Mazda3 Nears 60 MPG, But Not in USA

[...] The Mazda3 nears 60MPG – but not in the USA. [...]

I fail to understand why this country can’t/won’t help it’s people in these trying times. An automobile that gets almost 60 mpg and we can’t get them? Another reason to question our governments inability to get a grasp on the economy…

So if Mazda can build a 60 mpg diesel, why can’t Ford/GM/Chrysler???

We are supposed to be getting two high mileage autos next year or in 2010. One is the 235 MPG VW (very small) and the “Air Car” which is claimed to achieve over 100 MPG and is not expensive as most small autos now on the market. I’m saving my money for one of these in case they actually materialize. I would prefer a dependable all electric auto but doesn’t look like anyone can make a good battery.

Maybe Mazda doesn’t think the sales of this model will be worth the hassle of getting the car qualified for sale in the U.S.
At any rate, I’d bet that the problem lies somewhere within the government.
Don’t forget, however that from a pure economic viewpoint, at least right now – diesel costs more per gallon than gasoline.

We know the reason why. For decades the auto giants sat on their asses counting profits and now when it’s time to upgrade their fuel efficiency and factories they’re afraid it might hurt their profits.

That combined with our senator are easier to hire then hookers and they’ve kept the required mpg as low as possible… hmm wonder if the oil industry is working with the auto industry to keep mpg low.

Profits for a small group of shareholders trump the expense and harm done to the national economy. sickening.

I have been driving a VW Beetle (1999) GLS TDI (diesel) for about 5 years. I have gotten as good as 62mpg on the highway and generally get around 35-40 in town. The diesel is extremely powerful and efficient. Of course, there is only one reason the diesel isn’t in wide spread use here. Public conception. People THINK that diesel is dirty and smelly. Of course, it does smell different because the burn is different, but for 60mpg I’ll put up with it. VW and a few other manufacturers have diesels available here now. (I think Jeep still makes at least one model, and Mercedes has their diesels available with the 2009 models again. Of course, there are a large number of pickups with the diesels, but of course, these are “monster” machines [size] but stil get good economy – dodge 3500 gets about 26mpg on the highway.)

As an example for the perception. I talked to a Smart Car dealer about geting one of the Smarts with the diesel in it. They told me that to get the diesel I had to go to Canada or Mexico because the importer has refused to import ANY diesel models so far. The Smart Diesel has been rumored to get about 110mpg. (The importer has stated that diesel is dirty and smelly. and won’t import them until he can also get a fully electric model. While I think people should be able to invest in anything that they choose, the electric model has a short – about 45-55 mile – range before having to recharge for about 6 hours. In some cities that would not be a problem for some commuters, in most of the country 55 miles is not enough range to get to work and back again. But a gallon of diesel even at $4-$5 could move you almost 100 miles.)

Not only do we need to start gaining energy independence by tapping into our resources (we are discovering more all the time) but also moving to marketable more efficient vehicles now. Diesel works.

Side note, my daughter in law recently purchased a Honda Civic Hybrid. it is a really nice car, and she gets about 40 mpg. Hmmm, my diesel gets almost 60 on average. Which is more efficient? (BTW I don’t have to figure out how to get rid of and replace a bank of batteries every 125,000 miles either.)

We can’t get these cars in the US because they won’t pass our emission standards. Our regulations are stricter than other countries. Typical environmental issues….

How about the fact you gallons are smaller?
About time the government sorted that out.

Sirs, when I was in the Royal Air Force, in 1974, I was posted to Cyprus. When posted to a new base we are given a booklet that gives details of local facilities. One of the interesting details, on the back cover of the booklet, was details about a Diahatsu car, (probably spelled wrongly). Tis was advertised as giving 100 MPG, in 1974.
The engines were going to be used several years later in a British Leyland vehicle.
Our government decided that we could not have 100MPG so the engine had to be modified to give no more than about 45MPG.
I imagine this is becaus the more fuel you burn, the more tax your government takes.
On a similar vein, when in Belgium I fuelled up at my son-in-laws garage and got 450 miles to a tank, (on the return journey to UK). The best I could get with UK fuel in the same vehicle was 350miles per tank.

What exactly does the goverment have to do with what models of cars are sold in this country? Don’t blame the government ask Mazda why! If there is a market they will sell them. Is it possible that they are more expensive that the gas powered models?

Sorry, Jack
Most of the oil companies belong to most of our Government. And for the Government Officials who have no vested interest in oil companies, they have plenty of hired help to “Lobby” (a new politically correct term for BRIBE) them.

And you wonder why they won’t allow fuel efficient cars here? Try Googling the Tucker car, and read about that. They even have a movie about Tucker. You should read his bio, too. And this was in 1948, too. This aint nothing new.

With the cost of gasoline coming down again…expect to see more SUV’s & such on the road…rather than the clamor for vehicles like the Mazda3. The reason…fuel prices are coming down & people can drive their gas hogs without being penalized for it in the one place where it counts…their pocketbook. This WILL to happen again & we will see the same ones who are nagging about the cost of fuel & driving the worst vehicles for it are crying the hardest about their lack of intelligence & their “freedom” of choice.

Personally…driving a Hyundai which is almost 20 years old…I have no problem paying $10 or so for a gallon of gas. At this time…you will see the clean diesel cars on the road of the US.

