the United States. How much does it cost a company to obtain E.P.A. certification? Is there something that I do not understand?
— Stephen Asher
Q. Looking ahead, do you see diesel getting a significant share of the U.S.auto market? And, for those of us odd or nuts enough to have owned Peugeotsand Alfa Romeos (but never at the same time), do you think P.S.A. will everreturn to the US market?
— Larry Dietz, Santa Monica, Calif.
Q. While I'm glad BMW is finally bringing diesels back to North America, why the 335d for car lovers instead of a 1 Series that would get substantially better mileage — up to 60 miles per imperial gallon?Also, why no 1 Series hatchback option for North American car buyers (read: Canadians)? I love the styling!
— Garey G. Ris, Ottawa, Ontario
Q. I've been pining for a TDI Jetta wagon, or even better, a diesel Volvo V50 like those available in Europe. Any sense whether cars like this are ever going to hit the U.S. market? It's reallyfrustrating to rent great cars in Europe and not have the option to buy them in the United States!
— Rosalind Remer
Q. In the 1980s, I bought two Isuzu diesel autos, a pickup and a sedanpowered by a four-cylinder diesel engine. The engine never failed me and also was very good on m.p.g. Why don't they bring back the four-cylinder diesel engine?
— Jim Kirwan
Q. Is diesel a better solution over hybrids?
— Amy Selich-Basualdo, Weston, Fla.
A. I'm genuinely impressed by the number of questions I've received this week about diesels. (Those above are just a sampling.) I'll try to keep my response to the point, because there is so much ground that could becovered. (Look for a special issue on diesel technology in The Times before long, which should provide more detailed answers to these questions, and to others.)
First, as noted previously, diesel engines are more efficient than gasoline engines. Because they get better mileage (perhaps 25 percent better, to generalize) they also produce less carbon dioxide, the primary greenhouse gas, and thus contribute less to global warming.
On the downside, they tend to produce more of the tailpipe emissions that cause smog, as you know if you've followed an older smoke-belching diesel bus. Diesel engines also got a bad rap in America in large part because some companies (I'm talking to you, General Motors) produced some nasty, unreliable diesel cars in the 1970s and '80s.
But much has changed since then. New engine designs have made diesels quieter, smoother and much cleaner. The latest ones are hardly distinguishable from a good gasoline engine, and they are still fuel misers. (Last month I drove a Euro-spec diesel Audi Q7 from New York to Detroit on a single tank of diesel fuel, and it was a thoroughly pleasantexperience.)
Until recently, when gas prices jumped, automakers didn't see much market here for diesels, though they developed them for foreign markets where demand has been strong and growing. (More than half of all car sales in Europe are now diesels, and in some segments diesel's share is nearly three-quarters.) But many of the European engines were not clean enough to meet U.S. standards. It's worth noting that Europe has valued fuel efficiency over low emissions, the opposite of the case (until recently) in the United States.
One hurdle to diesel sales here had been the high sulfur content of the diesel fuel sold in the United States. But in late 2006 low-sulfur fuel became mandatory for road vehicles, clearing a path for the latest advances in emission technology.
A few companies, especially Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen, offered up-to-date diesels in some states. But California's stricter rules have prevented the sale of diesels there — and in the dozen or so states, including New York, that adhere to California emission rules. Furthermore, more stringent federal regulations took effect for 2008, effectively halting diesel sales for a while.
But a new wave of cleaner diesels is now awaiting approval. These include engines developed by Mercedes, BMW, VW and Audi.
Honda, Nissan and Subaru have also announced plans to sell diesels here, and G.M. is developing diesel engines for cars, including Cadillacs.
In terms of regulation, a sticking point has been some companies' plan to keep their engines clean by injecting a substance called urea into the catalytic converter. The urea tanks would have to be periodically replenished, and if they were not, the engines would run dirty. Regulators have resisted this approach because it doesn't provide any assurance thatthe car owner would keep his or her engine in compliance. That debate goes on, but it seems likely that the hurdles will be overcome and that the latest diesel cars will be available for Americans to buy.
Why the Need for Speed?
Q. A lot of automotive coverage and advertising focuses on vehicles and practices that are unsafe, unaffordable, environmentally harmful and actually illegal — speeding being the most obvious, though not the only example. Viewed objectively, auto media are often no more socially redeeming than pornography.
And don't get me started about Nascar.
— Bob Bott, Calgary, Alberta
Q. The Times's auto coverage has driven me nuts for years. The Times focuses on luxury cars, S.U.V.'s, and performance vehicles but rarely covers, to the extent that would be helpful, cars for real people with real problems and real needs.
Don't even get me started on the lack of investigative journalism toward automakers and more important, road and highway safety, signage and improvements.
— J. Coates
Q. Are all your writers obsessed with acceleration? They seem to overweight this factor perhaps because the general public tends to have a lead foot. How about factoring a little green into this attribute as less here can be better and the vehicle is still very adequate when this is needed.
— Ren Klawson
A. Believe it or not, most of the auto writers for The Times aren't crazed speed demons with a stack of traffic citations in the center console. And if it sometimes seems that we overemphasize acceleration that is unfortunate. But among the most basic measurements of a vehicle's performance are 0-to-60 m.p.h. acceleration and 60-to-0 braking times, and that's why you see them cited so often. Just because we say that a BMW can reach 60 in 5.2 seconds doesn't mean we are urging everybody to go try it.
I won't deny that car enthusiasts tend to like to go fast; the people you see dawdling at 45 m.p.h. in the left-hand lane of the Interstate are probably not auto writers. But neither are the ones you see weaving back and forth, in and out of traffic, on an urban freeway. Good drivers know that smoothness counts for more than speed.
What even I find surprising is how environmental-minded many auto writers are. There's a lot of grousing during press days at auto shows about companies that try to pretend they are greener than are. And the extreme horsepower increases of recent years strike a lot of us as unwarranted; we should perhaps be making that clearer in what we write.
As for the cars that we feature, they do to a great extent reflect the interests of a very broad group of readers, from people who would like cars banished from the earth to hard-core enthusiasts who spend their weekends on racetracks and a lot of gradations in between. I just don't think it's possible to please all of these people all of the time.
We also want our pages to be entertaining. Most readers aren't in the market for a $1.5 million Bugatti, but a fair number are curious about what makes a car cost so much. (Keep in mind, too, that advanced technology and lightweight materials tend to show up first in expensive ultra-exotic automobiles, before trickling down market into the family sedans that most of us drive.)
That wraps it up for my week on Talk to the Newsroom. Thanks to all of you for the chance to have a conversation about the things you care about. I was overwhelmed by the number of questions that came in and how thoughtful and insightful (and sometimes critical) so many of them were. I wish I had the time to answer them all. If I didn't get to yours, it's not because I didn't want to. And I'll try to follow up on some by e-mail over the next week or two.
Don't forget to buckle up and drive safely.Continue reading the main story


