Quote:
Originally Posted by elhigh
Huh. In 1984 you could have a Chevette Diesel which delivered - wait for it - 42 mpg!
Granted it was a Chevette and 0-60 was best measured with a calendar. But in 30 years we've managed to stand still?
Rather than have all the luxurious content that makes the Cruze probably outweigh the Chevette by a cool 500 lbs, could I just have 100hp, a little better crash resistance than the Chevette, and air conditioning? Can I go back to just a no-frills basic car that gives good mileage? Even a new base Yaris makes a loaded Chevette look pretty sad, and still won't go as far on a gallon. I think it's time to de-content some base models and look for mileage gains by carrying around less dead weight.
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You want something Chevette-sized instead?
Hyundai Accent CRDI
Of course, the fuel economy figures should be taken with a grain of salt since I didn't have several tanks to average off of, but they're pretty much what you can expect. Over 60 mpg (US) at a steady 50 mph, and nearly 50 mpg at over 60 mph. I've heard from owners of the previous generation (which was so much like the Chevette, it became a taxi-fleet favorite) that 40-50 mpg is possible in city driving.
Still bigger than the Chevette, still more crashworthy, and still a bit too fast. It'll hit 60 mph in around 10 seconds with the automatic, and under 9 seconds with a stick.