Contentious (to some) thread.. :)

[bpsorrel]

Bearing in mind the rapid running down of fossil fuels on the planet and the obvious need to conserve as much of it as possible (mostly to allow time for the new technologies to bed in and work properly) do those folks driving petrol guzzling V8s, V12s etc feel in the slightest bit guilty? After all, on the roads we mostly drive on fuel sipping engines are surely good enough?

OK! I'll stand back ready for the assault from C63 owners!

 

[wemorgan]

For me as a non-driver of such cars it's not about pointing fingers of blame to motorists that have cars with large engines, but looking as a whole to people's total carbon footprint. So that includes in thier home, travel and general consumption of goods.

Foreign bottled water gets my goat.

 

[bpsorrel]

I agree! Incidentally, I'm not blaming anyone, I'm just curious - (follows on from a heated debate I had last night with some friends!!)

 

[d w124]

(follows on from a heated debate I had last night with some friends!!)

You`re getting a CLS500 than?

 

[KillerHERTZ]

Id feel guity if I had bought any Hybrid or Electric car due to the amount of Toxic & harmful chemicals within the batteries and componants.

 

[Will]

I agree with Wemorgan - you need to look at the whole picture

Driving a diesel engined or small CC vehicle does not make you a 'green' person IMHO. You need to consider how much said person uses their car, and other lifestyle factors too.

I use far less fuel annually in my CLK than most people as it's not a car used for work - I suspect my carbon footprint is lower than most

 

[BTB 500]

Bearing in mind the rapid running down of fossil fuels on the planet and the obvious need to conserve as much of it as possible (mostly to allow time for the new technologies to bed in and work properly) do those folks driving petrol guzzling V8s, V12s etc feel in the slightest bit guilty?

No, because I commute by public transport (train) and only do about 2500 miles a year in my 5 litre V8.

So the environmental impact is way less than someone who drives to work everyday (12-14k miles a year is considered pretty normal I think) in a small-engined car.

And actually, the SL is more economical on a long run than our (diesel) Vito!

 

[Shude]

Bearing in mind the rapid running down of fossil fuels on the planet and the obvious need to conserve as much of it as possible (mostly to allow time for the new technologies to bed in and work properly) do those folks driving petrol guzzling V8s, V12s etc feel in the slightest bit guilty? After all, on the roads we mostly drive on fuel sipping engines are surely good enough?

The difference between a modest car and a "gas-guzzler" is fractional if you take into account all the other consumers of fossil fuels.

Ever travel by plane? Tut tut.

 

[tpwuk]

My commute to work and back is only 16 miles. My brother, who's an ADI, drives approx 60K miles per year in his VED free Ford Fiesta. My finger is pointing firmly in his direction!

 

[BQF]

I don't give it a minutes thought.

The stone age didn't end because we ran out of stones - the technology will soon be here and we'll all be driving electric cars.

Meanwhile, lets get that oil used - it would be wasteful if we didn't, given that in our lifetime it will be completely redundant.

 

[bpsorrel]

To be honest, the question wasn't about how green you are overall, but specifically about the fuel consumption of your chosen car. No offence meant here, just idle curiosity...

And no, I'm not after a CLS500 or 55 or 63.... just a nice, relatively economic, torquey 320cdi!
I've done my time with V8s - the horendous mpg for the few moments of thrill never really added up for me... fun while it lasted though!

 

[Oli]

I don't give it a minutes thought.

The stone age didn't end because we ran out of stones - the technology will soon be here and we'll all be driving electric cars.

Meanwhile, lets get that oil used - it would be wasteful if we didn't, given that in our lifetime it will be completely redundant.

I kind of think the tech is already there and ready just the powers that be are still holding it back while there's such profits still to be made from oil.

 

[bpsorrel]

Personally, I'd put my money on hydrogen..... but we'll see...

 

[Oli]

I hope it's hydrogen over electricity too, what I find more worrying than what is going to drive cars when oil is finished is what is going to help make the thousands of other important things it's used for,pesticides,plastics etc, that's a bigger worry to me.

 

[bpsorrel]

Wonder what will power aircraft and ships in the future?

 

[tpwuk]

I'll be trying to sell the CLK again once the weather turns, not because of it's fuel consumption but because I feel like a tit with the roof down! Price of petrol is ridiculous though.

 

[EDZ649]

No, because I commute by public transport (train) and only do about 2500 miles a year in my 5 litre V8.

So the environmental impact is way less than someone who drives to work everyday (12-14k miles a year is considered pretty normal I think) in a small-engined car.

And actually, the SL is more economical on a long run than our (diesel) Vito!

I agree, I have the SL600 on a 3000 miles per year limited mileage policy so the impact is minimal.

On a run I can squeeze 26-27 out of it if carefull, which is about the same as my 2.5 ltr diesel L200 which I drive every day.

 

[A210AMG]

When I had my ML it didn't matter to me that the fuel guage dropped as quick as the revs rose...

I did 1800 miles in the car in a year, I walk / ride to work.

Also buying a second hand car is probabably better than buying a new one as its already here its been built.

I have no problem in people having what ever car they like engine size etc. I do think we need an alternative fuel as Petrol is becoming expensive.

Its a difficult subject and one which I doubt everyone will ever see eye to eye not just cars but everything we use today. More and more manufactures are making items 'greener' however in the UK at least the waste and change for changing sake rather than need is huge.

 

[martin_a]

I reckon in the grand scheme of things cars are way down the scale, even the big engined ones. However the (slightly different) issue is the wider picture and reducing global consumption, especially in places like china, all because people want to pay a fiver for a pair of jeans in Tesco.

m.

 

[HR17]

I'll be dead by the time the wells run dry, and my kids will be used to driving like nuns by then, so I have no guilt whatsoever about driving what and how I like.