"thump-in-the-back"

I think the thump in the back comes from acceleration, which also occurs in FWD cars, I believe.

@Anonymous Twit

"-there is a hint that the reviewer drove above the speed limit. If the review was conducted in the UK, that is an admission of guilt which ought to interest the police."

STFU you middle lane hogging git. (I'm assuming a bit there - but the MO fits)

He doesn't state where he drove - but for all you know it could have been on a deserted, dry, straight motorway. Still technically illegal, but hurting no-one.

"-fuel economy suffers from aggressive acceleration and driving above 70mph, both of which this vehicle appears to emphasise"

Not always - my 03 Golf TDi gets better MPG at 85 than at 70.

And I'd much prefer a car with more accelerating potential in the 40 - 90MPH range - all the better for overtaking YOU doing 45 MPH on a 50 road.

For one thing it is a damn sight safer to be able to put your foot down and get past someone before the 18Wheeler runs you down.

-all "green" cars take up as much space as "brown" cars.

And you take up as much space as the next person - what's your point?

"-the overall CO2 footprint of the VW/Audi/Seat/Skoda portfolio is pretty weak. Yes, they hype their bluemotion, but BMW have made far better progress in reducing their average CO2 emission rate than VAG have. The BlueMotion product line is essentially there to look eco-smug -at a premium- rather than fix the efficiency of the total fleet."

They've made better PROGRESS, that doesn't make it better overall.

That's because BMW have only just (<10 years) started making smaller, more efficient cars... i.e. 1 Series and Mini. VAG always have made smaller cars, and so their only improvements are to existing lines.

If Bugatti suddenly added a 1-series Efficient-Dynamics type car to their lineup, then their PROGRESS would be vastly better than the two wouldn't it?