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HONK

An ongoing cultural commentary through the lens of an automobile-centric
headspace.

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MOTORSPORTS SURVEY

August 7, 2020

I came across a thread in r/WEC today from a user claiming to be working for “an
ad company working on a project for a carmaker involved in motorsports” linking
a survey on Google Forms with some interesting prompts. I thought I'd briefly
share my own answers and encourage you to take it.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

How did you become a motorsports fan? Who or what influenced you?

I grew up around local dirt track stock car racing and my Dad always left NASCAR
races on the television. It wasn't until I discovered the World Endurance
Championship that I became a truly diligent fan, though.

What attributes or adjectives do you associate with motorsports? (e.g.
thrilling, boring, speed, danger, etc.)

captivating, challenging, engaging, humbling, unifying

Which car brands do you associate the most with motor racing?

Ferrari, Porsche, McLaren, Audi

Are you fan of a car brand in motorsports?

I let myself be very brand loyal to Aston Martin Racing.

How can motorsport stay relevant in the future and attract new fans?

I think the elements that make motorsport so fascinating are timeless, so I'm
sure some form of motorsport will always be around. As I understand it, many of
these elements are shared with athletic competition. The fans will come
regardless, but a continued effort to keep racing series modern should optimize
intake for everybody.

#motorsport


LE MANS IS GOING VIRTUAL (FINALLY)

June 11, 2020


WATCH A HISTORIC FIRST FIA-ENDORSED VIRTUAL 24 HOURS OF LE MANS COMPETITION WITH
ME THIS WEEKEND.

Every year since 2012, I have organized a watch party for the 24 Hours of Le
Mans – the legendary, grueling, uniquely-enchanting Superbowl of motorsports –
during which friends and I binge on stimulants to stay up for as much of the
4+-day race weekend as possible. Because of The Big Virus, this year's race has
been postponed until September 19-20. I was pretty upset about this until it was
announced last month that a virtual race would be held on the traditional
weekend this year. The competition is going to be hosted on rFactor 2 – a racing
simulator which I hadn't heard of (not that I'm all that up-to-date on simming,
mind you) – which supposedly will allow for a 50+ car grid, a dynamic day/night
cycle, and driver changes. (Very curious as to how that last one works.)





> @GTChannel @Motorsport @MotorsportEd <a
> href=“https://twitter.com/Ford?refsrc=twsrc%5Etfw”>@Ford @24hoursoflemans
> @ihgrewardsclub @FIAWEC #LeMans24 pic.twitter.com/R8lKOeaE6b
> 
> — David Blue (@NeoYokel) June 18, 2016




RESOURCES

 * Official Website for the 2020 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual
 * The Official Le Mans Esports Series channel on Motorsport.tv
 * The closest I could find to an official 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual Twitter
   list (subscribed to by the official 24 Hours of Le Mans Twitter account)
 * My own Auto Twitter list (1200+ automotive-related accounts)
 * My own ongoing Twitter Moment for the race
 * My ongoing screenshot gallery of the race
 * My ongoing YouTube playlist of Virtual Le Mans livestreams
 * The Official 2020 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual spotter's guide
 * The Official 2020 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual rulebook
 * The Official 2020 24 Hours of Le Mans entry list
 * “The Ultimate Guide to 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual” | Lemans.org
 * “The 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual” | Race Tech Magazine
 * r/WEC on Reddit & the r/WEC Discord Server
 * Porsche Motorsport's Official stream on YouTube.
 * “Mondays on the Mulsanne – Ask the /r/WEC Community Anything! Jun 8-14” |
   r/WEC on Reddit
 * “[OFFICIAL] 2020 Le Mans Virtual 24 – Race Thread” | r/WEC on Reddit
 * Last Lap's live blog of the race.

If you're interested in endurance racing and/or are already a fan of the World
Endurance Championship, please do join me on my new automotive Twitter account
and/or the Honk channel on Extratone's Discord in watching/keeping up with the
race. I'd like to finally finish writing an account of the event itself
(something I start every year but never finish, it seems) as well as an essay
reviewing this year's spectacular collision between the “real” professional
motorsports and eSports industries.

I will be keeping this post updated with new resources/news as the weekend
progresses.


PRACTICE/TEST RACE





> someone keeps honking the horn – legitimately think it's @JensonButton lmao.
> 
> — David Blue (ＬＥ ＭＡＮＳ ＭＯＤＥ) (@dieselgoth) June 11, 2020




QUALIFYING


LMP RESULTS




GTE RESULTS




PRACTICE



#motorsport


KINSHIP OF THE JETTA, DESERVING

May 13, 2020

Though I grew up on a farm surrounded by (and loving) diesel equipment, owning a
diesel-powered automobile somehow never occurred to me. This is especially
puzzling given the overwhelmingly positive experience I was privileged to have
with one 2014 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Sportwagen over the past year. It would find
me signing up to Facebook groups, using real Fast Boy terms, revisiting
long-lost roads of home, and returning to my local community in an extremely
intimate ridesharing stint. Throughout it all, the Jetta made me smile much much
more than I would’ve thought. I found a real love for this relatively simpleton
form of transportation that I should have seen coming, but did not at all. There
is something delightfully indulgent about a manual-equipped diesel wagon. Even
The New York Times knows this:

> Auto writers have long tooted the horn about the benefits of diesel engines,
> and a bunch of them have also argued that the old-school station wagon is a
> far more efficient way to haul things around than a bloated high-set S.U.V.

I knew it, too, apparently, long before I actually decided to act on a purchase.
On October 24th, 2012, I Tweeted “I sat in a Jetta wagon today. I need one.” I
really did intend on becoming The Jetta Man (perhaps without the fashion.) In
acquiring it, my plan – and it was a good plan – was to cease an era of general
insensibility in my life's decisions by entombing my wayward self within the
most sensible expression of modern automotive design I suspected I could live
with. The wagon component joined with diesel power and a manual transmission
upon casual research. Diesel, manual, wagon – of the people's car, these I
sought. Nay, demanded.

An ex-girlfriend of mine drove an utterly decimated Mk. V Jetta Sedan which
she’d acquired in some sort of dicey deal. I remember finding it surprisingly
robust given its lot, and quite dynamic to drive. We traveled all over the
Midwest in it – from central Missouri to Des Moines to Chicago to Kansas City
and back again. I mocked, but it was everything one could hope for in cheap
transportation and quite a bit more. It turns out, Volkswagen was shooting high.
As Tony Quiroga recalls for Car & Driver:

> During the press launch of the outgoing Jetta back in 2005, Volkswagen touted
> that car as a less expensive alternative to an Acura TSX or Volvo S40.
> Volkswagen pointed to its growth in size, high-quality interior, new rear
> suspension, and refined demeanor as evidence that the Jetta had moved out of
> the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla class.

In terms of premium compacts, my experience is quite limited, but it’s no wonder
the company has struggled to find a place in the market for this product: in
German, “Volkswagen Jetta” literally means “people’s car jet stream.” The first
component is infamous, of course, because of the Nazis and their horrid Beetle,
but the second seems to be almost entirely unknown. In my research, I had to
specifically investigate the Jetta’s name before reading anything about it. When
an American thinks of “Jetta,” they unconsciously dissociate the word from the
“jet” sound and make largely unsophisticated jokes. (It’s also Regular Car
Reviews’ most hated car.) Now, the name has become a marque in and of itself: in
China, Volkswagen began selling several different models under the JETTA brand
last year. This also was news to me, and I try to keep up with the industry.

