To say we live in Weird Times is like saying it’s dark outside at midnight. It is no less true for being obviously so. A metric of just how weird things have become is that vehicles with more power than the most powerful muscle cars of the ’60s – models such as the famous 426 Hemi-powered Mopars, with their dual carbs and gattling gun exhaust tips – are as commonplace as 60 horsepower VW Beetles used to be.
Yet most people drive these things – these new high-powered vehicles – as if they had the power of a ’70s-era VW Beetle. They accelerate tepidly when the light goes green; they gradually – eventually – get up to speed and then maybe just barely speed; i.e., they drive just slightly faster than whatever the posted speed limit is. They could use all that power – even an “entry level” current-year crossover with a four cylinder engine has as much or more power than an early-mid 1980s Z28 Camaro equipped with its optional L69 “High Output” 5.0 liter V8 (which made 190 horsepower) – to pass a slowpoke or accelerate quickly to match pace with the speed of traffic they’re trying to merge with.
But they rarely do that.
I find myself having to drive around these high-powered slow-movers all the time when I am out driving my low-powered old truck. Its engine makes 147 horsepower – but that is plenty enough to get around 95 percent of the drivers on the road whose vehicles have twice as much or more power but it’s rarely if ever used. The power they have – but do not use – is a kind of codpiece and just as silly as strutting around wearing one of those.
Which gets us to Mazda’s latest concept vehicle, the Vision X-Coupe. Which actually has four doors, but never mind that. What’s interesting about the Vision X-Coupe is that it has a rotary engine, a type of engine that Mazda was once famous for using in high-powered (and high-revving) sports cars such as the no-longer-in-production RX7 and its successor, the RX8. The reason it is no longer in production is chiefly because it is hard to make a rotary engine compliant. Historically, rotary engines tended to burn more oil – which increased emissions – and they were (to put it charitably) less-than-fuel-efficient, especially in context of their size. The last RX8 – back in 2011, the final year this car was available new – had a 1.3 liter rotary engine that got 16 MPG in city driving and 22 on the highway.
These are numbers more appropriate for a V8 in the 5.7 liter range. In a truck or SUV. 
The upside was the little rotary was a buzz-bomb that made its peak power (232 horsepower) at 8,500 RPM. Most piston engines will blow up if revved that high. The rotary engine was everything most compliant engines are not; i.e., it had personality and was lots of fun to play with. But because it did use oil excessively and drank as much gas as it did, it was not very compliant – and Mazda eventually had to pull it out of production.
Well, it’s back – kinda-sorta.
The Vision X-Coupe has a rotary engine. But it is more accurate to call this engine a generator. It runs to make power and electricity, which is fed to the battery that powers the motors that help drive the Vision X-Coupe, which is also a plug-in-hybrid. Mazda says it can be driven “up to” 100 miles on battery power alone.
Neither the plug-in hybrid thing or the engine-as-a-generator thing are new ideas – beyond the use of a rotary engine as a power and electricity generator. Ram already has a “range extender” for the Ram 1500 EV in production. It’s a 3.6 V6 rather than a rotary – and it is used exclusively as a carry-it-with-you generator, crutching the Ram 1500 EV’s short-range/long-recharge problems.
The really interesting thing is the power touted by Mazda. The Vision X-Coupe’s plug-in/hybrid drivetrain supposedly makes 503 horsepower, which is more than twice the power made by the last production rotary-engined vehicle Mazda offered, the 2011 RX8.
What is the point of all that power? Almost no one will make use of it and – regardless – it is severely illegal to make use of it. This latter is probably why we suffer this absurd clown show of all these high-powered vehicles tepidly accelerating and gradually building speed – as if they had 75 rather than 200-plus horsepower. (Many have much more power than that, too.) Their drivers are cowed into slowness by the awareness that if they are caught “speeding” or driving “recklessly,” they will suffer extremely via a double sucker-punch combo of traffic fines plus court costs and then doubled or worse insurance costs. Many people are already at the point of not being able to afford what the mafia currently (effectively) forces them to pay. Just one “ticket” for even a minor “speeding” offense could be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.
So, they don’t “speed.”
But this is like buying a gun you never shoot – and are terrified to carry. What’s the point?
It is even more absurd given the obsession with gas mileage and “emissions.” A drivetrain that gins up more than 500 horsepower necessarily burns more gas and generates more “emissions” than a drivetrain that makes 200 horsepower, which is about as much power as the Corvettes of the late 1970s and early 1980s had.
