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I'm purchasing a car soon and it makes more sense to get the v-6 Nissan Altima, as opposed to the 4 cylinder. Its a 5 mpg difference. The v-6 rides a lot smoother, and is quiet.
Both of mine (F-150s) have 6s, mostly because I really don't need an 8 with what I do with the trucks. My oldest son's Frontier is a 4, it should have been a 6.
The engine works so hard to do anything, it is just not viable. Now they just make a V5.
Six cylinders working easy will beat 4 cylinders working hard, anyday.
The other problem we have experienced with V4 deals with interstate on ramps. Those little engines really eliminate almost all merge options and literally put your life at risk.
Sometimes you need to power to accelerate and a 4 cylinder rarely has that power.
Finally, if you live in mountains, well..... Forget it.
What we used to call in the Pentagon, "Strategy - Force mismatch."
The engine works so hard to do anything, it is just not viable. Now they just make a V5.
Six cylinders working easy will beat 4 cylinders working hard, anyday.
The other problem we have experienced with V4 deals with interstate on ramps. Those little engines really eliminate almost all merge options and literally put your life at risk.
Sometimes you need to power to accelerate and a 4 cylinder rarely has that power.
Finally, if you live in mountains, well..... Forget it.
What we used to call in the Pentagon, "Strategy - Force mismatch."
There is no such thing as a "V4" or "V5". Inline 4 and inline 5, yes. As noted, trucks are one area where a bigger gas engine may make more sense. What really belongs in 1/2 ton and compact pickups, though, are diesel engines. Finally, the US is getting a diesel option in the Ram 1/2 ton pickup and one is coming in the upcoming Chevy Colorado. In those types of pickup applications, an I4 or V6 turbodiesel engine has power to spare and can get 1 1/2 times or more the fuel economy of a gas engine.
Last edited by jazzlover; 05-03-2014 at 07:48 AM..
MPG is far less important than the amount of gasoline consumed in a given period of time, say Gallons Per Week.
I just did some calculations on my 2014 Toyota Tacoma 4WD. 4 Cylinder, by the way. It is 30 weeks old. My overall gas mileage is 18.2. This does not sound impressive, although we just went through a horrible winter of unrelenting bitter cold and snow. However, I am averaging 6 Gallons Per Week, which is much more impressive.
If my Tacoma had an hour meter, then I would be able to tell you how many Hours Per Week I spend on the road. This is another valuable figure, because the fewer hours spent on the road, the lower the contribution to traffic congestion.
A 10 mpg vehicle driven 5 miles a day would use 3.5 Gallons Per Week, so they would be ahead of me both in fuel consumption and Hours Per Week road time. This is where the claims that higher vehicle mileage standards would save people money fall apart. It is more likely that a person going from a 10 mpg vehicle to a more fuel efficient vehicle would just drive more; saving no fuel and increasing traffic congestion.
Uh......there is no such thing. Not a V4. Maybe an I4.
The OP is just a troll. Regardless of what his trip computer says, no one can get 50 MPG on a Civic unless it is a hybrid or he is somehow hypermiling it. It would be nice if he would stop trying to project his 50 MPG over 135 miles as a general experience a 4 cylinder car can deliver. But that is probably just too much to ask.
MPG is far less important than the amount of gasoline consumed in a given period of time, say Gallons Per Week.
I just did some calculations on my 2014 Toyota Tacoma 4WD. 4 Cylinder, by the way. It is 30 weeks old. My overall gas mileage is 18.2. This does not sound impressive, although we just went through a horrible winter of unrelenting bitter cold and snow. However, I am averaging 6 Gallons Per Week, which is much more impressive.
If my Tacoma had an hour meter, then I would be able to tell you how many Hours Per Week I spend on the road. This is another valuable figure, because the fewer hours spent on the road, the lower the contribution to traffic congestion.
A 10 mpg vehicle driven 5 miles a day would use 3.5 Gallons Per Week, so they would be ahead of me both in fuel consumption and Hours Per Week road time. This is where the claims that higher vehicle mileage standards would save people money fall apart. It is more likely that a person going from a 10 mpg vehicle to a more fuel efficient vehicle would just drive more; saving no fuel and increasing traffic congestion.
That is mostly quite true. In my case, I only live 2 miles from my work, so my commuting is minimal. Unfortunately, my work, by necessity, requires me to cover quite a lot of miles on a regular basis. Unlike the "suburban blob" commuters who tie themselves down with long daily commutes under the worst driving conditions for good fuel economy, nearly all of my driving is on rural roads and highways, where one can usually achieve the best fuel economy. I still drive a fuel-efficient car (a Prius) for my work purposes whenever it is practical. I also drive a 4WD truck for my work when that is necessary--but it is a diesel that is as fuel-efficient as a vehicle of that size and capability can be.
I know a lot of people, though, who buy more fuel efficient vehicles and don't drive any more than they did with their previous vehicle--they just use less fuel. I made a rule for myself back in 1979 that I would not buy any vehicle that didn't get better fuel economy than the one that it replaced. I've always managed to do that, usually buying one that got substantially better fuel economy. And, no, I don't trade vehicles just to get better fuel economy--I usually keep a vehicle at least 10-15 years, sometimes longer, before replacing it.
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