My 1st (Turbo) Diesel Car (Warning Photos)

[N@Z 0]

Woo Hoo! You may indeed! VDU meters! LOL! Sweet.

 

It plays mp3s now! Saw that a couple of years back somewhere, not sure if it was a Panasonic as well. IIRC last time they were concerned about the tube's long term reliability being in a mobile & temperature variable condition. Not to mention the time taken for the system to warm up. Got the link for that?

[Goondu 0]

Well it is avialable only in Japan and US

If you can read Jap,

 

Panasonic Jap page

 

The company selling it is Audio Cubes

 

Audio cubes

 

Features

 

Panasonic B-flat Tube CQ-TX5500D is the world's first car receiver with a built-in vacuum tube

Another break-through by the electronics giant's in 2003 in search of excellence in sound

Ultra high quality amp section with separation in both signal and power for pure sound quality enhancement

Corresponds to CD, CD-R, CD-RW, and MP3s

45W״ch high quality output

2 pre- out

BASS/TRE adjustments

CD text

Aux In

FM diver

Direct memory

Automatic pre-setting memory

 

Cost : USD929!

[N@Z 0]

Little update, taken the Mondie's mileage over 5,000kms in just under 2 months. I love being able to trundle along at just above 1,500rpm without nary a hiccup from the engine & drivetrain.

 

So far I managed to do an averaged fuel consumption of between 36mpg (heavy right foot) & 47mpg (with more highway restrained mileage). I still can't seem to break over the +50mpg claimed fuel efficiency but that may be my driving style & conditions (mixed town & highway) than anything else.

[arj 0]

Naz, you make me to wonder... You must be driving while taking this photo!!!!!!...

 

But i see you have two figure there one say 5030 and the other 5380, which one is the real car mileage.

[sigma 0]

5380 is the total mileage, while 503.0 is the mileage for the current trip.

 

I think.

[N@Z 0]

Correct sigma.

 

arj, not to condone this picture taking business while driving but as you can see my actual road speed was fairly slow, I beileve I was not even in 5th gear yet. The road at the time was very straight, no other road users were there & I placed the camera on the steering wheel with on hand to operate the shutter & the other holding the steering wheel. Hence the slightly hazy look.

[arj 0]

[evo 0]

looks like sg may get diesel cars, can start having a list of high performance diesel cars...

 

http://www.straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/singa...6754340,00.html?

 

OCT 2, 2004

Govt set to review tax policy for diesel vehicles

By Christopher Tan

 

AFTER resisting the idea for more than 30 years, the Government is revisiting the policy on diesel passenger vehicles, which have been growing in popularity the world over because of their cleanliness, economy and power.

 

But drivers wanting the latest sporty turbo-diesel vehicle may have to wait up to a year for details of new rules.

 

Currently, owners of diesel cars pay an annual road tax that is seven times that of equivalent petrol vehicles under a rule introduced in 1971, when diesel cars were sooty and noisy.

 

Despite the leaps in advancement diesel engines have made, a car like the Mercedes-Benz E220CDI carries a road tax of $12,404 a year here, versus $1,772 if it were petrol-driven.

 

As a result, out of more than 405,000 passenger cars in Singapore, fewer than 20 are diesel models, Land Transport Authority data shows.

 

The Straits Times understands that studies on the impact on tax revenue loss have already been undertaken. Diesel, unlike petrol, is duty-free.

 

If people switch, the state stands to forgo some of the $390 million it collects a year in petrol duty, second only to what it collects in tobacco tariffs.

 

Hence, the Finance Ministry is involved in the review, which is spearheaded by the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources (MEWR) and its statutory board, the National Environment Agency.

 

When asked for details, an MEWR spokesman would say only that the 'Ministry of Finance and the MEWR will look into the annual tax on diesel vehicles as part of its regular policy review'.

 

Representatives of European carmakers like Mercedes-Benz and BMW, which have a strong diesel line-up, have been lobbying for the diesel cause for years, sources say. Over the last few years, these manufacturers have introduced diesel models to predominantly petrol-driven markets in the Asia-Pacific.