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Kelly Obsourne Medium, Curly, Thick, Sophisticated, Party Hairstyle
Lea Michele Brunette Hairstyle with Highlights and Bangs
Lea Michele's hairstyle looks so sophisticated on naturally wavy hair. See how to get the look:
1. Right when you get out of the shower, towel off your hair and apply texturizing cream to damp hair.
2. Part your hair down the center, and blow dry hair using a diffuser to bring out your natural waves.
3. Apply a bit of styling wax to your fingertips, and use them to piece out your ends. Part your bangs down the middle and scatter them to either side.
Lea Michele Curly, Brunette Hairstyle with Bangs
Lea Michele's voluminous curls look gorgeous on medium length hair.
1. Spritz your roots with volumizing spray and flip your hair over to blow dry.
2. Once your hair is semi-dry, flip it back up and use a round brush to blow dry the rest for extra volume.
3. Curl all of your hair with a 1-inch curling iron. Mist all over with a tousling hairspray, and use your hands to gently fluff up your curls.
Selena Gomez Curly, Sophisticated, Black Hairstyle
Selena Gomez's full curls look so sophisticated. Steal her style:
1. Give damp hair a deep side part. Apply volumizing foam and let it air dry to bring out your natural texture.
2. Use a 1 1/2-inch curling iron to curl all of your hair, making sure you don't leave out any pieces of hair.
3. Mist your curls with anti-humidity hairspray and use your fingers to arrange them so they look full of volume.
Jessica Biel Curly Brunette Hairstyle with Highlights
Megan Fox Medium, Black, Romantic Hairstyle
Elizabeth Reaser Medium, Curly, Brunette Hairstyle
Jenna Fischer Medium, Romantic, Brunette Hairstyle with Highlights
Amy Adams Wavy, Romantic, Red Hairstyle
Kelly Rowland Sexy, Black, Curly Hairstyle
Selena Gomez Chic, Sophisticated Hairstyle with Braids and twists
Selena Gomez's voluminous side braid is a fun alternative to the French braid. See how to get the look:
1. Apply volumizing foam to your roots and slightly tease hair for some natural volume.
2. Gather your hair loosely to the side and braid it while angling it down over your shoulder.
3. Pull out a few pieces from the braid for a cute effect.
Jennifer Lopez Medium, Curly, Tousled Hairstyle
Emily Mortimer Romantic, Curly Hairstyle
1. Apply a dollop of volumizing foam to your palms and run it through your hair. Roughly blow dry hair using your hands for some texture.
2. Curl your hair loosely with a large barrel curling iron, leaving the ends out.
3. Create a side part, then take strands of hair from both sides of your head, twist them back and pin them down.
4. Mist with hairspray to finish. See More Emily Mortimer Hairstyles
Julia Roberts Curly Updo
1. Air dry curls with styling gel. The more still you are as they dry, the less frizz you'll have at the end (so lay off the dancing or trampoline-ing, OK?).
2. Use your hands to loosely rake hair back into a low ponytail and secure it with a clear elastic, then create a chignon or messy twisted knot and pin in place.
3. Use the pointy end of a rattail comb to coax out a few loose tendrils in front. See More Julia Roberts Hairstyles

