In my line of work I am often questioned about the size of cars, specifically trunk capacity. Usually this involves some abstract idea of suitcase numbers and sizes and really no one knows until they try to stuff a few bags in there. Certainly there has to be a better way to express cargo room using something that everyone can visualize, thus ending confusion and changing the world as we know it. Thanks to a ridiculously in depth and utterly pointless conversation with one of my employees, we bring you this - the Wheel Cheese Unit, or WCU.
Simply put, the WCU is based on the number of wheels of cheese that one can fit into a car. Now, I can't take full credit as the idea came to us after watching an episode of Top Gear. And while it was very entertaining to watch Jeremy Clarkson stuffing cheese into a BMW estate car (station wagon for us on this side of the pond), we noticed that it was neither uniform nor exact. We could improve on this!
The first thing we had to do was standardize. This proved to be a problem because when cheese is formed into a wheel, apparently any roundish type container is used. There tends to be a lot of variation in the size of cheese wheels. Searching for a standard cheese mould was of little help, there are only about 500 different sizes. Enter American Inginuity (TM). We used a very scientific way to determine the average wheel size. It was based on the size of a Chevy Aveo steel wheel, which looked like a good size for cheese. The official decided measurement would be a wheel that is 12 inches in diameter and 6 inches high. Not to leave the rest of the world out, we also standardized in metric - 30 cm diameter and 15 cm high, slightly smaller than the American counterpart, but most things European usually are. Having standardized, we were now getting somewhere. Then the question came up of extra space not accounted for. A cheese wheel is cylindrical and having several stacked next to each other would leave empty space unaccounted for, possibly as much as one or two more wheels. We could improve on this!
Now comes the fun math. Rather than use the volume formula for a cylinder taught to me by Mr. Huke in sophomore geometry which I've long since forgotten (thanks for passing me, btw), it seemed easier to convert WCUs straight to cubic inches (or cubic cm for my readers abroad). Are we squeezing a couple of extra inches in? You bet, but no one seems to mind when engine builders round up. Besides, this is cheese, folks. So the volume of the WCU would simply become a rectangular solid with a formula of hxwxl or 864 cubic inches, metric WCU 13500 cubic cm. Ironic that we chose to take pi out of the formula since pie is shaped like a cheese wheel.
Ok, so now we have a visual marker and a conversion factor. Let's see how it applies in the real world. Actually pretty simple, all we need to know is the cargo capacity of a particular vehicle. Let's choose one of my least favorite, the Chevy Aveo 5 door hatchback. (On a side note, the engine size of the Aveo is 98 ci/1598 ccm or roughly .11 WCUs. And it runs like it still has the cheese in it.) Chevy lists the Aveo as having 15 cu. ft. of cargo volume with the rear seats up and 37.2 cu. ft. with the seats down. Kind of abstract. Let's get to work. Since one WCU is half a cubic foot, there are 2 WCUs per cubic foot. So, the Aveo has a WCU rating of about 30 with the seats up and about 74 1/2 with the seats down. Now, go out and find the WCU of your car. Tweet me the results @ chkm8r.twitter.com and I'll be sure to tweet the largest WCU's. As always, comments are appreciated.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
VW Jetta
Lucky for you guys, you get a car review right out of the gate! I'm lucky in my job that I get to drive different kinds of cars for long periods of time. Aside from getting to spend time out of the office, I also get to know my product and am able to pass that info on to my customers. This week it is the 2010 Volkswagen Jetta, a car for the people.
I plan to break these reviews into sections based on the things that are important to me, so pidly things like safety features will most likely be ignored while good features, like bluetooth and a Bose stereo will be highlighted. Mostly I'll be breaking this down into the following categories - exterior styling, interior styling and comfort, performance and overall impression. I will omit details that I don't really know, like price. If you like the car, you figure out if you can afford one. On to the Jetta!
Exterior styling - The Jetta is a German car and as such is very, well, German. What does that mean? It means the Jetta is very straightforward, not flashy and without anything unnecessary. Clean lines, unobtrusive curves, simple design. What I love about German cars, such as VW and BMW, is how they can be so simple without being boring. For comparison, lets look at the Toyota Corolla. The Corolla has a very uninteresting design. No lines catch your eyes, nothing stands out. It could be a Whatever Crapbox and no one would look twice at it. The Jetta, on the other hand, is different. Consider it the difference between a reprint of Whistler's Mother bought at the local craft store (Corolla) and a clean, simple chrome piece of modern art. Not flashy, but still modern and interesting. People driving the Corolla are listening to the oldies station, people driving the Jetta should be listening to techno. That's what fits the design. If you like loft apartments with chrome kitchens and steel furniture, you'll love a Jetta.
