Look Out Hyundai . . .

by R. Elgin on May 22, 2009

This is the funniest, most devastating review of a car (Honda) I could possibly imagine.

Tagged as: car review

{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }

1 KrZ May 22, 2009 at 11:15 pm: For reasons known only to itself, Honda has fitted the Insight with something called constantly variable transmission (CVT)

Apparently the author is either retarded.
2 The Goat May 22, 2009 at 11:22 pm: The industry is in for a big change. Old standards of performance may no longer apply.
3 Gillian May 23, 2009 at 4:38 am: That was actually really funny!
4 SomeguyinKorea May 23, 2009 at 9:01 am: #1,

I’m sure he knows what CVT is. If you ever watched his TV show, you’d know that he likes about new technologies and imported cars. It’s part of his shtick. He likes to give the impression that he would be happier if all Brits drove Range Rovers, the older the better. (He does have a good point: it might help the environment because manufacturing cars and shipping them around the world uses energy and creates pollution.)

Whether the Insight is slow and inefficient or not, CVT transmissions most certainly increase power and fuel efficiency. He’s also exagerating the noise level. With a CVT transmission, you get more noise when you floor the throttle in automatic mode or when you drive in semi-automatic mode (cars fitted with a CVT transmission have automatic and semi-automatic modes). But, if you don’t drive with a lead foot, CVT transmissions are actually much quieter than regular transmissions (in automatic).
5 SomeguyinKorea May 23, 2009 at 9:02 am: correction…he likes to complain about new technologies…
6 KrZ May 23, 2009 at 10:31 am: What I meant was that, since combustion engines have a peak energy efficiency at a certain RPM a CVT allows the engine to run at or near peak efficiency at all times. So, of course, the reason they put it in the car was to increase fuel efficiency. Saying, “For reasons known only to itself” seems silly at best.
7 Arghaeri May 23, 2009 at 4:40 pm: Of course he knows the reasons, his job is cars 24/7, do you not know Jeremy Clarksons style, how he became famous internationally including Korea? His reference is to the driving experience.

Love the reference to a Prius by the way, “a Toyota Smugmobile”
8 SomeguyinKorea May 24, 2009 at 11:25 am: “His reference is to the driving experience.”

I’ve driven cars with CVT. They offer a smoother drive than most cars in the same class that were produced 5 to 10 years ago.
9 SomeguyinKorea May 24, 2009 at 11:28 am: “Love the reference to a Prius by the way, “a Toyota Smugmobile””

Yeah. If people really were concerned with the environment, they’d ride the bus.
10 Arghaeri May 25, 2009 at 9:00 pm: “I’ve driven cars with CVT. They offer a smoother drive than most cars in the same class that were produced 5 to 10 years ago.”

Agree, they take a bit of getting used to though after normal transmission; and smoother or not its obviously not a driving experience that JC wants to get used to. Or many others it seems considering how long they’ve been around. My uncle had a string of DAFs maybe thirty years ago.