Why are there no new cars in the top 10 - Fuelly Forums

Click here to see important news regarding the aCar App

Go Back   Fuelly Forums > Fuel Talk > General Fuel Topics
Today's Posts Search Click Here to Login
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 02-07-2007, 06:57 PM   #1
Registered Member
 
zpiloto's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Posts: 1,225
Country: United States
Why are there no new cars in the top 10

Looking over the top ten there are no cars after 99. Is it because they are still under warrenty or are older cars easier to tweak?

TOP 10
Pontiac 98
Honda 92
Ford 99
Honda 93
Metro 93
Saturn 99
Honda 91
Metro 94
Mero 94
Honda 94
16th Saturn 2002

Over EPA
Ford 99
Saturn 99
Honda 91
Plymouth 90
Honda 93
Honda 93
Honda 93
Honda 92
Pontiac 98
Honda 92
Toyota 92
19th Honda 2005

Total cars in Garage (these numbers are from the search engine on the site(which I suck at) so not 100% accurate)
Metro
11
Honda
65
Saturn
3
Yaris
15
Ford
10
__________________

zpiloto is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-07-2007, 07:11 PM   #2
Registered Member
 
bzipitidoo's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 112
Country: United States
safety requirements -> more weight -> less FE

At least, that's what I've read. US safety requirements were made more stringent in 2000 or 2001, and the easiest way to meet them was add more metal around the passenger compartment. I have also read that if you wish to license something like a Ford Ka in the US, you'd have to add metal rods to the B pillar and perhaps beef up a few other spots.

If you did a top ten list of US cars from lightest to heaviest, I bet you'd see the same sort of thing. Nothing 2000 or newer would be in the top 10.
__________________

bzipitidoo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-08-2007, 12:53 AM   #3
Registered Member
 
GasSavers_Ryland's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Posts: 1,325
Country: United States
Send a message via AIM to GasSavers_Ryland
If you look at engine size, horse power rating, horse power to weight ratio, and options that are now standard, you will notice all of those going up as cars get newer, new cars are designed to get high reveiws from people who spend 30 minutes in a car, push all the buttens, stomp on the gas pedal a few times, then go off to a cubical to write a review that is ment to sell said car, if it's not bigger, faster, has more cup holders, and cushy seats, it gets a bad reveiw.
GasSavers_Ryland is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-08-2007, 06:43 AM   #4
Registered Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 104
Country: United States
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ryland View Post
If you look at engine size, horse power rating, horse power to weight ratio, and options that are now standard, you will notice all of those going up as cars get newer, new cars are designed to get high reveiws from people who spend 30 minutes in a car, push all the buttens, stomp on the gas pedal a few times, then go off to a cubical to write a review that is ment to sell said car, if it's not bigger, faster, has more cup holders, and cushy seats, it gets a bad reveiw.


I want a Lotus Elise personally. Closest thing to my ideal car but maybe a touch heavy. I believe the radio is still optional.
__________________


GasSavers_BluEyes is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-08-2007, 02:33 PM   #5
Registered Member
 
MakDiesel's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 201
Country: United States
Quote:
Originally Posted by BluEyes View Post


I want a Lotus Elise personally. Closest thing to my ideal car but maybe a touch heavy. I believe the radio is still optional.
Word. Equal in weight to my Si but twice the power and crazy lateral G's. Closest thing to a street legal track car w/ none of the "luxuries" that add x-hundred lbs to every bloated piece being made today. MAk
__________________
'85 CRX Si Original EW3 @ 254k...suck it Detroit
'89 CRX HF-Z1 ~ When haste is needed
'97 Civic DX Hatch ~ Formerly 600hp, now 0hp, soon 115hp.

MakDiesel is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-08-2007, 06:00 PM   #6
Registered Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 1,978
Country: United States
Size and Emission Tech

I'm just guessing that 2 factors are at play here:

First being the size of the average vehicle has increased significantly over the last 15 years.

Look at the same name 15 years ago (Accord, Camry, even Maxima and Taurus since they were first introduced).

Secondly, the advent of OBD-II has made it increasingly difficult to fool the computer into more efficient conditions or to meet those conditions physically. The ECU holds the key to so many variables of FE vs. Emissions and driveability that it's probably harder to tweak and to really get access to.

Fuel maps and the oxygen sensor's role in the whole mix is more complicated. Now, with throttle-by-wire and even more electronic gadgetry on cars this decade have made it a challenge to diagnose what they demand for superior FE.

RH77
__________________
rh77 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-08-2007, 06:54 PM   #7
Registered Member
 
MetroMPG's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 4,223
Country: United States
Ryland's on the money. It's not the computers, or the weight, or the safety equipment. It's only because the auto companies don't believe ordinary, efficient cars will sell in North America, so they've stopped trying. (Or they do believe it, but they don't want to sell them.)

The "new" small cars we have here - which are admittedly bigger and safer than their 10 year old predecessors - are available in other markets with more efficient drivetrains. Yaris & Fit spring to mind.

Repeat after me: you do not want an efficient small car. You do not want an efficient small car. You do not want an efficient small car...
MetroMPG is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-08-2007, 07:22 PM   #8
Registered Member
 
Mike T's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Posts: 321
Country: United States
shoot guys

Don't I count? Or did my car get disqualified because it is diesel? I was briefly #3....and my car is a 2005 model.
__________________
2008 Mercedes-Benz B 200
2006 smart fortwo BRABUS Canada 1 cdi cabriolet
2005 smart fortwo cdi pulse cabriolet
1966 Peugeot 404 Coupe Injection
Mike T is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-08-2007, 07:31 PM   #9
Tuggin at the surly bonds
 
Silveredwings's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 839
Country: United States
Quote:
Originally Posted by MetroMPG View Post
Repeat after me: you do not want an efficient small car. You do not want an efficient small car. You do not want an efficient small car...
I do not want an efficient small car... I do not want an efficient small car... I do not want an efficient small car...

...hey what am I saying? Stop it. Those are jedi mind tricks.
__________________
Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one. - Albert Einstein
Silveredwings is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-08-2007, 07:33 PM   #10
Team OPEC Busters!
 
GasSavers_Brock's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 196
Country: United States
Same here if diesels were in the top 10 I would be in there all the time with our 2003 TDI wagon.

Although on this note the VW diesels keep getting bigger and more powerful engines. So anything newer then the 03's get lower and lower mpg, but more power.

Another thing cutting back on the mpg's is the emissions. There are a few mods on the diesels that can increase mpgs but also increase emissions. I wonder how true that might be with gassers as well?
__________________

GasSavers_Brock is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Fuelly Android App - eehokie Fuelly Web Support and Community News 2 07-14-2010 09:59 PM
Combined totals of all my vehicles? nizationpcs Fuelly Web Support and Community News 0 03-30-2009 07:41 AM
Come back, 95metro! MetroMPG General Discussion (Off-Topic) 3 07-26-2006 11:04 PM
Hello fellow gasaholics... Silveredwings Introduce Yourself - New member Welcome 7 04-26-2006 04:14 PM
Guests Online JanGeo General Discussion (Off-Topic) 2 03-15-2006 07:49 AM

» Fuelly iOS Apps
» Fuelly Android Apps
Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3


All times are GMT -8. The time now is 05:57 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.