Magnums in Germany with 300 front grill/clip ?

A friend was in north-central Germany earlier this week.

He says he saw a Dodge Magnum - but with a front end from a 300.

Is Daimler making such a beast for Europe/Germany?

Apparently such odd ball combinations isin't out of the ordinary for
Europe. Although Jap cars in Germany aren't that common, my buddy saw
some Honda's with obvious Acura bodywork.

He also said he saw more Crossfires there than he sees around here.

Also - why the two different brands or types of diesel fuel at the gas
pumps?

 

The Crossfire is made in Germany, isn't it? That might help sell them
there, or at least make it a bit cheaper.

 

Dodge Magnums are not sold in Europe. Rather it is called the "Chrysler 300
Touring". It is a Magnum with a 300 front end.

The Crossfire is a re-bodied MB 230SL.

Basically Acura doesn't/didn't exist in Europe. The whole car line is
referred to as Honda. What we know as Acura's in the US are just the
upper/top line Honda's in many other countries.

===================

 

Freitag, 21. Juli 2006 22:08 (US Central Time)
MoPar Man wrote in rec.autos.makers.chrysler:

Depends on what your friend saw ...

Some stations are selling diesel and so called "Truck-Diesel". No difference
in fuel it`s only a bit cheaper than the "normal" diesel, since when a
trucker fills up, he buys a considerably bigger amount of diesel.

The other thing could be ... Aral and Shell are selling so called "premium"
gas and diesel (Shell calls it V-Power, can`t remember the Aral brand).
They say it is better gas (gets a greater gas mileage, has a higher octane
number etc.) so they charge you 8 cents mor per litre, but in fact in most
cases it`s a rip-off since most engines don`t really work well with it (my
PT gets the has the worst with the V-Power stuff). Having in mind, that in
the US shell did label their premium grade "V-Power" but didn`t change the
octane number and the price difference to the other grades ... you`ll
probably understand, why I think it is a rip-off.

Talk to you later ... Hans from Germany

 

Here in north america, Shell's V-Power does have a slightly higher
octane rating than the mid-grade.

I guess in Europe, where diesel is far more common, the fuel retailers
have created an up-branded version of diesel to sell to brand-minded
consumers where here in north america they do it with gasoline instead
of diesel.

With the huge increase in gas prices over the past 3 years I really
wonder who is still buying mid or premium-grade gasoline these days.

 

Do they really have to do that?

Would it kill them if they simply took a Magnum off the production
line and stuck a Chrysler badge on it?

Or did their focus groups tell them that a Dodge front-end wouldn't
sell?

 

There are a number of cars that require the higher octane. Many new cars
require it. So it's not just a driver preference item but needed due to the
higher HP, compression or whatever for that particular car. Even the 4
cylinder PT Cruiser GT requires premium fuel.

============

 

There are way more cars that don't.

Name a car under $35k that REQUIRE mid or premium-grade. The 300 with
a V6 doesn't, and maybe not even with the hemi.

Only the ones with a turbo.

http://www.sacbee.com/content/business/wheels/story/14274850p-15084574c.html

"According to the Energy Information Administration in Washington,
D.C., the number of U.S. drivers filling up with premium is at its
lowest level in decades."

"From pricey sports cars to high-performance luxury vehicles and even
some sport-utility vehicles, 21 percent of 2006-model cars on
America's roads require premium gas, according to Edmunds.com,"

---
If this is true (21%) then clearly the media has been missing the
picture as to what to focus on when it comes to vehicles and the cost
of fuel.
---

"sales/deliveries of premium gas dropped by nearly half in just over a
decade, from 65.7 million gallons per day in April 1995 to 34.3
million gallons in April 2006, the most recent monthly statistics
available."

"Automotive experts say confusion about octane ratings is common among
American motorists who fill up with premium."

"If premium is only "recommended," he said, drivers can experiment
with regular in their gas tanks."

"If you don't have a dramatic drop-off in fuel economy, in all
likelihood, you're OK with the lower grade."

"Auto industry analysts estimate that 30 percent of U.S. owners of
cars that use regular gas either routinely or occasionally fill up
with premium on the mistaken impression that the higher grade provides
some benefit. An MSNBC report last year said 9 million U.S. motorists
were using premium gas in vehicles not requiring it."

Some newer cars whose manufacturers either require or recommend using
premium-grade (91 octane or higher) gasoline:

• 2006 Porsche Cayenne (SUV): Premium required

• 2007 Ford Shelby GT500 high-performance sports car: Premium required

• 2006 BMW 760i sedan: Premium required

• 2007 Cadillac Escalade SUV: Premium recommended

• 2006 Dodge Magnum SRT8 wagon: Premium recommended

• 2006 Acura MDX (SUV): Premium recommended

(note how many of these say "recommended")

See also:

http://www.brandweek.com/bw/news/autos/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002802099

 

But all of this doesn't really apply to the question asked. The question
was, "...I wonder who is still buying mid or premium grade gas these days?"
Quite a few are buying it either because their car requires it or the owner
wants it. Regardless of the price of car or equipment installed, there's
quite a few cars burning higher octane fuels. Some of the stations here
even sell 101 octane...at a very high price pushing it as racing fuel. But
it is obviously being used or it wouldn't be at the pump.

