94 mpg!

[Draigflag]

New Kia Rio does over 90 MPG!

It's pretty impressive, the new Kia Rio does 94 MPG on the "Highway" cycle. In fact, even in the city, it will do 80 MPG, that's the minimum it will do! (88 MPG average)

I'm not sure if the engine is available in the USA, but in Europe it's the 1.1 litre Turbo Diesel 6 speed manual that achieves such amazing figures. It has equally low emissions too, probably less that a Prius! But this isn't a hybrid, just a normal small Diesel engine

I think with careful driving this thing will do over 100 MPG. I might buy one in March so I'll be sure to post my findings!

These are the kind of cars we need now, fuel in the UK is $10 a UK gallon now, and it's going up even more next year.
regards

[MMUK]

Nearly as good as the 1.2L A2 (1999-2005), unfortunately these were never sold in the UK :-(

[bates]

Alas it seems that in the US the EPA monkeys with the numbers and plays with the data to aid some manufacturers while punishing others. Europe has had several generations of high effiency small diesels over the past 3 decades or so that were kept mostly out of the US for one reason or another. Unfortunately, many US drivers associate diesels with the rattling smokey beasts of 40 years ago and that has made the manufacturers more than a little shy about fighting to import them since they often receive luke warm at best sales over here. Fortunately the Germans have done a great job recently with the TDI in VW and Audi and other diesel engines in BMW that are showing the fickle US buyer who truly extraordinary these new generation powerplants are. I hope that this Kia Rio will make its' way over here, but I seriously doubt that it will. Good luck with your planned aquisition and I hope that you break the 100 MPG barrier.

[Draigflag]

Hi bates. Yes i understand. I get a lot of comments from Americans on my YouTube vids, they seem to believe that diesels are banned from the US due to "emission" standards, despite the fact that Europe has higher standards anyway, and the fact that diesel emit lower C02 as well! I ask them why that the past 5 times i've been to the US and seen 5.0 Litre V10 diesel trucks, how a low emitting 94 MPG car could possibly emit more than such monsters? Thats usually where they back off a bit...

[snapfoo]

That's awesome! Finally shows how ridiculous hybrids are in comparison, huh? I wonder if this will get to the US anywhere near that. I, too, would like to know why we act like we're alergic to efficiency. I get really annoyed at the repeated car commercials proudly advertising figures that are at most on par with the Model T. I mean, really?

[MMUK]

Hey, just imagine if someone hybridised one of these super-economic diesels. 110MPG?

[bates]

Draigflag,

I understand and know that diesels are NOT banned in the US, but the US EPA does make it difficult for manufacturers to import and sell them here for passenger vehicles, why I don't know. Further, the Manufacturers are understandably gun shy over selling clean diesels in the US due to the lackluster sales performance that they have received in the past.

I'm just glad to see that there are people out there who are championing these vehicles and I hope that it will translate into some additional sales and importations into the US for our market.

For the record, I owned a 1980 VW Dasher Diesel Wagon and loved it, 50 MPG no matter how I drove it, freeway, city streets, or any mix thereof. I've also been working on and driving diesel boats for more than 30 years and have watched the Heavy Duty Marine Diesel industry evolve over those past 3 decades. The switch to low sulfur and now ultra low sulfur diesel has had a nominal effect on emissions but a drastic effect on the life expectancy of these engines due to decreased lubricity of the fuels.

Once again, well done, I'm glad to see you getting such great mileage and economy.

[catching45]

Car company's need to do a better job of marketing diesel in the US. The problem is that diesel cars are really only sold by higher end Euro bands. If you're going to drop top coin on a car do fuel savings really factor in. For a BMW X5 I think not.

There is a hugh desire for small lower end diesels, like the Kia mentioned here. There has got to be a way for Kia to get that car US complaint. Even if the mpg fell to 55 mpg it would still be the highest mpg car you could buy off the lot in the US.

[Draigflag]

I'm not sure what the problem is. I think fuel prices determine the market a lot. I mean fuel is still 2 and a half times cheaper in the US than in the UK for example (we pay the equivalent of $10 for a UK gallon) so maybe if fuel in the US hit those prices, you would see more economical cars being developed.

Oh another thing, since Fiat bought a big Chunk of Chrysler in the bail out, expect to see way more economical engines in the Fiat/Chrysler franchise. Fiat build bulletproof award winning economical engines, they have the lowest C02 emissions in Europe already.

[DTMAce]

Just a question, unless I missed it in the reading...

Are we comparing the MPG based on UK gallons instead of US gallons? Just thought I would ask. I know that makes a difference too.

I do agree that US needs to be offering vehicles to the US market with this type of mileage ability however.