Interior styling - The German theme of simplicity and effeciency is carried over to the inside of the Jetta as well. Everything makes sense, and is exactly where you'd expect it. Well, almost everything. The fuel door release and trunk release are located under the driver's door armrest. At first it seemed strange and awkward, but as I spent time in the Jetta it made sense. There was no place else that really worked so the Germans were effecient and made good use of space. Kudos! Seats are comfortable and had seat heaters, unseen before in a non-leather, non-upgraded interior of any make or model. I'm not sure I like the manual/power recline hybrid seats. While I get my incline angle just right, seat height and distance is in premeasured chunks. I would hope full power seats are availble. Stereo sounded good, but lacked controls on the steering wheel. Not a big deal unless it's something you get used to in other cars. Not sure, but maybe it is an option through VW. The Jetta also has a preset, non adjustable stereo boost that raises the volume as the car increases in speed. I personally don't like how it is set up, I'd make the volume jumps less dramatic, and having a low/med/high option doesn't seem like an overly complex feature to include. We also have an I/O aux jack, my most important interior feature besides Siruis/XM, and an easy to read display that includes the most relevant of information - the outside temp! One weird quirk with the speedometer, though. Up through 80 mph, there are hashmarks every 5 mph with the 10, 20, etc, labeled on every other hash. After 80 mph, the labeling is every 20 mph, i.e. 80, -, 100, -, 110. Not a big problem since most of us aren't going over 80 anyway, but still curious. I assume it's so the speedo tops at 160 mph vs. 120 mph. But it does show someone wasted time thinking about it besides me. Other than that, as good inside as it is outside. Trunk space is average for cars these days, fitting 3-4 large suitcases. Also has Day Running Lights. I'm not personally a fan, but whatever, no big deal.
Performance - After being used to wimpy inline 4's in midsize cars, it was a nice change to flog a 6 for a while. Jetta didn't let me down. The low end has great torque but the real power kicks in around 3500 rpm. Unfortunately you have to shift from automatic to manual mode to do that, because the car will assume everyone wants to shift by 2500 rpm just before you can reach the power band. But maybe that's not so bad, since manual mode is much more fun that is added to with the Jetta's great sounding exhaust note. When it winds out to 5500 rpm there is no whining or crying, just a steady pull and a car that purrs like a kitten in a creamery. There is a little lag in first gear, I'm assuming it's the torque converter, until the engine and tranny start working together which causes the Jetta to shoot forward once it is online. Plus first gear winds up very quickly, so I was literally shifting within one second of leaving the line. I'd like to see a more balanced converter and more range for first gear to keep the crawling/shot out of rocket effect minimized. Speedwise, I was to 40 mph in second and 65 mph in third with three gears left to go. Great pickup and the way the engine was pulling, I don't doubt getting past 80-90 in a few more seconds was easily possible. 0-60 time was about 8-9 sec, slowed mostly by traffic conditions. MPG is unknown, and with the way I drive cars, probably irrelevant. Check out VW's website if you want to know. Handling was good, much less body roll than most cars, and a stiffer ride that gave good feedback. Understeer was managable, I never felt I was fighting the Jetta through a corner. Everything mechanical felt solid and precise, much more so than with many cars but exactly what I expect from the Germans.
Overall impression - I like this car...a lot! It appeals to the things that I like most, simplicity with function, performance, and effeciency. The only complaint I have is that I cannot for the life of me figure out how to reset the oil change light. The manual is no help at all. I suppose if this really bothered me I would have looked it up online already. Otherwise, if one of you know how to do this, please tweet @chkm8tr. Still, if that's the worst complaint, that's not too bad. If I were looking for a car today, this would definitely be in consideration. We'll see what I'm in next either tomorrow or Friday!
I plan to break these reviews into sections based on the things that are important to me, so pidly things like safety features will most likely be ignored while good features, like bluetooth and a Bose stereo will be highlighted. Mostly I'll be breaking this down into the following categories - exterior styling, interior styling and comfort, performance and overall impression. I will omit details that I don't really know, like price. If you like the car, you figure out if you can afford one. On to the Jetta!
Exterior styling - The Jetta is a German car and as such is very, well, German. What does that mean? It means the Jetta is very straightforward, not flashy and without anything unnecessary. Clean lines, unobtrusive curves, simple design. What I love about German cars, such as VW and BMW, is how they can be so simple without being boring. For comparison, lets look at the Toyota Corolla. The Corolla has a very uninteresting design. No lines catch your eyes, nothing stands out. It could be a Whatever Crapbox and no one would look twice at it. The Jetta, on the other hand, is different. Consider it the difference between a reprint of Whistler's Mother bought at the local craft store (Corolla) and a clean, simple chrome piece of modern art. Not flashy, but still modern and interesting. People driving the Corolla are listening to the oldies station, people driving the Jetta should be listening to techno. That's what fits the design. If you like loft apartments with chrome kitchens and steel furniture, you'll love a Jetta.
