Several weeks ago I drove our rarely used pickup truck to work. It is a Dodge RAM 1500, so it makes a reasonable substitute for your average SUV; lumbering brick-shaped, V8 powered, gas-guzzling Detroit stupidity. Fine for hauling lumber, hay, and horses (what we use it for really) but about the worst vehicle imaginable for commuting. Oddly enough I see plenty of them, and like machinery on my daily commute. I drove to work, around the area a bit, and back home, and ended up spending a LOT of money in gasoline to do it. Mind you, my commute is long… probably over 2x what the average american commuter drives. The pickup managed a truly terrible 11 MPG and that was with me driving it very conservatively… staying under 2000 RPM, using the cruise control, mostly obeying the speed limit, smooth starts, etc. You can read about it here, but here’s the executive summary: “I did not run the tank dry, but just down to half. When I refilled the half-empty tank last night, it cost me $54.10(!) and I had only run it 165 miles. Just over 11 MPG.
I’m sorry but that is truly dismal.
As many of you know, I drive a Diesel powered car. It is a 2002 VW Jetta TDI. I love it. Sits four comfortably, has a huge trunk (you could hide dead bodies in there… several of them!), it is in no way slow… turning a respectable 0-60 in 11 seconds and can comfortably cruise at Autobahn speeds – it can make, and hold “a ton” for hours on end. Best of all, it will get in excess of 45 MPG while running that 100 MPH. I decided to test my patience and driving ability and see what sort of mileage I could wring out of it by REALLY watching my habits. Again, keeping the revs low, using the cruise where possible, measured starts, mostly staying within the speed limits, etc. So for the latter half of last week, and into today, I drove like a sedated Volvo owner. It was in no way an ideal test… I ran into traffic jams, had the A/C on at times, dealt with Seattle’s inevitable stop-and-go, I lost my discipline a few times and went 80 MPH, etc. My wife and kid also drove the car a little bit, so I have no idea what happened during those miles.
I was also running on a 50% mix of my home-brew fuel… which means I’m running on the cheap. Keep in mind I paid less than $12 to run the following distance:
458.2 miles
7.8 gallons (just over half a tank in the Jetta)
That means I pulled off 58.74 MPG!
OK, so somebody tell me why the hell Americans choose to drive big honkin glorified station wagons tarted up to look like trucks that get less than 20 MPG when they COULD be driving vehicles that can more than DOUBLE that figure?
I have some photos of my odometer and gas gauge on my cell phone, as soon as I can grab them from the phone and upload them, I’ll post them here.
Or Land Rovers…ahem.
I think some of it, honestly, is a “macho” thing. Driving a small car is somehow seen as “feminine.” On the other hand, there are a LOT of women driving the huge things, so maybe scratch that. Bigger is better? The mistaken notion that bigger is safer?
I also think a lot of people buy with “extreme” conditions in mind. “I want to be able to take the entire soccer team to the game” when they only really so once a year. It would be cheaper to rent a van for the day.
It’s about penis size and delusions of “big=safer”.
Of course, who in the US ever looks at *real data*…pssh, that’s for lusers.
any more, I’ve decided that unless it’s obviously a playtoy that I drive once in a blue moon, (no more of those until I have my own garage), a solid 30MPG is the absolute lower limit for city driving. Right now, I’m in a ’92 saturn, with almost 200K miles on it. Good little car, gets 32 MPG. I fill it up every 220 miles or so, which works out to 7 gallons every 1.5 weeks.
I can’t imagine paying for a SUV with the costs they incur unless i NEEDED one.
heh… I love the “big=safe” logic… it fails the “CoG” logic, especially with the upward-facing crumple zone present in most trucks and SUVs.
I have personally witnessed several crashes with SUVs involved, and it all but two, the SUV rolled over.
