To quote Steve...However, the government created a tremendous loophole in classifying minivans, pickups, and SUVs as trucks exempt from those regulations even if people use them as cars (the spirit of the law instead of the letter of the law). And everyone pays pretty much the same in road taxes whether they're pounding the roads with a three-ton-plus Lincoln Navigator or a one-ton Nissan Sentra. Everyone's insurance has gone up because of increased damage claims made by people in cars who've been hit by a truck or people who don't know how to drive trucks to begin with. There's nothing proportional about that................... Our government has really fumbled the ball here, and after so many years has yet to rectify this situation. I suspect they are trying to protect the remnants of the American auto industry.. I believe we should be far more united with Europe in protecting the environment - that their approach is more balanced and fair.. We have a government that responds too easily to the pressure groups rather than the people in general. The environmentalists and their supporters are probably the single strongest pressure group in Washington and many state capitols as well. I feel that national interests are more important; that we must no longer continue to be dependent on Islamic oil.. One of the solutions to this problem is the Diesel and a much higher standard for fuel economy...

Actually, zinc_man, there are many cars which come from the factory able to run ethanol ("E85"). Their mileage on ethanol isn't as good as it is with gasoline, but it's an option for them. As for your earlier comment ("Gas could go up to 5$ a gallon and people are stupid enough to pay for it.Boycot it for a few days and it will come down but no one wants to sacrifice and are to comfortable in there everyday lifes"), that simply is not an option for many people. Live a fair distance from work? Maybe that was a choice -- or maybe, courtesy of America's mania for corporate mergers and reduced "headcount," you now live quite a ways from your new job. Many good-sized metropolitan areas have pretty poor mass transit, too, so that's not much of an option unless you have a lot of free time. Vehicle choice is similar. You can opt to make an SUV or pickup or a high-performance car your daily single-occupant commuter. In that case, you pay the freight -- it was your choice. Or you sell it for what you can get and move on. But there are people who need the power of an SUV or pickup for towing, or work in rough terrain, etc. It's a shame that the cost of doing their business goes up because the price of fuel skyrockets, but it is a cost of their business just as everything else is, and unless they can find some magic way to do without it, they'll pay the price almost no matter what it is. More correctly, we'll pay the price, since we buy their goods and services. I think that, at a time when oil companies are announcing record profits, there's something fishy going on. But not buying gas on Tuesday when you'll just have to buy it on Wednesday isn't much of a protest, and some folks just don't have the choice.

LOL bpath, did B pay you to say that ;) Thanks Maire_cate. This camera feature is a real game-changer. I can't wait to pick it up. I drove my Pathfinder today and it was SO bad in the little bit of snow we had (It's a 2-wheel drive because I bought it in FL)

Unfortunately, often it's children and elderly who are killed in back-up crashes. In a parking lot, it may feel easier and quicker to go nose-first into a space. However, the time it takes to back in is saved when safely leaving by pulling out. Trying to back out, into oncoming traffic or the path of pedestrians, the driver’s view is impaired by other parked cars which increases blind spots. Backing out is more difficult and risky than backing into a parking space. By backing in, a driver is going into a known space. When leaving, the parking space, the driver is able to see the surroundings more clearly.