Quote:
Originally Posted by ProDigit
A 2CV with twin boxer engine supposedly got twice the mpg of current econo-cars (80mpg vs 40mpg on modern economy cars), all thanks to it's 350-500cc twin cylinder equipped with a large overdrive. The thing could only do 45mph..
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I drove citroen 2 cv's and citroen Dyane's as my daily driver for quite a number of years. These were all built in the last 10 years of the production run and all had the 602 cc version of the engine.
One thing I learned early on was that it was just about impossible to get 60 mpg imperial. Typically I would get 52 to 56 mpg imperial with there being hardly any variation between driving easy or hard.
The cars only had 4 gears and top gear was most certainly not an overdrive. It was however just right for the car, having only 29 bhp to play with.
There does appear to be a myth that 2CV's had fantastic fuel economy but in reality they had quite modest fuel economy considering the light weight - 600 kg - and small engine capacity.
A modern 3 cylinder car such as the mitsubishi mirage with double the engine capacity will comfortably average 65 mpg imperial yet is some 40% heavier.