** 70 miles / charge at 60 mph** New Fiat e500 now available

[masmdu]

http://www.autobloggreen.com/2008/07/23/fiat-e500-to-electrify-the-british-international-motor-show/

Li/Ion Batteries and only available in UK...Bring these things here already!!!! I'd buy!

[AndyA]

1. One accident with an SUV, and you're toast.

Those little cars just don't offer any protection.

I'm tall, and don't really "fit" in them anyway, but I would be terrified of all the soccer moms in Escalades talking on a cell phone and rushing to get to their next destination. (Lots of that type of driver today.)

I would say your chances of dying in an accident in a little car go up greatly.

[XNASA]

10. On the other hand....

You're chances of avoiding an accident altogether are much better when you're in a car that can accelerate, brake and handle better than a large SUV.

Besides, to say that little cars don't offer any protection is a generalization. I drive a Mazda3, which is based on the Volvo S40. Both cars receive stellar safety ratings.

[AndyA]

13. There won't be much left of you or your car if an inattentive driver

in an Escalade T-bones you at 40 mph. Little cars just don't have the real estate to provide protection. Often there isn't time to react, either, and little cars often have little engines that strain to get up to speed quickly. I lost a good friend in an accident where he was hit on the passenger's side while driving an Acura coupe. The Ford truck that hit him wasn't speeding, but ran a red light.

My friend died at the scene. The Acura, which was supposed to be a good car, offered almost no protection. I was shocked that it crumpled so badly. I would have thought the driver would have been safe in an accident where the impact was on the passenger side.

Good luck to you, I'll keep my bigger car in today's world of rude, inattentive, stressed out drivers.

[bean fidhleir]

15. So let's *ban* big SUVs. That would solve *several* problems. (nt)

[AndyA]

21. Good luck with that. n/m

[unpossibles]

16. so should we all drive tanks then?

as a scooter rider, this would give me more protection. How about we just try to make people pay attention more when they're driving?

[AndyA]

19. You figure out how to do that, and let me know.

In today's world, size is a security blanket.

[unpossibles]

22. but it's not only a false one, but one which costs lives

Many SUVs are not any safer than a car, just more dangerous for others. The buyers are told they're safer because those vehicles have better profit margins. It's marketing.

As for making people pay attention, what about stiffer penalties for not doing so?

Also, I ride motorcycles and most of the accidents my friends have been in involved SUV drivers.

[Indenturedebtor]

30. Actually SUV's are not very safe. They like to flip over

Though the fact that they're typically driven by overconfident muppets probably has a lot to do with their not so stellar safety record.

[Javaman]

32. So how much does it cost you to fill your tank?

Oh and just for grins...

http://www.onlinelawyersource.com/suv/accident-statistics.html

Sports utility vehicle accident statistics show that SUVs are three times more likely to rollover in a single vehicle accident than any other car on the road. Of all vehicle accidents, rollover crashes are among the most fatal. Sports utility vehicle accident statistics comprise only three percent of the total number of accidents, yet three times that number of SUVs is involved in fatal rollover accidents. Sixty three percent of all SUV deaths and 46 percent of all SUV injuries are the result of rollover every year.

and...

http://www.drivers.com/article/513/

More than 12,000 people have been killed in SUV rollovers since the first SUV hit the road nearly two decades ago. Yet Congress ignored the dangers of SUVs until the fall of 2000, when it began a series of hearings that focused solely on deaths and injuries related to faulty Firestone tires mounted on Ford Explorers. Nearly forty times as many people have died in SUV accidents unrelated to tire failure.

and last but not least...

http://www.georgia.gov/00/article/0,2086,5426814_39039081_38820612,00.html

In 2006 SUVs had the highest occupant fatality rate of any vehicle type in rollover crashes at 7.77 per 100,000 registered vehicles. This compares with 6.98 for pickup trucks, 3.10 for vans and 3.18 for passenger cars. (Insurance Information Institute)

[AndyA]

34. Rollover crashes - which are due (usually) to tire failure.

Which is usually due to inflation issues.

In normal street accidents where tire failure isn't to blame, I'll still take my chances on the SUV over a little car.

The SUV isn't mine, just one of the household vehicles. I think the most so far has been $60-65, but I live in Tulsa where the most we've paid for regular has been $3.99. It may have gone over $4 for a week or two, but I've never paid that much.