Another factor may be that there is a dearth of “interesting” cars that get really good mileage. The one that amazes me is cars like my dear bride’s Subaru only get around 23. Take a look at this:
http://www.cars.com/go/advice/Story.jsp?section=fuel&subject=fuelList&story=mpgClass&referer=advice&aff=national
That doesn’t look like remarkable progress to me. Of course, you’re talking to a guy who pretty much has the market on gas guzzlers cornered. Though having said that:
Ford F250, 1968, 5.9L V8: 13 MPG, ~750 miles/year
Land Rover Disco, 1998, 4.0L V8: 16 MPG, ~5,000/year
MGB, 1963, 1.8L 4: 24 MPG, ~2,000/year
Triumph 955i, 1L 3: 45 MPG, ~600/year
BSA A10, 650cc: 75 MPG, ~300/year
Ferguson tractor, 2.2L 4, 1 gallon/hour: ~15 hours/year
I think I need to reconsider the Landy, which I bought not for any penis-compensating abilities (though comments on whether that might be needed is another topic) but because it was British and I haven’t owned one. Maybe used “new” Minis will be cheap enough by next summer to consider one, but I think their mileage isn’t any great shakes, either. 25 city, 35 highway.
(tongue in cheek) Is stupidity masculine then Roger? Because paying $3 to go 11-14 miles is pretty stupid if you ask me.
Besides, like you say over half of these Urban Assault Vehicles are being driven by women. (As an aside, I think the Disco is pretty girlie! 😉 not that I’m impinging your manhood or anything.) I’ve always said that some soccer mom in a GMC Yukon is going to run a red light while yakking on her cell phone and kill me.
I guess America is getting what it deserves.
OK, this baffles me:
Diesel Cars and SUVs
Each class includes the 2006 diesel-powered vehicles with the best mileage estimates in that category. All vehicles have automatic transmissions.
Class Leaders City MPG Highway MPG
Passenger Cars
Volkswagen New Beetle 35 42
Volkswagen Jetta 35 42
SUV
Jeep Liberty 22 26
The range for all diesel vehicles is 22 - 44 mpg. On average, diesels get 30.4 mpg in the city and 38.2 mpg on the highway.
Source: EPA's 2006 Fuel Economy Guide
I have never seen under 45 MPG in my Jetta, ever. I’d shit a brick if it saw mileage in the 30s! I can’t believe a slushbox steals THAT much efficiency. I know “YMMV” but this is just goofy.
I’d have to agree the Disco is definitely not a “man’s car.” I’m fairly fond of it in that it’s a fairly comfortable machine and somewhat interesting, though again not enough to warrant a long-term bond. I’m actually considering finding a really nice classic Mini to replace it…maybe a diesel British taxi?
Sad thing is there are a fairly large number of interesting diesel cars made in Europe that we never see over here.
And I have to say that whatever the visceral pleasures might be, as a tool, driving to Langley and back and paying $3 for the privilege isn’t too smart. I actually mostly use the truck as, well, a truck, so it gets an exemption. A friend’s brother drives as far as you do every day, making not a lot of money…in his Dodge Durango. Between that and smoking, half his pay or more must go up in smoke.
Hm. Now I’ll have to think about the Disco’s replacement. I think a used new Mini might be cool(ish), but not enough to spend $15K on one. Mrs. Roger would like a diesel small wagon to replace her Subaru when the time comes, but there is almost nothing out there.
impressive figures Chuck – but you keep saying you drive a Jetta and you post lots of car photos but I don’t think I’ve ever seen you and the Jetta in a photo…. or the Jetta in fact! just wondering…. Jerome
What do you mean? It was the star of this post back in January. You are right though, I have very few photos of the Jetta… it is in actuality a very boring car. At least visually.