subset: commoncrawl


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Underneath the colorful interface of Mac OS X is a powerful, complicated operating system based on BSD Unix. And Mac users of all kinds need help both in figuring out how to run OS X and in understanding how it worked and how to get the most out of it.
In late Summer 2002 Apple is expected to release a new version of OS X -- code-named "Jaguar" -- that will add some end user features (like iChat), and that will improve OS X's stability.
The second edition of Sams Teach Yourself Mac OS X in 24 Hours helps new users to understand how the new OS (different from the traditional Mac OS, as well as Windows) functions, and how to use it successfully. The book also explores how to use the native OS X applications that ship with the product.
Average Rating: Based on 0 Ratings
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Top Level Categories:
Desktop and Web Applications
Desktop and Web Applications > Operating Systems
Product > Mac OS X
Vendor > Apple


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Monday, 28. April 2014
From April 23rd to 27th the International Symposium on Singing in Music Education under the title "How can singing belong to everyone?" took place in Budapest. The symposium was organised by KÓTA - the Hungarian Association of Choirs and Orchestras in cooperation with the Liszt Academy in Budapest (which hosted the symposium in the beautifully renovated building) and is part of the project VOICE - Vision on Innovation in Choral Music in Europe, coordinated by the European Choral Association - Europa Cantat (ECA-EC).
A rich three-day programme looked at the role of singing in Music Education in different contexts through lectures, panel discussions, workshops and concerts.
The European Choral Association - Europa Cantat was represented through its President Gábor Móczár, the "motor" of the symposium, treasurer Koenraad the Meulder who presented the project "A Voice for Vocal Training" which is also part of VOICE, Board member Victoria Liedbergius, Secretary General Sonja Greiner and VOICE project manager Côme Ferrand Cooper who presented the Singing Europe research at the conference.
Secretary Sonja Greiner participated in the panel discussion on the Bonn Declaration, chaired by Simone Dudt, Secretary General of the European Music Council, explaining how this symposium was an outcome of the Bonn Declaration and the attempt to take it one step further.
In a session entitled "Lullabies of the World - an education project promoting singing with children ... and others" Sonja Greiner gave a lecture on the international collection of lullabies, a cooperation project with Carus-Verlag which includes a book with 50 lullabies from around the world, a CD with 24 selected lullabies recorded by professional musicians and the Website www.lullabiesoftheworld.org, financed through the VOICE project. You can download her Powerpoint presentation >> here and the script of her presentation >> here.
The presentations by the other speakers will be uploaded on the symposium website in the coming weeks - if you missed the symposium or its final session and would like to get a little humouristic overview on what happened during these three days in Budapest, you can download the dialogue between to random participants of the symposium, remembering what they saw and heard, as it was presented by Sonja Greiner and Lászlo Nemes in the final session.


