The 65 mpg Ford the U.S. Can't Have

[jgcable]

Most of you guys are too young to remember the Chrysler Turbine cars. They made 5 of them I think. They travelled all around the world running on everything from peanut oil to alcohol and everything inbetween. They got 50+ miles per gallon with virtually 0 emissions. When the oil companies found out they paid Chrysler off and all of the cars were crushed. This was in the late 60's!!!
How about the radial tire rubber compound that was developed in the late 60's too? It got 300,000 miles before needing a replacement. Guess who squashed that one!!

[SEEGERMANY]

How about the radial tire rubber compound that was developed in the late 60's too? It got 300,000 miles before needing a replacement. Guess who squashed that one!!

Exactly! We have the technology to do a lot of things, but it cuts into the bottom line. Under my normal driving conditions, it would take me 37 years to wear out a set of rubbers. Just think, two sets of tires over the course of a lifetime!

[VitaminG]

a friend had the petrol VW Polo, carried his two kids and wife around in it for years. He is 6'2. I had a drive when he first got it - went well, comfortable to sit in and I'm 6'4. The kids are getting a bit older now and they need more legroom in back, so the Polo is gone now. But considering most people you see gridlocked in peak hour traffic each morning are the sole occupant of the car, it would provide plenty of room for the average single gal commuting to work each day. I haven't driven the diesel version, but I can't imagine the interior dimensions are much different. And the VW Golf is bigger again.

[CharvelRocker]

I'm sure those enclosed shopping carts they're passing off as cars get great mileage being made of plastic and aircraft aluminum, but they ride like shit and those of us who actually made it over 6 feet tall simply have no use for such a small vehicle. We can't get in, we can't get out if we do get in, and we cannot get comfortable in them.

+1. Not to mention Europe and Japan, you don't need to worry about what would happen if you got into a fight and a Dodge Ram 3500 or a Mack truck.

[thetroy]

+1. Not to mention Europe and Japan, you don't need to worry about what would happen if you got into a fight and a Dodge Ram 3500 or a Mack truck.

No, just a bullet train.

[VitaminG]

or a Porsche doing 200mph up behind you on the Autobahn....


oh hang on, they use semi-trailers, trucks, etc in Europe to cart stuff about too, don't they? Or is everything transported via canal on horse-drawn barges?

[OnlineStageGear]

Most of you guys are too young to remember the Chrysler Turbine cars. They made 5 of them I think. They travelled all around the world running on everything from peanut oil to alcohol and everything inbetween. They got 50+ miles per gallon with virtually 0 emissions. When the oil companies found out they paid Chrysler off and all of the cars were crushed. This was in the late 60's!!!
How about the radial tire rubber compound that was developed in the late 60's too? It got 300,000 miles before needing a replacement. Guess who squashed that one!!

A standard Diesel engine will run on Peanut oil and basicly any cooking oil. A lot of people get used cooking oil from fast food joints and run thier engines on it. It makes the people driving behind them hungry.....

[CharvelRocker]

or a Porsche doing 200mph up behind you on the Autobahn....


oh hang on, they use semi-trailers, trucks, etc in Europe to cart stuff about too, don't they? Or is everything transported via canal on horse-drawn barges?

Right, Smart Cars and other min cars are common on the Autobahn... I don't think many of those mini cars leave the city and ever get out on a fast, open road. You almost can not avoid that here.

[Carbuff]

A standard Diesel engine will run on Peanut oil and basicly any cooking oil. A lot of people get used cooking oil from fast food joints and run thier engines on it. It makes the people driving behind them hungry.....

The original diesel engine designed by the man himself, Diesel, was designed to run on vegetable oil. The design was changed to run on fossil fuel because it was cheaper and more plentiful back then.

[VitaminG]

Right, Smart Cars and other min cars are common on the Autobahn... I don't think many of those mini cars leave the city and ever get out on a fast, open road. You almost can not avoid that here.

fuel efficient diesel engines aren't restricted to sub-compacts & smart cars that top out at 60mph.

Check out the 2.7L Jag that'll give you 53mpg. It's top speed of 225km/h will get you hurtling down the open road just fine, considering your speed limits there are 55mph (about 90km/h?).

How about a Mercedes, BMW, Renault, Citroen? You can even get a diesel Mazda3. It is possible to get a family sized car with a powerful, fuel efficient diesel.

[asix]

there are lots of cars that will do 65 the galon on diesel and go like stink. check out a new vm beetle diesel, my wife has one and it gets amazign mpg on the motorway /freeway.

[phill_up]

I know that the restaurants SELL that icky nasty grease/oil/fat for a profit, I heard they make "Make-up" out of it or whatever else it is used for. Another thing I heard on the radio was that someone designed some sort of fuel out of dead animals but it was shot down as unethical and powers that be thought we would start breeding animals for fuel.

Hey Baby, get in my Gas Tank!

[CharvelRocker]

fuel efficient diesel engines aren't restricted to sub-compacts & smart cars that top out at 60mph.

Check out the 2.7L Jag that'll give you 53mpg. It's top speed of 225km/h will get you hurtling down the open road just fine, considering your speed limits there are 55mph (about 90km/h?).

How about a Mercedes, BMW, Renault, Citroen? You can even get a diesel Mazda3. It is possible to get a family sized car with a powerful, fuel efficient diesel.

I'm talking about all these min-cars, diesel or not. They work great in their home countries, but would likely not go over too hot here. And even then, diesel is great, but most people aren't going to pay over a $1 more for it. Even if diesel's of today are cleaner and quieter (which I think when built right, they are) it's going to be a tough sell to the environmental freaks, and people who remember diesel cars and trucks for belching smoke going down the road and smelling like ass. Our friend's had a late 80s Mercedes sedan that ran on diesel. Great car, but you could always smell where it had been. And here, that is what people think when they hear diesel (along with overpriced to hell). Now maybe if it was cheaper than regular gas (which it should be imo...) they would have more a shot.

[Tekky]

We've already had 55 mpg gallon capable cars. Remember the Geo Metro? Yeah, the one you didn't buy?

The one who didn't buy?

That was the very first car I purchased on my own. I bought it without the radio but the clown music was too loud to ignore when I got out of it. It was white, my friends called it "the egg". One even said I should paint a yellow circle on the top.

[Davey]

My brother had a Geo Metro. You cannot put 5 people in them, unless all 5 are midgets.

But then, they're basing that on the "average man on the street", which is currently a 30-something Chinaman


I'm sure those enclosed shopping carts they're passing off as cars get great mileage being made of plastic and aircraft aluminum, but they ride like shit and those of us who actually made it over 6 feet tall simply have no use for such a small vehicle. We can't get in, we can't get out if we do get in, and we cannot get comfortable in them.

well.. i'm 6'3ish and yeah.. the back seats of these cars ar not really comfortable for longer periods of time, if there's anyone above 5'7 in the front seat. a short trip to town, it's ok, but anything longer you get cramped. front seats are no problem though