Originally Posted by
BandAlum83
When I was young (junior high - high school), my dad had a few Honda civics. This was circa 74-79.
I can swear I remember that they got 40+ MPG highway. This was around gas crisis II time. Each successive model and competitor vehicle seemed to outdo the prior on fuel economy.
Am I remembering correctly?
If I am, why have we not progressed beyond that and even regresses in fuel economy?
Was better mileage possible with leaded gasoline? Why can't hybrids get 75-80-90 mpg.
What am I missing here?
Our family owned a VW Dasher which was rated about 22 city/33 highway and a Fiat wagon (134?) that may have been a bit higher. Our first car purchase when we got married was a VW Rabbit that was probably about 24/36 and we routinely reached 36-38 highway MPG. I don't recall the Civics doing that well but I'd guess it was close.
My guess would be a combination of the unleaded fuel requirements and a lot of other emission devices, plus the engine sizes and horsepower #s are significantly higher now. I'd estimate the Civics had 1.4L engines and 90-100 HP as our Rabbit had very similar #s. Later, we also owned a 1981 VW Jetta diesel (PoS) that would routine get 50+ MPG on the highway and had about 90 HP.
I share your sentiments about hybrids now should be able to get the #s you quoted above.
[redacted] them and the horses they rode in on.