If the object of this exercise really were maximizing gas mileage and reducing “emissions” – the air-fingers quote-bracketing is to mock the usage because what we’re dealing with are almost entirely the “emissions” that do not cause or worsen air pollution; i.e., C02 “emissions” – then power would not be the object. A small four cylinder piston engine in a lightweight vehicle could go 60-plus miles on a gallon of gas and by dint of that, “emit” far less in the aggregate than a 500-plus horsepower plug-in hybrid drivetrain.
It would not get to 60 in 4 seconds or less, of course.
But then, neither do the drivers of all these vehicular codpieces that one encounters tepidly accelerating when the light goes green and eventually getting up to speed.
. . .
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Eric: “What’s the Point of All This Power?”
Coincides with:
Florida’s “super speeder” law, which took effect July 1, creates
a criminal offense for drivers exceeding 100 mph or traveling
50 mph or more over the speed limit.
Florida is becoming an anti-tourist state – hurricanes, heat, mold,
bugs, snakes, alligators, overcrowding, incompetent, obnoxious,
“drivers”, and many unmarked police cruisers.
My daily driver: 400hp, 0-60 4 sec, just because we live in “The land of the free”… lol
I had a friend who initially retired to Florida. It didn’t take her long to come back. Never mind no one can drive up here and especially once ice and snow enter the picture. But, her talks about snow birds, the way they drove…and everything else made the crappy roads (and a lot of other things) here seem not so bad.
Cause of overcrowding, here in Florida – developers and builders,
who control FL politicians. Zoning is for me and other residents
to comply, not developers. Build, build, build, and make the
taxpayers fund the inadequate infrastructure, and put those
taxpayers in HOAs, to forever pay.
Morning, liberty!
Yup. Whenever I drive my old truck I find I am the fastest driver on the road – because I drive not-much-faster than the speed limit and use what power my truck has to get down the road. It’s a farce out there. I routinely have to drive around “sport sedans” and 300-plus horsepower trucks that are driven by people who might as well be driving an ’86 Aries K-Car.
A surprise for me has been Tesla drivers. They are just about always in the right hand lane, doing the speed limit and not blocking anyone. Most drivers, here in Florida, seem to be unaware of any rules-of-the road. Especially, always in the passing lane, unsafely blocking faster moving traffic.
Its a daily thing for me to say keep up with traffic! On our two lane expressway the cars drive in the left lane and the right lane is for merging and truck traffic. This works pretty well most of the time. But if you drive in the left lane you have to tailgate because if you let someone in from the right lane as a favor 9 times outta 10 they immediately slow down and open up a 1/4 mile gap ahead of them for every other driver to move in. Which is when I say keep up with traffic! To my steering wheel.
The worst is a stretch where your merge lane on to the interstate is also an exit lane for the exit right before your merge to the expressway at rush hour. That traffic is almost stopped there is more traffic trying to merge right and you”re trying to merge left before you get run over by the people behind you. You can”t get up to speed and the folks who want to exit now are going 70.
I’ve never been able to afford a fast car. That’s why we have motorcycles though. I always run hard on a bike for safety. Those Harley riders are always going slow, which I never understood. Probably the same guys that have the Corvette doing 5 under.
Amen, Ben!
I had the same thought, a long time ago. A liter bike is quicker than most exotics but costs less than the cheapest “entry level” new car. A lot less. It also gets good gas mileage – mine averages about 40 MPG – and they are ideal for escaping from the clutches of Officer Not So Friendly.
Everything is ok again. Bill Gates said we aren’t all going to die from climate change.
I have to say, Eric, that is one ugly vehicle you have there. As we would joke as kids, “put a bag over its head”! Ha ha!
“Mopars, with their dual carbs and gattling gun exhaust tips”
1 year only option (1971) for the machine gun exhaust tips. Not available in Commiefornia.
Here is my 71 with machine gun tips:
https://ibb.co/wrLPtY9D
Those damn things are hard to clean. It involves Q-Tips.
Stuck last night after work behind a Corvette going 5mph below the already under posted 35mph (should be 55-60!!). Naturally he was in the left lane, pacing a guy in an old truck in the right lane. So nobody could get around them.
WHY!!!!!!
Clover!
