the Americans do like their big cars with huge, lazy V8 engines though, don't they? Always have, always will. During the oil crisis in the seventies they tried downsizing and came up with the AMC Pacer (straight six engine, 3.8 litres and 19mpg) and the Mustang II, which started off with a 2.3 litre four pot. Most owners found that with power steering, air con and all the smog equipment it didn't have enough power to pull them out of the driveway. A 5 litre V8 soon followed. This engine put out a staggering 105bhp, mostly due to the anti pollution equipment. The Americans were first with unleaded fuel, catalytic converters, exhaust gas reciculation and AIR pumps way back in 1975.

Fuel is cheap compared to what we pay here but we have ridiculous levels of fuel taxation. You wouldn't want to be paying eight dollars a gallon if you were doing the kind of mileage the yanks do.

The big 4x4 SUV thing is a fashion trend, as are the pick up trucks. The same can be said in the UK. Strangely enough, whitewall tyres and wood grain effect panelling on estates never really caught on over here...

Regards,cc

I've stated before on a similar thread that Americans and Obama in particular are hypocrits - happy toget rich on the fat profits of BP when they're doing well but as soon as the brown stuff hits the fan, they all want to distance themselves from it.

Whilst the spill has created localised pollution which will take decades to clear up, the Americans seem to forget they pollute massively in other ways but because it can't be seen (other than a smog over LA) they don't worry about it.

Sad really.