Is it gas, or is someone full of beans.

[hig4s]

Just looking around the internet trying to find what cars get the best gas mileage and I see where the Smartcar is rated at 45mpg highway and wonder how a car so small and underpowered can only get 45mpg..

 

Then I look up the old 1990 Honda Civic CRX HF and is was rated 51mpg highway, I checked Honda's current line up and their best car is the Civic hybrid rated at 47mpg highway.

 

WHAT??!!??!

 

In the 90s we had a small car that got 51mpg highway, whe mid sized cars got around 17mpg highway, now midsize cars get around 27mpg highway and small HYBIRDS only get 47mpg. To add insult to injury, Honda had a hybrid that got 60mpg but they stopped selling it in the US a couple years ago, I have to believe someone got paid off!!!!

[friesman]

I have a couple of friends that have smart cars up here and they both get around 45 miles per US gallon in town and close to 75 mpg on the highway with their 3 cylinder diesel. One guys has had his for about 3 years and loves it, I was surprised how roomy it is for the driver and passenger, but no luggage room , itskinda like riding my venture in the storage regard. Its gutless but they are selling like crazy up here with our higher gas prices and with the federal govt gving you 2 thousand bucks as an added incentive to buy fuel efficient vehicles they are having trouble keeping them in stock. I think its the only vehicle thats not a hybrid that qualifies for the federal grant money for efficiency.

 

Brian:cool10:

[CrazyHorse]

Just looking around the internet trying to find what cars get the best gas mileage and I see where the Smartcar is rated at 45mpg highway and wonder how a car so small and underpowered can only get 45mpg..

 

Then I look up the old 1990 Honda Civic CRX HF and is was rated 51mpg highway, I checked Honda's current line up and their best car is the Civic hybrid rated at 47mpg highway.

 

WHAT??!!??!

 

In the 90s we had a small car that got 51mpg highway, whe mid sized cars got around 17mpg highway, now midsize cars get around 27mpg highway and small HYBIRDS only get 47mpg. To add insult to injury, Honda had a hybrid that got 60mpg but they stopped selling it in the US a couple years ago, I have to believe someone got paid off!!!!

 

I had a CRX HF 1991 great mileage on highway 43-48 mpg highway. Hard to find and will be a rust bucket.

 

I now own a 1997 Civic HX model hard to find its a manual tranny 2-door but im getting consistantly 42-46 mpg highway and bigger then that clown car smart mobile. Dont have to worry about replacing a battery pack at a couple thousand a pop. Gets better then my 1990 Venture which only gets 38 mpg.

Edited May 26, 2008 by CrazyHorse

[Condor]

Back in '79 I bought a new Volkswagen Rabbit. 4cylinder, 5 speed, fuel injected. Hauled ass, and got a consistent 45-47 mpg. One time I wanted to see what I could wring out of it, and topped it off up in Reno and drove home to Sacramento. Coasted when ever I could. Never went over 55 under power. Sky was the limit if I was in coast mode.... 110 miles to the door, and when I filled it back up in took exactely 1 gallon..... I think we're all being sold a bill of goods.... Hybred my pah-toot!!

[Switch]

.... 110 miles to the door, and when I filled it back up in took exactely 1 gallon.....

 

That's only because the gas hose hit an air bubble and shut off and you thought the tank was full then.

[Condor]

That's only because the gas hose hit an air bubble and shut off and you thought the tank was full then.

 

Jeeze, is that what happened?? I guess I got all excited over nothing.....:moon:

[Squeeze]

Folks, these old Car .... this was mostly before the Catalytic Converter and Lambda 1 ...

 

Also the newer Cars have far more Weight to carry. Safety has improved and therefore the Weight also. Next are the convenient Goodies, AC, Power Windows and on ...

 

Please consider this

[Stoutman]

The EPA changaed the way they estimate gas mileage for 2008 models and above. The new method puts you at average freeway speeds instead of 55 mph. They also assume the use of AC with the new method (in Texas I use it year round). The old method was best case scenario.

 

But, I had an old 1979 Mazda pickup. It was light as a feather, and was naturally aspirated, had no air bag and no anti lock brakes, but got a consistend 27 mpg freeway. My 1986 Mazda 626 would get as high as 40 mpg freeway at 70 mph on I35. It was fuel injected 2 liter 4 banger and weighed 2000 pounds.

[flb_78]

I wanna know what happened to the little S-10's and Rangers and Dakotas and the little Toyota trucks. Heck, now all em are pretty big trucks compared to their ancestors.

[midnightventure]

I have a friend that had that little Civic and he is constantly talking about the gas mileage it got and how come they don't do it any more. I think the government has mandated higher safety standards to satisfy the insurance companies and now its costing all of us. As a motorcycle rider I think that every car should be as light as possible for the best mileage possible. My Trans Am gets 25 mpg on the hwy and my freinds Corvette gets 30. My sunfire only gets 32 and its a small car.