What a wasteful (and sad) use of a powerful vehicle, RichB. The driver should have left the Corvette at home, but instead, drove a Subaru. At least then, everyone in these parts would have recognized he only understood one speed: Slow. Year ‘Round.
Btw, has anyone ever passed a slowmo in a fast car only for them to suddenly awaken with such righteous fury where they chase and try to overtake you to just slow back down ’cause you didn’t respeck their authoritah or was that just me.
Fortunately the overtake didn’t happen, but where was that zeal and rage when you were holding up traffic as you dazed off with glazed eyes into the empty road ahead of you?
WA state resident? That’s the norm here. Another when a two lane opens into four, they wake up and switch from 5 under to 10 over. What an odd place.
Jersey, but now I know what to expect if I ever go out west. Shame its like that there. It rarely happens here btw
Yes, it happens quite a bit in these parts, Carmelo. Especially if you drive a car, and they are a sports car or big truck. Suddenly, said slow poke’s pride is at stake, and they finally figure out that pedal on the right. But not before hand. Also, you know you are driving slow when even a Subaru is passing you-bwa ha ha!
Especially a little Toyobaru
I grew up in a town where everyone and their mother had Germans, higher up models by default (335i, C350, IS350 [I know, but I just recalled it]) and I outgunned them in a H3.
Now, same principal but crossovers and trucks, and unless its a Mustang or a tuner, you get the same people in Hi-po germans driving like Grandma in her beater Corolla, it makes me sick, esp when you know where the cops are and don’t see them in their usual spots, and they still had such trepidation about speeding.
I swear, infuriates me, and its not like I got a monster, my Bronco and my GR86 aren’t speed demons, but from the word Go, It’ll be like themMe, where by the time I hit 5 over, they’re barely hitting 15.
At least I’m not in South Carolina, my friend swears Jersey has better drivers, and here I am complaining how dain bread they all are, so that speaks volumes
It is interesting how high the power has gotten. We drove safely enough and had a lot of fun with air cooled 1600 VW’s, which put out 65 HP stock or 100 hot rodded to the point of barely being street driveable. Now every 2.0 wunder four makes 150 and often 250 HP. Driving skills have deteriorated with the proliferation of rules and cops.
Sense would dictate putting tiny Euro style power plants in small stuff like an 750CC engine making 80 HP. With open source electronic engine management it should be able to make 75mpg. Of course, the old 65 HP VW was pushing around a 1800 lb car with a couple 175 lb adults in it.
It’s long past time to push back on the communist scum that did this to us. Repeal every infringement on the right to travel including state mandated licenses. They say you can’t put toothpaste back in the tube, I suggest they’ve never tried.
1000%
Also whats the point of all this power when AGW are waiting like ravenous pigs waiting to pounce on their next meal. My little GR86 and even my Bronco wanna do at least 80, and here in Dirty Jerzy our speed limits 65 like its still the dark ages of motoring.
Unless you’re racing or going way too fast for the road conditions, gotta readjust everything according
I drive a 1982 Mercedes 240 with manual transmission, one of the slowest cars on the planet and still run circles around drivers with much more powerful cars
1000%
I had an H3x back in high school, and I was outgunning everyone in town. No matter the car, I was generally the fastest until the one person wanted to flex, but that’s more of a blue moon occasion unless theres a car meet nearby
Such a shame
My favorites are the ones who come to a stop at the end of the highway on-ramp and then sit there looking for an opening. Almost rear ended a guy who did that recently; luckily there was enough room to whip around him and merge with the traffic.
I rear ended one of those bad once, under full power, cause I was looking over my shoulder, saw the opening and gunned it, chicken. 😉
Same exact thing happened to me! He was stopped, waiting to merge. There was an opening and he jammed on the gas. I look back to see if it’s still clear, it is. I gun it. BAM! He never left, he must have changed his mind. Idiot!
Exact same thing for me, he started to go, so I gunned it while looking behind me, then he chickened out. Too late….whammo.
I honk and flash them, give them one finger salutes. This was going on before the Jab rotted their brains too
I do not think there is a fear of the speeding ticket per se, but rather the fishing expeditition seeking to hut, hut, hut the operator that is feared.