Interior styling - The German theme of simplicity and effeciency is carried over to the inside of the Jetta as well. Everything makes sense, and is exactly where you'd expect it. Well, almost everything. The fuel door release and trunk release are located under the driver's door armrest. At first it seemed strange and awkward, but as I spent time in the Jetta it made sense. There was no place else that really worked so the Germans were effecient and made good use of space. Kudos! Seats are comfortable and had seat heaters, unseen before in a non-leather, non-upgraded interior of any make or model. I'm not sure I like the manual/power recline hybrid seats. While I get my incline angle just right, seat height and distance is in premeasured chunks. I would hope full power seats are availble. Stereo sounded good, but lacked controls on the steering wheel. Not a big deal unless it's something you get used to in other cars. Not sure, but maybe it is an option through VW. The Jetta also has a preset, non adjustable stereo boost that raises the volume as the car increases in speed. I personally don't like how it is set up, I'd make the volume jumps less dramatic, and having a low/med/high option doesn't seem like an overly complex feature to include. We also have an I/O aux jack, my most important interior feature besides Siruis/XM, and an easy to read display that includes the most relevant of information - the outside temp! One weird quirk with the speedometer, though. Up through 80 mph, there are hashmarks every 5 mph with the 10, 20, etc, labeled on every other hash. After 80 mph, the labeling is every 20 mph, i.e. 80, -, 100, -, 110. Not a big problem since most of us aren't going over 80 anyway, but still curious. I assume it's so the speedo tops at 160 mph vs. 120 mph. But it does show someone wasted time thinking about it besides me. Other than that, as good inside as it is outside. Trunk space is average for cars these days, fitting 3-4 large suitcases. Also has Day Running Lights. I'm not personally a fan, but whatever, no big deal.
Performance - After being used to wimpy inline 4's in midsize cars, it was a nice change to flog a 6 for a while. Jetta didn't let me down. The low end has great torque but the real power kicks in around 3500 rpm. Unfortunately you have to shift from automatic to manual mode to do that, because the car will assume everyone wants to shift by 2500 rpm just before you can reach the power band. But maybe that's not so bad, since manual mode is much more fun that is added to with the Jetta's great sounding exhaust note. When it winds out to 5500 rpm there is no whining or crying, just a steady pull and a car that purrs like a kitten in a creamery. There is a little lag in first gear, I'm assuming it's the torque converter, until the engine and tranny start working together which causes the Jetta to shoot forward once it is online. Plus first gear winds up very quickly, so I was literally shifting within one second of leaving the line. I'd like to see a more balanced converter and more range for first gear to keep the crawling/shot out of rocket effect minimized. Speedwise, I was to 40 mph in second and 65 mph in third with three gears left to go. Great pickup and the way the engine was pulling, I don't doubt getting past 80-90 in a few more seconds was easily possible. 0-60 time was about 8-9 sec, slowed mostly by traffic conditions. MPG is unknown, and with the way I drive cars, probably irrelevant. Check out VW's website if you want to know. Handling was good, much less body roll than most cars, and a stiffer ride that gave good feedback. Understeer was managable, I never felt I was fighting the Jetta through a corner. Everything mechanical felt solid and precise, much more so than with many cars but exactly what I expect from the Germans.
Overall impression - I like this car...a lot! It appeals to the things that I like most, simplicity with function, performance, and effeciency. The only complaint I have is that I cannot for the life of me figure out how to reset the oil change light. The manual is no help at all. I suppose if this really bothered me I would have looked it up online already. Otherwise, if one of you know how to do this, please tweet @chkm8tr. Still, if that's the worst complaint, that's not too bad. If I were looking for a car today, this would definitely be in consideration. We'll see what I'm in next either tomorrow or Friday!
'bout time
Ok, so it's been a while since my last blog. Truth be told, I had hoped to do a blog every few days on whatever was on my mind only to discover that what was usually on my mind was political and tended to piss me off too much to actually sit down and write. So now I've decided to try to write something every few days and to make sure it actually gets written, I'm going to try to stay away from too much in the political realm. There will probably be some that creeps in, but be prepared to also learn about cars I like driving, good beers, and the KC Royals. And occasionally a profound thought or two may creep in as discovered by my now 7 year old, who seems to have a unique grasp of the world. Amazing what a lack of prejudice and a lifetime of experience will do for you. Anyway, enjoy and if you could, leave a comment so I know at least someone is reading.
