Originally Posted by lostJR
I am going to be jumping around a bit, and sometimes I will be comparing apples and oranges, but.... I have some stuff I want to haul on a regular basis. Looking at highway mileage, I see minivans that are are rated at about 25 mpg highway. I'd like something a bit smaller, but a honda Element, for example, barely does better on the highway. OK, it has the aerodynamics of a brick... but the upcoming HHR is only likely to do about 26 hwy. I will be surprised if the sleek Mazda5 does 28 highway.
The HHR and 5 weigh a lot less than typical minivans, and they have 4 cyclinder engines, and yet they likely will do only a few highway mpg better than the vans, and they are worse than the Avalon, and a host of v6 sedans, (although the weights are probably about the same as the v6 mid-size sedans).
Basically, I am looking for a hauler that is smaller and more economical than a minivan, and I am not finding it until I go _much_ smaller, like a Matrix (which is what I own now). You don't seem to gain much on the intermediate step, which is maybe why there aren't any vehicles that size on the market. Except... they are _huge_ in Europe. Go figure.
I know that on an annual basis, a 5 mpg difference doesn't amount to much money, so this is mostly just an exercise... I come from a long line of compulsive mileage checkers
I think it's aerodynamics and gearing. People have come to expect good acceleration even from their economy cars.
The base trim Chevy Impala weighs about the same as the FWD Honda CRV. They both have 4 speed automatics. They both put power to the ground from the front wheels. They Chevy has 180 horsepower, 205 pound feet of torque while the Honda has 160 horsepower and 163 pound feet of torque.
But the Honda's gearing is about 30% shorter, so their acceleration is the same and the Chevy actually gets much better fuel economy.