In 2011, the Mk. VI Jetta was released with an outdated base, 115-hp powertrain
and a “hard plastic [interior] that wouldn’t look out of place in a Chrysler
Sebring.” (Quiroga insults, to clarify.) Compared to the Mk. V, “Volkswagen made
it clear that the targets are once again the strong-selling Civic and Corolla.”
Once again, I’m at a loss for experience in the equivalent extra-Volkswagen
competition, save for the Chevrolet Cruze and Kia Forte. (Surprisingly, GM
actually produced a diesel version of the Cruze and AutoGuide compared it
against the Jetta TDI.) It’s been too long since I last drove my ex’s Mk. V to
really have much to say, but I do remember a particular solidity about the
steering – perhaps because it was still hydraulic. Once again, I’ll rely on
Tony:

> Less obvious cost cutting includes the loss of adjustability for the center
> armrest, a lack of lumbar adjustment in most models, no more power-reclining
> seatbacks, and a simpler stability-control program that can no longer be shut
> off or even reduced.

When I began searching for my first ever truly modern car in February 2019, I
surprisingly only needed to pass up a single option in the Kansas City area
before I found The One: a 2014 post-Dieselgate example with ~65,000 miles on its
odometer in “Deep Black Pearl” with a “Cornsilk Beige” interior which had been
previously owned only by a single Michigan cyclist. I’d been without a car since
dailying/living in a 1976 Lincoln Continental the year before, in Portland, and
my friend had driven me around everywhere in his Wrangler for a full month
(thanks, Jack!) I’d walked around and cold-idled another, high-mileage
Sportwagen, but I was committed to getting something with a light-colored
interior after the red velvet cake Lincoln and my dank smoking room-dark XJR.



Three of us walked into a dealership in the middle of a frigid Kansas afternoon
– Jack, my girlfriend Sierra, and I. We hovered by a smart, gleaming little Golf
GTI whilst my salesman, Charles, retrieved the car I had found online. After he
finished copying my driver’s license while the little diesel warmed up, the four
of us set off into suburban Lawrence. Back when the Mk. VI Golf was released, I
attended a Volkswagen dealership event in which Mk. V and Mk. VI GTIs were
driven back-to-back – I’m assuming to reassure buyers that yes, they really had
made it better (though I was quite vocal in my disagreement about this, to the
dealer’s chagrin.) The car I bought immediately reminded me more of the former –
perhaps I just enjoy the increased body roll of a 50,000+ mile suspension –
albeit with a much longer wheelbase and significantly more torque. Rowing
through the gears, I was immediately impressed and bewildered by the
characteristics of the 140-horsepower, 236 lb.-ft.-developing diesel powerplant.
The diesel engines I grew up around in tractors, combines, and other heavy
machinery were designed to more or less remain at a constant, relatively low RPM
for the majority of their use cases. It’s not a screamer, but the idea that a
diesel engine can rev at all was something that took a bit to wrap my head
around. However, it is almost immediately evident that carrying on to the 6000
RPM (?) redline is a futile and incorrect practice. There is nothing at all to
be found up there.

I’ve driven some quick straight-line cars in my time, but none of them have
delivered their power anything like the Jetta’s long-distinguished 2.0L
inline-four. It’s very odd having comparatively so little actual horsepower, yet
so much torque – I’d heard Jeremy Clarkson complain about diesel power coming in
“great lumps,” but I’d already started to find them extremely (and positively)
amusing in my first few minutes. When asked, the oil burner will produce
protracted front tire squeal and torque steer from a stop, which is odd and
hilarious coming from such an otherwise docile automobile. Also hilarious:
Charles likely noted that Jack, Sierra, and I were (and are) entirely unafraid
of facing The End when a very near collision during our test drive did not
perturb us in the least, but left him huffing and puffing from adrenaline. He
was a star, though, throughout the more than four hours of deliberations
required for his institution to reckon with my credit history. Eventually, I
ended up spending almost exactly $12,000, which was probably too much, and named
my new automobile Martin – “Marty” for short – after Martin Winterkorn, the
former CEO of Volkswagen AG who bore more than his share of the blame for
Dieselgate, including charges of fraud by the German government. Dirty diesel
rolling coal in prison.


NAUGHTY DIESEL

By “post-Dieselgate,” I mean that my new car was a part of Volkwagen's $10
billion buyback program, so the Michigander sold it back to the manufacturer for
its “fair replacement value” – between $12,500 and $44,000 according to Car &
Driver on behalf of FTC chairwoman Edith Ramirez. To be technical, the
powerplant is a 2.0L EA189/CJAA turbodiesel four-cylinder. “The EA 189 was one
of the most important engines in the company, destined not only for millions of
Volkswagen-brand cars but also for a wide variety of other brands from the
parent Volkswagen Group, like Audi, Skoda and Seat, as well as some light
utility vehicles,” said The New York Times regarding the “clean diesel”
“scheme.” In original spec, 236 lb.-ft. of it arrived between 1750-2800 RPM, but
my (admittedly, unscientific) perception indicates that post-update, the torque
was coming a bit later. If I thought you were interested, I would attempt to
detail exactly what my car was then subjected to by a dealer, but suffice it to
say that it was made less fuel efficient and a bit less powerful, to my
displeasure. For a complete and comprehensive video on the scandal, try Regular
Car Reviews. I’d also recommend the following reading from Jalopnik, The Verge,
The New York Times, and The Independent.



My own views on Dieselgate are entirely irrelevant, but I will note that buying
back a buyback car for such a price felt like a favor to my dealer and that it’s
pretty cool to have my own copy of VW’s Extended Emissions Warranty Notice, not
to mention the fact that I actually made use of it (which I will discuss later.)
From my perspective, the automotive industry is the most heavily-regulated
business space in the world and I’d suggest a company like the Volkswagen Group
feeling like they should cheat on emissions testing might indicate that the
standards of the test could be unreasonable and/or unrealistic.

After returning from almost two hellish, extremely confusing years in Portland
taking public transport, Martin became a vehicle for a rediscovery and newfound
appreciation for my Missouri home – the great Missouri River, especially. Not
since owning my Miata had I driven so much in the country. Sierra and I visited
Cooper’s Landing in the wet and ventured down to Springfield, Missouri (very far
South,) near which we discovered Hodges Speedway – a then-abandoned dirt oval
surrounded by demolition derby casualties and the large trucks used to haul them
around.



Somewhere North of Kansas City, I opened the taps all the way on a very long
straight and reached 125mph, which is either the aerodynamic VMax, an
electronically limited limit, or both. Surprisingly, the modern People’s Car
feels quite stable at this speed – were it not my own automobile, I’m not sure I
wouldn’t just travel this fast everywhere. In the past few years, Interstate 70
– which cuts Missouri just about in half from West-East, connecting St. Louis
and Kansas City with my hometown in the center – has become significantly
faster-paced than I remembered it before moving to Portland for two years. 80mph
used to be the accepted number, 70 (the actual speed limit) was the unenforced
minimum. In my old Toyota pickup, I could travel at 65 without attracting too
much criticism. Now, however, one must maintain 85 to keep up with traffic,
especially when traveling with commuters. 90-95 will no longer garner judgmental
looks and 100mph left-laners are given a pass.