My car is not a turbo but I have changed the timing slightly. I use mid
grade only because it spark knocks a little with lower grade. If gas prices
keep climbing, I may retard that timing a little and go back to 87 octane.

===================

 

I don't know what you mean (re outside NA). The vast majority of cars,
including 'performance' ones, are tuned to run on standard international
lead-free 95 octane fuel (c. 91 US), period. Buy higher octane and you're
wasting money. Buy lower and your affecting performance or whatever.

DAS

For direct contact replace nospam with schmetterling
---

[...]

 

In the US/Canada, 91 octane is either the mid-level or even
premium-grade choice.

The cheapeast is usually 87 octane, followed by 89 and 91. Some
places (Texaco? Sunoco?) probably have a Super-grade (94). I
typically get between 28 and 33 mpg on the highway according to the
realtime mpg reading on the overhead console.

I buy only 87 for my 300m, which lately has reached $1.10 (CDN) per
liter, which is 0.758 Euros, or $3.69 USD per US gallon.
Higher-octane grades is usually about 0.05/L more per grade-step.

 

In the UK and many other countries it is hard to get (not available) fuel
below said 95. The higher grade is typically 97 or 98 octane. Costs a
significant amount more (several pence per litre). In the UK the claims for
the 'premium' fuel are very cautious indeed, and it is sometimes unclear
whether some of the wonderful detergent qualities aren't actually the same
as in the 'standard' stuff, about which less is shouted about since it is
ubiquitous and feels more like a commodity.

BTW, I almost always fill up at a branded petrol station -- principally
Shell and BP -- rather than at a supermarket pump. Just in case... Well,
with my max 5K miles per year any cost difference doesn't hit my pocket so
hard.

DAS

For direct contact replace nospam with schmetterling

 

PS. At Shell and BP because I get a few airline points... (Esso/Exxon is
not part of such a scheme).

DAS

For direct contact replace nospam with schmetterling
---

 

There must be a different standard when it comes to octane ratings
between Can/USA and Europe, because anything higher than 95 here would
be rocket fuel.

I don't see why 97 or 98 octane would be available, since it would
typically only be needed for engines with compression ratios that
approach the muscle-car era of the late 60's and early 70's (10:1 to
12:1) with agressive timing.

So I'm thinking that the numbers aren't exactly comparable, and that
EU numbers (or maybe just UK numbers) are a good 5 to 8 points higher
than comparable Can/US fuel.

I think that Can/US octane numbers is the average of the RON and MON
readings.

 

Yes, approx 4 points different (mentioned in my first post and seemingly
acknowledged by you "In the US/Canada, 91 octane is either the mid-level or
even
premium-grade choice.")

A few very high performance cars need the extra 2/3 octane numbers.

I am sure a number of drivers buy it just for the image, but I did say the
claims made are now very carefully phrased.

E.g.

http://www.shell.com/home/Framework...ists/fuels/optimax/optimax_about_ga_1602.html

It does not say that 'ordinary' fuel does not clean the same way. On this
website they are not even talking of performance.

http://www.shell.com/home/Framework...rists/fuels/optimax/optimax_faqs_ga_1602.html

DAS

For direct contact replace nospam with schmetterling

 

Diesel motor fuel has a Cetane Rating, just as gasoline has an Octane
Rating. NYS (thanks to me) is one of the few places that mandates that the
diesel pump disclose the Cetane Rating. Different motors have different
requirements, and perhaps this is what some stations in Europe are trying to
market to. This rating and the level of contaminants such as water and
various minerals, and anti-waxing additives are the major qualities the
consumer must me concerned with.

Richard.

 

No, but it would cost them a great deal more money than the way they do
it. Why? Because by doing it the way they do it, they saved a great
deal of money engineering, tooling, producing, and type-approval
testing a whole separate set of front lamps, bumper and front-end
structure. Remember, US lights, bumpers and front-end structures
generally do not conform to internationalised ECE regulations in force
in most countries outside the US/Canada. So, they type-approve ONE set
of headlamps, ONE set of fog lamps, ONE front end structure, and then
use it on the 300C sedan *and* wagon.

A 3rd-grader could tell 'em that...the Magnum front end is ugly as all
hell.

 

Not aware of an upmarket diesel in the UK. I'll try to look out for it.

I don't recollect seeing any car ad mentioning any special diesel fuel.
What we all have is clean (of sulfur) diesel and torquey turbo-charged
engines. Makes overtaking a breeze...

Well, I have a petrol engine but I often get diesels in the cars I hire on
the Continent, e.g. on holiday last week. 1.9 l (or was it 2.2?)
turbo-diesel on an Opel Zafira (boring but very practical - oh, that's
GM...).

DAS

For direct contact replace nospam with schmetterling