Why US cars don't get 50 mpg

[Tom Loy]

Notice this guy used to work for chrysler. This is an example of the systemic problems within the US auto industry. How anyone can believe this is beyond me.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/130439

[Truckin]

Good article.

[Tell-It]

Meanwhile, there is only 1 Japanese car that gets over 50 mpg (prius) and no Euro ones.

[David Ebert]

Tell-It wrote:

Meanwhile, there is only 1 Japanese car that gets over 50 mpg (prius) and no Euro ones.

I think you mistaken many of the Euro cars VW Peogeot citrone etc will easily give you 50+ mpg. with great preformance, due to having a turbo diesel engine. Have a great day. Many small Japanese cars also match that figure Suzuki's Daihatsu's petrol powerd.

[Built Ford Tough]

In all honesty would you really want to drive something that gets 50 miles to the gallon??. A striped down bubble with four wheels, no thanks. Alot of Amercian cars are getting between 25-35 miles a gallon. I think this competes with the rest of the feild.

[Tell-It]

David Ebert wrote:

<quoted text> I think you mistaken many of the Euro cars VW Peogeot citrone etc will easily give you 50+ mpg. with great preformance, due to having a turbo diesel engine. Have a great day. Many small Japanese cars also match that figure Suzuki's Daihatsu's petrol powerd.

We are talking about US cars...good day, mate.

[David Ebert]

Built Ford Tough wrote:

In all honesty would you really want to drive something that gets 50 miles to the gallon??. A striped down bubble with four wheels, no thanks. Alot of Amercian cars are getting between 25-35 miles a gallon. I think this competes with the rest of the feild.

Mazda 2 world car for 2008 Fiat 500 they might be buble cars to you, but most of us who have driven them think they are fine. Fun to drive, quick,comfortable, safe, very economical, and most of all easy on the wallet. enjoy your day.

[70plyRR]

David Ebert wrote:

<quoted text> Mazda 2 world car for 2008 Fiat 500 they might be buble cars to you, but most of us who have driven them think they are fine. Fun to drive, quick,comfortable, safe, very economical, and most of all easy on the wallet. enjoy your day.

You seem to forget we live in America. Those cars are very dangerous and don’t offer suitable and/or safe transportation on our highways. I stand a much better rate of survival in a larger vehicle in most scenarios.

[Tom Loy]

Tell-It wrote:

<quoted text>
We are talking about US cars...good day, mate.

By summer VW will be selling diesel jetta's that get 55 mpg and the diesel rabbit should be here by the end of the year.

[Tom Loy]

70plyRR wrote:

<quoted text>You seem to forget we live in America. Those cars are very dangerous and don’t offer suitable and/or safe transportation on our highways. I stand a much better rate of survival in a larger vehicle in most scenarios.

Smaller cars are less safe than suv's to be sure, but its a risk people will take. With gas sure to hit $4 a gallon by summer, most people have no choice.

[PAUL SHYKORA]

WELL TEY ARE ALL GONNA TRY A HARDER TOOO BOOT!!! THE HILLBILLY FARMBOY HAS SPOKEN GOD BLESS ALL, TOO BOOT EH?

[Tell-It]

Tom Loy wrote:

<quoted text>
By summer VW will be selling diesel jetta's that get 55 mpg and the diesel rabbit should be here by the end of the year.

Diesel is $4.15 a gallon here in Pa and its been warm for a week (for those of you who insist it will fall alongside heating oil) so the cost savings arent affective.

[Tell-It]

Tom Loy wrote:

<quoted text>
Smaller cars are less safe than suv's to be sure, but its a risk people will take. With gas sure to hit $4 a gallon by summer, most people have no choice.

Its not like people will flock to dealerships to spend $25k on a compact to save gasoline...

[Truckin]

Tell-It wrote:

<quoted text>
Its not like people will flock to dealerships to spend $25k on a compact to save gasoline...

Not $25K, but people are already flocking to dealerships to purchase the sub-$15K compacts, as evidenced by the booming sales of the Honda Fit, Toyota Yaris, and Ford Focus. The Aveo and Cobalt took a dump in March.

[Tom Loy]

Tell-It wrote:

<quoted text>
Its not like people will flock to dealerships to spend $25k on a compact to save gasoline...

Probably true. And thats one of the problems VW is tackling. How to drop the price of their diesels. I am still hoping the price of diesel eventually becomes close to that of gasoline.

[Truckin]

Go get yourself an early 1980's Oldsmobile diesel.

[Tom Loy]

Truckin wrote:

Go get yourself an early 1980's Oldsmobile diesel.

Those were NASTY!!!! They gave diesels a bad rep for years!

[70plyRR]

Truckin wrote:

Go get yourself an early 1980's Oldsmobile diesel.

OR a diesel tundra, so you can haul pallets of flowers to the home depot… Oh wait, does the tundra come with a diesel? That manly truck.

[Truckin]

70plyRR wrote:

<quoted text>OR a diesel tundra, so you can haul pallets of flowers to the home depot… Oh wait, does the tundra come with a diesel? That manly truck.

You can knock the tailgate (which I have no problems with despite loading motorcycles, Rhinos, ATV's, and a 2000lb pallet of landscape bricks) but you simply cannot knock the 5.7L 6-speed powertrain. It is very manly compared to the anemic offerings of GM and Ford in their 1/2 tons. Sorry, but GM's cam-in-blocks make good torque but hang their tongues out when passing at 70mph.

[Truckin]

Tom Loy wrote:

<quoted text>
Those were NASTY!!!! They gave diesels a bad rep for years!

The GM diesel fiasco is the number one consumer perception issue facing the diesel passenger car to this day. Number two would be the Cadillac Cimarron.