“I’ll bet that’s great on the highway” is probably the most regular comment
received from passersby and riders right after “is this a diesel!?” (Really, the
fact of my Jetta’s existence as a manual-equipped diesel wagon seemed to utterly
astound a great many people.) There is truth in this general supposition: the
ability of the diesel powerplant to deliver hill-climbing torque at low RPM is
simply unmatched by gasoline powerplants of the same displacement, which means
that “highway” driving entails virtually zero downshifting – arrive in sixth
gear, set the cruise control, take a nap. Everything else is taken care of.
There is a definite luxury in the knowledge that one is no longer needed in the
process at speed – luxury that is NOT present in a gasoline-to-manual Jetta
drivetrain. From Hackaday:

> [Diesel] has a higher volumetric energy density than gasoline, and thanks to
> low volatility, diesel engines can run at significantly higher compression
> ratios without risking detonation. These benefits allow diesel engines to
> produce significantly more torque than similarly sized gasoline engines.



“Diesel engines are typically poor when it comes to power to weight ratio, as
their high compression ratio and torque output demands heavier materials in
their construction,” notes Lewin Day, meaning steel engine block. Here we arrive
on my singular dissatisfaction with the Jetta: its weight. While traveling from
Kansas City back home in the East one day, I decided to satisfy a longtime
bucketlist item and stop by a weigh station. As I drove up to the scale, the
police-uniformed attendant looked up at me from his glass box and gave the
standard white guy smile frown. It took a moment for the scale to register
Martin, but it eventually displayed a whole 3440 lbs. My little “compact” wagon…
weighed significantly more than one and three-quarter tons – just 528 lbs. less
than the full-sized, supercharged V8-powered Jaguar saloon car I call the
automotive love of my life, and almost a full 200 lbs. more than its GLI sedan
sibling. There was one single advantage to this weight: we were able to use
Martin as a ballast to help re-spool the winch cable on Jack’s Wrangler.

After discovering this figure, I did what I could to diminish the weight easily
without tearing into the seats or removing some of the car’s fourteen airbags.
Upon lifting up the base of the “car-go” area in the rear, I found a full steel
spare wheel – some 30 lbs of it at least – which I immediately removed, along
with some sort of flapping cargo restraint that I can only suspect was designed
to keep objects (like dogs, perhaps) in the cargo area from sailing into the
passenger compartment during an accident (it’s called the “luggage compartment
cover” in the owner’s manual.) Ideally, I intended to one day strip out all of
the interior except for the driver’s side chair, but it ‘twas not intended to
be.

After driving the Jetta for about a week, I was on the short commute back home
from the office when I noticed that the cooling fans were running at what
sounded like maximum capacity. Then, at a red light, I felt some rough dips in
the engine’s idle. When I reached home minutes later, I turned off the ignition
and removed the key only to find the fans still spooling. I was convinced I had
already broken the car somehow in rough driving, but in reality, Marty was in
the process of Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) Regeneration – a procedure
designed to clean the little shitpot under the hood by heating it up some
thousands of degrees to burn off built up diesel exhaust soot. At least, this is
the way I understand it.

Otherwise, I disagree with most reviews about the “diesel rumble” being
bothersome. Perhaps it’s because this is by far the most modern car I’ve ever
spent this much time with – the only car I’ve ever spent so much consecutive
time with, in fact – or because I did, indeed, grow up sitting (and standing)
right next to 8-liter turbodiesels at full chat for hours on end. Compared to my
mother’s 1.4L gasoline-powered Mk. VII sedan at idle in her garage, there is a
more pronounced clacking, but it’s nothing you’d have any trouble sleeping
through. I would know! Whilst driving for Uber and Lyft through one of the
warmest summers on record, I idled away many hours parked on the street with the
(averagely effective) air-conditioning on. I idled when I wasn’t online, too – I
would even go as far as to say that I made idling one of the trendiest
activities of Summer 2019.

> What’re you up to man? Nothin’ much yo. Just over here idling.


RIDESHARING

For more than six months, my primary income was from Uber and Lyft driving
around Columbia, MO – a distinctly academically-dominated demographic. Frankly,
I can’t think of any vehicle more suited to what ridesharing actually entails
than a diesel Jetta wagon. It’s a relatively spacious and comfortable place to
be for four adults – certainly when no trip lasts longer than thirty minutes –
with a ridiculously stout cargo capacity. I was able to fit 9 freshman
fraternity guys in for a short trip once. Their faces were all genuinely somber
as one expressed “it’s really hard having 8 friends when we try to go out.” (No,
you’re not supposed to accept those rides.) It was a challenge carrying some
1500 lbs. of Sad Boys, mostly for the brakes. Once, a group of young men and
women began to make fun after noticing the DIESELGEEK decal I’d stuck on my
side’s rear quarter window (which I’d acquired with a new shifter bushing kit.)
“So are you a diesel geek?” they asked, jeering to themselves, to which I
responded: “you know, it’s so weird you mention that because I know this place
that sells these stickers…” They no longer seemed amused.

All of the cars I’ve owned have been attention-grabbing in their own way – my
old Toyota pickup was adored by the locals; my Miata was adored by other Miata
owners. My XJR was gorgeous and my Swamp Continental seemed to be passionately
coveted by absolutely everyone over 40. With the Jetta, though, I did not expect
any unusual attention whatsoever, yet I must confess that more conversations
were started about it than of all of the others, combined. Ridesharing will do
that, yes, but it is ridiculous how many people of all races, classes, and ages
were enamored by – or overly curious about – Martin.

> What is this a Jetta, dude? Is this a Jetta? Whoa! Dude, is this a
> stickshift!? Dude I think this is a stickshift. BRO. I can’t believe you’re
> driving a stick right now. He’s driving a stickshift car! Wow I think this is
> a manual car! Oh shit this is a diesel!? It’s a diesel too?! No way! I can’t
> believe you’re out here driving a diesel Jetta wagon bro. Is this a
> stickshift? You can drive stick!?

No.

Early one morning, a ride was requested from the local news station just out of
town – a fascinating place. News vans parked in a converted horse stable. They
farm televisions out there. A few minutes into the ride, after picking up the
young woman, I noticed in the rearview mirror out of my eye’s corner that she
had put down her phone to watch my right hand with total bewilderment.
Eventually, she asked “what are you doing to the car?” She’d never heard of a
manual transmission before. I did my best to explain, but when she asked “but
why wouldn’t you just buy a regular car?” I did not have a sufficient answer.
Unlike many automotive enthusiasts, I think it’s totally okay that people are
allowed to exist independent of this knowledge. There are many, many other
things in life to worry about. 80% of cars sold in the United States are shipped
with automatics and expecting every young person who lives in an urban
environment to think about automobiles as anything beyond simple transportation
is asking a lot.

