The 65 mpg Ford the U.S. Can't Have

[picbits]

The European Honda Civic 2.2L iCDTi Turbo Diesel is a high MPG car. The MPG numbers I have seen so far vary but look at least as good as the Ford car I started the thread with.

Has anyone driven or seen this car?

**broken link removed**

Yeah - thats the car I have but in black.

Interesting car initially but not as nice as the new Golfs.

On another note, you can easily find yourself in 3 figure speeds if you take you eye off the speedo ..... (and thats not in Kmh either).

Averaging just over 50mpg overall on it at the moment after 1500 miles of spirited driving.

 

[picbits]

As a note though - driving it very conservatively you can easily manage 70 miles to the gallon (UK gallon) but the temptation of those 350 newton meters tends to get the better of the right foot

 

[kchriste]

When I lived in Hongcouver I never saw bananas grown. It rains too much with hardly any sunshine.

I'm in Victoria, not the lower rainland. The house down my street has a banana palm out front. They do wrap the trunk in the winter, but it has survived 5 winters now. We rarely get snow here and laugh at the easterners digging out every winter. When it does snow, the easterners laugh at us because no one here can drive in it and the city comes to a standstill with cars in the ditch everywhere.

 

[ArrowHead]

Another reason why you don’t see amazing-fuel-economy European cars in America is because of different emissions standards. Re-tune or -build an engine from one of these cars to meet american emissions standards, and unsurprisingly, its fuel economy won’t be so great anymore!

 

[audioguru]

Another reason why you don’t see amazing-fuel-economy European cars in America is because of different emissions standards. Re-tune or -build an engine from one of these cars to meet american emissions standards, and unsurprisingly, its fuel economy won’t be so great anymore!

We don't like smoking stinking noisy diesels in Canada.

 

[rjvh]

Another reason why you don’t see amazing-fuel-economy European cars in America is because of different emissions standards. Re-tune or -build an engine from one of these cars to meet american emissions standards, and unsurprisingly, its fuel economy won’t be so great anymore!

I am not realy agreeing with this statement

yes there are different emision standarts and in some states of america they have the toughest in the world as I may believe but it would not make that much of a difference that the cosumption will drop to levels it can not reach the 15 km a liter ratio for a new car

the thing i dont understand why we need more power in the cars

if you had 120 Hp engine in a car 15 years ago you where considered the fastes on the block, the normal avarage joe car had 60 Hp

now the avararage joe car has a minimum of 140 Hp and i think you have a hard time to spot a new car in the showroom that don't have less than 90 Hp (golf carts excluded)

Ok lot of Hp contributes a lot to the smile factor of driving a car but if you take in consideration that roads are also better maintained and new ones better build than i don't see the need for it

as for diesels they are only noisy and stinking when they arent properly maintained and the new generation doesn't stand in the shadows of the fuel ones performance wise

Robert-Jan

 

[audioguru]

Performance cars in North America are with huge V8 engines and a displacement of 5l or more. 300hp and more. They burn gasoline, not European taxes.

 

[Diver300]

We don't like smoking stinking noisy diesels in Canada.

We don't like like smoking stinking noisy diesels in England either.

We drive modern diesel cars instead.

More seriously, diesels in North America may be restricted by the fuel. All European diesel fuel is now low sulphur, and which makes the performance and lack of smoke from the modern diesels much easier to achieve.

Ford sold a 1.6 litre, 54 hp Fiesta in the UK in 1984. It would do 60 mpg (UK gallons) so about 48 mpg (US gallons). The low tax on fuel in the US has meant no incentive to bring such cars to the US.

Most of the models that are sold in both the US and Europe are available in Europe with diesel engines. You can now buy and Audi TT with 170 hp and 50 mpg. The rest of their range, including convertibles, has had a choice of diesel engines for decades.

Go to an Audi dealer in the US and ask a diesel. When they refuse, ask directions to the Toyota dealer. If everyone does that, they would be on sale in the US within a year.

 

[rjvh]

Go to an Audi dealer in the US and ask a diesel. When they refuse, ask directions to the Toyota dealer. If everyone does that, they would be on sale in the US within a year.

spot on

 

[audioguru]

It might be too much sulphur in North American diesel fuel that causes black smoke and the stink.
I have never heard a quiet diesel engine. They sound like they are hammering themselves to death.

 

[Pommie]

I have never heard a quiet diesel engine. They sound like they are hammering themselves to death.

That is because you mistakingly thought they must be petrol (gas to you - even though it's liquid!!) because they were neither noisy, stinky or smelly.

Mike.

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

That is because you mistakingly thought they must be petrol (gas to you - even though it's liquid!!) because they were neither noisy, stinky or smelly.

Good point - you can't tell with modern diesels.

 

[audioguru]

Is there a motorcycle or a lawnmower with a diesel engine?

 

[Hero999]

Deisel motor cycles do exist, especially in military applications because of NATO's single fuel policy.

 

[picbits]

We get a lot of diesel cement/concrete mixers over here as well

 

[Hero999]

I wouldn't mind a diesel motorbike, something with the faster acceleration than the average car but still does +100mpg would be ideal for long distance travel.

Something like the Track T-800CDI would be ideal as a tourer or courier bike, the only thing is it does look ugly.
**broken link removed**

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diesel_motorcycle#Track_T-800CDI

 

[audioguru]

It doesn't look ugly.
It looks like a bicycle for a little kid but wth a motor.

In North America only little kids and adults who act like little kids drive a stinking (no pollution controls) noisy (no muffler) motorcycle.

 

[kchriste]

It might be too much sulphur in North American diesel fuel that causes black smoke and the stink.

Low sulfur diesel is being introduced in Canada now. In the last couple of years you couldn't buy a new diesel car because they were waiting for the newer engines/fuel system, that can handle the low sulfur fuel, to become available here. Don't know why they couldn't just import the European cars.

 

[rjvh]

Something like the Track T-800CDI would be ideal as a tourer or courier bike, the only thing is it does look ugly.
**broken link removed**

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diesel_motorcycle#Track_T-800CDI

I doubth that this engin is soly designed for this motor bike it looks indeed chunky

also styling lacks curves

the thing with diesels is they get more and more efficient the bigger they are

as i can remember the most efficient diesel engin is a ship motor in a ocean freight ship and that are big engines

coment by audioguru
In North America only little kids and adults who act like little kids drive a stinking (no pollution controls) noisy (no muffler) motorcycle.

I can't tel about north north america (Canada) (so you will probably be right for there) but other parts in the world are already pretty advanced to a stage that, first motor bikes have mufflers and second they do have polution control, third a control system is in place (police) that leaves it more or less only posible to go without these mufflers and polution controls in your backyard and nowhere else without paying fines and conviscating of your motrbike

it says indeed something about the kids and kids behaving adults that remove the polution control and mufflers and drive with it on public road

Robert-Jan

 

[audioguru]

I don't know why Canadian police ignor the "no noise" law with noisy motorcycles. Maybe they casn't catch them. Maybe they don't care about quiet.