[A.D.D.]

Here is a "new" thread for the "Cube".

After joining ecomodder with some questions about potential vehicles to purchase....

I ended up buying the LEAST aerodynamic car I could find.....


So, after 296 miles I just filled up. The computer read about 30 MPG average... I put in 10.2 gallons. Which according to my "math" is 29 MPG.

Good baseline.

The tires are TOYO... 195/55/16 fronts have 30.5 psi and the valve caps say: "N2"...so maybe filled with nitrogen? Rears are 30 exactly.

Looking at the top grille and it does NOTHING... the radiator is at the bottom. the Top grille is for looks. Also, being the "Krom" model..there is no provision for fog lights and the front fascia is pretty round and smooth (other than the grill).

I am 100 miles into the 2nd tank of gas and the computer reads 32.7 MPG. This is ALL driving around town (one 40 miles round trip on the hiway with mixed stop and go)...otherwise I drive every morning coasting 3 miles down a steep hill to another 2 miles of stop and go traffic light warfare....then back up the STEEP HILL.


Overall, the Cube drives okay. Kinda like a cross between an old CJ jeep, a minivan and a little eco-box japanese car. The driving position is like a minivan with a good 2-3 feet (seems like it) above my head. The short wheelbase feels like and old jeep or maybe a Smart car. Finally... she wheezes and winds up like a blender on puree when I stomp on the gas. She sits low and hold a fair amount of "stuff" so far....quite pleased.

BUT, Fuel Economy is the name of the game here and she performs well. By feathering the gas, I can get the computer to read 60 mpg quite a bit of the time. The more I stay in the 60 mpg "zone" on the computer, the better the overall gas mileage (genius). With all of the short distance driving, I will be pleased to see 35mpg!

The plan was to BUY something for less than $14k. It had to seat 5 and poten tially be NEWER than the 2004 VW Passat is replaced. It also needed to be a wagon style vehicle (or van). By wagon, I mean tall rear cargo area like station wagons, vans and SUV's. I also wanted to see 40 mpg. **Cue Music** (mission impossible)!

The Cube fits the bill pretty well. Obviously a Subaru wagon that gets 40 mpg would have been the ultimate "FIT"... but sadly....they don't make those...... and an "R" class Mercedes Diesel or and Audi all road/ suv/ whatever... is 4 times my budget!!!!! I have my doubts about ever seeing 40MPG with the cube... but I would be happy with 30-35 MPG average over a year or two.

Simple mods planned in the very near future include: upping the tire pressure. A full synthetic oil change in 1200 miles, maybe block the top grille, possible gap and fit/ finish attention, also possibly a "pan" under the engine like my VW has.

At the end of Summer we will take a 10 day trip from Seattle to SoCal (estimated 2500 miles round trip). We will see what kind of mileage i can accomplish overall.................

That's about it for now.





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