Patmack, thanks for the clarification, I had no idea what "rice" meant. That was sarcastic. Turns out you are a little behind the times, there, buddy. You are right in your definition of a "rice burner", however, the term now encompasses a larger variety of vehicles that follow the same trend, such as the souped up Neon. While it is made by an American based company, it is intended to compete with the "rice" market, hence the grouping with the "rice" crowd. Anyway, thanks for the complement about my Audi. While it is a little more than a leather clad VW (I prefer to refer to it as a "super" VW), I take no offense to your comparison, being a VW lover as well. Man do I miss my 91 Corrado G-60... Anyway, my S-4 not only has 300 horsepower (twin turbo V-6 with a chip and K&N) with the stock exhaust and wheels, I'd lay down money that I'll smoke alot of the stock "american muscle." While you are burning your tires at the line, my all wheel drive will be launching me from even the hardest of clutch-drops. And I can even drive it in the snow! By the way, I don't feel like taking the time to research your comment about the SRT beating my S-4 in the quarter (especially since I've got aprox 50 more HP than the stock S-4), but I'd take that bet. Regardless, the SRT is little more than an engine with wheels, while my Audi is very refined and smooth. Not only is it better looking than the little bug-eyed POS, it is also better built. My S-4: 3 years old with 65K miles, still gets 27 MPG, no squeeks, no rattles, perfect condition. Glides along the freeway at 90 without so much as a peep. I also have dual stage automatic climate control, a Bose surround system, and a ton of other neat little gadgets. My point? It is a far superior car in every aspect, including performance.
Just so nobody else takes this the wrong way, I love the American muscle. There is a 68 Camaro 327 for sale that I drive by every day on my way to and from work that I drool over. Unfortunatly for practicality sake, I must drive something newer, safer, and more comfortable, so I choose my German Sport sedan. I also have insurance to consider. I'd love nothing more than a new Corvette Coupe, but my insurance payment would be more than the car payment, not to mention the lack of a backseat. But the guy who mentioned the economy? Come on man, do you really think your American car (the new ones anyway) is really made in America with American parts? I'll bet it's not.