Quote:
Originally Posted by Old Tele man
...I'm just lamenting that they ALL could've been making 40+ mpg vehicles already, instead of being "forced" to do so by Government EPA mandate.
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Personally I say, it's about time. In a few years I can buy a lightly used car that has excilent FE.
I think the main problem till now has all been power to weight ratio. Engines have gotten much more efficient in the last 25 years BUT since gas was cheap and Americans had money to burn in general, the not only increased the overall size and weight of the cars, they also gave them even more HP/lb to boot. Americans have lots of toys that require towing and dragging along. The result of delivering what Americans wanted was big powerful cars and declining gas mileage. You can try but you will not beat the laws of physics! I have been watching the car trends for years, shaking my head. Compare the 1st gen. Honda Accord to the latest for example. 90's Toyota trucks were failry complact, very capable trucks. Now, Toyota doesn't even sell a small truck..
Now they are offering smaller lighter models with more refined gearing to combat climbing gas prices. The new fuel efficient SUV’s are built on a car platform rather than a truck and the have more gears to allow a small engine to run at optimal rpm all the time. My new Sentra has a CVT (continuously variable transmission) with infinite gear ratios in between the high and low limits so it can seamlessly maintain ideal gearing at all times. This does make a big difference as the EPA mpg for the CVT was actually lower than the manual.
I plan on moving to the mountains in the future and a 2wd pickup won’t do very well. I love the Nissan Xterra in every way other than the very sad FE. I am waiting for something better to come along. A capable 4X4 for deep snow/off roading that can maintain a 25MPG overall average. A hybrid 4X4 would be nice (and not one the size of a bus … GM) or maybe just something a bit smaller. So far I am inclined to pick up a Subaru AWD. I will wait and see if someone will make what I am looking for. I’m sure I am not the only one.