[hig4s]

Folks, these old Car .... this was mostly before the Catalytic Converter and Lambda 1 ...

 

Also the newer Cars have far more Weight to carry. Safety has improved and therefore the Weight also. Next are the convenient Goodies, AC, Power Windows and on ...

 

Please consider this

 

My 04 Acura TL, mid size car, power everything, air bags, all the safety features, with a 270hp V6 is rated for 27 mpg on the freeway. I would think Civic Hybird, a car 40% the horsepower, 800 lbs less, and hybrid to boot, would do better.

 

How about the Honda Fit,, it only weighs 600lbs more than that 1991 Civic CRX HF. and the Toyota Yaris only 400lbs more. and even with considering using air conditioning, that doesn't explain to me why the highway rating is 17mpg less.

 

I truly believe we are being scammed by the oil companies. Even more than the obvious.

[hig4s]

I have a couple of friends that have smart cars up here and they both get around 45 miles per US gallon in town and close to 75 mpg on the highway with their 3 cylinder diesel. . .

 

Now that is more what I would expect from a super small economy car, wonder why they only list it at 45mpg here? I checked the Canadian web site and they list 4.8 l/100 km, which I believe converts to 58mpg.

[TEW47]

My wife and I went to Ft. Payne,Al. this weekend and on to Rock City. On the way up on cruise at 72mph on the first tank with regular unleaded we got 30.2 mpg. When we had to fillup we could only get corn gas and lost 6mpg on that tank and on the second tank we lost 8 mpg at the same speed on cruise, and it cost more. So much for corn gas. Oh, that was in a PT Cruiser

 

tew47

[flb_78]

Now that is more what I would expect from a super small economy car, wonder why they only list it at 45mpg here? I checked the Canadian web site and they list 4.8 l/100 km, which I believe converts to 58mpg.

 

Because the good ones have Diesel engines in em, the ones being sold in the states are gasoline. The diesel one is too dirty for our retarded EPA standards. More of the government deciding on what's best for the bigoil citizens.

[Sailor]

They have quit selling the diesel smart car here because they can't get the refined diesel it takes in the U.S. so they are not importing it to North America. That leaves just the gas version which has lower mileage. I would rather have my old MGA or Triumph sports car, similar mileage and storage but way more fun. Come to think of it I just described my Venture.

[friesman]

They have quit selling the diesel smart car here because they can't get the refined diesel it takes in the U.S. so they are not importing it to North America. That leaves just the gas version which has lower mileage. I would rather have my old MGA or Triumph sports car, similar mileage and storage but way more fun. Come to think of it I just described my Venture.

 

theyre not importing the smart car into the US not all of North America as we have had in in Canada for about 3 yearsalready

 

Brian

[cliffno350]

I had an 80 cx500 (sold it a month ago) it got 60 mpg hiway and had 58 hp the 07 1100 shadow only has 54 hp and gas milage is only 32 (as a friend here told me) same with harley my 81 ironhead has 60 hp gets about 60 mpg and the new 1200 is 58 hp and les than 40 mpg What gives? I dont see progress...

[Guest JGorom]

My wife's Honda CR-V is our greatest gas guzzler at the moment...with it we get roughly 24 mpg around town and 28 mpg on the highway. We recently purchased a Toyota Corolla for me to commute to work and I regularly get 33 mpg around town and consistently get 35 mpg while riding the thurway to work at 70 to 74 miles per hour. Recently on a trip to N.J. we got 36 mpg on the way down and 40 mpg on the way back.

 

I agree with what has already been said about cars here...newer EPA standards, catalytic converters, ethonol, added weight and increased safety standards have all been a factor. But so has the quest for increased power coupled with increased reliability of engines and transmissions. Cars today are much better built but with energy costs so high I've got to believe that the automakers are scrambling right now to look for ways to increase mileage even at the expense of decreasing the performance we have grown to embrace and desire. I think the same will start to appear very soon with regards to motorcycle engineering. Right now it is hard for me to believe however that my Venture gets only between 36-40 miles per gallon (almost the same as my Corolla) when it only sits on two wheels, weighs less and carries less. My Goldwing, which is a six cylinder vehicle consistently gets between 42-46 mph.

 

Very soon...I think we may begin to see more and more cars and motorcycles that will have to give up something in terms of comfort and power in order to increase our miles per gallon. If not we will all soon be riding bicycles and scooters, weather permiting, but as for right now...I'm just not ready to become a scooter rider.

[hig4s]

Right now it is hard for me to believe however that my Venture gets only between 36-40 miles per gallon (almost the same as my Corolla) when it only sits on two wheels, weighs less and carries less. My Goldwing, which is a six cylinder vehicle consistently gets between 42-46 mph.

 

 

I would say that is almost all aerodynamics,, I get 48mpg and over as long as I keep the RSV under 55mph. From 65mph up aerodynamics becomes more important than engine size and weight. At 70 I get around 38mpg

[flb_78]

I get a consistent 27mpg out of my Venture. It pushes a lot of air.