The biggest single step that automakers could take to reduce the cost of driving is to use existing technology to make our cars, SUVs, and light trucks go farther on a gallon of gas. This simple step would also curb global warming pollution and move America closer to energy independence.
To say nothing of where we would be if we started down this road 30 years ago . . .
How do you score?
8 Comments
My Suzuki Swift gets 37.5 miles per gallon.
It doesn’t seat 4-6 with room for luggage, though.
The old subaru wagon I drive now isn’t in their system, but if I use the Civic I had before that, my savings are 55gal/year and 1540 lbs of CO2. With a current Subaru, it’s roughly double that. I don’t drive an awful lot, though. Once Cam is more comfortable riding a bike (or if we get a tandem) I’ll probably only be driving around 50 miles per week, max. It’s looking pretty likely that in the not too distant future I’ll be able to ditch the car entirely, and use a bike and flexcar for all my transportation needs.
Yeah, life without chauffeur duties is simpler, but by no means as interesting ;-)
I see a lot of people who are determined to be One Less Car. In fact, of the bikes I fixed up and gave away through FreeCycle at least one went to someone of that bent.
We do what we can.
http://www.globalsuzuki.com/swift/index.html
And my gas is 5.60$ per gallon
That was actually a rhetorical question ;-)
We get the Swift here so I know it wouldn’t hold 6 people + luggage.
This will. Alas, it only gets about 20 mpg, no matter how I drive it.
When the car makers build hybrid minivans, I think we’ll see some improvements: the minivan, as a class, makes more trips, especially in urban/suburban areas, than anything else, and I am surprised we haven’t seen a hybrid in that segment.
I’ve been thinking “out of the bag” here. How often do you need to carry “6 people + luggage”, Really!
I’m betting you may only need this part time, meaning using this as a full time vehicle is not required. You could rent one when needed. or park it until needed, and operate a more economical car daily.
Seriously? Weekly or more frequently, and never at a time when I can run by the car hire establishment and order one. I can’t have less than 4 seats (since there are 4 of us) and adding one or more is a pretty regular occurence.
This is not uncommon among people I know: this is why I think the hybird family car, ie minivan, is a big win, whenever it gets here.
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