Miles per Gallon, a rant.....
I was listening to NPR this afternoon while running some errands and
Talk of the Nation was on. The were talking about oil dependency and the need to cut back consumption and such. One of the things they mentioned was car gas mileage and how it hasn't improved in the lst 20 years. In fact, one of their guests claimed that gas milage is worse now then it was 20 years ago. (I would want to see the evidence of that despite what I am going to say next) This reminded me of one of my many gripes about cars. In the late 70s and early 80s I was driving a small white Honda Civic CVCC. It was my mothers car and she drove it to work 45-50 miles one way 5 days a week. It was exceptionally dependable, it was quick and best of all it went forever on a tank of gas. About 50 mpg as I recall. I could fill the car up drive from my home to Atlanta, around 200 miles, drive around Atlanta all day, and drive back on one tank of gas. (please note, this was a small car with a small gas tank.) Now I want to know why the heck I can't get that car now? If Honda put that exact same car on the market today I would buy it. Now people get excited about hybrid cars that get 40 mpg and they are running on electricity half of the time! What the heck is going on here? Never mind what I said up there, maybe that guy is right and we do have overall worse mileage now than we did then.
NOTE: Our car was a bit exceptional with it's mileage. The official estimates from Honda were 35-40 mpg for the car. But still, that was in the late 70s, you would think in the 21st century we could make a car that will equal the mileage of a car from the 70's for the equivalent cost.
Forgive me while I grump.
Talk of the Nation was on. The were talking about oil dependency and the need to cut back consumption and such. One of the things they mentioned was car gas mileage and how it hasn't improved in the lst 20 years. In fact, one of their guests claimed that gas milage is worse now then it was 20 years ago. (I would want to see the evidence of that despite what I am going to say next) This reminded me of one of my many gripes about cars. In the late 70s and early 80s I was driving a small white Honda Civic CVCC. It was my mothers car and she drove it to work 45-50 miles one way 5 days a week. It was exceptionally dependable, it was quick and best of all it went forever on a tank of gas. About 50 mpg as I recall. I could fill the car up drive from my home to Atlanta, around 200 miles, drive around Atlanta all day, and drive back on one tank of gas. (please note, this was a small car with a small gas tank.) Now I want to know why the heck I can't get that car now? If Honda put that exact same car on the market today I would buy it. Now people get excited about hybrid cars that get 40 mpg and they are running on electricity half of the time! What the heck is going on here? Never mind what I said up there, maybe that guy is right and we do have overall worse mileage now than we did then.
NOTE: Our car was a bit exceptional with it's mileage. The official estimates from Honda were 35-40 mpg for the car. But still, that was in the late 70s, you would think in the 21st century we could make a car that will equal the mileage of a car from the 70's for the equivalent cost.
Forgive me while I grump.
posted by exMI | 12:31
12 Comments:
Im a HUGE Honda fan.
Those cars DO go on forever. : )
Curb weight of the 1975 Civic was 1610 pounds (53 hp). The 2005 Civic weighs 2600 pounds (127 hp).
The old Civic wouldn't fare so well in modern crash tests. That's one reason for increasing weight of cars.
Newer Civics have a bit more perfomance, at 20 pounds/hp rather than 30. Perhaps they could drop the engine to 90 hp.
The 1975 Civic had an EPA estimated 35 mpg highway. By 1977 they had tweaked it to 40 mpg. The 2005 Civic hybrid is 51 mpg, and the Honda Insight rates 68 mpg highway.
Sigh, the cold light of logic raining on my rant. good I probably needed it.
I don't know how the old Civic would do in the crash tests. Ours was in two crashes, never lost a day of driving, no one got hurt. the other cars didn't fare as well as I recall.
The HP is an issue although most of a PR one than real. The stats for teh Cvcc rated it a top speed of 91mph. I know ours went over 80 without a problem How fast does one need to drive anyway?
As I said, ours was a mutant on the top end of the mileage range. But considering the CVCC was pretty much an entry level car and the Civic hybrid isn't.
But still, bow to your light of reason. (Grumble grumble grump....)
Yeah, that is a piss off. I remember cars that got good gas mileage. And when those hybrids came out, I looked at the stats for them and thought "what? they call this good gas mileage?"
But I drive a Mitsubishi. Don't yell at me for it.
Hey, Jackie Chan drove Mitsubishis in most of his movies, who can complain about them. Besides, I drive an Isuzu now. Or I woudl if it wasn't in the shop gettin it's headgasket replaced. (grumble)
Zombie - Geo Metros are still on the road. Those cars are kind of cute. Don't know if they're still being made though, but I've seen some that had to be under three years old.
IF you cliuck on the google ad (which will in theory make me some money) about comparing hybrid cars you will see the various models and their gas milage. Most of them are in the 30-40 mpg range. the Prius and the Insight are way out in front, the two PU trucks get a scintillating 18-20 mpg. OOOOOhhhhh wow me with the milage there.....
I sitll want a new copy of my old Honda.
Metros were tiny little things. 3 cylander engines if I recall correctly.
Wait... the parade's not over... I drove a similar Honda as you, but mine was yellow. I didn't get the same gas mileage, but it had almost 200,000 miles on it.
Having crashed it twice (once a slow-speed rear-ending of another car and the other a freeway-speed lane change collision with a Volvo) I can tell you that the same car would fare quite well in modern crash tests. Thankfully, I drove away from both accidents (the super-safe Volvo was towed). I didn't fare so well when I was hit in a modern Acura which was totalled by a side impact. Go figure...
Anyway, I loved that little car and would buy it again if I could. If Smart cars ever start selling over here, I'll buy one of those.
Smart Car!!!! I like it!! Actually I can't see the little fortwo taking off in this country, but the forfour and the roadster? Oh yeah......
As a point of information, that old Honda was built when there were specifications for height of bumper, stress for rear bumper etc. I drove that car (not the same kind, the same car) and was rear ended by a Buick going thirty five miles an hour and it suffered no damage at all (except my neck, which reacted poorly)
Hmm I would guess that anonymous is one of my family members.
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