2006 Jeep Commander

Here is the first interesting vehicle from Jeep in a LONG time - interesting because it looks like a Jeep, but actually has a third row seating option. Now if they will only make the Wrangler Scrambler pick-up that the Company showed at all of the auto shows this year!

Gas Prices

Wow, how about those gasoline prices, eh? The cheapest price in Albuquerque is now at Costco and Sams Club - $2.19 per gallon. I regretfully must say that I need premium!

SVO

I am now about 90% convinced that SVO is the way to go. I don't mean SVX® or SVT®. SVO stands for "Straight Vegetable Oil" and is a dual-tank approach to running a diesel on vegetable oil. See the link above for complete details. Once I sell my beautiful Patrol (see previous post) Sue and I will probably purchase an elderly (mid-1980's) Mercedes Benz diesel vehicle and convert it to SVO power. Other alternatives for us include selling our current M-Class and buying the new M-Class diesel if/when Mercedes sells them in the USA, or using the Patrol money as a down payment on a new Prius. Time will tell, but the no-car-payment option sounds really good to me right now.

Finally Some Diesel News From Mercedes-Benz

Washington DC June 20, 2005; The AIADA newsletter reported that Mercedes-Benz is expected to launch several diesel-powered vehicles for sale across the U.S. as early as 2008 -- including, the E-class sedan, M-class and G-class SUVs, and new R-class sport wagon, reports Automotive News. "We are working really hard to have the solution ready for the new regulations that will come in 2007-2008," says Eva Lenhardt, head of technology communications for Mercedes Car Group in Stuttgart.

OK, 2008 is a LONG time to wait for one of these new vehicles. I want one now, but the plain jane E320 CDI is to pedestrian and not useful enough for my taste. Hey, Mercedes, bring on the diesels.