Lets see if diesel make sense for automakers to bring these cars to the US. In Florida, where I live gas price is $2.38 per gallon. Diesel is $3.58. A $1.20 more per gallon and not all gas station sells diesel. Would I want to pay more at the pump just to have diesel? A 15 gallon tank of gas will cost me $35.70. For diesel it will cost me $53.70. It does not matter if the diesel gets more miles per gallon the only thing people look at. It’s how much money they spent filling it up. If you drive 50 miles per day on the gas Mazda with a average 35mgp will a get you 10 days of driving almost two weeks. With diesel it will be 14 days of driving, which is also two weeks. It still every other week to fill the tank in the mind of people. It does not matter that you have 4 extra days of driving but it will cost you $14.00 more to fill up in those two weeks the diesel. It just come even, except the diesel car will cost you more at the time of purchase and not all gas station have diesel.

Mazda knows from decades of past experience that diesel cars are a difficult sale in the US. Heck, it took years to get the Smart car in the US because market research showed that tall, overweight Americans wouldn’t buy one.

We need to stop blaming government and start looking at ourselves. We are victims of our own buying habits.

S

I had a Citreon 1.9L Diesel Turbo in the UK that would get 45 – 50 MPG depending how I drove it. One thing to bear in mind is that the Imperial Gallon is slightly smaller (about 0.8) of the US Gallon so…..

I now live in San Diego & my wife has a Golf TDI (Diesel) in which she gets around 50MPG.

The problem has been that the likes of GM & Ford have had it easy while the oil prices were so low. In Europe we have had to have efficient vehicles for so long because of taxes etc.

The crazy thing is that Vauxall / Opel the european GM manufacturers have made good economic vehicles for years!
I’m not whining, just stating a fact.

I see GM under the Saturn name have brought over the Astra which is a UK/German design…

This may have nothing to do with the Mazda3 problem. But then again, perhaps it does.

I have seen many such high MPG foreign-only vehicles reported over the decades. In most cases, similar versions could only be shipped to the states after major design changes. Often, safety redesigns, which significantly increased weight reduced the mileage claims. Some exhibited significant emmisions problems in foreign configuration, which either were too costly to overcome or that after the necessary emmissions systems add-ons were installed, experienced significantly reduced engine efficiency negating much of the original fuel efficiency. And in some cases, the high-efficiency engine design available in the foreign location required the use of a newer type of super-refined Diesel fuel which is not uniformly available throughout the U.S. Or a combination of some or all of the above conspired, in the end, to bring the foreign-designed model’s efficiency back to a more believable MPG figure.

The Volkswagon Rabbit TDi, which is already marketed in the U.S., with all of the necessary add-ons and encumberences, and runs on standard U.S.-available Diesel fuel, is generally reported to run in the 50 MPG area. Likely, the high-efficiency-model foreign Mazda3 would fall into this mileage range once properly equipped for shipment to the U.S.

Let’s assume a person were to strip a common off-the-shelf U.S. economy car, say, a 2009 Toyota Corolla, which in it most base configuration gets 35MPG, of all the added-on stuff that has been added to the bare-basic design first marketed at its inception. They would remove such things as luxurious seating, plush carpeting, added upholstery and padding, untold extra electronics and wiring, copious accessories, airbags, body stiffening, automatic transmission, wide tires with 17″+ alloy wheels, engines producing more than 100hp, etc. The weight savings and efficiency gains would likely add 5 MPG. However, the longevity of the resulting vehicle (and its driver) would greatly suffer, trading off shorter time to landfill (for both) in exchange for a minor MPG increase. People generally treat a vehicle they enjoy driving a whole lot better than one they merely tolerate, which helps keep them (both) from ending up in junk yards as quickly.

I once bought a Subaru van which got (claimed) up to 45-50mp(i)g. If you look at the difference between the Imperial Gallon and the USG – more than a pint, less than a quart; then factor that in, you might arrive at a more precise US mpg.

Usually lost in web posting and most conversations about fuel economy is that it is not a simple measurement such as “how much do you weigh” or “how much coffee is in that pot”.
Even the highway figure will differ depending on the test. The current EPA highway rating takes a simple physical test result and then reduces the mpg result for the new-car sticker. That is so to make the posted figure in the ballpark for average conditions.

If you take any car, warm up the whole car (engine, trans, wheel bearings) for a few miles *before* starting the test and then use a pro driver or set the cruise control for 60-65 on a flat highway you will easily beat the 2008 EPA highway sticker – (and create a traffic hazard as everyone else swerves around you – it a great science project but please do it on an empty road! ).

That underestimate is intentional – the above scenario isn’t how most people drive. The Euro test does not use a discount factor as does the EPAs.

“City” mpg is far more variable since the amount of energy lost to the brakes and idling is highly dependent on driving conditions. Since today’s hybrids can reclaim some (not all) of the braking waste energy you can get more consistent city mileage from them. Once up to highway speed the hybrid system is dead weight.

Since I’m retired from engineering and writing from an undisclosed location, I will reveal the technology “they don’t want you to know” which slams the mpg all current and currently proposed cars out of the park. It uses less energy per mile than any car, including a pure electric and has the lowest environmental impact; it is more efficient than a person walking.

It is known as the “bicycle”.