US cars and trucks hit record gas mileage in 2012

[AntiochOG]

I agree that 23.6 is pathetic. They have a long way to go to hit the required 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025.

[darcane]

Originally Posted by elhigh

23.6. Not impressive.

In 1980 my dad's Citation - mock it if you will, I liked it - was rated a solid 30 hwy and hit it every time.

Our concurrent 1970 SAAB 96, rating unknown, would crack 40 on a long trip.

Granted my experience is limited but still - it looks to me that in 30 years we haven't gained much except weight.

Well, I never said it was impressive, just reporting the news.

Also, keep in mind this is for all cars and trucks sold (although it's not clear if it includes commercial vehicles or not). My dad had a 1985 Chevy K30 6+6. It was a 4-door, duelly, 4WD (6WD?) with a 350 and an auto. It typically got 9mpg or less...

[mcrews]

Originally Posted by elhigh

23.6. Not impressive.

In 1980 my dad's Citation - mock it if you will, I liked it - was rated a solid 30 hwy and hit it every time.

Our concurrent 1970 SAAB 96, rating unknown, would crack 40 on a long trip.

Granted my experience is limited but still - it looks to me that in 30 years we haven't gained much except weight.

Hello!!!!!!
more than 1/2 of all vehicles sold are trucks!!!

[elhigh]

More than half the total is trucks, really?

[Researches}

Dang: Auto Sales - Markets Data Center - WSJ.com

But I think we can safely say, certainly in this crowd, that truckishness doesn't necessitate fuel thirst. Mine isn't a great example but I do well in excess of the vehicle's stated rating and indeed the above-cited average, and haven't made a single physical modification to the vehicle aside from pumping up the tires.

The larger trucks on this forum also stand against the perceived thirstiness of trucks.

[redpoint5]

When the best selling car in America for 17 years was an F-series truck, you get an overall poor combined fuel economy average. Frankly, I'm surprised the US averaged as high as it did considering the vehicles that have been popular and the way people drive.

[Ryland]

Look at auto magazines and TV shows, they only focus on power and looks.

Peoples first comment on VW's XL1 is that it's ugly, and whenever a vehicle is imported in to the USA it always gets the largest engine, the rest of the world does just fine with 1.2L engines in their compact cars, but for us we NEED a 2L engine.

[niky]

D'oh. Dude. A two liter engine is too small.

Can't very well lose stoplight drags to V6 minivans... right?

[Superfuelgero]

Originally Posted by darcane

US cars and trucks hit record gas mileage in 2012

23.6mpg average for all cars and most trucks sold in 2012.

Fixed

Medium and heavy duty trucks will only start being tracked in 2014. These are the worst of them all, and haven't been being captured.
Interesting read (for me at least):
http://www.nhtsa.gov/staticfiles/rul...2011-20740.pdf

[gone-ot]

...gotta love the parts of that Federal Register document talking about "authority," which basically translated down to "...because WE say so, WE therefore HAVE the authority..." (wink,wink).

...give them an INCH, they document it out to a MILE.

[elhigh]

Originally Posted by niky

D'oh. Dude. A two liter engine is too small.

Can't very well lose stoplight drags to V6 minivans... right?

Turbo four-pot Caravan, spanks damn near everything that isn't $uper expen$ive, and some of those too.



I love that story.

I'm feeling a slight shift of buyer philosophies. Fuel economy is becoming more important than it's been, and the manufacturers are stirring their cauldrons to generate both power and economy. Perhaps down the road we'll see power take more of a back seat and economy will get more of a starring role like it did before.