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My best mileage car was a 1988 Mercury Tracer wagon with the 5 speed manual. I never saw 40 mpg; more like the low 30s. I have never driven any car exclusively on the highway, however.
The Tracer was slow. Merging onto the freeway meant cornering on the entrance ramp as fast as possible in order to be up to highway speeds.
My next car was a 1997 Pontiac Grand Am with the quad four and automatic. It got about 24 mpg on 91 octane fuel. The increase in performance was well worth the extra gas. I stopped wondering why entrance ramps were so short.
The EPA fuel ratings back in the 1980s were hopelessly optimistic. That is why they have been revamped. You can not do a straight comparison of EPA ratings over the years.
My first new car, a 1991 Civic hatchback 4sp manual (base model, 4 cyl, no AC, no radio) cost $6800. It got 38-40 mpg around town, 40-42 on the highway. Once I got 45 on the highway.
I up-modeled to a '99 Forester that got 25 mpg. Loved the Honda and hated to part with it, but everyone was getting SUVs in the 90s and driving in an aggressive, bullying manner that made me fear for my safety.
Now I've got a '13 Prius V and I can get 48-50 mpg (44-46 in the cold weather). Hybrids are the way to go, if you want a longer range between fill ups. This car goes up to 550 miles on a tank. Once I got it to 570; wanted to join the "600 Club" but chickened out. The car tells you you have zero miles left and it becomes a test of your manhood at that point! Or a test of your stupidity, depending how you look at it
In 1993 I bought my first new car, a Ford Escort Wagon. It got 40mpg on the highway. It had a 4 cylinder engine, a standard transmission, air conditioning, a cassette player with the AM/FM stereo radio, a luggage rack, and was pretty comfy. I drove the car and hauled my 3 teenagers around in it till it started falling apart, and then replaced it with a used minivan.
My question is this....since we've made so much technological progress, with more efficient engines and upgraded safety features and all that jazz....
Why can't a car with a 4 cylinder engine still get 40 miles to the gallon on the highway? Why is it such a cause for celebration when a car can get, say, 32 mpg? What happened?
I'm confused. Can anyone help me out?
The EPA rating for a '93 Escort was 23 - 25 - 29MPG. Or 35 if you got the little bitty engine. You didn't exceed it, at least not regularly. Most people can't even get the rated MPG out of their cars. Gas Mileage of 1993 Ford Escort
The EPA rating for a '93 Escort was 23 - 25 - 29MPG. Or 35 if you got the little bitty engine. You didn't exceed it, at least not regularly. Most people can't even get the rated MPG out of their cars. Gas Mileage of 1993 Ford Escort
I beg to differ. I drove that car from Michigan to Florida with three teenagers and myself in it. I used actual mileage based on fill-ups as my calculator. I got 40 mpg on the highway. The trip was 1200 miles and I remember being thrilled at the mileage. Even city driving gave me over 28 mpg. Yes, I drove carefully. Yes, I drove a stick shift. Still, I can guarantee you that my average highway mileage was 40.
Now mind you I'm not complaining about the 25.5 on the Taurus right now. I was just wondering why newer cars with more efficient technology got worse mileage. I guess the answer is increased safety measures.
However, just a comment on that....I had 1971 Mercury Monterey with a 429 in it.....that baby could GO!!! I got 17 on the highway with it and it weighed a ton. The thing is, it was more safe than lots of cars on the road today because all that metal gave me a physical barrier. Cars didn't get as crumpled in the boat-car era. People, if they wore seat belts, were basically safe because the thickness of the steel combined with the sheer amount of metal in the car created a protective barrier around driver and passengers.
I beg to differ. I drove that car from Michigan to Florida with three teenagers and myself in it. I used actual mileage based on fill-ups as my calculator. I got 40 mpg on the highway. The trip was 1200 miles and I remember being thrilled at the mileage. Even city driving gave me over 28 mpg. Yes, I drove carefully. Yes, I drove a stick shift. Still, I can guarantee you that my average highway mileage was 40.
Now mind you I'm not complaining about the 25.5 on the Taurus right now. I was just wondering why newer cars with more efficient technology got worse mileage. I guess the answer is increased safety measures.
However, just a comment on that....I had 1971 Mercury Monterey with a 429 in it.....that baby could GO!!! I got 17 on the highway with it and it weighed a ton. The thing is, it was more safe than lots of cars on the road today because all that metal gave me a physical barrier. Cars didn't get as crumpled in the boat-car era. People, if they wore seat belts, were basically safe because the thickness of the steel combined with the sheer amount of metal in the car created a protective barrier around driver and passengers.
You're not one to let actual data influence your opinions, are you? Ignoring the fact that today's cars are more fuel efficient than ever before seems to go hand in hand with not noticing traffic deaths are 2.5 times lower than they were back in the years of the American land yacht.
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