Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Horsepower vs. Fuel Economy

Q: It seems like your magazine features at least one excessively over powered gas guzzling car every issue, which seems to be in keeping with our country's obsession for ever more horse-power. The Japanese seem to hit their stride in terms of efficiency and reliability in the 1980s, and ever since, with a few exceptions, they have been jumping on the horse power wagon too. I had the opportunity to borrow a friend's late 80s 4-door Civic and was pleased with the car's acceleration and amazed by the gas mileage, 44 miles per gallon on the highway over two tanks. The mileage of Civics built in the 90s and in this decade still doesn't come close, so why should we get excited about some new Fiat 500 that is reported to only get 40 mpg and is much smaller than a 30-year old Honda?



A: Don’t forget to factor in that cars new emit less than 100th of a percent less emissions than a ‘70’s vintage car and are far safer in a crash thanks to engineered structures that crush and as many as a dozen air bags. All of that adds weight and complexity, which affects mileage.



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