While we’re on the topic of manual transmissions, it’s relevant to mention how
excellent the Jetta TDI is as a vehicle to teach first timers how to operate
one. With the clutch in, the engine will not rev beyond 3500 RPM thanks to an
electronic limiter, which dramatically reduces the number of obligatory stalls
when learning clutch control. The learner can simply hold the accelerator to the
floor as they get the hang of declutching instead of having to receive shouts of
“more gas!” repeatedly. Of course, being a diesel further eases those stresses
with much more readily available torque. Sierra was able to grasp the basics
this way in a single night, which is unprecedented in my experience. She found
particular comfort in the suggested gear indicator on the instrument panel’s
main information display, which is very conservative, naturally, but also
apparently relief from some great anxiety regarding the question which gear
should I be in right now?


COMMUNITY

I have derided Facebook for my entire adult life for its shitty design,
inaspirational effect on its users, and its massive intellectual power, but
strangely, through Jetta ownership, I was able to find a community on the
service that couldn’t be found elsewhere. Groups like TDI Scumbags, VW TDI
Owners, VW TDI support group, and VW TDI Owners Performance and Tech Talk are
full of absolutely hilarious and insightful content that I’m genuinely glad I
didn’t miss.

On Instagram, I found @jp_eurogarage’s Mk. IV diesel sportwagen, which I adore.
I especially love its idle. @projectownersclub posted a video in December, 2018
of a very rusty diesel Mk. III with a straight vertical stack spewing smoke all
over its owner’s yard. A video was shared on one of my Facebook groups captioned
“when you only drive manual” in which a very generic-looking white man with
moustache finds himself gagging in a car with a traditional automatic
transmission. The wholesomeness of these posts is often adorable, and not only
on Facebook. VW Vortex is an active and helpful forum/blog for TDI owners that I
found to be invaluable when researching modifications.

2014 Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen
140HORSEPOWER
236TORQUE FT-LB
13MODS


PERFORMANCE

For the first time in my personal automotive history, I felt the desire to
modify one of my own cars. Perhaps the most famous appearance of the Jetta
Sportwagen in The Web Era was driving instructor Austin Cabot’s 2014 Sportwagen
in one of Matt Farah’s infamous One-Takes. You can find the full list of
modifications on the car’s WheelWell page. I intended to emulate Austin with a
few modifications including Dieselgeek’s Sigma 6 shortshift kit and “high
performance” shifter bushing kit (which I did get around to buying, but never
installed.) For those interested in engine/ECU tuning, Malone Tuning has a
beautiful tool to help you customize your order.



Instead of installing the shortshift kit right away, I decided to splurge on a
bespoke Raceseng Ashiko weighted shift knob, which made throws immediately
better. The issue these products are combatting is the particularly disconnected
gearshift which Volkswagen has been notorious for the past few decades. The best
way I can describe it is that it feels like you’re just operating a lever
instead of shifting a transmission, if that makes sense.





> got that @raceseng knob. feels immensely better even pre-short shift kit. I’m
> very impressed. pic.twitter.com/Yvb4LzUXG2
> 
> — David Blue (@NeoYokel) October 8, 2019



The knob itself is beautifully machined and extremely satisfying to hold. I also
“deleted” (removed, in other words) the (likely) faux-leather shift boot after
realizing that I’ve always hated the sound and sensation of them, but hadn’t
been willing to modify my previous cars in any way. It sounds ridiculous, but
it’s actually quite personally noteworthy that I was able to traverse the unseen
boundary into mod culture. The result was a slightly more mechanical-feeling
shift that would’ve certainly been vastly improved by installation of
Dieselgeek’s kit.

Another aspirational goal of mine for Martin: H&R’s Sport Springs Set paired
with a set of Firestone Firehawk Indy 500s. The goal was to sure up some of that
body roll and torque-induced wheelspin. I suspect the result would’ve been a
very, very sticky Martin. Unfortunately, I would not get the chance before I
killed him in an accident on December 22nd of last year.


EFFICIENCY

Average: 29.84 mpg Total Gallons Pumped: 644 Total Spent: $1726.94 Total Miles
Driven: 19506

According to my fuel logs, (they are public, yes, though not necessarily 100%
complete,) I averaged close to 30 mpg over 78 fillups and just over 19500 miles.
Considering that I was ridesharing most of that time and driving quite
obnoxiously for all of it, you should be very impressed. “Diesels tend to get
about 30-percent better fuel economy than their conventional counterparts,” says
Consumer Reports in a comparison between diesels and hybrids dating back to
2013. From the Union of Concerned Scientists:

> Much of the reason for diesel vehicle’s high fuel economy has to do with the
> diesel combustion process; however, some of the increase in fuel economy is
> due to the simple fact that a gallon of diesel fuel contains more energy than
> a gallon of gasoline.

The joy my Sportwagen brought me was not expected. My plan to make myself a more
reasonable person (and driver) by buying a “boring” car was obviously foiled by
the diesel’s torque, the community’s dynamism, and my own communion with mod
culture. I spent more consecutive time driving the Jetta than I have in any
other automobile and was able to truly enjoy it. After my experience owning a
diesel-powered Volkswagen, I would very much like to try driving/owning the Golf
GDI – a performance-oriented diesel version of their excellent hatch. Truthfully
– given the way I killed Martin – I did not deserve his kinship, but I’m
certainly grateful I had the experience.

🗎 Print/PDF

#auto


VOLKSWAGEN WANTS YOU TO WATCH THESE VIDEOS IN HOMEMADE CARDBOARD VIRTUAL REALITY
HELL

April 21, 2020


THIS IS THE MOST RIDICULOUS PRESS RELEASE I'VE EVER SEEN.



Since signing up for Volkswagen U.S.' “Media Site” a few days ago for the sake
of my VW Atlas Review, I've been treated to a few exquisite emails including
this press release at 8AM today, which details how to make “virtual reality”
googles using:

>  1.  VR headset cardboard template
>  2.  Shoe box or pizza box
>  3.  Printer
>  4.  Scissors
>  5.  Syringe or plastic straw
>  6.  Plastic water bottle
>  7.  Xacto knife
>  8.  Glue gun or epoxy
>  9.  Rubber band
>  10. Smartphone

The template is actually by way of Google Cardboard, which tech media declared
“officially over” in the Fall of last year. “Watch the VW ID.3 get built right
in front of your eyes!” the release declares. If anyone on Earth actually plans
on doing this, please contact me.

#auto #churnalism


2019 VOLKSWAGEN ATLAS REVIEW

April 19, 2020


VW'S JUMBO NEW OFFERING IS TITANIC TO LIVE WITH AND GENUINELY AMUSING TO DRIVE,
BUT IS IT A CONDESCENDING GERMAN PRANK ON AMERICA?



