Traffic and Safety
Gas Pains: Mileage Myths and Misconceptions – Feature – Auto Reviews – Car and Driver
September 12, 2011 | 
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Read more Gas Pains coverage: Quickie quiz: True or false?
A. Lukewarm water freezes more quickly than cold water.
B. Penguins inhabit the North Pole.
C. Noodles were invented in Italy.
Fooled you on at least one, right? All of the statements are false even if they sound as though they could be true. There are a lot of popular conceptions—and misconceptions—about fuel economy as well. Some of them involve common sense, such as keeping your tires properly inflated, whereas others are myths that people accept as the truth. Because fuel efficiency is the new cause clbre in the automotive world, we decided to test a few fuel-saving and/or fuel-sapping situations to see just how much of a difference these tactics can make.
Our test scenario was to drive around a 2.5-mile oval at steady speeds (35, 55, and 75 mph) and measure fuel economy from the vehicle’s OBD II data port. We repeated the circuits under a variety of conditions (cargo added, windows down, etc.) and compared the results. Each test involved just one vehicle, so the numbers you see here aren’t exactly cast in stone. But our findings do give us a good idea about the degree of effect that each situation has on fuel economy—the results may vary for different types of vehicles, but the general trends should be similar.
Article source: http://www.caranddriver.com/features/08q4/gas_pains_mileage_myths_and_misconceptions-feature
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2004 Audi TT 3.2 Quattro – First Drive Review – Auto Reviews – Car and Driver
Audi’s goal is to become the sportiest brand in the premium segment. Sportier than Mercedes. Sportier than Jaguar. Get this: even sportier than BMW.
Impossible, you say?
Au contraire . Just look at the two sports-sedan comparison tests in this issue ("
," and "
"), in which both the RS 6 and the S4 hammered the competition. Audi whipped them all: the supercharged duo from Mercedes—the E55 AMG and the C32 AMG—and the benchmarks from BMW, the M5 and the M3. Not since Le Mans have we seen such Audi dominance.
It’s disconcerting, then, that Audi’s raciest model, the TT, is currently missing that dominant gene. Despite winning back-to-back 10Best trophies in 2000 and 2001, the TT’s winning streak is seemingly over. It’s fallen off the 10Best pedestal, and in its last comparo ("Hot Tin Roofs," December 2002), it got its fashionable butt kicked, finishing last behind the Honda S2000, the Ford Mustang Mach 1, and the Nissan 350Z. As the slowest and most expensive car in the group, the TT was like a piggy bank racing slot cars.
Come this fall, though, Audi will give the TT lineup a shot of testosterone in the form of the 3.2 Quattro, the first TT to be powered by a six-cylinder engine. Based on the 2.8-liter VR6 found in the VW GTI and Jetta, this new 3.2-liter V-6 is so thoroughly reworked that Audi claims it represents a new generation of the 15-degree, narrow-angle engine. Modifications include an increased bore and stroke, a redesigned intake system, a new cylinder head, higher-flow inlet and exhaust ports, and an 11.3:1 compression ratio. The result is 247 naturally aspirated horses at 6300 rpm and 236 pound-feet of torque from 2800 to 3200 rpm.
On the highways and curvy roads around Nice, France, the new V-6 backed up those numbers, justifying Audi’s decision to—as was the case with the S4—cram as much motor under the hood as possible. Compared with the current TT’s 225-hp, 1.8-liter turbo four-cylinder, the V-6 delivers its power more progressively and linearly, avoiding the dreaded turbo lag. Moreover, along with better throttle response, the V-6 enables a car that is easier and more enjoyable to drive fast.
And fast it is. Teamed with the new Direct-Shift Gearbox (see below), the ’04 TT feels quicker than its forebears. We have yet to animal it around a test track, although Audi claims a 0-to-62-mph time of 6.4 seconds, which feels a tad conservative even considering the TT’s rather portly curb weight of 3350 pounds. We project the 0-to-60 time to hover right around six seconds, especially since a 3438-pound, 225-hp TT roadster we tested (August 2000) reached 60 in 6.2 seconds. Top speed for the 3.2 Quattro is governed at 155 mph.
Article source: http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/car/03q2/2004_audi_tt_3.2_quattro-first_drive_review