# How about this for gas mileage?



## Chipncut (Aug 18, 2006)

THIS IS VERY INTERESTING!


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## daltxguy (Sep 7, 2007)

Nothing new - just not enough outrage from those who cannot get access to these vehicles. Corporate interests at play again. Cars from 100 years ago got better mileage than most of the cars on the road today.

100mpg+ is also easily possible.

Diesels are still only about 30% efficient compared to gasoline/petrol which is about 25%. Imagine what still might be possible if we actually allowed innovation in this field to advance instead of it being suppressed by those who have no interest in having it appear.

I suspect if gas is $8.00/gallon in the US as it already is in most parts of the world, there might be an outcry for these.


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## Gene01 (Jan 5, 2009)

My son claims 60 MPG on his Honda van and around 70 in his little Suzuki car…in Japan. I've ridden in both cars and I can guarantee that they would never meet any emissions or safety standards in the US. I'd bet they would weigh 20% less than a comparable vehicle in the US. 
I suspect the same of the Passat in Germany.


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## daltxguy (Sep 7, 2007)

Not so Gene with German cars - they are engineered to travel and survive crashes at Autobahn speeds ie: 100mph+


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## craftsman on the lake (Dec 27, 2008)

Some things are amiss in this video. If you figure imperial gallons it brings down the claimed mileage considerably. The Governement has killed total electric cars in the US? What about the nissan leaf?

The chevy volt gets the equivalent of about 93 mpg when using electric. That's allowed.


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## Karson (May 9, 2006)

I owned a 1960 Bug Eyed Sprite. I used to drive it to work every day. And I had to use the manual choke for about 1/3 of the distance but the mileage was OK.

My mother was visiting in St Louis and I drove her home and picked up a pick-up in Kansas City and towed the bug Eye back.

The Bug Eye had a 6 gallon gas tank. I drove the 260 miles to my mothers and used 1/2 of the tank about 85 mpg. The engine was 998 CC just under 1 liter. Look at a 1 liter soda bottle and imagine 4 pistons taking up that much space.


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## DrDirt (Feb 26, 2008)

Typical myopic though well meaning government regulations.

The High MPG Diesels are available globally. - - - as they point out, it is the pollution regulations the forbid these.

I don't think it was intended to be so conspiratorial, but rather a bunch of dumbass potheads in california, that couldn't do the math.
As they pushed the EMISSION number, it is all done as a Concentration (usually parts per million or ppm) of NOx, Sulfur, Particulates, etc.
There is no accounting for actual polution being generated though.

As an example - - these cars may MEASURE at the tailpipe, 50 ppm of particulates. The Chevy Suburban may be generating only 30 ppm with its catalytic converters and Emission controls in place.

The problem is that the Burb burn 5 gallons of gas for every 1 gallon from these diesel cars. So net the Burb is using.
so 5X30 = 150 for the burb
versus 1 X 50 = 50 for the high mpg diesel. The diesel is only CREATING 1/3 the pollution, but becuase it is 50 and the SUV is 30 the SUV is A-ok, and the Diesel is illegal.
All because we have a bunch of idiot politicians who only look at one number, rather than SOLUTIONS.

It wont change now because the Administration is pushing Electic cars - - - if you could buy a 70 mpg diesel, that will tow a camp trailer (caravan in Europe) that you see all the time. Who in the hell is going to buy a 50,000 dollar Chevy VOLT?
So we will instead have crony capitalism to continue to subsidize Government Motors.

This is where the true free market would have managed this - and tyou would see volkswagen and Ford really take off. Because in Europe you see the 1.5liter *diesel *Ford Focus and the larger van/wagon Focus called the C-max EVERYWHERE.

The Safety argument is smoke and mirrors.


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## JoeLyddon (Apr 22, 2007)

*Is this the EPA that is stopping this?*
... if not, they share IQ's!

Measuring Pollutants per gallon?!
How idiotic and senseless!

*It should be Pollutants per Mile… Distance traveled per mile!*
... *Pollutants per Minute/Hour/Unit of Time of use (to cover lawnmowers, pumps, etc.) LOL*

Let's see… I can go 75 mpg… that's 1 gallon every 75 miles.
Compared with 37.5 mpg… That is obviously polluting twice as much as the 75 mpg example… Right?
Of course it is!
Another wonderful example of the IQ of the EPA and how inadequate incompetent it really is…
*Sickening!*

OK, *they caught with hand in the Cookie jar..*. had to *think of something else…*
... so they Finally admit it *would hurt the Economy! * They would lose Taxes / Income!
Our auto manufacturers would be damaged… "they could not compete" reasoning! BS!