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Quality Assurance
What We Offer?
Export Market?
Welcome to
About Us
Whenever avant-garde gun drilling machine, deep hole drilling machine, burnishing machine, deep hole boring machine, and other machinery are searched for, the range offered by Dezhou Guanlu Precision Machinery Co., Ltd, always tops the results. We are Dezhou (Shandong) based professional manufacturer, supplier and exporter of the Deep Hole Drilling Machine, Deep Hole Boring Machine, Deep Hole Honing Machine, Gun Drilling Machine, etc. and a vast series of accessories, for efficient and nonstop functioning of the machinery. Complete customization is also provided, to meet the specific demands of customers.
About our deep hole boring machine series, some deep hole boring machines can drill also, like T2120, T2125, T2150 deep hole drilling&boring machines. This kind of deep hole drilling and boring machine are specially used for oil industry, coal industry and hydralic industry. If the workpiece is solid bar, drill the workpiece first and then bore it or trepand it. If the workpiece is seamless tube, then you can use deep hole boring only. Our deep hole drilling and boring machines has manual type and CNC type. For blind hole and step holes, better choose the CNC types, so it can drill or bore the holes with higher accuracy, of course, if customer wants the economic model, manual type also can do the work.
Deep hole skiving roller and burnishing machine, this machine is an revolution in the hydraulic machining equipments area. It is mainly used for machining the hydralic cylinder holes, it is famous for high efficient and good surface result. So it is very popular in our market recently.
Deep hole honing machine is our mainly machine also. For the cool drawing steel tube, you can choose the deep hole honing machine to hone the deep holes.
We can also Tailor your machine to individual applications!
In order to equips suitable deep hole machine tools for our customers, we have workshop to manufacture the cutting tools and accessories. So customer can inform the exactly deep hole diameter and workpiece dimension, we can provide the cutting tools and accessories to them accordingly.
Why Doing Business With Us is Better?
We have a foremost position in the machinery industry, for design, development, engineering and manufacture of gun drilling machines, etc. They cover 2.5mm to 120mm diameter range with drilling levels up to 2000mm.
Download Brochure
DEZHOU GUANLU PRECISION MACHINERY CO., LTD. All Rights Reserved.


text:
Tervetuloa sivustollemme.
Voit tarkistaa saatavilla olevat tuotteet valitsemalla toisen maan tai tutustua yritystietoihin siirtymällä globaalille sivustollemme.
Increasing patient numbers and security risks, including patient elopement, wandering, and infant abduction, can complicate the important work hospitals undertake every day.
To amplify campus safety, healthcare facilities are turning to integrated wireless solutions such as radio frequency identification (RFID) and real-time location systems (RTLS). As a result, they are reaping four key rewards:
Integrated RFID/RTLS solutions can improve visitor management, right-size medical inventory, protect against theft, and boost employee efficiency and usage. When integrated into a healthcare facility's security, energy, building, and power applications, flexible RFID/RTLS technologies can help:
Most importantly, medical and operational staff, patients, and visitors can achieve peace of mind knowing that the facility is safe.


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Butterflies (more than 100 of them) filled the air at the Hartford Golf Club as 380 guests gathered for the Children's Charity Ball on January 19, 2013. The theme for the 14th annual gala was "Let the Sunshine In"what the Bridge tries to do in the lives of the children and families it serves. The golf club was decorated in shades of yellow, gold, coral, and orange.
Pratt & Whitney was once again the Presenting Sponsor for the event. Peter and Cynthia Gutermann, UTC Propulsion & Aerospace Systems, were the Honorary Chairs for the gala. Channel 3 TV personality, Scot Haney, was the host for the 12th year in a row, and "Shaded Soul Band" entertained guests until midnight.