Upon meeting an elderly recently immigrated German friend of my mother's for the
first time yesterday, she exclaimed He looks German!... and so tall! Both of
these compliments were relatively true, but certainly not extremely. I am more
German-looking than not, perhaps. Supposedly, I am half a product of a very
large family whose elders are only one and two generations from German royalty –
my legal last name is on a state sign in front of a small black castle somewhere
in Der Vaterland. I slacked through two years of high school German language
classes – Frau Rosa once took me aside to ask you’re not going to shoot up the
school or anything, right? (Sorry Frau & peers.) Though my much-older half
siblings grew up mostly in the town of Schweinfurt, I have never actually set
foot in Germany, yet I’ve come to identify with and admire its culture enough to
(perhaps unjustly or inappropriately) feel comfortable joking about Deutsche
peculiarities as vain self-mockery.

Despite all of this (carefully nationalism-free) affection, the real truth of
myself is an American one. I have long since broached the point of no return: no
matter how hard I might try, I would never be able to mold the Me another
perceives in such a way that I’d become observably German-native. I’m just a
midwestern boy with a Germanic name on his paperwork, and therefore have more in
common with Volkswagen’s newish entry into the dramatically different full-size
Sport Utility Vehicle segment. The Atlas bears a remarkably good name
(annoyingly, literally everyone's reviews seem to begin with a comment on how
decipherable the new name is for Americans) – especially among new automotive
products introduced to market in recent memory. Honda’s Clarity should be clever
alongside the definitively 21st-century Insight marque, but violates an
unfortunately universal law in the industry: never name a car for a state of
being (Introducing the New 2020 Honda Ambiguity [Insolence, Fugue, Debacle,
Setback]) ~especially~ one so obtusely irrelevant to the product itself. Insight
comes from a chat with a colleague over coffee, but Clarity is a metaphysical,
zealous plane that sounds our ever-inadequate platitude alarms in a very
unsettling manner. Um... Is Honda doing okay? It not only ends up irritating and
off-putting: after Hannah’s season of The Bachelorette, it’s just dumb, lazy,
and foul.

> After decades of trying to force Yankees into models that many found too
> small, VW has figured it out: Big-ass SUVs are what Americans want, and the
> Atlas is designed around the biggest asses you can imagine.

In contrast, the fucking Nissan Kicks ages so swiftly and uncomfortably that
it’s pitifully tacky before it even hits the lot, which is particularly
disappointing considering the most cleverly bestowed Juke name was. One marvels
at the situation Nissan has found itself in: young American black men love our
brand, but they also love shoes! Atlas, though, is on par with Honda’s Odyssey
inspirationally, though a smidge more grounded through the distinctly Earthen
science of topography, just as it should be. Originally billed as a replacement
for VW’s Routan minivan, the three-row Atlas is Volkswagen’s newest bid for the
Panic Room-loving American parent demographic. Therefore, it’s crucial for us to
examine it thoroughly for any signs of condescension from the Germans and their
brand “whose business in the US is built on providing small, fun-to-drive cars
like the Golf, the Beetle, the Jetta, and the Passat.”

> From our perspective, what we have here is a German take on the American
> family SUV. A Ford Explorer by way of Wolfsburg, if you will. Well, sort of.
> The Atlas is actually built in Chattanooga, Tennessee alongside the Passat
> sedan.

Unavoidably, the most notable, remarkable, and extraordinary item to note about
the Atlas is simply that it is fucking fat. Just about any review you watch or
read will mention this. Even CNET calls theirs “a very broad boy.” After I first
read the number – 5997 lbs. – I was never able to escape it throughout the
entirety of my time with it. Three tons is unbelievably, inexcusably, violently,
hopelessly heavy. Hopelessly not because it stands out in its segment, but that
it does not. Obesity is still a problem in America, but it's our automobiles
now. While we continue to worship safety and fuel economy together, we skew the
triangle (the other side is performance) further and further, and yes – a good
portion of the blame can be placed on our obsession with SUVs. I spent 2018
driving a 1976 Lincoln Continental Mk. IV around – the second-longest two-door
car ever sold at 228.1 inches from its pointed nose to its massive ass. Despite
being a full thirty inches longer than the 2019 Atlas, my 460-powered mammoth
yacht weighed some 700 pounds less, and it was filled with real wood. I'm no
expert in physics by any means, but I can tell you that every pound has
expounding effects on the energy required to move, turn, and stop a vehicle,
which just about sums up the ultimate formula to pulverize efficiency. When our
friends at the IIHS say that “fuel economy can be improved without sacrificing
safety,” they are just... fundamentally wrong, (though technically correct.)

I'm not entirely sure why the Atlas weighs so much, but its mass is inevitably a
major variable in just about every facet of its experience as a product. The
best potential hoot to be had from it as a driving device should be sought by
ordering it to shuffle briskly on curving country blacktops in Sport Mode with
all the assists (save for lane-keeping) on. Not to be too crude, but it's fun to
make the fat fucker run. Through your ass, you can feel the suspension squirm
and struggle to redirect all 266 lb.-ft. of VR6 oomf between 4 wheels beneath an
entirely separate war against the physics of such top-heavy body roll.

Scrambling is definitely the correct verb. Pleasantly light steering in Comfort
Mode (where I'd advise you leave it in virtually any situation) combined with a
supple-ish ride from multilink suspension provide a trace of a past luxury
sentiment not unlike the energy exhibited by my old Connie through and through.
It's all about the sensation of power. Not in the horse sense, but in the
satisfaction achieved from the manipulation of maximum mass with minimum effort.
Comparatively, the level of actual ego-stroking is of course quite miniscule,
and unfortunately, it is the numbness that is most noticeably left over with
very little gain.

Also unfortunate: I did not end up making the opportunity to truly test whatever
offroad capabilities the Atlas may posses in any sort of formalized test. My
example came with Hill Descent Control and Hill Start Assist, and I was able to
find a small hill just steep enough to trigger the former. I cannot say I'd put
my money on the Atlas winning the Dakar as it is, but we now know it can handle
wet grass on a mild incline. What about county road gravel? Realistically, these
are the two extremes 99% of Atlas' will ever face in their usable service lives.
I found an entirely quiet section of back rock road and walked through the steps
to disable all of the traction and stability control assists before stomping on
the throttle, but was unable to provoke any significant wheelspin. In an episode
of Autoline After Hours, Michael Loveti (Vice President, Product Line
Mid/Full-Size, Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.) confirms the drivetrain really
is all-time all-wheel-drive, (though the dual exhaust ports in the rear are
unfortunately fake,) and that the Atlas is actually based on the MQB platform,
which is astonishing. Prospective buyers should definitely have a listen.

This theme of “thoroughly German, yet somehow distinctly Americanized” occurs
over and over and over and over again in the Atlas' story. Its horizontal lines
match both the Jetta and Ford's Explorer. In that way, surely it is a success. I
cannot imagine a better execution of its marque's directives as stated by Mr.
Loveti than what I drove.

> Cover the Volkswagen logo and you might think the Atlas was made by someone
> else. The hard lines and boxy shape are a sharp departure from the rest of the
> VW lineup. But look at its competitors here in the states, especially the Ford
> Explorer. It’s almost like Volkswagen tried to build its own Ford with the
> Atlas.
> 
> Even though it has been on the market for only a year, the Atlas had become
> VW's second-most-popular car in the German automaker's lineup in March 2018,
> showing that the American car-buying public's thirst for crossovers and SUVs
> remains unslaked.


