Quote:
Originally Posted by Ecky
aerohead, I don't think that's very representative of what people are interested in. I don't see very many people going for tiny houses or compact cars anymore, regardless of the cost. You and I do not live in that country.
100mpg highway on gasoline is probably optimistic considering with a 46hp diesel and exotic materials it was only ~120mpg (rated).
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No doubt, you're correct. Hedonic adaptation trumps reason.
As to fuel economy, the hybrid system wouldn't provide much mpg during steady-state highway cruising. That diesel would have been doing nearly all the work. Weight is virtually meaningless during highway driving. Even plain vanilla ICE technology of the mid-90s produced thermal efficiencies of 36% during highway driving. The difference in heat content between diesel and gasoline wouldn't be enough to knock mpg down remarkably.
I believe 100 mpg would be a walk in the park.