Autoblog

because small engines can be forced to rev too high to do the work they need to do and therefor lower mileage.

Look at the Smart cars, people leadfoot them all the time reducing their mileage all because the engine is too small to deliver the performance people expect in their cars. Now once some learn to drive them within their specs their mileage climbs.

Don't always assume a larger motor is less efficient, especially when we are talking fractions of a liter

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M-B C230 went from 2.3 to 1.8T (IIRC).

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The problem with the Smart isn't the engine, it is the transmission. It needs something better than 5 forward gears.

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Chris I understand your point about people need more power and larger motor doesn't always mean lower mpg but in a car like civic or Prius does it really matter. These cars not designed for performance rather cruising with great mpg. Anyone who is buying smart or hybrid car doesn’t car much about performance otherwise they would pickup regular accord, wrx or cobalt.

I mean civic used to come with 1.5 vtec now they are standard with 1.8 with tons of more weight. Why not reduce weight and pair it with lighter and smaller motor? Like the good ole days of CRX. I don't mean to say all cars should be like CRX but if you intended to make high efficiency vehicle pair with a good light motor and keep the weight of the car as low as possible. In fact this done all over Europe where are tons of cars that have 1.2 to 1.8 liter engines and they all sell very well. Hell even Merc makes an E1.8D or BMW make 1.6 3 series. The irony of it all is that we in America have the higher performance engine yet they we drive like a grandma compared to European drivers who have smaller engine cars. So engine size doesn’t equal higher performance in regular day driving.

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The Prius is notably bigger than those examples - and it's classified as a midsize car in the USA by the EPA.

The Prius may sip fuel, but it's not an economy car.

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I would call the Prius economical. And since when did the phrase "mid-sized economy car" die???

Nobody tells me anything anymore...

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ahh, but how it will sell!!

just think of all the blog space from all the Japanese fanboys, always telling us how ridiculous the silly domestics are with regard badge engineering.

of course, the fact that Toyota has many versions that magically become tarted-up Lexus models doesn't apply, so I've come up with this simple formula:

-domestic badge engineering: stupid, wasteful, pointless, last gasps of a dying breed, not fooling anyone.

-Japanese badge engineering: brilliant, excellent use of existing platform, "it's different than what you think it is".

the bottom line is that there are many status-oriented buyers out there. all they want is that big "L" on the front; it doesn't matter if there's mice under the hood powering it...it's a Lexus.

I'm anxious to see what it will look like with a carriage roof, gold package, and Vogue tyres.

AZMike

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"What the hell is the point of buying an EXPENSIVE hybrid?"

Wow, you really lost me on that one. Why would there NOT be a market for an upscale Hybrid? Are you assuming people only buy hybrids to save money? If that were the case they could just buy 10 year old Civics.

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Disgruntled Goat the whole reason most people buy hybrids is in order to save on gas. Yes there are some who do it for the environment, but overall the demand for hybrids is almost directly related with the price of gas.

If you actually believe that most people are buying the thing for any other reason you are delusional.

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