I kinda like the commercials, but at the end of each Dr. Z says something that I just can't make out. I guess it keeps you watching just so you can try to understand what he is saying.... Is it a salutation in German?
2006: 'Daimler-Chrysler invented the minivan'. Not VW?
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He is indeed, he is the Chairman of the Board of Management of DaimlerChrysler. Here's a link to his bio:
http://www.daimlerchrysler.com/dccom/0,,0-5-78470-1-56953-1-0-0-0-0-0-8-7155-0-0-0-0-0-0-0,00.html
"Auf Wiedersehen" (German for "See you later").
JHZR2
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I am not quite sure where youre getting cheaper petrol as compared to diesel.. everywhere Ive been, diesel is ~25c less per gallon. there are occasions when diesel is more, due to the season or the road tax, but generally, diesel is cheaper.
JMH
I'm with you there. I drive an old '84 diesel Rabbit and I'm getting around 44 mpg. Don't get me wrong, I'm not too impressed with the Liberty's mpg. But, while I don't know why (perhaps due to GM's bad diesels of the early 80s) it seems that no manufacturer wants to mention the word diesel in a commercial. So, in spite of the poor fuel economy of the Liberty (compared to VAG diesels), at least they are actively trying to sell them. Hopefully, more manufacturers will follow suit and we will see more diesels options in 2008 and see diesel passenger car sales start to rise in the US.
The Dr Z spots were ok the first few times I saw the first few spots. Now their appearance provokes a lightning quick touch of either the mute, previous channel, or power off button. Way past saturation point.
JHZR2
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Ummm... what VAG SUV type vehicles are getting 48 MPG??? The latest jetta cant even get that. even if... give me an MB diesel engine over a VW any day. anything that has remotely similar longevity to the OM617 and similar engines is more than likely coming from MB, not the competition.
As for the sprinter, thats MB technology, just the same.. different engine and drivetrain, but can the technology that got into the jeep be that backwards and behind the times? I doubt it. Obviously something is quite different in terms of EPA testing on a liberty vs. 'supposed' real world numbers of 32 from the sprinter. Do you have a sprinter that you log every tank to backup those numbers? I wonder what the economy across the fleet of sprinters sold in the USA is... I wonder what the real economy across the fleet of jeep diesels will be (or is if euro data is available), compared to the EPA numbers.
And lets not forget that the sprinter is likely exempt of a portion of the environmental regulations that the jeep has to meet, heck, the sprinter doesnt even get a fuel economy test by the EPA, last I checked.
JMH
[ August 01, 2006, 03:34 PM: Message edited by: JHZR2 ]
my folks had a '37 plymouth panel van which was our family car in the late '60s
all the kids and neighbours nicknamed us " ironside "
all the kids and neighbours nicknamed us " ironside "
You guys watch waaay too much TV
Hmmm, as for the Liberty Diesel, they claim 26mpg hwy. Our CR-V auto gets 24.5mpg mixed driving with cheaper petrol.
Thanks for the clarification.
Good point. I always figured the "mini van" was nothing more than a modern station wagon. Station wagons were built on automobile platforms and so are most "mini vans." To me, the true mini vans are like the Chevy Astro and Ford Aerostar.
I'd hazard a guess that the Liberty is a TAD heavier than your Rabbit or the CRV. I imagine all the assorted 4x4 bits don't help mileage either.
Either way, it is good to see these new cleaner diesels making their way to North America. My dream diesel is the V10 in the Touareg.
Kestas
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I don't think VW's product is any more similar to the modern minivan than it is dissimilar to the old van.
My opinions:
Why stop with the VW microbus? I see a LOT of Conestoga wagon in the Chrysler Town and Country.
Makes about as much sense.
Where I live #2 diesel has run $.07-10 more per gallon than regular unleaded since Katrina. Today I passed a sign on the interstate which had them both at $2.87 and that was a first!
If you want to quit speculating about minivan history, read this:
http://www.allpar.com/model/m/history.html
Why stop with the VW microbus? I see a LOT of Conestoga wagon in the Chrysler Town and Country.
Where I live #2 diesel has run $.07-10 more per gallon than regular unleaded since Katrina. Today I passed a sign on the interstate which had them both at $2.87 and that was a first!
If you want to quit speculating about minivan history, read this:
http://www.allpar.com/model/m/history.html
Gentlemen,
I enjoy the commercials. He seems to have a sense of humor and doesn't mind poking a little fun at himself with a "geeky German guy, highlighting technical features, selling cars to Americans persona." I don't know that it is increasing sales any. The first time I saw one of these, my wife got a funny, confused look on her face and asked "Who is this Dr. Z guy? Is he some foreign actor or a real person? I wonder if that moustache is real or fake..." Like most American drivers, she's not up on who runs these multi-billion dollar automotive corporations. But if the goal of the ad campaign is to just get your attention, and let the chips fall where they may after that, perhaps it is working.
If Dr. Z wants to take this claim one step further, after bragging about one of their cars, he might end a commerical with the parting shot, "Folks, this is a good car. Here at Daimler Benz (or whatever they call the company now) we INVENTED the automobile."
Now that would lead to another thread of its own. Q: Would you consider them the inventor of the modern automobile?
Regards,
Jett Rink
I enjoy the commercials. He seems to have a sense of humor and doesn't mind poking a little fun at himself with a "geeky German guy, highlighting technical features, selling cars to Americans persona." I don't know that it is increasing sales any. The first time I saw one of these, my wife got a funny, confused look on her face and asked "Who is this Dr. Z guy? Is he some foreign actor or a real person? I wonder if that moustache is real or fake..." Like most American drivers, she's not up on who runs these multi-billion dollar automotive corporations. But if the goal of the ad campaign is to just get your attention, and let the chips fall where they may after that, perhaps it is working.
If Dr. Z wants to take this claim one step further, after bragging about one of their cars, he might end a commerical with the parting shot, "Folks, this is a good car. Here at Daimler Benz (or whatever they call the company now) we INVENTED the automobile."
Now that would lead to another thread of its own. Q: Would you consider them the inventor of the modern automobile?
Regards,
Jett Rink
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