Fuel Economy

[Jeff Matthews]

It has not been easy to find a thorough side-by-side fuel economy comparison between the many cars/suv's/trucks out there. Aside from the ridiculously-small, what's the best bang for the buck, mile-for-mile?

[varay0816]

not sure what type of auto you are looking for but edmunds.com has good comparisons and factoids. g/l

[Arky]

I don't know Jeff but it ain't a landcruiser.

[Coytee]

I've got a Toyota Camery that got an honest 34 mpg (strict highway) and maybe 29/30 city (I forget that number)

Wife has a 2008 Suburu Forester that gets less highway MPG. I don't recall what it was... maybe 29/30? No idea on city for her car.

[CECAA850]

It has not been easy to find a thorough side-by-side fuel economy comparison between the many cars/suv's/trucks out there. Aside from the ridiculously-small, what's the best bang for the buck, mile-for-mile?

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/findacar.htm

[Marvel]

I don't know Jeff but it ain't a landcruiser.

My youngest has a '91 Land Cruiser - 15mpg.

But he has room to carry just about anything in it.

[CECAA850]

As far as best bang for the buck? A large car like the Chevrolet Impala impresses me getting almost 30 MPG. I've had occasion to drive one a few times and they actually get the claimed mileage. Are they the best overall? That's subjective, but it is a very roomy vehicle that gets small car mileage.

[Guest srobak]

My 05 Accord gets 33.8 strict highway. One bike averages 36 to 38, the other 42 to 46. My dad has a 98 Grand Marquis that get 28 to 30 strict highway.

[Daddy Dee]

The huge bang for the buck savings comes from upgrading 15 or 16 mpg to the mid 20's.

There are diminishing returns, say upgrading from 35 to 45mpg cars.

Apart from the advice in this thread, which are good answers to a good question, I don't know why mpg should seem such a challenge.

People were getting 54mpg driving VW diesel Rabbits THIRTY YEARS AGO.

Here's an interesting article about a very high mileage Honda Civic TWENTY years ago, and it wasn't even a hybrid.

http://money.cnn.com/2007/12/17/autos/honda_civic_hf/index.htm

One has to wonder if we've been building high MPG cars cheap, which has been done for decades, why aren't these cars available right now.

Jeff, on your question, we've been driving a Crown Vic for years. If you want some interior space, these rascals get 25-27mpg or better on the road.

[pauln]

What in the world has happened to our cars? Look at this site which ranks the EPA MPG of high mpg cars from 1984!!!

Unbelivable!

Of the 249 cars considered high mpg (equal to or better than 40mpg highway):

202 cars in the 40-49mpg range

37 cars in the 50-59mpg range

10 cars in the 60-69mpg range

Some of these are trucks and station wagons.

[JJkizak]

Well like I said before the new cars have the fuel and timing computer controlled for a combustion temperature of 1450 F to reduce Nitrous oxcides. If you don't care about polution (and want to be naughty) you can jack up the timing another 6 degreees or so and improve your milage about 20%. So you would have to have another computer chip to do the job because the distributers are not moveable. Solid state coils (that replace the distributer) are computer controlled also. If the EPA relaxed the polution rules most vehicles would pick up another 20% milage.

JJK

[Jeff Matthews]

Well like I said before the new cars have the fuel and timing computer controlled for a combustion temperature of 1450 F to reduce Nitrous oxcides. If you don't care about polution (and want to be naughty) you can jack up the timing another 6 degreees or so and improve your milage about 20%. So you would have to have another computer chip to do the job because the distributers are not moveable. Solid state coils (that replace the distributer) are computer controlled also. If the EPA relaxed the polution rules most vehicles would pick up another 20% milage.

JJK

Any articles on the net supporting this?

[jacksonbart]

Try this

[Brac]

has anybody played with making hydrogen to improve mpg's?

heres what I've been reading http://diyhydrogenhho.com/

[dtel]

My friend had an old Isuzu diesel pickup that got over 40 mpg, but he said it also took 5 miles to get to 65 mph !

[JohnA]

What in the world has happened to our cars? Look at this site which ranks the EPA MPG of high mpg cars from 1984!!!

Unbelivable!

Of the 249 cars considered high mpg (equal to or better than 40mpg highway):

202 cars in the 40-49mpg range

37 cars in the 50-59mpg range

10 cars in the 60-69mpg range

Some of these are trucks and station wagons.

There's a few things that have changed since 1984. HC, Co and NOx standards have dropped by more than half for the first 2 and to less than 1/6th for NOx. So, cars are getting lots cleaner, but burning more fuel doing it. The NOx standard is the primary cause.

The EPA test and rating system has changed over those years, too. For 2008, a correction fastor of about -20% was applied to all cars and trucks.

[T2K]

My wife had a small high MPG car years ago and a kid t-boned her about a block from home, knocked the car clean off the road into a tree in a persons front yard. You get really high mileage when you're dead.

Keith

[Jay481985]

The huge bang for the buck savings comes from upgrading 15 or 16 mpg to the mid 20's.

There are diminishing returns, say upgrading from 35 to 45mpg cars.

Apart from the advice in this thread, which are good answers to a good question, I don't know why mpg should seem such a challenge.

People were getting 54mpg driving VW diesel Rabbits THIRTY YEARS AGO.

Here's an interesting article about a very high mileage Honda Civic TWENTY years ago, and it wasn't even a hybrid.

http://money.cnn.com/2007/12/17/autos/honda_civic_hf/index.htm

One has to wonder if we've been building high MPG cars cheap, which has been done for decades, why aren't these cars available right now.

Jeff, on your question, we've been driving a Crown Vic for years. If you want some interior space, these rascals get 25-27mpg or better on the road.

problem is daddy dee that people wanted more power.....case in point. The last model mercedes s class with the v-12 was the first engine with a well working half cylinder shut off system. it went from 12 cylinders to 6 during constant speed. But the thing was it went down in power from the previous generation. The car was applauded but this was when gas was 1.80 tops and consumers especially those high end buyers did not care. Two years later they corrected the problem by dropping the design and added two turbochargers so from an admirable 380 horsepower to 493horsepower and the amg model 604 hp...... Why do the car companies not build efficent cars? cause the consumers (us) demanded more power

[jbsl]

.

[stan krajewski]

Total cost in dollars / miles = best bang for buck per mile.

That total cost should include everything related to a car's expense including insurance and repairs. Fuel is only a part of a car's cost. A few years ago when I leased my Hoda Accord, they offered a hybrid accord which got about 5 miles per gallon better than the standard 4 cylinder gasoline engine but costs $10,000 more. When do I realize my "best bang for the buck"?. At 30 miles per gallon for the standard gasoline engine and 35 for the hybrid and driving 12,000 miles per year and a $4.00/ gallon we're looking at 44 years to make up the $10K. BTW the Honda Acoord hybrid has been discontinued. At 40 mpg the breaking point is 25 years. A small carbon footprint could be more costly.

And things get tougher to figure out if you complicate the formula.

By limiting the vehicle choice to solely a "means of transportation" and disrgarding other factors such as comfort, safety, luxury, etc. , then it gets a lot easier to decide what's the "best bang for the buck". Once you start consider discard vehicles based on your own value system, such as you did with "ridiculously-small", then it becomes a personal formula which you are ultimately going to decide for yourself.

You could justify almost any car as being the "best bang for the buck". Which most of us do. And maybe that's the best way.