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We are using cookies to improve our website and your user experience. By using our website you accept our cookie policy. Read more.
If your skin is irritated, and possibly macerated, or if you've just undergone a dermatological procedure, you'll be in need of rapid, high-quality skin repair. Discover our Cicalfate range, with active ingredients that help repair skin.


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When you write about a graph or chart and use IELTS graph language, you need to be flexible with the data you describe.
You will achieve a higher score if you are able to show that you can use a variety of vocabulary.
This sample pie chart lesson shows how a mix of language is used.
The quizzes on the following pages are designed so that you can improve your flexibiliy or test what you know from your own knowledge.
Drag and drop the box on the right underneath the box on the left that you think means the same thing.
If it is wrong, it will show up in red. You will then need to drag it back and try again.
Intro Lesson:
How to Write an IELTS Writing Task 1
Lesson 1:
Describing a Graph Over Time
Lesson 2:
Describing an IELTS Pie Chart
Lesson 3:
Describing an IELTS Process
Lesson 4:
Describing two graphs together
Lesson 5:
Common Language of Change
Lesson 6:
Common Language to Compare and Contrast
Lesson 7:
A Common Mistake
Lesson 8:
Describing Tables
Lesson 9:
Organizing your answer
Lesson 10:
Using Prepositions
Lesson 11:
Describing the future
Lesson 12:
Organising an IELTS Line Graph
Lesson 1:
Opening and Closing a Letter


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Most the time actually, the simple things are the best, and that's the case here, with this charmingly retro identity for, Vanilla, a tiny little East Berlin coffee shop.The soft pink and blue gives the interior a splendidly retro vibe that, along with some vintage feeling fixtures and fittings, gives the coffee shop are rather nice 50s milk bar feel that, for us at least, is particularly inviting and decidedly unpretentious…yummy and lush lush !!
Phone number: phone number: 0157 7134 0333


text: Ben writes: "While it starts off simple, eventually becoming devilishly complex, every step of the way you'll feel like you're in control of the most magnificent fireworks show known to man. Gloriously cacophonic, Dyad might just be the freshest thing I've played in quite some time. That alone feels deserving of praise."