PLACE IN THE SEGMENT

The only other modern SUVs I've spent significant time with was the Range Rover
Evoque I crashed and the VW Tiguan I reluctantly borrowed (and had absolutely
nothing to say about,) so my authority in comparing the Atlas with its
competitors is severely lacking. However, I can at least send you the way of
Regular Car Reviews' Roman reviewing his mother's Ford Explorer, Business
Insider's direct comparison between their long termer Atlas and the Explorer, or
Cars.com's vs. the new Subaru Ascent. Car & Driver also compared the Atlas to
the intriguing Kia Telluride.

> In the splitting of already fine hairs, it's the new Telluride that makes a
> stronger case over the Atlas, thanks to its price advantage, its plush and
> thoughtful appointments, and its slightly more comfortable third-row.


THE PASSIVE SAFETY FAIRYTALE

Define: Active safety

Freedom through security. In truth, neurotypical people are naturally driven to
minimize risk, yet also to romanticize the sick, inhibitionless madmen – to envy
them both internally and externally (in a most restrained way.) Collectively,
our authority in (or mastery of) risktaking remains pathetically irrational. If
we were to itemize our ability to asses risk into a sixth physical sense, it
would rank just as poorly against the rest of the world's creatures (or perhaps
neck-and-neck with those of the squirrel or the deer.)

So many struggles of the too-often-cited “Human Condition” are grounded in the
incompetence of this sense. It shouldn't be surprising, then, that risktakers in
general are a very special topic amid The Middle Class – those who occasionally
find themselves atop just enough excess to call it “capital.” This equates in
day-to-day life as only the most potent – yet almost entirely inert next to the
cushion of multi-millionaires – subject, catalyst, and indicator of dire fret.
By far the most widespread affectation of this petty affliction spreads like
divine wrath over the upper forty percent of this Middle Class. Thus, we must
ask ourselves how safe doth the Atlas make me feel?




INSIDE

My Atlas’ interior was finished in Titan Black Leatherette, which sounds both
grandiose and a bit like a kink. “Volkswagen is known for good build quality and
tight-feeling interiors,” writes Danny Geraghty for Auto123, “but I found I was
encountering just a bit too much hard plastic, making for a somewhat dated
feel.” Perhaps my loaner was less worn in because neither I nor my girlfriend
found anything wrong with the Atlas’ interior quality – even after bombing
gravel roads to the point of sustaining a left-rear puncture, we did not
encounter any annoying squeaks or rattles. She spent an entire afternoon
sleeping in the passenger’s seat reclined and described it as “comfy.” For The
Car Connection, Senior Editor Andrew Ganz writes:

> It’s not much to behold, with a chunky shape as conservative as they come that
> is not offset by a distinct lack of flair inside. Instead, the Atlas is
> quietly competent and exceptionally good at carrying seven humans—even seven
> adults.

Standard with the SEL trim is Volkswagen’s “Digital Cockpit” instrument panel,
which I like much more than I expected to, though its color options are already
dated and unfortunately unchangeable. Ageability is an inevitable issue with
these sorts of bespoke graphic design decisions automakers are making now, but
at least you’ll be able to tell your friends that your Volkswagen has a digital
dashboard “just like the Rolls-Royce Phantom,” which is, of course, the ultimate
Queen of timelessness in the industry. Perhaps it’s telling that the only layout
I found acceptable for the digital dash was the one with simulated analog
needles for the tach and speedo, and how often do you really use a compass in
day-to-day driving? For that matter, how useful could a digital compass in the
speedometer’s center hub really be in an “offroad” situation? It’s a bit petty,
but I also really despise the typeface shared across the instruments and
infotainment system. It’s just… bad.




OUTSIDE

In Platinum Gray Metallic, the Atlas looks authoritative enough in a very
ordinary way. Unless you’re on the lookout for one, you’d hardly notice it, and
you certainly wouldn’t expect what you see to cost as much as it does. That is
why I’d prefer any one of the other exterior finishes, especially (in order):
Pure White, Tourmaline Blue Metallic, Pacific Blue Metallic, and Fortana Red.
The real wonder is how VW managed to execute a seven-seat SUV with its existing
design language. Though the Atlas is by far Volkswagen’s largest vehicle, it
fits neatly within their lineup.


ROAD RAGE

My only authentic Road Rage experience in some 5000 miles of rideshare driving
occurred on All Hallow's Eve when I stopped – no more illegally than usual – on
the opposite corner from a popular downtown Mexican restaurant called The Nap
with hazards and all courtesy interior lights shining. The car immediately
behind me hesitated no more than necessary, but the Biggest Big Infiniti behind
them (a QX80 – the Atlas' competitor) just... stopped. There was honking and
frenzied, hoarse screaming of what the fuck are you doing? and such.

I responded with pleasantly amused but relatively-encouraging glances at the
impersonal black mass of the Infiniti's windshield through my mirrors. I rolled
down the Atlas' driver's side window and politely gestured that they go around
me, but failed to coax any movement whatsoever from the ugly behemoth through at
least two full cycles of the nearby traffic light. There must be some aquatic
authority in the bulbous black ass of the QX80, for no one behind it seemed
willing to pass either. The driver waited significantly longer than you'd
imagine before emerging, huffy. She was wearing a classic poofy black North Face
vest some sort of slate gray turtleneck. Nothing below these were stimulating
enough to retain any memory of. Uggs?

How positive are you that the truth has absolutely zero consequence: contrasted
silver-beige eyeliner and little eye contact, dirty-ish straight blonde hair
over a spray-tanned face, exhibiting zero anxious tics or hesitation. She was
obviously the New Matriarch, and she was obviously much more of an authority on
traffic law than I. As she approached, she scanned the street as one naturally
does when they enter a busy one... except it was completely empty, thanks to her
blockade. She first informed me that I was “not supposed” to be stopped there. I
tried to listen and respond with as much sincerity as possible as I realized all
at once that my behavior had genuinely perturbed this woman – that her choice to
leave the huge hideous warmth of the guppy wagon to speak as humans to one
another required great courage.



I inserted the next logical question which I'd been screaming telepathically:
can you not get around me? I began to pity her when I then saw in her face the
distinct possibility that going around as a concept had not occurred to her
whatsoever. She stuttered a wee bit in retorting “I could go around, but I don't
want to get a ticket.” Here, one of the most fascinating avenues of suburban
psychology is explored: Guppy Mom is not being ingenuine with this expression,
nor has she had an untoward experience with law enforcement, ever. Guppy Mom did
know her excuse was bullshit – nobody has ever been written a traffic citation
for carefully circumventing an obstacle in the road. Given the opportunity to
interrogate this kernel of entirely uncompromising obedience to utterly
delusional traffic law superstitions, I think we'd simply discover a life of
unnaturally positive interactions with LEOs. We must conclude, then, that the
source of her fear was either myself or the Atlas.

Granted, to her I am still a Young Man, and am therefore instinctively
programmed to believe myself more informed than literally everyone – even the
very foundational architects of modern civilization. Her Stucco Highness may
have felt a representative of these builders (edgy take: she is in fact their
servant.) Her own folks surely complain regularly about their distaste for
disrespect, and my gig-economy, Austin Powers-looking ass was somehow
disrespecting the order laid down by her would be (entirely fantastical)
forefathers. Though her expression of her quaint fear of such “ugliness” (if you
will) is hard-headed, an ugliest decision of hers (or her kin) idled behind me,
its giant seafood-looking mouth gaping, unhinged. It'd almost be more redeemable
if it was a hardcore, chronic mouthbreather. (The QX80 is actually powered by a
comparatively oldschool V8.)