[Javaman]

39. Wrong.

http://mb-soft.com/public/rollover.html

The reasons why SUV rollover accidents happen so often are simple High School Physics. With a high center-of-gravity and a comparatively narrow track, such vehicles are relatively unstable as a natural fact. Unless either the track is greatly widened or the center-of-gravity lowered, the situation cannot be improved.

plus, I don't know where you learned math but...

http://www.essortment.com/home/suvbuyersguide_sdlo.htm

An average size SUV will have a fuel tank with a capacity in the range of 22.5 gallons when full. Using an historical value for fuel at $1.50 per gallon, filling your tank from empty will cost $33.75. Several months later the oil commodities market experiences a wild fluctuation based on OPEC output estimates and fuel prices rise to $2.20 per gallon. It will then cost $49.50 to fill the same fuel tank.

so 22.5 gallons x 3.99 = $89.75

[AndyA]

42. I'll still take my chances in a larger vehicle in an accident.

Vehicle body style, size, and fatality risk: Important characteristics of vehicles that influence their driver death rates are type, body style, size, and weight. Within virtually every group of vehicles, the smaller and lighter models have the higher rates. Among cars, for example, the smallest two door models had the highest death rate at 190 per million vehicle years. This rate is more than twice as high as the average for all vehicles included in the study.

And where did I say the gas tank was EMPTY when it was filled it up?

You assume a lot.

It's best to not let tanks get completely empty before filling up, for many reasons.

[Javaman]

51. LOL

so let's say you "fill" you tank once every week because it's half full. that only means at the rate of rising prices of gas, you are actually paying more. LOL

if gas is 3.99 one week, then the following week it's 4.05, then because you are going to the station more often, you are paying more at the pump. LOL

and just because you fill you tank at half full, doesn't mean you still aren't paying the full 90 bucks to fill it up.

Your logic is simply blinding. LOL

have fun driving your behemoth gas sucker. it's people like you that are self centered are why we are in such a mess with global warming and running out of oil. "it's all about me, screw the rest" nice motto, sounds like you live by it.

and because of your bizarre sense of logic and self entitlement, you are now blocked and your no doubt witty retort will go unread by me. Oh shaw...

[DireStrike]

54. Actually it's better to make repeated small buys

Picture hyperinflation. The quicker the price rises, the more likely the store owner is to raise prices more frequently. If the price rose a thousand dollars a day, he'd have somebody out there changing the price tags every hour. When people got their paychecks, they would run to the store to get rid of the cash as quickly as possible.

So from an inflation/rising price point of view it's better to get rid of as much cash as possible as quickly as possible, rather than wait and give the prices as much chance to rise before paying again.

HOWEVER, you are buying the exact same amount (of gas.) Disregarding what happens to your car when the tank is extremely low, it doesn't matter if you buy half a tank every week or a full tank every two weeks. It's the same amount.

Personally I plan to do my part with smaller cars to get the giants off the road, and save money doing it.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

36. "security blanket"

i.e. something that makes small children feel safe even though it really doesn't.

[Dr.Phool]

46. If I was that scared, I'd stay under the bed.

I have a Prius AND a Harley Davidson. And, I'm used to dodging assholes in SUV's when I'm riding the hawg.

[XNASA]

17. We all know someone who's been badly hurt in an accident.

Sorry about your friend, but it doesn't make you an expert.

Do you mean to say that you are never a pedestrian? A bicyclist either? Neither of those offer any protection against large vehicles. Should we ban walking down the street because an inattentive driver in a large vehicle might jump the curb and run someone down?

Here's a better idea. Let's hold bad drivers accountable.

[AndyA]

20. I never said I was an expert.

But ask yourself: given the choice of a big SUV or a little compact car, which one would you want to be in if you knew you were going to be in an accident?

Your chances of survival are better in the SUV. (And for the record, my household has an SUV, but it's not my car.)

[XNASA]

24. It depends.

According to Consumer Reports the Infiniti G35, BMW 7 Series and Audi A4 occupy 3 of the top 5 spots for "lowest rates of driver deaths", between 11 and 14 deaths per million registered vehicles. None of those is a large SUV. The Chevy Blazer is the vehicle with the highest rate of driver death. 232 per million registed vehicles. It is an SUV.

The Ford Excursion? 115 deaths per million registed vehicles.

I'd gladly take my chances in an A4.

[27inCali]

38. I'm willing to risk my life a little more

to be part of the solution that hopefully gives future generations a chance to live in a world with breathable air.

I drive a Mazda Miata, one of the most diminuative cars you can get hold of, and I have had a few experiences with stupid soccer moms not using their blinker etc., but really, little cars can juke like you can't believe and that feature has saved my ass more than once.

[Lorien]

47. I agree completely. As things stand now, OUR generation is at risk

of losing our home. And as far as your Miata is concerned; none of my friends who own really small cars have been in serious accidents, but most of my SUV owning friends have. I think this is because A). small car drivers drive more defensively and B). small cars move faster and there's less of them to hit!

[LeftHander]

12. I don't WANT a suv, pickup, big sedan or mini-van DAMMIT!! nt

[AndyA]

14. No one told you it was mandatory.

:shrug:

But safety comes at a price. I've seen too many fatality accidents involving little cars. If everyone drove them, that would be another story. But everyone doesn't.

[LSK]

26. what do you do for a living??? I have never seen a fatal accident?