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Hawaii Vacation Condos by Outrigger
Kauai Condominiums
Local Attractions
A Lush, Bountiful Landscape Of Kauai Activities And Natural Treasures
Escape to the oldest of Hawaii's major islands, and you will soon discover why
- the Garden Isle - is becoming more beautiful with age. To this day, many portions of its fertile landscape are so majestic - so wild and utterly beautiful - that they cannot be tamed. Experience the full spectrum of Kauai activities, as varied as the terrain itself. Hike the Alakai Swamp Trail - where rainforest mud bogs, rainbow - hooded valleys, and Hawaii's rarest trees and birds await. Drift idly down the Wailua River to Fern Grotto, where a soft drapery of feather-leafed vegetation scales the walls of a shallow cave. Descend into the river-cut gorge of Waimea Canyon, nicknamed the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific" for its spectacular views and vivid hues. Or explore the popular resort area of Poipu, home of the famed Moir Gardens and sun-drenched beaches. Depend on the Hawaii Vacation Condos by Outrigger to bring you within reach the most stunningly beautiful, engaging, and fun things to do in Kauai.
Alekoko / Menehune Fish Pond
Allerton and Lawai Gardens
Cook's Landing
Fern Grotto
Guava Kai Plantation
Haena State Park
Halemanu-Kokee Trail
Hanalei Beach
Hanalei Valley
Holoholoku Heiau
Iliau Nature Loop at Waimea Canyon
Kalalau Lookout
Kauai Museum
Kauai Zoological Garden
Keahua Forestry Arboretum Trail
Kee Beach
Kilauea Lighthouse
Kilauea Point Hike
Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge
Kilohana Plantation
Kokee Natural History Museum
Kokee State Park
Limahuli Gardens
Lumahai Beach
Menehune Ditch
Mount Waialeale
Na Pali Coast State Park
Old Koloa Town
Olu Pua Botanical Gardens and Plantation Estate
Opaekaa Falls
Polihale State Park
Prince Kuhio's Birthplace
Russian Fort Elizabeth State Historical Park
Salt Pond Beach Park
Sleeping Giant
Smith's Tropical
Spouting Horn
Waiakapalae and Waiakanaloa Wet Caves
Wailua Falls
Wailua River State Park
Waimea Canyon State Park
Hawaiian Music
- Hawaii Guide
Shipping to Hawaii
Alohaforever Hawaii Weddings
- Affordable Hawaii Wedding Packages.
Bike Hawaii Adventures
Aloha Apparel Hawaiian Shirts & Fun Hawaii Products
- Offering attractive Hawaiian Clothing from Hawaii.
Kauai Hawaii
- Information on Kauai Hawaii including Hanalei, Kapaa, Kilauea, Lihue, Na Pali Coast, Poipu, Princeville, Wailua, and Waimea Canyon State Park.
Kauai Wedding and Honeymoon Coordination
Kauai Wedding Flowers
Blue Dolphin Charters
- Kauai Boat Tours
On Kauai, reality is more wonderful than fantasy, which is precisely why so many filmmakers have chosen this island to characterize their visions of perfection - from the lush rainforests depicted in Raiders of the Lost Ark and Jurassic Park to the magnificent beaches portrayed in Blue Hawaii. Look to the Hawaii Vacation Condos by Outrigger to connect you with the Kauai attractions you seek most, with an island location that's just for you.
Click here for our Kauai Vacation Condos & Getaways.
Outrigger Kauai Condominiums
Toll-Free (U.S., Guam & Canada): 888-200-9982
Worldwide direct: 303-369-7777
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Choosing where to stay can be your most important vacation decision. Outrigger guest services and on-site amenities ensure a comfortable and worry-free stay.
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All units offer kitchens
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Helpful staff familiar with local events and attractions
Restaurants, shops, golf, and beaches nearby
Condo units in the same location can be managed by different companies, and not all offer the same services. Be confident that you've made the right choice. Book a Hawaii Vacation Condo by Outrigger.
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Hawaii Vacation Condos by Outrigger
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VIDEO: This Japanese gum commercial will make you say "WTH"
I came across this Japanese commercial for a chewing gum brand Gumi Gum, and I just don't understand it. There's a guy with a giant gum hat on his head on a beach lounging with half his body in a Great White Shark.
During the whole commercial this shark is just chewing on his body and the guy is speaking as if he's completely over and bored with the situation.
But then this lady comes out of nowhere, and pets the shark (supposedly saying it's her pet), while in the background two bikini clad girls just watching like it's no big deal. Yes, because everyday on the beach someone is just lounging while being chewed by a shark!
But then all of a sudden the lady is being chewed by her own shark and she's laughing. Seriously wth is this commercial? It's so weird and funny but umm (o_0)
Just watch this Gumi Gum shark commercial for yourself:
KrisE! @K_Kisses_KrisE


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February 17, 2014 in Promotions
And the winner is…
CONGRATULATIONS to Melissa Hutchings. Melissa is the lucky winner in our Christmas Facebook promotion.
Just for liking the P-Trap Plumbing page on Facebook, Melissa has won a double pass to Village Gold Class Cinemas including a $50 voucher toward food and drink.
Keep an eye out for our next promotion…we're working hard on a community sponsorship…details to follow!


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Jon ``Hulk`` Hoch knows he`s too small to be a pro wrestler, so the 155-pound Thornton Fractional South strong safety, who wants to be a
sportswriter, is writing a new chapter on the football field each week.
Hoch, who says his sports heroes are wrestlers Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan, spent Saturday afternoon pinning Hillcrest tailback Steve Cowan as the T.F. South Rebels posted their fifth consecutive shutout, a 16-0 victory over the host Hawks, to vault into first place in SICA Central with a 4-0 record.