Americans Don't Love Trucks Anymore

Count Floyd turned on the Etch-A-Sketch and wrote:

I'm impressed. I honestly couldn't stand being in that car for more than
half an hour. It is too cramped and noisy. And just out of curiosity -
did you pack at least one ice chest and/or a canoe?

As for 30mpg, I can see that at 60mph. Not sure anyone around here who
drives that slow, but I can see it.

FWIW, I get about 22mpg in my "gas guzzler" Avalanche when keeping the speed
down to around 70mph on long trips. This takes into account the requisite
multi-thousand foot mountains one must cross to get out of Los Angeles to
go pretty much anywhere on the 101, I-5, 14, or I-15.

 

Because then you're not stuck in a compact like the 300m?

As for me, I use my truck to haul stuff for the kids and whatnot pretty much
every day.

Occasionally I run over a honda civic, but that's okay, it doesn't really
scratch the paint much.

 

<snipped>
As matter of fact we did have a carry along Coleman cooler with drinks
and water, the kind you carry to the beach.

 

America's love affair with light-truck-based chassis vehicles depends
upon where you live. In the expanding place called "Home Depot Land",
they come in very handy for more bulky project items, including hauling
the mulch, fertilizer, pavestones, cinder blocks, 4x8 sheets of plywood,
and other things associated with new or remodeling construction
activities which you don't pay others to do.

By the same token, an LH car (as the 300M) that has a fold-down rear
seat (rather than the "ski slot" hole behind the center armrest in the
rear seat) can do a good job of hauling 6' or 8' lumber (with
appropriate care to keep the boards from sliding around and damaging the
interior leather). Been there, done that!

I've clocked every 2nd gen LH car I've driven (with the 3.5L V-6) at
30-31mpg at 60mph (flat level road, with the cruise doing the
throttle--on the onboard trip computer). On the 300M, that will drop to
27mpg at 90mph (only 700rpm greater engine speed) . . . from my own
observations of doing that Cars were from the Thrifty or Dollar rental
fleets.

There are LOTS of 30mpg cars on the used car lots of America (highway
mpg). The Chrysler LH cars are the "incognito" economy cars, as are the
last-gen Buick LeSabres with the 3800 V-6. No need to give up luxury
and size for a few mpg or less than 6 cylinders.

Many light-duty trucks can get good fuel economy on the road . . . but
usually ONLY if the road is flat and level. Cylinder deactivation only
happens in those conditions and only accounts for about 8% fuel economy
gain in those conditions. Many of the earlier Dodge Cummins diesels
would usually break 20mpg on trips (not pulling anything).

As fuel economy has generally improved, the term "gas guzzler" has
become a moveable point of reference. 30mpg compared to 40mpg could be
termed "gas guzzler", just as 18mpg compared to 25mpg would be similar.
It USED to mean something like 12mpg (or less) when other similar cars
would get 20mpg, but not anymore.

And then were the 454 and 460 V-8 one-ton duallys that got 6mpg on a
good day, running down the road with a trailer on the back.

I believe that Chrysler went a little backward with their squared/boxy
styling as it cost them several "on the road" mpgs on the 300s. Plus
the additional WEIGHT of the cars made the 3.5L V-6s work harder. The
new 300s look great, but that fuel economy penalty is something that has
not endeared them to many buyers. But the 5.7L HEMI V-8 in those cars
has the same EPA Highway mpg as a Mustang V-6, so that puts a different
reference point on things.

One thing lost with the LH to LX transition was the "light on its feet"
handling feel of the LH cars. By comparison, the LX cars feel bulky and
heavy, to me (even with the later versions of the LX cars getting a
firmer rear suspension calibration!) . . . more like a GM car than a
Chrysler.

There are many people now driving light truck chassis vehicles that
don't really need them -- maybe it's the rwd platform? V-8 power?
"Testosterone" associations? Better visibility due to the higher ride
height? But there are also many who do need a truck-based vehicle to
carry their "stuff" around, whether it's people stuff or people AND
their stuff or home improvement items.

Problem with modern pickup trucks is that they are too high off of the
ground (2wd versions) for anybody less than 6' tall to be able to use
comfortably. That additional ride height has to have some penalty in
fuel economy, too, I suspect.

Just some thoughts and observations . . .

C-BODY

 

True.
I get that with my '95 3.3L Concorde at 60 mph hwy, although I usually
drive at 70 mph.

 

IMO they are ugly and yes they are very heavy.

I rented a Magnum V6 for two weeks, hated it, but the big surprise when
I drove my LH again was it's great visibility, great low end torque and
great handling/cornering. By comparison my LH was so much better for me.
This is the first time I've felt this after driving a much newer car.
By comparison the Ford Fusion V6 felt slight better than my LH, but it
burned just as much gas.

