In sci.environment, Eeyore
>
wrote
on Sun, 30 Dec 2007 10:15:10 +0000
>:
>
>
> Kurt Lochner wrote:
>
>> AKA sniveled ineptly:
>> >
>> > So I began to wonder what vehicle would get an
>> > average of 35 mpg. Since I was at a Toyota dealership
>> > and Toyota has been a leader in fuel efficient vehicles,
>> > I started checking out the vehicles on the lot.
>
> I'll make a very simple statement: The Toyota Yaris D-4D is a
> staggeringly good little car.... I have never driven another car that
> could happily tootle along at 80–90mph, nip past obstructive drivers in
> old-shape Merc CL500 coupes, and still take me 63 miles on a gallon of
> diesel.
> http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/?id=52
Is that at 90 mph? Somehow, I doubt it. Best I can do is
200 mpg in a Mini Cooper S form factor at 67 mph (30 m/s)
using the Drag Equation, and that's not taking rolling
friction into consideration. At 45 m/s (100.7 mph) one
gets 88.9 mpg, as drag is proportional to the square of
the speed.
The stats I've seen for hybrids such as the Prius suggest
that hybrids get worse mileage on the highway than in
the city -- a testament to the inefficiencies of the
reciprocating piston internal combustion engine at
low RPMs.
>
> OK that's a UK gallon but it's still 50.4 US mpg !
>
> Diesel engines are a large part of the answer. The USA has an irrational
> fear of them though. Modern European diesel engine design is making even
> SPORTY diesels possible. They have exceptional torque which most drivers
> like too.
The US "fear" is not all that irrational, given the
diesel's history of sounding like a bad truck, smelling
like the inside of an oil can, and looking like something
coming out of a fireplace. Of course that's in the same
boat as brussel sprouts, which AIUI tasted bad because of
their canning decades ago; both have been since resolved,
using more efficient designs.
However, Americans, myself included, have a fairly long
memory. It will probably take a little while to purge
these prejudices out of our system.
I may never eat brussel sprouts. I might consider a
diesel, though. :-)
>
> Graham
>
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