Freedom from fear is the sum desire of all the most primitive compulsions we
share. Ultimately, the only efficient and reasonable response to Mrs. Guppy's
kind in such a situation is to very kindly oblige, which I did, of course, with
great respect and great pity. In the months since this encounter, I'd been
wondering what was missing from the outline of this Atlas review. I recently
realized that it is this analysis of fear as a factor for the American carbuyer.

Though it has been disproven over and over again for decades, consumers often
cite safety as their primary motivation for buying full-sized SUVs. Mrs. Guppy's
Great Guffaw led me to realize why this particularly disconnected
supposition/folktale continues to thrive so uninhibited by the truth: the brand
image, physical presence, and actual driving sensation must communicate and
“feel” safe – these are far more integral to buyers' perception of a product
than the testable reality. Even the people of the world's most Christian nation
do not have faith – they trust not unless they see with their own eyes; feel
with their own asses. They entrust their souls to the Word of the Lord, but not
their lives to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. (I recently
gave both of mine to NHTSA for All Eternity.)




THE COLLEGIATE TAKE

The two or three nights I spent Uber/Lyft driving around my college town
shuttling Halloween party traffic in the Atlas were expectedly uneventful. I had
to create a preset text message to send immediately upon connection with a rider
to communicate as succinctly as possible that I was not going to be arriving in
the Jetta Sportwagen on my profile but instead in the Atlas, and to
transparently try to make sure that was okay. (No, drivers are not supposed to
do this and you should reserve the right to bail on a ride should you find
yourself opposite my own position in this situation because nobody refused me.)

> Hello! Just a heads up: My Jetta is in the shop so I'm driving a gray 2019
> Volkswagen Atlas
> 
> (It's VW's largest SUV and has 7 seats.)
> 
> License: FATLAS
> 
> If this is inconvenient or uncomfortable for you, please let me know.
> 
> Thank you!

I made a point to try and ask most of the riders if they had any thoughts on the
Atlas without sounding like I was just desperately fishing for compliments on my
own car, but I don't remember any significant thoughts being imparted whatsoever
– certainly nothing negative. Folks here are just too polite – they won't speak
up no matter how many times you insist that you do not own the car. We
experienced this phenomena years ago when we tried to interview people on the
street regarding the horrid Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet. Regardless, there's no
reason to expect young people to have anything to say about the Atlas – it is
neither extraordinary nor cheap.

If you are an American carbuyer, you might give a shit about the sort of awards
manufacturers love to quote in their television commercials like the Insurance
Institute for Highway Safety's “TOP SAFETY PICK,” which the Atlas won for 2017.
For 2019, it won MotorWeek's Best Large Utility Driver's Choice award. How about
Cars.com's 2020 Family Car of The Year? How quickly can this story turn into
churnalized commercial copy? From Scott Keogh, Volkswagen Group America CEO:

> [Atlas] was designed and built specifically for American families, and buyers
> and critics alike are letting us know that we’re hitting the mark with this
> seven-seater SUV.

It's immediately evident from the outside that the Atlas is the most
Americanized product in Volkswagen's lineup – indeed, in its entire history. For
Car Magazine's review, Ben Barry notes “the square-jawed front, Jeep-like wheel
arches, and the suggestive utilitarianism of the stampings in the bonnet and
roof” before remarking on just how much more you can spend on the Porsche
Cayenne's cousin, the beloved Touareg.

> Ultimately, the Atlas is far from a dynamic, agile machine, but it feels
> comfortable and unintimidating to drive, and perfectly at home on US city
> streets and the slower-paced driving of California highways.






EFFICIENCY, THE OTHER FIXATION

Surprisingly, the Atlas carries a rare and precious jewel of automotive history
under its broad, satisfying hood. The VR6 “zig zag” arrangement is actually one
of Volkswagen legend – defining icons like the Corrado. As Dan Prosser explains
for Evo magazine:

> ‘VR’ stands for V-Reihenmotor, which translates to V-Inline, describing both
> vee and inline cylinder layouts. That is, of course, contradictory. The unit
> is actually a very narrow-angle V6, displacing 2861cc, with two offset banks
> of cylinders at 15 degrees to one another. Unlike a conventional V6, but
> exactly like an inline six, there’s just one cylinder head. The result is a
> six-cylinder engine that’s both much narrower than a typical V6 and shorter
> than a straight six. In fact, it’s more comparable in size to a four-cylinder
> than a six, which meant it could slot easily into a Golf floorpan. A creative
> and borderline ingenious engineering solution.

The Atlas' 3.6L VR6 makes 276 hp and 266 lb-ft. of torque. Though other reviews
cited highway mileage figures of 23-25 mpg, I was able to coax a whole
twenty-eight miles-per-gallon on a live Periscope stream without air
conditioning or cruise control through a two-way simulated 20 minute commute,
through which I suffered for the hard data. My average before resetting the
odometer for that feat, though, was 14.7mpg. “Good range and miles between trips
to the gas station are criteria I look for in a good car, and the fuel-gulping
Atlas rates low in this department” may be the blandest statement of all time,
but MotorTrend does have a point – with the same 18.6 gallon fuel tank shared
between the four and six cylinder models, the latter realistically has 250 miles
of range between fillups, which is pitiful for a modern vehicle in just about
any segment. Crossing one State is not enough.










AN ATTEMPTED CONCLUSION

So, is the Atlas indeed just a lucrative German prank on Americans? If it is,
the subtleties are beyond even me. In the time since I drove the Atlas last
year, Volkswagen has unleashed the Atlas Cross Sport on American roads.
Apparently, it is the ideal SUV for “dual incomes, no kids,” or “DINKS”
(surprisingly, not a homophobic slur.) MotorTrend, on the other hand, argues the
ideal buyer has “teenagers who are growing faster than dandelions.”

> It's a straightforward conversion from Atlas to Atlas Cross Sport. In the name
> of perceived sportiness, out goes that most minivan of things: the third row
> of seats.

Normally, I'd be disgusted with such a thing, but from where I'm sitting, the
Cross Sport appears to be what the Atlas should've been all along. The third row
seats in my example wasn't any more comfortable than that of a 10-year-old
minivan, so removing them for the sake of the second makes perfect sense.
According to Car & Driver, the 2021 Atlas will “adopt” the Cross Sport's
styling, though there are some technologies – like road sign recognition- which
are exclusive to the Cross Sport.

> Instead of getting 20.6 cubic feet of cargo space behind the third row in the
> Atlas, you get 40.3 behind the second row. Fold that down and it becomes 77.8
> cubic feet to work with. And that’s from an SUV with the same wheelbase as the
> upcoming 2021 Atlas at 117.3 inches, yet it is 5.2 inches shorter and 2.2
> inches lower to the ground.

