I have owned my share of muscle cars. I have owned three Ford mustangs, though that 1988 model with the 4-cylinder automatic may not qualify as such. As of this writing, I drive a Dodge Charger, but its not the hemi. I wanted the hemi. I talked myself into paying the extra $100 a month car payment and $100 a month increase in my auto insurance, over the base model. Yeah, I was really into buying the hemi version until I realized it got 9 mile per gallon on a 15 gallon tank. They don't really put that in the literature. I got the base model but feel okay about that. My truck only got 13 miles a gallon and my new charger gets about 18.5 mpg overall.
Even at 18.5 mpg I look at that and wince. I mean really, why can't an American car that has halfway decent power and styling, carry four adults and some personal items, get more than 20 miles per gallon. A quick glance at these statistics and finding any American brand vehicle over 20 mpg is difficult. It is absolutely boggling to me that American cars today have the same gas mileage they did 20 years ago.
The fact of the matter is that European and Asian car manufacturers are kicking our collective American asses when it comes to gas mileage and they do it with style. I don't find flaw in the niche American cars that gets 300 horsepower or weighs 2+ tons, but why can't even the mid-size sedans at 200 horsepower and a half ton lighter have substantial parity with our competition.
As a green conservative I don't much like 'Big Oil', and their attempts to stifle creation of their demise (alternative fuels), but for the most part they can claim that cheap and widely useable alternatives are still in the development and proliferation stages. I mean no one has a viable hydrogen fuel cell or brought hybrid fuel to am/pm gas stations. But the car manufacturers have the technology, have the ability, have the infrastructure to turn out engines that get 40+ miles per gallon on fossil fuels in vehicles that appeal to a broad audience. I am willing to bet that 80% of American model cars regardless of size or horsepower can be configured immediately to a engine with 40+ mpg profiles.
Please don't give me the Prius option. For every owner with a Prius in the garage, I will show you the minivan, SUV, or sports car in their driveway for a second vehicle. Most hybrid options are so antithetical to everyday use anyway, forgoing grocery space in the trunk for batteries or not allowing for the fact that a commuter may need to travel with a child seat(s), gym bag, work bag, might need to buy something at Home Depot, they may actually carpool or ride with friends. Its insulting to look at the options available to people who might actually want to use a hybrid for something more than a glorified self contained motorcycle, or single passenger car.
The time is here to demand a balance between increased fuel economy of American made engines and to demand that those cars are actually practical for daily use.
Even at 18.5 mpg I look at that and wince. I mean really, why can't an American car that has halfway decent power and styling, carry four adults and some personal items, get more than 20 miles per gallon. A quick glance at these statistics and finding any American brand vehicle over 20 mpg is difficult. It is absolutely boggling to me that American cars today have the same gas mileage they did 20 years ago.
The fact of the matter is that European and Asian car manufacturers are kicking our collective American asses when it comes to gas mileage and they do it with style. I don't find flaw in the niche American cars that gets 300 horsepower or weighs 2+ tons, but why can't even the mid-size sedans at 200 horsepower and a half ton lighter have substantial parity with our competition.
As a green conservative I don't much like 'Big Oil', and their attempts to stifle creation of their demise (alternative fuels), but for the most part they can claim that cheap and widely useable alternatives are still in the development and proliferation stages. I mean no one has a viable hydrogen fuel cell or brought hybrid fuel to am/pm gas stations. But the car manufacturers have the technology, have the ability, have the infrastructure to turn out engines that get 40+ miles per gallon on fossil fuels in vehicles that appeal to a broad audience. I am willing to bet that 80% of American model cars regardless of size or horsepower can be configured immediately to a engine with 40+ mpg profiles.
Please don't give me the Prius option. For every owner with a Prius in the garage, I will show you the minivan, SUV, or sports car in their driveway for a second vehicle. Most hybrid options are so antithetical to everyday use anyway, forgoing grocery space in the trunk for batteries or not allowing for the fact that a commuter may need to travel with a child seat(s), gym bag, work bag, might need to buy something at Home Depot, they may actually carpool or ride with friends. Its insulting to look at the options available to people who might actually want to use a hybrid for something more than a glorified self contained motorcycle, or single passenger car.
The time is here to demand a balance between increased fuel economy of American made engines and to demand that those cars are actually practical for daily use.
1 comment:
wow.
I agree.
(signed, the environmental professional)
Post a Comment