Friday, June 18, 2010
What I learned today
Today was the last of my two day corporate training class. Our company is moving from a traditional style of interviewing to a behavioral style. For those not familiar with the difference, a traditional style asks the hypothetical questions we all hate, such as "what would you do if you saw another employee lighting the office on fire," and "we need a hard worker, are you a hard worker?" The behavioral style uses specific examples from a candidates past, such as "tell me specifically about a time you took leadership in a project, what you did, and what the result was." The idea is that you will gain a better insight into the experience of the candidate, which will help choose the right one.
Ok, so why did I just ramble on about all that? Well, in addition to our formal training, I was also able to gather a lot of interesting information about my upper managers who happened to be in my training class. I learned that nearly all of them were so rigidly stuck in their own way of doing things that even with a structured interviewing guide, they were unable to interview candidates without interjecting their own personal bias and leading candidates to the answers they wanted to hear. In other words, even when my bosses express the desire to "buy in" to a new concept, they cannot let go of how they have always done business and change.
Another component of the behavior style interview is the notion of compentencies demonstrated by a candidate by answers given. For example, a particular question may be under the category of "Demonstrates Communication," with four compentencies that if demonstrated by the candidates answer, are considered met. But my upper management would tend to judge an answer based on what they wanted to hear vs. what the stated judgement criteria is.
The reason this bugs me is because it showed that the only way to truly gain favor with those above me is to learn what they like and do it. It has nothing to do with my actual performance, only their perception of my success. If I succeed, but in a way that is different from what they would do, I fail to get recognized for it.
I suppose I never realized the level of bias in my upper management, though it does explain a few things (like the notion that high revenue growth is more important than an improved pretax profit, and the fact that when I suggested a twitter account for our store, the first question was "What's twitter?"). My question is whether or not this bias ultimately poisons our mission and objectives. I personally feel it does, and I suppose I will continue to pay a popularity price for radical thinking, though it produces results, which seems to astound them.
Ultimately, though, I've learned an important lesson beyond our formal training. I've learned to be aware of my own potential biases against my own employees. Is it wrong or just different. Sometimes, many times, different can be just as good and even better and I need to be sure I don't kill the enthusiasm for my employees who have potentially good ideas just because it seems odd to me. Something tells me there might be a life lesson here too, from my marriage to my daughter to my friends and even to those I have yet to meet. Bias that we bring with us will never lead to different results because we will always continue to do things the same way. Said another way, we can't ever improve if we already know the answer to the question we haven't asked yet.
Ok, so why did I just ramble on about all that? Well, in addition to our formal training, I was also able to gather a lot of interesting information about my upper managers who happened to be in my training class. I learned that nearly all of them were so rigidly stuck in their own way of doing things that even with a structured interviewing guide, they were unable to interview candidates without interjecting their own personal bias and leading candidates to the answers they wanted to hear. In other words, even when my bosses express the desire to "buy in" to a new concept, they cannot let go of how they have always done business and change.
Another component of the behavior style interview is the notion of compentencies demonstrated by a candidate by answers given. For example, a particular question may be under the category of "Demonstrates Communication," with four compentencies that if demonstrated by the candidates answer, are considered met. But my upper management would tend to judge an answer based on what they wanted to hear vs. what the stated judgement criteria is.
The reason this bugs me is because it showed that the only way to truly gain favor with those above me is to learn what they like and do it. It has nothing to do with my actual performance, only their perception of my success. If I succeed, but in a way that is different from what they would do, I fail to get recognized for it.
I suppose I never realized the level of bias in my upper management, though it does explain a few things (like the notion that high revenue growth is more important than an improved pretax profit, and the fact that when I suggested a twitter account for our store, the first question was "What's twitter?"). My question is whether or not this bias ultimately poisons our mission and objectives. I personally feel it does, and I suppose I will continue to pay a popularity price for radical thinking, though it produces results, which seems to astound them.
Ultimately, though, I've learned an important lesson beyond our formal training. I've learned to be aware of my own potential biases against my own employees. Is it wrong or just different. Sometimes, many times, different can be just as good and even better and I need to be sure I don't kill the enthusiasm for my employees who have potentially good ideas just because it seems odd to me. Something tells me there might be a life lesson here too, from my marriage to my daughter to my friends and even to those I have yet to meet. Bias that we bring with us will never lead to different results because we will always continue to do things the same way. Said another way, we can't ever improve if we already know the answer to the question we haven't asked yet.
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