 

A spokesman for DaimlerChrysler South-east Asia, Ms Katherine Goh, said the response has been positive. 'The Mercedes E220CDI was introduced in Thailand three years ago and it has become one of the most successful models in the E-class segment,' she said. 'It makes up more than 30 per cent of E-class sales there.'

 

Advocates reckon modern diesel vehicles will have an insignificant impact on air quality, and say assertions that diesel exhaust is more harmful than petrol are unwarranted.

 

'If you're talking about fine particulates, which the anti-diesel party keeps harping on, just look at the haze and other major causes,' one said.

 

The topic is not unique to Singapore. In Britain, for instance, the authorities have not yet been able to come out with policies regarding particulates because of inconclusive findings. The German government, on the other hand, found after an extensive study that diesel emissions had 10 times the cancer-causing potential of petrol exhaust.

 

However, it also discovered that if diesel vehicles were fitted with particulate filters - which modern models have - their exhaust becomes no more carcinogenic than petrol emissions. Diesel emissions, too, contain much less greenhouse gases, a main contributor to global warming. Today, nearly half of all new cars sold in Europe are diesel versions.

 

In Singapore, Motor Traders Association vice-president Michael Wong described the current diesel tax regime as ridiculously prohibitive. 'The diesel surcharge does nothing to control car population,' he added. 'For that, we already have the COE system, which is an absolute control. And from an environmental standpoint, the newer diesels are clean.'

 

Businessman and car enthusiast Koo Wee Leng, 33, argues that environmental concerns can be easily addressed with more stringent exhaust standards. 'In Europe, the emission standards are much higher, and the diesel vehicles there have exhaust traps to remove particulates,' he observed.

 

The MEWR spokesman, though, defended the current 33-year-old policy, saying: 'While Euro 4 standards will improve the emissions of diesel vehicles, these still emit higher particulate matter and other pollutants than petrol vehicles.'

 

 

[N@Z 0]

Good news, I can probably finally get spareparts for my Mondeo's TDDi engine rather than just vehicle parts alone!

 

I do note some inaccuracies in the said article:

 

However, it also discovered that if diesel vehicles were fitted with particulate filters - which modern models have - their exhaust becomes no more carcinogenic than petrol emissions.

Actually they are already less carcinogenic than petrol emissions. The particulate filters's other main job is to reduce the smoke particles in exhaust gases. Dirty diesels exhaust means the owner idles the car unecessarily, the tuning is running too rich (fuel) or the servicing is extended over the recommended intervals.

 

The MEWR spokesman, though, defended the current 33-year-old policy, saying: 'While Euro 4 standards will improve the emissions of diesel vehicles, these still emit higher particulate matter and other pollutants than petrol vehicles.'

The MEWR spokesman is only correct on one count, the particulate matter will be greater than petrol BUT the pollutant (carcinogenic) emissions are higher in petrols than diesels. Assuming we are consistently comparing modern diesel & petrol engines. Not normal passenger cars with buses/trucks.

 

It's the mindset, I'm not Pro Diesel, I still a petrolhead at heart (there are some very good & clean petrols out there - but there will be compromises elsewhere). The old arguments made now are no longer justifiable/valid.

[Rameish 0]

Except for one N@Z, the loss of revenue which I suspect is the only reason

[Transworld 0]

If your bonnet have a openning like Subaru Legagcy GT that will be an extra beauty.

[N@Z 0]

No much point since the intercooler is located at bumper level!

[Q00 0]

I wonder if Brunei has a customizing shop like the reknowned West Coast Customs in MTV's "Pimp My Ride"....

 

 

"Mtv PLEASE pimp my ride..."

[N@Z 0]

Nowhere near like that! Plus we can't get away with it without the authorities hassling us all the time (not that I ever want to make my car look like that!). If the original manufacturer didn't make it, don't even dream of putting it on.

 

Queue music to "Lo rider".

[evo 0]

quite true, not everyone wants to make their car into a Beng car

 

neon lights below the chassis, garish body colour, suspension so low it spoils the ride, wings more destined for the JGTC etc

 

i quite like the concept of a wolf in sheep's clothing...

 

another thought just came through, not much news of the release of the focus cosworth