I haven’t been to China, but I understand the air in Beijing is a lot worse than the air in any American city. Why? A lack of governmental regulation.

I fully understand that not all governmental interventions in life and public policy are beneficial. But some are.

I challenge you to argue with me on this one.

The photo is an enlargement of a shot from Autoweek Magazine. Their May 14, 2012 issue has an article about the new Dodge Dart. Its front grille shuts at certain speeds to improve fuel economy — because of governmental regulations for car manufacturers to increase fuel economy. I think that’s awesome.

Of course I’m thinking of how one man has all those opulent and amazing cars, and how the money could have been spent on a slightly better education for kids in either city. Or how some kids in Africa might not die because they have clean water.

But somehow I mostly think of what a strange thing is is to have two identical-but-different-color sets of cars.

(Thanks to the May 10, 2012 Rolling Stone Magazine for the article featuring this photo.)

The forth-coming Mercedes SL550 has a 4.7 liter engine. It used to be that Mercedes would badge such a model as the SL470. No longer. BMW does the same thing with their 328i ... the latest model has a 2.0 liter engine.

In Europe, this inflation is slightly less. The SL550 is badged as the SL500.

Engine sizes are going down, as vehicle manufacturers are figuring out how to get more power out of less engine. That’s a good thing. Fuel economy usually goes up when these changes happen. And then you save when you fill up at the gas station.

I long for the day when real numbers will be given for things.

Photo courtesy of Desertspotter.

The teaser at left is part of a post that I recently did about the new Toyota Prius c.

I would never be able to own such a car. Even if I could afford it, my conscience would prevent me from sinking that much money into a car that gets me to the grocery store as well as our Toyota Corolla. Or maybe the Corolla would do it better, since it will hold more bags of groceries. (My guess is that most Volante owners have someone else do their grocery shopping, so that’s probably not an issue.)

But somehow it comforts me to know that this car exists. It’s not superlative in any category, but it is a work of art. An article in Autoweek magazine told the story of some kids in a minivan seeing the car across two lanes of traffic. They were so wowed by the car that they shouted out to the driver, “Rev the engine! Rev the engine!” This car definitely has a powerful presence.

I’m torn. I know that anyone who spends $302,000 on a car could spend that money feeding starving people. Maybe they haven’t ever lived in Africa, like I have. While we were there, we had friends who didn’t know where their next meal was coming from. And just $10 might feed their family for several days. That reality that makes me pause before I make any extravagant purchase. Can I really justify it?

Photo courtesy of Elite Choice.

I say that fully kidding — I know that none of my readers are thinking about buying a Fisker Karma.

Anyhow, I read with interest a Car & Driver magazine review of the new Fisker Karma. Think of it as a much faster Chevrolet Volt with a super beautiful body.

The gas engine powers a generator that charges an electric motor that moves the wheels. So it can run only on electric power for about 25 miles.

Why am I comparing the $116,000 Karma to a $44,000 BMW 335d? Here are several reasons:

1. Performance? The BMW is faster than the Karma... BMW = 0–60 miles per hour in 5.3 seconds. The Fisker does 6.1 seconds.

2. Interior room? Similar.

3. Quality of materials, fit and finish? Similar.

4. Fuel economy? BMW wins... 27 miles per gallon vs. the Fisker’s 24.

5. Green? Disposing of all those lithium-ion batteries when they fail to hold a charge anymore will be a nightmare. And diesel is more dirty than gas in some measures but cleaner in others.

The Fisker is a clear winner in the distinctiveness realm. You won’t see another on your block, guaranteed — no matter where you live. But for everything else, the BMW wins.

A final note: the Porsche Panamera S Hybrid is definitely a closer vehicle to compare. It costs a closer $95,000, does 0–60 in 5.7 seconds and gets 25 mpg.

Photos are courtesy of the Fisker and BMW websites.

Case in point: these two wagons were for sale locally, for relatively low prices. When compared to the original prices, the BMW was an incredible steal. However, the BMW will end up costing way more than the Ford, in practically every way you can imagine. (Trust me on this; I had an old BMW for a few years.)

But every single minute behind the wheel of the 528 (when it is running OK, that is) will be way more enjoyable than every minute behind the wheel of the Escort.

You must pick your poison.

(And I dream of poison. When I saw that BMW, I thought a little too long on how fun it would be to have it. Alas, we will continue to drive one of the most boring — and practical — cars on the planet, the Toyota Corolla.)

The rental car was a Dodge Avenger — a “mid-sized” American sedan — pretty generic. The quality was not bad. There were a few details that didn’t quite measure up. One was the ensemble of gauges. (If you click on the image, you can see more detail.) Sitting straight-ahead, the left edge of the tachometer was not visible. And the typeface for the speedometer was a really poor choice.

A very fun aspect to the rental car experience was the surprise that awaited me when I loaded up a CD... there was already a CD in the player. So I pushed it back in. Cheezy, syrupy Chinese pop music filled the car.

Just before returning the car, I faced a dilemma. I had forgotten to take a photo of the CD to share with you. So would I leave the CD in there as a surprise for the next renter who would try to listen to a CD? Or should I bring it home so I could take a photo? Alas, passing on the blessing to the next renter went by the wayside. So I’m passing on the blessing to you (minus the audio portion).

I love writing letters to the editor. This is my 15th or 16th letter to get published in a national or international magazine. I get a buzz out of seeing my name in print. Egotistical? Maybe. (Forgive me for that, if it’s true.)

Roughly the same amount of time it would take for you to comment on a blog post — and have 21 people see it — can yield a few more views, if your thoughts are published in a magazine. Print may be dying, but there is still a good number of people who read printed magazines. Obviously, I’m one.

If you’d like to read more of the dead Volvo story, it’s in my previous blog.

And here’s Ezra’s column. The December Automobile Letters to the Editor section had more letters about that column than I’ve ever seen focusing on any article or column before.

AAA now has trucks devoted to charging stranded electric cars in six different US cities. At the moment, that would only be two vehicles — the Nissan Leaf and the Mistubishi i. And there are maybe 25 actual cars floating around the US. So it’s a near-future-oriented program.

Anyhow, I was amused at the thought of a relatively low fuel economy truck being driven across town to charge up an “ultra-green” car. It kind of defeats the purpose.

Another strange thing is that the trucks charge up the cars to travel another 3–15 miles ... to “reach a charging station.” Good luck finding a charging station. You might know that most fully-electric cars take about 24 hours to charge from a regular household circuit. (A devoted 240– or 480-volt outlet drops the full charge time down to 3–6 hours.)

My constructive suggestion? Use a much cheaper tow truck and tow the car to the owner’s home. Or an office or store that has an electric extension cord.

Electric cars aren’t ready for prime time. Yet.