I drove the ’99 New Beetle today. I am delivering it to a mechanic for an independent inspection prior to closing the sale. It was a pleasant drive. The thing is very different to the Jetta… it is dead quiet at idle (shock!) compared to the TDI, but much louder at speed. In fact twice as I rolled to a stop I thought the engine had died until a glance at the tach confirmed life… that is when you notice you are driving a Diesel when you do drive a Diesel… the distinct rattling idle that even smooth oil-burners like the TDI have. But at 70 MPH the TDI is barely turning 2500 RPM, whereas the 2.0 liter gasoline engine in the Beetle is buzzing like a bee in a beercan somewhere around 4000 RPM.
I’ll try to get some pictures of it for you Jerome. Can’t promise any pics of me though, for one thing I’m not that photogenic, and for another I’m always the one taking the pictures!
Roger said:
maybe a diesel British taxi?
Oh I LOVE Black Cabs. They are probably one of the most utilitarian vehicles EVER designed. Truly a work of genius! The retired police cruisers in use here in the States are so shoddy in comparison.
Aren’t the Black Cabs made in Coventry too? I’ve see a few up in Vancouver BC, so they are available on this side of the pond. I heard they are expensive though. Of course, you could charge people to ride around in it and recover your costs. 😉
Roger also said:
A friend’s brother drives as far as you do every day, making not a lot of money…in his Dodge Durango. Between that and smoking, half his pay or more must go up in smoke.
No kidding. A colleague of mine drove a Durango to work every day too. The 5.0 liter “sporty” one. He complained about mileage all the time(!)
As for smokers… words cannot describe the economic hit they take. The Stillaguamish Tribe sells tax-reduced cigarettes out of a trailer by the I-5 onramp I take every day and there is a lineup to buy literally 24 hours a day.
but the photos of the wheels in the Jetta could almost have been any car! not that worried Chuck – just occured that your trigger happy camera finger was avoiding the Jetta. I can’t imagine cars buzzing at 4,000rpm on the open road…. guess I’ve gotten used to 6 or 8 cylinder cars over the years… the 302 does 1800rpm at 100kph – helps with the fuel use! – Jerome
Well, the Jetta is so generic as to really appear to be “any car”… you know when small children grab a crayon and describe a box-upon-a-box-upon-wheels to illustrate “car”? That is exactly what a Jetta, and every other car for that matter, looks like.
Boring.
It does present as obviously Germanic in origin and design, but otherwise it is pretty dull. Nobody ever gave a “thumbs up” to a passing Jetta.
–chuck
Which reminds me of these incredibly STUPID ads I see for wholly unremarkable cars. They paint them up to be objects of lust… people stopping to stare at them. I’m sorry… NOBODY stops to stare, much less turn their heads at such pedestrian machinery as small sedan Nissans, Acuras, Hondas… whatever. They are all so plain as to be indistinguishable from each other from 50 feet away. As the Top Gear guys say: “It is just 12 feet of car.”
So stop with the BS, and market the car for what it can do, and leave the lust angle to stuff made by Italians, thankyouerymuch.
–chuck
“They are probably one of the most utilitarian vehicles EVER designed.”
Right up there with a model T. Hm.
Roger does have a point up there: There are few “interesting” diesel vehicles. You touched on this a few entries from now, talking about a diesel TT roadster. That would be great — I love Audis, and the TT, at least the new one, is a beautiful car. Most TDIs out there are large trucks or simple sedans with no oomph. I love driving, it’s supposed to be fun, but I haven’t driven a truly fun diesel before.
Others have different priorities, though, and that explains the Prius drivers.
Nick, you ignorant slut. 😉
Most TDI’s are Volkswagens. Beetle’s, Jetta’s and Passats. Mercedes makes a Common Rail Diesel (CRD)… I think what you meant to say is “most (normally aspirated and perhaps even turbocharged) DIESELS in North America are trucks”… not “most TDIs”.
That said, you are welcome to take the wheel of the Jetta and go out for a test drive anytime you wish. Just let me know… I’ll warm up the Valentine1 and create some plausible deniability… with the DATDA (Direct Access to Defense Attorney) as backup. Your time, my car… we can even take a shot of veggie oil to toast the occasion!
–chuck