I had a 1951 Plymouth, 32.5mpg, a1984 305 4v 9 pass. Parisienne, 43.5mpg, hwy. a 2000 Impala, 32.5 mpg, a 1999 Mercury Grand Marquis, loaded to the max., 33.5 mpg hwy., and now they are bragging about shoe boxes that get about 30 mpg. Sure I owned some real guzzlers but the point is the auto companies know how to build economical cars but there must be some reason why they don't. What is it?
2007-12-10 06:29:38 · 5 answers · asked by geiniusbobiknow 4 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
It's all has to do with smog control.....they have to keep lower emissions each year...and while doing this your gas mileage suffers. Plus the oil companies have had to reformulate the gas...which puts out less smog...which puts out less horsepower...which gives us less MPG.
You can't blame it on those big SUV's...our old cars with thicker metal fenders...bigger frames and heavy bumpers weighed way more than the SUV's of today.
2007-12-10 06:35:37 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Concerns are elsewhere... such as safety, style, and power.
My old 92 Dakota, with a 4 cylinder and 5 speed transmission could get upwards of 33 mpg. (it was rated 24-29)
My 1998 Ranger with the same size engine and speed transmission gets 24 at most.
Our 95 accent gets upwards of 42, the only vehicles today that get past 40 are hybrids.
Hell, my old 79 Plymouth Volare got better gas mileage than the Ranger even though it had a slant six and 3 speed automatic... and it was faster... the Volare weighed 3,050 lbs though, which is much lighter than most modern mid-sized cars.
It's kinda depressing.
2007-12-10 14:46:48 · answer #2 · answered by Todd 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Public demand for power. Ever drive a '51 Plymouth? I have. And the little two barrel carb would take a week to go from 0-60mph. Nowadays, the public wants power, or at least here in the US. Also, take a look at the gas then and now. Gas in the '60s had a higher octane rating, and cars had higher compression ratios then compared to now.
2007-12-10 14:36:18 · answer #3 · answered by rex_rrracefab 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
your numbers are off...before 1990, a v8 wouldn't crack 20mpg...
my caddy rolls at 30 mpg if i keep the throttle off the floor
my 67 is lucky to get 12mpg, 6.6 liter 4barrel
2007-12-10 14:35:42 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
The public wants the bigger heavier cars and SUV's . More weight less gas mileage.
2007-12-10 14:34:37 · answer #5 · answered by gary o 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