> Personally I think they're a distraction from the fact most cars today get the same horrible mileage they did 20 years ago.
You can't fight physics. A gas-powered sedan weighed down by all the modern safety requirements can only get ~43mpg on the highway.
A hybrid boosts this to ~55mpg and also greatly improves city efficiency.
Above those numbers, you're looking at engines that are severely underpowered (1.0 liters) or is more EV than gas car.
> I personally think it's because vehicle manufacturers have spent the last ~20 years not really improving the core vehicle at all, and instead convincing people that massage seats and car play are actually important.
Well, yes. To please the American consumerist mindset, you have to keep inventing new features even if the new feature is a complete gimmick or just a subscription, or taking out physical buttons (e.g. all strictly negatives).
> If someone made a car that was comfortable, easy to drive, had plenty of storage and was super cheap to drive (like 3l/100km / ~70 US MPG) I'd be all over it.
At that point why not just wish for a magic horse that flies or something. 70 MPG is an EV number. You'll never get a gas car that gets that mileage.
> A gas-powered sedan weighed down by all the modern safety requirements can only get ~43mpg on the highway.
Meanwhile in 1988 (36 years ago!) one could buy a Honda CRX that got 49mpg on the highway.
Weight is indeed the enemy here. To cut energy consumption and emissions we need to rethink the madness of 4000lb+ cars. I want to buy a 1600lb car with mindblowing mpg numbers using modern engine technology.
You can if the rest of the cars on the road were in the same weight class. Otherwise that's like going bowling with an egg.
Not 1600lb, but the lightest traditional ICE car I'm aware of is the Mitsubishi Mirage at 2106lbs.
The lotus elan is about 1500. The earlier honda insights are about 1850.
> 70 MPG is an EV number. You'll never get a gas car that gets that mileage.
My old 320d did those on the motorwaym and more sometimes. It wasn't the average, but given almost all my driving was motorway, it wasn't far off.
Diesel fuel contains more energy per gallon/Liter so that’s not a useful comparison.
Also if "motorway" implies Britain, Imperial gallons are 20% larger than US gallons.
It does! But then also I don't know what a gallon of electricity is.
https://ecomodder.com/forum/em-fuel-log.php?vehicleid=3158
https://ecomodder.com/forum/em-fuel-log.php?vehicleid=7982