It is annoying to get stuck behind a slow corvette driver when you have a slow truck, but far more annoying to get stuck behind someone who uses their quick acceleration to get up to 5mph below the speed limit and get into an area you cant pass them with oncoming traffic. My 165 HP diesel truck needs a good 1/4 mile for an effective pass at higher speeds, and some of these people floor it to go slow.
ahhhh the RX7……. love that car. My mom had the 3rd Gen (91-97) and my Bro still has it, but put a LS in it (OMG). I liked the 1st gen too.
The RX8 not so much, and this concept appears to copy some of those ideas with a small back door.
I don’t see how Mazda would make even a newer rotary compliant, but what do I know.
‘Neither the plug-in-hybrid thing nor the engine-as-a-generator thing are new ideas.’ — eric
True enough. But all indications are, they are our future.
EREVs (Extended Range Electric Vehicles) are popping up like mushrooms after a spring rain. Personally I’d rather just tow a diesel generator when needed.
But this is the direction ‘compliance’ is pushing auto makers. They are now designing the drivetrains of 2028 to 2030 models. Most are hybrids, I reckon.
Getting on and off the interstate is another time when people don’t use the power they got. They expect people to “let them in” on the highway no matter what lazy speed they happen to be doing. Then when it doesn’t happen they panic and slam on the brakes at the last second. I once got into a very heated argument with someone claiming that limited access highway ramps were like skiing, the “uphill” person yields. Nope.
If I’m cruising along at speed (and keeping proper space between cars, which admittedly is a problem for many drivers), I should never need to adjust my driving at all when you enter the highway. Just slide in and match the speed everyone’s going. No drama, no fear, just go already.
And you get a daily Italian tuneup!
Roger that. Same for exiting an Interstate. Do not brake or slow until the ramp. Do not force those behind to slow or brake. Do not inturrupt the current flow.
The worst though is when you move to the left lane to give someone all the safe space to enter as possible and then they wingman you and keep you locked in the left lane. Total douche nozzles.
“ Just slide in and match the speed everyone’s going “
Taught exactly that back in early ‘70s drivers Ed. You, the entering driver, make the adjustment in speed NOT the traffic on the freeway. And never slow to a stop if that traffic is moving!
Aaah yes, merging with the flow of traffic. That is something that is completely lost on most drivers up here. The thought of speeding up with the flow of traffic is not something most drivers even think about. Poke along to get along is the standard. The majority attitude is that you have to “move over and let me in”. I looked at the state regulations, and nope, that is NOT how it goes. That said driver either needs to speed up with the rest of us, or get the hell out of the way. More than once, I have had a left lane lugger next to me, and said driver-who-cannot-merge seems to think I can just run into the lugger for his sake. On the flip side, more than once I have looked over my shoulder, seen the line of cars in both (two lanes), and speed down that merge ramp like a bat out of hell to get in front of everyone, so as to merge smoothly. I figure if I ever got pulled over by the State Trooper for speeding, I would have no problems with fighting said ticket in court, because it is better to fight the speeding ticket than a collision accident.
I have thought this many time. My 1980 Corvette has lowly 190 HP but I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been at a traffic light next to an old dude in modern sports car with 3x or more HP. Light turns green and I accelerate at a normal pace with at max 50% throttle. I end pulling away with them far into my rearview mirror. Worse yet when I am stuck behind them unable to pass.
I don’t get it. While I am not expecting a holeshot and drag race at the light but if you are paying $100k for car built for speed why not least keep up with traffic?
I think mashin’ the gas as soon as the first green photon escapes the lense of the traffic light is a bad idea. In nearly 50 years of driving, I’ve seen quite a few boneheads blow through red lights at high speed. It isn’t worth getting t-boned or killed so I don’t exactly go tepidly but sure don’t mat the gas either.
That’s just my $.02.
Totally agree with you on that one. I used to take off without a second thought the instant the light turned green, now its pause for a brief beat while looking both ways, then rolling cautiously through the intersection. Way too many screen addled drivers around here blowing through red lights to do otherwise.
It’s just another piece of cognitive dissonance that has become the raison d’etre of our world.
It fits nicely with a man is a woman if he wears a dress or that plant food (CO2) is pollution or that you will own nothing and be happy.
Oh, and slavery is freedom…
The funny thing is that if you have less than 150 horsepower you can accelerate more aggressively and are less likely to get a speeding ticket by dint of it taking longer to get up to the speed limit. It sure doesn’t take long to get up to the speed limit in a Hell Cat though.
I’m still confused why people don’t understand that their supposed to stop at the painted stop line and not a car length behind it but maybe that’s just me.