There was even a one-off concept Atlas pickup called the Tanorak, and no one
seems to yet know whether or not it (or something similar) will be put into
production. As far as longevity and extended livability is concerned, enough
time has passed since the Atlas' release for long-termer conclusion posts to be
published from the likes of Car & Driver, Cars.com, and MotorTrend. The last of
these reported an odd turning radius issue which was eventually fixed by
Volkswagen.

> Once we got the steering fixed, my opinion of the Atlas did grow sunnier,
> though it's still not perfect. Maybe it's not fair to compare the driving
> experience to my previous long-term vehicle, the slightly smaller Mazda CX-9,
> but in my opinion the Mazda still sets the ride and handling bar for the
> competitive set. Setting the Mazda aside, if you hop behind the wheel of one
> of the newer competitors like the Kia Telluride, there's a noticeable
> disparity in the refinement in ride quality and body control in the Atlas...
> Volkswagen should have made the GTI of three-row SUVs, not just another
> minivan alternative.

This pullquote from Andrew Ganz’s The Car Connection review is as good a summary
as I could ever come up with:

> The 2018 Volkswagen Atlas does little wrong, but it's light on personality and
> a little low-rent inside—and it guzzles fuel. It's worth a look, but mostly
> rivals do more for less.

Volkswagen’s first substantial entry into the SUV market is well-named,
relatively well-endowed, fairly bland for its price tag, and very, very heavy.
Also, Start/Stop is still unbearable – thanks Obama – but the Atlas is not a
scam.

🗎 Print/PDF



 * 2019 Volkswagen Atlas Technical Specifications

 * 2019 Volkswagen Atlas Pricing


FURTHER READING

 * “Why Americans Are Buying More Trucks And SUVs Than Cars” | NPR
 * “SUVs are safer than cars in front crashes, but there is more to the story” |
   Consumer Reports
 * “2017 Volkswagen Atlas revealed for US market” | Autocar
 * “Volkswagen Atlas 2017 Review” | Autocar
 * Volkswagen Atlas Two-Row SUV – Expected Coming to U.S. by End of 2019 | Car &
   Driver
 * 2019 Volkswagen Atlas Review | Auto123
 * 2018 Volkswagen Atlas First Look | Automobile Magazine
 * “Quick Take: 2018 Volkswagen Atlas SEL 4Motion” | Automobile Magazine
 * Toyota Highlander and VW Atlas SUV comparison: Which is better? | Business
   Insider
 * “The Slow Death of the Volkswagen VR6” | Car & Driver
 * 2020 Lincoln Corsair Compact SUV – Specs, Release Date, Info | Car & Driver
 * 10 Best Full-Size SUVs of 2019 – Every Large SUV, Ranked | Car & Driver
 * 2019 Ford Expedition: Full-Size SUV Brawn and Brains | Forbes
 * “2019 VW Atlas 4MOTION Review – It's Huge” | TheStraightPipes
 * 2019 VW Atlas Reviews | Price, specs, features and photos | Autoblog
 * “2021 Volkswagen Atlas Price: Styling Updates, Tech Upgrades Will Cost You
   Nothing” | Cars.com
 * “2018 Volkswagen Atlas Road Trip: Kansas City, Here We Come” | Cars.com
 * “2020 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport first drive review: Higher style, same
   relaxed fit” | Roadshow by CNET
 * “The refreshed 2021 VW Atlas has arrived, and the 7-passenger SUV still
   starts at $32,000” | Business Insider
 * “Auto review: VW Atlas Cross Sport has what it takes to run with the best
   5-seat midsize SUVs” | Greater Milwaukee Today
 * “Volkswagen aims for the Goldilocks zone with shrunken five-seat Atlas” |
   Digital Trends
 * “2019 Volkswagen Atlas Review: A Huge Family Hauler For Nearly Every Budget”
   | The Fast Lane Car
 * “Chattanooga-built Volkswagen Atlas lands Parents magazine nod” | Chattanooga
   Times Free Press
 * “20 Best Family Cars of 2020” | Parents
 * “2018 Volkswagen Atlas: Looks Like VW Can Make A Pretty Decent Honda Pilot” |
   Jalopnik
 * “Don’t Shrug: Six Things You Should Know About the Volkswagen Atlas Line” |
   Automobile
 * Business Update September 2019 | Volkswagen of America – LOCAL BACKUP
 * “2018 Volkswagen Atlas first drive: Super-sized” | The Car Connection
 * “2018 Volkswagen Atlas Review” | The Car Connection
 * 2018 Volkswagen Atlas short review | Autoblog

> Volkswagen traditionally tuned its suspensions closer to the European ideal,
> firm but well-damped, which incidentally made even non-enthusiast Volkswagens
> more pleasant than average to drive (with a few recent exceptions). But
> Volkswagen made a conscious decision to soften up the Jetta for American
> tastes, beyond what softening Volkswagen traditionally applied, and it seems
> like this philosophy scaled up to the much larger Atlas. Maybe the soft ride
> impresses on test drives, but a firmer setup would likely make life nicer for
> occupants over the long haul.

#auto


REVIEW PROGRESS UPDATES AND SOCIAL LINKS

April 14, 2020


I'M WORKING ON CAR REVIEWS AGAIN(!) AND I'D LIKE TO INVITE YOU TO JOIN ME ON
MASTD.RACING.



It's now been three years since Eugen Rochko's Mastodon gained the attention of
the tech world. (I actually interviewed him for Extratone.) Since the early days
of this new, gorgeous, federated social network, mastd.racing has been a home
for racing and general automotive enthusiasts. It's still relatively quiet and
signup is currently invite only, but I'd love it if you'd join me using my
invite. I'm also working on my review of the 2019 Volkswagen Atlas SEL w/4MOTION
and will be posting it here before the end of this week.



Other news

 * You can now view my best lap times in this Excel spreadsheet – which I will
   do my best to keep updated. (Here's how to use the millisecond time format if
   you were wondering)
 * I won Daily Race C today at Monza. Here is the replay.
 * You can now view all of my photo galleries here.
 * The directory has now been updated with more relevant information.

#GTsport


THE DISPLACED COLLECTION

March 26, 2020


ALTERNATIVELY KNOWN AS “WHAT SORT OF RACETRACK IS THIS?!”



















#gtsport


PORSCHE 911 RSR EXTRATONE RACING LIVERY

March 19, 2020


I'M GETTING BETTER AT REPLICATING THIS ONE LOOK, AT LEAST.









#gtsport #liveries


AN HOUR OF BATHURST FEATURING KENDOG02459

March 15, 2020

In a rare successful attempt at hosting a 60 minute endurance race at Mount
Panorama this evening, I ended up having a very satisfying (and sweaty) battle
with Kendog0259 in which we traded the lead back and forth in the last 20
minutes of the race.



















View the full gallery here.

#gtsport


THE ASTON MARTIN DBR9 HAS ARRIVED IN GT SPORT

February 28, 2020


THE LEGENDARY RACECAR MADE ITS DEBUT LAST NIGHT AND I'M LOVING IT.





Working on version 1.0 of my personal DBR9's Extratone Racing livery.

View my full and ongoing DBR gallery here.

I also ran a successful endurance race at Mount Panorama today and streamed it.







#gtsport

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