:shrug:

[AndyA]

33. Be glad that you've never been about 5 minutes behind a friend who

was just killed in an accident. It's not something you want to remember, but you never forget it...

[Lorien]

45. I saw a fatal accident once. The person killed was a passanger in an SUV

the SUV was broadsided by a sedan when it was making a turn (the sedan was going about 50 mph). The young man who was killed had the side of his head go through his door window. It looked like he was wearing a seatbelt.

I've also seen three rollover accidents here in central Florida. Each involved an SUV. Their safety records aren't even as good as those of a mini Cooper.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

35. Yet SUVs aren't safer than small cars.

There goes that argument.

[NashVegas]

37. There Won't Be So Many Left On the Road

The people who set the trends, and they'll be driving very high MPG cars.

[alfredo]

40. It's not the size, it is how it is engineered. Look at this crash test of

a smart car.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ju6t-yyoU8s

Keep in mind that the cars are hitting a concrete barrier at 70 mph.

[exothermic]

2. Nope. It's 102 degrees in the shade here.

;-)

[SharonRB]

3. Cute!

Reminds me a lot of my smart car.

[masmdu]

7. Gas or Electric? What kind of mileage do you get?

[SharonRB]

29. Gas

I get between 35 and 41, typically in the 37-39 range combined city and highway.

[Vilis Veritas]

4. Sweet.

I wish our government would get off their lazy asses....

saddlesore

[rucky]

5. You know what FIAT stands for?

Fix It Again, Tony.

[tridim]

9. I've owned Fiats since I was 15, and that joke is so lame.

All cars of the Fiat-in-America era (the mid 60's to late-mid 80's) are just about the same level of reliability.

I still have a 30 year old Spider, and in the 8 years I've owned it, it's never been in the shop. I have had to change points and plugs, just like any car of the era.

[snooper2]

25. Really, no problems in 8 years..

So I guess it sit's in your garage and gets about 200 miles a year put on it :rofl:

Oh, I had a 78' 124

[tridim]

27. It was a daily driver for 4 of those 8 years.

Now it sits most of the time because I can't afford gas. I put gas in the Honda instead.

[LanternWaste]

28. Some damnably clever pre-teens out there coming up with this stuff...

yeah... and FORD is Found On Road Dead, and ADIDAS is All Day I Dream Of Sex, and on and on and on. Some damnably clever pre-teens out there coming up with this stuff...

But when people begin using them as a buying guide... well, doesn't say much for the adults.

[jobycom]

6. Wow. Like having your own private little Vegas strip.

[Marblehead]

8. looks good

nice city car, we need these here...

[Gabi Hayes]

11. manly americans don't want TOYS!

funny thing, in a few years that'll be just about all that's available to the third worlders that the great mass of americans will have become

most of them will be driving the same sort of cars Cubans drive now

new car dealerships will have gone the way of Burma Shave signs, except for the lucky, wealthy one tenth of one tenth of one percent

just wait

this is what I'm talking about

see?

http://www.google.com/search?q=car+dealerships+cuban&btnG=Search&hl=en&sa=2

[unpossibles]

18. small cars are not toys, and many people do want them

jeez. I've ridden bicycles, scooters, small cars, and small trucks and do not consider them toys, I consider them economical and responsible.

[IDemo]

23. It's a "Micro Vette"?

I thought this was a micro-Vette:

[Ezlivin]

31. Opal GT

A good friend of mine in high school had one. It was a very nice car, but we all lusted after the Sunbeam Tiger (with a 289 cubic inch V8):

http://images.mustangandfords.com/featuredvehicles/mufp_0707_02_z+1965_sunbeam_tiger_Mk1+rear.jpg

[IDemo]

44. Wow, you're old

Oh wait a minute, so am I. :hi:

[hogwyld]

41. Geee, tell me again why

the big 3 are bankrupt? I'll be glad for the day they're gone, and we outlaw SUV's.

[salguine]

43. It's probably $75,000.

[Kaleko]

48. Very cute.

In London and Paris, even multi-millionaires often drive tiny cars like Austin Minis.

[1]

49. if it's only available in the uk, why is the steering wheel on the wrong side? n/t.

[Blue Belle]

50. I like it.

I would gladly trade my leaky, gas-gulping, SUV in on something like that.

[alfredo]

52. I bet we start seeing more Euro cars.

Check these out.

http://www.greencarsite.co.uk/index.htm






Pininfarina Electric Car.
Elegant as usual for a car out of this design house. Expected in the US in 2010
http://www.greencarsite.co.uk/GREENNEWS/pininfarina-electric-car.htm

[alfredo]

53. Ford has made it official. They are retooling to build some of their Euro

line of cars and truck here in the US.

http://money.cnn.com/2008/07/24/news/companies/ford/index.htm?postversion=2008072407

The Ford Fiesta to return?