Quote:
Originally Posted by MetroMPG
Tim and I were talking about this again today: how does the Fiesta get a much better highway rating than the manual Mirage -- 45 vs. 42 mpg US. Consider that the Fiesta is less aerodynamic and significantly heavier (yes, I know that has a smaller impact on steady-state cruising, but the EPA tests change speeds a lot).
It must come down to much taller gearing in the Ford (or fudging the numbers again).
So I did a bit of searching. I didn't find any actual specs for gear ratios, but I did find two separate reviews of the US car which described the gearing as unusually tall:
(Then the reviewer goes on to complain about the gearing, and says he prefers the automatic.  )
An American car with taller than Euro gearing! Shocking! Blasphemy even!
The Euro Mirage gets a taller final drive in the manual, following the typical pattern. |
Here's the ratios for the 1.0L and the 1.6L n/a IB5 5spd:
This is from the factory service manual
FWIW at 80mph I'm at 3.5K rpm in 5th with a 185-60-15