Ego and carrying too much junk.

I had a look at the Journey and was surprised it was a bit too high off
the ground for me to easily enter/leave. I'm 6'.
The Caliper & Compass are the perfect height for me.

Then I noticed the Journey's spare was stuck under the rear.
Yes the Journey is the small van that Chrysler earlier dropped.
A cross over it is NOT!

 

I believe more thought ought to be put into this.

Vehicle Category Value Comment

Assumption: Gas cost/gallon $4.10

PRIUS
MSRP "$28,000.00"
MPG 50 " 46 MPG Claimed, Actual test results as high as 50 MPG"
Gas Cost/100K Miles "$8,200.00"
Battery Repl Cost "$4,000.00"
Est Maint "$1,500.00" " Warranty Powertrain 60,000"
Total Cost of Ownership "$30,500.00" Minus Residual Value After 5
Years (40%)


Hyundi Elantra
MSRP "$16,900.00"
MPG 33
Gas Cost/100K Miles "$12,424.24"
Battery Repl Cost 0 No battery
Warranty $0.00 " Warranty Powertrain 100,000"
Total Cost of Ownership "$22,564.24" Minus Residual Value After 5
Years (40%)


F-150
MSRP "$20,000.00"
MPG 20
Gas Cost/100K Miles "$20,500.00"
Battery Repl Cost 0
Maintenance "$1,500.00" " Warranty Powertrain 60,000"
Total Cost of Ownership "$34,000.00" Minus Residual Value After 5
Years (40%)


Corvette
MSRP "$47,045.00"
MPG 30
Gas Cost/100K Miles "$13,666.67"
Battery Repl Cost 0
Maintenance $0.00 " Warranty Powertrain 100,000"
Total Cost of Ownership "$41,893.67" Minus Residual Value After 5
Years (40%)

 

I believe more thought ought to be put into this.

Vehicle Category Value Comment

Assumption: Gas cost/gallon $4.10

PRIUS
MSRP "$28,000.00"
MPG 50 " 46 MPG Claimed, Actual test results as high as 50 MPG"
Gas Cost/100K Miles "$8,200.00"
Battery Repl Cost "$4,000.00"
Est Maint "$1,500.00" " Warranty Powertrain 60,000"
Total Cost of Ownership "$30,500.00" Minus Residual Value After 5
Years (40%)


Hyundi Elantra
MSRP "$16,900.00"
MPG 33
Gas Cost/100K Miles "$12,424.24"
Battery Repl Cost 0 No battery
Warranty $0.00 " Warranty Powertrain 100,000"
Total Cost of Ownership "$22,564.24" Minus Residual Value After 5
Years (40%)


F-150
MSRP "$20,000.00"
MPG 20
Gas Cost/100K Miles "$20,500.00"
Battery Repl Cost 0
Maintenance "$1,500.00" " Warranty Powertrain 60,000"
Total Cost of Ownership "$34,000.00" Minus Residual Value After 5
Years (40%)

Wow, no battery! Do they have a crank up front? Must be a bitch to crank a
big V8

Al

 

That's part of the problem; municipalities charge extra for things
that should be separated out and recycled/composted. In my area,
recycling is free at least although yard waste is an extra cost. I
see most of my neighbors setting out separate recycling bins on trash
day, so if you remove the incentive to sneak it in with the trash, it
doesn't get trashed.

My own yard waste is so significant that I don't bother to pay the 75
cents a bag to leave it at the curb; I just save it up until I have a
truckload and run it to the dump for $10 a load or so. Less of a PITA
than to buy the special bags, stickers, etc. and then trim everything
so it fits in the bags... I have my own composter so kitchen waste
gets dealt with appropriately although I wouldn't be surprised to hear
that a lot of it is still getting mixed in with the regular trash -
simply because there is no convenient mechanism for apartment dwellers
or people who haven't bothered to get their own composters etc.

Of course I still end up making semi-regular trash runs to the dump as
well, because the previous owners of my house thought that burying
construction waste around the garage was a good idea, and I keep
uncovering it as I attempt to grade and neaten my yard...

nate

 

We have a large landfill where I live that reached capacity and is now
closed.

I mulch my grass, so that is a non-issue. Tree limbs get hauled to the
landfill where they get chopped up into mulch for use around the city
and some of it gets put into large compost piles where it turns into dirt
after not too long. It does not cost extra to drop off tree limbs, and
the mulch and dirt is free if you want some. All you have to do is
show a current city utility bill and you are let into the landfill.