*FREE enterprise in USA… Land of the FREE…*
That is becoming to be MORE pure BS than I have ever seen!

*Yes… I am pissed as much as the guy that made the video…*

*Thank you, Dick, for bringing this to our attention…*

*I will try to get this across to my representatives …* although I get the feeling that I will be wasting my time!


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## Jim Jakosh (Nov 24, 2009)

I saw a Smart car with a diesel that was imported here before they brought in the gas ones for sale here .
That diesel got 50 mpg on US gallons without even trying. The gas one gets 35 mpg. What a deal. I had an '88 Subaru wagon that got 35mpg. we are getting screwed by the oil lobbies that want to keep gas sales up there.

The rich guys making the law ( either party) don't give a hoot about gas mileage because where ever it goes, they can afford it and they probably write it off any way so it creates no problem for them.

And speaking of the EPA….I had a friend who dismantled a windmill in Mich because it was not efficient with the local wind we have. He sold his stack of car batteries to a junk man here who decided to crack them open and spill the acid on the ground and recycle the lead. The EPA made his property a contamination site and tried to get everyone who SOLD the batteries to the junk guy to pay a fine for HIS actions.This is good reason not go give your real name to oil or battery recyclers

My friend got a bill/fine from the EPA and they constantly called for him to pay it. I told him to do a little foot dragging and call the EPA to see why they wanted all this money from him. The EPA lady said that it was a fine of so much per gallon of acid. He asked her how much acid she figured was in a car battery. She looked on her chart and it said there were 5.3 gallons in a car battery!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

He never paid and they went away….......

Don't you love this forum?


> ?


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## Kentuk55 (Sep 21, 2010)

I've got one thing to say about the fuel situation: They (our government), are rapping us! Period


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## JoeLyddon (Apr 22, 2007)

*im Jakosh:

God Bless the EPA!

God Bless America!*


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

A UK Passat wagon gets 62.8 mpg hwy
62.8 Imperial gallons = 52.3 US gallons

The most efficient US Jetta diesel wagon gets 42 mpg hwy
42 US gallons = 50.4 Imperial gallons

Both are similar weight and have 2.0L engines with the same HP rating. So the actual differences are smaller than they sound. I have read the US testing for mpg is much tougher than most places because it includes accel & decel, plus running the air conditioner, etc. The UK cars are probably slightly more efficient but we have tougher emission laws. They are not getting 2X the efficiency nor is there any big govt conspiracy at work.


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## daltxguy (Sep 7, 2007)

No, just govt complacency and failure to implement an energy policy.
Actually, no let's not blame any govt - it's our fault for not pushing the issues and therefore others have stepped in to set the agenda.

Consider that the 1980 VW Rabbit got 56mpg (US).
So, in 30 years there has been no improvement, whatsoever!

Automakers will never improve gas mileage on their own. Their business is selling cars, not addressing a national energy policy.


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## Chipncut (Aug 18, 2006)

* I think the oil companies control our congress with big campaign donations.

That should be changed before we get congress to work the way it should.*


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## JoeLyddon (Apr 22, 2007)

*
"Automakers will never improve gas mileage on their own. Their business is selling cars, not addressing a national energy policy."

*
I think that automakers *WILL* improve gas mileage *on their own*... *they already have!*
Ford and Volkswagen are two that have clearly done it.

I think there is a real market for vehicles that get super high gas mileage… it is more economical and better for the environment as well. ... and from what I saw from looking at the VW.uk products, Luxury features are profound!

If the vehicles made by Ford and Volkswagen were allowed to be sold in the USA, it would spur all other mfrs. to Get With It and compete in a FREE Market.

Prices per gal. for fuel would probably go up, due to higher taxes, which have to be done to make up for the taxes lost as the result of being so much more efficient.

We would NOT be using as much fossil fuel as in the past; therefore, reducing our Demand on foreign sources of oil and promoting more to be obtained here at Home.

Overall, it would improve the Economy and make it better for everyone involved.

... just more ramblings & thoughts… based on the facts that I see…


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## JoeLyddon (Apr 22, 2007)

*Dick, & Barb Cain:

That should be changed before we get congress to work the way it should.

*
How are we going to do that?

Kinda too late for this election… isn't it?


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

The first, best step would be pushing for more diesel engines.


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