Keeping Your Cool

Here in South Florida, auto air conditioning isn't an option. It's a necessity.
But with gas prices climbing, running the a/c can be costly.
The good news is that it doesn't have to be.
Once again our friends in Europe are one step ahead of us, driving cars with something called variable displacement compressors. In most cars here in the US, our A/C compressor is always on. With the variable compressors, the key to your cool only runs when it senses that the cabin temperature is warming up.
Europeans will tell you that these compressors are 20 percent more efficient than the standard ones.
According to a story in Automotive News, we may be starting to see these compressors coming our way soon. Already, the Audi A3 comes with them, as does it's fraternal twin, the VW Passat.
If you get a chance to get one of these on your new car in the next few years, well, grab it.