Third Gear is Better than Coffee
There are plenty of hills and curves between our home and where our church meets in Windsor, Ohio. Because of that, I have learned to shift the automatic transmission of our Honda Odyssey into lower gears when necessary. This helps to maintain the proper speed limit in some of these little towns with low speed limits on hills. This morning I must have shifted the Jag into third gear on Jackson Street before getting onto the entrance ramp to Rt. 44. Note that this is my daily thrill on an otherwise boring trip from Painesville to Willoughby. I usually accelerate quickly onto the highway until I hit the speed limit and then drive the rest of the way in peace. This morning, things were a little different. With the transmission in third gear, the car leaped forward and the tach almost redlined before I got onto the highway. Yowza! That certainly got my attention!
Portable Charging Pavilion
Have you ever wondered what would happen if your electric car ran out of power twenty miles away from the nearest town? According to NYDailyNews.com, the problem has been solved by Alvin Huang with his portable charging station called Pure Tension Pavilion. Designed to be used with the European diesel hybrid Volvo V60, the entire structure can be collapsed small enough to fit into the trunk of the wagon. Pretty and amazing.
Should Mercedes-Benz build the MLC-Class?
According to Car & Driver, Mercedes-Benz executives have given the go-ahead to build the MLC-CLass. It is supposed to compete with the BMW X6. But with odd looks and proportions, should Mercedes-Benz produce a vehicle like this? Every time we get a used Acura ZDX or Infiniti QX70, it sits on the lot for a long time. Very few people like the squashed SUV look. So, why invest the time into something like this? It doesn’t make much sense to me.