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Mazda3 versus BMW 1 Series and Audi A3 in Euro diesel showdown

It's not exactly a Tesla Model S taking on a Ferrari, but for us green enthusiasts, a drag race and comparison between reasonably priced diesel hatchbacks does hold interest, and UK's Auto Express was kind enough to do the deed. When raced, the diesels actually laid a little rubber coming off the line, though the track was covered in rain. Did we mention it was in the UK? The comparison was between diesel hatchbacks priced at less than 22,000 British pounds (about $34,500 US), and Auto Express pitted a Mazda3, a BMW 1-Series and an Audi A3 against each other. The results are revealed in the 11-minute video you can watch below. In short, one car smoked the others. In order to set the tone, you should know that the Mazda's 150 horsepower is about 35 more than the other two entrants. The Mazda also earned points for its quiet motor (it sounds more like a petrol engine, the host says), standard equipment that would add about $4,000 to the other two cars if included and relative roominess in front and in back. The Audi gained points for its storage space, while the BMW had the only rear-wheel-drive car in the hunt. See for yourself how the competition stacks up. News Source: Auto Express via YouTube Green Audi BMW Mazda Diesel Vehicles bmw 1-series Auto Express

Toyota GT86 engineers explored shooting brake and sedan variants, are they still in the cards?

According to the Toyota UK blog, engineers for the automaker were so excited developing the GT86 coupe that they investigated producing a whole family of models based on the rear-wheel drive sports car. And at least one engineer - product chief Tetsuya Tada - still hopes it can happen, even if not everyone at Toyota is onboard. Tada: "Actually we tried to do this secretly but the executives found us out. They said: 'What are you doing? Will you please focus on the coupe.'"
Those mooted variants included both a four-door sedan and a shooting brake. Why? Aside from the pure excellence of a lightweight, brilliantly handling hatchback, Toyota was keenly aware of the fact that it may need to spread the cost of development out across several models. Tada says that's part of the reason why it was so easy to create the convertible. The company knew from the outset that a softtop version was in the cards, and built the machine's structure to accommodate having the roof sliced off.
Tada also made mention of the already-announced collaboration between Toyota and BMW. The engineer said that the GT86 was particularly helpful because it demonstrated just how successful a product conceived and designed by two different companies can be. While he didn't say exactly what Toyota and BMW are up to, it's clear the two are looking into a number of possibilities. It's an interesting read with a lot of

This Or That: 1980 Oldsmobile 442 vs. 1989 BMW 635CSi [w/poll]

The last time I roped a coworker into an automotive debate, I lost. Resoundingly, I might add. Still, 2,385 voters chose to cast their lots for the Fiat 500 Abarth, as opposed to 5,273 choosing the Ford Fiesta ST, and so I can rest easy in the knowledge that at least 30 percent of you, dear readers, see things my way. I still like to think we have more fun, too.
My loss in the first round of our This or That series, in which two Autoblog editors pick sides on any given topic and then attempt to explain why the other is completely wrong, didn't stop me from picking another good-natured fight, this time with Senior Editor Seyth Miersma. Last time, our chosen sides were eerily similar in design, albeit quite different in actual execution. This time, our vehicular peculiarities couldn't seemingly fall any further from one another: A 1980 Oldsmobile 442 wouldn't seem to match up in comparison to a 1989 BMW 635CSi.
How did we come up with such disparate contenders? Simple, really. Seyth and I mutually agreed to choose a car that's currently for sale online. It had to be built and sold in the 1980s, and it had to be a coupe. The price cap was set at $10,000. The fruits of our searching labors will henceforth be disputed, with Seyth on the side of the Germans, and myself arguing in favor of the Rocket Olds. Am I setting myself up for another lopsided loss?