By Christopher A. Sawyer
The Virtual Driver

(July 9, 2018) HCCI, Homogenous Charge Compression Ignition, is the holy grail of internal combustion in that gasoline engines would run like diesels on compression ignition, at much higher efficiency levels, and with lower pollution. The basic problem with HCCI, however, has been the inability to control the combustion process under changing conditions. Leave it to the boffins at Mazda to take a look at the problem from a less theoretically rigid angle to create a workable solution.

By Christopher A. Sawyer
The Virtual Driver

(July 6, 2018) The first generation 8 Series was introduced in 1989 as a top of the line coupe for the BMW brand, sitting above the 7 Series sedan in the same way the 6 Series sat above the 5 Series. More powerful, luxurious and expensive than the 6 Series, the V8- or V12-powered 8 Series suffered from slowing sales and falling demand, leading to its cancellation in 1999.

By Christopher A. Sawyer
The Virtual Driver

(June 17, 2018) The 2013 unveiling of the Ford Atlas concept in Detroit sent shivers down the spine of the competition. It meant that, two years later, a 700-pound lighter, aluminum-bodied F-150 would be hitting the market. Early planning for the next generation Silverado and Ram was just starting, and Ford had thrown the competition’s engineering teams an unexpected curve. Lightweighting was already part of the agenda, but the coming F-150 made it the main focus.

By Christopher A. Sawyer
The Virtual Driver

(June 13, 2018) As hard as it may be to believe, BMW’s X5 is 20 years old and about to enter its fourth generation. Built exclusively in BMW’s Spartanburg, S.C., assembly plant, more than 2.2 million units of the sport utility have been sold globally in that period, with more than 720,000 of those sales in the U.S. It was BMW’s first SUV, and has since been joined in Spartanburg by the X3, X5, and X6. A range-topping X7 will join the party soon.

By Christoper A. Sawyer
The Virtual Driver

(June 3, 2018) Allow me to set the scene. It’s midday. The sun is shining and the roads are dry. Temperature is in the mid 60s. I am driving in one of Detroit’s many suburbs, having just turned left to travel east down another two-lane road. There are houses on either side of the street, with a single story school administration building just ahead on the right.

By Christoper A Sawyer
The Virtual Driver

(May 30, 2018) This is a pickup. It was built by a team from Product Engineering at Honda’s U.K. assembly plant in Swindon using a pre-production model Honda Civic Type R. It is likely to be one of the fastest pickup trucks in use on British roads. Known as “Project P,” it is identical to a production Civic Type R from the B-pillars forward, and retains its engine, gearbox and suspension.

By Christopher A. Sawyer
The Virtual Driver

(May 27, 2018) After the plus-size Atlas, the 2018 Tiguan felt like a station wagon in comparison. It’s not as tall, not as wide, not as long, nor is it as boxy as its bigger brother. It’s also, it should be noted, nowhere near as small — tiny really — as the first generation Tiguan. That vehicle felt like a Golf GTI, and had about as much interior room, making it an anomaly in the crossover market. It was close in size to today’s subcompact SUVs, but more expensive.